Busy Bees

I thought life was going to be simpler with the summer months upon us, but I'm realizing that summers are anything but leisurely when you have kids! We have been on the go nearly every day with swimming lessons, Vacation Bible School, trips to the library, play dates, holiday events ... and we recently spent a couple days building a fire-pit area in our backyard. S'mores, please!

Abby Kate is growing so fast and the baby-ness is just about gone. :( She doesn't miss a thing and asks questions about everything. She likes to swim and ride her bike and exercise with us. She still loves her books and puzzles. I started reading her a couple chapter books to see how she would take to them. So far we've read James and the Giant Peach and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. She loved them both and would ask me to read and read and read. But I think she loves movies above all else! She loves her little sister and can't wait until Avery is big enough to run around and play with her. (I can!)

Avery will be turning 1 next month. I can hardly believe it! She is crawling around everywhere - and with quickness! She's so fast. She's managed to eat a bite or two of Junah's food a couple times before I could get to her. Yuck! Her first two teeth (bottom front) have popped through and they don't seem to bother her. She's getting the hang of pulling up, but doesn't cruise much yet. She can definitely say the words "Mama" and "Dada" and knows who we are which just melts our hearts! She is cuddly and funny and sweet and smiley... we just love her to pieces!

Mike will be away a lot in the coming months before his actual deployment later this year. I'm really sad and dreading his absence. But the busier we keep ourselves, the easier it will be, I think, so I'm hoping our weeks continue to be filled with stuff to do. Please pray for Mike as he heads off the coast for his dets this month and next. And if anyone wants to come visit the girls and me in August, please, please do!

Spontaneous Trip to Myrtle Beach!

We (the girls and I) headed down to Myrtle Beach last weekend after Brian and Carrie called to say they were headed there for a weekend getaway. Since Mike was gone again for the weekend and Myrtle Beach is only a three-hour drive from here, I threw some clothes and diapers in some bags and headed that way!! Brian and I both worked on Mom and Dad via phone to coax them into joining us. They decided they would, and so it turned into a great (although way too short) Carnes family vacation!

William and Abby Kate had the best time playing and sliding in the indoor and outdoor pools at our hotel and even braved the waves! We also had time for a round of Pirate Put-Put! Thank you, B & C, for letting us join you!! It was a great time!!

Old Friend to the Rescue!

Over the past couple of weeks we have been enjoying spending time with old friends. I met Sommer back in Quantico, VA, the first week we were there - the very beginning of our Marine Corps journey. We've come a long way since then and were lucky enough to have lived in a lot of the same places over the past five years. A couple years ago, our journeys took us to opposite sides of the country, but now I'm happy to say they're stationed here for a few years!

Sommer's son and AK are only three months apart in age. I was AMAZED at how much Griffin had grown in two years! They play so well together, and I'm sure Avery and Riley (their 6-month-old little girl) will become great friends as well.

Here are AK and Grif at 3 months old and 1 week old, and now at 3 years old:


We made plans to take the kids to the library today, and my car wouldn't start. Sommer came right over (thanks, Sommer!) and we realized that we'd done this exact thing before, back in Meridian, MS. My car that time too. :) So you'd think we'd remember how to do the whole jumper cables thing. Not so much. We were all timid and scared to touch the wrong things to the wrong things and then we accidentally touched the two handles together and ZZZZTTTT! After some trial and error and a few phone calls, we had the car running again. Thankfully we didn't kill each other or blow anything up.

We went to the library only to have my car not start (again) when we were ready to leave. Sommer and I had to push the gigantic automobile out of the parking space so she could align her vehicle next to it in order to jump it. Again. Very. Heavy. Especially because the front wheels had to be pushed up and out of the the curb gutter. Sommer was a rockstar, pushing most of the weight - in a dress, no less!

I purchased a new battery so I'm all set for another few years, during which I'm sure I'll forget how to use jumper cables. Again. Sommer, you'll be available again next time, right?! haha :)

Highway to Heaven

In the grocery store today, a man that had a speech impediment was bagging our groceries. I was cringing just waiting for AK to notice and say something. Of course two seconds later she said out loud, "Mommy, why does that guy talk funny?" I quickly distracted her and kept her busy until we were out the door. Same thing a couple weeks ago when she saw a man with Dwarfism. So when we got home today, I reminded AK that God makes people all different kinds of ways, and that we should never point out their differences out loud or stare. Then our conversation continued like this...

AK: OK, Mommy, I won't stare. I don't want to make people feel bad.

Me: Good girl.

AK: Why does God make people different?

Me: I don't know, you'll have to ask Him that one day when you go to heaven.

AK: When do we go to heaven?

Me: Hopefully after you've lived a long, full life. And I'll already be there too.

AK: You're going too? Oh, good, cuz I'd be too scared to drive myself.

