Tattoos

So as you saw from my last post Darrick and I got tattoos. It was Darrick's 4th tattoo but my first. I have wanted a tattoo since college but just never did it. I got close a few times and have tried to talk others into getting one with me (Becky and Sam) but it didn't work.

I have been wanting to get Darrick's name for awhile now. One night while we were talking on the phone we decided to get each other's name on our left wrists.

We went to Anvil Tattoo, which had been recommended to us. I was a bit nervous so I thought I should go first. The guy who did our tattoos just got a new tattoo on his neck before he did ours which is why he has a huge bandage on his head.

I kept a smile on my face but it definitely hurt. It felt like he was carving Darrick's name into my skin with a needle and ripping it. Darrick said to me "That is what he is doing!" Hmmm, I guess that is why it felt like that. Thankfully it was over in 10-15 minutes. I got Darrick's name in a beautiful script and then 3 hearts-one for each of our kids. I love it and look at it all the time!

Our Tattoo Artist explained to us that in the Tattoo World the correct way to place a tattoo on you is for it to be facing away from you. I did not like that idea. I do not want to spend the rest of my life looking at Darrick's name upside down so I went the non-traditional way. Darrick went with traditional. What do you think? Have you ever wanted to get a tattoo? Of what? Or if you have one what is it of?

Twelve Wonderful Days

Darrick's leave was awesome! We left our house at 4am this morning to bring him to the airport. I thought I was holding up pretty well until Darrick got teary eyed. He has never done that before. He really did not want to leave. We did a lot in those short 12 days. Here are some highlights of the things we did. I will post about some of them in more detail soon.

Lots of cuddles and snuggles with Daddy! It was hard for me to get time in-good thing they go to bed every night!

Darrick and I got tattoos.

We took a mini trip to Canada to visit Sam and Darcie.

We bought our first house!!!

Darrick made it! He arrived home about 2 am because his flight was a bit delayed. I stayed up and waited for him. When the car pulled into our driveway my heart started pounding. I flew out the door in my pajamas and held on to Darrick as tight as I could.

The kids woke up one by one and came into our room. Micah gave Darrick a big hug. Darrick said to Micah "I missed you" and Micah responded "I missed you more". Naomi just cuddled and cuddled Darrick. I think Jacob forgot Darrick was going to be home. He walked into our room and his eyes just about popped out of his head! He jump on top of Darrick and just kept saying "Daddy, daddy, daddy".

Makeovers

This afternoon Jenn, Kayla and myself went to get our hair done. I just wanted a trim, layers and then blown out. Darrick asked me to grow my hair the whole time he is gone .

BEFORE

AFTER

Jenn BEFORE

AFTER

McKayla BEFORE

AFTER

We made it!

Waking up this morning in bed I had the most wonderful thought: tomorrow morning I will be waking up next to Darrick!

As I write this he is already on his way home to us. He will arrive at the airport tonight at 12:00 am. Our dear friend Josh offered to pick him up that way I can keep things as normal as I can for the kids and get them to bed on time. They know that when they wake up Daddy will be here.

So what are we doing today? Well everyone is crazy excited this morning which is how I expect most of the day to be. We are going to work on some posters. The kids are going to Auntie Debbie's for awhile so I can run a few errands and get my hair cut and blown out straight and clean up the house.

I can't even describe how I am feeling today!

So Close!!!

Introducing Todd

Our sweet Jake is such an animal lover. Months ago, while we were at Petco, he saw the tortoises. He fell in love with them and decided that day that he was going to save his allowance for one.

He has been saving for months, which is really hard to do. Especially when your brother is buying cool stuff with his allowance, it takes a lot of will power.

Well the day has finally arrived. Today I took Jacob to Petco to buy his pet. He had his little ziplock bag full of money in his hand and the biggest smile I have seen on him in a long time on his face.

He named him Todd and he is a Russian Tortoise. Jake is in love.

So in case you are wondering, yes we have a lot of pets. I am an animal lover too and I believe it teaches the kids so many valuable life skills and helps them develop character traits I think are important. We have:

* 1 Dog: Oliver

* 1 Leopard Gecko: Arthur

* 1 Dwarf Hamster: Butterscotch

* 5 Frogs: Joe, Yoda, Hopper, Lily and Princess Ruby

Almost there!!!

Countdown to Darrick!

I Love You...

In case you can't understand him "I love you Nana! I love you Da! (whispered) I love you Papa!"

Micah is 2 years old in this video.

Going through old videos

What do you do when you can't sleep because you are too excited to see your husband? I have been going through our old photos and movies and organizing them. I found this super cute movie! Not much has changed-they still act the same way. Enjoy!

Countdown to Darrick!

Countdown to Darrick!

This week is lookin good!!!

