Still Alive and Kickin'

Just a quick post to say I'm not dead (:

And to brag a little about something that I'm quickly and whole-heartedly becoming an advocate for.

I have recently taken Levels 1&2 of the AFTB (Army Family Team Building) courses.

AFTB is a great program and I highly reccommend it to any new (or not so new) military spouses! The classes are available at just about every post.

The program describes itself as such: "AFTB is a volunteer-led organization with a central tenet: provide training and knowledge to spouses and family members to support the total Army".

In short this class will teach you almost anything you've ever wondered or wanted to learn about the Army and Army life. It's designed to help spouses feel more comfortable and independent in the military life. It enables us to be resilient and ready to handle many of the unique challenges that we come across as military families. And, no they aren't paying me to plug their program (:

Many of you who have been reading for a while know that I am big on helping new spouses with whatever they need. I started this blog originally for my own benefit but it's turned into a resource for readers as well and I LOVE that!

AFTB will be that, and more for you. With each class they will give you a binder full of information that you will learn during the courses. They send the binder with you for you to keep as a reference anytime you need it. Awesome, right?

Here at Fort Campbell, they offer FREE, yes FREE on site childcare for your children while you're taking the course! When I offered praise for this, Alex, the program manager said "I don't ever want childcare to be the reason why a spouse can't take the course."  

What will you learn? How to read rank on uniforms, how to read an LES (Leave and Earnings Statement), financial readiness, all about the FRG, military acronyms, etc.. and that's just level one. Level two focuses more on personal growth and resilience. You will take a personality test, learn how to handle crisis, effective communication, etc.

In December I am signed up to take Level 3, and then in January... I take the Instructor Course! I am excited to (hopefully) be a part of of this program!

I hope that all of you get out there and take these courses, I really can't say enough about them. They are offered at most of the major Army posts.

Here is the website for Fort Campbell's branch: Fort Campbell AFTB

email: fortcampbellmwr@yahoo.com

phone number: 270-798-4800

Alex Krohn is the program coordinator and he is great! And so is Jennifer Gilbert (the volunteer program manager).

If you have any questions, I will try to answer them for you (: And if you would like the contact information for your local post, just let me know  and I will get that to you ASAP!

Have a good Halloween!!



Boy Weekend

I can't say this weekend has been ALL about boys for us, but mostly. (I guess that happens when you are .. well.. you and the dog are the only girls in the family). But I don't mind.

Friday night Jeff came home from work, changed his clothes and went to his first flag football practice! He is pretty excited about playing in the league. He played for 3 years while stationed at Fort Lewis and he loved it. I'm happy he's found something that makes him happy here. Jack and I decided, since daddy was doing something "sporty" we would too!

He loves the tee ball set we got him for his birthday! He has played with it practiced so much, that he doesn't even need help much anymore. Occasionally he knocks the tee over while hiting the ball, but I'm pretty sure he does it on purpose because he cracks up laughing immediately after. What can I say, "boy" is his name and being destructive is his game.

Jeff got home from practice and had injured his foot. He wore his vibrams to practice ...

[photo cred]

And... someone (wearing cleats) stomped on his foot. From the looks of things, this someone was at least 300 pounds. Needless to say, neither the shoe or his foot held up very well. He was in so much pain he couldn't finish his dinner, so we decided to head to the ER to make sure nothing was broke. Thank you Nicole for watching our boys! The doctor he saw ended up being a doc he worked with at his FOB in Afghanistan.. Small world huh? Doc said he thought he may have a "liz frank fracture"? I wonder if Liz Frank got her foot stomped on too? But Doc wanted a second opinion. So get this... they sent the x-ray off to Austrailia to be reviewed? Seriously, there was no one closer than Austrailia? Whatever. I just that was odd, and sort of amusing. Anyways, Mr. Austrailian dude came back with a message saying the foot was not broken. So Jeff got sent home with crutches and some pain meds. He follows up with sick call Monday morning, we would appreciate prayers that he's healing fine (:

This morning was the Fort Campbell post wide yardsale. Can you say "Kate loves yardsales so much it's a little creepy?" I found a twin comforter set for Jack's room (bad news though, it smells like smoke :/ so hopefully we can get that out. If nothing else I can use the curtains that came with it.. It was cheap so whatever). Also found an old metal tonka truck for the boys. A laundry basket for Jonah's room, a really adorable jacket for Jack, and some carter's clothes for Jonah. That's a success in my book!

After yardsales and naps, we ordered pizza, and finished watching the Buckeyes game. Hey at least we didn't get shut out?! No fairweather fans in this house!

GO BUCKS!

Brutus sings the OSU fight song too. Jonah loves him!

This evening we headed out to Lowe's in search of paint and more pea gravel for the front flower bed.. err... decorative gravel area? I'm not sure what the official term would be but it will look cute when finished. Jeff is still using at least one crutch to get around today. But no worries for daddy, his little man is there to help (:

They melt my heart!

