Saying Goodbye Again

As Eden's birthday party weekend is winding down, we've been saying goodbye to family and friends again. The party was a success! Lots of fun and lots of friends and family to help us celebrate. I will have pictures up later {today?} to share the fun and excitement that we had yesterday.

I just wanted to say that we loved having friends and family here to celebrate Eden's first year! I can't believe she's going to be 1 in just a few short days. She's a HUGE blessing in our lives and we don't know what we did before she was here. She makes us smile, she makes us laugh, and she fills us with love that we didn't even know existed!

Orders?...Anyone?...Does anyone have orders?

The move is supposed to start happening Monday. Key words: SUPPOSED TO. We still don't have orders and therefore we can't do anything to get this move going in the right direction. It is going to take us 13+ hours to get from Pensacola to Corpus Christi, so we want to leave in the middle of the week next week. In order to do that, our cars need to be packed, the packers need to box up the house, and the movers need to unload the boxes from the house to a truck.

"What's the problem?" you may ask. Well, the problem is that you have to have military orders to get anything scheduled with military moves...and we don't have orders yet! Selections were a week ago! I know, wishful thinking that it could get done within a week, but come on! They want Lane there and classing up on the 8th - which is quickly approaching!

I do have things going on at the house to keep me busy as we await these ever-important orders though. Eden's birthday party is Saturday and she's having her 1st birthday pictures done tomorrow, so there's a lot of prep to be done and I still have to make her a cake for her pictures AND for her party.

Speaking of her party, we've got family coming in town starting today to help with the prep for her party and to help me stay sane - if that's even possible! Mom and Aunt Nana (Pat) will be coming in this evening and Pop, Parker and Uncle Papa (Paul) will be coming in tomorrow evening. Sara - from the good ol' KD days - will be getting here at some point tomorrow as well! Grandma and Grandpa will be getting here Saturday morning before the party and they will have Stephanie, Skylar and Bentley in tow! Ryan can't come because he isn't able to get off work at such short notice. (He was going to be able to make it if this were next weekend, but we all know THAT didn't happen the way we planned!) We are beyond lucky to be able to have so many friends and family from out of town that are able to come help us celebrate in addition to the friends that we will have coming from in town as well!

ATTENTION: This just in!

It's official, we're moving to Texas! Happy birthday to me :)

We went to Lane's selection this morning and he got news that he will be training to fly the C-130 in Corpus Christi. That was the good news. The bad news (not bad, just slightly more stressful) is that we're moving at the end of the month. In case you're not hearing me right, that's about 10-12 days from now! That's also about 10-12 hours from here!

While we were at Lane's selection we were also able to see his onwing and have Lane's tie cutting. The tradition of the tie cutting ceremony is actually pretty neat. The instructor used to sit behind the student (they still do this) who wore a red scarf while flying. To get the student's attention, the instructor used to yank on the scarf. After flying the solo flight, the instructor and student would have a symbolic ceremony to celebrate and the instructor would cut the scarf of the student. The length of the scarf that remained was determined by the instructor based on the student's performance before and during the solo flight. If the scarf was cut short, the instructor was saying that he had faith in the student and no longer felt the need to have something to tug on to get the student's attention. If the scarf was cut with a lot of slack remaining, the instructor was saying that he felt like the student basically still needed to be reigned in every now and then.

So for now we have to reschedule Eden's birthday party, host Eden's party, find a house in Texas, schedule moving, drive to TX, unpack, and live. Well, I guess that's the long and short of it anyways and I'll try to stay as updated as possible, and I promise to continue taking pictures!

An Update in Pictures

Now that I'm back home and we've gotten {sort of} settled in, I figured I'd update our pictures for you! Enjoy :)

February 6 - Eden's new bib. Brilliant! They can be wiped clean AND they catch most of the food that doesn't make it into her mouth.

February 7 - She decided she would try to eat the bubbles in her bath.

February 8 - Eden's monthly weigh-in. The doctor isnt worried about her weight anymore and we don't have to go monthly to have her weighed any more.

February 9 - SURPRISE! Mimi didn't know we were coming. The picture was snapped as she was saying "Did you know about this?!" to Pop.

February 9 - it snowed again when we were in GA!

February 10 - breakfast at Mimi and Pop's house.

February 11 - climbing the stairs with Mimi

February 12 - asleep in the car on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

February 12 - Lasagna for dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

February 12 - the lasagna was a hit!

February 12 - sign of a good meal: just as much food ON you as IN you!

February 13 - the family (minus Lane) at Mimi and Pop's house

February 13 - dinner, as Pop {purposely} set it on fire

February 14 - Home sweet home!

February 14 - Presents for Valentine's Day from Grandma and Grandpa. Orange cupcakes and orange candy (the color of Lane's squadron) to celebrate with champagne that Lane has successfully completed primary!

February 15 - Eden knows where she can find her paci. She doesn't get one during the day, but she'll go digging for it if she sees the diaper bag on the floor!

