almost home....

just a mere 24 hours to go (hopefully) until Monty is home. While I am very excited I am also very guarded about getting my hopes too high. The army has a terrible habit of delaying/extending things (ie deployments, training, flights across the atlantic ocean.) We've made our banners and we bought new outfits, stocked up the pantry with some of his favorite foods, and prayed that the army, the weather, and whatever else doesn't delay him arriving home safely to us tomorrow night.
I promise to post pictures sometime Friday, although it will not be in the morning as Monty is letting me sleep in! Which is the only thing that I asked for when he comes home. One day that I don't have to get up at the butt crack of dawn with the kids!
One more goodnight without him, one more wake up without him-we are finished. hooray! we are finished!!

Christmas time is here...

and the kids had a wonderful time opening presents from us, family and Santa Claus. here are a few of my favorite pictures. Monty should be home in a week. We have missed him and this Christmas was nearly unbearable for me. Sadly, despite Christmas being one of my favorite holidays I am glad it is over!

love to all,

michelle

Christmas Eve dinner (and yes she has clothes, she just does not wear them...)

Christmas Breakfast, before Santa eat his cookies and drank the milk. (homemade cinnamon rolls and milk for the kids.) Kody opening one of her presents...which was all dress up clothes...

Peter celebrating one of his two favorite gifts (and his inventor supply box is the other one.)

While she wasn't sold on the dress up stuff at first (ok all day, she did choose this one dress to put on

and wanted to sleep in it..how do you tell a 2 year old princess that she can't wear a princess dress to bed?)

this is Peter giving the lesson for FHE on Christmas Eve, he read some scriptures on priesthood lineage and I was able to show him Monty's. He conducted FHE, made popcorn for our treat and handed out assignments..

This is peter and his first invention, made from the supplies that Grandpa Leo gave him, he was very excited about his "upper pulley stringer lifter."

Peter opening presents.

can I just say I love my Dad!!

Today I got a Christmas card from my dad. He always sends a card, and types a message. He wrote (typed) "Another year come and gone, and I didn't get to see ya at all. Things will change for the better soon. All of you are with me always." We haven't been able to visit "home" for over two years, my dad is one of my best friends! My dad has always been that one constant, steady and reassuring force in my life. And I miss him very much. Some of you know how rough things have been for me lately, so when he said things will change for the better soon, it gave me a little hope. Which has been missing for a great while. He is one of the few people that I know that always tells the truth. And if he says it's going to get better soon then it will.
And Monty and I made a compromise that we would visit his family in the summer and fly home for Christmas next year. Here's to Christmas 2009!!

these are a few of my favorite things...

just a quick list of my favorite things right now...

• josh groban's Mai (it's a rather sad song, but his voice is wonderful) from his Awake cd.
• my shirt that has a picture of turtle on it with the words "Shut the shell up" above it! It just cracks me up!
• my friends and classmates from school. Sabrina and Paula especially! And I seriously want to come back in a 2nd life as Limary! And my favorite advisor Pepsi & Peanuts!! All these ladies truly rock!!
• my nursery kids at church! They are a true blessing, in addition to my own kids, in my life!
• my husband's voice. It's been a huge struggle for me this past year, spiritually and emotionally, and he is just so calm and love just overflows from his voice.
• my new computer chair, because I can spin around and around and around!! LOL!
• cherry coke, popcorn and a milky way bar! YUMMY!
• rain. it's was so comforting to hear it on the roof a couple days ago...reminds me of home.
• The movies "Sons of Provo" and the "Home Teachers" because they are both soo dumb it's funny! And no I don't care to play Survivor Utah! BUT I TOTALLY LOVE EVERCLEAN!! (you'll have to have seen the movies to get those last two lines.)
• my Christmas tree with all the white twinkle lights...so pretty!!

Ok, I think that's all for now...just trying to reflect on all the good things instead of dwelling on the negative things (like my previous post!) that I face each day.

love to all!

teeny tiny almost microscoptic vent....

Many of you know that down here at Ft. Stewart, we have three major brigades. 1st and 2nd brigades came home from their deployments in the late spring and summer, and that is fine because they left much, much earlier than 4th. However, the 4th brigade is slowing trickling in and most should be home for Christmas.

MY SMALL VENT!!!

Just because most of the 4th brigade is coming in doesn't mean all of the 4,500 soldiers will be home for Christmas! So do not come up to me and with such excitement and joy to exclaim "It's going to be so great to have all the soldiers home for Christmas, I can just see all the kids waking up on Christmas day with their dads home. I can't believe how blessed you are! I bet you are just so thrilled."
UMMM! Thanks crazy person, but my husband isn't coming home for Christmas, seriously thank you for being so uncaring and insensitive, thank you for just assuming he'd be home and not asking me first. Thank you for making me want to dump my hot chocolate on your freakin brand new shoes! And most of all, thank you for reminding me that he'll be gone!!!

Now, just let me say, while I understand that separation is part of the military life and we knew he would most likely not be home for many, many holidays, anniversaries, birthdays etc.. people just word it better like...

Hey with all the troops coming home, is monty going to be home for the Christmas this year?

Don't worry I was perfectly nice, I had the words of my mother and grannie in my head and I said something completely nice. Although I really did want to dump my hot chocolate on her or at least kick her shins or something.

Anyways, Merry Christmas!

big girl bed and my mom...

The last few nights Kody has begun sleeping in her big bed and the crib is gone! She loves it! Although she spends the first 30 minutes opening the door and tip toeing down the hallway...only to get caught and giggle as she runs back to her bed. She is such a character, just like her father!

this is her first night in the bed, long after she went to sleep.

So, I bet you are wondering where my mom fits into this super cute story about Kody....well. You see those two bears? Those bears are sprayed (weekly) with my mom's perfume. The story behind that is this...Kody started out with one little bear, that she loved...we lost it one day and spent three more tearful and nearly sleepless nights until I found these bears at the dollar tree. (and yes we have 2 more in the closet just in case we lose one again!) Prior to finding those bears, I bought about 6 others bears. Nothing. On the fourth day she picked up the bear and I thought great this will work. Nope. Out of sheer inspiration I sprayed some of my mom's perfume (Moonlight Path from B&B) on that bear -and she went to sleep. I think Kody remembered that smell as I do not wear that perfume.
When Kody was only a week old, my mom came out here. She was so calm with my mom...it was like "Okay Mimi is here. I am fine." Anyways, these past few days while laying on and beside the bed, I've smelled my mom's perfume.

Let me just preface this with my mom is alive and well, she is just across the country from me and I miss her very much. This last year (and especially these last couple months) have been extremely trying for me, but each night as I smelled that perfume, I thought to myself. "I have a piece of mom here, I am fine." I just felt so calm. That's what my mom is to me, calmness, security and love. And just as the sweet perfume helped Kody to sleep, it too has helped me to feel calm. I love my mom!