Our Hero

He's always been my hero. Facing children without fear, doing dishes with the best of them, changing a tire in the middle of no where, calling things "adventures" that I would have otherwise named. He takes care of us, he loves us and he plays with us. His family is his everything. If that's not a hero, what is?

Yesterday we went to play tennis for Family Night. the courts were full, so we decided to play Frisbee while we waited. I kept hearing something in the boys bathroom that didn't sound right, then we saw smoke starting to come out from around the closed door. He went to the door and opened it, and yelled in to see if anyone was in there. Big billows of thick, black smoke came out of the building. I called 911, he went into the bathroom, on his knees, looking for someone. Turns out someone thought it would be funny to set the toilet paper on fire and leave and burn down the building. In the almost 10 minutes it took the fire department to respond, Justin had stomped it out with his brand new shoes and a small bucket of water. He came out covered with soot and smoke, but just fine. The fire department said if he hadn't put it out when he did, it would have taken out the entire building. There was plastic involved and the fire was climbing the walls. He had to sacrifice his brand new shoes, but it was for a good cause. He said he went in to make sure no one was in there unconscious and then thought that he could take care of it if he acted quickly. Family Night ended up being about fire safety. (I never did get a picture of any of it, I was too busy trying to keep the kids away and talking to the 911 lady.)

On behalf of our fair city, and of course your loving family, Justin, you are our hero.

First Piano Recital

Here's a clip of Bug's first piano recital. He's doing well and we are proud of him. Can't wait to see what the next recital will bring.

Wascaly Waccoon

This young mother has been terrorizing my cat for the past month or so. At one point I thought I had the park ranger down the street convinced to come and trap her, but he never did. Tonight she made the mistake of wandering into our yard while we were outside working. The kids were in bed, it was almost dusk and I guess she felt safe. Wrong. Justin went after her with rocks first, then the hose on full blast. She was a fast climber though and quickly got out of reach. We had her up in that tree for an hour or more. I caught these pictures when she thought it was safe to come down again. For some reason raccoons don't pose like kids do for the camera. (Or maybe they do, that might explain some of my pictures.)

So, short of shooting her (which we won't do), or threatening her with the pressure cooker (thanks Joe, for that idea) how do we convince her she needs to stay out of our yard? She has babies somewhere, and I am pretty sure they aren't in my yard. I don't want them here either. My cat has enough stress dealing with a two year old who has discovered scissors.

Go away raccoon. Find another yard to wander through.

He's Back...

And we are sooooo glad to have him home again. We are really looking forward to some much needed time off- with no big black boat calling his name. Meg was really mad on duty day when he didn't come home for dinner and I told her she could see him the next day. Not a happy girl.

We can't wait for the end of sea duty. 7+ years is a long time to be doing this and our little family is ready for a change. Sometime next year maybe.... We can hope. In the meantime, we are going to enjoy every second we have at home together.

Hey Man, I have Grass...

In my front yard. Finally. It's still a little patchy, but it's coming in. A yard party is on the horizon. Tons of thanks to everyone who helped me. I couldn't have done it without you. Justin was surprised and happy when he got home too, what a relief to him to know there are people to support and help his family when he has to be away. Will let you know the BBQ date. See you then!

Not So Wordless Wedensday

If that's what I think it is, WHERE IS MY DADDY???

Welcome home Justin. It's been a long time and we are HAPPY to have you HOME again.

The Day's Events

My "to-do" list is a mile long today and the outcome of today's events are uncertain at best. Still, we move forward. Wish us luck, and sanity.

I love the Navy

I love the Navy... it teaches me flexibility.
-- Sorry, Ma'am. There's been a delay. We don't have firm plans yet, but we will let you know (at the last possible second) as soon as we can.

It teaches me patience.
---Yes, kids, there's the boat. All tied up to the pier. I just got word that it will be another 6 hours before your daddy gets off of it though. Sit tight. He wants off as badly as we want him off.

