Life: Updated

Well, well, well...

Where to begin?!

I think the most important thing to write about is that Curt is H-O-M-E, HOME from "A-can-a-stan" and we are just elated. I mean, what could be better?! Curt went off to save the world in the middle of September and we weren't expecting him to return until about mid-March. Well, around mid-October, he called to let us know that the squadron was set to send home about 1/3rd of their force due to down-sizing. Thanks, Obama! We didn't find out he was officially coming home right before Thanksgiving, PTL, and 5 days before Christmas, he was here. I mean, could we ask for a greater gift?

The answer is clearly, NO!

Seeing how Curt was on his 4th deployment and most of the guys there were on their 1st or 2nd, they "asked" him if it would be okay to send him home. Phew!

To put into words how excited we are to have Curt home is impossible. There are no words. We're just so thankful he's here.

Curt's now stationed in the OSK at work and he's attached to the Fighter Squadron, the Chiefs. What's the OSK, you ask? The answer is, I have no idea. He's in the Weapons part of their squadron and that's about as far as I can get you. You'd have to ask him, I guess. Here's the best part! I'm the new Key Spouse for this squadron! (Keep your laughing to a minimum...) Don't even ask me how this all came about but I'm just hoping I didn't bite off more than I can chew.

More about Curt...

He's been a "Major Select" for about a year, I think, and he's set to pin on Major in about 2 months. Hello, raise! (Pay and rank...yes, please!). He finally finished his Masters Degree after a late start due to this lil thing called, "Weapons School". How he didn't walk out of that with a Masters in SOMETHING, I'll have no idea. But, I'll keep my opinions to myself. He's also a "School Select" and I do believe that in the coming years he's headed to another school. I think that's all I need to say about C and his latest ventures in the Air Force.

We're proud of our pilot and will continue to follow him and his dreams around the globe!

Now. More about my dreams. :)

As most of you know, I decided that going back to work would be a fantastic idea while Curt was deployed. Well, I'm here to tell you that it was quite possible the craziest thing I've ever done. Like, what in the WORLD was I thinking?! Here's the thing, I'm really passionate about my job and was finding myself up until about midnight each night doing plans. Well, when you need to wake up at 5 and get yourself and a toddler out the door by 6:45, you're going to run into some problems. Especially if you're doing it solo. My hats go off to all the single mama's out there. Holy smokes. You're my hero. They pay here in the country side of NC is peanuts. So, while the extra cash we've put away because of my return to the classroom has been great, the stress that came along with it was more than I bargained for....a lot more. I'm finding that the girls I work with each day have been a gift from God because they constantly have me laughing and smiling. Who doesn't want a job that makes them laugh to tears on a daily basis?! I do think that these girls coming into my life was a blessing, and for that, I'm thankful.

What else am I thankful for?! Well, my mom decided that this past summer she was ready to put away her plans and pencils and retire after 39 years of teaching, so any time I had steams of stress pouring out my ears, she dropped whatever she was doing and came to my rescue. That's right, an 8 hour drive south, just to play and love on Ava so I could get some work done.

Let me give you a for instance: Ava had a stomach flu in October that last 11, yes...ELEVEN, days. Like, for real?! Two visits to the pediatrician and one to Urgent Care. I was paying a babysitter $100 a DAY to stay with her. Holy crap. After the 4th day I waved my white flag and my mom came down to take over. While I didn't pay her to be here, if I did, she would have been worth 5 x's the amount I was paying our babysitter. I mean, 11 days. We're still recovering from that nightmare.

What's new with Ava? Oh geez, where to start. She's a beauty, we think. I could stare at that sweet face for days. And...she's smart. I take the credit for taking the time to teach her while she's playing but I give Curt the credit as far as her genetics are concerned. She knows more than some of the children in my Kindergarten class and she's three. I know, I know. Parents are their kids biggest fans. But, this girl is something real special. She talks to me like a grown up. It's just plain crazy. She has whole books memorized, VERBATIM. And while they are books she's heard a couple times, that's it. We're talking after a week of reading, she'll read it right back to you. She hears about 4-5 books a night and it's a requirement as far as Ava's concerned. She will not let you put her to bed without some reading. How can this teacher deny such a request?! She's got a ton of her letter sounds down and she's growing all the time. She writes her name, my name, Mimi's name... She can spell a couple things too. I mean, it's crazy. I can't wait to see what we take on next! I'm happy to say that song and dance is still Ava's #1 passion. She's obsessed with dance and the expression she puts out when she's singing is downright...funny...great...amazing. She bows at the end of every performance, even when no one is watching. We start ballet again tomorrow and she's THRILLED. Ava loves her day care and talks of her friends all the time. The owner/director is there from open to close and he runs the school with his sister. They're amazing. Her teacher takes great care of her and she never cries when we drop her off. I'm so thankful for her little school and they way they care for my child. I would expect nothing less than perfect for Ava. I am her mother, after all.

Thank you for checking in on our family! Now that Curt is back, I'm really hoping to get back into my blog. Plus, I have some pretty decent purchases to write about as well. Most importantly, we welcomed a new Louis into the family. Major. ;)

What's up next for this little family of ours?

That's a great question.

We're most likely going to be moving in the coming year. To where?

We still want more kiddos running around. When?

Only time will tell...