Twitter

I've added another widget to my sidebar. It is from a site called Twitter. Throughout the day I can log in and give a short update on what I'm doing, and post it to the site. I've embedded it into our family blog so it will show my last five updates. Not everything we do in a day deserves a blog post, but I think I'll try to update my Twitter status anyway, and then you can see what our day is like when we don't have something worth blogging about.

I got an email from Ben this morning that said he got an email from his branch manager that said they are finalizing the list of what everyone is getting for orders. I feel like I've been saying "in a few weeks" for a really long time now, so I'm not going to guess how much longer it will be before we find out if we got Germany for sure. I tend to not believe it (as excited as I may be about it) until he actually has orders.

Tonight we're supposed to go to Katrina's house for dinner and to hang out with our friends. Tomorrow I've been invited to a candle party and I have nothing planned so far for Sunday. At the OWC luncheon last week I won a free KinderMusic session. They hold classes on Friday and Saturday mornings, so I just need to call and see about redeeming my win. I think Lauren would really enjoy it, she LOVES her dance class and it would be nice for her to have something to do on another day each week. Of course, if the weather ever cools off for the fall and winter, we'll do more trips to the zoo and the park.

Last night I was very excited to get to watch two of my favorite shows return for the season. I love The Office and Grey's Anatomy, although, Grey's is starting to lose me. But The Office was hilarious as ever and I am looking forward to this season so much! Desperate Housewives starts Sunday and Chuck returns next Monday... and then I'm set until Lost returns in January. (Yet another reason I can't wait for January to get here!!)

Trip to the Salon

Yesterday Lauren got her first haircut. We went to the
Regis salon in the Killeen mall. Her hair wasn't really that
long, but it was looking a little bit scraggly at the ends, so we just wanted to even out the bottom a little bit. Lauren did really well. Her favorite part was getting her hair washed. She just laid back and relaxed and closed her eyes and even had a little smile come over her face a few times. She did pretty well during the cut, but she got a little bit restless near the end and wouldn't sit still or look where we wanted her to, but it was basically all done, so we just finished up. She talked about getting a haircut for the rest of the day. She woke up this morning, in fact, asking if she was going to get her hair cut again. :)

Enchanted Tutus

There's a local organization called Operation Sea of Support that is doing a project called Enchanted Tutus. I've gone to a couple fundraising nights at local restaurants and they sent out this email today. I wanted to get it out there for as many people to read as I can get. Here's their press release:

Enchanted Tutu Announces Operation Sea of Support to Show Support for United States Service Members
Killeen, TX July 10, 2008 - Enchanted Tutu has initiated a campaign to provide a Yellow Ribbon Tutu free of charge to each daughter of every Service Member returning from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Enchanted Tutu has initiated a campaign which will provide a Yellow Ribbon Tutus to each daughter of every Service Member returning from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. This project is made possible through donations and sponsorships from area businesses and local volunteers. The hand made tutus will be produced and issued shortly before the designated Unit returns home, at which time the daughters will be wearing the tutus to welcome home their loved ones. The purpose is to provide a stunning and moving visual show of support for our returning troops. Each tutu will be made from yellow tulle, and will be complemented by the famed Yellow Awareness Ribbon. Jessica Levy of Bows 4 Maddie has partnered with Enchanted Tutu to offer a matching Yellow hair bow for every tutu. The tutus are available to the public and those not participating in Operation Sea of Support online at www.enchantedtutu.com or by phone order at (254) 541-9151, and are priced at $40.00 each. 40% of the proceeds from the retail sale of the Yellow Ribbon Tutu is donated directly to The Yellow Ribbon Fund, which is an organization that aids injured service members upon their return home.
For additional information on Operation Sea of Support, contact Stephen or Brandy Runyan at (254) 624-9000 or (254) 541-9151, go to www.enchantedtutu.com, or email SOS@enchantedtutu.com or Toni Palmer (Fort Hood) at (254)285-7794 or (502)710-1312 or email www.toni@enchantedtutu.com 48408-1 Craig Dr, Ft. Hood ,Texas 76544
Enchanted Tutu, established in 2007, provides custom tutu manufacturing services and is affiliated with several charitable organizations such as the Breast Impressions, Inc, The ASPCA, The Child Abuse Prevention and The Yellow Ribbon Fund among others.

Hurricanes bring lots of rain

...but not to us.  I thought we would get lots of rain and lots of wind, but we didn't get either one.  We got about 10 minutes of rain and the winds weren't very strong.  But that's nothing to complain about.  And for the next 10 days on the forecast, the temperature is in the 80s, so that's a nice break for us.  I'm thinking maybe on Thursday I'll get a chance to take Lauren up to the zoo in Waco again.

This weekend we didn't do anything.  I've been watching my friend's son today and we watched him yesterday.  She's studying for a big exam she'll take on Thursday, so she just needed a couple hours today and yesterday to read in peace.

Ben is doing well.  If you are looking for ideas for his birthday present, get him a gift certificate to Amazon.com.  He has his eye on a new GPS system and so gift certificates are all that he is asking for.

