We made it!

After our miserable trip (driving) back in April to KS/MO, I have dreaded it so much! Well I knew we were going to have to do it again by ourselves. So we left Tuesday around 10:50am. Got on the road Kaiden fell asleep right away, Gabrielle watched her shows. Then she started screaming she wanted her book, so that woke Kaiden up. He was fine for about 45mins, then he started screaming, so we had to pull overr and give him his pacifier that wasnt helping. So I nursed him and made sure he wasnt poopy. Kept driving had to stop again about 5 mins later. He fell back to sleep and drove for awhile. He woke up and got fussy again so we stopped to get a late lunch. Matt called so we talked to him while we were eating. Everyone went potty and changed Kaidens diaper, got back on the road again. Drive for awhile then got off at the wrong exit! Drive for 5 mins...got gas turned around......drove back those 5 miles. We kept driving....pulled over cause Kaiden was freaking out again, tried calming him down then a cop pulled behind us, to make sure everything was ok. So we drove and got off at the next exit and I fed Kaiden cahnged his diaper and we all went potty.
Drove again he fell asleep, we got lost about 3 more times! haha, had to pull over so Gabrielle could go potty in her little potty in the van, she said I have to go poop REALLY bad! So we pulled over and she went!
Finally go to my moms at 7:40pm! That is some great time for stopping all those times and by myself with 2 kids! Without stopping and driving straight through its 7hours! So we did it in 8 1/2 hours! Would of been shorter if we didnt keep getting lost!

So far so good! The kids are having a blast, other then Gabrielle almost drowning today, getting a bloody nose, its been good! Tomorrow we are going to chuckecheese for Jillians birthday!

Going to sleep now! Night!

Still around

We are still alive! Just have been very busy, to update. I wont post pictures right now, because I don't have the time, but will very shortly :)
We are leaving this week to go back home to visit family and go to our Annual Family Campout!!! I cant wait, this is the first one without Matt, even before we were married, he still came with us. Gabrielle keeps asking if Daddy is going to be there with us to go camping. So I think when he comes home for R&R we just might have to go camping here in good old Oklahoma.
We have been busy playing with friends, shopping, baking, and trying to stay alive from all this heat. Its so hot not even fun to go outside. If you want to go play outside you have to like at 6am.
Gabrielle is getting so big! She was sick this week with a high fever (103)and screaming and crying her back hurt. So I took her to the doctor they did a urine test and said it might be a UTI and gave her ABX....and said they would call us to let us know if it is a UTI and if that is the right ABX..they never called and never returned my phone calls. So I don't know, by Tuesday morning she was feeling just fine and back to her self be bopping around! She now weighs 23lbs! She is talking in so many sentences, my dad and Judy were here last weekend just for a day, not even 24 hours, to help my sister Brooke move and of course they had to come visit us and their Grand kids. We went and ate dinner that night when we left Gabrielle saw the moon, it was big, beautiful and yellow! Gabrielle said, Hi moon, my name is Gabrielle, I am 2! It almost made me cry, she is growing up to fast! She is also getting her 2 year molars so that is not fun. She talks like she is a teenager not a 2 year old. I have been told by some friends that her and I are spending too much time together haha!
Kaiden is 6 1/2 months old now! He weighs 19lbs. So different from Gabrielle. She didn't weigh 19lbs till probably 18months old. Not for sure. We have our first tooth too! As well different from Gabrielle she didn't get her first one till 10 1/2 months old. So he has been fussy with that, and we are battling thrush REALLY bad, which that has made him fussy because it can get in their GI tract and made them VERY gassy. Of course it has gotten there and the past two days he has been so gassy its terrible. He has been screaming and crying and tooting all day and night. Last night was better. We started using this stuff called Gensen(sp) Violet, which stains EVERYTHING purple! I will have to take a picture of his mouth, its cute but a mess, and kind of embrassing. Hopefully it goes away fast. Also he is starting to sleep better finally, his doctor wouldnt help me with his sleep problem, I think she thought I was crazy and didn't fully understand what was going on. I will fill you in, he goes to sleep at 8pm every night then wakes up between 10pm-11pm EVERY night SCREAMING bloody murder he isn't hungry he is in pain. Me holding him doesn't even make him stop he is crying, whining, and very restless. This last ALL night long, he may sleep for 5mins to an hour then start all over screaming again.This has been going on for over 6 months now. Not normal! I have tried everything, so when Gabrielle went to the doctor Monday, I asked her about Kaiden she said could be colic, or acid reflux. So she gave me some Zantac for him. He hates the taste of it, but it has WORKED! He still wakes up around 10;30pm every night but just for me to hold him, think he is just used to it because it has been happening for over 6 months now. But he goes back to sleep, and stays asleep.. I can actually lay him down while I get ready for bed around 11ish and he doesn't wake up screaming, before if I laid him down his legs will fly up and he would just start screaming! So that is a good thing, just need to get rid of his toots! Man that was alot!
Matt is doing ok, he is having a hard time. Very ready to be home and with his wife and kids. It has now been 6 months. WOW It has gone by fast, but also its been a miserable 6 months. He is really starting to miss us and tell me all the time. But it makes me feel good that he misses us and cant wait to be home, but also sad because he has no on there. I have the kids, friends, church, and family that is closer than for him. R&R which is him coming home for 18days will be here soon, sometime in September, hopefully. We are so ready for it! Gabrielle keeps talking about all the stuff she is going to do with Daddy when he gets home. These things are, going to Walmart, movies, take a bath, camping, ride in the van, going on a helicopter, take her to the park, play with her, go to church, and just about anything else she can think of :)
Okay longer then I thought! Next post will be pictures! I promise!
We are very ready to go home and spend time with family just not looking forward to the drive at all! Actually I am dreading it and having anxiety about it!

