Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #8

Up:

• So happy for all my wonderful friends that have their spouses back after this long deployment! It fills me with such joy to see the jets come in and all the reunion pictures and to know that mine is just around the corner!
• Monday marked one month until our baby girl will be born. Can't wait to meet Kennedy on October 19th; I know she will be such a joy in our lives!

Our beautiful baby girl's profile at 20 weeks (you only get more sonograms if you have a high risk pregnancy). Can't tell a whole lot from it, but I'm pretty sure she and Jackson have the same nose!

Side profile at 35 weeks along!

• So many wonderful family members with birthdays this week. My Mom's was Thursday and my brother-in-law, Andy's was Friday. Popo (John Gaschen), Mike's grandfather's birthday was also Friday. Though he is no longer with us it gives me great pleasure to think how proud he would be/is of Mike right now. They were the best of buds and Mike lived with him through college. Such a great man and Mike is following right in his footsteps!

This was Mike and I with Popo at our wedding. He was already pretty sick here, but he was a fighter!

Down:

• You know the saying, "a watched pot never boils," well that is how I feel about time passing this week. When you want time to pass quickly it seems to slow down to a snail's pace. I'm so ready for Mike to get here, but I'm trying to be patient. The other downside is that with the AF nothing ever happens as planned, so Mike has already been delayed more than once. Lets just pray that from here on out there will be no more delays and we will be reunited soon!

Here are some pics from this week:

Jackson eating alphabet soup! He decided it was a good time to also show me how much he knows about his facial anatomy! Needless to say we went immediately to the bath! 

Jackson and Kenlee (our friend Kellie's daughter) sitting in the chair together. They proceeded to switch shoes after this picture was taken - too cute!

Jackson and I with Sparky, the fire dog, during our tour of the base fire station.

Jackson wasn't too interested in the fireman, he just wanted to see the trucks!

Jackson walking through the cab of the fire truck!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #7

UP:

• During this deployment the spouses had 'secret sisters' that we gave words of encouragement, gifts, and support. On Friday, at our squadron potluck, we had a 'secret sister' reveal! I was really excited to find out who mine was because she did such a great job and always seemed to know what to say or give Jackson and I to perk us up. It was our friend Amy Baker, which is also funny because I had her watch our house while we were in Colorado this summer when my secret sister made a delivery! Anyway, for my final gift, she gave me a very special necklace with Mike & I's names on the outer circle, Jackson's name on the middle circle, and Kennedy's name on the inside circle - I love it!
• Another very productive day on Saturday while Jackson was at 'Give parent's a break'. I will share pictures later, but I completely finished Kennedy's nursery with the exception of hanging one item that I have yet to get from Zulily. Once it comes in, I will post all the pictures!
• Today Jackson and I went to the air show here on base. Over the course of the weekend, the expected turn out was 80,000 people which is crazy to think about on this small base in this small town. We had a great time and Jackson LOVED the airplanes. I was so worried that the loud noise would bother him, but he just got more excited! I'm now exhausted though because we were there from 11:30-5pm. Luckily I have the best kid because he was completely well behaved and even took a little snooze! Here are some pics/videos of our day (Sorry the videos aren't the best quality):

F-15 Demo Team = AWESOME!!

Jackson wearing his cool shades!

The Thunderbirds!

Down:

• Same 'ole complaint here. I'm so ready to have Kennedy. I actually think I will get more sleep once she arrives than I'm getting now! She sits so much lower than Jackson did and it is just really hard to move around comfortably. It will definitely help having Mike back home to help out with things like carrying Jackson up and down stairs or bending over to give him a bath. Until then, I better just suck it up and quit complaining because I'm only going to get bigger!
• It really stinks living so far away from family. When we were growing up our birthday parties largely consisted of just family unless it was a milestone birthday. Today my niece Katherine turns 3 and I can't be there for her or any of my other nephew's birthdays. It just seems like time passes so quickly and all these kids are getting so big, but I'm not a part of it. Maybe some day we will all live closer.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #6

Ten years ago today I was a senior in high school sitting in Mrs. Vernon's English class when we heard the news that the towers had been hit. Hard to believe that much time has passed since then because I remember it like it was yesterday. America will never be the same as it was pre-9/11. Today as we remember, I pray especially for the families of the victims and for the countless men and women of the armed services that have and continue to put their lives on the line for our nation. I am very proud to be married to one of them!

