and the countdown begins......

All I can really say is I sure hope these next 2 months go by as SLOW as possible!

Jason leaves in 2 months! (sigh) I pray everyday that I will have strength to get through this next year ALONE with 2 VERY active kids, and a new puppy! Now onto my HUGE list of to do's I want to get done before he leaves! So let the countdown begin.....

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......

Saying Goodbye!

For our last night in Utah we got together with my parents, my brother and his fam, and one of my dearest and closests friends Viv and her adorable family for dinner. Thanks Mom and Dad for an amazing last night! We miss you SO much and can't wait to see you in May!

so where do I even begin Viv.....Just posting this I'm in tears!!! You have been through just about everything with me.....from high school, to college, to marriage, and now kids and all the ups and downs that have come with them! I feel so blessed to have you apart of my life! Its seems like yesterday we were in the stock room at Nordstrom sorting scrunchies.....and now here we are 12 years later! I'm SO glad we got to spend our last night with you and your CUTE family! We love you guys so MUCH and can't wait for our visits back to Utah to see you!

I just love this Family!

Thanks Brian, Pam, and Girls for coming.....we love you and miss you so MUCH!

better late than NEVER

Well.....I'm finally getting to posting about Christmas! Only 2 months late....oh well, better late than never. For Christmas we headed back to Virginia to be with Jasons Family, we were there for about 3 weeks, and it was SO nice to not have to worry about anything! We had a blast shopping, eating, playing games and getting snowed in!

Christmas Morning!

Christmas Eve at the Dudenhefer's.......they really know how to host, amazing food, great company and did I mention the food was good?!?!

Our little family back together......FINALLY!

Our last Saturday out there, Jason and Grandpa Carroll took Daniel to Home Depot for the little workshops they do.....needless to say he had a BLAST!

We MADE it!

Well we made it and are just about all moved in! We have been here for a little over 3 weeks now, but we were staying in a tempoary apartment until our house was ready on Post. We have loved it here, and most of all we have loved being together again, and I can't complain about the weather either! I think I have wore flips flops every day since being here! Today its been raining, but I'll take that over snow any day! But I think I'm finally getting back in the swing of things, and getting back to our routine, since arriving here its been a bit chaotic and I felt a little out of touch with the world, we have had no internet and no TV, and I always thought it was one of those things I could live without, and come to find out, and as much as I hate to admit it I'm so HAPPY to have them back! I'm still trying to go through my pics, and get things unpacked so it may be a few more days until I get more posted......but here is a picture of our house! But we are all doing good, and we miss and love you all!

OVERWHELMED!

So I was planning on getting everything updated and pictures uploaded once Jason headed down to Arizona.......well, all that has changed, the same day Jason left for Arizona we found out that we will be moving also....NEXT WEEK! I thought I had at least a few weeks to get things ready and prepare for this move, and then to make things more complicated we still don't have a house on Post yet (still on the waiting list) but Jasons SGT's wants us to get down there with him! So now Jason is apartment hunting and trying to find us place for just a month or two until we can get on post, in the meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how i'm going to get everything ready, and maintain my sanity as we try and move within the next week.....So once again the blog is going to be put on the back burner, and with all the excitement this has brought us I'm sure I'll have A LOT to blog about once we get moved. So Good bye Utah......Hello Arizona!

for now......

We have been back for over a week now and for some reason I just can't get back in the swing of things......I guess I don't want to get to use to having Jason around and getting on a schedule because he leaves again next Wed.....so for now I'm taking a little blogging break....not that I haven't already had a month hiatus from blogging, but I'm trying to enjoy every minute of having Jason home and being a little family again. But we are great, we had an amazing Christmas in Virginia....and I promise once I get back on schedule and things get semi back to normal I'll update the blog....but for now here a couple pictures!

Christmas Eve.......is it to much to ask to get a picture of all of looking at the camera?!?!

Back with DADDY! oh and can you see Daniels fat lip.....poor little guy....the morning we left for VA we had a little mishap at the house and after a very eventful morning in the ER we all made it to Virginia safe and sound and happy to be with Jason again!

