The Whirlwind

Since my last posting the hive has been caught up in an absolute whirlwind. I am not even sure where to start, so I will once again fall back on my favorite form of "catch-up"...dun, dun dun...the ever-handy LIST!

-Busy bee started preschool at a local Lutheran church and greatly enjoyed going to school every Tuesday and Thursday morning. The only activity his sweet teacher Mrs. Cindy claimed he never took part in was singing. His progress since the start of preschool has been astonishing to witness, as a parent. He can now count to 20, add small numbers together, write his name, use scissors, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and do a small amount of sight reading (just to name a few.) Hunter was also bitten by the Love Bug while at preschool. Aidan, a beautiful, tall, blond girl was the object of his fancy!

- We made our annual trek to the Puyallup Fair (also known in WA as "The Fair".) I love, Love, LOVE fairs...and fair food...and carni rides where half of the thrill of riding is wondering whether on not the equipment is actually put together correctly...and fair animals...oh, and did I mention fair food!!! I hope to pass my love of fairs onto our children. So far, so good.

- At the end of September we suffered a miscarriage. We had been pregnant for 12 weeks only to find at our first ultrasound the absence of a heartbeat. I had been very worried at the onset of this pregnancy because it was SO different from my previous two. I was constantly sick and craved only trash (i.e. candy bars, soda, chips.) I remember telling Hubbee that I didn't want to tell anyone we were pregnant until we heard the heartbeat. We were told after the whole ordeal that we had what was medically referred to as an anembryonic gestation. Initially I was relieved that it was over but then I was mad because I felt as if 3 month of my life had been wasted being sick. The little bees also had a hard time understanding the loss. But luckily, God is good and honestly has our best interests at heart...which we quickly realized in the months following the miscarriage.

- October brought with it Busy bee's 4th birthday. As we only give "friend" parties every other year, this was a small occasion at Charlie's Safari with the hive and a dear family whom we love, the Wiens. Despite my attempts to keep it low-key, Busy bee also celebrated his birthday at preschool, Sunday school, and Awana. All the festivities had Bella bee very confused...especially when her birthday (and only 1 party) rolled around a few months later.

Busy bee's Favorites
(at the age of 4)

Colors: Red, Orange and Green

Foods: Hot dogs, pickles, and chocolate milk

Toy: Hot Wheels

Book: "Cars, Cars, Cars"

Movie: Transformers

Song: "Race Cars are so Fast" (a song by mommy)

Saying: "That was totally AWESOME!"

Friends: Hudson, Ian, Zachary and Hunter B

-We had our first lost tooth not too long after Busy bee's 4th birthday. According to our dentist, the tooth would either need to be pulled or a baby root canal would need to be performed. We opted for the pulled tooth. Busy bee was such a champ during the whole process...not even a single tear!

- We added a new member to our family on a late October trip out to Grandpa and Grandma's in eastern Washington. As we had no plans to add to our family, we were surprised when we came across Bianca and found that we couldn't possibly bear to leave her behind. She was white, surprisingly fast, strong, and had some room for a little extra junk in her trunk. It was a deal we couldn't refuse and I couldn't be happier. Here's a few pics of my new baby!

- Halloween found us once again at our church's party, Light up the Night. A huge community-wide party with tons of candy, festival games, blow-up toys, great food, and of course, the best of friends. Busy bee and Bella bee were also once again fortunate to get awesome costumes made by their Granna, a sewing extraordinaire! Both were ready to "cook" up some fun in a pair of darling chef costumes. They were definitely the "Day's Special!"

- Da, Granna and Uncle M were able to visit in November and share Thanksgiving (and Uncle M's birthday) with us. We always love having family visit because it gives us a great opportunity to take some time off from our busy life at the hive and go see the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We took Granna for her first visit to the Pacific ocean and Uncle M for a birthday outing to Seattle.

- For the first time in our marriage we decided to cut a real Christmas tree. Luckily we know the best place in eastern WA to do such a thing...The Sprouffske Christmas Tree Farm! Even luckier for us is that we know the owners and count them as dear friends. It was a fun day filled with tree cutting, fresh picked apples from the orchard, friends, hot chocolate and games. What a wonderful Christmas tradition.

- Christmas quickly came and with it came loads of snow! So much snow in fact, that Uncle A's flight out of Portland was cancelled for a few days allowing him to drive up to spend Christmas with us. We were also lucky enough to have Grandpa and Grandma spend Christmas with us too. Luckily the snow didn't keep family or Santa away!

