tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58064698301406654782011-10-11T03:06:13.222-04:00"For in the end, freedom is a personal and lonely battle. We face down fears of today, so that those of tomorrow might be engaged." - Alice WalkerJenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.comBlogger3431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-63230746722478044202011-03-21T21:52:00.002-04:002011-03-21T21:54:52.084-04:00

I've moved!! My blog is now located at www.thearmywifelife.com! Still under construction, but be patient and pretty soon it'll be better than ever! This site will stay up for anyone who wants to read old posts...:-)

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-63833792623385489852011-01-25T13:10:00.004-05:002011-01-25T16:16:08.317-05:00

I've decided to bring a new twist to an old theme. We've all read the various lists of "How to Piss off an Army Wife", in fact I've written one myself. But in an effort to remain perpetually bright and sparkly I've decided to give a helping hand to all those out there who want to bring a smile to our faces. Rather than telling you what NOT to do, I'm going to give you some ideas that'll bring in

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-6737572567945738902011-01-19T16:01:00.004-05:002011-01-19T18:10:37.863-05:00

Everyone gets it from time to time; it comes around every so often. You know, the "25 things you didn't know about me" chain letter. Or various themes on the subject. Using the second letter of your middle name, write down 412 things you like to do on vacation (I would, but there is no "S" anywhere in my name)...list a favorite food for every letter of the alphabet (really, how can you have 26

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-74147800282109600652011-01-16T11:07:00.000-05:002011-01-16T15:07:19.518-05:00

Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I'm addicted to HGTV. I can't live without my daily dose of style advice, renovation tips and ideas to boost my curb appeal. I'm now chock full of ideas on how to dress up my foyer, give my kitchen a make-over for under $1000, and plan a garden party for 12 on a limited budget. I have dreams about installing recessed lighting, laying tile and re-purposing thrift

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-67043148196990088922011-01-11T19:14:00.005-05:002011-01-11T19:30:52.863-05:00

It occurred to me this morning that I haven't really posted any pictures on here yet. I bundled up the kidlets and we went for a walk up the street, to take a look at the Chena River. Jack wanted to see some ducks, but I had to break his heart and tell him that it's a little too cold out for the ducks right now. I managed to get a few good pictures in between Aiden's bouts of whining about how

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-28003708413801171932010-12-29T14:53:00.003-05:002010-12-29T15:35:11.377-05:00

Life always seems to get in the way of all my great intentions regarding this blog. Part of The Army Wife Life is being busy, I guess. Oh well.After spending 25 days in the hotel on post, we rented a small, 2 bedroom furnished apartment off post, on a month to month basis to wait out housing. We moved in here on the 18th of December, and exactly 10 days later we got The Call. We have now

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-73945422428142923642010-12-07T15:46:00.004-05:002010-12-07T17:05:38.103-05:00

Let me start off by saying that I'M SORRY I haven't blogged sooner. It really was my intention to keep as up to date as possible during our move, but it just didn't happen. To make a very long story short - we made it to Alaska.Rather than tell the story in boring, minute detail, I've decided to compile a list of things I've learned from the experience of driving to Alaska. Even though I've

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-53017560966992544482010-11-19T00:06:00.003-05:002010-11-19T00:22:05.531-05:00

When I started planning our road trip north I decided I couldn't pass up a trip to Forks, WA. I'm a big Twilight fan and I just couldn't resist passing through the town where it all started. My husband indulged me and agreed to an overnight in The Twilight Zone.My first thought upon entering this sleepy little town was how pretty it was. Forks is a tiny little hamlet on the Olympic Peninsula

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-78161879630992573562010-11-14T00:53:00.002-05:002010-11-14T01:08:36.225-05:00

I was really hoping to be able to blog more on this trip, but so far I've either had no time or no internet. I finally have a little of both so I thought I'd post an update. We are still alive!We left Fort Irwin and drove to Lemoore, California to visit with Chris' grandma and some aunts and uncles for a few days. While we were there we got a remote start system installed in the car. It's

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-18122245361138375322010-11-04T22:44:00.002-04:002010-11-04T23:08:16.522-04:00

It's our last night here at Fort Irwin, and I'm feeling sentimental. As excited as I am about hitting the road tomorrow to head out on our latest and greatest adventure, I'm also sad. I have loved my time here in So Cal, and there is a lot that I will miss. The great weather, the shopping, Disneyland...but most especially I'll miss the wonderful friends I've made here. I love moving to new

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-14725853819230332312010-10-31T18:05:00.002-04:002010-10-31T18:34:43.204-04:00

We are still alive!! I've been wanting to update for a few days, but I've been without internet until last night. I've been surviving by checking my Facebook on my phone, but that's it. Talk about withdrawal! Anyway, the movers have come and gone, and all of our "stuff" is on it's way to Alaska. Aiden was super-thrilled to meet the real "Imagination Movers" (if you don't have little kids who

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-58860539419044877572010-10-22T11:26:00.002-04:002010-10-22T12:18:02.214-04:00

