So, we just booked a trip to Disney World in March! I know we said we were going to wait, but we had the time and money to do it. So being me I couldnt wait! lol I am so excited to go, and watch the girls just be in heaven. I know I will be. I could go there every year and be happy! So of course we will take tons of pictures! Of like everything!! lol We will be there from March 2nd through the 9th. Disney World has a great promotion going on right now where you pay for four nights and get three free. Then you also get the tickets too. So we got a really good deal. I went to Walmart today and found some really big stuffed Minnie and Mickey dolls. So I got them and we can take them with us. Instead of buying them there. It would cost alot more there. So the girls are getting those for Christmas. So I really cant wait til March gets here. Well first I cant wait for January when David comes home. Weve got 39 days or less to go! Its getting here!

Next week is our last frg(family readiness group) meeting before the guys come home. They are going to have Santa there too, so I know the girls will enjoy that! We are also going over to a friends next weekend to make banners for when our guys get here, and its her birthday too so I thought I would make her a cake. I cant believe its already time to make banners! How exciting.

Well I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and are ready for Christmas to get here. I know I am!

Our Thanksgiving

Constance
Ivy(not sure what that look is all about!)

Daddy bears enjoying thier meal! They were stuffed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the cats new hiding place. I think she thinks the girls cant see her here! lol

Well we had a pretty uneventful Thanksgiving. Constance is sick though. We were supossed to go to a friends house, but she ended up getting sick all over herself so I thought we better stay home. We still had ham, and all the goodies that went with it. Didnt have pumpkin pie though, so we are going to buy one tomorrow and eat it! When it was time to eat Ivy put her "daddy" bear up to the table in one of the chairs, so I went and got Constances too. Then I was told they needed a plate too. So since we could not have daddy here at least we got to eat with the daddy bears! It was cute. That was pretty much it for our Thanksgiving day. Oh yeah, and we watched the parade this morning. Or should I say, I watched it! They werent too into it. Oh well, maybe next year they will be. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving day!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am Thankful for.......

1. All that God has provided for our family, and what is still to come.

2. David, he is the best husband a girl could ask for, most devoted father two little girls could ask for, and best soldier this country could have!

3. Constance, I love watching her grow and learn new things everyday. She is the most inquisitive, imaginative little girl I know, and I love her even more for it!

4. Ivy Jewel, my sweet(most of the time) little baby girl. She is my nurturer, and loves being a mommys girl! I love it too!

5. This country, my husband is putting his life on the line everyday so that we back home can be safe and live our lives without the fear that some countries have to live in.

6. Family, without them getting through this deployment would have been oh so hard. Just wish I could be with everyone for Thanksgiving!

7. Friends, especially the ones who have husbands in Iraq right now too. Together we form a sisterhood, that no one else can quite understand. Its hard, but together we can make it through this.

8. Walmart, what would we do with out it!

9. Pumpkin Pie, whoever invented it is awsome! Love it!

10. Blogging, without it I could never have gotten this out to the world!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

New Bedtime

Well our new bedtime was semi-successful. Its going to take a bit of time for her to get used to. She didnt make it til eight last night. We got to about 7:20 and she started having a melt down, which is a sure sign she is ready for bed. I tried to drag out our bed time routine. Drink some milk, Brush teeth, go potty, then get in bed and read a book. Then I had to find the cat, she wont sleep without her now. So she fell asleep a little before eight. Im just going to keep trying to get closer to the eight mark each night.

This morning she woke at six. She wanted a drink and to go potty, so then I layed her back down. She actually went back to sleep for about 45 minutes. So we all ended up waking around 7:20. That is much better compared to five! Hopefully we can get into a good routine that is more consistant.

Gobble Gobble!

I found a fun Turkey activity for the girls to do. They had a lot of fun putting it together and putting glitter all over them. Here are some pictures!

Our new bed and a new bedtime!

