Winding down 2011

So tomorrow is the last day of 2011. What an interesting year! I still have SO much I didn't blog about that I'd still like to in the future - like our "fun" battle with the Army in regards to my husband's Medical Board that never happened (though should have) and now the wonderful housing up there that charged us almost $1K for sealing the floors due to 2 small "urine marks" on the carpet that were clearly much too small to be done by our Mastiff. And the story about our move down here and our trips to Ohio! Have I even mentioned in my blog that my sis had her first baby and my husband's brother had his first - within the same week? There have definitely been plenty of great moments as well! So I'm going to share a small recap of our family's life in 2011!

* My husband has now been cancer free for a whole year! Praise the Lord!!

* I just finished reading a Bible plan through You Version for the year - making it the 2nd year I've read it all the way through! And will continue!

* I lost all the baby weight and was almost back to the size I was even before all 3 kids, but I gained a little back over this move. I plan on fixing that! ;-)

* I started a few new businesses and dropped some, but through trial and error I'm finally finding what is best for us! My business blog is http://peaofsweetness.info

* I decided Medical Billing and Coding is NOT for me, but I plan on using my MyCAA benefits to become a Certified Personal Trainer with a certificate in Nutrition as well

* In January we moved into a bigger house and different neighborhood on post.

* In March my husband celebrated his 27th birthday. At the end of Match I visited Ohio for my sister's baby shower just myself and the kids - and we all got a horrible stomach virus - including my poor sister! I came home to a very emotional/ stressed out husband who was saying he wanted to leave me. We started counseling and still have things to work on, but we've gladly made progress since then. I'm confident God is working in us and I'll continue to improve.

* Bubs turned 5 and Mooselion celebrated his 1st birthday in April! My mom, aunt, and Grandma from Ohio came over to Virginia to visit us for Easter.

* In May my sister had her 1st baby, and I was in Ohio to be there for his arrival (well, not the actual arrival, but the day after). Joey's brother also had his first baby a few days later, but I needed to go back to Virginia, so I wasn't able to go down and see them.

* In June B graduated from his Special Ed preschool class.

* In July we found out my husband "doesn't qualify for a Medical Evaluation Board" - 30 days before his separation from the Army date. He tried to re-enlist but was denied because his profile required him to go to the Medical Evaluation Board. We started fighting for something (anything) while also planning for the worst (they FORCE him to end his time in service).

* In August we fought and got my husband a 30 day extension so he could re-enlist. There was just no way we could go into the Civilian world with no pension and no health care! And I celebrated my 30th birthday! A couple of days before my bday I experienced my first earthquake (yes, in Virginia!). A couple days later we got a little bit of hurricane Irene. The next week we had floods! Crazy times!

* In Sept we celebrated our 6th anniversary at a retreat for the Warriors in Transition Unit. It was an amazing time and such a blessing! We went to Ohio for our nephew's baptism. I feel honored and blessed to be one of his Sponsors/ Godmother! Then we went down to Cincinnati to see some of my husband's family and finally met our niece as well! B went back to the public school for Kindergarten but that nagging feeling that I should Homeschool him just like I planned to with the other two despite his special needs was confirmed and we began Homeschool Kindergarten. The princess began Homeschool preschool.

* In October we found out the Army was having a hard time placing my husband due to our family's special needs. He got accepted to Fort Hood, TX after requesting they try there (he was born and raised in TX and we both have family in Houston). They dropped his official orders at the end of Oct and the report date was mid December! It's usually not that quick!

* In Nov the kids, dog, and I started the long drive down to TX because my husband opted to use his 30 day transition leave, which put us leaving Ft Belvoir at mid-Nov. He finished clearing and cleaning the house and joined us in Houston a week later. He signed the move-out sheet which said we were good to go, but shortly after we received an e-mail saying we owe $900 for "sealing the floors due to pet urine." We had already applied for housing on Ft Hood, which had a long waiting list, but by God's Grace we were assigned a house on post for early-mid Dec. Off post housing just was going to cost too much due to our needs and his low housing allowance.