I am soooo going to need it. We spent all day at Disneyland yesterday (we left at 6:30 and got home at midnight), and I'm paying for it now. I'm more exhausted than my kids, I mean it's not like *I* get to ride around in a stroller all day. So I got to bed at 1 AM and then had to haul my butt out of bed again at 7 this morning. We have one set of movers coming today, but I don't know what time

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-6007372925472351262010-10-18T10:50:00.003-04:002010-10-18T11:08:59.833-04:00

Somebody hit Fast-Forward and forgot to tell me.We went to our transportation briefing on Friday, and booked all of our moving appointments. We've got three separate shipments to get ready for: A safe-keeping shipment that we are using to ship Chris' project 1946 Jeep Willys to his parent's house in Northern California. A non-temporary storage shipment for my piano and all of our "stuff" that I

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-12135559209480151282010-10-13T14:24:00.002-04:002010-10-13T14:36:40.959-04:00

Nothing in the Army ever goes according to plan. It's Uncle Sam's Law. Nothing is for sure until after it's happened. I should have known better than to assume that just because they told us we'd have a report date of no later than January 10th, doesn't mean that's actually the case. Once again the proverbial monkey wrench has been thrown, and we found out yesterday that our report date has

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-43240460259897968862010-10-11T12:02:00.002-04:002010-10-11T12:47:07.919-04:00

So, if all goes according to plan (yeah, right) in approximately one month and four days we will be leaving Fort Irwin behind. That means it's time to get serious with the prepping. While yes, the Army does pay for professional movers to come in and pack our house up, there is quite a bit of prep-work involved if you want it to go smoothly. I decided to put my ten years of PCSing to work and

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-79346422129634107042010-10-07T12:00:00.006-04:002010-10-07T18:24:38.303-04:00

For a long time now, the Westboro Baptist Church has been stirring up trouble and pretty much pissing off every member, family member and friend of the military. It's coming to a head now with the Supreme Court hearing the case of Albert Snyder vs. the Westboro Baptist Church. Mr. Snyder has leveled a civil lawsuit against the church for disrupting the funeral of his son - Marine Lance Cpl.

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-89067861531617615492010-10-05T00:56:00.002-04:002010-10-05T01:40:34.651-04:00

Something occurred to me today while I was out running errands. Life on a military post is really not normal. Don't get me wrong, I DID know that already, but it's just that the things we see every day - when you get right down to it - would really freak most people out. For example:1. Groups of guys walking down the street in body armor carrying large, nasty looking rifles. If you saw that in

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-81103416444163770802010-09-29T12:56:00.002-04:002010-09-29T13:46:20.749-04:00

I've been looking through some of my old photos recently, taking a little walk down memory lane. There is a recurring theme in most of the pictures of me. Like...tank tops. Shorts. Skirts. Sandals. Skin that is visible and not hidden under 6 layers of clothing. When I realized my impressive sandal collection is going to be good for nothing except gathering dust in my closet for the next 3 or 4

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-16776312059320318882010-09-26T15:49:00.002-04:002010-09-26T17:08:09.853-04:00

You ever meet someone who seems normal at first glance, but the more you talk to them the more you realize that there is something just not right? Their laughter is tinged with that slight edge of hysteria and you realize they're walking that tightrope of "almost insane, but not quite". This, in my opinion, describes all stay-at-home mothers of small children. Especially if everyone else in

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-44602994341782109692010-09-20T11:22:00.002-04:002010-09-20T11:46:09.965-04:00

With our upcoming PCS to Alaska, we get lots of what the government refers to as "entitlements". Meaning - benefits the Army gives you to aid you in your trek to wherever they are sending you. Since Alaska is considered an overseas location, we're entitled to a lot to get us there. One of these entitlements is shipping our vehicle at government expense, so we don't have to drive it up there.

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-26363759908880392092010-09-15T14:02:00.002-04:002010-09-15T15:05:48.388-04:00

I always have high hopes of being able to blog every day or every other day. Lord knows I never have a lack of things to talk about. And then I remember that I'm an Army Wife, mother to two crazy little boys and smack in the middle of getting ready to PCS to Alaska. I barely have time to shower some days.As I mentioned, our move to the Big White North is fast approaching. I'm not sure how it

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-80199726992100223452010-09-11T11:25:00.002-04:002010-09-11T11:45:45.345-04:00

I couldn't let this day go by without a mention. It's been nine years since the unthinkable happened and yet I can hardly remember what it was like before. Our current generation of soldiers consists of a lot of men and women who weren't even in high school yet when 9/11 happened. As seriously old as that makes me feel, it's also heartening. Our youth are stepping up to the plate and

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-57515467083862105332010-08-25T11:29:00.004-04:002010-08-25T22:44:15.533-04:00

A friend on Facebook posted something that reminded me of my first trip to Oktoberfest. You know, that little party they throw every year in Munich, complete with food, rides and lots and lots of BEER. The first time we went was in 2001, so that was...9 years ago? Holy crap, I'm getting old.Being stationed in Germany in September of 2001 was an experience. The world changed drastically that

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-87276973046213723612010-08-24T13:14:00.006-04:002010-08-24T14:51:46.041-04:00

