It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Normally around Thanksgiving I would have had a session booked for Christmas pictures. But for some reason it felt like time flew and bam, Christmas will be here in 18 days! So, today I decided to just take a nice picture of my boys in front of one of our Christmas trees. I remember seeing one of Wifessionals & Hooah and Hiccups Instagram posts about Walgreens app and how they made their Christmas cards within 5 minutes. Too myself, I thought no way. But those ladies were right And thank god they were, because I really didn't want to have to go out in the cold to the store to stand there and print picture cards. So here's was I did.. I downloaded the app to my iPad.

On the left hand side I clicked on the picture icon.

It brought me here and it gave a lot of different cards to choose from. 

I chose this card. Very simple instructions.

And Voila! They're done and ready for pickup within the hour!

Very, very, easy and simple to do. Why go out in the cold and stand there when you can just do it in the comfort of your own home!

Meet Sullivan.

This isn't your typical Elf on the Shelf. The normal Elf on the Shelf is about $30. I originally was going to splurge on it but then I was a little worried my kids wouldn't be so much into it. So, my sister in law decided to start making her own. She made one for her son last year & knowing I was wanting one for the boys she decided to make one for them! 

Night 1. Meet Sullivan.

The boys decided on the name Sullivan because of Sully in Monsters Inc. I thought it was adorable, plus I love the name. They found Sullivan in the morning hanging from our garland in our dining room.

Night 2.

They found Sullivan just hanging around in Mommys stocking.

Night 3.

The boys found Sullivan sitting on our bookshelf reading one of Cameron's book. Smart little elf.

Since I'm caught up, every day I will post where the boys found Sullivan and what he was up too. So far they like that Sullivan is here to watch over them for Santa.

So I want to know, do you have an elf hanging around at your house?  If you what is your Elf's name and what has he or she been up too? :)

Being Thankful.

With Thanksgiving coming up I decided to write a post about being thankful. I know every year on social media everyone does the 30 days of thankfulness. Shouldn't we be thankful 365 days a year? I know I am. I have so much to be thankful for. As you know, 2013 has been a rough year, being 7 months pregnant to have your husband deploy, having a baby with any of your family or spouse, & losing a loved one, I'd say I'm ready for this year to be over. This year I'm most thankful for being able to go see my dad during his last weeks of his life. I will never forget those memories for as long as I live. Another thing I'm thankful for are my three healthy little boys. Without them I would have crumbled during my dads death, they kept my mind off things when they should have been difficult. I'm also thankful for having my mom. I was so worried we would lose her also after my fathers death. When my grandfather died 11 years ago, my grandmother was so heartbroken she lost her way and ended up passing away exactly 3 months later. So, because of that I'm constantly worried. But my mom has promised us that she will be here for us and her grand kids, that's all we could ask for.

So tell me, what are you most thankful for this year?

CaraBox (Reveal Post)

I've been sooo excited for this post! This was my first CaraBox exchange & what a great experience this was. At first, I was a little nervous to see who my partners would be. You get one partner that sends you a box and then you get another partner that your sending a box too. You have about a month to get to know each other & there is always a theme for the box. The theme this time was a fall one. Heather over at drakeandheathersully.blogspot.com did such a great job on her first cara box!

(Excuse the pictures they aren't the greatest but next time I promise they will be). My husband went to go check our mail and he handed me this box, I had completely forgotten the box was on its way. Like a giddy child I couldn't wait to open it. :)

I opened it to find all these amazing goodies in it!

My partner Heather sent me a Smash book, basically it's a Journal/Scrapbook. I never saw one before but I love the idea of it! A package of scones to bake, a coffee mug, two scrapbook stickers, 2 bags of caramel filled with apples, a pumpkin mitten for the oven, and an amazing sign to hang up.

I can't decide which is my favorite because all of it is. My husband devoured half of the caramels, so I know he loved those, they were delicious. I'm saving the scones for Thanksgiving morning for breakfast :) I've been dying to make those! I found it funny that she sent me a mug with a Fleur-de-lis  on it because my mom had just sent me a charm of that symbol, maybe it means something, lol. The smash book I'm waiting on Landen's first birthday to start in it :) and the pumpkin mit I pretty much use everyday, fall or not fall. 