* In Dec we got our house on post - almost a week later then they told us, but we got it! We were able to get cable and internet hooked up within 2 days, but our household goods didn't come until the following week. We went back over to Houston that weekend so we could actually stay in houses instead of hotels! My husband quickly got signed in to his new unit just in time for half days! Haha The princess celebrated her 4th birthday! We had her party the weekend before as usual since it's so close to Christmas. We didn't even have our stuff yet! LOL But we still managed to have fun! We were blessed by the Pflugerville fire department with some gifts for Christmas! We celebrated right here - no tree or decorations and in a house full of unpacked boxes, but it was pretty awesome!

And here we are on New Year's Eve! I'm awake right now because the whole move has totally messed the Mooselion up and he is a miserable, non-sleeping mess! He was getting so good with sleeping right before we left! Major regression, and he's nursing more as well! I'm sure he'll settle in soon! My husband's dad and step mom are here for the weekend, so we're excited to have our first family visitors and are ready to ring in the New Year to see what adventures 2012 brings! Happy New Year!

People just don't get it

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Our first half of the day was extremely busy because we had my family's thanksgiving at 1pm and hubby's family at 2pm! Yep - craziness! The food was wonderful, though, and it was nice to have a holiday with family again!

Overall, though, we're so burnt out. All of us. Transition is so hard and so stressful! We're so grateful for a place to stay but we're talking about getting a hotel until we can get our house in a week and a half. The fact that we're getting one on post and that soon is such a blessing! Trying to find a house off post was proving to be extremely stressful! The housing allowance for lower enlisted isn't sufficient when you have three kids! But anyway it's been hard to stay in a house that is not child-proofed and has stairs - and a grumpy little dog. Poor moose-lion's face has become a battle zone. It's awful, and he's just been a wreck the past few nights as well.

We're just so ready to be in our own house again and with our own sweet, huge dog. I'm so, so grateful our friend is keeping her for us... Even if her neighbor did threaten to shoot her because she got out and"looked like an aggressive pit bull." (She's neither aggressive nor a pit bull, which are usually good dogs as well anyway!) Sometimes I just want to yell at people asking them if they've ever had to uproot their family so close to the holidays and how they would feel in that situation! It's stressful enough that we can't keep our pup with us! Plus hubby got yelled at by my grandparents' neighbor for parking his car on the street. I'm sorry we don't have a place to live temporarily because we are moving to a new duty station so my husband can still fight for our country - even after having cancer twice!

But, of course, we say nothing. We let others feel good about themselves by being ignorant and treating others badly. And THESE are the people we're uprooting our lives for!? It's humbled me, though, by reminding me to not make assumptions before getting grumpy or getting an attitude with people because I don't know their situation! And ultimately, it doesn't matter. I want to try to see them how God sees them! Only then will I treat them appropriately because I know if I acted simply how I felt I would NOT be showing God's love. So I am grateful for those that don't because it reminds me that I should!

A long trip

Well, we're on our new journey! The kids, dog, and I made the long drive from the DC area to Houston, TX. Hubby is still up there finishing the house to clear housing then he'll be on his way down. We knew it would be much easier if the kids and dog weren't there during all the packing and loading. I also knew, though, that making that trip alone would not be easy either! I prayed a lot, and overall I was surprised at how well it went! There were definitely crazy moments, but overall it was OK!

Part 1: Ft Belvoir to Greenville, SC. The first day was definitely the worst as far as the driving was concerned. B was playing with hubby before we left and hubby accidentally poked B's eye. Well B didn't do well with that and screamed A LOT. Hubby told him it would be better at night and immediately when the sun went down he said he was fine. Yes, he went from a crying, screaming wreck to perfectly fine within minutes. You think we would know better. Everything is so technical for him, so if you say something like it will be better by a certain time that is exactly what he'll believe. I'm pretty sure it was feeling better within a couple of hours, but at least he used it as an excuse to keep his eyes closed which resulted in much nap time for him! Haha The anxious huge pup did better than I expected! She barked at people but was responsive to correction. What a refreshing response that was!

