Lilly Update and Colorado

Thank you all for you thoughts and concerns for Lilly. We went ahead and gave her some chicken and rice with the advice from my dad and friend Heather. With that, and the constant changing of her water dish and making sure she stays hydrated, she seems to be getting better. She slept in our room last night, and we only had to get up and let her outside once. The doctors offices aren't opened yet this morning, but we'll hopefully get her seen sometime this afternoon.

Picking flowers for her mommy!


The Trolley (or Choo-Choo!) downtown Trinidad that we went for a ride on

Aaaaahhhhhh, Colorado! What a beautiful state it is! My parents live on ranch 2 hours outside of Colorado Springs in Trinidad, Colorado. Their home is beautiful, quite, and full of wildlife. Being out there for a week, made me realize how relaxing life can really be. Living in a city is always busy, busy, busy and on the go; out on the ranch, it is the exact opposite. We fished when we wanted to, hiked, rode atv's all over, fed the turkeys, played washers, had parties with old friends, ate yummy antelope, shot nasty cowbirds out of trees, and just enjoyed each others company. Andrew has now decided that he wants to live somewhere like they do, and is researching cheap property all over. The latest is a chunk of land is Bozeman, Montana.
Banging on the bell downtown with Butty!



Running through a hailstrom on an afternoon hike



Salem LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her Poppy (my dad), and constantly asks for him throughout the day. She wouldn't eat her dinner last night, but once I told her it was what Poppy was eating at his house, she immediately started inhaling. We've been trying to get her to say MeeMaw (my stepmom), but Salem has decided to come up with her own name for her..."BUTTY!" Which she pronounces BUTT-EEEEEE! We thought she was saying Buddy, but had dropped the dd's for tt's! They have their own imagination, don't they? The name has definitely stuck because she kept pointing to pictures of her last night and saying "Butty!"
Feeding the turkeys that come by all throughout the day

Practicing her fishing skills before we head out

Daddy teaching her the ropes before she does it on her own

Fishing with her Princess pole that Poppy got for her

Hard to see, but there is a fish on the line! Sshhh....Poppy caught it for her and we kept recasting it and letting her reel it in!

My daddy and my hubby fishing together!

Flirting with mommy over breakfast

Butty, Mommy, Baby Salem and Poppy!

Now, we're trying to get back into the swing of things and looking forward to staying put for the next couple of years. I'm sorry, but with 2 kids, we've decided that we won't be traveling anywhere for a least 3 years or so. It's just too much work. Salem does well on the plane, but it's a team effort keeping her entertained over long periods of time. I can't imagine doing it alone with a 2 year old and a newborn. Instead, we are extending our offer to family and friends to come here whenever their hearts desire!

Thank you dad and Sheryl for such a wonderful vacation! I can't even explain to you in words what an amazing time we had. We appreciate all that you did and all the attention you gave to Salem. She loves and misses her Poppy and Butty!

Kennel Cough

We need help. We picked Lilly up from being boarded for 8 days yesterday, only to find her terribly sick with what we think (and hope) is kennel cough. She's been outside for 24 hours due to the fact that she throws up liquid junk every 30 minutes or so. Did I mention that it is 100 degrees here during the day? The earliest we'll be able to get her into the Vet. would be sometime tomorrow (thanks Memorial Day), and if I could, I would obviously love to give her something to help her out. Do any of you know of a remedy for such a thing? Any info. would be greatly appreciated!

1 bag?????????????????

What is our world coming to? What do the airlines mean when they say you can only check 1 luggage per customer? I get it, but it can't possibly be true. I cannot travel with a lap child and fit everything for 2 GIRLS into one large bag. Sorry, but NO, HELL NO! I guess we won't be traveling via airplanes until the kids get older. I just won't be able to make that work and I'm sure as heck not paying extra fees for extra bags. Before we know it, we'll only be able to travel with a carry-on.

A little ME!!!

I FINALLY see a hint of me inside my sweet, baby luvs! My heart skipped a beat when I came out of the house to see this!