Up:

• Along those same lines, this weekend the town of Mountain Home hosted the 51st Annual Air Force Appreciation festivities. Literally the entire town lines the down town streets for a parade followed by a free barbecue in honor of all the local service members. It was even more special this year with all our spouses deployed. Our group was significantly smaller with our guys away, but I'd say we did a great job showing our T-bolt spirit! I am so blessed to be in the company of such brave, strong and wonderful women! Here are a few pics from the day:

Jackson and I waiting for the parade to begin. Our float was near the end, so we waited for over an hour and a half for our turn, but Jackson was such a trooper!

Our Float! Yes, it was falling apart before the parade began, but we gave it our best effort!

Jackson must have been worn out from all the candy and bead throwing!

• As I mentioned in last week's post, my Aunt Marva came into town this week to visit. Jackson and I had such a great time with her and she was a huge help chasing after Jackson! The weather was great while she was here so we took in some good shopping, toured Twin Falls and played in the water at Lucky Peak. I think Aunt Marva was happy to escape the 100 degree summer of Dallas.

Aunt Marva in front of Shoshone Falls!

Jackson and I by the Snake River!

Aunt Marva and Jackson splashing around in Lucky Peak Lake

Loves his Aunt Marva!

Down:

• It has been great getting to talk to Mike more during this last third of the deployment. He is on night shift now which happens to be our day time, so the timing of calls works out much better. Now that things are winding down he has been really busy though and unable to call as often as he was previously. The hard part about this is that any time the phone rings or I open my computer, Jackson gets really excited and says, " Daddy!" Breaks my heart every time. I keep telling myself - soon. Soon he won't think Daddy lives in the computer and he'll have someone to play ball and wrestle with like only a daddy can do. Until then, I just have to tell him, "no sweetie, Daddy isn't home right now."
• My parents were in Puerto Vallarta this week on vacation, which is definitely great for them and much needed, but I missed talking to them. I talk to my Mom every day and my Dad pretty often too, not to mention the fact that we Skype probably once a week. Thankfully Aunt Marva was here to keep me occupied, but I still missed our daily phone conversations. Luckily they made it home safe and sound last night, so we'll have plenty of catching up to do!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #5

This week was fairly uneventful, although I know we were really busy! Here are the highlights:
Up:

• September is here! I love fall usually because of the weather, football season, the start of school, any type of pumpkin food, and the decorations. This year September will hopefully be even more special because Mike is scheduled to come home. I can't wait to have him back home and partaking in everyday activities again.
• My Aunt Marva (my Mom's sister) chose to spend her Labor Day holiday with Jackson and I. She flew in on Saturday and will be here almost a week. It has only been one day, but we are having a great time and I can't wait for the rest of the week! Jackson has already shown her all his toys and had her read just about every book in the house!

Down:

• Major downer, Jackson and I both had have nasty colds this week. Jackson, like me when I get sick, has those sickly little eyes and cuddles a lot. I don't mind the cuddling at all, but I hate that there isn't more I can do for him. With all the trouble breathing, he hasn't been sleeping well and has you know when baby doesn't sleep momma doesn't sleep either! Hopefully it will pass quickly and Aunt Marva doesn't catch it before she goes home.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #4

So many ups this week, I'll have to limit it to the best of the best! I would say that is a good problem to have!
UP:

• Just got home from a fabulous baby shower that my wonderful friend, Tanessa, hosted for me and two other girls in the squadron that are due around the same time I am. Now Kennedy is all set on clothes and diapers! We really are blessed to have generous friends. I'm just ready for her to make her arrival so I can start using all this fun, girly stuff!