:)

Thirty-one

Thank you, God, for my 31 years and for all the blessings in my life! Thanks to my husband and AK for making it special and to everyone for all the birthday wishes, cards and gifts I received this week!

Nine Months and Hungry!

Avery is now nine months old and loving life. She is almost always happy and squealing with delight with even the slightest efforts to make her smile. She is happiest when she's eating, however. The doctor gave us the go-ahead to switch to all solid food. She is indulging in tiny bites of meat, veggies, fruits, cheeses, breads and pastas and is loving every bite! At her 9-month appointment, she only weighed in the 10th percentile (16.3 lbs) so I'm happy she has a healthy appetite. I just gave her formula for the first time yesterday because I think my body isn't making enough milk for her anymore. The doctor told me to give it to her once a day to make sure she's getting enough nutrients. She didn't like it too much, but I'll keep trying to supplement!

I've seen her crawl on her knees a couple times, but she still favors pulling herself around on her stomach. I should dress her in Swiffer cloths and get gleaming floors without all the time and effort! (heh heh) Avery says "Dada" upon request, but has forgotten all about "Mama," which she used to say all the time. Go figure. :) She's a great sleeper, still logging 12 hours at night and two naps of 2-3 hours each during the day. She's such a sweet little girl! We know too well how fast it goes by - we are cherishing every minute of her babyhood!

Happenings of Late

Lots of stuff going on in the Wallace household in the last month. Here's a review in pictures...

Daddy came home after many weeks on det to lots of smiles from his girls! He was out in Yuma, AZ for 5 weeks and then he went to the boat for a week. He spent that week practicing landing on it and to got a small taste of how it will be to live on a boat for six to seven months. Not exactly fun!

AK has been playing t-ball on our church's league since April. She's having so much fun. She's getting better and better with each game. Her outfield time consists mostly of looking up at the sky and playing with the dirt and the little girl next to her, but at least she's got the batting and running the bases down pat. :)

AK and Avery had lots of fun playing with Grandma and Grandpa while Mike and I took a trip to Phoenix to be part of our friends' wedding. Thanks again, Lee and Ginger, for coming to visit us and taking such great care of the girls while we were gone!

While in Phoenix I was so happy to see several friends I'd missed since they moved out west. [My pics of Jon and Kim (bride and groom) - as well as my friend Lindsey - are on Mike's camera, so as soon as I can find it... :)]

Mike and Colin were in the sword detail, and Sarah and I were bridesmaids. It was such a great time spent with great friends. Can't put into words how much we miss you guys already!

Beach days ahead!!! We drove over to Atlantic Beach for the first time this season. It was a bit windy, but still warm and beautiful. Avery ate a few bites of sand before I had to convince her it really doesn't taste all that great. She loved the beach. (She did not like her sister's cold, wet lap, however!)

Abby Kate performed in her very first dance recital last weekend. I was so proud of my little ballerina!!! She did very well. I hope she continues to like dance in the years to come.

Still Here

We have been so busy lately that I haven't had the chance to post in several weeks. We are doing well and just trying to enjoy the few days here and there that we get to spend with Daddy who has either been at work or traveling for work most of the time in preparation for his upcoming deployment. But I have many updates and pictures coming soon!

Tears for Daddy

Mike's been gone for five weeks now. AND HE COMES HOME TODAY!!! We are so happy!

This det has been especially hard for Abby Kate. A few days ago she had a melt-down in the grocery store because I wouldn't buy her a balloon. She pretty much lost her mind- I had NEVER seen her act that way before. Her cries turned into to heaving sobs and yelling right there in the check-out line. I found myself almost laughing at how bizarre she was acting. I asked her repeatedly to calm down and maybe we'd get a balloon next time. That was not what she wanted to hear, so more crying, more screaming...

The check-out lady said, "I have a Food Lion balloon here if she wants it?" I smiled at her and said thank you, but ABSOLUTELY NOT! No way was I going to reward her tantrum. :) So we walked out of the store as she cried and reached back for the grocery store and the princess balloon.

We get in the car and I tell her I'm going to call Daddy and tell him how terrible she was behaving. She started crying "Noooooo!!!! Don't tell him!!!" Then said through broken sobs and breaths:

AK: "You... know... why I'm cr....y-ing, Mommy?

Me: "Because you wanted a balloon?"

AK: "Because I miss Daddy-yyyyyyyyyy!" [crying his name]

Daggers. In. My. Heart.

...

My reaction must have told her plenty because every time she cries now about anything? Turns out she misses Daddy. :) Which has changed my reaction to an eye roll. She has been spending lots of time with her new Daddy Doll, a popular item for kids with moms or dads in the military. (I ordered AK and Avery one each. You can find them here.) "Daddy" has been going everywhere with AK.

We are SOOOO excited to be reunited with real Daddy today!!!!!

