Family Update

I haven't updated in a while...sorry!  We've been busy and trying to get in our deployment groove this go around.  We had a rough start but we're finally there! 

Noah
He had a rough start this go around.  His usually one week of post daddy turned into two weeks of his post daddy phase..Rough!  He is more and more aware each time Zack goes out.  He talks about Zack being at work each day.  He tells me that daddy works for our family...for monies.  When he's tired he whines that he misses his daddy and when he's angry that Zack isn't here he tells me that daddy needs a new job!  His verbal skills are improving each day and he surprises me each day.  Today he told me that he was going to fly into the sky...past the clouds, past the moon and stars...and around the other planets.  Outer space is the theme this past month on Nick Jr!  He also enjoys going on walks to "exercise"...so that according to him...he can get big!  He's into being a big guy and doing what big guys do!  He is working on his two year molars.  One out of the 4 have came through.  It's a joy to have two teething children at the same time!

Caraline
She is a silly happy girl!  She likes to play by herself or with Noah...and then come me for some "loving".  She walks around furniture, can stand by herself, and stand up by herself.  I am working on getting her to stop eating at night...we're down to 4-5 in the morning.  She does sometimes wake up between 9-10 each night but goes quickly back to sleep when I put a bink in her hand.  She is still very much a binky baby!  She has two bottom teeth and two top teeth on her left side...so she looks slightly goofy when she gives a toothy grin!  I expect the other two top teeth to poke through any day now.  She has become pretty brave in the past few weeks and loves to go to the park.  She loves to climb up the stairs and go down the slides!  Just a few weeks ago she was content just sitting on the blanket with me.

Me!
I am doing well.  We have a lot of things going on.  We are gearing up for a family visit from my cousin, her hubby, and uncle.  Getting groceries for our "empty erator(refrigerator)" as Noah says is on the list tomorrow.  He opens the door at the end of the two week mark since we've gone to the commissary and tells me the "erator" is empty and we need to go to the food store!  I am also going to go see Zack on port call in a few weeks...hence the need to get Caraline to stop waking up at night.  Zack and I are both excited to spend time in a port together without any kids!  He loves to go with us on train trips...but has mentioned more than a few times that it's so much easier to go see sights without kids!  It is part of our post Navy life to go travel together around the world.  I am also getting Halloween, Christmas, and Caraline's Cupcake Bash under control.  Zack absolutely loves Christmas.  He loves Christmas so much that I'll say it again.  Zack absolutely loves Christmas!  Last year because he came home early after Caraline's birth...he was home during my Christmas preparations.  He was slightly disappointed because it took the magic out of all of it.  I have to make it special for our kids but also for him.  He is a nostalgic sentimental guy when it comes to the Holidays.  Our Christmas trimmings are up the day after Thanksgiving and stay up as long as possible!  And he seriously no joke starts his Christmas list the day after Christmas!  So to make up for the lack of "magic" last year my goal is to have it all done before he comes home.  For Caraline's birthday I'm going to make cupcakes for our friends and meet at a park.  It's going to be simple and sweet...and stress free!

We've already made the transition to using cloth napkins and cloth "paper" towels.  We used to go through a roll of paper towels a week between both kids...it was nuts.  It's saved us already quite a lot of money and I hope soon to make the switch to homemade laundry soap.  I like the idea of becoming "greener" and saving us money.  Zack makes the money and I make the budget. It only makes sense since I'm here at home needing the money...and making the pennies stretch.  I do coupon and I have probably close to 30 to use tomorrow...not counting the ones I'll pick up in the store.  I search online to find coupons when we run out of shampoo, toothpaste, body wash...etc.  I went to my first case lot sale this weekend at the commissary...and came out with a lot of toilet paper, bulk canned food, and a few other items.  There were some very serious shoppers there that were quite entertaining with their enthusiasm for a sale!  I also went today to a farmer's market today off base...I'm going to have to learn how to get there on my own.  It was nice to find some fairly cheap fresh produce and when Zack comes home...to buy fresh meat!  Our produce on base can often be 4-5 times more expensive than in the States.  For example, a green pepper is over 4 bucks a pound...nuts I know!

I will update when I can on fb letting you all know where Zack is ported...when the info is released!  that's it for now!

Family Update

We've been busy the last two weeks squeezing in as much family time as possible.  We haven't been able to squeeze in all that much since Zack has been working until 6-8pm each day six days a week...with duty around twice a week.  We are praying that the last week the ship is home...after the inspection and picnic...that we will have more time to lounge around the house relaxing as a family.

Noah
Today I looked at him in wonder.  How blessed I am to have such a wonderful son!  His imagination leaves me speechless.  Zack and I love to stand outside of his door quietly listening to him play.  He loves to go up to his room and play...hashing out his little adventures.  If we open the door and interrupt him before he's done playing he gets annoyed with us.  He loves his sister and is always planting kisses upon her head.  He likes to hold her up and take her where he wants her to sit so that she can be a part of his adventure.  We're working on lifting her from under her arms and not around her neck!  We love to listen to Pandora Radio....his favorite is the Disney channel and pointing out the movies the songs come from.  He loves to hold up Caraline and dance with her.  I see him and sometimes tears come to my eyes...to see that he is growing up so fast!

Caraline
She of course loves her big brother.  She thinks that he is the funniest person alive and I often find them sitting next to each other rolling with laughter!  She's added a few new words..yay and hi.  She also says, hi dad.  She is pulling up on her own now and getting braver.  She wants to walk if I stand her on her feet...to get to something.  She is climbing up the first step of our stairs...looking at baby gates is on my list for tomorrow.  She is eating table food for lunch and then usually baby food for supper and breakfast.  I've noticed that since I have gone to only table food for lunch that she doesn't always want to eat the baby food for supper.  Her favorite places in the house are either next to Noah's booster seat chewing on the strap or by the shoes...chewing!  She now has two bottom teeth...and we'll have to watch out when she gets those top teeth.  We just might have some teeth marks on our shoes if she keeps this up!