It teaches me to make fast friends.
---If you get that promotion, you will receive orders to San Diego, leaving in 30 days or less. If you don't, you will be here another year. Make the best of it. Further, it may be that you have orders to San Diego, and your household goods have orders to Guam. Good luck with that too.

It teaches me responsibility.
---Keep that cell phone charged. You never know when there is a surprise call coming.

It teaches me Independence.
---I get to keep the household running, the kids happy and healthy and not go insane on my own. I can change a tire, do yard work, operate a table saw, pay the bills and still keep going.

It teaches me frugality.
---While a steady paycheck is wonderful and I am so grateful for it, everyone has to be careful with their money. It's good to shop at the Commissary and NEX. Even better when they are open when I get there. It's how I afford to keep the short kid in bubbles.

It teaches me to expand my skills.
---From SCUBA in Guam, to kayaking in Hawaii, to hiking in WA. There is always something new to try, fun to learn, and a fear to face.

It teaches me community.
---It's hard to leave friends in far off places and amazing when you bump into them again, half a world away. No matter where you go, there is probably someone you know and always someone willing to lend a hand. I remember the Chaplain in Kadeena, who gave me a place to sleep when I was stranded, the Master Sargent in Elmendorf who helped me to the hotel, Dana in Hawaii who escorted me around after my car left and I didn't, and Dawn in WA, who has been a sure friend for over 15 years and there when I needed her from any corner of the globe.

It teaches me to stand True to my beliefs. In one word, Faith.
--- You have to have Faith you will be cared for while he is gone, faith he will be cared for while he is gone, faith in yourself that you can do it, faith in the Lord to carry you through and faith in your friends to lift and love you. No matter where I go in the world, my church is there and it is true. Different cultures have different values, but I have been able to keep consistency in my life and the lives of my kids because of the Gospel.

If You Were Two

If you were a two year old, walking your brother to the bus this morning, you might:

Try and race your brother to the bus stop, moving your arms and legs as fast as you can.
Point out the birds you see on the power line.
Show Mom your friends house on the way down the hill.
Stop and ask for a hand to help you cross the street for the first time ever.
Sit in time out at the bus stop for ignoring Mom when she asked you to get out of the neighbors yard next to the bus stop.
Sit on Mom’s lap sucking your thumb and playing with your ear until Mom said you could get up.
On the way back up the hill, you might take Mom’s hand to cross the street again. Mom is left wondering where this sudden caution has come from.
You stop the watch the busy bees on the flowers and be sure and tell mom bees are working and you can’t touch them. You try and count them, up to 10, missing number 6, because you never say 6 when you are counting.
You know there is a spider in her web in the garden next to the sidewalk at Mrs. Smith’s house. You must stop at the web, look for the spider and tell her good morning.
A few more steps up the hill, you might sit down suddenly and tell Mom you want your shoes off. After some discussion, you decide it would be better to wait until you got back into your house to take your shoes off.
You see the garbage truck and stop to watch him empty some trash cans near your house. Then you listen to his truck beep as he tries to back half way down the street in search of a place to turn around. For some reason unknown to Mom, big green trucks fascinate you.
As we approach our house, you might hear the dogs barking from the window next door. You look for them and squeal with excitement. You are happy to hear from them, and equally happy they aren’t outside jumping on you.
You might notice the sprinklers going in our yard in an effort to grow some grass. You go to the closest sprinkler and try messing with it, because that’s what you see mom doing every day.
As we get to our front door, you see our cat and squeal again, trying to convince the cat to come in the house with us. She doesn’t want too. You decide to ask Mom for more milk instead.

And so, at barely 8:40, you have had a busy day outside in the sunshine. If you were a Mom, walking to the bus this morning with a two year old, you might have walked down, and walked back, thinking only of what’s next on your to-do list, wondering how you can get it all done, and missed the wonder of a two-year-old’s world. You might, if you weren’t walking with this amazing two-year-old. If only we could all be two again, just for a little while.