I've missed you Spice Rack

so it has been forever since i blogged!!! Isaac will be home next week though so i have lots to talk about. let's see....he leaves iraq on saturday, then be in kuwait for a little bit, then be headed home!! how exciting. I just can't wait to get started with the next chapters in our lives.
he'll be home just in time for thanksgiving and then christmas. we've even already made reservations for the kids at wazoo's for 5 a.m. on black friday. they will get to play and we will get to shop....isn't that awesome?!
let's see...about me.... well, i ran in a half marathon yesterday and finished it at 2 hours 45 minutes. i was very excited and felt pretty good afterward. i've lost a lot of weight since i've seen isaac so i really can't wait to feel his arms around me and then some...(wink wink). i also attend boot camp two nights a week and i think my gym is starting a spin class on tuesday evenings that i will go to. the kids love going to the gym with me.
the kids are all doing great and never fail to remind me how blessed i am to have them in my life.

isaac recently got a new job and will be out of the army pretty soon. we will be moving to augusta, ga soon. so like i said, we have many new chapters beginning. it's all very exciting.

He Made It!!

Finally....he made it!! We have had such a wonderful time so far!! It hasn't even been 24 hours yet and we've gotten so much done!! Well, since i'm supposed to be relaxing in the tub....I better enjoy!!! It's hard to focus when there are no interruptions. I'm so used to knock-knocks, Mommy's, and screams....I'm not sure what to do since no one needs me right now!!!!

Anxiously Awaiting!!

I know he'll be here soon, i just don't know when exactly. I wish it was early this morning like i had hoped. I'm so shocked that i haven't heard from since 3:45 yesterday morning.

An update: I have finally read Twilight. It only took me about 3 days to read and I absolutely loved it. I'm almost half way through New Moon but Isaac asked that I not be reading while he is home!! Gosh, I can't imagine that he has other things in mind, rather than curling up with a good book.

The kids are all fine just anxiously waiting for their dad to get her and then leave for Disney World.

We've had a good week and a half of summer break, and Mikayla is still alive!! LOL!!

More updates to come!

SORRY!!

I'm sorry to all of my followers!! I have been so wrapped up in facebook recently that I forget to type an update on my blog!!! Life is actually pretty good for me right now. Well, Sunday was a little weird for me, but all in all I have no room to complain.
I babysat over the weekend for a teacher friend. That went well. She and Erica are close to the same age and on Friday evening they 2 girls went to a girl conference called Smart Girls. It was here on post and lasted from 7-10:00. They really had fun.
On Saturday the kids went to a friend's house so I could run a race in Copperas Cove. I tied with my friend for 10th place out of 77 in our category!! I was so excited. I didn't even care that i slowed my time by 2.5 minutes from my last 5K! The hills (which i really like to call mountains) were excrutiating!! My friend and I decided it might have been easier to bear crawl up the biggest of the hills.
Saturday afternoon I took all of the kids to see Monsters vs. Aliens, 3D. It was really good, with only a few slow parts.
My friends plane came in early so she picked her daughter up early, which was nice. Another friend of mine has her life crumbling around her.
I'm pleased as punch to have so many blessings in my life! Isaac and I are already preparing for how we can ensure this return from deployment (like in December or January) will be smoother for all of us!! I love that we are strong enough to discuss these things to make our lives happier!!

I've also recently enjoyed seeing the Hannah Montana movie....I actually cried in that movie!! CRAZY ISN'T IT??!!

I'm going to be participating in a book study this summer to do the Twilight series with a couple of friends. 1st book in June, 2nd in July, and 3rd in August! I want to try to be better at just picking up a book to read and i think this will be an easy way to help me get started!!

That's about all i can think of right now! Oh...all 3 little spices are doing really well!!!

I guess I am going to have to abandon the anonymous name thing on here because I always end up using our names!!! Maybe it's the teacher in me!

Races, etc...

