The Exciting Life of a 16.5 month old

I've noticed lately that Evelyn has been changing a lot. Like really fast and a lot of things have been happening all at once. I feel like I can't keep up. So here I am. I used to do monthly updates on her changing little life, but haven't since she turned one. This might make me sound crazy, but I swear she is so smart and is learning brand new things every. single. day.

The last few months she has really settled in to playing with other kiddos and has been leaving the "cling-on" status behind more and more. We have to catch play time on a full belly and not at nap time for it to be 100% successful, but we have made big changes. It helps that we play with the same group of kids for the most part, so she is excited to see her friends and go play!

The Oklahoma weather is so nice for playing. Even though its not super warm by any means, we can go out for a little bit on the playground and get some energy out. She can climb up the steps to the playlet all by herself and find the slide and go right down it. The other day I looked over at her and she was on the opposite end going down one of the twisty slides. She must have been bored with her small, straight slide. But every time we go down the slide..."Weeeeeee" every time. Its the cutest.

Speaking of her words. Holy moly this girl doesn't stop talking.
I might know where she gets that from... **cough*me*cough**...
Most of what she "says" is baby/toddler babble. But its pretty funny.
It has become more sentence like and she really sounds like
she's got something to say.
Sometimes she puts her hands on her hips and bends over and gets serious and says all sorts of things. She usually does that in the mirror to her reflection, the dog or cats, or to other kiddos at playgroup. They all just kinda look at her when she does it. I swear she will start speaking in sentences soon.

Her words have come a long way just in the past few days too.
Just to list a few....
"Doh way" (Go away)...usually to Chloe when she's begging for food. I might say that a lot too.
"Sit down"...pretty clearly. I might say that a lot when she climbs and bounces on the couch.
"Dank-you"(thank-you)...we've been working on this one! New just yesterday!
"pease" (please)...so cute when she tries to sign it too!
"Shoe" ...yup girl loves her shoes!
"Sock"...guess she likes socks too!
"Appul" (apple) Loves pointing those out at the grocery store
"Nana" (Banana, or Nana) also loves to shout this across the grocery store
"Cooookie" (cookie) she's got a sweet tooth like her momma, what can I say?
"Arel" (Ariel)...Little mermaid? We named the princesses and she said Ariel back to us. And she keeps saying it. Random.
Owl - again, kind of a random word. But clears as day...owl

She says the usual words too:  ball, daddy, mom, mommy, kitty, hi, bye-bye, doggy, Chloe, Papa..

I know I'm missing words and I don't want to bore you any further with baby babble. But I'm pretty proud of how my girl has grown so much in the last few weeks. She is as smart as a whip with the attitude to go with it. She is still so, so sweet, but she is going to be a spitfire in no time. I just have a feeling she might take after her mom's sass. Which isn't always a good thing. I keep praying she gets more of her dad's demeanor. Only time will tell.

For now, these days of her growing and changing so fast will be over before I know it, so I will try and cherish them as much as I possibly can.

Proud of all your doing little one. 

Making an Announcement

Last week on Thanksgiving weekend we made our baby #2 news Facebook official! 

We hadn't really planned on when we would tell Facebook land and didn't put much thought into it. So when Thanksgiving rolled around we thought maybe it was time to let everybody know. 

We, well I, decided that I wanted to find a cute little saying or something to use Evelyn to announce our new baby. Its a little - well a lot- cliche, but it seemed boring to just write out a status update. 

My parents were in town and we took advantage that time to take a couple pictures at a local park here in Enid. Evelyn had a great nap, and it was going to be the perfect little mini-photoshoot! She is used to me snapping pictures, so she's a pro. Right? Wrong. So very wrong! 

HAHAHAHAHA!! I laugh every time I look at these pictures!! 

Maybe she is really that sad about being a big sister?! Only time will tell! 

Evelyn wanted NOTHING to do with pictures. Thank God we had a cookie and could distract her and my mom makes her very happy, so she got her smiling. Or at least looking at the camera and not screaming. But she still screamed a lot. 

We managed to get a few when she wasn't screaming and I still think she's cute when she's screaming. At least sometimes. 

We had a very eventful Thanksgiving, that is a whole different story, but we are happy to officially share our excitement with our friends & family! Its crazy to think about having a SECOND baby to be under our constant care. Who thought that was a good idea?! 

But seriously we can't wait to meet this little babe.

Our little kiddo at 10 weeks! 

Love you little baby! 

Another new life

This post was written the day we found out we are expecting baby #2! 

So today - September 19, 2014, we found out we are expecting our second little baby.

I'm a little - well, a lot - suprised! Thank God for Jordan being over the moon excited!