When I was looking through all the amazing stuff I opened the book to find out Heather had written a message in it.

I couldn't have been matched with a better partner, were both mothers and military wives, we have a lot in common. I hope one day through the travels in the army we cross paths so we can meet each other. She has such a big heart & hope we can stay in touch. <3

First Fundraiser.

Do you remember what it was like doing a fundraiser for your school? It's like pulling teeth. It's my sons first fundraiser and it's very hard to find people who would like to help him make his goal. We have a goal to sell $250 worth of items. So far my son is at $72 which isn't too bad, considering he started only two days ago. If you would love to help a little boy out please do, anything will help. He's very excited about it.. Here's the information.

WEBSITE- www.fun-in-fundraising.com
LOGIN- AntwerpSchool
PASSWORD- Antwerp2013

Online orders are good until November 29. If you do order please let me know, you're more then welcomed to email me. :)

Thanks so much!

Weekend Recap.

Okay, so when I left off my oldest whose 5 had a stomach bug, my middle whose 3 had pneumonia, and my little 7 month old just had a cough.. What a weekend it was.

The night of Halloween my 3 year old was complaining his legs were hurting, didn't think anything of it.. I just thought maybe the cold was bothering him. That night I noticed he was pretty warm & decided to take his temperature. It came out to be 100.3, I gave him some Motrin hoping it would help, he went to bed and was fine. For some odd reason I decided to look out his window. I did a double take, thinking I was half asleep, but I noticed our trampoline was almost in the middle of the road.. Yes, that's how bad the winds were. The wind flipped our heavy trampoline over our fence a few times and landed near the street. I wake up my husband it was around 4am and we go outside as it's pouring to take apart our trampoline. I was secretly hoping our neighbors would be getting ready for work and look out the window, but nope. Lol I was thinking were the only people out here in the weather taking apart a damn trampoline.. Come to find out two others had been doing the same thing we were doing, so I didn't feel so awkward.

Anyways, The next morning, I checked it again and it was 100.3, gave him some more Motrin and it went away. That night he was burning up like a pan had just came out of the oven. I take his temp and it turns out to be 102.6.. Panic mode sets in. I give him Motrin and my husband puts these Be Cool fever patches on his forehead to bring it down. But I noticed he had started to shake a little and his heart was racing. We decided it would be best for my husband to rush him down to the ER about 15-20 minutes away and I'd stay home with our oldest and little one since it was around 10pm.

Panic mode sets in again because my husband never texted me to let me know they got there safe. The weather was horrible that night, hurricane like winds and rain pouring down. So, I'm texting him and calling him.. Nothing. I text his mother to let her know what was going on  and she had told me to call the ER. I call the ER to make sure they were there and the receptionist let me know they had checked in. A few hours go by and I still hadn't heard anything. I call my mom freaking out so she had my brother in law call to see if he could be transferred. Well, its against the law to be transferred.. Few more house later around 1am my husband FINALLY calls me.. Our son has pneumonia. They did every test possible and found some water in his lungs, so they told him to give Motrin every 6 hours, Tylenol every 4 hours, and then his prescription every 12 hours for 10 days.

Meanwhile, on their way home my oldest Cameron wakes up out of nowhere and throws up... All over the couch '& rug. It was just bad.. My husband and Ethan get home around 1:30am and he seems perfectly normal, not a child that is sick. So, we stay up for awhile and I decide just to leave my husband on the big couch and Cameron on the love seat, so if he has to throw up it would just be easier to roll over and puke in the bucket.. Mind you Cameron still sleeps with my husband and I.. I know I know, don't judge lol. For the first time ever I let Ethan sleep with me. I couldn't let him this sick sleep in his room, I'd be up all night worried. We both must of fell asleep around 3am.

So, there is my weekend recap, what did you do this weekend?

Okay, so it's been awhile.

It's been awhile since I have blogged, but lately my days have been hectic! Ever since my son started school, my days start at 6:45am and I'm busy all day with my LO and my middle son. Something happened to my son in school so that is also why I haven't been able to blog about anything, my focus has been on what has happened.

