A Look Back at 2009

2009 has been an interesting year.

We started the year looking at 4 months until Jon left for his year long deployment to Iraq. We really had to think about what was ahead of us for the year. January also began the never ending pre-deployment drill weeks, weekends and eventually a month and a half. I guess you can say that this time was preparing us for the separation. January was a busy month for us.

February was an even busier month. Pastors' Conference was this month - I worked A LOT during this time. Jon was gone during the week of PC for drill (of course) so Jack spent a lot of time with my mom and sister. We moved one month closer to deployment day. We also started planning our vacation for right before Jon left.

March was even crazier than the first two months of the year. Jon had drill from March 15th until April 20th. It was a crazy busy month with work and trying to juggle everything with Jack. Jack started daycare at the first part of March.

April - one month until "D" day. Since Jon was gone during almost all of April it meant that he was not here for the Passion Play. I worked double the hours that I worked during Pastors' Conference. Sometimes I didn't leave until 2 am and was back the next day at 7 am. Once Jon got home we were getting ready for a much needed vacation. We took Jack to Sea World and Disney World for 5 days. It was the best time for the 3 of us. Jack really enjoyed everything.

Then there was the month of May, to start the month off I celebrated my 26th birthday and then Jon and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. After that we had to begin packing all of Jon's stuff so that it could be ready to go to Tallahassee with Jon when he went. It was getting harder and harder for us to be apart. The month went by too quickly - Jon had to be in Tallahassee on the 23rd. The state held a very nice ceremony for his unit at the State Capital with the Governor. The 23rd also began the countdown for when he comes home.

June - the first full month of the deployment but it was also when I got to go to Chicago to see Jon. I was so excited to go. Number 1 - I have always wanted to go to Chicago. Number 2 - I am a HUGE Cubs fan and found out that we would be able to take a tour of Wrigley Field. I wanted to go to a game - they were playing the White Sox at the new field of the White Sox but the series was sold out so I got the next best thing. Number 3 - I was going to get to spend the whole weekend with Jon!!!! Sadly it was the last weekend before he left to go overseas. We had a great time and I was sad to come home.

July - my little munchkin turned 2. I can't believe how fast he is growing up. Jon left to go overseas. He flew from Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin to Shannon, Ireland. From Shannon, Ireland to Kuwait. He spent a few weeks in Kuwait and then left for Iraq.

August - was a quiet month. Jon was in full swing in Iraq. We were able to talk to him on Skype and see how he looked. Jack thought that it was awesome to talk and see his dad on the computer.

September and October were quiet months as well. Jack and I finally settled into a groove of working together as a team. In October, I took Jack trick-or-treating for the first time. He LOVED it - he was Thomas the train.

November began the busy holiday season. It was a very happy time but it was also a very sad time because Jon was not here. Thanksgiving was fantastic and it was good to spend that time with my family.

December has been great. Christmas was fun - Jack was fun this year. He really liked opening his presents. Jon was able to call on Skype and watch Jack open his presents.

2010 is going to be a great year. Happy New Year!!!!

Christmas 2009

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas day. I know that we sure did. My mom, stepdad, sister and brother in law all showed up at my house at 6 am. We decided to open presents at that early of a time so that Jon could call and see Jack open his gifts. I hadn't talked to him in 3 days so I really was hoping that he would get to call and see Jack. Well he did call and it was so good to talk to him. Yesterday was a happy and sad day all in one.

I was a bad mom and didn't get any pictures because I was too busy trying to make sure that Jon could see and hear Jack open his presents. I wish that you all could see Jon's face while he was watching Jack. I could tell that he was happy to see him opening his gifts but he was also sad that he was not here to experience it firsthand. All I could think was that in 5 months he would be home and we could celebrate everything together.

For now~

Moving Closer to Coming Home

Yesterday marked 5 months until Jon comes home. I am so excited!!!! I am also a little sad because he is not going to be home for Christmas. It is just not the same without him here.

On a happier note...

I don't know how many of you know that I currently hold a Class E license in the state of Florida for coaching soccer. I am also a member of the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America). I was looking on their website last night and noticed that they are holding a State Goalkeeping Diploma program in Jacksonville in 2 weeks. I was a goalkeeper in high school and on my rec teams and that is where my heart lies. In th near future I hope to get my National Goalkeeping license.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!!

Some new photos

Here are some new photos of Jack (and I).


I found Jack like this during a nap. He is sleeping with one hand on his trains and the other around a doll that is in Army fatigues with a picture of Jon in it.


Jack is playing with his train that is under the Christmas tree.


This is our Christmas picture.