Stay tuned for more.........

Leaving on a Jet Plane

In 2 days we'll be heading off to Virginia for Christmas.......Talk about the best Christmas present ever......3 weeks in VA with Jason and kids! Since Jason and I have been married we have never really been able to enjoy the holidays because he was ALWAYS working, whether it be Christmas Eve, or the day after....it just always put a damper on things. So when I found out he had leave for Christmas this year and we would get not only a few days, but a few weeks, I was EXCITED! After 8 months of being apart and seeing each other 2 or 3 days here and there, it will be AMAZING to have him with us for an extended period of time! So watch out for a lot of updates when we get back after the first of the year.......but for now I have a lot of packing and preparing to do.....so if you don't see a post for awhile, its because we are ENJOYING our trip to Virginia and all our TIME we get with Jason! We hope you all have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

SICK

There is nothing worse than sick kids.......I honestly hate this part of being a mother, not because its a hassle but I feel so helpless......Brielle has been just miserable, and she doesn't know why she feels like this, and she can't understand why I can't make it all go away. And I hate that, I hate not being able to take away the pain, or that icky feeling away, but I guess the only upside of her being sick is all the cuddle time I got! Because lets face it, this little girl doesn't stop for anything, she is like the little energizer bunny that keeps going and going, and well this last weekend I knew something was up when all she wanted to do was sit and watch movies and lay on the couch with me. Although I hated not being able to make her feel better, I enjoyed all the one on one time I got with her! Now lets just hope it doesn't pass its way to Daniel.......I'm just hoping we are healthy VERY soon.....because I really, really don't want to fly with SICK kids! Actually, I think we may just lock ourselves in the house this week to make sure we don't catch anything!

Thanksgiving 2009

So I could probably go on forever on how amazing Thanksgiving was this year, but to spare you all from an extremely long and mushy post, I'll just say it straight...........It was AMAZING! Thanksgiving had a whole new meaning for me this year, and I couldn't thank mine or Jason's parents enough for all there help and support they have given us these last 7 1/2 months, I got to see Jason over Labor day weekend as most of you know, and we both thought that would be last time until Christmas, , but to our surprise we got to see each other twice since then! So, Mom, Dad, Rick and Nancy I hope you know how much it means to us that you made these trips happen! We love you and THANK YOU, THANK YOU and again THANK YOU! So now on to Thanksgiving, Jason flew in that day and we got 3 full glorious days with him. Time seemed to have flown by, and before we knew it we were saying goodbye again.....sniff, sniff! But thankfully we'll see him again on the 17th in Virginia! But we had a great weekend, full of shopping, lounging, eating, and lounging some more! So, here are a few pictures I took of the weekend, which weren't many, but hey at least I took a few! Also.....we have official orders now, and Jason reports to Fort Huachuca on January 22 and as soon as he finds a place for us to live we will arrive shortly after! WAHOO!


Helping Daniel on the stairs, he still can't go by himself, but he gets stronger everyday!

My 2 Favorite boys!

Official: Afghan buildup involves 30,000 troops
For Full story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091201/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_afghanistan
Well, as most of you have read or heard in the news, Obama plans on sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, lets just pray Jason is'nt one of the first to go! Right now we are waiting on official orders for Jason, and once we know what unit he'll be going to we should know if he'll be depoying anytime soon, or if we are one of the lucky ones that doesn't get sent right now. So, I guess I should start preparing myself! At least I may get a few months with him if the worse case scenerio was to happen......but either way I have no regrets for us joining the Military, it has been the best thing for our family. A lot of people don't understand why we decided to join the military. Or how on earth I even survive without Jason, but I think the Lord has really blessed us and has given me strength I didn't know I had. For a long time we struggled to find exactly what we were going to do with our lives, and when school was getting more and more difficult and jobs were hard to find we turned to the Lord and well.....here we are 7 months later. Its not always easy, but I couldn't be more proud of Jason and all that he accomplished and sacrificed for our family. We want to THANK all you for your support for our Family and especially for Jason, without all of you we would not be able to do this!

Arizona HERE we COME!

