Keepin Up With The Vierigs

II MHG Christmas Party

2010-12-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Back to back parties...I know. Doesn't get much better. A few of the K9 wives decided we would go to the party this year for Mark's company. Santa was there and they give out amazing prizes...sounded worth it to me ;). Last year Mark and I made out with a Blue tooth and a travel tool set. I knew it could only get better this year...and somehow...it did...;)

Oh the typical Christmas picture with Santa! I'm just so happy it was an improvement from last years...('10)At least for Dakota LOL...('09) I actually thought Bodee was gonna be ok...he waved at the elves (pretty ladies) and even showed Santa his candy cane. But that was the end of that...Dakota told Santa exactly what she wanted...just one thing...seriously? And I don't think Santa had that on his list :( LOL. This was her telling Santa that we didn't have any carrots for his reindeer at our house :).Fascinated by the bear...this is what Bodee was looking at when my ticket number got called. Dilemma...staying with my son to make sure he didn't tear down Santa's Wonderland...or retrieve my new Nintendo DSi...I can't wait to play some games on my new DSi. (there was another mom there to watch him...I'm not that bad haha)They had tons of craft tables for the kiddos...she was making a bracelet here that said "daddy" :(Candy cane in mouth...Christmas mug empty (because he poured the water out on the table...a diaper is a quick "cleaner upper" in case you were wondering)...and foot up chillin...doesn't get much better! again with the "cheese"...love my boy!

Church Christmas Party

2010-12-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

The annual Christmas party was tonight. I always do my best to stay as busy as possible when Mark is gone. The kids need distractions (and so do I). Although it was weird being there without him, the kids had a blast. There was tons of food...and better yet...tons of desserts! We missed ya Mark! The pic definitely was incomplete!

Ok...the funny thing about this pic...Dakota is always the one ready to smile...and Bodee takes some convincing. This time...I was so worried about whether Bodee would smile that I didn't even bother with Dakota....oops :). Still love the pic though! Double Fistin...Cookie in one hand...M&M in the other ;)

Bodee has officially mastered the "cheese"...no matter what he's doing...or eating ;)
GQ checkin out his sister...hand in pocket and all!

Mom: "Dakota, smile please..."

Mom: "ok Dakota...seriously...just one good smile"

Mom: "smile dangit!" LOL (and even then, she was mad cuz Orion got in the pic...GIRLS! haha

Treats only...no Tricks!

2010-11-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Okay...I promise this is the last Halloween post...we had a busy one :). After having the kids in their costumes several times, I think Bodee was done. This was the best we could get from him but it turned out super cute anyway. The western shirt is under his sweatshirt and the cowboy hat? well, it stayed in the stroller and we used it as a reserve candy bucket :). We walked a full loop around the neighborhohod and the kids had a blast and made out like bandits! (actually, we made out since we have hidden the candy now lol)

ready to head out...sorry the trashcan made the pic

Mom: Hold on Bodee...here we go...
Dad leading his little cowboy around the neighborhood

Our Super Neighbor Mrs. Susan had Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream for us to sample!!

Mrs. Susan and the Kiddos

Dakota and her buddy Orion gettin the goods

Bodee wasn't shy ;)

He kept thinking the people were trying to steal his bucket...wasn't happenin !

Mrs. June and Mr. Johnny made the trip down for Trick or Treating just like last year. Dakota didn't leave her side!!!

My little Unicorn

Daddy gave Dakota and Orion glow sticks to light the way

Princess!!!

Trick or Treating on the go...they drove around and handed out candy...Cute!

Bodee's horse slowed him down...this was much faster ;)

Dakota and Orion

Mommy leading the horsey...it was tougher than it looks

Bodee was checking her out....

He quickly went to his happy place

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

For the past few years we have gone to a local pumpkin patch that a church has in front of their building. However, we haven't ever waited until the day before to get our pumpkins so it was slim pikkins this year. As I mentioned in the earlier post, the pumpkins we picked were WAY tougher to carve than the ones that I'm sure were here when they opened on day 1 :). The kids had a ton of fun riding in the wagon, playing in the hay and picking out their pumpkins so it was worth it in the end. It's all about the pictures and memories right? LOL

Bodee apparently didn't want his pic taken...

Hitchin' a Ride

Bodee still didn't want to be part of the pic

Scarecrow Dakota

Chauffeur Mom

Farmer Dad and Hillbilly Dakota Bodee's Limo for the day

Hayyyyyy!

Bodee wanted to be like sister...until he stuck his head inside LOL

Bodee kept trying to pick up the heaviest pumpkins

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Soooooo, lesson learned. If you want to get the good pumpkins, the day before Halloween isn't the best day to go. However, with Mark just getting back in town and his crazy work schedule, we had to make due. The kids loved it and we had the opportunity to carve some very difficult pumpkins this year. I can honestly say I was completely worn out by the end of it all. For future reference...the bumpy ones...and the green ones...are SUPER TOUGH to carve.

Dakota and dad doin their best.

Dakota was so ready to start carving and ready for me to be done cleaning out her pumpkin.
It looks like he's scooping out...nope...dumping it back in

everytime Bodee stuck his hand in he would say "ewwwwww"

we dug all the guts out...and he put them all back in

Dakota carving her masterpiece

the finished product :)

Vierig Family "punkins"

the Rafter V of course ;)

Dakota's

our signature dog head...

Bodee's

Preschool Halloween Party

2010-10-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

So apparently we are going to get our money's worth on the costumes this year. Dakota had a Halloween Party at her school on Friday and Bodee and I got to tag along for some of the festivities. It was really fun to watch her interact with her teacher and all of her friends. She was all smiles from the moment she woke up, until we walked out of there. :)

Dakota and her teacher Mrs. Cindy

Dakota and her BFF Maile
surrounded by candy, brownies, cupcakes and cookies, Bodee found a whale to entertain himself.

Dakota's classroom Uhmmm, this is Logan...I'm not allowed to say anything else because I pinky swore Dakota that I wouldn't mention that she thinks he's cute :( Making a Haunted House with a brownie...and TONS of other candy LOL

Cookies, Cupcakes and Crackers!!!

Mrs. Cindy even miraculously got the kiddos to sit still during..."There was an old lady who swallowed a fly"...and check out who is pretty entertained by it all...the Bodeeman!

Church Fall Festival

2010-10-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

The annual church fall festival was last night so once again, we headed out for more games, fun AND SUGAR!!! Dakota told me a long time ago that she wanted to be a unicorn for Halloween this year. Since then, she's wanted to be a gazillion other things as well so I wasn't sure what she really wanted to be. As it got closer, the Unicorn came back into the lead. I finally found this costume that she could actually wear and pretend to ride LOL. Of course, one of her other costume choices mysteriously got thrown in there too...a princess! Bodee is a cowboy that is riding his horse. The few days after I got the costume...he wore it constantly and loved it. You'll see by the pictures, this excitement has faded ;). So, he was just a cowboy and his horse hung out on the stage. The kids had a blast...

Dakota and Orion

She learned really quick that the Unicorn got in the way alot when it came to festival games. But she never once took it off :).

The ball looks like it's going over the top...but she banked in both shots...granny style...but hey, points are points right?

This is where Bodee would have stayed all night long. Except that the girl running it was tired of getting wet. He kept grabbing the ducks and dunking them viciously under the water...hmmmm...odd??? Nahhhh

Hittin the golf ball with the bat...it missed the hole by like 2 inches so he walked over to the wall...put his head against it...and pouted LOL. hilarious!

Root Beer Bottle Ring Toss pro...she figured out how to maneuver the Unicorn this time LOL

Poor Unicorn!

Bodee didn't want to wear his costume...but he wasn't going anywhere without his candy bucket

Cupcake Break!

obviously something sour...it's a pixie stick...and he finished it off...wrapper and all. We saw the wrapper again the next day :( (in the bathtub unfortunately LOL)

Church Style Plinko - you could win bubbles at this one so it was a must for Dakota.

My little dart pro...this one was off...but the next two were near bulleyes LOL

And the final game of the night? Ringtoss...and Bodee through this one again...and again... and again...and again...

Mikes Farm Field Trip

2010-10-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Dakota's class was going to Mike's Farm and I signed up to go as well. I dropped off Bodee with Danielle down the street and was excited to spend the morning with my little girl. It was so fun to see her with her friends...acting silly. The Primary teachers at church always talk about how quiet she is...and we all know that's not the real Dakota. Today, she was the real her :).

We took a hayride first...Dakota brougt along her stuffed pet Hamster...she was cold (hence the warm spot in her jacket)

The hayride stopped off at the pumpkin patch...now to find the perfect one...
After looking at all 20 flowers in the patch first, she finally decided on one.

Dakota and her friend Maile

Dakota's prize pumpkin

on the hayride back...back to being silly...

Dakota waiting patiently to learn how Apple Cider was made in the old days.

Doin some sort of funky chicken dance at the Cowboy Earl show.

checkin out the goat's horns

and feeding one some corn

Mike's Farm is an amazing place and has seasonal events year round. Dakota and I had a blast...I really need to do more things with just her since the Bodester is demanding less and less of my time :).

Elementary School Festival

2010-10-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor, Mrs Susan, is a Kindergarten teacher at a local Elementary School. She invited us to go this year and let the kids enjoy some of the games they had there. We invited Danielle and Orion, a little boy down the street...and we set out for a fun filled...very fast-paced...evening LOL. Bodee didn't care about any of the games except the sucker pull...he did that about 3 times and the suckers kept him busy while Dakota and Orion played!

She threw some beanbags...

and some rings (won a 2 liter of Welch's...cuz it's purple of course)
She dug for treasure... won an eye patch to go with it....Argggghhhh! Shot a nerf crossbow (pretty well actually)

and raced her friend Orion through the bouncy house...

on your mark...get set...

GO!!!!

By the end of the night, I was exhausted...and the kids, well, they were hyped up from all the sugar. I'm sure glad they had fun, but I am starting to feel my age. lol

Jacksonville "Thair"

2010-10-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Dakota still hasn't changed "thair" to "fair" despite lots of effort on my part. Not that she can't say it...she just thinks it's pronounced "thair." We usually go to the State Fair but I just couldn't make myself get excited about the 2 and a half hour drive. We have gone the past two years and I've really enjoyed it...but it will never be the Texas State Fair so I'll stop trying to make it that way lol. The Onslow County Fair is always around the same time here in Jacksonville so I thought I'd take the kids and see how it went. They had a blast...and that's really all that matters ;). Dakota is really coming out of her shell...she used to be so hesitant to play the games or ride the rides. Not this time, I had to limit her so we didn't blow through all the money in one hour.

Okay, so in looking at this picture, right now, I have to say that it's the first time I've seen all the playboy bunnies :(. I didn't even notice them that day. Dakota wanted to shoot the basketball...and I jumped at the chance. I'll pay better attention next time!

She threw the darts...Pop Kiki would be proud. She even popped 2 out of the 3 balloons.

Ice Cream Cones for everyone...except mom :(

At every fair, Dakota finds this game. Bodee loved it too and looked like an old pro...well, except when he was swinging the hook around and taking people out LOL oops!

Every time he caught one, he got super excited...oooooo and wowwww were his words of choice!
I just loved watching Dakota on the swings. She walked out to her swing, got in and started looking around. She watched about 3 different people clip themselves in, and then she fiddled with the chain until she was safely clasped ;) She said this was her favorite ride!

This, however, is my favorite ride...but only because of this picture. She absolutely loved this and had the funniest faces as it zoomed past Bodee and I. She had to have the front too...which is wayyyyy different than times before. Times are a-changin!

Dakota's Open House

2010-10-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Dakota was so excited for her open house...she kept coming home each day from school saying, "mom, soon we are gonna have a party...and it's gonna be at night." I guess that's a good way to look at an open house. The first night for open house was canceled...due to the 5000 inches of rain we received in just a few days. Schools were closed, roads were closed and the Marines were even delayed...so I guess that meant the open house wasn't gonna be a go. Anyway, she had to wait an extra week but we finally made it. She showed me all around the room (Mark could have made it the week before but was in Colorado when it finally happened) and even introduced her brother to their class pet, Miss Missy. She gave me the rundown on a typical day for her...jobs, crafts, songs etc. It was nice to finally see where the magic was taking place. She loves her teacher Mrs. Cindy (picture coming soon as it was hard to get a good one and keep Bodee from poking the Guinea Pig in the eye) and has lots to say about the kids in her class. The two main ones, Maile, her bff from Hawaii...and Logan...the boy that she gets embarassed around :(. Help us all!!!! The evening was topped off with some of the most amazing snacks I'd ever had at a school event...and I went to 16 years of it :).

Dakota, what do you like to play with in here...."these mommy" (silly girl)

Showing me one of the pages she made in the class book I think Bodee is ready to join his sister...or maybe it's for whoever that girl is he's looking at! Miss Missy - Class Guinea Pig...aka Bodee's new obsession EVERYTIME I drop her off

1st Day of Preschool

2010-09-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Well it finally came...the day Dakota started school. I threw around the idea last year but didn't really like the thought of her being in preschool for 2 years since she would miss the Kindergarten cut-off by a couple of months. Soooooo, I signed her up this year. She loved every part of shopping for new school clothes, school supplies and even her Scooby-Doo lunchbox ;). Mark was a little discouraged by the fact that the backpack she wanted had wheels but hey, that wasn't a battle I was choosing to fight. The school clothes part gave me enough of a headache!!!

The first day came, and she knew exactly what she wanted to wear...right down to her socks and shoes. I didn't know how it would go since in the past, she had not been excited about the whole school idea. We have been talking about it for quite sometime and I really think it paid off. Mark was working nights so he was able to take her in for her first day as well. We walked her in (while she wheeled her backpack lol), she put her stuff in her cubby...peaked her head in the room and kissed us goodbye. She has yet to look back since!

She is growing up way too fast. She has learned a ton already and loves every minute of the chance to go to school. Right now, she only goes Monday, Wednesday and Friday for half days...but I think she is ready to go the entire week...just not sure if I am yet :(.

See...rolling backpack...and she's so proud of it...it had to be like this for the picture.

Hey mom, the time out chair will make a perfect picture....very fitting!!! lol

Mom and dad with our beautiful little preschooler!!

It Begins...

2010-07-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

I knew the day would come...I knew there would come a day when one of the kiddos would say, I'm running away. I knew I would laugh as I watched them pack up their bag and to see the types of things they put in there for their long journey LOL. I just, however, figured a) it would be a few years from now and b) it would be Dakota!!! Well, Bodee packed up his backpack (diapers, wipes and a truck) and was ready to go. Kai wasn't far behind and it's good to see that she would be with him to protect him...but he was ready to get out of here :).

I really wish he had packed more clothes...flip flops aren't gonna keep him warm.

