Meet L

A great big sister to Little A and just as pretty as her mommy!

Little A

I got to go out and play with a friends little ones.  Here is little A, Handsome little man about to turn One!

VBS 2010

My oldest attended Vacation Bible School this week and had a blast.  This afternoon they put on a little show of the songs they had learned throughout the week.  My daughter is a ham and loves to preform for people...She loved it.  Along with preforming today she has brought home verses to share & talk about.  She got to hang out with friends she hadn't spent time with in a while and make a couple new friends.

My Heart

We are getting back into a routine, a month or so after my Husbands return.  I do love my family so very much.  This whole transition has been really difficult for me.  I only want to be honest.  I am neither a person who is always positive or always negative. I feel bad for the whiplash I give my family between the two and dealing with it has been an adventure.  I was extremely sad when he left but pulled it together so that my kids could see that I was sad but still able to function.  I grew so much while he was gone.  I ventured out in a "New" country on my own, learned little phrases that helped me feel comfortable interacting with the local community, met lots of people and made a few friends in the process, started taking the kids to church and bible study.  I had my routine down and kept busy to pass the time.  I longed for evenings with my husband but also relished in my independence.  I had high expectations for his return.  Disciplining the children was going to be easier, he was going to fit right in and be excited about those activities the kids and I had become used to doing.  I am a romanticizer.  I was not going to be the person who had a hard time dealing with the return of the one person who I can't live without.  How could I not handle that?  I want nothing more than to be with him. So I sit here sharing with you I have been that person.  I have felt that as a mother I am failing this last month because I am finding it harder to deal with the kids.  As a wife, I feel bad that my husband is dealing with me beating myself up because I feel I can't hold it together. I don't want anyone to feel that I am saying it has not been great that he has been home.  It is wonderful, I love hanging out with him, the kids wanting him, holding his hand and being able to share with him the blessings God has given us. I love that he is strong and supportive no matter what silly idea I get, he is a fixer and a builder upper.  I love Him!  I am just bothered with myself for not living up to my own expectation.  It is all normal to have an adjustment period for separations that go on for extended periods of time.  I read something today that made me feel better about keeping it all together.  When things don't fit into the normal pattern or schedule be open to it because God is probably wanting to show you something.  Joy....I am working on Joy...finding Joy amongst the happy, trying, delicate and even sad times...Joy can always be there especially if we look to God and angle it all with the correct perspective it all can still be beautiful.  So this goes out to my family...A heart felt apology for not showing the Joy and Grace I want to embrace...I am a work in progress!  My Heart is with my family I just need to learn to go about it with proper perspective. 

Gibraltar

Beach

A Couple of Photos!

Face Paint

My girls got their faces painted tonight and loved them.  They love matching and sharing girly things like a butterfly face. 

Good-bye

My Daughter is having a sleep over tonight with her best friend of 7 months.  She moved in next door to us a month after we moved on base and were instant friends.  Tomorrow is going to be a sad day for them, they are having to say good-bye.  As much as we enjoy our military life, this is one of the things that never get easier.

Crazy Boy

Enough Said...

One of those days

Today is one of those in Photography, well actually one of those weeks.  I have felt uninspired and like I am traveling backwards on the learning curve.  Earlier in the week I set out to do shots of friends.  I came home and felt my shots were not up to par with what she was looking for (Luckily I am not in business just probono to learn).  I am blaming poor lighting choices on my part and I am looking forward to trying again. Today I set out to create some nice shots for my husband for Father's Day on Father's Day.  My shots were all blown out, blurry and just dreary!  I am having a brain lapse and can't figure out if it is light, camera settings, operator error.  I feel like all I have learned and studied has been washed down the drain.  As much as I am not liking the feeling of inadequate~ness, I am hoping that even professionals still have bad days.  I love taking photos and I know we are not all perfect all the time.  I am going to continue to practice and play and love it, even on my bad uninspiring days.

On a note of progress, I did create my first storyboard and I love it.  Learning to love it all...

Non-Compliant

As cute as he may be, my son knows what errkkks me!  As soon as my camera comes out her knows is to make faces, move as fast as he can and in general do everything but sit pretty and smile...He is too darn cute though.  Even if all I can get from him without bribery is a growl face!

This Does Not Help!

So far the last few weeks I have been in baby fever, baby envy whatever you call I have caught it.  It might be spurred by my sister having her next one, hearing of friends expecting, holding little gorgeous babies (like the one above) and the realization that unless my husband has yet another procedure we will not have another. 

It isn't healthy, I don't want one I have to give back when I am done.

I do so LOVE the ones I have but as soon as my youngest is out of diapers, I am out of baby anything.  I love and miss being one who is depended upon for just about everything.

Even writing this is not proving to be theraputic.

I am not a crazy woman, I just love babies.

Here is to more growth and baby-ing my babies until they are sick of me.  I love you my babies.

Thank you, Lisa, for letting me borrow you beautiful baby today!

Momma Mia!

Our friends little girl turned 1 yesterday!  She is so beautiful!  Thank you to her and her family for being so great.  They have been such a blessing to my little family.

Big Kids Now

The twins finally got big kid beds.  Being overseas is a challange when shopping for furniture, but I found what I wanted and had to wait for it to make it's journey across the Atlantic.  It finally arrived and was delivered to the house today.  I am not sure if I was all that big of a help, but I tried to get a jump start on the building process.  After re-doing only a couple of little parts, friends of ours helped me get it all set up for the Big Kids.  Thank you to Sergio and Lisa for being Awesome and helping me out.