tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72423924557054835942024-02-08T01:52:46.144-08:00The Best Place To Be a Mom.Ramblings of my daily life with two crazy boys.Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-15389465131319073152011-08-23T00:34:00.000-07:002011-08-23T00:34:37.115-07:00Operation: Organize.I think I watched too many episodes of Hoarders tonight. And read WAY too much of <i><a href="http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/">This</a> </i>fantastic blog. Also, the container store has a plan to take every penny of our income.<br />
<br />
The problem with shows like Hoarders, aside from the serious mental illnesses the people on the show have, is it makes me want to throw every single thing in my house away.<br />
<br />
The point is, we're moving next year, and I want an organized home when we move to a new place. I want every little sock to have a place. I figured it would be a good project for our move so I don't go crazy at some point in the next 8 months. My house is pretty organized now, but I absolutely need more containers. They wouldn't have a container store if they weren't necessities, right?<br />
<br />
But this is good! Another project for me! Before hubby left, he helped me organize the laundry room, office nook, and downstairs closet- which was really a huge, huge help. My goal for the week is to get the kitchen cabinets organized and consolidated, because I'm 99% sure that I have pots and pans from my first studio apartment ever. 6 years ago. Maybe I have some hoarding issues? Lets not visit that tonight.<br />
<br />
So anyways, back to the point. I'm hoping to gather enough stuff that none of us even know exist in our house, and have a garage sale before the "chilly" weather arrives next month. If there's one good thing about living in military housing, and also living so close to Mexico, its that you can literally sell anything and someone will buy it from you. With the money I make I'm marching my butt straight to heaven on earth, errr, the container store, and buying tons of new goodies for my poor container-worthy home.<br />
<br />
I'm only a few months late on spring cleaning, right?<br />
<br />
<br />
Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-56009355058488765342011-08-20T20:23:00.000-07:002011-08-20T20:23:04.602-07:00I'm back!Hello, world! Life is starting to settle down again, until my almost entire family arrives in a week and a half! I figured I'd update a little bit on life.<br />
<br />
Elijah starts preschool soon...how/when the heck did <i>THAT</i> happen. I don't like how my kids are growing up or whatever, it's sad.<br />
<br />
Brayden is now in a big boy bed, 3T clothes, and binky free. He's also decided that all the cool kids have terrible two's, so he should too. That's fun.<br />
<br />
Baron(our black lab) has a new obsession with the dog beach. He will swim for hours if we let him.<br />
<br />
I'm haven't stopped sneezing since 1:00 this afternoon.<br />
<br />
I really need motivation to start working out again...does anyone have some? The boys have decided naps are a rare occurance and sleeping past 6:30 am is for the birds....sooooo energy is limited. How do you get started up after a long hiatus of working out? SLeep just sounds so much better.<br />
<br />
I totally failed at taking a few classes this semester. I missed the e-mail telling me when I could register, and by the time I saw it all the classes I needed were full. Oops.<br />
<br />
I'm getting serious anxiety about where we're moving next year. I'm not sure why, because it's in a year. I just want to plan something, and I can't. Silly Marine Corps, your ruining my OCD tendencies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think thats about it as far as new updates. If anyone would like to donate money to a shopping fund for me, that would be pretty cool. I need a new wardrobe so bad, I'm pretty sure the last time I've gone out and gotten new clothes for me was....uh....2 years ago? Maybe longer? I don't know, but this momma needs new clothes.<br />
<br />
Also, who the heck made my kids so big? Elijah is pretty much out of toddler clothes. He's 3. What the heck?<br />
<br />
OH! I forgot to mention, hubby said that when he gets home from this deployment, we can have a <i>real</i> wedding. Not anything big, but I can like, wear a wedding dress. And get professional pictures taken, and have the boys be the little ring bearers. And maybe even have a honeymoon? It's only 5 years late, whatever.<br />
<br />
Let the planning commence!<br />
<br />
<br />
Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-4461631532061673682011-08-10T00:22:00.000-07:002011-08-10T00:35:47.080-07:00Wordless Wednesday/update!We have been enjoying leave and I have SO much to write about when my hubby man heads out soon, but for now, here are some of our family pictures I just got back the other day- I hope you love them as much as I do!! Thank you so much Frank(<a href="http://www.iaiphotography.com/">I Against I Photography</a>), your work is amazing and I cannot wait to get more pictures done by you!!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/6027953321/" title="OLRGates29 by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="OLRGates29" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6142/6027953321_0282458e5f.jpg" width="333" /></a>)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/6027952421/" title="OLRGates15 by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="OLRGates15" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6063/6027952421_81bc5c4055.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/6027952271/" title="OLRGates10 by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="OLRGates10" height="333" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/6027952271_b899b8186a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/6028501760/" title="BWOLRGates01 by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="BWOLRGates01" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6028501760_9b6848f815.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/6028505380/" title="OLRGates22 by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="OLRGates22" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/6028505380_fee2c4153c.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/6027954691/" title="BWOLRGates31 by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="BWOLRGates31" height="333" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/6027954691_ed645c404f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/6027954895/" title="BWOLRGates32 by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="BWOLRGates32" height="333" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6181/6027954895_10be7167a4.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
