Life at the Keever House

Dear Joshua Loyal

2012-02-05T20:52:00.001-08:00

Dear Joshua Loyal,

I'm sure you're thinking, "Oh geeze, why did she use my middle name?"...so for the five hundred thousandth time, I love your middle name...and if you won't let me use it on one of our kids, I can at least use it in a letter.

Anyway, you're somewhere on the other side of the world right now...I have a general idea where, but don't know exactly. I hate not knowing where you are. Not because I'm some crazy controlling person, but because when I don't know your location it makes the distance all too real. You are 7500 miles and twelve time zones away...or something like that. That is SO far. Thank goodness you're in my heart...and thank goodness I can sit in our home and see you everywhere...

I see you in the big leather chair in the living room...I see you in the fridge every time I see tupperware full of leftovers...I see you in our closet--all of your shirts hanging neatly and color-coded...I see you in our back yard that you meticulously planned out...I see you in the three hundred pieces of mail that we get from USAA every week because you refuse to go "paperless"...I see you in the garage when I see your spotless "middle-aged man mobile" just sitting there...I see you at the top of the stairs every time I look at the many pictures from our travels together...I see you in the playroom when I remember you standing on a stool, hanging the artwork in there... I see you in the office, sitting at your big desk working, keeping this family afloat...and I see you in the faces of our children whenever I am near them.

I can't imagine being where you are. You are on a big tin can of a boat....the only reminders are pictures and video that you have saved on your computer. My heart breaks for you...while sometimes the reminders are painful, they are comforting too. What a sacrifice you make, my darling! I am inspired by your selflessness and strength every day. I wish I could send you a package with enough reminders to last you the rest of the deployment, but I don't think the post office allows packages that big. Hang in there, honey...it will be over soon...

For the time being, know that I am here...loving you and missing you so much that it hurts. I am sitting in your chair, eating leftovers, smelling your lingering scent on those organized shirts, marveling at the back yard that you designed, opening all of those envelopes and laughing, sitting in your car from time to time to "make sure it still runs", staring at the pictures of our adventures and realizing that I don't regret a single one, playing in the playroom and being thankful that you let me have it, sitting at your desk and trying to keep things going, and embracing our babies and wishing you were here to do it too.

I love you, Joshua. You are my hero.

Eden Melissa

I mean...

2012-02-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

I mean...could you not just eat her up? Here's Rea singing "Rock-a-bye Baby" to her baby doll...and of course, you can hear Wyatt in the background yelling for me...I'm pretty sure there is no event in my life that isn't interrupted by "Mommy! Mommy!".

Big girl bed update

2012-01-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

Last night was Reagan's first night in the "big girl bed" and she did GREAT! She didn't cry...she didn't fuss...and most importantly, she didn't get out of the bed! Not even once! I knew she would do well and she did! I am so proud of my little girl! And when I went in this morning she said "Hi Mommy!" and gave me the sweetest hug.

Where has the time gone?

2012-01-29T17:24:00.001-08:00

Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that Reagan was sleeping in a pack-n-play in my bedroom. We had to take two-hour shifts, walking back and forth across the bedroom just to get her to sleep at night. Then she finally quit with the colic and moved to her room and slept in her own crib. I was relieved that she wasn't screaming day and night...but truthfully, I missed that tiny little thing sleeping right next to me. But I got over that and soon cherished going into to her room every morning and seeing that sweet face smiling up at me. As she's gotten older, those mornings have gotten even sweeter...when I go to get her up each morning she stands up and yells over the edge of the crib "Hi Mommy!" (in her precious Southern accent).

But today, my baby became a little girl. We finally converted her crib into a toddler bed. I cried as I packed away the crib bumper, not knowing if I'll ever use it again. I fought with the crib and eventually forced it to give up the side rails...and silently wished Josh was here to do this sort of manual labor for me. Needless to say, Rea is beyond thrilled about her "big girl bed". She immediately began gathering her "babies" and threw them all right in. She crawled up there all by herself and kept saying "Big girl bed! Big girl bed!" over and over again. We'll see how she feels about it tonight when she sleeps in there for the first time. I have a feeling she'll be the polar opposite of her brother and do just fine. I will honestly be surprised if she has the guts to get out of that bed even once...

While I'm sad that my baby is growing up, I am so excited to see who she will become. I can already, at her young age (2), tell you that she is sweet as sugar, beautiful, compassionate, obedient, affectionate and adventuresome--all of which make for a pretty fantastic little girl. I can't wait to see what our "good mornings" turn into now!

San Diego

2012-01-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, the kids and I got out of town and headed south for San Diego. My mom was going to be there for her big CAbi conference and I was not going to miss the chance to hang out with my mom...and see some cute clothes! So we headed down. We had a weekend full of fun. We hung out with old friends, Ian and Sara, did some shopping and most importantly...went to the San Diego Zoo! I had been several times, but this was the kids first experience. They loved every minute of the three hours we spent wandering around. Here are a few pictures of our favorite zoo moments...

We watched this polar bear for quite a while. The kids loved watching him play with a ball in the water...right in front of us.

