A Trip to the Aquarium

Our littles had their first taste of an aquarium a few weeks back -- taking them somewhere for the first time is always such a treat! It did take them a while to feel comfortable with the sharks, though. I don't think they were convinced that the glass was enough to protect them from the (admittedly alarming) predators. Once they settled in, though, we were hard pressed to drag them away. Pablo took this snapshot while Laddie had a snack in the recesses of the shark exhibit:

This Tomistoma crocodile was hanging out right next to the glass. A bit eerie, actually, the way he calmly surveyed us. So many teeth!

The ray touch tank was probably my favorite bit. I expected them to be rubbery, but the sensation was actually soft and little spongy. And very, very slimy. 

I do love turtles! This one was impressively large. Turtles always seem so serene as they drift about. Which makes me wonder what is actually going through their minds; it would be a bit ironic if they were stressed all the time, wouldn't it?

Sweet, sweet memories with my favorite peoples! 

I can't believe that summer is already coming to an end -- it's flown by at record pace! But I'm quite excited about my first "real" Fall in many years. Just around the corner, now!

Here

We are here. 

That's a deceptively obvious statement, considering the amount of time, effort, etc., that was necessary to make it valid! Somehow, some way (I'm still fuzzy on the details) we managed to pack up our belongings and start the trek to Virginia. Actually, that's not entirely true, because it's very clear to me that the only way we did it was with an army of helpful friends & family, my parents (who made the 1-hour trek to our home an insane number of times that last month!), and Pablo's brother (whom we tasked with everything unpleasant that we didn't really want to do...). 

The drive up was interesting -- not really bad, in the sense that our new little Laddie slept virtually the entire time, the two older kids were relatively well behaved (we used our van's DVD player for the first time, which was a huge boon!), and the drive itself was smooth. It was just very, very, very long. Elongated by the necessity of frequent feeding/potty/eating breaks. But, by God's grace, we arrived! Three days later we signed the lease on a rental -- a providential story in itself, since the rental we were planning on pre-move turned out to be a 2nd floor unit with no outside area for the kids to play. Just before we went to see it, I found another rental that cost less and had some outdoor space for the kids. And it's in the perfect location, too. We unpacked the truck the same day we moved in (and also drove a few miles away to pick up a Craigslist washer and dryer, as the unit didn't have them!).

The littles and I enjoyed watching this fellow rustling up some breakfast

Two days later, Rosa came down with a stomach bug. The next evening, the rest of us got it. There has been a lot of laundry lately -- thank goodness for that washer and dryer! It has easily (or rather, not-so-easily *wink*) been the craziest four weeks of my life, but God has sustained us through it all. And really, very little has actually gone "wrong." He has blessed us over and over again, even as we've been bombarded with challenge after challenge.

Spring is on its way here -- our second spring this year!  

Little by little, box by box, we're settling into a new rhythm. And hopefully I'll be able to stop and catch my breath soon!

Wings

This is the cumulative result of the past two years of hard work, training, and sweat on Pablo's part:

He is now an official Naval Aviator! I had the privilege of pinning his wings on at his winging ceremony a few weeks ago, which was probably the most important moment in both of our lives apart from our wedding and the births of our children.

Yes, there is a name on the patch, but the magic of
photo editing preserves our privacy! *wink*

 Winging is a Big Deal in the life of an aviator, and it was such a delight to share in all of the festivities that week. Because we live quite a distance from base, I haven't had much opportunity to participate in the various activities, which made it all the more exciting for me! I felt even more blessed to be married to this man (if that's possible) as I witnessed the respect he's earned from his superiors and fellow officres through his hard work and attitude.

There was a luncheon to put on the week before winging, which I was very involved with because Pablo's winging class was smaller than usual. I had the "brilliant" idea to make enchiladas, rice, and black beans for 90 people -- despite the fact that I've never made enchiladas, rarely make rice because Pablo doesn't like it, and have never made black beans as a side dish. Not to mention that I've never cooked for that many people before! Fortunately one of the other "wingers" helped us assemble the enchiladas and another winger took care of dessert -- and in the end it was quite successful!

The night before winging was the "soft patch," a more casual celebration (i.e., pizza party!) for family where each student aviator's initial instructor takes off their student patch and replaces it with a "wing patch" -- complete with stories, either complimentary or humorous! I was so glad my parents were able to come to both the Soft Patch and the Winging; they have been incredibly supportive through this whole process (first OCS, then several phases of flight training), and it was so special to share this time with them.

