The Mabrys

Hello, my name is Gloria.

2012-01-18T17:56:00.000-05:00

And I'm not a blogaholic. I don't spend hours upon hours looking at people's blogs or working on my own. I won't apologize because there are tons of other things keeping me busy at the moment. And here they are:

1. Since Ryan was in the field for most of November, it just made sense for the girls and me to go home to Kentucky a month early and wait for him to show up at Christmas time. A lot of time was spent packing, unpacking, and settling.

2. While being surrounded by family and friends, it was difficult to dedicate even a few minutes to blogger. We were constantly busy with one thing or another. Being home is so much fun.

3. After we returned to Georgia, it took nearly a week to get everything unpacked and settled again. Ryan cleaned the house before leaving it, so that was a tremendous help. However, I still did not find the energy to sit down and post some pics.

4. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure what pictures I have to post, if any, that are very notable. So now I'll have to use the time I find to sort through all our recent photos.

5. Cora has been sick the last two weeks. Her canines are coming through strong, all four at once. So that makes for very long days and even longer nights. Also, she is currently suffering pain from a double ear infection. After an entire week of hearing her scream, everyone in the house is also feeling her pain.

6. I love CYSS (Child, Youth, and School Services) on post... That was a lie. I don't. As soon as Elayna turned 3, we called to put her in preschool, only to discover there was a wait list. That's fine. What we didn't know was our responsibility to call every three weeks to keep her position on the list active. So by the time I called last week, she wasn't even on the blasted thing. Joy. So I get that straightened out and also put her in a beginners dance class for ballet and tap. I could give you more details, but that in itself is a blog-worthy story. You'll just have to wait until there's time for me to go into real detail about why Ryan & I aren't fond of CYSS and their antics.

7. So instead of calling every three weeks, I'm calling every three days to update Elayna's position on the wait list. Take that CYSS. I can be annoyingly stupid too.

There you go. My list is now biblically "complete" and I've got to make a serious decision as to whether or not Cora is well enough for Bible class tonight. Or if I should not press my luck, skip worship, and let her sleep as long as possible. Decisions decisions.

holiday lull

2011-12-24T13:56:00.001-05:00

The blog is lacking in the posting department. I know. We've spent the last two months in Kentucky having an absolute blast with family. I promise there be more captioned photos when things slow down just a little. For now, I give you this year's card wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Otto's on his way!

2011-12-05T15:24:00.001-05:00

Poor Otto. When we made our last minute plans to stay in Kentucky, our Elf on the Shelf was completely unaware; he's been searching for our girls this entire past week. Fortunately, Daddy discovered the lost elf and has pointed him in the right direction. (We're very fortunate our elf can ride horses. Santa must have truly chosen this little guy especially for us.) See you soon, Otto!

Santa! I know him!

2011-12-04T15:56:00.001-05:00

While we're waiting for our Elf, Otto, to find his way to Kentucky, Santa Claus sent Elayna a video message from the North Pole! Fortunately, she's on the "Nice" list. Check it out.

Humorous

2011-11-30T16:37:00.001-05:00

Elayna thought it would be funny to photo document a knocked-out Cora.

rainbow spaghetti

2011-11-29T13:27:00.000-05:00

Cora wasn't quite sure but decided it's probably edible. It was an immediate win with Elayna.

2011-11-24T00:16:00.000-05:00

Breaking Dawn: Part 2

2011-11-22T23:59:00.001-05:00

Oh Ellen, you are so funny.

Finally saw Part 1 over the weekend. Everyone's criticizing it, but really I think it's the best one of all the Twilight movies so far. It stays truer to the book and Kristen Stewart demonstrates an ounce of acting ability.

AND the whole house is sick. We've had some pukey days, several cranky days, tons of naps, lots of lack of (naps), one bossy little girl, and a clingy toddler. And they've been so nice to share their nastiness. Ryan will be in Kentucky soon, so we're very happy regardless.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Photobomber

2011-11-16T00:34:00.001-05:00

What a ham. You can see my intended target was chillaxed on the ottoman in the background. Cora managed to climb up there all by herself and get comfy; I caught her loving on the Ju.

Sunday morning

2011-11-14T23:49:00.001-05:00

The girls loooove a Mooma and Grandaddy.

Will you carry me?

2011-10-29T16:47:00.000-04:00

That's how she spent 1/3 of our hike this morning. Providence was gorgeous... too bad I never got a scenic photo.

I love camp(er)ing with our church group. LOVE it.

