My favorite spot in our home...

Why hello (six+ months later)!
I don't post very often--because life is busy with a toddler, and frankly, because I feel like if I don't have something funny or important to share...well, I don't see a need to write. :) But today, I felt a need to share for cathartic reasons.

The past few months have been hard for me. For lots of reasons that I won't go into. But hard.

And I understand that "hard" is just a part of life. And that is OK. I believe that things are hard for a reason. To teach me. To grow me. These are the years where we earn our "wisdom", right? ;)

I have a favorite spot in my house (besides my bed--climbing into the bed after a long day is such an amazing feeling!). Our house was built in 1932, I think. It's since been renovated and a larger kitchen, garage, and room above the garage were all added on. So, the old "kitchen" is now a little hallway/room that connects the dining room and the kitchen.

Here is a picture of the wall that runs along this little room. Across from it are cabinets and more counters--basically an extension of the kitchen. Underneath this table, there is an air vent. When central air was added to our home, it was added in the crawl space beneath the house. The result is that all of our downstairs vents are on our floors. I LOVE this spot in front of the window. I love the wall with pictures of my family. I love the table and decor. But, mostly, I love how this spot reminds me to count my blessings each time I pass. Each time I walk by, I feel a warm current of air coming from the vent underneath the table. When I feel that warm air, whether it's for a brief second between running to the kitchen for a rag to clean up a spill, or if I have a moment to pause, look out the window, and reflect, I feel thankful. Thankful for this roof over my head. Thankful for a husband that works HARD to provide it for our family. Thankful that he supports me in staying home with our munchkin. Thankful that he's such a good friend and partner. Thankful that with so many people around the world living in uncomfortable situations, that I am blessed enough to have a beautiful home with warm air coming into it. To make it comfortable for my growing boy. Each time I walk by this spot, I feel that this house is our HOME.

In the summer, it's cool air rather than warm. And the effect is the same. But, it's much more intense in the winter. The warm air is mood changer. A spirit lifter. Perspective.

Perspective. And for that, I am thankful. Even if I don't feel that air on my feet, even if I don't have the time to stand and soak it in, it's still there. Protecting my home from the cold. Keeping us comfortable. It's always there whether I'm thankful or not. And even though I can set my thermostat to whatever temperature I choose, the most joy is in this "warm" spot.

I kinda think this is like life. It's easy to be joyful in the warm spots. When life is "easy"--I use the quotes because the word "easy" is relative...! It's easy to be joyful when we are seeing the fruits of our labor. But, being joyful when things are less than ideal--that's hard. I've often heard the phrase, "Bloom where you are planted." Man! What a hard thing to do! But, as a military wife--how relevant! Bloom where I am planted. Be a positive experience to those around me Leave people feeling better than when I met them. Find the joy in each duty station and make the best of it. This has definitely been a personal challenge for myself recently, and I'm absolutely a work in progress!!

I know that these "hard" times will pass. I know that my challenging toddler will grow and change and I will miss these days. And I know that, as all military families do, we will move on from this place and phase in our life and my husband's career. But, I'm thankful for that air vent. For what it means physically--a roof over my head and food in our bellies, when so many people of this world cannot be thankful for the same. And I'm thankful for the reminder that it gives me. Even though times are hard, I am not alone. Even though I can only feel that warm spot in front of that table, that warm air permeates the entire house. Even though life is hard at times, my blessings are there--I just have to find those warm spots. Just because they are hard to find, doesn't mean the heat isn't on!

What about you? What is your air vent? What is it that helps you remember to be joyful, or thankful. Frankly, I think one of the most challenging parts of being a military wife is the challenge to bloom where you are planted.

Today, I'm thankful for that vent. And I hope that I leave each place we live better than when we arrived.

The little stitch that could...

The whole gang is there--all four stitches.

My little one got into a fight with a counter top and lost.  Four stitches later, a catscan to make sure his noggin was ok, and LOTS of tears later, we left the ER. 

I guess I should be glad he's lasted this long without having to be stitched up.  He's such a wild, rowdy boy.  He's not at all agreeable (see my last post).  ;)

However, on top of running into the counter and getting stitches, my precious little one has managed to pull out three of the four stitches within 36 hours of getting them. *Facepalm*

The Little Stitch That Could

So, this last stitch, has quickly become, "The little stitch that could"...hold my child's forehead together.  If he escapes with even a minor scar, I will owe it to this stitch.  If this scar is never the topic of conversation at dinner, I will owe it to this stitch.  If future conversations don't turn out like this:
Hi, Mason.  Nice to meet you.  How did you get that scar?

I will owe it to this stitch. 

So, dear little stitch, please do hang on.  His face is so precious.  He's far too young to be romancing the ladies with tales of how he climbed mountains or conquered dragons and came away with only the scar on his forehead.

Until then, at least for the next few months, I'll just assume that this little scar will be the topic of many a conversation.  Add this to the list of agreeable qualities....If your child does NOT take it upon himself to remove his own stitches...you might have an agreeable child. 

Then again, perhaps Mason has found his higher calling in life.  Maybe he'll be a doctor one day!!