Little Man certainly enjoyed the chance to fly "Daddy's helicopter" (just a trainer for now; once we move he'll be flying his designated helo):

And even his little brother had his first "ride!" Though sadly he won't remember it!

And here's the man himself -- and "almost" aviator in this photo, taken the day before winging:

Pablo's CO (Commanding Officer) insists that he has the best hair in the Navy.
I agree, but I'm just a little biased! *wink*

I'm so proud of Pablo's achievements, and so grateful for God's blessings as we've navigated this new phase of life. He has opened door after door, and we can clearly see His guidance in our lives since Pablo first started considering joining the Navy. The road ahead will have its challenges (more training, frequent moves, deployments, etc.), but I am confident that the Lord will give us the grace and strength to tackle whatever He puts before us.

Of the three helicopters he could have been assigned out of flight school, Pablo got his first choice -- a huge relief and blessing! As I mentioned in my last post, we'll be moving to Virginia in a few weeks, and near the end of the year we'll be taking an even longer trek to Guam for about 3 years. I lived in Virginia as a baby/toddler, while my dad served as a chaplain on the USS Wisconsin during the first Gulf War, so now I'll have the chance to actually make some memories there. And my parents and sister lived on Guam for several years in the mid 80's while my dad was stationed there as a chaplain at the Navy hospital. It's one of the few duty stations I "missed" during my dad's Naval career (not having been born yet!), so now I'll have a turn.

I'm looking forward to our tropical adventure, partly because it's far from my "comfort zone." The beautiful scenery, waterfalls, and snorkeling sound great. The abundance of snakes and spiders, not so much (though I wouldn't really mind the snakes at all if it weren't that they are somewhat dangerous to children). It figures I would get really into knitting shortly before moving to an island where the record low is in the mid-60's and the average temp is 75-85. I'll have to put my wool on hold and stick to lace knitting with cotton and linen yarn! At least I'll be spared the trouble of putting together winter wardrobes for several years -- and I'll probably have very little to store, since the children are more likely to wear their clothes out  when they can wear them year-round.

Well, that's enough "news" for now! Hopefully our little chap will arrive in a few weeks -- because we need a little more excitement, you know?

Six and Twenty

I had a birthday a few weeks back, which means that I'm now twenty-six. Not that it feels any different from twenty-five! I no longer look forward to birthdays the way I did when I was little (though I certainly don't dread them... yet), but as it happened I had a splendid birthday thanks to my sweet family. Little Man loves birthdays, and was quite excited that I was having one! Rosa was also excited, mostly because I received cookies as a gift.

Life has been quiet of late, with much reading of picture books and innumerable requests to listen to "Puff, the Magic Dragon." And plenty of sibling disputes. But that means that the siblings are playing together, and it is such a delight (between altercations) to see them interact. Rosa is talking up a storm, and tries to copy every single thing that Little Man does. Which is sometimes good, and sometimes not good! Lately she's been singing snatches of the alphabet song, though most of the letters are rather garbled.

Pablo recently brought home a little chap who was trying to cross the road near our house, and we "entertained" him on the back porch for a while before setting him out in the back yard. He was quiet petite, only about five inches long. I was so pleased that the littles got to see a turtle, because we've passed several on the road without having the time to stop and look.

My apologies to those of you who are squeamish with reptiles!

That weekened we made the lengthy drive to my parents' to visit Little Man's favorite type of museum (not that he's been to many thus far!). Rosa thoroughly enjoyed herself, too, and we had quite a time browsing through the various aircraft on display. It's remarkable how greatly my enjoyment is now linked to theirs -- I may have seen something for the hundredth time, but observing their wide-eyed delight kindles a whole new kind of pleasure.

Ready to explore!

Later we took advantage of the free babysitting to visit one of my favorite restaurants for a birthday meal. My lands, was it ever good! This particular eatery oozes with character and delicious food, so we had quite a memorable time of it.

 The days continue hot and muggy, with now and then a tantalizing respite (usually before a storm) to remind us how delicious the fall weather will be. I never seem to be done eating, as a little smackerel of something about twenty times a day is the only thing to ward off my mild first trimester nausea. It's a bit frightening to think I eat more often than Winnie the Pooh or even a hobbit! Thank goodness my appetite has escalated.

