Bloggy Giveaways!

Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival is July 28-August 1! I visit Bloggy Giveaways every day in hopes to win something free and saw that they are having this Carnival and thought it would be fun to participate. This is my first one! So here it goes.

One entry per person please. To enter all you have to do is tell me something about Alaska - the state in which I live (thanks to the Army!). And there you have it! Oh - you need to know what you are going to win right?! I have three prizes, so three lucky people will win! The number will be drawn by the random number generator at random.org (as soon as I figure out how to use it!) :) You can tell me which one you would like and I will try to accommodate each winner! This will close Midnight Alaska time Aug 1st. Please leave me a way to contact you - either Blog or email. Good Luck! You will be notified on Tuesday Aug 2nd.

Prize one: Brand New Mary Kay Travel Roll-Up Bag - A stylish convenient way to organize and carry all your skin care and makeup essentials. Four separate zip-up compartments wrapped up in sleek black vinyl and lined with pink satin. Includes a metal hanger inside to hang on door for easy access. Velcro closures keep everything wrapped up tight. This is one of the most popular Mary Kay accessories. A must have for travel and everyday use!9 1/4" x 32"

Prize two: Winter weather tends to dry out our skin, especially our feet! So, keep your tootsies soft and Rosemary Minty-fresh with Mary Kay's PRIVATE SPA COLLECTION ROSEMARY MINT PEDICURE SET. Includes: 3 oz. Rosemary Mint Soothing Foot Balm; 3 oz. Rosemary Mint Energizing Foot Mask; 10 Pink Rosemary Mint Foot Fizzies; Foot file / brush and a pair of cozy pedicure footies; Tucked inside a cute polka-dot carry bag w/instructions.

Prize three: Envia Nature Salon Finishing Spray 10 oz, Envia Nature's Salon Hydrating Conditioner 12 oz, Envia Nature's Salon Hydrating Conditioner 12 oz. These are made by the company Melaleuca which has been committed to Enviormental wellness for over twenty years. Envia combines the power of natural oils, plant extracts, and botanicals with modern science to transform the hair you were born with into the hair you always wanted - all without the gossip, appointment, or price tag associated with a trip to the salon.

This is why I had kids.

So while Ian was in his almost naptime state I put him on the couch and put in one of his favorite movies on - Little Einsteins. With the dogs in their crates and Blake sleeping as well I thought I would mop the floor. I did and it dried. Success! Being a stupid mother I left the mop full of dirty water with the mop in it unattended while I used the bathroom and came back to this. Ian had let the dogs outside "beacuse Trooper had to pee pee". So the dogs were tracing in dirt from outside and Ian was cleaning the floor for me!

I think now I will make Ian mop the floors from now on. He did a decent job. But now I have to re-mop. Have to love your children!

Blake Walking!

So they are telling me at Daycare that Blake takes a few steps, but I have yet to see him to do it. I was very heartbroken not to see his first steps. Something I knew one day would happen. Things like this wish I wasn't working. Well I hit publish post for the previous post and see him walking in the kitchen! So I run to get my camera that takes video and luckily he walked again and I cought it on camera!! GO BLAKE. Please excuse me talking in a high pitch voice - I was very excited!! :) He was trying to get some markers that I had in my hand!!

Card Making Fun

So I have found something totally relaxing and fun to do. And I can try to be creative at the same time! :) I made cards today. Homemade cards from card card stock, used ribbon and stamps -- even water color. I went to a workshop which one of my friends hosted. She is a Close to My Heart Representative. I enjoyed this class along with lunch with one of my friends from work. It was a Kristin Day!! Most of all I was kid free -- stress free -- for four hours! I plan to join the scrap booking club as well. I think I will enjoy this time during the deployment. Time for me to spend some time with some 'grown ups' and do something that really doesn't require me to do much thinking! Enjoy the cards, who knows you might get one in the mail! Be on the look out!!

So you have to click on the picture to see it close up!
The hippo one says: "Your Hip" on the inside
And the bird one says: "Just because"

Check out the cards, aren't they cute?!

The Hello Hello was all my idea - she had the squares cut out, but the rest -ME.
The Hello Hello one also has a stamp of the alligator in it - just because I thought he was cute!

For my BFFAW!

Hello!! This is for my BFFAW! You should be working and not on my Blog - now go take care of those kiddies!! haha I had such a fun time with my girls from work that we need to get together again! This time "Bubbles" won't do anything silly!! Ok, now you back to work, and me bed. See you girlies later!! Toodles.

Im watching you!!

Ianisms

So Ian has been talking a lot more and I would like to share some our conversations.

Ian: "Help me mommy, Help me."
he is trying to thread a shoelace through a square with holes

Me: "You are doing a great job, go slower."
Ian: "Its to hard, yea, to hard for boys."

Me: "What is to hard for boys."
Ian: "This toy."
Me: "Oh, ok."