He thought he was taking the truck...

And tried both sides LOL...looks like he's giving up :(

He came in and settled for some string cheese and juice...the effort wore him out I guess :). I love what this little boy is becoming...too cute.

Bodee's Surgery

2010-07-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, yay for me...a new blog post LOL. I'll worry about catching up on the past ones later but for now, I'm gettin back into it (hopefully). Many people have asked about what Bodee had to have surgery for so....here it is :). Yesterday, Bodee went in for his 4th surgery in order to repair an incisional hernia as well as an umbilical hernia. We definitely have our own little superhero...and he will be called...Hernia-Boy! As many of you know, Bodee was born with a Diaphragmatic Hernia in which he had a hole in his diaphragm that allowed his internal organs to herniate into his chest cavity (more details can be found all over my blog :) )...the incision that was made in order to fix this, over time, has developed it's only little hernia. I noticed it early on (about 6 months old) but the doctors kept saying it was something that was normal for all babies. At his 15 month check-up, Bodee's doctor finally referred us back to Duke in order for Dr. Hoehner to take a look at it. The incisional hernia is a direct result of what has to be done in order to repair a Diaphragmatic Hernia. When all of the internal organs are moved back into their proper place, most times there isn't enough room to be able to close up the incision. This is because that area hasn't grown to accomodate the organs. Bodee's incision was able to be closed, however, it was still a process of having his abdomen stretch out to fit it all in there. In the process of growing, the pressure on his incision caused a weakness in part of it, and therefore a hernia occurred. Dr. H said that it was something that he would eventually need to have fixed...that it would never heal on its own but that it wasn't a situation where he needed it repaired right away. We decided that we wanted to have it done as soon as possible so that Bodee can put all of this behind him. If he was gonna have to do it "someday"...why not while he's still young enough to forget :(. While we were at Duke, we also had him take a look at an umbilical hernia he has had since he was only a few months old. The umbilical hernia is one that they say heals on its own by the time kiddos are 3 years old...most of the time ;). Well Dr. H said that since he was already going to have the incisional hernia repair, that he would also take care of his umbilical hernia so that he could be done with these stinkin surgeries. Our luck, Bodee would have been in that small percentage of kids that don't heal on their own and we figured it would be best to get it taken care of.
We had to be at Duke at 6am yesterday morning for a 7:30 procedure. Bodee was such a trooper (as always). We played in the pre-op room and he danced all around the bed. He was flirtin with the Anasthesia team (all ladies of course)...this is him...sendin out the vibe

and played games with the surgical gloves :)...

When it came time for them to take him back, dad got to get all dressed up in mock scrubs lol...and got to take him back to the operating room. Before they left, they gave Bodee some medicine that made him...absolutely...100%...goofy. They say this helps to calm them down and make it to where they don't remember anything...including the scary docs trying to put a mask over his face to put him to sleep.

The surgery took a little over an hour and Dr. H came out and told us that everything had gone great. They tucked everything back into it's rightful place and stitched him up. We were able to go in with him and hold him for the hour and a half it took him to come to. He was totally out of it and wouldn't even eat a popsicle they tried to offer him for fluids...this is him with his death grip on it...but no eating it :(

They had to increase his IV fluids in order to hydrate him...lazy turd. I think this surgery has been hardest on him...and me. This time he can actually vocalize a little bit where he hurts and how he feels. It makes me sad to see him trying to be active...only to have to freeze up because he can't climb on everything or dance around.

Bodee now has an innie belly button instead of a huge outie :)...I think he's wonderin where it went as he keeps walkin up to me and saying "uh-oh" while he lifts his shirt to look at it. More than likely, it just hurts really bad and that's his way of telling me about his boo-boo. I can't imagine having my tummy cut open in two places...laughing...crying...coughing...(pooping)...seems to all give him trouble. We are praying that in the next few days, he'll be back to his normal self. It's even hard to hold him or pick him up because it seems like all of it causes him pain as it stretches out his incisions. He is super tough though and always motivates me each time he has to endure all of this. We pray this is it...we pray that was the last time that we have to hold him after being operated on (except for the surgeries that he causes himself later in life LOL)...we pray that his body, muscles and skin will freakin toughin up ;) and that he can move forward and live a normal...crazy...active lifestyle.
Before...After...

Texas Good Times

2010-01-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

While in Texas, we thought it would be a great idea to head out and find Santa Clause for some cute pics of the kids. What better place to find him than at Bass Pro Shop where he had his (stuffed) reindeer right there with him LOL. It was Bodee's birthday but since we had thrown him a huge birthday party the day before, we didn't think he'd mind spending it at Bass Pro! My Mom, Dad, Brenda and niece Tori all came along to check out all the Holiday stuff there and we had a blast. We were even joined by a friend of ours that Mark was in the Marine Corps with in Hawaii, Adam...he's the one holding my smiley boy in this pic...

Bodee didn't seem too impressed with this amazing train set...
Dakota and dad were staring down some rattlesnakes...ughhhh, not my favorite.

Apparently Bodee is "otherwise occupied" during our family self portrait.

Here's Bodee and my mom...She-Sha riding on the Christmas Merry-Go-Round...or as Dakota called it...a Miracle-Go-Round LOL

Mark and I posing by the HUGE shark...Dakota tried to climb in his mouth...fearless I tell ya!

Bodee, my mom and I

A family photo in front of the Giant Bear :)

My mom and I

Mark & I in front of the Christmas Truck :)

Okay...so these are priceless...we'll cherish these for the rest of our lives LOL. Dakota had fallen asleep on dads shoulder while we were waiting in line so she is not havin it...and Bodee is on the verge of tears because his sister is freaking out :).

Sister was done and Bodee let loose...good thing these were free LOL

Mark had a Christmas party with his unit here in North Carolina and we got more pics with Santa. They turned out wayyyyy better...namely because my sister sat with Dakota in hers and I had to sit with Bodee in his...I still think these are the best :)

November 23rd, 2009

The Rodeo Gang

2010-01-08T09:11:00.001-08:00

It's always hard to make sure you see everyone when you go back home. You always feel like you are runnin around crazy trying to say howdy and spend time with friends and family. This last trip, Mark wanted to make sure he got to go out to Terrell and see all of his old friends (and mine once we met LOL) that he worked with at the Mesquite Rodeo during his days in Texas. Kenny and Cole were amazing and put together a party so that we could see everyone on one night. There were only a few people that couldn't make it and we hope we can catch up with them on the next trip. We had such a blast catching up and watching our kids play together. When Mark left the ranch, we weren't even married and now to have us married, with two kids...made it seem like forever ago. All of these people were a huge part of Mark's life during his time rodeoing in Texas and it was so great to listen to the stories and remember the good old days. Thanks so much for getting this together you guys...we can't let it be so long again before we get together! Here are some pics from the night :).

Josh, Kenny and Mark reminiscing lolNeil Gay checkin out the iphone...Meghan (middle) was begging her mom (Brenda Gay left) for one for Christmas...I think she got her wish ;) Meghan holding Bodee while Dakota tried to get in on the action... Cole Petet, Brenda & Meghan still talkin about the iphone LOL Our family posing pic Mark and I with Neil and Kay Gay...Mark's boss while he lived on the ranch and rodeoed Blevin Edwards...Josh and Kristi's ADORABLE little boy...this was the first time we'd seen him. Kristi and Blevin...he loved him some Dakota

All the boys sittin around blabberin...including Bodee-man Kallin Pemberton, Jim Gay, Bodee, Mark, Kenny Petet, Josh Edwards, Blevin & Danny Cannon - almost the whole gang...where's Monty? LOL November 21st, 2009....Good Friends and Great Times...miss you all terribly!

Road Trip

2010-01-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know it's been way too long since I've updated this blog. Feels like everytime I post something I'm saying that...but this has been the longest I've gone. As you'll see...we've done a lot of things and been a lot of places so that's why I haven't really updated. It's more overwhelming to sit down and update this many things :). I'm gonna do my best though.

First things first...we decided we would head out to Mark's parents' house in New Mexico for Thanksgiving so we had this grand idea that we would drive...and enjoy our time together as a family LOL. It actually wasn't near as bad as I had anticipated and the kids did great for being in the car for soooooo many hours. Mark even behaved himself and was good too :). We took our camping stuff with us because we really wanted to camp out the first night. We hadn't had the privilege of camping with Bodee yet but we knew that Dakota really loved the outdoors. It may be awhile before we try to conquer "camping with Bodee" again since Dad ended up spending the night in the car with him LOL. We have made certain that Bodee goes to bed on his own and that backfired on us in the tent. Dakota was always a baby that needed to be rocked and put to sleep...but Bodee falls asleep on his own as long as there aren't any distractions in his room. Well, about an hour after everyone going to sleep...he woke up and saw me laying next to his pack and play LOL. It was over after that...he was screaming so loud that I just knew he was gonna bring in the bears :). Mark took him out and put him into his car seat in the car and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a whole lot of sleepin going on in there. Anyway, needless to say, we were all excited when morning came and it was time to get up LOL. Here are a few of the many pics from this "adventure."

Cheaha State Park - Highest elevation in Alabama at a whopping 2407ft :).

We pulled over to take a pic...the colors were beautiful and still changing.

We got to our site, set up the tent, and dad and Dakota got to work on the fire. She went all through the woods pickin out sticks and twigs for him. She loves the outdoors!

Me and my kiddos at sunset...

Dinner was hotdogs...courtesy of Dakota and dad :)

Dad and the Bodester livin it up in the mountains :)

The bon...I mean Campfire.

This was "Hotel Alabama"...best $16.50 we've spent...minus the sleeping hours LOL

It was pitch black in the tent...and all I heard were the kids gigglin. We asked Dakota if she was being nice to her brother and she said yes. I flashed this pic to take a better look and this is what we got...her tackling her brother. I "think" he was having fun too.

Our campin girl...

Our dirt-eatin campin boy...

Dakota showin us her scary Bear interpretation...

And just for my records...since I'm soooooooooooo behind on this stuff...this was November 15th, 2009 :).

Look out...Bodee's 1!

2009-11-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

You were born weighing 8 lb 12 oz on November 23rd, 2008 at 1:20 am

And now, at one years old, you are 20 lb 7 oz and growing by the minute...
You couldn't breath very well when you were born so they had to help you out with all this junk...Hard to even imagine that your left lung was smaller than your right...especially when you throw one of these fits...it's music to our ears (most of the time)

We had to teach you how to eat...and tried every way to convince you to do so...

Now you'll eat anything in front of you...(except peas)...

like dirt... and especially CAKE...

You were in the hospital for 3 weeks...so we wondered how behind you would be developmentally...

But you've been right on track and even took your first steps at 11 months on November 12th.

We are daily amazed with you little guy...you are such an great baby with a fun personality. You go to sleep at night so easily...and wake up in the morning ready to go at 6:30am SHARP (NC time or TX time...doesn't seem to matter to you LOL) You are into everything and love to explore only the places we tell you to stay away from...and each time, you turn back and give us the cutest little look...I'm guessing this is how you plan to get away with things when you are older. For now, it works...! You will forever be our little miracle baby and you will be an inspiration to us for the rest of our lives. You fought so hard when you were born and you continue to amaze us with each milestone you reach. We love you!!! HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!!

USMC Ball 2009

2009-11-17T08:42:00.001-08:00

Mark and I have made it a habit to go to the ball every year. The only year we missed was when Dakota was born and that was only because I got sick right after. I even went last year and waddled around at 8 1/2 months prego LOL. I always enjoy getting to go with Mark all dressed in his blues. We had tons of fun and the pride of being the wife of a United States Marine is strongest on these nights :). Here are just a few pics!

Here's the cake...they cut a piece for the guest of honor, one for the oldest Marine there and one for the youngest...who by the way was born in 1990. WOW!...felt pretty old LOL

Mark and I...and the pic was taken on November 10th...Danny's camera is still set on Iraq time so it thought it was the next day :)

Lovin on my hubby!

We actually danced at this one...
Quite a bit actually...it was amazing!

The guest of honor was the Commandant of the Marine Corps General James T. Conway...they got to chat dogs for a few seconds :)
And for the sappy part...Mark took me out to the beach afterwards and brought a change of clothes and some blankets. We layed out on the beach and watched a movie together while the sis held down the fort back at the house with the kids. It was an amazing night altogether!

Double Birthday Celebrations

2009-11-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

So I have to tell something funny Dakota said before I explain anymore. We kept telling Dakota that on her birthday, she was gonna turn 4 years old and be a big girl. Well yesterday someone asked her how old she was and she said 5. I told her no sweetie, you are 4 now...you'll be 5 next year. She said no mom, on my birthday we went to Chuck E Cheese's and I was 4. But then I had another birthday with Scooby-Doo so I am 5 now. SMART TURD! Not sure how we'll convince her otherwise but for now, she thinks she is 5. I guess that's what we get for doing two different birthday celebrations for her.

The first thing we did was that we took her to Chuck E Cheese's on her actual birthday. She has been so excited about her daddy taking her there and playing all the games with her. We had tons of fun and dad couldn't believe how grown up she was. When he left, she couldn't play most of the games without help. She's officially a gamer :)...and for the record...VERY LUCKY!

Then came the birthday party. I always ask Dakota each year (well I guess for 2 years now LOL) who she wants to have at her party. And I start to write the list as she names the people. Well, this will probably be the last year that I actually invite everyone she names :). Let's just say there were 15 kids there by the end and as many adults! She had also decided that she wanted a Scooby-Doo party so I got to work. I showed her tons of pictures of cakes and she kept pointing out The Mystery Machine complete with "the gang." And that's just what she got. She also told me that we had to solve a mystery...and that "maybe we could have clues on dog paw prints." So, here was the party. The guests arrived and a "ghost" made the presents disappear. You should have seen the look on the kids faces when they saw them missing...then the rest of the party was spent finding clues to where the presents were hid. They bashed in a ghost pinata...played musical paw prints...and stomped ghost balloons in the front yard. Yes, it was as crazy as it sounds. We then had her open the presents after the kids found them in the trunk of my car and then sang happy birthday to her. Dakota isn't a big fan of being the center of attention...so when it came time to blow out the candles...she wouldn't do it. She decided that she would just wave out the candles...but it worked...so whatever.

I really enjoy trying to make birthday's special for Dakota...she is always pretending she is having a party or serving cake...so it's the one chance I have to actually bring her imaginary world into reality. Trust me, with her imagination...this is a toughy!