Our new bed, kinda fuzzy
Our tree

So I decided to go ahead and put up our Christmas stuff. We dont have much, but I do like to have it out. It was just sitting in boxes in the corner of the livingroom waiting to be put out, so I decided what the heck, I might as well. So the girls had fun helping(a little too much fun!). They do love the lights. Last night when I went to bed I turned them off. This morning when Constance came into the living room I was told "Mommy, you do not turn the lights off, do you hear me!" So hopefully I can get into the living room in the mornings before she does so I can turn them on for her. lol

I also got our bed put all together. Man, I tell you what, that is definatly a two person job. I got it all done though and I really like it. Its nice not having to lay on the floor on a mattress now!

So the girls bedtime is officially changing as of tonight. Ivy is usually in bed around seven. I know its early, but she has always been ready for sleep that early. Even when she was a baby. Constance is in bed around 7:30-8:00. The usually got up around 7-7:30 every morning. Until now. Since we have moved here, Ivy is up between 5-5:30. She usually ends up waking Constance who would like to sleep in longer. So I am changing Ivys bedtime to 8:00 tonight. We shall see how it works out. Constance will go to bed shortly after. I have always put Ivy to bed first, so we will keep it the same. Heres to hoping she sleeps in a little longer in the morning!

David and I :)

I borrowed this from Rennie!
What are your middle names? Dawn and Michael
How long have you been together? together 7, married 4
How long did you know each other before you started dating? ummm a few months
Who asked who out? He asked me
How old are each of you? He is 24 and I am 23
What are your astrological signs? Gemini, twins!!! Birthdays are four days apart
Who's mother do you see the most? mine
whose siblings do/did you see the most? ummm well about the same, which is not much
Do you have any children together? Yes two beautiful little girls, Constance 3 and Ivy almost two
What about pets? one cat, Star, and a puppy that we will get in January!!!! His name is Apollo
Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? War
Did you go to the same school? only for a little bit
Are you from the same hometown? no
Do you live in the same town now? well at the moment, no. But we will soon!
Who is the smartest? depends on what it is about
Who is the most sensitive? equally both
Where do you eat out most as a couple? We like Applebees and Chillis!
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Ummm, Colorado or Texas. About the same distance really.
Who has the best group of friends? we have the same friends and they are all great
Who has the craziest exes? neither...
Who has the worst temper? ummm.. He does when it comes to work maybe, but both pretty easy going
Who does/did the cooking? I do most of the time, but he likes to cook too.
Who is more social? definitely David
Who is the neat-freak? well its not me thats for sure! So him I guess
Who is the most affectionate? both
Who is the most stubborn? He is!
Who hogs the bed? oh...without a doubt..him
Who wakes up earlier? David does, he doesnt have a choice
Where was your first date? movies and Fuddruckers
Who has the bigger family? he does
Do you get flowers often? yes, just got some this week!
How do you spend the holidays? Just depends on where we are that year. This year its just me and the girls :(
Who is more jealous? I have a tendency to be
Do you have little pet names for each other? yes, Im Tator Tot and hes Spud
How long did it take to get serious? oh not long at allWho sings better? I would have to say me
Who's older? he is by a year and four days
Who does/did the laundry? me
Who does/did the dishes? the dishwasher
Who snores? neither
Who's better with the computer? he is, although Im getting pretty good at it now
Who drives when you are together? He doesWho picks where you go to dinner? both
Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong? hmmm.... i dont know both I guess
Who kissed who first? oh he kissed me first
Who wears/wore the pants in the relationship? he does
Who eats more sweets? me
Who cries more? me
Who has the older car? Only have one car. While hes gone its mine and when hes home its ours! lol
Who has bigger dreams? we dream together
Are you two still a couple? for all eternity

Greetings from Texas!

Flowers David sent me!

Our room

Constance's room

Ivys room

bathroom

messy kitchen

living room

Just getting into Texas!

Ok this is my second attempt at this blog. I got it all wrote out before and then my computer started messing up. So here we go again!

We made it to Texas all safe and sound. The girls did very well on the trip. I was glad the drive was over, but wasnt too happy to be here. I just dont like living alone without David here. Im doing better now. Especially that my internet is on now. I missed it very much. Ive gotten most of the house unpacked. Just need to put some finishing touches on it. Ive posted some pics of our house before I started unpacking. Looks a little scary. As soon as I get everything finished I will take more.

