Remembrance

Today is the 11th anniversary of 9/11. Now to many, this is the day where thousands of men, woman, and children lost their lives to terrorists, for no reason. Where passenger planes were forcibly crashed into a field, and into the World Trade Centers, in hopes that that would ''shut-down'' America. Sadly enough, this is also the day where Middle-Eastern people, American citizens or not, were no longer trusted or valued. 9/11 is something that wiill forever sit in my heart everyday, not for the reasons listed above, but because of 9/11, I've lost a dozen wonderful people in my life. I did not actually know anyone who was on the air crafts that day, and I felt remorse for their families, and only could imagine what they were going through the minutes before their lives ended, however it didn't truly hit me until much later. The war we have fought since then, by our brave soldiers, has taken away people that were great friends to me, some to be considered family. On top of the too many lost, I have many that have physical and emotional scars that haunt them everyday, and no matter what I do or say, I cannot make their wounds go away. My remorse for the people lost, and their families left behind, is what drove me to join the military myself. Though, I am not a war veteran myself, I am married to one, that has been to war twice, and has seen things, I couldn't ever even imagine. I've also been in the position where I've feared that I would have to explain to 2 children, why their father isn't coming home. Fortunate enough for me, every problem downrange has never taken my husband out of the fight, but we've had enough close calls, that even thinking back on them, makes me so sick but ever so grateful. 9/11 effects everyone, in one way or another. Some lost people on that day, some lost hope, and since that day, many more lives have been lost, but also many great things have happened. America has proven, once again, that we are not a country that you want to mess with, because no one, no group, or no other country, could ever do anything to us, that we couldn't handle. Remember 9/11, for what it means to you, but remember it every day.

Saving Money; Baby part 1

I feel like my blog has become a bit redundant and boring, so I want to change things up a bit. I still want to talk about my life, but other relatable aspects too. So today I will tell you how I am saving money while preparing for the birth of my twins. 

CLOTHING:

Some of the easiest ways to save money is to buy used things, and re-use things from previous children. I have a ton of girl clothes from Makenna (who's almost 2), so that is making it a little easier on our pocket. I still am buying a few new things for Kynsley Riann (our girl twin) because I want her to have new things too. Since my main focus is little boy clothing, because I have no previous little boys, I have been shopping around for used clothing. I have nothing against used clothing, as long as it's still in good condition. Things can be washed, and it's good as new. Babies grow out of clothes so quickly, that the constant replacement of clothing, can hurt the wallet. Today I got a snow suit for Reese Wyatt (had a hand me down for Kynsley from her sister still in perfect condition) for $10. I've looked online for nice, good quality ones and even on the economy, and they want $30+ for one. I was very pleased with my $10 purchase, it's a little big, so it'll fit him longer, but it looked brand new. The other day I went to a yard sale, and managed to get Reese some sleepers, outfits, socks, and bibs. I spent $25 and got about 60 different things which included enough socks to last him till he's one. When yard sales are a bust, which happens a lot, sales are going to be another great option. I have bought Reese and Kynsley new things from various websites, Kohls, Walmart, and Children's place, but didn't pay full price for anything! I am a big fan of waiting for sales, shopping ahead of time (buying some of the next size because it's on sale), and using coupons. One website, that is hit or miss, most of the time a hit though, is called www.retailmenot.com. It has coupon codes for anything, whether it be a percentage off an order, or even free shipping. I LOVE it. The reason I have not listed consignment stores is because I do not have the availability of them here in Germany, but they are definitely something I suggest going to. Many of them, like Once Upon a Child, will even give you money and store credit for what your little one has outgrown, helping make buying the next size bigger, easier. 

CRIBS:

After doing lots of searching and researching, finding a crib (2 in my case), that is affordable, good quality, and functional is a challenge. With my daughter, Makenna, we paid over $500 for her convertible crib, mattress, changing table, and a small 3 drawer dresser. That seems like a lot, but both my husband and I were working, so we could afford it. Going into this pregnancy, I am not working any longer, and we will be moving in February, leaving the comfort of our military paycheck, so we can't afford to pay that again. But that doesn't mean the twins will go without having nice furniture. Some people will buy a used crib, and I would if I knew the previous owner, but other than that, I won't. So, onto crib searching. IKEA is a wonderful store, here in Germany and in the USA. We managed to find cribs and mattresses for $49 a piece. What a steal!! They are European style, so they are smaller, lower to the ground, but I like that they are less bulky. The mattress can adjust to a 2 different levels. I put a picture above (crib sitting at it's highest level). We got them both the same crib, and bought different bedding sets. 

There are other ways to save money, and I'll elaborate more later on other baby items too. 

22 Today

Today is my 22nd birthday. Though I didn't do anything extravagant, I did have such a special day. First, my husband was letting me sleep in by getting up with Makenna at 7:10am, but I woke up on my own at 7:20am and couldn't get back to sleep. Then my amazing husband made homemade waffles for breakfast. I am very blessed that my husband can cook, so I don't have to do it all. lol. Then Brandon had to go to P.T. (workout) so Makenna and I hung out for an hour, then he came home, and had 2 hours to kill before he had to go to actual work, so I went to a couple yard sales by myself. I got Reese some clothes, and that was it. There wasn't too many yard sales since the weather was overcast and chilly (which I love, btw). Then I came home so that I could take Brandon to work. After dropping him off, Makenna and I went to the arts and crafts center on base so she could paint some pottery. They have pre-made pottery figurines and dishes, so she chose to paint a penguin (go figure, her 2nd favorite animal) and then I let her paint a decorative plate that hangs on the wall, so we could put it up in the nursery for the twins. She had a blast, but like any other toddler, she got bored with it, so we were done. Then I took her to the indoor play area, but it's still too big for her to go in by herself, and since I can crawl through it (looks like a McDonald's play place), she got bored so we came home. I went through baby clothes, and I attempted to get her to take a nap, but that didn't work since she got like a 15 minute cat-nap in the car on the way home. Then we went to Taco Bell for dinner. I made homemade potato soup, but since Daddy had to be to work at a weird time, we ate that for lunch, then Taco Bell (something small) for dinner. Now we are home again, and she's watching Happy Feet Two in her room. She's tired and cranky, so she'll probably be out no later than 8:00pm. That pretty much sums up my day, besides having to go at 11:00pm tonight to pick Brandon up from work.

Being 22 feels no different than 21, 20, 19, or 18. I am 25 weeks and 4 days pregnant with the twins. I am huge! LOL! I have a toddler that'll be 2 next month, so I stay busy. I've been married over 2 years now, so my life is quite simple, being a stay-at-home military wife. I don't really go out and I don't party. I don't do what the typical 22 year old does, because that's not who I am anymore. Becoming a parent and wife has truly mellowed me out and I enjoy my Saturday nights (like tonight) sitting at home, watching cartoon movies with my daughter or watching shows with my husband (who is at work unfortunately). I have my associates degree, but won't be pursuing my bachelor's degree until January. I use to be in the military, 3 years between Reserves and Active Duty, but left that so my children wouldn't have to grow up and spend 12 hours in daycare, 5 days a week, or have to deal with having both parents deployed at the same time. I miss it, and think about going National Guard, but I know I made the better decision for my family, even if some don't agree. So, even though today I am 22 years old, I enjoy the simple things in life, family time, reading books, going to school, and working out (when I'm not in a high-risk pregnancy situation). This may make me "wise beyond my years" or to some I live an ''old lady'' life, but I enjoy every second of it, the good and the bad, and have learned to take things one step at a time, and one day at a time. I truly wouldn't trade what I have for all the freedom, non-responsibility, or quiet time, in the world.