hannah

we've been in texas for just over one month now. wow. feels like two weeks. i'd say we have adjusted quite easily. hannah started school right away and is eating lunch there, taking the bus, doing all the things 'big' kids do. ainnsley has enjoyed going to nursery, and doesn't fight going. breonna isn't sleeping thought the night as well as she was in canada. that's no good, as sometimes i feel i nurse her all night long. in time.

as i mentioned hannah is enjoying school, and we jut had her chistmas concert last night. her first official one. ( ps. it's so great to live in a state that will say chirstmas. enjoy the video.)







hannah has matured so much this past year. having breonna, who looks similar to hannah as a baby, makes me realize how much she's grown. she had her first school lunch on monday, and i had to fight the tears as she walked out of the school kitchen holding her tray, walking to the table. it's going to be a rough couple of years. it's a good thing i have other children, cause this mama hen wouldn't let her baby out of her wing!!

copperas cove, texas

we made it!! we arrived in our new hometown copperas cove, texas on thursday november 12 at 6:30pm mst. i tried to take a picture of the first sign we saw, but we were highway driving and we were going too fast. so it's just a blurr.

copperas cove, or cove as the locals reffer, has about 30 000 people. i never thought i would want to live in a small town, but now that i have kids, i wouldn't want it any other way. our neighborhood is awesome. it's full of friendly people and tons of kids. my girls are loving it! hannah started school as soon as we could. her school, ironically is huge. almost 1000 kids!! but the actual class only has 20 kids. she catches the bus at 7:11 and doesn't get home until 3:30. she's gone all day! most mom's would love that, but my hannah can be so sweet and calming, i miss her. it's only been 4 days, so i still have time to adjust.

ainnsley is doing so well in her new room. for the handful of people who know her habits knows she doesn't sleep well. she always falls asleep cuddling, or on the couch beside me. with all the chaos i let it go, and would "worry about it later." so we moved in and got everyone's room set up. we got her a new big, big girl bed with everything blue, her favorite. she surprised us all with no real fights in going to sleep there. however, the other problem is she always wakes up and comes in our bed. being lazy i fixed the problem...... by getting a king bed!!! still, it;s a nasty habit. so last night we made her a makeshift bed beside ours and told her that if she got scared she can come and sleep there. well, it made it okay to come in, so she had no part of it. slept right through the night. i hope this isn't a sign of rebellion!!

breonna has had a persistant cough since leaving utah. finally i took her to the dr and he concluded it was allergies. everyone's been letting me know about the texas cedars and the "cedar fever" it brings. i hope it's not as bad as it sounds! i think she's teething again, and i think it's the big ones as she's been miserable the past two nights. all this fun stuff i forgot about with babies.

it's been great to be reunited again. i neglected to think however that being reunited with brad means being reunited with his laundry, dishes, habits. so it's been "refreshing" to get acustomed to life together again. it's fun to know that there is no sign of being apart for a while so we are really taking advantage of together time. one great thing about living in a military town is the family unity that the town feels. there is so much to do as a family. what a great value to have. i say if you ever get the oppurtunity to move to town close to a base, take it. it's wonderful. that being said about a small town, the closest target is 25 miles away.

i hope this all finds you well. it's american thanksgiving tomorrow, and while the majority of america will be enjoying turkey, we'll be enjoying homemade cafe rio. i'm more thankful for that than turkey!!

here we go!!

well, all the talk is finally going in motion. we have taken off! as i write this we are in a hotel in farmington new mexico. my first venture out of utah, and we stop in farmington. go figure!! i always said i'd love to move to new mexico, but now that we're here, i think i'll change my mind. it's a lot different than i expected. i'm sure there are better parts, but i'll believe it when i see it.

so, we left our dear friends this morning to set off. we are planning on three days. we'll take our time seeing it is so long for the girls. plus, we won't feel rushed to get there by a certain time, and there is an extremely high chance someone will be sick. ainnsley was the one this morning. poor thing. we were on the side of the road just before price cleaning everything with bottled water and forcing gravol down her throat. lovely. let's hope for a better couple of days.

with all that has happened in fort hood these last couple of days, it will be very interesting to arrive during this trial. i hope i can protect my girls from the hate that i'm sure will be said, but know that i can't for long. it is a really scary world we live in, and i was foolish to think that we would be safe on base. it made me realize that nowhere is truely safe. what i can keep safe is my family values that i hope and pray that my girls will understand and cherish their whole lives. hey, one can hope. i am so thankful to be together with brad again, and it has made our family values stronger than ever.

