They're home

No, not my little family, well we're home in Germany, still.  My best friend here, B....her husband came home this evening! T left May 4, 2007 and tonight August 19 returned to his family where he belongs! Their daughter D is 18 months old, son B is 7 1/2 yrs old.

I stuck with B as she searched for Tim since I was the official picture taker! :) What an honor let me tell you. Now I will give you a glimpse of what we were dealing with:

There is 250 soldiers waiting to be reunitied with their families who were eagerly awaiting them!! When they were told by their 1st Sgt. "Dismissed" off families went and off soldiers went in search of their loved one. I was with B and we were searching for T. Let me tell you when you're sitting in the bleachers looking at all the soldiers, they all look alike! LOL Then add on the amount of time you've been apart, the last time you saw your soldier and well it often becomes a bit of a blur looking for him. So there we were looking, looking, and looking and we could not find him. She was getting worried they'd told her wrong and he wasn't in the group. We were reassured his name was on that list and he was with them. By this point my boys were with me and that's when Jacob saw him! I was able to get pictures of them reuniting and hugging for the first time since November when he was home for R&R! It was beautiful and just so wonderful!!!

B and I are pretty well together every day and hopefully by the time I get back from the states we can jump back into our work out routine, we already have my neighbor lined up to watch her little girl and my 3 for that hour at the gym and so we will start back up once I'm home and adjusted to the time change! I'm thrilled about that. She's reassured me that the kids and I will be over at her home many nights for dinner (we had her over at least once or twice a week, often more while Chad was home and T was deployed!). We are so blessed to have each other. She leaves next spring and I'm absolutely dreading it. I've never had a friend like I have in her as an Army wife.  When my friend Michelle left that was really hard and we were very close, but B and I are even closer. We're truly like sisters. She will often call me her triplett! She has an identical twin sister already! LOL I just love her to death and wish so much we could just remain stationed at the same Army posts until we retired and then retire together in the same place. But she's from Pennsylvania and of course we're going to retire in KS. But I have quite a few months before I have to focus on her leaving and in the mean time I'll continue to be blessed by her friendship and our boys friendships, and just love her family for all that I can while I can.

Anyways....since T is back, I actually have their kids! Their son wasn't very thrilled because of course he wanted to spend time with his Dad, but he came anyways and he's been a good boy the whole time. Their little girl was fine, she was rather confused by bedtime, she's used to being nursed to sleep, so being simply rocked was an adjustment for her, but she only cried for a few minutes and then she was out. She's in my bed now. All 3 boys are in the living room. Jacob is on the couch, B is on the loveseat, and Jack is on the floor. They had popcorn and watched a movie and passed out quickly!

There's still some smaller groups to come in over the next couple of weeks, so please be in prayer for the soldiers, as well as the families awaiting their return. Praise God for the safe return of all the soldiers who have so far! God is good and gracious and although we don't always understand his ways, the truth is nothing happens without his permission. We are blessed humans and we need to always praise him!

 

I'm now off to bed. It's not even midnight here and I can barely keep my eyes open!  Pray they sleep in a bit.

God Bless

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Children's time

Give time to your children each day. The time you give makes the words you speak of more value to them.

Isn't that the truth? I'm guilty of getting caught up in just getting through the day more often than I like. Tomorrow my goal is to just stop and spend that individual time with each of the kids. It'll be a little easier tomorrow since in the afternoon Jackson will be going to hourly care for 2 hrs. Jacob and I will actually be cleaning their bedroom, if Emma is awake I'm going to have my neighbor watch her, I'm hoping she naps for most of it though. When it's just Jacob and I we have the best talks. He's a very intelligent little boy and his heart is so with the Lord that it stuns me at times. I didn't have that at his age. I barely knew who God was, much less such an intimate relationship with him. I'm so happy he has that. I think being a child is hard, being a military kid (please don't ever refer to my kids as "Army Brats" I can't stand that phrase), is even harder, then add in the fact that we live in a different country 1,000 of miles from family. To know that he is confident in the Lord and doesn't doubt that relationship, how thankful I am.