Jackson surveying all the diapers for Kennedy!

• Pinkie & Pa (Mike's parents) came to visit this week. Jackson and I had a blast! It's so much fun having family around and having things to look forward to that distract us from the fact that Mike isn't here. They also got JP a prize - his first 'bike'! Jackson has been obsessed with bikes recently and this one is perfect for him. It converts from a rocking bike to a push bike and then an independent bike once he learns how to pedal. He's been in heaven ever since. Pinkie and I put it together, so Daddy is gonna have to do some work on it when he gets home (the handle bars are held on by duct tape right now!).

Pinkie pushing Jackson on his new bike!

• Jackson's first day of Mother's Day Out was a great success. He seemed to do really well despite being the youngest in his class. It was great to have a day to get yard and house work done without having a little one to tend to. He also slept 12 hours that night and took a 2 1/2 hour nap the next day. I could definitely get used to this!

Down:

• I feel like a failure on my motherly duties because I didn't get a picture of Jackson on his 'first day of school.' It's not for lack of trying...Jackson knew we were leaving and wouldn't stop fussing when I wasn't opening the door and when he got home from school he was pretty wound up and wanted to play with every toy he owned. Maybe I'll be able to get a quick picture next week.
• As mentioned last week, I am really enjoying some online shopping. Most recently I've been shopping a lot on Zulily which has a lot of merchandise for women and children at very good prices. Unfortunately, in order to give you such good prices you have to wait a REALLY long time before getting your purchase. Example, my first purchase was made on Aug. 7th and I still haven't received it -ugh! It's hard because I'm used to shopping and getting that instant gratification. Guess this will be a good challenge to gain some patience.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #3

I guess I should print a retraction to my down from last week. Turns out Texas A&M is not going to the SEC after all! More rivalry fun in store for the future!

UP:

• Amen for generosity and hand-me-downs! As you can see Kennedy isn't even born yet and her wardrobe already takes up an entire closet. Not to mention the countless pairs of socks, shoes, and night gowns that you can't see in the picture. Our friend Amber gave us a ton of the cutest clothes that were her daughter's and the rest of the clothes were provided by MiMi (my Mom) and Pinkie (Mike's Mom)! Also this week, Jackson inherited a new lot of fun toys from our friend Tanessa. It's definitely helped keep him entertained!

• We enrolled Jackson in a Mother's Day Out program this week. His first day is next Wednesday. I think it will be really good for him to have a change of pace once a week and play with other kids his age. The best part about it is that it is Christian based so all the circle times and meal times involve prayer! It will also be great for me to have a day to run errands, schedule doctor appointments, and spend some one on one time with Kennedy after she arrives. It has actually been a lot of fun shopping for lunch boxes and school stuff!

Down:

• I think I may have become addicted to online shopping - yikes! It's just so much easier living this far out of town (town being Boise, there really isn't any shopping in Mtn. Home), with a little one, and my dwindling lack of energy to shop online. Plus you save a lot of money, not to mention gas!  I just hope my husband doesn't flip out when he sees a change in our credit card bill. All the purchases are economical and mostly for gifts. I guess you could also call it retail therapy since I don't have him around to fill up more of my time! It's also helped get a head start on Christmas shopping; I'm not sure how easy that will be with a toddler and newborn in tow!

Some Pics from this week:

Jackson learning about colors with play-doh

Our friend Amanda was generous enough to have us over for dinner. She has a huge grapevine in the backyard and the kids helped her pick grapes. Jackson had a great time playing with our friend Krista's daughter, Baylor, too!

I'm pretty sure they were eating more than they were helping!

