Eleven Months, Two Weeks and Two Days

That's how long the deployment lasted, give or take a few hours. But Robby is home now!

Thank you all for reading, commenting, thinking of us during this long deployment. Peace and love to you all this holiday season!

Cami, Robby and the Girls!

Happy Halloween!!

From the spawn o' Cami ;)



Dorothy


The Tin Man


The cutest cowardly lion EVER




I even got in on it as the Scarecrow




And my dad made these animal masks for their rooms

Totally Random Sim Picture

I've been creating ghosts (which means I have to kill the sim first). I ALMOST freed this man (known as Mr. Muscles) from the fire but didn't. He's a nice ghost though. Okay that's your randomness for this Labor Day

Two Weeks Gone

Two weeks of R&R have passed and Robby has left the island on his way back to Iraq now. we had a good time of course but it was all over too quickly. We took him to the airport this afternoon and were able to get security passes to take him to the gate and wait with him until boarding. Anya was very cranky by then and Inara didn't understand why she couldn't go with Daddy but she recovered so far. Tomorrow will really tell - I still think she will take it worst than the other two. Jadzia cried some but I think that was because of my crying mostly.

Anyway, 3.5 months is much shorter than the first 7.5 months and if we have any luck at all he will be home by Christmas. Here's hoping. Between now and then we have Jadzia's actual birthday, Halloween, T-Day, Grandma's visit and then he'll be home hopefully. Lots to keep us busy yes?

Now for some pictures to wrap up this post :)

Random Pictures

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Yesterday was a bittersweet day. For months, I'd been planning to have Jadzia's birthday party while Robby was home on R&R and I wanted it as close the September 1st as I could since that was only a month early. For months she wanted a Wizard of Oz party so I bought all the stuff for it and when we knew Robby's leave dates we planned it for this past weekend. Since it was really only us and our neighbor's family some things got left down to the last minute. But regardless, there was going to be a party. After taking Bluto to the vet Saturday and still feeling confident that he would recover and be a happy, bounding puppy soon, I started making Jadzia's cake. I had a great mental image of a cake in my head and I so hoped I could pull it off.

Following the directions from here, I set about producing a rainbow cake. I got the "bones" (i.e. the cake itself sans frosting) done Saturday night and put it in the fridge over night (if I learned anything from Belle and Cinderella, I learned that the harder a cake gets from being cool, the easier it is to ice properly.

Sunday morning, Bluto still wasn't well but I went ahead with the decorating of the cake as the party was set for that afternoon at 4PM. It didn't all go exactly according to plan but it came out great in my opinion. The lollipops I'd ordered mostly as party favors/decor turned out the go well with the cake.



I finished the cake and was thrilled with the outcome. Jadzia had seen me decorating it and kept telling me how beautiful it was as she danced around in her Ruby Slippers (yes she put them on as soon as she realized it was party day).

It wasn't long after that that I discovered Bluto had passed. We'd been keeping him in the laundry room where it was quiet and dark per the vet's recommendations and checking on him every hour or so to sit with him, pet him, give him some water, etc. I came out sobbing and Inara immediately came to hug me and Jadzia asked me what was wrong. We had to explain a few times to her that Bluto wasn't coming back as she kept saying "it's okay, he'll be back soon" trying to comfort me. I'm still not completely sure she understands but I've gotten off track a bit. We decided to proceed with the party since Jadzia was excited and it was planned. Robby called the vet (who'd given us his cell phone for the weekend and agreed to meet Robby at the office even though it was a Sunday) and took Bluto up there. I got the kids watching something or other and then cried a lot.

I stalled decorating for awhile but finally starting putting up some balloons and streamers and generally preparing for a 5 year old birthday party. It was small but it was fun. Jadzia opened presents (and made out like a bandit due to mommy's amazon addiction) and then it was time for cake.


Singing happy birthday, see Miss Dorothy.


You saw the outside of the finished product - time for the INSIDE.

The party did a great job of distracting the kids (and Robby and I a little) from Bluto's passing and Jadzia had a good time. After it was over she spent the rest of the night making sushi, stir fry and cookies with her array of Melissa and Doug wooden food I ordered for her.