Time is dwindling down and we'll be flying next week! I'm excited. I still have a lot to do. My living room looks really good and my bathroom is great. So tomorrow is going to be a hard working day. I have the gym at 1:30 although I'm going to see if we can move it up to 1:00 instead, if not then I'll have to leave a little early from the gym to get home and take Jack down to hourly, come home and clean the boys room. Tomorrow evening I plan to finish up my room. I am almost done with my laundry, just have towels left to wash. I will have smaller loads, but plan to wait until Saturday to finish, then I want to get my suitcases packed up Sunday and put into the car. I will do one last load Sunday night or Monday morning. Monday evening I am hoping to head to Ramstein. I have to call tomorrow and find out if I can get us a room up there, so I don't have to be up at 2 am Tuesday morning. Please pray we get on the flight on Tuesday. If not the next flight is the 24th, and we'll just stay up there. I still need to print off directions to Ramstein from here as well.

I'm exhuasted so I'm off to bed. Keep Chad in your prayers please.

God Bless

21 Reasons Why I love My Husband

My friend Amanda over at: I Am Mommy borrowed an idea from another blogger and I love it! So often you read women bashing their husband's, sharing why you should dislike him as much as they do at that MOMENT. It often is honestly rather heartbreaking. I think it's so important to be careful of male bashing as a whole, especially if you're a mother of boys. Everytime I'm tempted to bash my husband or read it I think, "how would I feel if a woman was saying that about one of my son's?" Let me tell you, I'd be fit to be tied. I NEVER want a woman to talk ugly about Jacob or Jackson. It's just some food for thought.

So in the spirit of lifting up my husband here's my list!

1. I love my husband for the man he is to me. He loves me with his whole heart and truly adores me and that is an amazing feeling...to be loved!
2. I love my husband for the father he is. He did not have a father growing up, but that has not ever detered him from being the best dad I could have EVER asked for my children to have.
3. I love my husband that he's willing to put his own life at risk for others. He's more than just a Patriot, he's a soldier who literally goes out there and puts it out on the lines!
4. I love my husband for the way he loves GOD. He knows who he is in Christ and doesn't question that. To have such assurance is awesome to witness and a great example.
5. I love that my husband is finding that one of his many gifts is working in the children's ministry! To see him interacting with a variety of children and them responding so sweetly to him is awesome!
6. I love that my husband loves to travel as much as I do!
7. I love that my husband's desire to be with our family is greater than going out with his friends.
8. I love that my husband is handy around our home and with cars. I can do many things around the house, but not with vehicles! He's a man's man!
9. I love that my husband loves his job! He's a soldier, nuff said!
10. I love that my husband wants me to find things that make me happy!
11. I love that my husband has seen that God's will for our family is up to GOD and not up to us! (Trust me that's HARD submission in today's society!!)
12. I love the way my husband holds me and makes me feel as protected phsyically as the Lord makes me feel protected spiritually.
13. I love that my husband is strong enough to argue with me, especially when I "think" I'm right!
14. I love that my husband is adventerous!
15. I love that my husband feels as strongly about homeschooling our children as I do and supports us 100%!
16. I love that my husband supports me breastfeeding (and extended bf) our babies and GETS why it's so important!
17. I love the way my husband still longs for our daughter Jordyn, as much as I do.
18. I love that my husband is such a strong example to our boys.
19. I love that my husband is such a strong and gentle example to our daughter(s).
20. I love that he can grill and will cook if I'm not in the mood!
21. I love when my husband comes home from a deployment and wraps me in his arms as tight as he possibly can and isn't afraid to let the tears of joy fall from his eyes!

So join in. Tell the world why you love your husband. It can be a list of 5 things or 100, just tell us what it is about him that makes you so blessed that he is your husband! I also urge you to share your list with your husband, just so he knows why he's so special to you! Let me know if you have joined in, I'd love to read some kind things about others husband's too!

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

So Tired

Even been so tired, you do doze off sitting up (like oh at the computer), and dream you hear a phone ringing (but it's actually not) and makes you jump? Yeah that'd be me about oh 3 minutes ago.

We had a good day. We took the kids to Playmobil and then stopped at the Pizza Hut that's just down the road from PM and actually tastes like the US PH and let me tell you that's a treat because the one we have here on post is AWFUL and it's a Pizza Hut too, just a gross one (as in the food).