Ever have one of those experiences that seemed like a great idea at the time and then you look back on it and think to yourself, WTF? Yeah, that's happened to me. A lot. Some of those times have been on my mind lately and I thought they might be good for a laugh. I promise I'm not making any of this up. My life is, on frequent occasion, stranger than fiction.Dinner with the Russian MafiaI

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-10952066924962035292010-08-23T16:42:00.002-04:002010-08-23T17:44:03.528-04:00

When I first read this article, I got royally, seethingly mad. I'm talking spitting nails, where's my punching bag, Army Wife Up-In-Arms pissed. I forced myself NOT to write a rebuttal right away because I knew I would regret it. I told myself to let it simmer....I'm done simmering.Her basic gist is that military spouses today are a bunch of whiners and we need to grow up and "soldier on". In

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-8507040635300952272010-05-10T17:43:00.003-04:002010-05-11T10:13:30.476-04:00

A week from today will mark quite a milestone for Chris and I - ten years of marriage! It also means something else for me...ten years as an Army Wife. Not only an Army Wife, but a true blue Infantry Wife.I'll admit, it didn't quite turn out like I'd thought it would. We got married pre-9/11, in an Army that was not at war, and hadn't been for quite some time. Army life was not difficult then

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-63037967347963550862010-04-28T10:19:00.002-04:002010-04-28T12:21:31.187-04:00

The old saying goes something like, "sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of." Not according to my 4 year-old son, Aiden.The last few days Aiden has been begging for a baby sister. Never mind that he already has a little brother, he wants a sister. Or so he thinks. He asked me if we could go to the baby store and buy one. Yeah, if only it worked that way. I

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-59349639199439153502010-04-25T17:07:00.003-04:002010-04-25T18:55:59.010-04:00

6:30 AM:I'm sleeping peacefully, all alone in my big bed, soft down pillows, nice and comfy. I start to become vaguely aware of something shaking me, and a small, annoying voice starts to penetrate the fog in my brain."Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mommy, Mom, Moooooom, Mommy, Mom...""WHAT?""I picked out all of Jack's boogers, want to see?" I stare at my 4 year-old in sleepy confusion. "You what?" I'm

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-16601363715340618822010-04-24T02:06:00.001-04:002010-04-24T02:08:30.469-04:00

Sweet...:-)

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-88146895022890642302010-04-17T12:45:00.002-04:002010-04-21T17:08:48.489-04:00

I think the Army should change it's motto from "Army Strong" to "Life is Never Dull", or "Nothing is Certain." Unfortunately, our upcoming PCS to Germany has been canceled. :-( Long story short, the position they were going to send him to is non-deployable, and he's been home for too long according the Army, so he needs to go to a unit that could deploy. Not that they necessarily will deploy,

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-79971932021938976672010-04-14T10:38:00.003-04:002010-04-14T11:08:47.816-04:00

Today my baby is two years old. As much as I love to celebrate my son's birthday, I'm a little bit sad. It just seems to go by too fast. Jack is my baby, my little snuggle bunny. Aiden has never really been a cuddler, but Jack is the complete opposite - he'll snuggle in my lap all day long sometimes. I had to force myself to start making him sleep in his own bed, I love having him curl up

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-14085108713310269282010-04-13T11:46:00.001-04:002010-04-13T11:49:29.317-04:00

As you may have noticed, this blog is undergoing a major transformation. I'm having so much fun giving my blog a face lift, I have to tear myself away from the computer during the day so I can work. I still have tons of stuff I want to add, so please bear with me as I make it as perfect as I can! Keep checking back to see all the fun stuff I'm adding...and maybe eventually I'll get around to

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-77669050881055961212010-03-20T13:03:00.003-04:002010-03-20T13:54:11.545-04:00

So. Lately my thoughts have been mostly consumed with our impending move to Germany. Not surprising, since it's a big undertaking to move your entire household to another continent, even if the Army does do most of the leg work. I've been hearing mostly positive things from my friends, they're all excited for us. Except for one lady I spoke to the other day. They are brand new to the Army,

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-82487668378663840602010-03-16T11:34:00.000-04:002010-03-16T11:36:57.811-04:00

I posted the other day that we are moving back to Germany in December, and I CAN'T WAIT! Waiting until then is going to drive me nuts! And although I'm excited about the big move across the Pond, I already know that getting there is going to be a pain in the butt. For starters, I have to get the boys passports, of course. No big deal there except their birth certificates have to be amended

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-46687593907165457792010-03-14T16:41:00.002-04:002010-03-14T16:57:20.611-04:00

It's official - after 5 years, we are finally headed back to Germany in December. It's been our favorite duty station so far, and we've been trying to get back ever since we left. This time we'll be bringing along something we didn't have last time - two curious little boys. Aiden was just a little twinkle in my tummy when we left. I can't wait to show my kids Europe. I want them to learn

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-37220076304700286752010-02-02T20:51:00.002-05:002010-02-02T21:05:10.801-05:00

