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 :)

Comfort food :)

Back  to watching movies alone. So tonight I invited Breyers to join me! Don't judge!!!

Filling in the gaps....

Walking into the airport.

Obviously I have been on a 2 week hiatus from not only my housecleaning, grocery shopping and workout schedule but also I have neglected my blog. Now if my absence upset my four followers then I apologize but my Marine was home for 15 short days and we were busy falling in love all over again. But I am here to fill you in on possibly the most exciting, exhausting, and emotional 2 weeks of my life. 

waiting patiently 

This was the girls on June 30th at Wilmington airport waiting for daddy to arrive after being gone 6 long months. Describing this feeling in words is almost impossible. But I can try :) Ok so for the ladies, imagine being 9 months pregnant in the middle of summer. Your feet are swollen, your exhausted, you can't sleep, your back hurts, and you are OVER IT. Your just waiting and praying for that day to hurry when you no longer have to worry about the complications that could occur during labor. So you wait and wait an wait for the baby to come and in the meantime your anxiety level is sky high. Well that's what it felt like. I knew the moment was coming and all my worries and fears would soon be laid to rest. The aches and pains and exhaustion that I have accumulated throughout the past 6 months would finally disappear. Even if only for two weeks. And that's how it felt. The anxiety of the moment I would see him was even more intense then the last days of pregnancy. To see his face and hug him and know that he was safe in my arms was all I continued to pray for. 

The look of pure excitement


And finally the moment arrived. Now I wish I could say that I seen  him  walking down the terminal and he dropped his bags and we went running in slow motion towards each other until finally we embraced each other and spun around in circles. But this isn't the movies this is real life. Lucy was crying, Sophie was running in circles around the chair and a perfect stranger was standing next to me talking to me about god knows what. Then finally God had answered my silent prayer and I seen a shadow from the corner of my eye. Before I had the chance to glance over, I heard Sophia say "DAD!" and I felt a gust of wind as she bolted past me and into the arms of her daddy.
Our Hero was home!

Reunited :)

Kisses for the hero.

Lucy was a little shy at first.

She wouldn't let him put her down.

Keeping her eye on daddy.

I was there to but this is the only way to get a pic :)

The brownies we made Daddy.

The surprise from daddy! A huge blowup water slide.

Finally, wine night with my man!

Pizza night!

Now I will stop here to be polite to you but this was only the first day! I have fourteen more days that I cant wait to share. To be continued........

Back to reality.

R and R. Rest and relaxation. In other words, best two weeks of my life. Sadly, it ends today. We were blessed enough to have a break from the reality of this awful year long deployment. But I could never have prepared myself for how hard it would be to say goodbye the second time around. If anybody ever tells you " every deployment gets easier" then they are sadly mistaken. It's never easy to send your husband, daddy, and protector of this house off to sleep in the desert alone for months at a time. As much as my heart was hurting, I couldn't imagine what his must have  felt like. He was walking away from two beautiful little girls who don't stop growing just because he is gone. He had to walk away knowing that next time he sees Sophia she will be a "pre-schooler."  He had no choice put to strap up his boots and walk away from his home and his family for the remanding 6 months and head to a land of hatred. I walked away with our babies and came back to our house. I was able to drive thru dunkin donuts and eat breakfast with the girls. I was able to come home and lay in bed and watch TV. All things that we take for granted. Although I still had to send the love of my life off to war, I would not have had the strength and courage to leave my family. And that is why he is my hero. Watching such a strong man have a rare moment of weakness, is something that pulls at my heartstrings. Watching him bit his lower lip and fight back tears as he kisses his girls goodbye was more then I could take. Knowing that he is starting a week long journey of traveling and sleeping on the ground in random countries is horrifying to me. It amazes me the things he can do. I try to put myself in his boots but I cant possibly imagine the things he does. I love that man.

Saying goodbye to Sophia... 

saying goodbye to Lulu...

Until next time baby....

So here I am. Back to my reality.

Dear Lord,

Give me the greatness of heart to see the difference between duty and his love for me. Give me understanding that I may know, when duty calls him he must go. Give me a task to do each day, to fill the time when he's away. And Lord, when he's in a foreign land, keep him safe in your loving hand. And Lord, when duty is in the field, please protect him and be his shield. And Lord, when deployment is so long, please stay with me and keep me strong. Amen.