Where I left off...

Hyrum found this old, outdated blog and read it last night. I guess i'll add more because I really liked remembering the good ol days.  I'll start where I left off...

So the baby was born.  His name is Grant. He's now 5-1/2 and is currently in kindergarten.  Lou Lou is 7 and in 2nd grade.  Drake is 9 and in 3rd grade.  We moved from South Carolina to Virginia.  I went to nursing school and graduated to be a Registered Nurse in July 2013.  We also added another Mullikin to the stew.  Our little Henry was born March 9, 2015.  He will be turning 1 very soon. I got my first nursing job on a telemetry floor working nights.  5 years and 2 deployments to the middle east later, Hyrum got out of the Navy and is now selling cars at Lexus and going to school for his bachelor's degree.  We decided to make Virginia our home.  Needless to say, the last 5 years have been very busy.  I guess that's why I stopped blogging.  The kids got more demanding.  3 vs 2 kids is definitely full time. Then 3 to 4 is sort of a glorious chaos. Add nursing school in there and i'm really very surprised i'm still alive.

Drake is still a very outspoken, smart mouthed young man.  He can be sweet when he wants to be, but most of the time he just likes to run the show.  He's pretty good at running the show around here.  He's very smart with a quick wit.  His sense of humor is amazing.  He always gets the joke even when he shouldn't.  Drake likes to have his way and will try to reason his way thru and outsmart me.  It's interesting that he thinks he can.  He's almost a perfectionist in his work.  He's very artistic and has a good ear for rhythm and music.

LouLou is loud and scrappy.  She has to be to survive.  Born in between 2 boys is no easy spot.  She's physically very strong.  She loves babies and isn't afraid to take care of them.  She's been my little helper since Grant and Henry were born.  She's mature beyond her years when it comes to taking care of little ones.  She takes care of me as well.  Always reminding me what I should grab before heading out the door.  She does have a dramatic side.  She has always been very clumsy, falling over nothing, but the older she gets the more graceful her falls become.  She's very good at gymnastics.  Naturally flexible and always flipping around the house.  We are working on her love for academics. She's very active.  Physical activity is her thing all the way.

Grant is a funny guy.  He loves to be the center of attention.  He doesn't even care if he's the butt of the joke as long as he's got people laughing.  He's doing well in kindergarten.  His smile is infectious and he will laugh at just about anything even if it's not a joke.  He does have a temper.  Probably the worst out of everyone.  He gets super grumpy if he has to wake up early.  He's my sleeper.  He likes to naturally wake up around 8-8:30.  Grant tries to act super tough and pretends he's not scared of anything.  He will pretend like he's not hurt when he is.  He gets a lot of attention from his peers.  Sometimes it's more than he needs.  He also likes adult attention and conversation.  I think Grant is gonna be great at sports.

Little Henry is keeping up with the rest.  Most of the time Loulou has him in tow.  It's taken him longer than usual to learn how to crawl.  He's very spoiled by Loulou.  He has a very type A personality so far.  He likes things just so.  He's very picky with foods and bottles.  He hates getting dressed and mashed potatoes.  He's very vocal and communicative.  He has been since he was born.  He like making eye contact and mimicking facial expressions.  He likes to snuggle and loves being held.  He will play during small lengths of time by himself, but most of the time he likes just sitting with someone else.  He's an extreme cuddle bug. He makes sure he gets plenty of love from his siblings.

So much has happened that it's hard to fathom how I got thru it all.  No wonder i'm just so tired at 31 years old.  My twenties have worn me out!  Good thing I have a wonderful friend to scoop me up off the floor.  I haven't even mentioned Mrs. Tiffany Sweet yet.  The best is yet to come...

8 Months Pregnant, Grumpy and Over It Already!

These hormones are killing me. I experienced my second round of false labor last night. I got no sleep. So i've been up for over 24 hours now. I just feel like balling up and crying. I've been yelling at the kids all day. Of course they have no idea why mom's acting like a witch. They get back at me by doing things they know they shouldn't. I swear the first whine that came out of their little mouths today made me so annoyed. Loulou and I have been fighting all day about her staying out of the bathroom. She's already eaten toothpaste. It was the toddler kind with no flouride thank goodness. She's soaking wet from playing in the sink. She wants to eat all day long because she knows it will get me up. I don't trust them to be downstairs by themselves. They get into way too much stuff. What makes me angry is that Drake knows the rules and takes advantage of me whenever he can. It's so frustrating. He also whines about things that he knows aren't possible. Like the fact that he can't fly like superman. He'll whine about it forever just because he's bored. I want this, I want that. He'll just go up to Loulou and smack her in the head just to get a reaction out of me. I swear I wish I had family around here. I need a break from these kids. I need mental rest. I'm just an emotional wreck. The last months of pregnancy are just as hard as the first months with a newborn to me. So, I think i'm done with my rant for today. I really don't feel any better, but at least down the road i'll read this and truly remember the reason this is our last baby. For some reason I tend to forget how hard pregnancy is after about a year or so. 5 more weeks to go and I know they are going to drag on and on.

