Niran & Santa 2010

My mom and I needed to go by the mall to pick a couple things up today. I figured it would be a good time to do some walking and maybe shake a little baby out before much longer. As we came into the mall we saw Santa and I pointed him out to Niran. He waved to no one looking around confused. My mom and I decided that we would go in a get a picture while Niran was in a good mood. As soon as we walked in and he actually spotted Santa, he was off. He ran up to Santa and gave him the biggest hug. I was shocked, since last year he didn't really want to sit in Santa's lap. Of course he was having some separation anxiety while Daddy was at Basic, but this still surprised me. We got a great picture right at the start and Santa even played with Niran for awhile. It was great! Even on our way out, Niran realized where we were and ripped my finger out of his hand and went running for that man in the red suit. Let's hope his reaction to the Easter Bunny is the same way!

Ft Huachuca 10K Mystery Run

On Saturday Dusty ran the Ft Huachuca 10K Mystery run. I signed him up for it a couple of weeks ago when he told me a buddy was trying to convince him of it. That day was the last day for free registration. A couple of days later his buddy had to back out because some training came up. So Dusty ran it alone. And of course with his two favorite supporters there to watch him!

And they are off! They had no idea where the path was going, which was the mystery part of the run.

Niran and I sat in the car to eat breakfast while Daddy did most of the run.

Dusty in the home stretch!

Finish line

Niran stretching with Daddy after the run. They also shared a banana =) I was very proud of Dusty, he had set a goal before the race & beat it. Sadly, I cannot remember what his time was. I'm sure it's upstairs buried in my scrapbooking stuff.

Potty Training Day 1

Niran's potty training is officially under way...again...for the 3rd time. I think this time will work out much better, we don't have much going on to cause any road bumps, which has stopped us in the past.

This time was much different for a few reasons:

1. Niran's starting to recognize cartoon characters, which meant he didn't want to take off Elmo or Mickey Mouse. We had a few fits at first and then some comprimising!
2. He's more independent, he wants to take off and put on his on chonies and pants as well as sit down by himself, which takes time.
3. #1 and #2 are yucky, which means if there's an accident I have an upset boy on my hands...very upset boy.
4. He has two potties to choose from. He had his stand alone from before, which after living with his cousins, he didn't want to use any longer. And then the seat that sits on the toilet which we bought after we found that he liked the one at Grandma's house. This was a no brainer for him at first because he is a big boy now, but that toddler seat really hurt his legs. He's been using the stand alone this afternoon, but you can tell he'd rather be an even bigger boy.

I spent the morning trying to figure out timing, along with continuing my unpacking. By lunchtime he was in a pull up and all chonies were in the laundry. I realized I didn't have enough underwear for him and we ran out long before we ran out of clothes. Yes, that means we had a lot of accidents this morning. After lunch (which is about 2 hours of being away from the house) we tried to go potty before nap time. His pull up was dry and he was very willing to go potty, and quickly! I was really proud of him for that, because I figured it'd be the complete opposite. After nap it took about 5 minutes and the discovery of his underwear to agree to sit on the potty. I'm pretty sure we were in there 15-20 minutes. He went pee twice and then started to stand up but then sat down for a bit longer, he had to do #2. I was very proud at that moment! He knew he wasn't done!!! We had 2 other successes in the afternoon and 2 minor failures after daddy got home. They were dribbles, which seem to come about 5 minutes after the big one.

That was only day 1, which from what I've read we've got about 3 weeks total before he should really get the hang of it. Here's hoping it's only 3 and not longer! I'll take some pictures tomorrow as well. His legs look even fatter in his chonies, I love it!!!

Turning a house into a home

I officially got the main computer up and running. That was after I had to insist we either buy a shelf to put above the computer or a bookcase. We have to keep Niran from breaking the new printer or dumping paper everywhere. Last night, Dusty, Bauman and Milam put the bookcase togeteher. Yes it took 3 of them to do it. I was ok'd to play video games while they worked since they played video games while I worked. I think that was a very fair deal. Anyhow, the other 2 were either helping Dusty or occupying Niran and Hok. Niran did get his toe smooshed by a shelf, but it is doing fine. He went to bed in the middle of the build and woke up to a shocking change in the living room. I'm very excited things are coming together in the house. I'm getting closer and closer to being able to work on things I want to work on...blogging, scrapbooking, and card making. For now I'm working on making this house a home and potty training a little one! As soon as we get things more presentable I'll be posting photos of our sweet little home...and of Niran's pet hamster...Goomba!