They loved these goats...and mommy loved the hand sanitizer that the petting zoo provided.

Wyatt tried, but no matter what he did, this log just wouldn't move...

My little bugs...

Daddy had said that they could each pick something out at the gift shop...clearly they were excited about their purchases...

And this was the general result of our zoo trip...Mommy was very happy about it. :)

Wyatt's interview

2012-01-18T15:14:00.001-08:00

Every Wednesday morning from 9 to 11, the kids and I attend a CBS Bible study class. I go have my big-girl Bible study with the other ladies, while the kids each go to their own class. We look forward to it every week...it has been and continues to be such a blessing to all three of us. Where else can mommy get a break and we can all learn about our precious Savior at the same time?

Anyway, this morning at Bible study the children's director, Stacey, brought Wyatt in front of all of the ladies to "interview" him for our opening devotion time...the results were hilarious...

ROLL TIDE!!!

2012-01-15T13:10:00.001-08:00

The Alabama Crimson Tide played for (and eventually won) the BCS National Championship game on January 9th. Us Keevers were pretty excited about it...and dressed the part!

Birmingham

2012-01-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

On December 17th, the kids and I got up at 4am to begin the trek to Birmingham. It took us three flights and a lot of hours, but we finally got there...

The day after we arrived in Birmingham was sweet Reagan's second birthday. I can hardly believe that my baby is two! It seems like just yesterday that God blessed us with her beautiful face and sweet personality. Anyway, for her birthday we had a bunch of friends and family get together for lunch and then went back to my mom's house for cake. It was a lot of fun...and my kind of birthday party--simple and no fuss.

The birthday girl, and her brother loved her cake. I ordered it from Dreamcakes, which is the same place that almost all of my kids birthday cakes have come from. If you live in Birmingham, it is the only place you should be ordering special cakes from! It was a strawberry cake with cream cheese icing...and it had a bunny on top (Rea's favorite animal). I was so thrilled that my mom, stepdad, dad and stepmom could all be there to enjoy it with us. If Josh had been there, it would have been perfect. Oh well..there's always next year!

It was a great day for both Wyatt and Reagan. They got to stuff themselves with cake, play outside and open some Christmas presents early. Their Papa and Mamie (my dad and stepmom) brought their gifts with them and let the kids dig right in. I would say the favorite gifts were the portable DVD players that they each got...so much fun!

After Rea's birthday it was time to start getting ready for Christmas. So, we did a lot of shopping, a lot of eating and a lot of visiting with friends...well, mostly my best friend, Taylor, and her twin boys Harrison and Jack Henry. (Harrison is Josh and my godson). We also visited our old friend Santa Claus. I had high hopes for this year...but apparently Reagan is still petrified.

Finally Christmas morning came and we had a wonderful day. The kids got a second visit from Santa and mommy got some really awesome stuff too. The only thing missing was daddy...

After Christmas, we stayed almost another week before heading back to California. It was so wonderful to spend time in Birmingham again. I miss that place, and the people there, every day of my life. I only wish we had gotten to spend more time than we did. Hopefully we'll get back very soon.

And before I forget...here's a funny story from our trip back to California:

We were in the Atlanta airport and had boarded the train that would take us to the other terminal. A voice comes over the loud speaker as the doors close and says, "Please hold on, this train is departing." The next voice I hear was Wyatt's, screaming, "Mommy! Why is this train farting????". Needless to say, everyone on the train got a good chuckle out of that one. :)

Another little gem...

2012-01-09T12:32:00.001-08:00

After they sang "Happy Birthday" to their daddy...they wanted to share this little song with him as well.

Forgot to share this one...

2012-01-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

Poor Josh had to be away on his birthday AGAIN....so we sent him this little video in hopes that it would cheer him up!

I'm pretty sure Josh loved it. How could you not? :)

Christmas Tree Lane

2012-01-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas, once a week, the kids and I would go get a snack and drive around looking at Christmas lights. Wyatt and Reagan just adore Christmas lights. One day, I heard on the radio about "Christmas Tree Lane" in Fresno. There is a neighborhood in Fresno called Fig Garden, full of beautiful older homes and tons of giant pine trees. Every year the whole neighborhood (two miles of street and over 150 homes) decorate for Christmas. They even string lights across the road and all over these gorgeous, enormous pine trees. The magnitude of what they do is incredible...and they do it for free. To drive through is totally free and up to you if you want to give a donation.

Anyway, the kids and I drove up to Fresno, got some Chick-fil-A to eat in the car and drove through these lights. It took us 40 minutes to drive through and was worth every minute. I tried to take some pictures, but there is no way they will do it any justice...I'll share two of them here just for the sake of trying to describe how amazing it was...

What I don't really have pictures of is every single house along this road totally decked out in its Christmas finest. I only wish I had another adult with me to share this with. The kids loved it, of course...we will definitely be making this a Christmas tradition every year that we live here.

If you're interested in learning more about it...you can go here to check it out!

