I want to see Jesus

A few mornings ago while we were eating breakfast Will told me he wanted to see Jesus.  Not at all surprised by anything that comes out of his mouth I just told him he'll have to wait until he goes to heaven. He said ok and then immediately Caroline starts crying.  Full out bawling!  With a wad of food in her mouth she comes over and gets in my lap giving me a huge hug, still crying.  She didn't want Will to die!  At this point Will is laughing!!  I reassured Caroline that Will wasn't going to die anything soon and that God still had big plans for him.  Will adds that its that he is going to be big cat doctor.

See for the previous few days Caroline had been asking me if she could have her own room.  Later that day after school she told me she still wanted to share a room with Will!!  Good thing she made that choice since she wasn't getting her own room anyway!  I'm glad they love each other so much and are good buddies.

Post Office

I am not a fan of going to the post office.  3 kids in a post office with long lines isn't what I would call fun. I avoid going if I can.  I usually get Justin to go for me since it is across the street from where he works.  When he's here that is!  I can print postage online and have them pick it up from my house but not if I'm sending something to Justin since there is a customs form to deal with.
So today I had put off going to the post office long enough and had 4 things to mail!  One of them a HUGE 24"X24" box!  The problem is how I get in the post office when I am the only one that can carry the box and I'm the only one that can carry the baby.  So Eric went in the stroller so Caroline could push him and I could carry the box.  As I was getting Eric in the stroller a mail man drove by saw the box in the back of the van and offered to carry it in for me!  Caroline still wanted to push Eric and only hit 2 of the planter boxes out front.  The line was thankfully short and we got a nice clerk too (not always the case!).  So my trip to the post office was not as horrendous as I had thought it would be!  Things are looking up!!

Bike riding

We do a lot of bike riding at our house.  Well, the kids do, I walk the dog and push the stroller.  But I really need to be running to keep up with Caroline and Will.  Just can't run yet (working on it!).  And since we walk the dog daily the kids ride daily.  So what do you wear when you ride your bike?  Might it look like this....

Who doesn't wear a dress with leopard-topped boots and mis-matched socks?

I also had to go back to the bike shop this afternoon because Will has a flat tire AGAIN!  He had one at the beach and Granddaddy patched it.  He had another one that Justin took to the bike shop while he was home to get fixed.  And I was back less than a month later with another flat!  It was a free fix since it had been less than 30 days.  I may need to get him a tougher bike if he wants to keep "hopping wheezies" and getting flat tires!

Oh, and ask Grandaddy about Will's huge crash sometime if you haven't heard it already.

New things

Eric is so busy exploring and learning how to do so many new things these days.  It is fun and keeps me super busy.  I have learned to keep the half bathroom door closed (he gets into the trash can and the toilet!) and Caroline and Will are doing great keeping their toys with small pieces cleaned up.  He loves to go outside and if the screen door is open he tries to put his hand through the slit at the bottom and screams when he can't.  He crawls all around the deck and the other day when we were picking up apples he fell off the 2 steps onto the grass.  He cried 2 tears got up and climbed back up the steps to continue to play.  He is turing out to be tough like his big brother.  And quickly adding to the how many times a day can I bump my head tally.
Today he accomplished something he has been trying for days.

He climbed into the chair!  He was struggling because he is so long that he couldn't get his knee up while his head was in the chair.  I was helping Caroline with her homework and didn't see his technique, but he turned and flashed me that grin and thank goodness I had the camera right beside me!
HE has also become a pretty good crawler and can now climb over objects such as my leg and ...

Miles!  Miles has been super tolerant and waits for him to finish climbing over him before he stands up.  They also share toys!

Still working on getting Eric to not put the dog toys in his mouth!

Fast friends now that Will is in school all day.

Super day

The super day really started last night.  After I put the kids to bed I went to mow the yard.  It was almost 8pm and not much light left in the day but the yard needed mowing so I got started.  I was almost half way through the back yard when I see my neighbor that lives 2 doors down at my gate.  She heard mowing and thought who in the world was mowing at this hour and when she realized it was me she had to come tell me to stop.  She volunteered to watch my kids during the day on Sunday so I could mow during the day time!  I thanked her and told her that would be great.  I finished mowing (just the back) in the almost dark.