There are SO many more, but these are just a select few of my favorites...I'll be updating soon wth lots of blogs, stay tuned!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-42255840576750468422011-07-18T16:07:00.000-07:002011-07-18T16:07:56.148-07:00Week recap!Hello fellow bloggers! I hope everyone is having a great Monday and enjoying summer! We have had a good week here :). The little people's auntie came and visited for the weekend. We ate fattening food, went to the beach, and the kids went and saw Cars 2 with her while I got myself a much needed massage! My back feels 100x better since getting it, and the best part was it was only $40 bucks! Thank you, Massage Oasis!<br />
<br />
In other news, we are heading to Phoenix sometime this week or next! My sister-in-law took one of my dogs with her so I only have to make the 6 hour drive with the boys and 1 dog(baron)...so hopefully that makes things a little smoother! The reason we're going out to Phoenix is to see hubby!! He gets pre-deployment leave, and it's about 100 bucks cheaper to fly into Phoenix(where his family lives) than into California! I'm so excited...the night he flies in him and I are running away for a few days to a cute little undisclosed town to an adorable little undisclosed B&B! I plan on eating a lot of delicious food, sleeping in a comfy bed(and actually sleeping, for once-I'm horrible at sleeping when hubby is gone..), drinking a lot, and enjoying our little early anniversary weekend! I am even more excited to see the look on the kids' faces when I walk in the door with him..they are going to flip!<br />
<br />
So, thats it on my end! Have a great day!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-56684243768235979272011-07-08T22:16:00.000-07:002011-07-08T22:16:59.404-07:00Love.I won't lie...it's been a rough week. I won't complain, becuase it isn't your problem...but I could use a vacation to cabo right about yesterday.<br />
<br />
Instead of thinking about the horrid week I had, I'm going to think of how lucky I am. I spent half of the week at the beach, which was kind of awesome, because the boys are amazing when we go. They play with each other and don't fight, I get to relax, have a drink, and get a nice tan...or sunburn..whatever.<br />
<br />
I miss my husband terribly...I could really use his lovin right now...but even though he's on the other side of the country, he loves me just as much and it's awesome. He knows I've had a rough day before I even say so, he tells me what's on his mind without me asking, he makes sure to tell the boys they better behave for me...he's just the best. I hate that he isn't here to hug me and rub my horribly aching back, but I know he wishes he was....genuinely wishes he could come home from a 15 hour work day and rub my back because thats all that I want right now...and thats the next best thing.<br />
<br />
Aside from the almost constant fighting, the boys are awesome. There really is nothing like the love a son has for his momma...and I get it x2!!<br />
<br />
Snuggles, wrestling, and ice cream for dinner make up for bad weeks almost every time. I'm one lucky woman.Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-71347691752961826612011-07-05T21:12:00.000-07:002011-07-05T21:12:24.554-07:00Tuesday.Happy Tuesday, folks! I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! We made the best of it and played in the pool and had a water gun fight and then grilled out with the neighbors. We were going to go down to the bay and watch fireworks, but then I heard there were going to be 350,000+ people going to the same place...no thank you! Maybe next year when I have an extra set of hands :). We definitely missed my hubby man yesterday, but it was still a great day overall.<br />
<br />
I've been thinking a lot lately about friendship. I have a feeling this deployment is going to be a big eye opener for me on who my true friends are- heck, it already has opened my eyes up! I definitely know who I can count on to help me when I need it and those who I can't have already been deleted or "hidden" from my internet life so they can't just be nosey :)...thank you facebook! I think my biggest issue lately is feeling used. Not necessarily by a lot of people, but it's really frustrating when someone only talks to me when they need me to babysit their kids. Maybe I have always been too nice in that sense? I'm not sure, but it's definitely not happening anymore.<br />
<br />
In other news, the boys and I went to the beach today and it was fabulous...probably the most relaxing time I've had in a while! I don't think Brayden feels as "confident"(?) in himself when hubby is gone...he used to love the ocean and he was terrified of it today, maybe it's just his age though. Elijah on the other hand, LOVED it! He swam for 3 straight hours...I was shocked, he's usually terrified of the ocean. The only downside is I am now the color of the boy's bright red bean bag that I'm laying on right now :). Hopefully that turns into a nice tan in a couple of days!<br />
<br />
