Until we meet again!

I haven't shared this with many people throughout this past year but trust me when I say that it has been on REPEAT in my house! I listen to it once in a while when not only do I want to hear his voice again but also to remind myself that he loves us and everything will be O.K.! And because my 4 year old is a whiz at the computer, she also prefers to watch this daily :) I often hear this video playing from in the computer room. I think I have remembered this video word for word! Earlier this week I showed this video to a cousin of mine and she had a reaction that blew me away! It was as if someone turned on the faucet and never turned it off! She cried for a while. I felt as if she was feeling our pain. It finally clicked and she is one of the few people who TOTALLY got it. She felt it for sure. So I thought that maybe it would help people to understand a little more about military life and what goes on behind the scenes. The feelings, the fear, the emotion, the time, the strength, and the willingness to risk your life. And if any one of you know my husband, then you know that this is true RAW emotion from my husband! This is so typical of him! I love this man and I miss him more with each passing day! It's almost over I can't believe he was right....everything would be O.K.!!!

Trick or Treat!

Trust me when I say that I was under NO condition to write last night. My daughter turned four last week so we decided on a Halloween costume party to celebrate. All of her friends came over dressed up in their costumes and it was adorable! But between the cake, candy, and beer that I had to consume to keep up with them, I was so ready for my bed and a good book! But better late then never :)

Sophia was lucky enough to have her Gigi make her costume this year! She was the PRETTIEST little Rapunzel EVER! She totally rocked it! And if you know Sophia, then you know that she has a un-normal amount of hair for a four year old! So this role was made for her! We straightened her hair for the first time and I was shocked at how long it was! She was just beautiful! 

Rapunzel

Birthday girl! 

Caution: Prepare to have your heart melted!!!!

My little Peacock!

Checking out her stash! 

The idea of the party sounded AMAZING in theory! But never again will I do a big party while my hubby is deployed. The house is a mess and as fun as the party was, half my heart was missing! But because I can't throw a half-ass party, everything turned out great! 

 The party favors. Each kid received a personalized candy bucket filled with goodies! 

( I chalkboard painted a square to all the buckets so I could write their names on it)

Quick, easy, cheap and ADORABLE!

Dirt cake and pumpkin cupcakes!

Dirt cake: 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 32 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling

Directions:

Chop cookies really fine.( Food processor, rolling pin)

Mix butter, cream cheese and sugar in bowl

In large bowl mix milk, pudding and whipped topping together

Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together

Layer in bowl starting with cookies then cream mixture. 

Top with cookies and garnish of your choice. I chose gummy worms! 

Chill until ready to serve! 

The princess and her presents! 

 She was putting up a fight! She did NOT want her costume on!

Mommy being silly!

Trick-or-treating in style!

Coffee? beer? who knows!

Cutest peacock I have ever seen! 

CHEESE! 

Party is over and these girls were on a sugar high!

Happy Halloween from the Kish girls!

No excuse or explanation.

Ok yea I know, it's been awhile. But in my defense, not a lot has been going on. Ok so I am lying. Actually  TO MUCH has been going on and since I am currently the only adult in charge of two little girls, well then that meant that this blog took a back seat. But since the end of this nightmare of a deployment is ALMOST over, I know that there will be a lot of things to write about and memories that I want to remember. And just a reminder to my non-military friends, there is a little thing called  OPSEC that prevents me from telling y'all exactly when my hubby will return. As annoying as it is, it protects him and I will obey. And honestly, I don't even know the day or month but I know it's close!

Since the end is near, the anticipation, anxiety, and exhaustion has hit a all time record high and that has lead to an emergency visit to the mitten! And for all my non-michaganders out there, the "mitten" is a reference to the state of Michigan. Corny but come on, can you blame us? Anyways, I think EVERYONE has a breaking point and I have FINALLY hit mine. And I say FINALLY, because I am proud of myself and I am giving myself credit for what I have accomplished this past year! I can't believe it has taken me this long to crash. It's hard to admit when you need help but I am at a point in this year long deployment where I am admitting that I need some back-up. So I called in the big guns....Gigi, Papa, and Visa mastercard! Everything fell into place perfectly and the Kish girls will be arriving in Michigan just in time to celebrate the Holidays with family.