- Just a few days after Christmas, I had to have Sullivan put to sleep. He was suffering daily from seizures that could not be controlled by medications. I was sad to lose my canine friend of 5 years.

- Bella bee turned 3 in January. Per her request, we had a Pinkalicious party! Never has so much pink been seen...even the gentlemen of her party were obliged to wear the more manly form of pink - red. Bella bee very much enjoyed planning and shopping for her party. Next time I will be sure to watch the shopping cart because we magically ended up with much more party treats, decorations, and favors that I remember putting in.

Bella bee's Favorites

(at the age of 3)

Color: Pink (go figure)

Food: Macaroni & Cheese

Toy: Princesses

Book: "Pinkalicious"

Movie: anything with princesses

Song: "Baby Mine "

Saying: "Excuse Me!" (not politely, I might add)

Friends: Aubrey and Addison

- Bella bee started ballet in January. She loves wearing the leotards, the tights, and the shoes. She doesn't even mind having her hair done. I am quite sure that Bella bee in ballet is the cutest thing in this world.

- With the end of Hubbee's military career looming, Hubbee started the job searching process with a service member's head hunting company called Cameron Brooks. January and February were a blur of resumes, job conferences, Army paperwork, practice interviews, military farewells, real interviews and then thankfully a job offer in the beginning of March. During a notable time in our country's economical history riddled with immense job layoffs and country-wide hiring freezes, we felt we were blessed to receive an offer from Hubbee's number one choice, Exxon Mobil.

- 3 weeks after receiving Hubbee's job offer we were on the road headed for our newest home in Houston, TX. It was our 5th move during our 4 years of marriage. We completely felt that we were supposed to be Houston as there was no possible human way that we could have made all the pieces fit (or even work) to get us here in that short of a time frame. We quickly put our WA house up for sale after receiving Hubbee's job offer. Granna flew out to stay with the little bees while we did a quick house hunting trip. On our second day in Houston we found a beautiful, new, 5 bedroom house for an amazing price. We flew back home only to have the movers come the very next day. And a day later, we were en route to Houston. We drove south through Oregon and California where we made a pit stop at Disneyland. The little bees had a wonderful day at the "Happiest Place on Earth." They greatly enjoyed Pixie Hollow, meeting Mickey, and many of the rides. We then headed east through Arizona, New Mexico and into Texas. We arrived in Houston on Wednesday, signed for our house on Friday and Hubbee started his new job on Monday.

- Unfortunately, while on our trip down we were saddened to find out that my sweet and beautiful niece, Kendra Edwards Naisbitt was killed instantly in a tragic car accident on March 21st, 2009. She died at the age of 23 and left behind two sweet little boys, Travis (3) and Tanner (1 1/2). Words cannot describe how much she will be missed but I am so grateful for the memories I have and the for time that the Lord allowed us to share, however briefly, with Kendra. http://www.utahtributes.com/search/show_listing/6171

- We enjoyed our first Easter in our new house. The little bees were very happy that the Easter Bunny was able to find them despite their change of address. Busy bee said, "That must be one smart bunny!"

- I celebrated my 27th birthday in early April. Hubbee, the little bees, and I went out to celebrate the occasion at Benihana. The little bees loved to watch our chef cook in front of us. The sliced onion and squash locomotive was a huge hit...not to mention the piece of birthday cheese cake that Bella bee scarfed down before I could even get a bite. Busy bee was very disappointed that there was no party and has repeatedly told me since that we need to make sure Hubbee's birthday has all the things he feels mine was lacking.

Like I said, it's been a whirlwind...but we've enjoyed the ride.

Busy bee goes to Preschool

We took Busy bee to his first day of Preschool last week. We think he enjoys it however he is reserving his judgement for a later date.

Excited, nervous, or just sick of pictures?!?

Boating on the Sound

We were lucky to have our Uncle A come visit for a few days. While he was here we were able to rent a boat and go boating on the Sound. The little bees had a great time seeing the local wildlife: crabs, sand dollars, seals, and flounders...okay, okay so maybe they enjoyed seeing some of the local aquatic life more than others. They also enjoyed stopping at many of the islands in the Sound to throw rocks into the water and explore. We had such a great time that Hubbee and I are determined that we get a few more boating adventures in before the rainy season arrives.

Whats Going On

I'm back, I'm back!

As way of explanation for my lack of blogging, Hubbee returned from 14+ months in Iraq this June.

Since his return, we've been busy, busy, BUSY...

We traveled to the WA coast for three days of a beach experience that only the Pacific Northwest offer.

Caution: pictures may be shocking for those who have never worn coats to the beach in the summer!!