Me
Today I had my two hours of mommy time and I really enjoy that time "off".  It's nice to go accomplish "something" or get a bite with Heather.  It's a little renewal each Monday for me.  I am enjoying being a wife to Zack now that he's home...it's nice to do that again!  I haven't shared this with many but I never really wanted to go to college.  But my dear husband said that he wouldn't marry me if I didn't go to school!  And once I was in school and wanted to drop out...he said that he wouldn't marry me either if I did that!  So I went and got through school as quickly and efficiently as possible.  Don't get me wrong...I loved teaching...but my calling in life is to be a mother and wife.  And I absolutely enjoy being with the kids all day, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, grocery shopping...the whole lot(well not the cooking part!).  A few days ago we went to the bank and I was waiting in line with Caraline on my hip and Noah at my side.  Noah never actually stands at my side but wanders close by.  An older man entered the bank and got in line behind me.  He was talking and playing with Noah...mentioning that he has a four year old grandson.  Noah was eating up the attention and so Caraline also made sure that she got his attention too!  I assume the man was retired from the Navy and is now a contractor.  He told Noah that he and his sister are happy kids...and then turned to make eye contact with me and followed with saying that...your mom is doing a great job raising you both.  I was a little taken back by his sincere comment that I'm not even sure what I said back to him.  Zack was due to return soon and his comment hit the mark.  It still makes my heart warm when I think about it.  I am sure that my calling on this earth is to be Zack's wife and to raise our children.  And I don't find it an archaic notion.  It's the normal in this lifestyle.  Truth be told that I'd go crazy if I had to work full time and be a "single" mom when Zack's gone.  I can handle a lot but that would be too much for me.  I love that my day revolves around naps, snacks, lunch, playtime, and whatever else the Lord hands me that day.  That's what I was put on this earth to do...to be Zack's wife...and to nurture the children that God sends to us. 

To the Future Residents of #XX Duncan

I wish that the family that lived here before me would have left me a little note giving me some hints about the house.  After an eventful day, I couldn't help but think about after one year of living in this house what I've learned.

You obviously live on the corner.  This means that you only have noise from one neighbor which is a huge plus.  Now you pray that your neighbor cleans the house and doesn't cook weird food that will waft it's way into your home.  The downside of living on the corner is that you are the first stop on the centipede, spider, beetle, cockroach and just "bug" train line.  They must first make their way into your house, yard, and front area before moving down the line.  And your drain pipes are the first coming off of the main line that runs under the manhole covers in the backyard.  One of the manholes out on the road is not tightened down and makes a little noise every time someone drives over it...annoying at first but you get over it.

You must put duck tape over the PVC pipe the washing machine hose runs into...otherwise you will have centipedes crawling out of your laundry room daily.  You must take your laundry out of your dryer immediately during the months of July and August otherwise they will smell like mold and mildew.  You must also keep the dryer door shut during these months otherwise the entire laundry room smells like mold and mildew!  They will come and clean out the dryer lint every four months...this is annoying but your dryer will be close to dying at that four month point and will be begging you for this service.  You must turn on the fan when using the dryer otherwise the room will turn into a sauna.  Some of the air is vented outside so don't plant any flowers near the vent otherwise you will literally suck the water right out of them.  Also, don't plant nice flowers that cats wouldn't mind using as a bed...otherwise you will have flat dead flowers!

You must keep the air on and at least a few of the units on the dry function otherwise you will get mold.  Well you will get mold...it's unavoidable.  You will find it in odd places such as your child's glue stick.

You must not run your dishwasher at night during the months of July and August otherwise you will find mold on your dishes in the morning.  You must run the garbage disposal before starting the dishwasher otherwise your sink will fill up with water.

You must keep your sink drains closed, toilet seat lids down, the tub plugged, and the shower door closed otherwise you will have centipedes crawling out of the pipes and possibly a rat or mouse crawling out of your toilet.

The downstairs toilet has taken a diaper and the kids' toilet has taken a diaper and two rubber ducks...just an FYI if the toilet decides to cough up one or more of these items all over the floor.  And I'm not quite sure what the kids' sink upstairs took but it's slow.  Be sure to watch your kids when they run in there to play in the sink because you really could end up with water everywhere.

You must spread centipede powder and ant/cockroach spray at least once a month around the perimeter of the yard, house, and front steps.  Be sure to coat the outside of the manhole covers in the backyard.  Every morning there will be one dead cockroach on your back patio.  A quick flick of your broom and you can send him into the side yard.  Ants:You can't get rid of them but just keep spraying until they set up a trail that both of you can live with.  You must spray your kids with Natural/Organic bug spray each morning because the mosquitoes will eat them alive.  Your children will get hive spots and this is normal for those with European descent...however a trip the ER is needed if the bite is on the eye.  The screen door on the sliding door is wonderful in the fall and spring.  However, the mosquitoes can and will just fly right through the mesh.  You can and will get bit at 9 in the morning inside your house.  Which leads me to the front door.  It does not seal...along with all the windows in the house.  The bugs can and will just crawl right under the door and into your house especially during the months of July and August.  Teach your children to run to you when they see a bug and under no circumstances do they touch...otherwise you will be making an ER visit for antibiotics when one of your children gets bit by centipede.

Oh, and a family of some weird Japanese wasp is trying to set up it's home in the concrete next to the water hose outside.  They are quite determined to make that their home.  Invest in the very expensive battery operated giant bottle of bug spray at the Autoport...it will be well worth the money. 

Spray the concrete around the water hose and gutter drains with half bleach and half water to get rid of that green algae that starts to grow especially during the rainy season.  Your faucet outside will leak...it's an American hose on a Japanese faucet.

Earthquakes:  The doors and windows will shake first followed by the rest of the house.

Typhoons:  Your house is pretty well protected.  However, the vents on the roof into your house will shake, rattle, and moan with every wind gust...especially the one above the stove.  That one is highly annoying because it will snap open and closed.

The very friendly golden retriever that will come over and pee on your neighbors corner fence post across from the gate belongs to the family in D on the hill.  He likes to come down when the kids are playing outside...and apparently pee on that post! 

A year later and I've learned quite a few things about living in this house.  Now hopefully the next two years will go much smoother!

Family Update

I haven't updated in a while since we've been super busy.  My Dad left us about a month or so ago and my mom around two weeks ago.  It was nice...well amazing to spend some time with them.  Zack was upset that he missed them and wants to hopefully be able to catch them the next time.  The kids especially enjoyed the extra attention and getting to know their Papaw and Grandma.  I enjoyed spending my birthday with them and getting some help with the kids.  It feels nice to show them where we live, how we live, and Japan...to show them how much we've all changed in the past year.  Zack complains that I married him to be my mule...to carry the backpack when we're out in town and wrangle a kid when necessary...well he complains to complain...it's a Gogel man thing!  So I was able to take my parents places that were on my list that would be super difficult to nearly impossible to do by myself.  It's my job when Zack's home to plan our weekend trips and he just goes along for the ride.  My mom had mentioned a few places that she wanted to go and we checked those off of her list.  Dad was up for anything and so he was along for the ride this time.  I am sure that they were able to see why we enjoy it here so much.  And their top comment was about how nice the Japanese were and how they love the American children.