The Many Faces of Fear

2011-10-27T20:31:00.002-04:00

If you're like me and think it's funny when people are scared witless from an innocent prank (or haunted house), check this out. I've been laughing for the last fifteen minutes. SOOOO wish I was in Niagra Falls so I could see what was scaring everyone who passed by.

People are screaming at the top of their lungs, others making a weird face, some bugging out, others avoiding eye contact, a few frozen stiff, most of them are gripping the person in front of them... the list goes on. My favorites are the ones with men hiding behind their women. So macho.

I think my favorite is this one, where the guy's "flight" kicks in but his friend has a serious death grip on him and is like, "oh no you won't". Funny funny.

Goofy Girls

2011-10-26T14:25:00.000-04:00

Beans, beans, the magical fruit.

2011-10-25T12:54:00.001-04:00

I'll just stop right there...

We saw this very colorful bag of beans at the grocery store and thought they'd come in handy for a rainy day activity. Well, it's not raining, but they were still a nice, quiet use of time before nap.

I just need to toot her horn and announce that Elayna counted out all her beans perfectly. Gluing was more fun than counting, of course, but she did it. There's also an "E" for Elayna, a random lowercase "i" and the infamous SAM's smiley face they put on our receipt every time we leave the store.

Wear it well.

2011-10-24T12:35:00.001-04:00

Be it a sock, shirt, or dish towel, Cora makes it her mission to wear every piece of fabric she can get her hands on. This is a hand towel she grabbed from the kitchen. I took a thousand shots with my phone and couldn't catch a single clear one of her; she's constantly on the move.

Park Fun

2011-10-20T17:17:00.000-04:00

Autumn Rosettes Wreath

2011-10-19T10:02:00.000-04:00

Another Pinterest find. The first is my inspiration.

And this is the one I made... hanging on my very military front door. (Notice the off-centered peep hole and nail scar on a utility door? Just fantastic.) Regardless, I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Wait, there's more.

2011-10-18T18:27:00.001-04:00

I turn my back for ONE second and Cora's marked.

"Do you like my cheeks!!!"

2011-10-18T18:15:00.001-04:00

Oh my my. Renee, I blame you.

(Did you think I wouldn't notice the make up you put on her before you left?)

Candy Corn Dress

2011-10-15T19:30:00.001-04:00

Inspiration for this dress came from Pinterest. (I love that site.) Someone had pinned the tutorial from this blog, and I'm sooo happy they did.

I fell in love with the dress as soon as I saw it, as well as another. They're both pictured below. I've done so many pillowcase dresses, I thought this one would be a little more challenging and different. And yes it was. You can see I'm not done with it yet, but I couldn't hold myself back. I just had to share it with you all.

On tippy toes to see the tv since the couch is blocking her view.

Obviously, I'll have to take the bodice in some. Maybe raise the orange a little so there's not so much white. And I'm not sure if I like the bold yellow you can see at the base of the dress. I'd folded the yellow under for a thick, clean hem, but now I'm thinking I ought to just double the whole part so you can't see the folds at the bottom... can you even tell it's there?

Any other suggestions? I didn't put the button latch on in the back. I was saving it for last, but fortunately, the dress already fits over her head. I definitely want to add the little yellow bow centered on the collar.

Riddikulus!

2011-10-15T13:01:00.001-04:00

Look who fell and scraped her forehead. Maybe she should be Harry Potter for Halloween! If only it was in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Welcome to my world.

2011-10-04T14:43:00.002-04:00

This is what my days of late have looked like. I don't think she's cutting any more teeth (or none that I can find anyway). She's just upset. And she never does anything half-way. What we have here, folks, is a full blown fit. She's been banshee squealing for almost two hours. Throwing things outside the crib. Trying to rip her own hair out. Throwing herself all over the place in a fit of fury.

All of this because she doesn't want to nap? Now just imagine my totally legitimate fear for her teenage years.

What's your dinosaur doing?

2011-10-02T17:43:00.000-04:00

"Hangin' on tight."

Sweet Sister Prayer

2011-09-29T09:41:00.002-04:00

On Diane's blog, she shared how Aaron is learning so much about the Bible and God. I absolutely love how beautiful our children are. Although mine challenge me daily, they also bring a tremendous amount of joy to my heart. I'm proud to call them mine.

Except, when Cora does this banshee squeal/scream... then she's not mine.

Speaking of, we were driving home from the grocery store a few days ago when Cora was pretending to be this awful spirit of death. All of a sudden, I realize Elayna's praying. I wasn't able to hear all of her prayer, for obvious reasons, but I caught the tail end of it: "And thank you God for Sister. Amen." During all of that ugliness, Elayna was thankful for Cora. Yall, it made my heart melt!

