Who has the keys?

Famous. Last. Words.    Now, who honestly doesn't chuckle even just a little bit after finding out someone got themselves locked out of the car/house/etc?  (even if it's only inside)  Well, that was pretty much me and my munchkins this past Friday night.  I took advantage of the wonderful "Parents night out" offered by our local YMCA and had a few hours to "hear myself think".  After I picked up the children at the end (9:30) we stopped at the store just down the street from our house for a few things.  Upon pulling into the garage, my youngest decided to dump her treat all over the garage floor.  I hastily tried to run to her aide to keep as many off the garage floor (less to attract bugs, rodents), forgot about where my keys were.  We finally got everyone and our groceries out of the car, doors closed and door to garage (it's detached) locked and closed, I asked my children... "So, who has the keys?"  Realization hit us all about the same time when everyone responded in the negative.  I dug through my purse, yup, NO keys!  Our spare key is kept at a friends that just so happened to have a military function that night.  Great! I thought.  I sent them a message to see when they would be home (it was already about 10:30 by that time) to find out they were actually already on their way but about 10 minutes away.  My mind raced trying to come up with possibly solutions.  I knew the door lock wasn't awesome and could probably use a little bit of "MacGyver" flair.  So... I shook, rattled and twisted that poor door trying to get it to budge.  Then an idea came to me.  I opened up my wallet and grabbed a credit card sized VIP store coupon card and went at the lock with all I had.  Of course I said a few prayers as all of this was happening, it was a pretty chilly evening after all and my kiddos needed to get inside.  IT WORKED!!!  We snatched the keys, alerted our friends and finally piled into the house.  The best part was when the kids thought how COOL I was for knowing how to open a door that way!  How easily they are amused and impressed! 

Just another day in the life of a military spouse!

Life of a Military Spouse

So I have been MIA for almost 2 years on this blog.  I guess I just started thinking that my life wasn't really that great to write about. Most days meshed into the next and there really wasn't much of anything that extraordinary to post about.  I am sure if any of you out there are mothers, you most definitely understand what I am talking about.  My dad kinda helped "snap me out of it" today on the phone.  So, here goes the start of it all:

Quick recap on what has happened in the last 18 months of our lives.

Little Momma had her 8th birthday this past summer (after Hubby deployed).  In our church we believe in baptizing children when they are 8 years old and have reached the age of accountability where they can better discern right from wrong.  This is a very special moment for us in our church and because it is, my husband felt it was not a good idea for her to wait until his return.  She was baptized by my dad  close to her birthday.  Of course she was heartbroken her dad couldn't be there for her, but we got through it and tried to make her feel our love and support despite the absence of someone she loves dearly.  She is currently in 3rd grade and hitting some bumpy roads.  I recently discovered that she had been skipping some of her homework so she could take advantage of a few nice days we had a few weeks back.  After a parent/teacher/student pow wow, I hope she feels she is on a great track to improving her grades and enjoying the rest of the school year.  This year has really thrown us for a loop as so much has changed and there is a lot more responsibility placed on this children this year. Not to mention the SOL's that will happen later this year for them for the first time in school.  We get the "unfortunate" privilege of doing "Achieve3000" reading comprehension tests on the computer most days of the week.  They are so boring they could put ME to sleep!  These poor kids these days, having to be subject to the most boring articles known to man.  She is persevering though and I am so proud of her for that!

Destructo girl is doing wonderfully in school this year and making huge strides.  She has recently been signed up for an online educational game for strengthening her math skills that she gets to practice everyday and she LOVES it! (REFLEX math) She is very helpful with a girl in her class with down syndrome named Laila.  She has had the privilege of being in what is called an "inclusion" class where they have children with different learning difficulties and I feel this is just the class for her. No, she isn't one of the students with a disability.  She is able to show others the huge heart that we know she has had all along.  She loves being able to help others and be a friend to them. She has been able to learn to accept others who are different from her and see them the way that we should all see them.  Her teacher Mrs. Crabtree is the most amazing woman!  We love her so much and are happy she is part of destructo girl's education!

 Little man made it into the Pre-K program this year.  I have heard about some mothers holding back their sons an extra year.  I opted not to do that with him this year because of his slow speech development.  I was hoping to get him into a speech program through the school (that is what his doctor recommended as his first course of action).  Fast forward to now... almost halfway through the year.  We are making progress in that area, but the process is VERY drawn out and slow.  I am hopeful that we will be finished with the assessments and paperwork by the end of the year so that by the start of K he can get the help that he needs to help him excel in school. He currently loves school and has some amazing songs to reiterate the things he is learning.  I will try to get a few uploaded and linked.  He is pretty much the most handsome son there ever was (and of course I am COMPLETELY biased)!  Lately we have had a "game" he started.  He says to me, "Mom, can I tell you a Secret?"  I put my ear to him and he whispers "I love you" to which I am supposed to reply with a whispered "I love to too!".  He absolutely loves it!  Baby girl and I walk him to his door each day for school and everyday he INSISTS on giving us both a kiss and getting one from each of us in return.  Sometimes if it seems he will forget, Baby girl even instigates!  I have some amazing kids.

Baby girl should probably now be called mini destructo girl.  Since she has been about 18 months old, she has been into EVERYTHING.  She has a lot of personality traits that remember me a lot about destructo girl when she was young.  I have a hard time keeping her under control during sacrament on Sundays.  We haven't been able to make it the whole way through that 70 minutes of sacrament yet!  We are working on it, and believe me... even though I should be able to get them to behave WITHOUT a kindle to hang out with, I must admit that is how we make it through many a sacrament meeting with the older 3.  They have to take turns of course (no way do they ALL have their own)!  I said we were a military family, right?! We cannot afford that mess, at least not right now.  Two weeks ago she took off for the front of the chapel at the beginning of the meeting and this past Sunday she spent the last 10 minutes of Sacrament meeting screaming her head off in an empty classroom with me barricading the door.  Yes, she can now open most doors.  Her favorite movie to watch is "the croods", to which she wants to watch almost every day since our "road trip" to see my parents for Christmas this year. 