Most of you probably know by now that I suffered a miscarriage last month, at 6.5 weeks. I've been working on a blog post about it, trying to "get things out" so to speak by writing about it. I haven't been able to finish it. At first it was too painful to write about, and then...I don't know. I think I was hoping that by writing about what happened, and how I felt, it would act as some sort

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-82383247855178394532010-01-06T13:45:00.002-05:002010-01-06T14:10:14.046-05:00

I took Aiden to the doctor today for his 4 year check up. I knew it was going to be rough, it was time for shots again. He started out very excited to go, he thinks the doctor is cool. Of course that all changed today. On a military post, going to the doctor can be frustrating. You never seem to get the same doctor twice, they always change your "primary physician" on you, so you never

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-9506749497964952812010-01-04T21:48:00.002-05:002010-01-05T00:19:58.239-05:00

Every year, two days before my birthday, I get a phone call from my mother telling me that "X number of years ago I was in labor with you". After almost 30 years, it's become tradition. Well, four years ago today, I myself was in labor with my oldest son, Aiden. It being my first time, I remember being scared when the labor pains hit. I had read all the books, but I still had no real idea of

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-88900829632346846422009-10-23T22:04:00.006-04:002009-10-24T00:11:54.719-04:00

I really love my husband and I appreciate everything he does not only for me, but for this country. He takes care of me, and treats me like a princess. He is my Edward Cullen. There really isn't anything I wouldn't do for him....and here's the proof.For some people, there are certain things that go completely against the grain. For me, these are things like wearing two different socks

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-16436270014394963602009-10-19T09:36:00.003-04:002009-10-19T09:38:38.899-04:00

Okay, so I entered Jack in the Gap Casting Call, so please go vote for him!!http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/juicygirl1124/

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-39334949247205038272009-10-18T13:58:00.003-04:002009-10-18T14:41:34.398-04:00

It occurred to me the other day that we are quickly approaching the one year mark here at Fort Irwin. It's already been over a year since I packed up and left Fort Benning in my dust, returning home to good ol' sunny Southern California. A lot of people dread coming to the desert, and hate it here, but I really do like it. I like the weather, I like the small-town, peaceful feel of our little

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-48741904564905309672009-10-16T15:44:00.002-04:002009-10-16T19:17:27.448-04:00

Proof that all my boys are crazy...:-)

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-32010873519168072342009-10-13T13:49:00.003-04:002009-10-13T14:30:38.050-04:00

This was sent to me by a friend, and I thought it was too funny (not to mention very true!)...by the way, I added some of my own thoughts, as well....1) As soon as you find out her husband is deployed take it upon yourself to tell her exactly how you feel about the war and how WE shouldn’t be over there. WE? Are YOU over there, too? 2) Follow that up by asking how she feels about the

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-86178170937631097882009-10-11T10:28:00.003-04:002009-10-11T12:21:13.730-04:00

My son Jack is 18 months old, has adorable curly blond hair, blue-green eyes and the sweetest disposition (most of the time). And, oh yeah, he LOVES Dora the Explorer. Most of you remember my son Aiden's obsession with Lightning McQueen? Well, Dora is Jack's Lightning.I don't have a problem with this, but I DO have a problem with the whole marketing team for Dora. Why is everything PINK? Why

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-33101517210056146752009-10-09T18:12:00.002-04:002009-10-09T18:30:11.612-04:00

I said I was going to start trying to review the books I'm reading, so I'd better get started! I recently read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. It's told from the perspective of a fifteen year-old boy named Christopher, who has Autism. Christopher stumbles upon the dead body of his neighbor's dog and decides to investigate and find the murderer.What follows is

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-25944464853443208862009-09-15T21:56:00.003-04:002009-09-15T22:05:41.398-04:00

In my last post, I mentioned how much I love to read, so it's only natural that I'm part of a book club here on post. We meet once a month to discuss the latest choice, and also we eat and chat and just have a good time together. I'm going to try something new, and start reviewing the books we read here on my blog. Feel free to read along with me if you'd like. If you're here on Fort Irwin and

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-74673473339996465502009-09-13T21:10:00.002-04:002009-09-13T21:51:04.856-04:00

I love to read. That's actually an understatement. I have a passion for the written word. I read faster than most people run. It drives my husband a little nuts, I zoom through books at light speed. I don't really have a preference, I read all kinds of things. I do like classics though. And I like books that make you think. I like books that grab you from the first page and pull you into

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-89710518033525391092009-09-11T10:42:00.003-04:002009-09-11T11:00:52.078-04:00

I would be remiss in my "Army Wife Life" duties if I didn't post something today. Today is the day 8 years ago, when our lives changed forever. America changed that day, the day when terrorism crossed our borders and hit us at home. It was the day that took our military from training to war once again.Most of America, after the shock of the those events receded, went back to their lives, their

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-930377375680686652009-09-10T09:50:00.002-04:002009-09-10T10:22:18.923-04:00