We got to chat and talk to Chad. He got on the internet, but then his internet went out so he called! He got a new SIMS card for his cell phone so he can call me from Iraq. I tried calling him back on it, it's only 35 cents a minute, figure we can talk 5 minutes a week from me calling, or even longer as long as we don't go crazy....but I couldn't figure out how to get it to go through, then when I did figure it out (I think) it just rang and he knew I was trying to call so not sure what happened.

Tomorrow I'm cleaning and then taking the kids to a movie (Wall E) and maybe going with my friend to a movie (Made of Honor). Looks cute!

Ok, my VERY tired butt is heading to bed! I don't have to be up early so say a prayer that my kids all sleep in, in the morning!

Prayers

Two children that we know here on our post in Germany are in the hospital (klinikum) because they have non-contagious menegitis which they got from a tick bite! I didn't know you could it it from ticks, but that's what the drs have deemed it. Please keep Sophia and Deckland in your prayers, as well as their parents. Both have Daddy's deployed, although on their way home in the next few weeks. Prayers for both their momma's and both have siblings. I know Sophia's sister is staying with another friend.

Thank you for the prayers.

Oh on good news, my friend Heather is home!!! I don't think I posted this, but she returned home last Wednesday!!! Feel free to welcome her home on her page:

www.caringbridge.org/visit/pray4heatherjackson

 

 

 

 

Wahoooooo

Ok so as you know I've been working out and walking like a mad woman! Today was weight day, I weighed myself at the gym and I've been checking my home scale as well (they're ALWAYS the same!!!) well I weighed in today at the gym and it showed I'd lost 2 lbs, which adds up to 16 lbs loss in 5 weeks since starting to work out, well I get home and just to make sure all was the same (this is also after walking around literally ALL afternoon) it shows I've lost more, as in I've lost 23 lbs! I'm not sure if my scale here at home is right or not, so tomorrow I'm going to go by the gym and weigh myself there and see what it says, if so I've reached my goal since beginning this work out to have lost 20 lbs before heading back to the states and I'm well on my way to my next goal of 30 by October! (I was hoping to lose 10 lbs while gone for the 6 weeks in the states and then 3 weeks of being home after that trip, but wasn't sure if I'd be able to make that goal). I've been working so hard to get this weight off, I want to be healthy. I've had a lot of people coming up to me and saying they're noticing that I'm losing it. My friend who's working out with me has lost 12 so far and it's so noticeable in her face and stomach! She's really doing awesome!!!

I really look forward to my gym days. Once I get back we're going to have to figure out childcare options, but I will NOT give up my gym time, it's too important. I really really like going and being able to just work out and get it out. I never thought I'd feel like that.

So for those of you who've been cheering me on, thank you! It's coming off, slowly but surely and in the safest way possible...by hard work diet and excercise!

11 months

It's hard to believe that over 11 months have went by that my sweet Emma was born. I won't be here in Germany for Emma's 1 yr birthday and doubt I'll do any updating of the journal while I'm in the states, so here's a little "flash back". Maybe over the next few days I'll do an "Emma over the last 11 months". :) Time has gone by so quickly. She's sitting eating her breakfast of banana's right now and yelling at me for not paying 1000000% attention to her! LOL She's such a joy, full of spunk, spirit, personality just explodes out of her. She's stunningly beautiful, has eyes that stops EVERYONE in their tracks, and smile that lights up the room. God has surely blessed me with this little girl in every way possible.

 

 Emma Grace and Daddy moments after she entered this world

Welcome to the world Emma Grace August 3, 2007

My sweet and beautiful Emma Grace 11 months old exactly

 

Emma Grace enjoying her 11 month birthday at the pool

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_5

Our 4th

We had a fun day. We started our day off with a 5 K. fun walk. We all finished and although Jack pouted through half of the walk it was good! That afternoon we went to the post celebrations and had a good time. We went to friends for a BBQ and that was nice and relaxing and just simply enjoyable to be around good friends.

Fireworks started around 10:30 and the boys loved it (first year Jack wasn't even the slightest scared) and Emma liked them too! She kept pointing and ohhing over them!

The pictures are throughout the day from the walk to the end of the day.

Busy Day Already

Ok my "mood" is only because of the horrid temps here...it's nearly 90 if not over, quite humid, just miserable. We're going to the pool once Emma's up from her nap! YES!

