new words

I keep forgetting to post that Ben said some new words the other day. He said "love ya da," while talking on the phone with Will. He had prompting, but he still clearly said it. So cute! :) He's saying so many new words now, I can't even catch up. His first was "da da" months and months ago (when he was about 8 mo old I think). Next was, "want dat" and "down". "Ma ma" took a little longer, but followed shortly. He says, "by by" and "Gi gi" is his bear and a bunch of other ones that I can't think of now. Oh yeah, and he said "thank you" to Charley for the first time yesterday too! :) So fun!

soaked

How often do you get caught in the rain and just enjoy it? Today, after a long, hot couple of weeks, we got some scattered showers. We decided to go for a bike ride, but didn't see the dark sky until it was too late. It was just sprinkling, so I left with the two boys in the bike carriage behind me. We stopped at a neighbors house to look at a backhoe front loader that would be working on her driveway in the morning, then it started to pour! I covered the boys with the rain shield, but I got completely soaked. We weren't near the house, so I just finished the ride. I would have gone longer, but I was worried that my cell would get wet. We made it home, and by then it had let up. I dropped off my cell, splashed in the water running down the street a bit, then took another short bike ride around the block totally drenched. It was so much fun! :)

how to stalk a front loader-backhoe (for dummies)

So one of the things that is keeping us occupied while Will is away is watching the construction projects all over the base. I feel like we're stalking the same front loader-backhoe day after day because it's just moving around repairing the sidewalks on base. We know it's the same one because it has the same driver. I'm sure the workers recognize our blue suburban by now. (It wouldn't be the first time). Anyway, the boys love it and are entertained in our air conditioned suburban for quite awhile and I don't even have to get them out of their seats.

There are other projects going on on base so we just make the tour every other day, and sometimes everyday. They are repaving a parking lot and finishing the construction of some water towers (I think that's what they are). When my mom was here they were tearing down an old house in Navy housing . . . Charley still talks about it.

It's just amazing to drive up, park, roll down a window and watch. Both boys just stare out the window in amazement. Then I tell the boys to wave and some of the workers have waved back at us! :) Next step: bring the workers cookies and ask if we can sit in the truck during break time. (or maybe not) :) They still earn cookies in my book for the entertainment, and education, they're giving my kids. I wonder if they realize that they're heroes to my little boys.

happy feet and shrieks of joy!

I was recording some fun things about Charley, and remembered some moments with Ben I didn't want to forget as well.

One cute thing Ben does is climb down the stairs to the landing and step around quickly like the penguins in the movie "Happy Feet". It's really cute and so when he does it, we all do it together and have the best time. :)

Also, every time I come home from being away from the boys, Ben lets out this ear curling shriek with a big smile and . . . happy feet, of course. :) It's so cute and it's one of the few things that Charley copies. So now I come home to two shrieking boys. It's sweet, a little deafening, but I know I'll miss it someday. It's nice to know they love me. :)

by the way . . .

I forgot to mention that last night as we were getting ready for bed and I was about to read Charley a book ("Puff, the Magic Dragon"), he said that I was the best Mom in the world. :)!! I have no idea where he's heard that before. I have a hard time believing he came up with it on his own, but you never know, he's a sharp kid. Even though I know he doesn't know what that means, it was still nice to hear.

In other news, he now knows what lying is and how to convincingly tell one. ugh! It's scary how good he is at it. Hmmm, do I wash his mouth out with soap or is that too much these days? :) Right now I'm settling for simply talking to him about honesty and trust and what God wants us to do, with time outs, creative discipline to fit the crime and spanking, if necessary, to follow.

