Mama of 2 P's in a Pod

Piper turns 4 next month! It floors to me think we were just gearing up to meet our first daughter 4 years ago! She has been such an amazing little person to get to know. She is smart beyond her years, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing when it comes to her attitude... =) She is such a wonderful daughter and I love getting to know her. I hope she knows how much she is loved!

Kris and I had the opportunity to go and enjoy some great entertainment last week, Garth Brooks live! I had never seen him before that night, Kris had gone several times before and was making good on an almost 10-year promise. We spent the day in KC, having fun and shopping for the girls of course. What seemed like a normal shopping trip turned into an amazing night. Not only was the music and entertainment phenomenal, there was something in the air that's been a long time coming....LOVE. So thank you Mr. Brooks for using your words and your music to bring back life to one of the most amazing relationships I've ever had and hope to have for the rest of my life. Kris, thank you!

I t's been an hour since I put the girls to bed and they are still in the "every excuse to stay awake phase". Parker used to be our sleeper, she would go right to bed and not even bat an eye. Piper on the other hand is our night owl and has been since I was pregnant with her and worked nights. I know, it's our fault because we have given in every other time. I can't even tell you how many times I've allowed her to lay with me just so she wouldn't wake up her sister. We also tried the put Parker to bed first then Piper scenario, yeah that didn't work either. Since they share a room it's hard, when one is crying both are awake sometimes until the wee hours. SO here we are on night # 5 and they are still awake but at least in their room. We have to use the baby gate since their bedroom is so close to the stairs, but that thing helps us so much. Are we cruel for keepign them in there like animals? Not if it means sleep for mommy and daddy! I ho...

Here is Parker our little witch, she loves the broom and is crazy about the hat. Piper as Miss Daphne, not too sure about her in a wig...

Mama has a new role. Part of that new role is securing a good future for the P's and ensuring their happiness as well as mine. I've seen women around me who seem to have hearts of steel and strength that seems to endure everything. I pray that I will learn from these women and find that within myself. Life is not easy, but it's finding a way to enjoy what you have in front of you that makes it count. Sometimes what you thought you could believe in is no longer an option. But then you find something even better and more hopeful, and that makes it all worth the while. I believe in my ability to be the best mama to those girls. They are the loves of my life. So for now, it's me and the P's...living our lives to the fullest!

Sometimes, life has a funny way of catching up to you. Especially when you just tread water and hope it's enough to keep you a float. You have a choice, you can drown and take it all with you or you can yell out for help and hope someone has a life raft they can loan you. Right now, I'm swimming, with a direction in mind. A direction of finding the person I am, the person he is and the couple we are. I see the P's faces in my mind when I want to give up and they push me on. We'll see where this swimming takes us. It's going to be a long, hard swim but one that is worth every tear, every laugh and every stroke along the way. I pray we never go back to just treading water, our life together is much more than that.

Last night the girls were very sweet to mama who has a major head cold. They played quietly and didn't put up too much of a stink when I asked them to do things by themselves. Parker went right to bed like a big girl. She didn't even ask me to tuck her, Dora or Strawberry Shortcake in, she just said "Night mommy", and rolled right over into her sleep mode. I came downstairs to find Piper our 3-year-old working her 50 piece puzzle. It's a puzzle we got in Target's $1 bin, one that she insisted she could work even though it says ages 5 and older. She and I put it together one night a few weeks back. It took us about an hour, it's been awhile since mommy has concentrated on little puzzle pieces. But last night, Piper took it on by herself and what do you know? She got that thing put together in half an hour by herself! She kept squealing with delight everytime she got one segment completed, and you should've seen the look on her face when she finished it....

Fall has arrived. With it all of the fun events to watch the girls enjoy! It was a little warm this weekend for Cider Days. Hopefully our church's Fall Festival will be different in a few weeks. I love the fall weather, chilly enough to wear a sweatshirt and jeans but still warm enough to be outside. I also love the new beginning fall brings with it. The old leaves fall off and make way for new ones to bloom in the spring. The cool crisp air blows in and whole house is open, cool and smells so good. It will different celebrating fall this year. The huge Dodds bonfire will be on a much smaller scale and will have a few missing faces. I'm hoping I will be able to finda new opportunity so Kris can be home more to celebrate fall with the girls and me.

