So very patient...

My husband was so adorable yesterday - I have to remember this the next time I get annoyed with him :)  He took my daughter and I shopping, and we tortured him.  We only went to two stores, but went through virtually every item in those stores.

My daughter received a Visa gift card from my parents for Christmas and didn't really know what she wanted to get.  She looked at all the wallets, shoes, and clothing at store number one while I shopped for a purse that can double as a diaper bag.  We decided that we didn't really love anything at store number one, so we dragged my poor husband to store number two.  He was so cute!  He helped us pick things out and gave his opinion when we asked.  He didn't once complain, even though it was taking us forever and it was boring.  I went through maybe 50 purses and picked out 7.  My husband patiently sat and watched as I took all the paper stuffing out of each purse and went through all the compartments all the while I talked to myself about the pros and cons of each purse.  I slowly eliminated them one by one until I was left with one that I really loved.  Great!  My selection was made and now onto my daughter...

We went to the "girly" section and watched her go through every shirt, sweater, and blouse in her size.  She selected seven that she really liked and announced that she wanted to try them on.  My goodness, I want to slit my wrist just writing this....hahahahaha....I can't imagine how my husband felt at the time.  So, we walk over to the dressing room and on our way there I make a bunch of pit stops to look at all the baby items.  Being such a good sport, my husband joined in and even joked around about some of the funnier (useless) items.  He's the best!  We finally made it to the dressing room where it took my daughter and I forever to decide on which two items she loved the most and then she let her Papa decide between the two.  He selected the more sporty looking one :)  When we got to the register it was so freaking adorable to see my daughter hand her little Visa (gift) card and then watch her little face when she was told to sign her name on the store receipt.  How cute!  Wish I had taken a pic.

With that we wrapped it up and headed home; us girls happy with our purchases and my husband surely full of relief :)

And that's how we spent yesterday afternoon! The boys were so happy that they had decided to not join us when they heard the recap.  Boy, were they spared!

*If you are reading this, like Ralph Kramden would say, "Baby, your the greatest!"

Boring Xmas List

So, my husband told me that my Christmas / Birthday list is boring!  Hahahaha, could it be the nursing bras or the diaper bag?  Hello?  I am having a baby and will have the need for certain items, why not make them cute?  Okay, okay, so my list could be more exciting, but when I put a compost machine on my list last year he told me that there was no way he was buying me a garbage can for Christmas.  So, I've been brain storming and decided that I want two things: 1) a date with my husband and 2) a bedroom makeover.

The date:  I want a romantic day and night with my husband.  With the baby coming we will not be able to just spend as much uninterrupted quality time together, so I want to make sure that we do that before January.  It would be ideal to get a sitter for our kids and go to DC or Maryland for the weekend - have a nice dinner, do something fun (dancing, sightseeing, etc.) and stay at a nice hotel with a romantic suite.  The more I think about it the more I want this as my present.

And our bedroom, well, I was thinking we will be spending a lot of time in our room with the baby and we will have plenty of visitors, so why not spruce it up.  We already have a pretty room, but it's unfinished.  We've focused so much on the rest of the house, that we've neglected our room.  Now I have to get inspired.  I have black and white with a punch of color in mind, but we'll see...

My New Toy!

I have been meaning to post this, but I've been so busy playing that I haven't had the time!

My wonderful and thoughtful husband, knowing how much I love books, got me the newest Kindle!  Yes, I am the proud owner of a Kindle 3G / WiFi.  I get any book that I want (if available) in about 10 seconds, for a fraction of the cost of a regular book.  I still love my growing library, but with my Kindle I don't have to wait.  I can sample books, read books, poetry, blogs, magazines, newspapers, etcetera, and if I love what I am reading then I can splurge and buy the hardcover for my library.

This is the best invention ever!  It reads just like a page in print - no glares or glitches.  I've already read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson, who would have become a favorite had he not died prematurely.  What a great loss to book lovers!  I can't wait to read the end of the trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

I am definitely in love!

Thank you for my wonderful gift.  I was definitely surprised.  Love you, Baby!

Here are some pics of my Kindle hanging out in my library:

Can you spot it?  It's almost like Waldo... 

So EXCITED

Oh my Gosh, in two days I will see my love! I can't wait. I am so excited, feel like a love sick puppy.

Roses

When I got home from the gym yesterday, I got on the PC and started to IM with my hubby who has been gone now for over a month :( Military duty called and he answered. During our IM he told me to go look on the porch. Not suspecting anything unusual, except massive amounts of snow, ugh, I was surprised by a long box. My curiosity was so peaked! I felt like a little girl on Christmas morning. I ran inside and riped it open to find a beautiful vase, filled with red roses! I got so emotional... My kids thought there was a bomb in the box by my reaction. My little boy came over and said "Are you okay mom? Why are you crying?" I had to explain that they were happy tears. My emotion even took me by surprise. The flowers are lovely, but I guess because they came from my special man, who has been away for so long was what made me cry. My roses have become my crutch - something concrete to hold on to, until my husband returns. I took them with me to my room when I turned in last night, and brought them downstairs this morning. They are still blooming which is so symbolic to me b/c despite almost fourteen years of marriage, we are still blooming too. However, unlike my roses, our love will never die...

Feeling Nostalgic

I just read over 200 hundred letters, okay, maybe a bit less. Exaggerating sometimes makes things more interesting. Well the point is, I found all of the letters my husband and I wrote to each other during the beginning of our relationship. It was really interesting to read our developing feelings - from platonic friends, to dating, to being in a serious relationship and to finally being married. It was so lovely, romantic, and intense.

After 16 years of knowing each other, we have lost some of the romance, but we are definitely still intense. Sometimes arguing about everyday things can get intense, man. Boy, we need to liven things up a bit. I thought we were romatic, but after reading our old love letters, we need some help. I can't believe we've made it this far. It was tough for us at times. We married young and being a military family wasn't always easy. However, we are still standing strong. As much as we sometimes get on each others nerves :) we love each other. He knows I have his back and I know he has mine.