The NEw Blog

Has been made private. I worry about people reading it who have no business knowing what is going on in our lives. And I don't mean "the general public"
if you are interested in following our lives, let me know. I will need you to send me a message with your email so I can send you an invite to the blog.
For the most part, I know who my "faithful" readers have been....
So, random people... sorry. Let me know.

you can find me...

everyday.... over here.....

EVERY.... DAY....

Hope you come and follow our journey for the time Chris is away..... it's going to be a long, long year....

Whats up?

Well... Wow.
I have not posted in EONS.
Anyways.
We are in Florida.
We made it here in the beginning of July and we are now at the point where Chris will be heading out to Diego Garcia.
We have been trying to make the best of our time together which is extremely limited now!
We have about 365+ days until he comes home!
We do not know a date but it should be in August next year some time.
We had major issues with the move.
Everything has finally made it to our house but it could have been a complete disaster.
I do not like the grass in Florida.
I also do not like the hornets/wasps what ever they are.
I hate biting ants.
Wolf spiders are able to keep you awake for hours once you spot one two in your home within minutes of each other.
Something bit Chris when we were swimming at the beach.
It is HOT.
I won't complain.
It will be hotter where hubby is.
CJ loves the beach. And the Pool. So do the girls.
There is an awesome dog park here.
It isn't all nasty like the one in Groton.
People are nice.
When you see them.
I got the girls in to the school I wanted and not the bad one they were slated to go to because of our address.
The girls are looking forward to their new school.
If CJ can do his business in the can maybe he will go to school too.
Sports are different in Florida.
I have not figured out the rotation.
I miss my CT friends.
Our puppies are all growing up.
I wish I had contact with the owners of all the pups. But I don't.
My kids are getting tan.
CJ is not compliant with haircuts.
I get to move in a year.
To where? We don't know.
Trying not to think about Chief's results which will be coming out soon.
I am going to assume Chris did NOT make it because he has not stomped through the desert.
I think Chris is more than qualified to be a Chief.
But. That is not what they want I guess.
I would love if my assumption was incorrect.
CJ has a lot of toys.
Most will not make the next move with us.
The air force base here is AWESOME.
I think all Air Force bases are better than any navy base.
Stupid Shipyards.
I have water in my ear because of swimming.
I won't complain.
It is nice to have a place to swim.
My dad has not had his surgery for his cancer yet.
They are getting another opinion.
Mom will be getting an ablation or pacemaker or both.
Don't know when.
Loving the new doc for the kiddos.
Can't wait to meet my REAL doctor!
Hoping to resolve some of my ongoing issues.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. We are enjoying ours.
Looking forward to the day I get to see my husband in person again!

Visit with the Crawford's

I guess you could call it our annual trip to New Hampshire to visit the Crawford Family?

Whatever it is, I LOVE it.

It was a bittersweet trip because it is our last trip while we are stationed here in Connecticut.

I am going to miss them terribly even though I know I will have at least daily contact with Ali.

The kids were quick to play with one another this time in comparison to other visits.

Kendyl was so excited with the Silly bands we brought for her from our pit stop on the ride up.

I brought Shawn Alan a T shirt with a submarine on it to match CJ.

How could I not with Yogi, Chris and Tim all being former submariners?

So here is a snippet of our "last" trip to NH *sniff* I have to find the previous pictures of Sydney and Jackson from our other visits. Jackson now TOWERS over Sydney.
Ashley Gray

The baby boys on the swings with their matching Shirts... and Dakota... waiting for the watermelon. How many times did he pee that night Ali?

The awesome 5 year old January 05 Girlies

Deep in conversation

Sydney FREEEZING

Digging Dirt

This boy is gorgeous.... Nearly 3 already. Where does time go?

Shawn Alan... adorable

Jumping Beans!

Until we meet again.... which better be sooner than later. We love you guys.

Visiting with Old Friends

I have limited time left here in Connecticut.

So, if you want to chill with us, you better get your name penciled in!

Our schedule is quite full so ... time is limited... unless of course you are going to Florida in the next year! Then we could meet up down there!

TODAY I was able to meet up with an old and dear friend of mine Kristina and her son Thomas. We have been friends ever since we worked together back in 2002. What a crazy time that was!! We worked with adolescents with many different psychological issues. (and many other things!) We were able to survive somehow! Even though I got pretty banged up by one of the girls one night! Those were the days. Her son Thomas and my baby girl Kiley were supposed to be born 3 months apart. She was due in late October and I was due in Mid January. Well, there were other plans for both of us. She went overdue with Thomas and I had Kiley early... making them 1 month and 9 days apart. Craziness.

