The McC's go on a Geocaching Adventure!

Yesterday our base (Keesler AFB) and our Outdoor Rec. Center sponsored an awesome little geocaching hunt. The prize for the first person who finds the final clue box received a weekend voucher for a pontoon boat! Sadly we didn't win first prize but we did get a little prize from the box and most importantly we had fun just going out and "hunting for treasure!" oh so the munchkin likes to call it. Have any of you ever been geocaching before? I've done Letterboxing before and few geocaching, but this was the first time we did it as a family :)

Here's some of the pics from our adventure :)

Off to find our first clue! (It was at the pool house)

Look for the "smileys" for the clues!

A walk through the woods to the marina :)

Da Plane! Da Plane! The next clue is on the plane... just kidding ;)

The last box! Woohoo!

And that's all folks! :)

Comence Life!

The holidays are now over and I am starting to feel the normal rush of regular life take over (as usual) we are down to the "weeks" portion of hubby getting ready to leave for his big D. No, I will not say when, no I will not say where... remember OPSEC... sorry. So now we are kinda "mad-dashing" around trying to get everything in order. The paperwork is all done and the big arrangements have been made its just the little things now to worry about... like finding the write adapter, buying some extra clothes and boots, etcs...

I am on week five of my college class and I am holding down the fort with a A! I got my first essay grade last week and received an A on it as well (97.8). I'll tell you what though... I think writing in APA format is horrible and stupid! LOL! I am a little over the half way point with the class and should be ending it at the end of this month. Funny thing... my class ends the same day that I will be in NOLA with the munchkin seeing STAN Freakin LEE, for those of you who don't know who this awesome and amazing man is... he created Spider-man! Annnd... Adam Baldwin -- Mr. John Casey from the TV show Chuck! Yes, see I AM still a geek at heart! Oh man its gonna be so awesome!

Cookie sales will be starting soon, probably in the next week or so with Girl Scouts. I'm pretty excited seeing how its gonna be munchkin's first time doing a cookie sale! :) Soccer will also be starting up again for the season in about two weeks. It is going to be the munchkin's fourth year playing and her third year playing on the Keesler Youth Soccer League. She is very excited... me... I am terrified... why? Because I am COACHING! Yes... I am... I know... what did I get my self into right?! Well... I have been putting it off for weeks now, and the director has been bugging us parents by email saying that he needs a coach and an assistant coach for the team. I didn't really want to do it because I just have so much going on as it is with college and Girl Scouts and the nameless other projects I take on, I just didn't want to overload myself (especially since hubbers will be gone) But... the director sent out a final email yesterday saying he would have to refund the money to the parents of the kids who would have been on her team if someone didn't step forward to coach. They just didn't have any extra people to coach this year and the teams are already really full. I know how much she was looking forward to playing and with her dad being gone, the more distractions the better! So... what else could I do? So yeah... here I am coach Jess for Team Fire 5-6 year olds! LOL! Oy vey!

The Reading List

Well, with a new year... we have started a new challenge... chapter books! YAY! I'm so glad she is finally at the stage where she can focus a little longer in reading. I like that she is reading a level above what they are required also. She still has trouble with words and needs my help a lot but I know it will be for the best! I am so excited about the books she chose too! The boxcar children books were probably my favorite in 3rd grade! I can't beleive she can actually read them... she is so much smarter than I was at her age, but I guess that is the point... isn't it? To want your child to be better than you and excel at everything they do. I am so proud of her! Now, I just have to make my long but distinguished book list for this year, I completed my challenge of 30 books in 2011 and I hope to do at least that many this year as well. I still have one Black Dagger Brotherhood book to read, and a few mystery books in my collection left to read as well. I also want to try to read a few more of the "popular" books that will be coming out this year too. What will you be reading this year? Have you made your list yet?

