NEVER, EVER, EVER in my life!

We have been busy this week running errands and getting Bean's room ready.  We did PT Tots this morning and Noah enjoyed playing in/with tunnels, mats, balance beams, balls, musical instruments, a parachute and much much more!  He took an hour longer nap this afternoon...wore him out!  I met another mommy with an 18mth old son...and a baby boy due in October.  She said that they got here 2mths ago...strange that we're basically on the exact same page!  There are so many children that we've run into that are 16-19mths old...no joke seems like everyone has a child in that age range!  And I am not imagining it either because the NEX is almost close to if not out of Noah's diaper size...every time I go in to buy diapers...so I've taken to having more of a stockpile than usual...just in case!  I'm thinking about running by the customer service desk and mentioning that they should order more diapers in his size when they make a shipment! 

Zack and I are emailing back and forth throughout the day and he seems to really like what he's doing.  He is on a new bench so he's learning new things, which keeps him busy since it seems like they don't have much work for them.  He's also studying for the advancement test in September.  When he first got to the ship he was put in the 2M shop...this is the shop associated with the soldering school that Zack completed before going on leave.  He was only there for two or so days before he got moved to a shop like the one he was in on the Truman...and his chief...Chief Tilden is one of his old chiefs from the Truman!  He knew Zack was coming and they ran into each other here before Zack even got to the ship...so it seems that Chief handpicked Zack out of the 2M shop to put him in with his crew!  I believe that he was his Chief when I was pregnant with Noah.  Zack is working hard to make a name again for himself...with his hard work and attitude he made quite a name for himself on the Truman...which is why he was handpicked out of the 2M shop by Chief Tilden.  This is really great for Zack's career...starting out in on a new ship with an old Chief.  It will allow him to have time to make a name for himself with everyone else in the department before evaluations and to have someone in his corner.

And now to the title of the blog...today Noah and I were getting ready to go on our evening walk to the park when our neighbor was outside.  He's is on shore duty so he's the go to guy if us ladies need a man's help!  Noah just loves him and talks to him whenever he's outside!  He was moving their sandbox/water table to the front of the building.  I asked him if he was getting rid of it and he answered...yup, do you want it?  I immediately answered YES!  He said that he just got it a few months ago but his daughters refuse to go outside...and then refuse to play in it.  We had ordered Noah a sandbox and also a water table but the company refunded us saying that the U.S. Postal Service declined the shipment because of the size of the items.  We were going to order from the NEX but since it takes months and months for the items to get here...he would have been able to play with them next summer.  We have the sand and the pool...waiting on the pump to arrive to air up the pool though!  So he walked into our yard and put it on our patio...I asked if he wanted something for it...and he replied..No, that's what neighbors are for!  So... tomorrow Noah can play in his new sand/water table combo!  Never in my life have things just landed in my lap like they are here in Japan!  And I can say that will 100% confidence.  I always had to work to get things to line up for me.  And it never ended up going the easy way...always full of complications and craziness that we we're told...never ever happened to anyone...or at least not all of the complications happened to the same people!  Various people told me that I needed to just have faith that God would take care of it all...but I never really gave into that idea because I always did the work to take care of it.  Not allowing God any time at all to work in His own ways.  I'm not sure that I've completely given up doing it my way but He is doing crazy, wonderful, amazing things in our lives here in Japan!  And it is making me reconsider my philosophy!  And then there are all friends and family that are sending us packages full of items for Noah and Bean.  I had made a post on fb saying that we were having a girl and saying that we needed to start getting girl things...I never expected to have multiple packages waiting on me each time I visit the post office!  We now have pink items for Bean and Noah has new items as well...so very thankful to everyone.  And now Zack was handpicked into a shop on the boat.  In this past month and a half, we have received so many blessings...so many things have just landed in our laps...starting out when we were in Dallas and had our names called out over the microphone for boarding onto our flight to Seattle.  A flight where we weren't going to be seated together...and then all of a sudden our names were called and we were literally whisked onto the plane into new seats...they took the stroller and told me that it's all okay.  The ladies at the desk in the terminal...all kept telling me that it was okay.  And I remember thinking that it was an interesting way to put it.  And I looked back at everyone in the terminal and I could see that they were thinking...who in the heck are these people!!  As we walked down to the plane...Zack leaned over and asked me quietly...what did you do to get us this special treatment?!  And I could honestly tell him...nothing...and then I added that there were many people lifting us up in prayers.  Those prayers are working and we're standing astonished with His work in our lives.  Looking back at the experience in the Dallas airport I'm still taken back by their choice of words...it's all okay.  A phrase that many many family and friends have used on me...Zack, Kristen, Dawn, Mom, Dad...  That experience and the one in West Virginia when the car broke down...are two times in my life where I can say without a doubt that God was working in our lives that very minute.  And their words have rang true...it all HAS been okay!