i always say i will be better at posting, but we actually have something going on now, so there is more to say. i will miss utah and all the friends that i have made over the years. i'm so grateful for this day in age where it is so easy to stay in touch. it's wonderful.

so, here's to being an army strong family for real now!! hooah!!!

summer's end

as the summer is coming to a close, i'm thinking how fun my summer's have been as a mom. as a kid, they were always fun. we were lucky enough to live next door to our cousins so we always had someone to play with. as soon as we were done breakfast we were outside ready to play until bedtime. sometimes so excited one of us forgot to put shorts on!! i won't say who. but as i got older i had summer jobs, and then when i got married we worked all the time it seemed.

but as a mom i've been so fortunate to stay home and raise my girls. i have come home the last three summers and they have been wonderful! i hope my girls will remember the fun times we've had, and i hope to keep creating memories with them. with that said, what is a favorite summer memory of yours?

ooohhhh, we're halfway there...

can anyone name that tune?????

but it is true. we are halfway through bolc III. yeah!! it's been interesting. we have had a fun summer, colder than we are use to, but fun. granny had the backyard all ready for the girls with a swingset, playhouses, a sandbox and a little pool. they don't play out there as much as i would like, but when they are out there, they have a blast. we have been at the quarry in canmore a couple of times, reilly park a couple of times, cousins' houses. plus we had hannah's and ainnsley's birthdays in there. alot of fun times. i will say we are all a little anxious to have a routine again.

speaking of routines, hannah starts grade one on thursday. how exciting! we actually went out to the new mall to do school shopping today, and i think it became a little more real for her. she starting saying that she was a little nervous, but knows she'll do okay. such a big girl.

brad will finish bolc III oct 30. then will see eachother for maybe a week before he's most likey off again. we both agree that it is best for us to do as many schools as he can while i'm home and spend more time together in the end. i am busy with the girls and he's busy with school, so it's been a good thing.

the girls have been great. we have had fun, and we are so lucky to have mom and dad to help us, especially me. breonna is getting bigger by the minute! she is a smiley thing, and loves her sisters. she has slept through the night beautifuly, and made me a better mom. mommies need their sleep!!

so my battery is running low, and since my sis prettied up my blog, i'll update in a few.

crazy busy!!

well, on may 14th 2009 breonna claire herkimer entered our lives. we are so blessed to have her. i decided, with much fear, to have an epidural and wow!! much easier. i can see why people have so many children. my stance on the number of kids to have has changed!! my friend said with epidurals she enjoyed giving birth. i thought she was crazy........ before I had an epidural!!! breonna was the first baby i could really enjoy taking in. the other girls i was being stitched, and i don't have to say how unpleasant that is!!

we brought her home 2 days later and have enjoyed having her here. however, her birth was the begining of the craziness. we had to pack house, enjoy time together, adjust to the baby, bless her, and send brad off, and go to calgary all in 12 days. yikes!! that was a white knuckle experience for sure!! we made it, but i couldn't have done it without our wonderful friends, who we will miss dearly, and our family. my dad flew up for the blessing and to help with the girls, and my mom and brother made a quick drive up to be here and to help bring us up to calgary for the summer. we honestly could not have done it without everyone. thank you so much and we love you all.

now we are nestled up here in calgary, enjoying a break from the heat. the girls love my mom's big backyard and all the cousins. my mom has been really cute in making the backyard their little neighborhood with the playhouses. i had my first night alone with all the girls on saturday, and there is no way i could do this alone. i have to give all the single mothers a huge shout out for there constant hard work. i am so blessed to have a family that is willing to help out so much.xxx

brad is in ft. knox for four months. this will be the longest we will be apart, and so far it's only been a week. this will be hard but i know we can do it. we are able to skype, and email and call more than his other trainings so we should be okay. i at least have the girls to keep me busy.

my goal this summer is to update as often as i can to show you guys the fun we will have. i'm still so lame at this, so hang tough.

we love you all, and once again thank you for all your support.

top ten ways your life isn't like a reality show.

i saw this in one of my parenting magazines and thought it was cute. i hope you enjoy it!!

1. your morning weigh-ins are mercifully private.

