Monkey is one!

My sweet Monkey,
I can't believe that it has been a year. You are a delight!

You still have curly blond hair. Those ringlets are so sweet. They have become your trademark. Your eyes are greenish. I'm still not sure what color they will be! Right now, they look a lot like your Daddy's. However, since we're at your grandparents' house right now, I compared you to my baby pictures. You are (nearly) the spitting image of me as a baby!

It took you a long time, but you are finally eating table food. I still give you baby food at least once a day to make sure you're getting enough. You drink out of a sippy cup with ease, though I can't seem to figure out what you like to drink. Let me know when you decide, OK?

You took your first steps before Daddy left, but you are walking all over the place now (and have been for a number of weeks). You point at things all the time, wave, and charm with your four-toothed grin. You are very vocal when you want to be, and pitch a fit when someone takes something from your little fingers.  

You light up when you see Daddy on the computer screen. And your brothers are your favorite people. You call out to them and get louder if they don't respond in a timely fashion. You respond to your name now too. When I say "No!" you usually laugh at me unless I use a very stern voice which always makes you burst into tears.

We are having a little bit of trouble with your night sleeping. I am still not sure why you won't sleep through the night. We've got to work on this! Maybe after the holidays. I've figured out your daytime schedule! I can't believe that you gave up your morning nap so early. Then again, it was very hard to get a good one established. Usually you take a cat nap in the morning and a good afternoon nap.

You are getting over your first major illness. You've had colds and allergy issues before, but this virus really got us! Bull, Gator, Grandmommy, Granddaddy, you and me all got a nasty stomach bug.

We're going to have your birthday party after Christmas so we can celebrate with more of our family. Today, we had a mini-celebration for you! You got a new ride-on toy. Your smile was priceless when we sang to you.

Monkey, I am so glad that you are a part of our family. Your smile lights up the room and your sweet demeanor always encourages me during my hardest days. You have taught me to slow down and really enjoy this stage of your life. You'll be giving your brothers a run for their money soon enough! I am looking forward to seeing you grow over the next few months into a very busy toddler. I love you, sweet baby boy!

Love,

Mommy                                                     

Hello again!

The keyboard has been quiet for a little while. We have spent our days savoring and squeezing every sweet drop of time together before Hubs left.

And now begins our long separation.

It is surreal to me. I can't wrap my mind around this length of time. From what I've been told, that's normal. Take it day by day. Break things into bite-size chunks. Make plans. Set goals. Remember that mercies are new.

Taking it day by day...I know this will be hard for me. I am a planner so looking at the first day of deployment and not seeing the long line of days attached to it is nearly impossible. I hope that our daily rhythm of life will help me. Home schooling has forced me to be more present with my kids than ever before. What blessings these children are to me! Bull will be my secret weapon in this. The night that Hubs left, he said, "So Daddy's not coming home from work tonight?"

Break things into bite-size chunks...I've already done this a little bit, reminding myself that there are only five weeks until we leave for Christmas vacation. I haven't gotten much past that though: part of that "being present" thing. Actually, this proved useful tonight with Gator. He was lamenting how long it would be before we could see (meaning touch) Daddy again. I was able to share some of our "chunks" with him and the length of time didn't loom so large anymore.

Make plans...No problem! We have plans made until this time next year. I need to confirm them and add a few more to make time a bit more bite-size. There's a good chunk of time between January and Spring Break - time that is ripe with potential for the blues because of the weather. After Spring Break, we'll be trying to get re-settled after a long winter and looking forward to R&R. Summer will fly by as usual with a trip to Spring Canyon, and trips to see family sprinkled in there. Then, we'll hit the new school year. And soon after that Hubs will be home!

Set goals...I'm a great planner, but a terrible goal-setter. I have a love-hate relationship with that type of accountability. Using this list as a starting point, I've managed to set some goals!

• I want our family to be physically resilient and fit, to adapt the "culture of fitness" that is prevalent in the military. I want to be back to "pre-pre-pregnancy" weight by the time Hubs comes home. So, I will exercise for at least 20 minutes every day, whether that is by myself, by doing PE with my kids, or by working out with friends. I will also strive to be in bed by 10:00 every night, allowing myself at least 7 hours of sleep. By using Once a Month cooking, I will be intentional about our menu so that I don't resort to cereal, macaroni and cheese, pizza, and fast food every night of the week.



