No News is....

... so trying to stay optimistic. We still have no idea when and where we will be moving too. We are supposed to check back in a month to see if the Army has any plan for us. The thing about PCSing at this point in the game is, there has to be a slot to move too. Vetcom or Public Health Services as they now call it, did a major overhaul and eliminated quite a few slots. So there are double the amount of E-7s to not very many slots.

Still being stationed on this post definitely come with its ups and downs. So I'm very glad that I planned ahead made sure I had things to do this year. I'm the photographer for the Spouses club and I am running the Book fair for Aidens school.. So I'm looking forward to a fun year. We have a new board, which seems to already consist on SO MUCH LESS drama. The executive board just seems to have their stuff together and seems to work well together. The PTO board seems to be just as put together, and I can tell that they will give me as much support as I need. Then there are the other activities like Bunco, MOPS and the Photo Club. My friend Alice and I really put together a nice schedule for what we will be doing with the photo club this year, and I am extremely excited to get started and start having fun with my camera and meet some new fun people.

It's really hard to believe that the new school year is already upon us and Aiden and Chloe will be heading back to school this upcoming Thursday. Where the heck did the summer go? I will admit, there are days (like yesterday) where I've been ready to send them back, (Mainly Aiden with his tween attitude), however I till very much enjoy them being at home. My hope is that this year he gets a teacher that can deal with a child with ADD. He's very smart, but he gets bored and easily distracted. Last year his teacher found good ways to keep him on task, but couldn't deal with impulsive nature. The year before for first grade, well that teacher couldn't deal with anyone. She got to be known to the parents as the spaz. Even the first day of school, she looked like her hair was standing on end. We are supposes to get Aiden's classroom assignment on Wednesday, so hopefully the teacher with be there and I can have a talk with them and make sure he's being placed in the correct room. So fingers crossed for my Aiden.

Until next time,

Xoxo

Rowan

Egg Cup Flowers and Finger Painting!

Egg Cup Flowers

A mouth full I know.. During the summer I have decided we are going to do two projects a week.. One kids will get the big project and the other will get the baking project.. This week was Chloes week for the big project.

Part One: I started out with a carton of eggs and cut out six of the cups. I decided that both kids were going to get to paint them. I layed some butcher paper down so we wouldnt make a mess on the table, gave them both a paint brush and let them go to town. This part of the project was very short since all they needed to do was paint the inside and outside of the cups.. We left them to dry and decided to let them finish is the next day.

Part Two: Chloe got to finger paint the grass and the sun. She did such a great job and was so very patient. After everything was dry, we glued the cups to the canvas on top of the stems and glues buttons in the middle of the cups.. For added security I added a stitch to each button to secure everything to the canvas..

....and Voila!

Happy Crafting!!

xoxo~ Rowan

Tonsilectomy

Holy Moley! I finally got to go see an ENT about whats going on with my tonsils as to why I can't breath. She took one look at my tonsils and the first thing she says is, "welp, we need to take those out." She looked in my nose and didn't find anything that triggered the thought that it was allergy induced, so there it is. On May 3rd, I'll be going in to get them removed. I'm SO not looking forward to this. Whenever it come to people giving me advise, no one wants to give me any positives. They all just warn me about how badly the recovery is going to hurt. One went so far as to tell me that the Liquid Tylenol 3 burned going down so bad that she threw it up and then it burned all over again. WONDERFUL! I am trying as hard as I can not to think about it and say ok I can take it. I really don't like surgery. I am not a fan of the OR, the way it looks or smells. I have always been afraid of going under with anesthesia, mainly because I have my mother that always freaks out, tells me about all the worst possible things that can happen, and then it freaks me out. There is always a risk with any surgery, but what can I say. I love my life and I love my kids. Enough said. So please say a prayer for me. I'm not nearly as afraid as when I was going in for a c-sec, but the fear is still there. In the long run, I know that I will be glad that I got it down. I just hope its not a simple allergy issue that could have been solved without surgery, but I guess we will never know. I've been getting pretty awesome reviews about this dr from friends who have had to go to her, so that does make me feel better.

