Shame on me!

I haven't posted in a year and a half!

Here's an update.

I retired from the Air Force and moved back home. I live across the street from my mom and my brother. I have a new job as a customer service rep for a paper company in Tuscaloosa, AL. I stay busy chasing after two very active 2.5 year olds who do not seem to understand what sleep is. I make my jewelry and sell vintage items to support their pull-up and clothing habit. I finally sit down every evening after they have gone to bed, exhausted and yet content.

I wouldn't change a thing!

It has been a while!

It has been a while since I posted...shame on me!

I've started an online business. Check me out at VintageTreasures! And my new blog here!

Want to know the latest on Mick and Mack?

Well Mick took his first steps on 30 Jan! Mack still prefers to be carried around so he either crawls or is carried. Mack, however, loves to climb! On 31 Jan he climbed onto the futon all by himself! Then he couldn't get down and that presented a dilemma for him. LOL

Their first birthday is coming up on Valentine's Day. It's so hard to believe that they are almost one. Even more hard to believe is the fact that we survived the first year! There were many many times when I didn't know how we were going to get through the day but we managed. They have grown so beautifully and they are so very different yet so very alike at the same time. It's amazing and an absolute joy to watch them grow every day!

They each have 8 teeth, 4 on top and 4 on bottom. They are teething some more so they've been a wee bit cranky lately.

But I don't mind. They are my heart after all.

Enough is enough

Is there anything available for sale in the USA that was NOT made in China?

I don't even know what to buy my boys for Christmas because it may be recalled.

Enough is enough.

Quit outsourcing and bring the businesses back to the US.

Let's Say Thanks

Take a minute and head to this website Let's Say Thanks and send a card to a soldier in Iraq.

Think of the smile you'll put on their face.

Thanks Xerox!

Playards!

Ok, Mick and Mack are everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE! And they are FAST!

You can't go to the bathroom without them getting into everything. Let's not even discuss taking a shower....

So I went on e-bay looking for playards. And this is what I found. Isn't it adorable? It's big enough for the boys to play, crawl, and roll. And we can go to the bathroom in peace. LOL

Getting my life back

Tuesday and Wednesday this week were a wake-up call for me. Wednesday especially.

I mopped the floors 3x on Wednesday. Why, you ask? Because I was bored. I had nothing, and I mean NOTHING, to do at work. I have no responsibility, no reason for going there. Nobody wants to stress me out so they took away all my responsibility. What they don't get is that stresses me out even more. I need to have a goal, a job, a reason for being there.

Wednesday night I got mad for the first time since before the boys arrived. And it felt good. I spewed, spouted, ranted, and raved for an hour with Gigi just watching.

On Thursday I went to my unit and told them I need a job. That I want my life back. That I want ME back. That I need to feel useful. And I can't do that without their help and a reason for putting on my uniform every day.

They're discussing it now. Who knows how it will turn out, but at least I took the starter step.

They grow so fast!

It's amazing the little personalities and quirks that a baby has. And when watching two of them who should be so much alike as a twin...it's downright amazing how different they are. One smiles all the time, one makes you work for his smile.

Mack loves to crawl all over his brother while Mick just lays there with a look on his face like 'are you done yet man?'

Mick would laugh all day long if he didn't have to eat and nap. His whole face just lights up. Mack laughs with his whole body.

One crawls one way, another crawls in a different style. I'd imagine that they'll do the same when they start walking.

One day loud noises scare Mick yet by the next day the noise doesn't faze him at all. Mack doesn't seem to ever be fazed by noises except for the whiny sound of a drill. He doesn't like that sound at all.

I look at them and I wonder where my little bitty babies went. I remember them both fitting on my chest and now I can only fit one. The three of us would curl up on the couch and snuggle and now we can't.

I look into their faces and I see a glimpse of the little boys and young men they will become. And I am amazed. Because I see true beauty. And miracles. These little boys that shouldn't be but are. My miracles. My loves. My life. My heart.

I can only hope that I live up to their expectations. Because they have Mommy wrapped around their little pinkies x2.

Nell, you once said that you didn't know your heart could survive outside your body until you had Mikey. I didn't understand that then. I do now. And my heart can happily stay outside my body as long as it means these two precious little beings will always be here.

I love my Mick and Mack so very damn much it hurts sometimes.

Guess that makes me their mommy.

My Daddy said God would provide...

As most of you know Mick was diagnosed with Plagiocephaly which basically means his skull has not formed normally and the back side of his head is literally flat. If not treated he could have problems with migraines, asymetry of his facial features, jaw problems etc. The most common treatment for Plagiocephaly is a molding helmet which helps the head grow into the areas that are not rounded out. Tricare, the military HMO, paid for Mick to be sent to a child neurologist for the diagnosis but will not pay to treat him.

After reading a message a friend sent me about the Navy Aid Society helping out a young family with the same problem, this morning I went to the Air Force Aid Society (AFAS) office on base. I had to provide doctor documentation, prescription for the helmet, quote on the price, my LES, and then they went over my financial status completely. Once we did this, I was asked to step outside and they called AFAS Headquarters right then. Half an hour later I was approved for a grant. A grant means that the money is signed directly over to the orthotic company to pay for the helmet and I do not have to repay anyone. The grant was for $2100.00--- $2100 that I did not have and was going to have to make payment plans for. I walked out of the AFAS office with a check for $2100.00, picked up Mick for his measurement appt, and handed the orthotic company the check and that was it.

Today God smiled down and blessed my little family. I saw a miracle happen today.

And I feel like a 100 lbs of weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

I'm not a particularly religious person, I have my beliefs but in my life I've only seen a few miracles such as the birth of my nieces. This year I have been given 3 miracles- Mick, Mack, and now this.

My Daddy was right. God does provide...