So since I will be gone for a few months, I am busy tying up lose ends around here. Thanks to a good friend for reminding me that my daughter needed her four year shots. She just turned four on Sunday and that meant four new vaccinations! So I hurried in to the Naval hospital this morning just in time to wait in line for 30 minutes. Finally it was our turn and well...jokes on me...I needed the flu shot :( And just to top off my morning, so did Lucy. We don't leave a man behind in this family!! We all left the hospital with band-aids and lollipops. I was so impressed with the way that Sophia reacted to her shots. She was brave and strong and never shed a tear. She definitely takes needles better then her mama. I emailed her daddy to share the pride and he responded quickly and said " All my girls earned and deserve an ice cream :)" But Daddy forgot that he is in a different time zone and it was WAY to early for ice cream! But it was the perfect time for donuts! So now we can travel to the mitten and be flu protected! And Sophia and I even came up with a song to make sure that we don't get sick and it goes like this....
" Shoe Flu don't bother YOU!" ( as we point to eachother!)
Hopefully it works :) 

Playing at the park. 

Dressed in Sunday best :)

 Me and my Bestie.

Silly girl!

Pudding!

Check out this cutie.

Oh I could kiss those little cheeks covered in pudding all day :)

Sand in our shorts.

A day at the beach was exactly what the Kish girls needed today! And as much as I hate the sand that seems to  cement itself into EVERYTHING, the smiles it places on my kids face is worth EVERY grain of sand that I will vacuum out of my car for months! Not to mention, the sand and sun does a number on my kids ability to fight sleep! Instead of fighting the bedtime ritual, they gladly brushed their teeth, said their prayers, and kissed ALL their stuffed animals goodnight. 

Speaking of sleep, it's something that is almost foreign to me. 

It seems that halfway through the day I feel as if I can't keep my eyes open one more second!

BUT then as SOON as my head hits the pillow, my mind thinks of all the rooms I didn't clean, all the errands I didn't run, all the dishes I didn't do, all the care packages I couldn't find time to send, and how cold and lonely the bed feels. 

BUT, just like the girls, I am WHIPPED tonight!

So off I go.

And jokes on you brain, I took Benadryl! 

Sweet dreams :)

:)

" No man left behind."

Isn't that the saying?

Well, that rule doesn't always apply.

Tomorrow is the end of the war for my " battle buddy!"

My partner in crime , my shoulder to lean on, and the one person who knows 

EXACTLY what I am going through, has finally won her war.

I know she will NEVER leave me behind. 

I am so happy for her.

Sounds cliche' but there is no other way to say it!

I am SO proud of her and she has done her time and she has done it well!

I say it's bittersweet because her and I have been through A LOT during this deployment. And while I know she isn't moving just yet, this is the end of our chapter as " deployed spouses"

Our crazy adventures are not necessarily over  but they will definitively be fewer and far between!

But at the same time, I am OVER THE MOON excited that at this time tomorrow, she will be in the arms of her Hero and her son will have his daddy home :)

So as I stand back and welcome home her Marine, I look forward to the future when it's my turn and my war is over. 

USMC wife battle buddy

7 months into deployment and thanks to my baby girls, very supportive family, and boxed wine, I have made it this far. But no doubt in my mind I would have struggled way more with out my friend and battle buddy, Ty. 

typical.


