Settled

Helloooo from North Carolina!  We finally got all moved and traveled back up to my hometown this weekend.  We will be staying here until Josh is a couple of weeks from coming home.  My parents graciously are letting us stay in their basement.  It's really nice to be surrounded by family and friends while J is gone.  It keeps me and Easton busy and also allows me a couple extra hands when I need to get some things done.  Easton was a trooper this ride back home.  The ride from Gulfport to Pilot is about 12 hours....so being the second time we have done it in about a month, I was a little nervous as to how he would do!

But this ride was one of our best!  We left Mississippi around 1 central time, and East feel asleep as soon as we got in the car!  He took a FOUR hour nap!!  Yes, a FOUR hour nap!!!  He slept through the whole state of Alabama, which allowed us to get a lot of good traveling done!  We made it to the north side of Atlanta Saturday night before stopping and picking back up early Sunday morning!

When we got home Sunday, my family was having a SuperBowl party and Easton and I enjoyed in the festivities for a bit before we both crashed for the night. For Easton, the highlight of his night was getting to see my brother's girlfriend Emma.  Easton LOVES Emma and flirts with her everytime she is around!

Monday was a quiet day for us!  Easton was slightly cranky, mostly contributed to all the changes the past couple weeks, and was wanting to be right by my side all day.  We needed a couple more items here at the house, so Easton and I decided we would brave the cold (well, cold to us since we were used to 70s in Gulfport) and go to Target and Walmart!  We not only were able to get the items that we needed, but we also got Josh items for his first care package!  When we got home, Easton's favorite place quickly became the big window in the basement looking out at our dog.

He would stand on his tiptoes and squeal everytime the dog would bark.  It was so sweet to see him get so excited.  

And it was an experience today, I have to write about our trip to the Post Office this morning.  I took our stuff we got to send to Josh up to the post office with me and Easton.  We get there, I put Easton in his stroller because I knew it would take a little bit to get everything packed and addressed.  Get in the post office (which I have rarely been in the one at home) and look for the pack and ship boxes.  Find them, and see the rates.  A large box, which we would need, would cost us $60.00 for an international shipment.  I was freaking out.  $60.00 on top of everything I had already put inside the box was going to make this care package crazy expensive!!  But worth it, of course!  I get the box tapped, packed, and go to stand in line to pay for the postage. There are about 5 people in line in front of us and Easton starts having a melt down.  Full on screaming and crying, along with arching his back and screaming some more.  Embarrassing!  After giving him anything I could think of to entertain him, I finally decided that he wasn't going to calm down, and I gave in to taking him out of his stroller to calm him down.  So here I am holding an over 20 pound baby, an almost 20 pound box, and pushing a stroller.  I get up there to pay, when they tell me they have military rates...yay!!!  But I would have to fill out a customs form first.  I had never shipped anything internationally, so I had no clue this was necessary.  So, with a screaming baby, I get it filled out, finally get it paid for, and we left.  In one piece, too!!  Thankfully!!  Hopefully, he will enjoy the package for all the trouble!!

Happy Tuesday!  

Life These Days....

Well, it finally came.  Sunday night J left for his deployment.  We knew it was coming, but they moved up the date for security purposes and they headed out about a week before we had planned for him to leave.  The few days leading up to him leaving were CRAZY!!!  Friday night, our sweet friends down here in Gulfport threw us a "going away party."  It was such a fun night and was so light-hearted fun, it made us forget about what the next couple days would hold. 

On Saturday, we moved out of our apartment.  We had decided that we didn't want to try to move after Josh was gone, so the whole day was pretty much a blur!  We got all packed up, moved to our storage unit, and to the house we were staying at by 6:30.  We enjoyed our last few hours before we all crashed for the night and prepare ourselves for what Sunday would hold.  On Sunday, we wanted to go to our church down here one last time and spend the majority of the day like a normal Sunday would have been.  We went to church, enjoyed lunch with our friends, and then went back to nap, and finish up the last minute things that needed to get done.  Josh and them were suppose to meet at midnight and leave out a couple of hours later.  

We hadn't decided if we were going to take Easton or not, but when we got ready to leave Heather and Ryan's, Easton was still up and kicking, so we just brought him along.  I had several friends offer to ride with us to take Josh to base to offer support, love, and comfort, but in the end, I decided that this was something I wanted to do alone.  I wanted to spend his last hour or so with just him and our baby and enjoy each other.  I was truly happy that is the way that I decided to go.  It was such a peace to just sit there together right before he had to leave.  

