We Are Going To Be Ok (And That Feels Good)

We said goodbye to Michael on Monday morning. It was a lot harder than I remember it being our first deployment. I just could not stop crying.

 

 

Since then we have successfully managed to drive a moving truck (with our car hitched to it) from Kansas to Wisconsin. My in-laws made a trip down to help us pack, load, and drive back. We could not have done it without them - WHAT a job. I am so glad it's over with. (I hate moving. And goodbyes.)

Michael has arrived safely to his destination and I've gotten three phone calls from him. Levi and I are all moved in to my parents house for the next six months, and (knock on wood) so far everything is going smoothly.

I am adjusting to a busy schedule, and have so much tv to catch up on it's ridiculous. My mom and I have been preparing for a rummage sale, so between that, unpacking, shopping, taking care of Levi, and seeing my families - these last few days have been a blur. Saturday I have an interview with our local coffee shop, and I would start training next week already. Monday I am taking Levi with me to a military support group and next saturday I begin photo sessions again. (I haven't touched my camera in months. Instagram is where it's at.) On top of all that, I plan to start RUNNING to get rid of this weight. Monday Weigh-In posts are coming back and I am super excited!

Thank you LORD for distractions, a WONDERFUL husband and a great support system! We are so blessed!

The One I Wrote In Two Minutes

Does a deploying daddy or a moving mommy have spare time to do fun things like blog, relax, or... blog?

Yeah right.

Especially when said mommy (the queen of procrastination) waited until she only had several days to pack up her whole house?

Ouch.

Maybe in a week I'll find time to do fun stuff. But right now? I'm too busy scrambling. And when I'm not scrambling, I'm squeezing in kisses or cuddles with Michael. (Who may guest post before he leaves. If he finds the time, that is.)

Back to stuffing boxes. If you talk to God this weekend, we'd really appreciate your prayers. It's gonna be a tough one all around.

The End Of An Era (A Picture Heavy Post)

365 days ago we trekked 12 hours from Wisconsin to Kansas with a moving truck and 6 month old baby in tow. In a lot of ways it's been a hard year, but this is where we learned to be a family. This is where we made a life together.

When we first arrived Levi wasn't even sitting up yet. He fought acid reflux daily but that didn't stop him from being the happy guy he is. I was scared to death of being a parent without his grandparents around, and homesick to boot. 

Michael had just returned from his first tour overseas. He was (and still is) my rock through a season of change. 

It took a while to "get our feet wet". We often visited Pillsbury Crossing, a natural wildlife park buried in the rolling countryside. 

On our way out we'd stop to see the cows and horses. The land here is so yellow in comparison to Wisconsin's lush green. When I think of Kansas, I'll remember the golden light. 

The weather was quite a change for this born and raised eskimo. Kansas is HOT and when it rains - it rains hard. We have endured many terrifying storms in just a year. Although tornado season is April - June, this particular wall cloud appeared last September. 

Some of you may remember that we adopted a dog. We kept and loved River for several months before she found another home. We knew she would be much happier with a bigger family and a yard to play in. Levi is obsessed with animals and we think it began with River, but there will be no more doggies for us until we own a house.

We had many visits from Levi's grammys, grampys, aunties and uncles. That third bedroom really came in handy! Here Gramma was helping Levi sit up before a storm rolled in. (I can't get over that chubby baby face!) 

Levi and I had a brief experience with cloth diapers. If we ever have a utility sink those babies are coming back out for sure! I'm so glad we tried them.

Kansas State University is in the heart of town, and directly across from campus is a little shopping block called Aggieville. It's filled with places to eat, shop, and drink. My personal favorites include Bluestem Bistro Coffee, The Dusty Bookshelf, (where you'll find that handsome fella below) Kites Grill & Bar, (best. burgers. ever.) and CD Trade Post. (A fun throwback shop filled with all kinds of gaming/music/movie goodies.) 

I wish I could say I got better at cooking, but that's just not the case. One recipe we implemented into our menu was chicken chili. It's the perfect savory dinner during colder months, but we ate it all year round. Chicken chili literally takes ten minutes to cook and is very tasty. We've definitely turned it into a staple. 

This was our first entire year as a family, so we finally had a chance to enjoy the holidays together. I welcomed the cooler temps after a hot hot summer... but it didn't snow until Christmas had come and gone. (The photo of the pigeon was taken late December - still no snow!) 

We joined a gym in January, determined to fulfill those New Years resolutions. We were pretty dedicated until March, anyway. :) 

Levi turned one on February 19th. His Grammy and GGma came down to celebrate and mama made him sit through a smash cake session. I don't think he minded too much! (It's so odd that until his first haircut, he had stick straight hair. Now he has a mop of curls!) 

I started going to MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) in November. It was there I met my friend Daneesha, and in March I started babysitting her two girls. Levi loved them! It was so nice to finally have a friend after months of not knowing a soul. (They actually lived in the same apartment complex as us.) We took the kids to the park and mall often, and even had Thanksgiving together. I think we managed to get away from the madness two or three times, once to see Bridesmaids. (SO GOOD.) 

It was here that I really decided to chase after my dream of pursuing photography. Michael and Levi let me drag them all over to practice. (There's that golden Kansas light again!)

We spent many a weekend in Kansas City while Michael worked for Strongbonds - a Chaplaincy wide program that the Army provides for soldiers and their families. Most of ours were marriage focused, so I've seen the seminar "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage" at least five times. It's funny enough that I don't mind. These retreats gave us the chance to explore Kansas City and get away from the daily grind. 

