Chelsea said so :)

Chelsea's fantastic blog has a contest going right now for a tutu! I have been hunting for the perfect tutu for a couple weeks now for Olivia. I will either use it for her Halloween costume, or for her 1st birthday. Not sure- heck, maybe both! So, anyway, anyone who reads my blog, go check out Chelsea's blog. Its all things Mom!

XO Jamie
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The babes <3

My daughter has learned some new things as of late. She can now clap :) it is ridiculously adorable when she realizes that her hands are actually meeting and making the clapping sound.

Liv is also taking steps. Actual steps. She is going to be walking any minute.

She follows me all over the house and plays on the kitchen floor while I am cooking. (note to self: mop kitchen floor again)I actually don't really like that because my fear is that I will spill something on her. Not good. She is taking really well - finally- to her playpen so that's good. I can pop her in there when I use the oven.

My girl is eating finger foods! woo hoo! She still gets her oatmeal and puree until my stock is gone) for breakfast, but lunch is finger foods, dinner is finger and bedtime she gets more oatmeal.

She is learning words which is way fun :) She crawls over to me and says mama! She also says "what's that". Of course it is not clear as day, but when you match it with her motions and actions- we know what she is saying :)

She loves music! Whenever we put music on the TV she takes off to get to the tv as fast as she can. Jammin is a huge black eyed peas fan and we often play "gotta feeling", or "boom boom pow" for him and Olivia is just mezmerized.

This leads me to my son, Ben. He is obsessed with Fergie. Absolutely loves her. Told me she was pretty- how does a 3 year old know what pretty is?- and the other day, get ready for this, he says, "mommy, I like Fergie's butt!" WHAT?? Well, no more music videos for you buddy! The video for "gotta feeling" starts off with her getting ready to go out and you get a booty shot (with undies) but apparantly that caught my son's eye. Now he is all about butt's. Let's hope it a phase :)
Ben is learning all kinds of new songs at preschool. He walks around all day singing and talking to himself :P He is obsessed with Geo Trax- thank you fisher price for putting me in the red- (not really, but close) :P My house looks like a department store with train displays all over the place. His train sets are now bigger than his train table which takes up half a wall...seriously.

I will update later on the older babes. They are 13 and 11. Not as cute. :( Especially when they *THINK* they are grown! Grrr....

Jon Gesselin- OOPS. Gosselin

About to watch his interview. Right now, I think he is a tool. We shall see if I still feel that way in an hour. However, let me just say for the record- I think the way he looks in the media is like a total IDIOT.

K, off to watch my guilty pleasure!


ETA: Yes, I still think he is a tool. However, I am also going to award him with another yummy title. Douche.

Wah wah wah, I was abused and beat down and bla bla. I firmly believe that people can only do what you allow them to do, and clearly in a household with 8 children- SOMEONE needed to take charge and set a routine. Kate may be high strung, but hell, I am high strung and I only have 4 kids. I think what I found the most offensive was when he starts gushing about his new girlfriend. How can you go on national television and say something as cruel as you love this 23 year old little twit more than you ever did of your wife of 10 years, and the mother of your children? It is one thing to feel that or think you feel it, but really? to go and say it and completely nullify the most signifigant relationship of both their lives. Asshole.

Ok, I'm done.

Love...marriage...babies

It's amazing to me how a baby can completely alter a relationship between his or her parents. When you find out your pregnant, it's all about excitement and love and making plans for your family to expand. Then you plan and shop and enjoy all the wonder of pregnancy. Some of the sweetest moments in my marriage occurred when Jeremy would rub my belly or talk to his baby while I slept. Then the baby comes and you are both overjoyed and instantly in love all over again. I felt so close to my husband in those first moments that we spent crying and getting to know our new baby (x2). It seems like you are going to be that happy and blissful forever. Fast forward 3 months down the road when you are both sleep deprived, swimming in baby gear, smelling like spit up and getting pooped and peed on daily. Now reality has set in and you start to stress even more about finances, and planning for the future- you think about will's and college educations and new expenses on the grocery bill. It can really put a strain on things. Your sex life seems non existent for a while and sleep sounds like a gift from the Gods! Its so crazy to me, that one event that you look so forward to can be so life altering. My husband and I adore our babies, and would not rethink the decision to expand our family even for a moment, but we would both be lying if we said that our little bundles and our older kids as well, did not change us. I guess when you are a pair, you are the most important thing to one another, and then when this little person is added to the mix, you are not the most important thing anymore. Their needs come first. I have neglected to cook a meal or two for the hubs, but you can bet my babies are always fed. I guess its just what happens. And, I really think men have the biggest issue with the change. Not to take away from my husband at all, because I think he is a fabulous father, but I really think they can find themselves somewhat displaced when they are not the one and only focus anymore. This leads me to my theory that its the first baby in a relationship that executes the biggest change. I think once you get through that and learn to adjust and live as 3 or 4 or whatever, that the next babies are not such a dramatic addition.

