Here in Colorado..

So, we are here in Colorado - I did not realize how much I missed it until I saw the mountains and just thought about the last time I lived here. This is where I met my Husband, this is where we got married, and started our journey. My Mom is from here and so here entire family is here. I forgot how stressfull it can be to come back home and it's been pretty crazy so far. Let's see - we arrived on Tuesday, both boys did great. Levi was especially fantastic for it being his first flight(s.) But on the way home from Denver he got sick, we thought it was a 48 hour bug, but he's still having issues and two of my family memebers think it's a bladder infection. I won't know until I can take him in Monday. Right now we're just pumpig him with meds for the low grade fever he has and fluids. This boy is never sick and so watching him suffer is hard on me, but he's a trooper I must say. We've been able to do school a few days this past week. Logan is always about some school work, he doesn't give up easily and he really want to work on his letters. I am so proud of his writing, it's constanty amazing how fast he picks it up. I am very glad we brought some of his books with us.

Today my Dad is doing a good ol' BBQ at the house. I am going to church (it's nice when you have one established while on vacation.) It will be exciting to see my Pastor and old friends; people who will actually be glad to see you and catch up. Then I will come home in time for the bbq, I am hoping it is warm out. Lately i's been cool and super windy..

Anyhow, here's a picture of my Dad with the boys. Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend and remember the real reason for the day..remembering those who gave their lives and those who are fighting now for our freedom.

Blessings, Ash

Monday: It is almost here...

Our vacation that is. We leave tomorrow to see my family in Colorado. My Parents and sister are excited to see the boys - I wish it was me, but let's face it, we all know after you have children it is not about you any more and this is no exception. It is okay, in a way, I love showing my children off if you will. They are pretty good children and make me proud. Only my Mom has met my youngest, Levi, so it'll be interesting to see what Levi thinks of my Dad, Sister, and the rest of my Mom's side of the family that lives there. I am ready for new scenery and some time to myself at various points through this vacation. Today is pack and clean day. True to my nature I have my lists going. I have one with everything I need to pack and will start one of what I need to clean and stuff. I have a friend from Church coming to watch my house and the dogs, it helps her and myself out, so it's a win-win situation. I feel that motherly sadness about leaving the dogs for a whole month. They after all are my babies and my oldest dog, Kahlua, was around before we had children..so you know. Well, I guess I'd better get to it then. Our flight leaves Fayetteville around 0700 and with the time difference it will be 1100 when we get in. To save money we're flying into Denver - so after that it'll be an hour home, luckily the kids do well in the car...so here's to pending v-day! I am so READY!

Thursday: That day that just hangs there during the week..

Okay, so I had a little fun with the last post. It was a shout out to a site I follow - she does that and asked us to do it as well, so I did it. I lost all the motivation I had to day. I have laundry and floors to steam mop. I will get them done, err, eventually. It is nice and sunny out. I think I am going to take the boys outside in a few so we can all get vitimin D from the sun, then maybe I can get my camera out and upload the pictures I took. I said the same thing yesterday, but it gets tricky since the camera is with me all the time now so I can take photos. I do have one cute one I can post of the boys - my youngest didn't want to look up at me, but I finally got a decent enough shot - it's out back in our swing set. Life really is just chugging along and we're doing more school. Logan told me his favorite part of school right now is learning to write his letters. I really recommend any of the Kumon books for learning. This one is called the Uppercase Letters and is recommended for ages 3,4,& 5 - and so far it is fantastic. It teaches them not only what the letters are, but how they are to be written and honestly it is so second nature to me, when I was showing him how to do it - I had forgotten some of the steps. And he can already say back the stroke order from the two letters from today, so I am very impressed! But here's to a sunny day in NC!!

Seriously...

1. Seriously....why is it time goes by really fast and then when you're excited for a specific day, say like May 24th so you and the kids can be on a plane flying home to see family, does time then drag like never before?

2. Seriously....I hate flies, the warmer it gets here the more that find their way into my house. I guess I need a bug zapper, but are you sure there is no other way to kill them??

3. Seriously.... my children wake up crying. Why wake up to cry? I get it if someone wakes you and you were not ready to be up, but like I don't do that. I understand it more from the almost 11 month old - but really the almost 4 year old? Truth be told, my husband and others from his family will tell you the don't wake up well, but it's not a great thing to hear the crying several times a day.

