cant believe i havent posted in such a long time!

so much has happened since i last wrote. i know i wrote last time about waiting to find out what branch kirk chose. he got signal with a field artillery detail (which means he will be FA until he makes Capt). With that being said, we have moved to ft sill, oklahoma about 1.5 months ago. we are settled into our apartment and getting used to the army life. its hard to be away from home and family (especially with my father's health and my mom just having surgery yesterday) but it helps to talk to them on the phone. but i am enjoying my time with bret :)

Branching

Today is branching day...2:00pm...

...soooo nervous.

i'll write more when we know what job he gets.

in a matter of hours, we will have a little bit more of an idea where and how the next few months are going to go.

Happy Mother's Day!

today i celebrated my 2nd mother's day. as i look back over the last 18.5 months, i remember the hard, the scary, the fun, and the loving times. from rushing bret to the hospital at 2 weeks old to watching him bark when he sees a picture of a dog to having him completely mold into my arms when he just needs his 'mama' - i am so blessed!! i love that little boy so much!! i know i was born to be a mother and it is by far the best and most rewarding thing i have ever done.

bret is such a goofball and he makes me smile everyday! he's so silly and carefree, but he is also so very sweet and gives the most incredible hugs. i'm not going to lie - being a mother is a very hard job at times. sometimes i want to pull my hair out and scream, but when i look into his eyes and by just holding him he stops crying - makes all those 'hard' times go away.

i'm so excited to watch bret grow and to add to our family.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!!!!!!!

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!!!!!!!

As i am new to the army life, i am learning a lot. this new job or 'silent rank' i carry is a lot of hard work. i'm left at home with all the responsibilities while supporting my husband who is hundreds of miles away. i have learned to treasure the 3 minute phone calls and the 12 hour visits every couple of months. i have learned that i am so much stronger than i ever imagined i could ever be.

i am a proud army wife!

growing up...

My little man is a year and a half and time is flying by. He is growing to fast. Tonight we had dinner at a friends. Bret was such an amazing little guy. He sat at the kitchen table in a chair (without a booster seat or high chair) and ate his dinner. He didn't throw his food and said 'please' when he wanted more of something. I was so proud of him!! He did such a good job.

I love my little boy <3

Kirk's BCT Graduation

Kirk officially graduated Basic and became a US SOLDIER on April 8, 2010. My mother-in-law, Tommy, Bret and I made the 12 hour drive to see him. We actually made it in time to spend Wednesday afternoon with him too. i was and still am so proud of him. We had a great time together...and he looks really good in his uniform ;) It was very difficult to say goodbye to him again as he is now in ft. benning, ga for OCS (officer training school) for 12 weeks. He was a little worried about OCS being as horrible as BCT (he said bct was just like high school). His worries have subsided as he has finished his 1st week. OCS is so much better and we get to talk almost every night!! unlike bct, where we would only get to talk for about 20 minutes once a week - if they didn't get in BIG trouble. We even started to skype - which was awesome!

Last week at OCS, kirk had the intial 'class-up' physical fitness test, Bolton Obstacle Course and Water Survival. Pretty intense week to start things off, but he made it and passed all 3 tests. Today, he has combatives which he is really looking forward to - UFC/MMA kind of stuff - which he LOVES! i'm so happy that he is enjoying his time so far. he even had a pass yesterday.

things are going well at home too. the cats have been goen for 2 weeks now and i miss them terribly. I looked at the humane society's website today and princess was not there - i'm hoping she found an amazing family to love her. Buddy was also adopted by my mother-in-law. i'm hoping Zany will find someone to love her - she is such a loving cat. it saddens me to know she is still in the shelter, but i have faith that she will find a home.

another plus, is that i was able to pay $2500 towards a credit card and hopefully will have it paid off next month!! then just one more credit card to go after that. things are really looking up financially!!

one of the hardest days of my life...

today...princess and zany have been placed at the humane society :(

after weeks of thinking and searching, kirk and i decided to surrender our 'babies'. due to moving a lot for our new life, needing to get the house ready to sell, trying to find rentals that allow a dog and 3 cats, unable to give enough attention to all, and if i'm ever pregnant while kirk is deplayed (cant do the litter) - we have chosen to say 'goodbye' to the cats. luckily, my mother-in-law took buddy, but the girls are not at the shelter. it was so hard!! and my heart is broken, even though i know it was the right decision. we have had buddy for 7 years and thankfully he is still in the family, and the girls for 5 years. kirk gave them to me for a birthday present - the best bday present ever. pets really are children and i feel horrible that i was unable to care for them. i'm so afraid that they will not be adopted. i miss them so much and this kills me. i keep thinking i will see princess laying on my bedroom floor when i walk upstairs or zany will come trotting into the bathroom while i'm getting ready or taking a bath or buddy will be crying so loudly to go outside. i think most of all i will miss princess sleeping with me everynight and walking up my body to kneed on my throat. the house seems so empty now. it is only the start of april and i have had so much loss already this year. this is by far the hardest year of my life. i just keep thinking about princess and zany stuck in a cage - lonely...scared...etc. i just feel so guilty and sad.

this sucks...