Hubby made 1st class Petty Officer in March and has finished his "shore duty" as an instructor at the base here this past May.   He departed for training for an IA (individual augmentee) year long deployment to Fort Jackson in June and left for Djibouti in July.  We are now 7 months in to this deployment and have heard some preliminary information about this next command.  Nothing is "set" yet, but it looks as though he will be stationed on a Destroyer that will deploy shortly after his expected return from his current deployment.  It makes us all sad to think about having him around only 4 months from June 2013-June 2015.  However, that is the military way of life sometimes.   Before you think, "Well, hey, that is what they signed up for", let me set you all straight before you place yourself in the "ignorant" category.  NONE of us know what our life/career in the military will require of us.  We are hopeful that our story will be one where our spouse/father/son/brother are not gone for long stretches of time over and over again.  We are all hopeful that the Lord will smile upon us and grant us an "easy" career where they are around to help raise children, see them grow, be at school assemblies and programs, help mold them into wonderful people, and celebrate special days with.  As it stands, many families are not stuck in the same unfortunate circumstances that we have and continue to be in, but please know that there are many who are in very similar situations as we are, many more than I would care to have to admit, as I am sure there are some in much worse situations.  When you vote each year for your representatives, president, remember that.  The more staffing we lose in our military, the more is required of each military family.  More Christmas', Thanksgivings, anniversaries, birthdays, births, etc are missed so that the needs of our military can be filled with those who are still in it.

Lastly, what am I up to?  Just about everything!  I serve with the women's organization in our church and am "head" of our monthly activities, which I mostly set up and clean up for on my own.... literally. Well, I take that back... I have a few helpers, all with the same last name as me and AT LEAST 20 years my junior.  I take care of the cars, trash, cleaning, sick kiddos, bills, fixing, maintain the cars, homework helper, gym frequenter, lunch preparer, dog exerciser, basically... I run everything around here.  Anything happens... it falls on me.  I have to wipe away the tears that the children shed because their daddy will miss another Christmas with them, or a birthday.  I am the one that gets to shed my own tears of sadness when he isn't here for our anniversary, fathers day, or family holiday.  Lock yourself out of the house?  I get to pick the lock to the garage door to retrieve the keys from the car with an old store loyalty card (completed this past Friday).  Car need a new tire?  I get to take the old one off the car, throw it in the hubby's car and drive it to the tire shop, then bring it back home to place back on the car and keep my fingers crossed I tightened all the lug nuts enough (did that today).  Kids throw up all over the house?  By far this is my LEAST favorite thing to clean up as I usually come close to throwing up myself when I have to clean it.  Not to mention trying not to get myself sick.  Ever been a "single parent" with a house full of sick kids and you're sick yourself?  Yeah.... I don't recommend it, avoid it at all costs.   There are a few other things going on in my life that I cannot really talk about right now, but yes, I go through things.  Yes, some of them are hard with most of them not "fun" by any means.  How am I doing?  I am absolutely fine, sure I have bad days, of course it would be nice to get to the store without any of my kids.  I have learned  to lean on the Lord and am still learning to put things in His hands (because, let's face it... some things really are hard to turn over to Him sometimes. As humans mothers, we want to feel in control over something!)His plan is greater than our own.   Do I love all the time we have to spend apart from my wonderful husband?  Most definitely not.  I am finding ways to appreciate my children and the people they are starting to become.  Sometimes being the only parent allows us to see things we wouldn't ordinarily see.  I am human, I do not have super powers.  If you can get my kids to do better at listening to me... PLEASE COME OVER!  Just because I look like I'm OK on the outside doesn't mean that I don't need a friend on the inside.    Next time you see a military family, remember some of the things I shared in this post and realize there is a lot more going on than you can "see" or realize. 


****Disclaimer:  This post was not written in order to gain pity, sympathy, or any such thing.  It is merely a way that I can try to keep track of the challenges I face so that someday my children can see the things I have been through and know they are not alone in their trials in life.  It is also meant to serve as an educational tool.  I honestly believe that NO ONE (except our Savior) can understand exactly what a military family goes through unless you have LIVED it.  Please do us all a favor and don't tell a military spouse how "you just don't know how they do it all, they must just be amazing."  or "wow, that just must be so hard".  Save it.  PLEASE, I am BEGGING YOU!  Why, you may ask?  Quite simply, because we have heard it all before.  You reminding us of the fact that we are going through hard times does NOT help us get through it any better.  If you want to help, be a FRIEND.  Don't just talk about all the things you couldn't imagine having to do on your own... it just makes us sad because then you force us to think about how sad we maybe should be about it all. That just ends up brining us to tears (whether you see it or not) When it boils down to it... we mil spouses just,  "Ain't...got time fo' dat!" ****

 

Summer Fun 2012

As I compiled the post about the first day of school - I realized that my children got to do quite a few things this summer.  Many of them went undocumented however.  Here is a quick glimpse of our summer.

Tubs

Little Dressing up

a Few Tides games

A bit of silly with a cousin

catching a little air - best shot I got!

Summer Birthday - 7 years old!

  I am truly quite awful at arranging these pictures - forgive the photos and the arrangement.  I'll eventually get better!

At the fort's entrance.

