My Beautiful Road

The Biggest Full Moon in Over 20 Years

2011-03-31T11:02:00.000-05:00

Grandma's House and Pennsylvania Fun

2011-03-31T10:59:00.000-05:00

LAST month we took a little road trip. I am JUST now getting around to posting pictures, so I apologize for my absence! Niles had a week off of work before he starts his new crazy schedule so we took the opportunity to visit with his family up in PA! We stayed with his mom and dad for a week and then continued on to visit other friends along the way home. We had a blast! A random snow storm that made for some fun in the snow, wine tasting with his brother and wife, we had a chance to visit some old and good friends of ours, Niles' brother was indited into a wrestling hall of fame, we colored pictures for hours, prayed that our new nephew would come sooner than later, went out to eat, played cards, etc etc etc.....WE HAD FUN!

After leaving Grandma Kipps house we headed to the Pocono's to visit our dear Uncle Derek and Julia! That was super fun also! Uncle Derek took us to his Rec-Center where Dorian and Addy got to swim for hours!! We now think Dorian should try out for the swim team! ha ha ha We had yummy Pizza and when the kids went to bed our dear friends Tad and Nicole came to visit us also! We played board games and had wine and laughed for hours! It was sooooooooooooooooooooo good to see our friends who we've missed for so long!!!

We then left in the morning to go back to NC with a pit-stop in Harrisburg to get the BEST wings at Gilligans and see some of my friends that still lived there. We drove part way and stopped somewhere in VA?!?! Not sure where but we had one more stop before we headed home!

When we lived in New Mexico we had an awesome group of friends. They would have given the shirt off your back if you asked for it. We love them! But right after Dorian was born they retired from the military and moved to VA. We lost touch and really weren't even sure if they still lived in VA, but when we moved to NC we found them on Facebook!!!! And as it turns out they only live three hours north of us! So stopping to see them was a major priority on our agenda!!! We met up with them for a late lunch and honesty I could have stayed there for days! It was so great to see our good friends from New Mexico and so thankful for Facebook and our text message chats!!!

But after an almost two week adventure we headed back to our home in NC, to the real life! It was fun, but I definitely can't wait to do it again!

Yummmmy Spinach Dip

2011-02-16T09:07:00.000-06:00

I had a huge craving for spinach dip a few weeks ago. I don't know why, I just did. I have a really great friend in Little Rock Arkansas who made me spinach dip a few times while I was living there. She was so kind to lend me her amazing recipe to try out. I have never made any type of dip, other than going to the store and buying whatever is pre-made, so this was an interesting make for me. However, it turned out great!!!! It tasted JUST like what Tricia made me back in Arkansas!! I was so happy, it was SO good! We all enjoyed it, I made it for my sister and dad when they came down, and it was enjoyed by everyone.....and well even the kids!

When I think about spinach I think about pop-eye the sailor man and how he tells everyone you will get super strong and grow up nice and big when you eat it. Most kids HATE spinach! And that is what I thought when BOTH of my children asked for some the day we ate it. I was hesitant to even let them try it let alone let them go head first into eating it all day! ha ha ha But Dorian started sneaking a little here and a little there when I wasn't watching and next thing I know both girls are hovering around the table, digging their little hands in the dip and eating the bread that went with it! AMAZING!!!

What these pictures don't show is that Dorian was really the one who started the mess of all messes with the dip. She left the table as soon as I got my camera out, ha ha ha. But it was Dorian that couldn't get enough of her spinach this day. Addeline chimed in a little later and created an equal mess compared to Dorian, if not greater! ha ha ha

Either way, funny girls I have!!!

Dorian's First Circus: Barnum and Bailey's

2011-02-14T12:37:00.000-06:00

Dorian has a fantastic time at the circus this past weekend! We decided that since Addeline wasn't feeling to great to let her stay home and rest while we took Dorian to her very first Barnum and Bailey's Circus! We had amazing seats right up close for her to see and a table for her to eat at on the floor of the arena! They gave us free hot dogs, chips and drinks during the first half but that didn't stop her from eating soooo much more! We found out that Dorian can REALLY eat if she wants to! She had chicken fingers, french fries, popcorn, soda, chips, and fresh squeezed lemonade! And one can NOT leave a circus with out a light up toy, and Dorian didn't leave with out hers. She chose (of course) the pretty princess one that was pink, which we didn't object too! But all-in-all it was a great time! Dorian became a little restless towards the end but we had been there since 12:30. We heard the inside scoop to come an hour early for a preshow! We got there as they were opening up the doors an hour early to go down and meet the cast and animals of the circus, too cool! She sat content on Daddy's shoulders and watched the clowns, doggies, and actors do their things!

I know she won't remember this, but we will and maybe we'll get another chance to back next year for more memories! It was also fun to simply hang out with Dorian. I don't get to do that very often and it was fun to just be 100% in "Dorian World" ha ha ha. We had to much food, took zero naps, but had a blast and that is all that matters in the end!

Niles Graduates Leadership School

2011-02-14T12:22:00.000-06:00

Niles graduated his leadership school this past Thursday and we are so proud of him! He had to take this course to learn how to be a leader to any troops that may be placed under his command. Because he is being moved up from an E4 to an E5 this course was mandatory. This was a very taxing and stressful course for him. It took up a lot of his time from home and his kiddos, but he did it and it is done!!! To celebrate, a formal dinner was prepared for the graduating class and their supervisors. It was a nice meal and a LOOOONG ceremony, but I was able to meet his boss and his higher ups that he will work for while he is stationed here.
Congratulations Niles!!!

My Sisters Visit

2011-02-08T14:21:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun while my sister was here to visit!!! It was the perfect weekend with temperatures in the 70's and a large back yard, we had a blast!!! My dad came to visit while everyone was here and we grilled out and made great food! Dorian played in the dirt (which made her the happiest person ever), the boys played football and tag outside, and my sister and I got to hang out! It is so awesome I get to see them more than once or twice a year! It is already February and I have seen them twice....pretty cool in my world!!! It was so good to have a visit from them all! Can't wait to do it again some weekend!!!

First Black Eye :(

2011-02-08T14:12:00.000-06:00

This happened last month, that is how behind I am on blogging but still a worthy post to remember one of her "firsts". Not such a great first to have, but it was going to happen sooner or later....so I am documenting it!

I have been taking them to the YMCA every day with me for about two solid months now. With our membership there is free child-watch while I work out in the mornings. Dorian had no problems going in the first day and playing with all the children that are there each day. Addeline, on the other hand, is still adjusting two months later. The staff worked with us for the first two weeks with Addeline. They knew as well as I did that she NEEDED to learn to go to other people and it wasn't going to happen over night.

Anyways, after 3 or 4 weeks of going there I had the "dreaded" tap on the shoulder as I was working out. The lady at the front desk was standing there with Addeline, and she was crying, AND rubbing her eye. Addeline was coming down the slide and at the end when she got up to walk away tripped over a toy and landed on another toy that hit her eye. TOTALLY STINKS!!!

I felt so bad!!! I made her go when she didn't want to go and then she gets a black eye...ha ha ha so horrible!!! But, as Addy`usually does, she bounced back with in minutes with her signature smile and all was well again. You can clearly see in the pictures her eye was not bothering her in the least, she kind of liked getting all of the attention!

So here it is, Addeline's first black eye!!! Even with the bruises she is still as cute as ever!

Addy Cakes

2011-02-08T14:01:00.000-06:00

Addy is a character, and her personality is really starting to shine in the past few months. She can go up and down the stairs with ease, she can climb ANYTHING she sets her mind too, and loves to be outside walking around! She is a diva and proud of it!!! Addy is learning new words every day with the help of Dorian telling her what everything is. Dorian also teaches her many other things, like how to climb things she shouldn't! he he he I can't wait to see what Addeline's personality will bring next!

The South Gets Snow...Again.

2011-01-14T10:11:00.000-06:00

We heard it was coming but honestly didn't think anything of the "snow storm" that hit. We assumed that NOTHING could have been worse than what hit us when we were at my sister's in Virginia on Christmas night. Well, We were wrong...so wrong!

