Sweet Home California

Whew! Molly, Darla and I just arrived home from a jam-packed trip to Indiana, California and back to Indiana! We started the first leg of the trip on Monday the 19th after Darla was discharged from the Vet. We arrived at Kris and JP's house just several hours before we needed to pack up the kiddos and head to the Indy airport. Kris and I doubled as mules hauling three excessively full carry-ons, two carseats, a double stroller, one very excited Andy and one very happy-go-lucky Claire Sacksteder through the airport (THANK GOODNESS for JP who got us to security!) We pretty much looked like a freak show and were reminded more than once how very fertile we are. Gotta love the TSA security people.

Andy could not have been more excited about going to the "gate" to board the "airplane", that is until we got to the threshold of our aircraft, when he changed his mind..."Andy done now" was what he said as we carried him onto the plane and Kris and I shared a look that screamed "oh my gosh this is going to be a very, very long day". Fortunately, after about twenty minutes of Kris frantically offering up all of the goodies she'd packed for him, he settled down when Kris agreed to hold his hand. It was too sweet for words. The rest of the day went relatively smoothly, despite moving the equipment from gate to gate... But we made it, all in one piece!!

We deplaned to GORGEOUS California-fall weather (mid-70s and not a cloud in the sky). We lucked out and enjoyed similar weather ALL WEEK!! Nick joined us on Saturday afternoon, not even 18 hours after he had landed stateside. We took full advantage of the outdoor conditions with plenty of walks and playing at a few different parks. We visited Mom at her classroom, took Andy to a pumpkin patch (where he got a pint-sized pumpkin we named "George"). We had a super yummy breakfast at Denny's with Grandpa and Mom, celebrated Aunt Kerry's birthday with Grandma and the Odell clan and prepared for my BEAUTIFUL baby shower!! Kris and Mom hosted a gorgeous "sugar and spice" shower...It was so wonderful to see so many of my favorite people who absolutely spoiled Miss Emmy rotten!! She will undoubtedly be the best dressed little peanut in town and has a very impressive collection of children's books already! Nick and I were also able to catch up with some of our high school friends over ice cream...The trip, as usual, went by entirely too quickly and we weren't able to visit with nearly everyone that we had wanted to :-(.

Nick flew home on Monday night to get back to work and to prepare for the upcoming memorial services of the fallen soldiers who perished in the most recent helicopter crashes in Virginia and Afghanistan. Please keep these men and their families in your prayers....

Kris and I headed home with the kiddos on Tuesday morning...Between rude airport personnel, long lines and individuals hogging the family restroom to smoke (meanwhile juggling two small children both with "blow-out" diapers) Kris and I were left never wanting to step foot in an airport again...Needless to say, we were overjoyed to see JP standing at the security gate waiting to help. I swear I saw a halo over his head...

I stuck around yesterday to watch Andy and Claire so that Kris and JP could enjoy a much-deserved date night in celebration of JP's big 3-0!! Molly, Darla and I enjoyed the beautiful drive back to Tennessee this afternoon, and are very excited for Nick to walk through the door. :-)


Kris has the golden touch.


Flying Sacksteders


Looking positively haggard after our travel day, but loving Andy's kisses and Clairey's cuddles!


Kris and her babies :-)


Clairey will, in all likelihood, have smile lines before she's 2.


Andy directing traffic at the swan park at Blackhawk Plaza.


May I take your order??


Swan park boo-boo...the down-side of running everywhere you go.


Andy, Grandpa Jack, Mimi and Clairey...three generations together!


Mimi and Claire


BABY SHOWER!!!


Everything was pink and green :-)


Kris' beautiful, sugary favors complete with pink lemonade packets labeled with Emmy's initials!

That was the extent of the pictures I took, luckily, my mother-in-law is always camera-ready--the unfortunate part is that we don't get many pictures with her in them! :-(


Kris and I both wearing Kris' clothes :-P


The delicious spread courtesy of Mom, Kris, Joni, Mrs. Horn & Becky!


Linda, Becky, me, Jess, Lindsay & Joni


Jess, Kris & Annie


Aunt Kerry, Grandma & Pam


My Nick under Clairey's spell.


Marty, Aunt Annette, me & Laura


The Ladies


Papa and Andy overwhelmed by all the estrogen in the room.



Eliana, Ben, Mr. Horn, Grant, Lamar & Becky

Good News!

Thank you all for your concern about our sweet little Darla...She is doing so much better!! I am in California right now with Kris and the kiddos (more stories and pictures to come!) Darla and Molly are staying with my rock-star of a brother-in-law, JP, in Indiana right now. Word on the street is that Darla is thoroughly enjoying her prescription diet (she doesn't even chew her food, she eats it so fast for fear that Molly might steal it) and is back to energetic self (poor JP)! Such a huge relief!!

In other good news, Nick should be on his way back to Tennessee (I haven't heard from him, and I always choose to believe that no news is good news)!! Provided everything goes smoothly, he should be boarding a California-bound plane in about 17 hours! For now, we are keeping our fingers crossed that there aren't any unforseen delays--you never know with the Air Force...:-P Another deployment down!! HOORAY!!

