uncomfortable.

Have you ever felt like God was calling you to do something... uncomfortable?

Did you listen?

uncomfortable.

Have you ever felt like God was calling you to do something... uncomfortable?

Did you listen?

remember

"I thank God for my life, and for the stars and stripes—may freedom forever fly, let it ring. Salute the ones who died, and the ones who gave their lives, so we don't have to sacrifice all the things we love..." Zac Brown Band

remember

"I thank God for my life, and for the stars and stripes—may freedom forever fly, let it ring. Salute the ones who died, and the ones who gave their lives, so we don't have to sacrifice all the things we love..." Zac Brown Band

taking a break

I've decided to take a short break from the blog to focus on my baby girl.
In her sweet eyes I can see that she needs her mommy's full attention right now.

We'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see she was sent to rescue me

I see who I wanna be, in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe, in my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light, it's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave, maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy she made me
For I'll be there, in my daughters eyes.

taking a break

I've decided to take a short break from the blog to focus on my baby girl.
In her sweet eyes I can see that she needs her mommy's full attention right now.

We'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see she was sent to rescue me

I see who I wanna be, in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe, in my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light, it's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave, maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy she made me
For I'll be there, in my daughters eyes.

this is the stuff

Have you heard that catchy song by Francesca Battistelli?  

You know, how it goes... 

"Lost my keys in the great unknown, and call me please 'cause I can't find my phone." 

My husband teased me quite a bit when that song came out because it seems like my keys and phone are always missing when I need them not to be.  Don't even get me started on the sunglasses -- I now own 2 pair and keep them stashed strategically throughout the house/car so I don't have to spend precious moments looking for them when I'm running late and trying to get out the door.  

Just in case you've never heard the song, take a listen!

What stuff is getting to me lately?

4 trips to the ER in one week's time.  Having to cancel plans with friends... again.

6 errand stops in 4 hours time with a tired little one. Forgetting trash day.

A house that's never as clean as I'd like it. My brand new phone re-booting every 20 minutes.

Missed phone calls from my deployed husband. Running out of Diet Pepsi just as the baby falls asleep.

This is the stuff that drives me crazy.

It might not be what I choose... but this is the stuff He's using.

In the middle of my little mess, I CANT forget how big I am blessed.

I have an amazing husband, the sweetest baby girl, fantastic friends, a loving family... and a God that is bigger than everything going on in my life!  I am SO blessed!

What little stuff going on in your life is driving you crazy?

I hope you'll stop and take a moment to look at your life and realize just how big YOU are blessed, in the midst of this crazy mess we call life!

this is the stuff

Have you heard that catchy song by Francesca Battistelli?  

You know, how it goes... 

"Lost my keys in the great unknown, and call me please 'cause I can't find my phone." 

My husband teased me quite a bit when that song came out because it seems like my keys and phone are always missing when I need them not to be.  Don't even get me started on the sunglasses -- I now own 2 pair and keep them stashed strategically throughout the house/car so I don't have to spend precious moments looking for them when I'm running late and trying to get out the door.  

Just in case you've never heard the song, take a listen!

What stuff is getting to me lately?

4 trips to the ER in one week's time.  Having to cancel plans with friends... again.

6 errand stops in 4 hours time with a tired little one. Forgetting trash day.

A house that's never as clean as I'd like it. My brand new phone re-booting every 20 minutes.

Missed phone calls from my deployed husband. Running out of Diet Pepsi just as the baby falls asleep.

This is the stuff that drives me crazy.

It might not be what I choose... but this is the stuff He's using.

In the middle of my little mess, I CANT forget how big I am blessed.

I have an amazing husband, the sweetest baby girl, fantastic friends, a loving family... and a God that is bigger than everything going on in my life!  I am SO blessed!

What little stuff going on in your life is driving you crazy?

I hope you'll stop and take a moment to look at your life and realize just how big YOU are blessed, in the midst of this crazy mess we call life!

just us girls

Sarge has been gone for a couple weeks now and Monkey and I are still trying to settle into a groove of our own. Things are different without daddy around, and we're finding it a bit strange to not have his work schedule to plan around.

I thought we were getting the hang of things, but over the weekend we had a scary introduction to food allergies for Monkey. She is still exclusively breastfed so they say it was likely related to some peanuts that I ate. I rarely eat peanuts, unless I am dipping apples in peanut butter, but reached for a quick easy snack late one night.

 A few hours later, my sweet girl was covered in hives and I was rushing her to the hospital. I am so thankful that we live very close to the hospital as the situation was critical when we got there. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing and my sweet girl was doing much better a few hours later. 

