Adventures above and below the Sea

Kindergarten

2009-08-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Well Brooklyn will start school soon. She is really excited. I think she has gotten to the point were she is bored at home. I love having here here though so it will be an adjustment for all.
The Internet has been down this week. It is little things like that that when they happen David just calls and takes care of it or he can find out what the problem is and fix it. Luckily the Internet provider fixed what ever was wrong with the service so we are back and running.
I cant say it enough how good the kids have been. They have been great. Sure they have had there days. They have all really stepped up and helped. I am so grateful for them.
Well things are good here other then the extreme tiredness today. That is all part of it.

Out again

2009-07-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well the last time David left we went to grandmas again.
We took the military flights out. That was an experience, one that some parts were fun and others were a little crazy. We gone for about 5 weeks. So it was a long time but I am glad that we did it. We had so much fun. So we got back after David did. I ended up buying plane tickets so David got back before I did. Once we got back he was here for 13 days and then had to leave again. He will be gone 3-4 months this time.
He has been stuck were he flew to for the past almost week. There are some mechaninclal problems so I have been able to talk to him everyday so that has been nice. He is suppose to leave today so we will see how that works.
The kids have been fantastic. I think maybe they know now the drill. I keep on thinking my attitude is going to affect them. So I am trying to stay positive all day. I have joined the YMCA. That is the greatest thing I have done for my self. They do free child watch while you work out. They take the kids out and play basketball with them, hula hoops, chalk, all sorts of stuff. The kids love it so that makes me happy. They can stay there for up to two hours. So this week they have gone there every day while I have worked out. It has been a nice break. well more adventures to come.

What a week

2009-01-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

That is all I can really say it seems like. Brooklyn has had a hard time adjusting to david being gone. She hs been screaming and slamming doors. I feel like everyday I am just lossing the battle. I feel like I am getting worked over. I am sure she knows that I am stressed. It seems as though I am not as good as de-stressing this time.
She was really upset and so I was talking ot her today and she said she was sad becuse daddy cant be with us right now. IT jsut broke my heart. Here is this little thing that has so many things going on and our days are usaully filled going here and there. She is proably just dying inside for something. I dont know what to do. I feel so quilty that we are jsut going and going since we have been here. They arent able to go and play outside for very long like they are used to.
I jsut wish that I knew how to handle situations like this better. I have had alot of help out here and I really appreciate it but this is one thing I dont know how to handle. I just want to hug her all day and tell her that in tow short weeks we will be home. I love my kids so much I want to do the best I can for them.
Well I will start fresh and destressed tomorrow.

Hello again!

2009-01-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

Well david is gone and I havent really sat down to write anything since he has been gone. Dawson is asleep and brooklyna dnLandon are playing at there cousins house. They are playing at connor and graces house.
Well It has been reallynice to be in utah right now. It is a great distraction. I have noticed brooklyn has been a littel harder. I can tell she ahs something bothering her and doesnt know how to handle it. I feel bad because I dont know how to help her. There has been so mcuh going on day to day and she has doen such a good job at going along with everything and everybody. I just wish that I could make this time go by faster for them.
It has been really nice to have my mom to watch dawson so I can take brooklyn adn Landon out to do stuff. We went tubing at solider hollow that was realy fun to take just the two and spend somet ime wiht them. I also took the two to the dinosaur museum at thanksgiving point. IT was really neat. They had a great time.
The kids are having a great tiem with the cousins. We are going to st george for the weekend comign upo so that will be nice. Some of my sisters and there kids are coming down so that will be fun. We are going to see davids dad adn terry while we are there so that will be fun.
I am havign agreat time. IT has beena nice distrction. I do have to admit that i woke up a little on the grumpy side today. I have jsut hit a day were I am tired. The last few months I have been doing so good about taking time for me. I have worked hard out excersisng adn really taking care of myslef. I havent really done that much about it here. I think that makes me more frustrated. I start the week of really well. Then by about wednesday I give up. Oh well today is sunday so you know what that means. I am going to start the week off good tomorrow.
When the time comes I will be ready to go home. I cant wait to see david. I miss him so much. I wish I could just call him and talk to him for hours. I hope he is doing well and I cant wait to see him. I know the kids cnat wait either.
So off to a mood change and a big diet coke. That always makes you feel better. That is what monday is for start the week of strong and with good intentions.

