Mistakes

“What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning - and some of them many times over - what do you find? That you can swim? Well - life is just the same as learning to swim! Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for there is no other way of learning how to live!”

-Alfred Adler

Mistakes...

I guess I am still hung up on this. I have been thinking a lot lately how I am not the perfect wife, the perfect mother, the perfect person. And honestly, it has taken a lot for me to realize that.

And no, I never thought that I was perfect, but I definitely thought I was always right.

The other night on the phone while talking to Robert I realized this. I am not always the nicest person. I am not always the most sincere. I am a VERY headstrong person. And in the past, I thought that this was a great quality of mine. And it can be... if I were to use it for the positive.

But sometimes (gasp!) I am wrong. There I said it. Sometimes I don't always know the correct thing to do, the right answer, or what is best.

Sometimes I am rude, and unfortunately it's to the ones I love most.

And it's not like I haven't realized this at some point in my life, but now I am finally accepting it.

So how do I become what I want to be??

How do I change this stubborness? I know that it will only benefit my relationships, so that is why it is important to me.

Luckily, I am blessed with a husband and family that have endured this from me. And hopefully they will stick around long enough for me to figure this out.

And no, I am not trying to be perfect, just better.

“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.”

-Mark Victor Hansen

My new favorite!

“Maybe mistakes are what make our fate... without them what would shape our lives? Maybe if we had never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart... and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away”

-- Sex and the City

I love this quote! I saw it today and it always puts a smile on my face.

Don't ask me why...

I honestly have no clue as to why my blogging has started slacking. Shame on me!

So let's see what is new--

Ohhhh! Thompson is about 95% potty trained! YES he is!!! It was a very stressful time in my life. A time filled with doubt of my ability as to whether or not I would survive. Not kidding. It was pretty much the WORST thing I have had to deal with yet as a parent. But, on the brightside it was only 2 horrible days. Then on the 3rd day, you could almost see the lightbulb go off in his head. "I get it... you pee pee in the potty!"

Yes, yes my dear son. You pee pee in the potty.

And now everytime he goes to the bathroom, the proud, newly potty trained little boys announces "I pee-pee!!! I pee-pee!!" And I mean anywhere. Target bathroom, yes. Texas Land and Cattle, yes. TJ Maxx, yes. But it always makes me smile and I always say "Yes, you pee-pee'd!!"

And baby boy Brycen is a growing weed. He is just getting bigger and bigger. He is definitely going to be a talker and he has really started sucking on his hand. He hasn't found his thumb yet, but it is probably just a matter of time.

Robert's mother came up to visit us this weekend. We had a really good time talking and she got to spend time with the boys. We also went over to Robert's grandmother's house on Saturday and visited with them. Brynna, who is 4, just wanted to love on Brycen the whole time. So sweet!

We are still trying to figure out our housing situation. I have a stubborn husband who just has to live in this one housing complex on base. And apparently the six month waiting list does not scare him. Well it scares the crap out of me! Because I know who is going to have to set up housing until we are able to move in. And something tells me it won't be him!

Other than that we are just enjoying our time here.

Here are some pics from the past few weeks.

Thompson eating a cookie while we were at lunch with Britt at Rick's Bakery! Yum!

My sister

Brycen's cousin, Brynna

Nana and Brycen

And the big boy himself.

I had their pictures made last week and got to order them today! They are so good. Don't tell, but I made a cd of them and I will post that tomorrow! They turned out great!

Brycen-- You are 2 months!!

Happy 2 Months Brycen!

You are getting so big!! You are changing every day and are so alert. You will just turn your head from side to side looking around with those big, bright eyes!

You are also smiling more and more. You have even laughed a few times. You coo whenever I talk to you.

You are wearing a size 1 diaper and you are eating 4 ounces of formula every 2-3 hours. You are a big eater! You also are wearing mostly 3 months clothes for the length, although you need newborn for the width. I have a feeling you are going to be tall and lean.