We're Alive!!!

I promise. Niran and I have made a move down to live with Aunt Brandi and Uncle McKay. This house has 9 humans and 3 dogs now. Yup! It's full!! I'm working as a nanny for them...at a discounted rate of course, plus they are giving us a place to live and food in our bellies!!! Niran is having fun with all of his cousins. He hates naps and bedtime now, it means playtime is over, but man does he sleep once he's down! Making this move didn't take much thought. We're bringing in a little extra money, every bit counts, and we are much closer to Dusty. 2.5 hours away to be exact!! Two weeks of pay from the Hansens can actually support our visits for the full month, even though we haven't made it down every week. Dusty and I have decided that we will not eat out when we visit and instead take our own food and make dinner, it saves a lot of money!!!

I'm still continuing my class online. It's harder to find time, but it's getting done and I'm learning so much on Microsoft Office! The rest of my free time I'm continuing my work as the supportive spouse aka, I have to make sure all bills are paid, paperwork is turned, etc. Just when I think my to-do list is done, it gets even longer. I'm okay with that because Dusty is bringing home the bacon right now!!

Dusty is doing well. He's past his PT test and has all privileges. He can request passes for the weekends. He can only go up to Tucson, so we'll spend a lot of time in Sierra Vista. School is going well for him. He's learning a lot and getting through his homework. Our talks are very minimal during the week. At 8:30 he calls to say goodnight to Niran. It has really helped in calming him down. He says "dye-dye" and blows kisses. As soon as we hang up he lays down on the bed. I get my actual call general after bedcheck around 9:15. But that depends on his homework, which comes first of course. I have had to settle for the text simply saying I love you and good night.

They never issued Dusty a weapon last week so Aunt Brandi and Uncle McKay watched the "Poop Machine" Niran so we could have a weekend to ourselves. We haven't actually had a full night to ourselves. We've always still had to run back to whoever was watching him and pick Niran up to get him home. I will say it was very nice! Although we did try to make dinner, and I did spend a good hour prepping the food and it did taste like soap :o( We were not very happy about this!! Maybe we'll try again this weekend! This weekend we're having our first family weekend. Niran and I got nasty stomach bugs the first weekend we had together so this is a make up weekend. We were hoping to head into Tucson, but that doesn't look like it will happen. I'll request some family lodging and we'll have a mini vacation together instead. If anyone is interested in coming down to visit they are more than welcome to!

As far as how Niran is doing. He's doing great! He's 18 months old Thursday, 32" tall, 24 lbs :o) We are still slowly moving into 18 month clothing. His pants are all 12 months, he has short legs, some are still really long on him...sooo he has really short legs! He can say "bye, bye" which comes out "dye, dye" A little creeping when he says it slowly and with a smile. He loves balls "ba" now. He still loves cars of course! He gets to sit at the table with us for dinner. He likes being a big boy!! And "uh-oh" is his new favorite phrase.

Oh and our fun for the moment. Niran got the stomach bug from when we first moved down and just didn't get better. I took him to the doctor to find out he has fleeting lactose intolerance. Meaning, he has temporary lactose intolerance. It happened when his stomach cleaned out all the flora in his intestines. He can't have lactose until it goes away. We have another week of these eating habits and if it doesn't improve he has to go back to the doctor and try some tests. It's improving so far, but not fully there yet. He wants his milk too and I feel bad having to hand over pediasure instead. Not to mention, this kid loves cheese and there is some yummy string cheese in the fridge. Luckily he still can have as much yogurt as he would like.

Okay, plenty on this post. I will have to work on moving BCT graduation photos over to Brandi and McKay's computer and finally get those all up for you guys!! Have a wonderful week!!

Valentine's Day 2010

Dusty and I have never celebrated Valentine's Day. Our annivesary is the 17th so we always went out that night instead. It's easier to avoid the crowds! This year was a little different for us. He wasn't going to be home for Valentine's Day or our annivesary so I decided to send him cards for both anyways. He kept telling me to write daily so he had something to read, so why not add a few cards?

Well Saturday the 13th, Niran woke up at 4:45 because his tooth was bugging him. I gave him some Motrin and laid him in bed with me hoping he'd fall asleep. A few minutes later I got 2 text messages. I thought it might be one of my Army girls on the east coast not thinking about the time difference, so I thought about ignoring it until later. Boy am I glad I didn't!! It was Dusty!

He was eating an MRE

for breakfast since the Dining Facility had a power outaged due to 6 inches of snow.