Holiday Weekend Fun

This past Easter weekend was packed full of activity. I got up bright and early to run the Papa John's 10 Miler in Louisville with my friends Lyndsay and Pat. It was fun despite the hills and the rainy weather. My sore legs reminded me that I'm not so young anymore, and that I should actually train for those longer races. :) L & P - thanks for inviting me to run. Hope to join you guys again next year! And Pat, good luck on the mini!


Easter was great spent with my family. (We really missed Daddy, though!) We went to church and then spent the day outdoors - cooking out and playing with the little ones. AK and Avery wore matching blue gingham dresses. William and Austin wore matching blue and white vests and khakis. They were so adorable. If only we could've gotten them all to sit still, look at the camera and stop crying! haha

Excuse the pictures... though convenient, camera phones just aren't the same!

Missing Daddy

Yes, we are missing Daddy again. He's gone for over a month this time, training out west. So we packed up and came to Kentucky for a few weeks to pass the time a little faster. We've been super busy visiting and playing and going many different places everyday. It's been great! The days are flying by and we're so thankful to be able to spend time here in beautiful KY!!! We'll be here for Easter, and we are loving the 80-degree temps it's supposed to bring. Today is 75 and sunny and just gorgeous! By the time we get back home, it'll be beach weather in NC, so we're super excited about that too.

AK has been playing her hardest almost everyday with her cousin William and is loving every second of it. They are so cute to watch. Avery is warming up to everyone and finally getting a little less attached to me since we arrived. She is growing fast and becoming more adventurous each day. I just hope she doesn't start crawling before Mike gets back.

Visiting with friends and family has been great, and I'm glad I'll get to attend two showers while I'm here. I'm planning to run a 10-mile race in Louisville with my friend Lyndsay this Saturday. It's the last leg of the Triple Crown Run they do every year here leading up to the Derby in May. I'm looking forward to it. But I'm looking MORE forward to the end of it. :) I haven't been training near enough!

We've been talking to and actually seeing Daddy on the computer every few days using Skype. That's been a big plus. He can kiss the girls goodnight and they love it! Mike's doing well out there in CA, but I know he is missing his girls. We can't wait for him to get back!

AK's Prayer

Abby Kate truly enjoys her preschool class two days a week, and she loves church on Sundays and Wednesday nights. She has learned to recite a few different prayers at preschool and Sunday school. Naturally, she has begun asking to say the prayer at the dinner table. And well, we learned quickly that not only has she been getting a great dose of Christian life, she's also been subjected to way too much country music in the car...

AK: May I say the prayer?

Mommy and Daddy: Sure! Of course! Go ahead.

AK: OK bow your heads. [Closes her eyes, then opens one eye several times making sure all heads are bowed, then proceeds...]

"God is Great, Beer is Good.
Let us thank Him for our food.
By His hands, we are fed,
Give us Lord our daily bread.
Amen."

Mommy and Daddy: [Eyes wide open as soon as "Beer" comes out, mouthing to each other... Did she just say Beer?!]

Hopefully she hasn't said that particular prayer elsewhere! :)

An Unexpected Trip to MT

We received the news last week that Mike's grandmother had passed away from a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. She had gotten worse and worse in the past few years, both mentally and physically. Mike's family, while terribly sad at her passing, feels blessed that she is no longer in pain. I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Verena Brunner a couple of times before she got sick. She was a happy, fun-loving and funny lady with a heart big enough to love her huge family of kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.

We left on Friday afternoon, with plans to arrive in Great Falls, MT, late that night and then make the a.m. funeral on Saturday. Well, we did arrive as planned after 11 p.m., but our luggage did not. There we were with no clothes, no toiletries (not even a toothbrush to be had for any of us!) in the middle of the night. So we did what anyone in that situation would do and headed to the 24-hr Wal-Mart. Since the mall and all other stores usually don't open until 10 in the morning, we had to get everything from Wal-mart. I'm talking clothes, shoes, socks, underwear, make-up, toothbrush, deodorant, contact case/solution, shampoo, soap, etc. for all of us.



Mike was a pallbearer and had to piece together a suit (of sorts) and I had to find funeral-appropriate outfits for the girls and myself. I realized quickly that even though we were in the cold Northwest, they still put all their summer clothing out in March. So off I went to the clearance racks where I found a black and white, tartan skirt and sweater for AK, and I found my own ensemble in the midst of Miley Cyrus's clothing line. I know. The only shoes I could find were a size too small. I finished up the spree buying chalky make-up and cheap toiletries for us.

$300 later... we went to sleep cursing air travel and prepared to wake the next morning and get ready for the service. :) At least we can look back now and laugh!