My Simple New Year's Resolution

I have a very simple New Year's resolution this year, and I'm pretty excited about it also! Have you ever gotten a recite from a store and done a survey? Have you ever actually won whatever grand prize they have? I haven't... but then again, I haven't ALWAYS done the survey's on the receipt. I want to... I just usually stuff it in my purse and then forget about it. So this year, my resoultion is to do as many surveys as I can! I will do all the survey's that I get from my receipts from shopping and going out to eat. I want to see if I can actually win anything... it's worth a shot really... and what have I got to lose but just a few minutes?

I have already done four surveys so far today. We went out and about on our usual Sunday adventures which include Walmart and usually the mall. The munckin bought a book at Books-a-Million and I came home to enter into their survey of winning a $350.00 gift card. We also went to Petsmart where I did their online survey and I got an "instant reward", buy doing their survey I will save $3.50 on Ace's next grooming (which really does save since his nails cost about $9.00 to get done) so 2 minutes of my time for a $3.50 savings is worth it to me! I then went to dunkin donuts and bought two separate items so I got two receipts. Both receipts let me fill out a short survey and at the end I got a "instant reward" of any donut for free when I buy a medium or large beverage! Side Note: I bought the hazelnut K-Cups for my coffee maker tonight and they are freakin AWESOME! LOL!

The survey's are not hard and most of them take only 1-2 minutes. Out of all the survey's I filled out today, Books-a-Million was the most simple, it quite literally took me a minute! Probably would have took less, if I didn't write almost a paragraph on my awesome experience with my favorite sales associate. He's pretty awesome, and always in a very friendly mood. I seriously hope he gets sales associate of the year!

Christmas 2011 Wrap Up

Hi guys! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! I know we sure did! We were truly blessed with Christmas this year! Despite our hardships this year, with car issues and infertility... the year was still mostly great and Christmas was grand! My parents came from Florida for almost two weeks and it was very nice having them at our house for Christmas for a change. We usually pack up the car and travel south for Christmas but, with all that has been going on lately... we wanted to save money on traveling and stay at home, so it was nice of them to come to us and make the 12-hour-by-car-trip-sacrifice to be with us. It was also their first Christmas away from home in the last 30 years! We also had a nice big surprise when my In-Laws showed up at our door on Christmas Eve! LOL! That was unexpected but awesome! They totally had us fooled! They were even talking to us on the phone when they pulled up in the driveway! So we had the whole family here with us to celebrate the holiday! --Like I said... Awesome!

I cooked Christmas dinner all by myself this year for 7 adults and 4 children and it was awesome! The hardest part of the whole thing was making sure the parental units sat on their butts and did nothing! That as my whole goal... every year they like shuffling around the kitchen with me and helping me make the meal but this year I wanted to give them the gift of just enjoying the the extra time with their granddaughter and being waited on and served. They deserve it after all, for all they do for us. We had the usual dinner items; Ham, Turkey, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Green bean Casserole, Veggies, Rolls, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Pies, Cookies, Cakes etc.

Christmas morning was also awesome, everyone seemed to enjoy their gifts we gave them and Santa was very good to the munchkin this year! I thought her eye balls were gonna pop out of her head when she opened her barbie doll that she asked him for... she has been waiting all Christmas season to see if he would remember to bring it for her! It was awesome to see her face and smile and have her say... seee! He remembered and he IS real! So worth every penny!

One of my favorite things we did this year for Christmas was something new... we went to Bellingrath Gardens its in Theodore Alabama and it has a HUGE light display. There is a historical home you can tour and even a dinner cruise you can take on the Flow river. We mostly just stuck to touring the gardens and viewing the lights. All I can say is... if your ever in the area during this time of year... go! You will NOT be disappointed!

Here's just some of the pics from our Christmas :)






This is how she kept her Grandparents busy for me while I worked in the kitchen... Candy Land... and she's pulling a Charlie Sheen because they are pretending to be cry babies LOL!
Oh yeah... we take Candy Land in our house VERY seriously! LOL!


In Bellingrath Gardens... it was just beautiful!


