one by one

my goodness what a busy summer we're having, and I don't even have kids in school yet! Will and his friends made it home last Monday from their boat trip. We spent all week running errands and doing chores since he had the week off. We also, just enjoyed some downtime. I'm not sure we had time for the downtime, but it was nice to relax anyway and be together after the busy weeks we'd had before with Will graduating, and the boat trip etc.

I busied myself getting the house in order for a trip to Prague, Czech Republic this week. Will's sister is getting married over there this Saturday, July 7 to a guy she met at Abilene Christian U who's from Ohio I think. They're over there on a year long mission trip. I haven't said much about the trip because I wasn't sure if we would be able to go, but pieces are falling into place and it looks like it will happen. We're going to try to mac-flight (military space-available) out of a nearby reserve base over to Ramstein in Germany, then take trains over to Prague. All of it is a little tricky with security measures, timing, luggage (backpacks basically) not to mention language and exchange barriers. It will be an adventure for sure! My mom is flying in tonight to take care of the boys for us for 2 weeks. Hopefully we'll make it back in time to spend time with her before she leaves though.

Bon Voyage! (I'll have to look up how to say that in Czech)

long day starting at 1 AM

So, putting Charley to bed in undies w/o anything to drink and going to the potty right before bed still didn't work. He woke up crying around 1:15 AM because he was all wet. The only sheets I had left were some girly pink striped ones and a floral pillowcase. :) I'm still washing his other ones from wetting the last two nights before last night. Still, after I changed all his clothes and his bed, he came back in to snuggle with me at 1:50. I let him stay until around 2:15, but then I couldn't fall back to sleep until around 2:45! Ugh!! Then wake up call every morning is just before 6 and I try to stay in bed and make them wait until 6:30. It's not really a relaxing time for me though. So I dragged myself out of bed and now it's 11:45 and I still feel like I'm half asleep. We played outside and went to BJ's this morning. They're down for an early nap so we can go to the air show in the early afternoon. So, I'd better grab a nap while I can! See ya!

tears of relief, joy, pride

So today is day 3 since Will's been on the boating trip. He said it's been a little rougher than they expected with some engine trouble and rough seas, but they made up a lot of time today with some smoother waters and might make their destination of Annapolis by tomorrow. He got sea sick today though, which wasn't fun, but said he's feeling better.

My plan for today was to take the kids to the mall. I had some things to return and there was a big sale going on that I wanted to use a 20% off coupon with. We left at 9ish this morning for a 40-45 minute drive to the Warwick mall. The thought was for Ben to take his morning nap in the car on the way, and for us to be home before 12/1 o'clock naps in the afternoon. :) ha ha I was also planning on going to Target after the mall. Well, Ben did sleep in the car, but we never made it to Target and didn't leave the mall until 12:50. They usually are napping by then. :) It turns out that I got an even bigger discount on some things I needed because I got to apply for a new Macy's card so I wanted to use it to get stuff I might wait on (but really need later) that I really liked. I'm pretty good about returning stuff I realize I don't need right away anyway. By the way, I think that's the second time I had been to the mall all year so I tend to cram all my shopping in at once for stuff I've been waiting to get. Anyway, that's why we were there for so long. It was fun and the day flew because of it, which was nice.

Ok, enough about shopping. The real reason I wanted to post is because the boys were soooo good for me that I actually cried when we left. We ended up staying and have lunch at the mall and I had some returns from VS to make (they're have a big sale too) and then we went back to Macy's where I actually tried on a dress, took Charley to the potty for the second time and then made it out to the car when I realized (after the kids were buckled in) that we'd left Ben's bear/blanket inside. I just couldn't leave them and run in really quick so I got them out, left the stroller and walked in. Someone had left it right inside the door on a display knowing I'd come back and find it. I was just so proud of them. They didn't whine, or fuss, or pick at each other (well barely at all). Charley told me he had to go potty and went! He sat in his chair at lunch and I didn't have to strap him to a high chair or the stroller. He stood halfway on the stroller and the chair most of the time, but that was fine, at least he was staying put. He's so active, especially after being tied to a stroller for an hour or two, that he needs some running time, but he was sooo good for me. I was really surprised actually. Turning 3 has really done wonders for him or he's turning a corner or something. He didn't break down or throw a fit about anything and we all talked and had fun the whole time! (he did when we got home because he was sooo tired, but that's my fault) :) I was so grateful b/c the morning didn't start out that smoothly and Charley was crying for Daddy twice before 8 AM. But, we made it out of the house, whew! and on the way home, Ben slept, and I managed to keep Charley awake passed his nap time so we could make it home. We got home at 1:30. Ben went right down and I made Charley go down at 2. He slept for 2 hours and Ben stayed down for the same time as well so all in all, Ben slept for 3 hours and Charley 2. I didn't sleep because I had coke for lunch, but I still rested. It was a nice break. The evening was long, but we made it and tomorrow we're going to the air show to see the Blue Angels! Sunday is church and another long afternoon and then Will flies home Monday!! :) and I will have made it. ugh deployment is going to be a beast! At least Charley will be in school. :)

Anyway, another really neat thing is that it seemed like at every store or place we went, there was never a line, then one would develop right behind me. I felt like God was just sheltering me or giving me an easy time or something just to give me a break. It was really nice. Thank you Lord for whatever You were doing. I felt your love so many times, and thank you for my wonderful boys and that they did so well today. I really needed that!

Also, I have to mention, in other news, Charley went #2 for the second time again today!! I'm so excited. It so strange what a difference being potty trained makes. He's really getting the hang of it. He didn't have an accident all day and is getting to the point where he's only having them at night. I should have put him in a pull-up, but I want him to get up and go. I don't know, maybe night is another step for later on. I know people who still put their 4 & 5 year olds in pull-ups just in case. I don't think I'll do that, but the whole potty training thing is still new so maybe I should. Well, he's in undies tonight, went pee right before bed and hadn't had anything to drink for an hour or two before bed, so we'll see if that helps. :)

g'night!

ahh beautiful opera!

I stumbled upon this clip in another blog and had to post it. It's absolutely beautiful. Paul Potts, the latest America's Got Talent winner sings "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's Turandot. Just beautiful!

Boat trip news

. . . it was too foggy for the guys to leave when they had planned this morning. So after going to bed at 12:30 last night and getting up at 5 something, driving Will to the boat, going home to get something he wanted and coming back, we all ended up going to have breakfast then coming back to the boat. That's when Will discovered he forgot the laptop charger and had to take me back home to get it. It was already 9 something and Ben was asleep. It's just funny because he could have driven himself in the first place. It was a fun adventure even though we were very tired. It will be a long day for the guys trying to navigate through pea soup and showers. They're supposed to make it to Long Island to the Merchant Marine Academy which apparently is a mansion and the former residence of a Roosevelt or some other wealthy person, I can't remember.

As for me, we all came home and took naps. I was so glad Charley was tired and ready to sleep. It means that he won't nap this afternoon, but that's ok. The day has been moving quickly and I'm got a babysitter tonight for a First Presbyterian Ladies Night Out at a Pawsocks game in Newport. I'm not a big baseball fan, but it will be fun to get away again and hang out with the ladies.

Victory . . . maybe

Well, I was all ready to post a happy, excited, hallelujah, hooray, and tadah post that Charley went poopers on the potty last night for the first time!! This is, of course, wonderful and exciting, but this morning, he had a tiny stool, like the kind he had when we had to put him on the Glycolax to get things moving. He also wanted me to put a diaper on him so he could go in it instead of using the potty. I obliged because I thought he was in pain and was trying to pick my battles. Then, just a little while ago, he had a normal size/consistency stool but went in his undies. yuck! He told me he had to go pee and so I thought he had gone, since he frequently tells me then goes by himself, but it turns out he didn't go at all and I was downstairs (he was up) thinking he'd taken care of things and the next thing I know, he's calling me to tell me he went in his undies. hmmmmm we still haven't started him back on the Glycolax, but the randomness of his stools are throwing me off. We're just going to have to take this a day at a time and see what develops.