I am really enjoying these races!! I have completed 4 of them recently. I've completed 3 5K's and 1 10K! My time has gotten better with each race! I'm glad that my children are starting to see that mommy has more energy! Ya know, when i was weighing in at 254 all my energy was going to keep me walking from place to place and make it to the recliner!! Since that was not the life I dreamed of, it's nice for my children to notice a difference!! At 34 I know I still have a way to go, but I can achieve a healthy life that will help my children grow into healthier adults!!
Now, back to the races....my times are not army standard yet...but could be in a couple months!! I always joke with Isaac that if he is getting out...then maybe I should get in, just so we could both fully understand the whole army experience!!! LOL....
I better start dinner and some laundry....

McHenry

As I sit here finishing up some laundry, I'm very consumed with missing my husband. Although R&R will be here in June, I still am missing him pretty badly. I was pretty spoiled on the first deployment and if any of you know me, I'm pretty used to being spoiled. Well, being spoiled is a great thing at the time, but then when things don't go your way, you seem to take it even harder than the unspoiled person! So, Isaac is moving around a lot this deployment. It has actually worked out okay until Thursday. Now, he's in some remote place with no internet service and the cell phone that he got over there doesn't get reception there either!! What's even worse is that he is scheduled to be there until like a week before he's due home for R&R.
I guess I just feel a little out of the touch with the world. When I get like this, it seems to be easier to not talk to anyone. I feel like it's a little easier to transition Isaac back into the house when i've talked to him at least every other day or so. I don't remember feeling this desperate to talk to him for quite some time. What's even funnier is when I do finally get to talk with him, I'll be at a loss for words!!!
I'm blessed in so many ways! I love explaining how wonderful my husband is to everyone but i truly just wish he were here to prove it to them himself!!!

Easter Pictures!

http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view.sfly?fid=276d9c90b8d7a33a6276141d224b0f78

This link should take you to my album where you can view them as a slideshow! There's probably an easier way....but it's late and I have to work tomorrow!
Love to all!

10K Here I Come!!

A few prayer requests....since I can't sleep!
1. That I wake up on time!
2. That I finish!
3. That I'm not too sore to move afterward!
4. That I feel good upon completion!

I'm afraid 6:35 is going to come rather quickly, so goodnight for now!

Party at Wazoo's!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Running Smoothly.....

If only everything ran smoothly, life would be easy! However, when things don't run as smoothly as I would like, it is a helpful reminder of how much I miss Isaac, how much I need Isaac, how much I love it when Isaac is here with me!!
I've really tried not to complain too much....but enough is enough!
If only the garbage disposal still worked...
if only the light in the stairs could be reached to change...
if only the sprinkler system still worked...
if only registration/inspections never expired on cars...
if only brakes on minivans lasted forever...
if only the extra refrigerator still kept things cooled/frozen...
if only children never vomited in their beds...
if only i wasn't out of the house 12+ hours five days a week, then perhaps all the minor things listed above wouldn't seem like MAJOR things in my life!!!

HURRY HURRY HURRY Sweetie....come back to me!!!!

HOORAY!!!! TAKS TEST RESULTS

Okay so it's the first day back to school after spring break and reading TAKS results are in!!! As gradelevel leader, I quickly checked our scores to see that 94% of our students passed and 38% commended!!! After that I was able to disect my own class's scores to see that all 16 of my students passed and 50% of them received a score of commended with 1 person making 100%!!!!
I AM SO EXCITED!!! MY HARD WORK PAID OFF AND ALL OF MY LITTLE DARLINGS CAN PROMOTE TO 4TH GRADE (so long as they are passing all subjects, of course)!!!!
I know there are some who don't really understand the excitement....but several of you do!!!

Spring Break!