Chapter One comes to an end

2008-09-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well we must be doing something right. David called me on Sunday night at 9:30 it was so nice to talk to him. The kids were asleep so we just talked it was nice. He told me he would be home Tuesday morning. That was the best news I could have gotten. I went and picked him up Tuesday and the kids had no idea were I was going. they were so surprised when I got home and they saw David. He is home until October some time so we get to enjoy him for a while now. We have some fun things planned. So this chapter is closed. I will start again when he goes on this blog. Thanks for all the support and calls while he was gone. It is so nice to have such great family and friends. Until chapter two starts all take care.

Victory

2008-08-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I had all three kids down for naps at the same time. That rarely happens. So yes brooklyn landon and dawson were all asleep. I took the opportunity to get a nap in and I shut the blinds put the phone on do not disturb and just sat on the couch. It was the greatest thing ever. I am also doing a victory dance because this first endeavor is going to be over sooner then O thought. David will most likely be home for brooklyns birthday. So that means next week. I am so excited. I am going to keep it a surprise from them. I am going to go to the airport by myself. I need to be selfish and have the first few minutes all to myself. I know once the kids see him my time will be all over. I dont know how long he will be home for or not but I will take it. So we have been doing a few victory dances this weekend.

3 mobile kids

2008-08-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well Dawson is now crawling. I had a friend tell me that I now have three mobile kids. i told her that sounds worse then it really is. That got me thinking about stuff. I have looked back at this last 4 1/2 weeks and it has not been as bad it has seemed at times. The one thing that is a real stinker is that I can not talk to him on the phone. That will have to be the thing that I have to overcome with this. We I have my bad moments or the kids have there bad moments at the end of the day it really wasn't as bad as i thought it was at the time. i am sure that is how allot of things are. I am not saying it has been the easiest thing either. I think I am just sounding like a big pile of jumble jumble. It is almost like now that Dawson is crawling we are entering a new phase. No more just laying around for him. He is ready to explore he wants what we are eating. He could care less for baby food. We now enter the phase of shoving food to them to get a quiet moment. Who said french fries should not be a staple for kids??? It is easy to give them one and let them suck on it for a while. I can not believe that Dawson is 7 months. He is growing and growing. All the kids are. So I am off to put thing up a little higher and grab the baby gates Dawson is on the loose.

The smallest things`

2008-08-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went with my friend to the mililani town center. We hit the pet store then jamba juice. We were sitting on the benches just chatting. The kids were running around. They were saying HI to everyone. It was interesting to watch some said hi back and others just kept walking. The kids had no reservations about who to say hi to and not say hi to. When was the last time I ran around saying Hi to everyone I passed? Well there was this man i would say he was about 55. He came back with a sucker for each kid. He was cute he even had the receipt so we would know that he wasn't some crazy. He said that our kids saying hi to him made his day. How nice it was that our kids were saying HI to everyone.
Another simple thing is bulk trash. Every first and third wed our neighborhood has bulk trash. You can set out anything you want to get rid of. Well my two neighbors are moving out so they had a whole bunch of stuff set out. They had couches and chairs lamps baseball bats. They had a bunch. I took the trash out last night and I saw a basketball hoop. It adjusts up and down. So I walked that into my backyard. This morning the kids were so excited. Another thing I got from bulk trash is one of those sit and push little tike's cars. The big kind you sit in and move with your feet. It is actually a black truck that has a seat in the back and everything. The kids love it. So thank you to the people that set trash out for my treasures

