Year in recap

According to facebook, I spend more time on there than my blog, so I decided to combine the two. Here are my favorite posts of 2010: (*disclaimer, they are all about Ally so if you aren't as in love with her as I am you might have Ally overload!)

-Ally is playing with the Fisher Price Nativity set, giving baby Jesus kisses, I love it!   (8:44pm December 7th, 2009)

-Quote of the day: "Ally, the plunger doesn't go in the toilet! oh...maybe it does..."   (2:11pm January 22nd, 2010)

-When Ally replies "NO" to everything, I get her to say funny things =)   (11:22am January 26th, 2010)

-wrote a reminder on my hand in blue ink; Ally keep saying "ouch" and kissing it =)   (2:54pm February 3rd, 2010)

-Ally keeps eating her purple crayon...not the other colors, just purple!   (12:42pm February 17th, 2010)

-returned to the kitchen this morning to find Ally happily smearing oatmeal on the bottom of her feet =)   (1:41pm February 26th, 2010)

-Ally is putting a tissue to Toby (the dog)'s nose and saying "sneeze"   (9:47am March 12th, 2010)

-my daughter said her first sentence today: "Ally oatmeal too!"   (9:08am April 2nd, 2010)

-my 18-month old decided to potty train herself: took off her pants, sat on the potty and filled it!   (8:38pm April 26th, 2010)

-my daughter's first words this morning: Mommy, I love you =) That's starting off the day right!   (11:12am May 6th, 2010)

-been around so many relatives lately, Ally called a random woman with gray hair "grandma" today =)   (8:05pm May 12th, 2010)

-laughed so hard today at my loaf of french bread with 2 tiny bites taken out of the end ... and my toddler with a guilty face in the grocery store line =)   (12:10pm June 24th, 2010)

-Ally's joke of the day (singing) "Five little tractors jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head"   (3:29pm July 30th, 2010)

-while playing dominoes today, Ally noticed the double zero. She became very concerned, carrying it around, looking for the dots that "fell off!"   (9:34pm August 8th, 2010)

-note to self...don't let Ally put flour in the mixer while it's going...she dropped the measuring cup which spun, flinging flour EVERYWHERE!   (7:09pm August 16th, 2010)

-in the middle of potty training, Ally decided to remove her pants and take the potty outside to sit on it! My neighbor was very amused...   (12:53pm August 17th, 2010)

-I told Ally her room looked like a tornado hit it. She looked around and said "Yes, a tomato!"   (8:16pm August 29th, 2010)

-Ally wanted me to do the "popsicle course" on Wii Fit this morning =)   

-words of wisdom from my almost-2-year-old: "boogers and poop are gross!"   (9:32am September 13th, 2010)

-raked up a big pile of leaves...and taught Ally to jump in it!   (2:11pm September 27th, 2010)

-my daughter swatted a fly with her hand today! (thanks for the hand sanitizer Chelsea...)   (9:54pm September 29th, 2010)

-Ally says "I love you Mommy...can I have a raspberry please?" with big eyes. How can I say no to that?   (4:10pm October 6th, 2010)

-A shot in each leg, blood drawn from her arm, and Ally said "thank you Doctor" when we were done!   (2:07pm October 12th, 2010)

-Ok I'm calling it...Ally is officially potty trained!   (10:10pm October 23rd, 2010)

-how I know I have been landlocked for too long: Ally saw a large puddle today and said "the ocean! I see the waves!" my poor child is deprived =(   (2:19pm November 5th, 2010)

-Ally's revelation: "Lia (the black lab) doesn't have eyebrows!"   (7:09pm November 15th, 2010)

-took Ally bowling tonight, she kept saying we were going to "the bowling"...it took me a while to realise she thought we taking her to "the bowling, Ally" (the bowling alley) =)   (10:19pm November 20th, 2010)

-pulled out the nativity set. Ally found Joseph and decided he wanted to " be a ghost for Halloween" so she pulled his cape over his head. Then she found Mary, paired her with a sheep and started singing "Mary had a little lamb..."   (8:37am November 23rd, 2010)

-I told Ally we were going shopping and she looked confused, "we already have bananas Mommy..."   (7:53pm November 26th, 2010)

-explained to Ally that the books with stickers on the front belong to the library...so she started pulling off the stickers!   (9:32am December 7th, 2010)

-The gate guard today said "Hello ma'am" Ally pipes in from the backseat: "Mommy's not a man!"   (3:30pm December 9th, 2010)

recent projects

I helped a friend make a doll bed for her daughteran oak bookshelf for another friend's son

and a changing table for an unborn girl

I found a beat-up little table and painted it with chalkboard paint!

Another FREE dresser, too bad it was blue and red...

now look how cute it is!
Every project I intend to be my last, since I would really like to park in my garage! I just couldn't resist these last two for Ally, since we will be stuck inside to play for the majority of the next few months.

Can't Argue with FREE!

