HAPPY ANNIVERSARY...

Today is our 14th Wedding Anniversary...I think it is only our 3rd or 4th one we have had to celebrate while apart. I know we have had to celebrate more birthday and Valentine Day celebration apart than that. For those of you in the military...you know that only 3 or 4 anniversaries apart isn't too bad...so, I will just have to focus on being able to celebrate our 15th in person next year!! Sorry I haven't posted in a while...I have TONS of pictures to share...they are all still on the camera though...I will get to it maybe in the next few days. We have just been SO VERY busy...you would think that the holiday break would be a "break"...however, we have been very busy doing tons of fun stuff with friends and HOCKEY...almost everyday & sometimes both boys have hockey on the same day. This would be alright if Sam wasn't walking...but, trying to entertain him for the 2 hours at the rink...not so easy! He wants to climb up or down the concrete stairs...I don't think so!!! Luckily, Rachel is very good at picking him up and bringing him back to me. I am enjoying the break from rushing around getting the kids breakfast & making lunches though. And, I am enjoying the extra time playing games with the kids and watching the kids make up silly games to play :-). Right now I am listening to Rachel & Ben play make believe with their friend Isabelle & they just say the funniest things!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah...we still have tonight and tomorrow night to light the candles. The kids have had a wonderful time celebrating. They were thrilled to have a visit from Santa at two different friend's houses. And have been enjoying lighting the candles...Ben can almost say the whole blessing all by himself now!!! We are looking forward to this next week...esp. ringing in the New Year! I am hoping to get my Holiday cards ready in the next week...I know, I know...I always procrastinate & so it will be a Happy New Year card...better late than never, right?! I have been enjoying receiving everyone else's cards though...my favorite thing to do is read the updates and see how much my friends children have grown since the card from the previous year ...thank you to all who have sent them so far!! You will get mine as soon as I get it done :-).

Happy Anniversary sweetie!!! I am looking forward to spending MANY, MANY more together!!! I love you so very much!!!!! I miss you!!!!

Took the week off...

OK...so I will in the next few days,maybe get to pictures from last weekend...didn't take any this week because I was on my back, on the floor, in PAIN! I had a spinal tap done last Monday & then of course developed a spinal tap headache...just like I did after the epidural with Sam...I have NO idea why they call it a headache because it in NO way resembles a headache! It incapacitates you...you have to lay completely on your back & then the pressure is relieved & you feel great. Move the slightest bit upright & it is all over with...your head is KILLING you...the worst migrane EVER & then because it is so painfully hard to hold your head up...it starts hurting in your neck & then shoulders. So, I layed there, on the floor for several days. On Thursday I thought I could make it to the military appreciation lunch at the kids school...what was I thinking!?!? I promptly laid down on that filthy, disgusting floor until a friend (THANK YOU Donna & Chris!!!) came to the rescue & took home Ben & Sam & her husband took me to the hospital! After doing a blood patch & staying at the hospital most of the day I was all better...other than being sore where they stuck the needle in my spine...AGAIN! Anyway, why the spinal tap...trying to figure out what is wrong with me...I have had MRI's, and TONS of blood work...more than 20 tubes!! I see another neurologist tomorrow & internal medicine doc. on Tuesday to see if they can come up with answers. I have had numbness in all 4 limbs...was only left originally but, has started in my right side a little over a month ago. At first was thought to be a tumor or MS...but, they have been ruled out...well, the MS...not completely...but, he is "pretty sure". So, I don't know...I have good days & then "not so good" days with this chronic pain. So, prayers are welcome & if anyone has any ideas send them my way???

Happy Annivesary...