I've been feeling nauseous off and on since we've been in Oklahoma. I blamed it on the heat and the change in weather, allergies & just being in a new place. But this morning I was feeling good, went to take a bit of cheese that Evelyn was having, and I almost gagged on it. And I just thought....hmmm....lets just take that one test I have in the house. I don't usually just have pregnancy tests laying around. We weren't TRYING to get pregnant, so it wasn't like I was checking to see if we were pregnant every month. I'm not even sure why I had one in our cabinet actually.

Regardless, took the test and before the test was even done, there were two lines. I was SO SHOCKED! I mean, I didn't take that test expecting a positive result, I just figured I was being a silly girl. But nope. The positive line was almost darker than the control line, so I mean we.are.pregnant!

Then the panic set in. OMG we are in Oklahoma. OMG Jordan is in training. OMG we will have 2 kids under 2. OMG. OMG. OMG!

Jordan was of course at work and wasn't able to talk. I had to wait until he got home to tell him. When he got home he saw the positive test and was BEYOND excited! It took him about 30 seconds to think, OMG, and then he was pumped. He went back to work this afternoon and told everybody he saw that we were pregnant.

Its just so weird to think that this baby won't be born at a hospital I know like the back of my hand. I won't know all the doctors and nurses like I did at Bronson. We won't have all of our friends and family around. I have to let go of that, and know that this baby is meant to be. To get pregnant when we weren't trying is a blessing that we embrace and even though I am still shaking as I write this, we are so lucky to have this baby!

Dollar Ride!

Earlier this week Jordan flew his first flight in the Air Force! 

Yes it was at training, and yes his instructor pilot (IP) did most of the work, by design - BUT - he finally got strapped in to the T-6! 

Yup, there he is, doing his checklists with his helmet above his controls, 

he was ready to go! 

SO exciting!! 

I have to thank his classmates for taking these pictures because families aren't allowed to go out and see the first ride. 

The first ride. They call it the dollar ride. It still doesn't make a whole ton of sense to me, but there is a story & tradition behind it. Just like there is behind every facet of their training here. So because the first time flying is so unknown for many of the trainees, they give the IP a dollar to 'compensate' them for the extra work they have to put into the flight. I thought that came with the job description of being a flight instructor, I mean I think I would want a dollar after every flight! 

Getting prepared!

So Jordan did his flight and he said it went pretty well. This is MUCH different flying than he does in his civilian job, and he's had to adjust quite a bit to the military style of flying & radio calls. They also do more acrobatic stuff and pull G's with their turns and rolls & anything else they do. This adds an extra challenge to flying - battling airsickness. A bunch of guys barf on their first flight. And by a bunch, I mean most of them barf. Its normal and they expect it (maybe that's where the dollar part comes in?!). Jordan didn't get sick, but he said he was definitely queasy and didn't feel all that great after the flight. He compared it to going up and down the 'power tower' at Cedar Point over and over, and over and over again. That makes me want to barf just thinking about it. 

The T-6! 

We have hit the official flight line portion of pilot training which means long, 12 hour days for Jordan every day. He has flights, simulator flights, tests & lots of paperwork to do everyday at work. He comes home and studies for another 2-3 hours each night. On the weekends he does get some time off, but his whole world revolves around studying and preparing for his next flight or his next test. 

This is the fun part, right? 

Its a good thing we have good friends to keep Evelyn and I busy as we both will start to miss Jordan as the weeks go on. The end is not near, but time is passing quickly and we have so many fun events to look forward to while we're down here. Solos, track select, drop nights & celebrating with our friends as they get their assignments, are all things that we have to look forward to. And with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, that will help break up the daily grind of training. 

With all the hard work & studying Jordan is putting in, we are so proud of everything he is doing and we feel so lucky to be here as he lives out his dream of being an Air Force Pilot! 

More updates to come!!! 

Another Move Down

Soon after we moved down to Enid and into our rental, we soon realized that living off base wasn't for us. All of our Air Force friends live on base, and Jordan and I both found ourselves driving to base multiple times a day for work, events & playdates. We contacted the housing office and we found out a house could be ours in the beginning of November. We didn't have to talk long to decide we had to take this chance to live on base. It wouldn't be easy leaving our great neighbors next door, but the base is just across the little town and we would still see each other. So our decision was made and almost as soon as we had everything un-packed, we had to pack it all back up to get ready for our next move. Three moves in four months makes for a lot of boxes and a lot of stress of not feeling like we have a real home!

So finally the time came a couple weeks back to sign on our new house! We signed our papers during the week, and had a few days to set up internet & slowly move a few things over. Over the weekend we go Jordan's classmates to help us move! Thank GOD for them! We had coffee & donuts in the morning & pizza in the evening, and they moved our stuff. We could not have done it without them. We had great help at the old house and even more help at the new house. 

We still have some settling to do in this new house. Going through our office stuff, organizing all our clothes, breaking down boxes in the garage, and hanging our decorations. Doesn't sound like to much, does it?

Our new house! 