Inside their first and last fort of the summer.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleepover

So my kids are hilarious and decided to all squish into the bottom bunk (Julia's bed) to sleep for a night.  Hunter is always trying to lay down in Julia's bed - so we figured since it was still summer at the time, why not!?  This is what we found when they finally quieted down (and fell asleep).

First Day of School (aka Peace)

Today my eldest daughters had their first day of school.  Being that this is a new school for us, along with EVERYTHING being new to them, they also have changed from Dragons to Tigers.  I have yet to decide whether that is a demotion or an upgrade.

  Our morning started out as the usual - doing great with some rush the last 15 minutes or so before we left the house.  This new school is located such that it is a MUCH better idea to just walk them to and from school EVERY morning than to drive them. EVER.  The drive would take 3 times as long to get them to school than walking.  Funny how that works.  Apparently everyone decided to show up at the school pretty much at the EXACT.SAME.TIME.   There was definite bottle-necking from our two thick swarms of lines into the school two front doors and down the hallways riddled with trashcans and "leak buckets" to catch the leaks throughout the hallway.  I kid you not when I say Hunter literally thought it was an obstacle course on the way out.  He added his, "woo hoo's" and laughs all the way down the hall.  I all but chucked my children and their brown paper grocery bag full of supplies into their rooms to continue with my morning.

 Hunter has had some coughs lately and before we took off to drop off the fighting duo, he got sick.  He takes after his oldest sister that way - so much coughing it occasionally ends in getting rid of some extra fluid hanging around in that belly.  So, I embarked on the trip in hopes that was the only occurrence for the morning.  We got the girls to school and boogied as fast as we could to my local YMCA.  We had less than 2 miles to go to reach my exercise haven when he promptly coughed and coughed and.... lost more fluid!  Naturally I didn't bring extra clothes (I think I'll be coming up with an emergency kit for each child for that very reason pronto now) so we proceeded to head back in the direction of home.

  I rather enjoyed my day, watching my little guy ride his scooter (birthday present that was hanging out in the garage until next week for the poor kid - he kept bugging me to get it out - so I finally gave in today) around the house - he got quite good at it actually!  I cleaned up after breakfast and meals obviously, but other than that - didn't do much else.  I was determined to enjoy my day and relax a little.  By golly, I went through a WHOLE summer without a single day's rest from the fighting my older two are constantly parading around my home.  Except for the week they were visiting Mom mom and Pop pop in PA.

After school today, the girls said they loved it and it was SO much better than their other school because:  Melanie - I didn't have to write very much today.  and Julia - My green stamp smells like Lemon-Lime!!  I was GREEN ALL DAY LONG!!     Such truly wonderful feats for my daughters.  I thought back to last year at this time - I had only one child at home and was VERY close to delivering another.  She ended up arriving closer to the end of the month.  Now I have two children at home again- but am still really enjoying that so far.  She took a 3 hour nap today - so it was almost like having just one child around.   After her nap, we headed off to the library to return a book and check out more.  Hunter had a great time. There were two little girls there that were the cutest things!  One of them told me, "Hey, give me that baby" when we arrived at the play area.  I love how little kids seem to think ALL babies can talk - no matter what age!  They seemed to like my little princess of a baby though and were kind to both my children.

Pick-up was.....different.  So happy they are released at the same time this year though and I don't have to hang out for an extra half hour to get all my kids from school.  Anyway... it will take some getting used to for sure - but I hope it will run more smoothly as time rolls on.  I have to "fetch" both my children from the front of the school each day.  My kindergartner is the closest to the end of the school - but the first out - with my 2nd grader being the furthest away from our end of the school and let out after her.  So, I pick up one..... then walk down to get the other through the throngs of people.  Hunter rushed up to Melanie as they were lining up, then at some point re-entered the crowd of people and couldn't be found for a few moments.  I feel blessed that my girls seem to have very kind, wonderful teachers.  Melanie's teacher even has some fish in the classroom.  She is also really excited about being able to go swimming during school later this year.  What a treat!  Julia was hand in hand with some little boy as they walked out of school today (it seemed as though they were all paired up as buddies in her class today).  She of course was beaming about it - and even drew a picture with that same little boy and her beautiful teacher in it too!  Best part is - she can't remember his name!

The END of their first day 2012

 I am so happy they love school and love to learn.  I often hear them both going on and on about how much they love school.  (I just finished skimming this post and it's just a jumble of thoughts and bits of our day, but... it's going to stay just like that!  This is my brain on 4 kids - no drugs needed!)

Change

Our family got a bit of news a couple months ago that started a chain of change in our lives.  The 5 bedroom home in housing that we had been on the waiting list for what seemed like forever (equals 15 months) finally had one available for us.  We took it (of course!) and started necessary preparations to move just 30 days from then.  Our new home would be a few miles away but the children would be changing schools and our family would be changing wards.  Funny how that works sometimes.   Those of you who are out west could probably move a block and change stakes.  The east is much different in that case.   With that change though - many things will remain the same.  We are in the same stake and meet at the same building as before.  We live in the same city, and haven't changed military commands.  We still attend the same clinic for our medical needs as well. 