Yesterday was Bulk Trash Pickup Day. Almost half the families on base are being relocated by the end of the year, and it's too cold for yard sales. So, a friend and I cruised around base looking at the opportunities. We literally had to return home to get the truck! Now, you can call me cheap, but I got everything pictured above (plus more) absolutely FREE! I also got a dresser for Ally which I am currently refinishing with girl colors and a bunch of scrap wood for my projects. Plus a pocket knife (still in the box) that J informed me is worth about $80. Not bad for a night's "shopping".

deployments are good for my marriage

Because we are being audited by the IRS (EEK!) Josh printed out his deployment information from his career so far in the military. He has been gone a total of 873 days! I get so many comments from people about how they would not survive if their husband was gone as much as mine (or at all), so I have compiled a list of reasons that separation is good for a relationship:

appreciation of spouse - I really notice all the things he had been doing around the house once he is gone, and all the things I no longer have to do when he comes back. I find myself saying "thank you" when he takes out the trash or changes a diaper. On the flip side, it is also very nice to be appreciated for all the things I do on a daily basis.

development of personal skills - hobbies to pass the time; I have coached sports, taken up sewing, canning, etc.

independence - knowing that I CAN do everything around the house that needs to be done. I can also set a routine and do things at my own pace.

friendships - the opportunity to spend time with other people and develop those relationships that are nice to have but are not a priority when he is around.

correspondence/communication higher priority - phone calls become very important and exciting to receive, so do emails and video chat. I find myself scheduling time to talk to him, or dropping what I'm doing when he calls; putting my marriage as a top priority, where it should be.

lack of controversy - it's difficult to argue with someone over something mundane when conversations are short and far apart. The time between conversations usually puts things in perspective.

timeframe for goals/resolutions - homecoming is a great end goal to work for. I lost all my baby weight during one separation period by setting a goal and working towards it.

career support - I show that I support my husband's career when I can build a life wherever he is stationed.

asking for help - on occasion, I have had to break down and ask for help. This is a very humbling experience, but it gives other people that chance to serve.

absence makes the heart grow fonder - while separations are difficult, there is no greater feeling than being reunited with the one you love!

Now I'm not saying I like having my husband gone. I definitely love having him around (most days!) but I don't fall to pieces being alone. I had a lot of practice being apart while we were friends, engaged, and since being married.

singing child

Just in case anyone missed this on facebook:

We live on a military base, which has a flag display by the gate. I explained to Ally about the United States of America and how each one has its own flag. I then started singing (because that's what I do in the car). I sang the national anthem and also the Pledge, which I learned working in a Preschool. Ally calls it the "flag song" and started requesting me to sing it every time we passed the flags. After a few times, she started singing it herself.

Along that patriotic note, the National Anthem is played daily through speakers all across the base. At 5PM if we are outside she will stand with her little hand over her heart until the music stops. I love it!

Ally turns 2!

My wonderful sweet girl turned 2 today! I am so blessed to be her mother.

Some of her favorite things:


singing
reading books (like Elephant and Piggie)
going to the playground, especially the swings
fruit! She could eat fruit all day, raspberries in particular
snuggling with Mommy at bedtime
cooking (we make messes together)

Skills:

count to 13
sing the Pledge of Allegiance (and many other songs)
spell her name
identify about half of the letters in the alphabet
identify all the colors
a great memory for names
using the potty (95% of the time)

My favorite things about her:

how she speaks in full sentences
when she says "I love you Mommy!"
singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider every time she sees a drainpipe
how she shares with other children
when she tries to say certain words, the "s" comes out her nose (h-nuggle for snuggle)
how much she loves her Daddy
that she has enough hair to put in pigtails
she changes word in songs to be funny (Twinkle twinkle...applesauce!)

I love my little girl!

potty training!

As you can see, Ally has been working on potty training recently. We are definitely not 100%, but the end is in sight! I am very excited not to buy diapers anymore =)

Especially with my husband gone right now, I have had my hands full. Let's just say that bedtime is my favorite time of day, since she is at least a consistent sleeper.

I honestly believe that I will not be one of those people that can have many children and be mentally stable. As wonderful as my daughter is, and as much as I LOVE being a mom, I have days that I just wonder how other people do it. I am beginning to feel that there are more members of my family that have not arrived yet (at least one) but I am looking forward to a large gap in age between Ally and the next one. I really feel that it has taken me two full years to recover, emotionally and physically, from being pregnant the first time. I am finally back to my normal self and my normal activities. While I am not "baby hungry" yet, I am definitely getting closer to the idea of having another one.

I grew up in a large family and always thought that I would have one too. I love children and have been involved with groups of them in every aspect of my life. From babysitting to coaching to my degree in Elementary Education, I really enjoy working with children. In church I have always a leader of the younger generation. While my public involvement has not changed, I do like to have my private home life under control. I don't think that I have a "difficult child" but I do think that my personality requires a certain lack of chaos for me to function correctly.

Despite my limitations, I am determined to be the best mom I can be for my child.