Being a housewife and stay at home mom, I sometimes felt like all I ever did was clean and change diapers. Looking back, it's obvious we did much more. :) 

The temps this summer have been brutal, so any spare time was spent at the splash pad...

or eating delicious frozen yogurt from Orange leaf...

or playing at the park with new friends...

or chilling at the pool with said friends...

or eating corn at the county fair in the midst of sweaty, stinky people farm animals. 

But with the news of a second deployment came the realization that the end of an era draws near. We've been anticipating this all along, but now that it's here I'm having a hard time coming to grips... 

One year ago, I was not excited to be moving away from our home, our family, our friends. Now I believe this experience has changed us for the better and I'm thankful for the opportunity we had to live in Kansas. It's going to be a hard goodbye.

Halfway

We're six months into Levi's life. Give us six more and we'll have a busy one year old on our hands. (I'm a little behind again with the monthly report... but hey, better late than never, right?)

Before this mark, whenever I was asked Levi's age I'd round up. For example, if he was three months and two weeks, I'd say four months. Now that we're over the halfway hump, I've got a feeling I'll be rounding down. He'll be six months forever, I swear.

Levi, however, has recently proved getting through a meal to be difficult unless he too has something to munch on. He wants big people food, bad.

He's teething something fierce, too. He chews, (or gums) on his fingers all. the. time. If he has his paci, he bites it. I've been thinking about picking up some ora-gel for the little guy as well, I can just see that bottom tooth about to cut.

We finally packed away the bassinet. I decided to wait until we moved to get him into his crib, thinking might as well do all the big adjustments at once. New house, new room, new crib... and he's doing great with it. I had to pick up a baby monitor and that thing is annoying. It's nice having our bedroom back to ourselves, but I do miss having my baby boy by my side. 

We have beautiful windows in this new apartment. They stretch from the floor to the ceiling, with little white ledges and trim. Levi quickly discovered he can perch himself in front of his while he plays, and watch all the cars zoom past below. I love working in the kitchen with this view... (and rainy, lazy mornings!)

Oh yeah, he plays now. All by himself. He'll play in his saucer, or with toys on his high chair. He's a regular ole self entertainer. I'm still trying to get over that. He's figured out how to make things light up and sing on the saucer, and is realizing he can make it happen again, and again, and again... it's so fun to watch him learn!

Happy six months little man! 

Moved

We are here.

By here I mean planted on my couch in a brand new, beautiful apartment. It still looks like the box monster threw up and bolted. At least the majority of these boxes are empty.

Moving is tough work. Especially when it's moving to another state. My mom, Michael, his best friend, Levi, and I left early two hours behind schedule on Thursday morning. The first day of driving went fairly smooth. We were on the road from 10am to about 7pm, with many breaks in between. (Baby + moving truck = lots of stopping.)

We spent the night at Embassy Suites in Des Moines. If you've ever been to an Embassy Suites, you know they are fantastic. Our room was gigantic and I hear the complimentary breakfast was delicious. (Of course, I didn't make it down in time.) We got it for the high price of 86 bucks. Thank you military discount!!

I wish I had taken out my camera more, but when I finally did, the battery died after only a few photos. These are all in Des Moines, shortly before we hit the road again.

Day two of road trip - not so smooth. Levi was done sitting in the car. He whined, cried, and screamed. Particularly during the tornado nasty rain/wind storm we hit in Missouri. That was freaky. We're driving along, and suddenly the sky is an eery shade of teal and the clouds are hanging real low. My phone rings and Michael asks, "are you ready for this?"

Enter minor freakout.

We ended up pulling over for a few minutes along with the rest of the highway, because the moving truck was literally a sail boat in that weather. The storm seemed endless, and I thought I was going to pee my pants or throw up if we didn't get out of it. So we kept driving... very slowly.

There were a few more of these storms before we made it to Manhattan. Gotta love tornado alley!

Move in went fast, considering we had four guys lugging everything up three flights of stairs in 90 degree weather. Unpacking and organizing? Not so fast. But I really enjoy this part. I love making a place home. Our bank account is not as happy, though. Moving is EXPENSIVE. Oy. We are going to be saving pennies for a while!

Michael is at work now. He should only be working half days for the next two weeks, which would be a wonderful time to adjust if the army decides to play along. Levi is napping, and there's a load in the washer. My mom leaves tomorrow night, hopefully we finish working today so we can start playing. I better get off the computer and go help!

I plan on taking pictures of the apartment once everything has a place. I can't wait to show you our 9 foot ceilings, archways, and floor-length windows.

Feels good to be here! 

Farewell

I hate goodbyes.

I've only made half of them tonight and I've got some of the toughest tomorrow morning. Feeling quite sick to my stomach and ready to get this all over with.  I'm bracing myself for the worst kind of heartache... Lord please let it wash over me quickly.

Today we loaded the moving truck. It was pretty emotional. This was my first place alone, and I loved every bit of it. White house, blue shutters, black top driveway good for warming bare feet. It's hard to realize I'm never coming back to it.

I try to keep my mind busy. It prevents me from falling back to that empty place where I know I have to leave. What's that word...denial? Yes. That. 

I picked up my little brother from his farm job this afternoon after grabbing lunch for everyone. I had Levi along in the backseat, and it was awfully quiet.

"So you're really leaving tomorrow." My brother says. Not a question, just a statement. A really heavy statement. He then grabs Levi's feet and whispers "next time I see you, you'll be so big." Aw kid, why don't you just stomp on my heart while you're at it?

I could have cried. I could have wept. But I didn't, and I probably won't until it's all over with. I'm stubborn. 

Then again, saying goodbye to my little brother and everyone else may just bring the waves crashing down without my consent. 

I hate goodbyes.