I am not entirely sure where all my babbles come from today, but I guess I am sitting back and looking at how much Jeremy and I have changed and evolved over the years. We are taking the time now, to get back to us, and make our marriage the best that it can be. At the root of it all is love, and that's me and him. Jeremy is my match, for better or worse, we vowed our lives to one another and if there is one thing I have learned in the years we have been together-particularly since the babies- we are committed to one another and will fight to the death for each other. I have never felt as loved as I do since I met J, and I could not imagine my life without him.
TTFN :)

Ch ch ch changes...

What a week or two it has been! I had to catch my breath to make sure it was real. Ok, a little background... I was born in Toledo, Ohio. Not the most glamourous place on earth, more like an industrious city with the blue collar working class making up most of the population. Lots of train tracks, factories, and commuters to Detroit. Jeep is/was there, Ford, Chevy. Most people know someone who knows someone who knows you. That type of place. Small town feel in a pretty decent sized city. Freezing ass cold winters, hot humid summers, and not much in between. Anyway, my dad and his side of the family still live there, and I moved with my mom at the age of 8. ALL of my family with whom I have the closest relationship and really grew up with is here, in California. My grandparents, who I am very close with, my uncles- most of them, are here and of course my mom who I have lived more with than without. I lived with her until she moved back to Ohio for a bit, then again until after Jeremy and I got married. We lived with her for the first year while we waited for the school year to let out and get a house on base. Anyway, my point is, I was very lucky to meet my husband who PCS'd to Travis. Travis is only about 40 minutes West of Sacramento/Elk Grove area, which I call home. I still see my mom at least every week, talk daily and visit the folks a couple times a month. Last week I was waiting for J to bring the truck home so I could head to Sac to visit mom for lunch. He calls me outside to "talk privately"...not a good start to ANY conversation in my opinion. We don't talk at all. He hands me a piece of paper he printed off of MPF. MPF? I don't know what it stands for either. I just know it is the place you go for everything in the military. It houses all the member's info. They can reacg it via secured internet connection and check it "virtually". So, vitural MPF has ORDERS waiting for my husband as he logs in to cancel a request for orders he put in a while back. OMG. We have been reassigned. We are moving. Where you ask? Hill AFB, UTAH. Talk about cold winters! Yikes. So after 5 years of being a military girlfriend, then wife, I am finally going to find out what it's like. My husband has never been deployed anywhere scary, he did a small stint at Edwards AFB, which if anyone has ever been there knows it is pretty much one step from HELL. Its ugly, dry, hot and has scary wild animals running all over base. They tell you not to leave the house after dark cause the animals come out to play. Serious. Its just past the Mojave Desert. Back to my point. Jeremy kind of has it made here at Travis. He has made some great 'contacts' within the Force, he has a prime position right now which is VERY family friendly, and he never goes anywhere. He doesn't TDY or Deploy.... I am really afraid for him to be the new fish at a base where people are already established like he is here. I know I married into this, and I knew what I was signing up for, but I am really nervous. Especially since I won't have my support system right there if he does have to go somewhere. I will be in a new place, surrounded by people I don't know. Poor me, I know, but this is my version of a nightmare. I am not the most ourgoing girl you have ever met. I am pretty quiet, and rather shy IRL. I don't- rather can't, walk into a room and just put myself out there. Needless to say, this move is both exciting and terrifying for me. I am glad however that we got Hill. Jeremy was going to get orders handed down to him anyway. He has been here for 5 years. His time is up so to speak. His position ends in December, and then he would be going back to working engines. While he has been on this assignment, his shop has been undergoing MAJOR changes. Command has turned over, his shop has moved and his squadron is going from 39 troops to 11. The new kids are the ones who get to stay. The more seasoned guys are all being relocated. Either to new squadrons here or getting orders. Jeremy filled out something called a BOP which is a base of preference. Its basically a form that says if orders come down for me, this is the place I want to go. SO when the Chief heard that all these guys were going, he pulled in a favor so that Jeremy could get the best set of orders from the bunch. for that, I am grateful. It was going to happen anyway. It could have been Clovis NM, Phoenix or Withita Falls, TX. Those are the ugliest, in all meanings of the word ugly, bases in the US. So, that's that. I am moving. Either in Feb or June, if we can extend so the kids can finish this year out. ugh. 12 hours away from my family, and 12 hours closer to his. haha. We are going to be halfway between the two places which is good for him. My whole life is here though. Its going to be really hard for me. All of my friends have been my friends for decades. Seriously, I have been with the same people for YEARS. I don't know how I am going to do this. ahhh.... I just hope God can still hear me when I am in Utah.

