Wow, so a lot has happened since my last post. The house took a couple of weeks to finish but it's finally done. We now have new hard floors, carpets, and fresh paint on the walls. Bailey has been moved to the back room which we transformed into her very own fairy princess chambers. I would love to do more with it but we just found out that we are moving. We got our orders to Buckley AFB outside of Denver Colorado and we are leaving around July 7th. At least the house is all ready to be rented out. Good news is, Jeremy doesn't have to deploy to Iraq now.

I am happy to be leaving South Carolina but I'm also disappointed we didn't get stationed in Florida. Now we will be even farther away from family and friends. I have to say, I had my hopes up for MacDill AFB in Tampa. But I'm starting to get excited because I know Denver has so much to offer. I also know a few people there already. I just have to keep a positive outlook.

Things I'm looking forward to in Denver:

Seeing my Up with People friends

Mountains

Fresh air

Outdoor activities: snowboarding, horseback riding, rafting, hiking, sledding, camping...

Grocery stores with fresh whole foods and organics

Nice, open-minded people

Professional sports teams

Theaters with live performances

Cowboys (What? Eye candy)

Businesses that use 21st century technology

Coffee houses

Less frizz in my hair

Shopping for new (mountain) clothes

Things I'm not looking forward to in Denver:

Being so far from my family

Snow in my driveway

Driving in snow

Snow gear

Cold until May

Snow in March

...You get the picture

I have a feeling Bailey will take the move easy enough. She has to start pre-school this fall anyway, so she's up for big changes this year. She's also young enough to not have developed any strong friendships. I am going to miss this house though. So many memories have been made here. I wonder if Bailey will remember this place. I think so. Foster won't care of course but he's going to hate the drive all the way to Colorado. At least by then he can face front and watch movies with Bailey.

In other news:

I ran, I conquered, I got over it! I completed the Cooper River Bridge 10k (my first 10k) in 1 hr. 10 min. I surprised myself by running the whole way without stop, even up the very steep bridge. I could hardly move my knees the next day, but overall it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was fun.

I just recently was pulled over and given $450 worth of tickets. I haven't been pulled over in 10 years. Well I didn't have my registration sticker on my plate which in S.C. that also means I hadn't paid my property tax either (2 tickets for that). Then the officer told me that Bailey wasn't in the correct car seat by S.C. law (1 more ticket). I was able to sort out the registration and property tax quickly enough because I had paid on time, I just didn't realize that I never got my sticker through the mail. But the car seat thing is an issue. Bailey is too big for her convertible car seat so I thought the next step was a booster seat. Come to find out she's suppose to be in a harnessed booster seat until she reaches 40 lbs. even though the seat belt booster she's in right now is for 30 lbs. and up. Bailey is about 35 lbs. and almost 40 inches tall. Now I have to find a booster seat with a five point harness that has straps high enough to go over her shoulders. yeah. But whatever is safest for my babies I guess. I didn't realize (according to the officer) that I was putting my daughter in fatal danger and if I had been in an accident she would be killed. We have come a long way in safety; from no safety seats when I was little, to now four different stages of car seats.

Mengling update:

Foster has eight teeth and he can bite like a beaver. He's cruising all over the house and will even stand one handed. My guess is that he'll be walking on his own some time before April ends. Foster is still a very easy, happy baby but he now has a little separation anxiety and wants Bailey near him at all times. Bailey has been testing us lately with acting out, talking back, and giving a whole lot of attitude. She's gotten in the habit of whining and crying for everything we say no to and sometimes full blown 2 year old fits. Her play-school counselors think it might have to do with a few other girls in her group that regularly act like that. I have enforced a no-tolerance to whining policy and have seen good results after many time-outs, restrictions, and an occasional spanking. I just have to stay on top of her constantly or she'll start getting out of control. It's a daily battle but hopefully just another stage my spit-fire mengling will get past. I think her diet is something I'm seriously considering. I'll talk to a doctor about it after we get settled in Denver.