Here is a slideshow of the pics that were taken from both times :)

2009-11-12T16:13:00.001-08:00

Halloween

2009-11-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

The kids got dressed up twice this year and that is one too many times when you are spraying Dakota's hair red...what a mess...but Ariel didn't have blonde hair so it was a must :)

Dakota went as The Little Mermaid and Bodee was Kung Fu Panda. We went to the Fall Festival at church the Saturday before Halloween and then went Trick or Treating on Halloween with Johnny and June...Dakota's favorite people from Wilmington :). Both kids sat in the stroller while we chauffeured them to the houses...so much for working for your candy. Dakota was super cute this year and didn't mind having to say "trick or treat" for her candy. There wasn't much of that going on last year :). Bodee was totally content sitting in the stroller and munchin on a package of whoppers...they weren't opened and he just likes the crinkling noise! Well, a few houses into it we noticed him waving his arms and kicking his feet...so I knelt down and felt the wrapper. Two of the three whoppers were missing...guess he has quite the sweet tooth. Dakota was so cute and at the first house, she said "I need some for my brother too"...and in my mind, I'm thinking...that little stinker :). But at every house she got candy for her brother too...and put it into his bucket. She is such a great big sister! After a little bit, Dakota said, "mom, I don't want any more candy...I wanna go home." Hmmmmm, didn't know what to think of that but definitely didn't argue with her.

We had tons of fun just getting to be together as a family and watching our kiddos get so excited.

Dakota wouldn't stick her hand in the bowl to find the eyeballs...but Bodee sure did enjoy it LOL

Dakota wrapped Bodee and I up like a Mummy ;)

Guess what she had painted on her hand? A kitty cat of course!

Showin off the candy he scored!

This is how we "roll" :) Bodee eatin his whoppers...the look on his face says "guilty"Dakota doin her thing... She was very particular about the candy she chose..even for Bodee The greatest big sister ever!

My Beautiful Girl

2009-11-03T05:46:00.000-08:00

Well the day has finally come...Dakota is oficially 4 years old. Not sure how I feel about this...super excited on one hand that she is growing up to be such a fun, smart, beautiful little girl but then on the other hand, I wish I could stop time. Mark and I watched her 1st year video the other night and couldn't believe how little she was and it only seemed like yesterday that some of the pics were taken. I am daily amazed at the amount of imagination that she has. The things she comes up with and the stories she tells keeps us giggling all the time. Since Mark's been home, I am totally seeing where she gets it all. They could make up an entire world for themselves and be perfectly content living in it :). Looking back through all of the pictures made us realize that she has lived in several different places and has experienced tons of fun stuff. She's been to all but one Hawaiian island...mostly in my belly but it still counts...she's been 4-wheelin, tubing in the snow, hunting, camping, fishing, hiking, body-boarding...just to name a few :). We are really excited to see what the next 4 years holds for this little girl. She is such an amazing girl and we are so blessed to have her as our daughter!!! It was tough to pic but here are a few pics from her 4 years LOL.

Dakota Michelle Maikalani Vierig

Born November 3rd, 2005 1:11am...6lbs 14oz. Living in Kailua, Hawaii

1 years old and living in Eagle Mountain, Utah Two years old and living in Wanship, Utah

3 years old and living in Jacksonville, North CarolinaAnd here's our beautiful girl now...it's amazing to look back and see the transformation :). She keeps saying that someday, she will have brown hair like mommy and daddy! I'll be prayin it stays exactly the way it is :).

We love you sweetheart! Happy Birthday :)

Tough Guy

2009-10-31T19:25:00.000-07:00

Bodee is such a cool baby...he hasn't even skipped a beat since his surgery yesterday. He came home a little groggy and slept quite a bit yesterday but the medicine they gave him didn't leave him much choice. Today? Well, you wouldn't even know he had anything done. He's back to his happy, silly self....

Here are a few pics from yesterday...he was super playful while we waited for them to take him back. He even made time to flirt with the nurses, watch Special Agent Oso, and played with the bed pan, denture containers and pee cups that the nurse thought would keep him occupied. I know I know...heaven forbid he play with the 10 toys I brought for him...

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

This shirt's kind of breezy mom...check out my polka dot britches

Yes, that's a denture container...and he's watching Special Agent Oso so he didn't realize I put the hat on...
didn't take him long...
"Recovering" :)

Poor Guy

2009-10-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

Please keep Bodee-man in your thoughts tomorrow...he will finally be going in for the "procedure" he wasn't able to get when he was born due to him being born with the Diaphragmatic Hernia. We pray this is the end of the surgeries he will have and long for the day that he remembers none of it :). His surgery is scheduled for 8:30am tomorrow and he can't have any food after midnight tonight. I'm sure he'll be really thrilled to wake up tomorrow and not be allowed a bottle...we'll see how it goes. Prayers for quick healing and minimal pain for our little guy.

As for an update on Bodee...he is now 11 months old and weighs around 20 pounds. It's hard to believe that he is actually bigger than his sister was at this age as she was barely pushing 18 pounds at 1 years old. He is quite the chunky monkey and eats everything in sight. He hasn't quite figured out when to say when yet, so every now and then, he eats way too much and disposes of the extra :). He is cruising along everything and will even push his horse while he walks behind it. He will stand in place until he realizes he wants to go somewhere and then he drops down to the crawling position. He's into everything and everything goes into his mouth. I remember Dakota being like this, but not near as bad. He chews on books, paper, cardboard, cat food, dog food...whatever LOL. He still HATES taking a bath or shower and nothing we do convinces him that they are okay. I can't believe he is almost one...it truly has flown by way too quickly. It does, however, seem like an eternity since we were sitting next to him in the hospital and that is okay with us. Walking and talking are right around the corner...not sure if I want two little ones that talk my ear off LOL.

I will post an update tomorrow after Bodee's surgery. Should be basic and routine (yeah right says all the men reading this LOL).

Daddy / Daughter Time

2009-10-26T12:13:00.001-07:00

Dakota has finally turned into the daddy's girl he has always wanted. She was very attached to me still before he left but she is all dad now and he loves every minute of it. They spend lots of time wrestling together and she wants to go everywhere with him. Here are just a few pics of the two of them doing what they do best LOL...

This was the second night Mark was back...he really just wanted to go and lay with Dakota and watch her movie with her...it didn't take long before this is what they both looked like. Notice Dakota's leg draped over her daddy...she has to be touching you at all times. She's such a snuggler.

Okay, these pics are just hilarious. Dakota had taken her dad back to her room and all I could hear was music. I guess they were having a dance off...Dakota was all decked out...sash on the waist and blue 80's headband that has made numerous other pics.

I really don't know what else to say here...trust me, there are about 3 other pics that I plan to keep for blackmail in case he decides to cross me...too funny.

Dakota in action...

Dakota continues to be such a fun little girl. She has an amazing imagination which I'm pretty sure she gets from her dad. They are like two peas in a pod when they get together...it's hilarious to listen to the conversations they have and the games they play. It puts such a huge smile on my face to see them together again.

Father / Son Bonding

2009-10-26T11:19:00.001-07:00

I was totally thinking that with Mark coming home, that I would have way more time to keep everyone updated on the blog...obviously that free time hasn't shown up yet LOL. Man, we have been keeping super busy and trying to get ourselves back into some sort of a routine. Having dad home has been amazing for all of us. Dakota is in heaven and Bodee warmed up to him immediately. It's great to see Mark with both of his kids crawling all over him!!! Bodee loves his daddy and is so cute with him. He still has his mommy moments, but he is perfectly content lovin on his daddy and letting daddy take care of him. I've included some of the pics of Mark and Bodee in this post so everyone can see that they are picking right back up where they left off!

Bodee won't fall asleep in my arms...but apparently he's cool with doing it for dad.

Not sure what Bodee is doin here but they are watching Dakota play with her kitty

Always smilin at daddy!!!

Snugglin up with daddy..Bodee gives kisses now...granted, they are open mouthed and slobbery...but he gives them out to his daddy freely :). Wearin dads Marine Corps cover...he doesn't like hats too much.
Perfectly content on daddy's lap...
I think this was the morning after Mark got back into town...I sat down to feed Bodee and he immediately took the spoon from me. Bodee isn't picky about who gives him food...he just likes to eat :)

Homecoming 2009

2009-10-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

After 6 time / date changes Mark finally landed on American soil Tuesday night at around 8pm. They then had to drive from Cherry Point to Lejeune where they had to take care of their dogs at the kennels. They arrived at the headquarters building around midnight where all of their family and friends were waiting for them. I had 2 friends (thanks Kristi and Elizabeth) and my sister taking pictures and I think I've finally narrowed them down to my favorite 46 hee hee. I hope that the slideshow will tell the story of our evening and feel free to click on the "view pictures" button if you want to see them better. I already have a few posts that will tell what we have been up to since daddy has been home but I wanted to make sure I got these pictures up first. It was one of the most amazing nights to be able to watch Dakota cling to her daddy and to watch Bodee try to figure out where he'd seen this guy before :) :). And in case you haven't seen the blog in a while...there are a few videos posted in the posts after the slideshow that show the reunion of daddy with his kiddos...so AMAZING! Luv you all!!!

2009-10-10T15:42:00.001-07:00

Video of Bodee

2009-10-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize that my friend Elizabeth was also videoing little bits and pieces of the homecoming. Well, she got one of Bodee & Daddy for their reunion as well as the same video that I got of Dakota jumping into her daddy's arms. Her version is from a different angle and hopefully a little bit lighter than mine. I'm also almost done putting the photo's into a slideshow so they are coming soon...PROMISE!

Okay Okay Okay LOL

2009-10-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna have to do this in pieces and as I have a chance...but here is the video of Dakota loving on her daddy right after he got off the bus. It was too cute...she hesitated a little and turned on her "shy" mood...so we didn't get an actual takedown like we'd hoped. However, once she jumped into his arms, it was non-stop! It is quite dark but...well...it was stinkin midnight when we finally got to see them :).

As for Bodee, well, he couldn't quit staring at Mark. He was a little fussy when he first picked him up but I totally expected that. You will see in most of the pictures that Bodee is just staring at him...it was too cute. I will post more pics as I have a chance. I had four cameras going that night so I want to get all of the pictures from them before I choose which ones are the best to share :). Mark has to work what they call "half" days for a week or so. I wouldn't really call 3 hours a half day though and I will take it. They just have to take care of all the post-deployment stuff before they can take leave.

Family Business

2009-10-04T10:07:00.001-07:00

Dakota has always loved playin with the puppies..and even helping out with the training side of it. I went out into the garage today looking for her and I saw that she had been working with Kai LOL. Kai was in the garage to dry off after her much needed bath and Dakota thought she needed to be in the kennel instead of running free. Guess she'll do alright with the family business someday...but she's got another thing comin if she thinks she's gonna skip the Poop Scoopin part and jump right into training. We all serve our time hee hee.

As for Mark, we are still waiting to hear that he is out of country before I post any Homecoming dates. It has changed several times so we are hoping to have him home soon. You can bet I will let everyone know as soon as he sets foot on American soil :).

recent events...

2009-09-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics to show what we have been up to lately :). We are just pluggin away... anxiously awaiting the return of daddy! I have kept busy finishing up last minute stuff. I've had a running to do list since Mark left but now I am finally getting to the stuff that couldn't be done until right before he comes home! I feel like I am nesting all over again as I look around the house and fix, organize and clean things I haven't paid much attention to before. Whatever it takes to make these last few days go by faster!

This is Dakota at a birthday party learning the Hula...they mentioned that the Hawaiian word for ocean is Kai...and she was quick to say that her puppy's name is Kai :). (she is multi-tasking too by the way as she spent about 3 hours trying to blow up that balloon...persistent little thing)

I had to throw this pic in...I am always asked where Dakota gets her curls from...and I never thought it was from me...until the other day when I let my hair air dry and then let Mariah work her magic...tada...CURLS.

I think his facial expression says it all...Bodee has officially found the toilet paper. All bathroom doors have to be closed now. He loves to go into the bathroom while his sister takes a bath!

Here is Dakota painting her sign for her daddy...it says, Welcome Home Daddy...Let's Wrestle. That's all she keeps saying she wants to do with him when he gets home. And she was nice enough to write her name AND Bodee's name on the bottom.

Remember the infamous chain? Well take a look at it now...feel free to count the links, however, it's not truly an accurate count. We still don't have a final date for him coming home but if all goes according to plan, I won't have to add any links...and hopefully I'll be taking a few away (hint hint). Dakota loves taking off a link every night...we have to count them before AND after she takes it off.

Bodee got a few new teeth...I took this picture before the top left one pushed through. It was just a few days after the top right. He now has all four on top

And finally, poor kid. He was standing up next to my bed flirtin with his sister who was up on my bed. I walked out of the room and came back to a screaming little boy with a bloody mouth. When I asked Dakota what had happened, she said she didn't know. Soooooo, I'm gonna just say that he fell down and hit his mouth on the side board to my bed...even though she may have had something to do with it. I can normally get her to come clean on things but she never did...so maybe she was innocent. Anyway, his gum is still swollen over his top right tooth but it looks a lot better today. As if teething doesn't hurt enough...:(

Oh my...

2009-09-16T18:35:00.001-07:00

She is just like her daddy...I am constantly amazed at the things she does and says...once again, don't judge the outfit...pink shoes, red apple dress complete with blue headband...at the house, it's her world!

Here is the dialog in case it's kind of fuzzy lol

Mom: What is it?

Dakota: A lizard?

Mom: and what happened?

Dakota: I stepped on it and so it can be dead and so I can pick him up

Mom: and why do you have him in my house?

Dakota: because I want him to be my pet

Mom: but you killed him

Dakota: welllllll that's ok!

And then there's Bodee...anxious to see what this little guy is like at age 3 hee hee! He's got some moves...and by the way, it's Dave Matthews Band on tv that he's listening to :).

The Outer Banks

2009-09-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

My sister's birthday was September 5th and she has really wanted to head out to the Outer Banks to check things out. So, on the Thursday before her b-day, we packed up the kiddos and took off for a long day of driving and ferry-ing :). It was truly a long day but tons of fun. I would love nothing more than to spend an entire weekend out there when Mark gets home. It is definitely on our "to do" list as a family. I've created a slide show of all of the pictures because I couldn't narrow it down...I think you can click on the "view pictures" link and go straight to them if you don't want to watch the entire show. We took tons of pics.

It started with a 2 hour drive out to Cedar Island where we caught our first Ferry over to Ocracoke. That ferry ride was a little over 2 hours long and the kids did great. It was a little bumpy so it helped Bodee to take a nap for a little of it :). Dakota thought it was so cool that our car got to ride the ferry with us. We had lunch at Howards Pub (thanks Kellie) in Ocracoke and then headed on out to catch the ferry over to Hatteras. This Ferry ride was onlyl about 30 minutes and we actually stayed in our car for most of it because it was raining a little bit. Definitely a weird feeling to have your vehicle swaying all over the place. From there, we just drove up the shore and stopped to check things out as we felt like it. We even pulled over and got out to see the house that was in Nights in Rodanthe...which was a must for us on the trip. We finished off our site-seeing at the Bodie Island Lighthouse and got some great shots of that. (You just thought there was nothing else out there with the name Bodie ;). ) Anyway, I encourage everyone to see the Outer Banks at some point. It was absolutely gorgeous and definitely a great vacation spot. It's not necessarily the best idea to make it all in one day though because the 3 1/2 hour drive we still had left took forever :). Enjoy our pics on the next post!

