Fireproof

**Be sure and pause the music in the toolbar before watching the trailer!

Justin and I bought the book The Love Dare a while ago, not really knowing what it was all about. Mainly we just wanted something to read together, to help us grow as a couple. We soon figured out that it's not exactly something that is meant to be read together but it still had a lot of really good material. After a couple of failed attempts to see the movie Fireproof--one of which included getting stuck on a bridge for over an hour due to debris in the tunnel and missing the movie when we finally had a babysitter, I decided to just pre-order the dvd. I guess it was in November or early December sometime. Well, it finally came out this Tuesday and I went straight to Lifeway to pick up our copy. I was so excited to watch it last night, but then by the time Justin got home from the ship it was too late. Oh and to top it all off, my friend Felicia texted me last night during our dinner to tell me that we should see it and went on to explain how awesome it was. Nice way to rub it in :) Just kidding, she had no idea. Tonight, Alana went to bed super early (due to sleepy tantrums) and Justin and I finally got to see this movie we've been anticipating for so long. Before it started, I said "This BETTER be a good movie after all this"...and let me tell you, it was! I would strongly recommend it to anyone who is married, but even to people who aren't. It is such a great story of learning to love, the way Christ loves us. I literally sat and watched until the last credit was finished rolling...with a smile on my face! Justin said that EVERYONE should see this movie. I'm so thankful that people like Kirk Cameron (he's 38, by the way, we wikipedia-ed it lol) are willing to step out on limb and make movies like this one...

Peace, Love and I Dare ya to watch it...

My Whole Life is a Fog

I am posting this with the hopes that Justin actually comes home today...because if not he will see this before he gets home and the whole "surprise" will be ruined :) (His internet only works after 6 p.m. or so) But whatever, I'm posting it because I am being confident that the ship will return today. Once again, the day he is supposed to be home it is nothing but fog outside. Angie and I said our whole lives are a fog these days. We were only partially joking. If you've never been in a situation where your husband is here and then not for long periods of time, it's hard to understand...but we have to prepare in so many ways when they leave, but especially when they come home! A lot of the preparation involves cleaning and almost nesting...and a lot of it is also mental. So it's difficult to get your brain into the correct mode when there's so much uncertainty in the arrival...HOWEVER...we are hoping that the tides will bring them in :) I learned something new today...(thank you, Angie). Justin emailed and told me that they were gonna try to catch the tide later, and I was clueless as to what that meant. Apparently they can't come in if the tide is low because the ship could actually hit the tunnel. SCARY, right? I think I might never drive through it again...Oh wait, I have to!

Alana insisted we decorate for Daddy's arrival!

We tend to get a little goofy right before he gets home :)

Alana is making him a card...

And of course, we need fresh baked cookies...
Mmm...Peanut butter cups :)

Please baby, come home today...Because we miss you, but also because I can't afford to eat all of these cookies by myself. And if you don't come home, I might have to :)

Peace, Love and Praying for High Tides

Happy Birthday, Liam!

Happy Birthday, Liam! Wish I could be there, buddy :)
Aunt Allison LOVES you!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Alana's First Trip to the Dentist

This morning, Alana had her very first dentist appointment...well, the very first one that she actually went to :) Some of you know what I'm talking about, and for those of you who don't we will keep it that way haha. Other than the fact that it was time for her to go for her first cleaning, I wanted to talk to the dentist about her teeth-grinding. It is UNREAL how loud she grinds her teeth at night. I have had to wake her up to get her to stop...and trust me, if I wake her up for anything you know it must be bad :) I was concerned (as was Grammy) that her teeth were going to be worn down, even broken. I was most worried about it affecting her permanent teeth somehow.

So we went to my dentist...They are very nice, and I knew she'd be in good hands. She got to pick her flavor of toothpaste--she picked raspberry! Then the nice lady let her touch the brush and see how it would work and everything...She really took her time with her, explaining all that she was doing and why. Then she cleaned her teeth! The worst part for Alana was the light shining in her eyes haha. They counted her teeth--she had all 20 :) And they checked for cavities--none there! They also said her teeth are perfectly spaced. The dentist praised her for brushing her teeth so well (she brushes them herself, so I was proud too!) Then she got to pick out 2 prizes, 4 stickers and a new toothbrush!

As for the grinding, the dentist and the hygienist both assured me that it is normal (as awful as it may sound)...And they said it has something to do with the way baby teeth come in, and usually is outgrown with permanent teeth back there. I really hope so! They told me that her teeth don't show any signs of being worn down, but even if they were worn down to nothing she would be fine. So I can take a sigh of relief...and just have to sleep with ear plugs or something if she's next to me :)

After the dentist, I took her to Chick Fil-A for breakfast and to play on the playground...I told her that I was going back to the dentist on Friday to get my teeth cleaned. She immediately asked me what flavor of toothpaste I was gonna pick. I told her that I didn't get to pick because only special little girls like her did. So she told me she will go with me so she can pick for me then :) So sweet...and so clever! Oh, and next time she's totally picking orange!

Peace, Love and clean mouths

Nashville with Sweetikins.

We're baaaaaaack. Today I am trying to recover from the hysterical sobs that poured out of Alana's little body last night. We left Grammy's...what more can I say? It gets harder every time we leave. I love to go, but I hate leaving! While we were there, it was snowing and then warm, and then freezing again, but the time we spent there was full of all sorts of fun. It was lovely as always to be there with my family. My mom had to work some of the week in Philly, and we hung out at home with Grandma. Here's a few of the pics from the week...

Taking a picture for Justin :)

Ok, so this is Alana in her baby swing.
She sat in it more this trip than she did when she was an infant...She's a trip!