Noah:
Noah is missing his daddy very much.  He doesn't understand everything as to why Zack isn't here.  He knows and says quite often that Daddy loves us and so he's making us "monies".  I've bought three kids for Noah in the past almost two months for those Daddy moments he has.  I can tell he's having a rough day and I can pull out a gift telling him that Daddy sent him a present in the mail.  In his sweet little voice he says, Oh Mommy, I love Daddy and miss him.  Then he throws his arms around my neck and tells me thank you for Daddy making us "monies".  We used to take Zack to work occasionally so Noah calls that route from our house, Daddy's way.  Just about every time we drive past the pier Noah tells me about Daddy's boat and how it's out in the water.  And I tell him every time that Daddy is at work on the boat.  He tells me about Zack making us "monies".  And I in return am sure to tell him that Daddy is working to make us "monies" so that mommy can stay at home and play with him...that Daddy loves us very much.  I am sure next go around with this he'll understand more and I won't be able to just pull a present out of thin air and tell him it's from Daddy.  We're going to have to be a little bit more prepared and have Zack prebuy the gifts and wrap them for him.  But for now it works!  His favorite times of the day are during quiet time and bedtime where he can crawl into his bed and play.  He has about six regular sized pillows and about 5 kid sized blankets in his bed.  There are also many new stuffed animals and toys in his bed as well.  He just likes to cuddle up in all the pillows and blankets...and play.

Caraline:
She is growing like crazy!  She is crawling now...well it's a mixture of half crawling and half bear crawling.  She really doesn't like to crawl on the hard floor but she gets around pretty quickly.  She can pull up onto her knees but not to her feet yet.  I think she could physically do it but she's too timid.  She will stand along the couch if I help her to her feet and play with toys on the couch.  But she gets scared and starts to cry.  She knows if she lets go she will fall and gets upset when she wants to sit.  Noah crawled and pulled up at 7.5mths and he just took off after that.  Caraline is more reserved and just likes to watch Noah.  She studies him and isn't it much of a hurry to join him in his craziness.  She enjoys it when he comes over and sits next to her.  He acts goofy and makes her laugh...and then they both laugh!

Me:
I like to think about sea duty as a banking account.  The time together puts deposits into the account and the time apart are withdrawals.  We squeezed in every ounce of family time when he's home to fill that account with deposits.  Then when he's away every day there are withdrawals taken out...and some days there is more withdrawals than others!  If you don't make enough deposits then your balance starts to go negative and the family unit starts to erode.  I've mentioned it before that Zack has had a crazy work schedule since January.  The Navy(Really the G.W.) made it very difficult to add those deposits to our account...we worked hard for each of those deposits(as did most of the families).  And now each day each one of us makes a withdrawal from that account.  Zack will be home soon(for a bit).  The ship will be going through an inspection from Big Navy and so therefore he will once again be working extended hours with more duty days than the usual in port norm.  We will once again have to fight for each of the deposits.  But it's the name of the game.  We've worked hard over the winter and spring to fill our account and we'll make it to the end with plenty still left in our account.  Deployments strengthen our relationship.  And after the crazy schedules and working nights we honestly needed a deployment.  I know that many of you will think I'm crazy but it's the truth.  We needed the deployment to draw us close again.  It's ironic that while in port the ship here will do almost everything in its power to pull you away from your family...but for us a deployment pulls us together again.  The expectations are much much higher when they are in port and the higher the expectations the greater the chance of them being dashed.  It was very normal for the ship to call Zack and tell him he on what was supposed to be a full day off that he was suddenly working nights that very same day.  Expect the unexpected.  While he's away the expectations are less.  We each handle our every day stresses alone and rely on the other for strength, support, understanding, and just love.  We don't argue, fight, nag, annoy each other, or play games.  Well okay I admit to sending one very annoyed email to Zack...to which he explained, apologized, and promised to do better.  Then we forgive and move on.  When he needs support or is down then he tells me and I respond.  When I'm having a hard time with something I tell him and he sends me an email with the exact words I needed from him.  And so it's possible for us to make deposits while he's away too.  I don't get love notes or love letters...I get love emails!  We've seen too many relationships end in a burn and crash to let ourselves get anywhere close to falling into a negative balance.  The ship will be going through a COC(Change of Command) and so I do have expectations that just maybe this CO(Commanding Officer) will make some changes.  Just maybe next winter and spring we won't have to work so hard to make those deposits....just maybe!  But I have to expect the unexpected!

Support the Troops?

Zack left on Saturday morning with duty the day before...so that will be four days tomorrow morning.  Only four days...and those four days seem like it's been a month!  We've been so busy that the time has flown by and it all seems a lifetime ago.  Zack is almost always sitting next to a computer and we are able to email back and forth all day.  It's so nice to be able to communicate the day's happenings to him and get feedback sometimes immediately.  The last email I've gotten from him was Saturday late morning...so almost four days ago.  No email for one day means he's been super busy and most likely read my emails but didn't have time to sit down and respond.  No email for two days means either the email has been shut down or it's down (as in broken).  The ship will turn off email if they don't want their location to be known, if the ship is doing something they don't want leaked out before the mission is over, or just for various other OPSEC reasons.  The Truman email would always get shut down when they would rescue Iranian fisherman.  There would be a blip about it on the news and then within a day or two the email would be back up again.  About into the second day the wives start to get a little anxious...what exactly is going on...is everything okay?  Late into the second day out I got an email stating the ship's email was down and had been for x amount of hours already.  They were working on fixing it and no one should worry.  Well, that was almost two days ago...and still nothing. 

I appreciate the email being sent out..the ship is fine...Zack is fine.  Do I buy that the email is broken and they are trying to fix it...maybe, sorta!  It just seems a little too convenient that the day they leave it suddenly goes down.  But I suppose it could be the truth.  But I will say that I am sure that it has forced the sailors to focus at the job at hand...no distractions from home.  And it has forced all of us to put on our big girl panties...no support coming from the ship now...we are doing it all alone.  Thankfully our lives have been pretty uneventful and I haven't needed to run something important by him.  And if I had then I would have just had to make the decision myself and Zack would have lived with and supported it.  I still find myself checking my email a zillion times a day.  I keep sending him emails just like normal.  Sometimes they are able to read what comes in but just not able to send them out...and then sometimes they can't get anything.  Hopefully it all comes back up soon.

