…have been a whirlwind.

Just as my morning sickness subsided it was time to prepare the house for the movers.  Since the movers do all the packing this isn’t a huge deal but it does take a little time and organizational effort on my part. 

Ryan winged, which was awesome, but I was so stinkin’ tired, getting regular headaches, and just feeling overall yicky. Our BFTKC friends were able to come down with their 1 week old baby and that was awesome too.  ‘Cept their 1 year old got pretty ill and they ended up at their hotel for most of the visit.  It was sad not to be able to spend much time with them, especially since they will be living across the country from us in a few months. 

The movers arrived just as my two youngest got sick with high fevers, our house was packed in a day, and the movers drove off with our goods the next afternoon.  We had dinner with different friends over the next few days, and a dear family of 12 had us over for breakfast on Monday morning with some other friends before we drove out.  I had been feeling and acting grumpy about moving, being tired, and all the stuff that goes into preparing for a military transfer; but the food was so good and the company so gracious.  I slipped out of my funk without even realizing it.  20 kids in one house.  It was so cool!

Our trip found us with a blown trailer tire, an hour on the side of the interstate, but a smooth drive other than that.  We drove straight to our new dwelling, a nice house we signed a lease on the week before.  We really like the house.  Really like the house.
Except…

There is a giant mural on the wall.  A giant mural with headless statues.  A giant mural with naked, headless statues.

We covered it up with some large Craigslist book cases that we purchased from an older woman who was turning her house into a castle, complete with dragons and swords.  She was more than a little strange, but so childlike – I applaud her.

Some of the mural still shows but not the naked statue half.  Whenever I see the wall I have this overwhelming urge to declutter that area of the room.  But there isn’t any clutter over there, just an obnoxious mural that we aren’t allowed to paint over.  I’ll have to take a picture.

So, we’re here, completely unpacked, and feeling settled.  Ryan is wrestling with the kids, who are giggling.  Kait is reading a book, and I’m blogging.  Little boys are everywhere in this small neighborhood and my sons have made a large number of friends.  Everything feels so normal. 
But I miss my very good friends.  I miss my church.  I miss our homeschooling group. I miss water that doesn’t taste like soap and have white floaties in it.

And I miss not having a giant mural on the wall.

But the opossums and cats sharing our backyard shed are making things a little interesting.

I almost have 2 teenagers. 

Joe.

He’s 12 now – had his birthday on Monday.

Sheesh, his childhood is flying by!

He’s going to be a man someday way too soon, but in so many ways he already is. 
While he still has pretend battles outside with his 5 younger brothers, he’s becoming quite protective of his older sister.
And while he still prefers to play video games than do chores, he’s always willing to lend a hand, take care of something that seems to be overloading me, and do his part around here.
And while he still plays Nurf war, he is an excellent shot in paintball, and with his pellet gun and crossbow.

He laughs a lot, despite having a serious disposition, and is always ready with a silly joke.

He doesn’t take offense easily and has the ability to laugh at himself easily.  Though, he does not want me to joke with him about liking girly things.  Especially when we are in Target and I’m talking loudly.

Some humorous quotes from Joe over the years -

“I told my poo-poo not to be bad. But it didn’t listen”  (age 3 – just after an accident)

Crying when I told him he was only pretending to be Superman he couldn’t jump off the counter to fly, “but I thought I really was Superman!”

“My head is not a peanut!”

and quite recently -

“Can we ride bikes in the colda, no, colder, no, colber, no, colbeysack?”  (he was trying to say ‘cul-de-sac’)

He’s a good boy and is going to be a really good man.  I love who he is, and I’m so proud of who he is becoming.

Happy Birthday Joe!

People wonder about us – we get questioning stares quite often. 
I used to think it was because I always had a large number of children following me around.  Then it dawned on me that maybe it was the petrified ketchup on my 6 year old’s face at 9 in the morning gaining me attention.  Or that one kid whose hair was overlooked by the comb.  Or that somebody in my lineup is still wearing batman pajamas – not because I was okay with it, just because in counting heads I often miss noticing the rest of the body.

I’m that lady with the 12 passenger van full of car seats.  The one changing a toddler’s wet pants right there in the Publix parking lot. The one wiping last night’s dinner off a 4 year old’s face in the middle of the entrance to the grocery store.

I can hear you thinking, “Oh. She’s that lady.”

Yeah.  That’s me. 

Feel free to wave.

