Get back on track.

Wow.
I can't believe it's been a full month since I last posted. SO MUCH has happened since I last updated. I will go more in-depth throughout the week but here's a quick recap:

Hubby came home from TDY number one. The next day we celebrated Jonah's 8th birthday with a great party at the hockey rink. Day after that we headed down to Dallas for our only family vacation this year- a tour of Cowboys Stadium and an overnight stay at Great Wolf Lodge. Expensive, but so much fun! Pictures to follow soon!

Hubby left again about a week later and was gone for 5 days. In that time we realized that Jonah's minor twitches that he'd been having were getting much more severe. I ended up taking him into the ER fearing he was having a seizure. We were given a preliminary diagnosis of Tourette's Syndrome and have an appointment in April with a pediatric neurologist.

Hubby got back about a week and a half ago from TDY number 2 and things have slowed down some. We're getting back into somewhat of a normal routine (which will fly out the window come 25 March when he leaves, yet again, for another two weeks).

Oh, and we also found out last week that four days after hubby gets back from his third TDY, we are being moved into another home on base so that our current home can get remodeled. Pain in the hiney: yes. But a very welcome one! Our current house is around 60 years old and I honestly don't know how it's survived the winds we have here in Oklahoma. We have had nothing but headaches and problems since we moved in last year. Our new house was built in '09 and has a TON more square footage than our current place. Noah is thrilled because our backyard in the new house will back up to the yard of his best friend. And we also realized that one of Sophia's buddies from school lives on the same street so she'll have a friend right away too. (I also really like his momma so I'm relieved as well, since I'm not a huge fan of most of the neighbors we have now).

So that's where we're at right now. Lots to take in and deal with, but we're doing it. I promise to come back and add recipes on Mondays (I've got a load of goodies tried out from Pinterest!), upload pics from Dallas and our upcoming trip to Nashville, and keep you up-to-date with Jonah's diagnosis once we've seen the Neuro.

Almost Done with One

We are finally close to the end of the hubby's first training. One week from today and he'll be back home. For about a week. Then we'll have to say goodbye again for training numero dos.
Of course my emotions are all over the place. I'm excited and have butterflies in my stomach because we haven't seen him since 8 January...which by next Friday will be two days shy of 6 weeks. I'm so happy that my kids get their daddy back and that I get my hubby back (wink wink). But knowing that we only have him home for eight days before he has to leave again sucks. And I also have the nagging thoughts in the back of my mind that every TDY that passes is bringing us that much closer to the big goodbye in May- his deployment. God only knows how much we're dreading that one.
This will be his first deployment in 6 years. Yep...you read that right. We are so SO blessed and I don't let that fact escape me. We've been able to have Daddy home for all the big events for six years now and we got very used to that. And that fact makes this deployment that much harder. Last time hubby was deployed, Noah was 4, Jonah was almost 2 and Sophia wasn't even a glimmer in our eye. Now we have a 10 year old, an 8 year old, and a 4 year old Daddy's girl. The boys are older and more aware of what's going on in the world and that their dad's job is a dangerous one. And while Sophia doesn't understand it like the boys do, she's still having a hard time wrapping her head around it. Daddy will be deployed over her 5th birthday and to Daddy's little princess, that is the end of the world. We're planning to have a late birthday party for Jonah (who just celebrated his birthday last week, but Dad was away) and an early birthday party for Sophia in May before hubby deploys. Unfortunately he'll also miss Noah's birthday in October. We're still working out something super special for him.
The hubby and I are trying to come up with ways to make the deployment easier for them. I found an Etsy seller (Carly's Homefront) that makes photo pillows for military families. All we have to do is purchase the pillow ($10 each) and email her a picture of hubby in his uniform and she will make a Daddy pillow. This is going to be a HUGE help for the kids. Every night they'll be able to hug "Daddy" and see his face. Talk about reassurance for little minds. We also decided to get the kids each their own Survival Bracelet. These are all over the place now and I've seen many a military member wearing them since I've became a military wife almost 11 years ago. They're a simple strand of paracord woven into a bracelet, but with one strategic pull they come apart and the paracord is available for use. Now of course I don't intend to have my kids in any type of situation that will warrant the pulling apart of the bracelet, but we thought it would be a good tool to help them "survive" the deployment. Any time they look at the cord on their wrist they'll remember that they're just as strong as their daddy and they'll get through this too. And earlier this week I recieved an email from MyAirForceLife.com and it had this link to a new website developed for kids whose parents are deployed. It's called Military Kids Connect. There are all kinds of resources for kids (ages 6-17) and parents too. I signed the boys up for it and will definitely make it a regular computer-time stop for them.
And then there's trying to help us stay connected with each other. We'll write letters and emails and I'll mail him care packages. We'll have some chances to Skype and email and talk on the phone, but they will most likely be few and far between due to the nature of the hubby's job. I cannot go into detail but basically he won't have access to computers/phones/etc much of his deployment. While he's been away at training we have decided to "challenge" each other. We're doing a monthly challenge up until he deploys, where we each set a health/fitness goal for ourselves, and if we meet the goals, we reward ourselves at the end of the month with something we've been wanting to do, but haven't justified spending money on. Then, when he gets deployed we are going to set a long-term goal for ourselves, and keep each other accountable with emails/phone calls as often as possible throughout the 6-9 mos he's away. If we can achieve the "Big Goal", we will have a bigger, joint reward upon his return. We haven't nailed it down yet but we're thinking that a weekend away just the two of us will be just what we'll be needing after almost a year apart.
It's not going to be a piece of cake, and I'm sure I'm going to complain and be pissed at the military at least once while he's gone, but I will do the very best I can to be a supportive wife and a good mom (and dad) to our children back here at home. Because really, the best thing I can do for him is to keep the homefires burning and assure him that we will be okay.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Pizza Dip

This is another one from Pinterest.com that I saw and HAD to try. Some friends came over to watch the Super Bowl last night so I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to test it out. It was such a huge hit that I didn't even get a chance to take a picture before the dish was empty! It's DEFINITELY going to be a regular appetizer at our get togethers from now on!

