Home Sweet Home

Home, it was just what I needed.

I've been in a bit of a slump here in stay-at-home-mom/military wifeville. The newness of this town is gone, Nathan has been working (really) long hours and I know we'll be making another move within the next few months. No one said this lifestyle was going to be easy and I'm quickly learning why the divorce rate is so high in the military. I'm kidding, I'm kidding, at least about us. The divorce rate in the military is quite high, there is no way a weak marriage could survive something like this. I've learned to cherish the time we do get to spend together as a family. We try not to be lazy on the weekends, which is why we decided to pack up and head home for Labor Day. I love being at home, everything seems so much better. We were able to see family and friends and celebrate Mackenzie's first birthday. Mackenzie had a great time climbing up the stairs at Grandma and Grandpa LaVine's house, chasing the cat, and running around on the golf course. She also loved the extra attention from family members. I left Ft. Wayne feeling refreshed and energized, I'm hoping it lasts for more than a couple days.

I love this picture

Lakeside


Mackenzie wasn't into having her picture taken, she wanted to run around
and play in the water

This girl loved her cake!





This clearly isn't a good picture, but I find it interesting to look at everyone's face.


Refreshed after a 3 hour nap


Walking with dad

My dad, love him

Happy Birthday Mackenzie

I can't believe that it was almost a year ago that I was laying in the hospital holding our brand new daughter. Nathan was currently working for the YMCA, taking a full load of classes at IPFW, volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Special Olympics. I don't know how we survived those first few months, it was such a busy time. This year has gone by so fast and brought so many changes.

Mackenzie is turning into quite the big girl. I find myself saying things like, "I'm going to go check on the baby." or "Where is the baby?", when in reality she is no longer a baby. A few of her recent accomplishments include shaking her head no right before she drops food onto the ground or feeds the dog. This girl loves to be outside and has learned that when Cappy sits at the door, she gets to go along for the ride. It's to the point that when I tell her it's time to take Cappy out, she runs to the door, picks up her leash and pretends to hook it up. She doesn't have a lot to say in terms of real words, other than ball. EVERYTHING is a ball and it sounds kind of like baaal. She is kind of picky about adding the l sound, sometimes you get it and sometimes you don't. Mackenzie is definitely keeping us entertained, humbled, and on our toes.

Nathan was assigned his job last week and he is going to be............an Air Traffic Controller. He starts school in Pensacola, FL on October 1st. He will be there for a total of 16 weeks, we're not sure where Mac and I will be going. We'll keep you updated as we figure things out.

Saturday Night

Saturday night, around 9:15 Mackenzie and I were involved in a car accident. No one was injured, thank God! We were stopped at a red light when we were rear ended by a Ford F250. What followed was pure chaos. My first instinct was to call 911 so that if Mackenzie was hurt help would be there soon. Since I am not all that familiar with street names around this particular area, it was difficult explaining where we were. The driver, Mr. White, was no help at all. My mind was clouded and all I could do was listen to her cry. She looked okay-no bumps, no blood. The 911 operated had instructed me not to remove MC from her car seat, in case there were any neck/head injuries. At this point I was frantic, my cell phone was almost dead and I couldn't get a hold of Nathan. Luckily, an off-duty paramedic, Chris, had witnessed the accident and stopped to help. Chris checked out Mackenzie and believed that she was okay. He suggested that I still have her checked out at the hospital. We were greeted by a State Trooper, EMS and fire engine. Mr. White had still not spoken any words to me and looking back, I am glad he hadn't. Mackenzie and her car seat were removed from the vehicle and into the EMS. The two paramedics were awesome, she had stopped crying at this point and was now playing with a roll of sticky tape. They attempted to tape her head to the seat, but she continued to rip it off. They obviously had no idea who they were dealing with, haha! I gave the Trooper my information and overheard Chris, my friendly, off-duty paramedic, tell the Trooper that he smelled alcohol on Mr. White. WHAT???? I had no time to process, the EMS was waiting on me to take MC to the hospital.

Nathan met Mac and I at the hospital. The moment I saw him I broke down in tears. Mac was putting on a show for the crowd that had gathered around and I was reminded just how precious this little girl is to our family. She has become our everything and for a split second that was jeopardized by an individual that chose to drink and drive.

I later found out that Mr. White hit us traveling at 40-45 mph. He failed his sobriety test and refused to take a breathalyzer at the scene. He was arrested and charged with a DUI. I was surprised to see that Mr. White is the same age as us, he looked so much older that night. Could that be from heavy drinking? This sounds terrible, but I'm going to say it anyway- I hope that Mr. White sat in jail Saturday night terrified that he may have seriously hurt a baby, my baby.

Due to the fact that Mackenzie and I had to go to the hospital Nathan had to notify his chain of command. I was surprised and thankful for the amount of support we received from his fellow Marines. One of them even came to the hospital at 11:00 to give us a ride home, thanks! It feels good knowing we have people to rely when both sides of the family are so far away.

Check Her Out

Mackenzie has moved from taking a few steps to several. Nathan took this video of her last night. She is holding a photo album that has pictures of her when she was first born, she loves looking at them. Sometimes the room will get very quiet (as a mother, you learn this usually isn't a good thing) and I will find her looking at those pictures.

The second video demonstrates her ability to balance and crawl away from dad. It's hard not to laugh when she falls, she usually jumps right back up. Notice her little butt hanging out of the dress, good thing 10 month old girls still wear onsies!

Picnik

My cousin, Krista, told me about this website called Picnik. It is a photo editing browser that has some of the cutest tools. I was able to play around a bit while Mackenzie took her nap. Here is what I came up with, enjoy! The last picture is my favorite.

By the way, Nathan and I are leaving for a weekend getaway tomorrow morning, hope everyone has a safe, sun-filled Fourth of July!

I'm not sure how to title this post because reading this story has brought up so many emotions. My heart aches for their loss. To start at the beginning click here. This woman is an incredible writer that shares the story of their beautiful daughter Audrey Caroline.

Cappy Hair

"Cappy hair" is a phrase that I use a lot. Cappy is my dog, a puggle. Cappy was an impulse buy and we had a rough beginning, but I stuck it out and now she is a lazy, semi-overweight, shedding dog. Her hair seems to be all over the house, despite my attempts to vacuum/lint roll. I've tried brushing her in the past, but I could never find a brush that worked.......until now.

I have become completely obsessed with the FURminator!


I now brush Cappy once a day and found that I can even use the tool on my couch. I was a little nervous about that at first, but no damage was done. I am astonished at the amount of hair that comes off of Cappy. I'm not going to lie, it is kind of pricey for a dog brush, but I would definitely recommend this to anyone with a cat or shedding dog.

By the way, I realize this is a random post.