August FRG Meeting...CHECK!!

It's 9:30 on Saturday night and I am officially in bed with my feet up!  What a day...

As I was excitedly pitching Operation Pick-Me-Up at our last FRG meeting, I made a hasty decision, aloud, to have a banner-making party at our house.  As many times as I contemplated nixing the engagement, a promise is a promise, and the show did go on.  Today.

Thankfully I had an e-vite to turn to for an approximate number, which hit the 50 person mark a few days back.  Being someone that gets anxious preparing for just a couple of visitors, you can imagine the intensity of my nervous stomach for this many guests.  It was ulcer-inducing.  It didn't help that over half of those people were little (in age and in stature), and I was so concerned how I would entertain that tough of a crowd with Emmy's 7 toys.  As is my usual, I spent every waking (and several non-waking) moments trying to outsmart every potential crisis before it happened.  Accomplishing everything on the endless to-do list that I created for myself left me racing to the finish line...Definitely had to laugh when I found myself, 20 minutes out, nursing Emmy, writing out my meeting talking points and giving directions to our house over the phone.  Crazy, I tell you!

The focus of the "meeting" was to paint a banner with our handprints, "smooch"prints and words of encouragement for our soldiers!  When I first put the idea out via e-mail, the response that I got back was overwhelming.  Families who live away from Clarksville were curious how they, too, might leave their mark on the banner.  That lead to my second hasty decision, of creating iron on transfers from e-mailed handprints.  Needless to say, this banner has a whole lot of love put into it.  (And several Ali-hours learning about mirror-image printing onto iron on transfers the absolute hardest way possible.)  I do believe that the end product is nothing short of a masterpiece; and that fun was had by all...Mission Accomplished!

Ice Cream Sundae Bar!

Sweet baby girl...Our second to last Lancer born just under two months ago...She stole her Daddy's heart in the delivery room.  Praise the Lord, he was there. :)

My little monkey

Such a sign of the times...Children, big and small, gathered around a video game. :-p

There it is!

I get goosebumps just looking at it...I hope that our soldiers do as well. :)

My new driveway art!  It was so fun to watch all of the kiddos play together!

Just Three Words...

PAUSE TO REMEMBER

August 19th marked the one year anniversary of when God called four of Nick's Hooter Brother friends Home during their helicopter training exercise in Leadville, Colorado.  Saturday, we honored them and all of the fallen soldiers in the Run for the Fallen at Fort Campbell.  There were more than 1,800 people who ran or walked either a 1, 2, or 4 mile course to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  I kept finding myself near the same young boy who was running for his late father...And I got chills each time I re-read his bib.  What an incredibly moving experience.

Tag Blankie

Lately I have noticed that Emmy prefers the tags on her toys more than the toys themselves.  Fancy schmancy baby boutiques sell "tag blankies" to fulfill this fascination, but I decided it would be fun to make a special one for my girl...

The "tags" were made from several ribbons of different widths and textures.

We had fun selecting the fabric and ribbon at Hobby Lobby.

The best feeling is watching her grab for it first when it's time to play. :)

Sayonara Swallows

They say that you don't really know someone until you live with them, and, recently, I have determined that to be absolute truth. I used to think that I liked birds.  That was until they took it on themselves to build their seasonal home on my front porch light.  At first I thought it was funny, but as time wore on, I found little humor in our living arrangement.

Who knew that swallows had such an aggressive nature?  As their eggs were preparing to hatch the parents' nastiness became increasingly more vicious.  I was forced to stop using my front door in June and come mid-July, I was no longer welcome anywhere in the front of my home.  I was reminded of this each time I went (out of the garage) to get the mail or even when I pulled into the garage.  These birds would dive bomb me from behind should I wander anywhere near the front door, the driveway or even inside of my open garage!  NOT ok.

These tiny yet ferocious creatures instilled in me a serious case of delusional paranoia.  I am very grateful that none of my neighbors heard me pleading for retreat from the swooping swallows through a one inch crack in my front door on more occasions than I care to admit.

I noticed a lesser bird presence in front of my house late last week and took advantage of the quietude to "check" on the eggs in the nest.  Because I don't own a compact mirror, I resourcefully decided to use my flip camera to sneak a peak into their home.  Palms sweaty and heart racing, I quickly reached over the nest, carefully positioning the camera to get a good view. Afterward, I ran back inside to watch the video playback to see if, indeed, the nest was empty.  Praise Jesus!  It was!

Yesterday, I gathered all of my supplies to bring down the mud nest.  I was concerned that they would sniff out my plan and attack me in the middle of my job.  Repeatedly checking over my shoulder, I brought down their bunker once and for all.  It was as if I had torn down my wall to freedom.  Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I am free at last!

I reached around the side of the house to blindly snap this picture and got lucky on the aim.

