Who does this?

I have an interview Monday morning at an elementary school near base.

I'm sort of freaking out about it. Too many things to think about...daycare, waking up early, looking presentable before noon, and actually working. I was complaining to Nathan about having to leave Florida three weeks earlier than planned.

He looked at me and said, "Do you want to go back to work?"

I looked at him and replied with, "I don't know."

I have a nasty habit of doing things, just to see if I can. Once I know I can do something, I'm over it. So I'm left wondering, do I really want to go back to work or am I just trying to see if I can get a job? I think I want to go back to teaching, but I am not looking forward to putting little Mac into daycare. I did it before, so why is it so much harder now?

Wish me luck:) And enjoy the funny picture of Mac, it was taken around Christmas.

This and That

It feels like so much has been going on, but when I sit down to write about it, I can't seem to think of anything important. Mackenzie and I are currently in Florida visiting Nathan. We made it a whole three weeks at Cherry Point before deciding to leave. I know some people would just tough it out, but I realized that if we have the opportunity to be together as a family, we need to take it. Next time we are apart will probably be for a deployment and getting the fam together then won't really be an option. Military families spend so much time apart and I'm learning just how stressful it can be.

When Mackenzie saw Nathan she didn't really want anything to do with him. It made us both a little sad. She was very clingy and acted annoyed when Nathan and I were sitting next to each other. Mac would position herself in between us or on top of my lap. Their relationship is so important to me and I want to do everything I can to help foster it, but she's still too young to discuss Daddy. What to do, what to do.

Nathan, Mackenzie and I went to the beach this afternoon. I watched as father and daughter ran around in the sand and everything felt right. I love the beach, it's the one place I can go and forget about every worry. I probably had a smile on my face the entire time. I hope I never forget this afternoon.

See those animals Mac has in her hands? She is OBSESSED with these things. We have found ourselves strategizing on how to get them away from her without a full blown tantrum. Distraction is usually the best route. Sometimes I'll find her playing with them and they will be kissing or she will kiss them, or they will kiss one of her other barn yard animals. Kissing is big right now, I also saw her trying to make the crayons kiss.

Did You Eat Sand?

I don't even know what to say.

Mackenzie answers almost every question with "yea" or some kind of grunt.

Where have you been all my life?

True Military Wives Confessions

Did I confess? Of course!

First Impressions

Mackenzie had her 15 month check up yesterday with a new doctor. She is actually 16 months old, but who's counting? Since it was our first time at this particular office I had a million forms to fill out. The waiting area wasn't busy so I didn't feel too bad letting Mac run around, as long as she stayed away from the sickies. At one point I was talking to the receptionist when I heard a few girls behind me snicker, next I heard Mackenzie's little giggle she uses to get my attention. I turn around to see her standing on top of a picnic table. She smiled and did her little "haha, look what I'm doing" dance. We were ushered to the examination room a few minutes later. Mac was weighed, measured, and pricked. Her stats have finally leveled off in the average range; weight 24lbs, height 31in. The doctor didn't have any concerns and said I could start using time outs. He also referred to her as a spitfire and told me she'll make our lives more fun. I think that was a polite way to say we're going to have our hands full. I'm okay with that, I wouldn't have it any other way.


Here is some good news for ya, my friend's husband returns from Iraq in March and guess who gets to capture those special moments? That's right, ME!! I can't wait!

Home at Last

Well, we're back home from our 7 week road trip. It was great seeing family and friends, and now I am looking forward to settling down in North Carolina. I have a huge list of things to do, boring things, like finding a pediatrician, signing Mac up for daycare, scheduling the move. Blah, blah, blah, the list goes on and on.

Something happened tonight that really pulled at my heart. Mackenzie and I were taking the dog out when our neighbor was getting home from work. I didn't pay much attention to him since I was juggling the dog and Mac. As he walked up the drive way, Mackenzie about jumped out of my arms. She started yelling, "Daddy! Daddy!" When I set her down she marched right across our yard and into their driveway, the neighbor was already inside, thank goodness. As I took her hand and walked her back to our house she started crying; she thought I was keeping her from seeing her Daddy! My heart ached and still does. How do I explain to a 16 month-old that her Dad is in Florida and we'll see him next month? I wanted to cry with her, tell her I understand how she feels and that it's okay to miss him. But since she has no concept of time or place, we did the next best thing-went inside and built a tower out of blocks.

Onto some Mackenzie happenings, a much more uplifting topic. Her new behaviors include...

1) Shaking her finger at mom, dad, or anyone when they do something she doesn't like. It started with her doing it to the dog and has now transferred over to us. The little girl next door got real close to Mac today and she started waving that finger around.

2) Anytime we are somewhere that she doesn't want to be, she starts saying "bye-bye" and heads for the door. She did this twice today, once at the housing office and again when we walked through the new house.

3) She literally asks for a cookie or "doodie" 25 times a day.

4) For some reason the rooster on the toy barn (not to be confused with our real barn) really irritates her.

5) Mackenzie will always yell "MA" when she is climbing on something. I don't know if she is proud or just wants to see my reaction.