10 years ago...

It's funny to think that ten years ago I was a newlywed.  Spending my first morning as somebodys wife. Officially Mrs. Hancock.  No longer signing Holt on every check or other document.  It really was a strange new world.  One I hoped I'd like.

Gladly, 10 years later, I'm still happily waking up somebody's wife.  Thankfully, I still like my husband.  And I'd do it all over again.

The last year has been full of challenges.  Two military school courses that took Nathan (and us one time) away from home for two weeks.  An across the country vacation that turned into a "HEY! Let's move there!" idea.  A trying time when we told family that we had decided to move 1500 miles away. Then the packing of our house.  Oh that was NOT fun!  We literally had no idea where we would be living once we got to Louisiana until two days before the truck got to our house to pack us up! We will forever be grateful to friends who let us rent their house while we got ours situated.  It was kind of tough living like hoarders with boxes packed to the ceiling in places for 7 months.  But we're moved into our new home now and couldn't be happier.  Life has settled down and it's become easier to just be us.  The kids are all doing better than imagined and Rebekah is starting to talk with a sweet southern drawl. 

I'm excited to see what the next year holds.  Hopefully Rebekah will enjoy her Pre K.  Sam will be beginning second grade. Katrina starts High School.  Nathan officially begins his Masters Program in the fall.  Hopefully the embryo transfer will work and I'll be able to bless S & B with a beautiful baby.

Sweet Rebekah turns 4!

I feel like only yesterday I was bringing Rebekah home from the hospital. All snuggly and sweet. A tiny little thing with big blue eyes. After a pregnancy that was more difficult than I had felt I deserved I was bringing home a blessing.

What a wonderful baby she was. Never sleeping through the night. Nursing like it was going out of style. Teething forever! An exploding diaper downtown when I had no change of clothes for her. Despite all that, she's always been the most loving sweet girl! Her smile will light up a room. I'm truly worried about boys when she gets old enough to date and be interested in them.

Rebekah is a little book worm. She got some Fancy Nancy books for Christmas last year and reads them daily. Or rather, makes me read them to her daily. We decided on a Fancy Nancy birthday party for her fourth birthday. She doesn't say "Fancy Nancy" she calls them "hancy fancy" We invited a few friends and cousins to her party. I wanted her to have a fun memory of her Utah friends before we move. We had the girls wear dress up oufits and then we decorated special Fancy Nancy Spa eye masks filled with rice and lavendar. I decided that instead of making and decorating a cake I'd just make cupcakes and frosting and let the girls decorate them. They loved it and it gave me an extra half hour of not having to plan something else! I thought I was genius!

I learned that while I like the planning of parties, I HATE hosting them! What was I thinking?!? 8 little girls under 8 all hopped up on the beautiful pinkalicious frosting and too many sprinkles! Screaming, yelling having a blast. While I went "WHOA! yeah I don't like this many people in my house!"

Moving on...

After much deliberation we have decided that it is time to leave the Salt Lake Valley. Greener pastures? Perhaps. At the very least, distance from the extra stresses we currently face on a daily basis.

Spending a month away for Nathan's military school and then a short vacation seeing family solidified it for me. We need to get away physically. Yes, I'm well aware that phones still exist in Louisiana, where we're planning on making our new home. I'm aware that people can still visit. And that's fine, come on over. Call first, please.

Nathan is excited to start Grad school and begin a new career of *gasp* teaching Math! It's strange to think that when we first got married, Nathan wanted to be a teacher in the Southern United States. We, or so I thought, moved past that and Nathan found other employment that he loved. He still loves New York Life and would love to continue but he feels he needs more structure. I think we need a more consistent paycheck. So back to teaching it is!

I've never felt that I was a spoiled brat before now. But then, I've never really been able to go house hunting either. There are a lot of things that I just will NOT settle for. Wood paneling, ridiculous layouts, poor kitchen counter space and fleas. Yes, FLEAS. as in those nasty little bugs you treat your dogs against. We walked into one place our realtor was showing us and it quickly became apparent that this was not the place for us, the floor plan was bad, it smelled old, needed too much repair, and my ankles started itching before we could leave. I looked down and my ankles and shoes were covered with little black bugs. I was so freaked out I wouldn't even look at the rest of the place. Now, before you go saying I need a new guy to show me places. He hadn't been to the property in over a month and there had been no problem before then. So he was fully embarrassed. I can joke about it now but at the time, it was not funny! Looks like before we move, I'll be making sure that the dogs have flea protection.

