The First Laundry

In my life, days and weeks go by and I don't always pay much attention to actual dates.  If it wasn't for my phone and/or watch, I wouldn't have a clue as to what day it was or even what day of the week.  Most of them sort of just run together one not much different from the next.  Thank goodness for the "reminders" my phone sends me, and for the giant white board in our kitchen telling me what needs to be done and when!  And lets not forget the importance of automatic bill pay!!

Anyway, the hubs has gone.  We are in full-on deployment mode.  And now that we have made it past the first (and second and third and so-on) laundry, we've got our groove.  Why the laundry?  Well here's the deal.  In those weeks and days before the hubs leaves, I'm constantly doing laundry so that he can take as much of his stuff with him as possible.  But obviously I can never get it ALL because he does have to remain dressed up until his departure.  Which means there is always something left behind.

Time to go.  He leaves, we hug, give kisses, say our "see you laters" and he's on his way.  Days go by, kids and I do our thing and adjust to our new normal.  And I'm good.  Enter laundry.  I start to fold, and sure enough there are his things.  A few t-shirts, some socks, boxers, etc.  This is usually when it hits me, and I have my little moment.  The tears come, I can't help it.  Something about putting away laundry that I know he won't be needing for the next 1/2 a year just does me in.  So I do the ugly cry for about 2.16 minuets and then move on.  If I didn't have kids it would probably last a little longer, but the last image I want them to have is me snotting all over the hubby's clean t-shirt.  Which will now have to be washed yet again because of previous statement.  Thankfully the second wash doesn't phase me and it's now safely in a drawer waiting for his return.

But like I said, we're all good around here now.  There have been MANY MANY loads of laundry - in-fact I've lost count - and we've adjusted to our new normal - which may or may not include ice cream for lunch, later bedtimes, and "camping" in my room with sleeping bags.  I'm just saying - do what you gotta do - ya know??  I even got a little break to go on my very first port visit to see my sweetie.  It was an amazing incredible trip and I treasured every second with him.

Summer break is just days away, and then the fun really begins.  We have some fun adventures planned, summer camps, VBS, swimming lessons, you name it!  I'm sure by the end I'll be more than ready for school to start back up, but for now, I'm looking forward to some lazy mornings, time on the beach, and enjoying the company of these crazy kiddos.

With that I'm off to clean the kitchen and get to bed early tonight.  It was raining today so I actually got the kids to bed on time which means I can follow their lead and do the same!

Happy Easter!

I've had a bit of writers block. Not that I am by any means a "writer". I ramble far to much to be considered anything that...um...sophisticated? Sure we will go with that. But I just don't know what to write most the time...

But, today is Easter, and it was such a wonderful day celebrating the Good News that Jesus is RISEN!!! AMEN! So I wanted to write and share my love of all things Easter with you. I even have a few pictures. However, I'll warn you in advance they are all from my phone so not exactly the best you've ever seen.

The kiddos ready for Easter Sunday service!

I love Easter. I love the Hope it brings. I love the pews at church - packed with people coming to praise the Lord. I love the butterfly release at our church. I love John 3:16. I love that even though I repeatedly mess up - I.am.forgiven. That thought alone leaves me in awe, speechless, and oh so grateful.

And of course there are all the other things that come with Easter - Time with family and friends, egg hunts and baskets filled with goodies from the Easter bunny. Ham and sweet potatoes, loads of jelly beans and all the hardboiled eggs you can eat. Cute little "Easter outfits" and bunnies made of chocolate.

The boys showing off their eggs after the egg hunt at church on Saturday morning.

And a new tradition in our house - the "Lamb cake". The school that the boys attend have an Easter party and there is always a lamb cake for every class. This year I volunteered. This is what I came up with. The stand up cake was for my middle man's class and the circle was for the oldest.

It was just the kids and I this year, so it was a quiet Easter, but wonderful all the same. We woke early to see what the bunny brought, looked for eggs, ate cinnamon rolls (and a bit too much candy), went to church, ate more candy, spent lots of time playing outside enjoying the beautiful day, and had a great (although somewhat random) Easter dinner. I let the kids pick the menu because I figured if I was going to cook a meal for Easter, I wanted to make something they would eat! After the baby went to bed, the boys and I ended the night watching the Muppet Movie together. I am very blessed.

Hope you all had a fabulous Easter!

the big O-N-E!!

Guess who's ONE???

This girl!!

Yesterday my baby girl turned ONE!!! I can't believe it's been a year since she was brought into our lives. She is such a blessing and gift from God (as are my other two children - but this one is all about her). So, this will be my last monthly post for the little one. I have no more little stickies to photograph her in. Kind of bittersweet actually. The year went entirely too fast. I feel like tomorrow I'll be sending my little bug off to college.

