Off he goes!

Wilson started Kindergarten over a week ago. I was nervous he would have a hard time adjusting. When he started preschool, it took him a good 2 months to adjust to the whole routine. I had to drop him off, and sometimes would have a hard time extracting myself. 

He has done awesome. Even with school being longer, he comes home, tired, but happy.  The kids at his bus stop are all older than him, and he just adores them all. 

He is also very, very excited about his loose tooth. One of his bottom baby teeth is set to fall out soon. 

"When my tooth falls out, I will put it under my pillow, and the tooth fairy is going to come, and give me a gold coin!" 

We are just amazed at how fast 5 years have come and gone. They really do seem to fly by! 

Sorry, not sorry about my beach time.

I post way too many pictures of us going to the beach. I should feel ashamed, because I know everyone is probably sick and tired of it. 

But every time I go, I feel awe and wonder. The water! The sand! Seeing dolphins! I must take pictures! I must try to show you! Even if the picture never does it quite the Justice it should. 

It's all I got, people! 

A bunch of Kirks in Florida, a birthday, and a list of everything that broke. Part 2

I think I already listed everything that broke in part 1. But in case you want a recap:

1. Garbage disposal

2. A/c in my car

3. Dishwasher (because of garbage disposal) 

4. Andy's car battery, and who knows what else. 

5. Toilets and bathtub flooded in the bathrooms 

6. The lawnmower broke

Did anything else break? Honestly, I can't seem to remember anymore! I sure hope not! 

Oh, I forgot. It wasn't anything breaking, but I noticed Callie's eyes looked kind of red and puffy. So I had to take her to the eye doctor, who told me it was a pretty severe allergic reaction to something. 

I'm still not sure what it was, but the eye dr. prescribed some special eye drops. It cleared up in a couple days. 

So on Thursday, the landlord had to call a plumber, and dig up my yard to find some obstruction in the pipe that had caused the destruction in the bathrooms. 

So we headed out for the day and spent a bit of the day at the Crab Trap in Destin. We ate lunch, and they give kids a pail and shovel. The weather was nice and hot, but sadly, it was a seaweed day at the beach! Yuck! 

After a couple hours we headed home, luckily, whatever blockage was in the pipe, disappeared... So we were okay to finally shower and use the bathrooms again. 

Friday, we had to drive my Sister in law, niece, and nephew, to the airport. 

We then spent Friday, cleaning in preparation for the birthday party I was throwing for Wilson, on Saturday. 

Luckily, my in laws were a huge help! They helped me clean the house, and during the party wrangled any children who came inside, and then helped clean up afterwards. 

So thankful to have such wonderful in laws! 

Also, deciding to go with a bouncy house that I didn't have to set up or tear down, was sooo worth the money! The kids had a blast! I will definitely consider doing it again if I can. 

So the house is quiet again. Nothing has broken as of yet. And life will go back to normal for me and the kids. The end. 

A bunch of Kirks in Florida, a birthday, and a list of everything thatbroke. Part 1.

We have had a fun and crazy week here. And even a little stressful.

Last week, I had some issues like my garbage disposal stop working, and my car's ac seemed to not be running as cool as it used to. I chalked it up to being low on freon, because it's not that old of a car, but we have lived in the hot and humid south for the past 4 going on 5 years. 

Well, it sadly wasn't the freon. My landlord installed a new garbage disposal, so that was taken care of, and I was in the works to get the car taken care of after shopping around for the best rate. 

Family comes into town, so we attempt to go to the beach. I mean, it's Florida, it's the panhandle, it's all we have! 

Well, that was a bust. Really bad rip currents meant that no one was allowed in the water.  So we ate lunch and walked a little on the beach. 

During the week we went to Lincoln Park a couple times. Got my car fixed, realized that the dishwasher wasn't draining properly because of something with the garbage disposal, so my landlord came back to fix that. 

We decided to get Andy's car checked out, because it's been parked this whole time he's been gone. Noticed it was running really weird. Then it died, and wouldn't come back on. So we had to jump it and take it to get a new battery. It's currently at the shop. 

I didn't think anything else could go wrong. Until Wednesday night, when after singing happy birthday to Wilson, and eating ice cream cake, we found my cat chasing a salamander in the house, and my toilets and bathtub had overflowed all on the floors. 

So then we had a fun 24 hours of not using the bathroom or showering. Which wouldn't  have been too bad, except no one had showered on Wednesday, except for the baby. 

Since we knew toilets wouldn't be available for most of Thursday, we went to Destin again, to try to get to spend some time in the beach. 

Wilson's art show

Wilson's preschool had an art night last night, so we all got "dressed" up and checked it out! 

