ME and Moose

  A few weeks ago Baby and I were able to fly to Maine to visit some great friends from back when we were all stationed in North Carolina together. What a trip!!! The last time I had Baby on an airplane she was 9m old and did great; however she wasn't a 20m old then and not interested in sitting in my lap but instead running all over the place. I prepared for the worst and prayed to God for the best!

  Earlier in the week we had an Earthquake here in Virginia. It was quite the event for most people here, but having lived on a military base for more than half my life I initially thought "Ugh, why are they shooting artillery during nap time!?" Then quickly the Californian in me kicked in and I realized it was an earthquake. Did I jump up and run for the baby and cover? Heck no, this IS Virginia we're talking about. I figured it wasn't going to be much so I sat on the couch for a few seconds longer until things really got moving and a picture flew off the wall. Okay, now this is real! I ran up to Baby's room and yanked the poor sleeping kid from her crib and we got in the doorway to ride out the 'quake. All in all I was impressed for an East coast earthquake, a 5.8 not too shabby! We're all fine and Baby went right back down for her nap and I toured the house to make sure there was no damage to be found.



The only picture that didn't fall off the wall...and the only one that is irreplaceable.



  The day finally arrived for us to fly out. It figures that common sense would fly out the window when it comes to air travel. We flew from DC to Chicago to Boston. Of course because I had Baby with me we were delayed in Chicago for a few hours and missed nap time. We finally arrived in Boston at 8:30pm...only 13 hours after we left home! Yes, it was at this point I realized that I could have driven faster but we all know what they say about hindsight. We spent a wonderful weekend with our friends and got the grand tour of Maine, had both styles of lobster rolls (butter & mayo) and enjoyed a whoopie pie!



Baby in her very own big girl seat (thankful the flight wasn't fully booked!)




Baby & I found the monster of all whoopie pies!



My 1st Lobster Roll...delicious!





Checking out a lighthouse, how do you not go to Maine and see one?!





Baby's first whoopie pie!



  Then hurricane Irene came to town. I got a call from the airline on Saturday that my Monday flight had already been canceled. The nice woman who was rescheduling our trip home for us gave us a few different options and I asked her if any of them were a direct flight? She told me that they all were! Woohooo, our flight home was only 56 minutes in the air for a total of about 1 hour and 15 minutes from when we stepped into the plane until we stepped off. What's better than a short flight? A sleeping baby the whole way! We had a WONDERFUL time visiting our friends and can't wait for Mr. Battle Rattle to be home to make another trip up with him. Enjoy the pictures!

Growing a Business

  Two years ago (almost to the day) I cut up one of my husbands old unserviceable blouses. For those of you who read this and are not affiliated with the military just read that as I tore apart his uniform! I was about 20 weeks pregnant with Baby Battle Rattle and my husband was on his second deployment to Iraq. I had looked for baby items at the PX on base and all over the internet, but there was nothing to be found. Nothing that was cute enough to spend money on anyway! I got to work cutting out squares and made a simple quilt out of the old blouse. It was adorable!!! I was so proud of my handy work I posted a picture of it on Facebook so others could see it too. Little did I know that this was the beginning of Baby Battle Rattle. I was overwhelmed with how many people loved it and asked "Where did you buy that?" "Do you sell these?" and "Where can I get one!?"

The 1st ever Baby Battle Rattle blanket, August 20th 2009.

  Today I took the next step in building my brand. I have decided to work with LaunchHer. They had an amazing promotion going on this month and it is the right time to Trademark my business to protect my products and myself. I have also been working with an amazingly talented graphic artist who has designed a new logo for me. It's just about finished and I'm having a hard time deciding which one to go with because they are all so fabulous! There is so much going on and in the year that I've had my Etsy shop open I've added a lot of new items. It has been such a fun learning experience so far and I really enjoy creating these things for all the other military babies out there!



The new improved style & the most popular item in the shop!
Baby Battle Rattle blanket



It's A...

   A few weeks ago I had an ultrasound to determine the gender of our little bun in the oven. Grandpa took the afternoon off to hang out with Baby Battle Rattle and I headed out for my appointment. I went to a 3D/4D elective office for what was supposed to be a quick 15 minute peek at the baby. The woman who did the scan was so sweet and I told her when we went back to the room that I actually don't want to know what we're having. I asked her if she could put in into an envelope for me so that when Mr. Battle Rattle had a chance to call we could open the envelope and find out together. When I was pregnant with Baby Battle Rattle we were able to Skype a TON during that deployment, but no luck this go around. With Baby Battle Rattle I made a little onesie that said "I LOVE DADDY" in cammie letters and a pink bow on it to tell him we were having a girl.