Just before Jason came home for Thanksgiving he was told some pretty exciting news........We got a new assignment! We are still waiting on official orders but he was told that he was no longer going to Korea and that we would be heading off to Fort Huachuca in Arizona! I don't think I have been this happy and thrilled in a long time! Not only do I get my hubby back, we get to head off to Sunny Arizona! I'm not much of a winter weather type of gal......I don't like snow, I hate being cold, so I guess this is the perfect place for us! Oh and did I mention I get my HUBBY back! Talk about the perfect week, Thanksgiving, Jason coming home for Thanksgiving, and now this news! I'm seriously on cloud 9 right now! So now we are just waiting on official orders for when he reports and when we will be moving!

EXCITED

So if you haven't noticed my counter on the left.......well then go ahead and take a look! 2 days and JASON will be home! WAHOO! I'm seriously jumping out of my skin EXCITED! 3 full days with my hubby! Also....I don't want to neglect my handsome little boy.......yesterday was Daniels 4th birthday! Holy cow....I have a 4 year old?!?!?! Is that possible?!?!?!? We didn't do much yesterday as far as celebrating....due to the fact that Jason gets to come home this week, we decided Friday would be the big day to celebrate, we'll bring out the cake and presents and enjoy a day as a family of 4! But I think for the most part he had a good day, we met up with my good friend Viv and her 2 adorable boys at Discovery Gateway and let the kids run wild and boy did they ever, they had a blast and I loved it because I didn't have to worry about them being to loud, or touching things.....they could be as loud as they wanted and they could touch EVERYTHING, so thanks again Viv for a great day out! But Happy Birthday Daniel....we love you so much and you have brought so much joy into our family! You have been through so much in 4 year of life, you are such a strong and happy little boy and I love watching you learn and grow and I feel so blessed to be your mother! We love you and Happy Birthday!

slacking

Its been awhile since I have posted and I wish I had a really good excuse as to why I haven't. But I don't. And I wish I had pictures to post....or something exciting to post, but once again I don't. Nothing to exciting has really happened lately. Last weekend we celebrated my moms birthday, and spent the day shopping and going to dinner, but me being me, forgot my camera (like always lately). But we had a lot of fun hanging out and celebrating.....so Happy Birthday Mom, I'm glad we all got to celebrate together.

The only other news I have is......we found out about Korea. And, we DIDN'T get command sponsorship! BUMMER! So right now we are in the waiting game again. When Jason had his meeting they told him that due to Daniels Medical reasons we could not get Command Sponsorship but that they are working on trying to get him reassigned state side, so that way we could all be together, but nothing is set and stone yet, so as of right now he is still scheduled to go to Korea, but we may have a chance of being stationed in the states. SO once again, we get to wait! And then WAIT some more! So frustrating! I guess the only good part of all of this is that we have a chance of him not having to go to Korea without us and getting an assignment here in the states instead! So pray and keep your fingers crossed for US! I really don't want to send my hubby away to Korea for a year after being gone from us for 8 months already!

Halloween 2009

Halloween this year was interesting......Brielle loved it, and Daniel, well he didn't love it! Brielle was all about the candy and running around and taking 2-3 pieces from everyone, and Daniel wanted nothing to do with it, he was latched onto either me, my mom, or my dad. So after being in our costumes for Pre School, visiting my parents work, and going trick or treating at my Grandma's retirement home, we decided Trick or Treating Halloween just wasn't worth it......does that make me a bad Mom??? We just already had more candy then we needed, and Brielle was exhausted, and Daniel wasn't to enthused about putting his costume back on, so instead of trying to fight with a 3 year old and 15 month old, we stayed in where it was nice and warm and lounged. Oh well.....there is always next year!

My little Bumble Bee

My handsome firefighter!

Brielle was so funny at my Grandma's, she was going from one little old lady to the next, and then made rounds again, the cute little old women couldn't remember that they already gave her candy, so they just kept giving her more and more and she just kept taking more and more!

They got to dress up for Pre School too......Once again, he was less than happy about putting on his costume, but the fact that he loves Pre School made up for it!