 Proof of the empty nest in case law enforcement finds the time to question me about my songbird nest removal.

5 months down & 8 months old

I would say that this month has passed by more quickly than those before it; I am hoping that this is a trend that continues!  Since arriving home from California and Indiana, we have been keeping busy on the homefront!  FRG commitments, visits, meals, projects, e-mail business and care package making has been a major time filler as have been the usual household chores and errands.  I suppose caring for my little peanut takes up a decent chunk of my day, too!  I have also been blowing off some steam on my treadmill and waging war with the nasty swallows who have overtaken my front porch. (That's a story for another blog post, though.  I hate them.)  Emmy and I have completely enjoyed visiting, eating, shopping and swimming with our friends lately!  We can thank them for making this past month one of the most fun! I guess the old adage that time flies when your having fun holds true.

Nick has been "chugging along." That's a direct facebook status quote.  He has told me that it often feels like Groundhog's Day over there, and instead of 5 months, it feels like he's been there for 10 years.  I suspect that feeling could be attributed to each work day averaging around 15 hours.  He spends his days running around to PT, various command and company meetings, counseling his soldiers, completing awards, evaluations and promotions, overseeing aircraft maintenance, mission planning and execution.  Operation Pick-Me-Up has been warmly embraced by our families, and our soldiers are responding as well!  The steak dinner was a booming success!  Everyone was in disbelief as to how Nick was able to pull it off and were so very grateful for a delicious break from the gross chow hall fare.  Nick said that the nearest chow hall to his office recently "revamped" their menu by removing everything that was good from it.  I kind of think that's a pretty decent illustration of how the big army operates, but I will save that rant for another day.

Nick's company is spread incredibly thin as they cover all of their different mission sets, particularly with the R&R leave schedule in full swing.  Because he has such a young group of soldiers, they have a shortage of pilots in command, making it necessary for Nick to be included in the flight schedule.  He must fit these missions in between his endless administrative responsibilities.  Truth be told, he would much rather be out flying than stuck behind his desk.  He needs a clone to complete his workload, and that might still be pushing it.  I am so deeply moved knowing that my Nick loves Emmy and I so much that he is willing to work this hard to provide for us.  How lucky are we?!

Emmy continues to hone the art of flirtation.  She shares a big smile and a squeal with anyone and everyone who crosses her path.  She sits up like a pro now and is practicing sliding down to the floor to then roll wherever she feels like going (like off the bed :-/.)  She is working really hard at getting to the sitting position from a laying down position.  She forces her way to a half sit up and holds it until her face turns red and she's shaking from muscle fatigue.  Pretty much exactly how I would look if I attempted a sit-up.  Her determination is commendable!  She's going to get it in no time!

I can get some big belly laughs out of her by blowing on her tummy and giving her lots of kisses on the nape of her neck.  I think that's where she is ticklish :).  She LOVES tormenting the dogs, and giggles uncontrollably when she sneaks up behind and startles Molly (it doesn't take much.)   Just the other night we were sticking out our tongues at eachother in the bathroom mirror and laughing hysterically each time the other did it.  It makes me smile thinking about how playful she's become.  Lately, we have spent some time cuddled up in my bed reading books before her nap time, she literally has a voracious appetite for books.  I have resorted to reading only those made of thick cardboard because they are less likely to be destroyed in the process :-P.  She has proven to be a champion sleeper, knocking out at least two quality naps during the day and is down for the count by 6:30 each night.  I'm very hopeful that I didn't just jinx a good thing by typing that.  I've said it so many times, that God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave me my Emmy.  I couldn't have dreamt up a more perfect companion for this year, aside from my Nick, of course.

Fun in the sun!

Today, Emmy and I took in some vitamin D the old fashioned way.  We crashed Matt and Marin's new apartment complex pool in Nashville under the guise that we "had a housewarming gift to drop off."  I definitely had flashbacks from college sorority parties between the great pool conversation, cold beers and music.  I snapped back to my new reality when Marin and Emmy engaged in an intense lip-smack-off.  I must say, our girl thoroughly enjoyed the scene and even attempted to bogart some of Matt and Miguel's beer cans...When in Rome...

Guy's girl

Attacking that can with shark-like voracity.

Boycotting sleep in the bed that Marin kindly made for her.

Nap?  Who needs a nap?

Just Three Words...

CLEARING THE TABLE

Emmy took it on herself to clean off the kitchen table as I was getting us ready to leave.  Silly girl. :-P

Puree. It's what's for dinner...

...and breakfast and lunch.  When Emmy turned five months old, she became so very focused on what I was putting into my mouth (it was kind of sad, really).   I had to get over the fact that my itty bitty baby wasn't quite so itty bitty anymore and that she was more than ready to explore her world through taste.  I began the slow, methodical process of introducing Emmy to my love of food.  Before we work through my treasured family cookbook, where I bestow upon her the secrets shared with me by my mother and grandmother, I must warm up her taste buds with her own special Emmy food.