   I told her that I really couldn't watch the ultrasound because I would know what baby was if I saw. She laughed and we got going to see what we were having...well 10 minutes went by and baby was NOT being as forthcoming as their older sister was. So I got up and went to the bathroom and ate a little candy to see if we could get baby moving. Laid back down and it took another 35 minutes to find out what baby was! The lady was so sweet and wouldn't let me go until she could find out. She went and put all the photos and a note card with the sex into an envelope for me and I anxiously awaited Mr. Battle Rattle's phone call. The day seemed to drag on forever. He didn't call so I went to bed fingers crossed that he'd be able to call tomorrow. Just after Baby Battle Rattle went down for a nap the next afternoon my cell phone rang...it was Mr. Battle Rattle! I answered and ran to get the envelope. Without further delay.......

Baby 2 is a GIRL! We are both so excited to be having another little girl. I was so surprised, I was sure it was a boy. The best part is that Baby Battle Rattle was born in December and this little one will be born in December/January so all those clothes I saved will fit perfectly in the same seasons! It's hard to believe that in just 2 days this pregnancy will be half way over!

Kindness of Strangers

With our prior deployments getting care packages together and mailed off was such a breeze. The task has become much more involved now that Baby Battle Rattle is a toddler. This morning we ate breakfast, got dressed and made it out the door with our box for Daddy. With my pregnancy brain set in I didn't even realize that the box I used was not a flat rate box, so when the Postal worker told me my total was going to be $46.72 my jaw dropped and I looked at her like she was crazy. Being quite a regular at the post office nowadays she smiled and said "it's not a flat rate box, hun". I looked at it and said, "Oh my gosh, sorry! Let me swap it quick." 

Toddler in arm I took the box to the packaging counter behind me, taped up a new box and started to repackage the care package all while trying to keep a hand on my curious toddler. A woman had walked into the Post Office while I was finishing taping the new box and filling out a new address label. She was filling out a customs form herself and asked me how I had filled out my customs form. She herself was sending a package to an APO. I showed her my form and how I fill in the APO/FPO since there isn't a box for those. I went and placed my package on the counter and answered the usual "is this hazardous, fragile, blah blah blah" when the women behind me asked if my husband was deploying. I told her that yes, he had already left. She then came up to the counter and placed her package on top of mine and said, "This one's on me, you girls have a great day!" I stood there surprised for a moment and told her, "No, you don't have to but thank you!" She insisted and said that her husband just retired after 26yrs just a few months ago.

I left the Post Office thinking about how I could pay it forward to another. I decided that I would donate what I would have spent on that package to OperationShower.org. They are a wonderful organization that throws baby showers for military wives who are currently going through a deployment or have just finished one. So I leave you with one small question, How will you make someones day today? What small gesture can you do for a stranger that will make their day wonderful?

A Bicycle Built for Two

Our newest baby/toddler purchase came today! It is the Phil & Ted's Vibe 2....and it is amazing. With another little bundle on the way we needed to upgrade our single stroller into a double. I wanted something that would be versatile. Something that would last for a long time. For us, it came down to two strollers: The BOB Revolution and the Phil & Ted's Vibe. I love the fact that the Phil & Ted's is an in-line. It's not any wider than a normal single stroller. What's better than finding what you've been looking for? Getting it for a great deal!

When I started my search last week I noticed that there was a new version of the Vibe, the Vibe 2. The Vibe 2 has some updates from it's predecessor. The most notable is the change to the break and the fact that it can be folded with the second seat attached (to the front OR back) as well as the sunshade for the doubles seat. I had intentions of purchasing the Vibe and then came across the Vibe 2 + doubles seat for almost $300 off the retail! It was also LESS than the original Vibe. SOLD! The wonderful FedEx man brought it to me today and it was perfect timing as baby battle rattle was just put down for her nap. I opened the box and set out to assemble my new toy. It was pretty easy and now I am just waiting for the little one to wake up so we can go for a test ride. I hope she loves it as much as I do so far!

Should I Stay or Should I Go

 I know many wives have a lot of back and forth about going "home" over deployment. The thought of going home never made much sense to me though. I am home. We were stationed here, we've made a home here, our life is here. Why would I leave just because my husband is deployed?




With a few friends in NC during our 1st deployment.


During our first deployment I had a job, friends, and responsibilities. I wasn't about to quit my job or leave some great friends (some of whom were also going through a deployment). For me, there was no question of going "home" or staying put. Our second deployment we were stationed in California, 2,989 miles from our hometowns. I kept busy volunteering with Young Life and friends and a trip to Europe. Now we're on deployment number three and we're stationed at Quantico and this is actually where I grew up. I went to high school in Northern Virginia and have old high school friends here, but I've also got a lot of Marine Corps friends who are stationed here from our past bases. Whatever your situation, make the most of it! Life is life and it will be what it is. You can't change everything so you need to find a way to make it work if you stay or if you go home. Best of luck for those of you making this decision!

Happy Birthday America

It is a day for celebrating! I hope you all take a moment today to think about those who fought to make this wonderful country we live in possible; our Founding Fathers, our millions of military Veterans and those who are currently serving in our Armed Forces.

My patriotic baby in her Daddy's blouse. (Photo by the very talented Tyler Plank)