So, how has the family embraced the change now that we are settling in and discovering our new schedule?  My kids LOVE it!  I definitely think they miss the friends from Primary, but as far as the neighborhood kids go..... they scored BIG time!  The kids in our last neighborhood were .......uh...... let's just say less than friendly and very confused.   The girls seem to have plenty of girls to play with here that are around their age and have similar interests.   They hang out on the front porch of many of the houses here in our little "circle" and play - all within eyesight of their somewhat overprotective mother.  We've been bike riding recently and taken the dog out for some "runs" as well (yes... got a new bike after the last one was stolen from our backyard).  We recently started hitting up the neighborhood pool.   I wanted to tackle the tasks of teaching them how to swim this summer.   I'm pretty much a disgrace of a former lifeguard/swim teacher.   My kids are 5 and 6 (almost 6 and 7) and they do not know how to swim.  My only excuse?  I just kept having kids and couldn't take 3-4 children with me to a pool BY MYSELF to teach them how to swim.   After taking them to the pool at the Y a few times and the neighborhood pool a few more, I am happy to announce that they are pretty close to being fulfledged swimmers.  The lifeguards still stand up in alarm and wade out to them now and again (#2 tends to be more of an 'underwater' swimmer...if you know what I mean).  They are well on their way though and I think the end of the summer will bring HUGE success. 

     I feel incredibly blessed to be able to have a home where we feel safe, can welcome friends and have space for them, and inspire me to decorate and make it more of our "haven" from the world.   If you happen to come by during my "redecorating" phase, forgive the mismatching items.....someday everything will go together as it should... for now, I'm trying to learn how to make my house the kind of HOME I would love for it to be for a long time.  A place worth making memories in. 
     

Came by it honestly

Many of you wonderful people already know ALL about my 2nd child - my handful (both in age and temperament).  IF you truly know her, you know she is definitely NOT a graceful person.  Nothing about her screams graceful.  She trips, slips, falls, biffs, etc.  - you get the idea.  If something can go wrong, it usually does with her around.  One particularly bad week for her - she tripped on the same piece of sidewalk in front of her elementary school TWICE (once at the beginning of the week and again at the end).  Well, the first one was knee scrapes needing bandaids, wailing, and tears to boot.  The second time.... I hear her fall, turn around to see the damage (she is sprawled out on the pavement = pretty much spread eagle) and whining/screaming/crying the words...."OH NO!! ......... NOT AGAIN!!!"  I honestly had to smirk and chuckle as I walked back to help her up.  This time, she was wearing jeans so she had no knee scrapes.  I told her she was ok.... and she squeals - "NO!  IT'S MY HANDS!"    Apparently the pavement exchanged her knee skin for a little bit of the skin off the palms of her hands (prime biff-estate).   Now..... we walk to school holding hands so she doesn't gift more of her precious skin (she has tripped several times since then and I've been there to squeeze her hand and keep her from falling.......again) to the sidewalk in front of Camp Allen Elementary.   Best of all, I can't blame her because she has a mother who is almost the EXACT same way!  Hey -she comes by it honestly. 

How Time Flies!

So, this is a MUCH needed update.  It's been so long since I posted, blogger changed things around on me!  I assure you that even though I haven't posted in almost half a year, I have been doing things.  Life has run away with our family mostly and there are some new adventures coming our way very soon.  I am so stinking excited!  I didn't move a WHOLE lot growing up, but definitely more than the Navy has moved our family over the past 8 years.  Actually, the three times we have moved in the past 7 years were all our own doing, hopping from place to place within in the same city.  Where we landed within the city wasn't of consequence until about 3 years ago when they split the ward.  When it comes to split wards not mingling with one another, I am totally clueless.  However, that is what seems to happen consistently on the east coast.  So now our new home is located in the "other" ward.  Although there are many people in our current ward that we will actually live closer to (not to mention we'll be closer to the church) I have no intentions of being thrown out of the loop.  I am expecting to stay on top of what I am currently involved with and continuing to show up.  Sorry if you were hoping to be rid of me, that's not how I work.  You'll have to pray the navy moves us to a different state if that's what you want. 

So, being that it's a new part of the city, the girls will be attending a new school this fall.  My eldest of course is nervous about it and says she doesn't want to be a "Tiger" she wants to stay a "Dragon".   My second born thought about the new school idea for about 5 minutes (if that) and declared "That means I get to make new friends!".  Wow.  Not sure how I taught her that - I'm actually quite sure that I didn't and that it was just genetically ingrained in her little head from birth.  Anyone who has met her definitely knows EXACTLY what I mean.  Sometimes I feel that I just really lucked out with that kid..........sometimes.    Of course our son and youngest daughter haven't a clue what any of that means. 

How we landed a 5 bedroom amid the uncertainty of it all is quite frankly a miracle.  I became aware of a 5 bedroom coming available this summer and about a week or two after that found out there would be maybe two more by year's end.  So, after I found out about the first, I called to volunteer our family to move if no one else wanted the place.  Well, to put it nicely, I was pretty much laughed at and upon ending the conversation - felt as though our dream of having a little more space while being employed by the Navy was just that... a dream.  So I gave up - started looking for something we could maybe afford out in town.  I prayed that our family would find something or get a 5 bedroom when the time was right for us.  Now I had been praying for that most of the time we had been on the wait list (14 months at the time).   Well, our 15 month mark hit and I get a phone call while I'm in the commissary (which is a miracle in and of itself - there is pretty much no reception in the commissary for my phone) telling us there was an availability.  FANTASTIC!  From that day, we had exactly a month until our move date.   Signing up for the wait list to move in day, 16 months on a 18-24 month estimated wait time.  

I still haven't seen inside the home (I won't until the day I move in) but I have stared at the floor plan with ideas swimming through my head of how we are going to set everything up.   I'm thinking it's pretty much going to be amazing.  If the Lord decided now was an OK time for our family to get a home, then I need to have faith in His timing!  That in a nutshell is pretty much why I am excited about this. 