The snow that hit North Carolina hit quick and left the state in a disaster. The south DEFINITLY doesn't not know how to prepare for a snow storm. It started at 4am on Monday and it is now Friday and there are still schools shut down and many places running on a two hour delay. Walmart JUST re-opened yesterday! It is crazy for me to live in a place that doesn't "get" snow. I over heard some people talking yesterday when we were out that they had NEVER driven in snow and for the past 5 days have not left their house. CRAZY!!!!! ha ha ha

So North Carolina, and the entire south, was hit by a snow storm. This won't be the first storm and won't be the last storm. So I guess I better get used to the crazyness of the south and learn that EVERY winter I will think this is wierd that people don't drive in snow ha ha ha. Either way...we had fun playing outside in the snow!!! Dorian and Addeline loved it!!!

Making Brownies with Daddy

2011-01-13T11:05:00.000-06:00

Like mother, like daughter! Dorian LOVES to help bake. She doesn't like to cook or prepare any other meal, but she loves to bake. Probably because the end result is always something yummy. But we have embraced this new love of hers and have been baking a lot. This isn't going to go over well with my waist or my jeans...but she likes to do it, allows me to have something on hand to give her when she is good, and always great bonding time we have!

Our Family In NC

2011-01-13T10:57:00.000-06:00

We dug ourselves out of Virginia, literally, and drove home in just enough time to clean up our Christmas disaster and open our doors to Niles' family! Niles' aunt, mom, grandmother, and niece all came down for the week to see us and our new home. It was so great to see everyone after such a long time of being away, and the week went by to darn quick! Before we knew it they were packing up to leave! We had such a great time seeing everyone, taking walks, building snowmen, and eating great food!! We can't wait for everyone to come back down...hopefully soon!

Christmas Day with our Family!!!

2011-01-12T19:12:00.000-06:00

For the past four years we've had to travel by plane to get to our family on the holiday's or we would have to drive 33 hours not including stop times and over night stays along the road. This is the FIRST year since we've been married that it only took three hours to go see our family on a holiday! I can't describe to you how happy it feels to be so close to family!!!! We've been waiting for this, unpatiently, for four years!!!

Our lovely ladies opened their gifts on Christmas morning and when it was time for their naps we loaded up our van and drove to see my sister and her family, my brother, and my dad!!! It was sooooo FREAKIN' good to see them! We had so much fun! Virginia was hit by a huge snow storm. Probably the worst snow storm that state has seen in 13 years! We took every advantage of playing in the snow we could...and the kids had a blast! It was a great Christmas, one that we will remember for ever.

Christmas Morning Pictures

2011-01-11T14:43:00.000-06:00

We had a fantastic Christmas! We started out the morning with breakfast and opening up presents at our home in North Carolina. There was a lot of mess, frenzy, and crazy for about 2 hours but everyone was so thrilled with their presents there wasn't a person not smiling in the house! These are just a few of the MANY pictures I took, but lets you see how happy the girls were opening up their presents! Dorian's big gift was her bike which she had been asking for for months!!! And Addy was happy with anything that made noise!

This was really our "first" Christmas together, in our first actual home. This is the first year in three that we've set up our Christmas tree and hung our stockings. We almost forgot what the tree looked like it had been so long. So this Christmas meant a lot to Niles and I to simply "be" in our home on Christmas morning. We truly had the best time watching our girls rip the paper off of those presents!!!

After we opened up gifts we loaded the car and headed to my sister's house to be with my family for the rest of our Christmas weekend!!! Those pictures will be in my next blog!!!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas too!!!!

Making Christmas Cookies with Daddy

2010-12-16T07:17:00.000-06:00

I never in my life knew making cookies would be so messy!!! But messy and FUN!!! Dorian had a blast!!! She "helped" make them...rolled out the doe, ate some doe, cut out a cookie, ate a cookie, threw flour around, ate some flour...etc. etc. etc....This was our second attempt at making cookies with Dorian. The first round I didn't have enough patience, I will admit and we aborted the operation quickly! Our second go at it was successful!!! 6 dozen cookies are made and iced!!!

Dorian's Gingerbread House

2010-12-16T07:11:00.000-06:00

Having Fun During the Move

2010-12-16T07:06:00.001-06:00

Holiday Pictures

2010-12-11T12:03:00.000-06:00

Our trip to get our pictures taken was interesting to say the least! After two straight hours these are what we came home with....not to bad for a days work! ha ha ha There were many I thought were cute but these are a few that are "share-worthy". Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-25T18:50:00.000-06:00

Some days I wonder if there are any good people left in this world. I drive down the street with people cutting you off, honking their horns, shoving in lines at a store, etc. etc. etc. I know deep down that there are good people, but to find them on a daily basis is sometimes hard.

Today however my belief that there are good people in this world was reassured.

Our day started out as any normal day. We got up, ate breakfast, headed to the walking trails, and walked 4 miles. When we were walking there was no sign of any bad weather to come so we took our time. At the furthest point away from the vehicle it started to dump water on us!!! I was not prepared for this so as we RAN back to the car, we got soaked!!! ha ha ha The kids loved getting wet and going fast in the rain, so all was well!

We came home, got a snack, and went down from a nap....typical day in the Putnam household.

We got up from our naps, ate a snack, and put on clean clothes to head out for part 2 of our day....also typical events in our home.

I knew we couldn't eat at home, there is nothing in our re fridge because we are moving and adding more food to the mix...I am afraid it would go to waste. So my plan was to head to Mc Donalds and let the girls play in the play place for an hour and get some energy out. We pulled up to MC Donalds and the big sign said closing at 2pm, and it was 1:45. So now onto plan B...well I didn't have a plan B, and rarely ever do! So we drove around in the rain trying to find something that was open.....Denny's it was!

The girls were pretty good, far from the norm, but I was taking a risk and it paid off. The store wasn't packed, but the staff clearly didn't want to be there on a holiday...that was very evident. Service was slow, and my kids wanted their food!!! Dorian was dead set on a pancake, she asked every person around if they were the ones that would bring it to her. We spilled an entire cup of milk everywhere. Short tantrums, but nothing out of the normal. Our food came, we devoured it, and honestly had a great time just the three of us in the restaurant!

Our waiter came and asked if we needed anything, and I was debating on dessert since it was a holiday but didn't want to push my luck since my kids out numbered me and thought I should leave on a good note. I asked him for two boxes and our bill. He came back to me very quickly, and made me think "you got that in like a second, you are gooooooooooood!". He leaned over and whispered into my ear that the lady and gentleman that was sitting to the right of me had taken care of my bill and wished my family a very happy thanksgiving.

WOW....I instantly teared up. I asked him if was serious and he replied yes. And the tears came. No one has ever done something so nice for me. It was just a normal day out with my kids, they were the normal level of "bad", and I was at a normal level of being a mom of two crazy kids.

This truly is an action that shows there are amazing, wonderful, and good people in this world. Before leaving we stopped to say our thanks and they were super nice people. I am forever thankful for making my Thanksgiving a memorable one. I woke up thinking how sad it was to be so far away from our family and that our daddy and my husband couldn't be here with me. But we went on with our day like it was nothing different and really had the most amazing day.

I really hope that every one else out there had a great day also, wherever they may be and whatever they are doing...I hope that everyone finds something to be thankful for. Today I am thankful for many things, but one of them are caring and dear people like the couple we met today in Denny's.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Cheese!!!

2010-11-11T19:30:00.002-06:00

Look at the head of hair on this little girl!!!!

We added a little mouse last night, and WHOA curls!!!

Dorian LOVES to get ready with mommy, and loves to help me put on makeup and do my hair...for all of those who thought she wouldn't be girly, WATCH OUT!

Dorian is the girliest girl and every day gets a little worse!

She loves to dress up, put make up on, do her hair up, carry's a purse, and have her nails done.

Uh-Oh...teen years may be a little expensive, he he he

Addeline's First Hair Syle

2010-11-11T19:25:00.000-06:00

Addeline's Hair is FINALLY long enough to put up in a pony!!! Whoohoo!!! And seriously, could she get any cuter?!?!?!? I didn't think so and now I am not so sure...She is so stinkin' cute (most of the time) he he.

Hope Mills, NC

2010-11-09T07:49:00.004-06:00

Hope Mills is a VERY small town located right outside of Fayetteville, NC. It has a total area of 6.1 miles of land and population of only 11,000 people. It is about 24 miles from Pope Air Force base, which is where Niles will work. It will take him about 30 minutes to get there and back each day.