• I will develop a good, working routine/schedule for our lives, to include new responsibilities for everyone, as well as some changes in the earning department for the kiddos. This will lighten my load considerably AND eventually score me some points in the daughter-in-law department! :)



• I will be using this space as a journal of sorts for me, a place to process my thoughts, documenting our life while Hubs is gone, and maybe getting his point of view every once in a while. I will also be hiring a sitter and/or using my free childcare hours as an added sanity maintainer. Most importantly, I will stay connected to my energy source by studying the Word.

Remember that mercies are new...every day in fact! Some days will be harder than others. I know that I will fail by allowing my exhaustion and sorrow to overtake me. And every day that I wake to new mercies is one day closer to Hubs being home.

It is my prayer that I will look back on this deployment and say, "Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family that you have brought me this far?" We are looking forward to what He will complete in us during our time apart.

Here we go!

Vacation!

After Hubs returned from training and before we started school, we went on vacation to visit family and friends.
Our first stop was in Tennessee to visit wonderful friends. They home school all five of their kiddos, so I picked her brain to pieces! We had a lovely time, so much so that I completely forgot to get my camera out to take pictures. Ugh!
We moved on to Central Florida to visit my extended family.
Gator got to meet Chandler and a friend of his, and played HORSE with a whole bunch of BIG kids. They had to get pretty fancy with their shots to knock him out of the game! On my dad's side, there are 11 grandchildren of which my sister and I are the only girls. Of the 8 great-grandkids, there are only two girls, who belong to my sister.

(my boys with my grandparents)

After spending the night, we travelled to North Central Florida to visit Hubs' family. While we were there, we did some exploring and observing.

We also got to see Hubs' sister and her family.

(four generations - the oldest will be 99 in a few days, the youngest is due in December)
We also got to see the football stadium, explore the museum with all the trophies, and see the other fields and courts. They were painting the stadium, so we had to throw Hubs' shorts away when we got back to his parents' house. That orange paint doesn't come out of khaki shorts!

We travelled to Northern Florida and spent a few days with my parents. We visited Wild Adventures and had a blast! Gator and Bull rode their first roller coaster. We all played in the water park too. We also got to see my mom's side of the family as well. We ate some yummies at their restaurant while they chewed on Monkey and played with Gator and Bull.

On our way home, we stopped in Louisiana to visit our friends from our seminary days. It was so great to see all of them! We haven't seen most of them since leaving there in April 2009. We met new babies and couldn't believe how big the kids had gotten! We worshiped on Sunday with our church.
Feeling refreshed, we began our journey home, passing through Tennessee once again. A couple weeks later, we travelled south to see my sister's family to celebrate my niece's first birthday. It was so wonderful to see so many loved ones.

Home School - Month 1

(making cave paintings for Art and History)

Whew! What a month it has been! I'm exhausted in ways I didn't know possible, but soooooo thankful for our decision to keep the boys at home. We have been able to spend precious moments together as a family before Hubs deploys.
Our first week was a little bit trying. I think that besides getting used to school at home, we had a number of other things going on in our family and the stress level was very high. Also, we had to tweak some of the curriculum. We're still using the stuff I described here. We just had to adjust some of the leveling and pace. Once all of our activites started, extroverted Gator was much happier. I think he felt trapped for the first couple weeks before we got to see people other than each other. Mostly, it has been me learning how to manage my ever-present household duties, mothering, and now teaching. We've really settled into a great rhythm. We still have hiccups, but they are all managable.

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings:
7:15-8:00- PE with other home school families (when we can make it)
8:00-8:30- breakfast, morning chores
8:30- review memory work (AWANA verses for both; poems for Gator; days/months for Bull)
8:45- handwriting/spelling/grammar (videos/PBS, phonics, games, letter practice for Bull)
10:00- breaktime, Monkey's naptime
10:00-12:00 - math, science reading (tangrams, math games/manipulatives, and some formal lessons for Bull)
12:00- lunch with Daddy!