But, how was your Halloween?! Ours was eh.. It was pouring and windy, basically just horrible! My son ended up with pneumonia, my oldest ended up with a stomach bug, and my LO (knock on wood) just has a cough.

What were your children for Halloween?  Here were mine:

Super Mario Bros & a Mini Tootsie Roll! How cute, I know!

12 years later..

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day? - Alan Jackson

That one lyric probably runs through your head atleast once on this day. September 11th.

I will never forget where I was. Bayonet Point Middle School, I had just left my first period class, got to my second period which was math & I saw my first period teacher come in and whisper to our teacher to turn on the news. He turned on the TV & I just remember the classroom was silent, you could hear a pin drop. We all sat and watch the first tower engulfed in smoke and news crews explaining what was going on. Was it a mistake? Was a plane hijacked? No one knew at first. We got dismissed early that day, so we went home and watched it on TV.

I'm a New Yorker at heart, born and raised in Staten Island. I miss living there and miss being only a bridge away from the city. If we could afford to live there or near there it would be an option for sure.  Growing up my sister and I were in commercials and extras in movies, so we were always in the city or in one of the boroughs. (No one ever believes us but we have proof lol). So I knew what the twin towers were, not many who aren't from New York did know what they were. One of my moms jobs when she was starting out was at a bank in the World Trade Center, but because it was somewhere near the 90th floor and she didn't like heights, she decided to quit (thank god). 

One of my moms good friends from the post office on Staten Island actually lost her son on that day. He worked in one of the WTC and believe it was on a level where one of the planes hit so he was trapped. His wife was pregnant with her third child at the time and due around that time, when my mom told me that story I got goosebumps and still do. I can't imagine losing a loved one to something so heinous. One of my dads friend Greg worked in the WTC also, but was late to work that day.. Talk about being lucky. And then one of my grandparents neighbors who we pretty much grew up with, his father worked a few blocks over from the WTC, he sent me a picture of the tower engulfed in the smoke.. To this day I can't find that picture. 

My thoughts & prayers go out to all the families who lost someone on that day. One day we'll be able to visit ground zero & view the beautiful fountain that was built in memory of all the firefighters, police officers, workers, pilots, flight attendants, & people aboard the plane who lost their lives. Not only should we remember the WTC, but we also need to remember all the people who lost lives at the pentagon & the flight that was taken over in PA. We also need to remember all the lives lost in this war since the attacks happened. Take a minute to thank our soldiers for what they do and take a minute today to have a moment of silence, maybe light a candle for dinner and say a pray. All the families today need our country's love & support.

Thank you to my husband, his friends, & other soldiers who risk their lives everyday.

It'll all get Better in Time.

This will be my first emotional & very personal post. Please bare with me.

(Rewind back to 7/2012) I haven't saw my family in a good 3-4 years, due to the Army. Not only is my husband in the military, my brother in law was also enlisted. He ended up getting stationed in Alaska, so that is why I hadn't seen them in so long & my parents decided to move there as well. When I found out my brother in law was getting out & my family was moving to Erie, Pa I was estatic! Erie is only 4.5 hours from Fort Drum (where we are now). My parents moved back in July first and got everything settled for my sister and her husband & kids to move their way over. Since, my husband had to go to California for NTC (training before deployment) in August for a month, I figured I would go there with my boys & stay for the month.

On August 15th, (my birthday & day before we were leaving for Pa) my mom called me to tell me some news. My dad had gone to the ER to get a bump on his head checked out because it seemed like a bug bite in Alaska, but only got bigger. That's when I heard her say "Steph, dad has cancer". My heart dropped into my stomach. That's all we knew, we didn't know if it was a benign or malignant tumor at the time. I was baffled... My dad was very healthy, never had health problems (except getting part of his colon removed in Alaska) other then that he was fine.

A few weeks after getting to Pa & finally seeing my family and catching up, my dad went for his head surgery to remove the tumor. I give him props because that's hard to decide, getting your skull cut opened isn't easy, but he was the type of guy that would overcome anything.