Well, thats all that I have going on here...I'm off to write a few complaints to some airlines whose "military rates" are absolutely ridiculous and way too expensive...someone needs to say something!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-90233104898692136242011-07-01T21:36:00.000-07:002011-07-01T21:36:07.301-07:00There's nothing better...Then a heating pad on your sprained back after lifting two little people up and down and groceries and diaper bags and laundry and pots and pans and everything else you can possibly think of.<div><br />
</div><div>That, and a glass of wine, complete and utter silence, and maybe a muscle relaxor in a couple hours.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Ah, the simple things.</div><div><br />
</div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-75296924033149058612011-06-27T23:46:00.000-07:002011-06-27T23:46:33.532-07:00Monday moans.Ok, I know it's not technically Monday anymore for anyone past Arizona, but give me a break- I have zero time during the day anymore.<br />
<br />
Anyways, tomorrow marks a week since my hubby man left us, and let me just say I am <i>exhausted</i>. Lets revisit my week<br />
<br />
Tuesday: boys were eerily good...it kind of scared me, but it was much welcome because I was miserably ill most of the day with some sort of stomach bug/food poisoning. My neighbor is kind of amazing and made us a fantastic dinner and it made me happy to not have dishes to do.<br />
<br />
Wednesday: I don't even remember what we did, it was such a blur, but the eery good behavior of my kids was gone by then. I think we played in the pool most of the day and I moped around<br />
<br />
Thursday: I cleaned and hid from my children, they had become monsters at this point. Elijah wouldn't sleep in anyone's bed but mine, and he insisted to stay up until 9:30 watching a movie with me. I think they started realizing dad wasn't coming home from work.<br />
<br />
Friday: We needed to get out of the house before I locked myself in a closet for 9 months, so we went to a new discovery- Santee Lake! I kind of fell in love, they have a splash park right next to the lake, you can rent boats, picnic, and they play movies there every Friday night for free(well, not free, you have to pay $8 for parking, but that isn't bad at all). Brayden was acting weird and quiet and clingy, so we left, he screamed until I laid him down for a nap, and then he woke up after an hour and projectile vomited on me for about an hour straight. I don't know if you read my father's day post, but I do not do well around vomit. Friday was a little rough to say the least.<br />
<br />
Saturday: I was drunk most of the day. I won't lie.<br />
<br />
Sunday: We went to my most awesome friend Alex's baby shower. Her present hadn't arrived yet, so my neighbor and I made an inpromptu diaper cake which turned out to be adorable, but I didn't take a picture of it. Stay tuned for that. Then I had a True Blood premier party with me and 2 other girls, and a few bottles of wine. Anyone have anything to say about the premier?! I am <i>so</i> excited about the season!!! I have a crush on Eric.<br />
<br />
Monday: I was semi-productive! My car got a good scrub down(rims included!), trash cans got bleached, porches got swept, and we even made it down to have dinner with Alex and her mom before she leaves me for a whole month!<br />
<br />
Overall, it was a success. I honestly believe that even though there were a few really rough days in there (read: Friday and Saturday), we survived, and I think I had a pretty good attitude through most of it and my husband only had me lash out of him one time all week! I'd say that's a success.<br />
<br />
Here's to another week!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-77218987011735296102011-06-25T22:16:00.000-07:002011-06-25T22:16:57.222-07:00Winnings!!Happy Saturday, fellow bloggers- I hope you all are having a fabulous weekend! The boys and I have spent all weekend in the beautiful San Diegio sun and we are loving it (minus a minor projectile vomit bout Mr. Brayden had yesterday- that was exciting.)....<div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>I've only been really blogging for a month or so, but at the beginning of the month I signed up for a giveaway on <a href="http://stoictia.blogspot.com/">this</a> lovely blogger's website- it was for a product called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/TruKid-Natural-Skin-Care-for-Kids/121190134594714?sk=app_4949752878">TruKid</a>- basically an all natural skincare line for kids. I was really excited to find out that I won the giveaway...you see, Brayden has the most sensitive skin EVER. Any sunscreen I have tried usually irritates his eyes to the point where they look black and blue if the sunscreen gets anywhere near them...it's so awful. Well, good news- my shipment came today! It was the perfect day to try it out!</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5871388811/" title="Untitled by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/5871388811_4cb12d2437.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Ok, first off, all of it smells <i>amazing</i>. Seriously, I have been using the lotion all day just because of how great it smells. My favorite part about the sunscreen is that it isn't greasy at ALL- it's fantastic! Brayden didn't get black and blue eyes, and their skin didn't look like I had just applied oil onto them- they even asked me to put <i>more</i> on them- which, let me tell you, is a miracle in itself. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I am so excited to order some more of their stuff, I highly reccommend it for anyone with kiddos, it's my new choice for sunscreen for the boys and I'm going to stock up on it for our long summer! </div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-1671848153438298272011-06-23T13:24:00.000-07:002011-06-23T13:24:46.097-07:00So long, so long.On Tuesday we woke up at 5:15 am (after I had been up all night with food poisoning), woke a sleepy little boy up (Elijah was already wide awake by 5.) and packed all of my husband's bag's into my car.<br />
<br />