Monday and Thursday afternoons:
1:00- finish up science, history (formal instruction is done at this point)
2:00- reading time (Gator)/quiet time (Bull)/naptime (Monkey)
3:00- snack, playtime
5:00- dinner
5:30-6:30- Gator's football practice on Thursdays (Hubs coaches the team)

Wednesday afternoon:
1:00- occupational therapy for Bull, science/history for Gator
3:00- Musikgarten for all three boys
4:00-6:15- library and dinner
6:30-8:00- AWANA

Tuesday:
9:00-12:00- PWOC (I'm teaching Precept's Marriage Without Regrets), Gator has assignments (memory work, handwriting, science/history reading) that he completes in the home school room at PWOC, Bull has a blast in the preschool room, and Monkey smiles in the nursery.
12:00- lunch with Daddy!
1:00- spelling, grammar, review assigned reading (Bull plays)
2:00- reading time (Gator)/quiet time (Bull)/naptime (Monkey)
3:00- snack, playtime
5:00- dinner
5:30-6:30- Gator's football practice (Hubs coaches the team)

Friday:
7:30-8:30- breakfast, morning chores
8:30- review memory work (AWANA verses for both; poems for Gator; days/months for Bull)
8:45- handwriting/spelling/grammar (videos/PBS, phonics, games, letter practice for Bull)
10:00- leave for co-op
10:30- Art class for Gator and Bull (taught by local college students)
11:45- Presidential Physical Fitness Program (coordinated/coached by a home school mom; Hubs comes to help)
1:00- lunch with Daddy!
2:00- science experiments, history timeline and special activities

(Glider experiment)

I know that this will undergo many revisions in the coming months as Hubs leaves, Monkey grows, and Gator and Bull advance. This is what is working right now. And I'm happy to say that we're pretty much staying on track with what I had laid out in my lesson plans (which are written in pencil!).

9 months old

My sweet baby boy,
You are now nine months old. I would like for you to slow down please! It makes me a little bit sad that you will be one year old in a very short three months.
You crawl and cruise all over the place, and leave evidence of your presence. I'm constantly side-stepping and sometimes tripping over toys, books you've pulled off the shelf, magnets that are no longer on the refrigerator, recyclables that are waiting to go outside, and shoes that you've pulled out of the shoe bin. And wires - you love wires! I have caught you about two steps up the staircase, so there are gates at the top and the bottom of the stairs. You'll stand for a few seconds on your own now too.

You love a bath now, but still only for a few minutes. We have to keep the lids on the toilets closed and Duchess' bowls are another favorite. You also like Duchess' kennel...a lot (so did your brothers and just about any other kid that comes over!).

You're doing better with solid foods, but it's still slow-going. You like peaches, pears, applesauce, sweet potatoes, and bananas. You're not so excited about peas, green beans, or carrots. I have to sneak them in with the sweet potatoes or trade bites of fruit with bites of green veggies. You gag and complain every single time they enter your mouth. I've made most of your food - it's so easy! And so cheap! I've been using some of these recipes by a friend from my childhood. I am looking forward to experimenting with some more! We're going to be working on your sippy cup skills over the next month also.
We need to have a talk about a little problem we've been having for the last three weeks. It started because you were teething. You have your two bottom teeth now. However, you are not currently teething, so you should not be waking up at 1:30 and 4:30 am anymore. Last night you actually slept until 3:00 before crying. We have to work this out quickly, because Mommy is very tired right now! On the other hand, you've fallen into a very regular schedule of napping - what a relief! It's still hard on some days to get you down for both of your naps, because of your brothers' activities.
You started clapping the day that you turned 9 months old. Sometimes you get so excited that your eyes get really big, your arms are wide open, and you shake. It makes me laugh every single time! We've been attending a Musikgarten class once a week with your big brothers. You love it! You tap along with the music and play the instruments like a pro!

Your hair is growing and keeping its curl. And your eyes are looking more and more green. I really think that the color will settle on some shade of hazel. The other day you had a blue shirt on and your eyes were blue again! Who knows?! Regardless, your eyes are so smily and melt my heart on a regular basis.

We're going to be embarking on a new adventure together - cloth diapering. It seems very silly to me that I haven't done it before now, especially since we're at home so much. I'm still doing some research, so we won't be starting quite yet. It will be soon though!
We'll be embarking on another adventure too. Your Daddy will be deploying soon. He switched units to serve some different Soldiers who need him. We've been very busy getting prepared for his departure. I wouldn't mind if you started walking before he left so he could see you take your first steps. But you take your time. You'll grow up soon enough!

You are such a content baby. I am so glad that you're mine. Your smile can light up a room!

We love you so much!

We're still here!

I promise! We've been getting into our new rhythm of home schooling. Things are going well. I'll be updating within the next two weeks with pictures from our recent trips, reflections from my first few weeks of being a teacher, and a Monkey-is-9-months-old post. For now, here's a picture from our first day of school to hold you over!

Books, books, books

I've been reading a lot lately - much more than normal. It's so nice to have my nose in a book again (even if it's not fiction!).

