haircuts!

sweet baby boy...

his "cheese" face...

big boy getting his big boy haircut!

big boy haircut!

also her first haircut...

she's a fan...

my little princess!

her haircut!

look at those big kids!! it is so cute! i wanted to save these pictures so daddy could be surprised by jamey's haircut! (nora's pretty much looks the same, just an inch or so shorter) we had a crazy and fun weekend... more on that in the next post!!

my one year old...

first of all, my one year old figured out how to make the door alarm beep (it does that when opening and closing...). he walks around saying "beep beep". it's so cute! and he is still obsessed with jumping. he is pretty communicative about everything now. i can understand most of what he says and he is good at getting his point across. he says "please" and "thank you", or signs them, and also "more". although all those signs are used pretty interchangablely, along with "all done"! sweet boy... growing up so fast!!

a week in review (kind of)

my sewing "room"!! or ping pong table! but, i get to leave everything out and no one is bothered!!! LOVE IT!!

my anniversary present from my AMAZING husband! (it's a sewing machine, not a chainsaw...)

libby lu and her bright future!!

it was the week of deals... got a PHENOMENAL deal on my new sewing machine... then hit up a garage sale... got the grocery cart...

not this... it's from when dd and byssa were kids!

but i did get THIS!!! i thought having two would be fun, but now everyone wants the pick-up truck! nora loves it because her babies actually fit into the back! (that's how they do it in the country, right?)

btw... it's auntie sarah's birthday today! happy birthday, dear auntie sarah! we love you so much! and are so thankful that we get to live closer for 7 months!! enjoy your first day of the 20's!!!

sickies....

so, nora told me last night that her tummy hurt. mine did, too. so, i put nora in her room, on a sleeping bag (because they wash easier than mattresses), with a show and a pan. and, she threw up. missing the pan, onto the show. wonderful! but, she and i both had miserable nights... i slept it off, however, waking up at 10am feeling much better.

so, we have all had it here, and should be done with it, right? anyway, our days are filled with playing and having fun now!

i love...

yesterday, james told me he loved me! i was snuggling him and told him "i love you". he responded (in his apple baby fashion) with "i love". it was so sweet!!!

this morning, i woke up to hear him crying at 5:30am. that's not normal for him. usually nora is the early riser. i let him go at it for a few, because it was off and on. i finally got up and got him, since i REALLY didn't want him to wake up nora (who, surprisingly was SOUND asleep in the same room...)- there was throw-up EVERYWHERE! so, i snuggled my boy and we fell back asleep on dd's chair downstairs!

hmm...

decisions, decisions!!!

pizza....

well, blogger...

got a few more pics uploaded tonight...

don't we make a cute couple!!

i LOVED the flags!

sadly, the tree is blocking it, but it's still the smithsonian!!!

new normal...

so, this week has been a struggle for me in my new normal. as mentioned, i am not very pretty anymore, and nora doesn't have a daddy. i had a meltdown today (figured i had to match nora!!). david and byssa left for college today and i was very sad. and david isn't here. i had this wonderful dream last night that he came home to surprise me! i woke up disappointed. (should point out here that it is my OWN fault i was disappointed in that!!) in total, i think it will be three weekends i don't see david (four for the kids). NOT BAD!! so it was a rough day, but a great ending. my mom took the kids and me out to dinner and they were WONDERFULLY behaved! then we did a bit of shopping. also, they had 3+ hours of naps today while i had a meltdown and then got stuff done!!!

so, meltdown aside, we are doing well. and, everyone is entitled to a meltdown now and then, right? but, the end of my story tonight is actually the point. i went to lori's house after the kids were in bed to help with a craft night. i got to hang out with the two wonderful girls who are currently defining my new normal! they bring such joy and normalcy to my life!! so, there they are... lori and louisa! (and, mama lawrence was there, whom i LOVE dearly!!)

on the ride home, a song came on.... something about "my temporary home". that phrase has been one that has stuck with me through our transition. the navy life is a good reminder that this world is my temporary home. i am just passing through. i can't hold on to ANYTHING too tightly, save Jesus Christ! i lost sight of that some this week. AND, i need to be instilling that in my child.

the other thing i need to be more intentional about is building up daddy and his "work". (not that i tear him down, but i just haven't been saying much...) i want to remind nora and james that we are SO fortunate that daddy has such a good job. and that daddy loves us so much- and that's why he works for us! and, the incredible man that he is that he is willing to do what he does for our freedom. so many things to be thankful for and PROUD of!

on the way out the door, lori also reminded me that God's mercies are new every morning. isn't that wonderful. it doesn't matter how much i messed up the day before. and, He is SO FAITHFUL! He brought us here, and He will bring us through. and how fortunate are we that He brought us to a place to be so surrounded with love (and cheap rent!!) for a few months...

so, here i lay in my temporary home, my childhood home, the house that built me....

funny story! after our trip to dc in like 8th grade (maybe 10th???), i got about 200 glow in the dark stars for my ceiling. i was obsessed! i loved those stars! surprisingly, they still work!!! nora came in the other night and snuggled with me. she looked up and was STUNNED to see stars up on the ceiling. she was so fascinated! it's so fun to see her experience this home that i love so dearly! and to "grow up" in my home...

land of the free...

i love this picture. and, blogger won't let me update more...

nora is having a rough week. she misses daddy. that means a harder time for mommy. last night, she told me that i wasn't pretty. today, she told me she doesn't have a daddy. that has brought some sad faces around here.