Rest In Peace Bluto

Born March 18th, 2008
Died August 30th, 2009

I know it's been a few weeks since my last post and now I come back with such somber news but such is life.

Our sweet dog Bluto passed away yesterday. He had a liver disorder and seizures. While the seizures seemed to have been under control, sometime in the early Saturday morning hours he had a seizure (or more than one) while we were sleeping. He had at least 3 more from 7AM until noon that day. The vet put him on various drugs to stop the seizures but he never seemed to recover from the cluster. He was breathing heavily and unable to function Saturday and into Sunday. Then on Sunday he passed away. We don't know if the seizures were the direct cause of his death, if the liver was the cause or if there was some other underlying cause of the seizures which also caused his death.

He will be dearly missed in this family. He was a good, sweet dog and always so great with the kids.

The Spawn

Wish you a very belated Fourth or July or say "We're ready for Daddy" - whichever you prefer. :)

And showing off their pretty towels :)












Wow! All three looking at the camera at the same time!

How I've Spending My Time

Ya know when I'm not wrestling with three kids and two crazy dogs...

I am addicted to The Sims 3...in truth, I've been a Sims player from the beginning. I played The Sims back in high school and The Sims 2 in college. Anyway, Sims 3 came out a bit over a month ago and I'm completely and totally hooked. I have two main families going right now.

The Rheyers who have had 10 generations born and now have more money than I know what to do with. It all started with a single simmie I named Elizabeth Rheyer - she's long dead now but her family lives on on the plantation. This is the development of their house:

Elizabeth moved into her husband's Sherman's run down house.

The House and Barn got paint jobs, railing put up, shutters on the windows. And a garden!

As the family grew, the house had to grow. I expanded it a bit but even with that, added a second, small house on the side of the lot to accommodate the family.

Managing two houses like that became a nuisance eventually so I sent everyone off the lot and built a shiny new house!

Now I also have the Tigen family. The third generation of this family are children now so they aren't rolling in dough but they're doing okay. This is the evolution of their house:

This family is for a legacy challenge which means you have to buy the most expensive empty lot. As a result you have about 1,300 simoleons to get started....that doesn't build a house. lol

Eventually they had enough I could build them a small, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house (which housed 2 adults and 6 teenagers at one point! eek!) At least they were inside.

And then they just recently had enough for a real upgrade. The inside is not done and they don't have the money for most of the furniture that will be needed to truly decorate it but it looks so pretty on the outside.

So that's what I've been doing with my time. I'm hooked.

See Cami Blog

Twice today I was asked about my blog so here I am, blogging.

See Cami blog.

*channeling my inner Yoda* Blog Cami will.

But that begs the question of where to start. I could spend hours trying to update you on every thing thing spawn have done over the last month or more but that's not really exciting to me so I'll save you from that fate.

Today we went to the Commissary. Epic start eh? I avoid going to the Commissary on or around payday, on the weekends or after about 4PM. In truth I avoid going to the Commissary period because I have three kids but the above are the main times I avoid it. As a result, we started getting a little creative with meals around here this weekend as it was the weekend after payday. Peanut butter and jelly tortilla rolls anyone?

So today we went to the Commissary. For weeks I'd been make small runs for as little as possible and it was time to buckle down and do a real shopping trip for meals and such. Three hundred dollars later, my fridge and pantry is stocked and I can return to make small runs for milk and bread (and such) for a bit longer. Yay! For the first time Anya did not start crying the moment we hit the check out and Inara did not try to steal anything from the candy rack. Jadzia, on the other hand, was sullen and snippy. Eh, can't win them all.

When we got home, Inara threw the mother of all tantrums (she's been working on this talent, she could use it in a talent show) which including screaming, thrashing, throwing a toy and smacking and kicking the wall while in time out. I don't know what triggered it, probably related to that toy that learned out to fly today. As I said, this is a quickly developing talent of hers. While part of it is because she's 2 I'm sure; I think a big part of it is missing Daddy and not having the means to communicate with me about it.

And while Inara was kicking the wall, Anya threw a pool party in the dog water dish. She went through three outfits today because she kept getting herself wet. Tomorrow she's going naked all day I think.

