11 October 2019

child-like faith

I was saving these incredible pics from (https://majormamaphotography.passgallery.com/portfolio) our homecoming this past May.  D had been away from the kids for five months, and this was the first time they saw him (I visited him twice).  As I looked at some of these pictures with the viewpoint of time, I could see this hug in a different way than when I first looked at these pictures.  

I know exactly how she feels, wrapped in her Daddy's arms.  The world has righted itself and all is okay.  They are both so unaware of what is going on around them, and you can see his fierce love for his baby girl.  I still feel this way when I hug my Daddy.  More than that, it was such a picture to me today of how my Heavenly Father loves me!  We are called to love and trust God with such a child-like faith.  I was reminded of this as I looked at these pictures again.  

18 September 2019

Friday night lights....

The military members waiting....

An incredible dinner, made by the Booster moms!

The PCU crew walking out to form a tunnel for the players.

The mighty tunnel

Trying to stay warm!

Watching football with his daddy!

Photo crasher...


The Morse High School Shipbuilders!

The National Anthem 
(the good pictures taken by one of the crew!)

It was such a sweet evening, and wonderful to be a part of a small community that rallies around each other.  The experience of a Friday night football game was so fun for the kids, and so fun for us to enjoy with them.  We didn't stay long- our Hawaii blood hasn't acclimated to the "colder" temps yet- high 50's that night!

14 September 2019

an easy Friday afternoon...

Monopoly with this tycoon...  

we went to the Y so sissy could play tennis... and the gym was EMPTY!  so we had some PE time....  I worked on my free throws and the boys enjoyed the open court!

it used to be part of the old Naval Air Station here- so it's cool to see the remnants of Navy life hanging around.  

We are settling in to life in Maine.  We moved to Maine- I should probably start there!  If you missed it, we are with a ship that is being built here, and we are stationed here with the rest of the crew till it's done!  So, we are in David's favorite place on earth...  and only an hour from camp.  It's made it super easy to get up to camp, even just for a day!

The weather is starting to turn, just slightly.  We are all still enjoying the newness of our layers and Ugg boots!  I am hoping that excitement lasts just a bit longer.

This was a harder move.  We loved Hawaii, and didn't think we would be leaving so soon.  We left great friends (as we always do), and I realized at one point, this was the first move that we didn't have friends moving at the same time to the same place.

Thankfully, we had friends from HI that had been up here a year, and we have made a few other friends, but those first few weeks were HARD.  And they were hard for a variety of reasons, but we have settled in and found a wonderful rhythm.

I am homeschooling all four kids here....  people often ask how that's going.  I usually respond that they are all still alive, with a wink!  But honestly, I am loving it!  It's not all sunshine and rainbows, but it has been really fun!  

So, there we are...  caught up to today.  Kinda.

01 October 2018

Life as we know it....

A mini harrypotter...  scar and all!   (The scar is all his!)

Harry Potter day on base!

Cause sometimes, Momma needs to be in the pic!

4th Grade school pics


6th Grade school pics

Spiky Hair!!!

And this one...

Cause we matched!

It's quiet in my house.  Everyone is gone, at one thing or another.  I am completely and totally alone!!!  It's a rare feeling for me anymore.  I had thought that this day would come when all the kids were in school.  And now we homeschool!  So, there is always someone around.  

But here's the thing....  I miss them.  All of them!   "They" always say that it goes fast...  treasure the days... days are long and years are short...  they are only young for so long....

It's all true.  I knew it would be, but man...  This year it's just hit.  My baby is SO GROWN UP!  He's still the baby...  and milks that for all it's worth.  But, he's so independent.  C is thriving in 1st grade.  He's reading and writing so well!  It's fun to see the growth there.  J is 9....  I mean, where does the time go.  He's the pesky younger brother to N, and the know-it-all older brother to the littles.  But oh, so helpful and sweet when he wants to be!

And then there's N.  I mean, in the blink of an eye, and this summer, she is Miss Independent.  She's always off galavanting on her own.  She is little social butterfly and always involved in something.  She's making a killing (I mean a great living) as a mother's helper in the neighborhood.  She's turning down jobs left and right!  She's responsible and mature.... and just GROWN UP.  

13 May 2018

Underway again. And it's Mother's Day

Trying to get all of us in the pic on the usual "Family Picture Spot" on the way to church.  We can't walk by the spot without the kids stopping.  I have trained them well!

I thought I would try to get a better one in a building window.  It didn't happen.

A brand new Whole Foods just opened... we thought we would check it out before church!

Cause who doesn't love Kombucha and Whole Foods Donuts before church!

Brunch with the usual crew.  This was the "after" picture.  

The view was gorgeous, but the sun was too bright for a decent pic!

The kids....  And honestly, this was the best pic of them!

The ones who make me a mom.  I am so thankful for them.!

I pulled up the blog tonight and realized I hadn't written in over a year!  That makes me sad!  

We are in Hawaii again and loving it!  But since David is underway for a short period of time, this is the best way for him to get pictures.... so here we are!  (Everyone else sees the same pictures on Instagram and Facebook, too!)

Last night, the M babysitter cancelled, so I offered to keep the kids so they could still have a date.  I figured all the kids would be happy.  And then an extra friend planned to spend the night, too!

I got everyone upstairs at 9:30.  I thought it might be an amazing night of sleep!  

Cue B crying.  I pulled him in to my bed, so he didn't wake up the 6 other boys sleeping in that room!   And prayed he didn't wake up the baby in the bathroom!

I got him settled about 10, when N's friend decided she needed to go home.  We called parents and got her on her way.  N was sad, so I snuggled her till 11.  

