And now for a wellness update...

Well, things have calmed down a bit on the flu front. Evan started feeling much better Saturday night. He still has a scratchy voice and a cough, but can now function as a human. He went into work today, so hopefully he'll last without getting too over tired. Elisabeth started feeling a little better yesterday. We knew this because she started talking again. Saturday, it was like she wasn't even there. She didn't move off the couch, barely said a word and took a 2.5 hour long nap. So not our normal Ebeth. Yesterday she was a little more talkative and even skipped around the house.

She didn't have a fever all day, so we ended up going to the park for a little bit just to get out of the house. Plus, it was 80 degrees outside, so we thought we should enjoy it while we could. She still has this whole week off for fall break...I have no idea what we're going to do. First, she needs to be public worthy (aka: no fever, no glassy eyes, no growly voice, etc.) and then we can think of things to do. We really want to see "Where the Wild Things Are", but are thinking that Julia's not going to sit through it, so we're contemplating a babysitter. I volunteered to see it with Ebeth by myself, but Evan did not think that was a great idea. :)

So, here are pictures of us at the park at the beginning of last week before the flu hit our home. The weather was in the high 60s and perfect! Elisabeth is all about doing flips on the playground equipment. She practices at school during recess contstantly.






Julia's more of a slide girl. I love watching her prepare to go down the slide. It's a SLOOOOW process.





These are pictures of Elisabeth's Orgeon Trail Wagon. You will notice the horse pulling her wagon. She is equipped with books, blankets, food, animals and, of course, her baby sister.




And here are pictures from our short trip yesterday to the park. Look, the girls were in shorts!!!




Julia enjoys walking through the playing field attached to the park. She prefers to be chased through it.

H1N1 in the house.

Yep. Ebeth is down for the count. Evan has it too. He was sent home from work on Friday, because he seriously looked like death warmed over. Elisabeth has it much worse than Evan does and seemed to get worse much quicker. I called the doctor's office, and they told us there's not a whole lot they can do. Give her tylenol for her fever and aches, but otherwise, let it take its course. But, if she starts to show any signs of respiratory problems, then take her to the ER immediately. Apparently this strand of flu is settling deep in the lungs and that's what all the big scares have been about. So, we're keeping an eye on her. And letting her watch countless movies and drink endless cups of hot chocolate. :)

So far, Julia and I are good to go. I have a little cough, but still feel fine. Keeping our fingers crossed.

Oh, and this weekend is sunny and beautiful. Probably the last nice weekend we'll be having for a while. Figures.

Nina and Papa came to visit!

Evan came home Friday evening and brought his parents with him! They all flew into the same airport within an hour of each other, making it super convenient for them all to get here!!!

Unfortunately, the weather sucked all weekend. We had freezing fog all Saturday and Sunday. What is freezing fog, you ask? Well, it is fog that makes the dew freeze to everything. It's like pea soup to look at.

Anyway, they all didn't get in till almost midnight, so the girls didn't see them till Saturday morning. Of course, Ebeth was a bundle of excitement and jumped on Jana and Keith on the futon as soon as she woke up and proceeded to talk their ears off. Julia, on the other hand, needed some time to think about them. She went to Jana pretty quickly, but insisted on seeing Keith's identifications (aka: the picture on the fridge that we have of him) so she could compare him to his photo.
After he offered her food, she warmed up.
Here is the frozen dew on our yard.


So, all the plans we had were out the window. We did end up going to lunch at a place called Little Biggs right near our house. It's a pizza place with an arcade and little "town" for kids 10 and under. I went there with my mom's group for a play date and decided that it would be great for Ebeth's birthday party this year. (She wanted Chuck E Cheese, but it is scary and dirty and ghetto, so we vetoed that)

Jana and Keith told Evan and I to go out for a date Saturday night, and there's no way I'm saying no to going out minus the girls!!! We planned on dinner and a movie, but when we were driving to the restaurant, we were slipping and sliding all over the street. All that frozen fog had frozen to the streets and it was ridiculously slippery. I may or may not have fallen down while walking into the restaurant. Anyway, we ate at the sushi place we love, and then decided to go home (so as not to die) and picked up some wine and beer for us all to enjoy.

Sunday was just as foggy, so we hung out all morning waiting for it to lift so we could go bowling on base. The bowling alley is super nice. It is not smoky, doesn't smell funky, and wasn't scuzzy at all!!!

Julia liked to help with our bowling shoes.
And licking the underside of the table.

Elisabeth is the kind of bowler who does a little jig while she waits for the ball to go down the lane. Hilarious!
Chillin'.
Shifty eyes.
Please notice who is in last place at this point in the game. Also, notice who's in first.


Of course, today, since it's the day they are leaving, the weather was sunny and lovely. So, we decided to go for a walk to Ebeth's school to play at the park.

First, we had to let the girls out of jail.
Ebeth showing off her mad monkey skills.

Evan got some help on the swings from his mommy.
Julia used Papa as her swing.