We ripped out the old carpet and put new wood floors in our hallway, kitchen, living and dining rooms.

Made Bella bee her first Big Girl Bed!

And found a few times to leave the little bees home at the hive giving us some nights out to ourselves.

Basically, life at the hive couldn't be better.

Retrieving the Moon

Yesterday we were eating dinner outside and I pointed out the crescent moon to the kids.

Busy bee asked, "Mom, can you get the "present" moon out of the sky for me."

I told him that I couldn't reach that high.

He then told me, "It's alright mom, my daddy can use a ladder and get it down."

I'm sure he thinks his daddy hung the stars too...I can't say I blame him.
It's always good to have someone around who can retrieve the moon.

Photo Ordeal

As any good scrapbooking mother does, I try valiantly to take pictures of my kids. Despite my best intentions, you can see below what an ordeal getting the "perfect" picture is.

Attempt #1

Attempt #2

Attempt #3

Attempt #4

Attempt #5

And finally...Attempt #6

At some point "perfect" gets thrown out the window and you learn to find the joy in "perfectly adorable."

Easter Cookies

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma!

The Easter cookies were a BIG hit!

Can't you tell?!?

Toliet Fishing

I have sunk to a personal all-time low. I recently toilet fished in the worst possible conditions.

Bella dropped a plastic doll comb in a bowl-full of upset stomach and before I even had the time to contemplate the repercussions, I went a fishin'.

I remember a time in the not too distant past, when I was grossed out watching mothers spit-wash their kids. Now, I not only spit-wash my kids but I also pick up half-chewed food, wipe snotty noses, sometimes even pick boogies out of snotty noses...and now apparently, I also fish toys out of piles of bile.

Where have my standards gone?!? My best guess is down the drain.

Sickie Ickies

As previously mentioned, the hive is currently a nest of "sickie ickies."

We went to the Emergency room a few days ago only to be told that both kids have a virus and that there is no medicine they can give to us. No medicine?!? For heaven's sake, give us a placebo. At least then I'd feel like there was a light at the end of this tunnel. You'd think by now that doctors dealing with the parents of small children would have this figured out. Parents with sick toddlers are in DESPERATE need of hope. Fake hope is much better than no hope (especially when we don't know its fake.)

With that said, this mom votes for the wide-spread use of placebos!

*Disclaimer -I claim all rights to change this opinion at any point in the future*

I thought it was pretty funny that the RN in the Emergency room put a mask on Bella bee. It stayed on about as long as it took to take this picture.

Hive Bytes

Its been a little crazy around here. Bella bee has had a raging viral infection for over a week and thus, I have accomplished little concerning this blog (or anything else for that matter.) So in an attempt to catch everyone up, here are a few recent "sound bytes" from the hive!

Hive Bytes

said Busy bee - "Momma, does God shoot animals too?"

said Bella bee (while sitting on my lap) - "Momma, I miss you. Do you miss me too? You are my best friend."

said Busy bee (while naked and getting his hair trimed) - "Aack! Get that hair off my privates. I am still a little boy."

said Bella bee (after Busy bee told her "No!") - "Busy no me"

said Busy bee (during his nighttime prayer) - "Thank you for my house, my family, my race cars, my hot rods, my sedans, my suvs, and my monster trucks."

said Bella bee - "Jesus loves me." (patting my hand while shaking her head knowingly) "Oh, he loves you too."

Bella bee's Princess Panties

Bella Bee

We were able to watch and enjoy the stunning lunar eclipse last night. I tried to explain to the little bees how a lunar eclipse happens. When that didn't sink in, I told them that the Earth was tucking in the Moon with our shadow.

Baby Bee thought this whole experience was amazing. She made me take her out to watch it's progression many times throughout the evening. She would lay back in my arms and in a breathy voice claim that it was, "boo-tiful." And then proceed to tell the Moon, "night, night Moon" and blow the moon a kiss.

Thus in honor of my own beautiful Baby bee's progress from baby to toddler, a seemingly overnight progression, I am changing her blog name to Bella bee. Bella, the Italian word for beautiful, aptly describes this little bee. She consistantly sees the beauty in the world around her. She not only brighten's my day with her radiating self but also manages that task in those who cross her path.

We are truly lucky to have Bella bee as a member of our family. Her presence alone seems to make not only our days but ourselves and our actions more beautiful.

Bo-bo's

In our house when someone gets hurt, we call the site of their injury a "bo-bo." We pronounce bo-bo with long o's - as in BOws and arrows. Most people I know use the more common "boo-boo." The different pronounciations of this word have recently caused Busy bee some confusion.

