Talking To Daddy

I actually took these pictures when Chris was in Hawaii and Virginia was talking to him on the phone.  She does so good on the phone when talking to him.  She tells him EVERYTHING.  Last night she told him, "Mama yelled at me."  Nice Virginia way to rat me out!  I didn't exactly yell.  I may have had a loud voice.  Virginia likes to ask me a question and I will answer her and then she likes to repeat the same question about another 20 times with me answering the same way.  And even if I answer in her favor like if she asks can she have something and I say yes she will still repeat the question another 20 times.  This gets old people really fast.  So Chris doesn't have to worry about not knowing what's going on here because she will tell him.  I was also worried that I would have a hard time getting her off the phone with him but all I have to do is say, "Tell Daddy you love him and give mama the phone."  and so far she has given me the phone no problem. 
We thought we would be able to have a few video calls with Chris while he is gone but unfortunately we won't be able to.
The other pictures are of Virginia playing with her window clings she got from Grandma and Grandpa in a goody bag for her for Halloween.  They were a HUGE hit, thank you Grandma and Grandpa.  (she really loved everything in the goody bag.  She's been "reading" from the blank notebook you sent.  She read to me and then said, "That was a good story. and then she has colored with the markers and the colored pencils. I didn't get any pictures of that yet.)
The window clings were good because we have lots of books/videos that have spiders in them and bats so she was able to do a little imaginative play with the window clings using the names and story lines from her books and videos. 

Fun Stuff

So I am attempting to include Virginia in more of the household duties.  Nothing like chores just yet but things like giving her a broom when I sweep, a dust rag when I dust, helping me cook supper type activities.
So the other night I had bought some avocados and decided to make guacamole.  She I Virginia the potato masher and as I put the cut up avocados in the bowl she "mashed" them.  Obviously she isn't strong enough to really mash them the way I like them so I "finished" once she was done.  It kept her occupied and I was able to get dinner going without a melt down from either of us.  Then we made quesadillas to go with the guacamole.  I shredded the cheese and then she put the cheese on the tortillas then I cooked them.  I'm also hoping that by helping me cook it will encourage her to try and eat a wider variety than she's eating now. 
If you've been following my blogs for awhile you may remember when we lived in Kansas and we bought the melissa and doug puppets.  We got the cheerleader, cowgirl, and doctor.  We also bought a little puppet theater at a garage sale and the past few nights we've been having "plays."  The puppets are an excellent way to talk to Virginia about things like missing her Daddy and she feel safer telling the puppet instead of me.  Or the puppet may be able to "talk" about their feelings and it make virginia feel better about her feelings.  Then after our plays we turn on the music and DANCE.  Some nights virginia likes to put on her skirt (tutu), dress up shoes, and necklaces/bracelets and other nights she just likes to dance.  One night I had the doctor puppet on my hand and she danced with the puppet.  She was so into it I'm not sure she really realized the puppet was attached to my hand. 
So I tried to take a picture.  Virginia now yells at me to, "put the camera down!"  so I caught her frowning.  She's not frowning at the puppet but at me.  I swear you can't help but be in a good mood when you look at these puppets faces!  I was trying to be the puppet and take the picture. 
Then I messed up what would have been awesome pictures of Virginia and Chris by saying I would give her a sucker if she would let us take her picture.  Then I went and got the sucker and showed it to her.  mistake....so now in all these pictures I took of her and chris she's got this sucker in her mouth. 

Sunday Goodness

Here are a few pictures of what we've been doing on this gorgeous Sunday.  The weather is absolutely beautiful today.  We lounged around this morning.  Virginia loves to read magazines so she lounged around reading some new ones I have.  Then I watched the church service on the computer while she watched a Word World video.  I tried to get her to watch church with me but she wouldn't.  After church we decided to go outside.  I took her cars outside and she played with them for a bit at her picnic table.  Then I decided to bring out a blanket and have a picnic.  I had made hummus so we enjoyed that with some crackers.  Virginia likes to scoop up the hummus with the cracker and lick it off the cracker.  And no that's not a pile of dog poop in the background of one of the pictures.  (I know Papa probably saw it and thought that is what it is!).  It's our black garden hose snaked across the yard to a tree we planted that needs a bit of watering. 
After playing and eating outside we decided to come in and watch the Nascar race.  Virginia gets a big kick out of yelling, "There's Gypsy Johnson.  Number 48!" 
Hope everyone is having a great Sunday.

Daddy's Girls

I have tried so hard over the past 2 weeks to get some decent pictures of Chris and Virginia.  I mean pictures where they are both looking at the camera with a somewhat normal expression on their face!  I keep saying from here on out I am going to hire someone to take pictures!  I did get a few good ones.  Here are just a few of the million I've been taking over the last few weeks.  The weather is changing out here.  We had about a week of Fall and I heard the weather man say the "S" word in regards to our weather this coming week, SNOW.  Winters truly aren't bad out here they just LAST forever! 