I crawled back in to bed.  With B next to me.  Seconds after my eyes shut, he starts crying again.  He couldn't tell me what was wrong- his elbow hurt, his neck, his tummy, his breath (throat), his leg.  So I just held him.  Until I realized I had oils next to the bed!  Sleepy oils and he was out in seconds!  After an hour of crying, he was asleep.  And finally, I was too!

The boys got up before 6... so did I!

But, we had a great morning!  Facetiming family, our Whole Foods trip, great church service and then brunch.  I felt loved and celebrated and like a mom!  It was busy, and in so many ways, looked just like every other day!

Except when I got stopped trying to get on the Marine Corps base- we have done it 5 other times since we've been here.  Never had an issue.  Today, they decided to enforce their- "it's our base, and you have to get a special pass that you don't need at any other base or for any other reason" pass.  I cried, I told the guard we had come through multiple times with no issue, that it was Mother's Day without my husband and the kids and I would be late to brunch reservations.  So, I stood in line for 30 minutes to wait for my stupid pass.  And thankfully, brunch held our reservations!

So there it is- Mother's Day 2018.  Special, handmade gifts from the kids.  Roses from the hubby!  

28 February 2017

Snow Days and Sick Days

A snow day!

Snowball fights! 
Legos on a snow day!

We taught Nora how to make breakfast...  winning!

A date with this kid to "A Night to Shine"...  he was so much fun to be with!

More snowball fights!

This 5 year old!

A dog for protection!

Boys...

I forgot my hat!  (It was warmer than it looks!)

My love!

We got back from Disney and then had several snow days (we wondered why we didn't just stay gone!).  And then we had February break (J got sick for one day of it), and then we all got sick on Sunday morning.  So no one went to school yesterday.  Finally, everyone else is feeling better today.  I am still on the couch, but sitting up, so that's improvement!

While we all spent Sunday and Monday on the couch, we watched a whole lot of Netflix and other movies.  Pretty much every Disney movie we have!  (Yes, we need a TV detox after this!)  But as we watched the newest "Cinderella", it struck me that so many want to see the strong female lead and take away from the romantic fairy tale.  But this movie does a little of both.  She is brave and kind.  She forgives when she shouldn't, and perseveres when so many might have given in to bitterness and rage.  

At the end of the movie, when she's leaving with the Prince, I so wanted her to turn and rant at the step mother.  But she simply says, "I forgive you".  That is truly what our attitudes should be!  

And yet, I want my daughter to believe so deeply in the fairy tale... a handsome prince who can save her.  (I watched this as my handsome prince did everything around the house while we all laid on the couch!  This time, he was the only one not sick!)  She is strong enough to survive and yet vulnerable enough to be loved and rescued!  I want N to believe in love!  And I want my boys to be somebody's Prince Charming(s).  

18 February 2017

Catching up...

the kids, as we got off the bus at disney!

cousins.

the most magical place on earth!

snow white mine ride!

more cousins....

It's been almost a year since I "really" posted.  And I am not going to lie, I have missed it.  It felt HUGE just sitting down with my computer today!  This is my place.  It's where I record memories (no joke, when I have to look up a date something happened or find a picture, this is the first place I start!).  And where "life" happens.  

Today, I woke up and realized it was after 7.  This is becoming a "thing" at our house.  The kids will get up and entertain themselves (read- play wii) until we wake up.  David and I laid in bed and chatted (read- checked our phones!  but also had big talks about what was going on in the world!) until after 8!  When I jumped out of bed after realizing that Nora and I were supposed to be somewhere at 9am!  

She and I left to go clean up the wreaths at the cemetery from Wreaths Across America.  We had such a fun time!  (And let me tell you- living in Rhode Island, there are some cool graves!!)  Then, a long overdue Starbucks date and grocery shopping.  She's getting so grown up and I tried to teach her some practical life skills- shop the outside, coupling, etc!

Military life is so much fun, so stressful, so hard, so worth it, so crazy and involves so much.  So much change, so much moving, so much time away, so much new, so much different, and so much more of things we couldn't do without the benefits this job affords us!  I really do love our life, despite the long separations, being far from home, moving a LOT, changing schools, churches, doctors, hairdressers, friends, coffee shops, grocery stores, handy men and mechanics, gyms, babysitters, and about a million address forms.  

Next.  It feels like we always think about what's next.  We know that wherever we hare living isn't forever (which is a great analogy of our spiritual lives- this is NOT our home!).  So, we look to what is next.  (And in a spiritual sense, it should make me constantly looking to Heaven!  Only passing through here!)  And I don't want to live a life half in a place, so I really do want to be fully invested in where we ARE.  David has done a great job of picking assignments that keep us in once place for at least a few years!  (Thank you!!!)

But we are looking at next.  In July, we will move BACK to Hawaii!  I cannot wait!  We have all wanted to go back since we left.  But, we are going back with four school-aged kids.  There are so many things that we can't wait for with four "big" kids in Hawaii!  But that also meant we really had to look at schools there.  I mean, as great as the military is, we don't make enough to send FOUR kids to private school!  We looked at me getting a job and we looked at a lot of different options.  And initially planned to send all four to the same school.  However, plans change.  

We made a big decision last week to send the two littles to school and to start homeschooling the two bigs.  Which is crazy and scary and so overwhelmingly exciting all at the same time!  For about six years, I have been praying that if this is what God has for us, He would have to change David's heart. I was ready if and when He called....  which meant that I had to make good on that when He called!!

David would tell you that God didn't change his heart, He just left us with no other option...  I just laugh!  Kicking and screaming, this is what's next!  

Each day that passes gets me more excited for this opportunity!  I am excited to have about 6 months to get ready.  To plan, and talk to friends who have been through this already!  To pour over curriculum and to organize. 

So there you have it!