Okay, Okay...

Virginia is turning out to be better than I previously experienced. I think the Virginia Beach area is really awesome actually. I guess when I came here after Hyrum's mission he showed me all the ghetto areas he was in. It left a bad taste in my mouth for Virginia in general. I love where I live here next to NAS Oceana so far. Everything is close and convenient. There is tons to do as well. The area is very clean and I love all the woods everywhere! So far the weather hasn't been near as bad as Hyrum complained about on his mission. I just think he was spoiled by Idaho weather. I'm totally used to terrible summers in the deep south. Those 100+ degree days when it rains in the morning for a few hours then gets sunny for the rest of the day. It feels like you're in the rain forrest! I've actually been pretty comfortable here.

Our house isn't the greatest, but i'm not about to complain. At least we got military housing. That's what we were praying for. I think i've finally cleaned out the musty smell in here. The house was closed up for 7 months prior to us. It was terribly strong at first. Our neighbors are friendly, but kinda rough around the edges. They have nasty mouths and some of the women like to layout in front of their houses in bikini's and sun themselves...kinda weird because the beach is like 2 miles away...but whatever. haha! There are TONS of kids here. I mean, when school lets out this place is crawling with groups of kids everywhere. You really have to watch when you're driving in the evenings. That's good for my kids though. There's always someone at the park to play with.

The NEX and commissary are much bigger here than in South Carolina. I'm trying to find Drake some kind of activity to do this summer. He just misses the cut off date for everything because of the month he was born. October-December birthdays really bite. He's so ready for preschool but will be too young for that this next year as well. It's very frustrating.

I had my first OB appointment here today. Turns out I failed my glucose test by 40 points. So I have the go in later this month for the 3 hour test. I can't believe I failed by that much! Also, i'm measuring 4 cm small for being 30 weeks pregnant. So I have an ultrasound scheduled as well. I put more pics on facebook.

Everything's up in the Air

It's been a while since i've even thought about this blog. Since then, the pregnancy has gotten easier and the nausea is gone. That's wonderful news for me. We've also had a lot of changes in our lives. Hyrum did not make it through Nuke school. So he's being sent out to the fleet as airman undesignated. That's basically the worst thing that could've happened. So we've been ordered to go to Virginia Beach, Va. He'll be stationed at NAS Oceana attached to an air squadron. I REALLY don't wanna move to Virginia Beach. That's the worst place that we could've been sent in my opinion. I'm so not staying there while he's deployed. The crime is terrible. The housing is outrageous. I'm optimistic about one thing though. He's still able to pick another job in the Navy as soon as one opens up. He's eligible for his petty officer in September. Hopefully that's when he'll strike for another A school. That means hopefully we'll move somewhere else quickly. Virginia is for suckers.

Anyway, as of now the kids and I are in Ocean Springs with my grandparents while Hyrum is getting airman training in Pensacola. I'm glad I didn't stay behind in Charleston, Sc. I've really enjoyed the help with the kids. We've already been here longer than we were told. But, i'm learning that's the Navy way. So I have no idea when we'll be moving to Virginia. Most likely we'll be in Va mid May.

The past week has been really tough. I'll be attending my second funeral in a week tomorrow. I'm not good at funerals at all. I fall to pieces very easy. Being pregnant on top of it all doesn't help. That's probably why i've been really tired lately.

Only 3 and a half more months till the new little one is here. I'm not sure if i'm ready for a newborn to be thrown into the middle of all this. It definitely wasn't in the plans for all this up in the air stuff to be in our lives. But, I guess it keeps life exciting right?

I don't even know if this blog makes any sense. I'm too tired to re-read it...