I take my role very seriously as the nutritionist and chef of our family.  Being responsible for the health of the people I love more than life itself, is not to be taken lightly.  In an effort to continue filling my Emmy's little body with only the best nourishment, I am committed to making her baby food purees, just as my mother did for me.  It could not be easier and is so much less expensive than purchasing individual jars (especially considering she is a chow hound and would go through several in a day's time.) Between my baby food maker and a good old fashioned pot, steamer and food processor, I can crank out several types of puree during one of Emmy's naps.  It's so gratifying to be able to satisfy her voracious little appetite with such pure goodness.

My machine!

Pears

Carrots

The freezer stash.

HAPPY 30th MY LOVE!!!

 

UPDATE:

Emmy now eats all of her meals with her balloon in hand.

Just Three Words...

HARD AT PLAY

I just found these pictures from our trip and thought they were too cute not to share!  The baby girls were having a blast playing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" on Kris' lap...They were cracking up!

Story time with Daddy!

There is a project called "United Through Reading" which is sponsored by the USO.  The USO has made it possible for soldiers to read stories to their children via DVD and mail it, along with the books that were read, home to their babies.  The positive impact that it has on everyone at home is tremendous!  Our FRG collected several hundred books for this cause, and Nick was able to put them to use a couple of weeks ago!  Emmy just got her package of books in the mail!  The very best part was seeing and hearing Daddy, she was absolutely entranced...

Operation Pick-Me-Up Part 1

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of Nick's many challenges with his command is improving and maintaining this soldiers' morale.  Considering, as of a month ago, Operation Enduring Freedom is the longest American war, there is no manual on how to do this.  The position we find ourselves in is unprecedented.  What we do know is that one of the best tools in boosting morale is family support.  Understandably, there is a direct correlation between family stress and poor morale.

We have decided to wade through these uncharted waters and Operation Pick-Me-Up was born.  The goal with this project is to reach out to our families and encourage them, through various outlets, to step in and cheer their soldiers on.  The idea is that in doing so, their families will give them the boost they desperately need to do their jobs successfully and to come home to us safely.  Amidst all of the uncertainty and lack of control, these families hold their soldiers' morale in the palm of their hands.  That responsibility is both scary and empowering.

The first phase of Operation Pick-Me-Up is a surprise steak dinner!  Nick had this very ambitious brainchild a couple of weeks ago.  He talked with his friends in the Regiment who graciously agreed to transport a cooler filled with the fixin's for this meal on their next rotator flight to Kandahar!  Amazing!! Then, he sent e-mails to a local butcher shop and to the Commissary on post to get price quotes for enough steaks and brauts to feed his company...When word got out what he was willing to do for his soldiers, a couple of anonymous donors stepped forward to provide all of the meat...UNBELIEVABLE!!  I shared this wonderful news with our families at our FRG meeting last weekend.  At that time, I was able to procure volunteers to bake 16 dozen cookies and to encourage the ladies to break out their stationary to write thank you letters to their soldiers! Families came out of the woodworks to support this effort!  People want to help, they've just needed to know how.

On Tuesday morning, at our set time, I dropped off a 150 quart cooler filled with 85 brauts, 85 marinaded steaks, 85 small ears of frozen corn, 16 dozen of our soldiers' favorite homemade cookies, personal letters from home and a special banner painted with their aircraft nose art (that they've recently been ordered to paint over).  I was giddy with excitement as I drove away from the compound!

Nick will be waiting, with a truck, to pick up the very best care package of all time as soon as it lands in theatre.  It should be there in just a matter of hours...I smile just thinking about the looks on his soldiers' faces when they see what's for dinner. :)

The biggest cooler I could find!

The explanation for the "Nose Art Banner": 

Our company, the Lancers, have a very long history and have had new art carefully painted onto the nose of their aircraft for each deployment since Vietnam.  So you can imagine how much of a "morale buster" it was then the higher ups had ordered it to be gone.  All of the soldiers in the company will be signing this banner, and it will serve as a reminder of the their company pride each an every time someone walks through their door.

I thought it would be best to create a stencil of the Lancer Head before I broke out the paint :-P.  It's a good thing, too, because horse heads are tricky :-P.

My project during the Bachelorette finale. Not to worry, I watched it again the next day.

The former nose art before it was painted over...Yes, that is Toby Keith's autograph...

Drying in the bathroom, I decided to leave OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) X-XI (2010-2011) out of the frame because the toilet was in the way.

Dinner!!!

Thank goodness for these guys, Emmy and I would've had trouble lifting that beast by ourselves.