Day 26

Here I sit at 11:15 at night in my room with my lap top, a glass of wine, the TV on to Jon and Kate plus 8 and a sick kid wide awake next to me!!


Logan was sick Thursday Night but Friday seemed to be alright and while his appetite as not been normal today I thought we were fine to head to my friends for the afternoon. Logan did fine there. He enjoyed pizza for dinner and then headed to bed early at my friends house. After Kresta and I enjoyed our late quite dinner, (the 2 babies were in bed and the older ones were watching a movie) I packed us up to head home. About 2 minutes from the house Logan got sick all over himself and the car seat:( Once home it took me an hour to get everything cleaned up and the first load of laundry through so I could start the car seat cover. I thought Logan was sleeping soundly until he screamed out, he wanted to be up. Try as I may I do not have the heart to make this little boy cry it out after he got so sick in the Jeep.


So here I sit!! I have my second wind and cannot sleep. And my kid must have his as well, he is just chillin watching TV.


I will try to get a new updated video or a couple good pics tomorrow. Looks like it will be another easy lazy homeday. Maybe if I am lucky we will have no snow. I totalled up my count of snow since Matt left and it is over 50 inches!!

Oh, AND one calender month now gone!! Emma has flipped the red highlighted January Month.

Day 25

We had a pretty good easy day at home. Last night Logan was super sick so today we took it easy. Logan was still cranky and clingy but for the little amount of food he took in he kept it down and he did keep the water and tiny bit of juice down.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 God is good and despite all the drama or problems that may come my way I know it is part of the plan. I will take great comfort in that as my attitude continues to stay confident in my God!!

Today has been one of those days that I totally love, I feel like I accomplished a TON. I have not had the time to clean lately so after I got that done I quickly did a few FRG things and than had most of the day to do whatever, I love those days!!

After the kids and I did a normal lazy night dinner of Lean cuisine, and kid cuisine. We put in a movie, gathered the blankets and pillow, and the dessert for the night (it was Popsicles) and started to watch The Blue Butterfly. Against my wishes, Logan would not lay down and relax so after he went to bed Emma and I enjoyed the rest of the movie. There were a couple spots that Emma would not watch but it was really good!!

I will try to take a pic of the snow tomorrow. I just heard we are getting 6 inches an hour. And to make it all the worse we are expecting a Nor'easter this next week. Will it ever end? I gotta say I actually love it. I don't mind snow throwing. I make sure the kids are good and secure before I head out with my ipod and enjoy the sweet sound of my Christian Play list while I enjoy the cool crisp air invading my lungs:)

Day 24

Today has been another busy busy day. No pictures or video today, Sorry.

I really do not have much to say tonight. I fear Logan has the flu or a stomach virus. He got sick shortly after his McDonalds Kids meal. The kids were in hourly care all day today.

Tonight I am watching another oldie but another favorite. Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion. I used to LOVE that movie. So here I sit "clicking" away as I half watch this movie.

I just put Logan back in a clean bed for the third time tonight. I am thinking I should probably close this up and get some sleep in case Logan gets sick again or Matt messges at 5 AM that he want to chat again. (Matt is doing good as of 5 Am this morning.)

Day 23

These pictures are from our "snow fun" playgroup yesterday. NOTE I said yesterday, I will try to take pictures of MORE snow tomorrow. Today we had another 6 inches or so and looks like they are calling for another 5 to 8 tonight. And than we should get a little more by next Tuesday.

Today was a good day. We did not do a whole lot. I spent WAY too much time of the phone handling things but the kids were pretty good.

Because I did so much "work" today I don't have a whole heck of a lot to do tonight. I think I will finally get the picture packages addressed so I can send updated pictures to all our family.

Day 22

Psalm 18:28-30 (New International Version)
28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

29 With your help I can advance against a troop [a] ; with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Today was a day. I started out with some more blah. Last night I got some news about 2 helicopter crashes in Iraq killing some of our Fort Drum Soldiers. This news hit closer to home when I found out at least 1 of them went to our church. After I finally got myself relaxed to go to bed Matt called around 11, which was a welcome sound. We normally talk during my days so it was nice to fall asleep with a smile on my face:)


We had a pretty good day. "Embrace the Positive, Squash the Negative" needs to be my moto. Try as I may sometimes I fall into those negative cracks and I must stop myself. Today we had a small snow fun playgroup at the house( I will post pics tomorrow) It was great to have some awesome positive women over. One of which being a spouse of a Soldier to currently deployed with children near my children's age.