Progesterone Poisoning

I've about had it. Hormones suck. I'm 12 weeks this friday. I'm so glad to almost be out of this craziness. This pregnancy has been a little weird. I don't know if i'm just working too hard or if this pregnancy is a little more fragile than the first two. At 10 weeks I had a threatened miscarriage. I just started pouring blood for no reason at all. The cramps were terrible. I thought for sure I was going to loose the baby. So, of course I was put on bedrest...it turns out everything is fine. Baby has a strong heartbeat and is growing well. Everytime I get up and try to live life normally I start feeling crampy though. My kids are really starting to hate it. We live upstairs mostly. We venture downstairs every couple of hours for something to eat and drink. Drake is the worst of the two. He's become a very angry kid. I don't blame him. There's not much I can do about it though. My friends try to come get him and entertain him for a while. I'm not a good pregnant person. I hate it. It feels like torture and it's much harder with 2 kids to look after. I'm just not a good sick person in general. I can't stand it when my house is out of order. I hate that my kids sheets haven't been washed in weeks. I can't stand looking at towels on the floor in the bathroom. I get sick just thinking about cleaning it up. It's all I can do to pick up my room once a week. It's starts to look like that show Hoarders...it drives me nuts. I've lost all social contact with my friends here. I'm not very much fun to hang out with because I don't talk much. The gallons of spit in my mouth won't let me. I get sick if I try without at least sucking on some candy. Then, after the candy is gone my stomach hurts from the sweetness. One of the things that I can really live without is this nasty taste in my mouth. It doesn't matter what kind of mouth wash I use, it's still there. The only thing that makes it go away is eating. Once i'm done eating it comes back worse. Some days all the kids do is scream and fight. I can't stand those days. I just think I only have to do this amount of time 2 more times and I'm done. It's hard without family here to help and Hyrum is at work ALL the time. I knew this would be the situation going in to this though. I can do this. It'll all the worth it in the end. I'll look back on these days and cringe...actually i'll probably forget all the terrible stuff. You seem to forget it all once you hold the baby for the first time. It's crazy how baby amnesia works, but I guess if it didn't the human race would cease to exist.

Mullikin Stew...

So, we figured we'd add one more baby Mullikin to the pot...

I'm 10 weeks pregnant and couldn't be more miserable. Well, actually I can and have been. This pregnancy doesn't even compare to the torture I went through with Drake and Hyperemesis. I just can't wait to get out of the first trimester. Only 3 more weeks. On the upside, I am truly thankful to be pregnant and feel blessed that I have healthy babies. I just keep reminding myself that some women love the morning sickness because of how reassuring it is. Sea Sick mom means a healthy baby...blah blah blah. So, i'm really trying to just stay positive and not let it beat me into the ground. I'm glad this pregnancy is treating me fairly. This is most likely our last child and I wanna be able to at least enjoy it as much as possible. So, while my children are eating markers i'm sitting here at the computer eating salty tortilla chips. I've really let them get away with too much lately. They take advantage of me. I'm trying not to stress too much though. The markers are nontoxic and maybe it'll hold them over till dinner. Oh gosh...dinner...

Goose Creek, SC

We are here in Goose Creek, SC. We have been here a whole month. We are all moved in and the kids are adjusting well. The neighborhood is really nice. There are tons of kids here. Every day after school the street looks like a playground. haha. Hyrum is hating school already. He's already done with his math class though. They teach them whole subjects so fast. He's at school from 6am to midnight almost every day. He comes home for lunch and dinner. Needless to say the kids haven't seen him much. He comes home with blood shot eyes and acts like a robot. He has a 3 day weekend because of a holiday this weekend. It's going to be a well deserved break. I just hope Drake isn't crazy this weekend. He tends to act worse when Hyrum is here to get all the attention. He's an attention hog. Right now we are working on sharing with Loulou. He doesn't like to let her play with any toys. He always takes them from her. Anyway, Halloween is coming up. I love this holiday. It kicks off the holiday season. Drake is going to be one of the Incredibles I think. Loulou is a leopard. A very cute leopard...lol. Well, it's time for naps. Kids are cranky.

Moving to Charleston, SC

Well, he did it. Hyrum graduated boot camp on August 21 2009. We went all around Chicago and had a great time while he had liberty over the weekend. I left on Monday and he flew to South Carolina on Tuesday. I guess he'll be there for about a week and a half before he can come home and pack us up. We move out on September 2. I'm sad to leave my house, but I think this new military life will be good in the long run. Here we go...

Hyrum's First Phone call from Booty camp!