(all acurate photos!!)

His DS gave them their cells with breakfast!! I was able to talk to him for an hour while Niran ate breakfast and watched cartoons.

Later in the day, I went out to run a couple of errands, when I got home these were waiting for me!!

And Niran approved of their pretty smell!! Dusty got Uncle Ry-Ry to help get these to me :0D

For dinner I made heart-shaped raviolies, why not be festive?

Niran has been wanting balloons for awhile so I figured I'd get him some for V-day. He was very excited. The gifts were clothes that I had bought him for graduation, but he wasn't interested in them. I wrapped them just to be the one to open them while he played with the "badoons."

Although Dusty wasn't able to be home this year it was very sweet of him to make arrangements for me to have the flowers. My mom kept them alive while we were at graduation so I got to come home to them again! This will be a Valentine's Day I always remember!!!

Big News

Well the big news of the day is that Niran and I will be moving down to Ft Huachuca with Dusty! Why the sudden change? We found out some things that really bothered me. Enough for me to question our decision and bring it up with Dusty:

1. I miss him a lot! I know I could handle a separation if I had to, but if I don't have to, I don't want to!! I know I have been one of the better collected wives during BCT. I don't cry b/c I smelled his deodarant, I don't wear his shirts to bed or any of that. I have actually packed all of his stuff. And not because I don't want it around, but because I don't have the space for it!
2. Our money is going to drop A LOT! There were some things left out when we were given information. In the end we would have the same amount of money to put into our debt wherever I live. There's actually a chance we would have less money if travel prices really jump during the summer and that would hurt us. The other problem is, once Niran turns two, he has to have his own seat on the plane. Huge hit!!
3. With Obama's new military plan, Dusty has a 95% chance of being deployed within the first 2-3 months. Not the original 6+ month thought we had. We had decided if I stay here and he gets deployed within in the first few months of graduation I would stay here, but that means I don't live with him for a much longer time. I do not care for this idea!
4. We were also originally told if his unit is already deployed he would wait for their return. This is very untrue. If they are deployed he can do rear-detachment, in other words, he can leave by himself to join his unit overseas. This can happen as soon as he graduates AIT. I don't want an 8 hour visit before he ships out. Because I'm sorry, but if I weren't living with him, family and friends can share no more than 2 hours of this time and I'd get 6 of it to myself! This part REALLY bothered me. Realizing that he has a very good chance of leaving as soon as he graduates broke my heart.

I debated our decision for a good 2 weeks before discussing it with Dusty. It started out with money worries and then more and more things got dumped on top of it. I found myself crying because I knew in my heart we were making the wrong decision. Dusty talked to a buddy who has been in the military for a few years. After that Dusty knew that he wanted us with him as well. In our new life we'll have many times we have to be apart, but if we ever have the chance to be together we are going to take advantage of it...without question!

The wait time to get on base housing is 3-4 months. I will be faxing my application in today to get on the list now. In the meantime we will be going down to visit as soon as we can.

A friend's husband just went to Ft Huachuca for AIT and he can get off base privileges pretty quickly. He has to pass his PT test, which Dusty can do, and know a bunch of info, which I know he could do as well. This is a big plus for me! Of course this may be different for Dusty, because his AIT is three times as long as this guy. But a girl can dream, can't she?!?!

Potty Training

Niran was always showing that he was getting ready to go potty. We decided that once Niran and I got settled in our new home we would start potty training. From the start we knew it might take awhile with him being so young but we wanted to take advantage of him feeling like he had to go potty and help him associate it with the act of going potty now rather than waiting until he was just used to that feeling. My mom bought us a pretty cool toilet seat. The toddler's potty seat fits up into the lid and we can drop it down when Niran needed it or put it up when it he didn't.

A few days after Exodus ended and Dusty had headed back to BCT Niran and I started training. I want to say it was January 5th or 7th. He sat on it once or twice and went pee, but then he refused to go potty after that. He would straighten his body and scream. I started debating if I should get a stand alone potty for him and see how he did, but I didn't care for the idea of cleaning up after every use. I had decided to skip it and wait for him to be ready to sit on the toilet. My friend got her daughter a stand alone potty and she loved it. She's gone potty in it only a couple of times this last week, but that gave me a lot of hope. I caved and Thursday night I did some research. I found the potty I wanted. It wasn't plain, it was fun. It didn't have all the bells and whistles that a lot of potties have now, which I knew Niran could easily get distracted by. It also had really good reviews over multiple sites and the negative reviews seemed closer to people having children that just weren't ready. Friday morning we picked up his new potty! We pulled it out of the packaging in the kitchen, but he was only excited to push it around and wasn't thrilled to sit on it, but I didn't give up hope. We ate lunch and then afterwards we went into the bathroom and sat down on the potty. He actually went pee in it! I cheered him on and he applauded himself as well.

