3 years + 4 years + 3 months = 2 days

Day two of our personal family holidays.

Four years ago today, on a rainy Saturday night, Zach and I exchanged vows and celebrated with our family and friends.  The second best decision I have ever made after accepting Christ.  Celebration tonight consisted of my parents and kids, wine in a pretty glass (Esther had a pretty glass with sparkling grape juice aka "special juice"), fresh asparagus, wild rice, an Easter card from my Dad (Mom asked him to pick up a card for me for my anniversary) and this:

Yes, that's bacon.  Mom asked Dad to pick up some kind of meat and this is what Dad brought home.  I love my dad.  He sure knew how to make a hard day a little lighter.

Today also marks Zeb ticking over the three month mark.

He's getting to be such a big little boy.

I am so blessed.  I have a wonderful husband, beautiful daughter, and a son who's mirroring his father's handsomeness.  Thank you Lord for the gifts you have bestowed on me, I am humbled by your generosity.

Three wonderful years

Our beautiful little girl is three years old today.  We went to McD's and right after I took her shoes off in the play-place, a little girl and her grandma walked in, and Esther turns around to this little girl who we've never even seen before, smiles and says "There you are!" and then attacks this little unsuspecting girl with a bear hug.  (Don't ask, I don't know why lol).

After a lot of playing with Kiara and eating, we hurried on over to Meemaw's house to try to catch Daddy on Skype.  Here's a snippet of the conversation:

Esther:  Daddy, can you come over in the red car?
Zach: Sorry babe, I can't, there's a big body of water and I don't think the car could make it.
Esther: The water will open up and you can drive through then, the people will clean up the mess.

After a short nap for Esther and a long nap for Zeb, we headed back to Grammie and Grandpa Jim's house for a little dinner and a little chocolate chip cake Grammie picked up for tonight.

She blew out the candles as soon as the cake was put in front of her.  Then she had a blast playing with her farm set from Zach and I.

 

She is an amazing gift from God, one that is at times challenging, but so very rewarding.  We wouldn't trade her for the world.

Happy Birthday Esther!

A Wrinkle in the Time-Knitting Continuum

Things I've finished since last post:

 a knitting needle holder (I've added a larger top flap sine the photo),  it's been wonderful for grabbing and going, so I'm always prepared (except for today, when I didn't grab when I go-ed and regretted it)

 a little baby hat :)

and a hat that Zeb will grow into (still needs to be blocked, still searching for something to block it over)

For Valentine's Day/our anniversary, I had asked Zach for a set of 2.25mm knitting needles (knitpicks harmony wood needles, they're pretty, have yet to use them) and as a surprise, he sent me 13 skeins of yarn to go with them.  He chose his favorite colors of the wool yarns that I had used before, which oddly enough would fit very nicely into a kitchen from the 70's.  I've already decided what I'm going to use some of the yarn for, anyone want to give ideas on what the sage and onyx worsted should be used for?

 Beautiful colors!

 This picture does not do the onyx yarn justice, it's a gorgeous blue black color, and it's heathered which makes it even more beautiful.

I love my somewhat newly found hobby, but because of the phenomenon pictured below,

it's hard to find the time to get much done.  I love being home with my children and I wouldn't change my time with them for anything (remind me of this when Esther continues to ask for the cup of juice please as I'm getting out the cup, filling the cup, capping the cup and putting it in her hands for the fourth time that day).  I see all of these beautiful patterns and think, oh I want to make that, oh I have the yarn to make that, and then realize by the time I would be able to finish that sweater for Esther, she'd be putting it on her own child.  Complete projects don't happen very often... maybe I should have chosen a quicker hobby... :)

