The Gallagher Family

Romans 8:28

2010-08-22T14:31:00.007-08:00

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

This verse is one we have been clinging to lately. With all the questions we don't have answers to yet, we have to remember that we must keep our trust in God; and he will bless us more than we could ever imagine. We are praying we will have some answers soon, but we are also remembering we must be patient.

For now, we are going to live in the present and not dwell on the future. So, here is a recap of this past week. After much prayer and talking, we have decided it is best that I return to my job as a stay at home mom. This is was an extremely hard decision to make, but sometimes we have to do things that we really don't want to do. As of September 1st, I will be home.

Hydie and Daddy Heading Down to the River

Carter now has 3 teeth. He is continuing to practice walking and has mastered getting into everything. Hydie is still the princess and LOVES her dress up clothes. She has recently masted the "big" playground (she use to be terrified of the tunnel slide). Hydie has also learned to count to 15 in order and she is working very hard on her alphabet.

The other night I was giving myself a little pedicure and cutting Hydie's finger nails. After Hydie was done, she decided Daddy needed a pedicure too. I'm sure Carter would have had to endure the "fun" also, but he lucked out and was already in bed. John was a great sport, and he allowed Hydie to work on his feet. He's such a great daddy!

Update Time!

2010-08-12T18:52:00.009-08:00

Where has this month gone? Has it really been 3 weeks since I posted? Our simple little life is definitely not so simple anymore. It seems as time is moving way faster now than it ever has before. Hydie and Carter are growing like crazy and Mommy and Daddy can't keep up.

Hydie finally had her adenoid and tubes surgery on July 22nd. She did wonderfully through the 10 minute surgery and complained more about the band-aid on her hand from where the IV was placed than anything. That afternoon she did however begin to complain that everything was TOO LOUD! Our poor little girl has had so much fluid in/behind her ears since she was tiny that she had no idea how loud everything was. She is still doing very well and hasn't had a problem. Carter will be going to his pre-surgery appointment on Thursday of next week for tubes since he also has continuous ear infections. His surgery will probably be mid-September.

The Coast Guard celebrated it's 220th Birthday on August 4th. To celebrate, the MWR provided activities throughout base. For the kids, they filled the gym with inflatables. We also enjoyed face painting and hot dogs. The kids had a blast!

Carter is officially walking with support. This means he is walking as long as he is holding onto something or someone. He is into EVERYTHING and loves to attempt to sneak into the bathroom. Hydie has learned to "correct" him by saying, "NO CARTER, GET OUT!" This is quite funny because our little 2 year old sounds SO grown up! Oh where is our time going? My babies are growing way too fast! Hydie's a preschooler now (bye bye toddler days) and Carter is almost a toddler (there definitely were not enough infant days). SO that's a recap for now.

Pictures, Birthdays, Bowling, Picnics.....

2010-07-19T22:14:00.005-08:00

Yes, you can say we have kept ourselves busy these past couple weeks. I know, if I had blogged last week I wouldn't have SO much to talk about tonight. However, I am going to try to update you all on everything that has been happening in our lives.

Last week, it rained a LOT. My coworkers (locals) were all complaining about the rain and a few even mentioned moving to Hawaii. I had to giggle a little at this statement because from what I've heard, it rains a lot in Hawaii too. I wonder if my new favorite Kodiakians really know what they are wishing for. Don't worry, the sun finally appeared again and we attempted to spend every waking moment outside on those pretty days.

I received a call at work 2 Thursdays ago from the director of the CDC (child development center on base) letting me know there were available spots for BOTH kids to start.....the following MONDAY. The last time we spoke, we were looking at approximately Sept./Oct. before there would be spots available. I was in shock, but I did not have time to sit still on this one. I immediately got on the phone with the doctor's office requesting shot records and medical forms. After speaking with my favorite nurse Crystal (who is also a Coastie wife) and getting all the medical paperwork taken care of, I then had to meet with the teachers. I met with Carter's teacher on Friday and his first day was Monday. Hydie's teacher was out the week we were offered the spots so I had to wait until Monday to meet with her, and Hydie started on Tuesday. Both kids seems to really enjoy it, and the cook and Hydie's teachers are doing a fantastic job accommodating Hydie's food allergies.

Tuesday of last week (Hydie's first day of daycare), it was muggy and gross all day. We had planned to have family pictures taken by Amy at 6 p.m. that afternoon. We hoped for some outdoor shots, but I definitely planned for that not to happen. As we were in Amy's home posing for her awesome camera, I began to smile even bigger. The sun was coming out from behind the clouds and the rain had finally moved out!!! Now, we had NO excuse not to do outdoor pictures, and I am VERY thankful for the opportunity because Amy did an amazing job!

Thursday afternoon, I spent cleaning my office and packing up for the weekend. KANA had their annual picnic on Friday which meant I didn't have to go to "work." Everyone seem to walk with a spring in their step Thursday afternoon. The kids and I head to the picnic Friday morning. We all had a great time, and Hydie even ran her first race! I hate John missed it, but he couldn't take off.

Carter and Genieve (HR Director for KANA) at the KANA Picnic

Hydie hula-hooping during her very first "race"

After the week we both had, John and I decided we needed to doing something fun. John called our friend Andrew to see if they would like to join us for a night of bowling. I haven't been bowling since 2 nights before Carter was born. We had a blast, and I still can't bowl worth a flip but it was tons of fun.

Saturday, July 17th was my 23rd birthday and John's duty day. It was pretty muggy outside, and Carter was extremely fussy with his cold and teething. The kids and I enjoyed our morning of boringness, but we finally spunked up later that afternoon. I called my friend Danielle to see if she wanted to join us at the park and then head to dinner. It was my birthday after all, and I refused to cook. We met up with a few of my friends whom I haven't seen in quite a while at the park, and it was nice chatting and catching up with everyone. Thank you again Danielle for helping make my birthday a great one!

Sunday FINALLY got here! John came home from duty and loaded Hydie in the Explorer and headed to town. He wouldn't tell me what he was after, but I kind of had a clue. They were gone for a while, but Carter and I didn't really mind. He and I snuggled in the big chair and played. Sunday night, John cooked an amazing steak dinner with birthday cake for dessert! He even bought Hydie diary free ice cream so she could have a treat too. He also had a beautiful bouquet of pink roses on the dining table and two gift bags. I couldn't wait to see what he and Hydie had picked out. The first bag had 3 jar candles and the other had 3 beautiful picture frames. The frames were for the pictures Amy had taken on Tuesday. Thank you to my loves!!! You definitely made this birthday special (even if we did celebrate a day late)!!!!

God Bless America

2010-07-05T21:14:00.004-08:00

This is our 4th Independence Day being a military family. I am so proud to say that my husband is a part of what allows our nation to be the "Land of the Free." No, it is not easy and yes we have days that we ask why are we doing this, but on days like today I know we are doing exactly what God has called us to do. We thank you for standing behind our military and supporting them.

Earlier in the week, John was promoted to ET2. To celebrate his promotion and July 4th, we invited a few friends over for a barbeque on Saturday night. We had a great time enjoying fellowship with our friends. It was kind of a bittersweet night for me. While preparing for the event, I decided to make "family recipes." I was given a homemade cookbook with hand written index cards of all my family's favorite recipes when John and I got married, so I started looking for "cook-out" recipes. I made Ms. Robbie potato salad and homemade ice cream, and I used Brittany's Flag cake and Mrs. Evon's cream cheese pound cake recipe to make dessert. Everything came out perfect and I have to say the potato salad was almost to die for. Wonderful!!