I cannot tell you how hard it was to let him go that night.  I just wanted to hold him forever and pretend that he didn't have to leave...but in all reality, we both knew he did.  

As left base, one of our friends called me and offered to let me stop by before we went back to go to bed.  I was happy to have gotten that call because it was nice to talk to someone instead of going back and being by myself.  We talked for about 2 hours, when I received a text from J that their departure time had been pushed back about 18 hours.  Great..... He's in the same town as me, less than 10 miles from where I was staying, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn't go back and see him.  
Monday was a very hard day for me.  I knew Josh still hadn't left, and I wanted so badly to go back and see him since he was so close, but since they were in lock down, they weren't allowed to have contact with anyone.  At this point, as much as I wanted him to stay, I also was ready for him to go so that we could start settling into our new routine and start putting days down in the deployment.  Luckily, late Monday night, they were able to get out and get going.  I had a small pitty party at the fact that he was really gone, but soon looked forward to getting to see him via skype and talk to him and get on somewhat of a normal schedule.  
I was thrilled early Tuesday morning to get an email from him saying that they had made it about halfway  and had to stop for fuel.  I really had never been so excited for an email!!!  
Tuesday was a much calmer day.  The emotions weren't as raw, Easton and I were slowly adapting into just the two of us, and hopefully soon, Josh would be settled and be able to call.  
And on Tuesday night, my wish was finally granted!!!  He had gotten settled and was finally able to call.  We only got to talk about 25 minutes or so, but let me tell you, they were the best 25 minutes we had ever had on the phone!!  It was so wonderful to hear from him and know that he could finally call.  We still have several transitions to make before we are finally settled where we will be staying while Josh is gone.  We will leave Gulfport Saturday (the flight was already booked before we knew exactly when Josh would be leaving) and we will hopefully arrive back in North Carolina early Sunday afternoon.  Easton and I are both looking forward to getting settled, getting busy and letting time pass quickly.  
But in the midst of everything going on, Easton and I have still been able to have plenty of fun!!!

Easton enjoying breakfast Tuesday morning.  

Easton trying a bite of a real banana for the first time....wasn't sure what to think of it

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!!!

Enjoying Each Moment

Days continue to go quickly as we await J's deployment.  I want to take in moments from each and every day, but with so much to do, and such little time to do it, it keeps getting harder.  Right now, we are moving on Saturday, and I have nothing packed and a TON of laundry to do before then.  Add that to the fact that my child will not sleep right now and wants to be attached to my hip all day, and it is one stressful environment!

Even though we have so much going on and so much to do, we are enjoying everything that we can as a family!

Easton has loved getting to play in the bath with Daddy

Since Josh is going to be gone for all three of our birthdays, we decided we were going to have a joint birthday party for the three of us.  Of course, no birthday was complete without a birthday cake!

We have enjoyed our last few Sundays with our Church Family down here in Gulfport

Daddy has enjoyed dressing up his favorite "cowboy"

As each day passes, I know we are getting closer to telling Daddy goodbye, but these sweet memories will hold us until he gets home!  Well, off to tackle my laundry mountain that I've put off as long as I can! 

SUYL: Military Families

Good Morning!! Today, I am linking up with Kelly.  Today, her "Show Us Your Life Series" focuses on Military Families.  I have been meaning to update the blog more often, but with minimal time left with my husband before he deploys, I figured spending time with him and our family was more important than updating the blog.  But trust me, the blog activity is getting ready to take off!  Once he leaves, expect many more updates!!

I am a military wife.  I am actually still really new with this title.  I have been a military wife for going on two years now.  My husband is a SeaBee in the Navy and we are stationed at CBC Gulfport.  A SeaBee isn't a typical Navy member.  A SeaBee will rarely be stationed on a ship, but rather does construction on the ground, and also provides ground support.  We have been here for almost 6 months, and while the transitional period down here was hard, this place has really been growing on me.  I am actually sad to be leaving here in less than a month!  While my husband is deployed, we are going to spend his deployment back in my hometown to be around family.  Down here the closest family is about 12 hours away!

Military Wife Questionaire

1. How did you and your spouse meet?

We met on New Years Eve 2009.  Me and my best friend, Kait, went to visit a friend from high school that was in the Navy.  When we got to Morgan's house, he had brought some Navy friends in.  We hung out all night, then went ice skating two days later, and have been together ever since. 

2. How old were you when you two met?

I was 19 and he was 18 (yes, I am older...but only by 5 months!)

3. How long have you two been together?



We have been together for two years this past New Years Eve. 

