Deployment, Kids, Deployment, Kids

Based on the title of this blog post, you can see what my life revolves around right now. Berkeley has been on deployment to Greece for 7 weeks now and to say it totally sucks is an understatement. I hate being apart. I miss him like crazy. I miss his companionship and, of course, his HELP! Yikes, taking care of two little ones all day every day is super exhausting. My kids are crazy adorable and I love being a mom to them, but there is something to be said about the blessed hours of 5-8 pm when Daddy gets home and everyone gets a breath of fresh air. I could complain much more, but I think it will be better for my spirit to focus on the positive. We are nearly halfway through with only 8 weeks left. Asa turned 3 years old on the 20th of February. Asa has become a highly imaginitive little boy. He pretends all day long. His current obsession is with dinosaurs. He stomps around the house roaring from sun up to sun down. He is still in love with Tyrone the Mailman (from Backyardigans) and we play that game quite often too. He talks up a storm. He can be super tempermental and rude at times. Sharing has become the most difficult things to cope with in his little world. I am trying to figure out how to handle that. Hazel is happy and beautiful. She has begun to walk just this last week and will take 5-10 steps before falling or opting to crawl. In the last couple weeks, she has also learned to clap and point at things. She loves to eat!! She will eat anything I give her, but she hasn't got any teeth yet, so unfortunately she is still very limited. Last week she has tubes put in her ears, so hopefully we will be ear infection clear from here on out. She is much happier now, more vocal and more independent now that she can hear normally. She and Asa love eachother. They are always so happy to see eachother. They do fight though! I knew they would fight eventually but I had idea that it could start this early! Mostly their "fights" consist of Asa refusing to share or taking a toy from her. This causes Hazel to react with screams or cries. They are sure funny to watch though. I'm doing fine. Just taking life one day at a time right now. I'm trying to stay positive even though, honestly, I'm exhausted. Heaven help those women who have to deal with year long deployments. Shoot me if that ever happens to us. Regardless, I have made diet and exercise a priority, even if it means the kids are crying at me for 45 minutes straight while I get it done! I have been doing Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 program and I have managed to lose about 11lbs. I will be thrilled if I can lose about 8 more. I have started round two of the program this week and hope to do it a 3rd time before Berkeley gets back. We are planning to take a trip to Hawaii together (child-free) within the next 3-5 months, so that is a motivator to get in shape. Otherwise, life is rolling on. I sure hope it rolls quickly down hill for the second half of this deployment. I want my husband home!!

Random Stuff

Mr. Awesome

Holy cow, Asa makes me laugh. He has really taken to dancing lately and he goes all out! Here is a little video I took of him dancing in the car yesterday.

Asa and the Hairbow

One Sunday morning before church, Asa was running around with one of Hazel's bows on his head. We were about to leave for church so Berkeley took the bow off without Asa's permission. Asa was not happy. After a mild freak-out, we gave the bow back to him. The following sequence of pictures tell the story perfectly.

Quick Catch-Up...In NO Logical Order.

We spent the 4th of July in Idaho with Berkeley's Aunt, Uncle and Cousins. It was a blast! We went boating, relaxed in the hot tub, and enjoyed nature at the cabin in Island Park. This trip was a dream come true for Asa. He got to ride 4 wheelers and tractors and ride-on lawn mowers the entire time. He lucked out and was given this power wheels tractor. Thanks again Curtis and Becca! He spent the majority of the warm weather days on this baby!

We went to Rowley Farms with my family just before Halloween and enjoyed some fun times there! Asa loved the hayride and playing with his cousins. Hazel chilled out in the pack!



Asa is still a snuggle bug and I take every chance I get to cuddle him.

Hazel is so much fun these days! She is super happy most of the time. She is tons of fun to play with. She is laughing quite a bit and smiles most of the time. She is such a joy.

Asa has all but given up on naps. Naps usually only happen if he settles himself down enough to accidentally fall asleep on his own!
Asa has a fantastic time in Nursery and it sure is nice to have him want to be there and stay there!

Berkeley won a $50.00 gift card to the Cheesecake Factory for winning his company Halloween costume contest. Yep, he's the one that's half naked. I told him that his abs won the gift card.