While cleaning and getting ready for everyone to arrive, Hydie and I were placing flags on the tables. Well, this led to a mini photo shoot of Hydie and Carter with their flags. Might I clarify myself, it was one flag that Carter kept stealing from Hydie. Now you understand the reason for the not so great pictures.

After dinner while the guys played a round of poker, we brought out the bounce house for the girls (Hydie and Alyssa) to play outside since it was beautiful. The girls played and played. We even got brave enough to let Carter play with the big girls. This was his first time in the bouncer so he was quite confused on what exactly he was suppose to do. The girls jumped until about 10 p.m. when we all decide that it was getting too cold and the bug were too bad to stay out any longer.

After getting warmed up inside, we decided to drive up the hill to Upper Government housing to Lookout Point and watch the fireworks at midnight. This was the first time we have seen fireworks in Kodiak because every year it has been raining and too fogger to shoot them. We were really too far away for good pictures, but this is what we saw.

We hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

Exciting News!!!

2010-06-28T20:11:00.006-08:00

Can you guess who is who?

After framing these to put in our bathroom, I realized how

much our babies look alike! Kind of scary actually!!

This has definitely been a very exciting week in the Gallagher house! After not hearing anything about jobs on Monday, I went to bed a little let down. However, that did not last long! Tuesday morning I get a call from Genieve from KANA (Kodiak Alaska Native Association) offering me the administrative assistant job!!!! God is SO good!!! After that call, my schedule filled up very quickly for the day. The kids and I ran all over the place meeting about daycare stuff, getting drug tested (me not the kids), getting medical paperwork filled out, and tons more. We were wiped out but over the moon! Hydie and I even made hydie-friendly brownies to celebrate!

Wednesday I began my cleaning madness and organizing for the Sunday yard sale. Thursday I became an official KANA employee. I am now the new KANA Community Services Administrative Assistant to 6 different administrators. Yes, I think it sound very professional :). John then cooked some amazing halibut that night. Carter had his first real meat....halibut. Yes, he's an Alaskan baby! He loved every bite!!!

Friday, we even got more good news. John will be an ET2 as of July 1st!!! I am SO proud of him! He definitely deserves this promotion! Sunday we had a yard sale with another Coastie family and were able to get rid of a bit of our stuff. I am so thankful to have at least some of that stuff out of our house. After the yard sale, I was back in cleaning mode and getting everything organized and "ready" for my first official week of work. My wonderful friend Danielle is coming to our house during the day to watch the kids. We are so blessed to have the Pack family back in our lives! So, now we are to today, also know as Jade's first day of work in the past 2 years. Man was it hard to get going this morning. I did have lots of butterflies and nervous this morning, but they soon faded and I really enjoyed my first day of work. I already have 2 full pages of tasks I need to accomplish in the next couple days. I very much appreciate all the many thoughts and prayers about the job! Now, I am praying that the kids will get in the CDC (daycare on base) soon. Danielle will be keeping them until the CDC has spots available, but we would really like to get them in as soon as possible. Thanks for all the prayers!

This is Carter's new favorite past-time, getting stuck under the table!

Fishing and Father's Day Fun!

2010-06-21T20:26:00.009-08:00

We have had a semi-productive week I guess you would call it. We went to the park several times, I baked, John went halibut fishing, John and Hydie went fishing, I had an interview, Hydie and I had movie night, we celebrated Father's Day, and I saw my first "dumpster diving bear." Yeah, I would say we've had a week worth writing about!

John and our neighbor Andrew finally after many attempts to rent the Coast Guard morale rental boats were about to go out halibut fishing. I believe this was Andrew's first time halibut fishing. To say the least, they had a blast! After being gone most of the day, I get a text message from John saying that he wished Andrew would quit catching all the fish and give him a turn. I assume it was beginners luck that Andrew kept catching the fish. While waiting on the guys to fish cleaning the boat and hauling the fish and supplies up to the parking lot, Hydie decided she wanted to hang from the ropes like the fishies. So being the non-germaphobe mother that I am, I let her hang from the ropes that are made to hang fish on. Yes, mom I made her wash her hands as soon as we got home. We then spent the rest of the evening packaging fish. Have I told ya'll how wonderful halibut is? If you haven't ever tried any, it's definitely a reason to come to see me! I think that will probably be one of the biggest things I miss about Kodiak when we move.

Thursday night Hydie and I decided since Daddy had a Coast Guard poker tournament to go to that we would have a movie and popcorn night. I finally found Hydie's kettle corn popcorn at Wal-Mart so it was just another reason for us to have a date. Hydie picked Toy Story (1) for us to watch while we were at Wal-Mart. After getting Carter to bed, Hydie and I snuggled up in the big chair and watched Toy Story and ate popcorn. Gosh, I love moments like these! Makes me want to freeze time.

John had to work most of the weekend due to contractors doing installs, and he had duty on Saturday night. Since Daddy was away, I decided to try a new recipe I found for pulled pork in the crock-pot. It cooks for 12 hours and then you take it out and shred it. I started it around 8 p.m. so it would be ready Sunday morning for Father's Day supper that night. I had to give myself time just in case it didn't turn out. Around 2:15 a.m. I was woken up by this loud bang noise and then lighter tap noises. Of course, the first thing that ran through my mind was the crock-pot. I immediately jump out of bed and run to the kitchen expecting the top to the crock-pot to be tossed across the kitchen and there to be roast and onions splattered all over my cabinets....Negative. I then decide that it must have been someone throwing something into the dumpster since the dumpster is right outside our house. I go into the bathroom and look out the window. To my surprise, their is a HUGE bear standing against the dumpster pulling trash out. The only thing I could think at the time was that I needed to call the military police before he does some real damage or gets into the road. I watch milpol drive through with their light on, but the bear in no where in site. After a few minutes, I hear the same noise but this time it sounds farther away. I figure he has moved to the next dumpster across the playground. Then I hear the milpol truck make this loud beep noise. I head back to the window and I see the bear stick his head out of the dumpster and then jump out. Milpol then followed him up through housing and finally off base. My adrenaline continued going the rest of the night. All I could think about was the bear "breaking" into my house because he smelled the roast cooking. No, I have never heard of bears breaking into home because they smell something cooking, but what else was I suppose to think about at 3 a.m.. I'm just thankful John was on watch during all this commotion so he could at least calm me down a little.

These pictures were taken from a friend on base the same night I saw the bear. In the midst of calling milpol I never thought to grab my camera. My camera is now living on my night stand just in case the bear comes back.

Sunday, after John came home from work we finally were able to celebrate Father's Day with him. We had pulled pork sandwiches (that were wonderful by the way), baked beans, fries and key line pie for dessert. We then went to the park by our house and played until bathtime. I hope all my favorite daddies had a very good father's day. Especially Happy Father's Day to my daddy and John's daddy! Thank ya'll both for raising us to be honest, hard working people who love our Lord. We definitely would not be the people we are today if it wasn't for ya'll! We love you!!!

I am still in the job hunting stage, well I guess you can say I have advanced from the hunting stage to the waiting stage. And if you know me, you know I don't wait very well. I am about to go crazy waiting to hear something, anything. Please continue for me to allow God to guide me in the direction He needs me to follow, and that I will know soon as to what that is He wants me to do.

What a fun week...