In better news, Charley can almost spell his name. The other night we were writing with soap crayons in the tub and he asked me to write a C-H-A-R but didn't know the rest. I know it's sight spelling, but it's a start and it's nice to know some things are coming together in his little head. We've always worked on phonics so hopefully that will be the next step. It's a whole new world!

lovely words on a hot day

I don't know if I've mentioned yet in my blog that Will is taking classes in Dalgren, VA for 2 months while we are up here. It's been pretty miserable with the heat and no A/C; add to that the fact that Charley acts up when Will leaves so all the great changes that have occurred since he turned 3 (calming down a little, more self-control, more understanding, not as reactionary, less of a temper etc.) have gone on hiatus while he tests me day after day. Maybe it's because he wants to know if things are still the same when Dad's gone, maybe he doesn't like the change, maybe he's too hot! or maybe he's just lapsing for awhile, probably some sort of combination of all of those and more I don't even know.

Anyway, he said some sweet things to me today that I wanted to remember for posterity. I had just gotten off the phone with Will and gotten myself really depressed b/c I was thinking about how when you're on your own with the kids, the weekends are no different than the weekdays = no break. I was laying on our bed trying to pull it together (Ben was already down for the night and Charley was playing with trucks in the living room) when Charley came in, crawled on the bed and said, "I just wanted to come snuggle with you and give you company." I started to lose it again.

Then he wanted me to come outside and play before his bedtime, so we did (after a good hug and kiss). I, of course, had to tell him how much I loved him and how happy he made me and he said, "because I help my baby brother and a good boy?" and a list of a few other things I can't remember now. Then he set up some chairs and a little table as a foot rest and we sat there together talking (with our feet up together, so cute!) and asked, "Do you think Daddy would like doing this too?".

Then we made pretend snacks out of the maple tree seeds, then we made a train track out of them, then we blew them on the ground, it was so much fun! Then, he wanted to play catch with the nerf football, and to my amazement, he can catch now! So we had such a blast actually throwing the ball back and forth and I felt so lucky to be the mother of two little boys that will want to play sports with me (hopefully) :) He even put a spin on the ball a couple of times! :) Now just a year or two more and we can all go camping. Charley could probably go now, but I don't think Ben would do well, especially in a tent at night. ahh someday!

I'm also holding out for a girl and she will hopefully want to play sports and camp too, and with a mother and grandmother who love those things, I'll be surprised if she doesn't. In fact, my Mom taught me more about sports than my Dad and was a bigger sports fan in our house. It's funny because now I'm the bigger sports fan in our house, although I don't keep up with it right now for obvious reasons. Anyway, Will knows that I'd be happy having even four boys before we had a girl. I think we'd finally stop at boy 5, but hopefully, we'll have a girl before that. If not, I think we'd seriously consider adopting one. :) Who knows, maybe we're not even supposed to have that many kids b/c the two we've got require so much activity and energy. One kid at a time then, until God gives us peace that we're done.

Anyway, all that to say I had a lovely evening with my son at the end of a very hot day. :) Thank you Lord!

10 years ago . . .

It was strange and wonderful being back in my hometown of Houston for my 10 year high school reunion this past weekend. 10 years ago I graduated and moved away (probably for good). It's a fun town, more so than it probably gets press for and it was so great to see so many people I had gone to elementary, middle and high school with. My family never moved in my 18 years at home so I was always in the same school district with some of the same friends, some of whose parents also haven't moved. : ) It was great to see how successful so many of them were and also how much so many of them had overcome. It made me feel blessed in my own right, but also special to be a part of such a great group of people. It was also fun to find out how many of them are living in this area so I really want to get together an Alief/New-England reunion sometime before we move. New Years anyone?!

One of the very different and great things about Alief is that it is so equally diverse. There is no real majority of race and a couple of nights ago I was standing next to my Chinese, Hispanic, Black, Arab and Indian friends almost in amazement that we were all so close and actually all in the same room. I seriously think the last time I was in a room that diverse was probably when I had my driver's license picture taken a few years ago and I was in Houston then too! I feel fortunate to have been able to attend a high school like that because I got the chance to learn so much about so many different people, races, religions, cultures, etc. It was more of an education than I bargained for and I will always be grateful that when a lot of our friends were moving farther out into the suburbs, we stayed in the shadow of Houston (just outside the city limits) in what became a more diverse area every year.