Here, she is getting sassy with her daddy; yep, just like me!!!!!!!!


THAT, my friends, is me all over again! I know, for a fact, hands down, that all members of my family are having major flashbacks at this given moment. I always had to have bling and big shades, even when I was Salem's age. For Mother's Day, we went to Austin to eat at my fav. joint, buy new running shoes, and hit up the local REI. Little did I know that such a place would hold the key to my heart. They had the sunglasses in Salem size that match mine to a T. Who ever would have thought REI of such places? Maybe they are my favorite store! Even better, she LOVES to wear hers just like Mommy! Oooohhhhh....I love it! She even insists on wearing them inside the gym to show off to her friends and caregivers!

Fish out of water

I'm afraid her quest for the 2024 Olympics Games has come to a halt. Her swimming career is in jeopardy. With all this damn ear infections and ruptured eardrums, it's highly likely that spending the entire summer in the pool, won't be happening. She has to follow-up apts. this week. One with her primary care from last weeks infections, and one with her ENT to check on the tubes. We'll see what they both have to say. I'm almost positive that they'll say that she needs to wear earplugs during bath time and whenever she is in any body of water. Oh, what fun!

Here are photos of her last pool outing while we were relaxing at Andrew's parents house before we left Florida. I guess I'll have to find another way to put her 10 bathing suits for the season to use.

South Beach

First off, we are supposed to be in Del Rio at this very given moment to visit Val, Joe, and for HARB's air show; however, wouldn't you know that Andrew has now caught the terrible sickness that's been lingering our family for the past 2 weeks. My poor baby, I hope he doesn't get it as bad as we did.

So, SOUTH BEACH! I LOVED IT! What a place, what a place. I've never seen anything like it in my life. The only way I can describe it (which isn't very good), is Expensive 80's/90's. I came home with only a few pieces of street vendor jewelry because I couldn't afford anything in the stores. How do people survive there? What I want to know is how everyone makes their money. The atmosphere just screams richness and I definitely felt like we stood out like a sore thumb. I saw more ass and boobs than I've ever seen in my life. Women were lying on the beach almost naked all over the place and not a soul seemed to care. I mean, come on, what guy would EVER find that offensive, and what girl has enough guts to confront some half naked hottie (who not to mention looks better than you ever would in dental floss?) I couldn't believe my eyes. Not only was there nakedness, but women were running, RUNNING on the beach in their itsy-bitsy bikinis. How do they do it? They must have to tape their jugs to the inside of their suits. I just couldn't hack such a thing. My boobies would be flying out of my suit and I would have permanent scars in between my butt cheeks from my bottom riding up my ass crack. It just wouldn't be flattering on me and these women actually made it look good. I wonder who their doctor is?




What the heck, I like all 3 photos!

If you're military, $100 bucks buys you a sweet, boutique style, hotel room located right on South Beach. If you're not, it'll cost you $300 or more. We dined at Danny Devito's restaurant the evening we arrived, and OH MY GOD, it was the best food we both probably ever had in our lives! Very, very, expensive, but good! The guy knows his food; well just look him!


The following day we walked around Miami Beach and ran into the owner of Miami Ink. He's HOT! We also ate lunch at one of the many cafes and Andrew ordered a mojito that he couldn't even finish. HE WAS TRASHED! I wish you all could have seen it. They definitely live up to their expectations of being the best place for killer mojitos.


Size does matter! His mojito vs. my alci-free pina colada!

South Beach was a wonderful getaway; which we'd love to go back with friends and when I don't have a bun in the oven!

Valdosta & Friends

On the 3rd day of our trip, we headed up to Georgia to visit some friends who are stationed at Moody. First stop was my girlfriend Angie Gilbert's house. We met while we were TDY there last year for 6 months and instantly became friends. She has a daughter, Abigail, who is 4 months older than Salem. Angie and I got to talking when we first met, and we had actually bought our house (in Texas), just 5 minutes away from where they were going to build here (long story....her husband is a Southwest pilot and also does a reserve unit that is now stationed in San Antonio; so, they were going to move to NB). I wish they didn't change their mind because we would have LOVED to have had them as neighbors!