Fall Festival

Today was the Fall Festival at the elementary school that is almost in our backyard.  It's really close so we loaded up and walked over this morning.  I had visions of this awesome morning filled with lots of pictures of Virginia on a fire truck, a bouncy house, eating cotton candy, picking out a pumpkin, ect...She wanted nothing to do with any of it. 
I'm not sure if it has to do with how she feels, if she is sensing the tension in the house in regards to Chris's upcoming trip, or she's finally hit the terrible two's but she has been horrible the past few days.  I mean screaming/screeching at the top of her lungs, flinging herself on the floor while screaming, basically nothing makes her happy.  If she asks for something and we give it to her even that isn't right.  It's not all the time but the incidents are way more frequent than they used to be.  Don't get me wrong she is still 90% of the time the sweet play by herself little girl but the tantrums have definitely stepped up a notch. 
I'm just praying that when Monday rolls around she is feeling good enough to go back to school.  I think the fact she is off her schedule (hasn't been to school in a week) has affected her mood.  Poor thing the other morning she asked if she could go to school. 

Thank you for being patient with me and waiting for my return.  I know it's not been easy for my followers and have been wondering what we've been up to.  Because of operational security I'm not allowed to discuss any specific details involving Chris and this current trip.  He is still here with us.  They are at the whim of the Air Force in regards to leaving.  A date will be given, tears will be shed, AND they'll delay the flight.  We'll live in domestic bliss for a few more days, departure will inch closer, tears will be shed, AND they'll delay the flight.  I'm not complaining because I'll take every extra second I get with Chris but it can wreck havoc on ones nerves. 
On top of the uncertainty of a departure date Virginia has been sick.  For almost 2 weeks now.  She had a cold, cough, hoarse sounding voice for about a week with a weak fever of around 99 for a bit.  She ditched that and then THREW UP 3 times.  I know I know you laugh.  Most of you moms reading this have dealt with throw up since the day your children were born, but not us.  And trust me I am on my knees EVERY NIGHT thanking God for blessing us with a vomit free child.  Virginia never spit up as a baby.  NEVER.  And this most recent vomiting episode is only her 2nd time ever actually throwing up.  So Chris and I were at a real loss as to how to handle it!  She threw up in her bed, then we managed to get the trash can to her the 2nd time, and the 3rd time was on the floor of her bedroom.  After throwing up she moved to diarrhea.  Pure liquid poop.  As of today she's down to 1 poop but it's still straight liquid.  She's acting normal and playing normal but it's put a kink in us trying to squeeze 8 months of memory making into the last few days.  We've been doing alot of snuggling in Mommy's bed watching a Halloween video OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. 
I'll let you know when he's safely arrived at his destination. 
So these pictures are from when Chris was in Hawaii "working."  Let me point out some important details.  yes Virginia has her pajamas on in the middle of the day.  Yes I put a bow in her hair while in her pajamas just for the picture.  I thought it might dress up the pj's.  The project she is doing I saw online.  You take a brand new pencil (you can get packs of 20 at the dollar store) and you use the eraser end to put paint dots onto a picture.  She was supposed to use it to color in the rainbow but that didn't exactly happen.  You are also supposed to switch out pencils with each new color but she wasn't having any of that so she used the same pencil for each color.  Then she didn't really want to follow the rainbow design.  Then she didn't want to have her picture taken.  It was a fun project that she could work on while I worked in the kitchen. 
I can't promise that I'm going to be super consistent in posting just yet. 

Temporary Break

As many of you know Chris is going on a "business trip" again and we are in the single digits of days before he leaves. 

We are attempting to spend every single second of our days with each other so I won't be blogging again until he has left.

I have so much to write so I hope that you will look forward to all the amazing and wonderful things I have to share with you regarding June's birthday. 

Chris, Virginia, and I would really appreciate prayers over the next few days as we begin our journey through another deployment. 

Pizza Pizza!

Things are still "off" here at our house.  Virginia is doing so much better since she's been able to talk to Chris on the phone.  I swear it is the cutest thing I've ever seen to watch her talk to her Daddy and hear what all she thinks is "important" to tell him.  Like about her poop for that day.  I got some pictures of her talking to him and hopefully I can get some video. She likes to tell him about "Molly."  She's started using our names and she likes use mine when she is talking to Chris.
 So all in all I guess I'm still the one "off".  June's upcoming birthday and Chris's upcoming deployment have really just hit me hard this week as I get a little taste of our upcoming reality.  I know we'll get into a groove once he leaves and things will slow down but right now I feel overwhelmed and all I seem to be able to do is cry and nap.  It's as if June has just died all over again.  I'm not sure how I thought I would feel but this is worse than I thought. 
But as much as I would like to crawl in bed and stay there life goes on and my next biggest struggle must be addressed:  dinner.  UGH...  I have promised myself that I am going to be PREPARED for dinners this deployment.  I've gathered recipes, looked at other Mommy blogs for ideas, and I am going to NOT STRESS about dinner time!!! 
One way to address the dinner issue is to get Virginia involved in the preparing of dinner.  She loves to help and if the dinner recipe allows I love for her to help.  Obviously she isn't going to be able to help make every dinner but it's fun to have some things for her to make and she will almost always eat whatever it is she makes so the more I involve her the more and more diverse things she eats.  We made little mini pizzas.  They are just english muffins (toasted), with a sauce (I used spaghetti suace because well that's all I had on hand), pepperonis, and shredded cheese.  I had to watch Virginia or she would put way too much spaghetti sauce on the english muffins.  And for some reason this night she did not want her pepperoni's on the pizza.  She wanted them on the side.  She was so proud of herself!

*Chris is home now and we are busy making preparations for June's 1st birthday party. More to come about that on the other blog.  Once Monday (the day we are celebrating June's birthday) is over we can turn our focus to just being together as much as possible before he leaves.