2009-09-13T19:57:00.001-07:00

Videos Galore

2009-09-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

I've posted two new posts...one on Dakota and one on Bodee. I apologize for the amount of videos in there but they truly tell the story :). Pictures just don't do justice these days as they are both changing so much!

Dakota Michelle

2009-09-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick video of Dakota at her last swim lesson. Susan got her to jump off the diving board. She walked right up there, and jumped in. I was thinking Susan would be there to catch her and to help her to the side but nope, tough love here. Dakota popped right back up and swam / doggie paddled her way to the side. She is officially water-safe in my book :).

Here is Dakota making what Mr. Johnny taught her is a "drip castle"...it looks pretty cool when it's done.

And lastly, here is Dakota feeding her brother. I'll get up to get myself something and she always just plops right down and starts feeding him. She's such an amazing helper :)

Dakota continues to be 3 :). One second she is crackin me up with the things she says and does and the next she's screamin at me from her 3rd timeout in 2 hours :). It's all part of the process I guess. She's growing up so fast and her imagination is indescribable. I love to hear her stories and listen to her dreams from the night before. I am compiling another list of the funny things she says that aren't quite right...and I will post a separate post once I get them all together. I can't wait to show her these things when she is older. She'll never believe some of the things that have come out of her mouth.

9 month appointment

2009-09-04T12:31:00.001-07:00

Bodee finally had his 9 month appointment on Wednesday and here are the stats...he weighs 17 lbs 4 ounces and is 27 inches long. This puts him down in the 10th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height. It's actually the news I was waiting for in order to decide to really start giving him formula and weaning him off of the...well...you know :). This was the exact time that I had to start introducing Dakota to formula because she was always so tiny. However, my little guy wasn't always tiny and his percentiles have decreased for the past few months. I think he was in the 25th percentile for weight at his 6 month and maybe even the 50th at his 4 month. Sooo, it's time to start trying to fatten this guy up. I'll be giving him formula to "top him off" after feedings and also at night before bed. This will start to hopefully transition him into just formula. Unlike Dakota, Bodee actually likes the formula...for the most part. Dakota never wanted anything to do with it. Other than that, the doctor said he looks great developmentally and is right on track with what a 9 month should be doing...crawling on all fours, pulling up on things, grasping things with his fingers etc etc. Mark truly is coming home to a brand new baby. The only thing the doc and I did discuss was a little hernia I had been noticing at the top of his incision. I had mentioned it in the past and two different doctors had said it was normal. Well, they hadn't ever seen it when he was mad and crying so I talked to the doc a little more about it. He said it did appear to be a little incisional hernia and that we should just watch it and see how it goes. Soooo, my little hernia-man continues to live up to his name.

Other updates for this little guy...his top teeth are FINALLY coming in. His top right tooth finally broke through yesterday after many days of seeing it coming. And...just like the other 2 sets, his top left is only a day or so behind it. So, he'll have more than just fangs in the front now...eventually anyway :). The other news, is that right after Bodee turned 9 months, I decided to try to get rid of the pacifier. We've only had a few days (yesterday's 15 hour day to the Outer Banks being one) where I've had to give in for the sake of sanity but it's been great. He only used it before to sleep and for car rides so now, he just cries for a few seconds before naps and bedtime and then he's good. I had heard that if you do it early...it's much easier. So far, that has been true. The last thing he's doing, is he nods his head yes to copy you or whenever you say yes to him. It's such an uncontrolled nod that it looks funny but it's amazing to see him interact. Anyway, that's what this little guy has been up to. Not much longer til dad gets home and gets to see what a fun and amazing little guy Bodee truly is :)

Here is Bodee nodding yes :)

This is Bodee doing zerberts with his mouth

And then here he is feeding himself mac & cheese :)

A month in review

2009-08-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

Today Bodee-man is 9 months old. I've posted a lot of pics that tell the story of his 9th month and the things he's accomplished during it. He's really changed a ton this past month and is really starting to have a cute little personality. He's sleeping through the night consistently now and goes to bed at 8 and is up by 6:30. Not real fond of the wake up time but I will take it over the waking up every 2 - 3 hours :). We've moved from #2 baby foods into #3's and he seems to be grasping the whole "chewing / smooshing" the chunky foods. He gets bits of bread, cheese, tortillas, crackers etc and gets really excited when he see's them come out. He stares at absolutely everything we eat and gets noticeably upset when he doesn't get a taste. He's got the Irish temper in him like his sister so it is very clear how he feels most of the time. He is getting better about letting others hold him but he still keeps one eye on mom or sister. His 9 month appointment isn't until the second of September so I will update his stats at that time. I'm anxious to see how his weight is doing as I've been feeling lately like my milk supply is decreasing. I've been giving him formula after a couple of feeds to see if he's still hungry. He takes a little bit of it but then acts full. Soooo, we will see after the appointment. I may start weining him and transfering to formula if he hasn't gained much weight. Here are just a "few" of the new things we encountered with him this past month!

-Stylin in sisters shades

-Pulling up on things (this is how I find him now when he wakes up)

-Drinking from a straw (you just tell him to "take a drink" and he dives in :) -Grunting: he grunts at me when I am too slow in getting him his food LOL. His newest thing now, is that if I grunt at him, he will grunt back. He also does this with coughing, clearing your throat, or clicking your tongue. It's cool to see him interact :)

Eating sand

(the solution to eating sand...his very own mini-tent - $3 garage sale score)

-Lemon Sucking

-Crawling on all fours

-Standing (for a few seconds at a time...or until he gets so excited that he flails his arms and throws himself off balance LOL) Obviously I don't have any pictures of that because I need all the hands I can get when his balance goes :)

After typing up this post, I couldn't believe how much he has changed and accomplished just in one month. I smile and laugh daily at both of our kiddos...they are such a joy and I am amazed at how quickly they are both growing up!

My little Fish

2009-08-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick video of Dakota swimming. It really shows how far she has come this summer. She took lessons from our neighbor last year and did great. This year we haven't been able to get her in for any lessons but practice has made perfect :). She is a brave little girl and just dunks her head and goes to town. It has just been the past few days that she has added in the arms and really taken off.

Here is a video of Dakota doing flips in the water. She does a front, and then attempts a back flip. I think she feels like she actually did a back flip...I'm not gonna tell her LOL. Notice the splashing celebration at the end :).

Here is Dakota showing her daddy how she can dive to the bottom and touch. It's only about 2 feet deep here but she has come a long way from even the beginning of the summer where she wouldn't stay under for very long.

Too Funny

2009-08-20T17:20:00.001-07:00

So I think Mark's guys were trying to tell him something...they gave him a card for his birthday...complete with a pair of "old man" glasses to ensure he could read it. They also put 36 Dr. Peppers in a cooler covered with ice (yes in Iraq lol) ...I'm so thankful that he has awesome guys with him out there to help him get through another b-day in Iraq! Mark is the old man compared to the rest of the guys but you'd never know it...most days ;). Luv ya sweetie...and the glasses, well, they can stay in Iraq :). They hide those baby blues!!! (Thanks for the pics Pierce)

Happy Birthday

2009-08-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a quick minute to wish my wonderful husband a Happy Birthday. I hope that you find some way to have a great day and to kick back and relax a little. I pray that this is the last birthday that we have to spend apart because I don't think I'll be able to eat an entire Chocolate Eclair cake alone (yeah right). Thank you for your willingness to do what it takes to ensure a better life and country for our little ones. We are so proud of you (and Joep) and are counting the days until we see you again. We miss you so much! And don't forget, for these next 5-ish months, YOU'RE OLDER!!! Luv You FOREVER!

Let the countdown begin

2009-08-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Dakota has been asking for her daddy a lot lately and is soooo ready for him to be home (we all are!!!). My dad and Brenda visited and then my mom visited here recently and I told Dakota that Daddy would be the next one to come to our house. Of course, since little girls don't really have a concept of time, I knew this was going to mean that as soon as my mom left, she would be expecting her daddy to be home. Soooo, my neighbor gave me a good idea to make a countdown chain for her. So that each night she can take away a link and that way she can see how close his homecoming is. Well, my mom left Wednesday so yesterday I helped her make the chain. She cut out the links all by herself and then started to glue them together. She got a little distracted and started making princess crowns out of the loops so I had to finally take over LOL. (she is such a girl) I know the next question many of you will ask is...ok, so how many more days? And then answer is that we still don't know for sure. We are still planning on 7 months from when he left...could be earlier...we pray it is! You can tell by the length of the chain...that it's not next week LOL. My plan is to take away or add loops as I need to in order to make it come out right :). I'm actually thinking that one morning I will wake up to an empty chain since Dakota will equate that to daddy being home...without regards to actual days! We will see how this turns out. Anyway, here is the chain she made.

We also had another exciting event that signaled that we were getting close. We mailed out a final package to him. He is at the point now where he has to cut off his mail as he starts to make the transition home :) :). Sooooo, we decided to pack an extra special gift for him...

Bodee thought it was a great idea...and Dakota seems okay with it too!

We can't wait until Mark gets home. Time has flown by but at the same time, it seems like forever since we've had him here. Bodee has changed so much and Dakota has grown up in so many ways. I know he can't wait to get back and watch them firsthand...rather than in pictures, videos or on the webcam. Thank goodness for modern technology. We love you baby and can't wait to see you walk off that bus!!!!

Ice Skating

2009-08-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

Dakota had her first Ice-Skating experience and the look on her face in the pictures says it all. She was not too fond of her first time...she was cold and just didn't like how unstable she felt. It didn't help that mom isn't so stable herself so we put on quite the show. She says now that she wants to do it again but during the event, she was not a happy camper.

Here is Dakota after getting her skates on...she was freezing (mom left the jacket at home) so she had to steal Bodee's blanket. He didn't complain too much!

It looks like I'm trying to teach Dakota how to hold onto the wall when in actuality, I'm using it too LOL. ;)

This is how we would skate. It was hard to get her to keep her feet together so her legs were going all over the place. I got a good arm workout that day.

Dakota's face is kind of blurry here but she is kicking her feet out and slipping around. All I could do is laugh as I tried to keep both of us from bustin it!

By the end, she was actually braving the wall all by herself!

I have posted several new posts so keep scrollin to see the rest :). Gotta catch up somehow...so why not all at once ;)

Yea Bodee-man

2009-08-13T12:30:00.001-07:00

For those of you that have followed our blog...you know that Bodee has not been a fan of the water. Doesn't matter whether it's hot, cold, warm, bathtub, ocean, pool...hates (hated) it all. Well, we went to the pool last week with my neighbor and her niece and Bodee decided that sittin in the pool wasn't too bad. He didn't even care if the water was splashing him in the face. And on a temperature note...the water was freezing (to me anyway).

Of course that night at home, I was excited to see how he would like the bath...nope! Maybe next time :(.

Dakota...where's Bodee

2009-08-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

"In here with me mom"...and I walked into the living room and heard a little giggle coming from Dakota's play tent...

Bodee was totally content just layin in here with his sister. She had even covered him up with her blanket. I can't wait to see them play together in another year or so...who know's what kind of trouble these two will get into!

Sharing Sister

2009-08-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Dakota insists that her booster seat is right next to Bodee in the backseat. She always says that it's so that she can help him out whenever he starts to cry. Well, I bought her a chocolate milkshake the other day and she said, "momma, can I share with Bodee?" So I said sure Dakota and was impressed with her wanting to share a coveted milkshake...can't say I'd be willing to do the same LOL. Anyway, when we got home, I pulled Bodee's carseat out of the back seat and this is what I saw. You think maybe she shared more than once?

Water Balloon...???

2009-08-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

I was thinking that Dakota and I were planning to have a water balloon "fight." She had asked if we could play water balloons and silly me thought that meant we would throw them at eachother. Nope, it meant she wanted to throw them in the grass and watch them break. I guess I can't blame her...she's never been schooled in the proper water balloon "playing" techniques. I took care of that on this day. She started throwing them in the grass so I threw a couple at her...she was instantly upset and didn't want to play that way. Until.....I lined myself up in front of her and told her to have at it. She loved throwing them at me and has quite an arm on her. At the end, I walked up behind her and busted one over her head. She turned around really quick...ready to be mad at me...and saw that I got most of the water on myself...and started laughing with me. Phewww.....could have ruined any further water ballooning activity. Here are some pics from the event :).

We are ready...(she may have already had one busted at her feet LOL)

You can see the balloon in mid air...she is throwing them at my backside :)

We had to play catch with this one because they were running outRight over her head...I got most of the splash however

She saved this balloon...named it "grassy"...and tries to sleep with it every night. I sneak in there and put "grassy" on the book shelf after Dakota falls asleep.

Dakota Stuff

2009-07-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

*I have posted several new posts so scroll down to see all of them*

This is a toy I was about to put in the attic...Dakota decided she wanted to sit in it with Bodee and show him how it works...love this pic.

Nice...she was playing the drums on my window with a pencil. Love the outfit
Dakota's newest thing is that she wants to pick Bodee up all the time. He loves it...I'm surprised I got a picture because it always scares me a little...

Jumping from the bench to the couch...fearless!

1) yes she is in her pj's 2) yes she is having ice cream for breakfast (long story) 3) NO IDEA...she is somethin else!
We went out to girls camp and Dakota was sneakin Bodee some snow cone...no wonder he loves her so much!

Runnin in and out of the waterfall at the pool

Roastin Mallows...by the way, she never leaves the house without a bow in her hair ... strategically placed of course.

And not sure if I have posted this but this is the play set we found for Dakota back in May. We had received some Christmas money to purchase one but hadn't found the perfect one. We really wanted one that was similar to the one she got to play on at Parker's House...complete with a telescope. She absolutely loves it...I've recently moved it onto the concrete pavers because I was tired of weed eating around the base. This will be much better...and now she can watch her dogs while she swings!
I measured Dakota today on the wall where we keep track of her height. She has grown almost an inch and a half just since Mark left. She is getting so big and despite being "THREE" she has such a fun little personality. You never know what she is going to do...say...or dress up in LOL.