Squadron Christmas party

2012-01-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

While our men were away, the wives and children of VFA 113 (officer and enlisted alike) got together for a little Christmas party at the squadron hangar. A huge thank you to the FRG (Family Readiness Group) spouses who put the whole thing on. We all had a blast! Especially the kids...there were arts and crafts, tons of snacks and goodies, and Santa even stopped by with a gift for each child! So much fun! And if I do say so myself, my kids looked super cute. My mom found them these matching outfits and they were the perfect thing for this party. I'm so glad I managed to get them to stand still for at least a couple of pictures...

Wyatt's Christmas program

2012-01-08T12:56:00.000-08:00

On December 8th, Wyatt had his Christmas program at school. Given how adorable his Thanksgiving program was, I was beyond excited to see this one! I hate that Josh missed it, but at least I got some good pictures and video. The video is not so hot...I was juggling Reagan, the iPad and the Nikon, so it is what it is. Here's the video of little man doing his thing...he is front row almost to the middle...I'm sure you'll be able to pick him out.

And here are the few still shots I was able to get. How precious does he look? I could just eat him up!

Saying goodbye to Daddy...again.

2012-01-08T12:51:00.001-08:00

Josh left for another deployment on December 1st. It was a hard day for all of us. I feel like he just got home (he did..he just got home in June) and already he's shipping out again. While we miss him desperately and wish he was with us, we are so proud of his sacrifice for this country and would never ask him to stay. Santa brought me a new tripod for my camera, so we tested it out on this last family photo before taking Josh to the base to say goodbye...

Thank you, honey, for all that you do...for this family and for this country! We love you! Fair winds and following seas, my dear. And God's speed as you return!

Santa came early!

2012-01-08T12:35:00.001-08:00

Because Josh was leaving for another deployment before Christmas, we decided not to let him miss out on yet another visit from Santa. So Wyatt and Reagan "wrote" Santa Claus a letter...

Santa wrote Wyatt and Reagan back and had "Moe" our elf, deliver the message...

The letter told the kids that Santa would stop by our house the night of November 29th, so that when they woke up on the 30th all of their gifts would be there. So we set out preparing the house for an early visit from Santa. We hung the stockings, got a tree, put out a wreath and made Santa some cookies the night before he was to come...

The morning of the 30th came and I have never seen two happier children. I am so thankful that Josh finally got to experience a proper Santa visit with our kids (he was gone last year too). Here are some pictures from our morning together...please note: Wyatt was so happy about his basketball hoop that he hugged it for a solid three minutes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2012-01-06T19:15:00.000-08:00

We were so grateful to have Josh home this Thanksgiving...especially since he would be leaving us so very soon. We didn't do much, besides eat and watch football. I made a huge, traditional meal and the kids watched their very first Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I suppose that is the perfect American Thanksgiving, isn't it? Aside from being thankful to have our husband and father home, we are mostly thankful for our Lord and Savior Jesus. Without Him nothing that we do, eating and football alike, would matter. How blessed we are to have a God that loved us enough to send His only Son so that one day we could spend eternity together.

Wyatt's Thanksgiving program

2012-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

On November 22nd, Wyatt had his very first school program. To say I was excited about it would be an understatement. And of course, Wyatt and his class did not disappoint...Here is a little video we got of the performance.

Hornet Ball 2011

2011-12-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

In November, before Josh left, we got a little date night and headed up to Fresno for the Hornet Ball 2011. The Hornet Ball is a military ball where all of the fighter pilots on the west coast get together and throw a big party. We got all dressed up and had a great time. Sadly, this is the best picture we got that night...but at least we got the one.

Atascadero

2011-12-06T14:04:00.001-08:00

The second week of November, some of my family flew out to California to celebrate Thanksgiving with us a little early. My mom, step-dad, brother and his girlfriend all came. It was so nice to have a house full of the people that I love. We did a whole lot of nothing and just enjoyed each others company. The one thing we did do is drive over to Atascadero for the day to hang out with Chelsea's (my brother's girlfriend) family. They were having a big barbecue for her dad who's birthday was the day before. It was so much fun...and the kids loved it there. The Johnson's have the world's best back yard for kids. Chelsea's dad teaches pole vaulting camps there and as a result their back yard is a maze of trampolines, pits and all kinds of cool stuff. I'm pretty sure Wyatt wanted to stay there forever. In all of our hanging out, the only pictures I managed to get of the weekend was while we were in Atascadero...and the only reason I got those is because Josh got the camera out. Sometimes you're just enjoying yourself so much you forget all about the camera.

Wyatt's sharing day

2011-12-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

Each time that Wyatt's class meets, one child gets to bring two items to share with their friends. They call this "sharing time". I guess it's a modern day version of "show and tell". When it came time for Wyatt to share something, he chose to take "Mater" (yes, as in Mater from the Cars movies) and his daddy's helmet. He was pretty excited about taking the helmet since it is the actual helmet that his daddy wears when he flies. He got up in front of his classmates and his teacher Ms. Lenie asked him all kinds of questions about his two items. Then she asked which one he would like to take around and let his friends see up close. Wyatt says, "Mater. Because I don't want anybody touching my daddy's helmet.". haha. Silly boy...

Did I mention...

2011-12-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

Did I mention...

WE FINALLY HAVE GRASS!