This weekend a post has circulated on my news feed about the top ten things people don't know about military marriages.  Here is the link if you haven't read it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/26/military-marriage-10-thin_n_1537543.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false
I found it to be pretty accurate but honestly it just doesn't give the full view of what it means to be a military spouse.  I have often thought that a reality show following a selected few military wives of deployed husbands would be interesting to civilians.  After all those homecoming shows are very popular.  The joy of the Homecoming is a welcomed reality but the struggles during the deployment are better left under the rug.  However, I honestly don't know anyone that would actually be willing to participate in reality show filming their lives while their husbands are gone.  It goes against the culture (for the most part!).  We are here to support our husbands and it is a challenging life.  But those challenges are shared amongst ourselves.  Maybe that's why the lifestyle is so misunderstood.  We just get up in the morning and do it.  That's our lives...and it's what I signed up for.  Recently we in the mil world celebrated military spouse appreciate day...it's the Friday before Mother's Day.  And with most things lately...we celebrated it with an email!  I've spoken with a few ex-mil members turned mil spouses and the conses is that it's more difficult to say behind and take care of everything than to be deployed.  There are more things on the plate while staying behind...or so they said.  I haven't served so I can't state my opinion on the matter.  My dad served actively before going reserves in the late 70's and early 80's.  And he has said that during the period it was unpopular to be in the military.  Since 9/11 the civilian world has been on a campaign to let the mil world know they appreciate the service.  Zack for the most part will agree that he has felt the "love".  And maybe has never been met with hostility...at least while in the U.S.  Have I ever felt hostility...yes.  It doesn't make sense to me that the U.S. can be so supportive of the "troops" but yet I'm met with dirty looks, false generalizations, and stereotypes.  The "troops" are supported but their home lives are not.  Somehow it's my fault that people believe that mil marriages are a testament to the rising divorce rates, the rising debt, and whatever else they can pin on us.  I've read somewhere that the mil marriages have a lower divorce rate than the civilian world.  I'm supposed to an uneducated woman that married my husband at 18 and immediately started having babies, which drain the government.  I've also read somewhere that mil spouses are generally more educated.  Yes, I married young but often it's the position that we're put in.  It's beyond complicated to have a "normal" wedding.  I know quite a few people that got married through the mail or even over the Internet...not to mention many courthouse weddings.  We are looked down upon for that...but yet it's the mil members service that often causes us to through such extremes to get married.  With marriage in a committed relationship comes children.  No one bawks when a civilian marriage results in children...but yet my own children drain the government?  Yes, our paycheck comes from the government but you get the same amount of money if you are married with no children versus being married with five children.  Not sure how that rumor got started but it drives me crazy.  I've actually had more than one person mention this "extra" pay...you can afford that baby with that extra from the government.  Huh?!  Would you go up to anyone else and question them about affording a baby?  Just because we get our paycheck from the government (and so do P.O. workers and so many other jobs) then we can't live out our married life.  In my everyday life...whose needs are always met first...The Navy's.  That's what it means for Zack to serve...in OUR lives the Navy's needs are met first.  The whole thing is full of ironies.  So instead I take pleasure in the fact that Zack knows that he is appreciated and he appreciates me.  And really that's all the matters.  I'll take dirty looks any day all day long if that means that those same people would come up to Zack and shake his hand while saying, I appreciate your service.  Because whether they know it or not they are also recognizing the service that Noah, Caraline, and I do too!

Family Update

The kids are in bed and I'm on my new laptop watching HGTV. We are dadless for a while now and trying to get into our deployment groove. We've already had a busy Memorial Weekend with a birthday party, church, and just playing. Not sure what tomorrow will bring for us yet. We have another busy week ahead of us though with a train trip and birthday party!

Zack

Just a few days ago we got the results of the advancement test he took in March. And yes it takes them that long to put out the results to everyone! It was the second try for making First Class. For his rate, it had been very difficult to make First...and the chance of making it the first time were nil. The Navy advanced a lot of people this go around...things opened up a bit...and he made it by quite a lot. The results are supposed to come out right around June 1st...they are always a bit early though. The whole week before the results come out the rumors on the ship spread like crazy...the advancement results are out...no they aren’t....well, so and so said they were. And on and on! Finally the rumors all lined up to a specific date and time...and we both waited up separately to search through the list of AT's to find his name. Well I was on fb chatting and waiting with one of my neighbors...waiting to see if our hubby's made it! He is super excited to have made it! There are a lot of things going on right now on the ship...and everyone is stressing to get the work done. So this bit of good news was much needed for him. He is gone now and seems to be really busy. He left for a few days a two or so weeks ago and his comment was that he was working with a bunch of "idiots". His words not mine. He admits he doesn't have a lot of patience...and some of the guys were testing what little he had. Now that he made First he will be put in charge of a shop...and hopefully be able to run it his way...the Gogel way! LOL!

Noah

With Zack's crazy work schedule these past six months Noah hasn't really noticed that Zack has left. He understands so much more this go around than last summer. He knows that Zack is on the boat at work...on the water...and the airplanes fly off the ship. I showed him pictures of the ship today and he was happy and excited to see it. But he still wants to drive past the pier to see "Daddy's boat"...he's not quite there yet! He's recently mastered knowing up and down...and which things are on the ground and which things are in the sky. He's been pointing out that flowers grow down on the ground...and birds fly up in the sky with the moon and stars (he LOVES stars!). We have a small little turtle that projects stars and a moon on the wall and ceiling of his room at night. I've asked him what comes out during the day in the sky and he says...clouds and more, more, more rain! We had a lot of spring rainy days and are just now getting into the rainy season. He's in a coloring stage and colors a lot during the day...I still love to color! He's moved from a fist grip of the crayon to an actual pencil grip. Noah has suddenly decided that his name is two. He used to say his name. It was super clear though and came out No. And he knew he was two. Well now he insists that his name is two...and once his mind is set on something it's impossible to change his mind. I've tried working with him but I think it's a game for him. I've said...what's mommy's name...mommy. what's daddy's name...daddy. Noah, what's your name...two! LOL

Caraline

She recently just turned 7mths old. Zack was able to experience month 3-7 for the first time. Between the both of them he'll still miss on 3 months between birth and 12 months. She is getting ready to crawl. She can go backwards and can get up on her knees. Right now she is digging in her toes, pushing up, and then throwing herself forward. Noah crawled at 7.5mths and I think she'll be right around there too. We'll see. She loves her bink. Noah wasn't super attached to it but Caraline loves hers. She likes to suck on her fingers. I'd rather her not be a thumb sucker because you can't take away the thumb...so she sucks on the bink instead. I am also doing signing with Caraline...right now when I sign to her...her response is a smile. When I ask her if she's hungry and wants to eat...she either does nothing or smiles as a yes. She is going through the separation anxiety thing now...and even cries in the stroller sometimes if she "forgets" that I'm there. This is also happening at night. She will cry for five or so seconds and then stop. If I don't go to her to pat her back then she'll cry again for five seconds. This continues until I go in and let her know that I'm still there. Noah is one of her favorite people. He goofs off just to hear her laugh...and then says..I'm funny! She also likes to hold his hand and they often sit on the couch right before bed holding hands. And I've forgotten to mention that she has hair! You can't really see it though since its bleach blond...yes bleach blond!