One comment that was fun to hear from the people who had moved away from the state and come back to visit, was how friendly Texas was and how they missed it. I was surprised to keep hearing it from different people in different conversations throughout the two night reunion. I wasn't able to attend the final family get-together on Sunday because I had to catch an early flight home, but I'm so grateful that my husband supported me going. I had a wonderful time and had a blast catching up with some very old friends.

another New England saying, Holy catholic church, one body, one Christ

As I was on the plane to Kansas (last May)(well to Detroit since that's where my layover was) for a former roommate and bridesmaids wedding, I sat next to a lady in a Catholic missions group. The group was on the plane too. She referred to New England Christians as the "frozen chosen". I thought that was hilarious, but pretty accurate. New England is a very challenging area spiritually (to put it delicately). It's interesting too because this is where the nation began and so many great men of the faith lived and attended church here. Anyway, times have changed. Now it's a very liberal area for the most part. The New England Christians I have met are quieter about their faith and not very evangelistic. However, the show their faith in other ways such as serving and helping the people and community around them. They are there for you when you need them most. They have a quiet, commitment to their friends and their church. I'm not referring to just Protestants in the area, since it's a predominantly Catholic area, I'm referring to ALL Christians. I have met some wonderful Catholic brothers and sisters in our neighborhood as well.

Which reminds me of something I believe and have wanted to convey for a long time. I just want to express the importance of our responsibility as Christians and Protestants of any denomination to support our Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ. Their church has gone through some difficult times as we all know and this has done a lot of damage to their witness and shaken their faith. I've talked to several people who have dismissed going to church at all (and believing in anything related to church) because of what's happened. So this is when we need to pray for them and for the Catholic church because we're really a part of the one Holy catholic (lower-case) church under one Lord and one Saviour, Jesus Christ.

I watched the replacement process of the pope pretty closely and was excited that they elected a conservative pope, Pope Benedict, to follow John Paul II. Because of the influence and power of the Catholic church and the stance that they have on certain issues such as abortion and homosexuality, I thought this was important. We need to remember that we are on the same side when it comes to these issues, even if we disagree about how to worship or on the leadership of the church etc.

I was disappointed when Pope Benedict issued a document a couple of weeks ago saying that the Roman Catholic church was the only true church and that Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches and thus, don't have the means to salvation. This really ignores that we all serve the same God. He asserts that Jesus only created one church, but we believe this is for all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died and rose again for our sins.

Despite that however, I still believe we should, with full knowledge of our disagreements and differences, choose to support each other in our common missions and goals whether this be a political or moral stance, or simply to help people begin a relationship with Jesus.

busy July

Wow, this month is flying! I just finished an incredibly busy week leading VBS singing and reviews at the beginning and end of the day with a friend. It was so fun to be up there in front of all the kids doing motions to fun songs and recapping the days' stories and Bible points and verses. Too bad we will have moved the same time next year. Maybe we'll be moved in enough so I can do it again though. SO much fun. We even did a recap on Sunday for the church. We had the kids come up and do a couple of songs, then retold a Bible story from the passed week. The kids love watching the wall of Jericho fall down! :)

Anyway, this Thursday, my gracious husband is watching the kids so I can go down to my 10 year high school reunion. Then when I fly home on Sunday, he drives 10 hours down to Dalgren, VA to begin classes there for 2 months. So we basically have 3 days left together until he's gone, except for any weekends he's able to fly up and visit. I'm hoping some of his family will come visit. Also, I have my sights set on September when pre-school starts because that will be different, fun and exciting and it will begin a whole new schedule for us. I already plan on going over a little pre-school book with him just to start home lessons during Ben's morning nap, just to get him into a routine and try to get him ready. Also, I'm hoping our little lessons go well so that he might enjoy home schooling later on if I decide we need to do that.