Here's what I've been reading:

1. Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka - What a great book! I've recognized the spiritedness of each one of us by reading this one. Bull is most assuredly spirited - he's the reason I picked up the book in the first place. But I've learned that my compliant Gator has some serious spunk in him too. Kurcinka offers wonderful explanations and suggestions throughout. I know I will come back to this book over and over again as I raise this brood of boys.

2. SuperImmunity for Kids by Leo Galland - Chock-full of information, this book is a challenge to read and absorb all it offers. I only got 1/3 of the way through it before I had to return it to the Library. So, I ordered it! We have implemented a couple of the suggestions that I got to, including Flaxseed Oil for Bull, Monkey, and me, Probiotics for Bull and Monkey, and Grapefruit Seed Extract for Bull. I can say for sure that the Flaxseed Oil has completely cleared up Bull and Monkey's eczema! I'm looking forward to learning more!

3. The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder by Carol Kranowitz - Absolutely fascinating. Kranowitz explains SPD with skill and offers advice on everything from getting a diagnosis and finding a good therapist to creating a good Sensory Diet at home. I ended up ordering this one too because two weeks was not long enough!

4. Marriage Without Regrets by Kay Arthur - So, this isn't really a book, but I've been spending a lot of time reading it! This is the Bible Study I will be teaching in the fall at PWOC. It's quite challenging, but then again, Truth usually is! I look forward to learning and teaching from this study.

What have you been reading lately?

Classic

Since we decided to homeschool next year, we've been in a whirlwind of curriculum choices and lesson planning.
We will be using the Classical Method as laid out in The Well-Trained Mind.

Here are our curriculum choices by subject:

Spelling - Spelling Power; I love this because it's a one-hit wonder. I won't ever need another spelling curriculum. The lists are arranged phonetically.

Language Arts - First Language Lessons; The text covers 1st and 2nd grade. But since I'm not sure what Gator already knows, we're starting at the beginning. I think we'll fly through it though.

Handwriting - D'Nealian Handwriting; Gator already started learning D'Nealian last year, so we'll continue with this until he starts cursive. Then, I think we'll switch to A Reason for Handwriting.

Reading - Any reading we do will be directly linked to what we're studying in History, along with some leisure reading as well. We will visit the library a lot!

History - The Story of the World - The Ancients and Activity Book; I LOVE the way this series is written, chronologically from pre-history through to modern times in four books. If I had been taught history this way, it would have stuck! I will definitely be learning along with my kids for this subject. And we get to mummify a chicken while covering Ancient Egypt!

Science - Exploring Creation with Zoology 1 and Notebooking Journal; Science learning by immersion is such a great way to learn! I'm really looking forward to all the experiments we will do.

Math - Right Start Mathematics; I chose this one for Bull's sake. Gator could learn math by any method. This hands-on approach is perfectly suited for my kinesthetic second-born.

Music/Art/PE - I'm still trying to figure all of this out. Art will most likely be with a co-op. I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to instrument lessons yet (baby steps!). So, we'll likely do some type of Music Appreciation. As for PE...well, they're boys! We'll most likely do some combination of Gymnastics Plus, team sports on post, and co-op involvement.

Memory Work - We will have numerous sources of memorization for the boys: literature/poetry, historical lists (i.e. Egyptian Pharoahs), and AWANA at a local church.

Bible - We will work Biblical history into our study of Ancient History. We will also take advantage of Daddy's time at home between PT and office work and do family devotionals while we eat breakfast.

While I need one-on-one time with Gator, Bull will have plenty of Montessori-inspired activities, worksheets, and play-doh to occupy his time and hands. And Monkey? He'll just keep being cute, I suppose!

That's the plan. Any other ideas? Do you see any holes? This will be quite a grand adventure!

My Boys

Gator painting his treasure box (orange and blue with a football applique):

Bull painting his treasure box (red with a robot applique):

Monkey with his new favorite friend, Duchess:

Gator's "war face":

Bull screaming "Bye, Elmo!" during Sesame Street Live - The Military Experience:

Monkey in his dedication outfit, being sweet as ever:

Circumstances

While Hubs was away, I shared this devotional with ladies from our Brigade who met to pray for our Soldiers. Today, I am circling back to it, applying truth once again.

The past month has been trying for our family. Circumstances have continually tried to get the best of me – things like deployment changes, preparation and departure for training, professional uncertainties, and potential reorganization. Dealing with those stressors on top of all the regular stuff like kids getting ear infections or pink-eye, relationship issues with friends and relatives, or the car needing repair can really tax a person’s ability to rebound after a hard day.

