Snowmageddon

The power is out. We went to bed Thursday night to the sounds of sleet and freezing rain falling heavily outside. We awoke to a dark house and neighborhood. The power went out once and came back on, but went off for good around 3am. Salem sent the closed email at 6 am so Hayden and I bundled up under the covers and went back to sleep for a few hours. We got up and ate breakfast, fed the dogs and retreated back to the somewhat warm bed. We played a few rounds of Cars Monopoly Jr and were on our third game of "Who Shook Hook?" when Lila woke up. At noon. 

We had a little lunch, of what we had in the pantry and fruit bowl. We cuddled back up under the covers and used what was left of my laptop battery to watch Shrek: The Final Chapter. That took us right to nap time and after I put the kids down, I headed outside. I wanted to be able to go out since it was just slushy and not icy. So I set out to shovel the driveway. 

What a job! 40 minutes and an outfit change later it was done. I felt super accomplished and decided to brave the cold water for a shower. To my surprise, we still had hot water!! I took a super fast shower just in case the water was a fluke but man it felt good! We packed up after nap time and went out in search of hot food and civilization. 

We grabbed some food and made our way around town without many working traffic lights. We decided to stay with my brother once Lila's lips turned blue...

Busy

Is an understatement. The house is a mess, laundry everywhere. Work is great but time consuming. Hayden and Lila are growing at lightning speed. One day, I'll have time to really update. 

Oh hey 2014

So I didn't even tell 2013 goodbye. Hayden and I went to bed around 1030, Lila at her usual 630 and Jay was at work. It was nice to wake up in a new year, but my new attitude took about six more days to get here. Must've been coming via UPS. 

Work is the good kind of crazy and so are my kids. Lila turns two next week and it happened before I could blink. 

We have a new puppy, Gunner, that prefers me to anyone else. That's a first. Cold but no snow. Blah blah. 

Happy New Year

Christmas

Christmas has come and gone. I wish I could say I was in the spirit this year but it just didn't happen. I went through the motions, putting up a tree and picking out pajamas. I really did want my sweet babies to have a magical day and I think they did. But I'm in a funk and need to snap out of it. I've made a short list of things I need to do to make next year better and sometimes that's all you can do. My mom got us zoo passes and water park passes so I'm excited for a summer of fun. Today the sun is shining and my kids are silly. My house is warm, our bellies are full and we are loved. You can't ask for much more than that. 

Hayden is 5!

I'm not sure where the time went. My sweet boy is five. He has turned into such a sweet and caring boy. He is the best helper and big brother and so so smart. He picks up on things almost instantly and never misses a thing. He is an actual sponge. 

We got him a new big boy bike since we were enjoying 60 degree weather in November! He picked it out himself and went for an Army bike with a dinosaur helmet. Classic. Still have the training wheels but maybe this spring when it gets a little more street time we will be able to take them off. 

His birthday fell on a Friday so he had a cake for his friends at school. He requested Ironman so that's what he got! For his special dinner he picked the "chips and sauce place", La Fiesta. He ate all his dinner and was so excited when they brought his birthday ice cream and a sombrero to sing to him. He came home to open a couple of presents, new big boy shoes with laces and his Snake Eyes mask. Happy kid!

On Sunday we had friends over for cake and ice cream and presents. After we partied hard, Hayden opened every present but had to "find the note" and read it first. Cake and singing and then we packed up and headed to Safari Nation! The kids loved playing and jumping and bouncing. It was a great weekend of celebration for my big guy! 

Ninja

Hayden got mad at me last weekend because his Ninjago alarm went off at 530 am so I turned it off. And I pulled the blinds down so he wouldn't get up with the sun. He said, "great mom. Now he can't see." I said, who? He said,"Duh my ninja. How's he sposed to tect us if he can't see the bad guys out the window?"

Yeah. I love this kid. 

November 11

Until 2007, Veterans Day was November 11th and vice versa. Now it's the night before everything changed. Before my whole life shifted. Fear, pain, anger, loss. The unknown. Uncharted territory. Unimaginable sorrow. Pain unlike anything I'd ever known. Absolute anguish.

And he wasn't even my husband. But it changed my whole life. How I viewed the world. How I felt about the Army. How I worried. What I worried about. Tonight my heart will lay in the pieces it shattered into November 12, 2007. We remember every day.