Teeth Count and New Tricks

2009-07-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of all four of Bodee's teeth that he has now. I think I may have caught a glimpse today of the top right one trying to make it's way through...but who knows! For now, this is what we've got :).I finally got up in the attic and pulled down all of Dakota's old toys from when she was a baby...Bodee was in heaven! Oh man, this was a funny day. I was trying to change Bodee's diaper and he kept flipping himself up onto his head and trying to roll over. He was not clean yet so I couldn't let him just yet...but it was a battle to get him to stay still...he thought it was pretty funny too.

Bodee continues to hate taking baths. On this night, he hated it even more because he was so tired and ready to go to bed. He didn't even wait until I got him dressed...he passed right out on the floor.
He finally made his way over to Kai and started reaching out for her. Kai couldn't care less...as long as she can still see the shadows on the floor...Bodee can do whatever to her :)

Bodee is scootin all over the place now...I wouldn't call it crawling just yet though as you'll see in the video at the end...he was pretty proud of himself here for getting under his bed.

He is standing up really well...assisted by the coffee table of course :). If he gets even a little bit off balance...he's down. His favorite thing to do now is to stand next to Dakota while she plays with something on the table.On your mark...get set...and that's it. He gets up on his hands and knees but once it's time to take off...he's down on his face again. He's not far off from figuring it all out.

So, to recap, Bodee has 4 teeth, new toys, can do a head stand, loves his puppy Kai, stands up on things and scoots...lots happening around here with this little guy. Here is a video of him taking off after our neighbors phone. Yes, we were being mean and moving it all around to watch him scoot. It's amazing he doesn't have carpet burns on his face. It gets him where he wants to go though :)

The Sweetest Thang!

2009-07-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my little girl sportin one of

my beach dresses...and posing like a little princess. Guess it's good she can wear it right now while I still work on getting back into it :).

I know I'm way behind on the blog but I am working on it...I just had to post this one to make sure it was shared :). When Dakota gets out of the bath, it's always a fight to try to brush out her hair...definitely the only down side to her long beautiful curls. I always try to talk to her about things that take her mind off of me brushing through all the tangles and tonight, I decided I would ask her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Here's how the conversation went.

Mom: Dakota,what do you want to be when you grow up?

Dakota: (after thinking for a second) I think I want to be a scooter girl. I want to ride motorcycles (OH MAN!)

Mom: Really? Daddy will think that's really cool.

Dakota: Momma, when I get bigger can I wear your big girl clothes?

Mom: Sure, we can share clothes. That would be fun.

Dakota: Well what about your big dress...can I wear that when I'm bigger?

Mom: Which big dress are you talking about?

Dakota: The big white one you just wore with daddy in the picture.

Mom: Oh, my wedding dress? You want to wear my wedding dress when you get married?

Dakota: Yeah, sure. Can I wear it when I marry my daddy?

Mom: You want to marry your daddy? What about one of your boyfriends?

Dakota: No, I just want to marry my daddy!

So then I went into the kitchen and was telling Mariah about our conversation and she told me about something she heard Dakota say earlier while she was taking her and Bodee on a walk around the neighborhood. She said Dakota leaned over to Bodee, grabbed his hand and said, "Bodee, will you marry me?"

I'm not sure where all this marriage talk is coming from but it sure is cute to hear that she wants to marry her daddy and her brother. Dakota and Bodee's relationship continues to put a smile on my face. She is the best big sister and he would rather be sitting next to her than next to anyone else in the world...including me. (which says a lot since he is such a momma's boy these days).

More pics will follow...we have been super busy and I have tons of cute pics of the kiddos. My dad and Brenda just left and we had a ton of fun with them. We stayed really busy and spent most of our days by the pool or at the beach. My kind of vacation. Stay tuned...

Amazing Marines

2009-07-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

So today I get a text from my husband because he can send me messages from his email and it says "hey babe, are you by a computer? I want to show you something." So I jumped onto Yahoo Messenger and pulled up the webcam and this patch is what he was showing me through it. These are patches they can wear on their flight suits while over in country. This one says BMV (Bodee Mark Vierig) "My Hero"...two of his Marines, who are now two of my most favorite people in the whole world, had gone to the tailor (yes they have tailors now in Iraq) and had these patches made to surprise Mark. Each of them have one now and they were apparently wearing them today. It brought me to tears to see these. These guys were also part of a group that was so supportive of Mark and I and our entire family while Bodee was in the hospital. They will never know what it means to Mark and I that they would make something like this in honor of our little CDH Superhero!

From left to right in the following pic is Lcpl Dennis, Mark & Cpl Pierce. Thank you so much guys for being so supportive of our family and for doing this! I love that the turquoise is being worn even over in Iraq.

Bodee's new tricks

2009-07-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to make sure to get this into the blog a) to share with everyone and b) so that I can keep track of this little guy. We are spending the week with my parents at a beach condo they rented on Topsail Beach and I really wondered how Bodee would do away from our house. He has done great and continues to sleep through the night. However, he also continues to be my early riser. It's turned out to be a blessing here because I enjoy getting up early and looking out over the ocean. So for now, I will thank him :) As for his progress towards being a "big boy"...yesterday was a big day for him. We have been babbling to him for quite sometime because I thought it would be cool for him to say da da by the time Mark came home. Well, yesterday he woke up and was just babbling away. I know they are just sounds they make but it was so cute to hear him saying all of them at once. We can't ever say that he said ma ma or da da first because they both came together.

He also was using the na na sounds too. So all day yesterday and most of the morning today, he continues to squeal (which he's been doing for a while...Mark heard him do this once and was shocked that such a high pitched noise was coming from his Boy...lol) and also is saying na na da da ma ma etc. He also is starting to mimic his sister. When she screams...he will scream or squeal back. Dakota loves it and it's a fun little game for her to play with him...despite the noise it creates :).

The other new development for Bodee is that he is now doing the "low crawl" to get to objects. He will scoot on his belly by using his arms out in front of him. He is so proud of himself when he does and gives a huge smile when he gets to the toy. I am trying to catch it on video but every time the camera comes out, Dakota wants to come help and then all bets are off. He is only interested in staring at her when she is around so he freezes up. I will post pictures as soon as I get back to my house :)

Dakota is doing great too. She has gotten right back into swimming and is back to her fearless self. She is jumping in off the side and loves to go under water. Yesterday, I was able to teach her to swim with a snorkel. It was so cute to listen to the little breaths she was making through it...very quick and exaggerated. It reminds me a lot of myself when I snorkel :). She is so much fun and is loving getting to spend time with Pop Kiki and Grandma Brenda. She has decided that she would rather go to the pool now instead of the beach...I'm hoping I can talk her back into the beach today or tomorrow. I will keep you posted :)

Baby Avery

2009-07-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have been following little Avery's amazing fight against CDH, I am sad to report that her parents have had to make the devastating decision to remove her from life support. She has fought hard and has encountered many complications throughout her journey and her parents are ready for her to be at peace again. It absolutely broke my heart to read this information tonight. She has been such an inspiration to me as she is such a little fighter. Please keep Shane, Carissa and Kaitlyn in your thoughts and prayers as they are spending their last moments with their precious angel. Let this situation motivate us even more to help spread the word about this monster. Please remember to mail out your letters and emails tomorrow. If you've been putting off doing it, please at least send one letter and one email. Every little bit helps! I will think of little Avery and all of the Angels tomorrow as I mail off my letters!

Please hold your little ones close...I know I will be sneaking in on mine for one more look before I head to bed tonight!

Beach & Pool Pics

2009-07-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

We have spent quite a bit of time at the beach and in the pool next door. Bodee has been very reluctant to have any part of his body touching the water but slowly but surely, we are making progress. Dakota is truly in her element when she is at the beach...jumping in the waves, diggin in the sand, or picking up seashells. I've posted a slideshow after this so that you can see a few of the pics we have taken. Dakota is really starting to get brave again in the water and is starting to remember how she swam last year. Each time we go to the pool, she gets better and stays under longer! You'll notice in one of the pics, she is starting to take after her mom and her Aunt as she is perfectly content to just lay out on the floaty chair :). Enjoy the pics :)

2009-07-13T19:08:00.001-07:00

Random Updates

2009-07-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Here are just a bunch of random pics...ones that I've wanted to post but have put off doing so...

This pic gives a good glimpse of Bodee's two bottom teeth...

And here is a pic of his top right incisor...he has now officially followed up with the top left incisor so he truly will just have "fangs" for a while :(. Doesn't look like the top middle two are anywhere close!

Here is little Miss Dakota sportin her PRF shirt...and throwin a little sassy attitude too...WOW (not a word about the skirt...she's normally so good about at least matching colors even if the styles don't match LOL)

Every good baby book needs a good bribery pic...Bodee is now a big boy when we go out to eat...he sits in one of the high chairs and stares at you while you eat your food. He's getting so strong and sits up for really long periods of time...until he's ready to lay down anyway. He's also right on the verge of taking off into a crawl. He gets up on his knees...rocks back and forth...but then goes back down on his belly. If something is a few inches out of his reach, he will work hard to get to it. Past that point, he shoots for something closer :).

Bodee lets Dakota do absolutely anything to him...and keeps smiling the entire time...

Dakota and Aunt Riah trying on some shades...

I will be posting more info either today or tomorrow. We have been to the beach a few times as well as to the Aquarium. Those deserve their very owns posts :)

After tons of hounding...

2009-07-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

It's official, Mark finally has set up a blog. I've been hounding him for quite some time now and he finally set one up. He hopes to be able to keep everyone updated on his happenings and most recent pics so check it out here. It's also on my blog list..of course!

I know I haven't posted much lately but it's been crazy around here. I will make up for it soon I promise :).

4th of July

2009-07-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics from the 4th. We had a great day...we had lunch over at our neighbor Susan's house which is where we took the family pics. Then we went over to Sally's and cooked hot dogs over Elizabeth's cool charcoal fire pit. Dakota had a blast playing with her friends Addie, Megan & Olivia and Bodee and Israel hung out on the floor together :). We watched the fireworks at a nearby park and Dakota was the loudest one out there. She kept saying they were amazing and so beautiful throughout the entire show. Bodee took it all in and just stared at all the lights. He acted like he was going to get fussy when they first started but I'll have to admit, they startled me too :).

They had some rides and games for the kids and Dakota & Addie wanted to ride the ponies...(by the way, they both chose this over snow cones and cotton candy...Dakota's daddy would be so proud). I absolutely love fireworks and the 4th is one of my favorite holidays. It was tough to focus during this one, however, because I was missin the hubby. I talked to him earlier in the day though and he said they were cookin steaks, playin scrabble and just relaxing...guess you can't shoot off a whole lot of fireworks over there LOL. In '04 when he was over there on the 4th, the insurgents were providing a firework show for him...so I was happy to hear there wasn't any of that this time around :). Sorry once again for so many pics but dad needs to see all these...they really show how much fun Dakota was having!

Here are some photos our neighbor Susan took for us. I love this pic...Bodee looks a little dazed but Dakota's squeezin him pretty good.

Bodee havin a good time... Dakota lovin on her little brother Dakota posing All decked out in our red, white & blue

Here is Bodee and his buddy Israel...someday they will laugh at the fact that they were holding hands in this pic...but for now, we'll say it's cute :)

Not a party unless there's pupcakes...(does this answer your question Kellie? LOL )

Hot dogs on the charcoal firepit...and yes, we ate the cupcakes before the hotdogs :)

Dakota on Diablo...

Bodee checkin out the petting zoo

Dakota watching the fireworks...

Mom & Bodee checkin out the lights

Dakota and Addie showin off the glow lights...Mrs. Sally gave them each enough to cover every limb...twice LOL

Duke ICN / Parker House Reunions

2009-07-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday Dakota, Bodee & I drove out to Duke for the annual Intensive Care Nursery reunion. We met up with Kellie & Brad (our roomies while at Duke) and got to see a lot of the other families and babies that were in the ICN at the same time as Bodee. You'll be able to tell by the pictures what we spent most of our time doing....These first pictures, however, are from Parker's House. After the ICN reunion, we headed out there to finally meet the other Parker House babies. Jes & Ashley (The Parker Reese Foundation) fed us lunch and it was wonderful to hang out with the families that we had read and heard so much about. Getting to see all of the babies together was truly an amazing site...to see the babies that had fought the CDH monster and won! All stinkin cute too :).

The awesome sign over the door at the house.

This is Jes & Ashley...the founders of The Parker Reese Foundation and the amazing people that opened up this home to us during Bodee's hospital stay. They finally had all their CDH superstars in one place....their lap. From left to right...Davis, Bodee, Katie & Carter.
Dakota and Bodee checkin out Baby Davis

Bodee kept grabbing at everything on Carter...Carter didn't seem to mind. It was so cool to watch these two playing together. Carter's parents, Kellie & Brad, are the couple Mark, Dakota and I lived with at Parker's House. We couldn't have asked for better roomies...thanks for everything you guys :). And that is Jes in the background soakin up all the cuteness!
Yummy...another paci...Carter just smiled
Bodee hangin out at Parker's House! He's officially sitting up with no spills (unless he's trying to) and is getting stronger by the day :).

Bodee checkin out Big Bird...or "Red Bird" as Dakota called him. She was in heaven...

Dakota stalked Elmo the entire day...I think he was her favorite. Bodee didn't seem to mind the fluffiness LOL

She ran right up to Elmo and gave him a huge hug...no hesitation. Big Bird took a little warming up for her.

Bodee leaned right into the fuzziness...

What the heck is that? Dakota's teaching her brother about Big Bird

On another side note, I totally have been slacking on the posts. Bodee had his Cardiology follow up on Friday the 26th and he still has just a mild Pulmonic Valve Stenosis (murmur). The doc said that he looks great but that he still wants to see him back in 6 months to make sure things are continuing in the right direction. He wouldn't sit still while they were hooking him up for the EKG until Mrs. Amazing Nurse came in and sang "the wheels on the bus" to him...he just stared at her the entire time. He loves to be sung to and will lay in his crib for long periods of time while I sing whatever songs I decide to make up for him. Also, for the record book, as of Wednesday night, he's officially sleeping through the night FINALLY! It's been three days now and an absolute dream for me. It's amazing what uninterrupted sleep will do for you! I would get even more sleep if I could get myself to bed before 11pm :).

Happy Fourth of July everyone...we are off to watch fireworks! Pictures will follows soon :)

Marks Project

2009-06-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

Many of you have asked how Mark is doing and my answer has always been..."bored." Well, I guess he has been finding ways to fill his time and here are some pics of the project he just completed. It is an obedience course for the dogs out there in Iraq and he named it, deservingly, "DUC B016 Playground." For those of you that don't know who Duc is, he was Mark's dog that he took over to Iraq his first tour. They went through tons together and I know I speak for everyone in our family when I say that Duc provided comfort to us back home because we knew he was taking great care of Mark. He was an amazing dog and Mark and I adopted him when he was able to be retired so that he could live out the remainder of his days in the mountains with us. Mark will forever be indebted to Duc as he saved his life on numerous occasions during his '04 tour. This was just a little way for him to pay tribute to such an amazing dog. He swears that Duc came back to him in the form of Joep because he reminds him so much of him. I'm so glad that Mark is able to deploy with these amazing companions. Anyway, here are some pics that he sent me. It is our goal to someday have an obedience course just like this for our business. I wish they could box up all the obstacles and send them home :).