We were all grumpy, tired, and sad- but we drove to the airport talking about how fun our week was, and I probably cried most of the way. I'm kind of emotional like that. I blame it on having kids.<br />
<br />
Hubby kissed the kids one last time, gave me a huge hug and a million kisses, and left. Elijah comforted me on the way home by telling me daddy would be home soon and he would snuggle me in our bed until then, isn't he sweet?<br />
<br />
Now, the last deployment, when I said goodbye, it was different. I think that's mainly because I didn't have kids, because when I said goodbye last time, I went back, by myself, to my little one bedroom apartment. On Tuesday, I came home, made the boys breakfast, and fell back asleep while we all snuggled on the couch watching a movie (I was still feeling kinda queasy.)<br />
<br />
Last deployment, I went to work, and always came home alone and sad that my other half was gone. Now, I'm never alone...I always have these cute(loud, drooly, messy, screaming) little boys that has all of hubby in them...I kind of like it. On Tuesday, instead of being alone and moping, we played outside in the pool, my awesome neighbor made us all dinner, and I cuddled with Elijah until like 10pm(shh, he's NEVER allowed to stay up that late!)<br />
<br />
So, I guess the point is even though hubby is gone now, it's going to fly by, because I'm in charge of keeping two little boys busy, breathing, and happy...that makes the days fly by!<br />
<br />
Come home soon, my love.Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-82329803727426645952011-06-19T09:01:00.000-07:002011-06-19T09:01:54.150-07:00Father's day.I don't know why, but this father's day has me in a bit of a funk. You see, my dad and I stopped talking this past year, probably September-ish, because he chose painkillers over me and his grandkids. All my doubts about him were solidified when he didn't call to say hi to them for Christmas or either of their birthdays. Oh well, it's his loss 'cause they're kind of awesome if I do say so myself...<div><br />
</div><div>My father-in-law passed away in February of '09, so I know this day is always a little hard on my hubby man. I think this day just makes me a little sad because my boy's don't have a grandpa....so in a few years when they actually understand Holiday's they're gonna be like "hey mom, why don't we have a grandpa like everyone else?" And I'll come up with something along the lines of their only grandpa being in heaven having a party and their dad is just so awesome they don't need another grandpa. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Maybe I'm in a funk because my husband leaves very, very soon. I'm mad that we're celebrating him today and soon, he won't be here. I'll have to be "dad" and do all the "dad" things- and let's face it, I'm a terrible wrestler, and yesterday, Elijah puked up his whole breakfast and I had to go far away from it so I didn't start puking too, while my awesome hubby got puke all over him and still rubbed Elijah's back and told him everything was ok.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, all of that has me in a funk, but at the same time I'm so blessed. Blessed because my husband changes gross diapers, lets the boy's puke all over them, wrestles them, cooks, cleans, wakes up at 1,3, and 6 am with them so I can sleep a little more, and loves them unconditionally. He's kind of awesome, even if he does do things that piss me off sometimes, like play ridiculous computer games and volunteer for deployments. He's 100% selfless, and the epitome of what a dad should be. </div><div><br />
</div><div>So, I'm going to get out of this funk, cook him an awesome breakfast, and make sure he has the best day possible, because even if he's the only dad in my life, he's the only one that matters and the only one I would want in my life. Happy father's day my love, today is for you.</div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-25018153928478984592011-06-17T09:06:00.000-07:002011-06-17T09:06:33.080-07:00Potty training, and other news.If I have to tell my oldest to stop using his manhood as a sword one more time, I might cry. Yesterday, I found Brayden peeing in my shower. Then he shoved a car down my toilet.<br />
<br />
No one ever warned me about these challenges in potty training boys....it's madness I tell you!<br />
<br />
In other news, this is our last weekend together as a family for a while so we will be going non stop for the next 72 hours...Does anyone have any good ideas for father's day activities? Whenever I ask hubby, all i get is "I don't know, anything is fine." Oy, men.<br />
<br />
Also, hope on over and join the blog hop train! Happy Friday all!<br />
<a border="0" href="http://myadventureinmommyhood.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_oO_3wDOzJ0g/TZVJTQltXuI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/hf3U5o2UMZs/Friendship%20Blog%20Button.jpg" /></a>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-66801483668323922692011-06-12T09:21:00.000-07:002011-06-12T09:21:02.354-07:00I love weekends.Weekends are great...I get to sleep in, hubby makes awesome breakfasts, my kids are happier since daddy is home to wrestle with them at 6am on Saturday's, and we generally play outside all day. This weekend was especially great....there's a program for deploying families called <a href="http://www.oplove.org/">Operation: Love ReUnited</a> that lets photographers volunteer- basically you can have 2 sessions/year and it's all free, and all items extra you want to purchase you get at a discount. I decided it would be a great opportunity to get family pictures done since hubby leaves reallly soon, so I did some research and found <a href="http://www.iaiphotography.com/index2.php?v=v1">I Against I Photography</a>. So, we all got dressed up and headed down to Leo Carillo Ranch in Carlsbad, witch, is the most gorgeous park we have been to so far...I loved it! There were peacocks everywhere and cute little old houses...awesome for pictures! The best part? Our kids were actually good! They were total hams for the camera, I really cannot wait to see these pictures...The photographer, Frank, was really awesome and creative and so fun to work with! So, at the end, hubby asked for some solo pictures of just me, so him and the boys were up playing with a few kids they had made friends with and torturing a poor peacock. Hubby and said kid's dad were talking about how in the future we would love to adopt, and I guess the little girl that was Brayden's age was adopted, so they had a good conversation about that.<br />
