the new year!

Warning! This blog is bound to be long considering Dec. was the last time I updated! I am WAY behind.....so where to begin.....Christmas was wonderful! We were up in Ks for a couple of weeks and it was wonderful to get to see my family...I miss them so much!!! The girls weren't really to "interested" in presents...They ripped a little of the paper and then moved on....although they love all their new toys and clothes....We came back to Florida and Jan 24th the girls celebrated their first birthday....I made a "barbie" cake...the one where you stick a doll in the middle...it was pretty cool but lots of work...next year I am buying the mold to do it! I hope to start the barbie cake as a tradition...our mom always made our cakes and I hope to do the same for my girls. They had a lot of fun playing in the cake. I stripped em down and let them have fun! It was a lot of fun...sometimes it seems like yesterday I was going in to have them and now they are 13 months! Josh and I celebrated our One Year Anniversary Jan. 27th.....what a long road! I hope there are many more ahead of us...we enjoyed a nice night out, going to dinner and then the movies....it was also on our one year that we received some really big news...NO we are not adding to the family (just yet).....the army decided they needed him back to go to Iraq. Josh had originally joined the army to be deployed only to get denied twice....we never thought he would get called back because of his medical condition (ulcerative colitis). So he was a little excited to be given the chance to go again. I had very mixed feelings....of course

I didn't want him being gone for so long and being in danger but I was excited for him because he had wanted it for so long...it was once in a lifetime chance to follow a dream and I couldn't be the reason he was held back....So Feb. 22 we dropped Josh of at Ft. Benning Ga and Feb 26 the doc gave him the option.....stay or go....we had talked about it before and decided if they gave him the option he was going....so he now is training to go to Iraq. I drove the 6 1/2 hours twice to spend the weekend with him in GA and then he was supposed to be moved to Mississsippi where we probably would not be allowed to see him....last minute the army (NO WAY) changed their minds and sent them (28 guys) to Starke, Florida....only 170 miles away from where we live!!! I was pretty excited! I followed their bus down to Florida from GA and spent the weekend with him. I got to know all of the guys and they are so nice. It makes me feels better knowing that they are close and will look out for eachother. They decided I am their new mascot! LOL....So here we are back in present time....I am up here at Camp Blanding for this weekend again. Next weekend all of us (his family and the girls) will be coming up again....will go up one more weekend after that and then March 30 he should be going to Mississippi for 3 or 4 days, then to Ft. Bliss Texas and then probably to Iraq...of course nothing in set in stone but thats what we know so far...we are hoping since he is deploying with a National Guard unit his deployment will only be 10 months or so...much better than 15! we'll keep our fingers crossed....well we are going to get something to eat...please keep us and especially Josh in your prayers! LOVE!!!! P.S. I hopefullly will be back in Ks for a couple of months over the summer....I can't wait!!!