Merry Christmas from the elves!

Click and have a laugh!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1395095514

My Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Today we are in a downpour of rain! I was so thankful that we had gotten a carseat snuggly for Isaac! That was the best $15.00 we've ever spent. I was soaking wet by the time we made it into Aunt Chrissy's house, but Isaac was warm and dry in his carseat. Preston County Schools are getting dismissed early today - Morgantown has several roads closed because of flooding and the Cheat River in Albright looked fierce. So, I just got to Preston High as they decided officially to release the students early - that always happens. I tried to stay at Bruceton as long as possible because it is only 15 minutes from Isaac, but I knew that I would get all the way up to Kingwood before they decided. Oh well.

My husband was supposed to be doing his high-speed pursuit qualifying training today at the academy. I wonder if the rain is as bad down there?! Last night when he called he sounded very homesick - I think that it is almost making it harder to be there knowing that he is so close to the end. They have all their priveleges including TV time in the evenings and they are allowed to go to bed as early as 9:00 pm. We are so close!

Everyday is sunny, though, no matter what the weather when my little baby boy smiles! Really, he is the cutest baby in the world, really. Just ask his daddy - he'll agree with me! I now understand how parents are bias about their own children, wow! Anyway, here is a video clip of Isaac - he has smiled bigger, but I can never catch it on camera. Enjoy the sunshine!! (The video is dark, so you may want to turn off the lights in the room to help you see it better.)

Isaac is smiling!

This past weekend, my husband was talking to Isaac and he smiled his first really big smile for him - several times in a row! He has smiled before, but they were so few and far between that I wasn't convinced that they were on purpose. These smiles were so big and purposeful!! I was glad that Daddy got to be on the receiving end of the first big ones. Now, Isaac will smile when you talk to him or tickle his cheek. I have video, but I couldn't get it on my jump drive today, so I will have to post it another day.

It is a pretty day. It snowed last week enough to get us two snowdays and this week was really rainy. Today is nice. If it remains warm and if it's not raining when I get home tonight, I will take Izabel for a walk and put Isaac in the sling. Poor Izabel has been such a good pup, but I think she's definitely feeling the effects of the baby. She is no longer the center of my attention especially because Daddy isn't home. When it's just me, it is so hard to get everyone's needs met. She hasn't misbehaved, though, she just seems sad and once in a while she will start chewing on something she's not supposed to because of her repressed energy. She'll be just as happy to have 'daddy' back as the rest of us.

I have a new respect for single mothers and military mothers! At least I get my husband on the weekends, but single mothers and military mothers don't get that break. Being solely responsible for everything in the house is exhausting with a new baby! Even thinking about maybe having help putting out the trash seems like a luxury let alone someone to help with midnight feedings, bills, or house cleaning! If you know a mother doing it all on her own - take a minute and take her dinner! It is definitely one of those things (just like motherhood in general) that you really don't understand until you've actually done it!

Anyway, this weekend Daddy and I are taking Isaac to a Christmas puppet show in Deep Creek with Aunt Lizzie, Uncle Andy, and Ingrid and Rowan. This is our first outting centered around Isaac. It will be fun to do something with other moms and dads. It's like we belong to a club now - it's funny. I feel very 'at home' in this club - I love it!

News From the Academy

My husband is in the last weeks of the academy and we have officially given ourselves permission to be excited that it is almost over. We have been holding our excitement at bay so as not to make the last weeks drag on and on (you know how that works). So, he will be home for good in 2 1/2 weeks, but it sounds better when we say that after this weekend he only leaves one more time!!! We have two different counts going - my count is 2 1/2 weeks, but Brian isn't counting the last week because the only thing they will be doing down there is practicing for graduation. He says that because that week will be exciting, he's not counting it. He is not home that week, so I am counting it. Whatever, no matter how you look at it, the light at the end of the tunnel is nearing - THANK YOU JESUS!!!

Last week and thus far this week, my husband has been allowed to call me every night. They have moved into stage 4 which means that they have earned all their priveleges (coffee, soda, juice, unstructured workouts, tobacco use, and phone calls every night - there are more, but I don't know them). He only really benefits from a few of the priveleges, though, because he doesn't use tobacco, drink soda, drink caffiene, and doesn't mind working out. We both, however, are VERY thankful for the phone calls.

When I talked to him last night, he asked me to guess why yesterday was the best day of the entire academy. Erik Estrada from CHIPS spent the day at the academy! He said that he got to spend the day with the "policeman" he watched growing up. It sounded like it was a nice break from the monotony that is the academy.

He spent the day with his old friend Ponch!