Okay, God. Thank you for giving me a gorgeous girl with a wonderfully beautiful heart, who has reminded me once again to enjoy the things I should and not worry about the things I shouldn't.

whack a sister

2011-09-25T17:12:00.002-04:00

I let the girls bust out their birthday books/dvds. Then when Cora started whacking Elayna in the head with a movie... and wouldn't stop, I almost fell over laughing. She loved it. Ah, sisterly love. Let the games begin!

Mama E.

2011-09-22T16:21:00.001-04:00

Elayna decided we should document Cora's play with the waiting room toy. I'm happy with the photos she caught.

Today was Cora's 1 year checkup. Everything was great until it was time for vaccinations. I hate them. I hate restraining my child. I hate the screams of sheer pain. And I think it's unfair how Ryan doesn't have to be there because of work. More shots in three months. Boy oh boy.

Sorry, Mati.

2011-09-19T09:09:00.000-04:00

In my attempt to get some packing done, I let Elayna play with her birthday toys without a lot of supervision. This is what I find. Elayna & Mati are playing with the tape measurer. Mati's a ballerina-- just in case you didn't catch it.

"Spinning, twirling everywhere when the music fills the air."

2011-09-18T20:39:00.001-04:00

Cora's favorite birthday present, from her Aunt Rhonda, cousin DeAnn, Uncle Bruce, Aunt Christy, and cousin Bryce. Thanks!

More no more floppy head

2011-09-15T22:36:00.000-04:00

The Dreaded Car Seat Floppy Head

2011-09-15T22:31:00.001-04:00

My fix: rolled blanket tucked on each side-- no more floppy head.

Melber, here we come!

2011-09-15T10:37:00.003-04:00

Birthdays are coming up, so we're heading home to party this weekend. Elayna will be three on the 19th. Ryan'll be thirty-one on the 20th. And Cora will be a whopping one on the 21st. I'm absolutely beside myself with excitement. Not only will we be home, but there are several friends and family coming to our house to help celebrate. I can't wait. We haven't seen many of these people in years and it's just going to be so nice to catch up and hang out. !!!!!!!!!!!

I'll try to post pictures as soon as we're back in Georgia.

Can you guess?

2011-09-14T17:50:00.001-04:00

A balloon! It's not like I'm biased or anything. But my kid is amazing.

Goodnight Girls

2011-09-13T21:10:00.000-04:00

Mati's waiting at the end of the hall while I put Elayna in bed. Cora's already there and Mati knows when I give her a sign to be quiet that she has to wait at the other end of the house so her jingling collar tags don't wake a girl. I love my dog.

"I made a smiley face!!!"

2011-09-13T20:41:00.000-04:00

OH. MY. GOODNESS. Ryan & I are both absolutely amazed. We might have to trade in the tutu for an art smock. Holy cow.

"I'm a Ballerina!"

2011-09-11T16:40:00.000-04:00

Yes. Yes you are. From another planet.

First Pigtails

2011-09-07T17:52:00.001-04:00

And she's loving her hair brushed. (It could also be the craisin sugar high.)

EV's Alligator

2011-09-05T11:20:00.001-04:00

"It's a jellyfish!"

2011-08-23T08:03:00.001-04:00

Her artistic ability and creativity absolutely amaze me.

It's been seven years.

2011-08-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

These are my anniversary flowers from Ryan. We've been happily (and some days not-so-happily) married for seven years. WOW. And... blessed with two beautiful daughters. Love them. Love him!

Nana Mati

2011-08-19T15:50:00.000-04:00

I used to question just how loyal Mati was to the girls since she's my living shadow. But I've noticed today how she hasn't left Cora's side. Cora has circled the coffee table playin with socks and Mati's been on her heel.

Secret Recipes

2011-08-18T23:33:00.001-04:00

Not really. Well, really yes they are secrets, but... we're not sharing them. Sorry.

I just wanted to show you my new recipe cards!!!

Booo Virus

2011-08-18T16:51:00.002-04:00

Go away nastiness. You've made our household sad for the last week. First Cora and now Elayna. You're no fun.

Juju's so supportive. And even more of a lover since Elayna's not feeling good. (Letting him sleep with her again during naps might have something to do with it. She kicked him out of her room for a few weeks.)

Pink Dinos

2011-08-17T13:25:00.007-04:00

These are what my birthday girls will be wearing at their party next month. I'm not exactly thrilled with my work, but definitely happy enough to not do them all over again. (Since Ryan's birthday is right between theirs, think I should make one for him too?)

"God put a rainbow in the sky..."

2011-08-15T13:03:00.003-04:00

What a beautiful way to end another awesome worship service!