When I got home tonight I was comforted by my first shipment of the Flower of the Month Club. I hinted, begged, and asked Matt for flowers. He always forgets to send stuff for certain events so I politely told him if he signed up for this he would not ever have to worry about missing certain things:) Especially with the Deployment here, he would be safe!! This arrangement is a Hawaiian arrangement meant to bring warm thoughts during the dark winter days, I Love it!!

Day 21

Psalm 46:1 (New International Version)
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

3 weeks, Really does not seem real that time has passed the way that it has. Today has been kind of blah. Started out with a trip to the doctor for Logan. He is fine other than a virus. We stuck around the house which was oh so nice.

Day 20

Today we had more snow!! Church was even canceled in Watertown. But since Carthage did not have as much we headed to a new church here and had a good time with our friends:)

After Church we came home and made cookies for Daddy. Emma helped me cut out the heart shaped sugar cookies and than we sprinkled sprinkles on them before we baked them, yummy!!

The other picture is the kids putting on lotion. Emma always wants to do this when I reach for mine and this time I gave Logan a little, he really was not all to sure about it.

Tonight, Logan is not feeling well and I am tired. I did finish the FRG newsletter,which is a accomplishment. But I am not looking forward to the long night ahead.

Day 19

Tonight was what I hope to be the start of "Saturday Night Movie Night" After baths, the kids and I popped popcorn and cuddled up to watch Annie. I have always loved that movie. Aside from the great feeling of my kids next to me Logan fell asleep in my arms and than I left him there until bed time, It was awesome to than cuddle with Emma while Logan slept so sweetly next to us:)

Today was a good day. I had a chance to have a few hours to myself at home. I was able to frame a few more pictures and get them on the "Daddy Pics Wall". I have picked out about 40 of my favorite Bugaboo Pics and had them printed and framed. I am waiting on two more 11 X 14's and than I think the wall be will done:)

Day 18

Tonight I am super tired. I cannot seem to get to bed at a reasonable hour lately. I still get up at 5:30 AM to P90X and somehow I get a second wind around 10 at night:)

The video is about play dough fun. Emma and I make a fun play dough recipe for her class and this time we kept it at home. She LOVES the stuff. After Logan tasted it he really did not seem to cake for it all that much.

Day 17

Today has been one of those days. It was not a bad day and probably not my best day just another day thriving through this deployment.

We stuck around the house today. Logan and I took it easy this A.M. I did stuff around the house and even got to talk to Matt for a little while. During Nap time I tackled the foot of snow that was pushed in the driveway the past couple of days from the inch here and there. It was a HOT 33 degrees today with a little sun. After we went to the store the kids took a few minutes to play outside. And in the video you can even see the black driveway. (that takes a lot to maintain in the sub zero temps we have had)

Day 16

No pics or video today, Sorry. What a day it has been. Today was a "me" day which was actually a sit at the Jeep Doctor and work on FRG stuff. So that is what I did for 2 1/2 hours and still the Jeep is not fixed. BUT I did get a lot done.

I also got me a new PINK blackberry yesterday. I am super stoked to have this. There was a lot going on with the FRG today and it was great to have the emails go directly to my phone and not have to be connected to my lap top. Technology is something else.

There is something that has become very apparent to me. Within the last few days I have had this overwhelming sense of peace. I find myself thinking about the positive and laughing at the negative. I am praising GOD tonight. His arms have been wrapped so tightly around me and I am so thankful. I know we will THRIVE this deployment out. We will make the best of every situation that arises. Even the ones that I would rather not deal with, we will.

I know I have a great Family and a wonderful support network of people praying for us and I thank you. Words will never be able to explain how much this all means to me.

Day 15

Today came and went very quickly for us. We had our first FRG Social event which was a Potluck at a Community Center with a play place. It was great. It was awesome to be around other ladies and talk while the kids play. It is always a little overwhelming for me because I have to chase after Logan who insists on opening and closing all doors and drawers in the entire building!!

This post is late because I am trying to figure out my new Blackberry. I am super stoked to be able to play with my email and FACEBOOK right from my phone but I am growing incredibly frustrated. So I am taking a break from it and will head to Verizon to get some help.

Day 14

Wow!! it is really hard to believe 2 weeks has gone by already. We are staying very busy, just doing little stuff around the house.

Nothing new to report here. The kids continue to drive me crazy, make me smile, and drive me crazy. At the end of the day they are my highlight. We have a busy week ahead of us. And it will all be good because God is with us.

Day 13

I had a very productive day today. The kids and I got up early as always!! After church we headed to Micheal's for a frame return and than target for a little shopping!!

Logan sleep like 3 hours this afternoon and I got TONS of FRG calls made, it felt good to be so productive.