Now trust me when I say that she will TOTALLY give me some crap for  writing this blog!
We aren't your typical BFF's. We are more like sisters. And in this military life, that's a good relationship to have. Just to give ya'll an example, this is how a normal phone conversation goes between us.
I call and she answers with
Ty: " what do you want?"
Me: " how about you answer sooner by getting off your pregnant butt and getting the phone and stop making Coco get it!"
Ty: " what the hell do you want from me seriously? and why are your kids screaming? what is going on over there?"
Me: " get on FB I have to send you something from pinterest"

So it usually continues with that sarcastic, hostile talk.
And there is usually a few swear words thrown in there because that seems to be another thing we have in common. We have mouths like truckers.
But that's how we work.
A marine corp base is basically a big melting pot of people from all over so trust me, there are some rare breeds.
But Ty was the first person who reminded me of home :)
She is also from the mid-west and was brought up and raised similar to me.
Now believe me, we have our differences!
We believe in different things, we parent in different ways,  but we love and respect each others differences.  And that is super important to understand that not any two people are the same. Embrace the qualities in others that you yourself lack.
We can make anything fun and we are constantly laughing.
When I look back on these past few months, I can't believe how much her and I and our kids have been through together. I am so proud of everything that we have accomplished during this deployment.  As hard as it is to accomplish anything with 3 kids under 3, we are always up for the challenge. Sometimes we literally FORCE ourselves out of the house because we are like a traveling circus when we go anywhere. Never a dull moment.
She allowed me to be in the room when she was finding out the sex of her baby! I was so excited and felt so privileged~
She spent a weekend in a hotel with me while Lucy was having surgery.
We have been through tornados, sicknesses, shopping trips, terrible twos, terrible threes, teething babies, easter, beach days, children's museums,  trolly rides, sleepovers, chuckie cheese, carnivals, ultrasounds, numerous thrift stores, endless amounts of DIY projects and so much more.
I will never forget this deployment and I will never forget who was by my side day in and day out.
Through every dropped phone call, every failed Skype date, days on end of not hearing from our Marines, we had each other to lean on.
We had each other to remind one another that it would be ok and that " this to shall pass!"
We reminded each other that we had to stay strong for the kids and that we are stronger then we think!

But our journey through deployment is almost done because her hubby is due home within the next few weeks. He will be home safe and sound just in time to welcome their first baby girl to the family. I am so extremely excited for them.
And there is no doubt in my mind that she will continue to be by my side as I finish the last 6 months of this deployment!
I know that our friendship will continue LONG after deployments and babies.
This wasn't a 7 month fling, this is a lifelong friendship.

Photo-op at the carnival!
Price-less.....

   

Stomach bug =3 Lindsey=0

Nothing is worse then a sick baby. right? Well I'll call bluff. Nothing is worse then 3 sicks babes. It seems to be that my sweet little Lucy started the new trend of " catching the stomach bug!" She was the first one to show signs extreme fatigue and crankiness. And then shortly after that came the poop, if that's what you want to call it. She could fill up her diaper and clear a room in SECONDS! And because of the CONSTANT "pooping" she got a pretty nasty diaper rash. So now it hurts her to bad to even wipe so every time she poops, I have to rinse her tush in the tub. I literally lost count of how many baths she had yesterday.
And somewhere in-between all of that that, Sophia decided to join in on the fun. As we were standing in line at Chuckie Cheese, Sophia looks up at me and says " Mom, I tried to toot but I think I pooped my pants!" Now let me remind ya'll that she is ALMOST 4 years old and hasn't wore diapers since she was two. And just to top it off, she was wearing a skirt. AWESOME! I rushed into the bathroom and just as i suspected, poop was running down her legs. Once you become a mom, you have to think fast. You have to be able to take a " shitty" situation ( no pun intended)  and come up with a quick fix with next to NOTHING to work with. I had no spare panties, no pants, and I was quickly running out of patience. But I did have my number one lifesaver.WIPES. And boy did I use a lot of them.
After returning home, Lucy decided to upchuck all of her pizza. And that was the beginning of the throw-up. And just when I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, Coco stayed the night last night. Mommy had a pre-natal appointment and against both of our better judgment, we had no choice. We had to take the risk that he might get sick. His daddy is also deployed and all we have is eachother!
So Lucy woke up first this morning and of course her diaper was FULL. Which meant a quick bath before breakfast. Then Cohen wakes up with a full diaper! Great. Then Sophia decided she was going to fill the toilet up. And then Lucy filled up another one.So I was up for 45 minutes and I wiped 3 asses and not even one of them was mine! So I am going to bed tonight and praying that everyone in this house is done pooping there pants....because Mama hasn't got it yet..:)

Today, I opened up my heart!