That is the most recent chain of events in my life, but since the beginning of this year - we have had more changes.  In March, my grandmother lost her battle with cancer.  My eldest daughter and I had the great blessing of being able to visit with her in February.  We rode out with my dad and youngest sister and my other sister and her baby girl (10 months old) flew out to be there as well.  It was nice to be able to tell her we loved her and to say goodbye.   I am so grateful I took the opportunity to go.  Thanks to my wonderful husband who watched the other kids while we were gone. 
She is the first grandparent I have had to say goodbye to and it has wrought a great change in my heart.  I often find myself drawing strength from her memory and begging her to help me deal with my crazy kids (she had 7 - 5 of them boys).   It has really helped me reflect on my relationship with our Heavenly Father. 


My husband has been wanting a motorcycle (he cries saving money on gas) and since I have an awesome dad and grandpa who LOVE motorcycles - I obliged him.  He got one - looks really good on him by the way - and it has only taken us a month or so to get him his permit and then insurance on it as well.  It has sat for a little too long.  He needs to take a safety course in order for his military life insurance to cover him in case of an accident.  Now we really need to get that done so he can drive it over to the new house and start using it to get to and from work! 

My baby is growing like crazy too!  She will be 8 months at the end of this week!  I cannot believe how time flies!  She got her first two teeth (bottom) when she was 5 1/2 months old.  She's still working on more and can be quite whiny about it at times.  We still love her though.  Boy does she love to talk!  We hear her vocalizing all the time - she is our biggest talker ever at this stage of life.  She is also our biggest wiggler.  Anytime we hold her, there is a point where she starts trying to wiggle away - she arches backwards, moves side to side and generally makes holding her an exhausting task! 

As far as my weight loss goes, slow and somewhat steady is the game.  I have lost all my pregnancy weight with my most recent baby and am working to pre-pregnancy weight with my eldest (15 more lbs to go). I pretty much obsess over it - until recently.   It's tiring to always jump on the scale each morning to see how you're doing.   It's much more fun and rewarding to just be active and workout regularly, watch what you eat and see results over time.  I am letting my stress go and am aiming for being healthy and strong.  I think the weight will come off easier that way.  =) 

I also finally got a mixer so that I can make bread, etc more often.  Anytime I wanted to make bread, pizza dough, etc before I would have to do the work by hand.  I am so happy to have a mixer and really have such a desire to do so much more than I am currently doing.  I don't want to get too much into it now that I am packing things for a move though.  Maybe I will try another experiment or two before the big day and then give my mixer a short retirement until we get settled in the new place.  I look forward to doing SO many new things there! 

While I'm at compiling a novel, I will just keep on going!  I have also recently discovered Pinterest!  LOVE that place!  I find it's so much easier to navigate than blogs (which is another reason I haven't posted in a while) and there are tons of ideas for pretty much anything you can think of!  Some of the links that are attached are broken, but overall - it is a wealth of ideas for those who strive to be crafty (like me). 

I also have renewed my desire to work on achieving the personal progress young womanhood medallion. I know I am no longer serving in YW, but I have a strong desire to earn one for myself (to make a long story short, they changed the program right before I got out of YW and I didn't want to guess on numbers or hours worked to make sure I qualified....I want to feel like I earned it and do the work involved!) and be a witness to the YW of its importance.  Fewer and fewer young women are working towards achieving this these days (especially on the east coast) - I feel they need to see someone do it to rekindle the fire they may have once had.  The past couple Sundays I have been sitting down to look over experiences to accomplish.  I am really looking forward to the value projects! 

I have also been mulling over the idea of going back to school (online of course).  My ultimate goal is to become a personal trainer, but I know that I will not be able to work in that capacity until my youngest is in school at least.   So, I have time I can dedicate to a Bachelors in Exercise Science.  I think I really want to pursue that to better prepare myself for becoming a personal trainer and to feel more knowledgeable about exercise and the body.  While we're still poor (aka enlisted military) I figured I could get some grants to help cover the expenses of my education.  If things actually work out for me to be able to do all this - wish me luck!  I have taken an absence from formal schooling for almost a decade now and I'm sure it will be a pretty crazy learning curve at first! 

OK.... now that my rambling is finally through - I will finish off this post for today.  That mostly catches us up from the New Year and I can't wait to be able to post more exciting (and entertaining) things as time goes on.  There are quite a few good stories I can share about my children - kids are the best comic relief sometimes.  I'll be uploading pictures soon!

Resolutions

Ok... so many of us will make at least one of these at some point within the next few weeks.  My number 1 resolution is one I have been working to achieve for far too long.  Now that I am past the holidays - and mostly free of my favorite treats (interpreted as:  there are NONE of them in the house) I can hit the ground running!  I decided to start a separate blog about my fitness goals - so that anyone interested in acutally reading about it can just follow it there.  That way I can keep this blog truer to what I really wanted it to be - about me and my children's daily adventures.  Having two children in school and the other half of my kids mostly in the "not talking" stage... it seriously  minimizes my ideas of "adventure" - but I realize we still have our fair share.  Stay posted with both blogs to watch my journey.... if you want.  Happy New Year everyone!  I am hoping this year is the year for you to accomplish something BIG!