Allergy Season

Allergy season is in full swing at Fort Irwin, and all 5 of us are feeling it in one way or another. I went back to the doctor today, because about 16 days ago, they told me I had Strep (YUCK!). So they gave me a bottle of Penicillin, along with some numbing wash, Motrin, migraine samples, some numbing lozenges. Basically an entire medicine cabinet and everything but the kitchen sink. The deal was that it was supposed to be completely cleared up within 10 days. I saw some symptoms go away, but my tonsils have remained swollen and still have spots on them (over share I know). Last night, I didn't sleep, at all. Not one wink. So this morning I called the appointment line and luck would have it, they gave me an appointment for this morning. That was score number one! I was sure they couldn't get me in until next week. They also gave me an appointment with a different provider, SCORE 2! My normal PCM basically asks you what you think is wrong and then diagnoses it. Yeah, no! This new person did the right thing for a change and referred me to a ENT, so now I just have to wait for the referral to go through so i can go and find out whats wrong with me. She told me that if they cant figure it out from there that she will send me for a sleep study and a allergy testing. As long as I find out why I can barely breathe I'm golden. My poor husband has been listening to some pretty raunchy snoring accompanied by spouts where he says it doesn't sound like I'm breathing, so he isn't getting too much sleep either, and that poor man is tired.

We went and got family pictures done last Saturday. Yes I know, I just posted some that the fabulous Kelly Gagnard had taken for us. But when the opportunity of a flat our trade with another photographer friend came up, its hard to turn it down. So we went down to the train station, which just happens to be my choice location for all of my clients, and had such a fun morning! She gave me a sneak peak, and she got this one of Lucas, that in my opinion is completely PERFECT. He is in mid belly laugh! So his head is tossed into the air with the biggest smile from a laugh that I've ever seen. I can't wait to get these back so I can post some and get some up on my walls! I will post some once I get them back.

Thats about all thats going on in the Rakers household for now. Until next time!
Rowan

A Breath of Fresh Air

This Presidents Day weekend has been pretty great so far. We started off yesterday with taking the 2 hour trip to my favorite place to shop, a town called Rancho Cucamonga. They have an awesome outdoor mall with lots of yummy food options. We got our tires replaced, shopped at REI looking for some compression sleeves for my calf muscles, Doug and the kids saw a movie while I shopped for some new clothes. We then went and picked out some wine and came home.
Today I had a photo shoot with a friend, so much gun! She wanted to do something for her 10 year wedding anniversary, so she put her wedding dress back on, she looked amazing; and we went to town. My husband in the mean time, was so sweet, he stained and distressed my wine rack for me, and tomorrow we get to hand it. Yay! Now I will have a place to store my wines! I wasn't really a wine person when I came to California. I still haven't even been to a winery. Thanks to a few awesome friends they have taught me to appreciate it. Some are an acquired taste but I've learned to really like them and I'm even starting to taste a few of the different flavors in the wines.
Upstairs got nice and cleaned today. I went through Chloe's clothes and got rid of stuff that she never wears or are too small. I cleaned the walls and started the bathrooms, now all we have to do is clean the carpets and the bath tubs, and a few more loads of laundry. I also started two new art projects for the walls in the kids rooms. I love DIY projects. They are really helping me to be more creative on the things I want to do to decorate my house. I'll post pictures tomorrow as well as Lucas's video of him walking..

Have a wonderful night!
To

He's Officially a Toddler.

Its amazing how quickly things change. Just yesterday Lucas spent all day crawling around the living room floor, giggling and laughing and chasing the dog making whimpering noises. They are my favorite. Its how he says "Puppy". We will go to the store and he will see a stuffed puppy and make little woof sounds and reach for it. Its the cutest thing. Then last night, Doug and I were sitting on the couch; I wan finishing the tutu I was making for Chloe to wear today at school; and all of a sudden Doug yells "He's walkin!" I look up, and sure enough he's got this huge smile on his face and he'e walking right to Doug. Lucas thought it was hilarious. So he kept getting up and walking after Chloe and the dog, and Aiden finally came in and joined in on the fun too. We played for about an hour like this and he finally got tired. Doug made a video of it and I will post it soon for everyone to see.

This morning I woke up and I started to get everyone ready for school and realized, he's not a baby anymore. Now that he walks he's officially a toddler. I'm thankful that I spent every second possible enjoying his baby-ness, yet I still can't believe that, that's it. No more babies. The other two have grown so fast, now just as soon as I blink, Aiden will be 13, Chloe will be 8 and Lucas will be 5 and in Kindergarten. This precious time goes so fast.