Today was a typical Sunday.

 Wake up, eat breakfast, and RUSH to church. Getting three girls ready for the day is never a quick task so we are usually running into church :)

But we made it and  I AM SO GLAD THAT WE DID! 

Today's service was life changing! 

I have debated all day on weather or not to write about my big " a ha" moment about Jesus today but then I thought, this is MY blog, MY life!

So before I continue, feel free to press the X at the top of the screen if you do not feel like being preached to :)

I recently started attending a new " non- denominational " church. It's the new-age trend as far as churches go and it has changed my life! 

I was brought up Catholic. Big frilly dress, side pony tail with a big bow, and reading straight from the bible while kneeling on one knee.

Now let me make this clear. NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THAT! I don't care if you are catholic, baptist, jewish, or morman, as long as you believe in the Lord, I am happy! 

BUT.....

that wasn't for me! I never really understood. I had so many un-answered questions.

Well thanks to Discovery Church, I had a revelation today. 

I used to tell myself " I'm a good person. I don't cheat, steal, do drugs, I'm a 'good' person. 

I'm a good mother. Why would I go to hell for that?"  

And then I found Jesus. And I realized that the only way to Heaven is through HIM!

BOTTOM LINE!

It doesn't matter how 'good' you are. 

( and just so we are clear, this is MY belief. Doesn't mean it has to be yours!)

I seen a billboard the other day that said 

" I don't hate God, he's cool. It's his fan club I don't like"

It's because 'religion' has vaccinated us. 

It has given us a little dose of everything so that we have become immune to the 'disease' itself. 

We keep hearing little bits of all these religions that we become confused and we shut ourselves off from the chance at eternal life in heaven. 

Instead of reading and believing what is truly written.

I took the girl's to chuckie cheese yesterday and there was people marching with signs that said

 " follow God or go to hell!

It's people like that who DON'T REALLY understand the BIBLE. They THINK they understand religion, but they don't understand what's REALLY written in the bible.

See religion has taught us that you MUST follow the Lord, believe in him as your savior, honor and praise him, and to teach and spread his word. Now the BIBLE has taught us the same thing but the biggest difference is that the Bible has taught us not to judge others. We can share our beliefs to anyone that will listen, but if they don't believe, it is not our place to say that they will go to hell. 

We are not the ones who decides who enters heaven or proceeds to Hell. That is not our choice to make. Now I realize that those ' protesters' in the parking lot were doing what they thought was " spreading the word or the Lord."

But they were contradicting themselves. As they were acknowledging the Lord, they were disobeying him at the same time. They were judging those who don't believe. They were using a scare tactic to force people to believe. 

Pray for those you cannot help. 

Everyone reaps what they sew. And usually you reap 10% more because the harvest is always greater then the seed that was sewn. 

Matthew 7: 1-5 

Judging Others

 ¹ “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

   ³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

The girls dressed in their Sunday best!

Saturday at Chuckie's.

I forgot how loud, dirty, busy, and creepy chuckie cheese is. And I can't pin-point what it was that made me love that place so much as a kid. But whatever it was, Sophia has the same love for that over-crowded, overpriced arcade. I haven't seen her and Coco that excited in a long time. And after playing a few games, the " competitive Lindsey" came out. I was determined to get the kids as many tickets as possible. So Ty and I decided to steal a few tokens and hit the Skeeball. We thought that would be a quick fix and would double their ticket stash. WRONG. The kids did better without our help. And of course you need a million tickets to get one little plastic ring with a mouse on it. And since we only came up with 120 lousy tickets, we settled for two boxes of nerds and a mini airhead. Regardless, the kids had a blast and are passed out in their beds. 

All in all, I would say it was a successful Saturday. 

Riding the horse!

Coco was LOVING life!

A little privacy please?

I couldn't imagine how dull my life would be without this little girl in it!

 And I'll tell you why. 

No one can come up with an excuse quicker then her. 

Me: " Sophia why is your sissy crying?" 

Sophia: " Because she is a baby!"

