Just keep counting, counting, counting...

I'm not naturally optimistic, mostly a realist, I think. An optimistic realist maybe? Looking on the bright side of things has taken some serious mind and heart training for me. Hubs is an eternal optimist, and sometimes it drives me nuts. His optimism pushes me to think differently and pulls me out of my occasional doldrums.

This counting though...this has put me over the edge. My outlook on life is directly related to my counting of the gifts. So, Mr. Grumpy Gills, when life gets you down, you know whatcha' gotta' do? Just keep counting, just keep counting, just keep counting, counting, counting....what do we do? We count!

146. friends who can be trusted with the hardest conversations

147. the wonders of technology allowing us to chat even though we're half a world from one another!

148. having to let my prayers hug when my arms can't

149. Hubs unloading the dishwasher again and again

150. Monkey's little sayings...many having to do with poop

151. really healthy boys...Gator is 4'7" and 81 lbs; Bull is 4' and 50 lbs; Monkey is 3'1" and 33 lbs!

152. being excited about a study

153. new friends

154. OAMC - I only spent 15 minutes in the kitchen tonight prepping dinner!

155. looking forward to redeeming my birthday present - a massage and facial - tomorrow night!

156. learning life in a new place

157. getting used to having Hubs home

158. being comforted after a nightmare

159. remembering that it's alright to miss familiarity

160. knowing that familiarity will grow

Once A Month Cooking

My mother taught me how to meal plan. I've done it since I was in college. I saved money at the store, time on a daily basis, and pounds on (off?) my hips. I continued to meal plan when I got married, and then when we started having kiddos. However, when we started home schooling, I found it harder and harder to feed my family a healthy meal at home on a regular basis. I was exhausted at the end of the day! And really, who isn't? Regardless of our circumstances, we are all busy and have demanding lives. So, in my desperation, I reached out to my home schooling mentors and learned more about Once A Month Cooking (OAMC). It has really been a life saver for me. 

I haven't been able to do a batch of cooking since last October. That batch lasted us through redeployment and block leave. But then, we had to get ready to move, and had to empty the freezer. Those were some interesting meals! 

Now that we're settled, both physically and mentally, it is time to start planning again. After all, soccer season starts soon! That means practices twice a week for two kids! Ack! 

Two days ago, I made my menu and my grocery list (regular groceries as well as supplies for OAMC). Yesterday, I went to the commissary and stocked up. Today, I woke up and started cooking around 9am.

Most of my groceries for OAMC

I paid Gator to babysit Monkey since Hubs had to take the van into the dealership for a check-up. Gator kept him occupied while I chopped, sliced, diced, and chopped some more. By the time Hubs got home a couple hours later, I had finished all but one of the chicken meals.

Gator doing puzzles with Monkey

I needed Hubs help for that last meal. He flattened the chicken for me. See! It can be a family affair! 

Hubs goofing off with a frying pan

I had to take a two hour break to make lunch, help with the trampoline assembly in the backyard, and put Monkey down for his nap. Then, I got back to cooking. At the end of the day, I have twelve meals ready to pull out of the freezer, thaw, and dump in a baking dish or the crockpot: baked flank steak in tangy tomato sauce, chicken cacciatore, steak picado, Hawaiian chicken, beef fajitas, chicken parisienne, spaghetti, Italian stuffed chicken, pizza (so I didn't make this one!), baked jambalaya, continental beef, and cranberry chicken. To round out the menu, we usually go out to eat after ChapelNext, and have sandwiches on Sunday night before AWANA. [An aside: this has been a tough concession for me. I grew up eating a big dinner on Sunday after church with china, silver, crystal, and cloth napkins. Since we're a ministry family and Sundays are a "work" day for us, I try to choose another day to have our special meal.] We always have pizza on Friday or Saturday night. So, here is three weeks of food for my family, completed in roughly 8 hours! (As I was cooking, I realized that I forgot to buy the meat for one of the meals. I have all the rest of the ingredients though.)

All of my hard work, just waiting to be cooked!

Here are the cookbooks I use: Once A Month Cooking, Once A Month Cooking Family Favorites, Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer, along with a few family recipes. There are so many more available! Check your library first. That way, you can try it out for a month and see if it is a good fit for your family. 

