We Love our SOLDIER!!!

The day finally came. Jason has left and I'm pretty much at loss of words. I can barely see through all the tears right now, so this is going to be brief......now I'm not saying this for people to feel sorry for me.....its just how it is for me right now, I know in a few days I'll be fine, me and the kids will get in a routine and life will go on. But for now and for a few days, I'm going to cry as much as I want, sit in my PJ's, have cereal for dinner,  lounge around all day and watch movies with my kids.  So with that here a few pictures from today.....

Jason packing.....

This was the hardest part of the day.....saying Goodbye!

I love you Jason! We are so PROUD of you and come home safe!

Weekend Getaway......

We had an amazing Memorial Weekend! We decided instead of sticking around post, we would head up to Tucson for a little weekend getaway, my mom got us in at the JW Marriott and I have to say, it was AMAZING, we spent almost all our time at the pool swimming with the kids, eating at the poolside lounge, and getting some much needed sleep(the kids took 3 hour naps for us)! We had perfect weather, the kids behaved and we got some much needed family time in, with all the stress of getting ready for Jason to leave this was just what we needed! We hope you all had a fun and safe Memorial Weekend!

This is the view from our room!

This is also the view we had from our room!

Typical family picture......why can't the kids at least be looking at the camera?!?

I'm sure gonna miss this man.... =( Please let this next year go by fast!!!

A little Daniel Update......

We have been pretty busy around here getting Daniel into all his specialist and trying to get all his medical transfered down here, but I think we are on track now...but with good news there seems to always be bad news with us. We took Daniel to see a Pediatric Neurologist, and we finally got approved to get some extensive Genetic testing done, maybe now we finally can get some answers as to why Daniel was born the way he was, or what the future holds for him!Then we saw his Orthopedic Surgeon, and after more x-rays and hours in the office, we found out he needs MORE surgery.....UGH! Poor little guy.....we got lucky last time where he only needed it on one foot, but this time they want to do BOTH! As difficult as that was to hear, I know its going to help him and I know he needs it! I just hate seeing my little boy go through this! But he is a STRONG little boy, and despite what has been given to him, he always faces it head on and remains the happiest little boy ever!

So today things became real for us.....Today was the Casing of the Colors and Farewell Ceremony....{sigh}......so now we are just trying to enjoy every last minute of our time together. We are headed to Tucson this weekend, my mom was able to get us in at the JW Marriott, so we are taking off and enjoying a weekend of swimming, laying out, and playing with the kids, with no interuptions of house cleaning, cooking, or any chore for that matter....a complete weekend of pure enjoyment! 

Vegas Baby!!

 This last week we met up with my parents up in Vegas for one last vacation before Jason leaves.....and I must say it was a BLAST! We went swimming, lounged around, did some shopping, and of course enjoyed all the yummy food Vegas has to offer! Thanks Mom and Dad for inviting us and for giving me and Jason some "us" time as well!

My parents took the kids for us Thursday night so we could have a little date night. We first headed out to dinner, walked the strip for a bit, did some shopping at the Forum Shops then headed to the MGM grand where Jason took me to see KA! It was amazing....I highly recomend it! But it was a perfect night, and boy am I going to miss this man when he's gone!!! Love you Jason and thank YOU for always making me feel SO special!

Oh....and then to top of the night I got one of these! We are getting it engraved so I actually don't have it yet (but Tuesday I will!!) but as we were walking through the Forum Shops he led me into Tiffanys I thought we were just going to do our usual window shopping but when I found something I liked I looked at him and gave him that I want this look, and I was expecting to hear "NO" but instead he said without hesitation "YES!!!" Does he know how to spoil me or what!?!?!

ok.....We are gonna try this again

So a while back I had my blog private, and I hated it, always having to log in, and I kept having people email me and say they couldnt log in, so I went public again, then I noticed some strange people looking at my blog and so I decided to try and do the private thing again, and well.....same problem. And as much as I'm gonna hate it and well I don't even know if anyone really looks at my blog anymore.......(I facebook way more than I blog,) but I continue to blog for Journal purposes....but with that, Jason has asked me to take the blog private again. With him leaving for Iraq in a month, we really don't want all the crazies out there to know I'm all by myself with a husband deployed and have access to all my emotional ups and downs that will come with this deployment. So I'm not sure exactly when I'm going to do this.....most likely it will be within the next week or so. I still have my list from before, but if you are a new reader and want to continue taking a look, leave me your email so I can add you!

I took one look at her and just starting laughing, it was just the cure I needed when having a NOT SO good day. This little girls just seems to know when I'm having an off day, or just one of those days, because without fail, she always seems to find a way to snap me out of it! I just love this little girl!

My little Helper!

Brielle absolutley LOVES helping me clean.....whether its dusting, sweeping, or cooking, she LOVES to help! Now if only we can keep this going into her school age years! Because I know one of these days she isn't going to want to be as helpful!

As you probably remember from one of my previous posts, that my backyard is well......SCARY, so while I work on that, I thought well, my backyard is a disaster, I can at least make the front of my house presentable.....so i made a trip to Lowe's and I probably went a little overboard, but at least the front of my house looks good, now I just need to get the backyard to look the same.......

The House

I remember talking to Jason about Army housing, and it scared the CRAP out of me, I have heard some pretty scary stories of Post Housing, and just how run down they are. Well, all my worries and stressing I guess were for nothing, because we got pretty lucky. The military is now going to Privatized housing, which means, better homes, and NEW homes! No more living in homes that were built in the 60's! The only thing I'm having to get use to, is NO CARPET! That's right, there isn't carpet in a single room in this house, so we have had to buy A LOT of rugs! I guess it helps with cost issues with how many people move in and out of these houses. At first I hated it, but I'm use to it now. These aren't the best pictures, but I thought I would post a few of the house....So, Enjoy!

The kitchen

Part of the living room area......I haven't finished decorating or putting pictures up, so this is what I have so far......

This is the view from the back door to the front door



more of the kitchen......


This is as you walk in the front door



The laundry room and Gingers Home..... Nothing fancy or special

HELP

Okay....so we moved into our house here on Post and we LOVE the house, but the YARD IS A DISASTER! The people that lived here before us did not take care of a thing! I swear we have more weeds than grass, and then the grass we do have looks like its pretty much dead. So here is my question to all you homeowners or anyone that knows anything about lawns. Where do I even start?!?! I have never had to deal with a lawn like this before, and because i know we will most likely be moving in a few years, and the house isn't actually "ours" I don't want to spend a whole lot of money, but I also want a decent looking yard and somewhere I can let my kids play and not worry about a weed infested mess! Now I say decent looking because I know I can't get it perfect and because I don't want to spend a fortune on this thing, but seriously this yard is embarrassing! I put a weed killer down, and I have noticed some of the weeds wilting.....but seriously there are so many I don't think applying a weed killer is going to work, and I can't even think about seeding this yard until we get rid of these weeds, and so I'm wondering is there no hope??? So here are a few pictures of the yard.....Don't judge...well, actually you can judge, because I judge the people that lived here before me, I mean seiously!! So any advice would be MUCH appreciated!

I have been watering this thing for over a week and it still looks like this...... UGH

here is a close up of a section where its pretty much all weeds...... Scary!

and this is even after i put the weed killer on it!

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......