Home!

The Bellies and I are finally home. We got in Monday before lunch and my mom came with. It's been great....well all except the part where Bellies doesn't feel the need to sleep anymore. Last night was a tough one....Dan, my mom and I all had our shifts since that little girl refused to sleep.

Monday my mom and I picked up the girls from school and they were so excited to see the both of us. My mom got a little bit more of an excited reaction but that's okay. I came home to a tidy house, Dan did great. I forgot for a minute though that he is a guy and mostly, he is not me when it comes to cleaning so when he called I was a little (okay to be honest a lot) grumpy with him over the laundry pile and bathroom and floors. He came home, I apologized and he went to the store and came home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I'm so lucky....I'm the one being a grump and he still tries to cheer me up even though I wasn't totally fair with him.

So the past couple of days my mom and I have been cleaning. I'm feeling a lot better....it's amazing what a clean house does for me. It's so great to be home! I missed Dan, I missed Madison and Hannah and I missed my routine. When we got on the train to come home Monday, it was so nice to see outside and feel like I was "home." As cheesy as it sounds, home is where my family is....and even though I wasn't born here...we have made this country our home. It was nice to see family....but 11 extra days was more than enough. I was excited to see my sister go to prom and help her get ready. She looked beautiful. It was fun bugging my little brother....I think deep down he does like me pestering him....and if he doesn't know it now he will some day. I enjoyed my time in Utah seeing my sisters and brother in laws but mostly my niece and nephew who are the cutest nephew and niece anybody could ask for. So many good times, so many laughs (I think Shannon and me talking in our southern accents was one of them) and so much yummy Mexican food.

Fun with Aunt Shannon

Shannon has always been the favorite, fun aunt. She plays with the girls and gets creative....Bellies was LOVING it. The vest was taken off at one point and Bellies reached out for it and wanted it put back on.

Heart break

I can't get home. It is just insane! I am now flying out hopefully on Sunday but who knows...it could be cancelled just like my 2 other flights. I had a moment of break down....yes....I am fortunate I am at my parent's house but I have 2 little girls and a husband at home that I miss very much. People keep trying to point out I'm not one of those stranded....but I am....this is not my home anymore....my home is with my Dan, Madison and Hannah. I saw that my flight had no longer been canceled after I had seen it had been cancelled online, and on the phone as well as the United man at the airport...and so I rescheduled it along with my mom's flight and then was furious when I found out the news. I called as soon as I saw they had opened up the flight again....the lady was short with me, she didn't let me continue before she put me on hold, she found me a ticket that would leave tomorrow but there was no room for my mom. I quickly said a prayer, called my dad and felt that I shouldn't leave in case I was stranded alone with Bellies since my mom wouldn't be able to fly until Friday. I handed the phone to her since I was getting short with the woman, my mom was calm, understanding with the lady trying to help and she found a flight that would leave Sunday morning with only one connection change in San Fransisco....so much easier than the flights I have been on lately which have been sending us to every city in the US and Europe. I had a sudden feeling of calmness....if we should be able to leave....this is the way to go. I feel for those stranded...I don't know when I will be able to see my family again....the news doesn't help. I want to cry....I tend to think about if only I had just left from SLC like I was originally going to do....I would be home with my girls and my husband. I told them the news today that I wasn't going to be home....Hannah was upset. All I wanted to do was give her a big hug. Madison was asking why....I wish I could hug her too. Dan is amazing. So understanding, so calm, telling me it will be alright and not to worry and just have fun. I've had my fun though here....I just to be with my family.

Uncle Richard

The Bellies loves this guy!

All my girls have loved him. We went to Shannon's tennis match yesterday...she saw Richard and reached for him.

Bad luck?

Well I'm here in Medford until Monday morning now. The volcano eruption in Iceland has canceled all flights into the UK and many other cities in Europe so Bellies, my mom and I are stuck here a little longer. I was a little upset since I was eager to get home to my husband and girls but oh well....things happen. This always tends to happen...flights cancelling....whenever I fly alone. And so 4 more days in Medford...it'll be okay. Dan has to go back to work on Monday but thank goodness for great friends who will help out transporting my kids and watching them while Dan is still at work. I'd be stressing without them.

Star traveler

Isabella did so great on the LONG flight to SLC. We had to fly to San Fran and then back to SLC. All the stewardess were super impressed with my baby girl. She was their favorite. She didn't cry, she slept maybe 2 hours the whole flight but she was happy with her books and toys. The travel agent hooked us up with great seats and the time went by pretty quickly. We sat by an interesting person who smelled of pot and was kind of a little scary on the flight from SF to SLC. Bellies smiled at him and he smiled back and was pretty patient with with her the whole ride....she was quite tired but couldn't go to sleep that flight. He had just flown from Frankfurt and by the looks and what I could read from his wrist bands....it was heavy metal concerts he had been coming from. We talked about kids and life in Europe. I was high I'm sure by the time I got off the plane....I know I really can't get high....but I was a little loopy and tired and sick from that flight. It took 20 minutes to land....there was a snow storm and so it felt as though we had landed 5 times before the actual landing. It was great to see both my sisters. Lots of fun, tons of laughs, good times with family....

I told you so

Madison "forgets" to brush her hair in the morning...she's 6...she should be doing it automatically. I have threatened that if she didn't do her hair I would get it chopped....and so that's what we did.

I think it looks pretty cute!

While I'm cleaning the under the stairs closet....

I peek in and see my lounge looking like this....

With her inside like this.....

She had done it.....

She's learning "curly" writing at school.....

What a pretty cool big sis......

And of course we have Justin Bieber playing in the background...

Bunny, drools and smiles

I thought I had lost Hannah....
then she suddenly appeared from under the bunny mask.