There is so much information available on the internet, too. Just google "once a month cooking" and you'll get over five million hits! 

Many people take this a step further than I. They shop the sales and track grocery store loss leaders. I don't really feel a need to do this since I get all my meat at the commissary for a good amount of savings. Tracking sales will only save you more money! 

I suppose I've let the cat out of the bag. This is one of my sanity keepers. It's so nice to walk out to the freezer, choose a meal, and know it will be done without a lot of daily effort. 

Maybe it will work for you, too!

Have you ever had a good day?

"Have you ever had a good day?" 


His words pierced me. The eldest of my blessings was wondering if I had ever had a good day. Embarrassed and bewildered by his question, I answered in the overwhelming affirmative. However, I realized how my ingratitude had taken a toll on my family. 

The last months of the deployment and the first few weeks of Hubs being home had been tougher than I wanted them to be. I was so weary. Nothing particularly bad happened, but I had struggled to find the good. Ann Voskamp calls this the hard eucharisteo. I only focused on the hard and forgot about the thanksgiving....the thanks-living. 

Someone once told me that his wife set the tone for their home. I realized then that this was certainly the case for our home. Yet I have failed to show my children how to be grateful for the seemingly inconsequential, the simple things, as well as the big evidences of grace. 

Thinking that I had so poisoned my home with my ingratitude broke my heart in two. 

And so, with his words echoing in my mind, I chose differently that day and most of the days since. I work without (much) complaining. I (mostly) enjoy the simple and mundane. I (generally) keep a good attitude. I even have a little bit of fun. 

I reap what I sow. I have GOOD days. 

And I am sure to tell my deep thinker, too. 

a constant reminder at the end of my hallway

Counting the gifts...


66. Bull's incredible curiosity of late

67. answering lots of questions

68. an understanding husband

69. running for the first time in a long time

70. my foot doesn't hurt!

71. watching my blessings choosing to bless others through World Vision

72. Monkey's incredibly cute mischief

73. Gator's Spirit-led question

74. counting His gifts once again

75. a better-than-expected house

76. an easy transition

77. seeing familiar faces in unexpected places

78. reminders of good friends spread throughout my new house

79. a hot shower, a lock on the bathroom door, and a loud bathroom fan
80. a home that fits our extended family

81. being closer to family

82. good friends who send unexpected e-mails

83. music

84. new friends for the boys

85. hugs before friends deploy

86. friends to support like I was supported

87. our new chapel home

88. PWOC tomorrow! 

89. Hubs' new dream job

90. my life

Whew!

It's been a really, really long time since I posted here. I have missed it, but I've not had the extra time to devote to it. I'll do a really quick run-down of the last 5 months. FIVE MONTHS?!

We celebrated birthdays in October. Hubs got home safely for his deployment in November! We saw most of our family over the holidays. We celebrated more birthdays in December. Hubs' grandfather passed away at the ripe old age of 100 in January. We moved in February.

That's a lot of life!

We live in the Eastern time zone again! We are much closer to our family. We have a fabulous home with amazing neighbors. Honestly, we couldn't have asked for a more appropriate place for us right now. The boys have already adjusted and love it here. We had to think creatively in a few cases, but we're thrilled with the results. Here are some pictures of our new digs!

our front door with lots of new decorations

living room from the entryway

home school area from living room

back toward the living room from the home school area

kitchen with my awesome new rooster in the corner

kitchen from the dining room pass through

dining room 

coat closet to the right as you come in the front door
why yes - my pantry is in my coat closet!

coat closet is to my left as I look down the hallway 

1st door on the right: Bull and Monkey's room

1st door on the left: Gator's room

Gator's room

more of the hallway 

boys' vintage powder blue bathroom (the first door in the previous picture)

it's a long hallway!

Hubs calls it the Phone Booth (his uniforms are in this closet); I call it the sewing room 

our bedroom (last door on the right from the hallway)

our vintage brown bathroom

Eucharisteo!

Day 322

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

It’s the beginning of the harvest season. The cooler temperatures, the breezy days, and the slight change in the color of the leaves all testify to it. I have been watching the various stages of harvest. Fields are still green, some are ripe, some are being cut, some have just been cut, and still others have already been turned under. I have needed the reminder.

