Random Pictures

Korbin driving Uncle Davids Mower!

Korbins old loft bed that we've turned into a fort at my brothers house!

The note on the counter at the doctors office. I figure I'll be saying OMG when I get the bills so this should be appropriate!

~Till They All Come Home~

Settling In Michigan

We're getting settled into our new home fairly well now. The boys are getting adjusted. I've loved having family around and have had so much help with the kids lately and hope that it doesn't die off in the next couple weeks when everyone decides having us here isn't so fun anymore!


Mackinley is going to be 8 months old on Friday and is amazing. She is 16lb 12 oz, finally growing at a great pace! And she's 27 inches long. She can crawl like a champ now and is eating really well too. She's now onto bite sized baby puffs and crackers as well as jars of all sorts of baby food and seems to be okay with eating any flavor though she prefers some over others.




Before Kirke left it was so obnoxiously funny that as soon as he got home and she heard his voice or caught sight of him she'd start whining and crying until he picked her up. Now she's doing it to me and it's not so funny anymore!




Korbin is very happy with his move to first grade and enjoys going to school now. Tayton likes school too and they are both where they need to be! Their teachers seem to enjoy them and that makes me incredibly happy and at ease.




Kirke is getting settled as well. He's working very very long days and eats lunch while he works most days (which is really gross because he's a mechanic but whatever). He has been getting online or calling us nearly everyday but only has been catching the boys on weekends of course. This deployment is especially hard on him because he's never had to leave behind a baby before. The boys were 3 and almost 2 the first time he went, the second time they were 5 and 7 I think.

My only problem is that I'm living just a few houses from where I always considered "home" but I feel out of place. I felt out of place in NY too but that was a lack of friends and a social life. Here it should feel like home. I have my own house and all of my things are here. I think the real reason is that Kirke has never lived here. He's never seen our house. Our bedroom feels like "my room" not "ours". There is a hole in our lives right now. There usually is during a deployment but this time it feels different. I feel like we don't have all the pieces.

But don't get me wrong. I am so glad that I am here in Michigan surrounded by family and friends. It just doesn't feel right. I miss my soldier.

~Till They All Come Home~

Korbin's Idea of Exercise

I went with a couple friends to water aerobics last Thursday night. Then we went to my brothers house for dinner and hung out a while. On the way home Korbin says to me "Mom you don't look any skinnier". I questioned his statement and he said "you know like aunt Diane, you went to water aerobics and exercised but you don't look any skinnier, I don't think it works".

~Till They All Come Home~

It's been a while.

This will be a long post. You've been warned.

I haven't blogged since the beginning of September. Life got a bit crazy. On Sept. 24 our moving truck was delivered and we packed it up and sent it off to Michigan on the 29th. We bought a camper (huge mistake) hoping to save money while we were still in NY but out of our rental house and needing temporary housing. October 1 we packed up and moved our camper and the three kids, two dogs and two cats on post to their campground. Found out the water didn't work in the camper so we were having to go to friends houses to shower. Pain.In.The.Butt!! Then we found out it was only 18 bucks more a week to move into one of the bigger, better, running water having campers that are set up at the campground. Live and learn to research better before making rash decisions during very stressful times. We lived in the camper from the 1st until the 23rd. On the 23rd we moved into a cabin on post because Kirke's parents were coming to stay with us until Kirke left for Afghanistan.

On the 28th Kirke was on his way to Afghanistan and we were on our way to Michigan. I drove our van with the three kids, two dogs, two cats and boat load of luggage and random things. Kirkes parents drove his truck towing behind the pop up camper. 12 hours later we arrived in our new home and began the unpacking process the next day.

I've been in Michigan for a week and a half now and my house is unpacked and we're settling in fairly well. The kids are doing good. Mackinley is crawling now and she's standing up. She's having some separation anxiety but she'll get over it in time. She was really attached to Daddy. The boys are now in a Charter school and doing okay. I have been having some issues with Korbin and I plan to talk to the principal about moving him back into first grade. He's struggling with the work and always has struggled so I'd rather he take a bonus year and master the skills he needs to be successful in future grades than to always be struggling.

On Friday I asked how his day went and just as she had the previous two days his teacher went on to tell me the negatives. I was walking out of the building and I said to the kids "whoa wait hold on we're going back to your class". I walked in and said to the teacher "does Korbin do anything good?" Because all I was getting was negative feedback and I know my kids are tough but not all bad. She looked shocked and took a minute to come up with his positive traits because all she could focus on was him not being able to keep up and refusing to do his work.

Kirke is settling in as well and is sad to be gone again so soon but he's tough and mission minded and will get through this just as we will.

Ok now that you're thoroughly bored I'll end this. I"m still waiting to get internet hooked up at my house and for now I'm working with just AT&T internet and its too slow to load pictures but I will post some soon.

~Till They All Come Home~