Heart Strings

Okay, I don't often blog three times in one week and especially not two days in a row, but there is something that is really tugging at my heart strings tonight. I know several people, acquaintances, if you will, who have recently gone through divorces. These people all have young children. This really has been tugging at my heart tonight. I know that divorce happens, and sometimes, it really is the best choice, but I keep thinking about if my own babies had divorced parents. For those of you married with kids, doesn't that make you sad? I think about having to let them go to "Dad's house" and sharing them for holidays and their birthdays. That makes me really really sad to even have to think about doing something like that. I watch, Teen Mom (I know, I know, but it is fun to watch really awful reality TV sometimes), and every time I see the girls have to say goodbye to their kids for a day or a weekend or whichever, I think what if that were me?

Well, I am so thankful it is not me. I am so thankful for a loving husband. I am thankful that we don't have to share our children and send them to each others' houses. I have realized lately just how lucky I am, and I really have to work on showing how thankful I am more often. It is easy to take for granted all of the good in our lives, and I think that is something that everyone needs to work on!

Too Fast!

I swear it seems like yesterday that Elliot was born, doesn't it? Well, it wasn't! On Friday, she will be six months old! Holy cow! Where in the world did time go? And Emma is going to be two in approximately a month! WHAT! TWO?! I have to admit it makes me rather sad thinking about my babies growing up. They are becoming so much fun though, really. Especially Emma since she speaks lots and lots of full sentences now! That girl is a firecracker, and on top of that, she is HILARIOUS! Seriously, I am not just saying that because she's my kid. Anyway, no news to report this time, but I wanted to share a few recent pictures. :)

Turkey Day!

Hey Y'all! (Ahh! It's so refreshing to say that, seriously! It brings me back to my home for a split second.) Anyway, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and boy have I been busy today! Everything is ready for tomorrow, even the girls outfits, though, so that is what counts! Tomorrow is the third Thanksgiving that we will be in California for, which means the third Thanksgiving that I haven't gotten to spend at "home" with my wonderful family. It makes me sad, but I am also happy to know that we have good friends here to celebrate the holidays with.

Even more exciting than tomorrow being Thanksgiving is that Friday we are going to pick up our tree and decorate it! I am so excited to get everything done this year since Emma is actually old enough to enjoy it finally! I hope she will actually rip all of her presents open and be super excited! My dad is getting her a trampoline, and I just know she will love that! I hope that the weather cooperates on Christmas day so that we will be able to put it together and she can jump on it even if it is freezing outside! Christmas is indeed my favorite time of year, and in the light of Thanksgiving tomorrow, I am so incredibly thankful for the Air Force. While it may be making me spend years thousands of miles away from my real home, it is paying our bills and providing us great benefits, and we are able to afford to give our girls a Christmas! I definitely know that that is not what Christmas is all about, but it really makes my heart happy to be able to give to my girls! :)

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

C'mon people!

Just a little rant! I am not a genius, and I can admit that. I am an intelligent person, though, and the misuse/misspelling/etc. of words and other grammar mistakes DRIVES ME CRAZY! If I am typing something, and I know I cannot spell the word or even question it, I look it up! Here's a little FYI on the words that drive me the most crazy!

THEN means soon after. I.e. I went shopping, and then I went home.
THAN is a word used after comparative adjectives and adverbs. I.e. She is shorter than I am.

YOUR is possessive. I.e. That is your ball.
YOU'RE means you are. I.e. You're the star of the show!

TO is a preposition. I.e. I am going to the store.
TOO means also. I.e. I am going too!

THERE means in or at a place. I.e. I am going to be there too.
THEIR is possesive. I.e. That is their house.
THEY'RE is a contraction for They are. I.e. They are having a party.

Oh and DEFINITELY is spelled that way <<< There is no A! :)

I feel better now!

Just say NO!

Here lately, I have been looking at my to do list and feeling ultra overwhelmed. Some days, I stay up until 1 or 2 in the morning just to get my homework done because I have had a constant list of things to do all day. Obviously this is not ideal since Elliot is waking up around 3 or 4 to eat, and then we're up for the day around 7 or 730. I know that I need to get more sleep in order to be a healthier person, and in order for that to happen, I really need to learn to say no every now and then.

I constantly put more and more projects on my plate knowing that it will make me up that much later at night, but I have the hardest time saying no! I am trying to lose about 15 pounds, and I know that sleep is a huge part of losing weight, and I definitely do not get enough of it with all of my projects floating around! I have to really start focusing on the end goal I have in mind and that is to get back to where I was in high school as far as weight goes. It kinds of sickens me to think that I am 15 pounds heavier than I was then, but let's face it. I had two babies within 17 months of each other, and Elliot is only 4 months old. I have to stop being so hard on myself about the way I look, but at the same time, I need to start really focusing on myself. At my current weight, I am a size 10, which really isn't bad at all, but I want to be back between a 6 and 8, which is where I was at my thinnest. I don't want to be any smaller than that because I would look sickly at 5'10 and as big boned as I am!