Thank goodness for the internet. :)

Oh, and the kids went back to school today. I started yesterday, and my baby girl was in daycare for the first time ever. Talk about a tough pill for mommy to swallow. Deep breathes.

Off to clean my house. Ta Ta.

well, um...

the previous two posts were by my little guy while I was making dinner. ha ha.. I am not deleting them. They are totally cute :D And someday when I have my blog printed, I will put those pages in his book.

I wish my camera was closer. He (Jammin) is sitting on the stairs right now in his Thomas the train undies, playing with his geo trax and talking to himself. Where is my video camera when I need it? :D He is awesome.

yyglg bbtkgtyhlkogjhmyjhmym yhnyholyhyioly mynjyjykmjiytjmmyj

yyglg bbtkgtyhlkogjhmyjhmym yhnyholyhyioly mynjyjykmjiytjmmyj

Cause Chelsea told me to :D

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Check out this site.... great mommy site AND she is doing a g dipe contest! Yay. so excited for this especially since I just bought a pack of gcloth for my g's. Livie just moved out of her small FB's, so I am down 6 diapers from my stash, and BOY OH BOY is my washer feeling it! I am still washing my gcloth, so I can't use the g's just yet (I am out of flushies) so when you look at that, I am actually down NINE dipes from my stash, AND most of my CD cash is g-o-n-e. I found a lady to convert my bum genius, so pretty soon I will be down ANOTHER 8 diapers for a week or so while she converts them to snaps. I may actually have to buy sposies which makes me unhappy :( wahhhh. I promised Jeremy we would save $$ on cloth, and right now I am not doing that. Boo. Anyway, enough of my diaper drama. Go check out Chelsea's blog for all the other super fun stuff!

how could I forget??

My fabulous internet friend has a faboulous internet site! chelseasaidso.com - You really must check it out for all her tips and tricks with a side of giggles. Love it! And yes, I do wear her button on my brand new blog. Take a look see!
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Is summer over yet?

This has easily been the most 'eventful' time in my life. Maybe the most eventful year. It started off with me getting sick, which in turn got my baby girl sick, which led to a super fun call to 911 and Jeremy wondering what the hell he was going to do as a single father in the military with a newborn to boot. That led to a 3 day stint in the scariest place on earth; David Grant Medical Center. A month later, an very painful and un fun surgery with a longer than normal recovery, and the loss of an internal organ. Not one I was attached to or anything, but still kind of a big deal. I think things were pretty quiet till mid year. At least nothing stands out right now. Ahh.. enter summer. June 2nd. Easily the worst day of my life. I will leave it at that, cause I don't do the spillage of drama, but this was one speed bump I wasn't sure I would get around. Anyway, slowly, I am getting around it, so that's an upside to this year. Oh, another fabulous upside? My BFF is going to be a mama for the 2nd time, and it's to a little GIRL!! Yae Katie and Ben for giving me something to look forward to and someone to spend lots o money on! tee hee hee... Well, late June rolls around and then comes my road trip to South Dakota. Still can't believe we made it through that one in tact. A total of 48 hours in a car with a baby and a toddler! God was definantly helping out on that trip :) since we got back, things have been a little... well.. shall we say, sticky? Let's just say the transition from 4 kids to 5 has been a little hairy for us all.