I will leave this blog with one parting thought: down with Noggin ;)

Cami and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I went to bed with a well saved game and now my game is corrupted and Bluto whined and barked until 4AM and when I fed him he jumped and knocked the cup from my hand making it shatter, I cut my thumb on the glass and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Then Jadzia woke me up by telling Inara to get back into bed and Inara woke me up by crying because Jadzia told her to get back into bed and Anya woke me up just by being Anya. I woke up to my cycle.

I think I'll move to Australia.

Inara leaked overnight and Jadzia has apparently decided that wiping is beneath her and Bluto resumed whining and then peed on the floor. I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

After breakfast, Jadzia pulled a towel down from the bar - bringing my Nikon D80 camera down with it. It made a scary clunk sound as it landed on the floor but was intake. Jadzia relocated herself to the playroom then. I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I could tell because while playing on the floor with the girls, Anya tried to "kiss" me and smashed her rather hard head into my nose. Inara opted to sit on my stomach at the same time. Jadzia stayed in the playroom.

My Dad called to talk to the girls and Jadzia refused to come to the phone and ran away to the playroom crying. Inara buried her head in her blanket and pretend not to see me when I called her to the phone. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

That's what it was, because after Anya's nap, she climbed up on the couch and then proceeded to tumbled off the couch onto a pillow. Even with the softer landing, she was rather upset. Next week, I'm going to Australia.

In attempt to reintegrate Bluto into the household, I let him out after the kids had finished lunch. He spent thirty minutes bounding around the house trying to find scraps. He put his paws on Anya's tray and stole food directly from her tray. Anya didn't like that and started crying. I was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. The kids didn't seem to notice.

In an attempt to improve my day, I decided to make rice crispy treats but the marshmallows somehow got burned a bit. So the kids ate slightly burned tasting rice crispy treats for dinner because I was afraid to cook anything - I'd probably burn my hand.

Then Jadzia was so absorbed in something she started to pee before going to the bathroom. She burst out crying and doing the pee pee dance. I asked her if she still needed to potty and she said no but then changed her mind. While trying to clean that up, Bluto got super excited and plowed Anya to the ground and then was dancing right over her with no regard for her screaming presence. Bluto returned to the laundry room, Jadzia good changed, Anya settled down and started pulling books off the shelves. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Anya tried to eat my books after she pulled them off the shelf, I didn't like that.

Inara tripped into the counter, she didn't like that.

Jadzia tried to tell Inara what she couldn't play with, Inara didn't like that.

Anya likes the dog water and the dog food. Anya has decided that playing in the toilet water is fun. She pinched her finger under the toilet seat in the process.

When I put the kids to bed, Inara left her blanket downstairs, Jadzia didn't want to go potty before bed and Anya woke up five seconds after I put her down because Bluto was barking.

It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Some days are like that.

Even in Australia.

(layout courtesy of Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; plot courtesy of my spawn)

Grandpa's Visit, State Fair and Party!

On Saturday, we went to the Hawaii State Fair and planned a little party for Anya while Grandpa was here. The State Fair was nice but it ain't a Texas State Fair (but then I suspect few equate in my mind). The kid's had fun! Daddy would be so proud of Jadzia, when she saw the roller coaster they had, THAT is what she said she wanted to go on. She wasn't tall enough for it but we did find a smaller one that she just barely squeaked by on that she could ride and she had fun. Mommy got good and squished because the cars were not meant for larger people. ;) Oh, you came here for pictures didn't you?

Ahhh! A Giraffe ate Jadzia

Have you noticed a trend here? Inara always seems to be in Grandpa's arms. She actually cried when we dropped him off at the airport. It was very sad!

At the Fair

Birthday Party! Be warned, there are massive amounts of smash cake pictures ahead - messy messy baby...

she tried to grab the flame at one point...

Hmm, let's try this out...

Not bad, not bad

I wonder if anyone will see if I just take a little more...

Ah well, guess I'm caught!

Don't throw a baby birthday party when baby is even a little tired...eventually they rub their eyes.

It's MINE! Mine! MINE!

Wha? It wasn't me...*shifty eyes*

I'm one and I'm stuffed.

Where did that cake go?

All clean and playing with a new toy (thanks grandpa!)