Illinois, Part II

Okay. Took me a little bit but here are some more pics of our short time in Illinois in May. Because of many family commitments, we were just not able to see as many friends as we had hoped we would. We are very sorry and plan on coming back when Justin gets home to try and see everyone we missed in May. These pics are from the time we spent in Bloomington with the patrenal side of the family. The previous Illinois post was the maternal side in Northern Illinois. We miss you all and hope to see everyone soon...

Olivia at her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Aaron's house for the Mother's Day celebration.
Olivia, her cousins Anna and Allison, and her grandmother enjoy some time together while her Papa takes a snooze.
Olivia and Uncle Aaron enjoying some quality bonding time.

Our Latest Patio Visitor

So imagine my surprise yet again when I go out to water my flowers on our patio and I see something moving out of the corner of my eye. First thought-my favorite king snake was back to say hello from last summer. (See blog from last year entitled "Snakes on a patio" if you're not sure what I'm talking about...) Instead it was Tuck, a tortoise that decided to come walking on to my patio and hang out. Two days in a row he made his way onto the patio to chill. I personally think he is hiding from all the crows and osprey that would love to have him for lunch. At any rate, he is a nice addition to our family and quite a cute pet for O. Although with all the prey out there, we don't expect to see him much longer. At least this reptile is not as creepy as the last one that made it onto our patio. That is what you get when your backyard is a swampy forest. Someone was just telling me they found a brown recluse spider inside one of our community pool noodles with her babies. Sick. Below are pics of Tuck. Sorry they're a little blurry. Tried to zoom so you could see him better.


No, it's not a ladybug...It's Tuck the tortoise.
Tuck the tortoise comes to hang out.

Illinois Visit

Well, we made our annual pilgrimage to Illinois to visit family and friends. We were so happy to see O's grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins again. We managed to squeeze in every possible event one could imagine in a 3 week span of time but it was worth it! We can't wait to see everyone again soon. Next time, Daddy will be with us!

What's so funny? It's windy out, ok!
Look at me! I'm swinging like a big girl!
Push me harder Wyatt and Lauren! Wee, this is fun...
Olivia and her godmother, Aunt Debbie, enjoy some cuddle time at a t-ball game.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who has a child or is a godmother. Olivia and I spent it with my family (parents, sisters, brother-in-law, niece and nephew). It was a nice day. Olivia and my sis and b-in-law woke me up with flowers, a card and a pretty pair of earrings. My sis said it was all Olivia but we know she can't drive yet. It was still wonderful to wake up to my child holding a card and a present for me (with the help of my sis and b-in-law of course!).
It's a funny thing about mother's day. Of course it never meant anything to me before I got pregnant but now...I feel so different. It has turned out to be so important to me. Not because I want to get a day off from the "work" side of being a parent, although that would be nice, but because I am so proud of my new role in this world. There is a day out there devoted to the blood, sweat and tears of those who have carried a child, given birth to a child, and/or have stressed out about their first days/weeks/months/years at home.
However, this day is not only devoted to the many sacrifices of being a mom. I realized today that this day makes you understand that this beautiful creature you have been blessed with has made you less selfish and more willing to give everything you have for their safety and happiness. Mother's Day made me truly look at Olivia and realize how amazing a feeling it is when your whole being is full of love for your child.

Sorry for the rambling-I'm in a thoughtful mood...

Happy Mother's Day.
Heather

Justin in the Middle East

Sorry it has been a while. The end of the semester for me was tough and I have been out of commission for a while. But alas, class is done and I am free for a couple of weeks before summer school starts. I wanted to take some time and highlight some pictures of Justin on his deployment in Iraq. I know many of you ask how he is so I thought I would show you some of the things he has done. The first picture of him on his way to Iraq. He stopped in Kuwait first. Some pictures are of him in Iraq and the ones from Qatar are when he went on his R&R vacation for a week. Qatar is located on the Persian Gulf (It's a peninsula). While in Qatar, he went to the beach and a market where they sell gold and spices. We also got to see him everyday on the web cam. We were so happy and he was able to see Olivia crawling and pulling up to a standing position. It was a well-needed morale boost for all of us. He is closing in on coming home. Only a few more months...

Justin at a base in Kuwait. Love the McDonalds in Arabic behind him!
Justin helping a man sign a lease for land in Fallujah, Iraq.
Had to show this picture of woman waiting to get paid from the Marines in Fallujah, Iraq. Her daughter is with her. Interesting how she is fully covered and her daughter is not and dressed in western clothes.
His weapon of choice in Iraq! Eight confirmed kills! Notice the pretty pink color of this killing machine.
Who's the hottie lying on the raft in the Persian Gulf? Oh that's Justin on his R&R in Qatar.
Justin in the vast Qatar desert.
Camels in Qatar.
Justin in a dust storm at his base in Fallujah, Iraq. No color added. This is really what it looks like!

Time for Change

And I quote Peter Brady from The Brady Bunch, "Well it's time to change, when it's time to change....You've got to rearrange; Move your heart to what you're gonna be." He, of course, was referring to puberty. We are not quite there yet but O has started to drink the bottle by herself in her chair at the table. And I decided on a change as well. Scroll through all the pictures if you want to see what I've done. Crazy, I know...I can be a bit too impulsive at times but I like what I've done.

The Progression of Bathtime...

I decided to make a montage of Olivia's bath time since she has gotten so big and can sit in a bath seat and play with toys and the water now. I included some old pictures of her when she was a newborn and what the bath time used to be. I can not believe how big she is now and she is barely 8 months old! I thought her dad would appreciate these photos to remind him of our life when we first brought her home. I remember her 1st bath and watching her Dad take such good care of her. She was about 3 days old here.
She was so little here; only a few weeks old. I can not even remember her this small anymore...
I am way too big for this sponge Mom! From our little baby, to...
Sitting up is sooo much more fun! I'm a big girl now.
I'm ready for my closeup!
Thank you for the flower towel Leah!! We picked her right out of our garden:)
A pretty, clean flower!!