Merry Christmas

Today as we are buried in the wrapping paper while the kids jump off the walls from excitement (and sugar highs),  let's not get too buried by the world's idea of Christmas.  I hope that many of you were able give at least one homemade present to a loved one this year.  As I frantically tried to be sure everything was finally done in preparation for Christmas this year, I decided that maybe I should plan a homemade Christmas for next year.  I think it may end up being the best one yet if we stick to that goal.  I received a beautiful scarf hand crocheted by my grandmother for my birthday this year - and it's honestly one of the best gifts I have ever been given!
As I sat at church today with my family and pondered the many gifts our Savior has given us - I hoped that you all were having similar thoughts today.  Instead of worrying about the food for later than day, or continuing to bury yourself in wrapping - I really hope you thought about your many blessing and how you can give more of yourself to the Savior.  How can we improve throughout this next year to result in a better understanding and relationship with Jesus Christ?  We read Luke 2 last night as we gathered around my parents Christmas tree and ate our traditional "Shepherd's Dinner" (we eat similarly to what the shepherds did in those fields those many years ago).   Since half of my children are now old enough to understand that they can indeed give something to their Savior this next year, we went around the circle and told eachother one thing that we could do better at this upcoming year for Jesus Christ.  Little Momma's was to be kinder, Destructo-girl's was to listen to her parents more (maybe that meanst 50% of the time now... I'll keep my fingers crossed for more than that though),  mine was to work on the new Personal Progress/Young Womanhood medallion (that ALL women/girls can do by the way), and the Hubby's was to help the Boy Scout program in the ward function better this new year (I added that by doing this, he could help them have a desire to go on missions - by instilling the boy scout standards into their daily lives - two birds with one stone, right??).   Little Man's can be just learning how to talk more this year to start.  Baby girl can continue being the most beautiful baby in our family and for now that will be enough. 
I know that our Savior knows us each personally and that He loves us more than we can ever comprehend.  I am sure He thought of each of us as he suffered in Gethsemane those several thousands of years ago and willingly gave of himself to allow EVERYONE of us to come back and live with him someday.  There is nothing more He wants to do for us than help us - we only need to ask and He is there. 
So as those new year's resolution lists start up in the next few days, make sure to write your present down for Christ this year so you can focus on your goal all year round and feel joy as it is completed by Christmastime next year.    Merry Christmas to you all - don't lose sight of the purpose of life and the great many blessings you have been given!    Love you all and hope this next year holds many fabulous blessings for you and yours!

8 years down, many more to go

Today my husband and I celebrate 8 years together.  Sometimes it seems like an eternity ago we had our little place in an extended stay hotel for about half a year before he went off to bootcamp.  I have learned so many things in that time.  Bills, kids, budgets, etc.  We've moved about a handful of times as well.  There is still a lot to learn.  By no means am I an expert at ANYTHING.  Generally speaking, I feel like I fail at much I attempt to do.  Maybe that is just human nature (or women's nature) - or maybe I really do need a few pointers.  I know I'm not perfect at being a wife for sure (same goes for being a mother) but I am so glad my husband puts up with me.  In a lot of ways he is much better than I am.  He is generally patient with me - even laughs at me from time to time when I am really losing my cool.  Some may think that is a little counter productive, but it's enough for me to snap out of it a little bit and see the error of my ways. Then there are times he just lets me fume, takes it, and then is there to talk when I cool off.  We have been blessed to have 4 beautiful, healthy children and are very grateful for that.  I really wish we could say we haven't aged a day since we got married - but... time is not always kind - and it definitely hasn't been to us!  We've been through a lot since we got "hitched" - here's to hoping the next 8 years see us with more happy days than sad.  I am glad that you are my husband!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Really have no idea what to title this post exactly, so maybe it will come to me once I am finally done typing it!  Here's to hopin'!  It seems like each year there is so much going on the last 6 weeks of the year, that the moments you get some "free" time, you just kick back!  That's basically what I have done.  I have been exercising, taking care of sick kids (youngest two),  doing Pre-K and 1st grade homework, dinners, a little baking, and kicking back.  I know it is no where near as busy as some of your schedules, but it keeps our little family hopping  for the time being.  

I celebrated a birthday Friday, turning one year older and hoping that it'll be a better one than the year before.   I have fantastic friends and family that helped me feel SO loved on my special day.  Thank you!  I have big plans to go out with a friend later this month (a fellow december birthday) for dinner and a movie.  Really looking forward to that - it'll be SO MUCH FUN! 

I have to put my brain cells to work and get an ornament knocked out by tuesday for our RS project group gathering this month.  We will be exchanging an ornament and I am SO grateful we only need to bring ONE.  Not really sure what I would do if i had to make a dozen or more!   Then we have book club this next week as well.  Not sure if I'll be getting the chance to read the book because I am still struggling to get through another one (I have been trying to get through it for over a month!).   Then there is some Christmas parties at the girls school this next week too.  PLUS trying to get ideas on what to make their teachers for Christmas!  I guess I am WAY more busy than I thought. 

I was blessed enough to give a spiritual thought this past week and I chose Luke 2 (just a few verses).  Where I was getting with it was to remember the reason for the season.  So many times we all get caught up in all the TO DO'S that we don't remember the WHY.  Most of you out there that actually read this thing have several children of your own and are far more busy than you think (just like me) .  Take some time to remember how this Christmas season came to be, who it is celebrating, and how we can make the celebration continue the whole year instead of just a month at the tail end of the year.  FORGET the to do lists and all that "fluff" that doesn't matter.  If a present goes unbought or an item isn't crossed off - who cares!?   Focus on family, togetherness, and love.     It's what it's all about and the one who gave ALL for it to be possible for us to be TOGETHER as FAMILIES FOREVER.    Have a Merry Christmas Season and ENJOY it - even kick back a little!