A new feeling

2008-08-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

I never knew that there was more to missing someone then just the usual oh I miss you see you soon. Well I have experienced a whole new feeling of missing. Of course I am talking about david. It is not just having him here I miss it is really everything. I miss the sense of security that I feel when he is here, I miss him coming home from work, I miss him calling during the day, I miss he making dinner, I miss him making the kids laugh, I miss him singing so loud around the house, I miss his rants about little things, I miss his unifomrs all over, I miss his hat iwht his wallet and keys on the counter, I miss him making the best eggs, I miss talking to him, I just miss all about him. It seems like just saying oh I miss him. It is actually a real feeling that I have been feeling. It is hard to explain. I just never knew that missing someone could seem so real. It is a new level of a good old fashioned feeling that I have been feeling. I miss and love him even more. I hope to talk to him in the next week or two. I think when this happens everyone will know that I finally talked to him.

Camping, sunburns, and smores

2008-08-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went camping. It was so much fun. It was our ward camp out. We set up camp with our friends that were husbandless. We all helped each other out. It was so much fun. The kids ran and played. It was a good time. This weekend I had a few things pop into my head. I kept thinking about how much David would have had with us. I take for gran tit how much playing he does with the kids. I am usually occupied with something and he plays with them. I really had a great time getting down and playing with the kids. They are so innocent and care free. The kids were so dirty and wiped out and they still didn't have a care in the world. It was so fun to see how much joy they were having and to know that you were the one giving it to them. I forget how much they need more moments like that. Brooklyn kept saying this is so much fun I am having so much fun. I was also thinking how nice it is to have good friends. I don't know how I could have done this by myself. I am so lucky to have such great friends around that i can rely on. I also couldn't help but think how fast time is going by. I cant believe that Brooklyn will be 4 in a few weeks. Dawson is sitting up and crawling. Landon is almost 2 1/2. We have been in the navy for 6 years in October. Me and David have been married 5 1/2 years. Time is going by so fast. One day turns into months later. I was also thinking about the things I have taken from my childhood done with my family. I had such a great childhood. It was so fun and so positive I hope I can give that to my kids. I always had such a great peace and sense of love at my house. I knew that every time I went to my mom or dad they were going to greet me with a big hug. There was so much patience and so positive. I hope I can give my kids the same

On the couch

2008-08-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well it had to happen. Mommy gets sick while daddy is gone. This is how the last 24 hours at my house have been. I caught some sort of stomach bug. All the yummy stuff that comes with that. There was no one to hear me complain about being sick and the kids were running around. So what do you do? You just suck it up and deal with it. Before David left he told the kids be good for mom and take care of her. So Brooklyn was all excited she kept saying that daddy told her she could take care of all of us all by herself. She was actually pretty helpful at times when Landon wanted a drink of water or she thought she could cut some cheese with a butter knife.
I am glad to be feeling better. Thanks to the kids for being so good while mommy was sick. I think the only thing that got trashed at the house was the toy room. The great thing about that is just shut the door and you cant even see the mess.
Thank goodness I have a clean bill of health now.

Back to Reality

2008-08-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

well we had a great visit with my dear good friend Ashley here. We went out and did a lot of fun stuff. The kids had a great time. It was so much fun and a big help.
I took her to airport on Friday night as I was driving home the kids were asleep and I was thinking to myself about the last few weeks. I get in these moods were I feel like I just have to get through the day. Then it hit me I have to do this for three years. The in and out of him being gone. I have started the weekend off with trying to just accept this is how things are. I am going to still do things that me and the kids enjoy. I kept thinking oh another week down which is true but then when I get to him coming home I will have to start another countdown after he leaves. So why build and build things up? Does that make sense?
So it is Sunday night I have a new perspective on things. You know the usual drink less diet coke in the week. Stop rewarding myself with chocolate. But then I think my kids are doing so good considering the change. I need to embrace that keep on doing what I am doing. Keep my spirits up. Get out there and do fun things. Enjoy this time with the kids. Don't look at it as oh poor me home with the three kids.
While i am writing about good things. I have received a few emails from David. What a great thing. It is nice to have a place that I can email to . Whether he gets them or not that is a different story. It makes me fee better to know that I can at least write to say hi. I am hoping to actually talk to him on the phone in a few weeks. I cant wait.