2. no hope of trading up to a multimillionaire, housecleaning husband who lives to give foot rubs in wacky wife-swap episode.

3. you drive a ford, shop at target, and drink diet coke all the live-long day, but no one gives you a damn dime for product placement.

4. you endure hours of grueling photo shoots- but they're all at sears and come out in wallet size with a faux-nature background.

5. the only extreme home makeover you're getting is courtesy of a 5-year-old with markers.

6. you'd like to see top chef make three different dishes (one kid food, one vegan for your tween, and one that actually tastes good for you) every single night.

7. you really did marry you big fat obnoxious fiance. (and what's worse, no one paid you.)

8. you never get voted off- even if you beg.

9. you're surrounded by "real" housewives- but like you, they haven't shaved their legs in days.

10. you know what not to wear, but nothing else fits since you've had kids.

now how is it i can't remember dr's appointments???

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your children!

Let's see how much you remember!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? yes, but it happened really fast.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? yes, for 2 years

3.WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION? excitement, curiosity.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? no way!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 27....did i say that out loud??

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? missed periods and then puking then dr's.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? brad, of course. then my mom.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? no, i wanted to be different.

9. DUE DATE? july 15 2003

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? everyday, even on the delivery table.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? salads, snickers and dr pepper.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? i worked for jenny craig...... need i say more?

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? girl

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? nope, totally okay with it.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 30

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? my mother in law had one for me in utah, and my auntie meg had one for me in calgary.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? my mother in law's was a surprise.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? no.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? timpanogous regional hospital.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? i was induced at 5pm, needed to push at 9pm and she was born at 9:15pm. 4 and a half hrs.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? brad and my mom.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? my mom was there right until i had to push then she had to leave, so brad was there.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? no. my fear of needles is bigger than my pain tolerance.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lbs 4oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? july 15 2003

29. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? hannah isabelle

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 5

Let's see how much you remember!

1. WAS YOUR SECOND PREGNANCY PLANNED? yes, but took almost a year.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? yes, for six years.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? excitement, but i was distracted with a 2 year old.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? no way.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 29

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? same old. missed periods, puking...

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? brad

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? nope. i like the surprise.

9. DUE DATE? august 11 2006

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? of course, but it only lasted 16 weeks this time.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? homemade chocolate cake. i made one every other day.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? i worked part time and needed my mother in law to babysit. that never went smoothly.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR SECOND CHILD'S SEX? girl, but we were so convinced it was a boy. everything was opposite, everything!

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? not at all. i'm so blessed to be able to have children.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 60. remember the chocolate cake??

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? no. another girl in the same season.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? total shock!

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? she was posterior and the dr had to turn her. ouch!!

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? cottonwood hospital.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? my labor started at 6am, was at the hospital at 7:30am and she was born at 1o:55am. so about 5 hrs.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? brad

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? brad

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? vaginal

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? nope. fear of needles.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lbs 7oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? august 11 2006

29. NAME? ainnsley mae.

30. WHAT IS YOUR CHILD'S AGE TODAY? 2

be...

Back in the day, I had a “frenemy” who, as it turned out, was pretty hell-bent on taking me down. This person really did what they could to hurt me. I was deeply upset, I was angry, I was all of those things you feel when you find out that someone you thought you liked was venomous and dangerous. I restrained myself from fighting back. I tried to take the high road. But one day I heard that something unfortunate and humiliating had happened to this person. And my reaction was deep relief and…happiness. There went the high road. So, why does it feel so good to hear something bad about someone you don’t like? Or someone you DO like? Or someone you don’t KNOW? I once asked the editor of a newspaper why all of the stories had a negative bent. He said that when the headline was positive, the paper didn’t sell. Why is that? What’s wrong with us? I asked the sages to shed a little light.

Here’s to washing our mouths out with soap...

Love,

Bethany

The wait is over!!

At long last we have some answers. First off, Brad has worked so hard for us and we are so grateful for him. He has tried numerous times to have the dates of his trainings etc. to cater to us and our children's needs. It's been wonderful having him working so close and being home for dinner every night, no homework or papers to run to, coming home for lunch and just having more time as a family. I can't get to comfortable with this.

It's looking like the first of his training is May 10th, five days before our baby's due. We've talked about inducing and are a little on the fence. He may be able to come home for a day, he may not. Regardless I have a wonderful, supportive family that is willing to come down and help out. It sucks to maybe have him gone, but if it needs to be done, what can we do?

