Friends

I have gone through many stages of having friends in my life.
When I was very small, my friends were my siblings. My older sister and I are 11 months apart...so we always were together. She was the one I looked up to. She took care of me. She pushed a boy in the pool for me once when we were probably 3 and 4 years old, just because he said something mean to me. When I went to a new school in 4th grade, she was already there. She knew how to take the bus and had friends. One day I asked if  I could play with her and her friends....she said no. I still remember that as the turning point of childhood friendship. It wasn't until the last few years, as adults, that we have began to have a real friendship again. We are both married and she just had her first child. We now share many things and she is often the first person I call about anything!
I was 4 when my brother was born....and he was a bother!! I loved him, but he always wanted to play with our barbies and get in the way:) Probably around 10 is when my brother and I really began to have fun together. It just got better and better. He was my best friend. We joked....took trips....talked about everything....were eachothers wingmen:) Things happened with him and now I feel I barely know him. It breaks my heart because I want him to be my best friend again....maybe one day.
I had lots of friends through school...as most people do. There was a group of 5 of us who were friends since 7th grade....a couple of them since 5th. All through school it was our group. Then we grew up. We went in different directions. Now I only keep in touch with one....and even that is barely a friendship. I was the first to get married and have kids.....only one other is even married yet and that was just last year. I am in my late 20's. I have my family....I don't go out or worry about dates or boys. We are all just different and I was fine letting go of that part of my life.
My parents. Oh my have they become such great friends. I will always see them as my parents, but I love that we also have a friendship now. I love that.
My husband. Oh he is my best friend. I want to do everything with him and be with him all the time. We were friends for a year before we started dating. I got to know him as just a person...no romantic stuff or drama. Just jokes and fun times. Then of course when we started dating I got to add more to the person I already had such fun with! We got to share more! I love being able to go out and do some crazy fun stuff....like a metallica concert in Tokyo!....but then go home and snuggle:) Of course he drives me crazy....there are times I jokingly ask him when he will deploy again:) But the reality is that I just want to be with him. Even when he drives me nuts!
As an adult I have made very few friends. I've had acquaintances, but to me it has gotten harder as I have had my children. I look at people and how they are with their kids...and I have to decide if that's what I want around my girls. I know it's a lot to live up to...but I feel the need to be selective for my children. They deserve that! They deserve to be around only the people I approve of. And if that means less friends for me, then that's fine. Of course I want them to be friendly and like everyone....but at this age they are influenced so much. And if parents yell or cuss in front of their children, they are out. If they are into partying, they are out. If they do things that morally I feel are wrong, they are out. There is one friend I have made who I absolutely adore. I only met her 6 months ago, but her and her family have touched my heart and burrowed in! She has 2 children, one is 2 1/2, the other is 6 months and has physical disabilities. That baby has just done things to me I never knew could happen. I joke that I want to steal her:) She is precious and beautiful, but has a very hard road ahead of her. It breaks my heart knowing the things she will soon begin to face. For now she is just joy and smiles and love. But I know things will get hard. beyond hard. I am grateful for this friend...for me and my daughters. Seeing the way she loves and works so hard for her family. I admire her. She has strength beyond belief. I am thankful we met and my children will grow up knowing this inspirational family.
I am not the kind of mom that wants time away from her family. They are my everything. I am selective of who gets time with us. I am protective of their happiness. I consider true friends to be family....so you're stuck for life once I get hooked by you:) And I think it is completely fine to take my time with who I get to know and who I want to know forever:)
I'm sure as I grow more this will change....as my views on friendship seem to be ever evolving and growing. So we will see....but for now this is how I feel:)