The great part about Hope Mills is that although it is a tiny town, it is only 6 miles to the larger city of Fayetteville. We chose to live here because we wanted to be in a quiet place yet be close enough to the necessities of life we are accustomed to. It offers an amazing historic downtown district with one of the best elementary schools in the entire state of NC right down the road to where our home is located.

This town offers everything we need for our little ladies to grow up in a safe and friendly environment with the ability to get to a Target and TJ Maxx within 10 minutes!

This is going to be our new home for the next two'ish years....Hope Mills, North Carolina. It has 4 bedrooms (3 bedrooms and a bonus room), a formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, and large back yard fenced in for the little ones to play outside! It is about 1750 sq. feet, which is going to be a mansion compared to the tiny apartment we've all been living in for the past 6 months. But after a long wait, patience, and searching we believe this is the perfect house for us to live in!

We will be about 9 hours away from DuBois, PA (my hometown). We will be about 10 hours away from Wyalusing, PA (Niles' hometown). We will be about 3 hours and 15 minutes from my sister, brother, and father in Virginia. And we will be in a ONE DAY driving range from anyone else that we want to see/visit! That has never been an option for us, EVER. So we are pretty excited about this factor alone!

We are super excited to move at the end of this month! Niles leaves Arkansas in a little less than two weeks to go back to New Mexico. He will be allowed to leave NM on December 2nd and meet up with us on December 4th in our new home in NC!!! The girls and I will leave here on the 30th of November and get to NC on December the 1st (if all plans go as scheduled).

I am so excited to see what our new life entails. I have found amazing parks, really cool programs for the girls to get into, a YMCA right down the road, and jobs for me to start applying for! At this point the anticipation is killing me. I am so sad to leave a place I am starting to love, yet so excited to see what the rest of this world has in store for me and my family. Anxious is a perfect word to describe how I am feeling right now.

Arkansas has been fantastic to me. Leaving New Mexico I felt relief knowing that we would never have to go back. We looked forward to leaving but didn't know what to expect. I honestly thought that Arkansas was going to be a dud. That I was going to hate it almost as much as living in New Mexico, but I was dead wrong. I fell in love with Little Rock the second we pulled in and adding super great people and an amazing environment, it made it even more enjoyable. I wish we could stay, yet wonder what NC will be like. I wonder if the people will be as nice as they are in Little Rock, if the programs are going to be as good for the girls, if the environment is going to be as safe and clean, and if I will love it as much as I do now in Arkansas.

I also don't want to set my standards to high because if they don't meet them, I don't want to automatically hate NC because this is where we are going to live for a long time. This move marks a new point in our lives. Since Niles and I have met, we have never stayed in the same home or place for more than 6 months. We have always moved from one place to another and have been on the search for something to make our lives better and more resourceful. So this will be a different life. A stable one (for the next two'ish years). It will be different knowing that we will not have to be on the look out for the next move and not have to stress over the unknown.

So We wait. As of today we have 3 full weeks till I pack up the car and ship out. I wait patiently and am trying to soak up as much of Little Rock Arkansas as I can for the time being.

The Pictures taken during the 5K Race

2010-11-05T19:29:00.003-05:00

I didn't know any of these pictures were took until I received an e-mail the other day. At this event a professional photography team was hired and apparently everywhere taking pictures. They sent the pictures out after the race to those who had their bib numbers showing!

At the very end of the Race.

Somewhere in the middle of the race

And this is definitly at the beginning of the race!

Getting Ready to Move...Again.

2010-11-04T11:57:00.003-05:00

Kind of seems like we are always moving, huh??!! Well that is because we have been! ha ha ha In that last year we've moved (the girls and I) about 3-4 times. We moved from New Mexico to Pennsylvania when Niles started his training to become a Flight Engineer. We stayed with my Mom for about 6 months and then got word that Niles would have a two month break. In desperate need for our daddy we packed up and moved back to New Mexico (move #2). We then had to make a bid decision. Do we stay in New Mexico while Niles goes to Arkansas? (knowing this training was around 6 months) or do we move to Arkansas with Niles, knowing it was going to be a short 6 month stay but be with him while he finished his training? The answer was clear...we were moving again (move #3) to Arkansas.

So now, 6 months later, I am here to tell you, yet again, we are moving! BUT, this time it is for a more permanent stay (as permanent as a military life will allow, I guess). We knew that with Niles taking this new job we would have a permanent move to a new base at the end of his training. All of this moving around in between was for me to have help after having Addeline and to be with our daddy as much as possible while the kids were still young. About 6 months ago we received our news that our new location would be Pope Air Force Base in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It was our second pick of places to go, so we were very pleased with our new assignments!

Niles will finish is training and complete everything he needs to be certified on November 15th. He will out process and drive back to New Mexico. Holloman is still his place of residency and he will need to finish up last minute paper work to make this move official. We have our "official orders" to North Carolina and he will in-process to his new base on December 5th.

I, and the girls, will stay in Arkansas until our lease runs out in our apartment. We have the moving truck reserved and paid for! I pick it up on November 30th and have two men hired to help me load up the truck. We will leave Arkansas on the 30th and get to North Carolina on the 1st of December, to our new home! Niles will meet up with us on the 4th of December and we will finally start the process of settling in to our home!

Last week we were notified that the home we were hoping to rent went through, and this week we mailed off the lease and deposit! We are so excited to be in a real home again, with space, and extra bedrooms, and SPACE!!!!

For the Next few weeks we are super busy, three weeks and 4 days to be exact but who is counting?!?! I am packing, and cleaning, and packing, and cleaning!!! Here is to a safe and some-what pleasant move!!! Wish us luck!

Getting Ready for Winter!

2010-11-03T07:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T11:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween to Everyone!!! We had such a great time this year! So thankful for good friends to share this fun holiday with! We went trick or treating twice in Little Rock and Dorian made out great with candy! They both liked their costumes this year, which was a major improvement from the previous and both hung tight pretty late to enjoy the festivities! We ended up with two costumes for Addeline, she hated the first one but loved her duck costume! The ladies went nuts for our little ladies and how cute they look! Dorian was super shy at first, only having enough "guts" to hold out her bucket for candy but by the end of the night she was running full force to each house yelling "HI!!!"...ha ha ha it was so darn cute! It is amazing how much a years difference can make in a child! This makes me so excited for upcoming holiday's and events!!! Happy Halloween!!!

Mud Run 5K

2010-10-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

Every since I graduated college I wanted to run a 5k. I talked and talked and talked about it until the cows came home...but never did it. I told Niles I wanted to run one when Dorian was born, and then was pregnant with addeline. I told Niles I wanted to run a 5k when addeline was born, and never did. So what better time than now?!?!?

The Mud Run 5k is the dirtiest race in Little Rock. I trained for 8 weeks for this race with and with out Niles. He was registered to race with me but ended up having to work this past Saturday, So I went at it alone. The kids helped add weight to my runs when I did train so on the day of it was a little easier. But either way....I did what I said I was going to do, finally. I had my best time yet of 29 minutes, I was running it at 32 minutes every week prior to the race so that also makes me ecstatic!!!

I feel accomplished, and that feeling is so great to have. When I crossed the finish line I felt like the kind of the world. I am so glad I set a goal, worked for it, and accomplished it. This training has helped me lose more weight, which helps. I still have a little more to lose, but I am getting their slowly but surely!!!

So 5k done....Now what?!?!?!

Addy's Many Faces

2010-10-18T19:23:00.000-05:00

Dorian's Tongue!

2010-10-18T19:20:00.000-05:00

Arkansas Sate Fair

2010-10-14T12:45:00.000-05:00

We went to the Arkansas State fair the other day and had a BLAST!!! I knew Dorian was going to be close as to whether she was tall enough to ride any rides and well she was dead on. The lady measured her three times and she was 36 inches EXACTLY. Not a hair over or under...36 inches! The very nice woman told me she was tall enough to ride any ride she wanted to, and this honestly made me scared! ha ha ha

I was so afraid she was going to stand up on the rides, not like them, or be a crazy woman and try to exit the ride prematurely! Niles and I made a quick decision that as for this being a trial run to see how she is going to act, one of us needed to ride with her! Addeline was NOT loving the fair, so Niles took one for the team and sat in the giant pink teacups in my absence (he he he).