The first waves of Soldiers are just starting to arrive. And I am so thrilled for them! They have served well, and their families have waited patiently for them to come home. My head knows that their proper time is now. My heart is longing for it to be my turn!

Honestly, my desire is to put my head down and plow through the next few weeks. The temptation is so strong! But I would miss so much. I know that I need to slow down and look around me. We are back in the swing of things with school and activities. I could easily just get the stuff on the list checked off. I’m trying to remind myself to be present with my kids.

These boys are a wonder to me: Gator’s sweet nature, Bull’s sense of humor, Monkey’s explosion of personality. Gator has grown taller, stronger, and more coordinated. I’m curious to see how that translates onto the soccer field. He’s also in third grade and things just seem to “click” for him in an exciting way. Those a-ha moments are one of the best perks of home schooling.  

Bull is playing his first team sport ever and doing a great job! He’s in the proverbial dustball surrounding the soccer ball with his teammates, kicking toward the correct goal! He is making incredible progress in general, showing improvement in speech self-correction, strength and muscle tone, coordination, longer attention span, and improved fine motor control. His first attempts at reading are music to my ears.

Monkey has a deepening desire to communicate with us, and is starting to exert an independent spirit. While this causes some frustrating moments, he is right on track developmentally! His facial expressions rival those of Bull (which is quite an accomplishment). He’s such a wonderful, busy, happy toddler.

To think that I could miss all of this “stuff” mourns my soul. I am praying to have ears to hear and eyes to see all that is going on around me. I can’t afford to rush through these last few weeks, because I have so much to miss. So, here I am, slowing down, asking for the presence of mind to take in every moment and tuck it away. Because really, it will be over sooner than I think. 

Multitudes on Mondays

As we traveled over the last three weeks, I shared a room and sometimes a bed with my sons. None of them share nicely while sleeping, but one in particular (the one with whom I'm usually paired) is particularly greedy. You see, from birth, he has always been a cuddler. He naturally gravitates to the source of warmth in a shared bed. Usually, that's his brother. But on a handful of nights, it was me. As any mother can tell you, sleep is a valuable commodity. It's easy for me to be annoyed by this behavior, especially when I am travel-weary. Sharing a bed with this one can be painful. At the very least it's uncomfortable!

Really, it mirrors my relationship with him. He is the one who stretches and pushes me as a parent. He challenges me at my very core. He is passionate and physical. He needs me to be intensely calm. All too often, I allow his intensity to spin me out of control. But if I meet his depth of passion with the same depth of gentleness, he settles.

So, as he batters against me while he dreams - his arm across my chest (which barely missed my cheek), his knee in my side (just left of my kidney), and his sweet cheek on my shoulder - I'm reminded to be a firm and calm presence in his life, a rudder of sorts, helping him to navigate the thrashing and tossing to which he is prone.

#71-82 of the gifts of sleeping close to my sons for nearly three weeks

- sweet sleeping lips
- soft snores

- the oldest one still wanting me when he's scared

- the smell of the second one's hair

- a big enough bed
- a bed not empty

- mumbling as they dream

- big beautiful eyes staring at me when I awake
- being the first thing they see when they awake
- sleepy smiles and big stretches
- hands of the smallest one reaching up to me
- the reminder that others (two families particularly close to my heart) would give anything to see their little ones sleep again

A New Tradition

Fat Tuesday.

If we were still in New Orleans, this would not have snuck up on me like it has this year! We have been so very busy (as evidenced by my absence from this space).

However, when I saw that Ann's son, Caleb, would be offering his wreaths again, I jumped at the chance to own one. And look what came today! It is truly a beautiful work of art!

I am looking forward to adding the celebrations of Lent and Advent to our family traditions. I have mentioned before that these celebrations were new to me. I am hopeful that we will be able to slow down and recognize the steady rhythm and careful reflection that such celebrations offer.

Now to prayerfully consider my personal sacrifice...