I was very surprised to receive a call today.  Especially because I hadn't received any letters this week.  I didn't recognize his voice at first because he's had a bad cold for about a week.  He sounded very raspy.  Other than the husky voice he sounded pretty up beat.  He said that he's passed all his tests so far.  He's in a special 900 division.  He said that they were all specially screened and selected to be in that certain division.  I guess they all had high asvab scores or something.  So, they get all the staff work.  I guess that means they do the paper work and managerial stuff.  He also has the job of "side boy" at graduations.  They happen every Friday. He'll even be a side boy at his own graduation.  so I won't get to see him much after the opening ceremony.  From what I understood a Side Boy is a guy that salutes the Admiral or honored guest as they enter the room.  Then the go off to the side and watch for fainting sailors.  I guess alot of them faint from having to stand so long at attention.  He will be wearing dress whites for graduation and because Hyrum is a  side boy he'll also be wearing some kind of yellow ascot thing.  I'm not sure how to explain it.  Anyway,  the funniest thing he told me was what the RDC's (drill instructors) say to the guys.  The call them clown d*cks.  lol!  He said that was one of the more funnier things they say.  When he first got their he was up for 40+ hours and he had 4 RDC's yelling at him at once.  His head is shaved and he said he looks like a 40 year old man in his ID picture because he was so tired.  He's gotten to go to church a couple times.  They gave him his military scriptures.  He even has some recruits going with him to church so they can get a break on Sundays. lol.  He says most of the time they are doing academics and studying.  His graduation date is August 21st 2009. 

California Trip

Our trip was really fun.  We took the kids to Disney and the zoo.  Drake loved Disney, but I think it was a little overwhelming.  He wanted to do everything and didn't quite get the concept of waiting in line.  He didn't get scared at anything.  He was even cool on snow white.  That ride always made me jump a little.  He really liked the beach.  He got to play around with his older cousins Leonard and Kira.  We stayed at the motel 6 because everything was booked up when we got to Carlsbad.  I didn't care.  The good thing about rooms out west is that they aren't wet feeling when you first get there.  I got to go to Six Flags in LA with my cousins.  That was alot of fun.  I haven't ridden a real good coaster in ages.  There was TONS of them this time.  Some of the top scariest i've ever been on.  I almost cried on the way up on one of them.  It's called Tatsu.  You do the whole ride on your stomach. Tracker stayed with a family here in Texas for the week.  They only speak Spanish.  They say she's picked it up pretty well.  So now I have a Spanish speaking beagle.  haha.

I got 3 letters from Hyrum so far.  He's doing well at boot camp.  So far he hasn't got caught laughing when he's not supposed to.  He's sneaky about it.  His graduation will be on the 21st of August.  He's in some kind of special 900 division.  I'm not exactly sure what that means.  He just said they get to do the staff (office) work.  I guess it's because he has a degree already.  He's also got a job being a "side boy" at graduations.  I guess he holds the door open for the Admiral and watches for sailors that pass out during graduation.  He seems to be excited about that.  He's got 6 weeks left.  He's already been there 3 weeks.  He said he's getting really good at folding laundry.  He said he cleans better than Forrest & Bubba Gump.  He said if he didn't all hell would break loose. That's good news for me!  Hopefully that will stick.  He also asked me if i'd ever had a shot of penecillan in the butt because his hurt REALLY bad for days.  He forgets that I got 2 shots worse than that in the butt when I was in the hospital recently after Lou Lou was born. haha.  I guess you don't remember things like that unless it happens to you personally.  Well, the score might be a little closer to even between us once he gets out of boot camp.  I know how sucky it can get. No sleep, pain, fatigue, no privacy, someone screaming at you, demands that you feel like you can't meet.  Sounds like a quick eight week course in motherhood for him.  Is it wrong to chuckle about that? :-)   

Navy Man

So, Hyrum left a week ago today for boot camp.  I got "the box" in the mail.  It was Hyrum in a box.  He just threw everything he owned off and crammed it into the box.  I used his cell phone to call his mom and dad.  They got all excited when they saw a call coming in from his phone only to be disappointed when they heard my voice.  It was really funny.  I guess you had to be there.  I still don't have his address yet.  I'll probably get it in the mail as soon as we leave for vacation in San Diego.  That's a bummer.  The kids are doing okay.  Drake asks every now and then if he can go home or play with Kayleigh.  He knows that his dad will be back in 8 weeks.  He repeats it to me every morning.  He stays really busy here though.  I'm almost pooled out even though its given me a nice tan.  

