Military Man

 I have to admit that Memorial Day in past years has not had the same meaning to me that it does this year.  In April my brother, Miles, graduated from basic training and entered the service as a Military Police soldier.

I am so proud of him and was honored to be able to travel to Missouri along with my parents and Jordan (Miles' wife) to see him graduate.  I was able to take a few pics while we were there.  Even though they are a little fuzzy I thought I would post them anyway.  I know the family would probably like to see them.






Miles' graduation was just for the men and women who are MPs (military policemen).  When Miles entered basic training all the MPs were put together in one large group and they trained together.  This involved not only basic training but specialized training for several more weeks after. 

The MPs graduated in 3 groups so when it was Miles' turn Jordan and I were able to go up to the front and take pictures.  Miles is in the row farthest to the left and he is the 4th man from the front.

As they marched up to the stage they were chanting a cadence and it was sooo loud.  I thought about them running (probably at all hours of the night) doing their cadence.  Miles is 3rd from the left.

Each soldier introduced himself and it was really neat to hear and see Miles up on stage in his uniform.  He is 4th from the left.  Doesn't he look handsome!

After the ceremony we were able to visit for a few minutes and take some pictures.

Later we were able to go off base and get something to eat and spend more time with Miles.  It was so great to see him.  He has changed so much!  He seems to be very happy and confident in the career choice he has made. 

Thank you to all the men and women who unselfishly give their lives to protect our freedom and promote freedom for those who don't have it.  It is a gift that they would volunteer to stand in harms way on behalf of all Americans.

Thank you Jordan for being such a wonderful wife to Miles.  I can't imagine how much you missed him while he was gone but you never once wavered in your support for him or in the life that y'all chose.  You are just what he needs and that becomes more and more evident as each day passes.  Much of his success is because of you!  I love you and am so glad you are my sister!

Thank you Miles for volunteering your life for my family's protection.  Scout regularly talks about how you are a hero because you help others.  I am so honored to be your sister and proud of all you have accomplished so far.  I have no doubt that you are and will continue to be really good at your job.  Your courage inspires me to be able to handle the hard things in my life with more diligence.  I know you have prayed your way through each decision you have made and I am so proud of your commitment to do what is honoring to the Lord.  I continue to pray for you and Jordan and I know that Lord will use this time of service to draw you to himself and each other.  I love you!

Weigh-In Wednesday

I think that the oranges are extra good this year.  I can't seem to get enough of them!

This has been a hard week.  I don't really feel like myself and am struggling (still) to remember to track on Weight Watchers.  The week wasn't a total loss though, I lost 1 pound which is still progress.  I am hoping for a much bigger number next week.

44 lbs to go.

Weigh-In Wednesday On Thursday

Who doesn't love quiche? My favorite is Quiche Lorraine. I love the fluffy eggs mixed with the cream, the homey saltiness of the bacon, and it is the only place I think Swiss cheese is acceptable.

As I sat down to eat a slice this morning I plugged it into my Weight Watchers calculator and learned that it represented almost half of my daily points. I looked down at it and I felt like it was looking up at me saying, "Please don't let me go to waste!" So, of course, I ate and it was totally worth it! Warm yumminess!

I know I missed Weigh-In Wednesday last week. I was in Missouri at my brother's Army graduation (more on that later) so I figured I would cut myself some slack on the posting. It has been a slow two weeks in the weight loss dept. Only 1/2 pound lost in two weeks but I am trying to get back on track. There were several days over the last 2 weeks that I didn't track my points and it turns out that it makes a huge difference. I feel a little discouraged but am comforting myself in the knowledge that if I track, I lose weight. I am sure I will have a much bigger loss to report next week!

45 pounds to go!

A Muddy Situation

Yesterday while the boys took their afternoon nap Zoe Scout played in the backyard. Since my bedroom is in the back of the house I settled into my scrapbooking table and kept an eye on her through the window. After a little while she started knocking at the back door which is unusual because she normally just comes and goes as she pleases.