The second of his training starts June 1st. This is in Kentucky and will be about five months. We just learned today that we will not be going with him. I will go home for a bit, and he'll have weekends off so we can go and visit. It will be hard however I will have a newborn that will take all my attention. This is the part of an Army wife I am not looking forward to. Needless to say, no more kids!!

The best news is where we will be living. I'm anxious to get settled and get our girls happy in their new life. And we will be doing that by the end of November at Fort Hood Texas. This is exciting for me because my sister lives near Dallas so it's only 4 hours away. I have not lived close to my family for nine years and am thrilled to be close to her. Hannah has never lived near cousins and I am excited to have her close to Madeline. Although I will ensure she is not brainwashed with High School Musical!!! JK

It's a relief to have answers, however one thing that is the same with the Army is it's always changing. So lets keep our fingers crossed that it will all work out.

Thanks for your support, we love you all, and we'll keep you posted.

Love,

The Herkimers

Waiting Game

Those of you who read this, all three of you, know what we're still waiting for. We were told that we would know our post three months ago. We still know nothing, and I've made peace not knowing. At first we tried to stand back and not really get involved with a lot because I thought we'd be gone sooner. Well it's hard in our neighborhood. The four months we've been here I've been given two callings in our ward, joined a book club, was walking with a friend, and gone to several Enrichment activities. That's more involvement since Draper which was three years ago. So my plan backfired, but I couldn't be more grateful. The friends I have made in this short time will always be remembered. In fact, me and my friend Kathryn did so much we ended up with the same due date!!

With this in mind it got me thinking of everyone I've dealt with since I've moved here. This year is my ninth year here. I can't believe it. When you first move away you think it will never be the same. You'll always miss home, you think everyone's lost without you and you're counting down to every visit. I have been lucky enough to go home a lot, and I do love going home. There is a point where you are just content visiting those closest to you. I have come and gone without telling any of my old friends I've been, and do feel terrible, but there is only so much one can expect. With the kids, schedules, plus everyone still does there own thing without you, you just can't visit everyone.

So my life will consist of moving and I'll have to deal with making friends and leaving friends. I think that's why I enjoy Facebook more than my husband. I enjoy friendships but he can take it or leave it. He always says "why do I need friends when I have you, my best friend." Barf!! Sorry honey. I need friends.

Thank you friends, for being my friends. Understanding the chaos of my life, seeing me when I visit, understanding when I can't. Here's to all of you, and the friends in my future. I wouldn't be who I am without you!!

Love Bethany xoxo

Holiday Bliss

Well they've been and gone. As quick as a flash. The Holidays. As I get older the season goes faster, so this year I'd thought I'd make it last and my decorations up early. It didn't work. It still went just as fast. And I was ready to take them down on the 1st.

I was really excited to wake up Christmas morning in our own place this year. One of the little things you take for granted when you live with others and travel for Christmas. This year we had alot of Christmas festivities planned thanks to Crazy Granny. Some cities re-enact The Polar Express on some old trains. The city Heber does that here. However Heber is just south of Park City, and the night we had tickets a blizzard blew into town. They had closed down the canyon and we were unable to go. We were disapointed. We were able to go last year so we knew what we were missing. Hopefully we will be able to make that a Christmas tradition where ever we end up.

The next on our list was The Nutcracker. We got tickets to the local theater and it was kid friendly, the important part. It was put on by a local dance company so the dancers ranged from 3 to about 60! It was really well done and would make that a tradition for sure. I made the mistake by recording Nutcracker on Ice that was on TV so Hannah could see it seeing she really enjoyed the play. Well she watches/ dances to it about 5 times a day and begging anybody to dance with her!! Bittersweet.

Another highlight this season was finding out what we are having. I was so excited but Brad was not. I felt that because of our uncertainty it was best for me to be better prepared. Brad likes the surprise, as do I, but I've done that twice. This time I can know without the hours of excrutiating pain!! So pull out the pink, it's another girl!!!

New Years for us consists of the TV, remote, and couch as it does every night, but this time we tried to stay awake to see the ball drop. I know. We're lame.

We are always reminded this time of year about our loved ones near, far and gone ahead. You all were missed dearly and are constantly in our hearts. We love you all and hope to see you soon.

All our love, Pots and Pans, etc.

B&B