It has been so wonderful being on base. We are close to our friends (minus or super neighbors we met at our first rental, but we still see them!), Jordan is super close to work and can sleep longer in the mornings, & we are right in the center of it all. When we found out we would be coming to UPT we really hoped to live on base. Some people would never live on base because of the 'restrictions' but we wanted to submerse ourselves in the Air Force life. We aren't in active duty, so we don't get the opportunities to move to new places and life Air Force all the time. This training is a short 14 months, and then we head back to our "real lives" as I like to call it. So knowing that this is not forever and we get to go back home to our family and the beautiful state of Michigan, we wanted to take full advantage of all the Air Force has to offer. Some in the active duty world may think we're crazy, but I think its a fun adventure.

For our active duty friends, I realize this is not necessarily an adventure for you, and its your real life. The ones who choose to sacrifice and serve through active duty, I tip my hat to you. It can be a difficult lifestyle and I applaud you for your choice. I like to say that we get the best of both worlds, as we straddle the civilian/military life. I feel so grateful for this life we get to live and all the opportunities that have came our way. We are enjoying being in Enid & we are taking advantage of all Vance AFB, Enid & Oklahoma have to offer.

Things in OK

I have the urge to give a little update today, so here it goes for all who are curious!

We have met some of the most amazing people since we've been here. It was easy for Jordan to meet people while he was at school, but for me I was a bit worried about meeting people in those first few days. Much to our surprise, we have FABULOUS neighbors! Evelyn and I were outside playing on the front patio and our neighbors walked by with their little girl who is the same age as Evelyn! It has been such a blessing to have them right next door. The nights when Evelyn is ansy, we can head on over and the girls can play for a bit. 

It has been so good for Evelyn to be around more kids her age down here. She is a little timid in social situations when there are a lot of kids (definitely more like her dad!) but she has slowly been getting better and more adventurous. We have been busy with hanging out with our friends and doing play-date activities. Enid surprisingly has a large number of stay-at-home moms and has quite a few {good} resources for us. Local churches have MOPS groups, our pilot group has a large mom group, & there are a ton of parks around! Our days are for now are filled with two naps for Evelyn (still!!!!), parks, homemade dinners & playing with our friends.

Somedays, well honestly most days, I miss working. But these days spending time with our ever-changing Evelyn have been priceless. I will head back into the workplace soon enough and I have to remind myself of that and to enjoy the time I have at home with our sweet girl.

We have been so blessed by everyone we have met so far, and can't wait to continue to meet new people and have new experiences in Oklahoma. I still can't always believe that we live in Oklahoma and are so far away from home. But what they say is true, "home is where the Air Force takes you!" 

Four Amazing Years

It has been four amazing years since Jordan and I said 'I Do' 

This year brings new changes to our family, as we have moved to Oklahoma for our newest journey with the United States Air Force. I look outside today and I don't see the beautiful fall landscape that is Michigan fall. Today's high will be around 90, and that fall crisp is missing from the air around us. Even though we are in an entirely different part of the country, and Jordan is very busy with pilot training, many things have remained the same. 

Last night we reminisced about our rehearsal dinner and the nerves we felt before our big day. We had no idea that night how amazing our journey would be. Our wedding was a great day, but we had no idea that our amazing day would just be the start of all the beautiful things that have happened in our lives so far. Today I enjoyed time with Evelyn & new friends while Jordan was at work. Jordan has a big test tomorrow, so we weren't able to spend as much time as we would have liked together, but our moments together have counted. We exchanged our gifts & we will watch football together while he decompresses for a few moments before he gets back to studying. 

We have become used to spending time apart based on the nature of Jordan's two career choices, which has presented different challenges that many couples do not have to face. To us, its our reality. When you only get two days a week with your husband, you learn to cherish the moments you get. It sounds cheesy and I promise we aren't all happiness and sunshine every time we are together, but its how we live and it works for us. I've learned that he needs alone time, even when Evelyn and I want to take up all his time. I've learned that he is happy with simple things, like home-cooked meals, playing with Evelyn & simple gestures. I have stopped trying to make every moment perfect when we get time with him and just try and enjoy him being home and present. 

This new journey of living across the country from our family is a new challenge to us and we are trying to adapt everyday. Jordan's schedule will only get more busy, and we will have to adjust our expectations again. For now, we relish in the idea that the sacrifices we make during these years of training will allow us to enjoy many, many anniversaries in big ways. 

I couldn't imagine going through life without Jordan and our craziness - I wouldn't trade it for the world. These years of adventures and adjustments with new jobs & new states just adds to our story that we will someday share with our grandchildren. We will look back and smile at the craziness that we chose. We only live once, and whats life without a little adventure? We've had our fare share of adventures in our first four years of marriage, and I can't wait to see what new adventures come our way. 

I love you more today than yesterday, but far less than tomorrow