Sweet Darla

We have had many sleepless nights over the last week since Darla came down with a nasty gastrointestinal infection. She was so sick...Poor baby's stomach was miserably upset with frequent (and many times bloody) diarrhea, she wouldn't eat (she wouldn't even accept treats!) and was very, very lethargic. She would offer up a tail wag and kisses if you came to her, but that was about all that she could muster the energy for since last Monday night. After two trips to the Vet, 5 different medications around the clock, and still no improvement, she was admitted to the Veterinary Clinic on Saturday morning. It broke my heart to leave her, but the Vet felt that she needed some gut rest, intravenous fluids and some blood work to help determine the issue. Fortunately, the X-Ray that she had earlier in the week ruled out ingestion of any foreign objects (I was so worried after all my sewing projects that she might've gotten a hold of a pin :-().

I just got off the phone with the on-call Veterinarian and it seems that Darla is doing much better! The doctor believes she had a severe case of gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach). They are still unclear as to how she got this disease; common causes include: food intolerance, parasites, bacterial infection and cancer. She has gotten several doses of IV antibiotics, she is eating readily and has her energy back! We are just waiting on her morning blood work to determine that her protein level is improved as it was lower than it should be from her lack of food over the last several days. I should be able to bring her home tomorrow!

Nick and I are scheduled to travel back to California...Nick will be coming this weekend after he returns home (YAY!!!!) and I'm actually supposed to leave tomorrow to drive to Indiana to fly to California with Kris and her kiddos on Tuesday. JP has so graciously offered to look after Molly and Darla for us while we are away. We have been trying to come up with all of our back-up plans should Darla still need continued Veterinary monitoring here in Tennessee...For now, all we can do is pray that she regains her health and feels like herself as soon as possible. Nick and I have been so worried about Darla this past week, I can't even imagine how difficult it is to have a sick human child...


Dad and Darla, sleeping buddies and kindred spirits :)

Crib quilt...CHECK!

I marked off the last item on my "sewing to-do list" when I finished Emmy's crib quilt last night! I realized that this deployment marks the last period of time that I will spend by myself for a very, very long time...Kinda crazy to think about! My sewing projects have definitely kept me busy in the meantime.

I get chuckles when I tell my peers that I enjoy quilting, but you'd be surprised just how fulfilling it is to begin with cuts of fabric and end with a beautiful, cozy blanket. I decided to teach myself to quilt several years ago when I was trying to come up with the perfect 20th birthday gift for my Nick. It seemed to me that wrapping yourself in a warm blanket is the next best thing to getting a big hug. Being that we were so far away from eachother at the time (and for quite a long time afterward), I thought it was worth the challenge! I bought "Quilting for Dummies" and a bunch of fabric and spent two solid weeks over my summer vacation figuring out how to work my mom's sewing machine, designing and piecing together his patchwork quilt. It wasn't fancy, but it has done it's job to keep Nick warm for the last nine years :-).

Now both of my loves have their own special blankets...


Fabric squares


Finished product!


Made with love for our sweet baby girl.


Daddy's quilt and Baby's quilt

Mission Accomplished!

After many trips to Joann's Fabrics in Nashville, late nights behind the sewing machine and much time spent figuring out our power drill, I have officially completed Emmy's Nursery (well, mostly)!! I still have her crib quilt to make--that'll be a project for next week; and I still need to hang the mirror over her dresser, but I need my hubby's big muscles for that one. Otherwise, I would say this mission is accomplished! Below are some pictures that I just took before the sun set:


View from the doorway.


A big shout-out to my new friends at Joann's Fabrics--they hooked me up with these beautiful fabrics at 40% off!


I opted for pillows which we can use for her toddler bed since crib bumpers are a SIDS risk.


Curtains were a first for me (as were the pillows)...They were actually really easy to make so long as I measured properly :-P!


Where I am sure we will spent many, many hours cuddling. :-)


The ruffled pink pillow that started all of the madness :-P.




My friend, Lindsey, lovingly hand-painted the letters over Emmy's closet door!

30.3 weeks!

I figured out the timer feature on our camera so that I could give Nick a sneak peak of my rotund mid-section. I don't want to shock him when he gets off the plane :-P...



I am choosing to believe that the camera adds 10 lbs

Down with shots!

Poor Molly and Darla were due up for their annual check-up and immunizations today...I'm happy to report that they both have clean bills of health! It has been a very quiet day in the Horn household as they recover from the "trauma" they endured today. I have been warned by the Vet that little dogs tend to be drama queens, and our girls are no exception. It's funny how quickly they perk up when treats are offered... :-P


They spent a few hours cuddled on our bed.


Molly resting her weary head on her own little pillow.