If all that wasn't enough, two days before we left for MT, Avery and I got the stomach flu. It lasted a terrible day and 1/2 and I thought we were all better before we left. Turns out it came with us and not only made Mike sick on Sunday, but then made it's way through Mike's mom, dad, brothers and their families - and pretty much all his aunts, uncles and cousins! We are sooo, so sorry!

We did have a fun time visiting with everyone despite the very sad reason for the trip. We toured different places Mike spent as a child including his cousins' ranch, where AK got to pet a brand-new calf and take a ride on a four-wheeler.

Jan and TC - thank you so much for all your hospitality! TC, I really think you should open a restaurant. :) The food was delicious! We also appreciate you taking us fishing. It was a great time!

On Monday, we finally made it through FOUR long flights to get back home. And thankfully our luggage was there waiting for us in New Bern!

(More pics to come when Mike downloads them from his camera.)

Avery at Six Months

We took Avery to her 6-month check-up yesterday to find she is growing steadily in the 25th percentile for weight (14.5 lbs) and 75th for height. She was all smiles until she was given four shots in her thighs! Ugh, I hated that for her!

She is still a super happy little girl with lots to coo and smile about. She's been sitting up all by herself for a few weeks now. She grabs everything within reach and tries her hardest to get to things just out of reach. She is loving all the baby food she's tried so far... peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, pears and apple sauce. She also eyes everything we eat and tries to grab for it. I almost feel bad eating in front of her. :) She still sleeps very well taking several naps during the day and sleeps 10 hours at night.

Finally, she's old enough to bring to my gym's child-care!!! I've really enjoyed working out indoors again. Running in all this cold weather was really getting old!

I'm just amazed at how fast these first six months have gone by! We love you, sweet Avery!

With the standard amount of spit-up on her chin.

Loving the sweet potatoes!

Seven Inches of Snow in NC!

We awoke to a winter wonderland this morning! We put on the warmest clothing we could find and headed outside to play. The snow was perfect for packing into snowballs or building a snowman. We did a little of both... after Mike shoveled the driveway with a gardening shovel (not prepared for so much snow in these parts!) we built "the biggest snowman ever" at AK's request. Then a snowball fight ensued. I got Mike pretty good a couple times, but he won. I had snow packed in my hair and down my neck! Naturally, we warmed back up with hot chocolate. :)

We only had baby carrots, so we went with coal for everything. :)

Helping place Frosty's nose.

And the scarf. This looks like a snow storm, but it was actually just the wind blowing the thick snow off the trees in our backyard.

Needless to say, Avery didn't stay outside very long. She napped, warm and cozy in her crib during the snowman building and snowball fight. :)

AK enjoying hot chocolate with marshmallows.

As I type this, the sun is already claiming old Frosty. :(

Hail & Farewell Party

A few weeks ago, I was jogging in our neighborhood with the girls in the stroller. As I came down the home stretch of our street, I noticed a big black flag sticking up beside the tree in our neighbor's front yard. I started to wonder what it could mean... then I noticed in was actually in OUR yard. [I'm running closer at this point] Had it been there when I left? [Nearing our yard] Is it some sort of gang sign? [Looking around to see if anyone is lurking around] Are we the next gang target? [Pulling up the flag to see some sort of Japanese symbol on it] Are we some Japanese gang's next target?!

I began to realize how absurd a direction my thoughts were going, so I looked at the other side of the flag and recognized Mike's squadron's tiger insignia. OK, so something to do with Mike's work... I call him to find out we have been tasked to host the next Hail & Farewell for VMA-542. They are for welcoming the new Marines and sending off the Marines who are moving on to a different squadron or wherever. And apparently these parties always have themes.

So Mike and I researched some fun ideas online and came up with a "Dead Celebrities" theme where you dress up as a celebrity who has passed. I know it sounds morbid, but it actually turned out really fun!

I designed the theme graphics we would use and Mike sent the invites out via e-mail. Then we rented some velvet ropes and made a red carpet out of red roll paper that we set up in front of our house. I made a slideshow including pictures of all the celebrities I could find online and listed their names and years. We looped it and played it on the TV all night. That was about as far as I got with the theme besides a few stars here and there.

We ended up having a great turnout. It really was a fun time. Mike dressed up as Paul Newman (because he looks like him anyway) and I was a very unconvincing Marilyn Monroe. Our guests had some fabulous costumes including Steve Irwin (crocodile hunter) - we had four of those, Audrey Hepburn, Michael Jackson, Caesar, Bob Marley, Anna Nicole Smith (a guy dressed as her which was hysterical), Bonnie and Clyde, Rick James, Farrah Fawcett, Pat Morita (Karate Kid's Mr. Miyagi), Billy Mays (the Oxy Clean guy), Johnny Cash, and so many more.

Here's a picture of the whole group:

"John Lennon" was especially good because this guy is British. He said he actually already had everything for his outfit! :)

Now we look forward to passing the black flag to someone else's yard!