It is great though that he at least felt comfortable enough to go on the potty. Will threw a little mini-celebration for him (lots of Shrek M'n'M's was the promised reward if he did this). I missed it because I was taking a Mom's night out before Will took off on his boat trip. I did get a phone call at Target though and Charley told me everything! Apparently, he was asking to call me before he'd even finished. I was sad not to be there, but I needed the break.

nothin' much, or not

I want to post something, but don't really have anything to say :) Just random thoughts that don't comprise a theme, which is always fun! :)

I'm stressing a little about Will leaving tomorrow to go on his 5 day boat trip. I have a few activities planned to keep us occupied and one night with a babysitter, but that's about it. They're getting easier to do things with, but Ben's fussiness combined with Charley's strong will at times, makes things very interesting and impossible for me to predict. I'm sure no one knows what I'm talking about. :) hee hee We may be watching some movies this week to help out. Although, I think I've been doing such a good job of keeping Charley down to watching only half an hour to no television each day.

Charley is almost fully potty trained as far as going pee. We're having some setbacks on the poop front. He hasn't gone in a day and when he went before, it was solid and hard for him to push out. We might have to start up the Glycolax again or try Fibersure that a friend of mine, Rachel, is using with her daughter. He's still trying to go, at least, and on the potty no less. He used to want us to put him in a diaper before he'd go. Who knows, he may want us to again once he starts going. Two steps forward, one step back, and one step at a time. We'll get there eventually. :)

Ok, I'll say it, (partially because another friend of mine, Christianne, mentioned it on her blog first), I've been having lots of baby thoughts lately! aaaaghh :) We've gone back and forth about timing etc. and agreed that we'd wait until Ben was around 2 to try again, and that's still the plan, and my hope. That doesn't mean you can always control your thoughts. It's not like their bad thoughts, just thoughts about holding a newborn, being prego again, nursing, swaddling, all the noises and smells and crying . . . knowing that both boys would love it and want to make it happy and take care of it. I loved giving birth at the Newport Hospital. They have a wonderful birthing ward with wonderful nurses and our experience there was, well, wonderful. But we're moving in a year and to do that with a newborn, especially when we're talking about moving states, or even overseas, would be quite a challenge. Not to mention, Will would need to focus on his responsibilities on his new ship and not need the stress of a baby not sleeping through the night yet etc. I want to be able to support him, not need him a lot. Anyway, we're praying about it right now so that hopefully these "thoughts" will go away, or God would confirm that it is the right time to have another, or I could just get pregnant, although birth control is working pretty well for us right now. God's bigger than the pill though. :)

Ok, that's all of my random thoughts for now, so now I can let go of them. Whew, one less thing to keep up with in my brain. :) ta ta

blossoming!

Oh my goodness, Ben is growing so quickly and blossoming right before our eyes! He's catching onto so much and communicating so much as well. It in such a beginning stage that it still catches us off guard when he does it. Today, we told him to go put a dirty shirt in the dirty clothes hamper. I never thought he'd do it and was really kidding, but low and behold, he walked straight back to his room and did it! Will and I had the most amazed looks on our faces since we didn't even think he knew what that was, much less could follow a one step direction. Well, he's 1 so I guess it's time, but he still feels like my baby so I guess I just wasn't ready for it. It's here now though so here we go.

By the way, one of his favorite hobbies is to go fish the wet diapers out of the trashcan and put them in the dirty diaper holder. (I only put dirty ones in there so I don't waste bag space with wet diapers that don't smell as much) It's really cute to watch, although I don't relish him digging in the trash. :) Oh well, it's not toxic and I wash his hands enough.

He's also in a climbing stage. He can crawl up on the chairs and onto the top of the kitchen table with no sweat. It's surprising and scary. :) So we have to keep the chairs away from the table so he doesn't do that.

Unfortunately, all this "understanding" has led to a discovery of his own "will". He's in a really fussy stage right now because he realized we wants to do all of this stuff that he can't or that I won't let him do. This is especially frustrating when he decides to get picky about his food and since I refuse to keep fishing around for stuff he will eat, he can either stop fussing or go to bed to take a break. I think he went hungry this morning, but he made up for it later and one or even two missed meals aren't going to hurt him. I think children's appetites are so subjective at this age anyway that they're always changing. However, he has a little habit right now if throwing food or drinks on the floor and so formal discipline has finally begun for him. It's hard to get used to because I still think of him as my innocent little baby who can't help crying or throwing etc. Not anymore!

He's also teething again right now so that's part of it. He's taking up to 3 naps a day at times and still sleeping a full 9-10 hours at night! It's a trial, but I'm hoping he'll learn the ropes soon and the fussiness will end.

It's also kind of funny because for the longest time we've worked on Charley sharing with Ben and he's done a really good job. But now, Ben has to learn to share and not always get into Charley's stuff. I'm glad Charley finally gets to feel and learn that the rules don't just apply to him.

Anyway, just another chapter in the beautiful life of my wonderful and really, really cute blue-eyed boy Ben.

Happy 6 Years! and Happy Father's Day!

Happy Anniversary and Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband Will. We've been through so much in 6 years (2 kids, 5 moves, 1 deployment and more) and I only dreamed we could be this happy! Thanks for your patience and love and for being such a wonderful Dad! It's nice to know you love the job. I trust you with my kids, my life and my future and I look forward to many more years (in the Navy or out) with you.

For our anniversary, we went out to dinner at Newport's Vincent's on the Pier. Will got stuffed lobster and I got clam chowder and shrimp ceasar salad. We had calamari for an appetizer and didn't have room for dessert. It was fun getting all dressed up and then afterwards, we sat on the pier looking at the water, boats and sunset for a bit. It was chilly though so we took a drive on the beautiful Ocean Drive (around the South part of the island) then went home.

Father's Day was a little more low key since we felt like we'd been partying all weekend with the graduation and our anniversary. We went to church, and Charley stayed in the adult church with us for the first time until they had children's story time and dismissed them for Sunday School. He also wore undies their for the first time and didn't have an accident the whole time!!! After church we took naps, except for Will, he was waiting for a friend from El Salvador to come by. His friend brought us a beautiful hammock and some cute children's toys from El Salvador. Then he did some chores and we all went to the neighbor's Graduation party. We were in bed by 9:30 because Will had to get up at 2:30 AM to drive his El Salvadorian friend's mother to the airport. He got back home at 6:20 this morning and is beat. He's done with school now though so he has a few weeks off.

Will leaves on Wednesday with a friend, Jeremy, to drive a boat down to Annapolis for 5 days! I hope it will be a nice little vacation for him. I'm sure they'll have a great time!

I love you Will!!! :)

Naval War College Graduation!

Congrats to my husband! He graduated from the U.S. Naval War College today! We were there all morning and it was a beautiful day for it. The graduation was held outside under an enormous tent. It reminded me of the circus. Anyway, he got all dressed up in his chokers (ahh beautiful white uniform, although I like summer whites the best). I got dressed up in a summer skirt and nice sandals etc., even got to curl my hair! :) We got a babysitter for the boys, which was nice.

One of the fun things about being there was seeing all the different ways the international students and their families were dressed. There were some ladies from Africa with beautiful head dresses on (I don't want to say hats, because it was more like folded fabric, very elaborate, beautiful). I saw a Japanese lady wearing a gorgeous kimono. There were some Indian students there and their wives were wearing sari's, it was all so need to see. It's also interesting to see the uniforms of the other countries. They're basic uniforms though. There were quite a few foreign students in this class.

Anyway, Will is very relieved to be finished and now we can begin our last year here (I hope) as he begins department head school. He'll be down in Dalgren, VA geobatching for 2 months from August through September, then back up here to begin school in October. We'll find out our next duty station and move next June. That's the plan for now anyway. :)

By the way, this weekend is exciting, today Will graduated, tomorrow is our 6 year wedding anniversary, and Sunday is Father's Day! :) We're going out tonight and tomorrow night (I think), but I think we'll be home and relax on Sunday for a nice easy going day.

good news on the bowel front

Yay! I just had to post that Charley has been off of his Miralax for 5 days now and has pooped once a day for the last three days. I can't remember the 2 days before that. I'm so excited because it means that he's cleaned out and going regularly which is a major achievement. We went for his 3 year well-baby (I don't know why they call it that when he's 3, but they do) and the doctor said we could keep him off of it for the time being, but that if he stopped going, to start it again immediately. I was worried about giving him too many meds and him becoming dependent on it, but he told us the that Miralax (well, I think he's actually on Glycolax and it's a Miralax equivilant, anyway) is not a gut stimulant to MAKE him go, it just helps the gut absorb more liquid so it CAN go; therefore, dependency is not a risk. Also, it's a sugar derivative (whatever that means) but I think he meant that it's closely related to glucose and other natural things that people use to help their children go so it's not like I'm pumping him full of chemicals even when he IS on it.

