Happy 8th Birthday Alison!!!

Bright and early, we were up to open presents.

Daddy sent Alison a special engraved locket.  It was such a special gift and she kept it on all day long.

Eli made Alison a bracelet.  It was perhaps the sweetest thing ever...close up there with the engraved locket.  He came to me one afternoon asking for paper.  I told him he knew where the paper was and he said, "No momma, I need wrapping paper.  I need help wrapping this bracelet I made for Alison.  I had to make her something special for her birthday."  I almost melted into a big puddle of mush.  But then it got better.  When she opened it and asked him if he made it for her, she just very sweetly said, "Oh, thank you Eli.  I love it!"  Puddle of mush.

We got to FaceTime Ben, which is huge.  This is maybe the 4th time we've seen him in 2 months.  Most women get all pretty to see their deployed husbands, but Ben got the pleasure of seeing us in pj's with a big ole' look of exhaustion.

I didn't sleep much last night; the kids took turn getting up all night.  And here comes the sad part of the Alison's birthday story.  She woke up sick.

Yesterday, it was a really hot day, but the kids asked if we could go to the park after the Y.  I thought 10 minutes wouldn't be a big deal...lesson learned.  We were getting ready to head to the car and Alison turned white and said she didn't feel well and really dizzy.  I sat her down to round up the boys and she threw up.  This is the 3rd episode of overheating Alison's experienced and it's starting to worry me.  We spent the afternoon cooling off and resting and she seemed to perk up by evening, although she complained of feeling weak.  Early this morning, she came in my room crying.  She was so sad to not be feeling well on her birthday and then threw up again.  Happy birthday!

So we declared it movie day and spent the day like this:

We rented several Redbox movies and laid in bed eating popsicles.  My heart broke for her today.  A, because I knew it was too hot to go to the park, but gave in anyway.  B, because this little girl has had way too many disappointments lately.  BUT she has had a fantastic attitude about everything.  These were her birthday plans:

Plan A: Camping, roasting marshmallows, horseback riding, fishing

Plan B: Pool and Putt Putt party with Charissa, donuts for breakfast, pizza for lunch, bbq for dinner and pedicures in the afternoon

*Then rain was forecasted

Plan C: Bowling with Charissa and pedicures

*Then threw up

Plan D: Go to see Inside Out at the theater and eat toast

*Threw up again

Plan E: 3 Redbox movies, lots of popsicles and a bag of sunchips.

I promised her we will reschedule her party for when she is feeling all the way better (get ready for birthday week) and she was doing much better this afternoon.  Isn't it funny how you can tell kids are feeling better when they get their chattiness back?  I also booked her a doctors appointment for this week to make sure everything really is okay.

She had a very specific dinner planned: burgers (even picked out the meat herself), hotdogs, grilled pineapple and salad with ranch dressing (I don't normally buy ranch, so it was a treat for her).  She didn't feel up to meat or even a cake, but asked for bagels.  Perfect!  We made '8's for dinner and I picked up sushi for a more sophisticated '8'.

I hung up balloons in Alison's doorway last night, which was fun until the tornado hit.  Alison and I called Colin the tornado all day today because he wouldn't stop destroying everything in his path.  But that only made him shout, "Super Tornado!" and then would run through the house like superman.

As I'm blogging this, I have Gilmore Girls on and am reminiscing about all the nights I spent awake with this show on, with a newborn Alison who refused to sleep.  or eat.  or do anything that normal babies do.  I am so crazy thankful that she is 8 and I look forward to the day we can watch Gilmore Girls together (although she will probably think it's lame, but I'll make her watch anyway).  

Happy Birthday Alison Louise!

For the daddy

Eli jumped in "the deep end" (i.e. he can't touch) all by himself for the first time yesterday.  He says in the beginning, "Hi daddy.  I'm jumping in the deep end."

