New Years Eve

Silas and I have hats, noise makers and beads to ring in the new year with. I am not sure how late we will be up, but I can say with certainty that it will not be midnight! Taylor is going to her friends house, I guess Silas and I aren't cool enough to "party" with!

We have the movers coming on Monday to pack us up. They will be back on Tuesday to load our stuff and head towards El Paso! YAY!!!! I already had a "walk through" with the main mover guy, Patrick. And I still have a hard time believing him that we won't have to do anything! I am STILL trying to find out all the details about this move (to make it the most beneficial for us) and am having a hard time with it. But hopefully, like everything else, all this will fall into place as well!

We hope that everyone has a SAFE and HAPPY NEW YEAR, full of many blessings!!

Much Love,
Wayne, Michele, Taylor, Silas and Trooper!!! xoxoxo

P.S. I will post pictures of our little "celebration" later!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

I got the best Christmas present in the world the other day. My in-laws pulled a big surprise and flew my wonderful husband in for the Christmas weekend! And boy, was it needed. We had just gotten some very devastating news earlier on that day, and we were in a very low place, so this was awesome!

Thank You Jesse and Sheria! I could not have asked for a better present! Our Christmas went from being mediocre to excellent! Running the risk of sounding cliche, it was nothing short of a Christmas miracle!

So Much Better

I feel so much better, getting that off my chest! Whew, must have been just what I needed. Kinda like a pressure cooker, if the steam doesn't get released it will explode. Who knew that expressing my thoughts on here would make me feel better! I'm sorry if you don't want to hear about my little pitty party, you can stop reading it, but I feel SO much better! :)

Poor, poor me...

I don't have much more information than before, but some. There was an apartment that we were "looking into", but it fell apart (good thing it did I guess). We are now looking into another one, one that sounds better. We (me) may actually get some positive news sometime tomorrow. The plans that we had last night have gone ka-put, but maybe this new place will lead to better results...

There is only so much a person can take, right? Well I guess I am supposed to take alot. I am finding out that this is an issue with me, with my mind and everything I am as a person. I love my husband with everything I am, but I am beginning to despise the United States Military. Maybe its because we are "new" to this, maybe its because I'm lonely, maybe its just because I know he will be getting deployed sometime this summer...maybe, just maybe..

I always try to be positive about this with my children, but I do believe I have hit the bottom. I wonder how and when it is my turn to just break down and cry? My kids have done it...when do I get to express my feelings? I have the best husband in the world, to join a group of "protection"...to protect EVERYONE, I am so proud...I just didn't know I would feel so left out and alone right now.

Santa Knows My Number?!

Silas woke up this morning to a wonderful surprise. He had a voicemail from Santa Claus! Santa had taken time out of his busy schedule and left Silas a message! Silas was amazed that Santa knew he was a "big boy" AND he knew that Silas wants some new Lego's for Christmas. He was blown away by this message. I wish I could have captured the expression on his face when he was listening to his special message...it was PURE joy, excitement, disbelief.... He wanted me to save the message (I did) so he could listen to it again later. It's a good thing momma checks her emails every day or we might have missed out on this opportunity! And it was free...not too bad if I do say so myself!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

#46....

I found out last night that we are #46 on the housing waiting list, about a 4 month wait. We were also told that after the first of the year it may go faster due to people PCSing or getting chaptered out. In the meantime, Wayne is trying to find us an apartment to rent. We are hoping that we will be able to find one that is month-to-month so that when our number is "called" we will be able to take it. If we are unable to take it we will move to the bottom of the list and have to start over again (that WILL NOT happen). I have heard MANY people complain that there is not a lot of housing on post and that some people have been on the wait list for over a year. So hopefully something will be happening soon.

Wayne has an appointment with transportation on Monday. If all goes well (with scheduling on their part), they may be packing us up on the following Monday and shipping our household goods on Tuesday.

Taylor is taking her finals at school early (today and tomorrow) so she can be done with it (she doesn't want to go to school next week on Monday and Tuesday--so I said ok). Her last official day of school at the Cameron School District will be tomorrow.

I got myself a GPS for Christmas (YAY! Broke down and FINALLY got one--figured it will be a good thing in El Paso!) and was playing around with it the other day. We decided to test it out and see if it "knew" the way to McDonalds. She did! She told us to go across the street, but still the right area! Anyways, the reason I brought the GPS up was because Silas was asking "where all she knew" (how to get there) and I said anywhere. He said "even Texas"?! I said "yes"! He said "so lets go"! I said "we can't yet, Daddy has to find us a house still". He said "maybe the girl on the thing (GPS) can find us one"! HAHAHA This still makes me giggle--Isn't he the cutest!!!