By far my favoirte picture from that night... he cracks me up!
This is why I am still married to him LOL!

He snuck in a last minute kiss when the camera went off...*sigh* Love him... :)

These pictures just don't do the experience justice...
it really was a beautifully lit up winter wonderland!

Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas blogger friends! This will probably the most I will be posting over the next few days. We've been really busy with all the holiday fun that's going on. My parents are here visiting from Florida so we have been busy hanging out and taking them around. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and see you all in the New Year! Till then I leave you with a Christmas Meme! :D

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hands down... Hot Chocolate! Now that we have our new Keurig, we've been using the crap out of it to make coffee, tea and hot chocolate! It's amazing! It was our Christmas present to each other :) Oh and it also makes ice tea!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Yes, he wraps them. She is still little and I like her still believing in the magic of Santa and everything. I think once you lose that innocence, Christmas just doesn't have quite the same magic to it... So this year they will all be wrapped and placed under the tree on Christmas Eve before she goes to bed and in the morning she will ransack through them! Like the unwrapping tornado she is LOL!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We have neither... hubby just refuses to buy lights for a house that we will probably be moving out of in less than 2 years. He wants to wait till we have our own house to buy them. He finds there is no point in buying lights to fit this house and then having to buy more for the next house and having this mismatch... LOL! I think hes just being cheap LOL!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope... it's a nice thought but we don't need mistletoe to kiss. LOL!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually its right after Thanksgiving... mostly on Black Friday, after I've gone shopping.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Mine is the ham! OMG! I wait all year just to have Christmas ham! I love it!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? It's been so long its hard to remember... they were all kind of special. I think the best one though is the year my dad came home from being deployed during operation Desert Storm early enough to celebrate Christmas with us.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think it was kindergarten... some fool hearted kid decided to tell everyone... Justin somebody... don't remember his name. I just remember being crushed.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, not usually... because she will want to open hers... and I kind of like doing it on Christmas morning. There's just something about seeing her run down the stairs with these huge wide eyes and a huge smile on her face when the tree is all lit up and there's tons of packages underneath.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Ours is a mix of everything. There are lots of handmade ornaments that the kiddo and I have done together... some she has made with girl scouts. Some are antique that my grandmother has given me, that were brought over from Ireland when she came in 1933. Some are just unique little ones I've picked up from different states we live in... I have fleur de lis that I got to represent Biloxi. But I like it all the same... with a bit of everything :)

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it! If..... I don't have to drive in it or go anywhere in it. Sadly... it doesn't snow here thought.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes! I love it too! I have done it since I was a kid... we had a rink near the city I grew up in and it was awesome! I just haven't done it in a while... so I am probably rusty.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Id probably have to say my first bike! Roxy... yup... that is what I named her... sooooo 80's! LOL

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with family and friends no matter where you are.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Chocolate Pie!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Having people (all our friends and family) over for Christmas day dinner. I spread out the big table cloth and let everyone write on it to commemorate the holiday. I do it with Thanksgiving and all the other holidays too.

17. What tops your tree? A silver star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving is better for me... I love getting the perfect gift for the ones I buy for.

19. Candy Canes: I like them, but I'm not crazy about them.

20. Favorite Christmas show? A Christmas Story & Christmas Vacation!
21. Saddest Christmas Song? I'll be home for Christmas...

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Santa Baby!

Milspouse Friday Fill-In (aka. Stresssssss day)

1. One of my New Year’s resolutions is try to be a little less stressed... phsh! That's what resolutions are all about right?! Breaking them!

2. One thing I’d like to happen next year is I think by now, all of you know what that is... it's the same thing I wish for every year... only this time it will be the last, I have decided I can't wish my life away on a baby that will never happen. So after this year I'm giving up.

3. One thing I’m looking forward to next year is Spending a few months down in Florida after school's out. I miss "home".

4. One change I’d like to see next year is I have no idea... how about luck... I'd like a change of good luck for once!

5. My plans for NYE include Not sure... probably helping the hubby with his last minute things... and working on my school work... because college seems to be the only thing I have time for anymore :(

"It's a MAJOR award!"