Again it's been a busy month full of more firsts! First case of the stomach flu...check. You had your first airplane ride to go down to Georgia. You met your great-grandma (and more aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.). You have new words including - baby, no, and a much clearer version of "bella". It no longer sounds like "dada". You've taken your official "first step" however you're not quite walking on your own yet. You've gotten two of your first year molars. You had your first cupcake - it was a hit!

Yesterday I started asking you "how old are you" and showed you how to put up one finger. You're getting the hang of it pretty quick!

You're still in size three diapers, 12 month clothes, and your feet are almost a size 3. I love your tiny little feet...they are adorable. We have your 12 month appointment with the doc tomorrow, so I'll post those stats later.

You love to play patti-cake, sing songs, play with your little people farm - I think we listen to the cow say "moo" about 96 times a day. You love your books, you love your stuffed baby, you LOVE to give kisses. Big slobbery ones. You love playing in your brothers room, you love to climb and you love to feed Bella. You love to chase the vacuum when I'm cleaning and "helping" with all the laundry.

You are SUCH a fun baby. And while I wasn't quite ready for you to turn 1, I am so excited for all our adventures to come. I couldn't love you any more sweetie. Happy 1st Birthday!!!

Oh - and if anyone is wondering, we will have a little family celebration after daddy gets back. I figure she doesn't know one way or another, so I'm sure there will be more cake pictures down the road.

11 month-aversary

How can this be?? Less than a month now and little miss will be ONE year old!! Moments like this always make me reflect back to the past year and all that has happened. It's been a crazy busy one, but full of so many blessings as well.

My sweet little girl, you are now 11 months and oh have you grown so much. Height and weight wise you've stayed about the same, or at least I think you have from the way you look and feel. We will get real measurements next month at your 1 year appointment. Geeze...that still just doesn't feel right. You're in the same size clothes and diapers - and your tiny little feet are still the same size 2 they have been since you were itty bitty. I absolutely adore them. So cute. It appears your hair may have a little bit of red coming through - but we will have to see what happens as you get more.

You're working on your 1st year molars and they are giving you a mighty tough time, but other than a fussy moment here and there, you are still always so happy!! You have a few more words now, "all done" and "this" are two of your favorite. You move all around the house pointing at everything saying, "this...this???". Part of your curious nature, you love to know the name for everything. You know where your nose is now, and if asked "where is your nose??", you scrunch it up on command. Cutest.thing.ever. And of course you still think you're SO funny sticking your tongue out all the time.

Some of your favorite games are patti-cake and peek-a-boo. We could play them hours on end and you would never get bored. You also love to read books. You sit in my lap and would let me read all day long if I could. You are also a big fan of "lunch dates". On days when your brothers are in school we often find ourselves grabbing a girls lunch together and you ham it up for anyone around. So much fun. I hope we always enjoy lunch dates together in the future as much as we do now!!

You are SOOO close to taking that first step - it's going to be any day now. I'm scared I'm going to miss it when you're at the nursery in church or something like that. You are funny, animated and just a blessing to be around. I love coming to get you after you wake up from your nap (which is now a regular thing in the afternoon after lunchtime) and you are all grins and giggles. The other day I took a few pictures of you just because you are always so happy when you wake up.

I can't believe that the next time I post pictures it's going to be of your 1st birthday!! Happy 11 months sweet baby girl - can't wait to see what this month has in store for us.

Being a mama. The most important job I will ever have. I am responsible for not only the "routine" well-being of my children (clothes, food, brushing of the teeth....flushing of the potty) but I'm also molding these little people into who they are going to be later in life, and keeping myself in check so that I am (hopefully) setting a good example. Wow...talk about some weight when you really sit down and think about it. I find it funny that a job with so much riding on it comes with no prior "training" involved. From day one as a parent you quickly adopt the phrase, "fake it to make it". Sure you may have babysat, or worked around little ones, but nothing can truly prepare you for that giant leap into parenthood.

I'll never forget the way my hubs looked when he held our oldest for the first time, the phrase "fish out of water" comes to mind. Of course now, after number 3, he's a pro at not just picking up babies, but rocking, burping, potty training, diapering, teaching, disciplining, etc. The list goes on. But every time we think we are getting it down, they throw another curve ball. Each step of the way they are growing and changing, constantly keeping us on our toes. I would be lying if I said I never sit down and wonder if I'm doing a good job at this whole mama gig.

But every now and again, God blesses me with a moment. A moment when the world around me simply stops (or at least it seems to for me) and I can just look at my little ones and I think "well, I must be doing okay". These moments are truly a gift and I treasure them in my heart. The other day I was lucky enough to not only experience such a sweet moment, but also had my camera nearby to capture it. Talk about a double blessing...that NEVER happens.

I was upstairs laying the baby down for a quick nap, and when I came down this is what I found.