So, how do we deal with these circumstances? Consider the lives of Esther and Paul.

Esther was a Jewish girl who was born into slavery in Babylon. She was orphaned early in life, and subsequently raised by her elder cousin Mordecai (Esther 2:5-7). Esther was added to the King’s harem, and chosen to be Queen. Risking her own life, she approached the King in court without a summons and foiled Haman’s plan to assassinate all of the Jewish people.

That is quite an emotional roller coaster ride! Yet, she understood the truth that each of those circumstances had been woven together by God to accomplish His purpose, as Esther 4:14 so clearly states, “perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” She was able to rise above her earthly circumstances to see the bigger picture.

Paul had quite an exciting life as well. He chronicled some of his circumstances in his second letter to the Corinthians:
“Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.”
2 Cor 11:24-28

Then, a few years later, Paul wrote these words:
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Phil 4:11-13

How do we achieve this mindset?

In chapter 12 of A Mother's Heart, Jean Fleming challenges mothers to let God be our only circumstance. In other words, don't be distracted by the little things. Instead, focus on the One who is bigger than and above any circumstance that life may throw at us.

Although circumstances are ever-changing, they don’t change the absolutes – that God loves us and has our best interests at heart, that Jesus desires a relationship with every single person on earth, that there are people hurting who need His touch, and that our purpose is to know God and to make Him known. Like Esther and Paul, we can endeavor to make God our only circumstance. In so doing, the chaos that swirls around us will fade and we will find rest in Him.

Lessons Learned

The Army is big on After Action Reviews (AAR) and use the leadership technique ad nauseum. It's only appropriate that I conduct an AAR regarding our recent trial run for deployment!

1. Get in bed on time.

2. Have a list of projects to accomplish while he is gone, but don't overspend while accomplishing said list.

3. Don't rely on technology (TV, Wii, and internet) quite so much, setting limits for all of us.

4. Use a schedule for me and for the boys, including exercise time, weekly library trips, and a fun event once a week. This was harder to do since it's summer. It will be easier once the school year starts.

5. Have a plan for bad weather, and go outside more on good weather days.

6. Figure out a better meal plan with lots of quick and easy meals, including a really easy night (like pizza) once a week.

7. Play with the dog and take her on walks.

8. Plan big events at regular intervals.

9. Hire a babysitter once a week for "Mommy stays sane" time.

10. Get up earlier than the boys, giving me time to read my Bible regularly.

What are some other tips for thriving during a military separation? Any really easy recipes? Any ideas for big events?

In Between

I’m no longer the brunette of my youth, but far from the beautiful silver of my mother and grandmother. The skin is no longer taut, rather stretched and scarred. The weight doesn’t drop off easily anymore, but it’s supposed to in 6 weeks. I see lines where there were none before, brown telling of time in the sun, but age spots replace sun-kissed. In between awake and asleep, never getting enough rest, but not really resting when I do finally fall into bed.
There is the passion of youth and a lack of the certainty and confidence that comes with age. There are big dreams and big responsibilities. In between “When is he going?” and “Is he home yet?”
There are goals and a word and the tyranny of the shoulds and the tyranny of the urgent.
Feeling young still, like I just graduated and got married, but realizing that I’m not that young anymore. And I’m not old enough to have arrived, to have wisdom assumed of me. Wanting and needing to learn so much, yet expected to teach what little I do know. When did I become the older woman? But aren’t I still the younger one?
Letting them crawl into my lap when I really want to crawl in my Daddy’s lap. Becoming the fixer while I need fixing. Trying hard not to look back, but lacking the drive to press forward. Living what I have always dreamed but wondering what to do when that’s done – when boys are men and have wives and kids and dreams and bills. What will I do then? Will that be a new in between?
The days are long and the years are short. But then one day, the years will be long and the days will be short.
Get to where you’re going, but don’t forget where you’ve been.
Mommy, why? Mommy, can I? Wahhh!!!!! Honey, what’s for dinner?
The cleaning and re-cleaning. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Mommy, look! I caught a fly! Mommy, I have an idea!
Mommy, watch this! Mommy, can I pour my own drink?
An almost crawl. A cry that says he’s hungry. A first reach for me with sweet chubby arms.
And smiles that melt and sticky kisses and dirty faces and stinky feet.
And questions deeper than they know – When will Duchess die? When will Daddy come home? Why?
And sweet prayers and sweet forgiveness and sweet helpers.
The in between? I guess it’s called life, the stuff of memories.
And you’re always in between.

