We would like you to meet.......

-Ginger-
The newest member of the Carroll Family!

Ever since Jason and I were married we have wanted a puppy.....but considering we have always rented that made it almost impossible....but now that we live on Post and in a house, so we decided it was time! We had been looking for awhile and last weekend we were up in Tucson and saw this cutie and just knew we needed to take her home! She's 13 weeks old and absolutley adorable! We have only had her 3 days but we are attached! Sorry about the lack of pictures or not so good pictures......but she is a very active and curious little puppy and I haven't had much time to pull the camera out, or let alone do anything for that matter......its almost like having a newborn all over again!

Brielle insists on sitting in her babies stroller while watching movies...... gotta have your laptop while watching the morning news........this girl cracks me up, her latest thing.....imitating mommy and daddy!!

This last week has been pretty busy, we had Jason's Dad here for the weekend for a visit, and we finally were able to get a lot done around here....as well as spend a lot of money! Its kind of sad when the sales people at Lowes start to recognize you.....as we were checking out the cashier went a head and just gave us our 10% military discount because she recognized us! But I think we are finally starting to feel like we are home, we got the kids rooms painted, and finally got our garage cleaned out so we can park in it..... now all we have left is to paint the kitchen and living room and maybe one of these days I'll finally get my pictures up. Maybe..... But we are loving it down here and most of all we are loving being together again! Even if its only for a few more months.....(sigh) Yes, we are about 99% sure, but Jason will be deploying in June..... I'll have more details later, but for now I want to focus on our time with Jason right now and not think about him leaving again.

A special visitor

This last weekend we had a SPECIAL visitor.....Granpa Carroll! He was out in Yuma for Business, and so he extended his trip and came out our way! We had a great time with him, he helped us finish A LOT of projects around the house! I don't think we could ever thank him enough for all he did and helped us with this weekend! So THANK YOU again! We love you and miss you already Grandpa Carroll and we can't wait to see you again this summer!

Daniel

Seriously??? Is this my little boy! Where did my baby boy go?? Yes, i know he needs a haircut, but with moving, school, and getting the house done I haven't had time....so don't judge...but despite that I think he's just handsome! I love this little boy more than words can say! He lights up my day but at the same time he drives me absolutely crazy! He has developed into an amazing little boy and I am the luckiest mom in the world to have such an adorable and fun loving and handsome little boy! These last 6 months he has taken off developmentally and I couldn't be more proud of him. He is really trying to communicate with us, as he is starting to sign. Still no luck with talking, but just like everything else he has done I'm sure it will happen in time, and on his time....as much as I try and get him to do things he just does them when he wants to and when he's ready....I pushed and pushed him to crawl and no luck...then at 21 months he just did it one day....then with walking I tried and tried and then 1 month before his 3rd birthday he just did it...so I'm hoping that just doing our everyday schedule and reading to him and Pre School that one day he'll just start talking.....but if not...I'm okay with that as well. He has started at his new school here on Post and LOVES it, the first week was a bit tough and he was upset a lot, but now that he gets to ride the bus and has gotten in the swing of things he is loving it! We love this little boy more than anything, and even as challenging as it is to raise a child with special needs......I couldn't imagine my life without him, he is the little angel in our home! We love you Daniel!

99.8% of the time this is how he is.....Happy as can be, laughing and just making my day that much better!

he thinks he doesn't need naps anymore.....but I beg to differ!

The Military Wife

So I got this from a friend on Facebook....and just had to share it.....

The Military Wife

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move........all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:Decorating,Leadership, Volunteering, Career alternatives, Churches, And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee, Rely on the spouse network, Accept offers of friendship and favors.
They Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands;
his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB' He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days, A travel brochure, A long hot bath, A pledge to the flag, A wedding picture, And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.
Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

Brielle

This post is dedicated to Brielle......considering its been awhile since I have updated you all on the Brielle I thought I would take a moment and brag about my beautiful little girl and update you all on what little miss Brielle is up too! (Tomorrow will be Daniel's turn)

Well we have made it this far.......19 months and counting and its hard to believe she is no longer my baby! She is a feisty yet adorable little thing, one minute she can be laughing and playing and in the blink of an eye be in full on tears and tantrum throwing! She has become quite independent lately, and wants to do everything by herself, she loves to point at things and say "whats that", it was cute at first, but after pointing at everything and asking "whats that" it gets to be a bit much! She isn't talking much, but she's really trying, she does say mom, dad, Daniel (although, unless your around her a lot you wouldn't know that is what she is saying), she mimics a lot and loves to play action games with us! She can point to her nose, ears, eyes, and mouth, toes, and feet.....she HATES wearing shoes and every chance she gets she'll rip them right off, she listens to me actually quite well, she also follows directions really well , our sleep schedule has also improved dramatically since being in Arizona. In Utah she still woke up 2-3 times a night....since being here she hasn't woken up once! She loves her naps and going to bed is a cinch with her, we have our routine and as soon as I say its bedtime she runs to Jason gives him loves and kisses and heads right to her room.....what a doll! When it comes to eating we still have our good days and our bad days....but I can't complain to much about it! Well I could probably go on forever about her, but I'll spare you all....but I love this little girl SO much and she is such a blessing in our lives! I love watching her grow and develop into this amazing little girl!

FINALLY! pig tales! I can finally do something with her hair other then just a little clip for the bangs! (oh and please excuse our mess behind her....this was taken at our temp apartment before we moved onto post!)

She no longer lets me help her eat.....if I even try she throws a fit!



She's a climber.....

She always wants to takes bath.....here we are at the hotel on our drive down to Arizona and as we were getting settled in this is where she wanted to be.....but don't worry I was in the bathroom with her while she was playing in there......