So, here's to a healthier me, learning to say no so that I can get more sleep, and a deep focus on losing weight. I have said several times now that I am going to get serious about losing weight, but I really need to be serious! 15 pounds is not that much, and I CAN do it! If you have any secrets, fill me in! :) And no diet pills! I am breastfeeding!

Now, Now!

Hey y'all! It's nearing midnight as I type this post, but I haven't updated in so long, I felt it was time! I have told myself for the last two weeks every day that I would go to bed at 1030, but that is just impossible if I want some time for myself. We put the girls to bed by 830, but after that, I have to pick up toys, the girls clothes, start some laundry, and most importantly my homework. Ick. Homework. Okay I am really stoked about being back in school because school really is important to me! However, In the second semester of my Junior year now, the classes are getting a lot more thorough! I enjoy that, but I really don't have time to write an 8 page paper every week, like my marriage and family class is requiring. I WILL survive. It's just getting to that point. ;)

In other news, it's election season, and all the crazies are coming out of the wood works! Seriously people, we are all entitled to our own opinions. That's what my husband and his co-workers, my friend's husbands, and even some of my friends fight for, now isn't it? Trust me, the military life isn't all glamour, so we better get something out of putting up with the crap! That something is freedom of speech! I get so sick of people saying "Stop posting your opinion on Facebook." Ummmm, the last I checked, this is still America, and that is THEIR Facebook page they are posting to! If you do not like it, do not read it, or remove them from your friends list! Also, if you are going to try and sound intelligent, PLEASE make sure you can spell the big word you think you are using correctly! I am not big into politics, but I know which of the two candidates that I feel is the lesser of two evils. I say this because I see huge flaws in both candidates. I do not see eye to eye on everything with either. I am just choosing the one who I feel will do the least damage in our current situation! :)

PS: CHECK OUT MY RAINBOW NAILS! Get yours HERE.

What a LONG Weekend!

This weekend was incredibly long and difficult in the Bellinger household! Elliot was ultra fussy all weekend and did not want to sleep at all making for one tired momma! Emma has been her usual spunky self, so no problems from her besides the occasional "mine" fit, which by the way, I STRONGLY dislike that "mine" word. It has become the most frequent word that she uses lately besides Sammy, of course. She really loves our little dog Sammy, and he usually always loves her! Thankfully!

Some good that came out of this super stressful weekend: I finally got the paint to refinish my kitchen table and chairs! Okay, don't be alarmed, but I am painting the table lime green and the chairs turquoise! I know, I know, FUNKY! But that is exactly what I am going for! :) Also, Aaron did some modifications to his motorcycle that were FREE! Yes, I said FREE! I don't usually get the joy out of his "projects" for his vehicles because they usually end up costing as four times as much as the $40 he claimed it would cost, so I am super stoked that he got some things done that he wanted and was able to use things lying around the house!

Another new thing: I started selling Jamberry Nails! Yeah! They are super cool nail shields that you heat and attach to your nails. They can last up to 6 weeks on your toes and 3 weeks on your fingers! Anyway, you can check them out here.

Here lately I have been really struggling with living in California. I know God has plans. I just have to keep reminding myself of that. Our good friends Ashleigh and Chris and their daughter Taylor are back now after Chris's deployment, so I am incredibly thankful to have them back! Ashleigh is one of the only people I'd trust to keep my kiddos, and it's nice to have that. She and Chris are the only couple that Aaron and I both get along with, so that's great as well! But, I still really dislike this place. I keep thinking about this being our third Christmas here, and I can't believe the time is flying that quickly. Hopefully the remainder of our time here (about three years) will go by quickly as well. I keep pressuring Aaron into volunteering to go to Korea for a year, but he really doesn't want to miss his girls for a year, and I really can't blame him. The plus for me would be that I could go home and stay with my grandparents for that time. I would LOVE to do that, but I also wouldn't want Aaron to be in Korea by himself. BUT we could save over $10k while he was gone. Oh, the pros and cons with everything in the military life. I wish there was just some manual that came with this lifestyle that says what to do if.... Ultimately the decision is up to him, of course, but if it were me, I would just volunteer and see what happens. It wouldn't be guaranteed that he would get it, but there is a good possibility. Another pro: we would be stationed somewhere else once he got back!