Hello Again.

If there are any of you that still read this blog, yes, we are alive :)



Our christmas card pic taken by my lovely parents in their backyard. And FYI- I LOVE tiny prints. I took this pic two days after Dale came home, used the expedited shipping that only cost $2 more than standard, and I had these prints just 4 days later.  The cards were beatiful and of great quality. They are pricey, but since I blogged about them they were FREE!Also, they personally called me before the card went to print to run a few changes by me, that their editor though might be a nice touch. How great!  I hope I can do this again next year and if you don't have a christmas card budget, I'd highly recomend this company!


We have been on a travelling parade since Dale returned home.  We did a tour-de-Mississippi, visiting loved ones non-stop.  We are so grateful to be able to spend the holidays with those we love.  It is even more memorable to spend the holidays with my best friend – I’m still so grateful for his safe return.  It was bittersweet to wrap up our time in MS, which has been priceless.  I can’t imagine what this year would have been like if we had not moved in with my parents.  There would have been many lonely nights and lots of insanity, I’m sure.  We already miss everyone, but it has been just lovely coming back into our home and settling into (somewhat) of a routine again, with just the three of us.  Abby was overjoyed to be in her house with her bed and toys again.  I found myself more and more excited as we neared the state line of North Dakota.  I knew I was happy here but my time away surprised me at just how much I missed our life here.  Its so good to be home again.  But we will only call this place home for a short while.  Dale was one of few chosen among many to fly the B-2, so we will be moving to Missouri sometime in the near future.  As usual with the Air Force, we don’t know when (it could be tomorrow or in the next 9 months?!?!?!) but we know it is coming.  So since we have been back in our house unpacking, I have been steady cleaning out and preparing for the upcoming move. Which will take place in the middle of my semester. A semester that I do NOT take days off, but will have to as we travel across the United States again.  And during a very inconvenient time.  The next few months are going to be a blur of school and work and preparations to move.  Not looking forward to this timing, but I’m so happy that at least I get to do with my best friend this time.  And I’m so excited for the things our future holds in Missouri.  We both have some pretty big things going on and I’m just so proud of Dale. Proud of everything he has accomplished thus far, but even more now with this assignment and return from deployment. Its pretty fun to be married to a rock star J  Okay, enough with the bragging……back to my blogging hiatus.  I cancelled our internet and cable before I left and they can’t install it for another 2 weeks!?!?!  I have to say that I am loving this unplugged time but not having the internet has been somewhat of a nuisance with my school stuff.  And of course the absence of the internet explains my absence in blogging.  But I borrowed some of the internet from the base library to update everyone and let you all know that we are still alive and doing well  :)


attempting to build a snowman on freshly fallen snow (impossible!) after reading about Clifford's snow day and how he built a snowman. Abby couldn't wait to get outside and let the snow fall onto her mouth and frolic in it.



a seriously terrible attempt...... But there was shoveling to be done.

While I worked to clear the driveway, Abby chased me down the rows of snow that I shoveled, running on the path, or she sat in this car.  I think she got stuck.  Hee

In other news, Abby has been experiencing some pretty big changes as well.  When we moved back to ND, we decided to move her to a toddler bed, of which she is doing great in.  We just took the front of her crib off and she loves it.  But she’s still a wild sleeper and she falls off the crib a lot so we put a sleeping bag down when she sleeps so that at least she falls onto something soft. Sometimes she requests to nap or sleep on “da flo-wa” so we will do that until Dale can make some sort of rail to keep her on the bed J

Also, we started potty training. I’m painfully aware that 22 months is a bit early to begin this process, but I used the same manual my sister used for her little boy and the potty training queen book says that nearly all children are able to be potty trained by 22 months in 3 days.  It worked for Micah so I tried it too.  Because I do everything just like my big sister.  Anyhoo, it was a disaster at first, cleaning up messes all day and I felt like it was way over Abby’s head and disappointing. The book says by 3 days your child will be potty trained.  It was more like 4 for us before she went a whole day without an accident, and we use a pull-up for bedtime and I’m still not convinced she is totally potty trained, but for now she tells me when she needs to go pee and potty and she’s doing a pretty fabulous job.  Its pretty crazy actually, to see her getting it more and more.  For example, we went to story time at the library and I was sure it would be a disaster but she told me when she needed to go and used the big adultsize restroom.  I thought she’d be scared or forget to tell me when she has having so much fun, but somehow she is getting it?! We’re only a few days into it so I guess we’ll see how it goes when she starts school in a new place, etc.  I’ll let you know, but for any of you parents out there desiring to potty train, the Potty Training Queen ebook is a pretty great resource I think.  But I changed up some of her tactics, like giving a treat every time she uses the potty. (for abby, the treat was to read about "Clipord" the big read dog, or one of her other zillion books.  My sweet little bookworm)

my sweet girl reading on her mat before bathtime.  Notice she has no pants on.  She played with me for a bit, but seriously, shoveling is long hard work and she did NOT feel like braving the cold for long periods of time.  Also, we had several potty breaks and by the time we had taken everything off to go potty and put it back on 3 times, she decided it was best to stay in while I was outside with the door cracked. Only she kept needing to use the potty.  So in efforts to diminish the distractions, I stripped her down to underwear only (so she could go to the bathroom without me), put the Berenstein Bears on DVD, and stuck the potty in the living room.  The things you do to get a little work done :)

 I hope everyone had a great Christmas and restful holidays.  More pictures to come when the internet finally arrives and we decided to join society again….until then…..have a good one!