I've been knitting more than sewing lately, as I try to finish up my first cardigan (for Rosa). I'm now on my third pattern, as the first two I picked were too ambitious for my limited skills! But I'm quite pleased with this pattern so far, and think it will be a success -- though possibly too large for this winter. I do need to get back to my sewing machine, though, as I'm running quite low on tops -- most of what I have are either not maternity or very maternity, neither of which are really working for my currently tiny "bump."

And so far, that's six-and-twenty. So far, so good.

A Trip to the Zoo

Now that Little Man is approaching his third birthday, we thought it was time to take him to the zoo. Photos and YouTube videos just don't do justic to the wondrous array of animals that God has designed!

Thus, we undertook the rather lengthy drive to the closest zoo, and began our explorations.

Curious 

It was a blistering day, but at least it was sunny -- one of the few dry days we've had this summer! 

See the baby in tow?

I'm a huge fan of ring-tailed lemurs, so I was delighted to see some at the zoo!

The highlight of my day was definitely feeding the giraffes. They're one of my favorite animals (those eyelashes!), and having such a huge animal lick your hand with its giant purple tongue is quite remarkable. Twenty-five cents for giraffe "chow" was some of the best money I've ever spent!

Notice that the giraffe's head is about three times the size of mine? Amazing!

Check out those fingers!

Well, hello there!

Love those horns

I wonder what the silverback is musing about...

It's just not a zoo without a llama

There were little peachicks (baby peacocks) wandering all over the place

Peek-a-boo

Everyone was looking for some shade!

Overall, our little trek was quite a success! I had been anticipating that most of my enjoyment would come from watching Little Man see the animals for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the trip on my own account! 

And while Little Man has pretty much sworn off naps, apparently the fatigues of the day were irresistable...

Newport

Pablo attended three months of Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island -- our first real separation. He actually got the call from the Navy just a few hours after Rosa was born. Being apart was agonizing, but also a good "test run" for me of what life will be like while he's on deployments. He excelled at OCS, which was no surprise to me! The littles and I flew up to Newport for his graduation, and it was such a delight to re-visit the Northeast (though it couldn't hold a candle to the excitement of seeing Pablo again!).

My dad had six weeks of training in Newport when I was six years old, so I have distant but fond memories. I couldn't go back without visiting the Breakers!

Luckily for me, Newport overflows with Colonial and Gilded Age history -- which happen to be my two favorite America historical periods. Walking streets once paced by founding fathers is an experience that those of us confined to the South are unfamiliar with.

While the beauty of The Breakers was overwhelming, both Pablo and I found it rather excessive and gaudy -- we much preferred the "downstairs" kitchen and butler's pantry.

Here's a gratuitous shot of my handsome Ensign (with six week of growth on his noggin; candidates' heads are kept closely buzzed for the first seven weeks). Obviously, it's taken me a while to post these, as I doubt it's snowed in Newport recently. I couldn't believe that I got exactly what I wanted in terms of weather -- several inches of snow fell while we were there, but none of it stayed on the roads! Snowy roads sound terrifying to me...

I just couldn't go to Newport without getting lobster, which I'd been craving for a while. His name is Ralph, by the way. Please don't ask my why I named him before consuming him...

Sadly, we didn't get to do much sightseeing, since we were all exhausted (especially Pablo) and the wind was insane almost the entire time. But we did have a walk-about or two, and did a bit of driving. Here's the famed Trinity church:

Newport took my breath away with street after street of gorgeous homes -- tree-lined avenues in the "mansion district", endless streets of Victorians and Queen Annes, and stately rows of Colonial dames. I'd love to go back with more time and more energy.

 I'm always glad for an excuse to do a bit of globe-trotting! And now that we're in the Navy, I'm going to venture a guess that there's quite a bit more of it in our future.

From Whom All Blessings Flow

Our Heavenly Father has graciously sent us a wee little lady to love and raise for His glory!  

She very considerately arrived sixteen days early (beating her older brother's record by four days), and weighed just one ounce more than Little Man did at birth. Whether that's because I "bake" them fast, or due to my religious consumption of Gentle Birth Formula with both babies, I don't know -- but with less than five hours of labor this go around, I'm definitely planning on continuing use of the herbal supplement for (Lord willing) future pregnancies.