So this morning I got to sleep in until 7 and then we had pancakes and bacon for breakfast.  I got a shower and then we went to early church (9 am).  There isn't sunday school or anything other than a nursery during this service so Caroline and Will just stayed in the nursery with Eric.  After church we saw some friends that had come early for the next service so Caroline and Will stayed with them (they wanted to stay for sunday school).  I left and went home to put Eric down for his nap.  I got an hour and a half of quiet time before friends brought the kids home.  Eric continued to sleep while we had lunch.  Just as we were finishing lunch Justin called!  Then Eric woke up after a great nap.  One of Caroline's friends from church, who also lives in the neighborhood came over to play.  Then more kids came over and pretty soon there were 7 kids in my yard!  I love it!  It keeps Caroline and Will from getting on each others nerves.  My neighbor (Shirley) came over and took Miles, her 2 dogs, Eric, and another neighbor (Dina, Mateo's mom) all went for a walk.  Mateo's grandma sat outside and kept an eye on the big kids while I mowed, edged, unloaded the dishwasher, and changed over the laundry, all in about 30-40 minutes!  What a huge help! The kids continued to help while I sat outside in the yard with Dina and just enjoyed the beautiful 68* afternoon and sunshine.  It's not very often I take the time to just sit outside and not worry about all the things I need to be doing in the house.  But today it was so totally needed and a great day for it.
Around 4:30 I kicked all the kids out and just had some Caroline and Will time so they could clean up, put away clean clothes, and set out uniforms for the week.  We had dinner then I pushed them in their swings and played fetch with Miles.  When it was time for showers I trimmed Will's hair while Caroline was showering and then it was Will's turn to get clean.  I read stories and tucked them in for the night.  Then went to bathe Eric and put him to bed.  At 8 my day was over and I have done the dishes and am enjoying some football and just sitting.
My neighbors are really great and all of them have said how much they missed us over the summer.  I'm just glad to have nice neighbors even if it took awhile for them to warm up.  I'm trying to make it more like a southern neighborhood!!
Here's to a great start to a new week!!  Hope yours will be great.

Free face painting at a Mexican restaurant in Williamsburg

Sausage festival

The school where Will went to preschool has a yearly festival.  I think the we have been the past 3 years.  So I thought the kids and I would go for a few hours after Eric's nap this afternoon.  We had a blast!  We ended up seeing so many people we knew, which made it that much more fun.  We saw people from Will's preschool class, his teacher, his best friend, friends from gymnastics, a girl in Caroline's brownie troop, neighbors,our landlord, and people from our church.  None of them planned either!  We stayed for about 2.5 hours which was plenty since I had Eric in the backpack.  We even had a funnel cake.

Will flew down the slide and then told me he didn't want to do it again!

Caroline is the the very last window on the right, Aidan (best friend) is in the window in front of her and Will is beside Aidan.

They loved this ride.

The boys.

Will got squished in the middle but they loved it.

Caroline, her friend Maggie, Maggie's little sister Kate, Aidan (dark blue), Will, and then some of Aidan's friends.

It was a perfect day weather wise, high was about 63.  It was warm in the sun and cool in the shade.  They were so ready for bed tonight!

10 months old

Eric turned 10 months old a few days ago.  He has started doing so much lately and it is so fun.  While Justin was home he learned to sit himself up from laying down and then learned to crawl.  Now he can pull himself up and moves pretty fast.  Caroline likes to pick him up, which he doesn't always enjoy.  He and Will have even had some fun playing together.  Will sneaks up behind him yells boo and Eric turns smiles and starts crawling after him.  Will catches up to him and does the whole boo thing again and Eric turns and crawls the other way to get him.  So cute to see them play together already!  Then one afternoon Will was sitting on the floor playing with his cars and Eric quietly crawled and around the corner and scared the mess out of Will.  Will loves being scared and cracked up!  Fun times.
This week has been much better thank goodness!  The past 2 days Eric has taken a 3+ hour nap and he usually wakes up after about 45 min so I then get him and we snuggle for the rest of the nap.  Who know I needed a 2+ hour nap during the day the past 2 days.  But I have felt much better and not as stressed.  Except I did forget to put the roast in the crock pot yesterday and it was gymnastics afternoon and so I just had to pick up Thai food for dinner!

Beautiful morning at the beach

Fun with dad

giggles

Happy baby.  He loves to clap.

10 month car seat shot

This is how he "helps" me with the dishes!

I still feel...

4!  That is what Will told me the day after his birthday.  He really enjoyed his special day, had a great special snack and walk around the sun ceremony at school and then enjoyed apple pie again this year for his birthday dessert.  He even got a chance to skype with Justin when he woke up having bad dreams and dad could be there to help!

opening his presents 

He requested his own apple pie this year.

he ate everything but the crust!