I thought I would share my fabulous morning with all of you.5:30 AM - Wake up, courtesy of Jack. I could understand when he woke up this early when it was light outside, but now the days are getting longer and it's still dark at the butt-crack of dawn. But still...he's up.5:32 AM - Coffee brewing. Even Jack knows to leave me alone until I've had my first cup. Start Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-31531073330741506352009-09-08T11:20:00.004-04:002009-09-08T23:19:49.201-04:00

I'm sure most of you are aware by now of the recent firestorm surrounding the Associated Press and their decision to publish a photo of a dying Marine. Like most members and family members of the military, I am shocked and appalled by the AP's decision. The Associated Press defended their decision by saying they felt it was important to convey the reality of war, and the reality is that people

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-68367070410928213952009-09-07T12:19:00.002-04:002009-09-07T12:45:17.808-04:00

Yes, I know. It's been a while. I'm sorry, I just haven't felt like blogging lately. I'd say I don't have time, but we all know that's a lie since I'm addicted to Facebook and spend too much time taking dumb quizzes to find out what 80's cartoon character I am. But I decided that I miss blogging, and I'm going to really start trying to update this more. It's not for lack of things to talk

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-85929454984684490982009-05-13T13:17:00.002-04:002009-05-13T13:21:17.836-04:00

The sweetest sound...:-)

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-75568339235535830872009-05-11T12:12:00.001-04:002009-05-11T12:13:24.203-04:00

I put some new photos of the kids up on my Facebook - you can see them by clicking here.

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-53007060512064212892009-05-08T00:40:00.002-04:002009-05-08T00:41:16.753-04:00

I'm on a roll! I updated this blog AND Mommyland! Check it out!

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-44242166567976648222009-05-06T12:30:00.003-04:002009-05-06T14:19:12.913-04:00

Certain people have been giving me grief for not writing on here lately. And I know it, I've been neglecting this blog. It's not intentional, I'm just, well...I'll tell you about it.I titled this post "Boy Crazy". I don't mean I'm crazy for boys, I mean I'm crazy from boys. I realize that all toddlers and preschoolers, boys AND girls, can and do cause their mothers grief. But I just really

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-40321957100075726412009-04-21T14:54:00.002-04:002009-04-21T14:56:21.141-04:00

Sorry it's been a while, we had our Ball in Primm on Friday, and then we went to Vegas for the weekend. I don't have time for details now, but later on I will tell the whole story! I just wanted to let everyone know that we ARE alive, and I promise I DO have pictures of Jack's birthday, life is just crazy, crazy! Especially now that I have a preschooler and a TODDLER!!! :-)

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-5774512247742368052009-04-14T10:37:00.002-04:002009-04-14T10:48:36.835-04:00

Today is Jack's first birthday!! I can't believe he's a year old already!! My parents are coming in today for a visit, and we are having a little party for him later, so I'll post some pics tonight.

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-55851313270270934992009-04-07T22:52:00.003-04:002009-04-07T23:02:16.096-04:00

I've mentioned before that we have a Battalion Ball coming up. I've been trying to get back in shape so I'd fit into my old dress, but it's not going to happen. I've been faithfully working out the best I can, and it does fit better than it did, but it's not all that flattering to be squeezed into a dress that's still two sizes too small. So on that note, I have to go shopping for a new dress.

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-22690150262445521782009-04-06T12:27:00.002-04:002009-04-06T12:38:01.865-04:00

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-55072504079351375292009-04-05T20:27:00.002-04:002009-04-05T21:33:41.184-04:00

This last week we went down to San Diego for a mini-vacation. Chris had a doctor's appt at Balboa Naval Hospital, so we decided to make a weekend out of it. Well, actually, a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, but you get the point...So anyway, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Sea World, courtesy of Hotwire. There was a nice little 50's style diner attached to the hotel, and on Thursday

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-80928217048933134532009-03-30T23:31:00.002-04:002009-03-30T23:59:32.169-04:00

I took my car in to the Ford dealer in Barstow today to be looked at. It was making a weird noise whenever I turned the fan on. Plus I needed an oil change. Since Chris had to work, it was up to me to deal with it. I had no idea how long I would be there, so I didn't want to put the kids in hourly care in case I wasn't back in time to pick them up. So...I had to take them with me.

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-40258204334352539972009-03-25T10:56:00.002-04:002009-03-25T11:15:10.317-04:00

Some kids are climbers. They'll climb on anything and everything, just to do it and to see what's up there. Aiden wasn't one of those kids. Jack on the other hand...yeah, he's a climber. While we don't have any beanstalks around here (or trees of any kind), he's found plenty of other things to scale. For instance...I had a small toy organizing bin under the window in the boys' playroom. You

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-84096272383474771802009-03-20T15:41:00.001-04:002009-03-20T15:55:06.100-04:00

A big congratulations to my hubby for making the E-7 list!! Woohoo!! We are all pretty excited, we just found out today. Sergeant First Class Echevarria...has a nice ring to it, don't you think? :-)

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-37228149522891647512009-03-19T10:15:00.003-04:002009-03-19T10:18:06.978-04:00

I came across this trailer for a movie/documentary that's coming out, and I thought it looked pretty good. Just wanted to share:http://www.brothersatwarmovie.com/#/Home