2010-06-14T09:49:00.009-08:00

We had a very fun week last week. We went hiking, took a trip to the Touch Tank, welcomed friends to Kodiak, played on the beach, and went fishing. The Operations department on the CGC Alex Haley decided it was time to take a break from work and spend some time with family and friends. This trip consisted of hiking on Near Island and going to the Touch Tank; two things our family had never done. Yes, we have been hiking other places, but we haven't ever been out to Near Island. We had so much fun! Hydie walked almost the entire trail by herself without complaint. Carter of course was in the backpack carrier on Daddy's back. Hydie was definitely in heaven with all the "wild flowers" through the trails. We spent more time picking flowers than some of the group spent on the trails.

After enjoying the beauty of Kodiak, we headed to the Touch Tank. It is a mini version of an aquarium. Hydie LOVED touching all the star fish, crabs, and fish. Carter enjoyed watching the fish in the HUGE circular tank that is in the middle of the room.

We are so excited to be able to welcome our friends Andy, Danielle and Alyssa to Kodiak. Andy was one of John's teachers while in A-school in Petaluma, CA. This transfer season, Andy got orders to the CGC Munro that is stationed here in Kodiak. Hydie and Alyssa are only a couple months different in age, and they played really well together. We haven't seen the Packs since Hydie was 2 months old when we stopped in California on our way to Alaska. Welcome to the ROCK Packs!

On Saturday, Carter took his first "scoots" forward. He has been scooting on his belly backwards for a while, but he actually had belly off the floor and crawled 2-3 times before he slid to his belly. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of our little man for hitting another milestone!

Yesterday after John got home from duty, we packed up the kids and the cooler and headed to Monashka Bay to have some fun in the sun with the Brown family. We set up tent on the beach (yes we have black sand but at least ours is suppose to be black unlike the Gulf Coast), and the girls immediately began playing with their beach toys. Carter and Nichole watched mostly while the big girls played. John and Jon decided to take Hydie and Lindsey fishing so they hiked down to the water and fished. To MUCH surprise, Hydie caught her FIRST fish! John was such a proud daddy! He even got a little teary-eyed... They immediately ran back to camp so Mommy could take pictures. Hydie was oh so proud of her fishie. To avoid having to take the dead fish home and explaining to Hydie that it couldn't sleep with her, we decided it would be best to "release" it back to the ocean. John took Hydie back down to the water and explained that the fishie missed his mommy and we had to let him go home. Thank goodness for waves that took little fishie away. It was definitely a sweet, sweet moment

Sorry for such a long post, but I am going to try and update the blog about once a week. I have another interview on Wednesday and I got a call yesterday about another job so please pray that I will get a job SOON

Back in Kodiak!

2010-06-04T13:30:00.006-08:00

Our adventure to Mississippi finally came to an end, and we are now back as a family in Kodiak. We can't explain how much we miss each and every one of you Mississippians, and thank you for all the fun memories we will have forever. We just got internet hooked back up yesterday and to say the least I am SOOO thankful! You don't realize how hard it is to live without internet/phone/cable until you don't have it. Thank goodness John and I both have internet on our phones so we could at least pay bills and catch up the latest Facebook news. This past weekend, Kodiak hosted its annual Crab Festival. The road is always lined with food vinders and then there is a "midway" where the rides and games are. This year was definitely our most fun year, minus the rain, since we have been in Kodiak. Hydie was actually able to enjoy a few of the rides and games which made it so worth standing in the rain so she could just ride the train one more time. Of course, Hydie's favorite part was the cotton candy, and if you have ever been around her while she has cotton candy you know it does not last long. Hydie also enjoyed a turkey leg for the first time ever! She would not touch it on the bone but devoured it when I pulled pieces of meat off for her. I, of course, enjoyed fresh crab legs. Thanks to John, I actually was able to get to the meat because "fresh" crab are MUCH harder to crack than the ones you get at Red Lobster.

We also went out fishing the other day. It was so much fun! Hydie LOVES her "fishy pole" and thinks fishing is the best thing ever. John is obviously VERY excited that Hydie loves to fish. He now has a fishing buddy, but I have promised him that we would all (including me) go fishing together as a family alot this summer. Carter also seemed to enjoy being out by the water. He stayed in the backpack, but he did enjoy watching his daddy and sister.

We are finally settling back down into a routine and getting acclimated to the 50 degree weather. Carter had a much harder time adjusting to being "home" than Hydie ever did, but it was definitely expected. He misses his grandparents BIG TIME!!! Hydie, of course, went straight back into the normal life of Kodiak. While getting settled, I have been on a hunt for a job. Yes, I have been a stay at home home for 2 1/2 years now, but I have decided that the time has come to end this chapter and begin a new one. The kids will more than likely be at an in-home daycare since the only "real" daycare has a huge waiting list, but I am actually ok with that. So please pray that I for one get a job and two find daycare for the kiddos.

Past Couple Weeks!

2009-11-16T22:59:00.005-09:00

She's my heart

My Sweet Little Angel

Hydie kisses are the best!

She's a daddy's girl!

Carter's first "real" bath

We have been trying to get back into some kind of routine since life is beginning to calm down a little. Mr. John & Mrs. Jenni flew back home on Saturday the 7th and John went back to work on the 9th. So I have been spending my days trying to figure out how to juggle both kids and the dog with only 2 hands. I am learning, Hydie is learning and everyday gets easier. Well, I say it's getting easier but Hydie began running a fever and becoming sick on Friday morning. We get her into the doctor's office Friday afternoon to confirm that she and John both have H1N1. We were all given Tamiflu and sent home to rest. So far, Carter and I have avoided catching it and we are praying that little Carter doesn't get it since he is so little and a fever could put him in the hospital. Speaking of Carter, I took him to his well-baby check-up today to find out our little angel is already 9.06lbs. and 21.5in. long! Can we say we are going to have a football player on our hands? Well, I know ya'll are ready for some pictures so here are a few I have taken this past week or so....

Daddy's hand!

Peek-a-Boo

Big Sister is already good at being bossy....SSSHHHH Carter

My Sweet, Sweet Babies

Carter Lindley 3 weeks old

Sweet Little Feet

Holding on tight to Mommy's heart

Big Yawn

Hydie's 2nd Birthday!

2009-11-08T11:10:00.009-09:00

Thank you Young family for the talking backpack

Friday, November 6, 2009 our little princess or should I say "explorer" turned 2! I can't believe that time has flown by SOOOO fast. It seems like yesterday that I was in Mississippi having Hydie Bug, and now she is saying a couple word sentences and being a little mommy to her new baby brother. She is now 28 lbs. of muscle and 34 in. tall...Can we say she is getting big?

Thank you Aunt Sharon for the Dora Castle

To celebrate Hydie Grace turning 2, we had a Dora Fiesta on Friday night. We all had so much fun and we thank everyone for coming and celebrating with us

Thank you MiMi Jenni for making the Fiesta Dress

Thank you Pop-Pop & CiCi for the Dora Hat

Thank you Mimi Janice and Papaw John for the 4-wheeler

MiMi Jenni and Poppy Came to Visit!

2009-11-07T22:03:00.003-09:00

MiMi Jenni and Poppy flew in the Friday after Carter was born for a week visit. It was SO good to see them! I can't thank them enough for all the help this past week! Getting adjusted to having a 2 year old and a newborn is quite exhausting and it was so nice to help cleaning, cooking and loving on babies. Hydie definitely appreciates all the attention and we ALL are going to miss MiMi and Poppy next week for sure!