Dorian loved everything about the fair. She chugged lemonades, engulfed funnel cakes, and was thrilled to win a stuffed blue monkey! Some of the rides were okay and others made her a little nervous. She only cried on one ride, and it was the ride that made mommy think twice about eating more of her funnel cake! ha ha ha

And who knew that the Livestock exhibit would be so much fun when you have little kids! COWS were the highlight of the fair!!! We stayed so long in the barns I think we walked away smelling like big ole' cow! ha ha ha

Either way...expensive food, ridiculous rides, and smelly barn animals all equal happy kids! :)

Dorian's First Pumpkin

2010-10-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

We carved a pumpkin for the first time with Dorian the other night! I thought she would have LOVED to get the insides out and feel the slimy seeds...NOT SO MUCH! She decided that if she had to get the seeds out, that shaking the pumpkin upside down was a much better way to clean it! ha ha ha She helped clean the seeds out, drew the pumpkins face for me, and helped punch out the eyes and mouth! She was so excited to help and had so much fun creating her first pumpkin!

Little Rock AFB, Thunder in the Sky Show

2010-10-10T19:25:00.000-05:00

Dorian couldn't get enough of the planes, she didn't take her eyes off of the sky the entire time we were there!

They had a pink plane in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this is the Symbol it made in the air to honor those who have lost their lives, enduring it now, or have survived. It was a very touching segment to the show!

This is an A-10...and ridiculous capabilities!!! This was by far my favorite part of the show!

This (below) is a C-130 J Model, "Hercules". This is the plane that Niles will be flying on when he starts his new job! (not the exact model, just a newer one) He starts training on the flight line this week, and will be up in the air within a few weeks!!! Scary thought, huh?!?! Little Rock AFB is the "hub" of the C-130's. This air show was focused around the capabilities of what this aircraft can do in the air, and let me tell you they are insane!!!!

Dorian is DEFINITELY going to be an Air Show Girl!! She loved it! Every time a plane would come down close she started yelling "whoooooooohhh-wheeeeeee"!!! It was hilarious...she sat there in awe of the planes and clapped and yelled the whole time! She had so much fun!

The aerobatics part of the show was really cool! They had so many stunts preformed...It was definitely much better than any air show I have EVER been to!

This is a C-5! They are HUGE!!! This is what Niles wanted to fly on...but he is happy with the C-130's....Seriously the biggest air craft I've ever seen!

They did an awesome WWII re-enactment. These are the planes that the Japanese flew in WWII. Dorian was most impressed with this show. They had pyrotechnics and everything to go along with some wicked flying!!!

Little Rock Mommies Birthday Bash

2010-10-10T19:15:00.000-05:00

When I first came to Little Rock, I knew no-one. I had never been apart of a group of any sort and have never been in a position where "needing to get out of the home" was a necessity. With two little kids and a VERY small apartment...we needed HELP!!!

I looked up a few groups to join in the area and finally decided upon LittleRockMommies.com. I didn't know what to expect or who to expect, but I thought it was worth a shot to try something new!!!!

Well, 6 months later...I am hooked!!! I started out as a mommy member and now am apart of their team. I volunteer with this group to be a moderator for the Central/West areas of Little Rock! I love doing it, and love helping new mommies who are now in the same position I was in 6 months ago moving to a new city.

Little Rock Mommies turned two this year and to celebrate we through a huge party! This took a lot of planning and we had the help of MANY sponsors...but it was a success! We had a great turn out and every enjoyed themselves, making all of the hard work worth it!

I put together a slide show of the party! This is a glimpse in to some of the greatest people I have met in my life! I am so proud to be apart of such a wonderful/amazing group of ladies!

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Pumpkin Time

2010-10-04T13:28:00.001-05:00

Niles thought it would be cool to make a different pumpkin this year. Walmart had kits for 4$ that came with several designs, the tools needed to complete the design, and other random things that didn't seem purposeful. I told him that I wasn't that horrible of an artist and to take a picture of it and I'd see what I could draw up!

So with my limited artistic abilities and his limited carving abilities....this is what we came up with! I think our pumpkin totally ROCKS!!!! AND we saved 4$!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2010-10-01T19:10:00.000-05:00

We decided to get out of the house this afternoon and not waste a beautiful day! The pumpkin patch opened up last week and we beat the rush! It was so much fun. They had a huge pit of dried corn to play in (like a sand box, but only with corn), a kiddie hay maze, friendly petting zoo, hay climbing zones, hundreds of pumpkins to pick from, and a nice scenic hay ride! The kids had so much fun they were sleeping by 6:45pm (WOW!). I took a ton of great pictures but these were the best!

Ice Cream, Cookies, and Cake = MESS!!!

2010-09-20T19:29:00.000-05:00

Dorian's First Manicure

2010-09-06T19:35:00.000-05:00

I went out with a friend to get a pedicure the other day. We had an "okay" time, the place we went to wasn't the greatest, but it was girl time with out kids for a few hours so we we had fun!!! No more than 30 seconds of me walking through the doors when I got home Dorian noticed my toe nails were painted. She couldn't get over that there were colors on my nails. She couldn't stop touching them and talking about the color...it was amazing how in 'awe' she was!

So with this Niles suggested to her that maybe she might want color on her nails!?!?!?! I wasn't so sure of this idea but let him "try" to put nail polish on her nails. Come to find out we have not a single bottle of nail polish in the house. Well, now Dorian is very adamant that she get some color on her nails and, well, she was NOT about to wait for it! ha ha So we piled in the car and headed to walmart to get some nail polish. Dorian picked her own colors out and she was very happy about this. I'll give you one guess which color she picked.....PINK!

As soon as we got home Niles told her to sit up at the table and he would paint her fingers. Now this could go one of two ways. Either Dorian is going to not be able to stop touching the wet paint that it would be impossible for the paint to dry and she wouldn't be able to get her nails done. It is in Dorian's nature to NOT be able to sit still for longer than a fragment of a second, so this is how I had foreseen this event going. OR Dorian would sit there in a amazement of her getting beautified and her nails would get painted.

I was totally wrong. She sat there for a solid five minutes, long enough for Daddy to paint her nails (one coat). She STILL has the paint on her nails and shows them to EVERYONE!!! She says "pretty hands", and holds them out to show her color off. If you ask her what color it is she has on her nails she will tell you very loudly...PINK!!! ha ha ha

Dorian is very proud of her pink finger nails!!!! and I am Amazed that Daddy pulled it off!! I underestimated the situation!!! Dorian is becoming a pretty pretty princess!!! ha ha ha

Addeline's First Birthday

2010-09-05T19:02:00.000-05:00

Our Sweet Addeline turned one today!!!! She is such a big girl now! We had an awesome day. We spent all day outside playing and cooking out and having so much fun. Dorian was in her glory! She was able to color and run around and be outside with no boundaries! Addeline followed Dorian around like always and had a blast following in her footsteps!

Our AMAZING babysitter and friend also had a birthday today so her and her aunt (our neighbor) came to celebrate with us! Cyndi and Addeline both opened gifts and blew out their candles together!

Why is it so sad that your babies turn one?!?!?!! But I am sad!!! I am so sad she is not tiny any more and getting so big! It is such a joy to watch your kids grow up and see them change with each day. I wish for Addeline the world. I see each day how happy she is and the love she has for her family, it makes me so proud.

To Addeline...We LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! I can't wait to see how what you learn and how you grow over the next years of your life!!! XOXOXOXO

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Saving Space!

2010-08-30T20:06:00.000-05:00

There were two birthday parties going on this Saturday morning, there were only two swings, and they were a hott commodity! So we saved space and only used one swing! :)

Our First Family Camping Trip

2010-08-30T19:56:00.000-05:00

We took our FIRST family camping trip the other day and honestly had the best time EVER!!! When we are at the apartment in Little Rock Dorian can't run outside, she can't be with out mommy or daddy, and she just can't be 'free'. I am always afraid of cars coming, or that someone could take her, or something else that is bad!

We had been talking about doing a trip like this but Niles' schedule has been to strange and he gets random days off un-announced that it made it a little tough to plan. Niles just found out that he has 9 out of the next 10 days off! So we QUICKLY made fast plans, hopped in the car, and headed to the closest state park we could find! ha ha

Lake Catherine is located in Malvern, Arkansas. (It is right next to Hot Springs) We figured that with it being a Sunday that we had a good chance to rent their Yurt. We have never heard of a Yurt until we moved here, but honestly they are awesome. It is like a mini-circus tent! It was big enough to hold three bunkbeds, a small table, three nightstands, two coolers, two pack and plays, and all of our extra stuff. A huge plus is that they are build on wooden decks. Dorian must have ran around that 'yurt' a hundred times within the first 10 minutes of getting there! It was awesome, she could be outside with NO worries of any of the things mentioned above! She was in her glory for the past two days!!!