Paul & I met 16 years ago today, both of us sharing a ride with a mutual friend from West Point down to Philly for the Army Navy game (Go Army...they won by 1 point...25-24...it was an amazing & exciting game & VERY cold...the temp. was pretty darn cold & then the wind...ahh...it was just swirling around in the stadium making it feel even colder!!! ) & the rest as they say is history! And what a history is has been! We've lived in 5 different states & one foreign country, 9 total moves, 4 incredible munchkins!, we are down one cat & several gold fish :-(, but we still have a dog & a beta :-), and we have just made too many incredible memories along the way to count!!!! I love you so much Paul! I am so glad we met 16 years ago!!! Thank you for choosing me to share your life journey with, for being my best friend, & for making me the happiest woman in the world! Thank you for 4 beautiful, healthy, wonderful children, for providing so much for us, for being our hero, and for being our ROCK! I wish we were together but, I am very proud of you for what you are doing! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Sorry for the poor quality of these pictures but, I do not have a scanner & this is what it looks like when you take a picture of an old picture :-).

So here we are 5 months after we met at Paul's graduation from West Point.

Here we are touring Heidelberg Castle...

We are celebrating Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of friends just before Paul deployed for the year to Bosnia...

Back in the states, stationed in Ft. Leonard Wood, attending a friend's wedding and me a few months pregnant with Jakob...
And here we are just before Paul deployed...
And here what 16 years will do to you...one big, HAPPY family!!!

Paul's move to Afghanistan video...

Here is a cool video of Paul's move to from Ft. Riley to Afghanistan. And here is his address if you would like to mail him a letter or if your kid's class wants to adopt a soldier to write to :-).
Major Paul Darling
ARSIC-S, RPAC
FOB Walton
APO AE 09355

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with your friends and/or families. We sure missed having Paul with us but are thankful for him for serving our country! We went with some friends and had a fabulous time! It was a huge gathering (about 200 people), potluck style, with tons of yummy food!!! Then all the kids (except Sam...it was 19*...a little on the cold side for the little guy) went sledding for about 2 & 1/2 hours. They had a blast. The goal was to sled down the hill & make it out onto the frozen lake. Jakob made it out several times. Then, Thursday evening we went over to my friend, Jennifer's house to surprise her for her birthday :-)! Today was another busy day & tomorrow we will head up the road a little bit & visit our friends the Galloways before Jakob's hockey game. Here are a few favorites from Thanksgiving and then of course I had to make some smilebox creations for you. Enjoy & see the rest of the pictures in the family album.

The kids sledding on Thanksgiving...

On all of these smilebox creations don't forget once you click the link to open the scrapbook or slideshow that you can click the maximize square to get a larger view and then you can also click on any picture to enlarge it :-)!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Ben and Rachel's Thanksgiving artwork

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Ben's Pre-School Thanksgiving Celebration

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Catching up...

I thought I better get on here while I had a small opportunity before someone else gets sick. Last Friday Ben had a field trip with his pre-school class out to the local Senior Center. We all took a pie to share with the community and the little ones made little booklets and sang songs. That was all great. What wasn't great was the fact that lots of little hands were all over my little Samuel and I was freaking out because the stomach flu has been going around for several weeks. Well, I don't know if this is where it came from but, I think it was...I mean they were all over him! Soooo...Sunday afternoon when I went into to get Sam out of his bed from his nap...WOW! I screamed for help! I have never seen so much regurgitated food in my life! I'm talking he had 4 eggs and 6 ounces of sweet potatoes earlier that morning & luckily his body knew something was about to happen because he had refused to eat lunch...which is not like him but, I had dismissed it because he had not had a nap so I thought he just wasn't eating because he was tired! WRONG! So there I am just standing there looking at the poor little guy wondering what I am supposed to do!? I mean the eggs were HANGING in his hair & from his ears!AHHHH! The bed was covered! I had Rachel start the water so it would be warm enough for me to wash him. I had Jakob grab a garbage bag so that I could just wrap up the sheet & all the contents & just chuck it (pardon the pun!) because I was not about to clean that mess up...we have more sheets! So, after scrubbing Sam 6 times with soap he finally passed my sniff test & then he threw up 2 more times right in the tub...at least! Of course later on he threw-up on me 3 more times! The rest of the story...he felt awful & whined until Wednesday! Jakob came home from school on Tuesday...well, you know the rest...I was up all night running btw. him & Sam! Then, Rachel came home from school on Wednesday & well...you know the rest. She is feeling much better right. And then, I got a little of the bug...not so much throw up b/c unlike the kids I was able to take a bunch of anti-nausea medicine as a preventive measure...glad I did b/c I really think it helped! Lasted only about 10 hours for me instead of days. So, now I am just waiting for Ben...hopefully he will survive! I am ready to sleep more than 45 minutes at a time...haven't done that since Saturday night!
Jakob's team won their second hockey game :-)! Sadly I missed it as it was on a school night & an hour drive away & he was not home until 10.
That's about it for our week...sick, sick, sick & me doing no less than 20 loads of yucky towels, sheets, & clothes!
So, here is the field trip that started it all...

