Week 43 & 42 but Only 42 weeks left!

 It was bound to happen at the rate I was going. Here I am updating in one blog for two weeks! But it has been an AMAZING 2 weeks. I have so much to share, but I will mainly sum-up, as to not make this blog into a book!

 Week 43 went fairly well, nothing to exciting. Tobias and I went to a friends 1st birthday. Toby had a blast. He enjoyed picking out the gift, and had a hard time giving it up! He loved the balloons and snacks, it was quite a fun day for him. I'm really looking forward to planning Tobias' 1st birthday party! I am hoping we can google video with Thomas for Toby's first bite of cake! I am planning on being a bit of a health nut and making an apple sauce based cake with a cream cheese frosting. It should still taste great and Toby will like it! Tobias and I have enjoyed some great walks, lots of sunshine and visits to the zoo. Seeing life through my little man's eyes has been such a joy for me this summer! I've been taking pictures like crazy, and Thomas has been soaking it up as well. I thank God for technology, it's amazing!

 So week 42 came, and I was on pins and needles until Wednesday arrived. I was itching to know the gender of our next baby! I had truly been hoping for a girl, but was happy to get a boy as well. I was very torn and just needed to know (but I didn't want to find out before Thomas, I wanted to find out with him)!  So my mom joined me at my appointment and wrote on a piece of paper the gender. I looked away from the ultra sound screen during this time and tried to analyze my mom's response to the tech's comments. It was driving me crazy! I finally got home and waited an hour for Thomas to get online! As we videoed I opened the envelope and let him read me the gender! It was so exciting to hear him say "Ummm, it says GIRL!" I was ecstatic! Aubrieta Ruth is our babies name, and I just love her already! Her ultra sound picture is below and you can see how beautiful she is!  Tobias is going to be the best big brother. Thomas and I both teared up as we talked about our new baby girl and our growing family. I truly love this time in my life. I love being pregnant, and growing a family with the love of my life. Thomas is an amazing husband and daddy even from thousands of miles away. I'm a blessed woman!

 So during this week, week 42, I found a house for rent in Eagle River that I thought Thomas would like. I honestly had no intention of moving, but Thomas and I had been talking about renting off base eventually, so I had been leisurely looking at craig's list and a real-estate company's website.  I sent the link to this house to Thomas and his response was "I like it go check it out!" I was surprised he liked it so quickly, so Thursday I called the real-estate company and the lady said she'd be happy to show it to me, but warned me that 4 single military guys had been living there. She said she had shown it 3 times and no one could get past the mess. I was a bit disappointed and so was Thomas, but he told me to check it out anyway and see how bad it really was. So Thursday afternoon I went to see the house. I fully expected to walk into a trashed house; it wasn't bad at all. It looked like 4 guys lived there but it just needed some elbow grease and a lick of paint! I instantly fell in love with the floor plan and I knew Thomas would love the two car over-sized garage for his "man cave"! I took pictures and sent them to Thomas that night. We talked about the house for an hour on Friday, Thomas told me to go ahead and pursue renting the house. We got approved Friday afternoon and I signed the lease Friday night! Talk about a whorl wind day, or a whorl wind week; new baby girl, new house! Crazy!

 We are so excited to have more room and space in this 3 bed room, 2 bath, big back yard, all one level home! I have recruited help with packing and moving and have already started the packing process! We move in September 22-24. We hope to live there for a while as we transition out of the military and into the civilian world. Thomas and I are thrilled and so thankful for our friends and family and church family that are reaching out to us and helping us through this time. Once again, the Lord is good, and not just during times of great blessing and beautiful surprises, but during the tough times too. The times that make us cling to Him, and build our character, endurance, and dependance on Him. He's good my friends, He's good all the time!    

 Enjoy the pictures below, and I look forward to writing more soon. HOPEFULLY this Sunday! Ha ha, we shall see!

Much Love
 ~Iris

  Tobias celebrating his buddy Hudson's birthday!

 Aubrieta Ruth Williams! She's beautiful!

 Tobias and a big lynx at the zoo! :)

 Mommy and Toby at the zoo. Toby with a classic daddy look! :)

Decorating Daddy's birthday box! Love that smile!

44 Weeks!

Okay, here I am finally. I have not felt like writing much this past week. But I do want to continue my weekly updates and not slack, well, not slack too much that is. Tobias and I had a good week, but a busy week. It seemed as though we were on the go non stop. We ran errands, spent some time at my parents house visiting with my little brother Alan (who just got home from a summer of traveling). We helped out with the FRG bake sale, we went for our Friday walk and we went to a great birthday party for a dear little friend who turned 3.