In the words of Ralphies dad from; A Christmas Story (which just so happens to be one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time) I've won a MAJOR award! Thanks to my friend Christina at Simply Christina !!! It's "Skylar's Christmas Spirit Award"! This award is for Christmas spirit! Which this year... I seem to have an endless supply of... I have to admit, it feels good doing things for others and I like my munchkin participating in that. I like her doing it so that she realizes how important it really is. I am thankful for all that I have and thankful that I can give to others in need this year. Thanks again Christina for being so sweet! Make sure you drop by her blog, she has some great posts! And she LOVES Christmas! :D

She turns 6 today!

That's right! It's my little munchkin's birthday today! Happy Birthday baby girl! I can't believe it's really been six years already... where does the time go? Seems like its flying faster and faster every year... shes at school for the day, celebrating with her friends. I dropped off a butt load of cupcakes this morning,there are 28 in her Kindergarten class. It's not a DOD school but, the majority of the kids are made up of military families. I made her a small cake for later tonight (after dinner) I'm making her favorite spaghetti! And we will let her unwrap her gifts. We're not doing a big party this year since my parents will be here this weekend, we figured since this is the first birthday they get to celebrate with her... it might be nice to make it cozy and special. :)

In other news... I am working on my first college researched paper; Left vs. Right brain: How it impacts learning! What a topic right?! It's actually pretty interesting and I found out that I am pretty much a left brainier! LOL It's no wonder I want to be a teacher! Do you know what you are? School is keeping me pretty busy, taking my mind off the "two week wait" that always seems like forever! This time it's not too bad, I should know "something" by next Sunday. Let's just hope its gonna be the best Christmas ever!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

1. My favorite song of the season is Santa Baby... its always been my favorite :)

2. Anyone who faces infertility and overcomes it is someone who inspires me because helps me to remember to not give up... it gives me hope when times look bleak.

3. If I had $100,000 to give to a charity, I’d give it to I'd have to break it up and give amounts to lots of charities. Some of them being, St. Judes, The national coalition against domestic violence, Susan G. Komen Foundation, The wounded warriors foundation, Amnesty International, Aid for Africa and the ASPCA.

4. If I had a themed party, I'd make it a Murder Mystery Party! Where all my guests could participate! They are awesome and my favorite!

5. If I had one wish for my kids/future kids/some young person I care about, it would be that she grow up to be super smart, go on to college, some day find a special person to get married to and have children with. I wish her good health, success, love, and happiness. What more could a parent ask for?

Successful Procedure!

So I had my first IUI (intrauterine insemination) procedure done yesterday and it was very successful! I only wish they could tell you right away... yeah your preggers! LOL But... no such luck, we have to wait it out till Christmas to find out. But, wouldn't that be a great Christmas present! The procedure it self was a piece of cake! In fact I've probably had more uncomfortable pap smear experiences than this... I did find out that my cervix is tilted slightly but thankful it doesn't hinder me as far as pregnancy goes. I neatest part of the whole process was getting see what my hubby's sperm looked like under the microscope! OMG! There are tons of them! LOL! Apparently his "boys" are all good too. They are normal in size, shape and amount, and I'm glad to hear it because we've been a bit worried about it since after his reversal. It seriously was the coolest thing to see what was inside of him LOL! They do a wash so it is the most concentrated part of the sample that actually goes in me. The whole procedure took an hour only because I had to lay there for about 30-40 minutes to make sure we gave the "swimmers" a good chance to get where they need to be. I am so excited, and keep wondering... "Could I be pregnant yet?" all day today! LOL! I just can't keep my mind off of it! I really, Really, REALLY hope this is it for us! The timing couldn't be more perfect! And if this is it... we would have a September baby! Somewhere right around the time of hubby's birthday! Now I seriously can't wait for Christmas to come! :) Until then... I'll be crossing my fingers!