I took probably 10 videos yesterday...the kids were so excited to make clips to send to daddy.  Colin kept saying, "SUPER COLIN!" and it completely cracked me up.

It does make me sad that Ben can't see the kids progress in person, but it makes me all the more thankful for this blog and the ability to show him glimpses of how they are changing.

Beach Day

We spent the day at a little beach right by our friend's house.  I want to spend every day there!  The kids played and played and Jamie and I could lay on the beach and talk.  Adult conversation?  Yes, please!

 

Bailey and Alison

Eli and Wesley

Me and Jamie

news

There's good news, some bad news and some just plain ole' news.  I wonder when it ends that people automatically think you're pregnant when you say you have good news.  

Good news: for the first time in 8 years of being a mom, I hired a sitter to go out for myself.  Like a legit, babysitter.  Not a friend from church or youth kid, a real-live-sitter.  I went with some friends to the Mermaid Winery and then out for dessert.  This is the closest I've gotten to crossing "wine tasting" off my bucket list and it was SO FUN.  Funny part of it is, I met these women in Alison's 1st grade class...they're moms of Alison's friends and we were all at school parties and field trips and birthday parties.  Well thank goodness for our kids because I'm so thankful for them!

Bad news:  I found this on our porch.

This is the package we mailed Ben a few days after he left.  7 weeks later, it returned looking like it was dropped in the ocean and then given to a heard of elephants to play with.  Ben said that it probably was actually on the ship but they weren't organized enough to get it to him.  I was so disappointed, especially because he won't get it even if I mail it again.  So Ben, this is what you were supposed to get.  The kids had a blast eating all the snacks today.

Random news:  Alison took a picture of her dinner tonight.  It's in these moments that I see how we rub off on her in the little ways.

 

Somehow Colin all of the sudden has zero clothes.  Eli must have worn 3T in the winter or ruined all of the clothes he wore...regardless, we made a trip to a secondhand children's clothing store today.  It was an amazing store with really nice clothes for only $3.  I consider it a great victory that I've made it this far in our kids' lives on hand-me-downs.  The boys picked out new pj's (Eli still loves his pj's) and insisted on the footie ones.  They claimed that it made them run faster.

P.S.  I realized today why I've avoided shopping for so long.  Alison oohs and awes loudly over ev.ery.thing and the boys instantly begin playing some make-believe game where inevitably there's good guys and bad guys which results in loud sound effects and lots of bouncing around.  I think businesses would triple their revenue if they sold wine at the checkout. 

The news news:

Remember that serious conversation I tried to have in the middle of the check out line?  Well, the detailer contacted Ben on the ship and told him that we are "penciled in" to move to Yuma, AZ in March.  He'll be joining the Marine Corps Airwing and it's a 2-2.5 year assignment.  I'm sure I butchered that information, but like I said, communication has been difficult, so this is what I know right now.  I do know that things could change.  We don't have paper orders yet, so the timing or the station could change.

How do we feel about this news?  That's kind of hard to answer.  We feel good; we've only heard  good things about the assignment and location.  We're excited for really good Mexican food and to explore new territory like the Grand Canyon and San Diego.  The cons?  It's the desert.  I literally laughed when Ben told me.  I find it so ironic.  To be completely honest, we both have been feeling in the desert figuratively and now we are literally going to be the desert.  But, we're just going to add an 'S' to the desert and say we're going to dessert.  Fried ice cream city, here we come!

There's nothing like finding out you're moving when your husband is deployed.  It's hard to process.  I've been trying to plan our homeschool year and I just don't know how to plan a move in there and a move that doesn't have a set date.

Also wanted to add, that I'm sorry if this news offends anyone. It's not set news, so this is just sharing what may be happening in our crazy, not always seeming to be simple, life.