Bellies....she has been so lazy lately and refuses to hold up her bottle...and so the sheet as well as her pjs get wet....I think she feels I don't have enough laundry to do as well.
Madison...as I was told today by our neighbor....she's such a character.

Veggin

Tonight, instead of putting away the laundry I had done at the laundrette and doing the dishes, the girls and I watched The Princess and the Frog. The girls had seen it in the cinema but I hadn't. I was in the ER with Bellies. And so we brought out blankets and snuggled and watched it....and I have to say....I liked it. I've heard people complain about the voodoo in it but it really didn't bother me. What Disney movie doesn't have magic, witch craft, African monkey chanting, summoning old ancestors in them? And so we enjoyed our popcorn and movie and I'm still putting off putting the laundry away and doing the dishes. They need to get done....it's going to be a late night. Tomorrow we have a birthday party and I need to get some cooking done for freezer meals for Dan and the kids. I am, after all, leaving in 3 days!!!

As I did laundry today my friend came along with and we were talking. I mentioned about how people have been saying how lucky I am to be able to go back to the states and how I'm going to owe Dan. It was nice to vent since I have been thinking about this. Yes, I am thankful, thankful my husband is compassionate and realises that I "need" to go, thankful he makes enough money that we can buy a plane ticket on a whim, thankful he is a great father and I know our girls will get what they need while I am gone. But in honesty...why is it that if a man goes away or goes out for the night, it's not like the woman gets praise about doing it on their own? Dan left how many times at our last duty station and he left here....did I ever get you so owe Bobbie? No. I find it fascinating that as mom's it's just our job to stay home with the kids all the time but if we leave and go out and do something for ourselves we sometimes feel obligated to do something grand for our husbands we leave behind since we actually did something for ourselves. Dan and I don't have this kind of relationship. He says I need a vacation, he realises I "work" and need time for myself to be just me....not a mom, a wife, a cleaner....(yes I'm taking Bellies) but he expects nothing in return and I think that's great. I guess I'm pretty lucky he notices the little things I do....take him out lunch, get up and make him lunch and get his coffee ready, pick up little things I think he would like and in a sense take care of him. That in itself doesn't make me feel pressure to feel I need to give Dan a break. That and the obvious keeps popping in my head....he is after all their father....why should it be so out of the norm he cares for them 24/7?And besides...I wanted to go originally for 5-6 days, he told me to go the whole 2 weeks....and so we compromised and made it 11 days. He is actually, as well as the girls, looking forward to alone time with his big girls. It's a different dynamic in the house....I'm not here to make sure things go exactly my way....which is good....sometimes....at least 11 days okay.

I'm getting excited...a little hesitant....11 hour straight flight....12 hour drive....sometimes I think I should have just stayed in SLC but as Dan and I thought about it....since some won't/can't come out to see the kids, we spent the little extra so they could meet Isabella. I can still think....and dread right....and have positive vibes that she's going to be a star passenger. Oh...and please that she'll have no blow outs....like today.....YUCK!

And so it begins

I caught her smiling!

Spring break....no need to be up before 7! That is so exciting. And so I came down to my clothes once again being all unfolded...I had folded them again last night with plans to put them away this morning....but they were playing mums and dads with the Bellies and it was super cute. Bellies was 1 year old and she was sick. So I come in to see my baby laying down with a pillow under her head and pillows surrounding her with blankets on her....and she's smiling away. Didn't seem like such a sick baby....

Our fish (Madison picked this one out and it was our first fish in the tank) croaked yesterday morning. Dan came home Wednesday night and we noticed it was swimming kind of funny and then just kind of crashed on the sand. I instantly went in my mode of, you probably should have changed the water and checked water levels (he NEVER does) and we would not have a dead fish. Thursday morning before he left he told me he had flushed it. It was dead on the rock....nice.

Madison had a birthday party (when do we not have a birthday party...seriously) and as we were driving home I felt it was appropriate to tell them about the fish.

Girls, we only have 2 fish left, one of them died this morning. (B)

Which one died? (M)

Yours did. (B)

Oh...that's sad. Oh well, I can just get another one. (M)

Well Dad isn't suppose to buy anymore fish until he figures out the water situation so we don't have more dead fish. (B)

Where is the fish now? (H)

Dad flushed him down the toilet. (B)

WHAT!!!??? He should have called the vet-tit-tare-eee-in! (H)

It's a veterinarian (Of course Madison says it with an English accent, actually they both have one) (M)

Yeah, they have a special fish doctor and he could have saved him instead of dad just flushing him down the toilet. Next time, we need to take the sick fishy to the doctor. (H)

It was so hard not to laugh....it was so sweet and yet so funny. My fav...the part where Hannah was pronouncing veterinarian.

Really?

It's Easter this Sunday???!!! I can't believe it. I had cards all made to send out....they are still on my chair to put stamps on. Didn't Christmas just happen? And so Bellies and I were running around trying to get things together since I didn't have anything ready. So I'm thinking we are just about there....just a couple more tidbits and we're done. The kids start their break tomorrow and I'm kind of glad (I mean....it's not like I'm going to be around while they are out....now Dan has the big to do list of where they need to be and when) but they sure do need it. Hannah is having melt downs, Madison is just being Madison (that can be good and sometimes not so good) and I'm ready to not see the muddy car park at the school. Perhaps I can have a clean car for more than a few hours.

And we're not going to have a traditional Easter dinner (when do we ever have a traditional dinner for any holiday)....one of the reasons I love my husband....he's so not picky and sees no point in making a huge dinner that we won't eat it all and we won't eat the left overs. I would say Chinese but the thought makes me sick.....perhaps we'll just have pizza!