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-07T16:25:00.005-09:00

This was Carter's very first Halloween and Hydie's first Halloween see actually understood how to go trick or treating.

Hydie was the cutest little pumpkin in Kodiak and Carter was the most adorable little giraffe! Since Carter was only 6 days old, we only went to a few friends' homes to trick or treat, but at the last house Hydie learned how to say "trick or treat."

Mr. John and Mrs. Jenni flew in the day before to visit and meet our little Carter so they also enjoyed the festivities with us.

Halloween morning we carved our pumpkin and roasted pumpkin seeds and then MiMi Jenni went with us Trick or Treating that night. Poppy stayed at the house to hand out candy.

Carter Lindley Gallagher

2009-11-07T15:59:00.004-09:00

I know it has been FOREVER since I updated but I promise I will try to do better! Our family has been blessed with the birth of Carter Lindley Gallagher. He was born on October 25, 2009 at 4:22 A.M. at the Kodiak Hospital. He was 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 21 in. long. Hydie is doing an awesome job as a new big sister!

Easter Bunny

2009-04-04T14:14:00.002-08:00

This morning the Easter bunny was at the National Guard Armory taking pictures with little ones. When I read the advertisement, I knew I had to take Hydie to have her picture taken and meet the Easter bunny. This was Hydie's first encounter with anything like this (dressed up character). To say the least, Hydie was extremely terrified! I did get a couple pictures of her screaming her head off but other than that, she was not having anything to do with the Easter bunny or anybody but me for that matter.

Pee Pee In the Potty!!

2009-04-04T14:06:00.002-08:00

Yes, we have been singing "pee pee in the potty" song this week! We bought Hydie her first big girl potty this week! We put it together Wednesday night and so far she has pee peed 4 times on it! She loves her potty and loves to sit on it. However, she has to have a book or her "laptop" while sitting on the potty. She is way too much like her daddy! My goal is to have her potty trained before June but of course that is just a goal and I am not going to force her to go on the potty if she doesn't want to. I am trying to make this a fun experience and stress free (will see how long this last!). Today at Wal-Mart they finally had some Gerber training pants (like little panties with extra padding) so we will see how well they work. If anyone has any potty training advice, I am all ears!

Snow Days!

2009-03-24T17:09:00.005-08:00

Yesterday afternoon we had one of the worst blizzards Kodiak has seen in a LONG time, especially this late in the season. We made it through the white out conditions and loss of power last night (power came back on around 10), and this morning we were greeted with 20 inches of snow fall but we had about 4 FEET of drift around our house. The base was closed, schools are closed and even TOWN is closed! In Mississippi, this is not uncommon when it snows for things to close but it is a HUGE deal here in Kodiak. It is 5 p.m. and the snow plows haven't even made it over around our house yet because there is just SO much snow! We are lucky to have a 4 wheel drive truck and John and the guys shoveled the walkway to the parking lot. After shoveling for about 2 hours, we had lunch and the guys decided it was time to play! They made a slide down our basement steps that Hydie thought was the best thing ever, and then they had snowball fights and did flips off our deck into the snow! We all had a blast and Trooper (even though the snow was deeper than he is tall) would still be playing if we had not made him come up stairs to rest. By the way, a couple of pictures Hydie does not have on gloves. This is because she continuously kept taking them off and threw a fit every time I put them on her.

My Princess is a Big Girl!

2009-02-26T16:23:00.006-09:00

This past week has been somewhat of an adventure for us. We moved Hydie into a "big girl" bed. Right now it is just a twin mattress/box spring on the floor with a guard rail. She loves it! She has only gotten out once but mostly she will stay in until I come in and get her. We really didn't want to move her from her crib so soon, but she is a climber and she climbed out the week before and scared us to death! So, we are now a big girl in a big girl bed! Trooper is really enjoying Alaska and is growing like crazy! He is finally 99% potty trained and knows basic commands like sit, stay, no. He is such a quick learner and I am SO thankful! We are still working on manners (not to get in Hydie's face, not to lick visitors, etc.) but hopefully those will all soon come! This past week I also finally received my camera that I have wanting for EVER it seems! I got a Canon Rebel XSi and LOVE it! It is an intro. professional camera so hopefully I can get some good quality pictures of Hydie with it!

More Updates....

2009-02-20T12:52:00.003-09:00

The last blog entry I caught up on what we did while in Mississippi. Now, since we have been home we have had valentine's day and played in the snow! Valentine's day was so nice to be able to hang out with John and Hydie all day! Hydie and I didn't even get out of our pjs! I cooked v-day breakfast (heart-shaped pancakes, eggs, and bacon) and John cooked a FANTASTIC dinner (my favorite- Shrimp and chicken alfredo, green beans, corn, and key lime pie for dessert)!! Hydie had lots of fun on love day too! She had a few happies from John and I but CiCi and Pop-Pop also sent special v-day happies to their love bug! A few before valentine's Hydie and her friend Lindsey went on a little sled ride through the yard! They had so much fun and played and played until their hands got cold! Since then we haven't had much going on!

It's Been WAY Too Long!

2009-02-17T13:24:00.003-09:00

Yes, I know it has been forever since I updated! So here's a quick update...After Hydie's birthday, we had Christmas with John, he left for a patrol, Hydie and I flew to Mississippi, went to Adam's wedding, spent Christmas with the Carter's, Hyde's, Fulghum's, and Gallagher's, and had Hydie another birthday party with family and friends from Mississippi. To say the least, we have been a little busy! We were in Mississippi from December 11-February 1. John flew in on the 28th to see his Nana that is very ill and flew back home to Kodiak with Hydie and I on the 1st. I am so very thankful I had John's help this time on the flights. Hydie was quite a handful. The day after we got home, Hydie FINALLY began walking on her own without holding on to things. Now, she is all over the place and I can't keep her still! My baby girl is getting so big! I want to thank everyone for everything ya'll did for us in Mississippi! We are so blessed to have such awesome family and friends! It was so good to be able to visit with each and every one of you!

Hydie Turns 1!

2008-11-11T22:27:00.008-09:00

I can't believe my little Hydie Bug is already a year old! It seems like yesterday I was flying back to Mississippi to prepare for her arrival. She is such a blessing and I thank God every day that He blessed John and I with such a perfect little girl! Hydie is officially 21 lbs. and 30 inches long. She is standing alone quite a bit more now and I am thinking any day she will be taking those first steps. She has become such a beautiful LITTLE GIRL. John is finally giving me permission to say she is a little girl now instead of a baby. She definitely has her daddy wrapped around her little finger.
We had a very successful first birthday party! Hydie loved her cake and ice cream! She was too cute eating the polka dots off one by one. We can't thank everyone enough for all the gifts and helping with the party! She received so many fun toys, books, and well needed clothes! John and I bought Hydie a bounce house to play in during the long winters here. So all the kiddos had tons of fun jumping and playing in the ball pit. Well, John will be leaving again soon. We are very sad to have to say goodbye again (and this time it will be a pretty long goodbye) but we will make it through. To break up the time, Hydie and I will be coming to Mississippi for a few months visiting.