Communication

Communicating with Ben has been the hardest challenge for me during this deployment.  Some days we can text, most days we can email, we've talked on the phone a handful of times and facetimed 3 times.  But the ships internet has gone out twice and so has ours (which is a nightmare of a story).  There have been times he's called and we can't hear him or he can't hear us and 99% of phone calls come at inopportune times and he only has a few moments to talk.  For example, he called once while I was in the middle of the checkout line and had to talk right then.  So I was trying to have a serious conversation while putting the groceries on the conveyer belt and paying and profusely apologizing to the clerk.  So I cherish the days that we can text.  Monday was the last day we could text before Ben is out to sea for 9 days. 

Snapping a shot to send to Ben as we were leaving the Y.  Someday I would like a picture of myself not in workout clothes...

Ben sent us these pictures:

The cigar club

This group of guys meets every night and share cigars and talk.  It's been a great door opener for Ben to build relationships and a way to decompress after a long day.

The ship going through the Panama canal:

Can you see the mustache?

Alison has been emailing Ben some and it's super cute to see what she has to say.  Yesterday, she asked if she could borrow $5 or less out of his bank account to start a lemonade stand.

I know, enough pool posts, but look who I found just floating by himself in the deep end.

Snapshot Sunday

too many pictures...but I kinda love them all.

"I cannot believe she made me stop playing 'construction man' to go to church."

"And now she wants me to smile?  She's got to be crazy."

"Is this over yet?  I really need to get back to the construction site."

"Fine, if it's for daddy, I guess I can crack a little grin."

"There.  Are you happy?"

And somehow Colin managed to get a fruit strip and dress up glove in the picture, along with enough goofy faces to keep you laughing for awhile.

We went the Bakery after church and the table behind us laughed at how all the kids just ate the chocolate off their muffin.  I don't really blame them, it really is the best part.

This and That

We got dinner at the Farmer's Market last week.  They have had several food trucks there the last few weeks and I was curious to see how the food was.  It was so-so, but I was super proud of the kids for trying empanadas.

Eli was devastated when his tag fell off of blankie.  This is the second time I've had to resew the tag and I bet it won't be my last...although he's confident he'll be done with blankie when he turns 6.

It ended up being a fabulous week for soccer camp; not too hot and not too cold.  It poured one day, but not until the very end of their time.  The boys and I enjoyed some extra time at the park while we waited for Alison.

Alison's team got the trophy of the week, but I couldn't tell you what for.  I will say that I loved the positive atmosphere the camp created and they really focused on what campers were doing well and encouraged them to encourage one another.

Colin's confidence in the pool is growing!  I wish I could get a video of him in the deep end with us, but I can't catch 3 kids jumping into the pool and video :(

Check out this video clip of the mission Ben is on.  It's cool to get a deeper look at his life right now.  Although he's not on the video, he's on the team that gets off the ship and goes to the medical sites with the doctors to counsel and pray with families before their surgeries.  And when you look at the ship, know that Ben's office and room are on opposite sides of the ship with thousands of stairs in between.  Basically, he's walking 7 miles of stairs everyday!

My sunshine

Snapshot Sunday was a fail, but Alison was so beautiful I couldn't pass up posting this picture.  She is looking older everyday! 

She's going to soccer camp this week and we had quite the adventure finding attire for her.  Pink was a must...pink shoes, pink shin guards, pink clothes (not pictured) and a pink water cooler.   It was weird shopping for workout clothes for my daughter and I was slightly jealous that she can find $5 running shorts.  

Sunday afternoon, she was in the yard practicing before camp.  It cracked me up that Eli was out there being the goalie with a rake as his defense. 

Nana and Granddaddy sent us a fun box of snacks this week.  We took 'Seaweed crackers' to the pool with us yesterday.  Alison loved them!  However, don't follow our lead...they were not good pool snacks because they turned to mush if they got wet, which equaled a big mess.  I wanted a picture of her devouring the chips, but she was embarrassed, so this is her "do you really have to take a picture of me right now" face:

 

The last 2 mornings, I've spent some time at the soccer fields while Alison's at camp.  She's been a little anxious being there by herself and I've actually found it really refreshing being out there.  P.S. I have a whole new respect for soccer players.  I ran in the fields yesterday for my workout and it was way harder than the trail or road!  