Aiden already has his first "girlfriend" he even bought her a silk rose for Valentines Day. He said, "Mom if we buy her this one, then she can keep it forever and not have to throw it away" Smart thinkin for an 8 year old. He was so excited. He wanted to buy her everything that he saw. He's gonna grow up to be just like his Daddy, because Doug does the same thing. He's got an amazing heart and is always thinking of others, Aiden does that same thing. Whenever he wants to spend his money, its never on himself.

And Chloe, I can already tell that she will make one amazing Mommy. She is already so sweet and gentle, not to mention patient as ever. Especially when it comes to Lucas. Lucas can get pretty rough. Believe me he doesn't take anybody mess. He can hold his own. But even when he's being a stinker, Chloe just smiles at and taps him lightly on the nose with her finger and says, "No hitting Loukie. Silly fat boy" and kisses him on the head.

I am so proud of the three if them. We are so very blessed, I wouldn't change a thing about any of them.

Lots of Love,
Ro

Love can conquer all odds

The past few months have really re-validated to me the reasons I chose photography as my calling in life. The importance of a photograph and not only that but a good photo session. It is so important to capture the moments to look back on such wonderful memories. Quite a few months ago I had a wonderful friend adopt a special needs child. She, her spouse and her kiddos did wonders for this little man. Boy has this little man thrived! He has come so far from where he was when they first brought him home. They got a compassionate reassignment to be closer to a doctor that could take care of his needs. I had offered a completely free photo session in celebration of their new son, which was never fulfilled due to schedule conflicts. Not even a month after their PCS a devastating tragedy stuck their family, and her husband died in a helicopter collision during a routine training exercise. This piece of news, hit way to close to home. It was my first experience of a friend losing a spouse. As a military spouse we never think that, even though their "Boots are on the ground" it doesn't mean that things can't happen even when they are not deployed. I cried, I prayed, and cried some more a lot over the last 2 months! The question deep down in my heart, one I tried to ignore, was "How is she going to take care of him without her husband?" She has three other kiddos to take care of. She was fighting with this herself, and had to make a decision on what was best for this sweet little boy and for her family. He was a struggle even before her husband died. So she came to her decision, one we all knew was going to break her heart. Many of us believe that God used her as a tool to get him out of the situation he was in to the next step. She has done everything that she could do, and now his story continues with a new family. It will be strange to not hear about how he's doing or see pictures; she would post tons of pictures and videos; but he is loved, from one end of the country to another. And now his new family gets the joy of watching him continue to beat the odds the doctors keep setting on him. I will continue to pray and he will always be in my heart.
Rowan

Hello 2012

The year 2011 was very good to us. For no particular reason, but things were just nice and pretty easy going. I may not like living in the desert or having to drive 90 minutes to get to a restaurant or shopping center. I have however, met some of the most amazing people I have ever met and I am so blessed to have them as apart of my life. I hope 2012 is equally as good if not better.

The end of 2011 became extremely humbling. On December 12th, I went to bed after watching a friends video of her husband flying his helicopter over their house, thinking what an awesome Dad. I woke up the next morning to the horrible news that, that soldier, husband and father died after his and another helicopter collided together during training. Her life and her kids lives are altered forever. I wish more than anything that I could do something, anything, to take this pain and devastation away from her and her four children. I want more than anything for this to just be a bad dream or a mistake, and for her husband to walk into the door and back into their arms. They are the last family that deserves this much pain. That horrible accident has changed something in me forever. We all worry about our spouses when they're deployed, we never think of something happening when their boots are on our soil during an everyday training mission. It has taught me to not take a single moment for granted. It has also shown me that in all honesty, I do not care about what others think, about me, my marriage, my kids. I may not be a perfect speller as my brother has pointed out many times the last few weeks, I may not articulate things very well sometimes, but, I am a good person, I love my family and my friends with everything that I have. If you don't like me, then you know, that's really ok. All I can do, is to live my life, every single day like it may be my last, or someone elses last. We may never get another chance to tell someone just how much they mean to us. We can only hope that they were left not only knowing, but FEELING that they were loved. So this year, I'm not making some New Years resolution that will more than likely be broken. I am just going to live each day and do the best that I can, and make sure that the ones that I love, FEEL Loved. I'm going to have fun with my family, take them to some theme parks, let my kids stay up late to watch movies and cuddle up on the couch. I want them to laugh so hard at the dinner table that their chocolate milk is coming out of their noses. So here's to 2012 and some amazing family time.

Ro