I'm getting inseminated tomorrow!

I just had to say it... hope no one is offended or grossed out by that title LOL! I am so excited to try this! My first IUI!!! I have HUGE & Ginormous hopes for this procedure to work! I went in today to have my regular 3rd ultrasound of my cycle and we are sitting pretty at 3 viable follicles on the right side and 1 other "possible" one on the left. Our chances of having multiples with having this procedure are alot higher than our "normal" way we've been doing it, but that is a risk I am willing to take at this point! I feel like all of our troubles and dashed hopes have finally come to a light at the end of the tunnel... this is our LAST shot for a while (since hubby's d, is coming up and all) so please, please, I beg you... pray for us, cross your fingers for us, and if you see that baby dust fairy... by all means... go ahead and shake the crap out of her for us! LOL! I will post more after tomorrows procedure :)

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

1. If I could be on any reality TV show, I’d want to be on _________________ .
A few years back it would have been Amazing Race (remember that show?! Do they even have it on still?) It's the one where teams of two would race around the world with clues that they were given. They would do all kinds of awesome stuff like zip line in the amazon or ride camels in Egypt! Sooo awesome! So either that show or Jersey Shore... just to see all the drama acted out right in front of me... I admit, I am addicted to that show!

2. This past Thanksgiving was _________________ .

Awesome! You should read my post from it, if you haven't already! We had a full house, we both watched and played some pig skin and were thankful for good food, good conversation and good people to be with. :)


3. I’m looking forward to December because _________________ .

For lots of reasons, there's tons of fun stuff to do this month, I always feel good at this time of year, we have done a lot of community work and donation work and that always feels good. Mom and Dad will be coming to visit in 2 weeks and I can't wait to show them around NOLA and I'm looking forward to taking Daddy to the USS Alabama in Mobile... he loves seeing old war/history stuff!

4. One thing I’d like to accomplish this month is _________________ .

Passing my first college class! It's 6 weeks long so it will take me more than just the month of December, but at least I will accomplish something! Its been so long since I've taken an actual college class... I'm a bit rusty and skiddish! I imagine though once I get back into the swing of things I'll be ok ;)

5. To me, winter is _________________ .

The best time of year (being in the South) here, it finally gets nice enough to take long walks outside, or to turn the A/C off and leave your windows open all day or night. I love not having to sweat! LOL!

Her First Letter to Santa!

Last night the kiddo got the idea that she NEEDED to write Santa a letter... ya know, just in case he doesn't remember from all of our recent trips to the mall to speak with him. If you didn't know... her and Santa are like *this* (crosses fingers) TIIIIIIIGHT! LOL! I thought it was adorable of course that she wrote her letter. Her letter reads as follows;

Dear Mr. Santa Clause,

How are you ?(she couldn't be rude and just jump right in and ask for stuff) I am a very good girl this year (Very, is to be determined). I would like to have a Barbie Dress up Barbie Doll this year (Love that she made it a point to put in a "barbie" kind of doll, instead of the knock off brand LOL!) a video game, some paints, and Chicken Nuggets (Ah, a girl after my own heart... food! LOL!)

Merry Christmas and See you soon,

Love Always,

"Munchkin" (aka. her name)

Now, isn't she awesome? I have the most cutest and inquisitive kid ever! LOL!
Soon after she was done, she wrote out her envelope and licked it (to death) and asked for a stamp. I knew I couldn't just give her a stamp, because she then would walk straight out to the mail box and deposit such letter... so... I said I would go to the store tomorrow and get a stamp and mail it off for her *phew*... let's hope she buys that and doesn't ask for the receipt from the post office (yes, she would ask to see it... she's super smart! And questions everything! LOL)

Oh and take a look at all the badges she's been earning in Girl Scouts!


She'll be getting a few more too after she does some things this weekend like; The Toys for Tots Drive, The Food drive, and Coat Drive. She loves it! And I love that she is learning things, having fun and helping others. :)