Grammy bought Alana this Horton Hears a Who game and it was SO fun! You had to pick up the clovers with your trunk and get back to the board before time ran out...Best $5 clearance buy ever! :) And sorry there are no pictures of me or my mom wearing the Horton hat!

Alana and I went to lunch with the Schnecks Thursday and then to the mall with Uncle Jonny and Liam. Those kids move too fast for my camera, so this is what you get :) It was fun...While we were sitting there, I thought to myself this is what life is now! I love me some Liam, too...
Friday night, we went to Pei Wei which happens to top my list of favorite restaurants. Alana is showing off her chopstick-ing skills. She was even eating the edamame two at a time!
Saturday we had lunch with Jon and Lindsay and Liam and then went to hang with them for a while. We won't be there for Liam's birthday tomorrow, so we took his gifts but he zonked out before getting to open them...On the way out of the neighborhood, we stopped at this fire hydrant. This is at the end of the street where my mom used to live. We took many-a-picture of Alana next to this fire hydrant to show how much she'd grown :) Let's just say the last time she was shorter than it...How time flies!
I am home now...Back to Port Norfolk. I haven't heard from Justin for 3 days now. It seems like a lifetime, though. It's bad enough when he's gone for so long, but when they take away our communication...let's just say I am hating on the Navy right now. I think he will be home in a couple days. I am ready to see my husband, and I am also ready to start planning my next trip to Nashville.

Peace, Love and Family Fun

My Friday Night Date :)

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to guide me along as I tell you about my "date" with Angie last night. I guess this is what you do when your husband is gone and you need to get out of the house. You plan a date with your favorite friend instead. Angie and I had decided Thursday just what to do. We agreed upon Walmart pizza and a movie. Walmart pizzas are yummy, in case you haven't tried them. Then again, I've met but few pizzas that I didn't like :) I told Angie that I would buy and she could cook. Deal! Yesterday around 4 p.m., Alana and I packed up the ready-to-be-cooked pizza and movie (I'll get to that in a minute) and headed to Angie's. We just kinda hung out for a little while and then Angie decided to put the pizza in the oven. The kids were "cooking" for us in Jalen's Elmo restaurant, and I guess it got the tummies growling. Jump to about 20 minutes later. The oven starts beeping. Is the pizza done already? No! The oven is just on the fritz, no longer heating, and will not stop beeping even when turned off. It's now 5:05 p.m. on Friday. Right...like anyone is going to be able to come fix this. Angie turned the breaker off. It was quiet. Well, the oven was anyway :) The pizza was only halfway done, so I decided to take it (in the 20 degree weather) back to my house to finish cooking it. I laughed at the thought, because I knew once I took it back outside it would be cold in a flash...but hey, at least the cheese would be melted! When I got back to Angie's with the pizza (yes, I admit I felt a little like a delivery girl), we were then greeted by one of the maintenance people for our property. While he is quite possibly the nicest one of the bunch, he seemed to have been getting his weekend fun on a little early...that's about as much as I will say about that, but it gave Angie and I some good laughs for the night. He left and came back, saying that he had a brand new stove to put in Angie's apartment, and asked if it could wait til morning...Then he mumbled something about pipes and left :) We ate, (the pizza was basically cold again by now) and then decided we should try to watch the movie before the kids got too out of hand. What movie did we rent, you ask? Ha! Well considering our first, second, and probably a bunch more choices were out, we settled on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. We'd both seen the first one, but I realized how much I forgot what happened in the 1st one about 20 seconds into the 2nd haha. I really wish we had like a camera crew to follow us around (not really, but) to show how ridiculous our lives can be at times. Angie had the tv turned up at the loudest it would possibly go, and we still could not hear it over the kids! They wanted Angie to blow bubbles during it, Jalen brought me a movie saying "ga-car, ga-car" (Madagascar)...Alana was tattling on Jalen for not sharing and Jalen was body slamming the dogs. It was a trip. Somehow we managed to finish the entire movie...luckily I don't plan on being quizzed on it anytime soon :) It's always a fun time hanging out with friends...Sometimes it's just a little more exciting than others. And that is not always a good thing! At least last night's drama is bringing Angie a new stove today! (hopefully it is NEW and not just new to her)...I still say I was slighted. The deal was I buy, YOU cook Angie :) JK! I woke up bright and early this morning to check-in for my flight to Nashville in the morning. Alana and I are spending this last week of Justin's trip to sea, at Nashville with Grammy and Gigi (my Grandma). I know it will be a fun time, as always...and on that note, I need to go pack!

Peace, Love and Date nights

Barbie Dog.

A few days ago, we received an unexpected surprise in the mail :) MORE Christmas presents for Alana! She quickly said, "I must've been a GOOD girl this year!" and began ripping into them. These were sent by Amy, Justin's cousin and her parents and then more cousins...gotta love the extended families! It was SO sweet of them to think of her, and I can honestly say they were right on with the presents they picked for her this year! She is SO into Barbie, and most of her Christmas presents consisted of something related to Barbie.

She got the Barbie "My Home" from Daddy and Mommy.
Yes, Ken is sitting on the toilet, what can I say?

Well, Amy and family stayed true to the theme and got her a Barbie PDA (this thing is hilarious, no joke) and then the Barbie dog, Tanner. She got another Barbie dog, but this one is special. Ooooh let me tell you how special it is...Actually, we are going to show you.

Sorry for the poor quality of video, but I was recording it on my regular camera...And yes, Alana is wearing a dress on top of her pajama shirt...what can I say?




Great, right? The food and the poop are one in the same. You put it in the garbage can which is connected to the food box! Thank you Amy for all the laughs :) I typically loathe the Barbie-playing time. I don't even try to fake it...but I'm loving the kicks we get from playing with the dog.

Peace, Love and Scooping Poop...and then Eating it?