<br />
We said our goodbye's to Frank and started getting in the car to go get the boys ice cream that we had promised the WHOLE time we were getting pictures. When hubby was buckling one of the kids in, the man he had been talking to rode up on his bike, tucked $100 into hubby's shirt pocket, and said "Do me a favor and take your family out for a nice dinner before you leave." Then he rode off so fast hubby couldn't even respond. I definitely saw hubby get a little red in the face and watery eyes...I think the man reminded him a lot of his dad and he just welled up with gratefulness and pride. Such a nice gesture, it was great to see such genuine kindness in someone again. So, random man at Leo Carillo Ranch yesterday- thank you so much.<br />
<br />
Anyways, this entry is getting to be long, and I have a lot more to write about last night and our cooking adventure, but I'll write about that later. Have a fabulous sunday, bloggers!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-90895924224764680952011-06-08T09:21:00.000-07:002011-06-08T09:21:57.337-07:00Our Denver Trip.Sorry it's taken me awhile to update...I have had zero energy since getting home and have been in bed ridiculously early all week. Anyways, I thought I'd come on here and update how our trip went. Like I said before, I was born and raised in Denver, and have already been missing it a lot lately, but this trip made me miss it 9000000x more than before...I seriously cried like a spoiled brat when we had to leave. Cried.<br />
<br />
ANYWAYS, the main reason for our 2 1/2 day trip was a pre-deployment conference for the whole battalion. I got a lot of good resources and information, but it was way.too.long. 9 hours on saturday and 3 on sunday.12 hours of information. The worst part was it was just repeated information over and over again. Let's just say that about 1/2 way through day 1, I poured my bottle of wine into my travel cup. That helped a little.<br />
<br />
Things got complicated before we even got to Denver. When we got to the airport, the lady who was checking us in goes "oh, that's funny....it looks like your flights were never paid for." Turns out mine got paid for, but for some reason was cancelled...and husband's ticket never even got paid for! After missing our first flight, someone from the military finally figured it out and got us on a flight for an hour later. Once we finally got to Denver, our FRO was nice enough to buy us a bottle of wine to apologize for the issues we had, which was really great of her. I had dinner with some great friends who let me borrow their car for the weekend, and then drove around like a maniac seeing as many friends as possible between 8 and 1am. Friday night ended with my husband and 2 of his friends needing a ride at 1am...lets just say one of them screamed in my ear the entire.ride.home. I went to bed pretty pissy.<br />
<br />
Saturday was a full day of conferences, then we went and had dinner with a guy hubby is deploying with, and another good friend of ours, who is also the kids' god-father. We went to the cutest little area on Pearl St. (not Boulder, Denver...). I think that part made me miss Denver the most. I miss the cute little shops, the family owned wine stores, the houses turned into businesses, and that every house looks different. We had amazing sushi at The Sushi Den...YUM. I don't even remember everything we had, but it was incredible....the best part? It was only $90 bucks for 4 of us!!! Seriously, go there. Now.<br />
<br />
After that we hopped on the light rail, which smelled horrible and I had to sit next to a creepy guy and screeching teens, and went downtown. Now, I might be partial, but I think Downtown Denver is better than any "downtown" night scene I have ever been too. Including San Diego and Kansas City. The night kind of became a blur after we went to a bar called "Double Daughters" (such a fun bar!) and I drank a drink titled "Pirate Socks & Dead Parrots"...so we'll end the night there.<br />
<br />
Sunday after 3 hours of conference, we went down and had lunch with some friends, drove by our old neighborhood where I cried some more, and went to the airport.<br />
<br />
Overall, it was a really great trip. I honestly cannot wait to go home for good...I almost convinced myself to move there for this deployment. If the move wouldn't be so horrendous I totally would.<br />
<br />
A big thank you to my awesome mother-in-law for hanging with the boys this weekend...they had an awesome time with her and sir Elijah is still angry at me for sending her away.<br />
<br />
On an end note, here are a couple pics of our trip:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5812380380/" title="Untitled by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/5812380380_71abf5144f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Floral shop on Pearl St.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5811811817/" title="Untitled by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3601/5811811817_d215270b1c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Us :)Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-65565643826987502222011-06-06T09:50:00.001-07:002011-06-06T09:50:53.081-07:00Home.We made it home last night from our trip to Denver. Once the littles in my house go to bed tonight I will get on here and post all about it. Overall, it was a good trip. The weather was perfect, I saw old friends, and I got *some* good information at the pre-deployment brief. I am exhausted, still hungover, and dehydrated like no other. I'd say it was a successful trip. More to come later, but I AM alive still!!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-74415727231261004942011-06-01T23:43:00.000-07:002011-06-01T23:43:42.301-07:00Overdrive.So, whenever we have company, specifically my mother or mother-in-law, I go a little bit crazy. Ok, a lot crazy. I get this weird twitch in my eye(I've never noticed, but Tanner says so) and I clean like a maniac. Well, mother-in-law is arriving tomorrow afternoon and my house is a complete in utter disaster.<br />