We finally decided on a color for Jack's "car/truck/etc." room so we got a couple gallons, supplies, and headed out. But not before the cashier oogled over how cute Jack and Jonah were of course. Jonah smiled at her and Jack told her he was "two" and that Jonah was his "beebee" and that he had to go "bye byeeeee".  He's repeating everything lately. I love it! He sometimes catches me by surprise though, like yesterday when he said "cheeee pweeese" and brough me a slice of cheese to open for him..

The car ride home was quite funny. Jack has a DVD player in the car. He has just recently started laughing out loud at tv/movies. So at least once every two minutes we heard "HAHAHAHAHA" from the back seat. Usually followed by some rambling about "MEL-MO" (Elmo).

We came home, got the boys to bed and put the first coat of paint on Jack's walls (Jack is sleeping in the pack and play in Jonah's room tonight). We have to do a second coat tomorrow but I love the color.

It's a light blue with a very subtle gray tint. It will be perfect to neutralize some of the bright colors we have going in the room. Tomorrow we aren't going to show Jack the room until it's all complete and put together. I can't wait! He's going to love it!



Date Day

Jeff had the day off work (because he worked overnight last night) so I got quite the treat. A date day with a handsome boy! We went to the library (a place with both like) and then had a great lunch at Charley's where we shared our food and got a drink with two straws (:

Be jealous, very jealous, here is my guy at lunch .. I just can't resist that face!

Okay so it was more like a "Jack had to get his shots today so mommy took him out and about to make him feel better" day... but we still had a great time!

Running, Crafting and Celebrating

About a month ago I decided to start the "Couch to 5k" program. I haven't ran much at all since I graduated high school 3 years ago, so I knew this was going to be a challenge. I did week one and then caught a cold and had to postpone :/ But now I'm back, and after re-doing week one... I started Week 2 today and felt pretty good. I had to give myself an extra 10 seconds before the last few runs, but I completed it and that's all that matters. Week two is a 5 minute warm-up walk, alternating 90 seconds of running with 2 minutes of walking, and a 5 minute cooldown walk.. for a total of 29 minutes. If you haven't checked out the C25K program, you totally should.

The boys weren't exactly happen on our run this morning. Which is rather out of the ordinary for them. I'm not sure what was wrong, but Jonah finally passed out and Jack fussed off and on but eventually calmed down and played with his truck until I was done.

Today was also a very special day for a very special friend of ours. It was Ashley's 24th birthday!



[photo cred]

Jack and I joined her she and her girls and some other friends for her birthday dinner at Chili's tonight. Ashley had her first shot in over 2 years and a yummy bowl of ice cream our server brought for her. We asked if they would sing to her, but sadly they "don't do that". (Which, we found out later, is precisely why Ashley chose that restaurant. hehe)

What does a friend's birthday mean for me? Means I get the chance to make them something special (: And that's what I did this afternoon. I've been wanting to try metal stamping, and Ashley's gift was the perfect opportunity.

Ashley's necklace is made of three washers. Two with each of her daughter's initials and birthdates, and the middle says "J & A" for her husband John and herself, and reads their wedding date across the top. I'm still learning the perfections of this craft but I'm happy with the product from today and I hope Ashley is too!

It's fall!

It finally feels like fall is arriving and I looooooove it! I can't wait for the trees to turn to gorgeous rainbows of burnt oranges, ambers, reds, and caramels that I missed so much last year! Washington's landscape is made of mostly evergreens, not nearly as pretty in the fall.

Fall activites are in full swing around here, we've been getting our house organized and put together (reverse spring cleaning as I like to call it). Today we laid some pea gravel in our front "flowerbed". Not sure what we'd call it now, a gravelbed? We got the the bags for over 50% off because they were busted open. SCORE! Add in a cute little, plastic picket fence and for under $10 the front of our house looks completely different. Now we just have to get some decorations to put in there.

This weekend was busy but great for us! Friday night I hung out with my friend Nicole after Jeff and I put the boys to bed. Nicole is also from my hometown of Chillicothe, OH and it just so happens that her husband (also a soldier) and Jeff and I all went to high school together. So we have very much enjoyed having hometown friends here at Ft. Campbell. Nicole and I ordered Papa John's Pizza (Can you say YUM? Love their garlic sauce!), watched girly shows like "Four Weddings" and "Say yes to the Dress" and I showed her a website that has become her new addiction... Pinterest!

Yesterday was Saturday so we took advantage of the perfect fall weather and headed to a pumpkin patch/petting zoo/corn maze with the Welton family. Only, the pumpkin patch was less of a patch and more of a concrete slab. The petting zoo.. a bunch of animals in small pens. Like this guy.. a zebra + a donkey will aparently give you... a zonkey...

The corn maze was actually a path through a run down corn field but whatever, the kids had fun.

The highlight of Jack and Elly's time at the "pumpkin patch" was running back up the hill after watching the feeding of the catfish. And Amber snapped some great pictures of them.