4. Seriously.... I'm so in love with my husband. You think you're in love the moment you say "I-do," but i am seriously more in love with him seven years later than I was on our wedding day. I had no idea our relationship would ever be here!

5. Seriously.... deployments stink, but I am an Army wife and while they never get easier, I am realizing what I really can do and accomplish on my own and how much faith my Husband truly has in me and my ablities.

6. Seriously.... I love my sons and love that we are blessed with the opportunity for me to stay home and raise them.

7. Seriously.... I am day dreaming about my Husband's R&R and our trip to a friend's beach house they're letting us stay at for free. I can hear the waves now, can you?

8. Seriously.... I looking forward to seeing Colorado and having all the plans I do. I am thinkin' the trip to the Wolf Reserve is going to be awesome!

9. Seriously... I love cheese. (Enough said.)

10. Seriously.... what I really want to do is get another degree, this time in Fine Arts..just an Associates. Ha!

Marriage

You know I don't try to keep up with daily drama but anyone who turns on the TV at any point has heard about the divorce and now troubles between Arnold S. and Maria, his wife. You know it's one thing to have troubles, but I was surprised somewhat about this whole situation and then I thought about Hollywood and these couples people galmorize - it is really sad to me that so many couples are getting divorces, it seems the people who do these negative things do not realize how much they're going to affect others. No wonder people do not want to get married. I am not saying that attitude is right, but really? For better or worse, my Husband and I know what that means, but even more than that God is our center and is the only reason he and I have made it this far. He will continue to be the only reason we're able to do anything as individuals or as a couple. I am praying for marriage and the attack on it and I hope you will too!

Ash

Wednesday: Middle of the week..

It is the middle of the week and we're chugging along on Logan's workbooks. He has finished two and I have several more to work on now and then summer. I think I have decided on curriculum for this coming year. I need to buy it and then plan it out. The good basics are there, but I want to add somethings to make sure it's well-rounded. That is what I love about homeschool - you take what is standard and add what you need to - to make it fullfilling to your student (child.) I love that I have the say in my child's education and that we can go at his pace. He loves doing "school," as he says...and I am really hoping it stays that way. Levi, is well cute as a button - he is a little lagging in language, but in everything else is doing what the average ten month, almost eleven month old is doing. I have a feeling his is just going to continue being a spitfire child and maybe my more challenging one. We'll see and I know both he and Logan will have their moments.

My camera is in my trunk, got a cute picture of Logan at the park yesterday playing with another, older boy. He likes hanging out with the older boys and it was fun to let him play at the park while I chatted with a friend and her son. Time has been going fast, but as you know the closer you get to something you want, like say me and our vacation home to see family in 6 days, the slower time seems to go..and that's what it feels like today. That's about it for today.

We have Church tonight and then are just preparing for the trip. Friday and Saturday are busy, on Monday I had no plans and in two days Saturday is the fullest day we'll have in a long time..I try to never run us around and around, but it's graduation season, so we got invited to a party, we're doing pottery before that with friends, and then in the evening we're having dinner with a family that is leaving for a new duty station - we get back a week before they leave so that stinks..but such is the military life.

So, here's to God's many blessings! I sure have loads to be thankful for. Will post pictures tomorrow. ~ Ash

6 Months in one Post...

So, I haven't been posting obviously since shortly after my husband deployed. Well we have been doing school still, running around town and you know living life out! Praise God this deployment is going fast and we're already over the 6 month mark as of May 6th. My Husband will be home for his two week R&R in July at the 7 1/2 month mark - so that is good, means less time to wait on his official return. God blessed me with this new and very professional camera, so now I wont be so ashamed to share my photos with everyone. Here is one of the school work Logan has been doing. Besides workbooks he have a Leap Frog Letter factory he watches daily and of course hands on activities. The baby, Levi, who in some of the last pictures you saw was tiny. He is still on the smaller side, but is long and now almost 11 month months. I can hardly beleive it some days and have to keep myself from getting teary - I cannot believe that I will have a 4 year old and a 1 year old soon, serious - where does time go? Also included a picture of the boys. ~ Blessings, Ash