Pie Chart Part 2

A while back, I posted our deployment tracker pie chart HERE!

More than 2 months later, and here is our pie chart today:

I blacked whited-out the tour length, but my husband said I'm allowed to share this! Two-thirds done is definitely something worthy of sharing!  

I always want to say something like 'one more day down!' to my other friends going through deployment, but I realize how ridiculous that sounds. Kind of the definition of a countdown, right? I have told Sarah, fractions and percentages are so helpful to me. It's funny, because they are not to her. I think she is more of a 'days-left' kind of girl. 

Here's a recent picture of our daisy chain!! Such a great visibly reminder of how far we have come! Remember what is used to look like? 

Progress!!! Have a beautiful weekend friends!

raindrops and toeses and something something something.....

I took my kids to see the Moonlight Movie on base tonight to watch the soon-to-be MEGA-Classic that is Gnomeo & Juliet! But it was canceled. Because of rain. Even though it did not rain even a drop the half hour leading up to what WOULD HAVE BEEN the movie's start time (sunset), all through what would have been the movie's end time. How do I know this? Because I stayed in the grassy pavilion next to the beach, where the movie would have played, and instead chatted with friends (amazing Navy wife friends!) while my kids ran wild. So the night I was looking forward to did not happen, but the night I got made me happy. More than good enough for me.

I love moonlight movie season! Which coincidentally lines up with summer :) The base puts this on for military families, and it is all free. So we sit and watch movies (that we could rent from RedBox, but that is not nearly as fun) on a huge projector screen underneath the starry sky, in a patch of grass close enough to the beach that you can hear the wash of the waves when the kids' giggles and whispers quiet enough. Oh, and the ocean breeze. It's perfect. It's so casual, and I always feel normal and at home on base, so that just adds to it. Wish my husband was here, but I've got my Sarah, and seeing Jenni and her family is now an added bonus! Counting my blessings.

Speaking of blessings (I'm all about ease of transitions, peeps!) here they are. My blessings!

Did you see Kaiti's cute little feet. Love those little girl toes! 

And just because I'm not done yet, here's some stuff.

1- Just ebay-ed rotary cutting mat and rotary cutter. Why is it so expensive to cut something straight? But,  I really think I might need this. Really. My scissors and dining room table feel like they're just holding me back. 

2- Are there movies you just won't watch because of an actor in the film? Not for any political/ethical reason, just because you don't believe them? I realized about 5 minutes ago that I do. Weird. 

3- The movie My Life In Ruins....I actually like it. But I do think Nia Vardalamolosas (something like that) has been typecast and needs to get a role in something non-greek.

4- The Shake Weight commercial. There needs to be a rating on that.

5- I need to buy seersucker and make my girls skirts. Need to. It's summer and summer calls for seer sucker. And I also NEED someone to isolate and take the scent out of Stargazer Lilies and drop into a newly planted papery pink ranunculus, and then bring it to me, please. Perfection. I didn't mean to alliterate there. 

6- For my next birthday, I want a square dance. They look like SO much fun. Don't you think? If you say yes, you can come.

7- Pinterest. It helps me remember.

{Wordless Wednesday}

This baby girl adds so much love to our lives! (You didn't really think I'd be wordless, did you????)

Summer Plans, the 2011 Edition

Remember last year, when I wrote up our plans for the summer? I was a little ambitious, considering part of those plans were delivering our precious little girl via c-section (which was my 4th such 'section'). So, live and learn.

My husband will be gone for the bulk of the summer, so I included things that are doable on my own. Last summer's plans included HAVING A BABY!! I was halfway tempted to write MAKE A BABY just to see if y'all were paying attention....instead, I chose MAKE TYE-DYE SHIRTS.  You're welcome.

If you want to join us in any of our adventures, just holler. Really, really, really loud, because the noise in my house makes the Airshow seem hushed. (My kids got their volume from their father. Just sayin. But I wouldn't have it any other way.)

*Update- I looked at this list and was feeling a little blech, like we need more excitement or silliness. I started a thread HERE asking for help with ideas. If you have, leave me a comment or join in the discussion :)

Jesus and the pirates

Today, while hustling through my errands and stops around our little community, I came across a person who was in need of help.

I will admit, I first passed by. I saw, I knew, and I passed. And the second I did, I felt terrible. So I turned around. My kids asked what we were doing, and I said, "There is a man who needs our help."

So we went back and helped him. Afterwards, Kaiti asked why. And I shared a passage that has been heavy on my mind lately.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

{Matthew 25:40}

We talked about what that meant and how Jesus calls us to be more like Him. We talked about the big and the little of that passage and how we are called to always reach out. The situation was not unique, and it's not like I gave the man my car and my debit card. But my kids saw, they watched, and they will remember. Just a little bit ago, Tyler came up to me and said "Mom, is it alright if I share that lesson from the bible with my friends at school?" All I could do was smile at him. 

I am not sharing this to toot my own horn or come off like a savior. I am not, at all. At all. I raise my voice, I snap, I get frustrated, I am impatient and I get annoyed, all in front of my kids. There have been times when I have not turned back. They see it, and I am sure (painfully so), they are making note of it. That is not how I want to teach them to be. And today reminded me, that in everything we do, they are watching, they are learning. 

*Yes, I forget this often. Actually, it's not as much that I forget- it's more that I just don't think. 

But today, I am thinking. I don't have to just hope that they are compassionate and kind- I can show them to be. And in our experiences, I can let them be. 