Traveling with Baby

The excitement of raising children never ends. Just when you feel like you have a handle on something, a new challenge will arise! I have done my fair share of traveling with baby's and toddlers now, even with them only being 1 and 2 1/2. We have flown from Japan.....a 12 hour flight!...with a 9 month old. I have flown with a 13 month old while 7 months pregnant. By myself. We have flown with a 6 month old and 1 1/2 year old. And we have driven two 3 day long car trips with them. I think that I have learned a lot since that first flight from Japan. Here are a few of my tips.
Snacks. This is obvious and huge. Lots of easy snacks that they like. It is not the time to try something new....unless they are older and it's a new candy or something. And not too messy. You will probably be confined in a small space and who wants food spilling or sticky fingers! So keep it simple....gold fish, cheerios, fruit snacks, ritz crackers, string cheese.
Toy Bag. I like to give the kids their own bags filled with things specific for them. For the older child I put a change of clothes, favorite blanket, lots of small toys and books, and a couple new toys, and her snacks. When we first started traveling with the youngest it was just a diaper bag with the essentials. Now she gets a bag of fun stuff too:)
Relax. As most parents figure out very quickly....nothing goes according to plan. If you just expect things to happen it makes it easier. You will probably have to change a few diapers on the ridiculously tiny changing tables in the already tiny bathroom on the plane. Or on your lap if you luck out like I have and they don't have a changing table. Expect diaper blow outs so bring a few extra outfits. Bring bibs even if they children no longer wear them at home. Just expect things to take longer and be complicated, that way you don't get stressed when they do.
Going through security. Doing that with children is an ordeal people without children don't understand. The worst time for me was when I flew while pregnant. I had my 13 month old in the stroller....which thankfully you can check at the gate!....and I had to get my bag up on the scanner thing, get her out of the stroller and try to keep her with me, take off my shoes, fold the stroller and get it up on the belt, then walk through. All while gigantically pregnant!! Then reload all of it while not having the baby run off! I was ready for a drink after that lol! But being pregnant I had to wait for that ha ha! When we flew with both daughters it wasn't so bad because my husband was with me. He took the oldest in the stroller and dealt with that. I had the baby in our Ergo. I took her out and took that off to go through the scanner. Of course after I got through they told me I could have left it on with her in it! Would've been nice to know before hand! I have so many stressful stories....but honestly we have learned from each. The sweetest thing was when I was flying alone and pregnant, my daughter started getting antsy. A sweet lady sitting across the aisle offered her a banana. And it made her day!! She was instantly calm and happy:) I wear comfortable clothes and expect to have a sweat after any travel with kids, but planning ahead makes all the difference.

Gifts for him

Hubby's birthday is next Friday....and I still have no idea what I'm getting him!! I have a few things floating around in my head, but I need to get out to stores and actually look around. I always have a hard time getting him gifts. It's not that he's picky or anything, it's just that I put so much pressure on myself to find the perfect thing. I am sure I'm not the only one who does this! I want his day to be perfect....even when he tells me he wants nothing and he doesn't care about his birthday:) I want the house clean. I want myself and the girls to look pretty for him. I want to make him a yummy cake....even though he rarely eats sweets. I want him to open his gift and think it's the best thing ever. I remember the first gift I got him was when we had been dating about 4 months. I got him tickets to see a Seahawks preseason game in San Diego. He told everyone that it was the best gift he's ever received. lol...now I have to live up to that!! I want to be thoughtful, not just get something he may want or need at the time. I'm thinking a stereo for the kitchen. We don't have one, so when we play music it's always just from our iphones. And he loves music!! Now that I've written that, I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to go with. ha ha....who knew writing things down would make them so obvious:) Here are a few other things I have considered:)

Clothing storage

I am in need of places to put clothes and shoes! ha ha...what girl isn't right? I have 2 daughters and my husband....and no dressers. We have the closets and some of those hanging clothes bins. I have a vanity that has a few huge drawers, 2 of which I use for socks. My daughters have a rolling organizer thing that was originally used to hold all the baby essentials, now it holds pants and pjs. 
We clearly need something. So next week we are heading to ikea. I'm considering getting a couple rolling clothing racks, plus maybe a dresser or 2. I like the idea of painting anything to make it look stylish and new. I'm also gonna pick up a rug for the girls room and to go under the play table. I'll most likely be stopping by goodwill tomorrow to check out the furniture. That is always my first choice for furniture! I love getting something old and fixing it up with a little paint and maybe new hardware:) I can't wait to get started! I've been posting ideas over on my pinterest!