Me

I'm happy that the pre-deployment craziness is over. The whole last few weeks before deployment is stressful physically and emotionally. We're both running around trying to accomplish those last few things that need to get done and getting him ready to go. Emotionally it's tough too because your trying to make each day perfect...trying to fit in a few days’ worth of things into one day. And it never goes perfectly! But he's gone now and we're getting into our grove. As I mentioned before he left for a few days a few weeks ago. And even in that short amount of time we were in the groove...and then he came home and we had to adjust again...and then he left again and then we have to adjust yet again! My desktop computer acted up near the beginning of April and I took it to the NEX to be fixed. After a long wait I finally found out that it was going to have to be sent off to HP to get a part. Between the cost of shipping, labor, and parts it just wasn't worth the money. I had him transfer the hard drive data and I got a new laptop, which I'm in love with! My parents arrive on June 3rd and I am looking forward to spending this next week getting ready for that visit. I'm beyond excited to see them...it's been almost a year. I'm very close to my parents and talk to them just about every other day on the phone. They have yet to see Caraline...so has pretty much all of our family except Grandma Betsy and Kristen. Noah talks to both of them on the phone. He'll be in heaven with the both of them here. They both have military ID's and it will be nice for them to have full access to the base. They won't be able to drive here though. With Zack's schedule I haven't had much of any break for the last 6 months. He helps when he can but it's been exhausting. It's almost been like a deployment and now we've just started the real deployment. I'm also looking forward to having some help all day for the next month. It will help me get a bit refreshed to finish this out. Our neighborhood is mostly sea duty families however my next door neighbor is on shore duty. So he's the neighborhood "man" of the house! You know all those things that you need a man to help you with? I tried for quite a while with my pink tool kit to get the hose off of the outside faucet...couldn't budge it. He came over today took the hose off from me and hooked up the new one. While in VA Beach, I would wait until a maintenance man would come and say...oh, by the way could you open this jar for me? Zack always puts the lids on super tight and so he'll leave and then I'm stuck with a jar that I can't open!

I think that just about wraps up what's going on with us. The kids are changing daily and weekly. Noah is changing into a little boy and out of toddler hood...crazy since last summer he looked like a baby. Caraline is growing rapidly as well!

My Deployment List:

As I mentioned before that I would post my list when I had it.  Here it is...so far!

1. Not gain weight. (I'm an emotional eater!)
2. Send packages to Zack at least once a month (if they are taking on mail).
3. Have the kids watch Zack on DVD at least a few times a week if not everyday.
4. Crochet cute winter hats for the kids.
5. Finally crochet something for myself.
6. Take the kids to the Kanagawa Zoo by myself. (Zack says good luck with that!)  It will have to be further down the road when I don't have to nurse C as often.  And if that goes well...a repeat or to other close places just me and my kiddos.
7. Take the kids off base and drag Heather with us!
8. Take Noah out just me and him.
9. Stay positive and keep away from Negative Nelly's.
10. Skype with family and friends more.
11. Not kill Zack's plants ;)
12. Not resort to feeding us frozen pizzas!
13. Encourage other mil spouses especially Heather.
14. Attend church with both kids no matter how much of a disaster it is each week. (I can't say how long we'll make it though!)


Zack will be home about halfway through this stretch...just how they do things here.  This is our growing list for that time period.
1. Go get acupuncture. (My mother's day gift.  It's just something we both think would be cool to experience).
2. Take a vacation or even a mini-vacation if Zack is allowed leave.

Anything else you think I need to add?  And I challenge other mil spouses to make their lists too!

Intentional Living on Sea Duty Part 2:Finding the Positives in a Deployment

I recently made a post about how Zack and I purposely live sea duty rotations with a positive attitude...maybe this is part of the reason why we decided to do back to back.  This is part 2 of that post.  Finding the positives in a deployment.  This is the part of the rotation that many mil members and spouses dread...the being gone part.  After Zack left for boot camp, I scoured Amazon looking for a few good books that would provide me the information I would need to become a Navy spouse and not one of "those" wives.  My favorites, Separated by Duty, United in Love...A Guide to Long-Distance Relationships for Military Couples by Shellie Vandervoorde.  This book gave a lot of practical advice from many married mil spouses but it is my favorite for it's first chapter:  Departure and the Games We Play.  The chapter details the five stages of a deployment....The Mind Games(prior to deployment), Depression (0-2 weeks), The Resentment, Getting into a Routine, and lastly Living on Love(where you've got your grove).  And at least for us that's how it goes and it was nice to finally have someone spell it out what I was feeling...validating my emotions.  I've recommended the book to more than a few mil significant others since.  I also remember reading about how experienced mil spouses actually look forward to deployments to have that time to do things they normally wouldn't/couldn't do.  At the time I found that idea to be crazy...who would actually feel that way?!  But as time went on in Zack's career I started to understand.  On Zack's last deployment on the Truman, I made a deployment list of do's...things I was going to accomplish while he was gone.  The list included a care package sent once a month, a DVD of us sent two weeks after a package, not go gain 20lbs(did that the first go around!), learn to make homemade cinnamon rolls...etc. Having a list of of items I wanted to accomplish actually did make me excited!  Not to negate that fact that I would still have like my husband to be home.  I am currently thinking over my list in my head...what do I want to accomplish this go around?  Once I have my list, I will type it out and make it look professional, neat, and clean.  Hit print and I will put it on the fridge next to the calendar and our monthly budget.  It's that important.  Once I have my list I will be sure to share with you all.  To go along with the list and making the mental preparations of him leaving, I'm trying to find the positives in him leaving.  It's going to happen.  He is going to leave.  And I'm going to have a positive attitude about it.  This is what I have.

1. I will not accidentally fall into the toilet in the middle of the night because Zack forgot to put the lid down.
2. I will not have to watch the FOX animated shows(that I'm almost positive lower IQ's!).
3. Laundry will be cut in half without his uniforms and civilian clothes.
4. The house will not get as dirty so fast.
5. Everything will be where I put it because there will be no one around to move it.
6. I can redecorate and rearrange until I have it perfect just in time for him to come home.(Mil spouses do this...it's sorta like getting a new haircut after a break-up...the husbands leave and it's time to rearrange!)
7. I can watch HGTV and TLC as much as I want without getting dirty looks from the opposite couch.
8. The dishwasher will fill up slower.
9. There will be no one to tell me that I'm a horrible driver and making him sick in the passenger seat(I promise I'm not that bad!).
10. I can mow the grass and not have to worry about using a scissors afterwards to get all the grass I missed before he sees it.
11. I can squeeze from the middle of the toothpaste tube...ahhh freedom!
12. I don't have to watch him play video games.
13. I can buy chick food at the commissary and not have to go so often.
14. The kitchen will not get dirty two seconds after I just spent an hour cleaning it.
15. We will not/allow ourselves to argue via email...we just don't do it.  So we are sweet, kind, encouraging, positive,....to each other the entire time and it strengthens our relationship.  We don't allow our everyday stress to come between us while we're apart.  It's too easy just to shut the other out.  We try to do that too when he's home.