You might have an agreeable child if...

He's very upset...about something.

Sorry for the long break in posting.  I find it hard, at times, to find meaningful things to write about.  While, I think my child learning how to open doors, and babble new phrases is amazing, I realize that it might not be worthy of blogging.  :)

This, however, I felt really needed to be said. 

Let me start by telling you a smidge about the little personality that I've been raising.  He is WONDERFUL, don't get me wrong.  But, he is....um.....spirited.  And by spirited, I mean: Challenging.  Determined. Stubborn. 

And he's 18 months.  I am le tired.  Ok...back to the topic....

I feel like I am constantly seeing all of these posts on facebook/intstagram of moms with toddlers that are snuggly, sweet, and gentle.  I see these parents make comments like, "I had to wake him/her to eat" when talking about their newborns.  Or, "We just snuggled all morning."  OY!!  Enough!!  I'm happy that your child is just so relaxed and laid back....but, no need to rub it in!!! 

So, I decided I would write a post.  Now, moms with agreeable kids--do not be offended!!  Instead, rejoice if you fall into this category.  And if you don't have an agreeable child....well, I am in the trenches with you!!!

Here goes....

If you have ever said, "I had to wake him to eat.  He just sleeps too much!"....you might have an agreeable child.

If you have ever looked with horror at the mom in the grocery store with the screaming child (once you already have kids)....you might have an agreeable child.

If you have ever said to a friend that is frustrated with their toddler, "I just told him to and he did it, it's that simple"...you might have an agreeable child. 

In fact, if you find yourself telling your mom friends, "It's that simple" often...you might have an agreeable child. 

If you can sit and enjoy a meal in public with a small child under the age of three...you might have an agreeable child.

If your child can nap anywhere and fall asleep easily when they are tired...you might have an agreeable child.

If you were able to sleep through the night consistently before your child's first birthday...you might have an agreeable child.

While traveling, if you look with judgement upon the parents a few rows up with the ONLY AWAKE CHILD on the entire plane...you might have an agreeable child.

If you look upon a parent, with a child that is more challenging, and blame the parent by claiming that if they parented correctly, their child would willingly follow directions...you might have an agreeable child.

If your child sits still and reads, draws, or plays with one activity for more than a few minutes...you might have an agreeable child.

If the concept of your child intentionally defying you is something you wouldn't dream of...you might have an agreeable child.

If your child stays in bed when you put them there...you might have an agreeable child.

If (in your head or out loud), you thought while reading the last statement, "They will stay in bed,  you just have to tell them what you expect and make it happen and be consistent"...you might have an agreeable child.

If your child stays in time out the FIRST time you put them there...you might have an agreeable child.

Let me finish this by saying, that all children are blessings. And I'm not complaining about my blessing. He's wonderful. I cannot imagine getting a different personality. I love him more than life itself. But, fellow moms, do not judge my parenting skills based on my toddler's behavior. Despite consistency, patience, and healthy rearing, my little one isn't calm, gentle, or cuddly. So, when you see me at the commissary with no makeup, my hair disheveled, and a screaming child who REFUSES to sit in the cart, please do not judge. Just move along with your well behaved child and your cute hair-do.  



If you sympathize, please share your, "You might have an agreeable child" moments.  ;)

My irrational fears...part II

I HATE BUGS. 

When the husband is around, I don't really have to worry about killing them because I just point and squeal like a little girl and he immediately becomes my knight in shining armor.  He saves the day squishes the bug, and then gets rid of the body.  Ick.

Last night, when I was turning out lights and heading to bed, I noticed a dead bug in the corner of the room.  Ugh.  Normally, I will suck them up in a vacuum so as not to have to directly touch them at all.  Even through a napkin, I can FEEL them and it just freaks me out.  Well, the munchkin was sleeping of course.  No Vacuum.  My inner little girl whined.  I had to be brave and pick it up with a napkin.  I decided that I would tackle this challenge head on.  I would proudly put my big girl panties on.  For all women everywhere, I would pick up that bug and flush it down the toilet.  I had resolve!

I walked into the bathroom and grabbed enough toilet paper to protect myself.  I calmly walked over to the bug and reached down to smother it with the tissue.  I picked it up and started to walk to the bathroom when all of a sudden IT STARTED WIGGLING!!!

ICK! ICK! ICK!  IIIIIIIICK!!! 

I dropped it and jumped about eight feet in the air.  New plan.  Forget about the munchkin and suck up the bug that was obviously playing possum.  The bug was going to die--it had messed with the wrong military wife! 

As I was frantically trying to get the vacuum plugged in and fired up, all I could think about was how the ONE TIME I had decided to be brave, the bug came alive.  And almost ate me.  Of course that last part is not true--that's why it's an irrational fear, I guess. 

My irrational fears and why I miss my husband.

My son has this adorable little walker that he runs all over the house in.  He loves having the freedom and control to walk around and do as he pleases.  He'll roll over to a little table we have and open the drawers, he'll explore the handle of the vacuum, and of course--he chases our dogs.  He'll get going really fast and run into furniture and over your feet if you're in the way.  I cannot even count the number of times that my poor little toes have fallen victim to this walker. 

