What More...

Of course when Kyle leaves so many things seem to just happen at the same time. What more could go wrong...

1. My car is in the shop for body work (Kyle was hit in a parking lot on the day he left)

2. The other car has no tail light and stuck in the drive way. (Kyle was rear ended a week before he left)

3. The rental car isn't big enough for the 3 car seats I use and that is all insurance will cover (hoping one of our smaller car seats will work for Avalyn)

4. Living life around contractors schedules- fixing our shower and the mold damage from all the leaking

5. Still no pack-n-play- Avalyn needs a nap

6. Can't find my cell phone- Kyle's doesn't work

7. I broke the automatic garage door and have no clue how to fix it- I miss being able to put the kids in the car without going outside)

8. Still so cold outside

On a good note...

1. Insurance is covering all the damage and it should be fixed by Fri.!

2. Kyle is going to fix the tail light when he returns and the $ we got from the damage paid of our other car- yea for no car payments!

3. I am sure I can make it work- Avalyn might even be able to sit in Gavin booster seat with the back on, if his new booster seat comes in the mail soon- not to mention help from my wonderful friend taking Gavin to school today!

4. I will hopefully be able to take a shower without going upstairs to the kids bathroom- we haven't used ours in 8 months! No more Mold!!!

5. Pack-n-play should be here today or tomorrow!!!

6. Surely I will find my cell phone, I had it this morning- the car place just called and I left it in my car! God is good!

7. Oh well, who needs a automatic garage door- I didn't have one growing up and at least there isn't snow right now

8. There is sun, no snow and what's 20 degrees when there isn't too much wind

And most importantly we are healthy, safe, managing thanks to all our wonderful friends and God is watching over us and keeping Kyle safe. I even get a night out with the girls tonight thanks to a friend who is coming over to put the kids to bed so I can go buy milk and eat with some church friends.

Yes, I cut all his hair off again. I am not good at triming and what 4 year old boy wants to have his hair done so it doesn't look like a mess- so it's gone.

Gavin doing math on his Star Wars leapster! His favorite toy and he is actually pretty good at adding and subtracting because of it, now if he could work on his coloring (not his favorite thing to do).

Our new gate to the basement! Yea! for a door- Gavin can open it and I don't have to keep moving the other one so the kids can play in the basement.

Avalyn wearing one of Daddy's uniform sashes (I don't know what they are called) in her hair.

Avalyn just had to play outside, so I said sure despite the fact it may have been 30 degrees out. She didn't last long, but at least she got some fresh air.

Doing Well

Things are going pretty well around here. I haven't taken too many pictures, but will try to get to that. So far we have adjusted well, but I don't think reality has really hit. It has been a while since he's been gone (longer than 5 weeks) so I think it will take a little bit longer for it to hit us- probably a good thing. I have been so thankful for all the support I have felt here in Omaha. I continue to feel better, there are still times when I don't feel so well and watch out if I haven't had enough sleep (I am either out of it or moody).

The kids have been great. It is such a hard thing for Avalyn to understand, but I think Gavin has a decent idea. Of course there are always those off the wall comments- such as Avalyn comment that "Daddy was with Barack Obama" and of course to her Daddy is always on an airplane when he is gone (not worth arguing about, so we usually just say sure) and the sad comments that just breaks your heart like when Gavin said today that he forgot to ask Daddy to stay, because if he had Daddy might have not gone.

The room sharing is still a little bumpy, but thankfully Avalyn continues to sleep right through most of the random moments of screaming at night. I have discovered that if Cambria gets her 2 naps, she is sleeping better at night- I thought for a while she might be trying to go to 1 nap. The new pack-n-play is on order, thanks to Albeebaby.com I got a great deal on a Graco (not crazy about the color, but couldn't beat the price). I am ready for it to be here so Cambria can go back to napping in the closet and Avalyn can have her nap back (she needs it). I am still going to keep them together at night and hopefully by the time baby #4 is sleeping in our closet Avalyn will be done with naps.

We are happy and doing well! Thanks for all your love and support and of course prayer!

Feeling better

I am glad to report that around 5pm today my cramps started to go away. My stomach was so tight and since 9:30 am yesterday (even through the night) the pain didn't go away. The Tylenol started to help this afternoon and thanks to my great kids I was able to rest. Thanks for all your calls and willingness to help, despite the 7"of snow falling. It meant a lot to know I have support around me. Now, if Cambria would just sleep- I don't know what is wrong, but I will have to get out and buy a new pack-n-play so she can go back in our closet for a little while longer. I better go get her, she probably has a dirty diaper and poor Avalyn has now begun to sleep with the blanket over her head. Thanks for all your prayers! Kyle did call earlier and he is there, the phone didn't work for long so hopefully he will be able to call again tomorrow! Happy Valentines Day Everyone. We Love you all!!!

He's Gone, Please pray...