<br />
Seriously, having several people stay in your house all weekend is <i>exhausting- </i>and let me tell you, marines on 96's are not the cleanest men ever. Just sayin.<br />
<br />
ANYWAYS. It's 11:36 pm, my mother-in-law will be here in 14 hours, I have no food in my house, and I like to believe I have been glamoured into TrueBlood Season 3 on HBO on demand while roasting an entire bag of marshmellows.. Seriously, I cannot turn it off long enough to do a single thing to my house.<br />
<br />
In other news, Tanner and I are heading to Denver on Friday afternoon until Sunday evening! Denver where I was born and raised, and where we want to raise the boys eventually, and I always love going back there. Sadly, it's for a pre-deployment conference, but hopefully I can get some good information on this deployment, since I've gotten zero and all.<br />
<br />
Ok, so the moral of this is it's going to be a busy few days, but I will try my best to update my Denver escapades when we get there!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-14287741366110803602011-05-31T08:03:00.000-07:002011-05-31T08:03:16.142-07:00Back to Reality.I really love long weekends, or 96's. I get to sleep in, the boys get along a little better, hubby helps me with the 900000000 extra dishes I have, and they are just so relaxing. This weekend was extra awesome because hubby's old friend who he deployed with to Iraq came and hung out with us for the weekend since he's up at Sergeant's course in Twenty Nine Palms, CA. It was great that he got to have some time with him about his thoughts about this looming deployment, reminisce about all the stupid things they did when they were "young and clueless about the marine corps" (they're still young, but whatever). We got to grill, eat, drink, and relax. The boys swam, I enjoyed a margarita with Sonic Ice(the only way, obviously)...or 6, and it was just...nice. <br />
<br />
But now, hubby is back at work, I have about 50 loads of laundry that need to be done, and another 7 that need to be put away, we are out of groceries, and I probably gained 8 lbs this weekend, which means I have to actually work out. After dinner with <a href="http://alexandrahopeblog.blogspot.com/">Alex</a> and Atalie tonight where I'll probably drink beer and eat greasy food.<br />
<br />
The worst part about this long weekend being over is it's the last one I get before he leaves. The next couple weeks are going to be a slur of crazy:<br />
<br />
This weekend: Denver for a pre-deployment conference<br />
Next weekend: Family pictures courtesy of Operation Love<br />
<br />
And then I become a single mom. Dad. Lawn caretaker. Plumber. Mechanic. Electrician. I'm going to have to tell the boys 30 times a day where dad is, and when he'll be home.<br />
<br />
I'm not ready.Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-48996997603724525412011-05-29T23:05:00.000-07:002011-05-30T15:23:33.651-07:00Things I thought I'd never say to my toddlers.So, having two toddlers in the house means there are obviously going to be interesting moments. All in all, every day in my house is nothing short of chaos and strange things said. So, after saying a few things today to the boys, I sat down and thought "wow, I never thought I would have to say <i>THAT!</i> Here's my list. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
"Brayden, do not feed the dog a battery!"<br />
"Elijah, shoes do not flush down the toilet."<br />
"Elijah, dogs do not eat dishwasher soap."<br />
"Brayden, race cars do <i>not</i> go up your nose!!"<br />
"Elijah, stop trying to cook the WHOLE bag of bread!"<br />
"Brayden, we do not hit our brother in the face with tennis rackets"<br />
"Brayden, stop feeding the dogs a whole watermelon. now."<br />
"No, Elijah, the DVD box does not fit into the XBOX."<br />
"Boys! Stop coloring on each other's faces!"<br />
"No, Elijah, you cannot drive. No, not just one time."<br />
"Brayden, stop shoving sand in Elijah's ear!"<br />
"Boys! Do not wash the neighbors car with brooms! Stop!!!!"<br />
"No, you can't take give my caredit card to the ice cream man."<br />
"I don't think a dragon would be a good pet. Maybe a fish?"<br />
"Why don't we try to not eat snails."<br />
<br />
<br />
Ok, you get the picture. Thank God I have awesome dogs who put up with such torture. Can you believe we have only been to the ER once for stitches?! Yeah, me either.Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-38472349210902865162011-05-29T16:26:00.000-07:002011-05-29T16:26:01.502-07:00Memorial Day.It's been a great weekend here. I've been feeding marines all weekend, which I totally don't mind because in the next couple of weeks most of the guys that have been spending the weekend with us will be going to Afghanistan with my hubby, and home cooked meals will not exist.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>So, before I talk about the great weekend we're having more, lets not forget all the service members who have given their life for our Country, or are fighting a war right now while we enjoy beer and the great outdoors. I have a friend on here, <a href="http://chrissy-letterstoyou.blogspot.com/">Chrissy</a> whose boyfriend was killed this past September, and I will never forget his sacrifice, his family's, or of course, Chrissy's. She is living a military spouse's worst nightmare and doing it with such grace, and I am so very proud of her.<br />