Here's another. You can see the rainbow a little better. Even though Elayna looks a little off.

Tiny the Dinosaur

2011-08-13T11:05:00.002-04:00

Just in case you didn't catch it the first time, hahaha. I could totally watch Meet the Robinsons over and over all day long. It's such a good movie. Part of this clip is in the trailer, and that's what made Ryan & me pay to see it in the theater.

Dino Appliqué

2011-08-11T22:28:00.008-04:00

So instead of purchasing birthday shirts for the girls (at $20+ a piece!), I decided to try my own hand at machine appliqué. I've done all of none before and was extremely nervous. I found a great tutorial here and decided to just go for it and save myself at least $30. Except, now I'm wanting a bigger, better sewing machine with a hundred stitch options... so... yeah.

Well this is my practice round. Would you let your child wear it?

When i asked Ryan if he knew it was a t-rex without me telling him, his response was, "Yeah. I can see its big head and little arms." !!!!!!! He cracks me up!

And the brachiosaurus with a wonky tail.

Well, given that these were my first attempts, I'm happy. I think I'll brave the t-shirts tomorrow... if the girls are nice enough and sleep at least three hours.

Itsy GIANT Spider

2011-08-10T23:26:00.001-04:00

Meet our not so welcome porch guest. That mega-web spans across our whole entryway. Fortunately for him, that huge hiney packs his bags and is gone by morning.

Mmmm... Yummy...

2011-08-10T12:41:00.001-04:00

Mac n' cheesy broccoli and carrots. Emphasis on yummy broccoli. She's crazy for those greens.

Our Okra

2011-08-09T18:25:00.001-04:00

Mmm... fried straight out of the garden. Yummy!

Funny Faces

2011-08-08T20:57:00.001-04:00

My Inner Eighties

2011-08-03T17:27:00.001-04:00

Mav & Mati

2011-08-03T11:56:00.004-04:00

Meet Maverick. We picked him up from a local shelter for the Belgian Malinois Rescue. He's been staying with us the past few days and will leave this weekend for a more permanent foster home. He's a cutie.

And a playful little snot.

Never leaves Mati alone. You can see how hard she's trying to get away from him.

But he anticipates her every move. (That's him on the right.)

Maverick leaves Saturday, and I don't think Mati'll miss him. She's usually the fastest dog on the block, but he's on her heel the entire time-- nipping and grabbing at her. She's not used to actually having to race for a ball and did not appreciate his annoying, competitive spirit at all. It was fun having him though. Even if he had no manners and zero self-control. He was extremely affectionate and never missed an opportunity to show us some love. And he was really good with my girls, thank goodness.

Snapping Beans

2011-08-01T10:09:00.002-04:00

Oh how our garden grows! We've been picking okra and green beans for two days. Here's my little helper who really loves to snap beans. Elayna would do three at a time and then exclaim, "I'm so strong!"

Mati & Me

2011-07-30T18:17:00.001-04:00

There's just nothing like sitting on my Kentucky front porch with my favorite dog. You can't tell, but it's raining and my girls are napping, which make it even better!

GIANT moth

2011-07-30T09:35:00.000-04:00

More Craziness

2011-07-28T23:05:00.000-04:00

2011-07-28T00:12:00.001-04:00

What happens when a 2 year old takes your phone.

2011-07-09T17:01:00.000-04:00

She's Out!

2011-07-05T14:04:00.001-04:00

Cora has never been so tired that she slept while I pulled her out of her car seat. Much less to be carried around and then laid in a restaurant dining booth.

"I'm a Piggy!"

2011-07-04T23:51:00.000-04:00

WHAT an imagination!!!!! One of our friends brought back a seashell for Elayna from a Florida vacation. Just in case you couldn't make it out.)

We're Back to Twelve

2011-06-30T00:00:00.003-04:00

Yes, that's right. After two nights of tough love and little sleep, Cora has stopped waking up for her midnight (and 2am and 5am) feedings. She's back to sleeping through the entire night. YES!!!

The payoff? Not very many naps during the day.

(How 'bout them Mooma ribs!)

Commissary Fun

2011-06-28T08:49:00.002-04:00

To start with, how neat and patriot to stack the sodas in the shape of a US flag. Secondly, Elayna and I both love when we park next to the cart bin and find one of these puppies inside. It was Cora's first time to drive around the grocery store and she loved it.

Carved Leather Bracelets

2011-06-24T22:52:00.000-04:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these. Just wish I'd discovered them before Father's Day. Keep it a secret, I have plans for next year. Find the tutorial here.

"The Sun is So Bright."