Labor was so fast, in fact, that we made it to the hospital with only thirty minutes to spare! The delivery nurse  asked me if I had wanted an epidural, though she said it was a pointless question because it was too late even if I had wanted one. Arriving too late to have an epidural? Sounds like perfect timing to me! Though maybe I should leave just a little bit sooner next time, since I have no desire to have a car-birth story to tell...

I knew the baby was posterior, which led to fears on my part about prolonged back labor, interventions, and possibly even C-section -- which are all possible complications with that positioning. But this labor felt identical to my last (just faster), and three pushes sufficed to bring our little one into the world, still sunny-side-up. 

With neither tongue-tie nor jaundice to battle, settling in has been a bit less bumpy than last time! Little Man adores his wee sister, giving her frequent kisses, and doing his best to be gentle. She's such an easy baby so far, and seems quite content as long as she's fed and cuddled.

I am trying not to enjoy having a girl to sew for and dress too much, but so far I've had little success! Though I'll breathe a not-so-little sigh of relief when her baptismal gown is finished, since I'm finding that project a tad stressful.

As for what she'll be called in this little corner of the Internet? I think I'll take inspiration from the beautiful miniature blooms brought to us by our pastor, and call her "Rosa." I can only pray that one day she will blossom into a Godly young woman!

Living Large -- A Review of "Large Family Logistics" by Kim Brenneman

My sweet mother gave me a copy of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family for my birthday -- at my request, so it wasn't a hint on her part! *wink*

I was really curious about this book, though I thought I was probably getting ahead of myself. After all, though we hope the Lord blesses us with many children, we currently only have one child and one-on-the-way! I wondered if any of its contents would be applicable now, or if I'd have to stow it on the shelf in the hopes that one day I'd actually need it.

However, Kim opens up the preface with this:

"Many years ago, I was the mother of one small baby boy in a little rental house. My husband and I were committed to having me stay at home to raise our little boy. I remember being embarrassed because of the dust, laundry piled up, and dirty dishes, and I scrambled to make something for supper just minutes before my hard-working husband came home. Why couldn't I handle the basics? My shortcomings as a homemaker frustrated me... I was rich compared to women throughout the ages, and I knew it. What was wrong with me?"


As soon as I read that, I knew I was in the right place!

I really appreciate that Mrs. Brenneman starts out with Scriptural examples, attitude, and self-discipline. This is not a gimmicky "Revamp your life in three easy steps" book! There is Scripture sprinkled generously throughout the book, which helped me stay on track as to why these things are important.

Once the foundation has been laid, Mrs. Brenneman goes on to provide advice and ideas on virtually every area of family life. Laundry, cleaning bathrooms, homeschooling, gardening -- it seems that nothing escapes her notice! Much of what she writes is definitely geared for families with many children (as the title suggests), but I found that most of it was still helpful for me. I'd rather implement many of these practices and systems at the beginning, so that should the Lord bless us with many children, our household will continue to function smoothly (apart from the inevitable "bumps" of life, of course). The chapters are generally short and easy to digest, making it simple to either read the book cover to cover or to find a specific topic.

Personally, the book convicted me in a number of areas where I have been falling short due to lack of self-control. I don't mind work per say, but I don't much like work that I find disagreeable! Laundry I can handle, because I like it. I don't generally fall behind. Cleaning bathrooms? Not so much my thing.

There's also the token section on decluttering, which seems to find its way into every book on homemaking these days!  Quite honestly, despite the fact that we're just starting out and don't have a large house, I'm just tired of having so much stuff. Or rather, having more stuff than we need or use is hindering, not helpful. So encouragement in that direction was appreciated.

One aspect of the book that I liked was Kim's flexibility. By that I mean that she doesn't set up some Martha Stewart utopia of perfect housekeeping. She talks about stages in life where disposable plates and cutlery might be what your family needs, or how the systems she describes will need to be tweaked for individual families. I didn't feel that there was a "one right way" mentality to the book, and Kim doesn't put you on a guilt trip if you can't "do it all."

Okay, now for my critiques! Most of them fall under the "trivial" category, in that they don't affect the message of the book.

First, this thing is huge -- I found the layout strange, and the plethora of entirely empty pages was a bit annoying. I love the cover design, but the 8 1/2" by 11" size is rather inconvenient. Insignificant, perhaps, but it made on-the-go reading an impossibility. Forget large family logistics -- let's give a little attention to large book logistics!

