I DID IT!

I survived two weeks in NJ without Pete! Pete was sent on a "special mission" to teach in Germany. He is home now...snoring away on the bed next to me. Poor guy had jet lag pretty bad. We missed him terribly! His mom came up for about a week to help out...thank goodness! I think I might have loaded up the suburban and drove to Texas had she not been here! So with lots of prayer and a little help from Nana, I am still sane! Now, I am going to spend a day, a whole day, by myself somewhere. It would be nice to have a girlfriend to spend the day with. Anyone want to come up?

A Conversation Between Tori and Me

Tori- I have something in my nose.

Me- Yeah, it is a booger. Let me get a tissue.

Tori- It is not booger.

Me- Yes it is.

Tori- No! It is not! It is my snack!

Me- (I panic! Do I run to get the syringe!) What! Did you put something in your nose? Let me see!

Sure enough, there was a piece of cracker in her nose. Good thing it had already started to dissolve!

Sweet Kisses

For Maddie


Those of you who do not own a dog or love a dog are saying gross. And mom, I know you are really saying gross! But I think this is sweet!

A Gymnast

Tori and I are doing Mommy and Me Gymnastics. I am so glad to be doing this with her. We have 45 minutes of just me and her! She will be able to do solo gymnastics when she turns three, but I may keep her in this class a little longer. I just love that she gets all of my attention for a whole 45 minutes. I probably should have started her in this a long time ago. But I don't know how it would have worked out. Alli and Katie are in child care while we are in class because gymnastics is at my gym! It is an awesome gym- just like a Lifetime Fitness. They have all kinds of activities for the kids. This is also where Alli is taking dance.

A Dancer

Here is Alli before leaving for her very first tap class. She was super excited about wearing her new shoes. She will be taking tap and jazz. She did well in her first class. She left saying that it was hard and the teacher says it is only going to get harder.......I hope that doesn't mean that she wont stick with it.

Old Friends and New Friends

My good friend Jami came up to visit with her daughter Carson. Jami and I enjoyed catching up.....I think it has been almost two years since we've seen each other last! The girls had a great time getting to know each other. They all got along very well and had a blast playing together.

A little ice cream after dinner.

Even Katie got some ice cream!

Down town Clinton....isn't it beautiful!

Guess What...You're Here

Get going where you are (New Jersey)....not where you are not (Texas).

This was one of the points the pastor made yesterday at church.
I got it......and I am working on it.

The First Day of School....I am suddenly very home sick

Oh- the home-sick bug has finally hit me. Things were going so well up here in good ole' New Jersey....everyone is so friendly, the weather is nice, and we are having fun.....that is, up until Alli started Kindergarten. Alli's first day of school was yesterday. Prior to Alli starting school, we had decided that Alli would take the bus to and from school. Taking the bus is what everyone does here. When I went to register Alli, I swear the ladies in the office looked at me funny when I said I would be taking her and picking her up. Her school only goes up to 1st grade so there are not any big kids on the bus. And they do not have a carpool line! You have to get out of your car to walk her in and pick her up. So anyways, since her school did not have a 'Meet the Teacher' night, I wanted to take her to school so I could meet her teacher. Thursday finally gets here and Alli is very excited. She tells me she is most excited about taking the bus home. So we talked about her taking the bus and how I would always be at the bus stop waiting for her. Pete was in a meeting in PA, but he was able to leave for Alli's big day. So we all head out the door to her school. We left a little early so we would have plenty of time to get her settled in her new classroom and time to talk to the teacher. We are super disappointed when we get there and they tell us that we cannot walk her back to the classroom and we cannot meet the teacher. She is to be walked to her classroom by one of the teacher's aids. And we can meet the teacher at Back to School night on Monday. So I am frustrated, but Alli is ok. She is still excited. She walks off waving goodbye and smiling. I am happy that she did such a good job, but still just completely frustrated with the whole thing. I know schools have these policies for security reasons, but come on! This is the first day! The worst part was picking her up at the bus stop. I had my camera ready to snap some photos of her coming off the bus. I see her through the window and wave. And then the doors open and I hear her. She is crying hysterically! Alli was confused about me waiting for her at the bus stop. She thought that I was going to be at the school to watch her get on the bus. And then while on the bus, she said she did not think the bus was going the right way. The bus driver said she was "very upset and has been crying the whole time." OH- THE HEART ACHE! I have a hard time staying calm. I know it is not the thing to do as a mom, but I can't help it- I am emotional. So Alli and I are both sobbing! My heart hurts now just thinking about my poor sweet girl thinking she was on the wrong bus and how scared she must have been. So of course, we took her to school today and picked her up. Pete was home from his meeting so he is the one that actually took her. He went into the office to let them know that Alli would not be taking the bus and the ladies were rude to him! I don't want to go into detail about it, but it has not been a pleasant experience for us. I know things will get better. She has only gone two days. It is just so frustrating to me because I am hearing about all the great experiences all of you are having back in Texas! And seeing pictures of you in your child's classroom!!! But I am in New Jersey now and I will do as the New Jersians do......but I am not happy about it!

