Abby's "big girl" bed

I will never under estimate my 2-year old again. I should listen to my husband.... We bought Amanda & Abby new bunk beds about a month ago. I was nervous about letting Abby sleep in the bottom bunk, so we just kept letting her sleep in her crib. Last weekend we got a bed rail, because for some reason the bottom bunk didn't have one built in. She did so great the first night. Not a peep out of her! The next night, we got woken up by Abby's crying, because she managed to squeeze between the bed and the wall. But since then, we've had no problems. She loves her new bed. I just couldn't "let go" of her not being a "baby" anymore, I guess! I was having thoughts of her not wanting to sleep in the bed, but it was the exact opposite. She's becoming SO independant!

Reward for "time served"

The story has been featured on the news everywhere; but I guess its different when it affects you personally. My husband's deployment was extended, and the extension orders read 729 days. I would have never believed this number would be an issue, until now. Basically, their orders were 1 day short of them being able to receive G.I. bill benefits....Give me a break... A soldier was interviewed on the news, wondering if this was done intentionally...While in Moorhead, we filled out (literally) one piece of paper to see if he could get the benefit; they were reviewing them "on a case-by-case basis". Yesterday we received a letter of approval, and now we just wait for it to go through the system. David said that normally getting approval usually takes 6 months, and in this case, it took literally two weeks. He said he heard that other state senators (besides Pawlenty) were complaining about this and chewed the Army review board's agency out. This is a huge deal, because it means the difference of receiving up to $1000/month of education benefits or not. David has yet to decide whether to get a Master's, or a second Bachelor's. It's not usually a benefit granted to National Guardsman, but for Active Duty members; but due to the length of deployment (22 months) they were almost eligible.... Patience and persistence are a virtue!

this and that...

Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment. It was a Friday and the girls had no school. So we had a girls day out at the Mall of America. Daddy had to work. It wasn't overly busy, although looking at the parking ramp it seemed so. I have a routine of parking in the same area so I don't forget where I've parked. I don't even have to write the aisle, row, etc. on my hand anymore! P.S. to Krista-Nathan's "shopping list"?



I really needed some new casual shoes, as my "summer" crocs are very worn out. Baby needed new shoes. Sucess, all found in one store; which is easier said than done sometimes as I have wide feet. Not too many stores carry more than a couple pairs, some carry none. Oh yes, I would love to buy more cute shoes, but they would not be comfortable.



We probably walked at least 2 miles in the shopping/browsing adventure, which is good as well. Have to walk Aunty Anne's pretzel off... Amanda always wants to take the escalators, but not with the stroller. She was slighlty disappointed when the Build a bear worksop line was really long; but I told her Christmas is coming, as is Disney World!



On that note, our trip to Orlando is now exactly 3 weeks away. Time has flown. We previously planned it for this past June, but rescheduled when David's deployment got extended until July. My brother and his wife have been generous enough to offer their timeshare to us, which will save us a great deal of money. And due to MAJOR glitches with Northwest, Abby is going to stay with grandma Taylor. My mom is a true saint and goes above and beyond! The older girls, along with David and I are very greatful for this selfless act. We've never been on a big trip. And she's only 2 and won't remember it other than by photos. Photos to come! Hopefully the weather will cooperate! Oddly enough there were many things I had to turn down for the weekend that we're leaving; a fashion-show for a new designer (friend of a friend), and a baby shower for a very old friend in Duluth. Its also Krista's birthday. (Happy 30th!)



I will likely venture out shopping again on Monday with just Abby and David, as he has the holiday off. Yay, for our Veterans!

Halloween '07

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Here's some cute photos of the girls in their costumes. The wind was so cold last night, I really bundled them up; luckily Abby's costume was already "furry", so she was really warm. We voted to not have Amanda wear her eye patch outside; two eyes are always better than one! But, I do love the pose of her saying "ARRR!"