 We also got to spend some time talking to Thomas! Tobias was so happy to see Daddy on the computer screen. His face just lit up, and he started trying to sign Daddy. He kind of over did it a little and was smacking himself in the side of the head. He has Thomas and I rolling laughing. Thomas has been pretty busy lately but has still had time to call a few times and video chat once. It's been such a blessing.  

  Last week seemed so busy, and looking back we really didn't DO a whole lot, but lately any type of outing is quite an undertaking for me. Getting Tobias in and out of the car, in and out of a stroller. Making sure Tobias is clean, has a clean diaper and most of breakfast off his face. Making sure his diaper bag has diapers, wipes, extra clothes, plenty of food, sippy cup (preferably full of juice), and snacks for the road. Making sure the dogs have water and food before I leave, stepping over the toys in the living room while holding Toby and hoping we both don't crash to the floor, cringing at the un-done dishes in my sink as I leave, and passing by the trash that continues to pile up in my garage (I keep meaning to ask my dad if he'll haul it to the dumpster for me, I keep forgetting); and remembering I forgot to put the towels in the dryer for the 3rd day in a row, knowing I'll be re-washing them for the second time, it's all just a little...well, overwhelming! Not to mention the list of other things I've promised to do, or really need to do, like get my oil changed, look into some paper work for Thomas, and write a few letters.
 I find that when I look at all of this, all at once, I can feel myself sinking into this pool of murky water called life. In reality the pool is more like a puddle and I just keep looking at it face down! All I have to do is take it one cup full at a time and spread it out where it needs to go, but the puddle can look so big when your face is right in the middle of it. Anyway, enough with my silly analogy. So I have spent the last three days doing a lot of nothing. Tobias and I have only left the house once in three days. I have enjoyed staying home, and I have completed a few things, like laundry and dishes, but mostly I think I'm realizing, once again, that I'm not depending, or resting rather, in my Lord.

 I've been thinking a lot lately about truth, and quotes, or sayings. I realized that we can find up lifting truth, and quotes from well meaning intelligent people, that speak to our heart's emotions and intellect. But the only truth that speaks to our souls, and fills us with the strength to carry on, is the Word of God.  So I have decided to start memorizing scripture on a regular bases. While doing dishes, laundry, and changing diapers, I'm going to have little 3 by 5 cards taped at eye level full of up lifting scripture. (I would love some of your favorites if you'd like to share them with me).
 Life can be crazy, but we are called to live it, and live it intentionally. So enough with my overwhelmed self, one cup of murky water and scripture verse at a time and I'll get it done.

 Much Love, have a great week (what's left of it!) :)

 ~Iris

 Tobias, getting into trouble!

 Trooper about to take his toy that Toby found.

 And Toby taking it back! Good thing Trooper is a gentle giant! :)

 Watching the train on our walk last Friday!

 Helping Grandpapa set up the baby gate! (Tobias is holding a screw driver for Grandpapa)

 Waking up from a nap to see Daddy! Love that grin!

 Trying to sign Daddy, my sweet boy!

 20 Weeks on Thursday! Half way there! We find out on the 10th if we can shop for pink, or gather more blue! :)

45 weeks!

 Well Tuesday is closer to last Saturday than Wednesday! Ha, I'll eventually get back on track of writing my blogs on Saturday or Sunday of every week. Non the less, another week is gone! We are half way through the 40's and I'm so glad! Tobias and I have had a great week. Toby has been making some great progress with sleeping! I've been working really hard on sleep training with him, but I think I am the one who needed the training! Toby is more than ready to sleep through the night if his mommy would just let him cry a little bit; he'd go right back to sleep. But his mommy is a softy and goes in and checks on him and disrupts this beautiful process we call sleep! So far, however, we have had four nights of great sleep, with Tobias only waking once or twice and going right back to sleep. Thank the Lord that we are learning how to sleep before baby Williams number 2 is here!

 Tobias now has a weekly play date with his Nana, and I have an evening "off" every week. Last Thursday was the first time I've left Tobias with my mom for longer than 4 hours. He had a great time and did so well! It was very nice to have an evening to just relax. I went to dinner with my friend Kea; we tried a new Chines restaurant it was fantastic. We both really enjoyed the food, but got an even bigger kick out of the name of the restaurant, "Kenny's Kitchen, Chinese Comfort Food" just awesome, makes me laugh! This week I get an evening to myself on Wednesday, tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it, and I know Nana and Toby are looking forward to their play date!

