Ok, so I thought life was supposed to get LESS crazy once school let out for the summer! Lol!! Ok, I guess it has been a LITTLE less crazy - but not much! The kids and I go to Ft. Leonard Wood pretty much every weekend to see Michael - we miss him so much and are so thankful that the Lord allowed him to do his training close enough that seeing him on the weekends is even an option!

We've had a little change of plans (shock shock!) - we thought Michael's entire AIT was going to be done pretty much all at once. The first 1/2, then a short break (no more than 2 weeks or so), then the 2nd 1/2. Well, we've just found out that there may be a larger break than just 2 weeks between the 2 parts. In fact, he may not even get to complete the 2nd half until next year. We just have no idea at this point. We're just praying for the Lord's wisdom during these next few weeks, as there will be some relatively large decisions that need to be made.

Next week, the kids and I are going to Tennessee to visit Michael's sister, brother-in-law, and nieces! We can't wait! We always have so much fun, and the kids play so well together. I'll be sure to take lots of pics, so I can post them. After that, we'll be heading down to GA to visit for a few days, then pick up Michael from the airport! He finishes up AIT on August 10th, then they'll be flying him down to Atlanta to report to his unit. It works out perfectly for us to go get him, since we'll already be down there!

My absolute biggest news, as of late, is that............(drum roll please).....................I'M GONNA BE AN AUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so so so soooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!! I have been praying and praying and praying that the Lord would allow my brother and sister-in-law to have a baby, and He has finally answered that prayer!!! Justin and Jacqueline are expecting baby #1 on February 12, 2010!!! I've seen an ultrasound picture, and he/she is already absolutely adorable - of course!!! ;) ;) I just can't wait to see my sister-in-law w/a cute lil belly! Actually, it will probably end up looking big, since she's so teeny! We'll see!!

Anyway..that's all for now folks!

What's been happening since Graduation....

Ok, seriously, I have GOT to get better about posting! Ugh!! Well, Michael is at Ft. Leonard Wood right now completing his AIT (advanced individual training). So far it is MUCH less rigorous than basic training, and two HUUUUUUUUUUGE plusses are that #1, he is allowed to have his cell phone, and #2, he is close enough that we can go see him every weekend! God was so good to us to allow Michael to do his schooling so close! Is He awesome, or what?!?!

Right now we are in the throes of remodeling! My mom and dad decided a while back that they'd like to put an addition onto their house that would put a master bedroom, full bathroom, and laundry room onto the main floor of the house. (There are no bedrooms, or full bathrooms on the main floor.) Basically they're thinking that eventually they will get to a point where they can't (or shouldn't) physically be able to climb the stairs, so they're just thinking ahead. In the meantime, that room will be a pool room/art gallery to display my dad's artwork.

Weeeellllll.....you'd think tacking on a quick addition to add a master suite and laundry room wouldn't be that complicated, right? Not so w/my parents! Lol!! The house they live in is almost 100 years old - it's a really pretty old, kind of Victorian-style house. My mom really didn't want an addition tacked onto the back of the house, where it would be highly noticeable that it was not part of the original house soooooooo..........they decided to take the addition all the way up - yep - they're adding a 3 story addition! It will be a total of 6 extra rooms, plus a HUGE storage area. They put new siding on the outside of the house, so you can't even tell where the "old" house ends and the "new" house starts! It looks great, and is going to be so wonderful when it's all done!

All that to say - we're at the point of PAINTING! Well, painting/wallpapering, you name it. Praise the Lord, it seems that there MIGHT be a light at the end of this tunnel! So last Monday Laynie spent the day w/Aunt Bebe, and tomorrow she'll be there too, so Mom and I can focus on getting the painting done. (It is sooooooooo much easier and FASTER w/o a 3 year old underfoot!!)

Jared has been busy losing teeth - 4 total now. This last one he lost, he almost swallowed! Crazy kid - he didn't even know it had come out! He's enjoying his treats from the Tooth Fairy. :) And Laynie keeps sadly reminding me that she still has all of her teeth. Hehehe....

Well, that's all for now - maybe I'll actually get another post up here sooner than several WEEKS from now! :)