Anyway, I'm just thrilled I don't have to give it to him anymore and the potty training can continue. Now we're just encouraging him to go by telling him he's making room for more food (and treats) and praising him when he poops because I think he still has a tendency (from previous bad memories of painful poops) to hold it back. It's a slow process, I just hope he'll get there by preschool in September. Even if he's not perfect, I think seeing all the other kids go will help. It's just nice to know that there's nothing physically wrong with his bowel system and we don't have to change his diet.

fun weekend

This weekend was a long weekend for us. Will had Friday and Monday off! He graduates Friday from the War College so things are slowing down a bit, which is nice.

Friday, we went to Sweet Berry Farm to pick some strawberries. It's such a neat farm with such a cute little farm store. We bought a wonderful blueberry scone there for a snack on the way home since both boys were tired and hungry and I forgot to bring snacks. oops!

Saturday, we had a small, last minute birthday party for Charley. We decorated cupcakes and they all played really well with all the toys, old and new. At one point, all 5 kids, including Ben (1) and a girl who is 6, were all downstairs playing together by themselves. The older girl babysat a little, but we also took turns going down to make sure things were ok. Anyway, it was a nice little get together and we were grateful that people could make it last minute to help celebrate.

We were sad that Will's mom and dad couldn't be here. They were supposed to fly up last Wednesday, but Will's dad got pretty sick and they decided not to come. I was really bummed because I was looking forward to a break!

Then Sunday was Music Sunday at our church. We had an instrumental ensemble play some pieces, and I sang a solo, Selah's version of "I Need Thee Every Hour" and a duet, Rutter's "The Lord Bless Thee and Keep Thee". The lady I sang with also sang a solo, "His Eye is on the Sparrow". Our music minister accompanied the whole thing and played some pieces on his own as well. It was really nice to hear everyone and afterwards, we went to a brunch at the Best Western for the choir. Yum!

Monday was kind of hectic, I spent most of the morning working on invitations for a shower and Will went to help a friend with his boat. After that we were supposed to go play beach v-ball, but we were so tired that we decided to skip it and go see a movie and eat out instead! We saw "Ocean's 13" and it was fun. Then we ate at Sea Shai Hibachi Restaurant, and walked next door to have ice cream after. It was a nice break.

A funny side note: Charley had a big accident in his undies while we were gone and the babysitter had to clean him all up, but she didn't put anything on him for bed. So he went all night w/o a diaper or undies, just his PJ's! I thought he would have wet himself for sure, but he came in at 5:20 in the morning to tell me he had to go potty. He was dry as a bone and went promptly. We were so proud of him even though it's probably a fluke. Who knows, maybe he's getting the hang of it finally.

Anyway, we had a full, fun weekend and once again felt so blessed to be together, for our 2 amazing boys, for our friends and neighbors, for our church, and for our blessed life in general. Thank you Lord!

snuggler

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, one of my favorite things to do with Charley is snuggle. He loves to be held after naps and while we're reading. He's my snuggler and always has been. I'm so glad with all that energy, he can still sit still with me. He also comes up to my randomly throughout the day and says, "Mommy, I love you sooo much," and then gives me a perfect gentle kiss on my cheek. Aahhh, I melt again and again.

Happy 3rd Birthday Charley!

Now weighing in at 31 lbs and standing at 38" tall, Charley turns 3 today, June 7, 2007. I can't believe it's been 3 years since starting this great adventure of parenthood. It's been a ride and a treat.

So far, he's growing into a very loving, caring, outgoing and active little boy. He's not potty trained yet, but we're working on it. He's been dealing with a contipation issue for a year and a half now and we have him on a prescription laxative. We're making progress though and hopefully, starting preschool in September will be the turning point after our work this summer.

He takes prodigious care of his brother and his constantly hugging and kissing him saying, "I love my baby brother." It's so cute! We're working on obedience as well. Some days are great, some days are not and as he learns to express himself verbally instead of physically, it gets better. He's not a whiner, but we have had to work on hitting. It's a work in progress like anything and from all of my reading and interviewing, I think it will just take time and loving reinforcement.

A few of his favorite things to do are digging for worms, riding his tricycle, petting the neighborhood stray cat, driving our neighbors' toy Jeep cars, playing with trucks, Bob the Builder toys, and building with quatro and duplo legos.

His favorite foods right now are chicken nuggets, raisins (especially yogurt covered), fruit of just about any kind (he likes to sink his little teeth into apples whole, peel and all), of course chips and chocolate, candy of any sort :). He's out of his noodle phase. he used to love any pasta or noodle soup, but lately he hasn't been interested. He still likes green beans and corn, which is good. Oh yeah, I forgot, peanut butter and honey sandwiches. :) He's also good about eating cereal, meat of almost any kind and bread. He's not a real big mac'n'cheese fan, but maybe that falls in the pasta category that he's left behind recently.

He has excellent motor skills, verbal skills (he'll talk your ear off and you can understand him), and balance. He love to do somersaults, jump on the trampoline and do tricks, jump from just about anything high, like a dresser, bookshelf, or toy chest, to anything else, say like the couch, bed or ground.

He has tons of energy and is up almost every morning at 5:30. Somethings haven't changed from when he was 7 months old. Back then though, he went back down for a nap. He still takes about an hour to an hour and a half nap everyday though, which is nice.

He loves to be read to, to sing and dance to songs, and to recite things. I catch him reciting poems, lines from movies, songs, and lines from books to himself while he's playing with his trucks. It's really cute to watch and listen to what he remembers. In fact, when I'm reading him a book we've read before, he'll correct me if I say a word out of order or miss a word, even an insignificant word like "the". I don't think he knows all his letters yet, although he could be playing games and just not wanting to tell them to me. Will says he knows them. He also can count to around 15. :) What really strikes me about his mind is his ability to observe. When he's in a room, he notices everything, even little things. He never forgets where he's left a toy and even when we think he's wrong, he'll go get it and prove us wrong.

It's been a joy to watch him grow and develop during this changing time in his life and I can only look forward to what the next 3 years will be.

Ben, Ben the Music Man

Ben is my music boy. When he need to calm down, all I have to do is play PP&M's "Garden Song" and he's dancing and smiling or shaking a maraca right away. It's adorable. The outdoors did it for Charley, and while Ben loves being outside, I think he loves to dance more. :)


Here's picture of him gnawing on a drum.


Ahh so cute!

Early Happy Father's Day!

The grill is the early Father's Day present, not the Porche Boxter below! Actually, I think the grill is kind of a late Mother's Day present as well since I don't have to cook as much when he's grilling! Look at that . . . it works out well for both!


First lesson in push-ups :)



Making peanut butter butterscotch chip cookies with Dad, Cheers!


Porche Boxter on loan from a friend out of town. Happy to watch your car anytime! Will and I got to go to the PP&M concert in this as well.

so happy together . . .

reading together

I have so many memories of my picture Bible when I was a kid, so it's the first book that Ben and Charley got. (a new one of course, b/c mine is almost falling apart). This is Charley reading his and me reading my new NASB. I hope this becomes a morning practice for us together eventually.

suspicious characters

Alert: please be on the look out for a suspicious looking frog in snow boots who is going around mowing my lawn. :) I just thought this pic was too funny and had to share. The frog outfit is actually supposed to be a Halloween costume, but we use it for dress-up.

in bloom

These are for my Mom. She asked me to take some pics of the flowers around our house. We have Japanese iris, rododendrum, purple lilac, (all pictured). We also have bleeding heart, creeping geranium, petunias, and spirea (bridals wreath). They're all in bloom right now. Spring really is beautiful in Newport. Before that, the azaleas, daffodils, narcissus and tulips were blooming. See, there is a point to the really cold winter! :) I still miss the bluebonnets though. Anyway, enjoy!