This evening I have finally put the new pics we had taken into frames and hung a few. I need to go through more frames so I can finish up the Daddy and his kids wall next to the stair case. I meant to have all the pictures done before he left but it always seemed like such a chore to find the perfect picture.

Day 12

SNOW!! I am soo ready to be done with SNOW!! This morning we woke up at Kresta's to 2 feet of snow. Holy Batman it was crazy!!! There was a no travel advisory so we stayed put until around 1 when things started to clear up and Kresta snow threw her drive way. We SLOWLY made out way out of Watertown!! Once we hit the outside of Watertown it was smooth sailing, the roads had all been cleared, thankfully. After seeing the 2 feet in Watertown I feared the worse for our area so I called the mouse catcher's sister and she sent down her other brother to clear the bottom of my driveway. When I pulled in we only had like 8 inches, what a difference to the 2 feet we left in Watertown. I got it all cleared just as the neighborhood snow pusher was heading out of the area. I got his attention quick enough to ask him to clear my driveway anytime the Jeep is not there and there is snow, what a relief. I now can enjoy Friday night dinners without fearing the mess I could come home too.

Super girl and nakie boy had a great time playing with the kids also!! Check out facebook for a video

Day 11

We had a good day around the house. Emma did not have school because it was -16 when we woke up so we had a fun day. Emma helped me clean by wiping down all the kitchen chairs and than we made play dough and she had a blast!!

After Logan woke up from his nap we packed up and headed to Kresta's for Friday night dinner and a sleepover. We had a blast. It was so nice to hear Emma laughing as she played with her friends and I really enjoyed the company of my "battle buddies".

Day 10

I had another GREAT day. I had a couple of things going on so I got a baby-sitter to come and watch the kids for the afternoon. After my meeting and errands I had my hair done. I LOVE IT. It feels so good to have a change that is so totally not like me. It will take a little getting used to because it is a little shorter than I thought, but I LOVE IT!!

Today's clip of the day is my little pantry thief. For the last couple of days Logan has been playing with all the canned goods and this one container of Nutella. Yesterday I noticed that he had cracked the lid of the container but thought nothing of it. Today I went outside to pull the car into the garage while Emma and Logan were once again rearranging the lazy Susan pantry and came in to Logan covered in Nutella. He jammed his hand through the foil liner as if he could spell the food. He so enjoyed himself, and his sister took advantage of the little treat as well:)

Day 9

Today, Logan and I went to Micheal's to buy Frames and stickers. I had Emma decorate her M & M's jar and I did Logan's.

I have decided to collect all my wine corks for the year. So I dug out one of my old vases and bought some stickers. A good friend who is a multiple deployments spouse said something around the lines of, I will not just Survive this deployment I will THRIVE. So I put that onto my vase and bought "Super girl" stickers to decorate it and placed in on the counter I open my wine bottles. We will see how many wine bottles is takes to get a Army Wife through her 3rd Deployment.

Oh and the frames will soon be filled with Daddy pictures. I plan to decorate my walls with all the awesome pics we got from Bugaboo photos.

Day 8

Today's video is of Logan being a little dare devil. He climbed up on his train and than just stood there laughing a playing with his sister.

Today has been a pretty good day. I still have no voice but I feel fine otherwise. We ended up staying around the house today. We had a few inches of snow and are expecting 1-3 more tonight. But the big kicker will be tomorrow when the high will be -1 and the low -15. Right now it is 29.

Oh, and yes Emma did have breakfast. She snuck that into the video. Emma had just woken up from one of those rare 2 hour naps and thought it was time for school. Every time I said I was making dinner she would repeat "we have not had breakfast". So as soon as I hit record on the camera she felt the need to remind me of this.

Day 7

1 whole week!! Honestly, it does not seem like it. God has given me a few humps to get over but it really has not been that bad. I say that as I have whispered all day since I have no voice from Laryngitis.

One thing that occurred to me today is to find the Positive. I must be positive and surround myself with positive. The one person I know I can rely on to show me the way is my God. So please, if anyone has a favorite verse they would like to share with me let me know. On my facebook I asked this and got plenty of replies.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Today Emma and I had a little tea party. So the clip of the day is Emma and I have a tea party/hot toddy party:)

Day 6

Today's video is of Emma and her little friend Mitchell. This morning the kids were making pie crust cookies and putting sprinkles on them. While they waited for them to cook Katie caught a short clip of them kissing. (In the back ground you can hear Logan doing a Muawww)

Day 5

I have a great group of gals around here. One of my really really good friends is headed to her "home" state so a group of us got together last night to enjoy her one last time. We all headed to a local restaurant and shared some good food, good drinks, and incredible desserts. (mine is chocolate mouse in a raspberry sauce!!)