HOWEVER, they are countered by wonderful times of ichatting with daddy, and love for mommy. she crawled in my bed last night and we snuggled. she was so sweet!

jamey is chatting up a storm and walking all over the place. today at the pool, he kept taking off his water wings and just climbing in the pool!!

just awesome!!

just awesome!!

first of all, david never believed that anyone else used the word "nummies". i use it for everything... breast milk, chicken, snacks...

and, it's ricky gervais. and the song is AWESOME! might be my new song to sing to nora!!!

as many as it would let me upload...

us...

one in a series of quotes that i really liked...

another one.

the korean war memorial...

lincoln memorial.

from the lincoln memorial.

near the vietnam memorial.

really? there's an office for this? in dc? WHAT are they doing? cause there has been a lot of less than thrift spending! david and i laughed for awhile about this.

the old post office.

the map at the navy memorial.

the capitol.

he's not as cute as my sailor!

okay, i will upload more when blogger lets me. today we had another great day with friends! and then nora stayed with lori while the kids napped and i took james to a shoe appointment! the good news is, it looks like the shoes here might not cost as much!

on the shoes front... i have four pairs (i think) so far of james' shoes that he's grown out of. most of them are in GREAT condition. this pair is in good condition. because in america, we can't re-give/sell, etc medical equipment, there's really nowhere here to donate them. SO, if anyone knows of somewhere i can give them (probably overseas), let me know! i want to donate them somewhere so someone can use them! his first pair was worn for three months, the other pairs for about that, but just at night. i just hate the thought of throwing good shoes out...

bad traffic...

i promise more pictures and more uplifting stories soon. but, first. i met david in dc this weekend for an early anniversary weekend! he wasn't going to come home either way, and there were plenty of baby-sitters here. so, we had a WONDERFUL weekend away!!

i left on friday morning and got to dc about 5 1/2 hours later. i stopped at starbucks, did a little shopping and then got to our hotel and checked in. i met a friend in the lobby and we had a glass of wine. then, david got there. he took me out to dinner, and then we spent the weekend exploring dc! (with one more visit from a friend) it was SO FUN!!! more on that later...

driving home, i was making EXCELLENT time (let's be honest, i'm a presley!). i stopped in youngstown at this great fabric shop, and then chatted a bit about a new sewing machine (i am in the market- my anniversary present from my hubby!!). got back on the highway, thinking i had about an hour left. fifteen minutes from home, traffic came to a standstill... now i know why...

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/traffic/traffic_news/multi-car-crash-reported-on-i-90

i drove by this and was almost moved to tears just looking at the debris! it was overwhelming just to look at the wreckage (and by this point know that at least two helicopters had landed and taken off...). i spent some time just praying for this accident...

then, i convince dd to come with the kids and me on an errand, at dinner, in rush hour. he did, and we ran into this on the way home:

http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-news-accident-271-tanker-hazmat,0,6909125.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wjw-news+%28WJW+-+Fox++8+News%29

(sorry, i think you have to copy and paste both!!) i think you can see our car in the second one!!! we were watching them film this as we drove by (okay... dd was, i drove!). a WEIRD traffic day. how often does a highway get SHUT DOWN for stuff like this? then, twice in one day, and i am involved in both??

something that came to mind in all this... i was listening to a book on tape of one of my favorite authors, and a point she kept driving home through the characters was that we don't know how much time we have. we aren't guaranteed tomorrow. it's only the GRACE of God that it's not me today. that i am alive at all. what a blessing. but, the only guarantee for me is that i know where i am going when i die. my eternity is secure. that's the issue that several of the characters were struggling with.

what a good guarantee. do you know what will happen when you die? if not, let's talk.

ps... one more with good coverage... (can you tell i was a little struck by this accident?)

http://www.woio.com/global/story.asp?s=12987037

cousins...

first, pictures from my fabulous weekend... chagrin falls!

date night...

double date night... lori and andrew met us for dessert!

the gift!

placemats and napkins!

the wedding...

my mom!

my daddy. gee... where do you think i get my good looks?? kinda scary, huh?

at the pool with libby and will!!

libby jumping in!

no-fear nora...

gosh, i LOVE this boy!!!

sweet baby boy!

english cousins!

amos cousins!

after a great weekend, we drove up to pittsburgh yesterday to see cousins. we actually saw THREE sets! what a busy, fun, full day! it's pouring rain out and thundering. a weird sound for this california girl!

my kids are growing up so fast! i can't believe it! james can say so many things now! and nora is like a 13 year old in a 3 year old body! nora is on an "i love you"-saying kick. she constantly tells me how much she loves me! it's SO precious! i am loving it.