Colin joined me today and we played at the park for a bit. 

 

My little sunshine (or little stinker, whichever one) has been insisting on eating meals in my lap.  He will eat 10x more if he does, so it's worth it, but I was really thinking we were past the spoon feeding children stage.

My little athlete

Grandma is here visiting, which has allowed me to go for runs outside again (yeah!).  One morning after my run, I took the kids for a bike ride to the park.  We only played for a few minutes before they were complaining about the heat and asked to head back home to get swimsuits and go to the pool.  Colin, however, did not want to get back in the bike trailer and said it was his turn to "go for a run"...he must hear me say that too much.  So he ran next to the trailer all the way home, which is a good 1/2 mile!  

Alison collapsed on the floor with a bowl of carrots after our bike ride. 

Something must have sparked the athlete in Colin that day, because when we got to the pool he was fearless with jumping in and began to swim with me just lightly holding his waist.  He's never done that before; usually he's clinging to me at this point in the pool.

Eli's been sleeping in Ben's spot with my mom here and I would say he's a pretty happy camper.  I love watching him sleep.

We all went out to dinner last night, to the best bbq I've had in a long time. 

Boy's check-ups

Both boys had a check up yesterday.  I wonder when I'll stop these check up posts...eventually the kids will be so embarrassed that I've announced their personal information.  

There's good news, not so great news and interesting news.

Eli is 40% for weight, 50% for height and picture perfect healthy.

Colin is 0% for weight and 40% for height.  Yes, you read that right.  A big, fat, ole' zero.  However, the doctor said that his growth curve is going up...Colin's curve just happens to not be on a chart.  I'm thankful that we've seen the same doctor for the last year and a half and he sees Colin as a healthy, active, thriving little boy with a high metabolism.  He did ask if I would consider seeing a nutritionist again, but I declined.  When we went to see her, she just told me to add lots of fats to his diet and the doctor agreed with me that it's hard to feed just one person in the family a high fat diet.  He also agreed with me when I told him I don't want to fill Colin up with sugar and highly processed food just to "fatten him up".  He still wants to keep a close eye on Colin's weight and make sure he never loses weight and if his curve plateaus in a year, then he wants to run some more tests.

I will admit that I am consistently inconsistent and in light of being in the 0%, we stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way home.

The interesting part of the appointment came when they were asking me the slew of questions about our home life.  The asked about school (I told them we homeschool) and if the kids get 2 hours or less of screen time a day.  I said yes and the doctor said that he doesn't count things educational as screen time.  I kinda chuckled and asked if Minecraft counts as educational...trying to be funny.  He seriously said, "Actually, yes."  So much for making a joke.  He said that he just read a research article that said young kids who play Minecraft are above average in math and architectural concepts than their peers.  He said that it will greatly increase their ability to catch on quickly to more complicated concepts in their teen years.  Awesome.  Now I just need Colin to start playing so he can be a tiny genius.

This is what happens...

when I let Colin nap.  Silly me for thinking I could go to bed early.

4th of July

We went to the Children's Museum on the 4th.  They have a new "architect" exhibit with about 10 different building manipulatives.  It was Eli heaven.

The kids helped build a giant lego house.

We watched 'Supervalcanos' at the planetarium.

 

 The kids have always wanted to go to this ice cream parlor right by the museum.  I always say no, but our membership expires in a couple of weeks, so in honor of our last time to Portsmouth, I gave in.

We went over to our neighbors in the evening and the kids got to do poppers for the first time.

 

The kids played in the yard and I actually got to sit for a few minutes!  Unfortunately we only got to see a few real fireworks before it started to pour...and I was thankful we only lived 2 houses away and we all sprinted home.  We've had way too many storms around here lately!