By the way.....there is 9 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!!! Yippee! We don't have plans other than staying home (maybe moving?!) but I am going to make a small ham, some mac and cheese (Silas's fav!) and rolls for sure...just not sure what else! Maybe Taylor will come up with something special. Wayne will more than likely not be with us for Christmas, unless we will be moving at that time. So that stinks, not around for Thanksgiving and now Christmas. But we will once again make the best of things!

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

WOW, have we forgotten what it feels like when temperatures reach the frigid single digits! While starting the van the other day, to let it warm up a bit, I swear I heard it go: are...you...crazy...! One day of temperatures in the 50's to the next day in the teens is just insane! Poor Silas was so cold the other day he was in tears. He has NEVER been this cold before. Taylor even conned me into buying her some gloves. Her reason being that her stearing wheel was so cold. I know what you must be thinking, "Well yes, the kids DO need gloves (as well as hats)". I have about 4 or 5 pairs of gloves that she could have worn, but I guess they are not as cool as ones that are brand new. Not to mention, this is the child who wears flip-flops when there is snow on the ground! And yes, both kids have heavy coats, gloves, hats and scarves. Maybe we won't be needing them too much longer...

Wayne got back from the field on Friday, and it sounds like there is a fire lit under him to get this whole "housing mess" figured out. Maybe something WILL get figured out...keep praying...

News, What News?

So here I sit, wondering what to write about. The whole purpose of a blog is to keep people updated about what is going on in our lives...well that is pretty hard when you're not sure what is happening in your life. This whole thing of not knowing is taking its toll on my children and not to mention myself. Their personalities have changed (not for the better) and are acting out (Silas more-so than Taylor). On top of all the uncertainty, it is now Christmas time. The decorating is almost non-existent. We only have the tree up with lights on it and the two ornaments they chose for this year. We didn't even put the skirt on. I am not even sure where we will be for Christmas--here, there, or somewhere in-between. I keep telling Silas that Santa will definitely find us...no matter where we are.

As for the whole moving thing, I know nothing more than any one of you (and that is sad). We ALL were under the impression that we would have been moved by now, Wayne has been there almost a month now. I honestly think that someone has gotten a little too much of the taste of "freedom". It is like we may take one step forward, but then get shoved three steps back. I get told that something is in the works, only to have it nixed the next day. Hearing this time and time again can really get rather depressing. Kinda makes one wonder if anything will ever happen. Then not hearing anything for a couple of days just makes you realize that plans have changed yet once again, and we are starting over from scratch.

On a bit of a brighter note, we are going to do some Christmas shopping this weekend. Maybe some retail therapy will help to raise our spirits, well one can dream right? It will be rather difficult shopping for a little boy this year (without him finding out) but Taylor and I have a plan and hopefully it will work. Taylor already knows what she is getting (and probably going to get it done this weekend).

I would ask everyone to keep their fingers crossed that we get some sort of news, but I am not going to. I haven't heard anything that remotely sounds promising, so just pray, and pray hard.

We are still here...

Sorry it has been a while since my last post...it has been soo chaotic around here. With our upcoming move (to a strange place), I have been doing as much research as I can. I think that as of tonight, everything MAY be figured out. BUT, keep your fingers crossed that it will all work out! I will let everyone know as soon as I know for sure.

Due to the daylight savings time, I have a very unhappy little boy. He wants to go to sleep around 7pm. I try to keep him up till at least 8 but most nights that is pushing it! When he is ready for bed the WHOLE world stops...

Taylor has only one more payment for her "new-to her" car! She is pretty excited and VERY proud of herself, as she should be! I must say that momma is very proud of her too!

As for me, I am so ready for everything to get "back to normal". It might not be the normal that everyone else is used to, but it is my normal and I miss it so very much!!

Big Brown Package Truck!

Yesterday morning Silas got a long awaited visit from the big brown package truck (UPS)! He has wanted this to happen for a long time. What a great idea that Pops and Ra had, sending his birthday present this way! It made his day. He woke up early yesterday and the first words out of his mouth were "Mommy, has the big brown package truck came yet". Lucky for him it hadn't stopped by our house yet, so he was on the "not so patient" lookout for it. When it came Silas got to go outside and pick up the package and carry it in the house. He thought he was the coolest boy in the world and was on cloud 9! Thanks Pops and Ra!!