Part 2: Day 2 didn't start as planned because I was hoping to get together with friends in Greenville, but it didn't work out. I arrived too late the night before due to B's screaming episodes and some traffic due to an accident and then the morning of Day 2 didn't work. So we headed out a little earlier to visit a good friend from high school in Atlanta. The princess lost the key card on our way to the car at which point I realized my car keys were still in the room but I couldn't get in! After the maid opened it for me I got my car keys but still couldn't find the key card. After looking for what felt like forever they finally told me to just not worry about it! Phew! The beast (our mastiff) got to play with my friend's dogs in GA, which was SO good for her! The princess was her normal, dramatic whiny self and feel asleep within minutes of leaving my friend's house! My goal was to make it to Mobile, Alabama, but I wasn't sure I could. At that point, though, the drive was going so well that I DID make it! I called the Motel 6s there since our first night at the Motel 6 went so well. The first one was sold out, so on to the next one. We got a room - on the 2nd floor. WOW what an experience! By then I was tired, but I knew I would have to get kids, dog, and bags into the room in one trip. I put moose-lion in the stroller, gave B and princess each one bag and strapped the rest on my arm and pulled the rolling tote, which became unbalanced in the car so it kept tipping over. So here I am telling the dog to not bark, walking with 2 tired kids, and pushing another tired kid with 4 other bags on my arm. I'm tripping over the leash and stroller as the bags keep slipping down my arm trying to keep the older 2 kids to focus. Getting on the elevator was probably extremely amusing for all the people that were watching this train wreck. I finally get the stroller in and coax the beast in, and B and princess just stand OUT of the elevator just looking at me! Get in here! I dropped the bags immediately after getting off the elevator so I could get beast and kids into the room. When I turn back toward the room after picking up the bags I see the beast just walking out of the room! Luckily she's a good dog, so she just came back. I finally get settled and tend to the now screaming moose-lion. All 3 kids suddenly got new bursts of energy and were up until midnight.

Part 3: I decided to condense bags for the trip back to the car. I put mooselion in the Beco on my back, put 2 bags in the stroller, and had each kid carry a bag. That worked much better! Of course on our way to the car we had to take the long way around to avoid a smoker because we're all allergic and didn't want to deal with allergies on top of everything else! Then B dumped the stroller accidentally, and then a couple of little dogs saw the beast and started barking at her getting her riled up! The people freaked because they thought she was going to eat their dogs or something! LOL Yet she got into the car nicely as they're still fighting with their yappy little dogs! Haha We got back on the road and had a smooth drive to Houston! :-)

That's the summary of the drive down! Definitely never a dull moment, but even the stuff that was stressful really is funny now! Haha More stress has come with finding a place for the beast because we knew we couldn't bring her here to my grandparents' because of their dogs but I'm SO grateful one of our friends is able to keep her at their house while we're in Houston! We still haven't found housing near Fort Hood yet, so please pray that we find something quickly!

I thought I was blogging

So I thought I had blogged from my phone - to at least say sorry I haven't blogged. But apparently I posted it to my private blog, so that really did me no good for this one! haha I WANT to start blogging again. I'm considering combining my business blog to just be an overall life blog. I'm not sure. What do you think? I'm really wanting feedback. I really need to minimize! haha But at the same time I do feel like my Pea of Sweetness blog is more for business-related. Or maybe I should start a whole new website... no, that would be too much right now! haha

So obviously I have a lot to talk about - and I will get to all that in depth, but for now let me throw out the important updates:
It has been one year since my husband had started chemotherapy. Wow. He is still having a lot of residual issues from the treatment that may never really go away, but the great news is - he is CANCER FREE! Praise the Lord!