Some things are best forgotten

I have decided that it is a good thing we do not remember our infancy.  This decision was made whilst I was closely inspecting Little Man's derriere for remnants of what I will euphemistically call "stuff".  If we remembered the diaper changes, the crying fits, the nursing, the thousands of kisses planted on various parts of our bodies and the high, squeeky voices endlessly repeating phrases like "You're so cute, can I get a smile?  Can I get a smile?  There's a sweet smile!  Oh!  You letting out some gas?  Wow, that's a good boy!  You fart like your Daddy!", we would all be scarred for life, constantly feeling just a little sick to our stomachs.  Just a thought.  Which brings me to some irony:

Little Mister's happiest place is the changing table.  He could be screaming bloody murder and the second his body hits the changing pad, he's all smiles.  Apparently he likes clean diapers (who'd blame him?) and being naked (the naked part seems to be his favorite).

Yesterday I knit my first gauge swatch,

(picture of the cast on) which is mildly appalling because I've finished several items already, breaking the rules along the way I guess.  This is going to be a hat for Zeb, progress pics to come.  Speaking of, I think I'll go knit now... :)

I admit it...

I will spend longer in the bathroom than I really need. It's the perfect opportunity to defer the non-stop questions to someone else for a precious five minutes a day. I think everyone who has ever asked a stay-at-home mom the question "So... what do you do all day?" Needs to be given a preschooler for two days in a row. One day is not enough and I will tell you why - after the first day, they will begin to see what you do do all day, but then they get to go to bed with the knowledge that they will be doing the same thing all day long the next day. Now I do not think the "awakening" should last more than two days and again, I'll tell you why - the question-poser does not love my children like I love my children, therefore their motives are not a parent's motives. I will not delve any more into that scenario... the point is, being a stay-at-home mom is a full time job and I do not feel guilty admitting stealing 5 minutes of inaccessible time a day, even if I have to retreat to the bathroom to do it.

A temporary new life

My husband is disembodied text on a screen, being sent from a country racked with war.
My daughter is sleeping in my brother's former room, missing her daddy and trying to teach her 2 month old brother how to play.
My son is currently sleeping in his car-seat beside my bed, not because that's the only place for him but because that's where he'll sleep the longest.
My pre-marriage bedroom is now my current bedroom, complete with crib and changing table.
My marriage is long-distance, my heart is in two halves, my house-hold is spread across two states and mostly in cardboard boxes.
My God is sufficient, my Comforter, my Provider.

I thank God for my husband and pray for his safety
I thank God for my children and pray for their salvation
I thank God for deployments and will continue to do so until my love is in my arms
I thank God that the deployment will eventually end and am already praying for our transition back to being a family under the same roof

I pray that I will be faithful, that I will grow, that I will do right by our children and household while my better half is away.

Now, after all this introspection, I'm going to sleep, future posts will not always be this heavy.

P.S. Zach, I think Zeb has you beaten in the farting realm, that boy has the longest farts I've ever heard!

Hey Zach, some of these are a little old, but I don't think they've been put up because they're from mom's camera.

As soon as Heather walked in with Kiara for the first time, we both had to feed our babies.


Their first pics together were a fiasco!

This was Esther's first time in the bumbo seat. She ended up completely slumped over. She's doing great in it now though!


Esther fell asleep in Mom's swing like this. Look at the fingers on her right hand too... so cute!
There's the girls taking a nap together, kinda ;)

Dad was being really cute playing with Esther after dinner at the table.


She's trying to eat everything in sight now.

Then the storms hit and Heather and I took the girls into the basement at Heather and Ry's and Nermal wanted so badly to come down and join us.

Down in the basement making sure the girls were safe and trying to keep plugs from falling on the extremely gross floor.
One person who was definetly NOT phased by the tornadoes.
Dad playing with Kiara after one wave of storms had blown over.

It's still a little big but I just had to put it on her and take a pic to show you! You're a hero to both of us!

Isn't this cute?

And then here's the proud Grandma/Milita. She can't decide what she wants to be called and wants Heather and I to pick. What do you like better?

Love you and miss you, I'll keep putting pics of Esther up for you as often as I can!