Few days later, he got the results back from the surgery. The tumor was malignant.
malignant tumor

a tumor that is malignant and tends to spread to other parts of the body

He was in denial, actually we ALL were in denial about it. He didn't want to hear or believe it. The tumor had already spread to parts of his kidney & lungs, the doctor gave him 6 months - 12 months to live. If he decided on taking the chemotherapy then it was lengthen his life by just a few months, he didn't want the chemo. He saw how bad my grandfather got from it to where your almost bed ridden most of the time from being sick. He did however decide to do some radiation for parts of the tumor they couldn't get out. Didn't work. September came around, Henry came home, so the boys & I went home. Saying bye to my dad was so hard, next time I would see him would be Christmas time. 

When we went there for the holidays, I knew it would be my last holidays with my father. By this time you could tell he was sick, his face & body got skinnier. I was already 6 months pregnant & was preparing for Henry to deploy that January. What a way to end the year right? I gave my dad his gift and ill never forget his face. It was a Yankees picture (he loves the Yankees & NY Giants), he loved it, and hung it up right away. This would be our last picture with our dad.

& this was our last picture with him. 

It was now January & at the end of the month was gone.. Back to Afghanistan for a second time he went. I just felt so alone with everything going on. My in laws drove up in February to help out (I was due in March). My dad always kept texting me saying "I hope I'm around to see the baby". He wanted to see that baby so badly & he held on. I had the baby on March 23, 2013 & this would be the last text message I would ever receive from my dad.

He had no idea what I was planning.. My sister and nephew traveled by Amtrak up here to drive with me and the boys back to Pa. 7 days after giving birth I was on my way to see my dad and stay with him until it was his time to go. (That's right, one week after giving birth, stitches and all I still went) When we arrived that night on April 1st he was shocked, he said "Steph what are you doing?" I was holding the baby trying to hold back tears & I said "dad, see the baby". He was out of it, he had gotten worse since the last time I saw him. He put out his arms to hold the baby & my mom said no because he was too weak & shakey, he got mad & I felt horrible. He would never be able to hold his last grandson & I regretfully never got a picture with him and the baby. 

Exactly 2 weeks of me being there on April 15, I got up to feed the baby and get ready to bring my nephew to school. My sister went downstairs to check on our dad like she did every morning & all of a sudden I heard her yell "Steph, dads not breathing"... My heart sank & I became blank. I handed her the baby told her to calm down, I went down there to check it out, went around his bed, felt his boney chest and felt his cold hands.. He was gone. My dad lost his battle to lung cancer. He was such a fighter. He held on to the very end. I give my mom and my sister a lot of kudos for what they did for him. Although I helped also, they were more hands on with him, I don't know maybe because I'm younger. 

I ran upstairs to wake my mom up & told her what happened, I put the baby in his bassinet and we all went downstairs. My mom called the hospice nurse and told her the news. I just remember all of us crying, saying he's in a better place with no more pain. It felt so unreal. I just sat there staring, couldn't believe what I was seeing. Hospice came, checked him out, gave my mom his time of death, filled out paperwork, & that's when the funeral home came. My mom was worried about me seeing all of this so she asked if I wanted to be there to watch and I said yes.. I was there for him the last two weeks, I will be there for him now I thought. They took his body away & he was on his way to the funeral home to be cremated.  

The night before the social worker for hospice had sent out a Red Cross message for Henry to come home. Thankfully he was already on his way but he never got to say bye to my dad. The next day my mom, sister, and I went to the funeral home to say our last goodbyes. We watched as the funeral director pushed him into the crematory. Something I will never forget. I don't wish any of this on my worst enemy. 

These last six months have been nothing but a struggle. Being pregnant, my husband deploying, having a baby without my husband, & losing my dad. Everyday my baby is a reminder of my dad. He will never get to meet my dad and my dad will never be able to see him grow up. On the 15th, my dad will be gone 5 months & it hasn't gotten easier, they say time heals all wounds, but a lot of time is going to have to pass for me to be able to get over it and move on. Right now it just doesn't seem possible. Something I found so weird was, my birthday is 8/15 and my dad passed away 8 months to the day he found out he had cancer on the 15th.. Coincidence? Landen's middle name is Derick.. My dads name is Frederick and my mom had asked my dad if he liked Eric or Derick better for the baby and he picked Derick. And I'm happy I decided to go with Derick. Everyday I look at Landen &I just see my dad. I know my dad is watching over him and his brothers and he would be proud. 