You are sleeping pretty well these days. Although, for some odd reason, your bright-eye hours start at 10pm. So I play with you on your blanket until you are tired and want to sleep. You mostly sleep in your pack-n-play, but you would definitely prefer cuddling with mom. You sleep usually about 5-6 hours at night, eat, and then sleep for a few more hours.

I definitely know that all of our Arkansas family is loving having you here. There are so many people who love you. But I also know that your daddy is missing you. Every night you "talk" to him before you go to sleep.

We love you so much, Brycen. You are an absolute joy! I have enjoyed the past 2 months with you and couldn't imagine our family without you in it.

Happy 2 Months!

Long Time Gone!

Hello, it is me! You know, the girl who use to blog. Well, I am still here... somewhat. I am in Arkansas and when I come to Arkansas, life is busy!!

A lot of great things (and some not-so-great!) have happened recently.

Here is a run down...

Robert started his new school! He should graduate in 6 weeks!

Brycen is celebrating 8 weeks today!

While my sister Brittany was in town, we went to San Diego to the zoo and the aquarium. We also went to IKEA!!! The coolest store ever!

We made our trip across country. Surprisingly, it went very well.

We welcomed a new baby cousin into the family, Lola Katherine Thompson.

And today, I received my long-awaited diploma in the mail! I am college graduate! Whoo Hoo!!

Thank God for Sisters!

My sister, Brittany, has come to visit and meet her newest nephew. I am so excited! She just called and safely made it to Las Vegas. She has some business to do there tomorrow and should be down here tomorrow evening. I can't wait!

We are planning a trip to San Diego/Oceanside for the weekend. We decided to take the boys to the zoo and the aquarium. And I can't wait to show her around the Camp Pendleton area and hopefully what will be our new home. :) This will also be a great way to spend the last weekend with Robert before he goes to school and we head to AR for a visit.

I am excited to show her more of the "California life" (other than 29 Palms!) in hopes that she will keep coming back! ;) I love the San Diego area! It is so much fun! Tons to do and the most absolute gorgeous scenary. Who wouldn't love that?!

Tuesday morning we are leaving 29 Palms en route to NW Arkansas! And I can't wait!! I haven't been home since the 1st week of October and I am so anxious for everyone to meet Brycen. He is starting to become more alert and is developing his personality.

Even though I am so ready to go to AR, I know that there is SO much to do here. I have to get ready for the move!!! :) :) :) :) So excited!

It will probably be a few days before I check in, but I promise to have pictures when I come back!

Yummy!!

Well, today I finally got to start cooking again! :) I had bought some ground turkey the other day and needed to use it. So, I looked allrecipes.com and found a GREAT turkey chili (and it is supposed to be figure friendly!).

 Here is the recipe if you would like to try it out.

I also made some BBQ pork shoulder in the crock pot. I LOVE this McCormick seasoning packet!

It makes people think that you actually know how to cook REALLY good pork!

Brycen and I went to the doctor to get some more medicine. We have both been battling with thrush and it is not fun! Hopefully this medicine will knock it out! Oh, and big boy gained 2 more ounces in the past 2 days! He is now 7lbs 7 ounces!

I almost forgot to mention... or maybe was I just trying to forget. Anyways... the nosy person that I am, I started snooping on the internet to find out information about the big Bachelor scandal that took place on Monday night. Well, I ran across a bit of information that I am not too happy with. Wanna know?? Well, apparently there is this guy named Reality Steve or something who apparently has a very reliable source with ABC. He has predicted exact things that have happened over the past 3 seasons. And Steve revealed the bachelorette who gets picked in the end! What! Not kidding. I am going to put the girl's name in white so you can scroll over it if you want to know. Vienna!!! Not kidding! And I really wish I were! I just don't see it. The girl seems nuts to me and she is very young. Who knows... Love is blind, right?! I am going to go ahead and watch the rest of the season. 

Here are some pictures of the boys from last night and tonight!