Our Favorite Spot

I love our neighborhood. I can't really imagine many places I would rather live right now. There are a lot of awesome places to explore, and our kids can be free and independent. A few months ago Asher started to walk around part of the neighborhood by himself. He loves the independence. Some days the thought of raising kids to be successful independent adults sounds daunting. I'm trying to prepare them one step at a time. I never want to be someone who is fearful and imagines the worst that can happen. 

Yesterday was gorgeous outside. It was about 70 degrees and sunny. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to our favorite place in the neighborhood. It was the perfect day for a walk. There is a boardwalk that leads out to a gazebo on the water. The kids like the woods that surround it. 

 Piper insisted on wearing the new dress I made her. I am so glad Nate got me a serger. Sewing with knits is my new favorite hobby.

 Sam loves to join our activities.

Weekend Fun

Saturday found us with nothing to do, which was a really great feeling. There are a lot of fun options on Saturday mornings, so Nate and I split the kids up. He went to the science center with Asher, and I took the rest of the kids to the art studio. Emmy Lu had fun walking around.

 Piper loved seeing Lucy. They were in preschool together, and Piper really misses her.

 Dex enjoys most art projects.

We all met up afterward and tried a new place for lunch. It was nice to have a day without much to do.

Saying Goodbye

I have said more good-byes in the last 8 years, than I ever did growing up. It is hard. Really hard. Being in a military community is so great for many reasons. I get to meet people from all over the world, and form amazing friendships. It's so tempting to hold back from friendships when you know people will only be here for a short time, but I never want to hold back. I don't want to miss the relationships and experiences. 

Tonight we said bye to the Beans. I met Sheena when Piper was two weeks old. I was feeling a bit lonely and joined a local playgroup. She had just moved from Hawaii and I was drawn to her. We became fast friends, and our families hung out a lot. Over the last 6 years we have spent countless meals together, and beach trips. We have laughed, and cried, and argued. Dreams have been achieved, and new ones were made. About two years ago God really spoke to their hearts about getting out of the Coast Guard. Tomorrow they move back to Hawaii and Austin will begin a job as a youth pastor. They have big big dreams for doing ministry in the place they love. 

My heart aches. I will miss the friend who I can truly tell anything to. She doesn't judge, and always helps me laugh. God did a fine job the day he made her.  

I guess we need to start saving for our Hawaiian vacation!

Winter Weather

Sorry for the lack of posts. I just can't seem to find my motivation to blog. I really want to. I'd love to take this blog in new directions and write more of my voice. Hopefully the inspiration will come and I won't give in to distractions (having three months of free HBO isn't helping). 

The weather has been awesome this week. It's been mostly in the 60's and the kids have been outside a lot. I am not jealous of the snowy weather our families are getting right now. 

 It's hard to get her to stop long enough to snap a few photos.

I hope this southern winter weather continues.

Back at it

We recently got back from a two week trip to PA to see our families. Other than the kids getting ear infections and my in-laws getting the flu it was a really good trip. The older ones were bummed that there wasn't any snow, but it did mean we got to be outside for extended periods of time. 

Nate and I took the big kids to Hershey Park. The weather was perfect and we got to stay for about 5 hours. I love going there in the winter. Tickets are only $12, and all the kids rides and a lot of the adult rides are open. 

 We had them all do a few rides together, and then Nate took Asher off to do some of the bigger rides.

 My brother is a math teacher in Virginia, so he also gets a lot of time off in December. My kids LOVE uncle Matty. If he is awake there is at least one kid trying to play with him.

 All of Nate's siblings were at his parents for Christmas. It was noisy, and crowded, and a lot of fun. Asher and Piper really liked being around their cousins. We took them to a nature center one morning. The science and engineering (as well as stubborn and wild) genes run strong in these boys. They both had a lot of fun with the microscopes.

Visiting our families was a great way to spend our holiday break.

Running with Asher

A few weeks ago I signed Asher and I up for the Turkey Trot 5K. I thought it was the day after Thanksgiving, so we got up early and were excited to run. It turns out I should pay more attention to dates, and it was on Saturday. Since we were out, we got donuts and did a little shopping. On Saturday we showed up again. Asher met up with a little friend and the two of them ended up running most of the way together. In all honesty I couldn't keep up with them. Asher ran the 5K in 30 minutes, and I finished up a few minutes behind him. I look forward to many more races with this kid (well not running with him, but at least trying to catch up).

Quick Update

I'm sorry for the lack of post lately. I've been busy trying to keep Emmy Lu from taking all the ornaments off the tree (I actually gave up this morning) and trying to make sure Dexter keeps his pants on. I also joined the Elf on the Shelf cult this year. It basically means instead of my kids waking up at 5:45, they are up at 5:30 due to elf excitement. 

We are counting down the days until we visit our families and friends in Pennsylvania.