That's one of our plans now if we move back into our house in Norfolk. The public schools in our area are not good and we knew that moving in, but we had small children and knew we'd move before they would attend school. We didn't count on really loving that house though. :) So if we move back there I'll either put him in private school at Norfolk Christian or home school. The other option is buying another house in a good school district and letting him go to public school. I really like Norfolk Christian though, it's just a big investment. It's actually a very reasonably priced private school associated with the church we attended while we were in Norfolk, Tabernacle Church. Several of our friends attended and one of our friends teaches there. I think it's worth it, we'll just have to budget for it if that's what we decide to do. Who knows, our orders might change and we might not even be stationed in Norfolk. I really love the Norfolk, Virginia Beach area though. We'll see!

we're home!

what a whirlwind! We went to Europe and back in less than a week. Everything worked like clockwork, barely, and we made it! In fact, I was laughing at what a checklist might look like for what we did so here goes . . .

(oh yeah, we drove to Newburgh, NY on Wednesday afternoon to be near Stewart AFRB and catch our Thursday flight to Dover)
1. Thursday: catch "ify" mac flight to Dover then find out flight to Ramstein has been cancelled . . . check
2. surprise Dover AFB staff and try to fit on different plane going to Ramstein, Germany . . . check
3. 6 AM Friday morning: make it to Germany on a noisy C-5 (wearing earplugs the whole way) watching a sunset and sunrise (really cool) over a 7 hour flight and take taxi to nearby train station (by the way, "try to communicate in German" should be at the end of some of these next few) . . . check
4. buy correct passes/tickets for traveling through Germany and on to Prague . . . check
5. catch four trains, make all connections (usually late), poorly order lunch on train, sleep on train (barely), sit in wrong seats reserved for same people twice . . . check
6. get passports stamped when crossing Czech border (tense, but fun!) . . . check
7. end up in Prague and figure out how to take metro to our stop to meet Will's family . . . check
8. arrive w/i half and hour of the rehearsal dinner, meet Andrew and family for first time (Elanor's fiancee), surprise everyone that we actually made it . . . check
9. call mom back in RI with Will's Aunt's blackberry and cry b/c I miss my kids (that actually happened 3 times over the course of our trip) :) . . . check
10. Friday night and Sunday morning: attend rehearsal dinner, relax Saturday morning, walk through Prague (touristy part), get awkward pedicure and manicure from lady who barely spoke English, learn a bunch of Czech words, get Czech money (crowns) . . . check
11. attend beautiful, and very different Anglican wedding at 7 PM and see Elanor and Andrew ride off to reception in horse drawn carriage . . . check
12. attend reception and get to bed at midnight suffering from jetlag :) . . . check
13. Sunday: finish gift shopping Sunday morning after sleeping late and finding a French Czech restaurant to have breakfast at . . . check
14. train back to Germany, not able to buy ticket at all at first and irritating Czech attendant when we only have Euro's to pay for it . . . check
15. stop in Munich late for the night, no place to stay, hungry, figure our how to use pay phone and call hotel, take taxi to hotel, arrive at 11, walk to dinner a few blocks away (still open thank the Lord) and finally sleep at 1 . . . check
16. Monday: walk through Englisher Garten (largest inner city garden in Europe) get rained on twice, figure out metro system back to huge Deutche Bohn (German train) station where we had Burger King and sank into our private first class train room for long trip back to Kaiserslautern train station . . . check
17. after 2 or 3 train changes arrive in Ramstein, taxi back to base and sign up for mac flight leaving on Tuesday . . . check
18. Tuesday: after staying in cute hotel in town of Ramstein and having a nice meal at a local restaurant the night before, we taxi to Ramstein base at 8 AM to stand in line and hopefully catch a potentially very full flight back to Dover, DE . . . check
19. make it on flight, whew! (note: when flying space-A on a free military flight, you are not guaranteed a seat. You are given priority in travel based on your Class and when you signed up for the flight. We are Class 3 (active duty) and signed up for the flight 5 days before when we arrived. There were 99 seats to fill and a large room full of people to fill them, thus the thrill of "making" the flight!!) . . . check
20. arrive in US on Tuesday afternoon and fly to Providence, RI on a delayed flight (now 2 AM Germany time and we are tired!! Germany is 6 hours ahead of East Coast time) . . . check
21. friends pick us up at Providence airport and we arrive safely home in Middletown at 9:30 (now 3:30 AM German time) ugh! but soooo happy to hold sleeping children and see Mom!!! . . . check
22. Wednesday: drive back to Stewart AFRB to get car where we left it, see West Point and beautiful Hudson river valley along the way . . . check