Well, I just dropped my mom off at the airport! She got here last Friday night and left this morning. We had a good week. First, I am trying to get back into running and living healthy so I did a 5K last Saturday with my friend MR. We had so much fun even though it was a little hilly and we beat our goal time. My mom's luggage was lost so we stayed at home the rest of Saturday. We got a lot of shopping done here in Killeen, in Temple, in Waco, and in Austin. We took the kids to eat and play at Ghattiland. We visited the Dr. Pepper museum. Let's see...Vader was groomed, christmas boxes were broken down and recycled, all my papers were graded, Paprika got a haircut, I made it to a doc appt, I got a pedicure, kids were registered at Central Registration, we played Bunco for a cancer fundraiser, took some pictures, and some other stuff.
We ate well also. Let me remember....Cheddar's, Fuddrucker's, Ghattiland, Bush's, Taqueria, Jason's Deli, oh and we did eat at home a few times also!!!

Thanks mom! We had a great time!

Not much happening!

There isn't a lot happening with us....just the normal stuff, I guess!  Math tutoring started today and I have 8 kids in my group.  SOmetimes i wonder why i sign up for 1 more hour of teaching, but i know the kids need and deserve it!

I joined Gold's on Saturday.  I even signed up to have 9 sessions with a personal trainer.  My first session with my PT is next Tuesday!  I'm excited.  I'm also running in a 5K this coming Saturday with Maureen (she's walking it) but it'll be nice to have someone with me!  I've done one race with my Houston Mom-in-law which was better than the race i did alone!  It really helps to have others around...especially for the motivation to keep going!

My mom is coming this Friday.  It would great if everything was perfect by the time she gets here, but i'm not seeing that happening yet!  Here it is 11:45 at night and i'm waiting for laundry and YES i have to be up at 5:00.

Jacob and Erica have new haircuts that i need to post pictures of!  they both look so awesome!

I'm excited to hear what Aria's baby will be on Monday and am thinking my bro-in-law is insane for having another baby!  But no one asks me these things.... although i find it crazy that his family is about to out-number mine and he's almost 10 years younger than I am!

Today was a field trip day for the 3rd graders....boy were they actin' crazy!  I am most excited for Spring Break to be here but wish I didn't have to grade papers and finalize grades during that time!!!

Just my random thoughts..... see.... now there's no more wondering why i can't sleep.... my brain won't slow down!!  These are all the reasons I crash when Isaac gets home!!!

Huge Bouquet o' Flowers

These are the flowers that my sweetie had delivered to me at school yesterday!!! It is absolutely huge and beautiful!!!!

My Awesome Sweetie

Many may not know that tomorrow is my birthday! I really wasn't too excited about this year, but my awesome sweetie has gone above and beyond to help me celebrate another year of life.
First, he had me order a Shiatsu Massager for myself, from him! So, I did that a couple of weeks ago and have been thoroughly enjoying it! You see, he's so wonderful that he normally massages me whenever I'm feeling stressed. He always usually massages my feet with lotion almost nightly when he's home.
Then, on Monday, I checked the mail and lo and behold a box! This box contained a set of silver hoop earrings with diamonds on each edge.
This morning before work I checked the mail again and had another box!! This time I received a pair of diamond and amethyst earrings. That's my birthstone!
Now...words can't express how special I feel knowing that my wonderful husband is half way around the world and can remember to do all of this for one day of my life! He makes my new year exciting.
I know my Eternal choice was the best choice I've ever made in my life. Because of that choice I have my children and so many more blessings that one could not even begin to count!

Missing my One and Only!!

Well, with Valentine's day just passing and my birthday coming up....thinking of all the fun things that Mr. Nutmeg usually does for me and with me....really makes me miss him a LOT!!

I miss you, Sweetie!!  Here are some pictures I took before he left....I knew these would be the things that I missed....plus some!!