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy belated 4th of July!

Happy Belated 4th of July! We had a pretty good one. My dad and stepmom came down to visit and we had, a good time. They were here for about 3 days. Wish it was longer the help was VERY much appreciated! It was nice to actually take a shower, bath, go pee, all by myself although I did get interupted while doing those a few times that will never fail. And then actually going out to eat or to the store and not having to carry the huge diaper bag, and two kids all by myself. Forgot what help is like. We went and got the kids a new pool becasue the other one broke it was old. Then grilled and that night went and saw fireworks! They were really neat!

Here is a picture of the kids in their 4th of July outfits! Not the best picture, but Gabrielle didnt want to sit still. But oh well here they are :)

My dad and stepmom Judy with the kids! Kaiden loved the fireworks, Gabrielle was scared at first, but then she liked them!
At home with Do-dad!
Me and the kids after the fireworks, what a weird smile on my face! Dont get very many pictures of the 3 of us.

Almost got to see Matt

We have been so excited for a couple weeks now for today! We were going to see him today at 1:30pm our time. So we went there had pizza and waited. Gabrielle colored and played. We waited and waited. Come to find out they were having problems, the power went out all over on post last night, and I guess this interfered with the VTC(Video Tele Conference). So it was 1:30pm and they decided to rescheduled. So I was sad, but excited about that, but come to find out that he will not be there on Wednesday he will be on a trip. So we wont get to see him no matter what! I am very sad, I actually got ready this morning and looked pretty hot if I do say so myself! The kids looked super cute, and it was for nothing really. We did take pictures so he can see those, but Gabrielle's little heart is broken.
The 3 of us getting ready to leave after waiting and no luck seeing Daddy on the BIG TV! :(






Kaiden this morning in his new shirt for Daddy!







Matt in Iraq during a really bad sandstorm!

AUNTIE!!!

Thats right I am an Aunt as of June 29th! Liam Bo was born at 7:02pm weighing 9lbs 7oz and 21 inches long!
He sure is a cutie! A great baby! I am so proud of my sister, she did a great job and is doing a great job! I am very glad that we were there for the birth and afterwards. Sad she is moving back to Kansas but I know we will see her often!

My wonderful sister Brooke and I! We just got there still no baby! We made it in time!

Happy Aunt and Liam!
Little(big) Liam Bo!!!
Almost a week old, in his new swing!
Gabrielle was so happy to hold the baby!!