Sachuest Point

This past April, when the weather finally got a tad warmer, we visited Sachuest Point, a wildlife refuge on one end of Aquidneck Island. It was really pretty and we all had a blast running up and down the paths and even ventured onto the rocky beach. Unfortunately, we kept the boys out too long and had a major meltdown on our looooong way back. ugh! It was still good to get out and see part of our pretty island. The top pic is Charley pointing at a plane I think. :) and the bottom pic is Ben in the back pack with Will and Charley all climbing on the rocks. It makes a great day or afternoon outing and the paths are stroller friendly for the most part, although
I'd still recommend a backpack for really little ones. http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=53543 is the web site for anyone who's interested in checking it out.

'07 RI Navy Base V-ball Champs!!

Yay!! We won the base volleyball finals last night by deafeating BOOST! They put up a great fight! I was on the Naval War College Juniors team and we had an undefeated season. We didn't even lose a game in any match! The commander said that was a first in the history of this competition. We even get Championship t-shirts and our pics in the Navalog! woo hoo! :) It was a really fun season. We had a fun, relaxed, talented team and it was a lot of fun playing with them. I was the only civilian in the group, but was allowed to play because they allow spouses of student to participate.

Thanks honey for all the babysitting so I could go play. I love you!


Oh yeah, I hope you all enjoy this really funny pic of me serving! Laugh it up!

Mazda RX-7

Yay!! Will got his old car back! We're all excited because we now own (again)the car that Will's grandfather bought new back in '83, a Silver Mazda RX-7. Will's dad bought it when Will's grandfather was unable to drive it and then Will got to take it to the Academy as his own. He has memories of this car since he was 5.

Anyway, it was broken at the end of his time at the Academy and was told by a repair shop that it would cost more to fix than the car was worth. So, he donated it to charity, but instead of giving it to charity, the car shop sold it. It has changed hands a few times since then (2001) and a couple of weeks ago we got a call from a friend of the current owner who was looking for the title. They traced it back to Will, who had lost it somewhere along the way. Will got to thinking about the car and all it's memories and got excited about just knowing where it was . . . so he called the guy back and asked if he could buy it back. To make a long story short, this passed Saturday, Will drove our Suburban down to Maryland, rented a trailer and hauled his Mazda back up here on Sunday. Long trip! but at least he missed a lot of Memorial Day traffic. He was so giddy and we're all so excited for him. His grandfather has since passed away, but he called his grandmother to let her know he got it back and she was trilled too! She said she was going to go tell Wayne (his grandfather who used to own it). :)

Now we just have to get it running. The carburetor and transmission are out so we have a lot of work to do! Hopefully it will be done within this next year so he can drive it to his ship next June when we move (to Norfolk as of right now, but who knows where, it's always changing) :)


Congrats Baby! I'm so excited for you!

pre-school thoughts

In my previous "pre-school dilemmas" post on May 18, 2007, Dana, a friend from high school who lives down in TX and has 4 children, commented on her own personal thoughts about motives for pre-school and she pointed out some cautions as well. I used that post to reflect more deeply into my own motives for thinking about putting Charley into pre-school, and came away even more certain that we are doing this for the right reasons. I wanted to describe my own thoughts and respond to what she wrote in another comment to her, but it got too long and so I am turning it into a post for everyone to read. If you want to read her original comment, the link is https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=31275887&postID=8322021595624444154 or just go to the comments link on my May 18, 2007 "pre-school dilemmas" post.

I hope this exchange provokes thought and understanding between all who have an opinion on this subject.

RESPONSE:

I'd like to go through the concerns you brought up and write out my thinking. That way, I can make sure I'm not avoiding any issues and have thought everything through honestly in my own mind, and it might be interesting to you to understand a different perspective.

It's so interesting to me how different people come to different conclusions based on different circumstances. For instance, I don't have the wonderful support system of friends here that are able and available to take the kids off my hands so any break I get, besides Will coming home early from work, I have to pay for. However, as nice as a few hours with just Ben and I would be for me, it isn't my motivation in putting him in pre-school.

Also, you mentioned several motives that you had narrowed down for yourself such as "grown-up" peer pressure and I was really glad you said that because it helped me to make sure that I wasn't doing the same thing. In fact, I have talked to only 2 stay-at-home moms who are about to put their kids into pre-school; so I definitely don't feel any pressure to "keep up with the Joneses".

As far as what my kids will remember about their childhood . . . I don't think 2 mornings a week away from me will even factor into their thinking. In fact, they already do it when you factor in Bible study on Tuesday morning and church on Sunday. Not to mention the weeks that we get a babysitter to go out. So, I definitely don't think this will cause them any concern about the time or energy I'm investing into their lives. It's a good consideration though, and good motive-check again.

Another motive you mentioned was that some people put their kids in pre-school to give them a better future or to have them "participate in the latest or most advanced programs." While I am interested in Charley getting a good education, I don't feel that pre-school is the key. I still believe that Will and I are educated enough to provide a perfectly good education for our kids and to that end I have not ruled out home-schooling. However, I also haven't ruled out public school, which some might say would certainly ruin his education. Instead, we are taking the decision of "schooling" and "type of schooling" literally one year at a time. One reason we are doing this is because we want to make the wisest decisions we can for our kids and listen to God's leading and direction for us all there. The other reason is because of the nature of the Navy, we have to be ready for the possibility of many moves, during the school or not; or to places with excellent or poor schools; to places where we can afford it or not. I believe that all of these things will ultimately factor in to our decision of where to place our kids year after year. For instance, if I know we have several moves coming up, I might homeschool that year. If we move to a place with excellent public schools such as Rockwall or Katy, TX (and many others) we might enroll them there. Or, if we move back to Norfolk where we can afford private school, we want to consider that. I feel that by keeping everything on the table, it helps to keep up open to what God wants us to do.

NOW :) my first thought while reading what I've just written is, "what a lack of stability we might be setting our sons up for, all the changes, and possibly different schools ... how will this engender security in my children?" And my first response to these concerns and possibly fears is: in a way, change is the nature of life, for everyone, but especially for a family in the Navy. Because I knew that we'd have children while we were still a Navy family, some of my first thoughts regarding having children dealt with, "how will I prepare my child to deal with this?" I have definitely seen the toll that being a military brat can take on some kids, and families.

Therefore, I must take a different approach to all of the instability they will encounter (and have already encountered - Charley has already experienced 2 moves and he's not even 3). I cannot look at it as a negative since it is the life God, in all His wisdom, has given us to live. I must embrace that we (including my children) were meant to go through all of the changes the Navy will bring us, and KNOW that God WILL give us the strength and resources to deal with it.

My first goal is to teach him how to rely on God and the strength within himself that God gives us as people struggling to live on this earth...if I can teach him to turn to God first, whenever he's frustrated, afraid, lonely, hurt, or happy too, then I think that will go a long way towards helping him through the tumult of Navy life and eventually...life on his own.

My second goal is to do my part in building a strong family unit for us all as we lean on each other through each move, deployment, and change...to build a secure "environment of love and support" like you said. However, I may differ from you in that I don't believe that putting Charley in pre-school for 2 or even 3 days a week, will challenge that at this point. I may feel differently next year, depending on our move in May and where we go. Hence, my need to keep ALL options open.

My third goal is to teach my children about attitude and how when you encounter struggle and hardship, you can use it to grow or to wilt. I want them to know that it is a mere fact of life that this will happen and I want them to be ready to deal with it...whether it brings them pain or joy. We were made to experience both and to embrace, learn, and grow through both. Granted, I don't want them to learn about things they're not prepared to handle at an appropriate age. I think that any negative things that he might encounter at a pre-school of my choosing (I'm currently visiting them during the day to observe for myself the atmosphere, teachers and lessons), will be good for us to talk through and deal with and will be a good introduction into this fallen world he will have to live in on his own someday.