Here is the sign Mark had made...I love it!
Here is an overview of part of the course. The two vehicles in the middle are for doing vehicle extractions when they are doing bite work with the dogs. (having the dogs pull the bad guy out of them LOL ) In the front of the picture is the low crawl area for the dogs and then it leads into hurdles.
This is the next platform obstacle and the next pic is of Mark and Joep on top of it...
This is the catwalk and the bridge in the back...
Here is an up close picture of the bridge...
tunnels and a teeter-totter...
As you can see, Mark isn't the only one that is bored. He was able to get many others to help him in the process. And just for old times sake, here is Mr. Duc himself...a true "War Dog"

7 months

2009-06-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

Not much to post here but I wanted to mention, for my own records, that little-man is cutting another tooth. He has been pretty fussy again so I was watching his top two teeth to see if that was the reason. I finally noticed that he was getting his "top right lateral incisor" (yes I googled it because I was calling it a "fang" and knew that wasn't right LOL ) So, I'm praying that the top ones follow soon or he's gonna look silly! Once again...pics will follow as soon as more is visible :)

On a side note to all family and friends, please check out the blog on the left for information on our CDH Mailout. I have it labeled as Letters for CDH. If at all possible, please try to participate as we would love to have as many blue envelopes circulating the globe on July 15th. Let me know if you have any questions about it. I will be mailing some of them out to Mark so he can participate from Iraq. Letter mail from over there is free to send so we are gonna capitilize on that. Just need to figure out when to have him mail his so they are in the states on the 15th :). The world needs to know about the CDH monster so we would appreciate any help we can get to spread the word.

Happy 7 months my little CDH superstar!

Fish Sharkin

2009-06-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know...that's how Dakota says it though so I had to share. We showed up at the beach and she told Kristi, "we're gonna go fish sharkin Mrs. Kristi." We had brought our own poles but after remembering that we needed to get fishing licenses, we decided to leave it to the boys this time. Andy and Jakub (aka Dakota's "boys" as she calls them) are K9 handlers with Mark. We spent the evening at the beach on base just relaxing and watching them real in sharks. Mr. Andy let Dakota real one of his in and it was so cute to watch. She started getting a little impatient towards the end but loved seeing the little guy once she got him in. Here are a few pics from our night. We grilled hot dogs on the bonfire (thanks to Kristi LOL), layed out under the stars and just had a relaxing time. Dakota spent most of her time down by the poles with the guys...picking up sea shells, chasing crabs and drawing in the sand. She truly loves being at the water. Bodee-man had a great time too as he loves to be outside. About 9:00 or so, he fell asleep in his carseat and didn't make another peep. You can bet we will have many more nights like these when dad gets home.

Here is Dakota's first look at the shark. She decided she would just touch it instead of holding it.

Here is Dakota with Andy realing in her first Shark. The waves made it tough but she was very patient...surprisingly lol.

Here he is...

Both Jake and Andy caught one at the same time...Dakota got to watch them put the two sharks together so they could kiss :)The girls were getting hungry and the guys weren't willing to put down their poles just yet...Kristi decided she would get the charcoals lit...boy did she. Bodee kept staring at the flames.

Am I a Bad Mom?

2009-06-21T06:44:00.001-07:00

I've posted several times about how I have to choose my battles with Dakota. She gets to wear what she wants...for the most part...and fix her hair the way she wants...for the most part LOL. We were heading out the door and she came and asked...actually, she told me she was wearing these in her hair. I chose this battle to fight...of all the bows and clips she has she chose the big fluffy blue bunny clips...and they were perfectly placed. I won this battle after a little bit of a fight...am I mean? LOL (if you say yes, you are more than welcome to take her with you to Target with her choice of outfits next time you see her)

Dakota and I were baking cookies while Bodee sat patiently in his high chair. He was playing with his sippie cup and just chillin out. When it came time for Dakota and I to "clean the beaters" he watched with his feet kickin and arms floppin. When he realized we weren't planning on sharing, he got mad and started screaming and crying. I quickly licked the dough off of mine and gave it to him to see if he truly was crying about that...sure enough. Turd!!!

And finally, we went out to the beach with our neighbors and another K9 couple last night to watch them fish for shark...(I know)...I was sippin on a Diet Coke and Bodee reached out and grabbed it before I knew what he was doing. Of course we had to recreate it for the picture but he is strong when he sees something he wants!

We had fun last night and I will post pictures of Dakota petting baby sharks sometime tonight or tomorrow. We did, however, feel Mark's absence even more last night. Doing these types of things really makes me miss him since he would have LOVED to be there fishing with his little girl on the beach. We are over halfway through the deployment and just pray that the next half speeds by so we can get back to doing these fun things together as a family again.

Happy Fathers Day my love and know that we are missing you and thinking about you! We love you!!!

Teef Pic

2009-06-12T09:03:00.001-07:00

Here they are...those two cute little nuggets...it's funny to watch him play with them with his tongue. You should be able to click on this pic and get a better look :). And check out the curls on top of that head...I'm invisioning a mini-male-dakota...hee hee

And for my records and for those of you who have heard me complain about Bodee's recent sleeping habits, last night he finally slept 9 hours again. I can't believe how hard it was to get him back to doing so after my trips to Utah and Texas. He's a stubborn little guy with quite the temper and at 2am...the whole neighborhood could probably tell he had a temper. I'm hoping now that these teeth have popped through that we can get him back on track. (until the next ones anyway).

Doc Appt

2009-06-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

Bodee had his 6 month appointment today. He weighed in at 16lb 4oz and a little over 26 inches long. He's sitting right in the 25% percentile which is down a little from his last appointment. He's a lot more mobile now so I'm guessing he's just burning all those wonderful calories :). He also had his shots today...but he did great. He hated being held down and poked, but once I picked him up, it was as if nothing had happened. Made things a little easier on me for sure. Bodee is sitting up on his own for long periods of time now. He likes to sit with his sister while she plays with her toys...he still loves her like crazy and can't get enough of her. I can't wait until he's old enough for her to play with more :). Here are a couple of pics and a video of him sitting and watching Dakota play one of her musical animals. He flaps his arms around...looks like he's a little dancer too hee hee.

fussy fussy

2009-06-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

After 3 months of soaking everything in site with his drool, Bodee-man finally popped a little tooth through on Wednesday (June 3rd). It's the bottom left one and it's just barely through the gum. It explains a lot here lately as his sleeping continues to be horrible. Can't believe after all he's been through that a little old tooth would cause him so much pain :). I would try to attach a pic but those of you who have little ones with new teeth know how hard it is to see much less capture on a camera! I'll work on it though!

Here is a picture of Aunt Mariah helpin to teach Bodee ride a bike :). He seemed pretty content to just sit there :)

This is Bodee after our trip out on the waverunners...he didn't get the pleasure of going 45 mph like his sister but he was worn out nonetheless. He fell asleep while Aunt Mariah was trying to feed him. D-U-N Done :).

And here is Bodee being Mr. Independent. I've been putting really cold water into the bottle for him to chew on for his teeth...and he holds it like a big boy :)

Just a little update...before I had the chance to post this, Bodee kicked out another tooth for us. No wonder!!! His bottom right one came peaking through on Thursday...just one day after his bottom left one. I will post pics as soon as they become "pic-worthy." LOL

My beautiful girl...

2009-06-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

and wow, I mean girl. Here are two videos of her...one of her being like mom and the other of her being like...well, I'm not sure. Next stop, dance class LOL :)

Here is a video of Dakota FINALLY deciding to ride her bike that Pop Kiki and Grandma Brenda brought out to her...and yes Kiki, I raised the seat up after this. :)

And here is our little ballet dancer / yoga master / gymnast / performer. She cracks me up daily!!!

Our neighbors Kristi and Jakub got new waverunners...and invited us all out to play on them on Saturday. Dakota had an absolute blast. This is Kristi, Dakota and Me on our first trip out.
Here is Dakota with her "boyfriend" Jakub. He's letting her drive. And yes, she calls him her boyfriend. It's too cute. He's one of the K9 hanlders with Mark so daddy approves :).

Dakota and I got to ride alone one time and it was so fun with her. At one point, I looked down and we were going about 45 mph and going over some wakes...and she said, "wooo hooo ride em cowgirl"...doesn't get much better than that !

At the end, Kristi came back to the beach to get Dakota. Her and Jakub had found a pod of Dolphins and wanted to take her out to see them. Uhmmmm, mom wanted to go too :). Here are a couple of them...I was in heaven. There were tons of them!

Contagious

2009-05-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Bodee hasn't been very talkative lately but on Monday, he got it all back. He had been laughing and chatting tons but was kind of in a funk...until this. We had a fun Memorial Day out by the neighbors pool so I guess he was having a good time too :) (p.s. he's just chewing on my shirt)

are you serious?

2009-05-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't even believe that our little Bodee is 6 months old. I haven't given an update on the little guy in a while so I apologize if this gets a bit lengthy. There will also probably be a ton of pictures and that's because Mark isn't able to see the slideshows very good with his wonderful internet connection so I want to make sure he gets to see all of these pictures :). The last time I posted an update, I think I mentioned that Bodee was rolling over from back to front but getting very mad once he did because of his extreme dislike of being on his belly. Well, earlier this month he started rolling from front to back so he was able to get himself out of this uncomfortable position. I was so relieved when he did because it was getting very frustrating. He insisted on showing off his new skills to roll over but myself or Dakota always had to be right there to flip him over on his back. He's Mr. Independent now though. He actually uses rolling as a way to get around the living room and we frequently find him across the room and against the wall...upset again because he can't go any further :). You can tell by the following pics, that he doesn't mind being on his belly now that he has the strength to hold himself up! You will also see his new favorite sleeping position...I love that he tucks his arms up under his body!
Doesn't quite get the fact that the blanket is there for him to lay on...

Don't make fun of the increasing mullet :)...his hair is thinning and turning blonde like a little 3-year-old we know! Still no idea what color his blue, brown, green eyes will be ;) I had to giggle when I walked in to find him like this...he was out cold!

I also realized that I hadn't posted anything about Bodee eating solids. At his 4 month appointment, the Doc said that we could start trying to feed him rice cereal and then progress into fruits and veggies from there. I was getting ready to head to Utah so I kind of hesitated to make any changes. I started him slowly on rice and once he realized what was going on, he did great. Since then, he has done Oatmeal, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Green Beans, Peas (not a big fan of either of these so I'm still trying to introduce them to him...he didn't even bat an eye with the previous veggies but once I touched the green beans and peas to his lips, he was not havin it), applesauce, peaches, pears and bananas. He has his 6 month appointment on the 8th so I'm anxious to see where he can go from here. He grabs at absolutely everything I put in my mouth and even tries to drink from my cup. He makes the cutest little faces when I'm drinking and I can tell he's trying to con me into sharing :).

Cereal...not quite sure

Squash...yummy

Sweet Potatoes...in a big boy chair

Carrots...messy

Green Beans...he doesn't know what's comin

Peas...not havin it!

Sibling Feeding...he LOVED having his big sister feed him. He just smiled the entire time which made it hard for him to push the food to the back of his mouth. It just dribbled out the sides of his smile...too cute!

Now for the most recent thing he's been doing...sitting up. He's still propping himself up with his arms and takes numerous dives without the support but he's well on his way. He just sits there and freezes up like he's not sure what to do.And then just a couple of cute pics that show his little personality. He loves to smile and flirt with all the ladies.

Carnivals & Rodeos

2009-05-17T09:31:00.002-07:00

Dakota had a big day (Bodee slept most of it). Camp Lejeune had a free carnival and Dakota thought she was in heaven. She actually had to be forced to finally pick out a prize at the fishing game because all she wanted to do was keep fishing :). (she is Mark's kiddo). Then we went to a rodeo that same night to watch one of Mark's marines get on some bulls. She had a blast there too and it really made us miss daddy since it reminded us so much of him. She loves getting in her boots and watching the bulls buck. Bodee just took it all in and loved being held by Aunt Riah most of the night :). Thanks sis!! If you put your mouse over the picture you can see the description of each of them :).

2009-05-17T09:31:00.001-07:00

Pics tell all

2009-05-16T05:41:00.000-07:00

I realized that I hadn't shared these pics with you guys. These are Dakota's soccer pics that she had taken during season. You can tell by her face in the team pic that she was super excited about taking them :). Actually, her face is because her coach had the nerve to try to put his hand on her shoulder during the picture. Such a girl :). And then, in the individual picture, you will notice she has my cell phone in her hand. We tried everything to get her to take the picture and she finally cooperated with the use of my phone. Too cute...she sure looks the part. Hopefully next year she will get more into it. She had fun this season and that's all that matters :). (for now LOL...totally kidding)

Strawberry Pickin

2009-05-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

Dakota was super sick on Monday...103 fever and throwing up everything she put in her stomach. After testing negative for the flu, the doc said she probably just had some sort of bug. I was amazed when she was all better by Tuesday night. I had felt bad because my sister is here now and I really wanted to get her out and show her around the wonderful town of Jacksonville :). Well, yesterday we were finally able to get out. We went to the beach on base and Dakota and Mariah rummaged through the seashells. Dakota would pick up one and say, "look guys, it's beautiful" and then throw it into the ocean. She normally fills huge buckets up when she goes but I guess this time, she was content in just putting them back in the ocean.

Me and my kiddos...still can't believe I have two :)

This picture says it all...she's such a ham!

Then we went to the Southwest Strawberry Farm and let Dakota pick a bucket of Strawberries. We had seen the signs last year but obviously they were out of season...and since Dakota has such an amazing memory, she hasn't let me forget about it. She had a lot of fun picking them with her Aunt Riah :). When we got home, she probably would have eaten every last one of them if we hadn't stopped her.

Dakota and Aunt Riah pickin strawberries...

In the strawberry patch...

Bodee opens his mouth for anything you put close to it...he wanted some strawberry :)

I rescued this strawberry before he made mush out of it...he was fascinated!

Dakota's bucket-o-strawberries!