Scooter, presents

Gabrielle got a scooter this weekend! She has been told if she starts sleeping in her bed she will get a scooter, well its been a month now. We went to go get her one, and she got a princess one. She LOVES it and loves for mommy to ride it.
My dad and stepmom came down this weekend to visit and bought it for her, then we got her a helment, knee pads, elbow pads, because Matt kept asking and saying she needed it.
Here are a few pictures!

Big Boy Kaiden sitting up! He has for several weeks now and loves it! Matt got him this toy "all the way from Iraq" Kaiden totally loves it! Everytime he sees it he smiles really big, and plays for hours! THANKS DADDY!
She LOVES her brother if you cant tell! haha

Growing up!

Well Gabrielle is now sleeping in her bed! The past two days/nights it has only taken 1 time to lay her down and her to go to sleep, there is no fuss or fight about it at all! I cant believe it! We brush her teeth, read a book, say our prayers, give a kiss, hug, and high five! She gets to pick the color on her cool ladybug that projects stars all over her room, she can pick between red,blue, and green. Then thats it, she usually comes into bed with me around 6amish. Which is fine with me if she comes in earlier then that I put her back in her bed, so far so good. My next project is getting Kaiden in his bed, or pack n play something!

He is getting so big! We are working on sitting up, today he sat up for about 5 minutes all by himself balancing on his fat rolls I think haha! He sat up playing with Gabrielle and man did she love that, then I had him standing, and she wanted him to walk and follow her so bad! I cant wait for the day when he can crawl and follow her then walk. I will have my hands full but they will actually be able to play together and I want have to hold him or help he sit up all the time! It will be fun to see them interact together! Kaiden has thrush really bad in his mouth, from his ABX from his ear infection :( Its bad I called the doc, and they got him on some stuff, but now he has a TERRIBLE, VERY bad yeast diaper rash :( So hopefully we can get that gone soon too!

Yesterday, in the car, Kaiden was talking, then Gabrielle would look at him and laugh and he would laugh back they were having their own conversation! It went like this

Kaiden: da-da (and so on more baby talk)

Gabrielle: da-da Kaiden? Your daddy is in Iraq, ok?

Kaiden: more baby talking...dada, more baby talk
Gabrielle: yeah Kaiden he is in Iraq okay, yeah, uh-huh ok

So sweet brought tears to my eyes!

Things are going pretty well here, have a Moms Night Out tonight for dinner, so a friend Amber is coming to watch the kids. Tomorrow a playdate at the spraypark. Friday taking Daisy to the vet, for her tumor and other things..wondering what they are going to say, she has a huge squishy something on her right leg. My sister, Brooke is due in 4 days!! Cant wait to get that phone call that she is in labor so we can drive up there to see her and meet that baby! As well see my dad and stepmom! Thats really about it here, I cant believe its already the middle of June...its been almost 5 months since Matt left. Time has gone by fast, wish it would go by faster, and keep going and not slow down. Its a bittersweet time, becasue that means for time to go by fast the kids have to grow up faster! I am just ready to be a FAMILY again!

Anyways here are some pictures!

This is Gabrielle at a function for Matts work, they were doing all kinds of activites, such as pushing a big Army truck, and she was mad at me that she couldn't push it too!

Mommy and Gabrielle! It was HOT out there!

Mommy and Kaiden, like my new hair? I got it highlighted and cut last week.

Kaiden's new thing! Sucking on his bottom lip

Watering our veggie plants!

Brother and Sister! Gabrielle looks good, Kaiden looks terrifed! He was ready for a nap!

Here is the kiddos playing this morning! Gabrielle LOVED it, Kaiden not so much he didnt want to be on his belly, but he did like the "new" toy I brought out for them to play with. Gabrielle had to show him how it worked and everything!



Not a centered picture, trying to get him to smile and a picture of it without showing you his goods he was naked, trying to get rid of that rash!

We had some crazy wind the other night, and I was doing dishes looked at the window and a "tree" fell from the sky! It was huge! And kind of scary!

Playing in her pool with the hose! Does this girl love the water!