My Hubby

Nick and I participate in a community group through our church. Our group is comprised of 9 couples and we meet each Sunday evening to talk about topics associated with whatever Bible-based series that we are studying. The most recent study book is called "Dream Team, The Power of Two" by Tommy Nelson. It is such a unique opportunity to sit down with several other couples and discuss what it takes to have a successful marriage. Last night, we finished with this question: Which of your spouse's qualities do you respect and admire the most? Well, because my better half is half a world away, I decided to share my answer via our blog...I like to think of it as the modern-day equivalent to shouting declarations from a mountain top. So here goes:

I admire my Nick's ability to make everything more fun, even things that are inherently un-fun. For example: Only he could have me laughing to the point of tears in the JAG office as we drew up our wills and powers of attorney. He was listing all of the absurd post-mortem demands that he would expect of me as his executor (does anyone know if it's feasible to rent the Oscar Meyer weiner mobile for a few hours to lead a funeral processional?) I so respect his quick wit and hilarious sense of humor.

I respect his desire to provide for and take care of me...Case and point: We were stuck in traffic for 5 hours driving from LA to Santa Barbara (to travel a mere 100 miles). I was 13 weeks pregnant and nauseous all the time. When we were just a few miles away from our hotel, I lost my Whole Foods lunch all over myself and our rental car without warning. It was not pretty. I repulsed myself. What does my Nick do? He pulled over to the side of the busy freeway, assured the CHP that we were ok, and cleaned me and the car up...He was my guardian angel.

I admire Nick's willingness to challenge himself. This is evidenced by the fact that he studied Chinese in college. Let's not forget that the Chinese language doesn't even share the same alphabet as we do...it has it's own dictionary of characters :-P. He also constructed a beautiful fence in our backyard with no experience in woodworking, he taught himself how to do it by talking to people, watching diy videos on you tube, and trial and error. It's absolutely perfect...

I respect Nick's desire to help others. That includes both people and animals. He is known to stop off at an accident to make sure that everyone is ok. I can't tell you how many times we've pulled over to the side of the road so that Nick can corral someone's pet, whose taking themselves for a walk, to carry them home.

I so admire my husband's positive attitude about everything. He doesn't complain. EVER. He can be finishing up a 16 hour night shift in a combat zone and never once will he mention feeling stressed or tired.

I respect Nick's bravery and his devotion to serving our country. He has volunteered to protect me, our family and friends, and all that America was founded upon. It's such a huge responsibility and he has accepted it readily. He sacrifices so much, whether it be sleeping on a grimy make-shift mattress, when he does get to sleep, or celebrating holidays without his loved ones, and never once does he complain. Instead he does it again and again, because he is passionate about the cause. I so admire his commitment to making this world a safer place for Emmy.

I could write a lot more, but I imagine that my humble husband will already be blushing when he reads this much...I am so blessed that God gave me Nick as a life partner and that Emmy has Nick as her father. I wholeheartedly believe that he embodies what God intended for a man to be.



P.S. Did I mention that I admire how insanely HANDSOME he is?! :-D

Obsessive-Compulsive Nesting Disorder

It seems you learn a lot about yourself after getting married. Some aspects of your personality that you never thought twice about when you were single, you come to realize are annoying to those who have to hang out with you all the time. I have always known that I wash my hands compulsively (I blame college microbiology for that), when things are out of place I get really unsettled and I can't stop reading a book until it's finished. But, after teaming up with Nick on household projects, I have also discovered that I reach such an obsessive state of focus on these tasks, that I am unable to do anything until it's completed (to include rest and obtaining nourishment). This tendency makes me rather difficult to be around while house projects are in the works...

Obviously given the growing parasite that resides in my belly, I am forced to eat and sleep, but you can imagine my "nesting" instinct might be a little more intense than most. My latest household obsession: Emmy's nursery. This past week, I have been shopping tirelessly (don't you love how I make shopping sound hard? :-P) to recreate the beautiful image in my head. My inspiration stemmed from a peachy-pink ruffled pillow from Pier One Imports. Once I exhausted all the stores in Clarksville (the shopping here is pitiful), I traveled to Franklin (where all the country music stars and Dave Ramsey live) and Nashville to search for antique, shabby chic accessories and for the perfect fabric with which to make Emmy's bedding (because after hours of scouring the internet, I was unsuccessful in finding anything I liked in the right shade of pink :-/).

So, last night I broke out my sewing machine and got to work on her crib skirt. At one point, Molly had made a futile attempt to encourage me to take a break--she pulled her food bowl next to my feet so that I couldn't move around the kitchen table without tripping over she and her kibbles. But, my OCD focus prevailed and I managed to continue work until well after midnight when I completed my last stitch! One project down, several more to go!

Nick's deployment couldn't have been timed better for him to avoid nesting at it's worst...He most likely would choose to spend time in a war zone than be exposed to the frenzy that is presently taking place in our home :-P. It is fitting that our first dance was to Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am," because, thankfully, he loves me despite my OCD tendencies :-).


Molly's creative ploy to distract me from my work. She's a clever one.


Sleeping on the job.


First attempt at sewing ruffles.


Finished product! Time for a snack and some sleep. :-P