And I'm sure there are a few others that I could come up with...

Yes, I realize that with each of these there are more than a few negatives attached b/c we really do miss him when he's gone...but that's not the point!  The point is that there are positives and that's what I'm focused on!

Closet Readers:

So all of my closet readers...since I only have 12 followers that I know live in the U.S.  Make a comment or leave me a note.  Especially you from other countries...and you my faithful readers in Russia.

Intentional Living on Sea Duty

I've been thinking about this blog for a few days now...thinking about what I wanted to say and how to say it.

Today I took Ms. Caraline or "C" as Zack and I often call her to her 6 month doctor appointment.  She is growing well and right on track but that's not the point of this blog.  The corpsman(the enlisted version of a nurse...with minimal training) asked me if her father was deployed.  It's a standard question and in her digital medical record I guess some little box would be checked.  Deployment stress trickles all the way down to children and infants.  I answered no, but soon.  He jotted it down and then went on to the rest of the standard questions.  The answer is soon.  Soon he will be deployed. (Side Note: I am not breaking OSPEC...various info has been posted on fb basically saying the ship was leaving...and they generally leave the same time every year...and I guarantee N. Korea, China, Russia and whoever else knows it too!)  Zack and I have already started to change our mindsets.  We are preparing ourselves for the deployment and getting back into the zone.

I mentioned this to a friend and she asked if it is hard...if living this way was hard.  The question made me stop and think...try to formulate my thoughts into words.  My answer:  This is how we live.  This is all we know.  This is our normal.  She replied back and say that we all find normalcy in our routines...but isn't it hard?  I struggled to find a way to explain to her the intentional attitude that Zack and I live by.  I am sure that I failed in my explanation...so here goes my second try.  Zack will be enlisted this coming September for 6 years.  We have been living apart or on sea duty for the entire time.  We'll be married for 4 years this September...meaning that all we know is sea duty during the entire duration of our marriage so far.  Noah is two...meaning that all we know is raising children while on sea duty.  This is what we know.  For something to be hard doesn't it first have to be easy?  We don't know how it is to live during the shore duty rotation or even as civilians for that matter.  But I can say that I wouldn't want to live as civilians.  Is living on sea duty hard?  I would say that it has challenges.  But doesn't living on shore duty or as civilians have their own sets of challenges?  Yes, he misses those "special" days.  He missed Noah's first birthday, Caraline's birth, and will miss her first birthday too.  But aren't our trips to the zoo, aquarium, fun place....aren't those special days too?  Don't they count for something? Yes, we miss him.  But we know what it's like to not have him home and appreciate the times we have together so much more.  Isn't hard being a "single" mom?  My answer: Isn't being a mom hard?  It's rewarding and challenging all at the same time.  I would argue that having him home makes parenting harder because then I have to reset my mindset to making dual decisions.  Instead of just making the decisions by myself the way we're going to do things...I then have to run it by him...we discuss it...and then we come to an answer.  While he's gone I run important things past him...but for the most part we decided that I'd handle it here.  I'm the one living it here and therefore it's okay for me to make decisions without him.  Wouldn't I'd rather have him home?  Yes, of course!  If given the choice of having him away or home...of course I would choose home.  But does that mean that him being away is hard?  Having him away is challenging.  It often calls for having plan A, B, C, D...etc.  You'd be surprised how far down the alphabet a sea duty mom can get!  We both agree that this life can spit you out in heartbeat.  But we refuse to sit and say that living on sea duty is hard...that it sucks.  Sorry, you won't hear it coming out of our mouths.  We've lived happily for the past 6 years and to say that it's been hard would negate all the massive amounts of happiness we've shared together.  It's challenging but with any challenge there are those that choose to sit and stare at the mountain rising before them...and then there are people that see it, prepare for climb, and then make the trek while stopping to enjoy the scenery as they go.  We intentionally live by that second attitude.  We always...always try to find the positive in any situation the Navy throws at us.  And there are quite a few almost weekly!  On a rare occasion(actually only once has this happened), Zack came home with an announcement that he was visually upset about.  He filled me in and I sat in silence trying to find a positive in it.  Zack looked at me sitting in silence and said, Julie, there is no way that you can find the positive...it just plain sucks.  There is no way to spin this one, baby.  And so I sat for a few more minutes because I was sure that I could find it.  I came up empty and then I prayed.  I was sure that there was no way that was the plan for us.  And the next day we got a call from his Chief with an alternative for us that we could find more than a few positives in...compared to the alternative that is!  My prayers had been answered.  For us to say that our lives are hard would be equivalent to the Copernican Revolution.  It would be a paradigm shift...it would be unfathomable.  And so I say again...you won't hear it coming out of our mouths.  This life has made us better people.  The challenges that occur cause us to grow as individuals and as a couple.  We can't grow and change when we live in our comfort zones everyday.  When life throws us challenges we choose to respond intentionally with a positive attitude.  Do you?

Weekend Trip: Enoshima Visit #2

This past Friday we went on a day trip to Enoshima to to visit the aquarium once again and to walk around the island.  Thursday night after the kids went down I packed up the lunches, got everything ready for the backpack(we transfer the needed items from the diaper bag to a backpack)...got everything we needed and put it all in a laundry basket.  Then Friday morning after Zack woke up and we were all ready...he just carried the laundry basket to the car and we were packed.  I wish that I would have been the smart one to think of the laundry basket idea but it was all Zack!  We stopped at the ATM and got the Yen and then we were off!  I had directions I found from one of the base handouts and we both thought that it seemed easy enough.  We live on the right side of the Miura Peninsula and Enoshima off of the peninsula and to the left.
Click our driving directions from Yokosuka to Enoshima

It was an easy drive and got a little bit of an ocean drive while we were at it.  It is about an hour to forty-five minute train drive and the time is equal to driving as well.  We took a train the first time when we visited the aquarium and driving was so much easier with the two kiddos and so then we also got to take the double stroller.  It is more expensive to drive though.  The train ticket prices probably comes close to the gas used to get there but then we have to pay for parking.  Land is used at a premium here so parking can be fairly expensive.  On Enoshima Island the parking was between 300-500Y an hour...which equates to 3-6 USD an hour.  The aquarium parking for the entire day(well hours of the aquarium) was 1600Y, which equates to 20 USD.  We parked in the parking garage of the aquarium and revisited all the animals for the next two hours.  Noah loves animals and once again ran from tank to tank yelling fish!  Last time we visited during the weekend and had to share the aquarium with many many Japanese.  Zack's new schedule allows us to take day trips on Friday and that means that there are a lot less people.  Noah once again loved the large tanks and the jelly fish.  We left the aquarium and walked to the island.  It was a fairly short walk as you can see the island from the aquarium. 