Packing up the House

This weekend we are putting the finishing touches on the house.  We've decided to put it up for sale or rent.  Yesterday was spent pressure washing the siding.  It was really yucky.  It looks so pretty now.  I almost wish that I didn't have to move out of it.  My garden is starting to produce fruit (of course).  The sunflower around Drake's fort are also coming up really well.  So I guess we just have to finish packing up the house.  The realtor wants us to stage it.  I'm not really good with that stuff.  I wish I could just hire someone to do it, but they charge WAY too much just to rearrange furniture.  Anyway, I'd better get off here and get to work.

Anchors Away!

Well, Hyrum has just joined the Navy.    Some might ask why?why?  It's simple.  

He hates his current job.  A college education just isn't worth what it used to be.  Even if he did get a better job, we would have to move because Milton, Florida is the pits as far as work goes.  He actually has one of the higher than average paying civillian jobs around here.  Health insurance is unaffordable.  It does suck that we just bought this house and haven't even been in it a year.  Drake has hardly had anytime to mark up the carpet with his potty training accidents. But, when the Navy offered Hyrum a spot in Nuclear Power school we just couldn't refuse.  I mean who wouldn't want a killer education for free.  ??? Of course we pay with our time and we are also taking the chance that he'll hate submarine life.  But then he can just get out in 4 years and probably land a fat paying job.    Sweet huh?  Yeah, I think so too.  

Of course there's the separation part.  That is going to be rough.  The first time Drake starts crying for Daddy I might cry with him.  He'll miss Loulou's first birthday in August.  I have two friends getting married this summer and i'll have to attend the weddings without him.  That will be kinda awkward.  Good thing I can take care of myself.  I would be in a world of trouble.  I'm just gonna put on my brave face and dive in head first.  

Hyrum leaves for boot camp on Father's Day.  I'm going to visit my mom and dad in Houston while he's gone.  Then, we are off to South Carolina.  I'm 75 percent excited 25 percent nervous.  I can't wait to see him in his uniform at graduation.  I bet he's going to look super cute!  Haha!

Family Pictures

Sadly, i'm not a fan of the family picture.  Maybe one day we'll get one when we both don't look tired and sick.  At least the kids are cute.

Drake, Porter & Logan

I just found these on my computer. I forgot I had them.  They had a lot of fun that day.

They spent the day painting their faces with finger paint and fighting over the cat.

Bebop and G visit for Easter

My mom and Dad came down for Easter this year.  They bought the kids a swing set.  Drake loves it. He's out there everyday playing on it.  I can't wait to put a pool at the end of the slide when it warms up a bit.  These pictures are acting really crazy on here for some reason...

Milton Police Station

Our play group took a trip to the Milton Police Station to check it out.  It wasn't very big, but I thought it was really cool.  I've always secretly wanted to be a fire woman or police woman.  lol!  I think it would be so awesome! Anyway, the kids ran around and entertained themselves.  The were all obsessed with the demonstration car seats at the station.  Who would have guessed the highlight of their day would be sitting in a car seat at a police station.  Crazy kids...  

Blue Angels on a rainy day

We went to watch the Blue Angels practice the other day.  It was really cool.  I always love watching those guys fly.  It was a little rainy, but totally worth getting wet!  I wish I could just ride in one of those jets.  Drake decided he wanted to run out and touch them, but I was quick to grab him by the shirt and drag him back.  He just barely made it across the rope.  He's fast, but i'm starting to get faster!

Ninja's St. Patty's day kittens!

Well, Ninja finally had her kittens this morning.  She had them in the doghouse which is really crazy.  I thought for sure Tracker would eat them, but she didn't.  weird... There are five kittens and they are all very cute!  I moved them into the utility room just in case Tracker changed her mind. lol!  Drake has been really good about the whole thing so far.  He named the white one Seymore for some reason.  I think it's a girl though so we might have to rethink that one!  I have no idea where he even got that name...

Mawmaw and Pawpaw's 50th anniversary

Mom and Loulou

We went to Mississippi over the weekend for my grandparent's 50th anniversary.  It was alot of fun.  We had crawfish and bbq.  Drake had a blast!  He really liked sitting by the "hot fire"!  On Saturday night we stayed in a motel so we didn't have to sleep on the floor.  That night Drake was up all night crying. We didn't know what was wrong with him.  The next morning his foot was really swollen and purple.  We think he got bit by something.???  We still aren't sure.