Follow The Yellow Brick Road....

And we're off to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of ....Ft. Riley, Kansas. Kevin passed his physical for re-enlistment on Thursday and we will be relocating to Kansas! Kansas was NOT on our wish list but apparently there were not any openings at the posts that we wanted to be stationed. When Kevin was doing his paperwork, the guy (I'm sure he has some high rank, but I don't know!) ..said "Do you have a coin? Heads: Germany and Tails: Kansas"....Kevin's response was "It's got to be Kansas, My mother-in-law would kill me if we moved to Germany!" He loves you mom!

Kansas was quite a shock for us. We thought for sure we would atleast get somewhere on our wish list. So now we are back to square one looking at home/condo and townhome rentals that we like and can afford. You would think that every house would have a basement or storm cellar there but they don't! And we have found that the housing is about the same price as some of the rentals in the Seattle area but less square footage. Does that make any sense? I would have swore that Seattle would be more expensive to rent than Kansas!! Suprises all the time I suppose!

So right now we are working on getting things in order. I have put in my resignation at work. It went very well. It was very emotional for me to do. It was the first job where I really felt respected by my employer and they constantly praised me and saw me for the great Hygienist that I am! They had offered me a position with a raise and 2 days later I had to come back and give my resignation. I felt terrible. They were completely understanding of the situtation and said that I would leave with nothing less than a letter of recommendation and professional reference. That took a huge weight off my shoulders. It's always easy to put in resignation for somewhere you hate working but it's not so easy when it's somewhere you enjoy. I look forward to what God has planned for me and my career in the future!

Now...what I don't understand is why the government cut Military funding! That includes enlistment bonus'. Don't get me wrong. Money is not why Kevin is enlisting. He is enlisting because this is what he wants to do for his country, our country. But really... You enlist in the Military and you get a free t-shirt and a back pack with material on how to get in shape?! Makes no sense to me. Seems like there are trillions of dollars from this stimulus going to who knows where but all you can give the brave men and women who are enlisting and re enlisting is a free tshirt and backpack....hmmmmmm.

So.......Kevin leaves for Minneapolis on January 28th. There he will be swore in and then has 10 days to report to Ft. Riley, KS. He is planning on leaving as soon as he is swore in and driving to Kansas to get everything in order and find us a place to live so that Lauren and I can follow right behind only a few days to a week later!! We have found while looking that we are pretty centrally located for family and friends. We are now excited about our move and are anxious to see what God has planned for us in Oz..I mean Kansas :)

Best. Present. Ever. (besides Lauren)

We received our Christmas present early this year from my parents. It is a Flip Video Ultra HD Camera. This video camera is so easy to operate both when filming, uploading and sending videos via email. The software is built into the camera and will upload to your computer the first time you "flip" the usb and plug it in! The picture and sound quality is amazing. We couldn't be happier. We tested it out a few nights ago with Lauren and her bathtime, and Lauren and her penguin. Lauren received a penguin from her Grandma Deb. She doesn't really like it. It's not so much the penguin that bothers her as much as the song makes her cry. Look how she sticks out that bottom lip! My poor baby!



I think one day she will love to sing and dance with the penguin, but right now not so much! Even with that bottom lip stuck out, she still is the most adorable little girl! Love her!

My 3 month old!

I can't believe that our precious baby girl is 3 months old already! She is growing so fast! She is such an amazing little baby. We couldn't be happier. She is always so happy and smiley. I can't help but kiss her chubby cheeks atleast fifty times a day.

Snorin' Lauren

Our little bundle has been sleeping so great lately! The past three nights she has slept 7-8 hours stright, ate and then slept another 2-3 hours. She must be going through a growth spurt. I sure hope that she continues to sleep so well. Lauren has also been talking up a storm. We just love our little conversations together. She is so full of personality! Who could resist kissing these cheeks and just loving on this adorable little girl?!! I know that we can't!

Pictures speak a thousand words.....