Days to Leave

Countdown to Leave

Days to Leave

A Big Question

Last night Jacob and Naomi went to bed early, because they were fighting, which gave Micah and I some time to spend alone.

He had had a pretty emotional day-not much patience, a lot of frustration and crying. I normally read a chapter out of a book plus a Bible Story to the kids in the living room before bed every night. Right now we are reading Where the Red Fern Grows. But since 2 of them would be missing it we decided to read a different book about animal defenses together. During the reading he sat right next to me and even put his arm around my shoulder. My heart melted...

Then he asked if we could cuddle together for a bit on the couch. That was when the big question came. "Mom", he said, "Do you think that Daddy has changed since he has been gone?"

I definitely took a moment to answer. I asked him if he thinks that we have grown and changed while Daddy has been gone. He said yes. I tried to explain to him that growing and changing is a part of life. Such a big question from a 10 year old.

But if I am being honest, which I strive for, I am a bit nervous too. Darrick left in August and when he did he left a huge void in our lives. In order to survive and cope you have establish new routines and ways of doing things-that don't include Daddy. So where does that leave him when he comes home?

We have dealt with this many times and we have found that the best thing for Darrick to do is be an observer when he gets home. All families grow and change so our routines have changed, as well as our ways of doing things, the kids likes and dislikes, etc.

My life is so much richer when he is in it and I hate when I have to live without him. Tomorrow marks 10 more days! I am trying not to dwell on it because when I do I can't stop smiling or seem to get anything done. Last night I had a terrible time because I am so excited for him to come home!

Days to Leave

Super Nanny

I have always been a huge fan of the show "Super Nanny". I have learned so much from her and totally agree with her techniques.

Recently my mom emailed me to tell me to make sure I watch the next episode called "The Merrill Family". It is about a mom whose husband is deployed for a year and she is at home with their 4 adopted children.

So many times during this episode I felt like I was watching myself. The mom would say things that reflected things I feel, like her belief that she needs to do it all and be perfect. She needs to hold it together at home so her husband doesn't have to worry.

The scenes with the kids crying for Daddy broke me and let me see what we are going through as someone on the outside looking in.

Then to top it off they have adoption to deal with...just like us.

I cried when the mom dealt with disciplining them and how that affects their attachment. I am and have dealt with the same feelings. It is such a fine line.

Please watch it, if you have time, and let me know what you think!

Days to Leave

Homemade Hot Chocolate

This is the recipe we have been using to make our own hot chocolate!

1 TBSP cocoa powder
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP water
1 cup milk
vanilla to taste (we use 1 TBSP or less)

1. Combine cocoa, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat it on low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the paste from sticking to the pan.

2. After about 1 to 2 minutes add milk and vanilla. Mix it all together until it reaches your preferred temperature.

Justin's new hair cut

Do you love it? We do!

Days to Leave

Days to leave

Spanish Rice

Tonight for dinner, to go with our Trader Joe tamales, I made Spanish rice. I found this recipe at allrecipes.com and it was a winner for us.

2 TBSP oil

2 TBSP chopped onion

1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup salsa

1. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender about 5 minutes.

2. Mix rice into skillet, stirring often. When rice begins to brown, stir in chicken broth and salsa. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.

Enjoy and let me know if you try it!

Countdown to Leave

For a few days the kids and I have been working on a countdown to Darrick's leave. We each colored different pages. So today starts the countdown!!!

Change Update

Around the middle of January, I talked about our family making changes in our eating. It has been 1 month now so I thought I should update everyone on how it is going.

First off I have to say that it was hard to change. It takes effort and thought, which some days I don't have a lot of. But going with the advice of Darcie (my sister-in-law)and a healthy eating mom from our homeschool group made it a bit easier. They both told me to make it a gradual change. If you try to do it all at once it is way too overwhelming.

So I decided that as I ran out of something in the kitchen I would replace it with a better choice. I have really started to read labels. If I don't know what the ingredients are I don't buy it. But this left me feeling confused about what to eat and feed our family. My time allotted for grocery shopping is limited and I was feeling completely overwhelmed in the "normal" grocery store. So I have started shopping at Trader Joe's. There is one in Everett and I am in Everett 5 times a week so that makes it easy.

So my first month has been that: replacing all the food when used up with food that is preservative, chemical , additive and dye free.

I have also been trying to buy only what I need for a week. I don't need to stockpile 20 cans of soup or mac and cheese.

The kids have adjusted well. I really am so proud of them. They have tried a lot of new things. This week we tried polenta and hummas guacamole. We read labels a lot together.

Right now because of my lack of time and knowledge I have been buying ready made stuff from Trader Joe's. Some of our favorites are their chicken chili, BBQ chicken pizza, taquitos, orange chicken and tamales.

My goal for the next month is to start gathering a collection of recipes of things I can make from scratch or homemade.

If you have any to share please pass them my way!