Tuesday night, we had a similar experience, except we aren't sure what caused it as I made sure I did not eat anything containing nuts! After another trip to the ER we are both quite exhausted and praying that things settle down for a little bit.  Any semblance of a routine is also a little thrown off right now so we're hoping to get back to it and settle back into a good groove really soon!

When we got home from our latest long night at the hospital I decided that we would take a day to just reconnect and refresh ourselves. Oh, how we needed that!

I knew going into this deployment that solo-parenting would be quite challenging at times, especially with Monkey being only 6 months old and still needing so much care 24 hours a day. Yet, I guess you can never really prepare for this type of an experience and how it will really affect each member of the family. 

We are doing the best we can, but we both miss Sarge very much!  I am surprised at how much Monkey is able to communicate with me that she misses her daddy. I'm not sure why I didn't expect it, but I thought it would be easier because she is younger. She really notices his absence! 

The first week he was gone, she would meltdown for 2-3 hours after we got off of the phone or Skype with him. Thankfully, she seems to be adjusting a little better and while she still gets sad when daddy has to go, we are not often having the long meltdowns we were having previously. 

 I have been working on editing together several videos Sarge made for Monkey before he left and watching her watch daddy is becoming an absolute favorite part of my day! It might just be a recording of Sarge, but that's her daddy and she savors every chance to interact with him. She is thrilled that he knows and never tires of her favorite game - peek-a-boo!

 I'm realizing more and more that right now my little girl just needs her mommy. The house is messy and less organized than I prefer, the laundry piles up a little higher, and the dishwasher is always full of dishes... but none of that matters in her life right now! All that matters is that she has a little extra time and attention as we adjust to having Sarge so far away, and as long as she is content I am happy to set aside those not so important things for another time. 

She's not always going to be 6 months old so I'm cherishing every second. I'm thankful that at least for right now all it takes to cheer her up is a video of daddy and some extra snuggles from mommy!

just us girls

Sarge has been gone for a couple weeks now and Monkey and I are still trying to settle into a groove of our own. Things are different without daddy around, and we're finding it a bit strange to not have his work schedule to plan around.

I thought we were getting the hang of things, but over the weekend we had a scary introduction to food allergies for Monkey. She is still exclusively breastfed so they say it was likely related to some peanuts that I ate. I rarely eat peanuts, unless I am dipping apples in peanut butter, but reached for a quick easy snack late one night.

 A few hours later, my sweet girl was covered in hives and I was rushing her to the hospital. I am so thankful that we live very close to the hospital as the situation was critical when we got there. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing and my sweet girl was doing much better a few hours later. 

Tuesday night, we had a similar experience, except we aren't sure what caused it as I made sure I did not eat anything containing nuts! After another trip to the ER we are both quite exhausted and praying that things settle down for a little bit.  Any semblance of a routine is also a little thrown off right now so we're hoping to get back to it and settle back into a good groove really soon!

When we got home from our latest long night at the hospital I decided that we would take a day to just reconnect and refresh ourselves. Oh, how we needed that!

I knew going into this deployment that solo-parenting would be quite challenging at times, especially with Monkey being only 6 months old and still needing so much care 24 hours a day. Yet, I guess you can never really prepare for this type of an experience and how it will really affect each member of the family. 

We are doing the best we can, but we both miss Sarge very much!  I am surprised at how much Monkey is able to communicate with me that she misses her daddy. I'm not sure why I didn't expect it, but I thought it would be easier because she is younger. She really notices his absence! 

The first week he was gone, she would meltdown for 2-3 hours after we got off of the phone or Skype with him. Thankfully, she seems to be adjusting a little better and while she still gets sad when daddy has to go, we are not often having the long meltdowns we were having previously. 

 I have been working on editing together several videos Sarge made for Monkey before he left and watching her watch daddy is becoming an absolute favorite part of my day! It might just be a recording of Sarge, but that's her daddy and she savors every chance to interact with him. She is thrilled that he knows and never tires of her favorite game - peek-a-boo!

 I'm realizing more and more that right now my little girl just needs her mommy. The house is messy and less organized than I prefer, the laundry piles up a little higher, and the dishwasher is always full of dishes... but none of that matters in her life right now! All that matters is that she has a little extra time and attention as we adjust to having Sarge so far away, and as long as she is content I am happy to set aside those not so important things for another time. 