After Salem and I spent some time with them, we headed over to, who other, than the OTT's place!!!! I LOVE Kelly and also wish she lived in my backyard! It was so, so, good to see them and baby Brady boy (a.k.a. "Salmon Slayer"). This was THE night when all hell broke loose and Salem and I both started getting sick. There were other people we wish we could have seen, but we had to shift our plans around when the illnesses kicked into high gear. The guys enjoyed themselves by staying up until 2AM drinking and playing poker. This was also a Monday night and all the other guys still had to get up the next morning and roll into work. At least none of them were flying that day! Thank you Kelly, Glenn, and Brady for your hospitality and shifting your schedules/plans around for us. We're all hoping to be neighbors again in Anchorage...one of these days!


Salem looks like a cancer patient with her headscarf on her head



Leo, Shredder, Wookie, LOBO, Kelly, and the kids. The "Old Alaska Crew!"

Salem cheated on Knox by taking a bath with another boy. I'm not sure how he'll feel about this; she has yet to confess.

SICK of being SICK

I took Salem to the doctor (again) yesterday because she had ruptured her eardrum (again). Not only that, but she also has a terrible ear infection that has had blood draining out of the ear. You know how it is, all the medication she is on for everything, has also caused her a terrible yeast infection. Life is no fun around here these days.

On top of all of that, I've been so consumed taking care of her ( and the other baby that I had an apt. also for yesterday), that I forgot that I've been sick for a week and a half now. I've been hit with THE WORST sinus infection I have ever had in my life. 3 days into our trip it blind-sided me and I can't get rid of it. Needless to say, today, I'll be spending my morning trying to get into the doctor. I should just pitch a tent outside the front doors of one of the medical facilities (I've been to 3 of them in the San Antonio area in the past 3 days).

The hardest part of it all is taking care of a very sick child when you don't feel well yourself. It is one of those illnesses where if I didn't have a child, I would just curl up in bed and lay there; for almost 2 weeks now. Just when I feel like I'm starting to get better, I get worse. I don't know what to do because I don't feel like doing anything.

The other baby is doing well and I got to hear the heartbeat. The doctors want to change my due date and I won't let them (at least at this given time). My last ultrasound shows that the baby measures 6 days behind. HOLY COW, 6 days??????? I measured 5 WEEKS behind the entire time with Salem. It's genetic. Some people have large babies and some have small. My entire family, to include myself, were all very small at birth. So, my due date in now on Thanksgiving Day. I wonder if they'll be cooking up a turkey dinner for me that night while I'm in labor?

Magic Kingdom

We ventured out and attempted to take Salem to Magic Kingdom. I say attempted because 3 rides, 1 tree house, and $152 bucks later, the experience was over. We went on a Sunday (first mistake) because Disney's website says that it is one of the least crowded days; but after seeing the lines at 90+ minute waits, I call major BS! I guess I set my expectations to high on how well I thought she would do at this age. She did exceptionally well, but when nap time rolled around and it was scorching hot outside, it was downhill from there. So, Grammy and Papa took her home and Andrew and I stayed, went shopping, and had dinner at Boma's inside Animal Kingdom, which was amazing! I know have found a new love with South African food. My palate had never tasted anything so good!


Andrew had to take a walk after dinner becuase he ate tooooo much food and thought he was going to get sick!

Salem rides included: It's A Small World, Flying Dumbo (with Daddy), and Snow White's Scary Adventure. We did Snow White's Scary Adventure because there was NO wait time for it. She did fine with it at this age, but a few months from now, I know we wouldn't have been able to get away with it (the scary Snow White ride). Katie, I don't think it's a ride Becca would enjoy! She would want nothing to do with Snow White ever again!








I'll post more of our adventures tomorrow!