February 15 - Mine and Lane's "naptime" spot today. It was mid 70s and I am now sunkissed! Beautiful day out today :)

On the Road Again

Yep, you heard it! Eden and I are packin' up and movin' out tomorrow morning. As soon as I get this typed, I'm going to get our things packed up and we're going to head out after breakfast.

Eden has had a grumpy day today. When she was happy, she was really happy, but when she wasn't feeling it, she was letting EVERYONE know that she wasn't in a good mood. She did lots of yelling, throwing, and just all around whining this afternoon after her nap. The yelling is what gets to me the most. She'll look at me and yell about nothing, or about everything.

She is also starting to throw things when she gets mad. Like tonight at dinner, she was done and I had put something on her tray and she picked it up and (while yelling) she threw it on the floor. She swatted at a book that she didn't want earlier today. I'm beginning to think that the terrible twos are going to start earlier than two in our home! I am keeping my fingers crossed that they don't and I'm keeping my prayers flowing that if they do I keep my sanity.

All in all, we've had a great visit with family, but we're both ready to be back home and in the arms of Lane! We got to see Lane's parents yesterday, friends throughout the weekend and we stayed with my parents each night. I'm glad to have had the opportunity, but will be just as excited about being back home. Pictures from many days past to come! I haven't had a chance to post with being busy planning on coming to GA and then with being here, so I'll post them when I get settled in at home.

SURPRISE!

Eden and I came to Georgia today to surprise Mimi for a few days. She had NO idea when we walked in this afternoon. Don't worry, I got a good picture of her face when we walked in :)

Pop (my dad), Uncle Parker, Granny, Karen (both of them - my sister and my good friend), Lane's parents, Lane's sister, most of my friends in Florida, and many other people knew that she and I were going to be coming. I guess most people except my mom and my aunt knew! I couldn't tell my aunt because of a little thing known as sibling rivalry - if Pat knew and my mom didn't, things wouldn't have been so pretty!

We're going to enjoy the few days that we have with our family and friends in Georgia and not think/stress about the upcoming news that we'll get about moving or staying!!

Dream a Dream

*We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers.*

Woodrow T. Wilson

Today marks a big day for the Daigle family! Lane submitted his "dream sheet" for his aircraft selection. His selection is supposed to happen next Thursday (my birthday!) and we will officially know where we're going next, or if we're staying here in Pace. I have been mentally prepared to stay put through advanced training because Lane has always wanted helos, but luck would have it that Lane has changed his mind!

You heard right, Lane changed his mind, and submitted his dream sheet with C-130s listed as his first choice. Now, that being said - it could change everything, yet, it could change nothing. C-130s aren't always easy to come by when it comes to selections. Lane has to have the grades (he's been told that he does) AND the Marine Corps has to have the need for more C-130 pilots. Ultimately, if the Marines don't need anymore C-130 pilots, they're not going to have a C-130 spot to give up no matter what grades look like.

So, what does this mean? It means that there's a chance we'll be moving. Yes, moving! I'm anxious about it because we don't know when or if we will actually move. If Lane doesn't get his first choice, we'll be back to helos (and Lane will still be happy, so no worries there!), which means staying put. So, you can see the predicament that I'm in - I can't start packing things up because we might stay, but I don't want to leave everything up and unpacked because we could be moving, and if we are moving...WHEN?! Oh man, the unknowns of the military life can be stressful sometimes!

I should also mention that in order for Lane to make it to selection next week, he's leaving for San Diego tomorrow for a cross country flight. By doing a cross country flight, he's able to knock out the remaining flights he has in primary and will be complete when he returns home on Monday! Because he'll be gone for a few days, and we're so close to Atlanta (about 5 hours), and we may be even farther from Atlanta in a month, Eden and I are going to see our extended family in GA this weekend. My mom is the only one out of the loop about us coming to town (and possibly moving) as of right now. When I told her today that Lane was going to San Diego, she begged me to bring Eden up there to spend the weekend with them. I told her I have too much stuff going on here to be able to get out and not be at home - which is true, but I'm not too worried about it! I can't wait to see her face when we get there!!!!!

On a totally different note, Eden went in for a re-weigh today and the doctor was 100% happy with her growth. She weighed 16 lbs 7 oz and was 26.5 in long! She gained a pound in a month! I told the doctor it's because I'm on weight watchers and so I give her the high point foods! I was only half way kidding when I told him that. If I were to eat a quarter of an avacado, that would be 3 of my 29 daily points because of the fat (it's good fat though), and Eden will eat a WHOLE avacado during or right after most meals. She also loves bananas, which are high calorie foods, and will eat a whole banana in one sitting.

I also talked to the doctor about the possible upcoming move and he said that if we change duty stations around her birthday, that I could treat this visit as Eden's 12 month well baby visit. If we're still in Pensacola I will take her for another well baby and get her shots, but if we're in Texas (yes, that's where we will go if we move) then I will just take her in for her shots and then set up a 15 month well baby visit with her new doctor.