4. Where are you and your spouse originally from?
I am from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina and my husband is from Kentucky

5. How did you feel about him joining the military?
Josh was already in the military when we met, so I had to be ok with it haha.  I knew what I  was getting myself into, I guess you could say.  Even though I thought I knew what was coming, it has still be really hard. 

6. Where did your spouse go to basic training?
Great Lakes, Illinois

7. Has your spouse ever been deployed?
No.  He is actually getting ready for his first deployment very soon....

8. How long have you been a military wife?
I have been a military wife for almost 20 months (we were married in May 2010) so I'm still relatively new at all this stuff :)

9. Did you marry him before or after he joined?
I married him after

10. How did your husband propose?
So, I give my husband a hard time about this all the time!!  He isn't a very good planner, so we were just talking about our future, and he started talking about our future and said "I want to be with you for the rest of our life, will you marry me?"  Short, sweet, and to the point :)

11. How old were you two when you got married?
I was 20 and J was 19. 

12. Did he wear his uniform on your wedding day?
Yes!  So, so glad he did!

13. Where are you and your spouse currently stationed?
We are currently living in Gulfport, MS and my husband works off of CBC Gulfport

14. Do you live on base?
We do not live on base

15. How long were you married before you had to go through your first seperation?
This will be our first deployment and long seperation, very anxious and nervous about what all is to come in the next several months!

16. Do you think your spouse looks good in uniform?
Of course!  I think most military wives do :)

17. Do you think military life is more advanced that civilian life?
I don't know if I would say that it is more advanced, but I would definitely say it is very different.  There are struggles that a normal civilian wouldn't have to deal with

18. Do you like the benefits that you receive as a military dependent?
I do.  The healthcare/Insurance benefits are the best!

19. What is the hardest part of military life?
There are several hard aspects to military life.  First, I am a planner and like to have control of situations, and with the military I am not able to plan things in advance or have control of any situations.  Things can change so quickly, and the hours can vary.  I am also looking to experience more hardships when Josh gets deployed.

20.  Do you support your spouse as a member of the military?
Of course!  With everything that is happening right now with J's deployment, if I didn't support him, things would be extremely difficult!

Thanks for stopping by, and to all the military spouses and military members, thank you so much for your service and all the you give! 

And, just for cuteness, here are some pictures of my men :)

Time

Throughout life, it has always seemed as if you wanted time to speed up.  As a freshman in high school, you wanted to be a sophomore and get your drivers license.  As a sophomore, you wanted to be a junior, to finally be considered an upper classman.  As a junior, you couldn't wait to be a senior and be at the top of the school.  As a senior, you couldn't wait to graduate and enter the fabulous world of college.  See the trend here?!
Well, now days, time is simply moving wayyyyyyyyyy too quickly!!!  I cannot believe it is already the 5th of December!!  20 days until Christmas!!  
When East and I moved down to Mississippi, we knew we would be down here roughly 5-6 months, and then J would get deployed and we would go back home.  The first month, I spent home sick, and wanting to go back to the things I knew and the comforts of home.  But as the months started to tick by, I quickly changed.  J and I made friends down here, we began to know the city, and it quickly started becoming Home for us....
That was 3 months ago, and as I sit here and reflect on that, I am beginning to realize that our time here is quickly coming to an end!  For me, December is always one of the fastest months with Christmas and traveling, and all the fun that comes with Christmas and New Years.  And after December comes our crazy January.  A January that will be spent taking care of last minute deployment details.  For once, I want time to slow down!!!  I want more time here as a family with my husband.  I'm not ready for him to leave and not know exactly when he will be coming home.  I know so many people do this on a daily basis, but I face so much anxiety with this being our first deployment.  
We were watching our Sunday night of TV last night, and I just started ranting.  As each day passes, I grow in anxiety.  I know that it is early, but I still have fears.  I feel guilty that I will get to continue to be with Easton while J misses so many months of his life.  I worry about long nights that I won't hear from J, worrying whether he is safe or if something is wrong.  I fear how it is going to be not hearing from him for weeks at a time.  As I was telling him all of these fears, he quickly reminded me that right now, we are blessed to still have time.  Still have time as a family, still have time to talk, to tell each other we love each other!  I am constantly reminded that things will work out.  
This weekend, Easton said his first words "DADA" and J was here to hear those sweet words! At 6 months old, Josh was blessed to be home with us and hear Dada come from his sweet baby boy!  
So, while I want to get caught up in how quickly time is flying by for us, I take a step back and remember that we still have time together to make memories and spend a wonderful Christmas season together!  Always tell that special person that you love them, and be grateful for the time that you have with them...no matter how much or little that might be.  