2011-06-22T12:28:00.001-04:00

We had fun this morning at a local pool. Elayna kept telling me how bright the sun was. (And it IS way more intense here compared to Kentucky. Scorch you in a minute hot. We've already gone through a gajillion bottles of sun screen.)

Today, Elayna even swam "all by herself" ...with water wings. She swam herself into a ton of circles. We'll have to work on forward motion next time. I wish I had pics of it because she was so stinkin cute and very proud of herself.

Cora Loves Mixed Vegetables

2011-06-17T12:48:00.000-04:00

One of my girls will eat broccoli.

2011-06-17T12:21:00.000-04:00

"No, She Likes Me."

2011-06-15T08:14:00.020-04:00

Elayna has become a little monster of a sister. She mauls Cora Lise with hugs and kisses and mostly choke-holds at every opportunity. So this was happening yesterday afternoon when Ryan got home. (For some mysterious daddy reason, he can get them riled up with just a look.)

"Elayna, I don't think she wants you laying on her like that."
"No, she likes me."

(Squeezing Cora with everything she has.)

Although it's usually Elayna doing the beating, something tells me it won't be long before the tables are turned.

EV's ABC's

2011-06-12T15:37:00.000-04:00

If she's not talking, she's singing. All. The. Time. She sang church songs and made-up songs the entire way to worship this morning. Then she sang her alphabet on the way back. She's a hoot, constantly making Ryan and me absolutely crack up.

"I Love Him"

2011-06-08T13:04:00.001-04:00

This is what I find as I turn the corner into the living room. Elayna & the Ju are watching Dinosaur Train together.

"Uh, Elayna--" (I was going to tell her she needed to take her shoes off.)

"I love him."

"... okay."

And just when I feel like this is a kodak moment, Elayna starts in on, "Shake the booty! Shake the booty!" as she shakes him from one side to the other. Juju is pretty patient, but at this point, he was feeling a serious need to get out of her clutches. So I told her that she needed to let him go or she'd get scratched. Well guess what. She didn't want to and insisted on shaking his booty some more. So he bit her. Not even hard enough for me to see where. But I'm just taking Elayna's word for it. I heard Ju squeak, Elayna cry, and then she said he bit her. Maybe she'll learn to let go the next time he's struggling to get away. He's a great cat, but he can only take so much crazy.

103 what?!

2011-06-06T18:59:00.001-04:00

Pin-an-o

2011-06-06T11:29:00.001-04:00

She's pretending to be RaRa.

EV's Got the Plague

2011-06-01T23:07:00.000-04:00

Actually, it's HAND

FOOT

and MOUTH DISEASE.

We're not exactly sure where we picked this up. It could've been the gym childcare, church, wal-mart, anywhere really.

She woke up with blisters all over her feet and hands. I chocked it up to some sort of chicken/barn rash or allergy because the only unusual place she'd been this past weekend was out to a farm to feed chickens with Mooma. But she'd been out there before, so that didn't really make much sense. The blisters started out really tiny and by early evening, they'd quadrupled in size. Ryan decided she needed a doctor, so I took her to the Emergency Room.

I'm not a fan of the ER. For one, the wait is always too long. Trying to entertain two small children for hours on end is exhausting. Thank goodness for iPads. Secondly, I feel as though since we're not dead yet, we can usually wait a few more hours and get a rush appointment the next day. But that's almost like trying to win the lottery. There aren't a whole lot of same-day appointments and you have to beat eighty other moms on the phone at 7am sharp if you even have a hope of getting one of those time slots. One option is no better than the other.

Thank you United States Army.

As soon as we were in a room, the nurse suspected what was wrong but didn't want to say since he wasn't a doctor. He did say it was a childhood disease and kept trying to check inside her mouth. Of course Elayna was a toot by this point and refused. Okay... it's a good thing 3G didn't exist in that room. Because I had no idea what he was getting at and I'd have been googling as fast as my fingers could tap trying to find out what was wrong before I had to wait another hour for the doctor to "officially" say. One bar on Edge was barely enough to squeeze out text updates to Ryan.

Well our doctor FINALLY officially said, "Hand Foot and Mouth Disease." How do you treat it? You don't. It's a viral infection and you just let it run its course. The blisters will go away in a few days and that's that. Oh, did I mention it's highly contagious? Elayna's not allowed near Cora for the next week. Pfft. Like that's gonna happen. Maybe if I had a Mooma, Bala, or RaRa to help me out (hint hint). I just hate that she's going to miss out on Vacation Bible School. She loved it last year (all three of them) and we've been really excited for this year's. Maybe we can catch a late summer program.