Ian running up to me: "Mommy Blakie has poopies, Pe-uww"

Me: "Thanks, Ian."
Ian: "Your welcome mommy."

Im getting dressed in the morning. He brings me a bra and says:
"This is for girls, not boys, yea girls. Here ya go mommy."
Me: Laughing. "Thanks, Ian"

Tickling Blake.
Ian: "He likes that mommy."
Me: "Yes he does, please be gentle."
Ian to Blake: "Your a silly goose, Bakie, hahahahaha"

Putting Ian to bed:
Me: "Ok Ian we are done reading our book its time to lay down and close your eyes and go to sleep."
Ian: "No, No."
Me: "Yes Ian, you need your sleep to get bigger and strong."
Ian: "Big like Daddy."
Me: "Yes, big and strong like Daddy. Please lay down and go to sleep."
Ian: "Its very hard, yea, its hard to go to sleep."
Me: "Its not hard, just close your eyes and go to sleep. Goodnight, Mommy and Daddy love you." Ian: "Thanks mommy"


There are many more. I just can't think of them off the top of my head. He is soo funny to talk to now. Makes me laugh!

Smaller Trash Can or Larger Muscles!

So you find out little things about your house when your husband isn't home. Number one - you appreciate when he takes out the trash. We have a HUGE trash can in our garage that we put the trash in. We can't have a smaller one in the house - #1 the dogs get in it & #2 the kids get in it. So we opted to buy a large industrial trash can in plop it right outside our door that goes from the house into our garage.

Jeff usually does all the trips to the dump - before that my brother did it. How nice of them. Since Jeff is in California I've taken over trash duty. However I would love for my three year old to do it! Wait, he can't drive yet, so I guess its back on me! Ive gone to the dump before -but always for boxes when we moved or when we got packages in the mail. Well I went to the dump when the trash can was half full - and took some diaper boxes, packages I gotten in the mail. No biggie! Well now its been about 2 weeks and my garbage can is packed full... and guess what?! Im a wimp... haha... no arm muscles.

I can't empty it! Is there a garbage muscle man that I can rent to empty it?!? Haha. I have to dump the bigger bag into smaller ones....made for a fun stinky morning!

Well I am going to go to some store to get a smaller trash can b/c when Jeff deploys for over a year - Im not going to want to play in the trash every 2 weeks so I m going to opt for a smaller one with more trips to the dump because I dont see myself getting super buff in order to pick up those large trash bags. :)

The life of a Harmon wifey!! :)

Gotta get thru the bad days to have a good one!

So since White Water Rafting lots has happened. I have been super busy and super sad, and super loved and super happy. A roller coaster of emotions! This is what we have been up to.

I worked the day after rafting. I pre-pack everything the night before so the morning will go smoothly right?! WRONG. I packed everything for the boys - load them up in the car, load up all the bags that go with them. Then I hop in the car. One major thing is missing - my KEYS! Long story short - never found them that morning. Had a friend take me to work and showed up 50 min late. Very mad at myslef, crying -cursing the Army b/c if Jeff was here he would drive me, or at least give me his keys. (Now I am getting TONS of my car key copied to have at the house just in case) I felt great after having gone swimming in the Nenana; however, I thought I had swimmers ear - big fat negative. I had one of the peds Drs look in my ears (Perk of working at a hospital - have the Drs you work for see you on the floor!) well I have two ear infections - no wonder why I have been feeling so crappy. So on an antibiotic I go, oral and one for my ears. (Still feel crappy today and its been what, 6 days?)

Ok so then I work Saturday... which the boys didn't sleep very well at all on Friday night. When oh when will they BOTH sleep thru the night? At this rate, never! Work went well. Nothing really to exciting Saturday night except that the boys slept GREAT. I think I slept from 9-3 straight! WOO HOO. I felt super rested. BUT then I couldn't find my name badge and this lets me in the locked doors in the morning. Took me a while to find a door that wasn't locked. UGH.



Sunday I met up with a couple to eat breakfast and all hell broke loose after that. The boys were not happy. Ian wanted his daddy and he wanted him now. Crying for Jeff, asking me when daddy was going to come home to play with him - telling me he wanted to go on a plane to see daddy. This all broke my heart. It is just something that is going to happen again and again when Jeff deploys to Iraq. This was really hard for me to see Ian so upset and wanting to see Jeff. So we just cuddled and said it was ok to miss Daddy and that we should make Daddy a picture to come to. Ian gave me a hug and said Thanks and off to color we went! That moment was so cute when he said "Thanks (more like tanks) Mommy" I felt super loved!

Monday came and I put the boys in daycare to go to a scrapbooking class. Very Fun! I needed the time away from the kids to talk to other women and be creative. I will post a picture of what I made in another post. Its a picture album called "heros handbook". Turned out really neat.

They slept great Monday night. Finally some sleep ... Im getting good at running on 4 hours.