The kids were so excited when it was all finally in and they could play on it...and Mommy and Daddy are so happy that we no longer have to look at a dirt lot. Flowers and shrubs will come some time next year...no sense putting them in now when it's just starting to get cold...

Wyatt's big trip to the firestation

2011-12-06T13:37:00.001-08:00

On November 3rd, Wyatt went on his second field trip with his preschool class. This time, they went to the local firehouse. Wyatt had been to a firehouse before but he was just as excited to go this time. First, the firemen gave them some lessons on what to do in an emergency and what things around the house you shouldn't touch because they are H-O-T. Amazingly, Wyatt has still retained this information, but if you ask him what number to call in an emergency he will probably tell you 9-1-1-1-1-1. The biggest deal on this trip was that each child got to shoot the fire hose. I thought Wyatt was going to come out of his skin when he found out what he would be doing. I'm pretty sure it made his year!

Ohio

2011-11-02T15:16:00.001-07:00

We just got home on Monday from a fabulous trip to Ohio to see Josh's family. It was so nice to see everyone and to get away from California for a bit. We got to stay for ten days, which was a nice treat. As usual, the kids had a blast. Those two should have been born on a farm--especially Wyatt.

They took rides on the tractor...

And played in the barn...

And made new friends, like Wilbur, the mini donkey...

Wyatt got to "drive" Grandpa's old truck...

And Daddy even put together his old train set from when he was little...

We finally met our newest nephew, Jackson Patrick...

Did some work around the farm with Grandpa...

Like cleaning up a tree that had fallen in the pasture...

Rea stayed away from all of that working business...

On Wednesday of last week it was a bit rainy, so we drove to Cleveland to eat at this restaurant which was featured on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives". It was outstanding! They have over 30 different types of grilled cheese sandwiches...yum!

On our way back from Cleveland, we stopped at the Lodi Outlet Mall. We did plan on doing a little shopping, but the main reason we went there was so that Wyatt and Rea could ride on the miniature locomotive that runs all through the mall. Clearly, Wyatt was excited...

Caught Rea in the act! haha

We had a second rainy day, so we took our free time and wrote Santa a letter...

Then we took it to the post office and dropped it in the mail. I wonder how long it takes a letter to get to the North Pole...

Rea was scared of the horses/donkeys/any animal at first. But she finally warmed up to them...

Wyatt is a farm boy at heart...just like his daddy.

In this picture, Wyatt is saying "Hi! My name's Wyatt!". haha.

Rea decided to save a carrot for herself...

Wyatt bonded with this cat and told me his name was "George Washington"...

Aunt Chrissy and Uncle Jake had ducks too!

Wyatt got to ride June Bug, the mini horse...

Rea would have none of it...

Another one of Wilbur...he is so stinking cute!

Wyatt loves to mess with Uncle Jake's tools...

Grandma has saved several old instruments...the kids love them...

We were sad to have to say goodbye when we loaded up on Monday to head home. The kids adore the farm, and more importantly Grandma and Grandpa. I only hope we can start getting back there more often. Before this, it had been a year since our last trip there. Being on the farm does you good...even though I am tired from the week and the time change, somehow I feel recharged. Like we escaped somewhere far away from the hustle and bustle of normal life. I need that more often...

Fleet Week 2011

2011-11-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

That picture pretty much sums up the weekend in San Francisco. haha. As of my last post on the pumpkin patch, Josh had been out to sea for about 3 weeks. His ship was scheduled to pull into San Francisco for Fleet Week on their last weekend away. Since my dad was already in town, we decided to make a weekend of it and head up there to meet Josh when he got off of the ship. As far as getting to see Josh, it was a great trip. As far as everyone being healthy and well-tempered, not so much. I felt so bad for my dad. Me and the kids were all sick and everyone was pretty cranky. Thankfully I have a very even tempered father who is great at handling this stress.

Eventually everyone, calmed down a little and we waited....and waited...and waited on Daddy to arrive. I think all-in-all, we ended up waiting around 8 hours total to actually hug Josh's neck. It was a LONG day!

After we finally got Josh in and settled, and my dad flew out to go home...we did a little sightseeing.

After a couple of days, we had to put Josh back on the ship and head home. It was only another day until he got to fly in, so it wasn't too hard of a goodbye. I'm really glad we decided to go up there...Fleet Week is something everyone should see in their lifetime. I only wish we had all felt better and could have enjoyed it more. Oh well...c'est la vie, when you have toddlers.

The pumpkin patch

2011-10-04T13:47:00.001-07:00

Wyatt went on his first field trip today. We went to Harvest Hollow Pumpkin Patch here in Lemoore. It was so much fun! He had a blast and Rea got to tag along too...here are a few pictures from our adventure.

Black Widow death toll

2011-09-27T14:53:00.001-07:00

Black Widow death toll at the Keever house: 12

I have personally killed 10 of them. Isn't that supposed to be Josh's job?