Probably my biggest critique was actually the editing! Really, I was astonished by the number of grammatical errors in this book. The most glaring was probably the plural of baby being spelled baby's. But that's just one of many, many errors. I've never seen so many grammatical errors in a published work. I don't blame Kim for this (I don't think being a grammarian should be a prerequisite for writing a book!), but whoever was responsible for editing was very negligent.

My only content-related critique is that I thought the book occasionally falls into an unnecessarily dogmatic tone about areas that really come down to personal preference. As I mentioned before, Kim's advice is generally quite flexible. But there were a few sections that seemed to elevate the author's preferences a tad too high, in my opinion (even when I personally agreed with her preferences). A "this is the only way to do it" attitude tends to rub me the wrong way. Still, I wouldn't consider it a very serious issue, especially since the majority of the book does not come across that way -- and perhaps others would not even agree with me that this is even present in the book. Still, I suppose a book review is inevitably influenced by the reviewer's opinions. *wink*

Now that it's been a while since I read the book (this review has been sitting in my drafts for some time...), I think a re-read is in order. For me, there is no such thing as too much encouragement in the right direction when it comes to homemaking!

Froehliche Weihnacht!

Or Merry Christmas. Or Feliz Navidad. Or Joyeux Noel.

However you choose to say it, here's a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours (even if it is a bit late)! We hope your celebration of Christ's birth was blessed indeed.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth.~ John 1:14 ~


The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
upon them a Light dawned.~ Matthew 4:16 ~

Many thanks to the BIL for snapping a photo!

Repurposed Magic

My mom traveled back for a visit a few months ago, bringing with her a delicious treat from New Zealand -- Pavlova Magic. It's a powdered mix in an egg-shaped container. You whip it up, bake it, and enjoy! This stuff is meringue extraordinaire! Crispy like baked meringue on the outside, soft and spongy like angel food cake on the inside.

If you really want to taste one, you can. You can buy one on Amazon, but it will cost you a hefty $24 once you pay for shipping! Not exactly a bargain for those of us... Up Over? What is the opposite of "Down Under," anyway?





Regardless, what we discovered is that once you've enjoyed your Magic, you can re-use it! With a wooden ring (too big to be a choking hazard) secured inside, it can take on a new life as a baby toy.

I can't be sure, but I think he has dreams of being a quarterback...

Thanks for the Pavlova and the idea, Mom!

By the way, I am told by my New Zealand contacts that the Pavlova originated in New Zealand. Apparently Australia has some delusions about taking credit for it...

And the Living is Easy

Over the weekend we made the rather long trek to the beach, since it's been about two years since we've enjoyed the gorgeous waters of the Gulf Coast. We're just not beach people. But I've been hankering to get my feet wet for a while, and Pablo was kind enough to oblige me!

It was also Little Man's first time in real water (since his baths in our bathroom sink don't really count).

He wasn't too sure about the whole water thing -- but he sure looked smashing in his shark swim trunks and sleek shades. They showed off his rolls of chub to perfection. Oh, the chub!

Summertime is in full swing here in Florida, and the living is easy (in the shade).

Although there's nothing easy about getting the sand out of baby rolls as deep as the Grand Canyon. Believe me.

It Doesn't Get Better Than This

(Okay, Blogger -- it's totally not cool that your recent technical difficulties deleted my last post, as well as the kind comments that readers had left! I guess I can't complain, since you're a free service. But as I try to rewrite my post, I'm very tempted to...)


This past Sunday was actually my second Mother's Day as a mother -- my first was quite memorable, having found out we were expecting only days before. Perfect timing, since we were able to announce the happy news to our moms with "Happy Mother's Day Grandma" cards. It took them a few moments to catch on!

But this Mother's Day was even better, since Little Man has now arrived on the scene!

It's hard to believe this chubby little guy is the same tiny baby we welcomed into our family in December.

Motherhood is such a blessing, challenge, and God-given privilege. It's humbling and exhilarating, all at the same time.

Even just a few months of being a mother (plus a few "gestational" months) have made me so much more appreciative of all the mothers in our family's history. If it were not for their sacrifices, my husband and I would not even be here -- and neither would our sweet baby. Really, Mother's Day is a day for everyone to celebrate!

So Happy (belated) Mother's Day!

A Brownie for Baby

My dear sister posted a humorous account of a recent visit, starring the newest (not to mention first) little son/grandson/nephew in our family.

And here it is, for your enjoyment!

A Cute Little Nephew Tale


Oh no, we're not infatuated. Why do you ask? *wink*