THANKSgiving

This day is one of my favorites!  Growing up we would watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in the morning and have an awesome breakfast (which means pancakes, eggs, and the like because it wasn't a school day) cooked by my dad (the breakfast chef).  My mom would generally bake away the day before Thanksgiving or sometimes Thanksgiving morning and then we would get ready to get together with my mother's family in the afternoon.  There would be football watching, cousins playing in the yard, really yummy food, and PLENTY of love!  I always liked getting together with my mom's family.  Even though they are not members of the church, they are some of the best people you will ever meet.  Since being married, I haven't seen them much over the years and I honestly really miss it.  They will be getting together today and I'll be an extra state away, missing on them dearly!!  I am truly thankful for them (and so many other things).   Here's to a fantastic year full of happiness and joy.  I know we all have had our struggles and hard times.. it's that we get through them that is the most important.  As you eat your fabulous meals today, don't forget the reasons why we even get to celebrate this holiday! 

Weighing In

So, the challenge continues to workout hard and do better at controling myself around the really good stuff (ice cream and chocolate).  As of yesterday I had lost an additonal 2-3 lbs! Hooray! Last week I mostly did spin classes with a little bit of strength training added on a day or two.  This week so far I have been to a spin class and zumba.  I took a day off for cleaning purposes (and not much got done honestly) and now it is Thanksgiving Day!!  Now, I just have to make it through this holiday. I am not going to allow the family to keep more leftovers than we can tackle in a day or two - and the pie... yup, only making one.  So... if you want some, you only get one piece.  I don't need to have half a pie left over to snack on for breakfast each morning.  Haha!  I'll be going to the gym tomorrow to work off the meal and hopefully work off more than that if I can be careful about what I am eating.   Focus more on what you are thankful for today and less about what you want to eat, and you'll win this round!  I know you can do it if I can!

Weighing In

(special thanks to chumpysclipart.com for the image)

It's been a little over a week now that I vowed I would be doing you all a favor by giving you the blessing of seeing less of me over the next few months/hopefully years.  My 6 weeks of food fun is definitely over, I had my post partum appointment this past Monday and I have the all clear to resume working out again.  To celebrate I hit the gym..... HARD.  Monday and Tuesday I took a spin class (Tuesday's class had strength training tacked on to the end of it) which left me feeling sore Wednesday (today).  I had super huge goals to still hit the gym... only after school.  Due to me still having pregnant brain, communication between me and the hubby on coordinating that didn't go so well so I ended up running 1.3 miles after dinner tonight and chased it with some crunches (although I didn't do a ton because I am still sore from yesterday's upper body workout).   Best part is... I actually RAN (OK... jogged) the whole 1.3.  I did my 1.5 loop, but, had to stop at the very end - so maybe it was more like 1.45 - but you get the idea.  Not sure on the time, I will start timing myself when I finish the whole thing.  However, it took about 3 and a half songs on my mp3 player.  I didn't want to push myself to great lengths because then I would have shown up my "more fit" self of almost a year ago.  Plus, I am sure I would feel it later.  It is pretty amazing to me to know that after not doing a whole lot of exercising for almost a year, I can jump back into it and do a decent job!  I love the constant reminder of how stinking fascinating the human body is.  I gave birth 7 week ago for crying out loud!  It's no marathon, but, it's progress my friends.....progress.  As far as the "actual" weigh in... I can't actually say how much I have lost since I haven't weighed myself first thing in the morning for the past few days.  I do feel confident in saying probably around a 2 lbs weight loss so far. 

Eating has been a little sporadic still.  I am trying to deplete my "sabotage" foods that are still left in the house (yes, I actually ate the rest of our ice cream for breakfast).  As we run out of things, I will be replacing them with more produce and natural items rather than the quick "kids" snacks.  I'm sure my kids will scream and yell, maybe even shed some tears.... but we are ALL taking a step towards a more healthy life!

Giving Thanks

(clip art courtesy of justclipart.org)

I love this time of year.  If for no other reason than to help remind us to be more thankful in our lives.  Our family has had one event filled year.  There have been many tears shed - for good and bad.  Even through it all, we have been IMMENSELY blessed!!  We aren't perfect or anything like that, far from it infact, but I am happy to say that I am trying my best to keep taking steps forward - for the betterment of my family. 

Grateful for:
* the hurricane that passed through town, but we still had electricity when we came home and our belongings were safe
* a healthy new family member
* being able to go have a completely unmedicated delivery - any woman knows that we get a lot of assistance from angels through that process!
* scriptures
* opportunity to attend TOFW with my mother and youngest sister
* my parents moving closer to us than they were the previous year
* being able to visit my sister who lives in OR and her beautiful family up until the DAY they grew by one more perfect girl! (three daughters now!)
* having a roof over our heads, vehicles that continue to help us get from point A to point B,  food,  gorgeous children, and a spouse who loves me
* awesome primary leaders and school teachers to help my children learn
* a gym membership that I am determined will help me get back to a size I am happy with
* my testimony, my Savior, and this wonderful gospel
* etc.  This list could go on forever, but it is always nice to be reminded of the tremendous blessings in our lives and to know that they FAR outweigh the struggles - and if it seems you have only struggles, the joy that comes from the blessings you see in your life make the struggles a little more bearable.

To all of you out there.... I hope you see more blessings in your life than trials this season and if not, pray that you notice more of your blessings.   As you smell that pumpkin pie cooking, or the turkey roasting, or even as you chow down on some green bean casserole remember...there is much to be thankful for!  Happy Thanksgiving to you all and enjoy this wonderful season of thanks and giving!!

Battle of the Bulge

Any of you with four children or more know that for MOST women out there, having 4 children in just over 6 years means a constant battle with the bulge.  Well, my 6 weeks of overindulging because I just had a baby and can't go to the gym again yet are now over.  I will be able to hit the gym starting this week (and I am so excited about it.... really I am)!  I am officially kissing this extra weight good-bye!  Hopefully before too long there will be much less of me - a me more suitable for looking the part of my ultimate dream: becoming a personal trainer.  I have wanted to become a personal trainer for a pretty big chunk of my life and am looking forward to the hard work ahead to get myself into shape (and staying that way) so when the time is right, I can finish my schooling and help people (part-time while my children are in school of course). 