After all of this, I can say with 95% certainty that the main motivator for me in considering pre-school for Charley is simply that it would benefit him on many levels (encourage his independent spirit, give him the chance to act properly apart from me and the chance to understand what's not appropriate around others, structured social interaction, a better chance for his creativity to grow, to be challenged and learn so much intellectually to name a few) as a child and enhance his growth in many different ways. I simply believe he's ready for it and he definitely wants it. He asks to go to school constantly, which my Mom said reminded her of me! In short, I think it would be so good for him, not every child, maybe not even Ben when it's time. It's not because I believe pre-school is the key in making sure he has the best, most advanced education. It's not because I want a break from him during the day. It's not because it's the "thing" to do or because "people" are worried about how much kids are learning these days. I believe the reasons we are considering it are positive and I think I pretty much covered those in my previous post, "pre-school dilemmas". (I had been talking a lot about things that weren't influencing our decision, I just wanted to mention some things that were.)

I agree with you that this is an important decision that should be made with discernment. I can tell that I'm probably quite a bit more comfortable with my kids coming into contact with negative outside influences than you are though, and that's ok with me. Maybe it's because you struggle with that particular issue for personal reasons more than I do. Or maybe it's because I feel like I was too sheltered as a child. I wish that my parents had told me or shown me more of the world so that I could have prepared for it in advance in the "safe" environment of my own home, or so they could have taught me how to deal with it. Who knows. We are the way we are and we do the things we do because of so many things including our pasts, and our own current, particular situations in life; and those differences lend themselves to different decisions. I like what the Jeub father of 13 said, it was something like, "you can always try to do everything right for your children, but you will still always make a mistake." I'm sure many wise people have said this and while it may seem negative, it is also freeing. It frees us to realize that we need to trust God more than our own abilities in child raising. It frees us from some of the guilt of making inevitable mistakes. It frees us to be very much IN the world and not OF it. And finally, it frees us to allow our children to be children and make mistakes along the way knowing that God is still in control. I know that I'm not always good at living all of these things, but I think their truth remains in tact regardless.

I believe that as long as I'm seeking God in the decisions I make regarding my children, they will be safe in His care. Calamity will come regardless of the job I do as a parent and I need not fear it, but in the vein of Paul, embrace it and learn how God wants me to grow through it.

I know that I'm seeking God's guidance in the best way to raise my children and I know that you're doing that as well. And as long as we're both doing that, then even when we come to different conclusions on what the best for our children, we're still doing what God wants and we can both be at peace about that.

I appreciate your perspective and words of caution and advice. Thank you so much for taking the time to express your personal thoughts and feelings to me. Reading through them helped me to be sure I wasn't making this decision for the wrong reasons, but more importantly, reminded me to be in prayer about this a lot more than I already am.

not moving . . . again

I guess I forgot to mention this in the months since we've been back home from our very long Christmas vacation but, it doesn't look like we'll be moving to D.C. after all. It's kind of funny because we only expected to live here for 10 months and when we finally leave next May, it will have been almost 3 years! Will just kept getting different assignments and so we kept getting extended. Actually part of the reason I didn't say anything earlier is because we haven't really known for sure. In fact, we just didn't hear anything and Will was assigned to a ship out of Norfolk next year instead of D.C. and it was never corrected or changed and so . . . waiting . . . waiting . . . never hearing anything different and here we are, it's May and I can say with 90% certainty that we will not be moving to D.C. next month. So, I think it's safe to announce, finally! : )

I'm going to miss family and friends that we have there that we thought we'd see, Will's Aunt Donnette, the Willhites and the Burkmans, and all the wonderful things there are to do in D.C., especially for kids. Oh well, if Will stays in the Navy long enough, I'm sure we'll get stationed there eventually.

The good news is that we won't have to do two moves in 2 years because after D.C. we were going to have to come back to Newport for Department Head school for just 6 months and now we can just stay here and do it. Another plus is that we'll get to Norfolk sooner and I'll get to see all of the friends we left behind there: Tab church family, the Lowes, the Chevaliers, and many others. We also miss our house that we still own down there. Renting it out is going well, and we're not sure if we'll buy another and keep renting it, or move back into it. I really liked that house. That's another blog though. :)

Anyway, that's the latest on the moves front.

pre-school dilemmas

Well, yes, we considering putting Charley into pre-school at age 3. I never thought I'd do it and I thought those who did were just looking for a babysitter. (my apologies to those people whom I may have judged incorrectly). Some of my reasons for considering it are as follows: Charley is active, outgoing, interested, curious, and independent. I think putting him in a structured classroom environment for just half a day for 2 days a week (still debating 3) would really benefit him in all of those areas.

It would provide him with healthy interaction with other kids in a controlled atmosphere and since he acts much better away from me than with me, I'm not concerned about him exhibiting any behavioral problems. He's a good boy most of the time anyway. Second, he would have better exposure to more information = more chances to learn more things and since he's so interested and curious about things, this would be wonderful for him. He's such a sponge right now and I want to take advantage of that and I don't want him to miss out on certain experiences simply because I have to look after Ben a lot or don't have the resources at my house to teach him everything I'd love to teach him. Another reason is that the teachers there have practice with great teaching methods, a song to go with everything you could possibly want to learn, including the days of the week . . . in general, just a lot of things that I wouldn't do a great job of teaching him. Finally, I want to encourage his independent spirit because it's my job as a parent to prepare him for life apart from me and I think that in a way, that starts as soon as you put your baby in a crib in another room.

There are many more reasons that I think this is a good fit for Charley and if it doesn't go well, we can always pull him out and wait another year. Of course the part that is hard is letting him go during that time. I stay at home with him because I believe I can do the best job caring for him and these are very important years of his life when his personality and confidence are being crafted. I also stay home because I love being around my children. However, I don't think it's too long to be apart from me and I am still the main caregiver as far as his personality is concerned. I think pre-school would do wonders for his confidence though. Not that he needs help in that area (anyone who's met him knows he's a confident child), but I want him to enjoy succeeding in a new environment apart from me and our home. I think this will help his creativity, and ability to problem solve and think for himself later on. Those are my thoughts anyway. I hope they're well-founded.

We're still in prayer about the whole thing and about the frequency and are not registered yet so are not committed to anything yet. Feel free to offer any ideas or thoughts, contradicting or supporting. Honest input is always refining. :)

catching up 2

So . . . Ben had a wonderful first birthday on April 27! We celebrated the next day with Will's parents, who came into town for a week, and his aunt, who came into town from D.C. for a few days. I made a cute carousel cake with animal crackers connected to the chocolate pirroine (sp?) pole by twizlers. Will's mom made a top out of paper for it. We waited until after naps this time (unlike Charley's first) and that worked much better. Ben did a great job and seemed to like his presents. Of course he had help opening them from his older brother. I think Charley enjoyed playing with them more, which is fine because almost every morning, Charley gets different toys out for Ben and tried to show him how to play with them. It's so cute watching them. They play really well together and to borrow a term from my friend Anna in Virginia Beach, "it makes my heart happy". Anyway, I can't believe Ben is one already! This has been the fastest year yet in my life and I've heard they only go faster. Aaaahhh I'm hanging on to this ride as best I can!! :) No, life is good, not spinning out of control, despite some of our crazier days. Ben was under the weather for a little while when he got his one year shots, but he's doing better now. What a blessing to have a happy, healthy baby. Oh yeah, he's up and walking by the way!

Ahhh new babies!

Congratulations to my two friends Dana and Kimi who had babies just two days apart. Kimi had baby boy Jared on April 3rd and Dana had baby girl Zosia (za-sha) on April 5! Both are healthy and beautiful babies. For really cute pics you can visit their blogs through the link on my page.

It was the first baby for Kimi and number four for Dana. Congrats Girls!! I'm so excited for you and you and your families are in our prayers.

Easter blessings

I know this post is late, but I kept enjoying the thought of it and wanted to share it. First some background info.