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-39155438853486627312009-03-17T23:01:00.002-04:002009-03-18T00:41:03.546-04:00

I'm just going to come out and say it. Aiden loves Dora. I realize it's "supposed" to be for girls, but I don't really care. He loves it, and he's learning so much from watching it. He's learned his shapes, and some of his colors, and all kinds of things.So I shouldn't have been surprised today when we had this little conversation:A: "Mommy, I want to go to Coney Island."M: "Uhhh....Coney

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-49957366167704767812009-03-12T12:48:00.002-04:002009-03-12T12:59:20.945-04:00

I went down yesterday to register the kids with CYS. For those non-Army folks, CYS is Child and Youth Services, they handle all the daycare, school, youth sports and activities on post, and if you want your kids to participate in any of it, they have to be registered. No big deal, except that you have to have so much paperwork and stuff it's nearly impossible. I wanted to sign the boys up for

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-49955041627183840452009-03-10T12:07:00.002-04:002009-03-10T12:44:13.686-04:00

I used to work out a lot, back when we were in Germany and Chris was deployed to Kosovo and Iraq. I went almost every day. No kids, and not much else to do, I ended up in pretty good shape by the time he came back! Then along came the babies, and all of that went away. Now I have decided that it's high time I get back into the gym. SO, I have started running. Which is pretty crazy, since I

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-29518985837119936962009-03-02T12:42:00.002-05:002009-03-02T12:56:51.238-05:00

Well, actually, that's not true. It's actually pretty old. Chris' uncle has a 1946 Jeep Willy that he is selling to us for really cheap, and we are going to pick it up this weekend in Lemoore. It needs a little work done to make it run, some wiring stuff and new break lines...or something...I don't really know. Several of the guys on Chris' team now do this kind of thing, so hopefully we

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-4327598263239629412009-02-28T12:51:00.004-05:002009-02-28T12:57:07.488-05:00

We went to the park yesterday, and I took a few pics of the boys playing. Afterward we went and picked up Daddy from work when he came in from the field, and I got a few of Aiden playing on Chris' humvee.

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-21483247717699855572009-02-28T11:50:00.003-05:002009-02-28T12:33:21.033-05:00

...actually, it's more like the End of the Beginning. Jack took 2 steps the other night. And while this accomplishment makes me proud and excited, I'm also a little bit sad. He's just growing so fast I feel like I can't keep up. Just yesterday he was my baby, now he's starting to walk and talk. It's funny how things change from kid to kid. I couldn't wait for Aiden to walk, I was so excited

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-13617422662097774742009-02-13T12:01:00.002-05:002009-02-13T12:31:56.654-05:00

They do happen. Case in point....Yesterday morning when I was channel-surfing at 6 am with Jack, I came across the show Good Day LA (a morning news show in the LA area), which was featuring a segment with an Australian pediatrician named Dr. Henry Zehnwirth. He developed a CD and program he called Sounds For Silence, to help restless babies go to sleep and stay asleep. I thought to myself, I

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-44951842109195865832009-02-10T15:54:00.002-05:002009-02-10T16:16:16.795-05:00

Aiden has recently been introduced to a modern classic - Star Wars. He LOVES it. It cracks me up that it came out 30 years before he was born. Some might say that 3 is too young for Star Wars, but my mom took me to see Return of the Jedi when I was 3 (of course, this is when it was actually at the theater...the first time....)Anyway, during our last visit to Disneyland - before the rain hit -

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-8519510147365317522009-02-07T19:43:00.005-05:002009-02-07T19:48:07.106-05:00

Well, we went to Disneyland on Thursday, and it was all fine and great until about 3 pm, when it started pouring. I'm not talking a little drizzle, I'm talking cats and dogs. As fun as Disneyland is, its just not fun in the pouring down rain with 2 small, grumpy, wet kids, so we decided to call it a day and headed back to the hotel. We woke up Friday morning planning to go back, but it was

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-34958769230683084022009-02-03T13:21:00.002-05:002009-02-03T13:33:00.667-05:00

Chris has a 4 day weekend this weekend, so we are leaving tomorrow for Disneyland again, staying in Anaheim on Wednesday night, going to the park all day Thursday and part of Friday, and then driving home Friday evening. We bought these passes so we are taking advantage of them!! It's nice to be only 2 hours away, so we can go for just a day if we want to. In looking for a hotel I decided to

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-21402747251882240982009-01-29T14:05:00.002-05:002009-01-29T14:12:18.394-05:00

We are celebrating another birthday at our house today - Daddy's. Not only is it Chris's birthday, but it's a big one, he's 30 today! Luckily, he got to come in from the field today for a break, so we get to celebrate together. I got him a cake from the bakery, I wanted the one that said "older than dirt", but that one wasn't available, so I had to settle for the camo/army cake.Aiden was

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-68640320304532750342009-01-28T01:06:00.002-05:002009-01-28T01:37:40.403-05:00

In the last couple of weeks, the floodgates of Aiden's conversation skills have opened, and it's like he's had a word explosion. He can suddenly, like, talk, and use these huge long sentences and all kinds of words that I had no idea he knew just come spilling out. It's crazy! He's also learning how to do all kinds of things by himself. For example, he can now get himself completely dressed,

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-1523485204738415792009-01-25T13:38:00.002-05:002009-01-25T13:40:52.649-05:00

I'm trying something new with Jack, to help him sleep better (he wakes up ALL the time). I'm going to be blogging about our experiences over on Mommyland, so if you'd like to read more about it and follow along with us, be sure to check it out!