<br />
So, as far as our weekend goes, chaos is a good word. We had a big grill out at Coronado yesterday with a huge group of people. It was awesome, minus the wind. The boys love the beach, they love the fact that they can combine sand and water and make a huge muddy mess and not get yelled at for it. They love that they can make sand castles and throw their football everywhere and bury daddy and me in piles of sand. They also love feeding daddy sand. Daddy does not. Anyways, after the beach, we came back and had some fun playing beer pong and rock band. Today has been really relaxing since it's gross and windy and chilly outside today. I did go get a pedicure for the first time since Thanksgiving, and I picked myself up a new book... I have really wanted to read the Sookie Stackhouse books, but I've already watched all of Season 1 and 2 of True Blood, So I just bought "Dead to The World". Not sure what number in her series it is, but I love it already. Drinking a green tea lemonade from Starbucks, reading my book, and getting a pedicure has to be the most relaxing thing I've done in a long, long time. Sometimes a little "me" time is all I need to not want to pull my hair out.<br />
<br />
So, that's where we are so far. Tomorrow will be a nice outdoors day full of hiking and BBQ's! I'll post plenty of pictures on Tuesday when the mister heads back to work. I hope everyone else has a fabulous memorial day weekend!</div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-85607303810146460072011-05-27T09:36:00.000-07:002011-05-27T23:48:45.269-07:00Ah, Friday, and a blog hop weekend!So, since I have very few followers on here and all, I decided to do this fun blog hop weekend!<br />
<a border="0" href="http://myadventureinmommyhood.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_oO_3wDOzJ0g/TZVJTQltXuI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/hf3U5o2UMZs/Friendship%20Blog%20Button.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
You should go play too. New friends are always fun.<br />
<br />
In other news: ever have one of those days where you wake up, and being a mom just does not seem interesting, because the only thing your kids do is fight? Oh yes, it's a fighting day today. I am completely uninterested in being domestic in any way, changing diapers, or hearing little people scream like the world is ending. Momma needs a day off! Time for a margarita!<br />
<br />
Oh, it's only 9:30 in the morning? Don't judge me.Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-22849331397390033212011-05-25T20:22:00.001-07:002011-05-25T21:05:05.129-07:00"Aren't you sad...."So, most of my friend's know that I got married when I was 18. Was I ready? No, but I knew if I waited 7 years, I'd be marrying the same man, why wait? What really irks me is lately I've been getting this question:<div><br /></div><div>"Aren't you sad/mad/bummed/disappointed that your not graduating college with the rest of your friends? Don't you wish you got to live the "normal" college life and enjoy your young years?"</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I thought about it...and honestly? I have my days. There have been a few where I lay in my husband's lap and cry while eating ice cream and downing a bottle of wine that I'm a 22 year old mother with stretch marks and my abs have vanished. There have been moment's where I watched friend's I have known since 7th grade graduate college, and looked at all of their pictures and said "man, that looks so freeing. And simple. And awesome." There have been days when my husband pisses me off and think "Gosh, if I would have stayed in Denver I bet I would be married to Taylor Lautner right now and be hot and skinny still." Ok. Maybe that was the wine talking, but I can dream.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, then this really sexy marine in cami's walks through the door and kisses me like I'm the sexiest woman on this planet, with cheap flower's and wine, and I come back down to earth. And then, something even better happens- these two sweet little boys that absolutely adore me walk up and with their sweet baby blues say: "momma, I wub you." And give me a big drooly kiss. And then I just melt, because I created two perfect little boys, what's more of an accomplishment than that? Nothing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some people think I'm way too young to be a mom. I get the looks all the time, I'm sure people say it all the time, and that's fine. Nothing can compare to the love my 3 boys show me, and I would take them over 4 years of partying and traveling any day. It might take me a little longer to finish college, and that's totally okay with me. </div><div><br /></div><div>Until then, I'll take the drool, diapers, screaming, and cheap wine any day. </div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-3946974672452448392011-05-22T22:23:00.000-07:002011-05-22T22:32:29.486-07:00Picture update!So, my babies aren't babies anymore(which is causing killer baby fever!), and they are now little people. Elijah has whole conversations with people. Brayden waddles when he runs and says "pwease" and "tank tou", and both of them get filthy, smell bad by noon, and are 100% boys. We've been busy doing as many family things as we can before Tanner deploys. Tanner took leave last month and we went to a padres game, sea world, the beach, and like 8 parks in 2 weeks. needless to say we were exhausted. The older my boys get, the more it makes me want to get back into photography. Before you ask, yes, I actually loved photography in high school. I loved using manual settings and playing around with it, I loved processing my own pictures and seeing the outcome..(I took a class in high school, so we got to process our own film). Tanner said I can get back into it if my heart desires, but getting a nice camera will have to wait a few months when we have extra money. <div><br /></div><div>Ok, enough jabber. Here are some pics of my loves!