I had been in the dumps on this day but I encouraged myself to get out of the house and I am so happy I did. I even met another lady that lives close to me that shares my love for wine:) I had a incredible evening that only got better~ Katie and I were enjoying a Hot Toddy around midnight when my phone rang. Matt thought it would be fun to call and wake me up!! He forgot I was spending the night at Katie's and we were still up, too funny.

Day 4

I thought it might be fun to do a Daddy count down for the kids. So I stole the idea from my good friend. We took 370 M & M's and placed them in the two jars so Emma and Logan can each have a M & M every morning as a special treat. I know they will not understand the concept until the beginning of next January but I am hoping it will be a nice distraction and a little treat every morning.

Today was a pretty slow sad day for me. Logan got me up at 5:30 this morning not feeling well and I already was not feeling all the great. I did get to hear from Matt, which was nice but sad at the same time. Now it is real. While he was traveling it did not hit me quite like it did when I heard the distant voice with the 2 second delay. This is going to be a long 370 days. ( Matt left about 1 1/2 weeks before the actual deployment will start)

I do have GREAT friends. I called and talked with another spouse and she and her son drove all the way out to see me and the kids and order dinner. It was so nice to have someone to talk to, up until the time my voice started to go:( I wanted to get in a daily blog and drink my honey tea and now I am off to bed.

Day 3

Today we woke 6 inches of snow. There was a delay so Emma did not have school. So we had another pretty easy morning. Emma watched TV while Logan napped and I spent 90 minutes snow throwing, shoveling, and laying the salt.

I have a great friend who took Emma for a couple of hours. This was the second day of no school and I really needed a little break plus I needed to do a big grocery store trip. As I was picking Emma up Matt got on Yahoo from his last layover. Matt and I were able to log onto Facebook and have a little chat. It always makes my day to instant message. He is doing well just anxious to get to Afghanistan and on with this. I hope to receive a call in a day or two saying his 4 or 5 day trip is complete.

The video above is to show how much snow we have received this far. In December Watertown had received 50 inches, 25 inches more than normal. Because the temps have remained below freezing (mostly) the snow has not melted. Thankfully, my awesome husband set me up TONS of salt and the snow thrower. (And his boots, snow pants, coat, and gloves- there are just more comfortable, LOL)

Day 2

Day 2 has been great. I woke this morning to see Matt had a little Internet access at his last lay over. It made my day the he got on Face Book, probably to do a few Mafia Jobs.

Emma, Logan, and I stayed at home all day. We had about 3 inches of snow/ice so school was cancelled and we decided just to stay put. It was AWESOME!!

I will be uploading many short videos onto my blog. My goal will be to send Matt a daily 15 second clip.

I also plan to update this daily. This will be my 380 day journal. And it will encourage me to take more pictures and short clips.

Day 1

1 day down!! Today has been an emotional one but I have managed to find some funny times. Logan and I were able to be a little lazy this AM and hang out while Emma was at school. Day 1 has already been a little challenging but we made it through. Emma remembered to use her highlighter on her Daddy countdown Calender and we watched Daddy read to us. Tonight I am exhausted and anxious for my bed.

I want to say THANK YOU to all my friends and family. You have all made me feel so confident and loved. I appreciate all the support that was given to me today and all the support that is given to Matt.

FREE Family Fun

Matt and Emma had a chance to get in one last Home Depot FREE family fun day on Saturday. She really enjoys doing these little workshops. She had a couple things going for her that day, for one I took Logan to get a hair cut so she had Daddy all to herself and her good friends Ashley, Maddox, and Brody were there as well.

After the Home Depot craft I picked up Matt and Emma and the Sunderman Team joined us for Subway before Matt and I took the kids to Parent's Day out on Post. Matt and I were able to enjoy one last "Date" afternoon. We went and saw Marley and Me, I really enjoyed it. It did reconfirm that I do not want any pets until Matt is home for the long run. A dog sounds so nice when I think about the company and the fun times animals can bring but than I think of all the extra work and clean up they are;)

Dry Hill Tubing

Matt, Emma, and I had a chance to sneak out for a couple of hours and enjoy the snow. It was awesome, about 30 degrees out with lots of snow!!!

New Years Eve

We are truly enjoying each day around here. On New Years Eve we had the pleasure of hosting a little "kegger" with some good friends.

We also made Nana a Princess cake for her Birthday. Emma loved decorating it with the little hearts.

Emma and Logan enjoyed some fun times with the kids around and Matt and I were able to ring in the New Year with a kiss!!