Each class did a couple art projects, and it was super adorable. From infants, to toddlers, to preschoolers, they all did something. I should've taken pictures of the other classes, but I only snapped a couple of Wilson's art work. 

He drew a self portrait, made some kind of clay sculpture, and painted on a canvas. 

He had a great time, and enjoyed seeing his class mates as well. 

It cracked me up that his about me, he said his favorite thing to do was go to the park and bouncy house. Hopefully, he enjoys his birthday then, since I rented one! 

May catch up.

Beach trip with friends, finishing up preschool for Wilson, getting the kids signed up for swim lessons, and dance lessons for Callie, a 5th birthday party to gear up for, and family coming down to visit! 

We are getting into the final stretch for Andy's deployment, thank goodness. I can finally look at the countdown and not feel depressed seeing the number it shows. 

Today Callie and I took a little brunch at a local place called Cafe Bienville. They do a lot of Louisiana cuisine, and use a lot of local, fresh ingredients. I have to say I really liked the quaint atmosphere, even with doing brunch with a 3 year old. 

We ordered beignets, a delicious French toast bake, and a cafe au lait. 

You can't eat beignets without getting messy! Or else you aren't doing it right! But with Callie, a mess was easily obtained. 

I can't wait to get to go again sometime! 

What we've been up to.

Slacking on blogging again! 

With daddy away here's a quick post in what we've been doing: had friends and family come down to visit, a surgery, an emergency room visit, two sunset dolphin watching sailboat tours, first time at the movies, took the kids bowling for their first time, built a tv stand, and a cat structure. And of course, going to the beach. 

So far that's all I can think of. I guess part of me is happy that time seems to be moving forward, even if it's not as fast as I would like. 

Having a pretty routine schedule helps, I haven't been cooking quite as much since it's just me and my two little munchkins. 

Keeping the house clean and laundry is probably where I am slacking though. I hate putting clothes away. So I guess I should go and do that now.

Perfect weather day!

My weather app is telling me to get ready for those spring showers, so when I saw it was going to be nice this weekend, we took advantage and went outside! 

We spent part of the day at Rocky Bayou state park, which is just a couple miles down the road from where we live. 

We played at the playground, where Wilson ran into a friend from preschool. They had a lot of fun playing, and we walked on one of the nature trails. 

I should've changed my shoes, but it was a short trail and I managed to make it. We all wore tshirts and shorts and I remembered to shave my legs! 

The kids had so much fun, they didn't want to leave. 

Spending Valentine's Day with these two.

The kids and I spent vday, with a trip to the park, Target, and Publix. 

Weather cooled down a little, and I thought it would be warmer, but when we got to the park, it was a little windy, which made it colder than it seemed. 

The kids had fun playing for a bit, and it's a nice little park. 

They ate lunch at the park, and after a little bit of running around, and playing, I had high hopes of getting to have a decent target trip. 

Muahaha! And it was. The kids sat pretty quietly, except for when we walked by the toy aisle, and at the very end at checkout. 

They both took a nap as I drove home, and after dropping off our target loot, we ran to Publix, and I let them look at the lobster tank, while I picked out some  stuff for dinner. 

Andy and I have had a tradition, (since having kids) to get sushi to go and eat it at home. So I had to continue it right? Even if he is thousands and thousands of miles away. 

My honey also surprised me by getting flowers, which he sneakily involved my in laws with, so that I wouldn't see any transactions. He's so cute. 

Sweet sibling moments.

Oh yeah! Twice in one day! 

So at Wilson's speech session today, he asked his therapist if he could have two stickers, so he could give one to his sissy. 

He picked out a flower one, he knew she would love it, and came out, and put it on her hand. 

I thought that was sweet, that he actually thought about his sister. 

Then at bathtime, I asked them to give each other a hug. 

So sweet. 

What's not so sweet is the competition.

"I beat you! Nananabooboo!" 

Oh boy. 

Still here!

A couple weeks ago, Wilson gave us the gift that keeps giving: preschool sickness. He caught a cold, then Callie caught the cold, and then lastly, I caught the cold. 

Unfortunately for me, my cold has now turned into a sinus infection. Which is something new for me. The joys of getting older! 

The weather has cooled down a bit, but I'm a lot happier than last year, when it was so cold it snowed and we got ice. 

The kids are doing pretty good with dad being away. They think dad is at work. Which he is. But I don't think they really understand. 

Our cat has now turned into my new baby. I may have tried to wrap him up in a blanket and hold him like a baby. 

I'm still pretty sure I will never be a morning person. But when this is your bed, it's easy to see why! 

Cute kid and cute kitty snuggles!! 

A couple weeks into it.

Here we are just a couple weeks in. It feels so long. I know we are just at the beginning, but could it go by any slower? 