 Another first for me this week was putting Tobias in the nursery. I was disappointed to learn that the speakers in the cry room were broken so I couldn't hear the sermon. So I decided to be brave and let Toby play in the nursery. He, once again, did great! I explained to the ladies that I had never left him with anyone except my mom so I wasn't sure how he would react. Tobias is an amazing baby, he loved it. It did help that the nursery has a ceiling fan, one of his favorite things to point at and talk about these days. It was very nice to be able to listen to the sermon all the way through!

 We had another great walk on Friday. It was beautiful and hot! Felt great! After our walk Tobias and I went to the Golden Corral with my friend Lindy and her two beautiful girls, Sophia and Stella. It was a blast. Tobias had a great time eating new foods, and yelling and smiling at everyone who walked by. Good thing it's loud to begin with in there, cause Tobias was not quiet at all! It was pretty funny.

 I have heard from Thomas a couple times this week. He's doing really well. They've been a bit busier lately, but he's really been enjoying getting to know the Lithuanian soldiers that our stationed on FOB Wolverine with him. He said they have been doing some trading. Thomas traded some of his gear for a Lithuanian uniform. He was rather excited about that, I'm curious to see it. He's been able to have some new experiences and I know he's enjoying his work very much. He has received another box from his Mom, filled with oatmeal raisin cookies, Thomas' favorite. Thomas said the cookies were Great! It's amazing what a taste of home will do for you.
 
 Well I should be going, Tobias is napping and I have yet to shower. Then it's off to my friend Mallory's house for a bake-a-thon! We are baking for the FRG bake sale on Thursday. I'm looking forward to it! Thank you all for your love and continued support. 23 weeks till Thomas is home for R&R, and Baby Williams number 2 will be here! Crazy and exciting! (I have to count down to R&R too, helps me when I feel like 45 weeks is too far away!) Have a blessed week, see you again soon!

 ~Iris
P.S. I almost forgot! (can't believe I almost forgot!) My Papa came home Wednesday from a 6 month voluntary deployment to Iraq! It is so nice to have one of my heroes home! Tobias is getting used to having his Grandpapa around; I love watching them interact! (The pictures are a little out of place today, but enjoy anyway!)

  Our lovely walk this morning to the dog park!

 Yelling at all the people at Golden Corral!

 Lot of fun having new experiences!

 Our coastal trail walk on Friday!

 Having quality time with Grandpapa and his new four-wheeler!

 I got my pants off! Ha ha!

 Welcome Home Granpapa!

 And another picture from our walk this morning! Have a great week! :)

46 Weeks!

Aaaaaaak, it's Wednesday! I'm rather behind this week. But it is kinda nice that week 46 is already almost half over! Well Last week was great! Tobias and I had a lot of fun and new adventures. We went to my 17 week appointment on Tuesday and although we did not get to see the baby via ultra sound, we did get to hear his little heart beat. Beautiful sounds to a mama's ears! We will find out the gender August 10 (that will be week 42's post)!
 Thursday we went to an FRG meeting and we have some exciting events coming up, including a bake sale on the 28th and a trip to the Zoo on the 10th. It's great to have these outings and events to look forward to, helps the time go by quickly. Friday we met up at the coastal trail again, and had a great walk! Tobias really seems to enjoy these walks, and I'm so glad. After our walk we had a new experience, we went to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie! It was so much fun and Tobias really enjoyed it! I was surprised he did as well as he did. The movie is just over an hour so I figured he'd do great, but I forgot about all the previews, and then there was a mini cartoon before the movie! He made it almost to the end without fussing, but he couldn't sit still any longer, so the last 15-20 minutes I stood in the back of the theater and rocked him to sleep. It was so fun to watch his reactions to the movie. He loved the red balloon that is seen through out the film. He squealed with delight every time he saw it! So cute! Nana joined us, and it was a very fun day!
 Saturday we went garage sale-ing. I was proud of myself for sticking to my list and not buying junk! I love garage sale-ing, but I have to give myself a spending limit and a list otherwise I just can't help myself. "Oh 25 cents for a book I'll never read, sure! It's only 25 cents! Look 50 cents for a sweater, who cares that I have 25 sweaters!" Anyway, I'm doing better about curbing my desire to buy and shop.