Christmas with Daddy

2008-11-01T18:25:00.006-08:00

With John's work schedule this year, he won't be with Hydie and I for Thanksgiving or Christmas so we decided to do Christmas today. Since it is SO early in the season and we are having Hydie's birthday party here next weekend, I chose not to go all out and put up my normal Christmas decorations and such so we bought the little tree at the exchange yesterday that worked just fine. John and I had already done our gifts earlier this week so this morning was really all about Hydie. John got a new gun to shoot rabbits...he was like a little kid in a candy store the day we bought it...and I got a new cell phone (blackberry curve) so I can email with John while he's on the boat. I have been wanting a new phone for a long time and was thrilled to get a blackberry! Now for Hydie, Santa brought her a wagon and a Kelty Kids backpack carrier for she and John to go fishing this next summer. John and I got her a vsmile baby game system and games, blocks, a ball (her FAVORITE toy), and some books. She had so much fun opening the gifts and playing with everything. After opening gifts, we had the traditional breakfast casserole and waffles for breakfast. This was Hydie's first experience with breakfast casserole and she seem to really enjoy it! We will be doing "thanksgiving dinner" tomorrow. We will see how Hydie likes turkey and dressing!

Our Crazy Life!

2008-10-30T21:52:00.004-08:00

We have had a very busy schedule the past few weeks. Let me start off with a review of the past weeks. Hydie is officially standing! We have just begun our journey with using cloth diapers because Hydie is allergic to disposable. John got home this past week! I have been so far into textbooks I can't even see straight. So now you are caught up on our crazy lives! Hydie is growing more and more each day and is almost too tall for 12 month pants! When we went to the doctor the other day she measured in at 30 inches long and 20 lbs. My baby is becoming a little girl...:( Speaking of her growing up, we will be celebrating Hydie's 1st birthday this next week (11/6). We are so blessed to have such a beautiful little girl! John will only be in port for a few short weeks and then we won't see him until March. So forgive me if I don't update again for a few weeks but family is of most importance. We are taking Hydie to the Kodiak Bible Chapel for Halloween fun tomorrow night and then Saturday morning we are having our "family" Christmas. Yes, this means I will be putting up my tree in the wee hours Friday night. We are having to do Christmas so early because like many other military families, we have to work around the duties of the Coast Guard and that means John won't be with us during Christmas so we get to have it a little early. Hydie and I will actually be in Mississippi from December 12th through February 26th. So if you want to see us just let me know! I am getting very excited about our trip; however, I am also becoming very nervous about flying for 24 hours straight with a 1 year old that is into EVERYTHING but we will make it. Well, hope you enjoy the updated pictures!

Bowling!

2008-10-02T19:58:00.004-08:00

Hydie and I enjoyed our night out with some friends at the bowling alley on base! It was our friends Stephanie and Eric's little girl Samantha's birthday. We had so much fun! Hydie had a blast being of course center of attention! She even got to bowl!!! She was too funny!! She didn't want to let the ball go. I didn't do so bad myself but of course I didn't hit 100 but I did get one strike! Here are a few pictures of our bowling experience! By the way, Hydie had cheetos while bowling tonight!

Updates!

2008-10-01T21:09:00.004-08:00

Since I haven't posted in a while (sorry about that) I thought it would be a good time for me to give ya'll a few updates! John is on his first patrol on the CGC Alex Haley. He will be home sometime around Hydie's birthday. We miss John tons but are so thankful for email and cell phones! I have actually gotten to speak with him over the phone twice since they left. It gives me goose bumps every time I hear his voice! Hydie is growing like a weed! She is almost walking and is getting into everything! She is saying a few words now. She says Dadda and Bubba on a very regular basis. We are guess that she is getting Bubba from my friend Jana's little boy because we call him Bubba. That's what we are saying anyways! Hydie also has 4 teeth coming in all at once on the top. Can we say orajel??? I am still taking 13 hours of college classes this semester and I just quit my job at Coastline Computers. My last day was yesterday. It was sad to leave but I had become very overwelmed by working full time, school full time and full time Mommy AND Daddy! To say the least I have been quite stressed the past couple weeks and everyone around me could tell! However, today was my first day back to being a stay at home mom and I loved every minute of it! Yes, I still have tons to catch up on but it will get done! Hydie and I are planning our trip back home for Christmas. Since I am not working anymore and will only be taking online classes next semester, I have decided to not just come home for Christmas but from Christmas until sometime in February! We are so excited that we are going to be able to visit family and actually get to spend time with everyone unlike our other trips where we were running around like crazy!

Baby Soup!

2008-08-25T22:11:00.003-08:00

This weekend we had tons of fun! Saturday it rained pretty much all day so we just hung out and had lots of family time. Sunday Hydie and I went to Jana's to sew and John went fishing. Well, we didn't get much sewing done but we did find a place that would keep Hydie still for a couple minutes! She sat in this pot on the floor for a good 20 minutes just playing. She LOVES to help cook and pots and pans are her all time favorite toy! Hydie is getting another tooth so we are doing lots of teething...She loves "otter pops" the little popcicles that are in the clear plastic....she just chews on the plastic until the popcicle isn't cold anymore! She is eating pretty much everything now...Sunday morning she ate an entire waffle plus some scrabbled eggs and a handful of cherrios. She is pulling up on everything and walking holding onto everything. She is also really quick and sneaky! I have NO idea where she gets the sneakiness from.... I am going back to college this year to finish up my associates degree to be ready for nursing school when we move. I am a little nervous about getting back into the studying groove but I'm sure I will do fine. I start next Tuesday the 2nd and my first class is Anatomy and Physiology!!! John is getting ready to go out on his first real patrol sometime next month. We are both a little anxious to get this patrol behind us. The first patrol is always the hardest!

Why Buy Toys?

2008-08-10T23:17:00.003-08:00

Why do we bother buying toys for Hydie? Lately, she has no interest in "toys" but she really seems to enjoy the cat toys, door stopper, laundry hamper, and plastic bowls. Hydie is now pulling up alot more, and today she push on the laundry basket to walk. She is too cute! This weekend we did alot of cleaning out and organizing. It feels so great to have an organized home! Hydie has started really enjoying when Mommy is cooking or cleaning the dishes because that means she gets to play with the pots and pans or tupperware. She thinks it's the coolest thing for me to put cheerios in a container so she can shake it and try to figure out how to get the treats out. Hydiebug is definitely expanding her food options lately. She now eats pretty much what John and I eat (just in tiny bites) and she loves cheetos puffs but I don't give them to her much because they make the biggest mess! She is also drinking formula out of a sippy cup now instead of a bottle. She decided to do this on her own when she woke up one morning and completely refused to take her bottle but was fighting to get her sippy. We have almost finished renovating the interior of John's truck. I finished up the sun shades tonight. To say so myself, I think it looks pretty darn good.

Sleepy Baby!!

2008-08-09T09:46:00.004-08:00

Thought ya'll might get a laugh out of this.

As we were eating dinner the other night, Hydie just couldn't stay awake to finish. As soon as I stopped the video, I gave her a bath and put her to bed. Hope you enjoy!

More Pictures Of Papaw & Danny's Visit!

2008-08-04T22:49:00.002-08:00

EaglesWorld War 2 Bunker

Hydie and Daddy

John, Hydie, Papaw Fatty

Ocean and Mountains

Visit With Papaw Fatty

2008-08-04T22:30:00.004-08:00

After a 12 1/2 hour ferry ride, Papaw Fatty and Danny Boy finally made it to Kodiak Island. To say the least, they were exhausted! After they arrived Friday afternoon I took eat lunch and then off to the house for showers and cat naps. Once we got settled in John called and wanted to give us a tour of the Alex Haley since he was on duty all night. This was my first time on the boat so it was even very exciting for me! Papaw Fatty

Saturday morning after John got home from work, we all packed up and headed out for a day of fishing! John With His Fish

Danny With His Fish

We had so much fun Saturday and we even caught a good many fish. I REALLY Caught This Fish!!