We did find some land that we really liked and have decided to put a modular home on it until we can afford to build a better home. I was pretty against this at first. Again, I'm a snob, I know what I want and I don't want to settle for anything less. But we found a home I can live with and maybe even love at some point. It really is a beautiful little place. I'm quite excited really.

Can we go yet?

Happy Anniversary!!!

It's so strange to me to think that 9 years ago I was newly married, as in married for just a few hours, still in my wedding dress, newly married. Looking back that was a crazy long day, full of excitement and hope for the future, also some annoyances. Every wedding has those few little things that just don't go as you planned. Mine, fortunately, were rather small and insignificant. I remember thinking that I just couldn't love Nathan any more than I did. Never in a million years did I think that my love for him would just multiply.
Our life together has been full of ups and downs, twists and turns, laughter and tears. 9 years, 3 kids, two tours to Iraq and finally more anniversaries together than apart.
Happy Anniversary love. I love you more today than I did yesterday. I love the idea of growing old with you. I'll follow you to the ends of the earth...and back. I can't wait to see what the next 9 years bring us!

silly words...

The past few days Samuel and Katrina have been tormenting Rebekah with her speech.  She's got words that just don't sound right.  As her mom I know what she's saying but unless you spend as much time with her as I do you probably wouldn't hear those fine nuances I am accustomed to.  Nathan and I noticed a little over a year ago that Rebekah doesn't say words that begin with an "S" and another consonant like words that begin with St, Sp, etc.  R's are also espeically difficult for her to pronounce.

So Katrina and Samuel keep trying to get Rebekah to say "shirt"  normally no big deal, but they realized two days ago that "shirt" sounds more like "Shit".  This is apparently hysterical. The other word they torment her with trying to get her to say? "Fork"  I'll let you decide what that sounds like without the 'r' sound.

But let's not forget that each of my children have had their "special ways" of saying things.  Katrina was famous for "Will my please..." to mean either "may I please..." or "Will YOU please..."  or calling StarWars "Star Whores"  and finally, her favorite horse movie, Black Beauty was none other than "black Booty"!

Samuel could not say "milk" as a toddler so his word of choice was "Nock".  He had a special way of letting us know how he was feeling towards Katrina at any given moment due to the way he said her name:  If he was happy and enjoying himself playing with her he called her "Sissy", if he's bored or she's not paying attention to him appropriately, "Kaie" (pronounced Kayee) and finally if he was PISSED off then it was "Attina!!" 

Please, don't beat around the bush!!

Leave it to my boy to never be one to beat around the bush. He's going to tell it like it is. Normally, I'm quite proud of that since I'm the same way. Don't piss us off or you'll hear about it and why. That tends to not be so nice when Samuel is aiming that at me, his mother!

"Mom, when are you going to earn that Cadillac car?"



Tough question! Get right to the point, that's my kid! "Uh probably when Mommy starts working her Mary Kay Business hard enough to earn it, Son."



Quiet pause. "Oh" a few seconds later, "Mom, When are you going to start working hard enough to earn that Cadillac car?"


Ouch! too much time has been spent simply TALKING about earning the illustrious pink Cadillac and not enough time spent WORKING on earning it. That hit hard. I still think it's funny but it really pointed out to me that my family IS counting on me to do what I say I'm going to do. They don't want me to wimp out anymore. I don't want me to wimp out anymore.

 A few moments later Samuel asks, "Mom, when you earn that pink Cadillac car, can we please paint it blue? I know you like blue better."

Mamma said there'd be days like this...

Some days I wonder what I was thinking becoming a mother.  On those days I think, "Clearly this was not a good idea." 

Rebekah today had a difficult time realizing that the simplest course of action is to stay on time out, and then  appologize and do the thing that Mommy asked.  No.  SHE decides when it's time to get off time out.  and SHE decides IF she's going to do what's asked.  Well, I have decided to put a stop to this, Supernanny style.  It requires me being more um...firm in my stance that the time out spot is wherever I say it is and that she stay until she's willing to comply. 

I know what you're going to say, she's just so cute! How can you keep making her cry?  Well, I'm SURE Luke is asking himself that today. He's wondering what on Earth I'm doing to make her cry so much. 

But it's important that I remain firm no matter how cute she is.

Not once but twice was she on time out this afternoon.  Both times she was stubborn to the core.  Both times I wondered which of us would win, knowing it HAD to be me.   Trying like crazy to not engage in her power struggles.   Very hard.

I DID get the apologies and she did do what she was asked but holy hour of crying!