Big kid, reading to his little brother. And not just any book, he was reading stories out of our Children's Bible. It touched my heart in ways I can't express in words. But at that moment I simply stopped and praised the Lord for the three little people he has blessed us with and for that moment, I felt like I must be doing something right.

Now before this beings too sound too "perfect" let me also say that approximately 5.2 seconds after story time ended they were running around the house fighting each other with plastic lightsabers - this would be more of the norm around here. And I love every second of it.

10 month-aversary

Wow - 10 months and counting. The little is growing up too fast. A year is right around the corner and I can tell you this, this mama isn't ready. My "baby" is turning into a tot and it's FLOWN by. And just as a little side, taking these pictures was nothing short of a challenge...this girl is ON THE MOVE!!

Sweet baby girl. You are now 10 months and we can hardly believe all the things you have come up with this month. You are now not only pulling up, but cruising along all the furniture and standing on your own as well. Any day now you are going to take that big "first step". You are still in size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes. Your 8th tooth popped through (finally) giving you a nice even 4 up and 4 down. You are a wonderful eater and sleeper. You're sweet and full of love and smiles.

You LOVE to explore and are into everything. Some of your favorite things to do are pull all the books off the shelves and the tupperware out of the cabinets. You also enjoy getting into your brothers room and dumping over baskets of toys. Yes little girl, you can get around faster than a blink. We are in for real trouble when you start walking. Baby gates are up and working in full force around here to keep you safe and out of trouble. But no matter where you go, you do like to know that mama isn't far off. You can find me in about 1.2 seconds no matter where I am in the house. It's amazing.

You've also learned how to play peek-a-boo, clap your hands, and blow kisses. This makes things even more interesting when you decide to do this in the middle of eating a meal. Here is what the end result looks like after a lunch that included avocado (which you love by the way).

You can sign "more" and "all done" and make the funniest noises rolling your tongue around in your mouth. You also think its quite funny to stick your tongue out at everyone!! Of course everyone thinks its adorable and does it right back.

You love being the center of attention. It doesn't matter how tired you are, you will be sweet as pie if there is someone oohing and ahhing over you. You wave hello and good bye, clap your hands, and give the sweetest hugs in town. There is nothing like your hugs, they will make anyone just melt to a puddle.

Little girl, you are growing by leaps and bounds and picking up so much along the way. We love you to the ends of the earth and as always can't wait to see what you come up with next.

playing catch up

I'm writing this on Friday, but I'm not scheduling it to post until tomorrow because, well I just posted one for the baby's 9 month report, and I just don't know if you all could handle two posts from me in one day. It might be a shock to the system.

I have been absent, well more than absent really...completely GONE from the blog world...actually more than just that. Once December hit, things got busy getting ready for the holidays, and I sort of signed out when it came to all things internet (minus my pintrest addiction - but that's another story). After a week or so of NOT being on the computer I realized what a time sucker it has been. So I took some time off to get my days in order and manage my time better. I'm getting there...slowly. My goal is to divide my "free time" between not only getting things done around the house but taking some "me" time as well to do things like...blog!

I hope you all had wonderful holidays. Our Christmas was wonderful. We spent time with my parents, sister and her fiance. The husband was home (mostly) which was nice, and although it was busy, it was such a blessing to have everyone here. Not living near family can be tough, especially during the holiday season, so I consider myself very blessed that our family comes to us to celebrate. By New Years the family had gone back home, so we had a quiet NYE at home with the kids. We let the boys stay up to watch the ball drop (their first time) and had a big night of movies, board games, popcorn and party soda. It probably ranks in my favorite NYE ever. Funny how things change.

Our oldest has started playing basketball this year, and really seems to enjoy it. He's never played before, so we weren't sure what to expect, but he seems to have a knack for it. He is also still enjoying cub scouts. This weekend is his first pinewood derby. We finished up the car last night, and I have to say I think he did a great job. Of course I may be biased but I'm proud of my little man.

The middle one is also up to big things. He is starting to read, which is always such an exciting time. School has really been great for him and he is learning so much. He has an amazing imagination - he loves to draw pictures and make up stories to go along with them. It's fun to watch him get so excited about his "work".

Hubby and I are doing well. This year is going to be a challenge for the whole family as far as what we have coming up with Matt's job. But I'm trying not to focus on that too much and enjoy the time we have left before he deploys. That word: deploy. I haven't really wrapped my head around it yet, but with every passing day it becomes more "real". I just pray that God will give me the strength to handle being both Mommy and Daddy and remain somewhat sane in the process.

But with that, we also have a lot of fun planned for the year ahead. My sister is getting married in March, we have trips planned for the summer, baby girls first birthday, and I might even get to go overseas at some point. It will be a busy 2012 for us no doubt, but a good one as well. Of this I am sure. With that I'm going to wrap this up. Back soon with some pintrest fun...oh how I do love me some pintrest!