The good thing is she's not sickly in any other way. Well, that's not true. She's got a fever, the runs and is extremely tired. But there's no vomit and that's the one I really can't deal with. She's smiling and laughing and running around like her usual lunatic self. Yay!

So if you have a child that's been around Elayna in the last week, watch out for itty bitty blisters and go to the hospital if you see any. Although, you'll probably just wait forever to be told what you already know and then be sent home without any medicinal treatment.

2011-05-29T13:44:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Sunday Afternoon

2011-05-29T13:33:00.000-04:00

2011-05-27T09:34:00.000-04:00

White Fang

2011-05-25T15:07:00.000-04:00

Cora's teething again. She's got the two bottom and then instead of starting in the top middle, she's sporting a fang off to the side. After extensive googling, I've decided this is normal. The top four teeth generally break around the same time, so as long as she doesn't drop the other fang, I think we'll be okay. (Although that would make a pretty funny vampire baby photo. Oh! She could be Renesmee!)

Jesus Loves Me for an iPhone

2011-05-25T14:56:00.000-04:00

Hello Susan!

2011-05-24T10:15:00.002-04:00

It's so nice to meet you. What? That's not blood? It's leftover coloring and meconium? Well thank you for telling us. We wouldn't want anyone to think y'all were hemorrhaging or were in pain of some sort. Hey, would you mind telling your brothers and sisters to take their time coming out? We literally turned our backs for twenty minutes and you were out and exercising your beautiful wings.

(Now I'm afraid to take Elayna to Story Hour at the library. We missed Susan coming out. I'd like for us to witness at least one butterfly making its debut.)

Our Garden

2011-05-23T12:36:00.001-04:00

It's growing! I'll have to post a full shot of the garden when everything's matured and yielding. Our neighbor gave me the zucchini, which was not in the original plans. I had originally wanted tomatoes there, but I couldn't turn them down. I'm so excited and can't wait to have Elayna "snapping" beans. Joy!

Here, we have zucchini on the top row and okra on the bottom. And a green bean to the far right.

Here are all my green beans up top and squash below. Some sprouts are way taller than others, but they're all there. Each seed I planted is growing.

There's so much space between the two rows because that's where rainwater plummets from our rooftop. We don't have gutters (nobody does), so the water free falls and would kill anything we plant right there.

Jesus Loves Me for a Pancake

2011-05-19T19:02:00.000-04:00

Elayna's favorite song is Jesus Loves Me. And now that she can sing the entire song, and I mean all of it, I bribe her as often as possible just so I can hear her sweet little voice sing it. Tonight, it was for a pancake. She didn't sing the song in its entirety, but you definitely get an idea of how precious she is. Enjoy!

On the Road Again

2011-05-18T23:19:00.002-04:00

How much fun can two girls have in one cozy coupe? Seriously.

Road trip!

2011-05-18T14:47:00.000-04:00

Cozy Coupe

2011-05-18T14:16:00.002-04:00

Isn't she cute? When Aaron got one for his first birthday, it was the hit of the cousins. Every time we go through a toy section and she sees one, Elayna just HAS to drive it around the store for a bit. Okay... well it was time to get her one of her own.

We got this for free folks. Like a coupon-crazed lady, I've been saving our Pampers Gifts to Grow promo codes. After just a few months (seven and a half to be exact), we've accumulated more than enough points to earn this cozy coupe! All along, I've been redeeming points for photo prints, baby announcements, books, etc. But this is the first big thing we've ordered. Absolutely free, didn't even have to pay for shipping. So if you're a Pampers person, and let's face it, they are superior to Huggies, save your points! And if you don't feel like it, I'll take them. Gladly.

But I have a question. Should I put the goofy-looking eyes on or not? Maybe I'm just partial to the not-so-cheesy look of my generation's Cozy Coupes? I dunno.

Since I've put it together and let her play with it, Elayna has gone to the gym four times, shopping once, and Bible class twice. I'd say that's pretty accurate to our lifestyle.

Goofy eyes and grin or not?

The Chrysalides

2011-05-18T13:18:00.004-04:00

Shimmy Shimmy Shake

2011-05-17T11:32:00.005-04:00

Well these guys are ready to be transferred from their cup to the pavilion. When I removed the cup lid, one of them started shaking like something scary. I could see the innards moving around and it was just plain freaky. It reminded me of when I was preggers and could see my babies moving around. Creepy. It violently shook the whole time I was pinning the paper to the enclosure and for a few minutes afterward. Is this normal?

In the other cup, four caterpillars have become chrysalides and we have one late bloomer. He's been crawling around on the others for a few days and just now started hanging upside down this afternoon. I hope he STAYS upside down this time and that the others don't break free before I can get them all pinned in to the pavilion too.