It's been awhile

Wow, has there been a lot going on!  Justin returned to Iraq and the kids started school just to name a few.  But my day to day has most of the time been completely overwhelming.  I have had lots of issues to deal with with other people and those confrontations are NOT my strong point.  I just cry!  I have been trying to get part time child care on post and there isn't room.  The Army says with my husband deployed I get 16 free hours a month.  I can't use them because of all the civilians using the child care.  So frustrating that no one will help me.  Our pediatrician's office has changed insurance so I have to find a new doctor for the kids.  I really really liked and trusted her.  The kids school has decided they will be strict about uniforms this year and so after 2 years of wearing skirts, Caroline can't wear them anymore.  The wheel on my lawn mower broke off.  Not just the screw coming out but metal breaking.  I have great neighbors and they fixed it for me.  I had both kids signed up for soccer, but 3 hours before their first game I get an email from the coach saying Caroline is too old to play on that team and the league is finding her a new one.  What?!!  Well her age group plays opposite Will's age group.  This mom isn't doing soccer 4 nights a week with a 10 month old and the cool rainy weather we get this time of year.  So I found a place that has overlapping gymnastics classes for them instead.  My weekly bible study starts next week and I wanted to give the lady that has been watching the kids a chance to take the class.  So after every sermon the preacher reads "blue cards" of prayer requests or praises,  I put one for a babysitter.  It was read to the entire congregation (not huge).  NOT ONE person volunteered!  I was hurt, am still hurt by that.
Add to that a baby that has not been a good sleeper and a kindergartener that is so cranky tired after being in school all day and you get a mom that is stressed!  So I joined a gym and have been going every morning after I drop the kids off at school.  It helps so much!  And the biggest help is that I have been able to skype with Justin twice a day.

Don't let this happy face fool you!

This is after he cried for 2 hours and still didn't fall asleep!!

First day of school

School started yesterday.  Will was excited to go despite being wishy-washy about it the last several days.  I think it helped that he and Caroline talked about wearing matching uniforms.  I wasn't ready with the camera before school and was actually rushing out the door since school starts earlier this year.  I left the house without my phone so no pictures at the beginning of the day!  I did get my act together by the time I picked them up at 1145.

My second grader!

Caroline was a little chilly (she had taken her sweater off!).  It was only 64 yesterday!

My kindergartener!

Caroline has the same teacher she has had since kindergartener.  Will described his teacher as "not dying old, just a little old."  I'll be sure to pass this on to her sometime during the year!!
They were both excited about getting to stay all day today and having lunch at the same time.  Except I just remembered that I forgot to pack something for them to drink in their lunch boxes!!  Oops!  I'll try not to forget tomorrow.

not off the roof!

I'm hoping to never have to say this to Will but somedays you just never know!  Two days ago he saw a teenager on a bmx bike jump a curb and then continue jumping his bike down the sidewalk.  Will turned to me all wide-eyed and asked how did he do that?  Not wanting Will to try crazy tricks on his bike ( he still crashes tons) I told him that I had no idea!
Well today while we were heading to the park Will asked me to watch him jump his bike.  He was really excited.  Not thinking he could pull his wheel off the sidewalk I wasn't too excited.  But I soon realized that he could do it!!  He took off down the sidewalk standing up pedaling and then popped a wheelie!!  He then did another one while he was sitting down.

HE IS 4!!  ok, in 8 days he will be 5, but really?!

Will, you sure do make sure my life is interesting and that my heart is beating!!

He has such a great smile!

You talking to me?

danger boy!

After Dad leaves

The night after Justin left was not great.  During the day the kids are fine.  They are too busy playing outside with friends they haven't seen all summer to think about missing dad.  But at night he is supposed to be here and he isn't!  All the kids slept much better while Justin was home (not really a surprise) but I must have gotten out of bed 10 times last night.  Caroline was having bad dreams and Will was waking up crying for dad.  The silver lining in all of this?  Eric slept 10 straight hours!!
So tonight after our usual bedtime prayer we added some extra for Justin, which brought on some tears, but hopefully will comfort them some so they can sleep.  (While typing that last sentence Caroline appeared on the stairs crying that she can't go to sleep.  She's been in bed for 2 hours at this point.  Eric has already woken up as well.)
SO, I am going to go to bed with the hopes of staying in bed all night.

Here they are all dressed for battle at Jamestown.