One Word

At the beginning of the year, one of my radio stations gave listeners a challenge to come up with one word to define 2010. My word - margin.

This word came as a response to a very trying, although fruitful, first 10 months of life in the Army. We were very far away from family for the first time in our marriage. I had a hard first 18 weeks of pregnancy. The demands of Hubs' job were far more than we could have ever imagined. I found us having a hard time just surviving life through the fog of exhaustion that we were experiencing. We were living reactively for the first time in our lives. I knew something had to change if we were going to thrive in 2010.

I made a commitment in January to plan for more margin in our family life. Six months into it, I'm glad to say that we are succeeding for the most part. It's been hard though. I'm a classic first-born people pleaser with perfectionist tendencies. It is in my nature to say yes to everyone and everything. Saying no to opportunities has both stretched me and freed me. And my family is reaping the benefits.

We have tried to reserve Saturday for family time and rarely schedule things that would cause us to spend time apart. For most people, Sunday tends to be the day to lay low and reconnect with family (while Saturday is spent at sporting events, running errands, or doing yardwork). But we are the family of a Chaplain and Sundays can be one of the most stressful days of the week for us. Hubs has responsibilities at the Chapel, which means we arrive and leave at different times on Sunday mornings. I've had to let go of my "big Sunday dinner" dream. Instead, we have a special meal on Friday or Saturday night. On Sundays, we go out to eat and have leftovers or sandwiches. As for yardwork, we live on post and lawncare is provided for us.

We have tried to say no to things that would require us to be out of the house every night of the week. Therefore, Gator didn't play a sport during every season (though he really wanted to do so). I don't go to all the coffees I'm invited to attend. Hubs tries to keep after-hours counseling down to one night a week, if any at all. I have given up on having a perfectly clean house. I've stopped blogging as much. I've limited my computer time and the boys' TV/Wii time.

Our biggest change will begin in August. We will be home schooling our boys next year: Gator in 2nd grade and Bull in Pre-K. Yes, the girl who didn't major in education because she didn't want to write lesson plans bought a lesson planner a couple of weeks ago. We decided that margin is our priority. The boys and I will be here when Hubs comes home from PT and for lunch. We will be available when Hubs has a 4 day weekend. We can "do school" in the van on a road trip and not worry about the make-up work when we return from our trip. And these times spent together will fill our love bank accounts so we can make the withdrawals that a potential deployment will require. I know that bringing the boys home for school will not be "all sunshine and roses." However, I believe that the benefits will far outweigh any discomfort that I may feel! I'm certain that we will be able to create and preserve even more margin in our family life with this choice.

Ultimately, I've recognized that saying no to some things allows me to say "Yes!" to so many other more important things. I'm looking forward to the newest chapter in our margin-filled grand adventure!

Sweet Baylee Girl

We had to say good-bye to my sweet Baylee this morning.

I remember the first time I saw her, bounding up and down a chain link fence, begging me to play while I raked our new backyard in Charleston, SC. She lived two doors down with her humans who were about to add a fourth boy to their family and had two other dogs. But base housing would only allow two animals, so they had to give one away. It worked out well because her little boy could come over and play with her any time he missed her (he came often). I think it eased the blow a bit.

Our household of boys was no surprise to her! She was infinitely patient and never snapped at anyone, even when babies would pull her ears and her fur and her jowels and her tail.

She had the softest, velvety fur, much longer than most other boxers - like down feathers when compared to flight feathers. She hated lightning and thunder and tried to chew her way out of any confining space (which is why we had to kennel her).
She was a petite little thing. At her highest weight, she was only 56 pounds, I think. She had these big soulful eyes, the same fawn brown of her coat.

She used to run with Hubs and me, before we needed a jogging stroller. One time, while Hubs was training for a marathon, she decided that she was done running. She stopped and lay down in the cool grass. No amount of coaxing would get her up. Hubs ended up carrying her most of the way home! She loved to chase a ball too - tennis balls were her favorite.

She was my buddy through all of Hubs' deployments and even at the end rarely left my side. She needed to know where all her peeps were. She convinced my farm boy husband that animals could, in fact, live inside!

She had a litter of 6 pups when she was 6 years old. My sister and I kept two of them (she owned the father of the litter). My sister just had to say good bye to Duke a few weeks ago. It will be nice to have two reminders of her running around for a little while longer.

I'll never understand the way an animal can connect with a human. It is a gift. I will miss my girl!

6 months!

