Olena Learned to Swim

O'lena leaned how to swim this summer! I am super proud of her. She swims like a fish now! This video is from the beach week at FMBeach in June. She was kind of scooting around in the beginning of the week, but by the end this is what she was doing!

Things I need to remember about Olena

You know sometimes she drives me absolutely nuts, but something I absolutely love is that she bust into song about anything. She is a musical (broadway) star in the making! She also pick up a tune only hearing it twice! It is ridiculous but totally cool. :)

Olena's first FISH!!!

 

We went camping at Fish Eating Creek. Derick, O'lena, and I went on a hike and we came to a creek. O'lena hated every step until this happened. This was also her first time peeing in the woods. After which she wanted to again and again. I will post picture soon.  I hope.

Beautiful Sunday Morning

Even with Derick gone this weekend for OCS and I am alone with the kid again, it is amazing to reflect on how much my outlook on life is different! I am sitting here on my back porch with the kid swimming, dog chewing, and the roster crowing, working on my second to last master's class, with a perfect Florida morning and LOVING IT!! 6 months ago that would not be the case. I still cant get over how one person, aka my husband, has such a positive effect on my life. I have had a rough couple of years and I have come to realize how much I depend on him. He is my rock and my confidant. He is the one that I talk things out with and the one I rely on to help me solve problems. Sigh- he is my everything and life is so much better now that he is home...

Photo Book

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O'lena's Spring Picture

This is O'lena's spring picture- Yes, I copy it and don't buy them out right. Anyways- the day she took this she took me step by step on how she was told to put her hand, tilt her head, and smile. What-do-you-know! It is exactly the way she described it! She looks so big and mature here. She normally doesn't look like that. Well, I guess the way I see her. Hope all is well-
~Whitney

Getting back to it....

So it has seem to have been a while since I have last update the blog…. I guess my excuse it that I just didn’t have the time. I would like to say that I didn’t have it because I was having the best time of my life. Well that is just not the reason. 2013 will have to go down as one of the worst years of my life and 2014 so far hasn’t been bad, just very very very eventful. There is no way that I will ever be able to make up all the things that have happen in the last year and a half so I am thinking that I will just start where I am at now. Well maybe just a little bit of catching up :)

Derick is home now! Whoot whoot!! Life has definitely changed AGAIN, but I am learning, and not very gracefully, that this is going to be the norm for a while. After his month and a half off, he is now back to work at FGCU.  A couple of weeks ago he began his drills for officer candidate school (OCS.) He is will be reporting to that once a month (ish) for the next 14 months (ish.) This is nice because it is only 3-5 days a month (just as his normal drills would have been,) the only that is not so good is his drive.  After he is complete with his training, he will have to go to school for whatever job he is going to be put into. That is going to be more of an extended period of time….yep, not looking forward to that, or even trying not to think about it.

O’lena is doing well. She turned 4 and has become a royal princess. She loves to play dress up and with her princess and Barbie dolls. She is starting to learn how to write her name and she recognized most of her letters. Right now she has really picked up an interest in the calendar. She is trying to put together how yesterday, tomorrow, and today relate and enjoy knowing when big events are going to happen.

As for me….I am feeling better (wasn’t doing so well there for a bit.) I have had several big things happen to me that I have never experienced before (stitches, dislocation of limbs,) but there will be more on that later. There are several things that are happening that I am excited about:  I just started back with my masters, got new callings at church, realized what I want to do with my job, and will be getting a new pet. Oh yeah and my husband is home!! And no, I am not pregnant…yes, we are trying….

Well that is about it for now. There is a lot more to write about but I am really procrastinating with getting my paper done as normal. I have to admit this does feel good. I am happy to be back.

~Whitney