And no one can make me laugh without even trying.

Me: " here is you juice baby"

Sophia: " thanks mom!".....I said thanks mom!....MOM I SAID THANKS SO YOU HAVE TO SAY YOUR WELCOME! Where is your manners mom?"

And she is most amazing big sister!

Sophia: " Mom when are you gonna grow another baby in your belly?

Me: " Well I don't know honey, it's not really that easy!"

 Sophia :" Because I REALLY want another baby and

 maybe we can have a girl like Lucy. Maybe we can even name her Lucy. She will be so cute mom! Can we go pick her up at the hospital again?"

And no one is sweeter and can melt my heart into pieces like this girl!

Sophia: " Mom can I snuggle "witch" you before bed. I love to snuggle so much!"

And how many three year olds do you know that enjoy a little reading material while they take care of business in the bathroom?????

She is so unique and special!

If I had just ONE ounce of her energy, I could give up caffeine for ever!! 

She has NO off switch and if I didn't know any better I would think she eats energizer battieries for breakfast!

But life wouldn't be the same without her. 

No matter how much heartache this little girl is up against, you would never know it!

She dances her way through life with a smile on her face!

I love you baby girl!

Keep smiling and continue to be the wild and crazy YOU!

People dig it :)

Celebrating Freedom

Celebrating the 4th of July on a Marine Corp base brings the idea of " Patriotism" to a whole new level. 

Every year they have a huge concert in the field followed by the most breathtaking fireworks I have ever seen.   The field is lined with bounce houses and snack shops all of which are free. We have made it an annual tradition to attend and by the grace of God, our hero was with us again this year. I remember looking over at him halfway through the fireworks and he mouthed to me " I love you" and I prayed right then for time to stop. I wanted to stay in that moment forever. Sophia was snuggled so perfectly into his lap and smiling from ear to ear as she pointed out every pink firework. Lucy was nestled into my lap and laughing with every BOOM of the fireworks. I hope I never forget how I felt at that moment. Truly blessed.

Grilled Kabobs and a summer Shandy!

Waiting for the Fireworks.

The girls with their Hero!

*Love*

snuggling!

Love them.

Lulu bug and I at the Fireworks.

Thank you for all that you do baby!

Happy 4th of July from the Kish's.

Saying grace

I had asked my daughter to say Grace at dinner just like every other night and usually its a few quick words and onto eating. But tonight, my sweet girl apparently had so much to pray for. Her heart was exploding with worry and she was in the mood to talk to God tonight. Bless her sweet, precious heart. I will never forget this amazing moment.

Weekend at the lodge :)

On our way!

The best advice I received before my hubby returned home for R and R was " Go on vacation and get out of the house so it takes the pressure off of housework and daily routines" So we did just that. Now as tempting as Fiji sounded ( husband's idea) it just wasn't practical. Not only the price tag on a trip like that but also traveling out of country with two small children by myself was out of the question. So we settled for a more family friendly location at the " Great Wolf Lodge." We have taken Sophia several times and she falls more in love with it every time. But this was Lulu's first time. And I think it's safe to say that the Kish family loves their water slides!

Our handsome driver.

Lulu and ALL her babies!

Daddy had her set up with all the latest electronics! 

The kid's bunk beds.

Photo op in the lobby.

She loves her sissy.

Daddy on the top bunk with Sophie.

Thumbs up for the top bunk!


Shortly after these picture were taken, Adam and I  raced each other to the water  slides. We were more excited then the kids. I honestly don't remember who beat who ( it was me) but the point is we had the best time. We were all able to let loose and JUST BREATHE for the first time in 6 long months. We were all finally together again and we didn't have a care in the world. It was honestly a surreal moment. And another major bonus was the Adult beverage/snack bar. Momma had a margarita in her hand and a smile on her face!

Sophie and her build a pet.

Story time in the lobby.

On our balcony before bedtime.

Her picture on a cookie!

Her personalized cookie.


So although Fiji would have been nice, I wouldn't have changed a thing.  As always we had a blast at the Lodge and Sophia is already planning our next trip back :)