One Thousand Gifts

You have to order this book! Ann Voskamp - farmer's wife, homeschooling mother of 6, and my favorite blogger - shares her story of learning to live a life of gratitude. You will laugh and cry and marvel at the poetic beauty of her words. There's even a book club that you can join! Angie and Jessica discuss each chapter of the book with Ann, and you can join the discussion too (intro video, chapter one video). What a wonderful new habit to embrace for 2011! What are you waiting for?

82 Days

Last week, we set a new record for the longest we've been apart. Mind you, this is not a record that I wanted to set and then break with each passing day. But each day apart means one day closer to him coming home.

The past 11.5 weeks have been both easier and harder than I expected.

Easier - There hasn't been as much drama as I expected from the boys. They are adjusting without many issues. Most rough spots are resolved with a reassuring hug and a Skype call. By the way, if I ever meet the people who invented Skype, I may embarrass myself. I am so thankful for this mode of communication. My boys love it too. Bull leaves the funniest voicemail messages for Hubs. Gator enjoys showing Hubs all sorts of new tricks and things he's created. And Monkey is so cute when he points, waves and babbles at his Daddy. I love that my baby knows his Daddy's voice and his face. As long as I have my phone, we can video chat anytime!

Harder - I am tired and rely on Diet Dr. Pepper WAY too much. Oh, how I wish I liked coffee. It's much warmer than DDP! The boys require a great deal of energy, as one may expect. The big boys miss their Daddy's physical presence. They've started beating up on each other (and suffered swift and appropriate consequences)! They soak up any attention they can get from our guy friends. Monkey has gotten a bit better about sleeping through the night. I thought that this weekend would be our breakthrough. Alas, we all have the sniffles and coughs/wheezes, so no one is sleeping well these days.


Easier - There are days that I really do forget he's on the other side of the world and fully expect him to walk through the door in time for dinner. Does anyone else experience this phenomenon? Maybe it's because the rhythm and busy-ness of our lives didn't change much when he left? I don't remember this happening before though, and it's a bit disconcerting.

Harder - The gremlins typically de-rail my day. Shoveling snow, dead car batteries, losing my keys for four days, rabbits/mice in the garage, snowstorms, viruses....the list could go on. I've accepted that these things will happen (thank you U.S. Navy for teaching me this at the beginning of my marriage!), and just try to roll with the punches.


Easier - It's been much easier to loosen my standards than I thought. Really, I haven't had a choice. There aren't enough hours to get "it" all done. Bedtime has gotten a bit later as has wake-up time. The house is much messier than I would prefer (it's winter though and we spend a GREAT deal of time inside right now). I've let dinner planning slide big-time (being remedied this weekend though!). I chalk all of this up to adaptation. I'm ok with it and working through it.

Harder - Everything takes more time, especially in the winter. The coats and the gloves and the hats and the snow and the boots and the mud...It seems that it takes so much longer to get anywhere and do anything. Maybe I'm understanding what the really important stuff is.


Easier - The boys are much better this winter than last with getting themselves ready to get out the door. They even get Monkey's jacket on him and get the dog in her kennel. I also know to start 15 minutes before we actually have to leave. Really, the kids have been amazing. They have stepped up with helping me more than I expected.


Harder - We have been really sick (for our family) this winter. There was the birthday trip to the ER in October for wheezing, the 2 weeks of Norovirus that got all of us in December (while on the road no less!), the sniffles, runny noses and cough that have plagued all of us at different times. Monkey still hasn't had his shots because he's been sick off and on for over a month!

Easier - We have hit our stride with school. Gator is accomplishing more in less time than before, and with a good attitude. Bull started pre-school this week, and I'm able to use free childcare for Monkey.

Harder - It's really tough to see guys in uniform all. the. time. They look so similar to one another (in uniform that is) that it's easy for my mind to play a trick on me and think that my soldier is walking toward me. I don't resent them or pout when I see them. I am looking forward to him being home though.

Easier - The community of which I am a part is absolutely amazing. I can't get over the support and the camaraderie that exists with this group of people. Though I have my "surviving" days, mostly we are in "thriving" mode. And when it's really hard (like it was a couple of weeks ago when our unit lost a Soldier), I know I have people who can sympathize and walk me through it.

I've heard that many hit a wall during months 4-6. What say you? Any ideas for making it through?

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!