We went on long walks to get the girls to take a nap, lost shoes and had to retrack our steps, went hiking on nature trails, swimming on the beach, and playing at the parks! It was so nice to not have a computer to stare at all night or cell phones ringing and just be outside!!! The lake was beautiful and the people we met were super nice!

This is definitly something we will do more often, and maybe even just buy a tent of our own one day!!! I LOVED IT!!!! And I really believe Dorian loved it more than Niles, Addeline, and Myself combined!!! She is definitly an outdoor girl. I truly believe she could be outside forever if you let her. She had the biggest smile on her face for the past two days and that alone makes all the work that goes into trips like this totally worth it!!!!

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My Play Date with Dorian

2010-08-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

Lately, I have not spent much time with JUST Dorian. It is usually, the 3 of us. We always have fun playing together, but Dorian likes one-on-one time. So yesterday we decided to stay in for the afternoon and Addeline took a late nap. This left Dorian and I to have an awesome play-date!!! And we did what was the most fun out of anything....we played in the cupboards! HA HA HA We hit pots and pans with spoons, we crawled in and out of cupboards, we danced, and we had a BLAST!!!!

It made me realize that Dorian and I need more days like this. She was so good, and the light in her eyes said "yesssssss...I have mommy all to myself!!!". Ha Ha HA

Cozy Coupe Fun!

2010-08-14T12:45:00.000-05:00

The Things we need to go out the door

2010-08-14T12:32:00.000-05:00

We were leaving to go to the store the other day and Dorian pitched a fit (not unusal). But this time we didn't understand what she 'wanted'. We tried to get her to say her words as much as possible, but this request was a little hard to distinguish. She was fumbling through her box of toys like she was on a mission!!!! Dorian knew exactly what she wanted and it was almost like she could NOT walk out that door to leave until she had it.

FINALLY, ten minutes later it clicks! She finds mommies sunglasses and quickly puts them on. But she wasn't finished...she looked up at the key wrack (where we hang out hats) and tells us she wants daddies 'hut' (hat). So we gave her the white hat...and problem solved!! She was ready to rock out that door, like nothing was wrong, like we didn't just have a ten minute tantrum over sunglasses and hats!! Amazing! She put them on herself and strutted her way to the car. She wore them into the store and back home! ha ha

And note, she put them on herself. She DID NOT want our help to fix them so they were on straight. This is what she looked like...

Apparently, hats and glasses are a necessity!!! :) Daddy never leaves the house with out them, and neither does Dorian, anymore! ha ha

Birthday Books From Grandma K

2010-08-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

Dear Grandma Kipp,

Thank you for my books and flip-flops you gave me for my birthday! I love them so much, and so does sissy!! We play with them all day and make them play music for mommy! We can't wait to see you soon. I love you,

Dorian Renee

Dorian Turns 2!!!

2010-08-02T20:54:00.001-05:00

My beautiful little lady turned two today!!! She is getting so big!!! She even learned how to say birthday and was saying it alllllllllllllllll day!!!! ha ha

Dorian received a lot of fantastic cards and gifts she absolutely loves and had a blast eating ice cream and cake all day! Niles and I bought her a "crazy coupe" car for her special day and she hasn't gotten out of it since she woke up and found it out side of her bedroom door. She has eaten all of her meals in it since Sunday and honestly think if I allowed it, she would sleep in it as well! ha ha

She had a great day and was a perfect little girl! We took her shopping and she picked out her own cookies and purple pillow which she proudly walked out of the store with and is sleeping with them right now! :)

God, I love her! And it is so sad to see her grow up, yet exciting in the same way. I can't wait to see what she becomes in later years and how her personality changes!

Dorian We love you and are so thankful you are in our world! I do not know what I would do with out you each and every day!!! XOXOXOXO

Splash Pad Fun in Little Rock

2010-07-31T12:40:00.000-05:00

Down Town Little Rock as an awesome park that they've created over the past few years. This year they have opened up a Splash Pad for everyone and it is free for the public to use! We ventured down there this morning before it was to hot to go outside and the kids had a BALL!!!

Addeline stood up for the first time today, holding onto nothing! After the first time she really felt like a big girl, and was standing up over and over again!!! This made mommy a little nervous but apparently Dorian was the girl I should have been more worried about!

Dorian was having so much fun running around in the water that she hurt herself pretty bad. She came over to Daddy and Myself when we were getting Addeline ready for the water fun and slipped on a bench. She fell on the concrete pretty hard bruising her face and legs up. I felt so bad for her it made me almost cry. It was like the fun was taken right out of her morning :( But after a couple minutes she regained energy and went back at it. There was no signs of any concussions or any need for stitches just really stinks that it happened! So pictures are cancelled for her 2nd birthday and I will reschedule when I take Addeline next month for her 1 year photos.

After wards there was a farmers market going on in the same park so we stopped and bought some fresh fruit and tomato's...YUMMY!!!

All in all a great morning...I am taking the good with the bad!

My Two Babies :)

2010-07-25T13:21:00.000-05:00

Lake Willastein, Little Rock Arkansas

2010-07-25T12:57:00.000-05:00

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Sunday Morning FUN!!!

2010-07-25T12:50:00.000-05:00

Pinnacle Valley State Park

2010-07-24T12:06:00.000-05:00

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This is a REALLY cool park to go to if you are ever in Little Rock! There are awesome hiking trails for all types of people, those who want easy trails and those who would like difficult ones, there are paved pathes for people with strollers, and a really nice play/pinic area for kiddos and those making a day out of being there! We saw awesome views from the out look, worked out, and played all in a single morning!!!! Something Niles' and I will go back to attack the hiking trails when we are feeling ambitious!!! Perfect morning!!!

The Heart of Little Rock, Downtown!

2010-07-24T12:02:00.000-05:00

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We've been doing a lot of exploring since we moved to AR and this is one of our many stops!!! Down town Little Rock has so much to offer!! It is really great for little kids to play in, very clean, and awesome views! The streets are lined with cute shops, there is an out door ampitheatre, and there is always something going on that is fun to do!!!

Little Rock Zoo

2010-07-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

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This zoo is so much fun!!!! Lots of Animals, and Lots of things to do/see!!!! We had so much Fun!!!

Two Rivers Park

2010-07-24T11:46:00.000-05:00

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The girls and I go to Two Rivers Park every morning. Every morning I am captivated by the beauty that this park has to offer. So, I took some pictures of it to share a piece of Arkansas with you all!!! I hope you enjoy!!!

Fun at the Pool

2010-07-16T08:36:00.000-05:00

Our Workin' Girl

2010-07-11T11:27:00.000-05:00

Yes, she has no clothes on :)

The Big Damn Bridge

2010-07-11T11:17:00.000-05:00

The "Big Dam Bridge" is in Little Rock, AR and is one of the coolest parks to visit. We went on Father's day this year and had a blast. The bridge is built over the Arkansas river and is built directly over a man made dam. The bridge is huge, about a mile across. The bridge was built for joggers, sight seeing, and cyclists. There are marathons and races each weekend held at this park. It is awesome and a must see if you ever come visit!!!

Two Rivers Park, Arkansas

2010-07-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Every morning we go for a walk at Two Rivers Park. It is where the Arkansas river and Maumelle river meet and become one river. There are two trails that we alternate, but it is the most beautiful park! So much wild life and things to see on our walks. Not a day passes that we don't see deer or lizards or some kind of creature. The trails are almost 100% shaded and keeps it real nice to walk with out dying from the heat! Just thought I'd share a little of our day with you all!

State to State

2010-07-11T10:50:00.000-05:00

I have driven a lot in the past year. And the drives are long and boring. So I started a little game for myself. I have started to take pictures of the state signs and see how many I can get! I have driven from PA to NM 3 times, NM to AR once, and AR to PA twice! I have yet to drive from AR to NC and NC to FL/PA! I have been in 24 of the 50 states so far in my life with many more to come I would imagine with the way our lives roll these days. But here is my collection thus far of state signs. I am missing Indiana (my mom didn't get the camera in time on our drive, I still forgive you though mom), and Oklahoma is only a picture of half of the sign. But there are doubles of some signs because it was in different places of the state so I thought it would be also cool to see how many different state signs I could get of the same one! Kind of silly, but makes for an interesting drive and a pretty cool scrap book later in life!