The girl loves to slide.
But was completely offended when she slipped and bumped her head and hurt her pride.
Evan was not about to be outdone by his daughters.




We really had a great time. It was so nice to see Julia warm up to them so fast. I know she's going to miss them (as will Ebeth, of course). Unfortunately, we will not be coming to Illinois for Christmas as planned. So, we probably won't be seeing them for a few months. Definitely the hardest part about being located somewhere so far from family.

It's time to throw a tantrum.

I am feeling whiny today. If you do not feel like reading about all my complaints, then I'd suggest closing this screen and finding something happy to read about. Like bunnies. Or shoes on clearance. Or balloons.

First off, I am exhausted. I do not sleep well when Evan is gone. I have gotten used to having him next to me in bed. He is an oven, so I don't really need extra blankets. But, when he is gone, I get cold and lonely. So, with my lack of good sleep, I am grouchy. Although, I am super proud of myself, because this morning (around 4 AM), Elisabeth came into my room to tell me she was scared because of noises outside her window, and I was so nice to her. I did not grumble. I did not grouch. I explained that she was hearing the wind that was bringing us snow clouds for tomorrow. "Oh, great," was her response. I put her back to bed.

Secondly, being as we've only been here not even 5 months, I don't really have anyone to hang out with when Evan is gone. I did have a play date with my mommy group on Tuesday, which was lovely, but I don't have friends or family who I can bug by coming over and eating their snacks and watching their tv. I depend on Evan coming home from work and talking my ear off. When he is not here, I tend to talk to the cats and Julia, none of which carry their end of the conversation very well.

I AM BORED OUT OF MY MIND. I am supposed to be cleaning because we are having company. I hate cleaning. I hate doing floors. I hate cleaning bathrooms. I hate putting away laundry. I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate it. Hate it.

The girls are being very good. They really are. But, with no back up, their exuberant personalities are wearing away my patience. For example, today, after eating 2 bowls of cereal, I told Ebeth that she would need to hustle upstairs to finish getting ready for school. I am getting a very cranky Julia down from her seat, when I see Elisabeth army crawling up the stairs. ARMY CRAWLING UP THE STAIRS!!! Who does that? Who honestly thinks that is an efficient way to get up the stairs in a speedy manner. She's humming to herself as she SLOWLY crawls up the stairs. I turn away and speed count to 100 because I have no nice thoughts going through my head and I really don't want to start yelling at 7:20 in the morning. After 100, I slowly turn to see if she is using her feet. Oh, no. She is now army crawling to the bathroom. I give up and go to my room to get ready, because, honestly, I was going to pitch her outside and lock all the doors so she couldnt' get back in.

I did go to the Y today to get some exercise in and get away from a very cranky Julia (who I know misses her Daddy and has no idea why he hasn't shown up in the past few days). Thank the heavens, she went in without crying, but did give me a look of "so, you're abandoning me again, huh?". That's right, you fat little toddling baby. See ya!

I finished my magazine while walking my 2 miles on the treadmill and was thinking about what I should do next (bike or elliptical) when I look around. There is a twig of a woman running next to me, who was running when I started walking, and was still running when I was done. She's there all the time. Running. On her twiggy legs. I keep glancing around, when I notice something. I am, by far, the fattest woman in the room. Not kidding. I know I've lost 15 pounds and several inches. I am fitting in clothes I haven't fit into in years. I am feeling better and actually enjoy working out. But, living in Colorado Springs when you are still trying to lose around 30 more pounds is depressing. The majority of people are military and are all in shape. Plus, this city is walking/running/racing/biking crazy. And, obviously, I am not in a good mood anyway, so looking at all these fit, tan, older than me women was not inspirational. It was making me see green. (Aren't I breath of fresh air today? Aren't I just a ray of sunshine?)

I choose bike riding because I can't see any one around me, which is good. I am biking along, listening to Neil Diamond on my iPod (I heart Neil Diamond) and notice that I'm pretty close to the tv with the nanny cam. I try to find Julia on the screen, because they tell me she plays and doesn't cry the whole time, and now I can witness it myself! But, I can't seem to locate her. She'd be the round baby with the shaggy haircut and the all pink overall outfit. Nope, can't see her. So, I finish my workout and go to get her. The workers greet me and announce to Julia that I'm here. I still don't see her. Well, she apparently spent the entire hour I was gone sitting against the back wall, yawning and staring at the other children. They said she never cried or whined and would shake her head no when they offered her toys or asked her to come and play. She greeted me with a smile and waved good bye to everyone. When I asked her if she wanted to go home and nap, she enthusiastically nodded and said, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!". Ahh...small miracles.

So, I'm trying to think positive. I have a day and a half left solo. Evan will be home Friday night and is brining his parents with him from the airport. I will have reinforcements and some time to have conversations with grown-ups.

But, I'm thinking of planning a long weekend away at some point. Where I will be the one everyone is missing. And, I might even think about coming back. Eventually.

