The Colors of Fall

Veteran's Day weekend Chad was able to come home for a few days. We are very proud of our Veteran.

We took advantage of the FREE offer to stroll through the buildings in Colonial Williamsburg. You can typically walk the streets, but it takes a paid pass to go into the buildings.

The girls enjoyed the buildings where they learned about wool, tea and chocolate, and of course the Magazine building (FULL of all the weapons).

The colors were breath-taking. The weather was perfect. The company was the BEST!

Let Them Chose!

We spent Saturday at the Virginia Air and Space Center. We have a year pass and the girls needed to get out of the house. What better than "free fun" to run off some energy?
For the first time I let the girls dictate what we were going to explore and in what order. They had a BLAST!

How much trouble can they make?

I let them play in the "toddler section" since there were no little ones around.

Sitting on a cloud. :o)

Air tunnel; Hannah flying a plane.

Mommy came over to check it out!

Madison and Lillian listening to live air traffic controllers. YES, that is a real Air Tran plane in the museum.

Time to fly a jet liner!

Madison learning about silt, soil and gross stuff. ;o)

An ER Visit

Most people do not understand the difficulty you face as a "single military mommy." Even as a military wife, I forget how straining it can be when my soldier has been home for an extended period of time.
That is not the case these days. Chad is TDY for another month and a half. The girls are at their breaking point knowing we are almost done with daddy being gone. SO IS MOMMY!
To add a cherry to the top of that pity sundae, there are times when I think I need him home to help. However, God continues to show me that HE is there and laying the foundation of friendships and help from other military wives.
This lesson was made clear to me the other night. Hannah had been having a tummy ache for three days, but today was different. She was doubling over at the supper table and said it was in her bellybutton and then her lower right quadrant. OH NO! Mommy brain started to race, what do I do, it is after hours, what ER do I go to, what do I do with my other two girls. AHHHHH!!!
In that moment that quiet whisper of peace came. I texted my friend/ neighbor Beth and explained the situation. She came right over. (You see, she has just come off of a year separation due to deployment with her soldier. She GETS the strain and stress and does not hesitate to show love and compassion. What a woman of God!)
With a decision for me and Hannah to go to the ER she scooped my other two kiddos up and took them to her house for the night and next day if need be. Wow! Here I was stressing out, not trusting God to take care of my immediate needs and then POW! In walks Miss Beth.
Hannah and I were at the ER until about 9:30pm. Hannah had multiple tests run, IV fluids and x-rays and then we were released. As of today we are still dealing with some issues, but we have a follow-up later today.
Yes, I am a temporary single mom due to my soldier being away, but I am surrounded by blessings in my life. This time, it was in the shape of my friend!

Hurricane Sandy

Last weekend we were in the path of Hurricane Sandy. I got Spaghetti O's, beans, tuna and other canned food stocked up in the cupboards. I also got about 6 gallons of water, capris suns and was ready to fill the bath tubs with water.
You see, this was my first "hurricane" preparation EVER! My neighbors were talking "horror stories" from past tropical storms and category one hurricanes. Stories about loosing power for 5-10 days, no gas, no way of cooking all the food in you refrigerator and freeze. Panic was trying to creep into my being, but I fought it hard!
As the days drew closer the rain started and did not stop for days! I am not talking "Oregon rain" that is the constant gloomy mist. This was HUGE rain drops that splatted and drenched everything to the bone. The winds also picked up and I was nervous, but tracking the storm closely I saw it was not going to be a direct hit on us. THANK YOU LORD!
We kept electricity the entire storm and even in the "aftermath." It is a good thing, because with the storm brought our first extreme cold temperatures of the year.
The girls had movie time, tent/ fort building time, craft time and enjoyed their Halloween teeth. ;o)

All is well and we are back to the normal coolish temperatures here and awaiting the beautiful weather ahead of us.

School Pictures

School pictures 2012-2013 are here! I even received a digital copy this year.
Madison is cheesy, Hannah is bright-eyed and Lillian has a crazy smile. Enjoy!

3rd Grade

1st Grade

Pre-K

Lillian Dances

I love this video because you can get a chance to hear Lillian talk. Most of you don't know what it is like to have her in our lives and constantly decode what she says. BUT, the best part? Her sisters just KNOW and it makes me smile! Thanks Hannah for jumping in with her!