This island used to be a part of the main land of Japan but over a long long time it has eroded into an island...the scientific explanation.  The island is a place for fishing and surfing(It's sister city is Miami Beach) but it also a holy island.  Benzaiten, the goddess of music and entertainment, is enshrined on the island.  The entire island is dedicated to the goddess  The legend goes that there was a five headed dragon that lived near the village that was causing horrible trouble and devouring children.  Benzaiten was the daughter of a dragon and knew how to handle these creatures.  She descended upon the dragon's cave.  Upon seeing her descend from a above the dragon was more than willing to marry her.  Once married she was able to stop him from eating children and thus became the protector.  Either right before or during she descended from above caused a huge earthquake and the island rose from the sea.  The shrines and temples on the island are all dedicated to her.  Women that are pregnant and wishing for a beautiful daughter will go to the temple and meditate in prayer for a beautiful daughter.  All "major" shrines have stands that have items for sale related to whoever is enshrined.  This particular goddess is one of the seven Japanese goddess of good fortune or luck...so there were items for sale that are supposed to give luck. Click here for a picture of Benzaiten

While walking along the foot path there were signs with directional arrows showing which way to run if there was a disaster...naturally it was back to the main land.  We got to the island and had a picnic under the shade of a cherry blossom tree.  When taking day trips most Japanese will bring their own food and sit down on a picnic mat on the grass somewhere.  The zoo had special rubber mats on the ground that allowed grass to grow through but so that it didn't become and muddy mess.  Thursday afternoon the kids and I went to the Diaso store(100Y) store and we bought a picnic mat.  And when in Rome you do as the Romans!  After we are all fed, watered, and unwatered we headed out to walk the island.  I had printed out a map of the island with the various shrines, temples, and attractions.  Japan is a volcanic island...meaning that it is very hilly and mountainous.  The U.S. cleared out most of the hills on this base except for the rock mountains.  Well this island was no different...a fact that usually escapes me when planning these trips.  To get to the top of the island you could either walk it or take a handy escalator.  By this time Caraline was asleep in the stroller and Noah could go down at any minute.  So we opted to just carry the stroller up the various flights of stairs.  We were once again the stupid "gaijinHai, Hai...(Yes, Yes!).  She then then shook her head and just kept going! Haha!  But we made it fairly easily(we carried the stroller up probably over a thousand steps on are vacation to Kyoto and Hiroshima).  We got to the top and enjoyed amazing views...absolutely amazing!  We also paid to enter a garden and go to the top of a lighthouse.  There were a few shrines and temples along the way that we walked past dedicated to Benzaiten.  Noah was done for the day and we all walked back down.  We sat at a picnic table and Zack and I shared a squid...yes you read that right, squid, and a grilled corn on the cob.  Noah wasn't ready to leave and pretty much screamed almost all the way back to the car!  And the Japanese just gave us all smiles...knowing that he was one sleepy boy.  Their love and understanding for children here is unbelievable.  We drove home with two sleeping children and the ending of the day was perfect with a cookout at a neighbor's home.

Zoorasia and Thoughts

This past Saturday we loaded up the kiddos in the van and drove to Northern Yokohama to visit Zoorasia (Yokohama's Zoo).  Yokohama is the second largest city in all of Japan and runs right into Tokyo, which is the largest city.  Anyway...yes you read that correctly we drove!  I had picked up a little sheet at the Fleet and Family Center about Zoorasia...they provide many computer sized sheets about things to do in the area.  One side provided train directions and one provided driving directions.  I had posted in a wife/mom fb group here asking for any tips about going there.  I do this once in a while when the Fleet and Family sheet doesn't provide much information and when the website isn't in English/or doesn't give much information in English.  I got quite a few responses.  I knew that there wasn't a close train station and learned that many just drive there.  It was a 45 minute drive there compared to about an hour ride by train and then a 45 min walk/or 20 min bus ride...so it made more sense to just drive.  We have had limited driving experience out in town.  We've driven to a few stores South of us...but that's about it.  Yokohama is North of us and easier to get to by toll road.  Japan loves their toll roads and for about how often they occur they basically compare to U.S. interstates.  We turned right out of the gate and then it was pretty much all new.  Thankfully the directions that were provided were good and it was an easy drive.  The whole drive could have gone terribly wrong though very easily.  While the toll roads provide the same use as U.S. interstates they are ran as toll roads...meaning that there are only certain exits and it isn't easy to get off and get back on again if we had missed our exit.  We were given the English and the Kanji characters of the roads and most of the road signs were in both languages...but there were many other signs written just in Kanji.  Signs in red and yellow with characters on them...that I'm sure give needed information.  But we of course just kept driving and hoped for the best!  And keep in mind that it is rare to find someone that speaks fluent English.  So had we missed the exit and gotten off to ask directions...it would have been pretty pointless.  Many speak just enough English for us to convey with broken English/Japanese, hand signals, expressions...the concept were trying to get across.  We did have the iPhone but as we got driving I noticed that it wasn't entirely accurate in showing us where exactly we were on the road.  But we made it!

Because we drove there we were able to bring the double stroller.  Bringing the one we have on the train would pretty much be impossible.  We all enjoyed the zoo.  Noah walked most of the way and then after lunch...the kiddos both fell asleep.  It's fun to go to these zoos even as adults because we see animals that we've never seen or even knew they existed.  Noah is into kangaroos and monkeys lately(and there were a lot of different types of monkeys, apes, chimps, gibbons...etc.).  Most places provide an English translation of their paper/map, which is helpful.  The staff usually come running at us to hand us an English version of whatever else they are handing out.  However we are still handed the Japanese version as well.  At the end of the day the thought occurred to me that we had not seen another American the entire day...wait maybe we saw one other family.  And even as Kristen noticed that when out and about in Japan...us Americans always smile and make eye contact with the other Americans we see.  It's kinda like a science experiment that I did as a child.  I had green, blue, and red toothpicks that I dropped in a grassy area...and of course could find the red toothpicks the easiest....followed by blue and lastly green.  Equate the Americans to the red toothpicks!  We're walking and talking and seeing only Japanese people...hearing only Japanese.  So, when the eyes see Americans and hear English...you automatically narrow in on exactly where it's coming from...and then you of course smile.  Often there are families from bases and reek military.  However, we've met musicians, military contractors (they don't get to go through the week long class...and just thrown into Japan with no information given to them), or tourists.  They are often floundering and see that we have things under control and are beyond happy to see Americans/hear English!  It amazes me how many people get on the trains and don't know anything about traveling via train/or even where they are going!  Zack has given train advice...giving the website that we use to figure out the train transfers.  I have given away my train map twice...need to get another one.  The base provides these for us...so other English speaking people that come to the area cannot get them at the train stations.  I think I've been rambling!  Anyway...the point is that when we came here in July 2011 the idea of not seeing any Americans the entire day or hearing English was completely overwhelming.  But we went on vacation on the completely other side of the country and go on day trips...and now it's our everyday thing.  We can get up and drive to the zoo.  We can go to the train station and ride our way to wherever we want to go. We can function in the Japanese society.  We can not see Americans/English speakers for days in a row and that's okay, too!