I write many of my blog posts a bit tongue-in-cheek.  A little sarcasm, a little humor.  It’s just the way I roll.
Let me assure you that if my life had me truly irritated or frustrated, feeling angry or bitter, I’m not likely to blog about it.  I like to keep you all thinking that I have it all together.  It’s one of those perks of the cyber world.  I can be whoever I want you to think I am.

The truth is, there is never a dull moment in this house.  
Sam said, “I need to blow my face”. I watched as he wiped snot across his cheek with the back of his hand.   This isn’t an unusual happening in 2 year olds.  But I’m sensitive to the little toddler things he does.  I find so much humor in my days with lots of children. 
And it gives me something to blog about.

Sometimes A lot of times I have a moment that reminds me that my life is alive.  I might write with a little sarcasm about it all, but that doesn’t diminish my joy one bit. 

Just so you know, I’m comfortable in this craziness.

Just so you know.

Kait turned 15 last month. I had a post all formulated in my mind but it included a very funny video I haven’t had the chance to edit. So I’ll have to post that later. It’s not something I want any of you to miss.
We really had fun putting together her birthday treasure hunt.

I didn’t want to put off her birthday post any longer.  So, here it is. 

kaitlyn at 4 months – so, so long ago

Kait,
I feel unworthy to be blessed with a daughter like you.  Even before you were old enough to comprehend your purpose, you were changing my heart – and now everything about me is different.
You are a joy. 

Thank you.  Thank you for being you, so willing to help, ease a burden, and teach your brothers.  Your heart for God is evident every day. 

I’ve watched you grow from a little girl into a young lady.  Once upon a time I didn’t want you to grow up.  I was sad at the idea of you being an adult.  But, now that you’re grown, I realize that this time in my life, where I get to watch you become a woman, is just as precious as the time I watched you take your first steps.  And although I don’t laugh daily at silly things you say or do anymore (as I do with the littles), I am now finding myself in awe of who you have grown up to be.

Being your mom has been better than I could have ever imagined.
I love you.

Happy 15.

Happy Birthday, Husband.

You’re graying.  I think I spotted some thinning going on in the upper regions of your scalp. And maybe you’re a bit more wrinkled than you were yesterday.

But you can always rest in the fact that you will never be older than I am.

I love

love

love

you.

You make me laugh. 
You make me feel better.
You keep me from taking myself too seriously.

You always have the right answer to, “How do I look in this?” or “How does my hair look?”
And I believe you.

You’re a good man.  I’m completely blessed to have you for my husband.

So, again, happy birthday Googlibear.

P.S.  You look like a princess (to quote Sam).

I’ve decided to embrace the possibility of snow tomorrow.  I’ve been pretty grumpy at the thought of it, but no less than 3 friends have in some way convicted me of my snow-induced adultitis today.

Being a southern girl from Charleston SC, I should be excited about the prospect of snow here in Florida.  However, living in Rhode Island, then eastern Washington State, I had 4 straight winters of unbelievably cold, snowy weather.

And it almost made me forget that I really like shoveling snow.  And that snowball fights are awesome.  And icy gloves and socks in the dryer while we sip hot cocoa feels like a vacation.

I almost forgot that I really hope it snows tomorrow. 

[my first snow storm - the day i went into labor with ben]

I spent all day cleaning up my house.  Each room got a good scrubbing, the living room furniture got re-arranged (can you say dust?).  The kitchen floor was scrubadubdubbed by my two older boys.

It looked pretty good.

My friend came over and said, “Your house is awfully clean”. And I was happy.

But that was yesterday.

Today is different and I’m wondering why I spent all day yesterday working so hard picking up.  There are magnetic letters littering the floor.  Couch pillows tossed to the ground.  Foam from a bean bag floating around.  Junk mail, books, slippers, blankets, a half chewed dog bone, a machine gun, Little People, flash lights…

All strewn across my living room and kitchen floors. It’s enough to drive a person mad.

How does this happen?

I hear giggling.  Out of the corner of my eye I can see flashes of hair flying through the air as the little boys jump from the couch to the giant bean bag.  Jesse is hollering something unintelligible to some non-existent person on the other side of our large livingroom window – he is so cute I can barely stand it. 

I think to myself, life is so good.

Pinch me.

Long night.  While I can tell my littles are getting better, their coughs are getting yuckier.  I broke down and opened a bottle of Robitussin for them in the middle of the night.

Finally, sleep.  Just not enough to satisfy.