My little monkey is 6 months old!


You weigh almost 19 pounds now. You've got cute chunky thighs and roll around all over the place. You're trying to get up on your hands and knees, but I'm in no hurry for that to happen! You've started sitting up on your own now, though you're still a bit unsteady. I'm waiting to switch out your carseat until you're really steady.


We moved you into your crib in your room a couple of weeks ago. You had been sleeping in a bassinet in Mommy and Daddy's room (Mommy liked having you close). You promptly started waking up in the middle of the night. Finally, last night you slept through the night again! I think that it might be too quiet in your room. You're used to a lot of noise while you sleep! Maybe I should get a noise maker for your room?

We've tried solid food with limited success. You like sweet potatoes, kinda' like peas, and don't really like cereal at all. You will NOT take a bottle. I'm not sure if it is the taste of the formula or the type of bottle that we have, but you won't have it. We're going to have to work on this. Mommy needs to be able to leave you every once in awhile for longer than 2 hours!

I am wondering when your eyes will decide what color they will be. When you look closely, they are blue with a khaki-colored sunburst around the iris. That combination makes them look green on some days, especially if you're wearing brown, khaki, or green. I suppose time will tell! Your hair is curly! And blonde! I guess it's finally long enough for it to look more than wavy. It's made for some fun hairdos over the last few days!


Your new favorite toy is a set of stacking cups that I picked up the other day. You really enjoy the exersaucer too. Your brothers are still your most favorite playmates. They can make you laugh like no one else can!


You've had your first dip in the pool, and are generally soaking up the summer sun.

I think you like the change in the weather, my sweet winter baby. My most favorite time of the day is right after you wake up in the morning. Before you even open your eyes, you're cooing, just waiting for someone to notice that you're awake.


We had your dedication a couple of weeks ago.

You were so enthralled with the candles on the altar behind us that you wouldn't look at the congregation. I had to turn you around so people could see you! You did a great job though and smiled at the Chaplain while he spoke to Daddy and me. It is our prayer that you will follow hard after God and love Him with "all your heart."


We love you!

3 Mohawks

It was time for haircuts again (Hubs leaves soon for some training and I didn't want to do it by myself). Both of them wanted mohawks this time. So, laughing to myself, I obliged. This time, they have true mohawks, all the way down the back of their beautifully shaped heads! And Monkey has these curls (where did they come from?!) that lend themselves to a mini-mohawk with just a bit of water. So, I took some pictures of course! I'm just waiting for them to ask to color their hair red, white and blue for the World Cup!

Back of Gator's head:

Back of Bull's head:

Sweet Monkey's profile:

Happy Father's Day

to my Daddy

and to my Hubs

and to Grandpa, Dad, Papa and brothers-in-law!

loving this post...

I needed this today! Great thoughts on raising three kiddos. Hop over and read it!

Granddaddy

Though he was not killed in action, Memorial Day always stirs memories of my grandfather, a veteran who came home. So, in honor of those fallen, I am remembering my grandfather. Because of their sacrifice, I have had the privilege of life lived with my Granddaddy!

He left us just a few days before we knew we were expecting Gator. I see his money sense in his first great grandchild. "Never invest money in the stock market that you can't afford to lose," he said. Hubs and I bought our first car together just a few days before he passed. I like to think he was tickled that we paid cash for it. I was sure to tell him too.

I see his tenacity in the one who bears his name (Bull is named for him), though some may call it stubborn or strong-willed. These traits can serve a person well, if used properly.

My eldest niece has his twinkling eyes - bright blue, calm, piercing. In fact, all of his great-granchildren (so far) have blue eyes, but hers are the most like his.

He had beautiful silver hair and his favorite color was yellow.

He spanked me once for sassing him (I deserved it).

His hands were the lined, calloused hands of a working man - a farmer and mechanic. Yet they were pristine, clean nails neatly trimmed.

He used his small pocket knife for everything. The crinkle of a peppermint wrapper instantly takes me back to Sunday mornings at my grandparents' Church. He always had a pocket full of peppermints that he would send down the pew just before the service started. We learned quickly how to keep that cellophane quiet.

His pecan trees still bear fruit every year, though the rows of his garden have been fallow for a long time. Those acre peas were the best tasting ones ever! I used to snap beans from his garden with my grandmother.

Even though the house was on city water, he still had a well for irrigation. I remember watching him turn on that faucet to get a swig of cold, delicious water after mowing his lawn with a riding lawn mower. There's a picture of my sister and me sitting with him on that mower.