The things she says!!

2008-08-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Well as most of you know brooklyn keeps us all on our toes. She says the funniest things. She has said a few lately that have made me laugh. I just had to document them

In the car the other day she told Landon that she was daddy's favorite. Her exact words were Landon did you know that i am dads favorite

Then she told Landon that he could not come inside the kingdom(she was referring to the house) because he was not in a dress that twirls.Needless to say the door was shut on him.

I had some garbage to take out that had some dirty diapers in them. I came down the stairs saying how gross the garbage smelled. Brooklyn looked straight at me and said actually mom that is my bum.

She is such a funny girl. This is only a few small things of the funny things that she says. She is a cutie!!

Aunt Ashely visiting!!

2008-08-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend my friend Ashely came to visit. It is so much fun to have her here. The kids love her. She is so great with them. She has been such a help. It is only Monday and we have had so much fun. We were able to go out just us girls on Saturday night. It was a good time. Then today Monday we went to the dole plantation and turtle beach. I am always so excited to go there. I can never get bored with watching turtles. It was a great time. The kids had a great time. We also stopped off at the best burger place. It is haleiwa it is call Kua 'aina burgers. It is such a good place.
The kids are having such a good time. It is a good change of pace for all of us. Here is to a great week with many stories to share when we are done.

Someones watching out for me!!!

2008-08-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well today we have an exciting day. My friend Ashely is coming into town. We have been friends since high school. She is the most amazing person ever. She treats my kids as if they were her own. She has a great love for them. She is so much fun to be around. We have had many great talks with a good glass of diet coke. So we are all super excited because aunt ash as Brooklyn calls her is coming today. Well I woke up with Dawson this morning a little earlier than I would have liked but hey when he is so smiley it is hard to be sleepy still. Well I was checking my email and there it was an email from David. Yeah!! I have been wondering how he is doing for 1 1/2 weeks now. It was such a nice start to the day. It is nice to know that he is doing well. It was great. He is doing good. I cant wait to hear from him again.
Well I better make sure there is cold diet coke in the fridge.

Good Kids

2008-08-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well I just want to let everyone know how great my kids are. We started the week of with a few instances with the kids adjusting. I started doing some positive reward charts. It has really made a difference. Yesterday(Thursday) the kids were great. They were nice to each other, there wasn't a lot of fighting. They listened so good. We even went to walmart all together and it was a good outing. I just want to say thanks to my kids. They are troopers. They are great. Thanks kids for a great day. It was a refreshing day.

Forgot one thing

2008-07-30T00:35:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to say that in all the mess of the meltdowns that I have had thank you to those that have gotten the calls at night when I was having the break downs. (Even though it may be late were you are.) One of the hardest things for me is to have people see me at my moments of weakness. So thank you to those that have seen that and have thought nothing of it. All my friends are the greatest!! Thank you so much to everyone.

Meltdown Mania

2008-07-30T00:31:00.001-07:00

Well we have made it through a week. I am sure this is nothing compared to what some of you have to do but for me it is my first week. We started this week out okay. Today was a little rough. The kids have started noticing the change and are having a hard time as far as listening goes and behavior. They are so little and I just want to hug them all day and tell them it will all be over soon.
Since I cant really do that in the mean time I will continue to try my best and do what works for us. I owe a huge thank you to the ones I have had to cry on lately. I appreciate all the offers to watch the kids, offers for any help, and everything else. I really do have a great set of friends and family. Thank you for letting me get this out. Tomorrow will be a better day!!!

Two hand and two extra ears!!