4th of July Vacation in Pennsylvania

2010-07-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

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Beach Diva

2010-06-13T20:25:00.000-05:00

Thank you Aunt Debbie for the Rediculously cute bathing suit for our little Diva!! She had a swim date with her daddy today and she looked so darn cute!!! She played so hard she fell asleep at 6:30pm tonight!!! God love her, she had so much fun!!!! :)

The Box

2010-06-13T20:13:00.000-05:00

The girls have been fighting a lot lately. Basically Dorian wants EVERYTHING that Addeline touches and takes it away from her, causing Addeline to get upset, etc etc etc. Soooo Niles and I have been trying to get them both to play together with the same toy. This usually doesn't end up in success but last night it did!!! ha ha

Item of the moment was a box. Yes, a simple box. But both wanted it, so we pushed for a team effort in playing together. First we suggest Dorian push her sister around in the box. This was fun, but to much work for her and she was getting tired. A light went off in Dorian's little head and she instantly jumped in with Addeline. Now let me say this, she NEVER wants to sit near her sister let alone have her sister sit on her lap...EVER!!! This was a 'moment' in the Putnam house! But Dorian let Addeline sit on her lap, AND even put her arms around her so she didn't fall over while Daddy pushed them around the house!

INCREDIBLE!

It was short lived because Addeline was tired, but progress!!!!

We Made it!

2010-06-09T19:40:00.001-05:00

We arrived in Little Rock Arkansa early last week and we made it all in one piece! I drove the van with the girls and Niles followed behind me the entire trip. It took us 8 hours of driving one day and 5 hours the next. I dreaded this drive for a month. The last time I drove that long with the kids I had my mom. She was there to pick up sippy cups that fell and feed Addy when she was fussing. But this time I was flying solo!

Truly, there must have been a light beaming down from the heaven's for two solid days on my little mini-van, because the girls were amazing! I honestly don't think there was one cry out of either of them the entire trip. At one point I had thought there might be something wrong with them because...NOTHING!!! We drove solid for almost 4 hours one day and they didn't even fuss, like I could have gone another couple hours and had been okay!!! AMAZING!!!

We pulled up and let the kids run for a while and put them in their play-pens to sleep for the night. Niles and I thought it would just be better if we got everything unloaded and un packed in one night so it was done and over with and we would have a few days to relax. We did not estimate the time and effort our thought was going to take. So we stood there staring at the truck with all of the things needing to be unloaded for about 20 minutes. A very nice man wondered what we were doing out in the parking lot. He had a twang in his accent and super nice. We told him that we had just gotten to the apartment about 2 hours earlier and were going to attempt to unload our truck before we went to bed. He said in the nicest way, "well bare with me ya'll, I need to go fix me up and I'll be right back to help ya's out!" And with that we recruited a third person to help us un load! We had it all finished within two hours!

Okay, next problem. We had to fit a 1350 square foot house with a 2 car garage worth of stuff in a 1000 square foot, 2 bed room apartment! It was rough, tensions were high, but finally at 2am....we did it! We managed to get it all in, stored away, and with plenty of room to live in!

So we've been here a week and things look good so far. There is TONS of places to shop, good places. There are great walking trails and paths for the kids and I to explore (no worries they are safe). The people here are extremely nice, which we were not used to at all! It is just nice, for lack of better words, to be around good people and nice places to go to! Schfewwwwwwww (sigh of relief)!!!!!!!!! I actually like it here, there is sooo much to do, it is a nice/safe place, awesome scenery, it is clean, and well I could go on for hours!

BUT, we are here, and we are safe. The girls are still adjusting, but they come around more and more each day. It will take time. I havn't taken any pictures because I didn't know when I would get internet...so I will start capturing our moments in Arkansas tomorrow!

p.s. I LOVE SOUTHERN ACCENTS!!! It is awesome, I could listen to people that were born and raised here speak all day! It is fantastic! Like a perfect Southern Belle accent....AWESOME!

Good Bye New Mexico

2010-05-31T21:04:00.000-05:00

So here we sit in an empty house. Both cars are packed and moving truck filled to the brim. I only had to leave/give away four things, four things I didn't really need or will miss in the long run. We are already exhausted from a long day of packing and know that we have two more long days of traveling ahead makes us feel even more tired. We sit here so excited to wake up and get on the road making it one day closer to our new lives and new adventures and yet so sad to make a move away from friends and lives we know and know well.

To our wonderful friends the Guerra's, we will miss you! We love you all so much and I don't know what I am going to do with out my daily walks with you Danielle to talk about the world with each morning!!! We will miss your loving/kind hearted self that would do anything for anyone on the drop of a dime! We will miss you but we will see you again, this is not good bye!

So, Good bye New Mexico. We will miss you but hope to not be back anytime soon. We stand anxious for what is ahead of us and our new lives in Little Rock Arkansas!

Mom, Can I Come Too?!?!?!?

2010-05-29T20:33:00.000-05:00

This is probably the last blog I will write for a long time. On Monday we load up the moving truck parked out side our driveway and head to Little Rock, Arkansa. We leave New Mexico after being stationed here for almost 2 and a half years. We are excited to move on to new things, but leave with a heavy heart. We will miss our friends that we've made and love in New Mexico, but leave with promises to see each other again wherever the military may take us.

Once we get to Little Rock we will be there until November. Niles has a training for his new job that begins June 8th and has an estimated ending date of November 18th. There is a possibility it may end later due to weather and having to make up classes, but this is what we know as of right now. Our follow on orders state we will move to North Carolina and be stationed at Pope Air Force Base. Once we receive our "official" orders we will find and lock in a house and begin getting our things for the second part of our move.

This move means that we are one step closer to being back on the East Coast and closer to our family and friends! This excites us to no-end!!!! We've wanted this for a long time and can not wait for it to be finally over! But also are excited to take full advantage of being in Little Rock and getting to see places we wouldn't have had a chance to with out the military making our lives so crazy! ha ha

We don't plan on getting internet while we are in Little rock. So I won't be able to post blogs as easily. I will keep you all updated as possible and keep the pictures coming. I have internet on our phone so we "plan" on using that for the basic needs and living a summer free of our 'distracting' internet!!! ha ha (we'll see how that pans out! ha ha)

Learning to Share

2010-05-27T12:57:00.000-05:00

Dorian is now in her Toddler "ME" stage, or getting rather close to it. Everything is "mine" or "me". She gets a toy she is content with and claims it as her own. No one is allowed to take that toy because it is hers!!! Well.....this is something we need to work on, and we do on a day-to-day basis. Sissy (Addeline) has now developed a sense of "want". She sees something she likes and grabs for it. She can maneuver herself around the house now, pull herself up to reach for things higher up, and most of the time wants what Dorian has.

On most occasions Dorian knows that she has the higher ground and jumps on the couch so Addeline can't have what she has. On other occasions they have a pulling competition for that particular toy/item.

So our game plan. Dorian needs to learn how to share. She won't learn over night. It won't be a pretty battle with her. We expect tantrums from her, and anticipate "the time out spot" being used frequently! But we are starting with if she has a toy that Sissy wants, she must give sissy something else to play with until she is finished with the popular item at hand. This is working well for now. Soon Sissy will know that a replacement item is NOT what she wants and then we will work on each of them having the certain item for a period of time that is acceptable (5 minutes each?)

But this is our battle at hand...not a huge one...but it is what my life consists of right now! If this is the worst thing I have to battle each day, then life is pretty good for us right now!

On the upper-end our life, Dorian takes fantastic care of her sister! She now loves to put bibs on her to make sure she is clean. Dorian loves to wipe Sissy's face after eating, and feed her crackers when she misses her mouth. Occasionally she will run off with a handful of crackers so she can have more than her Sissy, but all in the process of sharing.

Dorian has become a fantastic, loving, and helpful big sister! Addeline loves her so much, she watches her closely and you can see the light in her eyes when she sees her big sister each morning! It is so great to see them together playing and laughing!!! It makes me so happy that they are close in age and love each other so much!!! The future is so bright for their relationship!!!