As soon as we got home and got the salmon cleaned, we ate dinner and John cook some wonderful FRESH salmon and steaks!! Sunday we decided we had, had enough fishing and went sightseeing. We took Papaw and Danny out to Fossil Beach which is one of the farthest drivable points on the island. Today John and I both had to return to work so Papaw and Danny followed me into town and did a little sightseeing on their own. Our Mississippians left tonight around 6:00 p.m. headed back to Homer, AK to finish up their trip and head back towards home.

Beach Pictures

2008-08-01T15:32:00.003-08:00

Fun In The Sun

2008-08-01T15:09:00.004-08:00

July 17 through 30th Hydie and I visited Mississippi! It was so nice to be home and visit with everyone! While we were in Mississippi, we celebrated my 21st birthday, Brittany graduated with her LPN degree, visited the gulf coast, celebrated Papaw John's birthday, and got Hydie's ears pierced and pictures taken... To say the least we were a little busy but we had so much fun!This was the first time Hydie has ever been in a pool but you would never known it by looking at it. She is definitely a little fish!! John is now home and will be home until September. We are so excited to have Daddy home for a while! While we were in Mississippi, Hydie finally started really crawling and now you can't let her out of your sight because she will get into something! Papaw Fatty suprised me yesterday when he called to tell me he was in Homer, AK and would be traveling on the ferry to Kodiak and should be in Kodiak by 11:30 today! I went to meet he and Danny Boy at the ferry and we are now just getting home and getting them settled in. I'm not really sure how long they are planning on staying but am so excited just to see them and finally get to share Kodiak Island with some of my family!

My Mohawk Baby!

2008-07-10T21:08:00.002-08:00

So Hydie finally has a little bit of hair on her bald little head. It seems to only be growing in the middle though. But since we don't have enough have enough hair to wear bows, I decided that we will just start spiking her hair up like a mohawk!! She is too funny when she is posing for pictures now! She definitely will be our little camera hog in years to come! We have been having such a good time with Daddy home! He will return to the boat this upcoming Saturday. We aren't looking forward to him leaving but the sooner he leaves the sooner he gets back. Hydie has her second tooth now and I think she might be working on another one! She is also crawling but she will only crawl backwards but is trying sooo hard to crawl correctly! My little baby girl is growing up way too fast!

Pictures from the 4th!

2008-07-06T13:10:00.002-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Independence Day!! Hydie was so excited to see her Daddy at the airport!! We had s'mores at our friend's house and Hydie thought she need to try one so I gave her a marshmellow and a original graham cracker!! She was in heaven!!

Happy 4th!!

2008-07-04T14:17:00.002-08:00

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy Independence Day!! I can honestly say this is one of the BEST 4th of July's I have ever had!! John is on his way home as I type!! He should be landing around 3:00 p.m. and then we will be heading to our friends Jeff and Jana's home to have a cookout and hopefully watch fireworks...It is pretty yucky with all the fog and rain today but that isn't stopping us!! John will be home for about a week and then head back to the boat for a few more weeks. We are so excited to be able to have this time with him!!! We have missed Daddy soooo much!! Hydie is almost crawling...she has figured out how to get on all 4s now and just rocks back and forth! I will post pictures later this weekend of all our 4th of July fun!

Recap!!!

2008-06-24T10:21:00.004-08:00

I apologize for letting my blog go for so long without any new updates! But here's a little recap...First off, Hydie is growing like a little weed!! She is almost 8 months old and weighs right at 18 lbs. She cut her first tooth this past week and to say the least, I hope it's a few more weeks before she cuts another one. Hydie is scooting EVERYWHERE and getting into everything!! She isn't actually crawling yet but boy is she mobile! She is eating quite a few things from the table now (mashed potatoes, french fries ((her favorite)), peas, noodles, pretty much anything that she can suck on and it dissolve in her mouth.) I have started a new job working at Coastline Computers here in Kodiak. We do computer repair and special orders. I will be working pretty much 10-4 or so and the best part is...I get to take Hydie with me! This job is such a blessing from God!!! John is still gone and will hopefully be back in port in a few weeks!!! As far as my embroidery goes, I have been working up a storm!! I have moved my machine over to my friend Jana's house because I seem to work better over there than I do at my own house! We have been making outfits for Hydie and Jana's kids!! I have found out how to do so many cool things with my machine!

On The Go!

2008-05-02T23:28:00.005-08:00

Wow, I am so sorry I haven't posted in a while!! We have been so busy! A couple weekends ago we went to Fossil Beach with our friends Tabitha and Bryan. We had to drive about an hour to get out to the beach but it was well worth it. The scenery on the way was breathtaking. On the trip out to the beach we saw tons of buffalo, cow, and horses. It it so weird having to wait for buffalo to cross the road! We finally get out to the beach and the guys start making a fire so we could stay warm and roast marshmellow. It's so hard getting use to NOT wearing a swimsuit to the beach. I even had to put Hydie's snowsuit on her to keep her warm! John's 21st birthday was last Friday, so we had a little get-together here with some of the guys that he works with. We had fun and they played lots of poker (John even WON!). Hydie is growing like a weed!!! She is now drinking juice out of a sippy cup and eating a full jar of baby food a night! She is trying so hard to crawl but just hasn't got it down pat yet. She is also TEETHING!! This past week she has been very fussy and has been running a low grade fever most of the week. I can feel one of her top teeth but it just won't push it's way through. This is a very frustrating time for Hydie and Mommy! John left last Saturday for a two week school in Virginia. He is staying the weekend with Shannon, Justin, & Tempy. I am a little on the jealous side that I didn't get to go visit! I have been monogramming and sewing up a storm! I have actually made a few "sales" these past couple week! My friend Tabitha, Hydie and I are leaving Sunday for Anchorage, AK. I have some doctor appointments so we will be staying Sunday through Wednesday in Anchorage. Neither Tabitha nor I have ever been to Anchorage so this should be a very interesting experience.

Our Week In Review

2008-04-12T15:52:00.003-08:00

This past week has been a little crazy. Wednesday, my friend Tabitha came over and we started making a bag for Hydie's stroller so I don't have to carry the diaper bag everytime we use the stroller since it seems we are doing that alot more often now becuase the weather is getting nicer. Wednesday night, the guy that was fixing our computer brought it back! Can you say I was extremely excited!!! So the rest of Wednesday John spent uploading software and what not on the computer. Thursday I couldn't wait to start monogramming on my new machine!!! Tabitha came back over and we make some really cute things! I even had my first "customer" Thursday! My mom called and wanted me to monogram a beach towel!! Friday we did more sewing and monogramming (and of course playing)! When John was home for lunch he told me that the guy that fixed our computer was interested in me making him some polo shirts for the guys that work for him!!! I was head over heals about this!!! So all afternoon that's pretty much all I worked on because I wanted something "perfect". The guy hasn't seem the designs yet but I am so anxious for him to see and tell me what he thinks! Hydie is officially sitting up by herself more times than not and we are currently eating carrots and sweet potatoes! She like the potatoes way more than she likes the carrots but who wouldn't!!!

April Fools!