A bittersweet night for the girls and I! Not only is one of their favoritest people in Iraq, their other favoritest is headed to Colorado for pastry chef school. Sam, my cousin has been a huge part of the P's lives. There for awhile we were each other's saving grace! She has spent many evenings here watching them play, letting them both climb all over her, change diapers, played Barbies and help mommy keep her sanity. She has been there for me when life has thrown some unpleasant surprises and has been such a good friend. I am so excited for her, sad to see her go, but excited for all of the doors that are opening for her! Parker and Piper both love their "mami" and I love her too. I am so grateful for the past two years of having a little sister! I am so grateful for all of her help, for her calm voice when life gets a little chaotic! I am so proud of her for the journey she's taken to this point and the many journeys that are ahead of her. She has such a talent ...

Today started off like any other day. The rush to get the girls ready and get to work. Gearing up to get the day ready for the newsroom. But things didn't go as I planned for a typical Monday. I got the call to "step into" my boss's office and my life, our life has changed. They decided to go in a "different direction" that didn't include my position. Right now I feel a mixture of anger, relief and fear. Angry that I just spent the last year and a half of my life building a station from nothing. Angry that I gave up so many holidays with our girls to play babysitter for the newsroom. Relief that I don't have to look over my shoulder. Relief that I don't have to work for a man who has no morals and doesn't know journalism if it hit him on the head. And fear! Fear that I can't find a job that pays anything close to what I've worked for. Fear that my husband will over work himself in hopes that he can make up for my lost income. Fear tha...

My brother-in-law Brian is on his way to Iraq this week. Thankfully we were able to get together with him and his family last night. He picked Chuck-E-Cheese of all places for his last night in Topeka for several months. Our girls had a blast playing with their cousins and I think all of the big kids (Brian, Kris, Mike etc.) had a good time too. It's hard to describe my feelings on "B" leaving. Part of me is sad, sad for his girls who will miss their daddy every day, sad for my husband who will miss his best friend, and sad that our country is even in a state of war. The other part of is me is proud, proud that I have a military family, proud that my family is so willing to serve while so many others chose not too, and proud that B took it upon himself to go to war. So while B's gone, my duty now falls to helping those who love him pass the time and live our lives so we can welcome him with open arms come February! Here's a picture of B and Kris on one of the nigh...

Today is one of those days when you look back and think of where you were. Since today is the 6th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks, we are all looking back 6 years. 6 years ago, Kris and I were newly engaged and living together in a small apartment. We were looking forward to planning a wedding and just living our lives. 6 years ago, the terror attacks happened and we realized we were our lives had changed forever. No, neither one of us knew anyone killed in the attacks. We did however, grieve our innocence, with the rest of the nation and had our television on 24 hours, waiting and fearing what could possibly come next. I remember the shear panic we felt that entire first week after the attacks. And I also remember thinking that maybe I should take the call to duty and serve my country. I even made a silent promise to those killed in the attacks that I would serve this country in their honor. I never made good on that, I came close when it came time to graduate from Washburn ...

I can't believe summer is basically OVER! We've had such a great time with the girls. The first half of summer was filled with swimming and trips to the park. The second half was extremely hot and a lot more time was spent indoors, letting their imaginations take over. I feel bad that I wasn't able to take them on any long vacations or spend more time with them since I work. BUT I think they enjoyed themselves and I know I did. Here are a few pictures of our summer in "rewind"

The girls seem to be catching summer colds, especially Parker. In between the stuffed up noses and the whiney children, I find myself tired and in a fog. I feel bad, partly because I know that the girls are just as irritable as I am. And partly because there is always going to be a reason to be irritable it's just a matter of fighting the opportunity! I'm at work today, thinking of ways to let the girls enjoy their night with just mommy, but also ways to get them to rest. I want them to enjoy being kids and not find myself in the oh-so easy trap of letting them play while I flip the channels. This is so destructive not only to the girls but to me and ever-expanding figure as well. Kris and I have some major changes to make for our family, the question is, when are we going to get serious about making them? Piper has been extremely hard to get to bed at night. I know part of it is my fault for just giving in and letting her sleep with me when daddy's working. I do worry thou...

Writing is one of my strengths, sometimes I worry that it's my only strength. But, I'm sure some of you will argue that it's not. I've started this blog kind of as a way to unwind and to reflect on the life I lead as a mama to our 2 P's in a Pod, and as a firefighter wife. I hope you will check back every once in awhile to see what's new and what's on my mind. I love my family and hopefully that love will shine through my words...so here we go on our ride called life.