Day at The Park

2010-05-27T12:25:00.000-05:00

Addy and Daddy

2010-05-22T20:55:00.000-05:00

Having some one-on-one time before bed!

Bouncing and Jumping

2010-05-22T20:23:00.000-05:00

There is this really cute place up the street called the "bouncing place". We've lived in NM for almost 2.5 years and have never been. We always thought that even though Dorian THINKS she can play and hang with older kids, she normally gets knocked down a lot and life isn't good. Seeing that she just learned how to JUMP, we thought we would give it a shot since we are moving next week.

SHE LOVED IT!!!!

She was jumping higher and harder than all of the children bigger than her! ha ha We had celeste there to take her up to the tops of the jumping pits and slide down with her...and she had a blast (wore celeste out after an hour, but still so much fun!!!).

We only ran into one problem and that was a "sharing" issue. Dorian didn't understand that if she got out of a car (those plastic things kids get in and can make go by using their feet?), someone else could then get in it and play with it. Dorian lost it when a little boy with beautiful red hair came up and got in her black truck when she left it for a second. Dorian tried like hell to get it back and finally gave up and sat in the back of it while the little boy drove off!! ha ha After about 45 minutes of trying to get the black truck back she gave up and found an un-spoken for yellow and red car. And trust me that little girl did not let it go for the life of her. It was HILLARIOUS!!!! But all in all a good lesson for her to start learning, that sharing is good and others can play with toys that she likes!

It was fun, sad to leave this new fun place...but high hopes to find something similar in Little Rock and North Carolina!!!

Officer Putnam Reporting for Duty

2010-05-19T13:51:00.000-05:00

Any time we are folding laundry Dorian can not help herself. She has to put on something that is laying around and strutt her stuff! Today's article of clothing she had to put on was daddy's uniform for work!!! This is an every time thing, so I'm sure I'll get other cute picture of her in our clothes! :)

Our Last Trip To White Sands Desert

2010-05-19T13:38:00.000-05:00

ME ME ME

2010-05-19T13:28:00.000-05:00

I like to do things on the spur of the moment. This is one of them. I woke up and went to get my hair completely cut off. I can't put it up in a pony tail, and it is so short that even a clip really doesn't pin back my new bangs! But this is me. I told a few people about it and most said not to do it. Did I listen, NO! ha ha

I do things that I want to do, I always ask for opinions, I ALWAYS get upset when the opinions are not what I wanted to hear, and I go ahead with my decision to do the particular thing I intended to do.

Will I ever change? Probably not. There are a lot of things that I am going to do in my life-time. There are a LOT of people who probably won't approve or think I shouldn't do them. But honestly, It won't change my decision.

I will always ask for opinions. And Niles will come home to an upset wife on those days because the opinions will upset me. But I will bounce back the very next day and do what makes me and my family happy! It is who I am. I over think EVERYTHING, I work to gain the praise and acceptance from others, I plan things way to far in advance, and usually get upset when things don't pan out because I plan things to far ahead, I am meticulous about most things, I like to do things correctly, and I miss being so close to family and friends! ha ha But it is what it is. My genetic make up I am chalking this up to.

So for the remainder of my life, here is to hoping for a supportive and positive group of family and friends. :)

My Mother's Day Special Gifts

2010-05-12T20:58:00.000-05:00

Dorian and Addeline each made me a clay imprint of their hands and feet (with a LOT of help from daddy)! Dorian painted hers for me and I painted Addeline's! But both turned out fantastic and I loved them both so much!!! It was an awesome Mother's day and I love both of the girls so much! Thank you Niles for making it such a great day!!! :)

Cruisin'

2010-05-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

Addeline can and will stand on anything she can get her hands on! She has recently realized that when she is standing that she can take a step or two and it doesn't hurt her! So here we go....two walking kiddos are coming right up!

Animal Crackers for an 8 Month old?!

2010-05-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

Dorian spilled her animal crackers on the floor a while back and I didn't realize. Addeline is now a woman on the move and found the animal crackers. ha ha ha Addeline wasn't sure what to do with them at first, but leave it to her big sister to show her!!!! Now Addeline loves her animal crackers just as much as Dorian does!!! And Dorian helps her eat them EVERYTIME I get them out for snacks! ha ha HILLARIOUS!

Yucky Bugs!

2010-05-02T21:45:00.000-05:00

While we were at the Botanical Gardens they had a really disgusting bug display. (well disgusting to me! ha ha ha) I walked by the exhibit and after a moment turned around to go back. I thought of my four nephews and their love for bugs and yucky insects. I thought that if I didn't get some pictures for them I would be letting them down! ha ha ha So here you go boys....yucky, disgusting, really gross BUGS!!!! EWWWW!!!! I don't even know what they are called I took the pictures and ran ha ha ha But hope you enjoy! :)

Albuquerque Bontanical Gardens

2010-05-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

Our two families went to check out the Bontanical Gardens. The night before there was a HUGE wind storm that brought in cold weather. We bundled the girls up, but it was honestly to cold to see the entire park. We hung out for about a half an hour and called it quits. It was an awesome park and extremely pretty....but it was starting to rain and getting even colder. We had to leave. But I will say something I would like to see again when not so cold. :)

Albuquerque Aquarium

2010-05-02T20:52:00.000-05:00

I think this was Dorian's favorite part of the trip! We let her out of her stroller to check out the aquarium and when she saw all of the fish I think her eyes almost come out of her head she was so excited! She ran around for about an hour, with every turn she made and another fish she saw, screamed "FIFFY!!!" and pointed to the massive fish in the tanks! ha ha ha It was so cute!

I can't describe how happy it makes me to see her so excited to see new things! She knew that they were fish and so many of them in all different sizes and shapes really made her happy!

She even was brave enough to touch some crabs and sea creatures that were on display in the learning center!!! She has NEVER touched a dog/puppy willingly and she reached right out to touch yucky sea things!!! HILARIOUS!!!

The aquarium was EXTREMELY small, and not what we expected so with extra time on our hands before our drive back we all decided to check out the Botanical Gardens that was part of the park!

United States Museum of Natural History and Science

2010-05-02T20:31:00.000-05:00

We started to drive back to base after we left the zoo and realized that it was too early to go back home, that our children would go stir-crazy sitting doing nothing. So we used our GPS and found a couple of museums. The kids chose to go to the Natural History museum. This shocked us, but we did what they wanted to do!!!

We decided that it wasn't a waste of money, but was definitly above what the kids could understand. They enjoyed seeing the displays but didn't really understand what everything was. It was a LOT of reading and a LOT of understanding large concepts. It wasn't really that big, it only took about an hour or so to walk through. But all in all, there were some pretty cool dinosaour replica's to take pictures of! Both of my kiddo's fell asleep, FINALLY! And it bought us some time till dinner and winding down for bed. We still had to go to the aquarium on Sunday and Drive three hours back to Alamogordo!!! Everyone had fun....so day well spent!

Albuquerque Zoo

2010-05-02T20:20:00.000-05:00

We have missed our dear friends the Guerra's so much the past 5 months that we wanted to spend as much time with them as we could! We have always talked about taking a trip to Albuquerque, but there was never a good time for the both of us. Danielle is in nursing school and her two kiddos are both in school. Niles has always either been deployed or her husband was deployed...so there was never a good time to go. While I was in PA we made plans to make the trip when I came back to NM.

We FINALLY went this past weekend. Her husband was on a TDY but she and her two children went with us anyway! We had SOOO much fun!!! We all stayed in a military hotel that was huge and had everything you could ask for for such a little price! It was awesome! The housing had two bedrooms, a dining room, full kitchen, TV's in each room, high chairs for babies, dishes/utensils...EVERYTHING!

Saturday we went to the Zoo. We knew it was going to take us about 5 hours to walk through it, eat, and time for the kids to play while we were there. It was a large zoo and had a lot to see. Dorian had a ball. She knew almost all of the animals that we saw, the main attractions at least. And she could tell us what animals she knew. Her favorite was the "monnnnKEYS!" With so much to see and do she did not nap all day! This wasn't great for us later...but she had fun and that is all that mattered to us ha ha ha.

We decided to leave the zoo early and come back on Sunday to go to the Aquarium/Bontanical Gardens. We had enough walking, and Danielle is about 25 weeks pregnant so her feet were a little swollen....we called it a day!