Strictly because I need to write this down to remember it and be forced to live it a bit more, I am going to reveal my general plan and hopefully do a much better job at updating my successes (or failures) on an at least bi-monthly (hopefully weekly) basis.  First, I am going to be drinking more water - at least 8 glasses a day and allowing myself a treat a day (until I can control my sweet tooth enough to limit that further to one a week).  I will eat a well balanced diet throughout the day by using portion sizes in what I eat and if I am just too hungry, eat more vegetables and fruits ONLY.  I am trying to experiment with the process a bit by limiting myself to getting my fruit fill in the morning and then fill up on vegetables in the afternoon.  Since I truly believe that sleep is VERY important to successful weight loss, I will be getting a decent nights sleep each night by going to bed early with the goal being 8 hours of rest each night (yes, I am fully aware that I have a one month old under my roof - it's a goal - and definitely something I will be praying for as this process progresses).  My treat will be after dinner in the evenings  - and only be a serving of the treat I choose. My largest meal will be eaten in the middle of the day, alowing my body to digest most of it before I go to bed.  My goal for weight loss each week is 2lbs a week.  Wish me luck!  If any one else out there is doing something similar and needs moral support, I would love to be your cheerleader and it wouldn't hurt for me to have one either! 

A visit and a blessing

Today we blessed our sweet little Lilia.  We were fortunate enough to have my parents and sister along with my hubby's mother in attendance at the meeting to help give their support and wtiness the special day for us.  Lilia was able to wear her older sister's blessing dress (unfortunately Julia didn't get to wear it - she had to wait for her daddy to come back from a 7 month deployment to get her blessing and when that happened, she was MUCH too big for the dress!).  In this family, as far as blessings go, we are kind of traditionalists.  Hunter was blessed in the outfit my husband was blessed in, along with his brothers and their sons.  Naturally, we would do the same with our first white blessing dress in our little family.  Now, off to get it cleaned and preserved properly to keep it safe for future generations!  Here are a few snapshots we got after church (our brains were running a little slower and we didn't remember to bring them to church with us this morning).  I think they turned out cute!  We weren't able to get a picture of Nana with Lilia though because Nana had responsibilities in her ward and had to leave after the blessing.  I am sure her wards primary program next week will be great with her help!  

This is what you get when you try to get all 6 of us to cooperate!!  Fun times! If you don't already know how this is, I suggest you try it sometime!

All my girls - together!  Really hoping this is the start of many more fun pictures of the three of them!

Lilia with my Mom, Dad, and baby sister Jocelyn.  Lilia was getting tired of the picture taking, this in NO way reflects her feelings of my family!  PROMISE!

TOFW

I am taking a few minutes to write down my experience at Time Out for Women (TOFW).  Anyone out there who hasn't gone to one yet, really needs to go. You will come back from your approx. 24 hours away feeling completely rejuvenated - you will be a better you! You can check out their website here.  Hopefully they will be coming to a city not too far from you next year!

This years theme is: "All things are possible to him that believeth"  Mark 9:23  It is also about choosing to BECOME.  We were challenged to become a little more of the woman we are meant to be.  We had the most amazing speakers that shared the most amazing experiences with us! We heard from two amazing music performers over the weekend (Jenny Oaks Baker & Jericho Road).  If you have a chance to listen to their music, you should. 

Here are just a few things I learned/was reminded of:
* put our trust and faith in the Lord
* quote by a General Authority (paraphrased) "If a woman is too busy to pray, she is busier than the Lord wants her to be!"
* L.D.S. also stands for "Let's Do Something!" - always being anxiously engaged in the Lord's work/something good
* (this one is a little embarrassing to share) President Hinckley's quote, (again paraphrased) "If you complain about life, it's because you think only of yourself...."
* Elder Scott's quote, "We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become."
* REMEMBER: who your children REALLY are and ALWAYS remember the Savior
*try something hard that makes you rely on the Lord
*Just be YOU!  don't try to be anyone other than yourself
*success is measured MUCH differently in the world than to our Heavenly Father
*every once in a while, take 24 hour ALONE and AWAY from your family to rest your heart and mind, evaluate your life, and make plans for the future! it's important!


These are only a few things that I was able to refresh in my mind/spirit this past weekend.  There were so many wonderful lessons shared and of course I came away with a list a mile long to change about myself.  However, this time I am going to take it one step at a time and each day do my best to become a little more of the woman I am meant to be. 

The Big Handful (5)!!

My second-born has finally joined the ranks of the "handfuls".  While she has been a handful on her own pretty much her whole life, she is now official.  My dear girl turned 5 on the 13th.   Five years ago, on a Friday no less, this little girl came into the world.  I really truly love this little dramatic child, she keeps my life interesting - to say the VERY least!  With all of that said though, she truly is an amazing child.  Her capacity to love is endless and has been found including the new (shy) children at school in her "creative play" moments.  She had pretty much everyone's name memorized by the end of the first day of school.  I find her saying "hello (fill in their name)" and occasionally "hello (fill in child's name)'s mom!"  - she knows EVERYONE!!   While she will on occasion blame her bad behavior on "I'm just a curious girl" (yes, she has been documented as saying that) she truly is pure gold at heart.  Her excitement about life reminds me of a young girl I knew once.  Most days I am certain Heavenly Father sent her to our family to teach me how to be like that again.  Thank you for being so pure Julia, and for being able to teach me about life and what's really important!  LOVE YOU and Happy Birthday!