This is so exciting! We're totally doing this next spring too!

Elayna has even decided to name a few: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Mabes, you better decide now if you want to name any butterflies! There are still a few left nameless. Aaron? Eli?

Things You Should Never Say to a Military Wife

2011-05-16T14:19:00.003-04:00

If you read this on The War Report, substitute the article photo for an image of a wife sitting in the driver's seat of her Jeep Grand Cherokee trying really, really hard to not break out in hysteria because her husband is going to war and her 9 month old daughter is in the back seat watching her every move, absolutely clueless to what's going on. That would be Elayna and me the day we said our deployment goodbyes to Ryan in 2009.

1. "Aren't you afraid that he'll be killed?"
This one comes in at number one on the "duh" list for every military wife. Of course we're afraid. We're terrified. The thought always lingers in the backs of our minds -- but thanks, brilliant, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they're scared of dying.

2. "I don't know how you manage. I don't think I could do it."
This is intended to be a compliment, but it's just a little annoying. Here's why: It's not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we'd get to be anxious single moms who carry cellphones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We're not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable; we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So, we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.

3. "At least he's not in Iraq."
This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Afghanistan. What do they think is happening in Afghanistan? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there.

4. "Do you think he'll get to come home for Christmas / anniversary / birthday / birth of a child / wedding / family reunion, etc.?"
Don't you watch the news? No! They don't get to come home for any of these things. Please don't ask again.

5. "What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he's gone?"
Short answer: try to keep my sanity. Maybe there's a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don't get bored, and drinking massive amounts of wine always helps keep me busy.

6. "How much longer does he have until he can get out?"
This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren't counting down the days until they "can" get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back to Iraq because there is work that needs to be done.

7. "This deployment shouldn't be so bad, now that you're used to it."
Sure, we do learn coping skills, and it's true the more deployments you've gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. And we figure out ways to make life go smoother while the guys are gone. But it never gets "easy" and the bullets and bombs don't skip over our guys just because they've been there before. The worry never goes away.

8. "My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you're going through."
This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband's three-week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 12–15-month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an IED (improvised explosive device), your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12-month combat deployment to a business trip is like comparing a Ford Taurus with a Mercedes convertible.

9. "Wow, you must miss him."
This one also gets another big "duh". Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not, and they're now divorced.

10. "Where is he exactly? Where is that?"
I don't expect non-military folks to be able to find Anbar Province on a map, but they should know by now that it's in Iraq. Likewise, know that Kabul and Kandahar are in Afghanistan. Know that Muqtada al Sadr is the insurgent leader of the Mahdi Army in Iraq and that Sadr City is his home area. Know that Iran is a major threat to our country and that it is located between Afghanistan and Iraq. Our country has been at war in Afghanistan for nine years and at war in Iraq for seven years. These basic facts are not secrets, they're on the news every night and in the papers every day -- and on maps everywhere.

11. "Well, he signed up for it, so it's his own fault whatever happens over there."
Yes, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid, ignorant comments like that. He didn't sign up and ask to be hit by anything -- he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that "You're welcome." He's still fighting for your freedom.

12. "Don't you miss sex? I couldn't do it!"
Hmmm. Seriously ... military spouses learn quickly that our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices, seeing their faces, being able to have dinner together every night. And the hard truth is, most relationships probably couldn't withstand 12 months of sex deprivation.

13. "Well, in my opinion ..."
Stop right there. I didn't ask for your personal political opinions. Hey, I love a heated political debate, but not in the grocery store, not in Jamba Juice, not at Nordstrom, not in a restaurant when I'm out with my girls trying to forget the war, and CERTAINLY NOT AT WORK. We tell co-workers about deployments so when we have to spend lunch hours running our butts off doing errands and taking care of the house, dog and kids, they have an understanding. We do not tell co-workers and colleagues because we are inviting them to ramble about politics or because we so eagerly want to hear how much they hate the president. Especially while we're trying to heat up our Lean Cuisine in the crappy office microwave.

Last but not least ...

14. "Oh, that's horrible ... I'm so sorry!"
He's doing his job and he's tough. Don't be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable American lives to realize that our military fights the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad and you stay safe.

This story originally appeared on The War Report.

Watching Caterpillars

2011-05-13T22:00:00.001-04:00

Some Fun in the Sun

2011-05-12T16:58:00.000-04:00

Hummingbird!