Just the other day, we took Baby bee to her 2yrs. old well-child doctor appointment. Due to some horsing around the day before, she had a big goose-egg on her forehead. When the doctor came into the examining room she looked at Baby bee's head and said, "Wow, you've got a big boo-boo!" Busy bee looked at the doctor in shock and exclaimed, "Baby bee doesn't have boobs yet. She won't get those until she is bigger."

After a quick blush, the pediatrician looked at me and said knowingly, "I can only guess at the coversations you've been having lately."

If only she really knew...

How'd that happen?

Yesterday Busy bee was happily playing with a few of his diecast cars, when he looked up at me and posed the question, "Mommy, are you a big kid?"

"Technically, I am no longer a big kid. I am what is called an adult." said I.

To which he replied with all the sadness and shock a 3yrs old can muster, "Oh no! How'd that happen?"

He is right...
How did that happen?!?

Little Bees

Buzzing Off

It appears that I have been "buzzing off" the past 9 months and have not added to my blog. I can honestly say that I have on many occasions said to myself, "Self, you must post something today." But "self" just doesn't seem to listen or obey...maybe "self" is the one who is "buzzing off"?!?

Wow, well 9 months!!! Where to start? Maybe a list would be the best and fastest way to get us all back up to date.

The Summer Months
- With Hubbee gone, I revamped our whole backyard during WA's lovely summer. I hauled over 50 wheelbarrow loads of dirt and 30 wheelbarrow loads of rock to make two large raised beds that line 3 lengths of our backyard. In the raised beds, I planted 20 arborvitae trees and over 40 other varying types of plants. I also layed a stone patio and path along one side of the house with plans to plant a cutting garden and install a watering fountain this spring. Hopefully when Hubbee returns home this summer, he is impressed by his worker bee's house/yard improvments.

-We were lucky enough to criss-cross the United States a few times during the summer to visit family and friends. Grandpa, Grandma, the little bees and I all drove to UT to visit our Edwards cousins and see their new house. Later, I was able to travel to CT to visit my dear friend's graduation from hygentistry school and tromp around on my old high school stomping grounds. The little bees had a wonderful time staying with Grandpa and Grandma in WA. Then, we all traveled to OK to stay with our Granna and Da for a good chunk of the summer. While in OK, I was able to skip town yet again to go to a college friend's wedding in PA.

The Fall Months
- Busy bee had his 3rd birthday. With 4 little boys and over 75 balls, one might say it was a "ball" of a good time. I still can't believe my busy bee is turning into such a little man.

-Busy bee and Baby bee trick-or-treated this year as Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. All Hallows Eve has never seen anything cuter. I can honestly say that this was the starting point for Baby bee's infatuation with everything "princess" and/or "fairy."

- Hubbee had a hernia surgery performed in a tented hospital in Kuwait. The good - he was out of Iraq for 4 weeks, the bad - it was a tented hospital in Kuwait, the ugly - the doctor performed the surgery on the wrong side!!!

- Due to a soccer injury during the spring, I had my fourth knee surgery to repair a serverly torn mcl. Soccer is now the newest activity added to my list of "No, Nos"

- Thanksgiving was spent in Eastern WA visiting Grandpa and Grandma and all of our Elison cousins.

The Winter Months
- We spent Christmas with our Peacock family in UT. We had a lovely time playing in the snow and being with our family. The little bees are finally starting to understand the whole role of Santa and are fully appreciative of his kindly deeds. As of this Christmas, our little bees are begining to have dreams of "sugarplum faries dancing in their heads."

- We rung in the New Year with our Queen family in OK. I got a well-deserved night out with Hubbee's siblings while the little bees celebrated with Da and Granna.

- Hubbee flew to OK for his 18 days of leave! We were so excited to see him after 9 long months! The little bees flocked to him like pollen on spring flowers. As R&R (aka "leave") goes, the time was bittersweet - the 18 days were sweet but saying "goodbye" was bitter. Luckily we are more than halfway done!

- Baby bee celebrated her 2nd birthday while Hubbe was visiting. We had a Princess party and an "Inker Bell" cake (Tinker Bell for all the rest of us.) She is truly turning into our little toddling princess. I guess at some point in the near future I will need to "update" her blog name as she is no longer a "baby".

...I will be sure to keep you all posted.

3 in the bed

Since Hubbee's departure, I have found myself in the midst of a "bed" situation. Though my little bee's intentions are sweet, I have come to decide that three in the bed is most oftentimes one too many (and in the case of toddlers, two too many)!