Here's what you need:
4 oz cream cheese, at room temp
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated mozzarella (I used very finely shredded mozzarella and it worked just fine)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
additional 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
additional 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
pizza toppings of your choice (we used pepperoni, but my kids told me that it'd taste good with ham & pineapple for a Hawaiian chip dip too)

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, mozzarella and Parmesan together and spread it as evenly as possible on the bottom of a baking dish/pie plate.
2. Spread the pizza sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Top with your favorite pizza toppings.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot.

Make a Wish!

He's Eight.

My little man turns eight today. I found some old picture of him last week and it made me laugh and want to cry all at the same time. I can't believe it's been EIGHT years since he came into our lives. He's a handful to be sure, but he is just so goofy that we can't stay mad at him for too long.
He got a surprise before-school phone call from Dad (who is still away for pre-deployment training) and I think that was better than any present he could open. The smile on his face when he heard his voice was the best I've seen in awhile.
I sent him off to school with some cupcakes to share and then after school and his big brother's volleyball game, we're going to come home and celebrate with pizza and ice cream cake.
We are so blessed to have this crazy, passionate, and goofy boy in our family! We love you Jonah-man!
~Love Momma, Daddy, Noah & Sophia

Gotta get in shape!

So with my sister's wedding just about 6 months away, I have decided that I need to get in shape. I'm not overweight or anything like that, I'm just not a fan of exercise and therefore not "fit". I eat a butt-ton of junk food but I apparently have a high metabolism because I don't gain alot of weight from it. This makes my husband (and quite frankly all my female friends) pretty batty. But when I thought about turning 30 next month and then having to wear a knee length, strapless bridesmaid dress next to six other bridesmaids who would all be in their 20's, I came to the stark realization that I need to try to nix the batwings and flabby thighs. I'm starting out SLOOOOOW since I've never had a regular exercise routine. I'm far from in shape so regular push ups are out, but I really wanted to get some tone to my arms, so I started doing wall pushups. Which, by the way, my almost-8-year-old saw me doing this morning and informed me "Momma, you're a cheater! That's NOT how you do pushups." Then he proceeded to to about 20 man pushups without missing a beat. Brat. Anyway, I do 25 of them every morning and again every evening. I do 5 sets of 10 lunges per leg throughout the day, and I also 25 calf-raises (no weights) and 25 cross body crunches (standing not lying down) in the morning and again at night.
I have been at it for a little over a week and I haven't keeled over yet. I never believed people when they said exercising gives you energy, but I do now! I am not as dog-tired at the end of the day like I used to be, and I can definitely feel that my quads and my calves are getting worked. I have a bunch of exercises pinned on Pinterest for my booty and my abs that I plan on slowing integrating in next week.
I don't necessarily want to loose any weight, just tone up. I'm hoping that by the time July rolls around I'll have some dang-good looking arms and legs for a 30 year old bridesmaid!
If you have any weight/machine-free ideas for me that have worked for you PLEASE let me know!

Mmmm Mmmm Mon....errr...I mean Tuesday: Tortellini Spinach Bake with Creamy Lemon Sauce

Okay so I'm a dork. I was all thrown off this weekend because yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the kids were off school, so my brain told me it was Sunday. Hence the lack of a Mmmm Mmmm Monday post.

I'm hoping y'all will forgive me for the day delay when you try this deee-licious recipe. Seriously...it's THAT good. When I was cooking it my mouth was salivating like you wouldn't believe. I took a bite before I stuck it in the oven, which turned out to be pure torture while I waited for it to be done...it was just fantastic! (Which explains why the photo was taken after I had already started dishing it up...I couldn't wait to wolf it down!)

It's another one I found over on Pinterest and it is orignally from the Our Best Bites website.

So without further ado, here's what you need for Tortellini Spinach Bake with Creamy Lemon Sauce!

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortellini (they're in the dry pasta aisle)

4 oz back or pancetta (about 4 strips of bacon)

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 Tbsp flour

2 Cups milk

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 and 1/2 tsp dry basil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 medium lemon

2 Cups loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped

3/4 Cups grated mozzarella cheese

3/4 Cups grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350*. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet over med-high heat on the stove. Cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set on paper towels to drain. Reserve 2 Tbsp bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with a whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil & red pepper and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, zest about 2 tsp of your lemon over the sauce. Then cut the lemon in half and remove the juice. Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice to the sauce. Continue to stir until thickened, about 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and put back in pot. Reserve 1 Tbsp of cooked bacon and add the rest (crumbled) to the pasta. Add spinach, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Add the sauce and stir gently to combine. Place pasta & sauce mixture into an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and the remaining crumbled pieces of bacon.

Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and back an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese on top is melted and the pasta is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before serving.