Apparently the central valley of California is like heaven for these interesting little creatures. And apparently, they love them some Keevers....because they're everywhere (at the old house and now at the new house). I used to feel a little bad about killing one of God's creatures (awful as they are, God still made them), but I'm starting not to care as much. I keep reminding myself that while they are eating all of the annoying flies that come along with this area, they can be quite harmful--especially to children. So, I must take them out....one at a time...until we move away from this crazy place. Plus, how lovely can someone be if she eats her husband after she mates with him? Yeah...they've got to go.

Random but cute...

2011-09-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd throw in a few random but super cute pictures of my sweet Rea Rea.

She still LOVES her bunnies (and carries them ALL everywhere) and insists that they "sit" by her whenever she sits...

and she has a new found love of tutus and bracelets! (we had to throw down this morning over whether or not she would wear her tutu to church...mommy won)

I am so thankful that God gave me a girly girl! It's so precious and just too much fun!

Worst blogger ever.

2011-09-23T08:38:00.001-07:00

So, again I find myself apologizing for being the worst blogger ever. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to find the time to finally write a new post. I guess life has just been a little busy.

I think the last event I mentioned was Josh and I going to San Diego while his parents watched the kids...so I will pick up after that trip. But first, here a couple of pictures from the 4th of July weekend...

Josh and I left for San Diego a couple of days after the Fourth and stayed down there for a few days while Josh's parents watched the kids for us. We got home from San Diego on a Saturday and the very next day was Wyatt's third birthday! It's so hard to believe that he is three years old. I can remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. It's amazing how much he has grown and learned in the last three years. He's such a smart, happy and wonderful child...such a blessing to Josh and me.

On his birthday, we surprised him by taking him to the circus in Fresno. We didn't tell him where we were going, so he had no clue until we walked into the arena. Once he realized where we were, he kept shouting "We're at the circus! We're at the circus!". He, and Reagan, loved every minute of it. And it was even more special that Grandma and Grandpa Keever could be there with us.

Grandma and Grandpa left a couple of days later and then Wyatt, Reagan and I headed down to Los Angeles to meet up with my parents. My mother is a CAbi representative and they were having their big conference in Long Beach that weekend. Anytime my family is anywhere near us, we go see them. Me and the kids drove down early and spent some time with my mom. Josh and my stepdad got there the next day. We had so much fun attending fashion shows, playing at the pier, shopping and eating some fabulous meals. I just wish we could do that every weekend. It was also on this trip that we discovered Wyatt and Rea's fondness for a certain Britney Spears song, "Till the World Ends". haha.

Once home from Los Angeles we began the task of closing on a house. We recently found out that Josh will be stationed here in Lemoore for his next set of orders, so we caved in and decided to buy a house. We were tired of renting and just wanted a place of our own. We stumbled upon a house that we loved and jumped on it. It's brand new and just about perfect for our family. But before we could actually close on the house, we had some more hurdles to clear...

Josh had to go to Fallon, Nevada for some training. I think he was gone for two weeks. The kids and I ended up driving up to Lake Tahoe to meet him for a weekend. We had such a nice time. We stayed at the Marriott Timber Lodge and loved it. We had never stayed there before, but would highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in Lake Tahoe. We basically did nothing all weekend. Just relaxed and enjoyed some family time. We rode the gondolas up to the Heavenly lodge and then went down to the lake to play. The kids loved it, of course...

On August 9th, I had surgery to repair two bilateral hernias on my c-section incision. I didn't heal too well after my c-section with Rea and these hernias formed. Anyway, the surgery went well and was a success. The recovery has been a little longer and harder than I had anticipated, but I'm getting through it. My belly is still quite sore, but that is to be expected, I suppose. Thankfully, my stepmom, Deborah, was able to fly in and help me with the kids for the week of the surgery. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. I basically couldn't move without help for at least two weeks.

Three days after the surgery, we closed on our house. The title officer agreed to come to our house to do the signing, so that I wouldn't have to try and go anywhere. I was very grateful for that. Once we were closed...Josh started moving us in. Poor guy...he's had to do the last three moves all by himself. The first two I was pregnant and could only help pack...and this one I was totally laid up. Slowly but surely, Josh got us moved over here. And so far, we love it here...

We're still getting everything set up and decorated...it will probably be a while before we finish that up. This house is so different from any we've lived in and we're finding that there are lots of things we need--for instance, a dining room table. :) We are also having the backyard completely landscaped. When we moved in, the backyard was nothing but dirt, which is typical of spec-homes in this area. So we are starting from scratch. At this point we only have a patio (which was poured last week), but starting Monday there will be a lot more work going on back there.

At the end of August, the 28th I believe, my brother successfully defended his title at the World Championship track meet in Daegu, South Korea. It was so cool to be able to watch him compete on television and cheer him on. We are so proud of all of his success and can't wait to see what else is coming his way. I still have no idea how he makes it through a decathlon....it's grueling. Watch out London...the world's greatest athlete is coming!

In other big news, Wyatt started preschool! He started on September 6th and he goes 9-12 two days a week. He is loving it! I knew that he would. He's such a smart little boy...he needed more mental and social stimulation than I could give him at home. He doesn't even wave goodbye to me and Rea....just runs right in and starts his day. Here's a picture of him on his first day. He's getting so big!