I don't just want them to HAVE God's love in their hearts. I want them to GROW it. I want them to help people on the first encounter. We read stories from their Children's Bibles all the time- but today they got to see and do what Jesus implores them to, instead of just reading about it.

And then Tyler asking me if he could share his experience with his friends? So content, I couldn't come up with a word. If you've met me, you know the impact of this.

As I was sitting there, in awe and amazed at my son, he turns as he is walking back to his room, and says "I'm also gonna tell my friends that pirates totally don't do this, so if you can't help people, you should probably just be a pirate."

And then there was that. Sigh. 

.....we gone beachin'

I'm not sure if I told y'all, but my husband is deployed right now. I may have mentioned that once or twice. And here's what- I am really missing him. Also, I think he is cute. Furthermore, I think Jelly Belly's are such an exciting adventure for my taste buds.

Anyway, with a not-present husband, some outings are a bit challenging. There are some things that I avoid like the plague because the idea of just one of me, and 4 little people (one of whom we carry additional insurance for) has me reaching for a paper bag and some motrin.

For example, the post office is rough. I usually have my hands loaded with at least one package, and am either wearing Evie or pushing her in the single stroller. Which means Jack is running wild. And it's hard to reel him in when I'm loaded down with bags of dried mangos and boxes of granola bars for my husband, whilst keeping my spot in the line of super happy people. (Have you ever noticed that people seem really un-friendly at the post office? Or is that just the one I go to?) But with a husband who really enjoys regular care packages, I have to put on my big-girl pants and just go. I usually offer my apologies to everyone upon entering. Okay, really, they are not that bad. (they, meaning 3 of them)

But it's funny the things I do now that I never even considered when I just had 2 little ones. The beach is a big one. The idea of chasing 2 kids in different directions had me waiting 'til the weekends when my husband was home. That's not a great option now, so big girls pants it is, and we're off (those last 2 words have double meaning).

For the past month we have been going to the beach on base a couple times a week, and we love it. The base beach is my favorite and our usual summer hangout-- no crowds, easy to get to, showers and bathrooms, and the sense of security I have on base with my little ones staying until sundown. We go in the afternoon because the sun is harsh on my opaque child. So we play in to dinnertime, go up to the showers, wash the kids (I bring mini-bottles that I fill with baby wash, shampoo and conditioner) and then get the kids changed into comfy clothes. We get loaded in the car to go home and usually stop someplace to pick up a late dinner. Because after a few hours of beach play and sunshine, they usually fall asleep hard on the way home- last night, Jack crashed while clutching his quesedilla. I love my Sunday afternoon routine. It's what makes me feel normal, brings peace, and reminds me of my blessings.

dolphins!

we love watching them swim

the opaque child that makes me smile

this little girl is getting to be more like her little big brother every day

my big guy

waiting for the birdies to land so he could give chase

our springsummerfall 2nd home

sand is yummy! (and her intestinal tract is fully exfoliated)

notice the guy in the background

and two seconds later :)

I guess the boogie board is safer

a little chilly for my meatless-boned girl

......and for the instagram lovers:

exhibits a-d

In case visitors could not tell by the American flag flying proudly out front, or the stickers on our car windshields in the driveway, it's pretty clear this is a military home as soon as you step inside.

Exhibit A: MRE mixed in amongst teethers, 3rd generation toys, and pretend power tools

Exhibit B: Our Daisy Chain 

Exhibit C: A Heart Shaped American Flag I received as a gift while Ombudsman at 40

Exhibit D: A mini version of Daddy's ride

Or, you could just look at my face and see that I'm long over due for a nap and some eyebrow maintenance. But that isn't a picture I felt like sharing today :) 

{ten years}

Ten years ago today, a super duper cute, sweet-hearted guy with eyes that melt me in a millisecond, *asked me to be his wife.

That blue-eyed, freckle-shouldered, wrangler-wearing, shy-natured, Mike and Ike-eating, rescue-swimming, sweet-hearted, George Strait-listening, home cooking-loving,  awkward-dancing, romance-creating,, former farm-working, hunting, fishing, left-brained, strange tattoo-marked, soft-hearted, laid-back, even-keeled, amazingly-handsome guy asked ME to marry HIM.

For so many reasons, we shouldn’t work.

I’m not shy (except when it comes to romance), I LOVE to dance, I prefer 2Pac to Travis Tritt, I’d never fished, eaten a steak, or touched a gun, I’d never baked a pie or cookies or cake that didn’t come from a package, the closest I ever got to the country was at Cal Poly where I saw my first real-live cow (not from a car), I am not patient, I’m a touch sarcastic, I over-think just about everything, and I’m more of a right-brained kind of girl.

On paper, we don’t make sense.

He’s a big time carnivore, I was a sometime chickenivore.

He could cook and bake with his eyes closed, I knew how to make 2 kinds of pasta.

He likes to create magical moments, I hyperventilate and make stupid jokes because I’m uncomfortable and don’t like the attention.

He keeps it simple and at face-value,  I do not.

He’s a little snobby with his laughter, I laugh easy and often.

He is reasonable and mature, I…..

But in real life.

We are perfect for each other. Those differences are what ultimately connect us because we find a middle.

I still haven’t a clue what this guy sees in me or why he still loves me like he does, but dang, am I happy that he does. He is my world and I can’t believe this is the guy I get to kiss for the rest of my life.

Happy Ten Year Proposal Anniversary Honey!! I love you ridiculous with my whole heart (and my kidneys, liver, and pancreas, too!!!)

*Oh, in case you didn’t get it yet, I said yes.