He Makes My Heart Smile

This little boy right here

makes my heart smile everyday. I know that I have reasons to be sad, anxious, nervous, and any other feeling that goes along with a deployment but whenever I hear that little boy talking and taking in the world around him my heart just smiles as big as it can. When Jon left from Tallahassee they gave all the kids these dolls wearing the Army ACUs and there was a place on the face to put a picture of your soldier. Well tonight I FINALLY got a picture of Jon printed and put in Jack's doll. I called him up to the living room and showed it to him and he saw Jon's picture and said "Hi Daddy" and took him and ran to his room with it. When I tucked him into bed I asked him if he wanted his bear and he told me yes that he wanted the one from daddy and then he picked up his doll and kissed Jon's face and said "Night Night Daddy. Love you." He then laid him on his pillow right next his head.

Oh how I love that boy. I can't wait for Jon to get home to see how much he has changed since he left.

A New Black Friday Tradition

Yesterday, I was not one of the crazy people out shopping at 4 in the morning. Yesterday, the only time that I went to the store was around 4 in the afternoon and that was for cat food and diapers. Yesterday, Jack and I started a new Black Friday tradition. We went to the zoo instead of shopping and frankly it was great. We got to the zoo about 5 minutes before it opened. It was a little chilly so we had jackets, hats and a blanket. The good thing about getting there first thing in the morning was that all of the animals were awake. Jack likes when the animals are up and moving around. All he could talk about was seeing the giraffes - he loves those guys.


He saw that the elephant was eating and said "Mommy he eating with his nose."



Of course when we get to the giraffes there were 4 of them standing right up at the fence. Jack kept saying "Hi giraffes" and then he saw a baby one and he kept telling me about the baby.




Jack thought these guys were funny. Can you guess which one is the baby and which one is the mom? I'll tell you at the end of the post. There was a keeper there and she told us that the baby is not a year old and almost bigger than his mom. She also said that he hasn't gone into the pond yet that is in their enclosure - he almost did yesterday but changed his mind.

We got about three quarters of the way through the zoo and Jack fell asleep. He ended up missing all of the monkeys. Here is a picture of him sleeping in his stroller.



So I think that the Kees Family now has a new Black Friday tradition that does not include shopping. The answer to the jaguar question is the one that is standing next to the fountain and the very tall grass is the baby and the one on top of the rocks in front of the bushes is the mom. She was keeping a very close watch on him the whole time we were there. Have a great week!

A Week of Thanks

As this week of Thanksgiving is upon us, I have stopped to think about all of the things that I am thankful for. I tend not to do this everything Thanksgiving but this year I have so much to be thankful for. First off I am thankful for an amazing husband who is doing an amazing job in Iraq right now. I am also thankful for a great son - who if I may say so myself is a really good kid. I am very thankful for an amazing mom - she is my BEST FRIEND and a great help during this deployment. She is in need of much deserved vacation. I am also thankful for a great best friend who completely understands everything that I am going through and we get along so well. Thankful for a great church family who has been there for Jon, Jack and I during this deployment. Thankful for a job - especially one that I absolutely love, especially one with a great boss (who is understanding and loving), and especially one that has the amazing coworkers that I have.

The only thing that I am sad about this week is that Jon is not here to celebrate with us all. Jack is excited for Christmas. I took him to see Santa Claus today and he loved him. Here is his picture with Santa. (Sorry it is a little fuzzy - I took a picture of the actual picture)


I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

To all my Friends

To all my friends:

I am writing this as a public service announcement for a friend. I know that many of you have heard him sing. Jon and I just love Daniel Crews. Over the past year, I have had the great opportunity to work closely with him and become a friend. If you are on Facebook please find his fan page and become a fan. He has a new album coming out soon - it is a live album of songs that he has sung at FBC Atlanta and FBC Jax. He is a great guy and an amazing singer. Please also check out his website here. That is all for this announcement. :0)

Is there no end in sight

Right now I am so sick. This is day 2 of this. Since I am the only one home with Jack I can't really take any good medicine. Anything that says that it might be slightly drowsy I can't take it because it knocks me out cold. Last night Jack didn't go to bed until 10 so it was entirely too late to take any meds. Tonight he is already sleeping so I was able to take some meds.

Also tonight while I was on the phone with my mom (while sitting on the couch), Jack wanted to sit with me so I let him. Well about 2 minutes into he proceeded to stand up on my right knee cap. If you don't know I have had a lot of problems with my right knee resulting in 3 surgeries. The problems encircled around my knee cap. So on top of the cold, I now have this horrific pain in my knee.

Pray. I am praying that I get through these next few days and feel a lot better.

Is it May yet!?

I am tired. I am lonely. I am ready to have another body in this house. I am ready for help with things.

That is all.

Halloween and FL/GA

This year I took Jack trick or treating. There were not many houses in our neighborhood giving out candy so we weren't out long - plus Jack doesn't eat candy AT ALL. Here he is on our way out and at his first house with my mom.




Also on Saturday, I took Jack downtown to the happenings of the FL/GA game. We were down there in time to see the Gator Walk. The fans line up and the Florida band and the team walk into the stadium to get ready for the game. It was fun but it was HOT! Jack loved it. I asked him if he wanted to go see the Gators and he kept saying "Yeah Gators" and then he would say Go Gators. It was a great weekend. My family from Pensacola came in and all of my mom's brothers and sisters spent Saturday together.