Giving Back

2009-05-04T18:00:00.001-07:00

I wanted to let everyone know that The Parker Reese Foundation is doing a fundraiser and I would love for each of you to take part. The details will follow but I wanted to take a second to let you know just what this Foundation has done for us. They provided a place for us to stay, including Kai, while Bodee was in the hospital. No questions asked, no hesitation, free of charge. They provided a home away from home for us during a very stressful time. Dakota had her own little room that was already stocked with the perfect toys for a 3-year-old and the transition she made because of it, was amazing. We really worried about how Dakota would handle moving away from her home but she didn't even skip a beat thanks to Parker's House. It was a place to come to and relax and The Parker Reese Foundation made sure we didn't have to worry about anything except loving on our little Bodee-man. It is fully stocked with absolutely everything you could imagine needing. They have thought of it all. This fundraiser is a way for each of us to give back and to help even more families who will be dealing with this life-altering experience. It's also a way to help spread the word about Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia with the t-shirts you can purchase. Here is the information on the fundraiser...

Imagine caring for an entire family by simply buying and wearing a t-shirt. That’s what “Sponsor a Night” is all about. Purchase your $16 t-shirt today and wear it to show your support for the families staying at Parker’s House. Each $16 purchase shares one night with a family that calls the House, “home.”

If you are interested please email us at info@theparkerreesefoundation.com for more information and/or an order form.

You may pay through PayPal, check or cash.

Please let me know if you have any questions but all of the info is here and on their blog.

Feeling Needed

2009-04-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

Let me just say that I am glad I had Bodee when I did...cuz it seems as though Dakota no longer needs me. This is a video of Dakota making her own sandwich (for those of you that didn't believe me LOL) and at the end, even though there isn't any sound...she says, "ta-dahhhh". Too funny...and no, she didn't think it was necessary to wear pants while making her sandwich :)!

Daily Changes

2009-04-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Bodee has been quite content lately to just lay around and he hasn't made much effort in the area of rolling over. Normally when Bodee wakes up, he just kind of lets out a little wimper (lucky I know) and I go into his room to find him playing. Yesterday, when he woke up from a nap, he was screaming a muffled scream. So, I went in there thinking I would find him covered in his blanket...Nope...he was on his belly and ANGRY :). He hasn't mastered coming back over just yet but he can't seem to get enough of rolling onto his belly. He gets mad every time so I am surprised he keeps at it. You will notice in the video, Dakota loves watching him roll over so she's always right there to help him get back on his back.

As for little Miss Dakota...well, she has taken even more steps in the direction of complete independance. She no longer waits for me to make her meals and snacks :). She told me the other day she was gonna make herself a quesadilla so I thought I would watch to see exactly what she did. She got out the tortilla..opened up a piece of cheese and placed it in the middle...jumped up on the counter and got a paper towel...and put it in the microwave. I watched carefully to make sure it didn't get cooked for 90 minutes and she pushed 2-0-start. We use that time for most of what we put in the microwave so I'm glad she remembered. Anyway, 20 seconds later, tadahhhhh, our version of a quesadilla. And today, it was a cheese sandwish...complete with Miracle Whip. I can't believe how grown up she is. She is such an amazing little girl. This is just a recent picture...she is starting to get a little jealous that I am taking so many pics of Bodee so she pulled the camera in her face and said cheese...so I snapped one of her :).

Bouncing Bodee

2009-04-25T04:08:00.000-07:00

I re-arranged our living room so I made a spot in the corner for Bodees little horsey bouncer. Well, he took this opportunity to try and be sneaky. I looked over and he was just bouncing away. I grabbed the camera and tried to be sneaky myself but he actually didn't seem to mind being videoed this time :). You'll also notice he has the hiccups which only seems to excite him more :)

The other video is of Bodee laughing. Too cute.

What do you say...

2009-04-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have yet to use this blog as a place to express my feelings or my emotions. It's only been an informative blog to keep family, friends and the CDH community up to date with the lives of our family. However, I've struggled a ton the past few nights...as I sit down to update our blog I am overwhelmed with the emotions that come after reading the blogs of other CDH families. I want to post pictures of Dakota and videos of Bodee, but I can't bring myself to do it. I am saddened by the amount of babies that continue to die from CDH. I am saddened to hear about more couples that find out that they too will be facing this roller coaster of a journey. After hearing of Baby Kaden's passing, I felt all the same emotions that Kellie posted on her blog. (Check out her post titled "Angry" ) I have a really hard time with all of this. We are part of this community and we too have had our little boy fighting for his life. However, we feel as though we cheated our way into it. 20 days? That's all we had to deal with this monster. Don't get me wrong...I am so grateful that Bodee kicked butt and fought so hard but I don't think I can truly say I understand what most of you have gone through...so sometimes I don't comment at all. We didn't have to worry for 20-something weeks of my pregnancy because Bodee was undiagnosed. We had no clue what was going on 5 months ago today...no idea what was to come...we didn't even know how serious CDH was until Bodee was in the clear. I'm frustrated! I'm sad! I'm ticked off! The past 4 babies that I have followed on my blog have all lost their battle with CDH...and if my math serves me correctly, that's not 50%. Way too many babies are being affected by CDH! Mark and I have been wishing there was something we could do to help make the world aware of CDH...so that someday that survival rate would go way up. Well, Kellie has helped out in this journey. We will be supporting her in the effort to get the word out about CDH. She has come up with an amazing idea to send turquoise envelopes to select groups / individuals with the hopes that the word will get out about this birth defect. I am tired of asking people if they've ever heard of CDH and hearing the response, "NO." She has set up a BLOG with all of the information. Please join us and check back for more information as more becomes available.

I apologize for the vent session. It's not like me but I have really been weighed down by all of this. My little CDH superhero is 5 months old today. It's hard to believe that we could have lost him on the night he was born...and we hope that we never forget how precious and amazing he truly is. Ever since we have been back from our trip to Utah and Texas, he has been sleeping horribly...waking up at random times throughout the night. However, I just snuggle with him and thank my Heavenly Father every day that he is still with us. My heart goes out to those of you that have lost your little ones and know that they will never be forgotten. Your strength has been an inspiration to me and my family!

Texas

2009-04-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Once again, I took way too many pictures to pick which ones to post. Sooooo, I put them all in another slideshow :). We had a great time in Texas and got to see tons of people there as well. We didn't do quite as much running around but we are all exhausted nonetheless! I loved getting to see everyone...it is so tough to live so far away from family. It is good to be home, however, and it will be nice to get the kids back on some sort of schedule. Bodee has been waking up quite a bit at night so I am hoping it is just because we were always running around. Dakota....well, she is such a night owl and she loved getting to stay up late. We are working to get her back on her 8:30 schedule again...I'll let you know how that goes lol.

Just a quick update on the little guy. He has been doing great with his cereal feedings. We started rice about a week before I left for Utah and he loved it. I moved on to oatmeal last week and he is doing okay with it. I can tell that it bothers his belly after he eats so I am trying to ease him into it and not feed him too much. He really seems to like the cereal and I never quite know how much to make. He always eats all of it but as I said before, I worry about how it makes his stomach feel. It is so cute to watch him now when I am eating something while I hold him. He stares at my food and moves his mouth if I get it anywhere near his mouth. The doctor said that once we work him through the different cereals, we can start him on some veggies.

He is also starting to talk, squeak and laugh quite a bit more. His little personality is really starting to show. I can see him reacting more to things around him with his body language and his voice. He still hasn't decided it's time to roll over yet, but most times, he gets himself onto his side. He kind of freezes once he gets there...I think he knows how annoying it is for him to be on his belly. He still hates having belly time and gets so mad when I put him that way. Bodee basically spends his time either staring at Dakota or me. He really loves his sister and gets a huge smile on his face everytime she comes into view. I can't wait to see what kind of relationship they have when he is older! I can't believe he will already be 5 months old in a week. The time continues to fly!

New Slideshow

2009-04-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

I couldn't figure out how to put a photobucket slideshow into a post so I posted it into my layout. These are the pics from our trip to Utah. You can click on view images to get a better look :). We had an absolute blast and Dakota loved every minute of getting to play with her cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles & friends :). Bodee got passed around quite a bit and seemed to take it all quite well. I wanted to take a second to thank everyone in Utah for making us feel so welcome and so at home. I don't think I have ever felt so loved :). We ran around crazy trying to see everyone and had the best time with each of you. I only wish we could have stayed longer. We will be back when Mark gets home! Now we are in Texas doing more of the same! I am sure I will have another slideshow when we leave here next Wednesday.

Piece of Cake...

2009-04-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

For all of you that were wondering how my trip to Utah went with the two kiddos...these pics are for you.

The first flight was a little iffy but Dakota was good for the most part and Bodee only fussed a bit. I wouldn't have even cared much if we hadn't been sitting right behind first class. It always makes me laugh when they do that. Then, we got to spend a little over an hour in Dallas with my mom, dad, Brenda and Aunt Dorothy so it was a great little break. These pictures were taken on the flight from Dallas to Salt Lake...and yes, they stayed this way the entire flight. Dakota only woke up as we were landing because I wanted her to see the snow-capped mountains :). You will see that she tried several different positions but never quite looked comfortable. Didn't seem to bother her much though!

It snowed this morning so Dakota is in absolute heaven. She has been super cute with Grammy and Grampy and Bodee is just taking it all in. I am so excited for the entire family to get to finally meet our little superhero!! The only thing that would make the trip any better is if dad could have been with us. We will do it again in November when he gets home!

And just fyi...I pondered changing the tone of this post because I just know that by me bragging about how well the kids did on the trip...that I am setting myself up for an eventful flight home. Please say a little prayer for me next Tuesday :)

CDH Awareness Day!

2009-03-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

Bust out the turquoise clothing you have been dying to wear :)!!! March 31st is Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day. In honor of this day, please wear turquoise to show your support. This is a great way to help raise awareness. This will open up doors to be able to talk about CDH and help to inform those around you of this serious birth defect.

Please take pictures of yourself sportin the Turquoise and send them our way. We would love to know how many of you get the chance to participate. Mark is on a mission to find something there in Iraq that he can wear to support the Bodee-man! I will post that pic once I get it from him. (hopefully he can find at least something there)

A special thanks to Kellie for having the correct spelling of turquoise on her blog...I was strugglin with that one :)

1st Haircut

2009-03-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

I have been talking to Dakota about getting her haircut for a long time now and every time I mention it she says, "not today mom, tomorrow." So, I haven't pushed the issue. It didn't help that Mark didn't want me to ever get her hair cut but I think 3 years...is long enough. I can't believe I didn't get it done before now. Anyway, we walked passed a Fantastic Sams today while we were out and I asked Dakota if she wanted to have her hair cut. And to my surprise, she got a huge smile on her face and said, Yes! She walked right in and didn't even hesitate for a second. I only had a couple of inches cut off and she did GREAT. She didn't whine and scream when the lady combed out her hair...unlike when mom does it and you would think she was dying :). She sat there really still and loved every second of it. It is still long, curly and beautiful so hopefully dad won't be too sad :). You can't even really tell in the pics. Sorry they are kind of fuzzy...I wasn't expecting to do the haircut thing so my phone had to capture the moment!!!

Before...

During...

After

Sweet Big Sister

2009-03-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute video of Dakota singing to her little brother Bodee-man. Notice how Bodee doesn't take his eyes off of her for one second. He loves his big sister...I will enjoy this while it lasts :).

4 month checkup

2009-03-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

He really wants to make the bottle work himself...just not quite there yet :)

Bodee had his 4 month well baby today which also meant more shots. Poor guy can't catch a break...seems like every time we walk through the hospital doors he is getting poked. I won't blame him when he's older if he hates going to the doctor :). He weighed in at 13lb 6oz and 24 1/2 inches long. I am going to have to say that the scale was off today because he was 12lb 6oz just last Wednesday. They never seem to get an accurate reading but the doctor said that even if he is anywhere in between those two weights, he is still doing great. He has been eating a lot better here lately so maybe he just decided to have a growth spurt. Bodee is right on track developmentally...hitting the 3 month goals for some things and the 5 month for others. What he lacks in some areas he is making up for in others. He talks all the time now and loves to stand up on my lap and try to mimic sounds that I make. He is drooling like crazy so the doc said he is either a natural drooler or there are some little teeth trying to make their way through. He couldn't see any signs just yet though so for now, he's just a drooler :). He hasn't done any rolling as of yet but he definitely makes his way around his crib at night. He wakes up in all different spots in his bed and ALWAYS gives me a huge grin when I go in to see him. He couples this with kicking his feet crazily and it just melts me. I have been able to send Mark videos of him doing these things so Mark can watch him change as well. While it is sad that he has to be away...it is absolutely amazing that we have the technology to be able to let him experience some of the things too. Bodee continues to be an amazingly mellow baby and we are daily reminded of what an amazing little boy he truly is.

I would also like to take a quick second to ask for your prayers for the families of these CDH warriors who recently earned their angel wings. The seriousness of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia has never been more real to me than in these past few months. Our hearts and thoughts go out to each of you and your little angels will be an inspiration to us for the rest of our lives!

Baby Joseph passed away on February 26th after a 23 day fight against CDH.

Baby Virginia Addison lost her fight on March 11th after 22 days of battling CDH.Baby Maxton passed away on March 21 after 18 days of fighting against CDH.

Dr. Seuss meets St. Patty

2009-03-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

I am not normally quite this festive for St. Patrick's Day but Dakota and I had a lot of fun today. Last night, my neighbor Kristi brought over some "props" she had from her work party. Dakota fell in love instantly and tried to sleep in all of it last night. I promised her that if she would take them off and keep them by her bed while she slept...she could wear them all day today. Well, she didn't wear them all day but she definitely did for most of it :). She looked really cute at the hospital while we went in to get Bodee's 2nd RSV shot!

I thought it was an appropriate time to get a family photo for Mark. And no, I am not a bad mom...Bodee has green on his diaper :) Also last night...totally un-related to St. Patty's day, Dakota picked the Green Eggs & Ham book for her bedtime story...soooooo, guess what she HAD to have for dinner. She loved them...and actually so did I!

And then there were the pupcakes...had to be green too. The miracle of food coloring. And by the way, if anyone has a "good" cupcake recipe please send it on. The ones I have from the internet are not edible by those over the age of 3 :)! (and yes I know Duncan and Betty are excellent choices)
Happy St. Patricks Day!

Cardiologist

2009-03-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

Bodee had his appt yesterday with the Cardiologisy at ECU. Doc said he does have an abnormal murmur but in his words, "it can't hurt him and should fix itself with time." Bodee had an EKG and an Echocardiogram so that the doc could take a better look at his heart. It was really cool to see his little heart and all the blood flowing through it. I didn't get a chance to see the one they did at Duke when he first arrived. I asked the doctor if murmurs normally show up after 3 months and he said that Bodee had this at birth but that it had just become evident recently for some reason. I was really surprised that Bodee sat still while he was doing the ECHO but we realized shortly why...he was poopin for the doctor :). We had to take a break in the middle because Bodee got a little uncomfortable after he did! The doctor drew me a nice little diagram so I could understand what was going on. He called it a "mild pulmonic valve stenosis." Good thing he broke it down for me cuz that meant nothing :). I am just glad Bodee is okay and that there's nothing to worry about. I am starting to wonder when this kiddo is going to give us a break. We will go back to see the doctor in late June to make sure all is progressing the way it should!

