New Project

Everybody knows that Rob loves a Hawaiian shirt. But, I've told him it may be time to start the weed out process. Half of his closet is Hawaiian shirts! I love them too, but you can have too many :-)

Anyway, just before he left, he put three shirts aside that he could live without. So, when I saw THIS tutorial, I knew I had to repurpose his shirts! So, here's my newest creation...

(excuse the toothpaste on the wall that I didn't see until I looked at this picture...)

What is it, you ask...

Cute, huh?

**PS -- I wish I had a picture of Rob in the original shirt. I may keep looking and edit this post, if I can find one.

Josh-ism

disclaimer -- this is a gross one -- you have been warned.



Picture it: Josh just came into our living room ... doing the potty dance.

Me: Josh, do you need to pee?

J: No, I have to poop.

Me: Well, go to the bathroom.

J: Somebody has to turn on the thing.

Me: The light? It is light in there because of the light coming in the window.

J: No, the thing.

Me (getting up to herd him that way...): What thing?

*I turn on the light*

J: No, the other thing.

Me: The fan?

J: Yes. Turn it on so I don't have to smell it.

:-)

Another movie

The girls watching their hula video -- my favorite part is in the beginning when you can tell that the girl is telling them to bend their knee... then to smile. They do it at the same time :-)

Dancing Sam

I love watching a baby dance :-)

Faithism

So... I've broken my toe. I'm pretty sure it's broken anyway. It is purple, swollen and lying slightly crooked.

But that's beside the point...

Picture it - me and my kids, walking out of the Child Development Center tonight. They wanted to run, but I reminded them that my foot hurt because of my toe.

Faith: Mama, which toe did you break?

Me: My pinky toe.

Faith: Oh, I couldn't remember if it was the pinky toe or the thumb toe.

A Military Wife

Post #2 of the day...

I thought this was TOO true not to post :-)

Each one may look different and each is wonderfully unique,
But this they have in common:

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent',
but she knows better:She is fiercely In-Dependent.
She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move........
all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert,
The Arctic,
Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.

They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.
Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands;
his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart .
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown

WELCOME HOME 3ESC!!

Today, the 3ESC came home from a 15 month deployment to Iraq. Out of our neighborhood, five daddies came home. What a great day for their families.

It is very weird to think that these families -- who I have been getting to know for the past 14-1/2 months since we moved in here -- actually have another family member! I have never met any of the daddies -- and that is just kind of strange to think about.

I had all intentions of going to the welcoming home ceremony today, but it was during a time that I had to be home to get the girls off of the bus. SO... the kids taped welcome home banners to their bikes and waited at the entrance to our neighborhood - to welcome our new neighbors home. And to say we are proud of their service and glad they are all home.

I must admit -- I am a bit jealous :-(

Busy Weekend Thanks

1- Had a fun night at the Water Park on Friday night with a great group of 19th families!

2- Watched Confessions of a Shopaholic at a friend's house after the water park. The kids got to watch Up outside, under the stars too!

3- Got to talk with Rob Saturday morning after too long of not being able to... I am SO over this deployment!

4- took the kids to a birthday party for one of Grace's friends. I am so glad that Grace and Lexi are in the same class this year. They were inseparable in Kindergarten but were apart in 1st grade. Now... back to inseparable :-)

5- Had some friends over today for cupcakes and ice pops. That's what happens when kid #4 turns 1... he loved it, even if it wasn't a party with all the bells and whistles.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY SAM!

I can't believe he's one already...

Slow down... you are growing TOO fast! I'm sure glad you came to be a part of the chaos :-)

Wednesday's Thanks

1- Sam seems to be back to himself again. He has been teething (and drooling) for the past couple of weeks. Though the culprit tooth still hasn't surfaced (it is close... I can see it just under the gum), his temperament is back to normal. PLUS... he is back to sleeping better. For about 6 days straight, he was back to waking up every ONE AND A HALF HOURS! He now wakes about twice a night -- which I can handle :-)

2- The kids are LOVING school :-) It sure makes the days go faster for us, too. I am really looking forward to getting back into our good school routine.

3- Finally bit the bullet and went to the doctor. Turns out that it is indeed a capillary bleed that has erupted across my body. What is the cause -- Who knows? The doc ordered a routine CBC and it showed that my platelet count is quite low (not as low as it has been in the past, but low just the same). So... why is this a thankful? Because while looking at the CBC, I saw that my white blood count is fine. The last time my counts were so low, they were accompanied by a low WBC. That is a bad thing... means the bone marrow isn't doing its job. I can handle the low platelets alone :-) (PS... I was going to add a picture here of something related to low platelets, but I had to stop looking -- sometimes you SHOULDN'T google the things that are wrong with you)

4- we bought a new plecostomus fish (we call them all Pico) last night. Hopefully he will earn his keep by cleaning the fish tank!

5- Watched Wipeout tonight with the kids. They just laugh and laugh -- and I just love to hear that!

First Day of School Pics

Josh starting Pre-Kindergarten!

Faith's first day of Kindergarten!

Grace's first day of 2nd Grade!!

That is a crew of cute kids right there!

I have LOTS more pictures and will upload them to my Facebook account :-)

It's a sad day for this mama...

Luckily, Sam is allowing me to be especially affectionate this morning :-)

Thanks, Sam. Mama needed that!