Asa was supposed to be Frankenstein for Halloween, but he hated wearing his costume. About two minutes before going Trick Or Treating, he decided he wanted to be a farmer, so we threw on a plaid shirt and overalls. He decided the bright yellow fedora hat was the final touch, so he wore that too! He also drove his little Power Wheels tractor to Trick or Treat all over the neighborhood. Hazel was just about the cutest little ladybug ever, and she slept soundly in her carseat through the whole Trick Or Treating experience.
During the summer, we ate A LOT of popsicles. This was Asa's favorite treat for a period of about 5 months straight. He's now moved on to Skittles and M&M's.
We took A LOT of walks/bike rides this Spring, Summer and Fall. Seriously, 3 or more per day. It's a wonder I'm not back to my pre-baby weight!

Well, there is a lot more where that came from and just skims the surface of what we've been up to this past year. I hear my sweet little Hazel babbling in bed so I'm going to go play with her!

Totally Random.

Wow, I don't blog anymore which is sad. Yesterday I was reading through my blog from the beginning and I realized that I used to be funny and kind of cool. I think I'm still funny and kind of cool, but I don't have the time or energy to blog like it. I think I am going to take on the 4 post per week challenge, so maybe it will encourage me to think outside the box!
For today, here's an update on what's going on in the Ward household. I am home with the kids full time which is a blessing, though sometimes I feel somewhat overwhelmed, especially when they are both sick for two months straight. This is our current situation...colds, ear infections, colds... 'Tis the season!
In other news, remember how I started a work out blog forever ago with the hope of completing P90X again? Yeah, that was an epic fail. BUT...I am proud to say that I have found a committed work out buddy (THANKS LISA DROLLINGER!)and we have begun doing the Insanity program. We are only one week in, but it's awesome. Super high energy, super high caloric burn, no equipment needed, only 35 minutes per day (that's the real kicker!). We are working out at 6:30 AM Mon-Fri and Saturdays (not at 6:30!).It's amazing how much better I feel when I am consistently exercising.
You might be surprised to learn that I have taken to cooking/baking lately. I have been somewhat adventurous in planning meals and have been trying lots of new things. Recently I made my first from scratch "pumpkin" pie, though I used butternut squash, and I even made the crust. It was pretty much delicious. I have made lots of different types of freezer jam, including plum, peach and apricot. Also, for the last month, I have been making all our bread without a bread machine or mixer... yes, I have been using the good old fashioned kneading method! I have found this new cooking hobby to be somewhat relaxing and therapeutic.
Berkeley is doing well. He is about to have a major change in his routine! He is quitting his job in January and going back to school full time!! Whoa! That will be a whole new life for us. The military will pay his tuition and give us a little extra for housing. We will also use pell grants, tax return, and Berkeley's bonus to get us through hopefully a few work-free semesters. He is planning on majoring in secondary education and would like to teach English Literature. I think he would make a fantastic teacher. I am really excited for this new adventure and for Berkeley to be able to dive into school without any other obligations. There is a chance Berkeley might be deployed for a few months to Africa. It is not certain yet, but definitely a possibility. A few months is better than a 7 month deployment for sure! We will keep everyone posted on that situation.
Our kids are good, minus the sickness! Asa is hilarious! His favorite thing to do is play cars. If I had a nickel for every time he says, "Do you want to play cars?", I would be super rich. I know it is time to give potty training a try, but I am so not wanting to tackle that challenge yet!! Berkeley is anxious to get it done, but I think I will wait a couple more months.
Hazel is a sweet, beautiful little girl. She is rolling all over the place and she sits up on her own now. We have just begun giving her solids a couple times a day and it is going well so far. She is a smiley girl, but the only time she laughs is when Asa does something she thinks is funny. She is a hard nut to crack when it comes to laughter! She and Asa already have a sweet, special relationship. They just love eachother so much.
Otherwise, life is good. Time is just flying by and we are trying to keep up! Here are some random pictures for your viewing pleasure.

She's Laughing!!

My little Hazel Jane laughed for the very first time yesterday (9-6-2011) evening! That sound is like music to my ears. It was sad because she did it just after Berkeley had left for work, but I managed to catch the last minute or so on video. The video I took doesn't at all compare to how hard she was laughing in the beginning, but at least I managed to capture some of it! Oh, and you might laugh too when you hear how totally ridiculous I sound...