  Sunday we made it to church again, so glad! It was a good time of fellowship. Afterward my mom and Tobias and I went to Target and bought Toby a big boy car seat! He looks so grown up (check out the pictures below)! He loves his big boy seat, he can see out the window, it has a cup holder and snack holder and there is no more screaming when I put him in the car! He's quite happy.

 Well I know I'm eating into this week, but Monday we got to talk to Thomas via video chat. It had been a few days since we got to "See Daddy". It was wonderful and Tobias just talked and talked to Thomas. I loved it! Thomas got his package from the Neirs, Jacob, and me and Toby. He really enjoyed all the goodies. I also sent him an awesome pillow and he's been loving it (it's supposed to cure a lot of issues, back pain, head aches, etc.). He's doing really well, had a smile on his face, and we had some good laughs. He sends his love to you all and thanks you for the boxes!

 Well I should go before I start bragging anymore about this week! But I must say, I am so thankful for good friends. I had a great visit yesterday with my dear friend Kea and it was just what I needed. I had started feeling many worries creep up on me and begin to overwhelm me. I could tell I wasn't resting in my Lord, laying my worries at His feet, and resting in His peace. I thank God for the blessing of wonderful friends, we were not meant to walk this life alone!

 Hope you have a great rest of the week! See you soon!

 ~Iris

  Love that wake up face!

  Driving Daddy's truck with his faithful side kick! :)

 Driving mommy! ;-)

 At the Coastal trail! Notice the train in the back ground!

  First time at the Theater!

 Playing with Trooper, he's silly!

 My Little Safari boy all dressed up for church!

Off to church we go! See you next week!

47 Weeks!

 Well it seems the weekends continue to pose a challenge for me to actually complete my blog on time! But, that's okay, Tobias and I have had some great weekends and they just slip by so quickly I hardly have time to think (which is just fine with me!).  What a week! I can hardly remember what we did, but I know it was a good week. Ha ha! The highlight was definitely talking to Thomas via Google video chat. I think Tobias and I got to talk with him 3 times this week. What a blessing! I feel so spoiled, but I'll happily take it!
 Thomas has sounded so good every time we have talked with him. He's been going to church, and even started going to a Bible study on Wednesdays. They are studying John 3 where Nicodemus talks with Jesus. I'm going to read it too, helps me stay even more connected with Thomas. He and his team are continuing to work out at the gym, and do whatever it is they do every day. Thomas said "We had a normal day here, went to the gym, did some paper work, ate." I hope his days continue to be like that, smooth, enjoyable and uneventful! It is such a joy to watch him and Tobias interact on video chat. I know I probably repeat myself here, but it is so much fun! They clap, and Tobias talks to Daddy, tells him all kinds of stories, and smiles and waves. I'm not sure exactly how much Tobias understands, but from what I can tell he and Thomas enjoy it, and that's what matters.
 Tobias and I went to Willow Alaska this week, for an over night stay at a dear friends house. It was wonderful; a little get away. My friend Jaala was hosting a baby shower for her sister Emily and we just couldn't miss it! So we drove the 2 hours to Willow and Jaala was kind enough to let us spend the night so it wasn't a late night for us driving home. Jaala and her husband Kenny live in a delightful little house/cabin. It felt like a private resort for me! I was waited on hand and foot, and Tobias loved having new places to explore.
 Friday we enjoyed a lovely walk along the coastal trail with some good friends. We enjoyed it so much we made it a regular weekly event. Every Friday we will be walking the coastal trail! I'm really looking forward to the exercise and the friendly company. The coastal trail runs right a long the coast (imagine that) it's a great place to stroll with kids. There are ships and mountains on one side, and train tracks on the other, with regular visits from passing trains. Tobias had a blast pointing at everything, every bird, person, biker, dog and more. It was quite fun.
 This weekend we went to the bear paw festival in Eagle River, with my mom. We had a good time. We didn't stay long but we enjoyed a big, loaded baked potato, and a funnel cake, and I got some kettle corn for Thomas (per his request!). I love people watching at huge events like this, it's quite entertaining! I think we counted 6 people with wiener dogs, a guy in a storm trooper outfit, and countless little kids with crazy, colored hair (glad I don't have to wash that hair!).
 I've had a song stuck in my head all week by Caedmon's call. It keeps reminding me that no matter what God is working on changing my heart. I can fight Him, try to run, try to stay self absorbed, but He's determined to find me, and change me. Here are part of the lyrics that I've been singing in my head.