When he's home, ALL the Army stuff (oh, there's so much) is everywhere!  But when he's gone and there isn't much Army stuff around...I really miss it!!
The top of this dresser has been cleaned off since right after he left.  It will remain cleared until he gets home!!
I couldn't get this rotate for some reason, but he always takes his clothes and leaves them.  When he's home, it annoys me!  When he's gone....oh, how I wish his clothes were on the bed!
The infamous leaving of the shoes!!!  Just where ever he is standing when he feels like taking them off...that's where they'll stay!!!  I miss stubbing my toe on his big shoes!!
SSG Nutmeg hung this beautiful towel rack in my bathroom and for some reason his WET towel would somehow still end up on my side of the bed!!  We actually usually always laughed about this....I miss him!!!
 

Annoying 1 Bright Light

This morning on the way to work, a car was behind me that had a missing headlight!  The main problem was that they were driving with their BRIGHT lights on.  SO, one side was on the bright beams and the other side was on regular beams.  I don't know why it annoyed me so badly this morning.  I guess I was thinking that you can buy a headlight pretty cheap and if you get it at AutoZone, the nice salesman might even put it in for you!!!!!  So, I had to drive blinded all the way to work this morning!  Anyway, hopefully none of you will EVER do that to fellow driver.

Just me and the kids!

With SSG Nutmeg being gone, it was just us for Valentine's Day! I guess I sat around the house a little down all day, then it was time for the plans I had actually made! About a month ago, my teacher friend, AW, had suggested going to Chuck E Cheese's. Our thought was that with most people going out on dates and such that CEC's would be a little empty! SO, we invited some other friends whose husbands had to work or are deployed....and boy did the plan backfire! CEC's was busier than ever. We had to wait at the door to be seated like a REAL restaurant! Luckily we all got to sit together in side by side booths and we ate in shifts with the kids. Anyway, here are a few pics of our good time.


I had this one taken as proof that i was there also!!
Even though the girls look washed out, I still like this picture!  Little Paprika looks pretty sweet in this one.  I'm sure that Sage and Rosemary wouldn't call her that very often.
An action shot!
The motorized Chuck E was good enough for Paprika's picture.  She just wanted to stand on the stage with him.
Rosemary with her friend, AW!  They were inseparable that night!

Pinewood Derby '09

We had a lot of fun last night at the Pinewood Derby! Sage's truck won 2nd place! Can you believe 2nd place 3 years in a row???

On this smilebox creation, be sure to view all the photos on each page. You can click on most of the smaller pictures to see what the numbered text is referring to! Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Busy Week!!!

This week is very very busy for us!!!

Monday - school, dance, sign papers in temple with doc

Tuesday - school, tutoring (i teach), mikayla's dental appt

Wednesday - school, dance (til 6)

Thursday - school, tutoring, cub scouts

Friday - school, same day surgery to fix my port...ugh!

So normally I feel like our weeks are busy when Isaac is gone, but this week when you add 2 trips to Temple, the dentist, & cub scouts (not on Saturday)....it just seems like a lot!!!

Any and all prayers are accepted!

Best Buddies!!!

They love each other so much!!!  Paprika was watching TV and Vader was there as a pillow then Paprika became the pillow!!!
                          She was concerned that Vader wasn't making his "pretty face"!
                             She thinks it is the greatest thing when he kisses her!!!!

Staying Busy!

I can't believe my husband has been gone for only 2 1/2 weeks!  Maybe it's because he's not at his permanent location yet that time seems to be practically standing still! I knew I needed to post something new when he told me it had been a while....he's usually the last person to remind me of those things!!!  However, I did tell him that I felt bad for nagging my sister-in-law for not updating her blog more often....now she's posted like 4 new posts that I had to catch up on.

Anyway, here in central TX the weather is appropriate to talk about.  Yesterday it was almost 85 degrees outside.  I wore capri pants and short sleeves to work.  Then today I woke up to a frigid house with the temp outside sitting at 35!  Brrrr....

We ran our errands and quickly came back home.  Actually we didn't leave until 11 or so (cub scouts was cancelled today) and returned home by 1:15.