So our day started early. The boys both had physicals this morning, Jack was in no mood to participate...just fabulous. Try getting a 4 yr old to do an eye test that he won't even look up at the chart for, see! So Jacob gets everything done on his end and all was good. Jack did everything but the eye exam and would not draw a person for the dr, not sure why she wanted him to draw a person other than hand-eye coordination (it was a phsyical). Then we found out he had to have 3 vax's. Yeah that was ohhhh so fun. He screamed so loud and Emma started crying and screaming. Jacob just sat there with his fingers in his ears. The nurse though was NOT gentle about it at all. She JABBED that needle into his little thighs. I felt horrible for him. I was almost in tears myself. But all was fine shortly afterwards. After we left the medical clinic we went to the CAC ( Community Activities Center) for a LeLecheLeague (LLL) meeting. I hadn't attended before, but it was good. We were then bad and stopped at BK for the simple fact that they have a very wonderful and powerful AC in there, so we sat and had lunch.

We got home, I put Emma down for a nap, took laundry down, have now transferred the laundry, and Emma just got up. We're getting ready to go to the pool in about 20 minutes.

Chad's supposed to call on my cell phone while we're at the pool, so the kids can actually talk to him, which will be nice! I miss him so much I can't even tell you. I try not to think about the fact that he'll be gone for 15 months, because it's just so overwhelming. I am focusing on our trip to the states right now, then when we get back I am planning a trip to Legoland. I have to keep us busy enough to help time go by without being overextended! 

Oh and to top it all off, my baby girl is 11 months old today. How HAS the time gone by so quickly? I'm going to take a picture of her today, she looks so cute in her little sundress and her handband and bow! BTW I'm totally addicted to Fiveblessedbows.com (IF you go there and are going to buy any, please let me know and if you don't know my last name I'll give it to you so you can put me in as your referral and I can get free bows!!!! THANK YOU!). Well, I better get going, I have to check on the laundry and see if Jacob's shorts and towel are dry yet.

 

Have a great day!

Count Down to "Homecoming"

This Kansas girl is going HOME! Just for 6 weeks and actually only in KS for 3 of those 6 weeks, but I AM excited! I'm clicking my heals and ready to get on that plane!

 

Jacob was 4 when we moved here to Germany, Jackson was almost 23 months, and Emma of course was just barely a glint in my eyes (I did have baby fever!!) I can't wait to see my homestate. I LOVE Kansas. I love wheat fields (they make me feel so calm!)

 

I can't wait for Emma to see her first wheat field and sunflowers! I can't wait for all our family to truly MEET Emma. She is something to behold I tell you! She has the sweetest and funniest personality! She gives a look that will stop you in the track, because well it's NOT a nice look! ROFL! But I can't help but crack up at it!

 

 

I am going to buy the kids little K-State and Kansas City Chiefs Outfits/shirts!!

                                

 

I'll be heading to Kentucky next!

I'll be visiting Emily, my friend Kandice, and hopefully my friend Donna and her family as well. Then it's off to see the inlaws, in Ohio.

Then I'll be up to Michigan!

 

Then I'll be back to Kansas to spend my last week. I'm excited. I know time will fly. We're counting down the days. I should be flying in 20 days, hopefully! I'm flying via the military aka Space A (space available), there's 2 flights going out the week I'd LIKE to fly and 2 flights the following week. If you'd all pray that I get out the first day I go up to Ramstein I'd be so appreciative!!!! We're going to have a big get together at my parents. Celebrating that the kids and I are back for a visit, as well as a joint birthday party for Emma (her first!!) and Jackson (his 5th!!). I normally would not do a joint one, but it's a special circumstance, so we'll have a BBQ, Cake, Ice cream, and lots of laughter and fun! I can not wait!!!!!

 

I don't know how much time I'll be online. My parents still are stuck in the dark ages of dial up! LOL Right now they just simply don't have a choice, dsl is not available to them out where they live (7 miles outside of town). I'll have high speed internet every where else. So I'll try to check it here and there, don't know if I will be able to update or not, just depends on my time!

I'll post a few more times before I leave, but be in prayer for us now if you would!

aoljurlAdd, aoljurlAdd_9