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5749820466/" title="227655_10150170839747159_567682158_6497163_7536037_n by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5103/5749820466_43a416e885.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="227655_10150170839747159_567682158_6497163_7536037_n" /></a></div><div>at the baseball game</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5749820172/" title="Double fisting it for breakfast. This is why we have leather couches. by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3451/5749820172_cb4da1f66b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Double fisting it for breakfast. This is why we have leather couches." /></a></div><div>Double fisting it for breakfast</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5749818350/" title="Untitled by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2216/5749818350_6465bd8cac.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="" /></a></div><div>There are no words for how much I love this.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5749816858/" title="231108_10150174375897159_567682158_6531815_1144925_n by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2431/5749816858_af44b15eeb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="231108_10150174375897159_567682158_6531815_1144925_n" /></a></div><div>Call me biased, but my family is pretty handsome.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5749815750/" title="such boys. by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5749815750_693e5756f6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="such boys." /></a></div><div>presenting me my first pet snail from them</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5745717448/" title="Untitled by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2650/5745717448_9823f9ff67.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="" /></a></div><div>Breakfast time!</div><div>P.S.: Don't judge my fingerprinted tables and chairs. </div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-25604754211329901202011-05-21T23:58:00.000-07:002011-05-22T00:06:03.285-07:00An update.Hello, blogging world. I think I lost myself these past few months, and I'm trying to gather my thoughts again, so bear with me. What's new.....well, I quit my job....mainly because dropping two little boys off at daycare while Tanner was at Sergeant's course and getting the look of "oh my gosh she's leaving us too" every.single.day. broke my heart. My boss also got pissed because it was flu season and my kids got sick, one after the other. That was fun. So, I figured with Tanner leaving, I better stay at home with them and give them one good "constant" in their life so they don't flip out or something. <div><br /></div><div>I'm changing up my page, if you didn't notice. New pictures and stuff. I feel like I used to be really good at expressing myself also, so I think I'm going to be using this as my therapist, if you will, while Tanner is gone....because lets face it, my kids are going to drive me nuts, and I don't have time to go see an actual therapist.</div><div><br /></div><div>In other news, Elijah is officially potty trained (except at night...sigh)! This is a huge accomplishment for me. I didn't think I would survive it. The bad news? Now I have to start potty training Brayden. I have a feeling it won't go good...wanna know why? Because the other day Tanner walked into the bathroom to find him peeing all over the side of the toilet(he isn't tall enough to reach) and shoving toilet paper into the toilet, while trying to flush it down. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Good times in the Gates household, I tell ya.</div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-21072022275428903902011-03-04T19:40:00.000-08:002011-03-08T21:36:14.607-08:00Day 06 – A picture of a person you’d love to trade places with for a day.<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><img src="webkit-fake-url://C17F1930-75F0-439E-AA81-42AF2D959823/natalie-portman-height.jpg" alt="natalie-portman-height.jpg" /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21204074@N07/5511495994/" title="natalie-portman-280x390 by cutielozer7, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5014/5511495994_32b86686eb.jpg" width="280" height="390" alt="natalie-portman-280x390" /></a></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">i love natalie portman. I think she's beautiful, graceful, incredibly talented, passionate about her career, and she's the cutest pregnant woman ever. I would love to just see how she lives her life for a day. :)</p>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242392455705483594.post-13509545585854630112011-03-03T20:51:00.000-08:002011-03-03T21:05:36.908-08:00Day 05 – A picture of your favorite memory.This is a hard one. i have to say it's a 3 way tie.<div><br /></div><div>first hug after 7 months in Iraq, and a very pregnant me:</div><div><a href="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/cutielozer7/?action=view&current=P1240034.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/cutielozer7/P1240034.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>holding my tiny, 3lb 12oz. baby boy for the very first time, after a terrifying moment of him being born 9 weeks early.</div><div><a href="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/cutielozer7/?action=view&current=tre.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/cutielozer7/tre.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>holding the newest love of my life, and the little boy who completed our family:)</div><div><a href="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/cutielozer7/?action=view&current=march09027.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/cutielozer7/march09027.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>ok, but seriously. i am a mom, i don't have just ONE favorite memory, give me a break!!!!</div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08766295926085358317noreply@blogger.com0