Wow, that's a lot to happen in one day...and a lot of anxiety in the coming week! I'll be sure to stay up to date here so everyone is updated!!!!!

Birthday Party Fun

Today we had the honor of attending a birthday party for one of Eden's friends. Nelson turned 1 yesterday and his party was this afternoon. Man, did Eden (and all the other kids) have a good time! They had a bounce house, LOTS of food and candy, cupcakes, balloons, and of course some toys to keep the little ones entertained! Whitney did an awesome job with the party, and I'm stealing some of her ideas for Eden's party! Be prepared to see some similarities in some of the pictures of Nelson's and Eden's birthday parties.

The cutest 1st Birthday idea ever! A picture of Nelson from every month of his first year of life. (I've already made my month labels, I've added the pictures online so I can order the prints, and I'm getting my clothes pins from Whitney! I can't wait to have Eden's done.)



Eden and Nelson, the birthday boy, sharing a toy.

Did I mention that Nelson was Eden's first kiss?! When we visited Gymboree Play and Music in November, Nelson was a current student and he and Eden got along really well. They loved to sit and laugh at each other. Of course they liked to grab at each other's faces (because who wouldn't think that was fun?!) and one time when Nelson was going in for the face grab, he gave Eden a kiss instead. Little Miss didn't back away from the kiss - we'll have to teach her about playing hard to get later - and she seemed to love every minute of it. 

A Picture A Day:

January 30 - Lane and I did an at home workout together. Cardio X from the P90X workout DVDs was the pick of the day.

January 31 - We had meatloaf that had carrots in it for dinner and Eden dropped 2 carrots that stuck to her in the most hilarious places! It was too perfect!!!

January 31 - I went to a friends house to learn how to sew (I've never used a sewing machine before this day) and she helped me make some pillows. Thanks Heather!

February 1 - the Happy Birthday Eden sign that I made for Eden's birthday party.

February 2 - Eden got to feed herself applesauce at lunch today. She did a good job holding the spoon...and trying to eat the applesauce like it was a finger food.

February 2 - She was really good at putting the spoon in her mouth when she actually did decide to use it.

February 2 - But then she decided the spoon wasn't effective enough, so she thought drinking it (and licking the bowl) was a better idea in the end. She's her father's daughter!

February 3 - She got tired from all that crawling, so she stopped for a water break...and layed down on the floor in the kitchen.

February 4 - Dinner for a Weight Watchers champ! Pork chops, asparagus, and 2, yes 2, croissants! I saved enough points to be able to eat 2!!!!!

February 5 - Eden discovered that she loves balloons today at Nelson's birthday party. She didn't even get scared when some of them popped.

February 5 - Eden in the bounce house. She loved it. She waved her arms up and down in hopes that it would bounce her. I guess we need to start working on jumping soon.

So Soon?!

It's that time, well, almost. Lane's second phase of flight school is coming to a close. I didn't think he would ever start primary, but here we are, about to be done! Most of me is REALLY excited about this milestone in his career, but there's a part of me that is a little hesitant to be 100% excited. While he's in school, he's non-deployable and he's home every night. When he's done with school it will only be a matter of time before a deployment comes into our lives. I know that this is exciting for him, so I try to stay excited for him, but I like our time together (not that he doesn't, but he doesn't feel like he's started his career because he "hasn't done anything").

All that being said...HE'S ALMOST DONE!!!!! He has to complete his flights today and then he's back in the simulators (sims) with just a few flights to follow those, and he's primary complete. What a relief...then on to advanced. This is all based on Lane finishing his 2 flights today and then getting 2 sims each day until next week when he will fly his last flights. Fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan, and then we'll celebrate my birthday by him getting to select where he's going for advanced!!!

On another note, Eden is starting to become more and more confident with her walking. She's actually willing to take a few steps - voluntarily - to get to where she's going. Today she wanted to get closer to me so she could play with/pull my hair and she stood up and took a few steps to get there! I think this is partially because when she and I are trying to make it from point a to point b and we're in no rush, I'll hold her hand and let her walk with me instead of crawling beside or behind me. I don't know why I didn't think of this before?!

Eden and I went for another run this morning. I ran about 2 miles and Eden hated every minute of it. It's really cold down here again, so I think it was just too much for her. When I say I ran 2 miles, I'm still walk/jogging the trail that we run, but last week I was running .2 mile stretches and today I ran .4 mile stretches. Each time I was walking .1 mile between the running stretches. All in all I'm excited that I did twice as much running as last week! Next week I'm hoping to up it again. We'll see how it goes. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

I had my second weigh in for Weight Watchers last night. Things didn't go the way I wanted them to go. I went up by half a pound, which isn't a lot, but it was the wrong direction! The leader of the meeting reminded me that because I've started exercising more that it will initially increase my weight before bringing it down. Fingers crossed that I keep it up (eating right and exercising) and things start moving in the right direction. I told Lane's sister that I did sort of lose the excitement that I had for it all last week, but I haven't lost my determination. I know I'm doing all the right things, so the scale will have to start tipping in my direction sooner or later!