And because he is so insanely cute, here is my little heartbreaker:

Helllllllloooooooooo, it's ME (again.....)

Sometimes, I really believe, blogging is NOT for me.  I want to do it so badly, but sometimes, it really has been working against me.  I started a blog when me and my little family moved down to Mississippi, but my old school email got deleted yesterday, and I forgot to change everything before that happened, so therefore, we have the birth of a new blog....so welcome to the second, and probably final attempt at my blog. 
So, since this is a "new" blog, I thought I would dedicate my first post to me and my life in an effort to get introduce myself.  I'm Allison (Alli is what I'm commonly known as though).  Now days, I have so many different titles.  First and foremost, I am a follower of Christ, and completely proud of it.  I am a proud wife (and if you can't tell, I'm a PROUD military wife)!!  I am a mommy to a precious five and a half month baby boy :)  I am also a daughter to the greatest parents in the world, a sister to a wonderful, and extremely athletic, younger brother, I am a student, a friend, a cousin (an overall family person), a hopeless romantic (yes, even though I am married, I still love the idea of romance!), and I tend to hold several other titles depending on the day.  Over the past 6 months, my life has experience several HUGE changes, thus leading me to even start blogging in the first place. 
 I am married to an amazing and incredible person, Josh.  We got married in May 2010, after only 3 months of dating.  (If you think "WOW, that's fast!" or "What were they thinking?!" you are not alone!!  I even got an occasional, "Are you pregnant?!")  But anyway, we were happy and completely in love.  I never thought I wanted to get married young, but it was one of those things, we just knew it was right.  Josh is in the military-the Navy to be exact.  (Yes, we also fit the sterotype of military relationships going fast).  When we got married, Josh was stationed in DC and I was living in North Carolina.  Since he was only suppose to be in DC less than a year, we decided we would continue living seperately, and Josh would come home on the weekends.  We ended up doing this for 15 months, and let me tell you, boy was it hard!!  But we made it through!!! 

 In September 2010, we learned that we were PREGNANT (again, a fast-paced relationship, but hey, it was working for us!)  We were excited and thrilled!!!  After 9 months, in May 2011, we welcomed a 7 pound 13 ounce baby boy.  A picture of pure perfection! 

When Easton was born, Josh got to come home and spend 15 days with us and it was AMAZING!!!  (We were still living in seperate places...DC/North Carolina).  The night Josh had to leave was soooooo hard, let me tell you!!  I think I cried the whole day and night after he left.  Luckily, for the next 6 weeks, we were blessed that Josh was still stationed in DC and able to come home to us on the weekends! 

When Easton was 8 weeks old, Josh learned that he was being restationed to Mississippi, and since he would be going to school for 9 weeks, we would not be able to come with him.  North Carolina-->Mississippi=12 hour drive/$500.00 plane ticket....weekend visits were not an option!  So, in July 2011, Josh left for Mississippi, and Easton and I embarked on what would quickly be the hardest 9 weeks of my life.  It was so hard being married and having a family, but being forced to raise Easton as a single mom.  I was very blessed to have my family within 5 minutes of mine and Josh's house, but it wasn't the same as having my husband there to help me put Easton to bed every night.  But we made it!!  In September 2011, Josh graduated his A-school, and we were finally going to be able to be together.  So in less than 24 hours I packed up our place in North Carolina, and trecked down to Mississippi, where Josh and I started our new life together and for the first time, were finally together as a family!!  We have now been down here almost two months and things continue to change.  We are settling into life and getting used to living the full military lifestyle. 

So, this is the story of our life.  Some days it isn't beautiful.  Some days (most days actually, I feel as if I wear spit-up more than I wear make up) but it is perfect for us to be together.  I look forward to you going on this journey with us.  The primary purpose of this blog is to help keep our family back home informed on our daily happenings when I forget get too busy to call and give daily updates.  Hope you enjoy and welcome to our craziness :)  (And because I want this to serve as a scrapbook for me as well, here are some pictures of my precious baby over the past couple of days/weeks to catch up)

Getting ready for our first "Trunk-or-Treat"--October 23, 2011

Forget all the toys on the top of the playmat, I think I'll just chew on the pole. 

First family trip to the pumpkin patch

Daddy and his "mini me"

Pumpkin patch on the beach.  Kids were running through the patch in swimming trunks!  It was also 88 degrees or so while we were there (88 in October....this never happened in NC!)

My snuggly little boy clean after his bath!!