I remember getting an Easter basket only once as a child and I absolutely loved it, but I don't remember what I thought about Jesus that year or if it distracted, b/c all I remember is the big basket. Also, my grandmother always made these beautiful and elaborate table centerpieces for Easter dinner and I remember loving those, but again, they had nothing to do with what Easter is really about. That bugged me when I started to get older. I'm ok with Easter egg hunts, as long as they have a Christ-focused message or symbol inside like "resurrection eggs". I guess maybe I take Easter and Good Friday more seriously than Christmas, but yes, I'm one of those people who doesn't like the sight of a bunny or chick in my house or anywhere else for that matter when Easter comes around. It may be severe for now, and I'm open to changing as the years go by and the kids grow up, but I'll try to maintain this as long as I can.

Anyway, this past Easter Sunday was pretty low key for us. I had been wanting to organize some "Christ-focused" Easter traditions to do with the kids like the resurrection eggs, or an advent-type calender/chart for everything from Palm Sunday through Easter etc. Unfortunately, I didn't get any of this together and by the time Easter Sunday rolled around, the weather was a bit chilly so we didn't go outside for an egg hunt, and the boys were so tired when we got home from church that we didn't do one inside either. And, I obviously didn't want to do Easter baskets (somehow when candy and gifts get involved, things just get hazy.) We did have a formal Easter dinner with some friends, but aside from a lamb-shaped cake


(which was really cool), we didn't really do anything traditional. So, I decided Charley should at least hear the story and I should talk about it with him. He has two picture Bibles from his Nonny (my mom) that he loves to read. So I got them out and read the Easter story from both of them and talked about what happened as much as a 2 1/2 year old will understand and he ended up really enjoying it! He's asked me to read him the stories several times in the days afterwards and now everytime he sees the tomb he points and says, "That's Easter!" I, of course, couldn't be more thrilled. After my lack of planning, he ends up getting the main point of Easter after all through a simple story, and he actually remembers it now which is even better. Another bonus is that next year when Easter rolls around, he won't expect gifts and candy etc. and instead we can hopefully, again focus on how wonderful it is that Christ died and rose again for our sins! I know he doesn't understand all of that, but we can build on the story as he's ready for it. At least for now, the story and message is simple in his head, as it should be and hopefully, that will help him keep things straight for Easter's to come and so that he'll be able to share that simple message with other kids as he grows up.

I know that sometimes Easter baskets and egg hunts help to get kids excited about an event that they can't possibly understand at a young age and then later they transfer that excitement to the actual meaning of the day, but I think I prefer the way things "accidentally" happened for us this year. I'm amazed that through God's grace, a small child can know about (even if he doesn't really understand) the Easter story. In fact, a couple of weeks after Easter, Charley woke up one morning and said, "God protects us from the tomb!" We had been listening to G.T. and the Halo Express CD's with Bible Memory verses on them and each one has a theme. One of the themes for one CD is "God's Protection" so we'd been talking about how God protects us. I guess he just combined that with the Easter story somehow, because I know he doesn't understand salvation yet. But he still got it right which was really cool to hear coming out of his mouth! I exhuberantly said, "Yes Charley, God does protect us from the tomb!"

What a simple and wonderful message! Thank you Lord for your sacrifice and for rising again as you conquered death once and for all to protect us from the tomb for eternity.

Peter, Paul & Mary

Yay! Will and I got to go to a PP&M concert a week ago at PPAC and it was so much fun! It's amazing that we got to see them perform live and in our lifetime. When you consider that they were with Martin Luther King playing songs so long ago and that they're still at it . . it's amazing! We were so excited that we bought t-shirts! I'll have to post that pic later :) Another really cool thing was that Will got to drive us up there in a Porsche Boxter that his friend left with us while he was traveling. Also, when we left the concert, it started snowing the largest flakes I have every seen. These things were as big as cotton balls! All in all it was a really special night and I just had to blog about it.

long time, no write

Ok, I needed to recover from the long trip (which I'll tell all about later), but I didn't need this long. It's just one of those things where you want to write so much that it seems like too much to do so you procrastinate etc. anyway, this is my effort to get back into the swing of things. I miss blogging and things are piling up in my head to talk about so . . .
First, our trip was long, awesome, hard at times, but really fun! We got to spend about 2 weeks with my family in Rusk and Dallas and about 2 weeks with Will's family in Dallas and CO. We went skiing at Winter Park, where we also got caught in a snow storm, but missed the avalanche at the pass. We went hiking, we got sick, the dog got sick, Charley and Will got to ride on the 4-wheeler in Rusk, and a golf cart (both of which he loved). We got to attend the most formal wedding ever in Ashville, NC at the Biltmore, which was a blast! We saw a ton of friends along the way and made news ones as well. It was a long trip, but a lot of fun. We were very blessed to take it and enjoy seeing all the family that we did. Thank you Lord for keeping us safe.

"on the road again"

Well, we leave this Sunday afternoon for the first leg of our long trip to TX, CO and back again :) We'll spend next week in D.C. where Will is attending a conference, then continue on through NC, TN visiting friends and eventually land in TX for awhile. After Christmas, we'll continue on to CO for a week, then go home through KS and back to Ashville, NC for a friend's wedding on the Biltmore Estate (woohoo!) :) Then hopefully we'll get to stop in Norfolk, VA (our old stomping grounds) to see a good friend's new baby boy and then go back to RI in time for Will to begin his final trimester at the Naval War College. (whew!) I'm definitely going to need a vacation from this vacation! :) It will be so much fun to see everyone and I can hardly wait for everyone to see how big Charley and Ben have gotten, especially for those who will see them for the first time! :) I'll try to post while we're away, but if not, I'll definitely post a synopsis of our trip when we get home.

Please pray for our safety and sanity on the road (with two little kids and a dog!). Fortunately, we're leaving the day before we get our first snow of the year, but the storm is coming from the East so I hope the roads in that direction are clear. I'm reading some pretty interesting news online about this front, so please keep us in your prayers.

See ya soon!

BIG MOVE NEWS!! "Capitol, just Capitol"

Soooooo, I can now safely announce that we'll move to D.C. in June of 2007!! We're so excited to experience a new city, especially since we'll have some close friends who are moving there just before us. D.C. is such a great place for kids with all the great museums and parks and I think Ben and Charley will be at a fun age to enjoy it (1 and 3). Will is going to be stationed at the Pentagon and should enjoy a very busy, and challenging job there. He feels very blessed to have this assignment and I think we'll really enjoy our time there. Thank you all for your continuing prayers and love.

Thankful things

Two weeks ago, my mom came out to visit us. This week, Will's parents are here. Next week, Will's aunt flies in and we'll have t-day dinner with friends and family. It's so nice to be able to see them all.

Will had his wisdom teeth pulled this passed Thursday. He's doing well, but in a little pain which is expected. He's looked like Marley (from Scroog) for a few days with ice packs wrapped around his head. :) Will's parents have been a big help though and it's been nice to finally have them out.

We leave for D.C. and our long trip to TX on December 3. We'll stop and see friends along the way and go to Colorado for some skiing after New Years. Then we'll head back to TX in time for Will to start school again at the end of January.

We can't wait to see so many friends and family along the way!! See ya soon!

cute Charley

Tonight, just before he went to bed, Charley was doing puzzles. It was so cute watching him finish each one, then put his hands in the air and say, "I did it! I did the puzzle!" Ah, so cute! He says the cutest things all the time and it's so fun when Will's around to hear them because we just look at each other and laugh and make adoring eyes at each other. :)

crawling and teething and walking (almost) . . . OH MY!

Alright, huge milestone catch up blog . . .

Ben started getting his first tooth about 2 weeks ago and his second a week after that. Only two so far and they're so cute!

He's been crawling like a champ for about a month now is currently pulling up on everything in site and even beginning to walk along the edge of the couch! He's only 6 months old! Maybe I shouldn't be suprised, but Charley didn't even crawl well until he was around 7 months old so I'm just not used to this pace. We keep thinking it's because Ben has been watching Charley so he' s just catching on faster. People have told me it's "second child syndrome" :)

Charley is doing great as well. He's reciting books to us, talking to us non-stop, counting to around 13, praying at the dinner table, and singing us songs. It's so much fun having a conversation with him! Some of his favorite phrases are, "Oh my goodness" and "You're kidding me". He is such a good brother to Ben. He's constantly caring for him and noticing him. He's always telling me what Ben is doing like, "Mom, Ben crying," or "Ben smiling at me," or "Ben happy," or "Ben crawling." It's adorable. He'll usually bring him a toy to play with, but lately he's started trying to tackle him and wrestle with him. It had to start sometime.