The bad part, is the day after we moved I started getting sick. I think I had the flu. It was horrible! I am just now starting to get over it. I had the worst cough ever! Thankfully its almost over.

On December 13th, we will be having Ivy a birthday party. I cant believe she will be two already, but the attitude confirms it! lol

Anyways, that is whats going on with us for now. I will try to post more pictures soon!

All packed up and ready to roll!

Well we have the uhaul all packed up and are leaving around eight tomorrow morning. I expect it to be a very long day, but luckily we are not going to drive all the way through tomorrow. We will stop around six or so. That should get us a good part of the way and then we will stop in a hotel for the night. The next morning we will head out early, go pick up the keys and start moving everything in.

I had my mom snap the pic above tonight, because of all the times we have moved, I never seem to get any pictures. I have one from a move before of Constance standing in the back of a uhaul. She had just turned a year old that week. So this time I am going to try to get a few while we unload.

Dont know when I will be on next, need to get internet set up there, so til then I will miss you all!

Update

Ive been lazy about blogging lately, but I thought I better at least get one in before we move. It might be long, there has been alot that has happened. Ok, I will start with the housing problems I have been dealing with. Oh man, I tell ya, I have never been so frustrated in my life! I called every morning this week to see if our house was ready for moving into yet. Everyday the answer was no. Even today they said call back tomorrow. So I was very upset this morning about it because I have heard that for a week. I just knew they would tell me at the last minute and I would not be able to get there in time. If I didnt get there in time they would give it to someone else and we would go to the back of the list again. So, I was ranting and raving to David about it(sorry hon!), and I get a call from the housing company. She says, I left a message on your phone yesterday(never got a message) that our house was ready yesterday and I needed to sign for it today at the lastest or we lose the house! Crap!!!! I was like, well thats impossible, so what do I do. She said "oh, well I can fax you the lease and you can sign it and just fax it back and you will be good to go!" I was like, and you couldnt tell me that last week! I havent slept all week cause I was so worried about this! I mean geez! So anyways, I got it signed, and the fourth fax number she gave me finally worked! figures! lol So all I have to do monday is go pick up the keys. I cant wait til we are finally there, and I can breath again. After that, we just need to get David home.

Speaking of David, today has been exactly a year since he left for Iraq. I knew this day was coming, but in all the drama with getting this house I forgot until later on today. Wow, a year without my love. Its been a long one, I can tell you that. The saying, you dont really know how much you love someone til they are gone really is true. He is my rock, and I feel so vulnerable without him here with me. I know the girls miss him too. Only a couple more months though, and he will be here with us! I cant wait for that day. Ive been dreaming of it since the day he left. Now I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Today was Constances last day of school. I dont think she really understands that though. I tried telling her, but it was too hard to tell her she will never see her friends again probably. So I just left it alone, and she had a great day. She has a little friend at school who she became very close with. Her name is Ashlynn. She is adorable! Anyways, when I went to pick Constance up from school this afternoon they were in line holding hands. Then when it was time to leave, they gave each other a big hug and Ashlynn said"Bye my bestest friend, have fun at the bye bye place!" I almost lost it! To be so young and innocent, and not understand the harshness of the world. I wish I could keep her there forever, but I know she has to grow up, and be her own person. Scares me sometimes, to know that one day she will be out there on her own in this world, but we are doing our best to start now to prepare her for it. I only hope its good enough.

Wow, that was emotional! lol

Alright, so I am leaving Sunday morning. I will try to blog one more time before then. Dont know how long I will be without internet. I sure am going to miss it, but I will be back!

Halloween!

This was the best pic I got of Drake

Mattie the witch

Rachel under the sheet

Great Grandma and Grandpa Vote with the girls

Great aunt Sharon and Uncle Joe with the girls

Getting candy at a nursing home

Me and my girls

the pirate and the penguin!

Here are a few pics from our night. The girls got to stay up late, and they were so wired when we got home! They got tons of candy!