Update on the little guy...he weighed in at 12lb 8oz yesterday and 24 inches long. It was good to see that he was gaining weight again and I am hoping the last nurse just messed up in weighing him. He is also starting to push himself up with his legs when I hold his hands. He looks awfully proud of himself when he does it. He is getting stronger by the day.
Here is Bodee before his appointment...bright eyed!!! He kicks his legs all the time now so it is hard to get a picture that isn't blurry :)
Here is a picture of Bodee laying on his belly...look who decided to check out the little guy.
This picture is of the same day and big sister decided he needed to be more comfy...so she put a picture on him, then his boppy pillow and then her blanket. Am I a bad mom for taking a picture before getting all of it off of him????
And here is a cute little picture we took before Mark left of Bodee in daddy's Marine cover :)

Gotta love little girls...

2009-03-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Dakota loves to be a big helper...too bad she can't help with this one...

Dialog...

Mom: What are you doing Dakota

Dakota: I'm doing boobie pump...I'm pumping milk for Bodee

Mom: Are you???...Good Luck!

Let it begin...

2009-03-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Mark has officially left for Iraq. He was scheduled to leave on Thursday but it got pushed back to Saturday. It is always bitter sweet when things like this happens because, while it is great to have him an extra couple of days, it just prolongs the inevitable and draws out the sadness. Now that he is gone, it is time for us to get into some sort of routine and just pray that the time flies by. 7 months is a long time...but hopefully when it is all over, we will be able to look back and think of it as just a glimpse of time in our life together. He spent 7 months in Iraq back in '04 but things were different for us. It was very hard to have him away at war so I can't even imagine how hard it will be this time with two little ones. I pray that Bodee stays healthy and that I can keep up with Dakota. Mark is such a blessing at night when he gets home because he still somehow finds the energy to wrestle and play with her. I will have to kick it up a notch to keep her entertained the way he does. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to do anywhere near as good of a job but it is worth a shot at least :) :)! Here are a few pics of him leaving...it's amazing to me how much gear he can fit into two bags!

These are his bags that he had packed on Sunday...just in case he had to leave earlier for some reason. Hard to believe the only clothes in all this mess is 4 pairs of cami's and one set of civilian clothes. The rest is filled with gear for both him and Joep (his dog).

Bag one...notice the amount of lean required by him to stay standing :)

Bag two...no more lean due to the balancing of yet another heavy bag. They look light in the pic but let me assure you, they are far from it.

And finally, this is Kai refusing to get out of the truck. She went out with Mark when he was loading his bags and jumped right up in the truck. She is a very obedient dog but decided she wasn't going to listen to Mark this time. She knew something was up when he took all of the bags outside. She is going to miss him as much as Dakota, Bodee and I!!

So, let it begin. Please pray for Mark during this time...and for us as well as we try to hold down the fort back home.

P.S. I will never again post about how well Bodee is sleeping. Last night he was back to waking up every 2 hours...the caffeine I had yesterday "could" have something to do with that but either way, I will not be jinxing it anymore by blabbing to the world about how well he sleeps :).

Bodee-man

2009-03-07T08:02:00.001-08:00

Bodee had a follow-up appointment yesterday to see if the diuretic was working to help clear up Bodee's congestion. Nope...still croupy :(. However, the diuretic did help him to lose 4 ounces. At least we are hoping that is the cause. Bodee weighed in at 12 lb 2 oz and 25 inches long. He is still doing great. His appointment with the Cardiologist is on Thursday so we will know more regarding the murmur then. The doc yesterday said that it wasn't as noticeable as before but still there!

On a happy note, during the last week, Bodee has slept 8 hours 5 of the 6 nights. There was just one night that he only slept 6 before waking up to eat and I use the word "only" lightly. Either way, I will take it! And then, to top it all off...last night he slept 9 1/2. It really is amazing how different we ALL are when he sleeps that long...especially him. When he is awake during the day, he is so playful and full of life. Maybe he will be a good sleeper like his sister after all :).

Mini-Mark

2009-03-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

I will make this a quick post but I just had to share. When Mark and I were putting Dakota to bed tonight, she did something way too cute not to post. Our normal ritual is to read a book, say our prayers and then she can watch a movie with her puppy Kai. Well tonight, after her prayers, she told her dad she needed her bow & arrow that she got for Christmas. When Mark asked her why, she said "so I can shoot the mean man with the horns on his head." (aka Bambi's dad) It was quite the proud moment for Mark as he realized Dakota would be a great hunting buddy for him in the future. I went back in with the camera and asked her to show me what she was going to do to the buck...and here was her response! She is such a freakin cool kiddo!And yes, she is wearing a dress to bed with pajama pants. The battles we fight continue to increase and what she wears to bed is the least of our worries :)!!!

And on a side note...Mark was supposed to head out today but he got a call early this morning letting us know that he wouldn't be leaving until Friday or Saturday. Soooo, one more day together and possibly two. While it is great to get the extra time, dragging it out is always hard too. We are ready to get this deployment going so it can be over with. More to come as soon as we know!

Introducing...

2009-03-03T04:58:00.000-08:00

I have just recently realized that we have left out a few important members of our family. Our 3 other dogs live outside and don't get the opportunity to be showcased with the kiddos. So, I decided it was time to introduce them to everyone. As many of you know, Mark is a K9 handler in the Marines. We got out of the Corps in '06 to start our own K9 business but then he was recalled back in Nov '07. Soooo, we moved our business out here to NC and brought the doggies with us to give it a go here. We really love working with these dogs and even though they can't stay in the house like Kai, they are still a huge part of our family. Despite the pictures, all of these dogs are very social and love to play with Dakota as well...they just get to do it outside :). In these pics, Mark wasn't wearing the sleeve like he normally does. He was holding it out to the side to see how high the dogs would jump to get it! Sorry if they are a bit blurry but these pups are quick!!!

"Recon" - Narcotic K9

"Katya" - Explosive K9

"Jake" - Narcotic K9
"Kai" - Explosive K9 with Jake. You can't get many pictures of them alone. They love eachother!

8, 6 & 4

2009-03-02T04:02:00.000-08:00

8 - the number of hours Bodee-man slept straight last night

6 - the number of hours I slept straight last night

4 - the time Bodee woke up after such refreshing sleep!

Lessons learned:

1. Change Bodee's schedule so he goes to sleep a few hours later (easy enough right)

2. Go to bed when Bodee goes to bed (no matter whether Dakota is still up playing with her puppy Kai in bed)

3. "Babywise" does eventually work with patience and persistance :)

Sleeping through the night - Day 1.....3 months and 1 week old

It finally happened...

2009-02-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

This will be short and sweet but I thought I would post an update on Mark & Joep. It finally happened...Joep bit Mark. It wasn't too bad but to me, any bite is bad :). Mark said they were doing a detection problem and Mark has been working on making sure Joep didn't blow through open doors without first searching them to make sure they were clear of explosives. Well, he decided to try to blow through a door during this problem so Mark grabbed him by his flank to bring him back to him. He growled and whipped back and bit Mark in the hand. Lets just say Mark took all necessary measures to ensure that Joep doesn't think it is worth it to try this again :). Mark got Joep back on track and they got back to work. It's good that Joep doesn't hold grudges...he just doesn't like to be messed with. Then again...neither does Mark :)!!! Here is the pic of the two little tooth holes in Mark's hand. Not too bad but a bite nonetheless!

So much for slowing down

2009-02-25T18:33:00.000-08:00

We finally took Bodee back into the doctor after almost 3 weeks of having a croupy cough. The docs and the advise nurses kept saying that it would just run its course but 3 weeks was way too long for me to hear my little guy cough. He never had any fever and overall was healthy but the cough really bothered me. I took him back in on Tuesday and the doctor ordered some chest x-rays to see if Bodee had any fluid on his lungs. The results came back and although he said they didn't show a lot of fluid, he did think there was some build up. So, he put Bodee back on the diuretic to see if it would help out the cough. Whether it is a coincidence or not, Bodee got off his diuretic about 3 weeks ago as well so that could have been the problem.

Now for the new issue we are dealing with. The doctor was checking Bodee's heart rate and said that Bodee now had a murmur. He said it could be a result of a lot of different things but the fact that it was new made him want to get it checked out. Sooooo, we aren't finished just yet. Bodee has an appointment with a Cardiologist up at Eastern Carolina University in Greenville on the 12th of March. They just want to make sure that with his history of CDH...there aren't any new problems arising. I remember Dakota having one when she was born but nothing ever came of it. Hopefully that will be the case with little-man!

Please say a quick little prayer for our little guy. I truly hope there is nothing bigger going on here and that the doctors are just being overly cautious. We will keep you posted as we know more!

Dakota's Turn

2009-02-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

Dakota has had a lot of fun with daddy being home for his pre-deployment leave. They spent a lot of time together and it was just great to be able to spend time together as a family. There are a lot of pics but there was no way to limit them because they all have a great story behind them :). Here is a quick rundown of what little miss Dakota has been up to.

This is a picture of Dakota and dad sitting on the couch spotting elk...on the t.v. :). Mark has some elk videos and Dakota just had to have the binoculars so she could see them better. She got so excited everytime she saw one come on the screen. Mark got his huntin buddy...hopefully Bodee will be just as excited!

The following pictures are of the entire process of introducing Dakota to "ants on a log." Something that I am not a big fan of at all (since I can't stand celery) but Dakota pulled the celery out of the fridge and just knew she had to have some. I had an idea as to how she would react so I thought I would add peanut butter and raisins to help soften the blow. She thought it was great...

...until she took a big bite. I think she was heading over to her easel to hide so she could spit it out. I followed her though and ruined her plans! She finished the bite with this look on her face the entire time.

After that, Dakota was convinced it was the raisins and peanut butter that made it taste bad so she wanted to eat the celery by itself. However, not before she had to use the stalk as a baseball bat. She swung the stalk and took a big bite...I spared you the picture of the "big bite" on the kitchen floor afterwards :).
This is Dakota at one of her soccer practices...completely covered in mud. We didn't care at all because she was finally enjoying herself! Whatever it takes.

This is Dakota before her first game...scoping out the competition I guess. Her hands hardly ever left her pockets which helped a ton with the whole, "no hands" concept!

A little pre-game warm-up. You would think that this meant that she understood the concept of the game and knew what she was about to do....stay tuned!!! (not so much)

Dakota spent the entire time she was on the field dancing around and teaching her teammates what we as adults would recognize as yoga poses :). It was funny (kind of) to see that she was actually causing quite a distraction for the other kiddos and one parent didn't seem too thrilled with her. My thoughts??? My daughter was actually out there having a good time and didn't have to be right by my side. Who cares that she showed no interest in where the ball was or even that there was a ball. We'll work on that later...goal #1: accomplished :). goal #2: getting her to actually touch the ball during the game.

3 months old

2009-02-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

This is what Bodee thinks about the first 3 months of his life !!!

Bodee is officially 3 months old today! It seems like just yesterday we were going through the whirlwind of CDH and wondering what the future held for him. Today, he is such a great little boy. He sleeps most of the time (except at night lol) and is so mellow. He is changing right before our eyes as we are starting to see his personality come out. He smiles and coo's and even lets out a little laugh every now and then. It's hard to believe that he will almost be a year old when Mark gets home from this next deployment. I have to apologize in advance for how detailed I may end up being on this blog with the everyday happenings with Bodee & Dakota. I want to keep Mark as up to date as possible!

I mentioned in my previous post how amazed I was at how much Mark & I had done together in just 6 years of marriage. Well, looking back on Bodee's short 3 months, I am even more amazed at all he has been through, endured and overcome!! Where do I start....and this doesn't even include the numerous attempts (unsuccessful) to insert PIC lines, daily heel pricks, x-rays, blood tests, iv's, feeding tubes and replogle tubes...

1st iv - minutes old

intubated - 3 hours old

1st helicopter ride - 11 hours old

1st surgery - Diaphragmatic Hernia repair and Broviac Catheter - 2 days old

extubated - 4 days old

2nd procedure - Broviac Catheter removed - 13 days old

1st hospital discharge :) - 20 days old!!!

1st walk (carry) on the beach - 4 weeks old

1st ferry ride - Bald Head Island- 7 weeks old
1st golf cart ride - Bald Head Island - 7 weeks old

3rd surgery - Inguinal Hernia repair - 2 months old

1st trip to Myrtle Beach - 3 months old (this includes the Bass Pro Shop which is a huge accomplishment according to dad)

I sure hope things slow down for him and that his life is a little less eventful in the next few months. He is Mark's son, however so I don't expect it to last long :).

Bodee is one tough dude and we couldn't be more proud to have him as our little boy. He has taught us so much in these 3 short months! Here is a picture of him sleeping soundly on our couch. We didn't have a blanket on him so Dakota decided to share hers. She also thought he needed to have her stuffed kitty right next to him to keep him company.

Happy 6th Anniversary my love!

2009-02-22T02:02:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take a few minutes to wish my best friend Happy Anniversary! 6 years ago today Mark and I were married on an amazing ranch in Rio Cibolo, Texas. It has been one amazing adventure after another and for that, I want to thank him. We have been more places and experienced more things than most people get to their entire lives. We have lived in Texas, Hawaii, Utah and North Carolina and have literally driven cross country together to get there! We have been to Key West, Belize, Cozumel, Grand Caymans and Jamaica, (thank you cruise ships) Molokai, Kauai, Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Lanai (thank you military). Mark has always made life so much fun and we are constantly seeking out new adventures. We have hunted, fished, camped, hiked, 4-wheeled , skied, tubed, snorkeled, surfed, and body boarded countless times together and these times together as a family are greatly cherished. Above all of this, Mark has made me a better person and has helped me to remember to never settle for mediocre. He has supported me in EVERYTHING I have ever done and encourages me daily to be a better person, wife and mother! He is the best father a woman could ever want for Dakota and Bodee. The love that he has for them is overwhelming and it is so amazing to watch him interact with them. He would literally die for them and I can see it in his eyes when he looks at them. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for our family and the adventures that we will go on together. Mark has so many hopes and dreams and I hope to always encourage him to go after whatever makes him happy.

Mark, I love you with all of my heart and would do anything for you! You make my world a better place and I look forward to 60 more years of our crazy life. I love the idea of growing old with you in the mountains and can't wait to start our next adventure together. We will miss you so much these next 7 months and pray that this time goes by quickly so we can be together again. You are everything to us and please never forget that!

I love you forever,

Kristen