As I was browsing Kevin's cousin Melanie's blog, I came across what I thought would be a fun way to really touch up on my photography, As well as keep my blog updated more often and be more involved than once every few weeks. Click on the above box for details. Basically every week there will be a challenge to participate in involving photography. You don't have to be a profession of any sorts. All types of photographers can participate. I think it will be great fun. Anyone in?? ( I know you are Melane! yay!)

shots...

I forgot to mention that Lauren had her first set of shots (immunizations) at her 2 month check up. Kevin and I were both there for her. I think it hurt me more than her. My eyes were tearing up as she was screaming. Two minutes later she was calmed down...and a few minutes after that she was sound asleep. She was a little fussy that evening so we gave her a little Tylenol and she did just fine. I was able to get a few pictures of her while she was napping. I just loved her cute little Care Bear band-aids. I think I will do a little better at her next round of shots at 4 months now that I know what to expect.

Lauren 2 months and some other fun things....

So I am way behind on updating. Not by choice but because of a GB limit per month through our Verizonwireless internet. SOooo...uploading pictures towards the end of the month was not an option.
Well let see if I can remember everything I need to blog about!

On October 28th Lauren was 2 MONTHS OLD!!! She has just been so much fun. She had her check up and is a healthy BIG girl!

Lauren's stat's

Weight: 12lbs 10oz ( 92 percentile )

Height: 24 1/2 inches ( 97 percentile )

Her nurse just could not believe the since birth she had gained 4lbs 15oz and grew 4 1/2 inches..in just 2 months!!

We have had a few milestones of Lauren sleeping through the night. One stretch of 7 hours and one of 8 1/2 hours. The long nights are not consistent yet but they are getting there. Usually she sleeps 4-5 hours through the night without eating sometimes for 6-7hour stretches in the night. She is such a good baby though. We enjoy her smiles and sounds even if it is 3am!

Lauren also celebrated her first Halloween. We didn't do anything too wild and crazy. We honestly didn't think at 2 months old we needed to take her out "Trick or Treating" or spend $20 on a costume that would be too big and she would only wear this one time. On a tight budget, a halloween costume was just not at the top of our priority. Nonetheless she was a cute little one in a pumpkin outfit that my mom had snagged at a garage sale.

We were able to show off her cuteness at her cousin Valerie, Elizabeth, and Elianna's piano and violin recital! All of the little girls just loved her! The girls did great with their recital pieces and Lauren was so good throughout the entire recital. She slept for about 90% of it but when she was awake she didn't make a peep! She must really have a love for music because of all of the music her daddy played for her while she was in mommy's belly.


And now on a completely different note...I am back to work 4 days a week and it's going really well. It's nice that we only live a few blocks away from my work so I am able to go home on my lunches to see Kevin & Lauren. I just love that Kevin is home with her and I love our little family. I feel like we are all getting to spend so much valuable time together :)

As some of you may or may not know, Kevin has decided to re enlist in active duty Army. This has been something he has wanted to do for quite some time now. It is a decision that we made as a family. Many have asked "are you okay with that decision? and are you sure you want him to re enlist?" and my answer is YES. Yes, I am okay with this decision and I am sure I want him to re enlist. This is something that is very important to him and I think it takes a certain, strong, confident man to know that for his career he wants to serve this country and protect others. So please keep Kevin in your prayers this month. He has to go for a physical soon and then by the end of the month or early December we should know where our next adventure will lead us to.

I am actually quite excited for this move. I am looking forward to staying home with Lauren more often and really working and mastering my love for photography. Now that I have my own little model, I can really work at it!!

Well I believe I have wrote enough for this post. I will try to update more often. I should have some good pictures after this weekend. Kevin, Lauren and I are heading to Eau Claire, WI to meet up with Grandma Deb, Grandpa Jeff, Aunt Kara and Uncle Jordan. Cousin Ashleigh is also joining us and has offered to be our backseat babysitter! We are so excited to see everyone :)