Today I was walking down the hallway back into our bedroom to finish getting ready.  As I heard the munchkin chasing after me--at a full sprint, I couldn't help but be freaked out.  Let me explain.  I have issues being chased and followed.  When I was a kid--tag wasn't a game I enjoyed much.  I cannot tell you why--it's just one of my idiosyncrasies.  Whenever I am chased or followed--I freak out.  My husband seems to think this is hilarious.  He'll add in the phrase, "I'm gonna get you" and hold out his hands like he's the tickle monster.  My immediate hysterics always result in oodles of laughter from him.  I, however, am not amused. 

Aaaaand we're back.

Today, I was actually a little freaked out because I was being chased.  By my 8 month old.  Who can't even walk.  I quickened my pace and as soon as I got into my bedroom, whipped around and talked myself out of the anxious feelings that were welling up.  As soon as the babe came around the corner, all I could think was about how ridiculous I felt for having such an irrational fear.

Why does this make me miss my husband?  He would love this story and we would laugh together about it.  Because he can appreciate all of the little weird things about me.  And because he knows me like no one else does. 

Seven years ago tomorrow, he and I met in college.  And now, his little boy is learning to tease mommy while daddy is away just like daddy would.  I'm thinking that once this kid is old enough to play pranks with him, my life is going to get a lot more interesting...

Reflection.

Warning: No editing or filtering for this post.  Just transparency and honesty.

One of the things that I love about the military lifestyle is that it defines "seasons" in your life.  Time still moves quickly, but with each PCS (move), you are prompted to reflect upon your time at that particular duty station(at least I am).  It's so neat to have this "default slow down" in my life.  I love to think about who I was when I arrived, and how different I am when I leave.  It's amazing how much your life, your viewpoints, and your relationships can change within the course of a year.

Although we are not leaving our current duty station, we did receive orders to stay here for the next three years.  After living in three states, and four towns in the past four years, staying in one place for three seems a bit daunting.  We are currently in the process of buying a home here--which means we will move again--but this time, on our own without military help.

I can't help but feel so incredibly blessed about the past year.  I have an amazing, healthy baby boy who brightens my life everyday!  I am FINALLY starting to feel like I didn't JUST have a baby.  (I don't know about other women--but it's taken a long time for me to recover physically and hormonally)  We are in the process of buying a beautiful home to raise our precious little one.  But, one of the main reasons I feel so blessed and happy is because of my relationship with my husband.  Marriages have seasons.  There are challenging times that stretch you and your partner to be better.  There are wonderful times, that are just so easy--and you just work so well together.  Either way, a marriage is a living, breathing relationship that requires work daily.  For this duty station, I reflect upon my marriage and am realizing that we have had our tough days while here.  That we had to work at this thing called marriage--especially with taking care of a new baby.  But, for the most part, we were in a state of bliss.  We developed a rhythm here and I can honestly say that not only do I love my husband more today than the day I married him, but I can say that I am just so IN love with him.  He is such a wonderful man, provider, and friend. 

It is bittersweet though.  Because this next year, will be a challenging one.  He will be deployed for more than half of it.  I know that our relationship will pass this test.  I know we are committed.  I know I can handle the requirements of being a single parent at home and keeping the "home fires burning" while he is away.  And I am so thankful that we are in such a wonderful place to start this journey.  But, I am also sad--because I will miss him terribly.  I know that watching him leave, watching the distance between us grow, will be gut wrenching.  But, I also know that it's the life we have signed up for, and that this is what we are called to do. 

As I watch my friends and their husbands join the fleet around us, I see husbands leaving and returning.  And it has suddenly become all too real.  For so long, we've all had our men around--for training.  Sure, they would leave for a weekend here and there, but we've been blessed to have the deployments left for the future.  They have been locked away with words like, "One day" and "a long ways off."  Here we are...not a long ways off. 

As hard as it's going to be, I wouldn't trade it.  I wouldn't trade the friendships, the experiences, the beauty and intimacy that a military lifestyle builds in a marriage--having only each other to rely on, and I wouldn't trade the good parts of deployment (the return--a second honeymoon, the appreciation that comes with not taking your spouse for granted, and the pride that comes from the everyday tasks that you accomplish by yourself--consistently doing things that you didn't think you could do).

I am so thankful for this past year--for this time with my family before deployments begin.  And I know that this next year, although difficult, will provide opportunities to build rich, relationships with other wives and with my husband.  It's going to be a good year. 

Family Pictures--pilot style

I just wanted to share some fun pictures of our little family (minus our pups). My husband is an E2 Pilot for the Navy. One of the perks of being a pilot's wife is getting to take fun pictures, like these:

We were literally feet from the runway--the wings of the plane were almost over us!  And, my wonderful husband, was flying the plane.  Some day, the munchkin will be old enough to point and say, "Daddy" with that wonderful childlike innocence.  On this day, he just stared and enjoyed the breeze as his Daddy flew by.

Pretty cool. :)