I can't believe that we are in November and that Thanksgiving is coming up. I am sad that Jon is going to miss Thanksgiving and Christmas but sadder for Jack b/c he has finally realized that his dad is not here.

Until next time.

My Little Thomas

In case you didn't know, Jack LOVES Thomas the Train. He has almost every Thomas movie, train - it's all about Thomas. Even so much this is his Halloween costume:


This past Friday my mom, stepdad, sister and I took him to the Callahan fair and he loved it. As we were walking up he said "Wow lights." He loved all the animals and espically the man with the tractors. He got to sit on one and pitched a fit when we took him off of it.


We are gearing up for Florida - Georgia weekend. It is going to be great! My aunt and uncle are coming in from Pensacola for the weekend. Until later.

Like Father, Like Son

Before Jon left he bought Jack a pair of Army PT shorts. They are exactly like Jon's only smaller. Jack absolutely loves them. I had to make a trip out to Camp Blanding a few weeks ago to get Jon a new patrol cap. I had been looking out at NAS Jacksonville but they had every size but the one I needed. So anyway, while I was out at Camp Blanding I picked up the matching T-shirt. He looks exactly like Jon with it on. Here is proof:



He is growing up so fast. Just thought that I would share.

I GOT IT!!!

So after a much needed rest and a trip to Gainesville, I finally got the couch that I have been wanting. My best friend Jess and I went to IKEA yesterday and had a blast. I got the right mattress for Jack's bed (I need to take a picture of his bed) and some other things. Here are pictures of the couch and the side table that I got.



Isn't it awesome!!!!




I am now a happy girl.

It's Fall....well in a sense

So if you live in Florida you know that this upcoming weekend is the first time in quite a while that it is going to be below 80 or 90. Last week, Jack and I went to the pumpkin patch with Winnie, Alan, Clara and the Dorminey's. We had a great time but it was SO hot. Jack helped me pick out some good pumpkins. Instead of carving them, I went and bought some paint and paint brushes and let him paint them. I also bought these things from Wal Mart that you just stick into the pumpkin and you can make different faces out of them. Here are some pictures of his pumpkins.





I am so excited to be heading to Gainesville tomorrow for a girls night out. After the night that I had last night I will be so happy to get some sleep tomorrow. Talk to everyone when I get back.

Change of Vacation Plans

So I mentioned here of a much needed vacation for my best friend Jess and I. Jess couldn't get the day off from work so we aren't able to go on the cruise. Instead, we are going to:


Dana Carvey is the headlining comedian, O.A.R. is the headlining band and joining the two of them will be the JabbaWockeeZ. Gator Growl is so much fun and it is the biggest student run pep rally in the US. It is awesome! The next day the Gators will be playing Arkansas for Homecoming. Once Gator Growl is over, we will be making the journey down to Orlando to stay the night here:


That Saturday morning (or whenever we get out of the bed) we are going to IKEA!!!! We are both so excited to have the time away from our children and time for ourselves.

A New Occupation....Sort of

No I haven't gotten another job - I LOVE working at the church. What has happened is that since Jon is gone I have become a handy man...of sorts. Friday, my grandmother and I made a day trip to IKEA!!!! We had so much fun. I went down to get Jack a new bed and some other things. Once I returned home I had to put his bed together and then I had to go get curtain rods to hang and put up my new curtains. I got Jack's bed put together before his bed time. When I say that I had to put it together I had to really put it together. Here is the proof.



Here is his bed - pre set up. It came in 2 boxes and then the slats for the bottom of the boat.



This is his room before.



This is his bed in the middle of putting it together.



And here is the finished product. I am so proud of myself - the only downfall is that his matress is not the right size but that is okay.

The other project this weekend was hanging up curtain rods and curtains. The curtains that I bought from IKEA are a certain length and they come with an iron on hem strip so you can make them any length that you want them. Here is what it looked like before the curtains.





Here is what it looks like with 3 of the 4 curtain rods and curtains up.





I think that I did pretty darn good. In 2 weeks I am getting a new couch and a new chair for the living room. Jon really dislikes the couch that I am getting and probably will not like the chair either. I told him yesterday that he can turn the office/middle bedroom into his man room. He was happy with that idea. Now that I feel like my arms are going to fall off I am going to get the maintence man here at the apartments to hang the final rod because I have been having problems with it.

I hope that everyone had a great weekend.

Missing his daddy

Last night Jack wanted to listen to Jon read him a Dr. Suess book. Jon read him a book while he was in Kuwait at the USO building and they put in on a DVD and then sent it to us. I put in the DVD and I had to put in on repeat because when it stopped Jack got mad. He fell asleep last night listening to Jon read to him. Here are some pictures that I got.