I know the jammies do not match, but with Silas being such a hot little boy he only wears a shirt when he goes to bed. So these pants were the ones I grabbed in the middle of the night when he got cold. It sure is hard to keep his body temperature regulated.

We got some good news finally, we got our orders! We are getting stationed at Ft Bliss in El Paso, TX! It is not our top pick (or picks), but it is still exciting! I have heard some very bad things about Bliss (drug, gang and Mexican cartel activity) BUT I have also heard some very good things about it as well. So I have decided that we are going to go in with a positive attitude. Wayne was not that happy after he heard the news, but I think he is starting to get excited about it now. So now I am trying to figure out how this whole moving experience will happen.

Taylor started her job at McDonald's Tuesday night. She looks cute in her uniform but will not let me take a picture of it. BUT, I will say she is the cutest person that I have ever seen that works at McD's! Silas is SO excited about his sissy working at his favorite place in the world! She is loving it--ha! Hopefully she will be able to get a job at one after we move to the lonestar state!

Be on the lookout for some very cute pictures soon. With Halloween this weekend, we will have a visitor by Woody from Toy Story, and a "flapper" from the 20's. We may go to Liberty to trick or treat with cousin Dylan, but we might just stay here in Cameron. We also have a special little someones 4Th birthday the next day, so that will be fun! And the next day we get to buy Toy Story 3!

We hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

Just Plain Crazy!

Oh my, has it been crazy around here! I wish things would slow down for just a bit and let me catch my breath.

Taylor was in a car accident on Monday, October 11Th. She is fine and didn't have any injuries other than hitting her head on the drivers window. She had a pretty bad headache for awhile, but it cleared up after a day of rest. The other woman didn't have any injuries either, thank God! Taylor's car on the other hand, was totaled.

The pictures don't look so bad I guess, but there is a lot of damage under the hood. The whole hood area was moved over to the passenger side, kinda like it shifted. I am not a mechanic, and never want to be one, but I could tell there was significant damage done. The owner of the towing company (they also are a body shop) said he would be surprised if it wasn't totaled. Then the insurance adjuster confirmed that it was totaled. :(

We had a nasty little cough move through the house. It didn't last too long for Taylor and I, but Silas still has the remnants of it. It seems like this weather is wanting to either be very hot or very cold, no happy medium! And when that happens it is like clock work, we all get sick. I have been cleaning and trying to disinfect the house like crazy, to get rid of this bug. Hopefully, knock on wood, it will leave quietly.

We are still waiting to find out where we are going to get sent for our first duty station. Let me tell you, this is hell for me! I am a planner and like to know exactly what is going to happen, when it will happen and to be able to make a list and to cross things off that list. So I am trying to learn to do things the military way, and it sucks! Wayne said we should find out today, but I am not going to hold my breath, they will tell us whenever they want. Hopefully I will have some good news to share within the next couple of days!!

Cameron did end up winning the Homecoming football game, so that put everyone at the dance in a good mood! Here is Taylor and her boyfriend Jeremy getting ready to leave for the dance


Silas was trying to tell me that it was time for me to come back inside the house (he is peeking at me)!

Forgot to add...

I forgot to add these in my earlier post. My camera is not the best but it will have to do until I can get a new one!

HOOAH!!!

YAY!!! My husband graduated Army Basic Combat Training on 10-1-10 at Ft Sill in Lawton, OK! It seems like such a long time coming because we have known about this since April. And we are so very proud of him! He has been gone since July 21st and still has 6 more weeks of AIT. He said we should find out where our first assignment will be sometime around the end of next week. So keep your fingers crossed it will be somewhere great! We would LOVE to get Alaska, Hawaii or Germany, but we will see where they want us! I have heard MANY people say "It's the Army...Hurry up and wait", so I guess I need to get used to this. That will be a HUGE change for me because as some of you know I am not good at waiting!

Other breaking news in the Yancey household...Silas is 100% potty trained!! A select few of you know exactly what I am talking about. Silas and I discussed this next step, well it was more of me telling him, but we are now COMPLETELY done with that phase! And I must say he is so very proud of himself. He said "that's not scary like I thought". This is VERY big news around here, we can't stop talking about it. And yes, I was one of those mothers who took a picture of this final step and sent it to Daddy and he was elated! I just can't for the life of me figure out why it took so long for him. I guess it is true when they say boys take a lot longer than girls!