 ...Like a coin hiding in the corner
Trying not to be swept
And I was trying not to be swept.

Kicking against these goads
Sure did cut up my feet
And didn't your hands get bloody
As you washed them clean (you washed them!),

 Here I am again, back where I began
Try as I may I can't get away from you
And all of these roads lead me to roam,
Bring me back home.
Here I am again, back where I began.

 So you have yourself your ninety nine (ninety nine),
Isn't that enough for you?
Still you followed me to the shadowed valley
Carried me on your shoulders too.

 I'm so grateful God is not  satisfied with me the way I am. That He uses the toughest situations we are in to mold us, teach us, and change us. Even when all we want to do is curl up in a ball and wait for it to all go away. He follows us into the shadowed valley and carries us out, reminding us we've got to move on, stop kicking against the goads and start again. What amazing grace!
 Hope you all have an awesome week! Much Love!

 ~Iris

  Eating Peas! He loves them!

 Bath time!

 His new trick this week, sucking both thumbs at the same time! Silly boy!

  Quality time with Daddy!

 He's been crossing his feet when he relaxes. Cracks me up cause Thomas does the same thing!

My boys, my heroes! 

48 Weeks!

 Well, we are truckin' right along here through the 40's. Some days I think "Wow, it's been another week already?!" and other days I think "Wait we are ONLY at 48 weeks???" The weeks seem to go by fast, but we are busy so it feels like more than a weeks worth of time should be past. Perhaps that's a sign that I need to slow down!
 Tobias and I had a good week. We spent the first part of the week at home, catching up on cleaning and laundry (we are still catching up!). We hung out with Kyle and Liz on Wednesday, there last day in beautiful Alaska. I've said this before, but it was so good to have them visit. They have arrived in Okinawa safe and sound and are slowly getting settled. I can't wait to go visit them! Perhaps next summer, we shall see.
 I've been organizing Tobias' room this week, getting it cleaned up for him to have some more play space, and getting it ready for another baby to be in and out of it. I set up the gate in front of his door and was able to let him play while I continued to run around and finish up cleaning.  It was nice to have a safe place for him to play for a bit. We were pleasantly surprised to receive a package that same day, from Grandpa and Grandma (Thomas' parents). I let Tobias help me open the box, he had too much fun pulling all the things out, looking at them briefly, tossing them behind him, and digging in for more! What did he enjoy the most? The letter and paper articles that were for me. What is it with babies and paper?! It was fun to get a box from family ( Tobias definitely enjoyed it!). Thanks Mom and Dad!
 Our biggest joy this week was video chatting with Daddy for the first time! Tobias just loved it! The pictures below depict it all. It was such a breath of fresh air to be able to SEE and talk to Thomas. He enjoyed talking to and seeing Tobias so much, it was beautiful. I am so thankful for technology! I think back to the World Wars, Vietnam, and even 18 years ago when my Dad deployed for a year to Korea (wow it's been 18 years!) and how those moms, wives, and families depended on letters, and sometimes a phone call from their loved ones. I get to see my soldier! Women like my mom are really amazing. 
 Thomas is doing really well. He's been going to the gym, and they even got to go to church this week (something he was really hoping to do). He said it was good and they enjoyed it. He gave me a small list of things he and his team would like, so I'll get that out in an e-mail. He sends his love to family and friends, and thanks you all for your support. He mentions that in e-mails often.

 Well I've been reading some more and I've been so inspired lately, I can not help but share it.  I am actually reading several books right now. I have my "I'm rocking Tobias to sleep book" my "curled up with a hot cup of tea book" my "I need to read something encouraging now book" etc.  I read when I can, it may only be half a chapter or less at a time, but what I've had the chance to read has been immensely helpful.  The book, "Loving the Little  Years- Motherhood in the Trenches" By Rachel Jankovic has been especially helpful to me lately. This woman is amazing, she has 5 children under the age of 5! She wrote this book for me! Okay so not exactly for me, but for moms, moms with little ones, moms who have their hands full, moms who need to know somethings will not last forever and we will make it through! The chapter that stuck out to me this week is titled Watch Your Language (not what you think, but stick with me here) let me share some of this chapter with you.