How did you cope with a love ones death?

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Busy, is not the Word.

Sorry guys! It's been a little over a week since my last post, why is that? I've added some new things onto my motherly duties: packing school lunches, making sure my son has everything for school, & dropping & picking him up from the bus stop. I'm sure there's more, but these last few weeks I'm beyond exhausted!

My days start at 6:45 am, that may not seem early to you, but it is for me. Before my son started school we (the boys & I) would sleep in to atleast 8:30 am. Cameron has to be at his bus stop by 7:49 am. That gives me enough time to wake up all three boys, dress them, change the baby's diaper, feed them breakfast, brush their teeth, get Cameron's backpack ready, get all shoes on, & leave. Call me SuperMom.

During the day, I constantly wonder what Cameron is doing. Everyone has told me it'll get old & you'll get over him being in school but I probably won't. After that, I clean the whole house & try to get atleast a load or two of laundry done.. I HATE laundry. It's not so much washing it, it's lugging it all the way upstairs, folding it all, & putting it all away.. Just for the boys (including my husband) to wreck their draws. I'm sure other mothers & even wives without kids can't relate to that! Lol.

I make Ethan lunch plus his snacks & Landen is constantly eating also, so while trying to get them fed by 12/1 PM, I'm already worried about what we are going to have for dinner. Half the time I don't even feel like cooking. But, as a wife & mother that's one of my many jobs. After that, Landen goes down for his nap & I let Ethan go into his room and let him play some 'Minecraft' (he loves that game & for being 3 years old, he's pretty good), then I finally get to relax on my nice comfy bed, wishing I could nap. One of these days I will bribe Ethan into taking a nap with me, lol.

Finally, 4:00 PM rolls around & I'm waiting on Henry to get home, I get Landen changed and by 4:35 PM, we are on our way to Cameron's bus stop to pick him up. We get back home around 4:55 PM (sometimes the bus driver is early), and it's time to make dinner. We eat, give the boys a bath, brush their teeth, lay Ethan & Landen down for bed, & I finally get to relax with Cameron. We talk about his day & what he did. We watch some tv & he'll play on the iPad for a bit, then it's my favorite time BEDTIME!!

I'm sure I rambled on in this post but that's okay. I'm a mother and my days are constantly scrambled. Again, I'm sure you can relate! What are your days like lately? Whether if your a SAHM or a working mom.. How do you juggle all your tasks?!

Been Away & the First of Many.

Sorry for being away the past week, I've just been busy preparing my son for school & preparing for myself. Cameron had his Kindergarten open house on the 29th & he was soooo excited. He got to meet his teacher, meet a few classmates, & explore his classroom that hell be in the next 8-9 months.

The teacher had him sit at the table and color "his person". After he was done coloring the teacher would take it & hang it up in th hallway. He got to see where his cubby was and he put his rest blanket & art shirt in it. He got to see the board when their names are magnetized. When he goes into his class he will take his name and either put it on the picture that says "Mommy Made Me Lunch" or in the other options for school lunch.

He was told that all the children's name start out "white" & if his name turns orange he has to go into time out for 5 minutes, another color was 10 minutes off recess, and purple was being sent to the principles office. (I hope and pray he never reaches purple, lol) He is a little hyper & doesn't like to sit still so I just hope his teacher is patient.

When I was in kindergarten mind you I went to a Catholic School (which I actually loved) & we only had half days. You either had the morning session or afternoon session. Now in New York kindergarteners go to school all day, so I was shocked to see what he would be learning.

Social Goals
- sit and listen quietly for a reasonable period of time.
- speak in complete sentences.
- follow directions in several steps.
- be able to take care of personal needs independently.
- be respectful to others

Reading and Writing Goals
- recognize and write all letters of the alphabet.
- print first and last name.
- build a sight vocabulary.
- read grade level texts independently.
- write simple personal stories using standard conventions of English.
- demonstrate comprehension of ideas and events from fiction and non-fiction texts.

Math Goals
- classify and count numbers to 20.
- identify and describe shapes.
- comparisons with length, weight, and numbers to 10.
- number pairs, addition and subtraction to 10.
- counting to 100 by 1's and 10's.
- analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes.