Then today is Blakes First birthday. We had an awesome day. We all woke up, took a little walk. Everyone was happy! Went to Lowes to buy some flowers, off to the commissary to pick up some food, and back home to plant the flowers and to have a little photo shoot with Blake - Ian wouldn't really let me take any pictures of him. He kept running around saying smile and I could only get a good one of him. Then we took another walk - this time with the two dogs. YIKES- that was hard! They about pulled out my arms! And Ian is passed out on the couch while Blake is playing. Ian fell asleep while I was changing Blake and I can't get him up to save my life. So it will be a late night for me and I have to work in the morning. Woe is me...

Swimming in the Glacier Water!

It was my Nurse Friend Kaisa's birthday so me and 2 other RN's took her White Water Rafting! Boy was it fun. Let me tell you about my little adventure! First off I have to fill you in: the Nenana River is 35 degrees, Glacier water at its best. You have to first suit up in dry suits that have rubber around your neck , and wrists and you wear these wonderful rubber booties that keep all that water out and keep you from freezing while rafting in that wonderful Glacier Water. Here we are all suited up and ready to go!

We learn how to paddle, and if we fall out what to do if that happens. So off we go. I am sitting in the front right of the raft. We go through one rapid, a class I and it was very exciting. The guide was like now you guys are warmed up we are getting ready to go thru another rapid this one is class II-III. I can see it up ahead... the adrenaline is pumping... bracing my one foot in the holder and the other tucked on the side of the raft...oar ready to go... We hit the rapid and WHOOPSY- here goes Kristin Flying out of the raft! I plumage into the water, glacier water remind you - so now I have to swim the rest of the rapid, to turn around and see the raft so far away! I hear the guide yelling at me SWIM SWIM - so I doggie paddle back to the raft as it is coming toward me and get pulled back into the raft. {Let me fill you in that there were 2 rafts ahead of us doing oar rafting so if worse came to worse I would have floated down stream to them.} Here I am after having my own little adventure!

The rest of the paddle down the river was fun, exciting and refreshing. We even got to swim thru slow part of the river - I do have to say, not as much fun as swimming thru the rapid, but still fun! We saw, old train cars that had crashed into the river years ago, waterfalls, birds - no moose or bears - but all in all it was a fun trip. Mom deserved a day out with out kids to relax and have some adventure while Jeff is at NTC. I hope to make this trip again with Jeff before he deploys with our other couple friends. It will be an experience that I won't forget and on more thing to say that I did in the wonderful state of Alaska! Lastly here is our group after the raft trip!

Blakes Birthday Pictures

Today I took Blake to Sears to get his First Birthday Pictures Done. Here are a few of my favorites

Going Back to work & Deployments

So I have enjoyed my 2 weeks off from work with which my father visited. And this week I had mostly off because I work the 4th and 5th (Fri & Sun). I am ready to go back to work, but not ready to do my 5am routine without Jeff. He is in California right now training. He left yesterday. It was sad -we were telling Ian about how Daddy had to go away for a while to California to work but he would be back in a few weeks. We told him that he could help Daddy pack his bags. Ian then proceeded to say "Daddy I want to work in California with you. Yes, thats my job, Yea, California" It was so cute, but so sad at the same time. We haven't brought up the Iraq Deployment yet. We'll see how he does with this one and then the when Jeff returns we'll watch the Elmo deployment video and then talk about it....not looking forward to that one.

I will however; just be going back part time now. We have finally gotten some more nurses on my floor so I won' t be working full time anymore. I did enjoy the paychecks, but not being home playing with the kids isn't worth all the paychecks in the world. I'll just do my 2 12 hour shifts a week and be happy with that!! So my 5am routine will go slowly but I'll get back in the swing of things since being on vacation.Just something I have to "click into" - the Army Wife Role - and get used to Jeff not being around and running the household by myself since Jeff will be deploying here shortly. It is so 2nd nature to me to turn off being 'wifey' when Jeff is here and then turn on the "other wifey" when Jeff's not here. One of the things I guess you just get used to when your husband deploys a lot. This will be Jeffs third deployment. (1st one for 8 months, 2nd for 13 and now the 3rd hopefully for only 12 months - I wont hold my breath though)

Those are my thoughts right now. On a lighter note enjoy some pictures of the kids this past week.

Blake playing the bubble tub. He loves splashing the water!

Best picture I have of the both of them sitting side by side.

Ian loves bubbles. He enjoys making a "bubble hair on my chin"

Hey, if my husband has to tote this 35+lbs thing around - I should at least try it on and walk around in it.

Ians newest trick - to rearrange the furniture looking for his cars that get stuck underneath the sofa. Walked into the room with Blake exploring the Guitar and Ian mad the couch wasn't moving!

5 ingredients or less

I found this great site RocksInMyDryer.net and thought I would share it with you. I came across works for me Wednesday - and the theme this day was 5 ingredients or less. Go to the blog and you will see over 200 recipes!! I hit the motherload! WOO HOO!!