Whew! what a trip!! My Mom did a wonderful job with the boys, I swear they didn't miss us. :) She flew out on Friday and I began VBS as a singing/drama leader this past Monday. We're still going!! Will leaves July 31 for a 2 month school in Dalgren, VA the same day I return from my 10 year high school reunion in Houston. This summer is flying by! Thanks for all the prayers of safely while we were gone. I'll post pics when I can. Germany was absolutely beautiful country! I wish we could be stationed there for a little while so we could learn the language and culture. Taking the train around really enabled us to see so much and the public transportation system in Europe is so incredible, it's amazing (and probably a shame) we don't have the same thing in place over here. It was so easy to get around and once you were on a train you didn't have to worry about driving and you had time to talk, or rest, or sleep or read . . . it was wonderful!! :)

waiting . . .

Well, our mac flight was canceled today (which is completely common for mac flights, that's why they're free) :) so then we spent a few hours in the morning trying to buy a last minute flight+hotel deal and the website wasn't letting us through. After a few hours on the phone and trying different things, Will finally had to take a break. That was all before 10 AM this morning. So then I called another base and found out they had a flight to where we need to go later on this week. We're going to try to catch that one, and all the trains to take us to Prague after we get to Europe. Getting back here should be less challenging, but just as interesting. We'll see. :) If it comes down to the wire, we'll buy me a ticket home and Will will follow later on a free flight.

All this going back and forth between commercial and military/train travel has been a bit stressful, but we're easing into the drama. It will be quite a story for later though, that's for sure! :) We're trying to take things one step at a time, not taking anything for sure, or granted and if we make it, wonderful, if not, well, we really tried. I know Will would be more disappointed than that though since it's his sisters wedding, but we were never sure we would even make it in the first place.

Anyway, we're both nearly packed in our hiking backpacks and feeling more prepared now than if we had left this morning. Plus, we don't have to pack as many clothes since we're leaving later so that's a plus too. Oh yeah, and we get to spend more time with my mom and leave her here for less time alone with the boys. I'm going to miss them so much!

Well, time to start our trip again . . . tomorrow :)

zzzzzzzzzz

Oh yeah, another thing we did this past week was get a new mattress. We have had a hand-me-down one since we got married that was well-worn before we got it. We opted for a Simmons Beautyrest Plush top in a King size. :) The thing is 15 inches thick!! Anyway, it's so comfy and we're sleeping and feeling so much better on it. Mattresses can make a huge difference in how you feel and I'm so glad we finally got a new one.

We went with a King because we enjoy snuggling with the boys in the morning, but we were always getting trampled on before if they decided to start moving around. Plus, we plan to have more kids and thought it would be fun to have the space as a family. We wrestle, and tickle and play on the bed so it's like a soft, social gathering area at certain times of the day in our house. :) Also, my circulation has been bad since I was a kid. Limbs would fall asleep in elementary school if I sat the wrong way. So now, it's nice to be able to stretch out at night and not poke Will. Yes, I'm one of those people who can't touch anyone if I'm trying to sleep. Unless I'm really tired and we're snuggling. That works.

Before we got it Will said the only reason he slept on our previous mattress and not on the couch was because I was there. Now he actually looks forward to going to sleep. Amazingly, it also makes it easier to get up in the morning, because we feel so good! Time to go try it out again for the second night while I wait for Will to get home from the Boston airport with my Mom! YAY! zzzzzzzzzz

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.