It all seems so overwhelming, but I'm sure Cameron will do good. He has about 80% of this down, he just lacks on his writing skills & reading. According to other mothers, his teacher has the best reviews so that makes me excited.

Tomorrow is the first day of school, the first day of him not being home with me all day, first time riding the school bus, & the first time of me literally being worried every hour of the day. I know he's in good hands & I know he'll be fine.

Tomorrow is a first of many! How did you prepare for the first day of school?!

When is it enough?

I'm a HUGE Big Brother fan & what I've watched lately over the live feeds, is horrendous. In this day & age bullying just gets worse. Amanda continues to bully Elissa in the house & mind you Amanda is 28 years old. It amazes me that even growing up & maturing bullying is still being done. This is my one biggest fear for my children is to have to grow up in a society where people get away with bullying & nothing is done until something happens.

I always tell myself that I refuse to let my children be bullied or be the bully. Either one isn't going to happen. It's sad to see kids/adults having to go through something like this. Why do kids, even adults turn to bullying? To me, I think it's a self esteem issue. As for younger kids, I feel it could be their upbringing.

It's just a sad situation to see kids these days going through this. I see a lot of Lifetime movies that deal with these situations & more situations end up with someone committing suicide. :(

What do you think, we as a community should try and improve to bring awareness to bullying?

My thoughts are: sitting down with our children, discipline our children, know what's going on in their life.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Bowl with Cilantro Lime Rice.

Again, today I wasn't sure what to make for dinner. So, I went through good ole Pinterest and looked through my pins & found this. Another delicious meal. A little spicy and Limey, but other then that it was an A+.

Chicken Taco Bowl Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. chicken (4 large chicken breasts)

1/4 cup of water

1 cup of fresh salsa

1 tsp. of chili powder

3/4 tsp. of ground cumin

1/2 tsp of kosher salt

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of corn, drained

1/2 of lime juiced about 1/2 tbs.

1. Place your chicken in the crock pot and pour your water and salsa over the chicken.

2. Add your chili powder, ground cumin, salt, garlic, lime juice, black beans, and corn.

3. Cook on low heat for 6-8 house or until the chicken shreds easily.

4. Serve over rice. Optional toppings: shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream.

5. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cilantro Lime Rice Ingredients:

2 tbs. of butter

1 cup uncooked white long rice

Juice & zest 1 large lime

1 14oz. Can of chicken broth

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

3/4 tsp of salt and pepper to taste

1. In a skillet melt your butter with rice.

2. Add your chicken brother and the rest of the ingredients.

3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, & cook for 20 minutes or until liquid absorbs.

Enjoy! Please let me know what you think. :)

Expectant Mommy?

If you're expecting a little one, then you need to know how to baby proof your home! Head over to www.wifessionals.com to find out what you need :) or click the button below :)

Happy 5 Months to my Baby Boy.

Time flies by, doesn't it? Feels like yesterday I was in labor with Landen. We don't realize how fast our children grow. We can wish all we want that we want our kids to stay little forever, but in the end they grow up faster then we want. 

Landen's Hospital Picture.

When he was born:

He weighed: 7lbs 8oz

His height was: 20.5 inches

Landen's Picture from Yesterday.

Today at 5 months old:

He weighs: 13lbs

His height is: 26 inches

It's amazing how much they grow in a short period of time. I'm going to start a monthly blog on Landen to give everyone an update on his milestones :)

At 5 months old Landen loves to:

Roll over

Play with his feet

Coo (A LOT)

Make fishy faces

Suck his fingers

Lay on his belly

At 5 months old Landen is:

Trying to already crawl

Already teething (should have teeth soon!)

How old are your child(ren)? What are they starting to do? 

Even children that have grown up, when did they start their milestones?

Deployment Babies.

If you read my page "Always & Forever" you would know my husband Henry is in the military. Army to be exact. When they sign those papers, you don't realize at that moment all the sacrifices you're going to be going through months even years to come.