Compare and Contrast

Let's play a little game I like to call, Compare and Contrast Elisabeth and Julia. It's most fun and everyone's a winner! It'll be even more fun when I wait till Julia's even bigger and can compare even older ages! Okay, let's begin!!!



Julia-one month old.
Elisabeth-one month old.
Sleeping one month old Julia.
Sleeping one month old Ebeth.



Two month old Julia.
Two month old Elisabeth.
Julia is a yellow skinned two month old.
Elisabeth is a pink skinned two month old.


Julia-10 months old.
Elisabeth-10 months old.
Julia is a non mobile 1 year old.
Elisabeth is an experienced 1 year old walker.
One year.
One year.
Julia-15 months old.
Elisabeth-15 months old.
Pretty girl.
Pretty girl.

Single Mommying it up!

Well, Evan's left for the week for Alabama. :(
He's taking a class on Labor Law, which he totally needs to take since he'll be in charge of it while one of his co-worker is deployed. But, he won't be home until late Friday night. He left Sunday morning around 5:30. Elisabeth really misses him and put his pictures in her backpack that she used to keep there in Kindergarten when he was gone for all those months for COT and JSOC training. Julia misses him too, but doesn't understand (obviously). Every time she hears a door open, she's frantically looking for him. :(

So far, it's been pretty good (you know, for the 1.5 days he's actually been away) (I'm such a weiner). We're keeping our normal schedules, so there's that consistency. I'm just hoping Friday gets here super fast. Oh, and when he come home he will bringing his parents with him!!! They're coming in for the weekend and they'll all be arriving at the airport on Friday about the same time! So I'll go from being a single parent to having two extra helpers to love on the girls for me!!!

Last Friday, my lovely friend, Karen (from my Mom's Walking Club), volunteered to watch Julia for me so I could go on Elisabeth's field trip with her. We went to The Spotted Pony Family Farm. They had a couple of animal areas for the kids to interact with the animals, a tractor ride, and then horse rides. It was kind of a disorganized mess, to be honest. The farm didn't seem to know how to handle 3 first grade classes and there was a lot of down time for the kids...which meant whining, boredom and getting into things they shouldn't. :) My inner teacher kicked in and I rallied the troops a couple of times when I felt mutinous vibes coming from groups of bored 7 year olds. But, Elisabeth had fun and thanked me a million times for coming with. Poor baby, she doesn't get too much one on one time with us like she used too. We're going to have to try to do things minus Julia every now and then. I see bowling in our future...

Here's Ebeth eating lunch.
Petting a bunny.
This was the farm's turkey. I LOVED him!! He liked being petted and followed everyone around. We're not sure if he's a pet or planned for the Thanksgiving feast for the farm. ;)

My name is Virginia, and I have a reading problem

So, as you may have noticed from my list of books to your right, I have been reading a lot lately. And, yes, in case you were curious, it is driving Evan crazy. :)

I can't seem to read enough. I would literally be doing it all day if I didn't have other responsibilities (and Evan will tell you that I've definitely ignored the world and my responsibilities).

Now, as you also may have noticed, I have read all four books of the Twilight series....in less than 2 weeks. I had originally been avoiding reading them because I had heard that they were an excellent read and once you started, you wouldn't want to put it down. Well, I know me pretty well, and I do that with pretty much any book I'm reading, so I knew that starting Twilight would mean dedicating a whole day to the book. So, a couple of weeks ago I broke down and bought the book. I waited until Julia had gone down for her nap and I started reading it. I finished it that night before bed. To say I was hooked is an understatement. I don't even know how to describe it. The book is about a teenage girl who ends up falling for a vampire. Not your normal love story, to say the least. But, the way it's written is more of a story telling than writing. I feel like I'm there. As one of my friends put it when she'd misplaced the book recently, "I panicked. I felt like I was going to miss something if I didn't find it and start reading again." Yep. That's it. I felt like I was watching another world instead of reading a novel. So, after the first one I was craving the others. Thankfully, I know some very addicted fans around here and they hooked me up. I read the other three like it was my job.

And now...it's over. The second movie comes out next month and I can not wait. Literally. I will reread them again, I know I will. But, I just can't put into words what it is about this saga that has me wishing there were more books coming out. I've been told of another vampire series that will hold me over as I basically go through withdrawal, so I have it on hold in the library. It's the series that is the basis for the HBO series True Blood. There are at least 5 books in this series and more on the way. We'll see. Because right now, all I need is Bella, Edward and Jacob. Oh, and Alice. I stinking love Alice.

So, for those of you who have not read the series yet--what the problem? You too good to read a series and love it more than eating, sleeping or bathing? Try it. You'll like it.

For those of you with my new addiction (my lovely cousins Colette and Jamie, I am thinking of you...), seriously, I may start them again in a week. I may have to join a fan club and talk vampire/werewolf talk. I may wish I had a special vampire power. I may be a completely lost cause.