Nine Wonderful Years

Today Pete and I have been married nine years! They have gone by quickly! I remember the early days of our marriage so clearly. My-Oh-My, how things have changed! Things are a little more hectic these days. I am enjoying this part of our lives so much. Though, I will admit, that I often think of our days back at Fort Hood when we had nothing better to do than hang out with our friends. Now, those were some good times! But nothing will ever compare to our lives now that we are parents. The three little girls that God has blessed us with have brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined. I am so thankful for Pete and my girls. They are my life.

In celebrating our nine years, I will share nine things you may, or may not, know about Pete and me.

1. Pete and I have known eachother for 17 years.

2. We dated in highschool on and off for a couple of years. We started dating again in 1996 while he was a cadet at West Point and I was a student at Southwest Texas.

3. We saw eachother once a month the last two years of college. I would drive my roommates crazy with all my "counting down" until we saw eachother again.

4. There was no such thing as "unlimited long distance" back then. I would have to work an extra shift just to pay my phone bill.

5. We did quite a bit of traveling our last year in college. Besides spending time in New York and Texas, we traveled to Shreveport and New Orleans, Pensicola and Panama City Beach, and Fort Bragg, NC.

6. We were engaged in 1998 on Valentine's Day in Austin, Texas. Pete waited until the end of the night to ask. I had already made up my mind that he was not going to ask that night.

7. We were married in San Antonio on Kelly Air Force Base. Our wedding started about 25 minutes late because the MP's at the gate would not let me through. Apparently, there was some mix-up with the wedding list.

8. We have moved seven times in the last nine years.

9. This past month in New Jersey has been one of the best months of my life. I am so happy to have my family all together. I love hearing the girls ask Pete if he will eat breakfast with them in the morning. And I love seeing the girls run to him when he comes home in the evening.

A Day in NYC

Lisa, Grant, and Alli

We drove about an hour to get to the city. I still cannot believe we live that close to New York City! We started off at Pete's oldest friend Lisa's apartment. They went to elementary school together in Germany and ended up going to the same high school. Lisa and Pete graduated together in '91 and her husband and I graduated together in '93......too funny! Living in the city is so foreign to us. We were very intrigued with her lifestyle. I think it is SO COOL! I was so interested in talking with Lisa about living in the city and learning how she does every day things. Can you imagine life without a car? How cool to be able to walk everywhere! So we walked to lunch and then we walked to the fairy to get to the Statue of Liberty. Wow- going to the statue with three young girls is a lot of work! It was fun though. And she, Lady Liberty, is truly amazing to see in person. I am sure I have seen her picture hundreds of times. But to see her in person was truly memorable. She is huge! It is pretty cool to think about how she came to our country and how they actually stood her up! The girls were more interested in playing at the park we passed on our walk to the fairy, but I am sure they will appreciate her one day. And then, of course, there was traffic!