Oh I could write so much more, but I have to get to bed. Enjoy!

catching up

Yay, I finally get to post! We have been so busy with colds, Will finishing a trimester at the War College and my wonderful Mom coming out to visit. I know some of you have been wondering what happened :) We're still here and doing well.

A couple of shout outs before I get going . . .

Congrats to Jennifer O. on her engagement!!! Whoop!

Congrats to my sister-in-law Elanor on her engagement to Andrew Straight!!! (I don't know how to say hurray in Czech) :)


Late congrats to my friends Anna & Dana on being prego!! Anna is due in January and Dana is due in April!

More catching up . . .

my Mom came out to visit for a week and just went back home this passed Wednesday, we had a great time! We went to the Mystic Aquarium and that was really cool!

we're going to the Marine Corps Ball here in Newport next Saturday!!

Will has his wisdom teeth pulled on the 16th, ouch!!

Will's parents are coming on the 15th for 2 weeks to help out and for T-day.

I decided to join the choir at First Pres so I'll finally be doing something musical :) yay!

I'm still involved with the Sarah Circle Bible study on Tuesday mornings and the soup kitchen on every first Wednesday of every month, both have really been a blessing.

Ok, that's all for now, will post more in a second or two!! Thanks for reading!

helloooooo

That's the way Tigger would say it I think. (not that I'm a Tigger fanatic, I'm just in a bouncy mood) :) We've been so busy around here that I haven't had time to post, and things still are crazy with Will finishing up this trimester with a ton of papers and me getting more involved at church . . . and taking the boys places like the corn maze which I need to post pics about . . . anyway, I just wanted to say hi to everyone and I will answer e-mails soon. I did manage to post a pic from the PKD walk a post or two ago, but need to post a couple more as well.

Also, congrats to Rachel and Ian Maize on the birth of their new little boy, Ezra!! I have a link to her site over on the side if you want to see pics!

I need to post a congrats page for things that have happened to everyone lately (within the last year) :)

One more thing . . . I'm going to start a poetry/favorite quotes blog soon so please send me some of your favorites. I'm not a big reader so I need all the suggestions I can get. I also intend to start a favorite pics blog too so start thinking about pics to send me for that if you can. I'd really appreciate all the help I can get to have a great collection. Just e-mail me at LadyCayt@gmail.com . Thanks so much!!

I hope you all are enjoying the beautiful fall weather!

Lion's Den @ 4 - 6 o'clock PM

Sometimes I feel like my husband has to walk into a lion's den at the end of the day when he comes home from work. Either we've been so busy that day and the house is messy, or dinner isn't made or the kids have been falling apart . . . and I'm upset about all of it and things aren't peaceful at all. I feel so bad calling him or telling him this when he calls just before he leaves work because I want our house to be a place of peace and rest after a long day at the office. Of course, right now he's in school and has a four day work week and of those 4 days, 3 of them are half days of class although he stays all day to do reading "homework" and writing for the next days of class because he can do it in the calm and quiet there much easier than he can at home. Plus, when he comes home, he can spend time with us and not have to try to fit more work in, although it seems like there's always something else he is doing for work. That's not a complaint, just a fact. Just like, my "work" day never really ends and I don't really have an "end" to my "work week" because there are always things to clean, laundry to do, meals to be made and kids to nurture and care for, oh yeah and diapers to change. : )

Anyway, back to the subject, my goal is that even if the day has been crazy, that when Will walks in the door, things are at least calm, the house is picked up and dinner is close to being done. No, I'm not running to put on a dress and make-up like the list in Good Housekeeping from the 50's, although if I'm still in pajama pants and a sleep shirt by 5 PM I do try to get dressed by the time he walks in, but that usually isn't the case. I just hope it helps his "decompression" time after work so he's not bombarded at home. He's so patient though so I'm not sure if doing all of this really means that much because he deals with the days that are crazy so well, but mostly I think he just likes the heads up if he will be walking into the lion's den when he comes home, just so he knows what to expect. With a toddler and a baby, both boys :) I feel like I'm doing good to just have dinner made. I feel like I'm a pretty organized person too, so I wonder how other people do it without pulling too much hair out. It's so hard to make dinner and have both boys whining or crying or wanting attention because it's the end of the day. I just want to stop and spend time with them, but then I think they should deal with it (well, not the baby), but Charley for sure. Then again, they're more important than a complete meal on time, but Will is more important than them and the meal is for him . . . it goes on and on :)

I've heard other moms complain about those 4 and 5 o'clock hours and how difficult they can be. It's like the kids pick those times to meltdown, and then at 6 they're fine again. How does this work? Are they just waiting for dad to get home? Are they hungry? Are they worn out and just need the physical release of throwing a fit? :) or Do they just want my attention every minute. I wouldn't guess attention because Charley plays by himself so well . . . usually . . . lately he's been a bit clingy and whiny. This just started and I don't know if it's jealousy of time with Ben or what. I spend plenty of time with just him by ourselves during Ben's naptime. I think it's just the age. We'll see. Until then, things will be a little hectic for what hopefully will be only a little while. Although, even when I say they're hectic, I don't think they're as crazy as they could be. I think the fact that I'm tired from nursing Ben through the night just wears me out and makes me feel like things are more out of control than they really are. It makes me emotional. Lately, I feel like I'm wanting to cry about something nearly every day and no, I'm not pregnant. I probably just need to get more sleep. That seems to be a recurring theme of these blogs. :) Well, this has been a full one, so I'll sign off now. Night night or as Will says it with Charley for nighttime prayers, "Please give Charley beautiful dreams, Amen."

Day to day

bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk, over and over and over again is the sound I've heard for nearly a week now as our back porch/deck is being rebuilt. It's really great that we're getting a new one (thanks for our landlord), but the banging, combined with the kids, is grinding on my sanity. Especially when the kids are trying to nap or I'm trying to nap or watch TV just to take a break, because I can't hear the TV or nap, or concentrate enough to read!! Good news though, I think they'll be done today. The workers have been very nice though. They always say hi back to Charley and Andrew, who have been enjoying having Bob the Builder in the backyard all week :)

PKD walk 2006

Charley running across the walk "finish line". I'm chasing him as usual.

I just wanted to get the word out for PKD. It stands for Polycystic Kidney Disease and Andrew, the boy I babysit, and his mother, Becca, both have it. It's a disease where cysts grow on their kidneys. There is no cure for it yet. We had a walk for PKD in Providence last weekend and they raised 20,000 to donate for researching a cure! I'm writing about it because few people have ever heard of it, yet it's more common than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, Down syndrome and sickle cell anemia — combined. I just wanted to help get the word out. The website is www.pkdcure.org and you can find local walks on the website if you want to support finding a cure.

Stereo types: Rhode Islanders - sayings

This is the first in a series of posts that I will categorize as stereo types. We've lived and moved in so many places and will be in so many more, and I just wanted to try to capture the people of the places that we've lived. I know, of course, that everyone from one area can't possibly fit into one stereotype, but there are some generalities that most DO fit into and there are some fun sayings from each area that I want to remember and share. A couple that I've heard a lot of people around here say is if you ask them if they want something and they're fine, they say, "I'm all set." This is the exact phrase over and over again, and people around here will tell you that it's a local saying. Another one that I think is funny is if a kid is acting out they say, "He's being fresh." I think I had only heard that phrase in movies until we moved here. I think it's cute and funny and a quirky little saying for this quirky little place. :) Another one I just heard this week was "snow bird". That's what they call people who live in Rhode Island, but fly down to Florida or some place warm for the winter. :) I thought that was a really funny one! :)

might as well blog . . .

