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Color Me Merry Holiday Thank You 3x5 folded card

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1YROLD

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Our Christmas list

This week ive been xmas tree/ornament shopping. Up until this year Derek and I had a little green 4' tall xmas tree I bought 3 days before Derek came home from Iraq in 2007. It has special meaning so I never wanted to use anything else, but with Dreycin being fascinated with so many new  things I thought it would be a perfect year to start with new christmas traditions. Derek requested no green tree, so I got a white christmas tree. We are going with bright blue and red decorations.....i know i know a little corny but we do live for the RED WHITE AND BLUE!!! Hobby lobby was having a 40-50% off of christmas decorations, and there was 50% coupon online which I used for the tree skirt because those werent on sale. Will post pics sometime next week, we are still waiting on tree to arrive! Plus we are having Derek's brother here for thanksgiving, so maybe we'll do the tree together. He is leaving for his 3year duty station of Germany on Jan 11th, hopefully during that time we will be able to go and vacation with him!!

I'll start with my little man first!

For Dreycin im loving the little people items, especially the zoo set, farm animals, and pull along bus with blocks. Derek and I also want to get home a motorized car to ride! I want to buy him a kitchen, but for some reason my husband doesnt think its very boyish....but my whole point is why would they make boy colors?

For me Im loving the new canon S95, i know its pricey but i need something small to fit in my purse with great quality!

For Derek, well i think he needs a punching bag 100lb, with a stand and boxing gloves.

A few other ideas of mine for xmas is that 1. i think we are going to start a tradition of making gingerbread houses or cookies(not sure yet), 2. matching pj's on xmas eve, 3. everyone in the family is going to get a handmade ornament from Dreycin ;) (we already bought all the stuff just got to get onto the making part...which may be a challenge?!

To be continued.....

We have a toddler on our hands.....

My sweet baby boy turned 1 last Tuesday November 9 while we were at home visiting in Dallas. It was such a joy to share his first bday with all of our family and friends, and I cannot thank everyone enough for being there for us during that time. I may not have much family, the little I do have is always there for us....but I do have the best friends anyone could ask for. Dreycin is growing up so fast, and he has such a great fun loving personality, and it is so difficult to not be able to share that daily with our family and friends.

Decisions & Changes.......

So most of you know that my husband is in the Marine Corps, and every 3years we get orders to move. Well they are coming up again somewhere around March 2011, and with that knowledge my mom decided to start looking for a job back home in Texas. With the snap of a finger she found one at Medical Center of Lewisville in their Level III NICU as an RN, she actually had her interview while we were home for Dreycin's bday. So my mom will be leaving Kentucky Dec 10th, and that is when I will become a full time stay at home mommy. I will still continue to work PRN(as needed) on the weekends, some nights at the psychiatric hospital. My mom has been my lifeline, my support, my saving grace for my mental health.....being a full time working mom with lupus has not been easy and for me with her leaving is very sad. Its hard being a military wife, you are far away from family, minimal support so for me the decision was easy to chose to stay home with my precious baby boy. With lupus, I fear that if I put Dreycin in daycare I feel like I am putting my own health at risk, then I risk multiple call-ins at work with a spouse that is unable to "call-in" as we in the civilian world are able to do. Derek just cant take time off, for example this week he will be gone monday-thursday in the field....we never know what can come up with Derek's work. I am excited, scared, wondering if I will go stir crazy, but at the same time ready for a little relaxation in my schedule, to not come home exhausted with a damn twitch in my eye from a CRAZY day at work. I also feel like we will be moving right around the corner, so why not take advantage of staying with my baby for a few months during his active stage. We'll stay busy with music classes, gymnastics, and swim classes. But to say the least im ready to move, and as we say in the military....I've got the three year itch...to move again. We'll be going to Fort Benning, GA about 1.5 southwest from Atlanta. It will be a new adventure, and this base will have alot more resources/multiple gyms/nicer facilities than where we are currently at. I am very ready to move!