Daddy left today. So sad, but what's 120 days. It was a long day, but reality hasn't hit the kids so not too bad. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about these next 4 and a half months, but what good is worrying. I know God is taking care of all of us and we will make it through this time apart. God has blessed us with some nice weather the past few days, but of course the day after Kyle leaves we are supposed to get 7" of snow. So the fun begins and life as a "single" mommy starts again.

I know it looks like Avalyn was screaming, but she was actually jumping up and down and laughing. Oh well, at least I remembered to take a picture right before he had to leave.

I am not feeling so well. The last few days have been particularly bad and today I had painful cramps all day. This hasn't been the easiest pregnancy and I am just praying that I begin feeling better soon. I am 13 weeks along and I am still feeling tired, quessy (all day), crampy, and migraines on occasion. Please pray for the health of this little baby and for me as I am trying to take care of all my babies.

Room-mates

Okay, so sharing a room isn't all that great. I guess sharing a room with a teething 12month old isn't probably the best for anyone's sleeping schedule. We haven't had too much trouble at night- Avalyn seems to sleep through anything at night. Cambria does wake up too early at times and of course my little morning butterfly has no problem waking up an hour early with her sister. The biggest issue is naps, they just can't do it at the same time and Avalyn still needs one on most days. Oh well, I guess I am in the market for a new pack-n-play in the closet for nap times and by the time baby #4 is here and in the closet Avalyn will be done with naps for the most part. Avalyn does love having her sister in her room, she request her to be in bed when I put her down.

A Busy Week

Sun. was our Super Bowl Party with our Sunday School class. Great fun with lot's of friends and tons of kids (at least 20 kids). I have no pictures, but the 120" projector came in handy along with the playroom and an at times peaceful living room upstairs for the moms to hang out.

Some warmer weather. Over the last couple weeks it has warmed up around here. Of course it only last for a few days or so, but we will take it. This winter has not been nearly as bad as last and I am praying it continues that way while Kyle is gone.

By Mon. Cambria was sick, throwing up everywhere, not eating, and sleeping a lot. She was sick for a couple of days and by Wed. she was well and Thurs. Gavin was not. It was refreshing to have a kid puking in a bowl (he didn't miss once, we were so happy with this). Around 5 pm Gavin was in bed asleep and then it hit Avalyn. Of course Kyle had to work on Thur. night for a little while, leaving me with Avalyn (not a good combination with the way I've been feeling). Avalyn was by far the worse, I had to clean the bedding from 3 beds, 2 mattresses and give her at least 5 baths. In the end there was no warm water and she had to sleep on the floor in our bathroom in her sleeping bag. It was a long week of sick babies- I can't even begin to count how many times they puked between the 3 of them. The pack-n-play is basically trash, the smell is awful and after all the traveling I've done with the three kids over the years, not to mention Cambria sleeping in it for the past year it is probably time to get rid of it.

The Girls are officially roommates! With no way to use the pack-n-play, Cambria was out of our closet by Tues. and into her crib in Avalyn's room. It was about time and so far, with the exception of Avalyn's night of sickness, it has gone well. They do wake each other up at times and Cambria doesn't sleep quite as well as she did in the dark closet during the day. Avalyn's nap time is definantly not as regular, since they don't nap well at the same time. Over all it has been good and Avalyn is happy to have her sister in her room.

After all this sickness on Thur. we were worried about our big day out with the kids on Fri. Kyle got off of work, my friend offered to watch Cambria, and we bought tickets to CoCo Keys indoor water resort. We told the kids before Kyle left that we would try to go, they wanted to go after seeing some commercials for it. It was a big surprise and they were so excited when we arrived. We let Avalyn take a much needed nap early Fri. and then headed to the water park around 1. It was a wonderful day. The kids had a great time despite their sickness just the day before. Avalyn was a bit tired and refused to eat all day, but she loved just sitting in the kidy pool and riding in the lazy river. Gavin had a great time on the slides and in the water. It was nice to just spend time with them, letting them do whatever they wanted to do. (sorry about the blurry pictures, I tried)


riding down the lazy river with Daddy

Playing in the Kidy Pool!

Tired and ready to go- they fell asleep in the car by 6pm and slept through the night!

On Fri. Kyle found out that he leaves this Thurs. and I am dreading it more than anything. It doesn't become real until the word is given and know it is. We have been trying to do some fun stuff with Daddy, but I don't think anything really prepares for him being gone so long. Gavin asked the other day if I could write on the calender when Daddy is coming back, and I sadly had to tell him it doesn't fit on the calender (I only do one month at a time). He knows it's coming and he is very sad about it, but it takes a while for it to sink in and usually doesn't hit until several weeks into the deployment. I can't wait till JUNE! I will be headed to Texas after Gavin's preschool graduation in May and will be there till June. I will be right here in Omaha till then, please feel free to visit! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. I guess I will have to better at this blogging thing to keep Kyle updated- so look forward to much more to come!

Trying to get a picture of her smiling, still no luck! she is still so cute!