The really neat things? Well, besides the announcement of baby girl Gonzalez...MY baby started preschool! What a tough thing for mommy, but so great for Ben. He loves it. He loves having friends, and doing crafts and learning new things. He is doing so great. I am starting back on campus to get my damn degree finished before I am 50 friggin years old, and after two LONG years, Ben got called off the waiting list which means I can take day classes and have the evenings with my family. No one excpet for Olivia will even notice I am in class. She is going to be in the daycare while I am in class. Just thinking about that makes me cry, but it's only an hour a day- 3 hours a week. We will be ok. Right?!

Speaking of Olivia! She is growing by leaps and bounds! She has outgrown her small diapers and is officially a medium. *tear* She is crawling, standing up, trying to walk, talking ALL the time and cutting teeth left and right. Its crazy. The year was so insane I feel like I missed out on all this neat time with her. Me being sick, her getting sick because of me. The time in the hospital and recovering... I really missed alot. Thank god for Jeremy. He was home for 2 months! No wonder she is a daddies girl. Seriously, seeing my husband with his daughter is the sweetest thing I have ever witnessed. He is so in love with her. I love it! She will have that daddy daughter thing I always longed for. I am so glad I can give her that. Well, with the help of my hubs anyway :P


So as it stands right now, I am looking forward to the summer ending and my routine going back to normal. I need some normalcy and relaxation. Otherwise I am blgging form the psych ward. :)

TTFN

Pictures from my very first sugar baby meet up :)

Here are a few shots of Olivia and Keegen from the other morning <3>

Whoa! Check me out... I learned how to add pictures. We are all in trouble now! ha ha ha - oh- btw, this is me and the hubs. And a few of the kids.

Lady bugs...

Just got done watching Tori and Dean. Love that show :) Its funny to me that she calls her little girl Lady Bug, or buggy- that's what we call Liv. I am obsessed with lady bugs, and my buggy has all kinds of lb clothes, and her room is lb themed. Anyway, I am watching the show from this week and getting all kinds of birthday ideas! Wonder if I can somehow incorporate lady bugs and Disney? Hmmm... oh ya, btw- if you don't know already, we are going to DISNEYLAND !!!! yay for December! woo hoo!

Our new friend...

This morning was so neat. We got to meet our fellow sugarmama Julie, her hubby Brian, sugar baby Keegan and Julie's daughter Maggie. We went up to the duck pond this morning and hung out with some geese, and had a little girl talk :) the babies loved eachother. It was so cute when we put them near one another, they were grabbing eachother, screeching and trying to eat one another :P It was pretty adorable. It was nice to meet another mommy with little kids the same age as mine. Of course I have the older boys, but they are busy doing their older kid thing. Football, band, hanging out with their friends. Mom is chopped liver now for a few years :( But the babies... they still need me :) Our visit was short, but still, had a really nice time. Hopefully Julie will be back up here at some point with the kids and we can hang out again. Good times :) Oh, and once I can figure blog land out, I will post pics :)

4 years

Tomorrow... We will be married 4 years tomorrow. What a whirlwind it's been! We started talking online and on the phone through my best friend and her husband- well not really her husband (Ben). He wanted NO part of Katie's (bff) master plan and love connection :P Ben was all the way against Jeremy and I meeting. Jeremy and Ben were on remote together in Korea and were fast friends, so over time, Katie got to know Jeremy while calling her hubby and the little wheels in her head got turning. All the sudden I get an email from Jeremy saying he has orders to the Bay Area, knows no one and would like to have friends in the area. No big deal right? So we start emailing back and forth, then IM ing, then my phone rings. We talked on the phone for the better part of 6 months and became great friends. We met right before he checked in at Travis AFB, and we have been together ever since <3 He came by my place on the way to Travis one night when I was getting off of school, and that was it. We laid eyes on one another, and have not been apart since. Here we are a wedding, 2 babies and what seems like a lifetime later. Its kinda funny how the universe works you know? Travis was #8 on Jeremy's dream sheet- a dream sheet is a list of places he would like to be stationed- and the powers that be sent him here. They sent him to me. In reality, he should have been sent anywhere but here. Texas, Arizona, Nevada, either of the Dakota's.... Its unheard of to be sent somewhere so far down on your list after coming off of a remote tour, since the remotes give priority. Not to mention the fact that in Korea he was working on fighter jets. Never touched a heavy, or a cargo plane, and they sent him to a base that only has cargos. Jeremy does not believe in signs or fate or any of that. But I do. He was meant for me, that's why he is here :)

Our first born is named after Katie's hubby, who, allow me to repeat myself, was LESS than supportive. :) Benjamin Wade came to us on Feb1, 2006 then my little miracle baby, Olivia Grace on Dec 5, 08.