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-32647874993253673052009-01-25T00:04:00.005-05:002009-01-25T00:13:13.034-05:00

My little Jack got his hair cut yesterday, it was getting kind of scraggly. Daddy came in from the field for a little while and took one look at the boys and declared them both in need of a haircut. So off we went to the barber shop. Jack was so good, he just sat there and looked very serious for the most part. Aiden wasn't thrilled at first (he doesn't like getting his hair cut) but then

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-42552208804232707282009-01-23T12:18:00.002-05:002009-01-23T13:08:12.045-05:00

I don't usually talk about politics, on this blog or in person. But sometimes things just fester and since this is my forum, I'll say what I want. First of all - I did not vote for Obama. Agree with me or not, I don't really care. That being said, however, I wish this country the best and hope that he manages to do a good job as our leader. I'm not impressed so far, and it's only been 3 days

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-60786762937713153692009-01-22T12:25:00.003-05:002009-01-22T12:36:08.298-05:00

Here is a video I took of Jack the other day. I put it on my Facebook, but I've had requests to put it on here as well, so here you go...:-)

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-49567824200231394702009-01-15T23:55:00.002-05:002009-01-16T00:18:06.520-05:00

There comes a time in every Army Wife's life that she looks forward to with unmatched anticipation. That time when your husband comes home and says, "Honey, I'm going to the field!" All my fellow AW's know what I'm talking about, say it with me ladies..."Field Problem!!"Despite it's name, a field problem is not actually a problem at all, at least not for those of us who don't have to actually go

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-65866189438452365042009-01-15T17:43:00.001-05:002009-01-15T17:44:04.519-05:00

I finally updated my Mommyland Blog, so click on the link to the right and check it out!

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-43481952201420412182009-01-14T12:18:00.002-05:002009-01-14T13:07:24.097-05:00

As you know, we have on-post housing here on Fort Irwin. It's beautiful and I love it, and I'm not complaining, let's just get that out of the way. I would much rather live here on post than 30 miles away in Barstow. That's not my problem. I have a problem with the way they do the rent system here. Now, it used to be that when you lived in on-post housing, you simply didn't pay rent. You

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-67693094529073956962009-01-13T21:29:00.002-05:002009-01-13T21:38:35.943-05:00

I'm in a funk. Sometimes you just get in a funk, you know? I have a feeling that mine is being contributed to by a big dose of PMS, but whatever. Today, everything is irritating me. I have no patience. My kids are bugging me. I just want to sit on my butt and do nothing. Of course, the fact that I am not actually able to sit on my butt and do nothing is irritating me. I have mountains of

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-50008785456616353842009-01-11T13:47:00.002-05:002009-01-11T13:51:32.641-05:00

The good news is, Aiden is all better and has been since Friday morning. The bad news is, the rest of us are sick now. Jack came down with it on Thursday, I came down with it on Friday, and now Chris is sick, too. Jack is feeling better I think, his fever only lasted a day or so. I, on the other hand, am heading into day three of fever, chills, body aches and more congestion than I thought

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-5003487455114096122009-01-07T15:26:00.002-05:002009-01-07T16:07:18.260-05:00

Aiden woke up at 7:30 this morning screaming his head off. That's not like him at all, so I ran into his room and I could feel the heat radiating off him from 2 feet away. Not good. I took his temperature and it came up at 103.6 and climbing. I gave him some Tylenol and put him in a cool bath to try to bring it down as much as I could. We only have one car right now, and Chris usually

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-65690348207786723952009-01-06T17:22:00.003-05:002009-01-06T17:37:46.434-05:00

Here are a few pics from Aiden's birthday. We went ahead and got him a cake, even though last year he refused to eat it. He's the only toddler I've ever met who doesn't like sweet stuff. He'll take 2 bites and that's it. But I figured, Hey, why should the rest of us miss out just because he's weird? Anyway, he LOVED his Cars cake, but of course, he only ate his standard 2 bites and was more

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-7106828149521526452009-01-05T17:52:00.003-05:002009-01-05T18:08:50.802-05:00

I mentioned before that we bought annual passes to Disneyland for our family Christmas present. This past weekend we took the boys for their first trip to Disney. One of my bestest friends ever lives in Huntington Beach, and she graciously offered up her 2 spare bedrooms for us to stay while we were down there - Thanks Alethia!!We left Thursday morning around 10:30 for the 2 hour trip down to

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-25224800974893253722009-01-05T12:04:00.003-05:002009-01-05T13:34:55.752-05:00