His perfect teeth always held a toothpick between them.

He let me shift the gears in his truck when I was little. It was fun and nerve-wracking at the same time!

He wore ankle boots that zipped up the inside and short sleeve, metal snap-up shirts with chest pockets on both sides.

He hated bluejays and squirrels because they pestered his songbirds. He always had the bird feeder full of seed, and the bath full of water and knew the name of every bird that visited.

He loved the Braves, cherry cordials, and McDonald's (spoken MAC Donald's). My sister and I loved going there with him for lunch.

He served in the Pacific during the Second World War. Hubs finally got him to talk about his experiences - he never would tell us much. We made a shadow box for him the year before he died. He was so proud of that.

How I miss him.

Linky Love...

I've rearranged my blog roll over there to the left and wanted to direct you to some new favorites of mine:

Simple Living: a group of five blogs about homelife...lots of down to earth goodness about home management, parenting, healthy cooking, green living and homeschooling. And I've known one of the contributors since we were kids!

(in)courage: a site with numerous contributors whose sole purpose is to encourage women.

A Holy Experience: a farmer's wife and mother to six in Canada, Ann never fails to bring tears to my eyes with her candor and beautiful prose. I am challenged every time she writes.

Five Months

Already? I can't believe that you are nearly a half of a year old!

You are doing so many new things.

You started rolling over and over and over again. I've walked in the room to see you 2-3 feet away from where I left you. You've started pushing straight up on your arms, and pulling your knees under you, though not at the same time yet.

You love playing in your exersaucer and swinging in your portable swing. The weather is much warmer now, so you have been enjoying the outdoors on a more regular basis.

You have started reaching for things that you want. And you can put your pacifier in your mouth! You have found your feet, and grab them by yourself often. You also nuzzle into my shoulder when I pick you up. I melt every time!

Your laugh is contagious and your smile is a little bit shy. But when you smile, everything about your face lights up and your blue eyes twinkle. Your hair is still very light compared to your brothers' hair, and there seems to be a little bit of wave to it.

We have not started solids yet even though you are ready. Your brothers get out of school in four more days. We'll start once they're home all the time and I don't have to worry about carpool and such.

You had your first ear infection recently. I think that the change in seasons along with the pollen gave you a runny nose. And that turned into a goopy eye and an ear infection. You didn't do well on the antibiotics. I'm hoping that the summer time will be more kind to us!

You are such a big boy. I don't have an official weight since you haven't been to the doctor in a month. But at your four month well-baby visit you weighed 16.2 pounds and were 26 inches long. You're starting to outgrow your 3-6 month clothes. This actually works out well because most of these are cooler weather clothes from your big brothers. The 6-12 month clothes include many more summer items!

You have become quite a little traveler over the last three months. We have taken road trips to Texas, Florida, and Colorado, and a plane trip to Florida. You have fallen right in line with the excellent traveling habits of your big brothers. In fact, Mommy has even braved a few trips by herself with all of the boys, the longest of which was three hours. Because of all these trips, you've met your great-grandparents, and most of your Aunts, Uncles, and cousins.

You went to your first major league baseball game. You also melted the hearts of an international chaplain couple while they stayed with us. The wife spoke Spanish to you constantly and you LOVED it!

You are such an easy-going baby. You are content in nearly every situation (as evidenced above - you fell asleep in the middle of the floor). You only cry when you have a dirty diaper, you're tired, or you're hungry. You usually don't cry when you're left alone for a bit. This works out well for Mommy since I have lots to do to keep up with your Daddy and big brothers!

Mommy loves you!

Mommy, I want a mohawk...

I announce that it is time for haircuts. Gator says, "Mommy, I want a mohawk."
So, following the advice of numerous mothers who have told me that haircuts aren't worthy battlegrounds as long as the hair is clean and neat, I say ok.
I start cutting his hair - no guard on the sides, the shortest it has ever been.
I barely trim the top, just evening it up a bit with a #7 guard.
He looks in the mirror, laughs at himself, and realizes that he isn't quite comfortable with all the attention he will draw to himself by having such a haircut. He asks me to make the top shorter.
I oblige, using a #4 guard this time.
He looks in the mirror again and still doesn't like it. Will you make it a little shorter?
I pop on the #2 guard, then fade it a bit with the #1 guard.
Thus we have the high and tight, my-kid-should-be-in-basic-training haircut that you see here.
And, he (finally) likes it.

10 years

and what we have to show for it...

Happy Anniversary to us!