We met up at Burger King and then went to a local park to let the kids go crazy! It was nice to catch up and we hope to be able to get together again before we move out of the northeast.

Hope everyone is having a nice memorial day weekend. We are waiting for some storms. Tomorrow I will go to NEW HAMPSHIRE! Excited!

Have to empty my 8 gig memory stick which I FILLED! OMG!

Whatcha Been Up to?

Long time no post... crappy blogger here....

So, things have been super duper crazy around here.

Ashley got the all clear from cardiology from the pain she was having in her chest (probably muscular... softball has started.. so... the chest pain was most likely from that... I tried to tell her that but she thought she was dying)

Sydney does not have Central Auditory Processing Disorder. WOOHOO!

CJ is not allergic to ragweed, trees, pollen, dogs, airborne mold... hmm.. what else. I dont remember. So, just a stubborn stuffy nose from allergens but nothing in particular. Still have to wait and see on the peanuts.

Kiley, well she is Kiley.... still figuring out what we will do for her next year, Kindergarten again or 1st grade.

My dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. He had his bone scan yesterday and will be having a CAT scan next week to determine the path he will be taking to fight it off. Please keep him (and us) in your prayers (this is scary...)

We start packing out of our CT house in 26 days. THAT is scary. It means we are that much closer to the hubby deploying to Diego Garcia and that makes me sad.

We have a lease signed on a home in Florida! YAY! That is one less thing to worry about.

So, that is the QUICK update...

We have been nonstop for a couple of weeks between scouts, medical appointments, softball, and dance and everything else in between. Most days I dont know which way is up.

All the pups have gone to their forever families. I am hoping that the pups train well and none of them end up being shelter dogs and bounced from house to house. I need to let go of my worries and hope for the best for them. (only 2 I am worried about)

I hope you all have a happy and safe and FUN memorial Day weekend!

I am going to visit a super awesome friend in New Hampshire who I will miss dearly even though I only got to pop in about 1 time a year! Maybe she can hitch-hike to see me in Florida! tehhhe! Be on the lookout for super cute pictures!

BAD BLOGGER! The PUPS ARE 5 WEEKS OLD NOW!

If I can't see their ribbon, I still can't tell you who they are! LOL! Well, some of them can be easily picked out of the bunch... but some of the others are so similar it is hard to tell.


They love to eat. And poo and pee. They are noisy. They are not nursing nearly as much. They eat puppy kibble which has been softened. They all have forever homes to go to. They are being loved on and manhandled like crazy around here. They love when they escape to the living room. The whelping box "graduated" twice. It is now in the kitchen where we have all the pups gated off and they can roam around in there. They are pretty good at doing their business on the paper. They love playing with their DAD! He seems to enjoy it just as much. They have fun with their toys and they love to tackle and wrestle each other. When I am in the kitchen they love to bite my ankles. We have a small pup, we have a big pup. We have a fuzzy pup and some medium fuzzy and some that appear much more Labrador. They are great puppies and we will miss them once they are gone but most days we are READY for them to go to their forever families! I tried to get a face shot of all the puppies today for their 5 week birthday but they are much too busy to cooperate with what I want!


Enjoy!

This is Pup #1. He was a 2 colored ribbon because I had not bought enough colors before Rosa had the pups. Now he is "Yellow". His Forever Family is a military family and they have some teenaged children. The names they have been tossing around are "Noah" and "Odin". I am not sure if they have come up with his name yet for sure but last time I talked to them, those were the 2 on the top of the list. Of course their teen children will want some input. He is super cute and comes to the gates wanting attention when he realizes someone is on the other side!

Pup #2 Turquoise. His owner is a single lady who has roomates. They all are eager to bring this guy home with them! Several of her friends have come over when she has visited this little guy. He is going to be a spoiled boy. I LOVE him. He is most like his father in looks. He has a ton of fur and is the biggest of the bunch. He always comes to my feet when I am in the kitchen and is always good for an awesome squishy snuggle. His name the last time I talked to his Mom was possibly going to be "Bobo"
Pup #3 Purple. His forever family has some older children. They had a dog in the past who passed away and they are ready to add a new guy to their family. I do not know if they have any names picked out for this guy because I know his mom will want her kiddos to have some input in to his name. For now... he is "Purple" LOL. He is the most mellow of the bunch. He is also the most stocky. He is so stinking cute. We thought he was going to be one of the smaller ones but he has certainly caught up with the rest!

Pup #4 Green. His forever family will be coming for their first visit tomorrow. They were previously a military family but they are now in the civilian community! I have not met them but Chris has... so... He will be staying here in CT with his forever family. He is a good boy. Not too big and not too small and just the right personality! He has been a funny boy with his antics! But all in good ways!