Today is Aiden's birthday. He's three. I can't believe it. We've been trying to get him excited the last few days, since he really didn't have a clue what a birthday was, never mind that it was his. He's been saying, "It's my birthday! It's my birthday!", and when someone asks him how old he will be, he just gets all shy. I told him he's going to be three, and he just shrugged. Like, "

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-78643908552728998682008-12-29T00:15:00.003-05:002008-12-29T00:34:34.343-05:00

I know I don't seem to blog as often as I used to. I miss it, but I never seem to have enough time. Chris is home, and I'm not working anymore, but I'm busier! How did that happen? Oh well. I'm going to really try to blog more often. I took a picture of Jack on Christmas morning that I just love....He looks like such a little angel, doesn't he? Don't let his cuteness fool you, he's a

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-74192258414983262632008-12-25T00:37:00.003-05:002008-12-25T00:56:09.418-05:00

Well, it's Christmas Eve. Tonight we hosted a party at our new house, some of the guys that Chris is now working with and their families came and I cooked a butt-load of food. I realize that "butt-load" is not really a Christmasy term, but that's what it was - a butt-load. I even made a Buche de Noel, which is a traditional french Christmas Cake. It was extremely difficult and turned out

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-22349399947330803732008-12-16T00:03:00.004-05:002008-12-16T00:16:26.143-05:00

In Southern California it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between the seasons, it's all just pretty much warm. Not today. We woke up to snow. Lots of it. That's right, here in the Mojave Desert, it is snowing. Now, I don't really like snow that much. Sure it's pretty, and it's all Wintery and Christmasy, blah blah blah.... But when you have to go grocery shopping in it (like I had

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-35517060754382287322008-12-14T23:20:00.003-05:002008-12-14T23:23:37.571-05:00

We took a family photo today in front of the Christmas tree, I thought I would share it because it turned out pretty good. I also got a good one of the boys. The only problem is that for the first time in his entire little life, Jack refused to smile. Oh well, he's still pretty cute!

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-85033550833307755612008-12-12T23:18:00.003-05:002008-12-12T23:53:45.867-05:00

We have FINALLY re-joined the rest of the world and gotten our internet hooked up! I can't tell you how long these last three weeks have been without email and blogging at my fingertips.Anyway, we are getting settled and enjoying the nice, 70 degree weather that So Cal has to offer in December. Life is good! We are almost completely unpacked, although there are a few boxes and piles of "stuff"

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-11740512493062485392008-12-03T15:05:00.000-05:002008-12-03T15:08:28.855-05:00

I just wanted to assure everyone that we are still alive and kicking. Unfortunately, our internet will not get hooked up until the 12th of December, so I can't really blog unless I come to the library which is difficult with 2 kids! Anyway, a quick update - we got housing last Tuesday and are mostly moved in. We got a brand-new house and it's within walking distance of pretty much everywhere.

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-82202584636428137882008-11-22T13:01:00.002-05:002008-11-22T13:27:39.230-05:00

Okay, we finally made it to Fort Irwin on Thursday night. We had a bit of a delay when we left Lemoore, about 20 minutes into our trip, Aiden threw up all over himself and his carseat. We had 2 options - either drive back to Chris' grandma's house and wash everything (and delay ourselves even more), or drive 5 minutes to Target and buy a new carseat. We went with option 2. So we finally got

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-39214018091635980182008-11-20T00:55:00.002-05:002008-11-20T01:00:56.828-05:00

We got to Lemoore last night, and spent all day today here at Chris' grandma's house. We are leaving in the morning for the last 3 1/2 hours to Barstow. I can't believe we are almost there! It seems like this move has been going on forever and now we are finally on the last leg of our journey. Hopefully we will get there in time tomorrow to get checked in with housing and get the process

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-83681450485268053482008-11-18T10:38:00.002-05:002008-11-18T10:44:58.440-05:00

Well, we made it to Willits last night about 9:00. It was a much easier drive than I thought, since both the boys actually slept the majority of the way. Isn't that messed up?? I drive 3000 miles with these stinkers and Aiden doesn't sleep AT ALL. Daddy gets in the car and Aiden just conks out. What's up with that? Not that I'm not grateful or anything, don't get me wrong, but come on! So

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-29911566370962127592008-11-17T18:30:00.002-05:002008-11-17T18:33:41.853-05:00

I have lots to say, and not a lot of time, so hopefully one of these days I can catch up. But in the meantime, we are FINALLY leaving Crescent City today, heading on toward Fort Irwin. We had hoped to get out of here early this morning, but I woke up with a urinary tract infection (sorry if that's too much information...) and I spent the morning and a good part of the afternoon wrestling with

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806469830140665478.post-69819990417977264402008-11-11T00:20:00.004-05:002008-11-11T00:41:07.659-05:00

Today we took the boys to Kidtown, a park down by the beach. Chris and I both remember playing there before it was "Kidtown", back when it was just a bunch of sand and a few metal animals to ride, and I think a merry-go-round. It was kind of surreal to be in that same place watching our kids play. Here are a few pictures I wanted to share....

Jenn - The Army Wife Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17950074115078432221noreply@blogger.com0