Painted bright with new hardware

Clothing rack for purses 

Old dresser-take out drawers and put baskets

Hair

I am long overdue for a new hairstyle! It is completely embarrassing to admit.....but.....I haven't cut my hair in 2 years!!!! shhh! There are many reasons for that; moving from Japan, hubby leaving for 8 months, having a baby by myself, moving again, and no time! When it's just me home with the 2 girls all day, when would I go get my hair cut??!! Well, enough excuses! So now I'm just trying to decide what to do. I always think I want bangs, but they end up being so much work! Ha ha when I can't even get a haircut for 2 years I don't think I can deal with bangs every day! So more then likely those are out. I do love that my hair is longer now....it is too long though. But I always see short cuts that I think are cute. Every time I cut my hair short though, I just want it to be long again. And is there really much special or unique about long hair? I can get layers....that's about as far as the excitement goes. With short hair there are so many options! And then the color. Do I just want highlights? all over color....and what color??! or just leave it alone for a while? I'm gonna make an appointment for next week....hubby is taking off work so I can just leave the girls with him. But now to decide what to do!!
Long red hair
long blonde hair
Medium red hair
really blonde
Brown

Why we work

So I saw this on a few other blogs....and I wanted to join in:)
We work because we make each other laugh. He is honestly the funniest man I have ever met. He has me in tears laughing almost daily. We joke and poke fun at each other. For us, laughter is a huge part of our relationship.
We work because he is sexy. I don't really need to explain that. When I see him, I think in my head "wow he looks good!".
We work because he accepts me. He loves me for all my faults, not despite them. He has deployed for 8 months before and some of the biggest things we miss about each other are the things that drive us crazy! I miss the empty milk cartons and socks all over the house. The way he shakes his legs when he falls asleep. Those are the things that matter to us.
We work because we love family. Our children mean the absolute world to us. We want to be the best parents we can for them. Our life revolves around them. And we are both happy with that. This is what we want....to not just be him and I, but all of us. Our family as a unit is the most important to us.
We work because of the way you love our daughters. That just melts my heart. Seeing you with them is the cutest, sweetest thing. I know what a good example of love you are setting for them. They see how you love me and they are learning what to look for. They see how you love them and they know what to expect.
We work because we try. We both make an effort to let the other know they are appreciated. To let the other know they are adored. To let the other know they are loved.
We work because we are best friends. We wouldn't have made it through 8 months of a deployment if we weren't best friends. Being lovers wouldn't have been enough to be apart so long. We had to communicate like never before. We had to make each other laugh to get through the hard times. We couldn't offer each other a hug or kiss....we only had our communication. He is my best friend.

Happy Valentine's Day my love<3

Valentine Favorites

I have never been to into Valentine's Day. Growing up my parents and grandparents got us chocolates and card. I had fun in my teenage years wondering if I would have a Valentine and what they would get me. But since being an adult it just doesn't really matter much. I always have fun dressing up and maybe having an extra special dinner with my hubby, but nothing special. We love each other every day:) We do our best to show each other that love every day;) I don't ever expect anything from him....although I'm a girl so I certainly don't mind ha ha! Now that our girls are getting older, Valentine's day has more meaning to me again. I want to dress them up in pink and red and hearts! We do crafts around the house to decorate every room with love:) We have some fun little things planned for tomorrow. Sadly I have to work so we won't be spending all evening together. During the day I'll take the girls out and treat them to lunch out:) Daddy is going to have a fun heart shaped dinner with the girls:) Now that we have the little loves we just want to spoil them with love!! I'm trying to figure out how to add pins from pinterest....so for now you just get a picture of my little loves and I:)

My favorites!!

 

A small collection of some of the most special gifts I have ever received. All hold such special memories and meaning to me.