I had to get up from my attempt at a nap alongside the boys because I had to sign one more page to get our house on the market by this weekend. So since they'll be up soon and it takes me forever to calm down and fall asleep anyway, I might as well stay up and blog. :)

It's raining here which means the people putting in a new deck/porch on our rental home are not working. :( It's only really a pain when I have to let Gayla out, because the back door lets out on the second story and there are stairs on the deck leading down to the backyard, but if the deck isn't there, no stairs. In fact, they nailed a board over the door because there's a big drop off there right now! Fun, Fun, especially since Charley just figured out every step to unlocking and opening our door. He mastered the hard-to-turn knob, the safte latch on the screen door, the tiny doorknob and almost the deadbolt!! How are we ever going to keep this kid inside?! :) He knows how the deadbolt works, he just can't quite turn the keys so we're going to have to start locking the door and hiding the keys because he's also pretty quick about grabbing a chair to reach anything he wants on the kitchen counters. He hasn't tried climbing onto the counters yet, but I'm sure that's next. It all started when he wanted to watch, then help us cook. I guess that's just next in the path of a growing toddler, endless exploration, with a dash of danger! :) Of course, he wouldn't be a boy without the danger part :) I keep thinking that it will me a miracle if he makes it to age 5. Oh the countless moms who have said something like that, yet, somehow, most make it and are just fine. If he get's too ambitious, we will start with discipline, but might just put the baby gates back up, although he knocked one of those down the other day too. :)

One thing he's doing a great job at is playing with his little brother. Charley loves being a big brother and is very good at it. He brings Ben baby toys from the correct bin and offers them to him lovingly and gently. It's very cute to watch. Then, Ben inches towards them and grabs them to suck on and play with. For me, the cutest part of the whole scenario is the tone of Charley's voice when he's talking to Ben. It completely changes . . . it's sweeter and gentler, and oh so cute!! He is usually a very kind big brother, but this morning he decided it would be fun to sit on Ben. Ahhh! :) No, Ben was fine, but it just means I have to keep a closer eye on them while they're playing and keep disciplining Charley for being too rough. It's a constant battle especially with Andrew (the 20 mo. old that I babysit a couple of days a week). We're working on it, but I think it's the age. More about that later, I've been meaning to post a discipline blog for awhile, but haven't gotten to it yet. Coming soon though : )

Well, I think the kids are finally awake, so gotta run :)

Happy Birthday Will!

Today is my hubbie's 28th b-day!! :) For it, he's going hiking and camping in the Presidential Range of northern New Hampshire. He got a new tent and sleeping bag on saved up gift cards from years passed (from my mom and his parents, Thank you!) from REI. He's worn a goofy, but very cute, smile around the house all week as he constantly repeated, "I'm going camping, I'm going hiking." He's been so excited and only a few hours ago, he left to go. I know he'll have a great time and I'm so glad this is something fun he can enjoy and DO instead of something more routine. It's always nice to do a little something different for your birthday. Well, I did make an apple pie for him last night, instead of cake, and I made a big birthday breakfast for him this morning, but we didn't have an official party or birthday dinner or get together with friends, although Becca was over picking up Andrew for the pie and breakfast so she shared those with us, and that made it more special. I don't know why having someone else there makes it more special, it just felt more like an even or more official for some reason. It's probably because I'm such an extrovert. Anyway, we had fun and that's the point.

We thought about going as a family, but he really wanted to hike this area and it wouldn't be easy for kids which means I'd have to find some way to entertain them while Will was hiking and since they're so young and keeping them alive in my OWN house is a daily concern, it would be near nuts to try and do it at a campsite. Don't get me wrong, it's doable, just difficult for now with a 2 year old who I know would run all over the place and a 4 mo. old that I can't run with in a snugli for fear of hurting his little neck and I couldn't push a stroller through the forest to keep up with my 2 year old . . . pause to breath . . . it would be quite challenging. I know we'll try it later when they can both run all over the place :) Do campsites have playgrounds? These aren't typical campsites either, like the nice state parks we have back in TX. They're hiking campsites, very simple, just to sleep and keep hiking. It would have been fun to try, but we'll wait. Anyway, I know Will is going to have a blast and I can't wait until Sunday when he comes home to tell me all about it. I'll post some pictures!

sell, sell, sell

Just a quick blog to let you all know we decided to sell our house in Norfolk. Actually it will be on the market to sell or rent, because we need to do something soon! Anyway, please pray that it sells or rents quickly. Our tennents (sp?) are out Oct. 1.

and behind door #2 is . . .

ok drum roll please . . . trrrrrrrr :) I've been waiting to post the big reveal on our next move location for a month or so, but I should preface this by saying, "WE DON'T HAVE ORDERS YET," so anything can happen. BUT, we found out that Will has been selected for an internship in the CNO's office at the Pentagon working on special projects for a year beginning next June after he graduates from the War College. We'll be in D.C.! Tada!! I'm really excited about this for a few reasons: first, I think D.C. is a really cool town and it will be so much fun to explore all the museums and fun places for kids with Charley and Ben. Second, we have good friends who have also been assigned to the pentagon and we'll be living on the same side of D.C., hopefully in the same area, and so we'll get to hang out again! Another neat thing about living there is that Will's Aunt Donnette lives there so we'll get to see her more! I look forward to exploring the area's many different types of retaurants (we tried a great Lebanese one there once) and shops and events that surround such an amazing city. One of the best things about this area though is that it's so close to some great forests, parks, and hiking. We'll also get to visit Annapolis more and our friends there, as well as Norfolk, and the interesting Civil War areas just south of D.C.

Anyway, that's the big news and we feel blessed and excited. Even though Will's hours might be long and crazy, it's still nice that he won't deploy or be assigned to a ship for another year which just means another year to be there and enjoy the boys' childhood, which is even more special when you're in the military and you never know what's coming next on a ship. Again, we don't have orders yet, and those of you in the military know that that means anything could happen still, but it's very probable so we thought it was ok to let everyone know. After the D.C. tour, Will still needs to come back to RI for department head school, but I don't know if we'll all move up here for the few weeks or months that he's there, or if he'll just be a geo-bachelor for the short time and then we'll all move to our next duty station together.

As always, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers as we find a place to live there and make the transition. We'll keep you updated on our progress in this direction as we get closer to the move.

precious moments

I had the most precious time with Charley yesterday. Background first . . . when he was smaller I used to dance around with him while we listened to music together. So yesterday, I had a classical mix from a Paddington Bear CD (gift from Aunt Donnette, Thank you!) and I started to play it so he could calm down before his nap. On a whim, I asked if he would dance with me so I picked him up and we got to dance together again like when he was little. It was so sweet! Afterwards, he snuggled with me on the couch while we listened some more and he liked the music so much that he let me lay him in our bed and kept listening while I was able to go get some dishes done. When he finally got up and I asked him how he liked it he said, "it's pretty." Oh so sweet! :) Dancing with him was a sweet time and when Will got home, he reminded me that I would get to dance with him again at his wedding. That was a crazy thought, but dear. Anway, just thought I'd relay a very precious moment. It's so wonderful to enjoying our kids.

so much to blog, so little time

Well, I figure since I don't have much time right now, I'd better just write in bits :) Here goes, first bit, we need prayer right now to know whether or not we should sell our house in Norfolk. Our renters are out at the beginning of October and we need new ones or we need to sell. We're not going back to Norfolk as soon as we thought we would and have been thinking about selling since the market there is still doing well, unlike other areas of the country. Anyway, we'll see, but we have to make a decision fast and both options sound good to me, ahh. We're praying about it alot and would love for you all to keep us in your prayers too. Thanks so much. Next bit, later :)

creeping . . . crawling

Something exciting . . . Ben is in the beginning stages of crawling!!! He's been able to creep, like babies do, with their feet kicking behind them, but in the last couple of days, he's actually been up on his knees. It's been so exciting and fun to watch. He's still trying to figure out how to coordinate his arms while his knees want to move and sometimes he does the awkward "lurch" forward into a mini-face plant :) It's cute though and he keeps trying! Charley is actually trying to help him by pushing on his diaper, but I have to remind him that Ben has to do this on his own. I think he'll be crawling on his own before too long though. It's going to be amazing once again to watch the miracle of mobility! Go Ben!