2008-04-01T12:54:00.003-08:00

Hydie Standing On Her Own

Happy April Fools Day!!! Well this past week has been pretty good. Wednesday, I took Hydie to the doctor for her 4 month appointment and she is 12 lbs. 15 oz. and 24 1/2" long!!! She is getting so BIG!!!! While at the doctor she had to get updated on her shots which is never fun but she did very well and really didn't cry that much! Thursday, I went to the eye doctor for a contact check-up and to say the least, I can't see..PERIOD!!! The doctor is really nice and wants me to come back on the 15th of April to get a referral to a ophthalmologist to do more test to see what is causing my eyes to change prescriptions so much. Friday was John and I's 2 year anniversary! We had a fantastic day. John took the day off to spend the day with Hydie and I. Around 3:00 p.m. John made me leave so he could get things ready for his surprise! We came back around 6:00 p.m. with a wonderful dinner cooked, roses, gifts, and candles! It was so nice and I enjoyed every minute of that night!!! I gave him a XBox 360 and a new game for it (that's what he wanted)! Saturday, we got up and went to the Flea Market in one of the plane hangers here on base. I have never been to a "flea market" and let me tell you...there was a bunch of JUNK!!! We did get a desk to put our computer and my new embroidery/sewing machine on, a chair for the desk, a hip sling for Hydie, John got some weighters to go fishing. Saturday night was went over to Rachel and Tom's house and all of us girls went to the movies and the boys stayed at the house and played cards. It was fun to hang out with friends! Yesterday, my sewing/embroidery machine came in!!! I am so excited!! Hopefully soon I will be selling monogrammed things! Right now I am planning on creating a website and selling from my home here in Kodiak!

Happy Late Easter

2008-03-25T09:30:00.003-08:00

Happy late Easter! We had a pretty good Easter. On Sunday, we were pretty much on the go all day. We got up and saw that the "Easter Bunny" came to see Hydie, ate breakfast, then off to church. Church was PACKED!!! We weren't even late and the only place left to sit was in the very 1st pew!! I could literally touch the piano! It was a great service and 2 girls were baptized Easter Sunday also. After church, we came home, ate some lunch and then headed to one of the guys John works with home. We ate supper and visited with them. It was so nice to meet more people and especially nice that they were our age! Yesterday, we spent the day "getting back on schedule" and doing a little cleaning and laundry. Today, we have Hydie's 4 month doctor's appointment and she has to get shots!! Hydie has got a cold so please pray that she doesn't have any fever (from the cold or teething) so she can get her shots since we are already a little late getting them.

Our Trip To Mississippi

2008-03-24T14:31:00.004-08:00

CiCi & Hydie

Pop-Pop & Hydie

Hydie and I took a "Spring Break" for a few weeks to visit family in Mississippi. We were on the go from day 1. After flying from 12 noon till 8:30 A.m. the next day, we were both exhausted but that didn't stop us from stopping by a few stores on our way to my parents house. It was so good to visit with everyone and of course eat GREAT food! Poppy & Hydie

During our stay in Mississippi, we celebrated Pop-Pop's birthday (the day we flew in), went on a day trip to New Orleans, went to Den-Den and Poppy's, IT SNOWED!, went to Columbus and had supper with Sarah, Kyle & Railyn and had Hydie's pictures made, had get-togethers at Aunt Nancy's, MiMi Janice's, and Memaw Hellen! We had so much fun and can't wait till our next visit! Thanks to everyone that help make this visit so special!!! While we were gone, Hydie made some very special memories that I won't ever forget! She started eating cereal and she also cut her first tooth!!! It was so good to visit but it's also so good to be back home in somewhat of a routine!

John Mark & Jessica Hydie Eating Cereal

All Played Out!

2008-03-01T19:39:00.004-09:00

Sorrry I haven't posted in a few days. We have been pretty busy this week. Wednesday, I had to go to the hospital for some tests. Hopefully we will know something soon. While I was resting after getting home from the hospital, John was feeding Hydie and what do you know...she started holding her bottle by herself!!! She is growing up so fast! Thursday, Hydie and I went over to our friend Jana's house and worked on another sling for our trip to Mississippi. Hydie has really started to enjoy her jumparoo and activity center. She even enjoys sleeping in them as you can tell. I can't wait till her 4 month doctor visit to see how much she has grown. It seems like she has really grown soooo much this week alone. Today we took a drive to see what was past base since we never go any further than base. We saw some awesome scenery!!! I didn't know that Kodiak Island was this BIG! On our drive we saw some horses and cows. The horses look very much like Mississippi horses do, but the cow were another story. I tried to take pictures but something was wrong with the memory card in my camera. The cows had extremely thick, long coats. They were the weirdest things I have ever seen. Can I add that none of these animals were fenced in....they were just roaming on the side of the road. I am so not used to that! I am now trying to get some packing done since Hydie and I leave Monday for Mississippi.

Happy Birthday Brittany!

2008-02-25T10:06:00.003-09:00

Happy Birthday Brit! We miss you bunches and hope to see you soon! We had a very lazy weekend! Saturday, John played in the volleyball tournament here on base. They lost both games but still had tons of fun playing! It was nice to finally meet some of the people he works with. Yesterday, we went to church at Berean Baptist again and then were invited over to a very sweet couple's home for lunch. Hydie loves church!!! She gets so excited when they start singing and then of course goes to sleep during the message. So far, we haven't had to take her to the nursery because she is so good! Lunch went well. There were three other families besides us there so it was nice to fellowship with other Baptist believers. Yesterday afternoon, John had the second volleyball game, and Hydie and I went to a Taste of Home party at Becca's and had a blast! Oh by the way, I booked my flight home!!! We will be in Mississippi March 4th-19th! I can't wait to see everybody!

Keeping Busy!

2008-02-22T12:59:00.005-09:00

We seem to have kept ourselves pretty busy this week. Tuesday was of course Craftnite and Jana made Hydie this adorable sling! We love it! I can actually cook dinner and clean the house while "holding" Hydiebug. Wednesday, Lisa brought over 2 other slings that she's letting us have. The blue sling is for water. It's made out of this mesh material so water can go through easily when you are in the pool! I can't wait to try it out!!! Yesterday, we had a cleaning day and Hydie finally decided that she REALLY likes her jumparoo! She is still too short to touch the floor so I put blankets under her and all around her in the seat. She is too cute! Last night we had Marlene and her little boy over for supper. It was so nice to finally have friends to invite over! Today, we had a playdate at my friend Winona's house and it was nice to meet more new people. Of course, Hydie wasn't much into playing so she decided that it was more fun to sleep! The past few days have been pretty sunny and the snow/ice is melting in place...I actually can see GRASS in places! However, I just looked outside and of course it's snowing again!

Happy Birthday Mimi!

2008-02-18T09:27:00.003-09:00

Happy Birthday Mimi Janice!!! Also, Happy President's Day!! We have had a pretty relaxing weekend. We went to church yesterday at Berean Baptist Church. It was a nice little church. We enjoyed the service and the people were all so nice! We even got an invite to eat lunch at a lady's house next Sunday! They really did make us feel at home!! On our way into town this weekend, I remembered my camera and took a few picture through the car window. I will try to take some better ones on a clearer day but it was snowing/raining pretty good all weekend!

Valentine's!!!