More breaking news...Taylor passed her drivers test Tuesday on her first try! I didn't have any doubts, but I was so nervous for her (she said her foot was shaking on the brake and the gas pedal in her car)! I know what it would have been like around here had she not passed, so it's a good thing she did! She is a driving machine. She has already started looking for a job and is hoping she can still volunteer at the Woman's Shelter.



Homecoming is this weekend. I'm pretty sure in an earlier post I said that Taylor is all ready for it. The powder-puff game is tonight as well as the bonfire, the parade and the game is tomorrow (Friday) and the dance is Saturday. She is very excited! The Cameron Dragons are playing the Bishop LeBlond Eagles (St. Joseph, Mo). Cameron is not doing that well this season, we lost some great players due to graduation (go figure!). We are hoping to advance on our 0-5 record...maybe we can with the Eagles, they are 0-6. Fingers crossed we will pull out a victory, that will put everyone in a good mood! I will post pictures of Taylor in her dress soon...I still can't believe she is so grown up. It seems like it was just yesterday I was changing her diapers...

I hope everyone has a good finish of the week and has a great weekend!! And sorry Pops that it has been a little while since my last post!! I will try to do better! haha

Happy Happy Birthday Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful, intelligent, remarkable, thoughtful, caring, loving (I could go on and on) daughter Taylor Elaine Eichler today!! Born on this day September 26Th, 1994. Yes, that is 16 years ago!! No one ever told me it would go by THIS fast. It seems like it was just yesterday that God placed her into my arms...all 8lbs 3.6oz, 21in long of pure joy! At exactly 7:59am this world was blessed by her appearance. She decided that the world would wait on her arrival as she was 2 1/2 weeks overdue. She is one of the BEST blessings that I have ever been given in my life. She is a beautiful person both inside AND out, and I am very grateful that I was chosen to be her mother. I could not imagine life without her in it.

I am sorry the pictures are fuzzy. Remember, these are pictures of pictures (no digital camera back then). And since I don't have a scanner the quality is not the best...so I will make due with what I have. September 26, 1994, 8lbs 3.6oz, 21in long, the day God graced this world with her presence







Finally going home from the hospital (after a quick stop at the BX)





The first time we visited Anchorage, Alaska

Here we are at Balooga Point in Anchorage, Alaska

Waiting to leave for the first day of Kindergarten

Walking to class



Waiting for class to start (and for me to stop taking so many pictures and to stop my crying) I have MANY more pictures, but since the quality is not very good I will not put them on here.

Happy Birthday beautiful girl!! I hope all your dreams come true!! And thank you for all the joys you have brought to my life!! I LOVE YOU

Exactly one week, OR 7 days, OR 168 hours, OR 10,080 minutes until we leave to see Daddy!! Can you tell we are getting a little excited? I may have gone a little crazy with the minutes but it is better than saying months or weeks! We can't wait to see Daddy!! Only one more phone call AND it will be on Taylor's 16Th birthday!! Next Wednesday, September 29Th, can't come fast enough!

Silas got another letter in the mail yesterday, Thanks Ra!! It really does brighten his day. Everyday he will ask "is there any mail for me?" It was funny, yesterday I asked him who his letter was from and he replied (in a "duh Mom, you should already know" voice) "Uh Mom, you know it's from Ra"! He really loves opening up the letters and seeing what magnificent surprise is in there!

Silas has built up quite the collection of "Silly Bandz" over the summer. I have bought so many packages of them I have lost count, Taylor has given him some
AND Ra has sent some in his letters! We have helped that company make a few dollars!! Just for fun, and out of curiosity, I asked him if he would put them on. I was hoping he would put them ALL on, but he said this was enough of them!


Homecoming is right around the corner, October 8Th, the weekend after we get back from our trip to see Daddy. We have found the perfect dress and the perfect pair of heels. Hopefully Taylor's date will make the night perfect, fingers crossed!! She deserves to have a perfect night after all the "teenage girl drama" that has been going on here lately (I thought it was awful when I was her age, girls now-a-days are just plain mean and ugly). I will put some pictures up here later, so stay tuned...she looks amazing in it!! It is kind of hard to see her look so grown up, to me she will always be my little girl!! Boy, I thought this whole mother gig would get easier the older they got, I must not have read that page in the handbook!

I hope everyone has a great week! I am off to finish my countdown and watch all 604,800 seconds go by! haha