The kids are doing really well. I don't know if it's a bad thing or not. I mean, Callie is already in her terrible 3's, so I'd like to keep hoping that she can't get much worse, right? 

We have our set routine for the most part, I'm still not a morning person, so that routine always seems to be : Rush to get dressed and hopefully didn't forget anything. 

Joined a gym, pretty much for the childcare so I can get a break, and attempt to not get fatter. They like going and playing. 

The house is in semi okay condition. 

Not going to lie, it's not the best, but we aren't living in absolute filth. 

I've come to accept that laundry will never fully get folded and put up. And I'm okay with wrinkly clothes. Who am I trying to impress anyways? 

We have had fun, and cuddling, and play time. I'm tired, but that's okay. As long as they are okay, then I'm okay. 

Also, my cat is an awesome cuddler. So at least I have that. 

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2015!

Well this picture will pretty much sum up how I rang in the New Years. 

I wish I could say it was cooler. Maybe a picture of my bed would've been cooler. But I'm here by myself, and no baby sitter for my kids, who were both passed out by 10 pm. And I didn't really have anything to do. So sparkling grape juice and WoW it was! 

 

Andy and I have been able to stay in touch, which is really great. I'm definitely glad to be living in this day in age with smart phones and tablets.

Wilson will go back to preschool next week, and we will be starting that whole routine back up. Him being in preschool is a big reason why I didn't just pack up and head back to Indiana. I so wish I could though. I'm definitely considering coming up once his school gets out. But we will see how everything goes. 

Doing a 12 hour drive by myself sounds insane, but I might be willing to do it, once I've passed that threshold of sanity. 

Here's to 2015! 

Callie is 3... Like 3 weeks ago.

That's right, my baby is 3. I waited to post because I wanted to make sure to write down her stats, and the soonest appointment I could get her into was today. 

Freaking threes, man. It is just... Not an easy age, at least for this little girl. 

I thought her 3 year old stage would be easier compared to Wilson. I was wrong. 

She is quite the little talker, and it's so different compared to Wilson, who is still a little behind in his speech. 

She loves bananas and strawberries, and asks me to go to the store and buy more. 

She loves the color pink, and kitties. She loves to color and draw and marker. Any she can get her hands on. 

She loves My Little Pony, and Pingu. 

She is wearing size 8 shoes, 3t in shirts and bottoms, but she is a skinny thing! 

She and her brother are always in cahoots and either trying to get into something or did get into something. 

She's a little shyer than Wilson, and takes a little to warm up to people she doesn't know. 

And at 3, she is still a thumb sucker. We might be in trouble. I'm not too worried though. At some point she may stop. Or she may be one of those people who do it all their lives! 

Teaching the kids about giving.

I know it's probably a little cliché to give back during the holiday season. I would love to say that I always remember to donate, or volunteer. I wish I did! 

So I wanted to share with the kids about the gift of giving. I know that right now that can't understand, or be thankful, that they have so much. 

Two parents who love them, a (somewhat, with the military lifestyle) stable home, and all their needs taken care of. 

But I wanted to start a small tradition with them, to give toys to children who don't have as much. 

I am so lucky, to be able to have enough money, even if I don't use all of it as smartly as I could. We are getting better, but as I like to say, you can't take it with you when you go! ;-) 

My kids were getting more than enough this year. And I had toys already, that I was saving for birthdays. Or that were a really good clearance deal, that I couldn't pass up. 

So we took these toys to a local community donation center that was asking for toys for children. 

I tried to explain to them, that there are kids just like them, who don't have as much. And we have toys that we could give to them. 

Wilson asked me why these kids didn't have toys. What could I tell him? My sweet boy, that concept seemed so foreign to him. I'm not sure Callie was paying attention. 

We opened the trunk and Callie immediately grabbed a toy that she would've liked. Wilson grabbed one too, and a nice gentleman helpled with the rest. 

We took it back into the room, and the kids got excited seeing all the toys that had been donated. They handed their toys off easily. Which I hate to admit, I worried they wouldn't.  

We snapped a quick picture, and went back to the car. 

I told them I was so proud of them, and thanked them for wanting to give other kids presents. 

Wilson then said that Santa was going to take the presents to the kids, and that he would be busy. 

I hope I can do this every year with the kids, next year I will probably take them and we will pick out a toy or two, and maybe put it in the toys for tots box at the store, or maybe the donation center again. 

I hope that they will have fond memories of doing this with me, and learn that giving is such a wonderful feeling, when you can give freely. I hope that they will be able to appreciate that we were able to have enough, that we could give to others. 

One post for November.

Looks like my blogging has taken another  fall. I just can't seem to manage to blog, really though this blog is for my own personal use. I'm not even sure if anyone even reads it! That being said. I still want to write in it. 