Here I am, 30 weeks along. Only 9 more to go before we meet Kennedy!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #2

Up:

• It has been a full month since Jackson started sleeping in the "big boy" queen size bed! So far it has been very successful. He only fell off the bed once (oops), but I think I remedied that with the addition of a body pillow at the end of the bed. He has continued to nap in the crib though. I thought that would work best since we have company coming in a couple of weeks and again when Kennedy is born and he'll have to sleep in the crib during those nights. Hopefully that doesn't completely confuse him. 
• The base provides this fabulous service called Give Parents a Break for deployed spouses. They provide free childcare one Saturday a month while your spouse is deployed. We've only gotten to take advantage of it in July and Aug. because we were gone or with family the other months. Jackson loves getting to play with other kids his age and it is a great way for me to get a lot done at once. He did get brutally attacked yesterday though (another kid bit him on the nose - poor guy), but it didn't seem to taint his experience.

Down:

• Stomach bug - yuck! Twice during this pregnancy, and of course since Mike's been gone, I've had the stomach bug. Luckily this week it was a much milder form than I had back in April and Jackson didn't get it, but it's still no fun.
• I'm sure you all heard the news this week that Texas A&M is leaving the Big XII and heading to the SEC. This is so sad for me because of the history and rivalries of this team. My Dad and sister both went to A&M so it has always been fun to give them hell during football season when Tech is playing them. That will be no more. Too bad UT has to ruin everything for everyone by trying to dominate. You can read my husbands thoughts about all of this below! He's pretty opinionated :)

Here are a few pics from this week...

Jackson with his blankie, affectionately known as "Ma"!

Jackson loves being outside. It's amazing how a little $8 pool can keep a kid happy/busy for hours!

Love Jackson's facial expression in this one!

Mike's Thoughts:

A) I think A&M will have a much more difficult time in the SEC.  I envision them having a tough time breaking .500 every year.  I don't know where A&M is pumping all of this sunshine thinking they belong in the SEC.  They had a decent season last year, but look at their recent history (9-4, 6-7, 4-8, 7-6, 9-4, 5-6, 7-5, 4-8, 6-6).  That's 57-54 over the last 10 years for those of you keeping score at home.  I think they're ready for Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas every year though...not to mention the SEC East.

B) At least they're getting away from UT.  I hate UT.  And, A&M would be going to a conference with equal revenue sharing.  I think that's the only way to go these days based on the SEC, Big 10 and Pac 12 approach.  They're going to a greener pasture(farming pun not intended yet well played), but I think it will hurt not having any of their historic rivalries go along with them with the exception of Arkansas.

What do I think Tech should do?  It's funny you should ask.

And I answer: We've all seen The Titanic.  We know what happened to Leo after he "never let go."  The ship is sinking.  Get the F out!  The conference isn't going to last like this.  I have little to no confidence in the Big XII-2 or 3, and everyone who remains will be at the mercy of UT. 

I wish Tech would band together with OU, Ok St., and Boise to make a case for the Pac 16 superconference.  It makes sense, it's possible, and it would be an awesome conference.  The icing on top of the cake will be UT stuck without a conference and licking their wounds visible to all Americans who purchase the super deluxe premium overdrive sports channel package from their cable provider and accidentally find themselves tuned into to channel 666.  If the NFL network isn't on most cable provider's standard packages, I doubt they'll be interested in an all burnt orange all the time network.  I do think that midnight jams with old buttertooth has a place on some network somewhere though.  That, or maybe they can have a thirty minute segment where he reads stories to children.  Move over Kunta.  There's a new reading rainbow, and it's burnt orange with a hint of buttery yellow. 

Missouri can join the Big 10.  Baylor can follow TCU into the Big East.  Iowa State, KU and K State can do whatever it is that they do.  I don't care.

Let UT shower in their money, arrogance and loneliness.

Another option would be UT taking the place of Boise in the Pac 16.  It could happen, but I'd rather them just go independent so I don't have to look at them.