We also went to the butterfly festival in Oak Grove on Saturday but I haven't gotten my pictures of that uploaded yet. Soon, I promise (:

Today we worked around the house, spent too much money on stuff for the week, and then had The Conaways (Nicole, Stephen, and their son Corbin) over for a cook out "grilled outside but ate inside because storms rolled in" dinner. I tried this recipe for mac-n-cheese and quite frankly I wasn't that impressed. Eh, try a different one next time I suppose.

Tomorrow I start Week 2 of the couch to 5K program. So far I haven't lost much weight with it, but I'm definitely feeling more healthy. Jeff and I are trying hard to eat better and lose some weght. So wish us luck! I think I will add in some yoga, etc to my plan this week.

 Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend!

From One To Two.

Oy.

I'm tired.

Before Jonah arrived, I had this vision of what it would be like to have two children. Jack would sit on my lap, helping me hold Jonah's bottle. I would spend the morning playing with Jack while Jonah kicked and played in his bouncer and then I would lay them down for a nap in their beds, and kiss both their smiling faces. And they would sleep peacefully while I cleaned up the house, prepared for dinner, and read a little from a favorite book until Jeff got home and greeted our precious boys and I with kisses...

Okay you can stop laughing now.

Let me just start by saying right now as I type this, I'm holding a baby who cries unless I'm holding him... and my toddler is standing on the cushion-less loveseat diving head first into the pile of cushions he made on the floor. The sink is full of dishes, the floor is scattered with chunks of mud from Jeff's boots, and the washer and dryer are wondering if I forgot about them.

The biggest thing I've learned? Sometimes you just have to step back and let things happen.

Strange concept I know, especially for this OCD control freak..

But honestly, How long am I going to have before Jonah doesn't need (or want) me to hold him anymore? A year? Less? Out of his 18 years of "childhood" I only get one to love on him and hold him (and not have him fight to get away or say "Moooom, stop!") and you can bet your hiney I'm going to take advantage of that.

Because I'm not feeling well and am suffering from man voice today.. I stopped myself from telling Jack "no" when he started to pull the cushions off the loveseat. And now, as I'm watching him... I'm happy that I didn't stop him. He is having so much fun. He is an (almost) two year old BOY and he needs this sometimes. The cushions can be put back, and you'll never know they were once a safety net for a rambunctious toddler... but Jack will have had fun today. He will have smiled today. And that's worth it to me.

The dishes will be there later, Jack can help me sweep the floors later, and the laundry can be thrown out the window will get done eventually... but Jack and Jonah are growing every day. And I want to look back and say "I truly did enjoy my children when they were young" and I want them to look back and say "I had a good childhood and my mommy loved being with me"



Blessed Little Boys

The past week has left me wondering how I got so lucky to have such wonderful family. Jack and Jonah will never need for love. They are so very loved by many people.

My mom and sister came to visit last week to help out while daddy was in the field. I think my mom and I totally under-estimated the noise level 3 children can create. Jack and Avery spent HOURS riding circles around my house on Jack's two ride-on toys... and playing "toss the ball"... and fighting over a certain toy.. and then fighting over a different toy. And poor Avery tends to get the crappy end of the deal most the time, as Jack is just learning the concept of sharing. We only ventured out once all together, and that was for Steak n' Shake.

All the chaos was worth it though. Even though we're 14 years apart, I think we'll be silly and have fun together.

After mama and Avery left, Jeff's family got to town later that evening. They were here for the weekend and we had a fabulous time. They some really adorable Harley Davidson shirts for the boys. Jonah's reads "From cradle to chrome!" haha. We ate at Cracker Barrel, where uncle Justin and Jack tested out all the rocking chairs.

We took them to the museum here on Fort Campbell (which was also my first trip there). It was pretty cool to see all the history of the 101st Airborne Division and all that they've done over the years. After that we headed over the splash park to let the kids play, where Aunt Lauren helped Jack get used to the water (he spent most the first 20 minutes clinging to her leg and running from the water).

And most importantly Jonah got all the attention and love he could handle from his grandparents and aunt and uncle.

[The Davis boys: Jeff, Jack, Justin, Jonah, and John (Jacob is missing)]

We hope both my family and and Jeff's had a great time visiting, because we sure enjoyed their company!

We are so thankful to have so many wonderful friends and family.

As I mentioned before, my best friend Erin was here the whole week of Jonah's birth. She stayed at home with Jack while we were in the hopsital and just did whatever we needed her to do. Jack had a great time (as always). He loooooves you Erin. Oh, and she also made some adorable tye dye shirts for the boys.

And a few days after Jonah was born, my dad and brother came to visit! They brought tons of stuff for Jonah, and for Jack too! So yes dad, thank for the third set of blocks that ends up all over my floor every day (:

[Said blocks are seen here, with grandpa Kevin and his grandsons]

Jack and Jonah, you are two lucky little boys.