Pup #5 Blue. This little guy will be with his forever family in New Hampshire! He has a HUGE family from all walks of life who will love on him! He will have a big brother doggie who is a Yellow Labrador. He will have kids who are from 2-20's in ages! And many adults who are just incredible people in so many ways. I can not say enough positive things about his forever family. He will certainly have tons of people to keep him busy!! Or... is it... he will keep all of them busy??? I cant wait to see pics of this guy IN THE SNOW! His name is going to be Sawyer Blue. GREAT name... his daddy's middle name is Blue as well (Hudson Blue)

Pup #6. Formerly known as Orange, I couldnt find orange ribbon so he became RED! And he is a little spitfire! He is SO fun to play with!!!! He is a happy guy and will make his forever family super happy! He will be going to a family with a "tween" and a little gal. His name will be Bruin. Can you guess where he got that name?! I had so much fun rolling around on the floor with him tonite! He is a love muffin.

OUR GALS!

Pup #7 Coral. She is one who can hold her own with all the boys! She is bigger than her sister. She will be staying here in CT with her forever family. She is going to go home with the family of one of Kiley's classmates. She will have some kiddos the same age as Kiley to keep her busy. Her name is possibly going to be Ruby if Mom and kiddos get their way! Dad didn't have any say in the name! LOL! I think Ruby is a cute name though! She certainly found a crazy way to sleep with her brothers in this shot!

Finally, Pup #8. Our little Pink ribboned gal. She is definitely the smallest of the bunch. She is going to be built just like her momma. She is Kiley's favorite puppy! If you can't find a puppy in the bunch, I guarantee you she is off running around with Kiley somewhere! She is going to be in my family forever!! She is going home with my sister and her family! I am so excited she will be my "niece" once she leaves our home! Her name is possibly going to be Sassafras... Sassy... Sassy Pants. And she is a SASSY little thing. SO cute.

I am certainly loving every little bit of time I get to snuggle with these little pups! They are keeping me busy with their noise and with their poo and pee. I LOVE their puppy breath and smelling their little puppy smells! (NOT INCLUDING POO AND PEE) I could snuggle with these buggers all day.... but, with our life, it isn't possible. I am going to do my best to make these pups ready for their forever families!

The pups are 2 weeks old

2 weeks old and... compare it with...

below... Hours old....

All have been "claimed"

Blue will be Sawyer

Pink is possibly Olivia

There are other people still deciding on names....

We also still have a waiting list. Incredible the interest in this bunch of black lab mixes!

They are so cool to watch... the things they are doing... Pink loves to howl... it is pretty cute. Blue, he can be a noisy boisterous one. "Walter" is SO darn sweet. His face is ADORABLE

they all have budding personalities and I am sure I will be updating on how they are developing in that sense!

We are 1 week old!

I can not believe it was a week ago we were watching as Rosa birthed these puppies!!! They are already developing personalities and they can make some NOISE! Rosa is doing well as a momma. Getting out of the box more often now and has her moments of thinking she is a puppy!!! HAHA! She just wants to lay in her cushy bed.... spoiled princess.


Pup #1, "Walter"... only named that because his 2 ribbons are the colors of the Chicago Bears.... Walter Payton.... We ran out of ribbon, I thought I was buying too much when I purchased 7 rolls of color... boy was I wrong! He is so stinking cute I cant stand it.

Pup #2 Turquoise

Pup #3 Purple (our little but super cute boy)

Pup #4 Green

Pup #5 Blue... he is a noisy boy, a mover .... and so full of personality. He is one of the bigger ones! AKA Sawyer Blue

Pup #6 Orange... LOVE him!

Pup #7 our pudgy girl, Coral ... She can hang with the big boys! LOL!

Pup #8, our little Girl Miss Pink... BOY can she MOVE though!

4 1/2 days old!

Our pups have grown so much in such a short time!!!!!! AND they are starting to get little personalities!

Rosa is still a super mom. She saw the vet today and everything looks ok! Watching out for any signs of mastitis, or... not feeding the babies or whatever. But everything looks ok!

Pup #1.... Walter

Pup #2 Turquoise
Pup #3 Purple The Smallest boy in the bunch

Pup #4 Green

Pup #5 Blue (the noisiest of the bunch! and a HEFFER! HE has the biggest head of the bunch too!)
Pup #6 Orange
AND OUR AWESOME GIRLS!

Pup #7 Coral... our chunky girl

Pup #8 Hot pink... she is our small girl, probably smallest of all pups... but boy can she move!