This past week we learned about that F18 going down in VA Beach.  That plane went down in our old neighborhood...across the street from our old apartment complex...it went down right next to where we used to live.  We knew and everyone else knows that living there meant living in a flight path.  It comes with risks to which we had to sign off on before moving into the apartment.  Many people in the area love the base...and some hate the jet noise.  Noah and I LOVED the noise!  But there were some that didn't like the noise...for the record the base was there long before all those neighborhoods/and the build up of the area.  Less than 10 years ago the area was much much less populated.  But waking up to see the pictures from our old neighborhood made my heart hurt.  I lived there for two years but I left a little bit of me there...or maybe a little bit of VA Beach got into me.  And the same is happening here in Japan.  We'll probably end up going back to the VA Beach area before Zack's career is over and it will be a little like coming home.  By the end of his career we're going to have a lot of "homes" around the world.  And someday Zack and I have said that we'll have to come back here to visit/travel in Japan...we'll have to come back to this home.

Family Update

We are all doing well and life is moving a thousand miles an hour.  Noah is two now and Caraline almost five months old.  Last week my Grandma Betsy and sister, Kristen, came to visit us for a week.  The kids and I were able to take them a few places out in town and show them Japan.  While Kristen and Grandma Besty were here...Kristen often made comments while we were out. I would reply...that's how they do things here! For instance, we were at a subway stop for Chinatown in Yokohama. I knew that we were exiting differently than when Zack and I went with Noah...but I couldn't figure out how to get us there. We exited and I was trying to figure it out when a Japanese lady stopped and tried to ask Kristen if she needed help in broken English. I was talking to the man at the information desk and figured out which way we needed to go. She walked ahead but the entire time we were walking the few blocks to Chinatown she stayed ahead and kept looking back at us to make sure that we were following her. Kristen was amazing...but me not...because that's how they do things here! We also took a few taxis and Kristen would rush to get out the stroller and the diaper bag from the back of the taxi. She didn't understand at the time that she was hurrying the taxi cab driver's "feelings" because he wanted to do that for us. He was trying to rush to pay back the change while looking back to see if she had opened the trunk. While out with friends we stopped at a little bar and they all had a beer...we wanted something sweet and asked the man if he had ice cream...strawberry! He spoke with the cook and then all of a sudden the man was headed out the door and had gone to the store to buy us strawberry ice cream! There is no point in arguing and telling him that it was unnecessary...doing that would have hurt his feelings. That's how they do things here.  In the beginning of June, my parents are coming to visit and we are also expecting visitors in October.  It's wonderful to be able to show our families how/where we live!

Zack will be leaving us in about one and half months or so.  I don't have the exact date yet...just a month.  He will be gone for a few months and then return for a bit and then out again for a few months.  We are starting to gear up for the deployment and doing all that pesky paperwork stuff...as well as planning those last few train trips before the ship pulls out.  Zack recently started working on an Associates Degree through an online college.  He takes one class every five weeks.  He is nearing the end of his third class now.  If all goes as planned he should be done next summer.  Having this degree will help him advance.  Zack has been working a lot lately and doesn't have much free time between coming home from work and bedtime.  He comes home and we eat supper and then the kids get their bedtime routine.  He then goes and works on his homework and I put the kids down.  And if he is lucky he might get an hour or so for free time before bedtime.  But in the end it will be worth it...hopefully!

Noah turned two last month and enjoyed a Handy Manny birthday party will all of his friends!  We took away his bink and started potty training.  Some days I would swear that he grew up right in front of my eyes that day.  Two is a challenging age and sometimes it does get the best of us...but it's also a lot of fun.  Right now he's into imaginative play and love to cook, play doctor, and pretend to be animals(monsters, lions, and his favorite dinosaurs!).  His doctor play consists of the patient having to stand on a "scale"...he looks into their eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.  He then has this string lace that he puts around his neck to listen to their heart and belly.  And of course the patient must be laying down with their head on a pillow!  He's been to the doctor maybe 3ish times since we got here in July...two being well check ups...but if he sees it once then he's got it.  He loves on Caraline quite a lot now.  He likes to put her bink in her mouth and pat her telling her that it's okay.  She usually stops fussing and smiles at him.  I am sure that he is looking forward to warmer weather so that he can play outside...or maybe that's just mom! :)

Caralinebink in and out of her mouth now and often wakes herself up because she's taken it out.  I now put her down holding a little blankie and it seems to keep her hand busy instead of reaching for the bink.  She recently just came off of an almost month long fussy stage...Noah did too right around four months old.  It got a little hairy there on a few occasions and I called up a friend to come and get Noah so that I could focus on her.  Overall she is a pretty easy baby...as long as you know what and how she likes things to be done!  She enjoys talking and chatter but does this the most for Zack.  She love to put her hands up to his face so that he pays attention to her and then jabbers on and on! 

And now me!  I am doing wonderful.  I've been off the Zoloft for a few months now and pretty much ended my one-fourth life crisis(self-proclaimed!).  I've found some hobbies...doing pins from Pinterest and crocheting mostly.  I've gone out with friends a few times to Yokohama and developed a social life outside of play dates.  I've also updated some of my clothes...some of them weren't me anymore and had to go.  There have been quite a few joyous times in my life but I would say that living here right now...I am happier than I've ever been.  I'm in my element here...there is culture and plenty of things to go see and do.  I have amazing friends and Noah too!  I cried when we left Virginia...and I know that I'll be loosing a lot more tears over the move from here...but then we'll be onto other adventures!  And we can't get too comfortable in our lives.  I know that at least in my own life that when I feel too comfortable and settled then something always happens to bring me back down to reality that we are a military family and are expected to bend but not break.  It's a life about being comfortable and happy in your surroundings...making a life for you and your family while you are there....but it isn't a "secure" life.  The military does own us to some degree...it often reminds me of that country music song about if you want God to laugh, tell him your plans!  Should we decided to make plans for the future...there must be some sort of mind control radar out there that the Navy pinpoints you and decides to give you a little push out of your comfort zone to remind you that you are after all a military family!  Or the alternative is God giving me a push to remind me that I can't get too comfortable!  While I know the second option to be true it doesn't stop me from thinking about the first!  After all I am the person that hates birds because they seem to "mechanical"!