Baby bee has recently taken up a midnight nightcap. She has figured out that she can effectively use all of her 23 pounds to "bump" her crib into the wall. If this tactic doesn't quickly produce the results which she wants (i.e. a sippee cup of milk and some quality time in Mama bee's bed) she then somehow manages to fart a smell so potent that an unassuming house guest would conclude that she has an upset tummy and a poopy diaper. Once Baby bee is saved from her "nightly cage of turmoil" she gleefully giggles and runs into Mama's bedroom with her chubby hands clasped around her sippee cup. Then she pats the bed with the previously said chubby hand and says, "Mama, up." After being lifted into the bed, Baby bee chooses her pillow, pulls back the covers in her desired location and lays down. Laying down might not be the correct descriptive word, however wallow would be. After she has finalized her wallowing ritual she then pulls up the comforter so it rests right under her chin. It is imperative that the comforter is bunched up under her chin or the whole ritual begins again. But if her "snuggling" and "swaddling" goes as desired she then takes back up her sippee cup and drinks sips intermixed with jabbering and the occasional real word. Sometimes, I think she wakes up only because she figures she has something to say.

Once Baby bee has had her fill of both milk and conversation and has successfully been put back into bed, it is only a few short hours until Busy bee makes his appearance.

Busy bee's approach to receiving a bed invite is a little bit different than Baby bee's. Busy bee can be heard at first by a low whine which quickly turns into a pitiful fake cry. If he isn't answered within the first few minutes of such theatrics he then chooses the more direct route of calling out "MOM" over and over. Once, I have given the verbal invite for him to leave his bed, Busy comes running into mine with his bear blanket and as many cars as he can hold in his little grasp. He then tells me to "Wake up" and climbs into bed. He lays down so our faces are a mere inch away from each other and then says, "Milk, Mama. Movie please" in his most plaintive voice. After this, my day has begun whether I wanted it to or not.

Lately, one might say of our hive, "There were three in the bed and the little one says, 'Nite, nite'." And they'd be right.

Getting Comfortable

There have been quite a few changes at our hive recently and we are all learning to adjust to them...one could say we are trying to "get comfortable."

As part of the Operation Iraqi Freedom surge, Hubbee, has ventured from our humble hive to a hive buzzing with turmoil. All the while, the little bees and I are trying to make the best of a situation completely out of our hands. We are trying to convert to our new roles and regain a semblance of structure and schedule. Our journey to "Comfortable" has seen us cry, act out in fits of rage, felt our sorrow, but more importantly has taught us of our strength. We have learned about world geography (Busy bee can point out Iraq on a map) and exotic animals (camels.) We have learned new skills (vehicle maintenance and a sundry of small home improvements/repairs.) We have learned to trust one another and more importantly in God and his will. We have learned to enjoy the small moments. And we have learned to respect the many men and women who put their lives on the line and leave their families to support our nation in a cause, whether they believe in the same course of action or not.

I can't say that we have reached Comfortable yet but we are on our way. Every day will find us at a fork in the road. Every day has the potential for smooth roads or mountainous trails. Every day will show us what we are made of, but who ever enjoyed comfort without first knowing it's other extreme.

2 years old and all MAN

I didn't fully realize how much my little Busy bee would change after turning two, but it was as if one day he became an actual person (and by that I mean MAN) and no longer simply just my baby. Hubbee and I don't push him to be manly, and in all honesty we don't as of yet, raise him differently than we do Baby bee. He was just born to be a man and is currently growing into one. I am sure that Hubbee and I, as parents, will in the future have to help mold him into a strong man who will be confident in his god-given attributes but as of right now God's gift of manhood is blooming in Busy bee all on its own.

Here is a prime example...

I, Busy bee and Baby bee were in the mall running a few errands. I stopped in Victoria Secrets to pick up a few (and much needed) push-up bras to reverse what time, pregnancies, and breast feeding have done. Quickly upon entering the store Busy bee got very excited and started patting my leg. I looked to what he was pointing at...it was a body form with a frilly pink piece of lingerie on it. Busy bee then said in the most reverent tone I have ever heard leave his mouth, "Mama, pretty...so pretty!" Some might be naive enough to say he liked the color pink but he doesn't...when given a choice he never picks pink. Some might even be dumb enough to say likes the fabric, texture, or whatever excuse they could think of to stray from the facts. But the truth is that he liked the way it looked. It appealed to his male nature. He may not know why he thinks it is "pretty" yet, but one day (and probably sooner than I would guess) he will.

I just hope that Hubbee and I are ready for our 2 years old MAN because like it or not, here he comes!