She's not always going to be 6 months old so I'm cherishing every second. I'm thankful that at least for right now all it takes to cheer her up is a video of daddy and some extra snuggles from mommy!

black socks

Monkey and I are back home and finally starting to settle back in. True to what I said previously, I did not expect much of myself when I got home. I was more social than planned and really enjoyed getting together with a few friends. I gave myself a break as far as housework was concerned and just focused on being back home and getting Monkey into a routine that works for the two of us. 

Yesterday, started out a bit rocky. Sarge was wonderful and took the time to call me before heading to bed, but I was stressed and didn't get the response from him that I wanted or needed and was quickly frustrated. We talked through it, but as we said our "see you soon's" I was still burdened with being here alone and having to make all the decisions mostly by myself.

I decided it was time to tackle cleaning up a little and since I've been sleeping on my husband's side of the bed, I started with moving his nightstand, the dog kennel and his lamp to really clean up under and behind them. Boy, was that needed! I then began straightening the area toward the end of the bed and lifted up the comforter that usually spends most of its time on the floor after we kick it off because we are too hot. 

There they were. Still in their packaging, a brand new pair of my favorite black socks!

Ok, I know you're sitting there going "big deal, it's a pair of socks!" but seriously? When was the last time you put on a brand spanking new pair of socks? Do you remember how it feels? They are so soft and full of cushion and I just love the way they feel on my feet when they are brand new! I'm not totally crazy, did you know that Robin Williams only wears every pair of his socks once and then donates them to charity? He does!

I love brand new socks! Not long ago, my husband came home from the store with that very package of brand new socks. He was trying to cheer me up and his mission was successful!  Not only did I love the thought when he first gave them to me, but in that moment when I found those socks hiding under the comforter it felt like my husband was right back home with me, where he belongs. My heart smiled and it was as if he was giving me a sign that everything is going to be ok, even if they are stressful and hard right now.

He doesn't always have the words, and that frustrates me. He has always been there for me no matter what in his own little ways though. Last night, it was those socks that reminded me of his love and that I'm not alone, even when he is so far away. I am absolutely the luckiest!

There is only one fitting way to end this entry..

Black socks they never get dirty, the longer you wear them the stronger they get!

Sometimes I think I should wash them but something inside me keeps saying not yet!

Not yet! Not yet! Not yet!

black socks

Monkey and I are back home and finally starting to settle back in. True to what I said previously, I did not expect much of myself when I got home. I was more social than planned and really enjoyed getting together with a few friends. I gave myself a break as far as housework was concerned and just focused on being back home and getting Monkey into a routine that works for the two of us. 

Yesterday, started out a bit rocky. Sarge was wonderful and took the time to call me before heading to bed, but I was stressed and didn't get the response from him that I wanted or needed and was quickly frustrated. We talked through it, but as we said our "see you soon's" I was still burdened with being here alone and having to make all the decisions mostly by myself.

I decided it was time to tackle cleaning up a little and since I've been sleeping on my husband's side of the bed, I started with moving his nightstand, the dog kennel and his lamp to really clean up under and behind them. Boy, was that needed! I then began straightening the area toward the end of the bed and lifted up the comforter that usually spends most of its time on the floor after we kick it off because we are too hot. 

There they were. Still in their packaging, a brand new pair of my favorite black socks!

Ok, I know you're sitting there going "big deal, it's a pair of socks!" but seriously? When was the last time you put on a brand spanking new pair of socks? Do you remember how it feels? They are so soft and full of cushion and I just love the way they feel on my feet when they are brand new! I'm not totally crazy, did you know that Robin Williams only wears every pair of his socks once and then donates them to charity? He does!

I love brand new socks! Not long ago, my husband came home from the store with that very package of brand new socks. He was trying to cheer me up and his mission was successful!  Not only did I love the thought when he first gave them to me, but in that moment when I found those socks hiding under the comforter it felt like my husband was right back home with me, where he belongs. My heart smiled and it was as if he was giving me a sign that everything is going to be ok, even if they are stressful and hard right now.

He doesn't always have the words, and that frustrates me. He has always been there for me no matter what in his own little ways though. Last night, it was those socks that reminded me of his love and that I'm not alone, even when he is so far away. I am absolutely the luckiest!

There is only one fitting way to end this entry..

Black socks they never get dirty, the longer you wear them the stronger they get!

Sometimes I think I should wash them but something inside me keeps saying not yet!

Not yet! Not yet! Not yet!

top 25

Raising Monkey, Loving Sarge has been nominated as one of the top 25 Military Family Life Blogs! 

Please go and vote for us!

You can vote once every 24 hours!

top 25

Raising Monkey, Loving Sarge has been nominated as one of the top 25 Military Family Life Blogs! 

Please go and vote for us!

You can vote once every 24 hours!