2011-05-12T10:08:00.000-04:00

I finally bought a hummingbird feeder for our house down here. And it's really cool! It's a double-decker with wide mouths, so it's easier to clean. I found it at KMart and definitely did not pay $17 for it. More like $5. (Shout out to the person who didn't pay attention and stocked the shelves incorrectly!) It's been hanging for a few days and just as I'm googling if Georgia even HAS hummingbirds, one flies up. However, the visit was very brief because Elayna was sitting on the counter helping me make pancakes three feet from the feeder... and we spooked it. I'm sure he'll be back now that he knows where another feeder is.

Booksneeze Review: Fasting

2011-05-11T10:29:00.000-04:00

As part of Booksneeze Bloggers, I had the opportunity to read a book of my choice and it was even mailed to me for free. However, the review will be very brief. While I love to read and learn, I could not focus whenever I'd start to read Fasting, written by Scot McKnight. This is a topic I have a deep desire to learn more about and thought this series would help me to learn about many aspects of worship and Christianity. I never got past the third chapter in any of the three books I started to read. I hope you have better luck than me.

Mati's Allergies

2011-05-10T09:26:00.001-04:00

Who knew owning such an awesome dog would be sooo expensive? Mati is THE most accident prone and ailing dog I've ever seen. Last year, we went through a whole tick ordeal where she contracted three diseases, two of which were deadly and happened to be pushing her to that brink. You can read about it here, here, and here. Oh and here. Not to mention the time I hit her with the jeep and skinned her lip. Or when she ran into a concrete bird bath and shaved half her face. Or all the equipment we buy and training we do with her. Okay, that last one is something we actually want to spend money on. But the others? Come on, Mati.

Here she is recovering from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever AND Ehrlichia. That head tilt is very much NOT intentional. It's one of the symptoms she had and has since recovered from.

Here are photos from her most recent vet check. She's covered in hives.

Hates being at the vet.

Has a fat, swollen face and neck from... something. The vet never did figure out what was going on, except she knew it was an allergic reaction to something. Probably a wasp or a bee. (She's been known to chase them all around our back yard. Maybe she finally actually caught one.) It's taken three days of benadryl to reduce the swelling and get her back to normal. She no longer has a gobbler-- really wish I'd gotten a photo of that. Her neck was droopy and a gangly fat (if that makes sense) hanging from her chin. It was very unattractive.

Painted Ladies

2011-05-04T23:43:00.000-04:00

Caterpillars have been ordered! Now we just wait... I'm SO excited. I really really REALLY wanted to do butterflies with Elayna last summer, but it never happened. So I've waited an entire year to be able to share this experience with my girls! I decided to order directly from Insect Lore because they ship the caterpillars with the kit and all... no excessive waiting. I've been hyping it up to Elayna and now she's eager to see and hold her butterflies. I'm thinking I'll have to order a Monarch in a Jar to keep her happy after we release them. (The butterflies we'll be releasing are actually Painted Ladies, but they resemble Monarchs.)

Baskin Robbins

2011-04-29T19:26:00.000-04:00

Family time at Baskin Robbins. Yummy! (Unless your name is Cora.)

Cora Lise Crawls

2011-04-27T18:01:00.000-04:00

Pics by E

2011-04-27T14:50:00.000-04:00

I'm beginning to think Elayna takes more pictures than I do.

"Do it all by myself."

2011-04-26T11:48:00.003-04:00

"Well, okay Miss Sassy Pants." After she had a turn on the swing, Elayna insisted that she push her "sitster" all by herself. Which went really well until Cora smacked her in the head. It was pretty funny.

On our way home, Elayna insisted she hold Mati, all by herself. "Okay..." Good thing Mati is pretty obedient. (Notice she's got her eye on me? She's such a good, listening dog.) She obeyed when I'd tell her to go faster or slow down so she's stay on Elayna's heel. That didn't last long before Elayna handed me back the leash.

Then it was the BOB she had to push, all by herself. I ended that one after the fourth time Elayna let the it careen off the sidewalk and down the bank towards the creek on the left. And again, Mati's looking at me like, "Um, what do I do?" I can't believe how big my girls are getting.

More Will.i.am

2011-04-22T12:18:00.002-04:00

PROOF that Cora will smile! Sorry it's so blurry. Also for the pink heiny in the background.

Sisterly Love

2011-04-21T10:20:00.001-04:00

An O'pa & Bala Easter

2011-04-19T11:33:00.001-04:00

Easter came a little early this year and Elayna's not complaining! Bubbles could not be a more perfect gift. And Cora Lise is really diggin her card. Thank you O'pa and Bala!

The Girls

2011-04-15T18:18:00.001-04:00

This is my attempt to get a picture of me with the girls. Elayna was determined to get Cora Lise looking at the camera.