So since my last blog, we did halloween. And the kids got so much candy. I'm pretty sure it will last us until next halloween.  Hopefully candy is still good to eat by then. 

Tingle our cat, is awesome. And not to brag, but he loves me the most. Actually, that's no surprise. The kids terrorize him most of the time, and Andy is still an animal hater. 

But he is a good cat. He's a cuddler, which is nice. 

I've been having some baby blues, so he's become my new baby. So many new babies have come, and are coming. And I'm loving it! And missing it. *sigh* 

I thought people only got baby fever, before they had kids, I didn't know it was a thing to get it after you are done having kids. 

Callie is coming up on her 3rd birthday!,

Time has really flown by! I am amazed with how much she has grown. What a little person she is becoming. She has been testing limits, and we need to crack down a bit more on her attitude. But she's 3, almost.. So we have to cut her SOME slack. 

Florida has gotten chillier. I'd like it a bit warmer please.

And I don't know how it happened, but my house seems even messier, than it normally is. The 4.5 year old and the almost 3 year old combination is really just a huge whirlwind mess. 

Did I mention they constantly tag team to get into stuff? Like the one day, they pushed chairs to the counter, and grabbed scissors, and Wilson cut open every single bag of fruit snacks? And they both ate them all. 

Or when they did it again, only this time they found a bag of dum dum lollipops. And each of them had like 5 each, before I caught them? 

They also have tag teamed to find Christmas presents already. Wilson got a hold of one of their stocking stuffers and opened them up. 

I can't complain though. They are each other's best friends, and worst enemies. I love that they have each other. Even when they are annoying each other. 

Life is good. I just need to remember to blog more about it. 

My first and last post for the month of October!

Halloween was today. The kids really loved it this year. 

We took Wilson to preschool and they did a field trip to Sterling House, it is an assisted living for seniors. I was very happy to hear that his preschool were able to do something fun  for the kids, and give back to the community as well. 

I dressed Wilson in a costume he once wore 2 years ago. 

Wilson got a lot of treats at preschool, and after school, we went to play at the playground for a little while. 

The playground had lots of little halloween/fall decorations, the kids loved these giant fake spiders most of all. I forgot to take a picture of that, but I did try to get a cute picture of them together. 

Their costume this year was a play on their nicknames, stinks and sweets. So Wilson was a skunk, and Callie was a cupcake. 

We attended a Trunk or Treat festival at a local church, and wow! What a great event they hosted. They had bouncy houses galore, activities and games, and an awesome trunk or treat. The kids got so much candy this year. 

Maybe I'll actually blog some next month! 

Wilson's first week at preschool.

Wilson had his first week at his preschool. It's been a huge adjustment, and we are all still adjusting. 

He is so social, and loves to play, but realizing that preschool isn't all fun and play, has been interesting for him. I think he's still figuring it all out. 

Andy was able to come home before he was done with preschool today, so we went together to pick him up. Wilson immediately ran over to him to give him a big hug. 

Andy was a little sad, that he wasn't able to see him off on his first day, but unfortunately, that's sometimes how it will go. 

They do breakfast and lunch, so that had been nice, but I worry about Wilson eating well. There were a couple times, I noticed that he looked like he hadn't eaten much, and was asking me for food when we got home. 

I've been trying to stress to him that it's important to eat at school. That he gets to eat with his friends at school, but I'm not sure if he's really understanding me. 

I don't want him to starve, so I've been giving him either a small sandwich, or a snack. 

Callie and I have been enjoying our one on one time. We went to a coffee shop together, and have been running errands together. She loves going to pick her brother up, and sometimes I have had a hard time getting her to leave. 

I think I will look into a part time thing for her next year, so maybe the transition into a full preschool isn't overwhelming. 

I wish I would've done it with Wilson, but he has been getting individual speech and back in Louisiana, pyschologist sessions, so he had something. 

I'm hopeful he will continue to love preschool, and learn a lot, and learn to love to learn! He made a craft and took a picture on his first day at school. 

Notice he said he liked "playing school" that really cracked me up. 

Timehop, I can't even...

Ever since I installed Timehop onto my phone, on any given day, I will find myself about to start bawling when I see how fast time is going. 

You see what I mean?!?! Look at those precious, little, chubby faces!!!! 

I love checking it every day to see what shows up. To be reminded of some funny story, or something I shared, or pulling at my heart strings, seeing these little faces that I am tasked with caring for. 

These faces that at moments, won't stop crying, or screaming, or talking. These faces, that somedays I try to close the door on, so I can use the bathroom in peace. These faces, that drive me to the absolute brink of parenthood. Is there any other type of parenthood? 

But thank you timehop, for reminding me, for sharing my memories back to me, for showing me these little faces.