And that is what's been going on with us! It's been a busy summer. We're looking forward to enjoying some of our fall and soaking up some of Josh before he deploys again in November. Hopefully I can do a little better about keeping this blog up to date...plus I should probably be chronicling the backyard transformation. The kids could probably give you a better account of that, though. This is how they spend their days when the "workers" are here...

Out of Wyatt's mouth...

2011-07-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

This was just heard in my kitchen...

As Wyatt was pretending to fix Rea's little pink Barbie Jeep with his toy tools, I gave him a kiss....he says, "Mommy, stop giving me sugars. I a man and I working on this Jeep".

He never fails to crack me up. haha.

P.S. Here's a little gem from yesterday. We walked out of the house to get in the car when Wyatt spots some birds on the sidewalk. Screaming out of excitement he says, "Daddy!!! Look at those eagles!!!". Daddy says, "Um, buddy...those are pigeons." :)

As promised...

2011-07-22T12:25:00.001-07:00

As promised, here are the pictures that were taken by our photographer on homecoming day. I hope you love them as much as I do! Sorry they're in a kooky order...but blogger was giving me fits today. If you want to look at them in sequential order, start at the bottom and work your way up. :)

Homecoming

2011-07-12T11:46:00.001-07:00

Homecoming was amazing. To finally see Josh's face again...and to watch my children get to hug their father after 7 months apart, was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Here are a few pictures from that day...they were taken by Jaime Hough, an amazing photographer. As soon as she posts some more, I'll be sure to post them...

I'm sorry for the tardy post...but life has been so busy since Josh got home. Josh came home on June 14th, and sadly, brought with him a stomach bug. So the poor guy finally got home only to spend the first few days in bed. After the stomach bug left us, the kids and Josh got a really bad upper respiratory infection. The kids have only recently fully recovered from that.

We've done some fun family things in the last few weeks....we took the kids on the Amtrak train for the day and Mommy and Daddy had themselves a date night. :) Last week, Josh's parents (aka Grandma and Grandpa) came out to visit....and to watch the children while Josh and I had a mini vacation in San Diego for a few days.

San Diego was wonderful. I needed the break so badly. And truthfully, I think the kids needed a break from us too. They were thrilled to be hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and did not miss us a bit. Wyatt didn't even want to talk when we would call to check in. Guess Grandpa is pretty entertaining.

The day after we got back from our trip, it was Wyatt's 3rd birthday! I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that Wyatt is now 3. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. It's crazy how much he has grown and learned over the last few years. He is such a smart and handsome little boy. We are so incredibly blessed to have him as our son. Anyway, we took the kids to the circus in Fresno to celebrate. They LOVED it...although I think Grandpa was the most impressed--he said the last time he went to the circus it was in an un-air conditioned tent.

Grandma and Grandpa left this morning. We were all sad to see them go. Hopefully we can get out to the farm sometime this fall before Josh deploys again (yes, again).

It's almost time!

2011-06-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

We are getting incredibly close to Josh being home! I can't say exactly how long online...but know that it's REALLY close. Today is the first day that I have officially been tackling my to-do list. It's crazy how long this list is...I think it's literally five pages long. Hopefully I can get everything done in time, and if not--well hopefully Josh won't notice. :)

The kids are getting really excited about homecoming. Wyatt is constantly talking about how Daddy will fly his jet in and run up and give him a huge hug. Rea isn't totally aware of what's going on, but she definitely feeds off of Wyatt's excitement. Buck, our sweet lab, is going to freak when he sees his daddy...every time we even say the words "Daddy is almost home", the dog runs to the front door.

Wyatt and Reagan have already made their welcome home signs. I would post pictures but I don't want to ruin the surprise for Josh (I know you're reading this). They were having so much fun drawing and decorating their signs. I can't wait to post pictures of them...Wyatt's is hysterical. I have booked a photographer for the big fly-in. So we should have some fabulous pictures of our reunion to share with all of you. I just figured that it would be impossible for me to document this occasion the way I really want to without a little help. So stay posted for those...

Anyway, if you have a minute please say a prayer for us as we prepare for this huge day in our lives and as we navigate this transition. And we'll keep you updated on our progress!

2011-05-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to include this passage of scripture on the blog...I can't even count how many situations and days this passage has gotten me through. And how wonderful are these promises? I just love how much our God loves me...and my kids...and my husband...and my family and friends...and all of you. And how comforting is it to know that He cares and His protection covers us always...

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Daddy's little butterfly

2011-05-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist sharing this picture of Rea...a.k.a. Daddy's "butterfly". I think it's safe to say that daddy will be wrapped around this butterfly's finger when he gets home...

Prayers for Alabama

2011-04-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today were hard days to be away from my sweet home Alabama...

Massive tornadoes ripped through the state yesterday and two of my favorite places on the planet saw devastating damage...Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. I grew up in Birmingham and went to college in Tuscaloosa.

My thoughts, heart, and prayers are with the people of this great state and especially with those who have experienced loss because of these storms. I pray that God may bring peace and healing and give those who need it the strength to rebuild.