 "Another way we can do damage to ourselves is through the use of totally innocent words that we use to allow ourselves something. I remember thinking sometimes when the twins were little I had better stop being overwhelmed....God gave me this to do.  I may not be overwhelmed about it. I can try as hard as I can, and maybe fail sometimes....but I may not be overwhelmed. Actually, I may be overwhelmed but I may not say that I am overwhelmed! The words have a real power over us. If you say it, you allow it for yourself. You give yourself that little bit of room to say, "But I can't!" "  

"Do you like to dwell on the discouragement? Do you spend time not working but tallying the work that you think is too much for you?...Instead of spending time telling yourself stories in which you are given too much to do, come up with some simple coping tactics. In that same early and intense phase with the twins, I developed the twenty-minute rule. If things started seeming really out of control, I would look at the clock and not the time. Then I would tell myself that in twenty minutes this would be over. If I just kept my head down and did the work, twenty minutes was all I needed....What was it? A moment. It passes. But when it passes, you will be very glad if all you did was work right through it. No self-pity, no tears, no getting worked into a dither. Look at the clock, look at the work you need to do, and bear down. The super intensity will almost always be over in twenty minutes!"

 Oh how I wish I could look at the clock, look at the work I have to do around the house, the bills, the dogs, myself and Tobias, note the time and in twenty-minutes Thomas walks through the door! I know she's not necessarily talking about long term stress-ers like deployments, but the idea still applies. Developing coping skills, instead of curling up in a ball and feeling defeated. Taking the work that's in front of me, noting the time, and bearing down and doing it, no tears, no self-pity, just working straight through. Taking things one piece at a time, not all at once (something my mom has been trying to teach me for as long as I can remember). That's why I am counting this deployment in weeks, that's why I am blogging. I have a long way to go some days. Some days I want to lay in bed and feel defeated, but I know in the end it won't make the time go faster, and it won't make me feel better. It will most likely put me in a bad mood. So I get up, make a short to do list, and start working. Soon, the day is over, I smile at what I've accomplished, and feel satisfied that one more day is done.

 Well, I've got some dishes to do and a little boy to tickle while I get him dressed. Have a blessed day my friends and family!

 Much Love!
     ~Iris 

  DADDY!!

  Playing Pick-A-Boo!

 Surprise!

 Toby sucking his thumb while Daddy sings the thumb song! :)

  My busy little man!

 Hi everyone!

 Tobias' new road/town rug!

 Me and Tobias at church, so glad we made it! :) See you next weekend!

49 Weeks!

 Mmmm.... Feels good to be in the 40's! Only 49 weeks to go. Hard to believe it is Saturday already, I am so glad the week flew by. This has been a very good week overall. Tobias and I have been busy, but really enjoying every minute. We spent a couple evenings at the beginning of the week at my mom's house visiting, talking, and eating of course, with my brother Kyle and his wife Liz. I cannot tell you how exciting it has been to get to know Liz. You have to understand the first time I met her, I had just flown in from an all day flight to California, she was standing in the hall way of the church she was getting married in, in her wedding dress, about to walk down the isle! I gave her a hug, told her I was so glad to meet her and that she looked beautiful and then watched her marry my little brother! It was a crazy day, but I am so glad I did not miss it. The more I see them together, and the more I chat with Liz, the more I am convinced they were made for each other. It makes me very happy!

 The middle of the week Tobias and I spent at my friend Mallory's house. Her precious little girl, Bri, is exactly two weeks older than Toby. We had a lot of fun last year being pregnant together, and we are doing it again this year! (I am telling you there is something in the water on this base!) Mallory is due in October and as you all know I am due in December. It has been fun chasing our little ones, talking about being pregnant again, and laughing about how crazy it will be having two little munchkins. Mallory and her husband Bill had us over for dinner, and we ate Mexican food and watched the "Deadliest Catch" those guys are crazy! (a side note here, my sister in law, Christina, has some amazing photography of the : "Time Bandit" one of the ships on the show. It's awesome! Check out her sight on facebook, nonchalantview.) Tobias and Bri played and played while we ate and watched TV.  It was so nice that Toby had someone to crawl around with while I vegged on the couch. When we got home, Tobias crashed! He was out almost all night (which is a miracle for him) only waking up once for some formula. It was a good night.