Just 8days away from Dreycin's 1st bday

Dreycin is such a smart little boy, and never seizes to amaze me everyday. This is the best stage yet! HE is like a little explorer, climber, imitator... basically this is going to be a blog all about him and what he is up to these days. He is still walking, practically running, has been since 9.5mos. He has now developed that walk into "shaking that booty" his daddy gave him! He particularly likes Black Eyed Peas....he is still wearing size 4/5 diapers, 23.8lbs has thinned out alot but wears 18-24 mos clothes, size 6 shoes(his little foot is to wide for most size 5 shoes), and he is now in little teddies gymnastics classes. He really loves to jump on the trapoline, roll forward, walk on balance beams, and of course he loves to go down the slide. His personality shines every moment of the day, and you hardly ever find him in an unhappy mood....he's always smiling, greeting everyone he sees, or trying to get anyone's attention....he's a little charmer. He is still signing, and can tell you when he is all done, wants more, thank you, milk, ballon, car, ice cream, and we have been working on an extra special sign for his first bday! He also says epp (for pepper), dada (all the time), GO (is probably his favorite). He loves to play in his ball pit, play with his blocks, push his lawnmower and popper, play tug of war with pepper, DANCE!, making music, and he absolutely loves reading time. If he had his own laptop like mommy's or daddy's he would be on it all the time typing away! and he loves everyone's iphone, we had gotten him a play fisher price one that he plays with but would still rather have our phone, guess he is going to be into electronics! He can tell you what sound the owl, cow, dinosaur and cat make! I cant believe in just 1wk my baby boy will be a toddler. It is so funny when im doing exercise with the weights, he will pretend that he is lifting weights! And since it has cooled down, we have had many visits to the ZOO, and when he sees the lions he goes RAWR! Its so cute! Of course you can see Dreycin was a little T-rex for halloween! We leave to go home this Friday, and im so excited to "show off" our handsome little man!

In other news, have i mentioned im ready to stay home for a little while.....well today I was leaving work and my car wouldnt start...supposedly it may have been my battery because I may have left my side light in the car on? So my handsome Marine husband came to my rescue to jump me! Also, my hubby got an A in his criminal justice course he just finished up! He is still in Spanish until the end of December, which he is also pulling an A in (BTW he does not and never knew spanish, but he may have a little help!)

Fall.....wait summer, i mean fall....what season is it again?

Yes your reading right, I am asking what season it is because not two weeks ago we got out all our winter coats, sweaters, thermals.....because it was freezing, but today and most of the last of the week its been pushing 80's and 90's? Anyways, with the start of fall here in Kentucky it is absolutely beautiful, the leaves changing colors, doing fall activities. This weekend we went to the zoo for trick or treating, and today we went to Huber's Winery and Orchard. We do everything we do now, for Dreycin and it makes us live our lives so much more meaningful. Today I said to my mom
"Im sad Dreycin wont remember any of this" and she replied, "Cindy this is Dreycin's learning experience, he is growing developmentally more than anything from the experience." And you know what that is so true, because today Dreycin waved hi to everyone, he is so social (just like mommy) and quite the attention seeker!! And of course he is walking around everywhere, and really isnt having the stroller anymore! @ the zoo last night Dreycin I think was in shock, because usually he is all smiles and last night he was kind of quiet, but we know he had a good time because at the end he was running around screeching like he does when he is happy. BTW we are in a total screeching phase right now, and i love it because I know that when he does that he is VERY happy.

So the last few weeks I have been attempting to plan Dreycin's bday, which we have decided to go home for and that requires me to work extra shifts on saturdays so that Derek and I remain debt free!! I have bought tons of party stuff, and had them shipped to my parents home in Texas. We have decided to have two parties, one for kids @ the Dallas Children's Museum and one on Dreycin's actual bday with family and friends at a pizza place that will include a SMASH cake! And of course the theme will be Dinosaurs hence...D Rex :) Ive ordered some really cute stuff from ETSY, and then plan on starting to make some things like the bday banner myself! So let the countdown begin to my baby boy's 1st bday, im very sad about it but Dreycin is such a smart outgoing beautiful baby~