California Living

We have been in California for a month now. Jeff has been gone for nearly 2 weeks. The kids and I miss him terribly but are trying to stay busy and beat the heat. To pass our time we are homeschooling in the mornings and then either swimming in the pool or going to the park in the afternoons. We've done some church shopping, and signed L up for AWANAS to help him meet some kids and make some friends.

Although we are at my parents house - I am lonely. Both of my parents work so the kids and I are on our own most of the time which is nice for everyone I think. It lets us keep a somewhat normal routine. One thing that has come of the temporary separation and the demands of single-parenting - I realized how totally dependant on the Lord I am.

I don't do well with change and in the last month we have had a lot of that! God has revealed himself to me so much in my quiet times and my prayer time. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He does not change and that is a huge comfort.

Here are some pictures from last week when we started kindergarten. L's first day of school.

Viva Las Vegas

So as I mentioned last week Jeff and I went to Vegas for our FIRST VACATION since our honeymoon. It was a blast. We stop on the way there at Bob's Big Boy for lunch. I hadn't seen one of those places since I was a kid.

On top of the Stratosphere. I nearly died on the elevator ride, my thrill-seeking husband did the ride that swings you over the edge and spins you around.

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

That's right. We arrived in California on Sunday evening to a welcoming 109 degree weather :). Geez how did I ever grow up in this heat? Our trip was uneventful for the most part. We hit heavy rush hour traffic in Portland and got lost in Woodland, Ca (we needed a gas detour). We waved fairwell to Washington at about noon on Friday and drove for 10 hours, crashed (in hotel beds not in cars ;P) and started again and at 6:30 the next morning. Saturday we drove until 5pm and arrived at our friends house for a -much too short- visit. After spending the night with friends we got on the road at 5:30 Sunday and arrived in Cali at 3pm. That was 3 days, 1300 miles and 30 hours in two seperate cars with 3 kids and 2 dogs - if anyone was interested.

I haven't taken out my camera in at all in the last week. I'm having withdrawals. I have 10 full days left with Jeff until he leaves and only 105 days until he comes back (what? whose counting?).

Today I'm meeting with a friend for lunch and on Monday hubby and I are going to Las Vegas for our 2nd time away in the 10 years we've been together. We went away for our honeymoon and we went away for one night on our 5 year anniversary (but I was 8 1/2 months pregnant so I'm not officially counting that one). This time my parents are watching the kids for 3 whole nights. I'm excited and a totally nervous about being away from them.

They have been crazy and emotional and hyper since we arrived. I am hoping that it will all settle down with time. J is an emotional wreck and L is bouncing off the walls. Praying that once we establish a routine life will become more normal.

Family Portrait

We drove to Oak Harbor today to visit some friends before our movers come TOMORROW and the chapter of our life in Washington comes to a close. We had a WONDERFUL time. I wanted to post one of the great pictures she took of us. I don't have time to talk about our trip as the movers come (as I mentioned) TOMORROW! Odds are you won't get many updates from me for the next 2 weeks because of this transition. So be blessed and be praying for us please!

Oh What A Day - No pictures in this one

No one wants to see this. So I'll just tell you about it. My morning started with L helping with the laundry. He put the clothes from the dryer onto the kitchen table and then jumped down from one of the table chairs. On his way down he tried to pick up a sock he dropped and ended up jumping off a chair bent over catching the back of the chair with his eye. Blood everywhere.. thankfully he only split his eyelid open. After several minutes of profuse bleeding we were able to stop it and he laid with an ice pack on his eye.

Then off to the park to meet a friend. While the other kids where playing on the playground M decides to walk back and forth on the park bench. Just as I look over from the other side of the playground I see M lose his footing and start to do a dead drop off the bench. Unfortunately his arm caught on the table, he spun forward and broke his fall with his NOSE.

I rush over pick him up and his nose is already tripled in size and gushing blood. We spent 4 hours in the ER to be told that it is likely he fractured his nose, but there is nothing they could do about it, but since he was so swollen we would have to wait and see. Our discharge papers officially diagnosed him with a nosebleed. Really? It was a stress filled day to say the least, and I was NOT impressed with the ER staff. Grateful they didn't think he had done any damage to his brain we came home to rest.

My loving husband let me take a nap after all the emotional stress of the day. This morning L's eye looks fine, just sliced, and M's nose is purple and swollen, but MUCH MUCH better than I had expected.