I knew I had to keep him excited for going. After his nap he went potty as well, but he didn't want to after dinner. He really wanted to play in the bath. Or else he wanted to pee in the bath because that was the first thing he did in the tub.
He's doing well with potty training. He'll let me know when he has to go #2, usually includes him squating. The peeing in the potty has pretty much disappeared, he just doesn't seem to do it unless it's a mini tinkle. We still work on it through out the day. Grandma has been good about helping him as well. We might have to get Uncle McKay to help out on the peeing part :o)


I thought you'd like to see how cute he looked in his big boy underwear. We wore them for a day and he kept them dry minus one accident. The next day he started hiding behind the couch...back to pull ups!

Our Big Move!!

Our last sunset in Queen Creek

Well we made our big move and remind me not to ship Dusty off to the Army and then move your family within a week. That was definitely too rough for Niran!! Of course being in the military we may find ourselves doing something similar, but at least I'll be better prepared.


My mom, brother and nephew showed up Friday after Dusty left to pack up the house and head to our new home in Reno. Niran was a big help as well as my family!

We left in the early afternoon as soon as the trailer was packed up and made our drive to Las Vegas. Niran didn't make it out of the neighborhood and if I remember correctly, he slept almost all the way to Vegas.

He even got to stay in his first hotel room. Well, technically second, but he was 2 months old, we got to the hotel really late and left as soon as we woke. Mostly because it was a not so good neighborhood and I was really scared their was going to be a shooting. Soooo, I won't count that. This one we actually stayed!!

When we got to Reno, we had all sorts of family there to help us unload the trailer so we could get it turned back in. It was a very quick move for us, but I am so thankful for my family's help during that time.

I thought I had taken pictures of our little apartment that we had there, but I cannot find them for the life me at this moment. I'm actually very saddened by this. I always said that I would take pictures of all of our home's so that Niran could be able to look back and see where he grew up and I am already off to a bad start. The house in Queen Creek is missing as well as the apartment at my mom's. Oh well, I got pictures of this house so I know I can start from his 2nd birthday!!

November 16, 2009 - Time to Dusty to the Army

Very early Monday morning, Dusty recruiter picked him up to take him to Pheonix MEPS for final processing before being sent to Basic Combat Training (BCT). I did some cleaning until Niran woke up and Dusty's Dad, Udon picked me up to go and visit Dusty for his final swear in.

Patiently waiting

Listening some great words of wisdom

The swear in

Waiting to sign paperwork

We left Dusty to finish up some things at MEPS while we took Niran home to take a nap before we met Dusty at the hotel for dinner in the evening.

I don't think we made it out of the parking garage. He walked so many laps at MEPS, luckily everyone loved him and thought he was just so cute!

Later that evening once Dusty got situated at the hotel, Udon, Kim and I went for dinner and final visit with Dusty. It was absolutely wonderful and I am so glad we made it up there. Saying good-bye at that point was incredibly difficult, but Niran was wonderful on the drive home. He gave Mama lots a hugs and kisses.

Dusty flew out to Ft Jackson on November 17th. I got my first call from him November 22 with a quick update that he was officially started BCT on the 23rd! I got another call on Thanksgiving, which was kept short and to the point. My first letters came after Thanksgiving and they are so important to me! Phone calls haven't often, but it's great to hear his voice!

Last Day with Dusty

November 15, 2009 was our last day together as a family before the Army was in charge of Dusty and before we'd see him again for awhile. For lunch we picked up some Chipotle and went a park in Queen Creek for a little fun.

Dad and Niran enjoying time together!

Playing at the playground

Later that evening we went to dinner one last time together and then met The Hasens cousins and grandma and grandpa for frozen yogurt before a final good-bye

Dusty's Family Going Away Party

On November 14, 2009 we headed up to Dusty's Dad's house for our going away party with family. It was a really nice afternoon with family and food. Dusty was able to talk to his Grandpa and other family members about their time in the service. I think Dusty enjoyed it! I'll stick to pictures for this post!

Guy Time!

Fun Time for all the kids!

Photos with family...and best friend!