New Award

2011-04-28T20:19:00.001-07:00

Well, I created an award...and gave it to myself today. It's called the "Worst Blogger of the Year" award. In order to win, you can only post entries to your blog every other month and must begin every blog post with "I'm really sorry that I haven't posted in a while..." or something to that effect. :)

We have had an interesting month. Mostly, we have just been hanging out at home and occasionally playing with our friends...but we did manage to squeeze in a trip to Los Angeles to see my brother, Trey, compete in a track meet at Azusa Pacific University. He ran the 200m, and won! It was a good day to be in the stands. Wyatt loved it and kept yelling "Uncle Trey wins!" over and over. We had such a good time visiting with Trey...I'm pretty sure Trey is now missing an ear due to Wyatt's incessant questions and talking. From the time Trey arrived in our hotel room, Wyatt never stopped talking..."Uncle Trey, do you like that car? Uncle Trey look at that flower! Uncle Trey, what's your favorite color? Mine's blue..." you get the point. Sweet Rea was her quiet self, but sat in Trey's lap at any chance she got...she's our snuggle bug.

After our trip to LA, we came home and began Easter preparations. Easter is our favorite holiday around here, as it is the cornerstone of everything that we believe. We are so grateful for the free gift given to us by God and our Savior...the gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus.

The kids had a blast and loved their Easter baskets. The church sermon was fantastic as usual and we celebrated with our dear friends, the Shulmans, for Easter supper. Sadly, my computer is not really cooperating with me these days and I only have three pictures from that day to share right now...but here they are....aren't my babies beautiful? The bonnet and dress that Rea wore to church was mine when I was a little girl, and Wyatt's outfit belonged to my brother--I love vintage clothes!

Since Easter, we've just been recovering from the massive sugar high that we all experienced. And as we start the month of May we begin to see the light at the end of the deployment tunnel. The countdown is on for Josh's return...and along with the counting down comes a lot of homecoming preparations. As we prepare, I will do my best to keep you all updated...

The most common question

2011-03-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

I get asked a lot of questions about the military life and deployment...but the most common question I am asked is "How do you do it with your husband gone for so long?". I finally decided to give an actual answer to it...so here goes--this is how I do it:

The biggest thing I do to cope, is to crawl into the lap of my Jesus at least once a day...sometimes I just sit there...sometimes I whine and complain to Him...sometimes I cry into the folds of His clothes...sometimes I fall asleep there...sometimes I talk...and sometimes I just listen. The comfort of being in His presence is what gets me through each day. Even though my earthly husband isn't here, my heavenly Father fills that void for me.

I do still rely heavily on my earthly husband though. I seek his guidance before making decisions and I rely on his "pep talks" via email. His confidence in me is what makes me push through being tired and stressed and to get the job done. How fortunate I am to have a man beside me that pushes me to do better, but loves me just the way that I am...and could care less if the kids got a bath today.

When I'm craving human contact, I lean on my fellow military wives. We do dinners, play dates, hour-long phone calls, and many many potlucks. They help to fill the void of adult conversation and interaction...they also help to fill in on days when I desperately need a break...or a pap smear.

A lot of days what keeps me going are the sweet faces of my two beautiful children. Even though they can run me ragged, they are so precious to me...and to Josh. And they need me. They need me to hold it together...they need me to make their dinner...and bathe their little bottoms...and remind them that daddy loves them and is coming home soon. So I can "do it" because I have to...because I love my children more than I love even myself.

I also lean pretty heavily on my family...and Josh's family. My mom is the first person I call when I need an opinion on anything, from what to wear all the way to how to deal with potty training. She's my go-to person when Josh is gone. The rest of the family humors me with longer than usual phone calls and skype sessions just for no reason. They help me fill the void when I'm feeling lonely, and who better to do that than the people that have known you the longest.

And that, my friends is how I do it....it's not easy, but then whose life is easy? God can give us all the grace and strength to deal with any situation or circumstance that comes our way.

Hello again

2011-02-22T11:45:00.001-08:00

I know I say this at the beginning of every blog entry, but I'm sorry that it has been so long since I've updated this thing! The children are keeping me very busy...between Wyatt's expanding vocabulary and insatiable curiosity and Rea's new found love of walking, I barely sit down during the day. We're having so much fun, the three of us, but we're still missing Daddy. We are counting the days until Josh's return...we're almost half way through his deployment! The official countdown can finally begin for us. Anyway, here are a few pictures of what the kids have been up to lately...

I got a chance to take Wyatt to the circus. I got a babysitter for Rea so that we could enjoy some alone time. He was in awe the entire show and he loved every minute of it. It didn't hurt that we had front row seats too! I can't wait to take Rea when she's a little older...

My mom's assistant is possibly the sweetest girl on earth...and even better than that, her husband is a fireman! Stephanie and her husband Zach invited Wyatt and Rea down to the firestation one Saturday afternoon...I thought Wyatt was going to burst, he was so happy. Still to this day he tells me that he wants to go see "Mr. Zach" again.

