Building for the Future

Finding out where the odd pieces fit

The stroller project finished



Today Andy's Honey-do list consisted of baby projects. He put the stroller together and built the swing. They are now finished projects that can be crossed off the list, and we can't wait to use them!

Real men read directions!!!


The finished project

Miscillaneous Christmas Pics

Andy, Kara and Belly wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!!

Andy's main Christmas leave activity- READING!

Jon tries his stocking on for size...

Andy and niece, Lauren share a Christmas tickle/giggle.

Christmas with the Forney's

This is Andy in his new T-shirt given by my brother, Kevin. This cupboard is a storage cupboard made by my youngest brother, Kent for the nursery! We love it and can't wait to start stocking it full of extra diapers etc. Our baby-to-be got new clothes from his uncles-to-be for Christmas. I just think that is too cute.

"First Stocking"

Our baby-to-be got his first stocking this year from his Grandpa & Grandma Plank!

Christmas with the Plank's

Andy was pleased to give his brothers, Jim and Jon a very useful gift this year. Of course, Jon doesn't know how to use his useful gift... When Andy was kid, he was given $2 for each person as Christmas spending money. He found windshield
waher fluid for only $1 each for his brothers, and was able to wisely keep $2 for himself that year. That frugal Christmas has never been forgotten, so this year, Andy gave the gift that has for so long been so fondly remembered.

Soldier Hot Spot

This post may only interest my fellow National Guard wives, but anyone interested, feel free to participate!!!

Our local soldiers are stuck at Fort Bragg, NC for another day, when their travel day is actually today. They have to sit there and see all the other units pulling out for their homes today at noon, while they know PA is failing them in their promises. Even as the soldiers do come home tomorrow, they are not being brought all the way home to their unit, but only as far as Fort Indiantown Gap. They are coming home on school busses in instead of coaches, so this means bathroom brakes, which means taking forever to get home to their families for Christmas. This is NOT what the state promised. Traveling on their leave days is actually illegal, but PA is taking the cheap way out this time- big time. Our soldiers do not mind that we contact our local government to address this issue. It will not get them into trouble in any way. This problem in NOT a problem within the unit or the Guard's leadership.

Russ Fairchild is a local representative.
Contact him at:
570-524-7547
rfairchi@pahousegop.com

Christmas Cards galore

Today I knew I had to tackle the Christmas card chore. As you can see, I had some help! I am not mailing as many cards as I usually do since I will probably be mailing an extensive amount of birth announcements within the next 2 months...Just in case you wonder.

A Baby Swing!

As some of you know, I am on the board of the Lewisburg Christian Women's Club. The ladies that I work with are great ladies, always ready with a scripture verse, hug or word of encouragement. We had a board meeting this past Tuesday 12/18 and the ladies suprised me with a baby shower. Quite a few of them had gone together to get me a beautiful baby swing- an item I was hoping to get before the baby arrives! It is so cute and adorable. I'm sure you will get to see many pictures of it (with a baby sleeping inside) in the months to come!

Babies on the Way!

My cousin, Doug, and I are eight months apart in age. His wife and I are pregnant and due the SAME week! How cool is that!? This is Sarah and me at a Christmas party this past week. It is fun to be going through a lot of the same stages so close together. She is due Tuesday, January 29 and I am due Sunday February 3!!! I will keep you posted on how close we actually go. We will be delivering at different hospitals, so we joke that our families may be running back and forth to keep up with the new babies in the fmaily!

Whispering Bobby

I called over to my friend's house today, and her 4 year-old son, Bobby, answered the phone. He whispered "Hello?" I said, "Hi Bobby, this is Kara. Is your mommy home?" He whispered, "She's busy." I asked if his daddy was home, and he whispered, "He's busy too." I inwardly smiled and asked if I could talk to one of them anyway. He whispered, "No. The police are here." I have to admit I was surprised at that! "What are the police doing at your house, Bobby?" I asked. Bobby whispered, "They're looking for me!"

You parents should go make sure you know where your children are....! :>)

I'll Be Home For Christmas!

I got a phone call from my wonderful husband today confirming that he will be home for Christmas!!! He is doing well, but his time in Fort Bragg at this point has been spent waiting in line for up to 10 hours for this or that! How boring! His shower water is ice cold water- (I told him to skip it!) He is in good spirits though and will be home on or around December 23!

Thank you to those of you who have asked about us, and expressed your conern and prayers. We appreciate it so much!

My favorite Christmas song this year is I'll Be Home For Christmas and I love the line that says "Please have snow and mistletoe, and present 'round the tree..." -Well, I'm workin' on all that!!!

Cats and Dogs

Pet kisses are usually not in the same sentence as "cats & dogs." Our pets however get along really well. Our dog is a 2 year old rottweiler named Zorro and our kitty is a 6 month old tabby, farm cat named Kitty. (I know it's original) I was baking cookies today and wanted the cat away from my feet, so I let Zorro in to entertain the cat. They mostly just sit and stare at each other or take a nap!

O (tiny) Christmas Tree

This year we went with a small artificial "charlie brown" tree since I will be unable to drag a real tree out after Christmas by myself (at 8.5 months pregant!) I miss having a real tree, but I know it would be more work than it would be worth, so I will be content with our tiny tree. Next year though, I am getting a nice REAL tree to enjoy for our child's first Christmas!!!

What's Carpet?

We have ALL hard-wood floors in our house, so recently I decided that it would be a nice change to have carpet put in our nursery room. I thought it might make it cosier, cuter, etc. My Dad took me to Lowes and helped me get some tan Berber carpet, and then he cut it out and installed himself. I am so thrilled with how it turned out! Now I just have to start setting up the furniture and get rolling with the washing of tiny baby clothes to put in the dresser. It's all so fun!

Saying good-bye is hard

Deployed

I'm sure that if you did not already know, Andy is now deployed to Fort Bragg, NC for training before heading overseas. There is exensive coverage on my brother-in-law's blog: jonplank.com You can check out the whole departure there. Andy had a lot of packing to do before leaving! He had to have everything packed that he would be taking to Fort Bragg AND Afaghnistan. It is hard to decide what personal items you might want to have with you for an entire year away from home! Andy will be coming home for Christmas, so we are counting down the days! 3 down, 14 to go!

Fat and Sassy

I am now a XL 31-week woman, and my nesting intincts are starting to kick in. I feel like I have to constantly recheck my hospital bag list and make sure I am getting the right things and then promptly putting them in the bag that will go with me to the hospital when the BIG DAY arrives! My hormones are in high gear, and I am dying for this precious baby to make his way into our lives. The waiting game is a long one for an impatient mommy-to-be!!!

Pre-Deployment Mode

We are only four short days from Andy's first deploymnet. He will be leaving Thursday, December 6th for Fort Bragg, NC where he will be training before heading off to Afgahnistan. There is of course a lot of mixed feelings about the deployment. It is always hard to leave the ones you love the most, but we know this is what God's plan is for Andy, so that makes it bearable.