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Driving Miss Dorian :)

2010-05-02T19:51:00.000-05:00

Every day when we park the car, either at home to go inside or at a store (where ever), instead of getting out of the car we quickly climb into the front seat and pretend to drive the van. It is really annoying, but the first time she did it I thought it was cute and took pictures. She LOVES to pretend now. She pretends to fly airplanes in the house with her toys, she can make noises for her toys, and even pretends to play tea party. She pours out tea for everyone, making sure you always get a sip of tea. And hands out cakes for all to eat! Really interesting to see how much she has grown as a little girl from being able to simply drink her own tea to having an entire tea party with two to three people playing with her.

Dorian has gone from knowing that there is something wrong with Addeline to checking her diaper, patting her back/butt when she is crying, getting her a bib when she is drooling/spitts up, and making sure she has a bottle when she is fussy. Quite amazing to see her take care of her sister. Now don't get me wrong, when she wipes her face off she occasionally pokes her in the eye or is a little to harsh...buttt not the point. She is aware of her sister's needs and tries to help in any way she can. She likes to feed Addeline with a spoon and is becoming interactive with her through out the day in games. Dorian ALWAYS makes sure Addeline has a toy and is willing to share or trade toys most times.

The first thing Dorian says in the morning is "sissy"...she actually looks forward to seeing Addeline as a friend and not only someone that takes up mommy time. It is fun to see the change in our little toddler!!! And knowing that there is more changes to come will always make my life interesting!!!!

HAPPY?!

2010-04-14T09:56:00.000-05:00

Addeline is by far the HAPPIEST Baby I've ever seen!! Does it show??!?!

Splish Splash Fun in the Tub

2010-04-14T09:52:00.000-05:00

Does This Diaper Make My Butt Look Big?!?!?!

2010-04-13T11:36:00.000-05:00

My Lil' Yoda

2010-04-13T11:22:00.000-05:00

Dorian loves to dress and undress herself in any one's clothing. My clothes, daddy's clothes, and even attempts are made to dress in Addeline's clothes! This is Dorian in Mommy's sweatshirt! She put it on and took it off for hours the other night! (Debbie do you remember this sweatshirt?!??!)

She is such a character!! With a whole lot of personality!!! :)

Rollie-Pollie

2010-04-10T19:50:00.000-05:00

We have made HUGE leaps and bounds in the past two weeks with Addeline. She is 100% mobile!! Before we left PA she was just learning to roll from her back onto her tummy...by the time we arrived in NM she had it mastered!! The look in her eye had changed! She went from being unmotivated to move at all to wanting to go after EVERYTHING!!! She is a moving machine now!

This is Dorian on Easter day....happy with her little bucket of candy...and well she liked it better empty than full!

Once we got to NM she started popping herself up onto her hands and knees rocking back and forth. She wants to crawl so bad!!!

But instead of crawling she learned to plop her bumb up and sit!!! Just as well, she is happy with that! This has opened up a whole new world for Addeline!!

Once she is up on her bumb now she tries to go after everything!!! What she sees is what she gets!!! She still hasn't mastered crawling but scooting across the floor on her tummy works just as well!

And as you see we get into a LOT more trouble these days!!! She now gets into a LOT of things she shouldn't...and Big Sister isn't such a great role model either! ha ha

But either way...we are happy happy happy!!!

Addeline's First High Chair

2010-04-09T11:06:00.000-05:00

I started feeing addeline cereal at 4 months, In PA, without a high chair. She used our 3-in-1 swing chair. The chair is an infant seat, then is a baby swing, and then is a toddler rocking chair. So this is what she used up until last week. We FINALLY made it to baby's-r-us and bought her her very own high chair...and she loves it!!! She could sit in it all day and play with spoons!!! YAY for Addeline!!! :)

The Trip to NM

2010-04-07T20:24:00.000-05:00

My mom and I set out for NM about two weeks ago. It took us three VERY long days of driving. On day one we drove about 9 hours and made it to Effingham Illinois. Day one was easy compared to what was in store for us!!! ha ha

We stopped only twice to get the kids out, stretch out, eat, and take a break the first two days of driving. My mom took the wheel the first two days for about an hour or so to give my eyes a break but for the most part she kept the children happy and fed while I got us to NM!

On day two after a LONG night of kids not wanting to go to bed because they were so tired we ate a free hotel breakfast and set out for another LONG day of driving. We drove about 10 hours on day two and made it to Weatherford Oklahoma!!! Not much to see but I started a game to see how many STates "welcome" signs we could get pictures of. We got every single one BUT Indiana! My mom was in charge of that sign...and well...she wasn't allowed to man the camera after it!! ha ha Just kidding!

The second hotel rocked, a lot more room, and a much better breakfast the next day! We were off with less sleep than the night before and only 7 hours to go! We made it to NM in great fashion with dinner awaiting us and a Daddy to take over!!! ha ha

The three day drive went way better than anticipated...My mom was a HUGE help...and we made it!!! I probably would have had to stop twice as much and a couple days more driving if my mom did not help...so..THANK YOU!!!! I really appreciate the help. Not everyone would volunteer to sit in a car for three days and take care of cranky kids...so truly thank you!

We got some fun pictures a long the way, a lot more than I wanted to upload individually...so take a peek at the scrap book I put together of our trip! :)

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Roadtrip to Wyalusing

2010-03-17T19:10:00.000-05:00

To keep us even busier we made a short trip to see Niles' mom and dad and the whole Putnam crue in Wyalusing PA. We had so much fun while we were there! We didn't do much but visit and still had SOOO much fun! Dorian played with her best friend Maddison for two straight days and Addy was loving life being held, hugged, and kissed for three days straight!

Maddison and Dorian are great together. Maddison is Niles' niece. She is 7 years old and LOVES Dorian. The first person Dorian ran to when we walked through the door was Maddison...she can't get enough of her. Dorian begged Maddison to read to her all day and to pick her up and walk with her! They play great together and Maddison LOVES to take care of Dorian! It is great for both her and me! ha ha Maddison even volunteered to change diapers this time around! She loves to play mommy and I love to let her! ha ha Maddison had a blast holding and feeding Addeline also, but loved chasing after Dorian more!! We love you Maddison and appreciate all of your help!!! Dorian can't wait to come see you again!!!

Another huge breakthrough was with Grandpop! Dorian has been afraid/unsure of/fearful of him since, well, she has been old enough to walk. I can see it in his eyes that this makes him sad that Dorian doesn't want him to play with her, or pick her up, or even just be in the same room. But my friends, times are changing, and Dorian is getting older....she let him pick her up!!!! Dorian even let us get a picture with her and grandpop!!! They played together and had a great time!!! (a cookie or two helped in the matter also, but that doesn't matter!!!)

Dorian also was "okay" with Loretta and Russ's two Dodson's. She has been extremely scared of these two dogs. But this time around she ran right up to them in their cage and let them lick her fingers!! It is AMAZING what time will do to children...Dorian has grown up a little and it is evident in her actions!!!

Nana and Aunt Ellie came to visit the second day we were there and Ellie couldn't get enough of our chunky Addeline!!! She had yet to meet our new little lady and we were so happy to see them both before we leave for New Mexico!

Our trip was relaxing and fun and it was so sad to leave. Even more sad we won't see you for a long time. But we will send pictures and videos in hopes to see you soon!

Busy Busy Busy

2010-03-17T07:38:00.000-05:00

We have been BUSY BUSY BUSY the past few weeks!!!! Last week we took a road trip for the day to see Uncle Mark and Uncle Patrick in Pittsburgh! I am still so very mad at my self for forgetting my camera but we had a blast! We picked them up and went to the zoo for the day, took them out for dinner, and then came back to DuBois! Really...so much fun!

We had a play date the following day with some great friends of ours!

We took advantage of the SUPER nice weather and walked and played out side!

We went to the DuBois Mall with Aunt Summer and had fun on the rides in the mall!

And we played some more outside!!!!

Such Great fun we had this week...on top of packing and getting things ready to move back to New Mexico...we've been BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

Pig Tails!!!

2010-03-07T20:02:00.000-06:00

First time her hair completely can be pulled up into pig-tails!!!!! YAY! And she look ssoooooooo darn cute!!!! CUTE CUTE CUTE!!!!!!