2008-07-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

I think that they should sell sets of hands and ears. It would sure be nice. I just need the two hands to help with things around here. I want a set of ears so that I can just have someone listen to me. That is what the last few days have shown me.
This morning I was mowing the backyard. My backyard seemed so much bigger when I was the one mowing. I have a whole new perspective on lawn care. Then I took all three car seats out of my car and put them back in later. It made me realize how much I take for granted that David does. It would be nice to have a set of ears around for those moments when you hear something juicy, or you just need to vent, or you just want to tell someone something funny that happened, or even something sad. The last few days I have wished so bad I could just call David and say hey guess what.
So David is more then just a set of hands to do the dirty work and a set of ears to listen to me. He is the greatest. If I had an extra pair of hands and ears our family would still not be complete so we will wait until David gets home were we can have the whole deal.

Twilight, frusatration, and the weekend

2008-07-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

Well I would like all of you to know that I am officially turned onto the twilight books. I have heard all about these books from different people. I am not one for vampires and science fiction. I was a little skeptical. My great sister in law Beth told me that I should get them to read while David is gone. So we took a trip to borders to get some books for David. I caved in and I got the first one. I thought how good can these really be I am just going to start with the first one and see were it goes from there. Well I am only 3 chapters in and I love it so far. I am not sure how the rest of the book is but I am excited to read the rest. It is my guilty pleasure at night. I look forward to reading a few pages at night. I think if I get the stuff done after the kids go to bed then I can relax and read.

One of the things I have had to adjust to is night time. After the kids are in bed who do I talk to ????? Well I have been releasing my stress by doing some workout tapes at night. It makes me feel so much better. I can release the stress's of the day. I feel rejuvenated it is great. I think that is better for me then hunkering down with a big diet coke and a bag of chocolate.
I was thinking the other day I wonder what I do that frustrates the kids? I think how many times during the day do i think my goodness I am so frustrated because they keep getting in the fridge, painting in there hair, not listening, fighting with each other, you know the day to day stuff. Well what do I do that frustrates them? I would love to sit back and say nothing I ever do could frustrate someone. Just kidding. For me I have a way to voice my frustration to friends and other people but the kids don't So that is just something to think about.

Well this weekend i am feeling a little guilty. It is not even Friday night yet and I am feeling guilty. Well we switch with some great friends of ours for babysitting. One of us takes Friday and the other takes Saturday. Well Jaime is going to watch my kids on Friday then our ward does a restaurant group every month they go to a new restaurant. Well this month it is the cheesecake factory. My neighbor is watching the kids on Saturday for me. I am looking forward to the break. I am feeling a little guilty for being gone on Friday and Saturday. I think as I am getting a pedicure or eating cheesecake the guilt will go away. Well thanks to the great friends for helping me out this weekend.
So this was all a lot of babble. Thanks for reading it all.

2008-07-22T19:54:00.001-07:00

Three days going strong

2008-07-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

So my great great fiend Adrienne was telling me about a great website that puts your blog posts into a book. I thought that would be a great idea to journal all our thoughts on a blog while David is away then we can put it in a book before he comes home. Thanks for the great idea Adrienne.

So it has been three days since David has left. Sunday just felt weird all day. Them Monday came around and I felt the huge task in front of me. But we got up and carried on had a great day. We were able to talk to David a few times. It was great.

Then Tuesday came to me waking up at 5:30 with Dawson. Not wanting to go back to bed after his bottle. So me and all the kids were so tired. Some how that makes things worse when you are all so tired. I got a call from David saying this would be the last time I would talk to him for 4-5 weeks. Man that is a real bummer. So for some of you out there you might be getting call from me to just listen. Tell me I am doing a good job and to hang in there.

Well the kids had a rest time and all of our frowns turned upside down. We had a great rest of our afternoon. The kids painted pictures and had a great time painting while it was raining. We are going to follow it up with dollar scoop night at Baskin Robbins at the PX.

I will be trying to keep up with this every few days to write how things are going and not going. So hope you bare with me through the good posts and the bad.