We had Cameron before Henry joined so he was there for my whole pregnancy, my labor, the birth, & afterwards. We got pregnant with Ethan a few weeks before he left for basic. Henry had no idea I was even pregnant, because when they go to basic they have one phone call & thats to tell you what their address is. By time he called me I didn't know if I was pregnant or not. But when I found out on November 1, 09, I had to break the news in a letter. So from October 2009-December 2009, Henry missed the beginning of my pregnancy: the morning sickness & the exhaustion of taking care of not only myself but Cameron who was only 18 months at the time. Thank goodness for my parents, they flew in to stay with me while Henry was at basic to help me. Henry came home for Christmas exodus which was 2 weeks long. Henry had to go back to Fort Benning for his basic in January 2010, one week before finding out the sex of the baby. I tried calling and explaining them the situation because I atleast wanted Henry to be there, I didn't want to have to tell him the sex of the baby in a letter.. Well, the imaging place wouldn't move it up a week because I was only 17 weeks. Once again, I had to break the news in a letter that we were having another boy.

In February 2010, Henry finally graduated from basic and by now I was 6 months pregnant. That March we moved to my husbands duty station good ole Fort Drum, NY. I was excited to be moving back to NY, but it's definitely not what I expected. I knew of NY as the city and where we are now, it's all farmland. Anyways, we had to live in the Fort Drum Inn on post until we got offered a house. Being 7 months pregnant now with a 20 month old in a small hotel room all day long, I was losing my mind. After two weeks we got offered a house. A month later (April) we received horrible news. Henry was set to deploy! All these emotions came over me thinking what?! We just moved here and I hadn't seen Henry in 4 months minus Christmas leave. Thank goodness they decided to hold him back since I was already over 6 months.

On July 11, 2010 at 1:58 am our little boy was born. I kept switching his name up until he was born. Originally he was going to be Mason Henry, but I fell in love with Ethan Alexander :) & that's what we named him. Now that I just had Ethan, we had to pack up AGAIN and move back to Florida with my in laws.

Henry left for deployment when Ethan was only 10 days old. That was one of the hardest things I had to do was say "see you later". I will know how Henry felt leaving his 2 year old and 10 days old son behind. Henry returned in March 2011, Ethan was 9 months old.

2 years later...

There were rumors circulating that Henry's unit would be deploying the beginning of 2013. With the Army you found out nothing is definite unless you have orders or information in hand. We decided we wanted expand our family since Cameron and Ethan are 2 years & 8 days apart. We got pregnant in July 2012 & in August Henry got sent with his squad to NTC (training before deployment), so The boys and I went and stayed with my family in PA since I hadn't seen them in years. (End of 2012-beginning of 2013 was the worst time of my later, story to come later...) In December Henry got his orders to deploy.. Again. 2nd time in 2 years.

January 2013, I was 7 months pregnant and again Henry and I had to say our "see you laters". I found myself alone again pregnant, but this time with two children. I was overwhelmed and upset about Henry leaving. My in laws came up to stay with me to help me with the birth and such. 

On March 2013 at 8:19 pm our little boy Landen Derick was born. Exactly 2 minutes after having him, Henry called. He said "how are you feeling?", I said "I had the baby".. It was so hard to go through a labor without him. I did have my mother in law by my side but it just wasn't the same. This time Henry missed my labor, the birth, & a few months of his life. Henry did get the chance to come meet Landen a little before he was a month old, but that was due to certain circumstances. (Another story later on)

Most people don't see what soldiers and families have to sacrifice. Especially to women who have to give birth alone without their spouse. Yes, we did choose this lifestyle because we want to support our husbands. But we always don't realize what we have to sacrifice until it happens.

Are you a military spouse who went through this or something like it? Share your story in the comments, I would love to read about it. :)

Falling Leaves, Hide the Path so Quietly.

Whose ready for fall?! I know I am. I love when the leaves start changing color & start to fall. My husband is originally from Florida, so there are no seasons down there, it's just straight up summer all year round. Me, I grew up in the north until about 11 years old, so the seasons are normal to me.

I'm ready for the crisp Autumn weather. I cant wait to wear cute boots & cute scarves, and to put my summer wardrobe away. The photos that are here are my own. I took these on vacation in the Poconos in 2008 while visiting my family. If you've ever been to the Poconos you know it's woodsy & a lot of lakes. They lived on a lake with so many trees around & they started to turn beautiful colors. Just waking up to this is amazing. 