Well, enough mush for one morning :) Its time for coffee and toast.

Just a note to invitees....

I am very new to this blogging thing and actually had forgotten that I started a blog until I got Shelly's email today :P Please forgive me if I am lax at keeping this updated or saying anything remotely interesting :) Oh, and I would love invites to your blogs if you keep them :) I love to read, I just don't always love to write.

Me <3

What a day...

I guess it really wasn't that bad as days go, but today was long! My day started off great. My daughter didn't make a peep between 9 pm and 5:45 am- God bless her :) I got her up, fed her and she snoozed again until 8 when I had to leave to take Jammin to preschool. Little did I know that preschool is now on summer break. They acted like I was insane for walking in and heading to class room. Considering Ben is the new kid, and I am the new mom, one would think they would share this little tid bit of information with me. Nice. Oh well. After that it seems like we spent all damn day in the car. This is one of my least favorite things to do by the way. I love my car, but I hate being stuck in it when I am the driver. I had to follow my husband to take my mom's car BACK to the dealer for yet another repair- note to self. Never purchase a Saturn Vue.- then I had to head BACK to the school to sign my fall contract for the kids. Yes, plural. I am putting my baby in day care...*gasp* But, it's only 3 days a week, 2 hours or so a day, so I am ok with it. I start taking campus classes again in the fall and I would rather go during the day and be with the fam at night. Anyway, after that I went to the hospital so Liv coulf get her ear rechecked after the infection she got last week. I should have known it was a sign when her Ped was booked and we had to see someone else. Who, I might add, we never saw. I waited over an hour, and then ended up walking out- I was so pissed off. The staff was less than helpful. We will leave it at that :P We were just on the go all day long, and I am beat. But of course now it's dinner time and I have to get off my booty and feed the babies. I suppose I could use a meal too since I have not eaten today. Ahhh...the life of a busy mom. :)

I guess this is just a boring bitch session, but all the same, thanks for following along :)

Until we meet again...
J

What the hell am I thinking?

Seriously... like I need another excuse to spend time online right? Well, here I am anyway. Officially joining the land of the bloggers! Does that make me a geek or is it cool to journal online? I usually keep an old fashioned paper and pen journal, but I type a million words a minute and typing hurts my hands less :P okay, okay... truth is, I am too lazy to keep up with my paper and pen. Now that that's out of the way, I guess I will start with a mini intro, although anyone reading this most likely already knows me and is aware of all my maddness and antics. Oh well, indulge me for a moment anyway...

Me, I am Jamie. Mom to 4 groovy kids, and step mom to one. Mostly boys, 4 out of 5, but finally God heard my begging and pleading and made my uterus's last ditch effort for a girl a reality! woo hoo! Thank you Jesus! :) Seriously, Olivia is the greatest thing. She is gorgeous, a true miracle and without a doubt, the love of my husband's life. That leads me to another badge I wear. Wife. Been married, quite happily, for just shy of 4 years. Our anniversary is on the horizon. Pretty neat thing, this marriage business. I suppose everyone sees their share of peaks and valley's but I can say without pause that we have hit only one valley, and it wasn't too deep. We are good. Life is good. He, the husband, Jeremy, is my lobster. Totally my soul mate and who I was meant for. We could not be more different, but when we sit down and look at our wants, needs and priorities, we match up line for line. Really, he is pretty amazing. Next badge; student. I am a forever student it seems. Plugging away at getting my nursing degree. I am no where near, but I refuse to stop. I will get my RN and have a career even if I don't see that day until I am 57. Oh, quick note about the wife thing. I am a military wife, and from what I gather, we are a whole different breed. More to come on that front. Um, let's see, what else? Oh, ok- daughter. Great parents, although it took me lots o years to appreciate pop, but I am there now. We are good, and I am grateful. Mommy's girl all the way. Mom is my best friend, my rock, my silver lining. I have one sister and she is gorgeous! She has 3 beautiful baby boys and I hope as time goes on we get to spend more time together. Right now, the country divides us.

Ok, more later. Mommy duties call.