On Friday, Lauren was climbing in the living room and she fell.  She scraped up the underside of her nose, it's starting to scab over.  It looks awful.  She just said that her face "bounced" on the couch, but she can't tell me really anything else.  I think it will heal just fine if I can get her to stop picking at it.  I think it's starting to itch.

I am working on going to Albuquerque for the start of the Balloon Fiesta.  If I get out there, it will be October 1-6.

Nothing New

Not too much has been happening here. We've been keeping busy with our friends. Lauren has her dance class every Tuesday and does really well. My friend has been hosting dinner at her house one or two nights a week and we get together for game nights, too.

Rachelle started her new job. Her first day with the students was Tuesday. I know she was excited about it, I'm still waiting to talk to her to see how it went.

I wish I had something new to report, but I don't. We're still waiting to hear about orders and when Ben will be coming home.

Game Night

Since last week, we've kept busy.  On Thursday I had my OB checkup.  Everything is fine, I go back again in 4 weeks.  On Friday there was a fundraiser at Fuddrucker's for Operation Sea of Support.  OSS provides yellow tutus for the daughters of soldiers for the homecoming.  All day Friday, 10% of the receipts turned in went to OSS.  We went in the evening with 3 of our friends and their kids.  Saturday we went to Katrina's house for a late lunch/early dinner and ended up hanging out until about 9.  Sunday Lauren and I went with Katherine and Ethan to try a church.  The service was good, the church was beautiful, and Lauren really enjoyed the play room.  On Monday morning she asked, "more church?"

We took Monday easy.  Katherine and Ethan came over and she and I decided that we'd cook this week, taking turns, and invite our friends over.  We planned out a menu for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Tuesday was Lauren's dance class again.  We got there early and she took my hand and showed me around her classrooms.  There's one class that is just a large empty room with one mirrored wall.  The other room has a mat covering the floor that's kind of squishy.  There's a trampoline with a bar to hold on to, an inclined tumbling mat, a balance beam that sits on the floor, about an inch high and maybe 3 inches wide, and a long Thomas the Tank Engine tent/tunnel thing that they crawl through.  Lauren had been talking about Thomas ever since last week and I had no idea what she was talking about.  It was nice to get to see the room.  She did well again and got two more unicorn stamps.  She was very cute in her leotard and skirt.

Tuesday night dinner was at my house.  I made a big pot of spaghetti and two sauces, a large salad and garlic bread.  I had 4 of my friends over and their 7 kids.  It was a full house, but lots of fun.  The 3 bigger kids ended up playing Wii in the other room while the other 5 played here in the living room with us.  Katrina and Amy ended up staying late and watching "Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day" with me.  It was a really cute movie.

Last night we went to Katherine's house for dinner.  One less adult and child than was at my house, but still a full house.  We ate and then played Pictionary for a while.  At 9:30 we decided to call it a night.  Tonight again we're going to Katherine's house and we'll have more game options.  I'm bringing Taboo and Apples to Apples and Katherine is replenishing her play-doh supply for Cranium.  I'm looking forward to it.

I'm ordering the Nikon D60 this week.  I can't wait to get it!  I should have a lot more pictures to share when I have a better camera with a quicker response time.  It gets so frustrating with my little camera when I press the button and 5 seconds go by before it takes.  A lot happens with a toddler in 5 seconds, and it can make a big difference in the picture.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Mia!

First Dance Class

Lauren had her first dance class yesterday. I got her all dressed up in her leotard with the tutu and some shiny silver shoes with her hair pulled back. She looked adorable!

We got to the class and I was ready with camera in hand. I was a little afraid I'd look like a crazy stage mother having her all dressed up, but all but one of the other little girls were dressed up in leotards too. They were all so cute!

There we were, waiting for class to start, and the instructors came out to get the girls, and they walked into the dance room and shut the door. I was so bummed! I didn't get to watch it at all! But I guess the kids don't listen as well and get distracted when their parents are in the room, so there's a method to it all. The class was 30 minutes long and I sat in the waiting room with the other moms. When they came out she showed off a unicorn stamp on each hand and a gummy bear. They said she was shy for about the first five minutes, but then she participated. As soon as we walked outside to the car she started asking for "more dance class!" I think she really enjoyed it. Then this morning when we woke up she said, "Good morning, Mommy. Dance class?" I guess a week is a long time to wait when you're two.

Here's a picture from the pool on August 1st. She does well, but it's been SO hot, I haven't wanted to go back yet. Hopefully it will cool off so we can go a few more times before it closes. (If you click on any of the pictures in this blog, you'll be able to see it much larger.)

This Saturday I'll be 20 weeks pregnant... officially halfway! I'm excited to meet this little girl who kicks me all night long. I feel like I'm counting down until November. Once we hit Thanksgiving, hopefully Christmas, New Years, her birth and Ben's return will happen really quickly. And a move to Germany! (I'm keeping my fingers crossed!)

I ordered a Bengal's jersey for Lauren today. It's a toddler size and it's pink and white. I'm hoping to get it soon so I can get pictures of her in it to send to Ben before the season gets underway.

Happy Birthday to Carson and Lissa!