Due to a very, long complicated issue (yes, there will be a nice, long blog dedicated to this one) he will not be receiving a medical discharge and so he has re-enlisted because honestly, it's what's best for our family. We would have had less than 30 days for him to find a civilian job - and it would need to have good healthcare for the kids and me. That is not an easy task in this economy!

So, we finally got confirmation that we'll be moving back to Texas! He is thrilled to say the least - and I'm excited to move on to better things as I'm convinced this will be great for us! So we'll be going to Fort Hood. We're still waiting on an official date, but sooner rather than later would be AWESOME! :) (There's also a big, long blog in this one somewhere about the many reasons I'll be excited to move on!)

Bubs started Kindergarten this year. It's almost weird calling him "Bubs" now because the moose-lion has surely adopted the nick name "Bubby." haha I think I'll just refer to our oldest son now as "B." So B started Kindergarten this year against my nagging feeling of wanting to homeschool him. I've ALWAYS wanted to homeschool but felt I couldn't since he's on the Autism Spectrum. Well, it took all of 2 weeks to confirm my nagging feeling that I'd rather homeschool and so now we are homeschooling. Again, I'll write a whole blog about this.

The princess is also doing "homeschool" preschool. Honestly, it's not much different than Kindergarten, so it's been a treat for all of us! :) She loves doing her projects but does get easily distracted. I wouldn't expect much different for an almost 4 year old!

And then there is the moose-lion (or Bubby haha). He will officially be 18 months tomorrow. Wow. 1 1/2. Where did time go? Well, he is still nursing a couple of times a day, though he's also gone an entire day without nursing. He almost always nurses at sleepy times, though. And yes, he still wakes once or twice a night. It's not really TO nurse, but he will, of course, and it's also the quickest way to get him back to sleep! He does sleep in his room in his crib, and he has slept through the night a handful of times. He is also breaking more than 4 teeth at once, so my guess is THAT is the culprit of his night wakings - especially since he fusses and cries like he is in pain. And yes, that is the reason I give in and help him back to sleep. What can I say? I'm a sucker for my moose-lion, and *sometimes* I like that he still needs me so much. Other times it gets overwhelming and somewhat annoying, but hey, all parents have those days, right?

And I think that's the important stuff. Each of those individually will be gone into depth in different blogs! Hopefully sooner rather than later... but we'll see how that goes! :)

Updated

I updated my new private blog again, so if you still would like the info for that please let me know.

In other news - the moose-lion turned one and Bubs turned 5!! Important milestones! Wow! Where has the time gone!? Moose-lion still wakes once or twice a night, though, so I probably should get some sleep since I was just able to put him down again! I really do need to blog more regularly, though! Sorry! :/

Another blog

Well, it seems you can only make your blog all private or all public. Although I created this blog to share my real emotions the subject I briefly mentioned in my last blog would be best to be shared only with a very limited follower group - those that truly know us and care about us, prayer warriors, etc. I will be starting a completely new blog for this purpose and leave this one open. If you'd like the info & permissions for the new blog please let me know! I've always appreciated everyone's love and support. I pray you had a blessed Easter! He is Risen!

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I just don't know anymore...

Anything I thought I knew is so jaded right now. I haven't blogged in so long because our family was going through a lot. The emotional ups and downs experienced over the past year and a half have been just crazy! I was so relieved when it was over and our family could be "on the mend." I guess I couldn't be farther from the truth. I have been totally blind-sided. It's amazing how people can see things so differently: the pursuit of "happiness" vs. the pursuit of holiness (a.k.a. God's Will), consulting family and friends vs. consulting our Father. But then how is one supposed to feel when they've pursued God's heart just to be slapped in the face by thoughts from this world? It's disheartening and discouraging. The only thing I DO know is that all I can do is continue to pursue God and focus on what He is telling me and know that whatever happens I will keep my faith in Him and trust Him. I know I surely need His intervention right now.