2008-02-15T12:56:00.007-09:00

We seem to have finally gotten back into our routine since John's back! This week we've been pretty busy. I've had a few dr. appointments and such, but of course I went to Craftnite Tuesday night!!! Craftnite was great; however, it was the first time I have ever left Hydie with John so to say the least, Mommy was a little nervous. I knew he would be totally fine but I still had Mommy butterflies! Everything went GREAT and they were even in the bed asleep when I got home! It was so nice to be able to go hang out for a few hours with adults without baby.
Wednesday, I finally got Hydie rolling over on video!!! I started the camera after she had already rolled a little but got most of it!!! We had a good Valentine's Day yesterday. I got up and cooked breakfast and had John and Hydie's happies set up for them. It was a nice morning and Hydie LOVES her books and alligator!! I got my Valentine's (a Wii) a little early and I absolutely LOVE it!!! I can't wait till Wii Fit comes out!!

Burrrr!

2008-02-11T14:45:00.000-09:00

The past few days we have definitely had our share of winter weather! Saturday (the day John was suppose to fly in) we had a blizzard...It was crazy! This was the first time I have ever experience anything like that. The winds were like 70 mph gusts!!! Can you say, blow me away??? To say the least pretty much everything was shut down for the day. While the blizzard was flying Hydie and I around (not really...we didnt leave the house), John was flying home! Well everything was going good besides the weather here until he got to Seattle. His plane was delayed 3 hours because the cargo guy couldn't get the door open....To say the least, John was very frustrated because that meant he missed his flight from Anchorage to Kodiak. When he finally made it to Anchorage he was informed that the 2 other flights going out Saturday were booked and he would have to spend the night in Anchorage. He finally made it home at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning but his luggage didn't quite make it until 5 yesterday afternoon. John did have to go to work today and we are back to our normal routine. I will try to take some pictures but yesterday I forgot my camera when we went driving around so hopefully we will be able to go sometime this week and take some pictures!

Hydie Got Her Mobile Today!

2008-02-08T17:47:00.000-09:00

We had a good 3 month birthday yesterday! She is getting soooo big! So, I wanted to thank CiCi and Pop-Pop for the mobile! Hydie LOVES it! Also, Aunt Sharon, thank you so much for Hydie's V-day card! So, nothing very exciting has happen lately...JOHN COMES HOME TOMORROW!! I am so excited, so is he!!! He tried to get a flight out today but it didn't work out. Here's a little video of Hydie watching her new mobile and a picture of her standing up!

Our Day!

2008-02-05T21:47:00.000-09:00

Ah, what a day! Well Hydie and I didn't quite make it to MOPS this morning but hopefully will be able to make it next time! However, we did go to town with our new friend Lisa. We went to Wal-Mart and then she showed me the "sights" that John hadn't shown me yet and to say the least I didn't want to venture off by myself and get stuck somewhere. So it was so nice to finally see things here other than Wal-Mart!!! We got home around 2 p.m. and rested and talked to John. He is still doing good but is now really counting down the days till he is HOME! At 6 p.m. we went to my new favorite time of the week, Craftnite at Jana's!!
Looky what I made (well, with a little of Jana's help)!!! I am going to hang it in Hydie's room to put her coats on! I am so excited!!! Tomorrow will be Hydie's 3 month birthday but I'll write about it tomorrow!!!

Happy Birthday Papaw Fatty!

2008-02-04T22:28:00.000-09:00

The past couple of days have been pretty boring around our house. It was so good to talk to Aunt Sharon, Aunt Sue, James Robert, Uncle Fred, and of course CiCi and Pop-Pop on the web-cam Sunday! I wish we could have been there Sunday for Papaw Fatty's birthday lunch...HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPAW!!!! We miss you all dearly, think of you often and pray for everyone daily! John is still in school and has LOTS of homework.
Oh, Hydie has found her new best friend...her bird thing hanging from her boppy thing! She is so funny...she will sit there for about 30 minutes and just talk and talk to the bird. She is growing up so fast! I am trying to take in every moment that I have with her because before I know it, she will be in high school and not have time for Momma. Ok, enough of that...she is beginning to sit up alot better in her bumbo. She even fell asleep in it while we were playing the other day! I am so excited about tomorrow! We are going to MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) tomorrow morning and Craftnite tomorrow night! We actually have social things to do!!! Also, we are excited that we are going to visit our first church Sunday morning!! God is good..All the time!!!

Hydie's Room

2008-02-01T21:01:00.000-09:00

I took some pictures of Hydie's room. It's not completely done but I thought I would let ya'll know what it was looking like. She is actually not sleeping in her room yet, but we have decided that we are going to try to let her sleep in her room when John gets back. I am not excited about this because that means my baby is growing up and I don't like those words! Hydie will be 3 months old next Wednesday!! She is becoming such a little miss independent! She wants to stand ALL the time! She loves to play on the floor and have "tummy time" and she absolutely LOVES to look at herself. She will stop everything she is doing and just look at herself for minutes at a time! I tried to tape her rolling over today but of course our little Hydie refused to do it when Mommy had the camera out! John is half way through with his school and is really ready to be home!

Snow!

2008-01-30T23:10:00.000-09:00

Sunday Morning

I can't sleep so I thought I would let ya'll know what's been going on so far this week. Sunday when John left, it continued to snow all day and on into Monday and FINALLY stopped Monday night. The snow was beautiful, but why did it have to snow the day John leaves??? This wouldn't be so bad but being from Mississippi, I haven't ever seen much snow in my life (especially THIS much!!). Therefore, I had no idea how to shovel it, drive in it, or even walk in it. So, here I am freaking out because I have never driven our Tahoe till Saturday night or driven ANY vehicle in 4-wheel drive or on snow/ice and I have Hydie with me! Well, we made it home and I decided that I wasn't going anywhere until it quit snowing. I guess I was expecting it to be like Mississippi and when it did quit snowing, all the snow would melt...yeah right!!

Monday Morning The Pile the Snowplow Left

By Monday afternoon, I had realized that our truck is covered in snow and I have no idea how to get it off. As I'm talking to John, I ask him what to do, he tells me and acts likes it's no big deal. Well, I get out there and realize that I am VERY short and can't reach the top of the truck to wipe the snow off to open the door; so I give up and come back inside and decide I'm just not going anywhere until John gets home. Tuesday my new friend Marleen calls and says they are on base and asks if I would like for her hubby to clean my truck off!!! God is GREAT!!! Of course, I said yes and thanked them like 1000 times! So after they leave I get Hydie ready and we go to the exchange and then we went to Craftnite. I had a blast and I even think Hydie did! It was so good to finally meet people and get out of the house! Today, Hydie and I went and hung out with Marleen and her little boy at their house and it was so good to spend most of our day out and about. By the way, John seems very busy with school and hasn't had much time to chat but is ready for Feb. 9th to be here!!

Our First Week In Kodiak, AK!

2008-01-28T12:48:00.000-09:00

Well, Hydie and I made it to Kodiak Saturday January 19th around 5:30 p.m. Alaska time! John and some of the Coastie Chicks were there to greet us! It was so good to see John again and to meet new faces! It was raining the night we got here but John still drove us around and showed us where everything is and took us to a nice dinner at the Chart Room. The rest of last week we unpacked and tried to get settled in. Hydie seems to be adjusting well, but Friday I did have to take her to the doctor here on base because she has a really bad cold or as the doctor called it, "the Kodiak Crud." She is doing much better now but still has lots of snot. In the midst of Hydie and John being sick, Hydie has learned that it is really, really fun to stand up with Mommy and Daddy's help of course! She is growing like a weed and is becoming such a busy body!! She is giving Mommy a good workout since Daddy flew out Sunday for another school in California. He will be gone until Feb. 9th and I am SOOOOOO ready for him to be home (and he's only been gone a day!).