Another good thing about fall coming are the holidays! I'm super excited because I love the holidays and celebrating, BUT it'll be Landen's first holidays!

So tell me, what are you most excited for in the upcoming months? 

Slow Cooker Chicken Philly Sandwiches.

If you don't own a CrockPot, you definitely should invest in one. Tonight's dinner was a last minute decision and the good thing about a slow cooker, you can just throw whatever in there and let it cook. We have never tried this meal & it was delicious. Once again, thank you Pinterest. Here is the recipe:

What you need: cooking spray, 2 tbs. of butter or margarine, 1 large sweet onion (sliced), 2 green bell peppers (sliced & I only had one), 3 boneless chicken breasts (sliced), 2 tbs. of Dale's steak seasoning, sliced or shredded mozzarella, & hoagie rolls. (Makes 4-5 sandwiches)

Spray your slow cooker with your cooking spray then add your 2 tbs. of butter. Turn it on low.

Next add your sliced onions & peppers.

Toss your sliced chicken in a bowl with some pepper, salt, & your 2 tbs of Dale's steak seasoning.

Add your seasoned sliced chicken to your slow cooker. Cover & cook for 5 hours.

When it's done slice your hoagie rolls, add your mixture & juice, top with mozzarella.

For the first time trying this meal, it was delicious. I could go back for seconds. The chicken was so tender & so were the onions and peppers. 

First Day of School Jitters.

Who is or was more nervous about the first day of school, you or your child(ren)?

Cameron will be starting Kindergarten in just 2 weeks! He seems so calm about it yet I'm over here freaking. How is he going to be in school? Is he going to behave? Is he going to get on the right bus? Will he miss his bus stop? All of those questions, plus more have been running through my head recently.

I realize that I'm going to be going through separation anxiety. :( Cameron will be in school for 7 hours, that's 7 hours of me worrying how he is doing. Not to mention his school is 30 minutes from where we live and he has to take a 45 minute bus ride to school & home.. I know, I know I'm becoming a basket case but when it's your first child going off to school for the first time you pretty much worry about every little thing.

His Kindergarten open house is next week, what questions or concerns would you ask the teacher, if any? How do you make your child feel comfortable about going on a bus full of strangers for the first time?

Please tell me your first experiences, even if its a second or third. Let me know how you dealt with all of these emotions.

Bedtime.

Recently, our 3 year old Ethan has been wanting/needing someone to lay in bed with him until he falls asleep. I'm not sure why this started. He's been a very independent child. As for my oldest Cameron who is 5 he's still sleeping in our bed (no judging lol). So, I definitely don't want Ethan to get that idea or else we really won't have any room on our queen bed. I tried making Ethan feel safe and comfortable but he just isn't having it. As I'm writing my husband is in the bed with him right now. If he tries to leave that room and Ethan is still awake he will flip out crying & it breaks my heart. :( what is your advice on how to get through this? What was your experience if any.

The Blogger I received advice from :)

As I said before in my first post, I had emailed a blogger to get some advice on how and where to begin in the blogging world. Her name is Kaitlyn & she's the owner of Wifessionals. If you're looking for a blog about life, marriage, & baby she's your girl! I have been following her blog quite sometime now and was always intrigued by her posts. I couldn't thank her enough for taking the time out to help me start up this page. Please go check out her blog & let her know Three Little Boys and a Lady sent you. :)

http://www.wifessionals.com/

New blogger.

Hello everyone, my name is Stephanie & yes I am new to the blogging world. For over a year or so I've been wanting to start a blog but didn't know where or how to even begin. I had emailed a blogger that I have been following for quite sometime and asked for some advice, and now I'm here.

I'm 24 years old. I am an Army wife & a SAHM (stay at home mom). I have three precious little boys: Cameron (5), Ethan (3), & our newest addition Landen (4 mos.). I'm a huge family person & love my family to pieces. I was born and raised in Staten Island, NY, my family moved to Florida when I was 11 years old and that is where I met my husband at the age of 16. :) He decided to join the military in 2009 & we have been stationed here at Fort Drum, NY for the past 4 years.

That is just some info so stay tuned for more posts about my life experiences, my birth stories, how I met my husband, & more!