This week little Paprika experimented with a white crayon and became very frustrated when it "won't work"!  She said, "Watch Mommy!  It doesn't work".  So her 6 year old sister was quick to her (and my) rescue by showing her on a blue piece of paper that it DOES work...it's just white and doesn't show up on white paper!  She even went a step further and showed Paprika how the blue crayon wouldn't appear on the blue paper but it does on the white paper!  Oh how sweet to be so inquisitive!!!  And how lucky to have a sweet big sister willing to explain.

Keeping Busy with Friends

So, Mikayla spent the night with Tonya & kids on Friday.  Instead of driving all the way to get her, Tonya suggested we go skating in Cove.  It was SO fun!  She had her 3 kids, I had my 3 kids, and Maureen had 3 of her kids there.  The picture above is of Tonya and I just before we participated in the adult race!  I think we finished 4th (me) and 5th (her) out of a mere 6 racers!  
These are her girls.  She also has a son that's the same age as mine (Sage).
Watch out Erica!  Kearston is moving in....and Eduardo is pleased as punch!
Just before taking off our skates....we nabbed a picture of me and the kids!

A Tuesday Goodbye!

This picture on the left is of SSG Nutmeg and the kids!

This was Tuesday morning just before he had to leave!

I was able to take him to post!  He drew his weapon....he named his weapon....I'm so upset I forgot it already!

Here we are just seconds before they walked away!

3 year old spirit

So...with all the stresses of leaving, SSG Nutmeg and I toyed with us not "having time" to go to church today!  His destination has changed, the day he leaves has changed a few times, all the details still are not finalized for this deployment!  Crazy, huh?  Well, as we were chatting about whether or not we should go to church, Paprika walks up and starts to cry.  When we asked her what was wrong, she said "I need to go to Primary.  I'm in Sunbeams now.  I need to go!"

Needless to say, we were quickly put in our place as her sweet spirit touched us (it really gave us a swift kick for even thinking of skipping on his last Sunday here)!

So, even though SSG Nutmeg had to accept all the calls and texts during Sacrament and Sunday School, we were still blessed by hearing all the testimonies and lessons shared!

Clean for the cleaning lady????

What is wrong with this picture???  Why would someone clean before the cleaning lady comes??  Well, I don't want her to think we are nasty!  I don't want her to think I can't keep up with the house....except.....why else would I need her??  So, during the last deployment Isaac surprised me with a cleaning service!  It was the greatest thing ever.....seriously!  

So, even before we knew he was leaving on Monday, we had the appointment scheduled for today!!  So she'll be here at 1:00!  Isaac told me what he is willing to pay, so hopefully she'll be under the quote, so I don't have to do this again!  Like I told the lady last time, "We live in our house"!  It has to be functional....not necessarily perfect!

So, I guess I'll do one more walk through real quick....maybe put on some make-up and a bra!

Time for Deployment....So Quick??

I think I'm in shock more than anything.  I cannot believe that we got a call this morning saying that SSG Nutmeg leaves on Monday instead of the 10th!  I mean part of me believes it, but other parts of me doesn't want to believe it!  It's really just me being selfish.  All of me knows that he has a very important job to do, but none of me wants him to be so far away for so long!  I guess my real prayer is that he's safe and returns to us ASAP.  I also pray that his mission is successful.  I also hope and pray that the other guys meet up with him safely.  Isaac is going on the Strat-Air flight which will take him straight to his destination.  The others will be about a month in Kuwait before meeting up with SSG Nutmeg again!  Anyway...I'm still sad, but will hold up for his sake.  He pulled out about 3-5 loads of laundry that he was going to take care of next week while i was at work...but it looks like we'll get that done today and tomorrow.  :0)  

I think maybe I'm a little more emotional today because Baby Spice, Paprika woke up vomiting today.  There doesn't seem to be any apparent reason...I'm just hoping that it stops with her and doesn't go around to all of us, like normal!  

So, here is to a Happy New Year for all of you!