Later that day we headed off to tour the Fire Station with a few Moms Club friends...

My brave little man...

Inside the big truck...

OK, I put the picture above and this one below so you could take a look at the boys fingers! they are the same: Right hand, first two fingers, right in the mouth!

Since I didn't get a chance to blog before here are some catch-up pictures:

Sam so excited when he first saw Rachel and JAkob when they came home from school my first day back home. I know, I know, I can't believe I didn't get one of Sam kissing & hugging Ben!

The Darling bunch hanging out...Rachel reading to everyone.

A few favorites of Little Sam...he was playing with a hockey ball.

Too sweet...

Ugh...these are out of order...I wanted the next one first...oh well...here are the three self-portraits together.

And here is Rachel's...

Just before I left on my trip it was Rachel's turn to be "Person of the week" at school. She worked very hard making her sentence strips to be displayed along with a few pictures. Click to enlarge to read them all.

Ben worked really hard on these castles and then said, "Mommy, you take a picture of me to show Daddy."

Hope you enjoy the weekend. We have hockey ahead of us and if everyone feels good... some sledding...we have had a slow, steady snow out there...so the sleds are calling!

Sam Walking And Ben Singing & Update on where I have been...

I hope you enjoy this little video. It is so neat watching Sam learning to walk on his own. He just giggles at himself and then falls down. And, Ben, singing this song...too cute!

Well, after I last posted I took off to the airport and just got back! It was crazy. Up until Thursday morning we thought Paul was going to be able to come home for a few days or possibly even a few weeks. And then he said, "no way, not going to be able to come." So, I called 3 friends & they all agreed to each take a kid & I made my reservation! I can NOT thank them enough! They gave Paul & I the gift of time together which I am so incredibly grateful to them for doing! So, Sam & I flew down to Kansas City to see Paul off. (Sorry Todd & Kiki but no time for a visit this time around). We had a WONDERFUL time!! We went by Sam's schedule for eating & sleeping at odd times but it was so nice! I actually took real naps, slept at night for more than a 2 hour stretch...(last night...first night home with all the kids and it was back to the normal...someone up for some reason all during the night...I was woken up 6 times & that was a good night! So you can see why I am constantly tired)! We enjoyed some of the sites & some delicious K.C. BBQ. It was so nice to not worry about laundry, housework, packing lunches, etc. I mean I of course LOVE my children and I missed each of them VERY much! But, boy did I enjoy the break! And, seeing Paul was fantastic! I wish all the kids could have seen Daddy but it just didn't work out that way. He called a few hours ago...we only got to talk just a few minutes :-(...but, he is safe, tired & jet lagged but safe! He left Ft. Riley early on Tues. morning and flew for 16 hours! Ugh. He has been in a holding place but now heads out to Afghanistan tomorrow. OK...it is 10...I am off to bed!

Ben and Jakob at Hockey Practice

Here are some pictures from my dad's camera at the boys' hockey practices. Ben is so darn cute! Jakob is ready for his first game of the season this weekend!
And then below are all the Halloween parties. If you hit the box in the corner you can make the scrapbook larger and then if youtouch on the picture and there is a magnifying glass then you can click and view a larger version of the picture ;-). Enjoy the rest of the pictures in the family web album.

Halloween 2008

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Ben's Pre-school Party #2

Make a Smilebox scrapbook