Kick Off to Summer

We've enjoyed a nice family weekend even though the weather has been cool & rainy. Paul left with two of the boys last Thursday to go on a camping & fishing trip. It was a belated birthday trip now that he is home. They came home Saturday night soaking wet & cold but with huge smiles on their faces. They where just happy to have dad's undivided attention for a couple days.

On Sunday we woke up & held our breath as we looked outside to see if the rain was gone. We had a Welcome Home Bar-b-que planned as well as the first lake day of summer. Thankfully it was only partly cloudy with a few sunbreaks here & there. We got all the food together and headed to the lake. 

We took Banyan along for the first two hours so he could play & swim in his new custom vest that Ommie made . He loved it! As soon as he realized we where going to let him swim with his vest on he had so much fun! He still is not the best swimmer so we laughed, but he could care less. He listened to Jeremy really well and came almost every time Jeremy called for him in the water. He actually listened to Jeremy's commands better then mine. I wonder if it was because I was on shore watching & not in the lake with him like the younger boys  ? 

Banyan was also  taken on his first boat ride. Jeremy goes on the boat some in the summers to fish with his dad. We wanted to see how Banyan would respond to being in a small boat out on the lake. At first he was a little anxious to be away from shore.

Soon he settled down & enjoyed the short boat ride with Jeremy. We only kept him out for about 10 minutes so he wouldn't be to frightened. We will repeat this again in a few days so he can continue to get use to the boat & lake.

After awhile we enjoyed some great food & the kids played all afternoon into the early evening. They even swam in the still cold lake while us parents hung out. Paul enjoyed visiting with old friends as well as meeting a couple new friends.

By early evening the kids where tired & cold so it was time for me to head back to the house. Paul stayed down at the lake with a few of his fishing guys . I made it home with one extra teen but Matthew went to stay with a friend so it all evened out. We all enjoyed a quiet evening watching movies and fell fast asleep from all the activity. Now we can't wait for July 3rd when Paul can sign out on leave for a month. We have some camping trips planned, a visit from my parents who are flying out , as well as Hawaii for Paul & I. It looks to be shaping up to be a good start to summer for our clan & I can't wait to share it with my whole family.

Single Digits

All I have to say is Let the Homecoming Beautification Process BEGIN!! It's hair day ladies!! You all know what that means- we are getting CLOSE!! Closer to this...

The first kiss after many, many months.

Closer to these Happy Moments mixed with tears of joy & relief.

Moments that melt my heart & make me pray a prayer of thanks to God for letting our soldier make it home safely one more time.

It won't be long now and I can hardly wait. I may be gone for awhile as I scramble to get things done these last few days. I have a huge list to keep me busy so I don't sit & stare at the clock that seems to have stopped moving! Soon we will be a family again. For how long, well only the Army knows the answer to that. But I am ready to have the first glimpse of my soldier, the first hug, the first kiss all over again. If it's one thing the Army does well it's Homecomings & I can't wait!

 

A little idea for you non- Army bloggers what a week leading up to homecoming & the actual homecoming looks like. It's spectacular time where emotions run high & for a short brief moment you forget all the stress of the past twelve months. All you know is you got your call he is safe & he will be in your arms again soon!

Until Next Year

I always enjoy it when my parents visit for Thanksgiving but not near as much as my children. It will be hard on my boys to say goodbye later tonight after dinner as I take my parents to the hotel in Seattle close to the airport. They have an early Tuesday morning flight so they are opting for a good night's sleep. I can't say I blame them. With Paul deployed I hear every little thing around the house. Sleep is hard to come by & when your mom get's up three hours earlier then you have to be up- well let's just say tonight I hope I sleep like a baby as well.

We've all had fun doing Christmas shopping,movies, decorating the house,& eating out together. Yesterday after church we saw Mr. & Mrs.Claus while at Applebee's. It was the second time we had encountered the couple in four years. They where just "vacationing" as they told the boys. On December 1st they had to head home to get ready for the Christmas Eve. Jeremy & Jacob where in Awe over the couple who drove a mini-van with a license plate that said North Pole, Alaska- Loved their smiles. My dad & I also drove all over my neighborhood as they explore the option of purchasing a lot by the lake here in WA. That way they can come stay for a longer period of time with out being so packed into my small house. Because right now after a week we are all sleep deprived & getting a little cranky. I hope it works out so the boys can enjoy seeing their grandparents more often. It's hard when you have moved so much & never lived by family. I feel like our children have been lucky that my parents always take the time to visit as often as possible, but they have missed that connection of having extended family close.

As we say goodbye for another year or at least until this summer we will have smiles & happy memories. I will also get my house back & some much needed sleep I hope. The holidays are fun but man do they make you wish you could take a vacation after they over!

Pumpkins, Corn Mazes & so Much More

Today was literally THE ONLY day I had free left in October on a weekend to take the boys to the pumpkin patch. We planned to go right after church & thank goodness there was no rain. It was just gray & cool outside.We had a lot of fun petting the animals,shooting pumpkins from cannons,getting lost in the corn maze,riding a tractor train made from animal characters & picking out the perfect pumpkins! It was our 10th Annual trip to this particular pumpkin patch that we just love. They had changed up the lay out some & prices but we still had a lot of fun. I am glad my older boys indulged their mom a bit with pictures. Hunter my oldest actually got us un-lost in the corn maze after wondering around for thirty minutes. It was a fun way to spend our Sunday afternoon. We took lots of pictures so Paul could see everything. I think the boys missed him the most when we where lost in the corn maze. I am no map reader apparently that skilled did not rubbed off on  Hunter. It was a fun day ! Now we are enjoy popcorn & movies just relaxing. Nice way to end our weekend.

Heading into the corn maze.....

Jacob hugging Hunter who saved us & got us out of the maze.

10 years later & he is almost 6 Ft, our first year he was barely 3 ft tall

My handsome guys

They had some beautiful wild flowers as well

Yummy fresh Carmel Apples to devour

Last picture of the day. Jeremy got tired & just sat down so we called it a day.