As I approached the back door I noticed that there were rather large muddy circles on the window and winced at the thought of the mess that was probably on the other side. Sure enough I opened up the door and there stood Scout smiling and excited about the huge mud hole she had created in the yard. She had even emptied the dog's water and food bowls and filled them with mud.



I told her to stand still and went to start the shower in my bathroom. I very gingerly carried her through the house to my bathroom and set her in the running shower. As the water hit her mud immediately went splashing all over the shower and I quickly closed the curtian, very thankful that she is able to get herself clean and I didn't have to get a mud bath. I think you can still see mud remnants in the corner of the shower in this pic.


I love that she has such an imagination and enjoys all of those good, dirty, fun, kid things even if it means a little mud here and there.

Weigh-In Wednesday

As you might guess, losing weight causes you to learn things about yourself. Here is something I have learned.....I am hard to live with when I don't get to constantly indulge in the foods I love!

Thankfully WW does not limit what you eat just how much of it you consume. I can have Ranch flavored rice cakes, I just can't eat the whole bag. This is where my self discovery has come from this week.

I think I have been in agressive attack mode this week (note the Tasmanian Devil). I am learning that one of the ways I handle stress or anxiety or anger is to eat. Nothing curbs negative feelings like a huge hamburger and fries or the occasional large bowl of ice cream. Not being able to sedate these emotions with food has led to a rough week with Colin. I definitely lost my cool too much and I am sure there were multiple times he wanted to throw me in the car, drop me at the nearest Mexican restaurant and not pick me up until I was full of fajitas and happy again! Even Zoe Scout told Colin this week that he needed to get me a Boba Thai Tea so that I would feel better. How observant she is............

It is a slow process trying to retrain your brain about food but very rewarding. I lost another 3 pounds this week! That puts me up to 12 pounds lost and more then 1/6 the way to my goal. I now look forward to stepping on the scale on Wednesday mornings because I know I will see my hard work reflected in the black numbers.

46 lbs to go.

The State Of The Floor

Meal time is always an adventure. Zoe Scout usually complains about whatever is on her plate, Jude usually mashes some part of the food into his hair, and Cort throws at least half of his meal on the floor.

The food on the floor is the one that really gets to me. I have to say I am really tired of cleaning the tile (and sometimes the walls) every time we eat. I cannot wait until I am old and senile. I am going to insist on living with Cort and throw all my food on the floor.....we'll see how he likes it!

The Face Of A Hoarder

Does anybody ever watch that show Hoarding: Buried Alive? I do and I am always horrified at all the trash and junk that those people collect in their houses. If you can stomach some mold and lots of animal poop you should watch. Nothing will put the urgency in doing your dishes like this show!

Anyway, we do not have trash piles to the ceiling here but we do have a hoarder. He just happens to be a very cute 16 month old.

Cort loves a collection (much like his mom) and seeks to gather things constantly. He seems to always need to take control of all things that are alike. He is especially possessive of milk cups, crackers/chips, and stuffed animals. If he perceives that Jude or Scout are sharing in his current activity he must quickly collect all things pertaining to that activity.

For example, he is not a huge fan of bananas but if Jude is eating one he must take more bites then his brother. The ironic thing is that after his bite he just spits it back out without eating it. He just doesn't want Jude to have more then him.

Also, after the boys go to sleep at night I go into their room and position their "guys" (stuffed animals) in their cribs so that they don't roll over them in the middle of the night and so they have something fun to do when they first wake up. Somehow, every morning though, when I go into their room all the guys have ended up in Cort's crib.

I am sure this kind of thing manifests itself in singlet children but my guess is that it is more prevalent in multiples. Right now it doesn't really cause problems because Jude seems to be ok with Cort dominating toys and food but one day when Jude figures out that he is much larger then his brother, Cort is probably in for a scratch, bite, or bruise.

Personally, I think it is one of those things about Cort that makes him so stinkin' cute. He has a personality that is so much like my own and on some level I totally sympathize with the need to control everything. Maybe this is just a window into the great leader he will be some day!