  Some very exciting news, I got an e-mail this week from Thomas with an address for him! I have sent the address out in an e-mail to all his family and friends, along with a list of his wants and likes.  Thomas is getting all settled in to his new FOB and he is doing so well. I have been able to talk to him a couple times this week and it has been wonderful. He has sounded so good, which is such an encouragement to me! He said he has internet, his own room and the food is actually good! He was so funny, he said "I had three vegetables, and chicken Florentine last night, it was great!"  It really is the little things that make all the difference for our soldiers. A place to call their own and good food is huge! He told me he and his team had to go out on a mission the other day, but when they got their the Afghanistan EOD had already responded. So they talked to them for a little while and then headed back to the FOB. He said it was a nice change of pace. I laughed, and thought to myself, "That's just fine, let them do the work!" I sent him two boxes the same day I got the address. He had some immediate request so I got those boxes sent out. He said he is really looking forward to getting stuff from home, and from friends and family! We are trying to set up a google chat and video date, so we can see each other and of course let Tobias see daddy! I will let you know how that goes, I am hoping we get to do that with in the next couple of days.

 Thursday was quite exciting! We joined several friends at the Alaska Zoo. We were able to see the baby polar bear and he was adorable! Tobias was quite entertained and waved to the bear. We visited the zoo just in time too, the baby polar bear is heading to his new home in Louisville, on Monday! So glad we did not miss seeing the little guy. I really enjoyed the ladies I was with. We sat around at picnic tables, after we had walked around the zoo, we enjoyed some snacks and chatted about mommy things. It makes me laugh as I think about the juggling we do as moms. Each one of us had to use the rest room, or change a diaper or grab some food; so we all switched off watching each others children. It was great! I really love being a mom, and all the craziness that goes with it. I was e-mailing Thomas the other day and it just hit me, "Oh My, I'm a mom!" It makes me smile, those little moments of reality; thinking back to life without Tobias, and now life with him, I would not change a thing! He has brought me so much joy and fulfillment beyond what I expected. It makes me look forward that much more to having more children.

 Friday was a long day, but wonderful! My mom, Kyle, Liz, Tobias and I piled in my van and headed to Seward for the day! We visited the sea life center, and exit glacier. It was wonderful! My favorite part of the whole trip was watching Tobias experience new things. He marveled at the giant fish tanks in the sea life center, he wrinkled his nose at the sea critters in the "touch and feel tank", he loved being in the back pack and hiking to the glacier. It was great! Life is so new and amazing when one views it through the eyes of a child, especially ones own. I am looking forward to next summer when Tobias is running and talking; we will go to the sea life center with Daddy, and that will be a great day!

Well here we are, Saturday, and it has not been my best day. Tobias and I slept well, but I am not quite caught up from our long day of driving and hiking. I decided to venture out anyway, and found that I should have just stayed under the covers! We joined my family at the mall, (I keep craving lemonade from Hot Dog on a Stick) and it all put me in an awful mood. I was exhausted from just getting Tobias ready to go, making sure I remembered diapers, wipes, food, toys, etc., trying to find parking, getting the stroller out and Toby ready. Then the mall was quite busy, people every where, and they were making me crazy! I started feeling myself get that victim feeling or entitled feeling, it goes something like this "Hey people my husband is deployed and I'm tired, so you should get out of my way and quit wasting my time with silly questions! I deserve to be first. You have no idea what I am going through. etc etc...." You get the idea. I knew then it was time to go home! Those poor people, it's not their fault I didn't get enough rest. Not to mention I have no idea what they are facing in life. I hate that feeling, that "sorry for myself you have no idea how I feel" feeling. It's silly and really a waist of my energy. So Tobias and I headed home and napped. I woke up, still tired and still grumpy, but knew we should eat or something. So I fed Toby and let him crawl and play, while I watched a Dick van Dyke on netflix (I needed to laugh!). Right when the show ended my door bell rang, and waiting outside for me was a wonderful friend holding a hot cup of Orange Blossom tea from Starbucks (my favorite!). It made my evening; gave me the energy to snuggle my baby boy to sleep, and sit down and write this blog. (Thanks May, I cannot express how much that meant to me!) 

 Well I am leaving you now, I'm off to snuggle up in bed and say goodbye to this week. Thanks again for reading. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and have a wonderful week! See you Saturday!

 ~Iris

 Wow! Look at that crab!

 He was not so happy after touching that!

 He would rather watch Mommy touch the weird stuff!

 Fun with Nana, watching the seals!

 I love this!

 Uncle Kyle! Tobias wasn't so sure at first, but he LOVED it when we got started!

See you Saturday! :)