Another exciting day is when a package came in the mail from Nike. My brother, Trey, is signed with Nike and had taken my mom and her friend on a little shopping spree at the Niketown in New York. He generously got me a few things and got the kids these adorable shoes! They loved them! Rea especially loves shoes...she's only one and already she's learning a lot from her mommy!

This past weekend, the kids and I loaded up and headed over to Atlanta to see my dad. My stepmom, Deborah, is in Israel on a tour of the Holy Lands for two weeks and I thought my dad could use some company...so over we went. We had such a good time...the kids really love their Papa. The weather was so gorgeous that we spent most of the weekend outside...and of course, went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens....just beautiful!

I'm sure you're wondering where the pictures of Rea are at the gardens...well, before we left for our outing that day, Miss Rea pulled a small console table over on herself and wound up with a huge goose egg on her forehead. This was not something that I particularly wanted to document as I was being plagued by mothers' guilt. But I promise she was with us and have a great time. Don't worry...her noggin is just fine. She's got a hard head, like her daddy. :)

Today and tomorrow we will spend the days packing up. That's right...packing up. We are heading back to California on Thursday. While we're sad to leave Birmingham (and Nana and Caesar), we're excited to get back to our own house and get back into a real routine. Who knows...we may even get Wyatt started in preschool! So, we'll let you all know when we make it back and how the drive went! Wish us luck!

Random pictures

2011-01-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

We've been busy while Daddy has been away....here are a few pictures of what we've been up to.

Not the best week

2011-01-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

So last week was not the best week ever...and I'm really glad that it's over.

Wyatt was just generally being grouchy and difficult, then Thursday came. I put the kids down for their naps and they both fell asleep easily. About two hours later, I heard the scream. Wyatt was screaming bloody murder. I raced upstairs to find him pantless, with blood everywhere. And by everywhere, I mean everywhere. I grabbed him and ran into the bathroom, intending to find the source of the blood and clean him up. That's when I saw it....he had busted through all of my babyproofing measures, gotten into the bathroom and emptied every drawer and cabinet. Then he had emptied every container he could find...makeup, shampoo, sunscreen, soap, perfume...he had also taken my best eyeliner and drawn all over everything. Accompanying this art, was lots and lots of smeared blood. I begin freaking out....Rea is screaming so I go in to check on her. She is also covered in Wyatt's blood. It is about this time that I remember I have not located the source of this bleeding. After about ten minutes I narrow it down to Wyatt's thumb, but I cannot stop the bleeding. I load everyone up, as is, and head to the ER. I still have no idea how he cut his thumb open, but the doctor ended up putting dermabond (liquid stitches) on it. I guess Wyatt's thumb is just too little to hold an actual stitch.

So I make it out of that situation somewhat sane....then came Friday. Friday morning, while Rea was napping, I took Wyatt out to play. He was running down the sidewalk when his little boot caught the lip of the concrete and smack! He face-plants right there in front of the house. He has a massive "strawberry" on his forehead, a bloody nose and a scratched up chin. Lovely. Later that night, we went out to dinner with my mom and stepdad. I had already warned Wyatt twice about standing up in his chair...that's when it happened. He fell out of his chair and busted his lip on the edge of the table. I mean...could this get any worse. Yes. Yes it can.

Saturday night, knowing that I had a rough week already, my mom volunteered to watch the kids while I had a "girls night" with my best friend, Taylor. Taylor and I had an amazing night. We enjoyed some Mexican food and margheritas at Chuy's, followed by some yogurt at 32 degrees. I arrived home and crawled into bed feeling refreshed and ready to get back to motherhood the next morning. Forty five minutes after laying down, it started. Wyatt started throwing up everywhere. I cleaned him up and put the sheets in the wash. Then I put him in bed with me....he proceeded to throw up all over my bed. So I strip that bed and get Wyatt a "puke bucket". That child threw up every fifteen minutes all night long.

Thankfully that was the end of the bad stuff. Sunday came and with it, a new week. I'm sure Wyatt is greatful for the reprieve too. So far we've had only happy children and no accidents. Let's hope it continues for a long time...I've gotten my fill of difficult mothering.

Pictures from Christmas

2011-01-18T11:17:00.001-08:00

Blogger has been giving me fits today, so I'm just going to post a few pictures of our Christmas in Alabama in this edition...

Belated Merry Christmas!

2011-01-18T11:01:00.001-08:00

Belated Merry Christmas to everyone! I'm sorry that I haven't updated the blog in such a long time, but these kids are keeping me busy! I hope that you all had an amazing Christmas and were blessed over this holiday season. I know we were!

To start off, here is Wyatt and Rea's visit to see Santa. Wyatt was thrilled to go see him and was very excited to tell Santa that he wanted a "really huge Thomas set". Rea was not so thrilled. Oh well, I guess every child needs a "screaming with Santa" picture in their portfolio...

Happy Birthday, Rea!

2010-12-18T18:18:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that a year has come and gone...but it did. And my sweet, precious little girl is a one year old. It seems like yesterday that she was born and here she is, an almost toddling, laughing, joy of a child. She has enriched our lives in a way that I never knew a little girl could. You see, I really thought that Reagan was going to be a boy...I was shocked when the ultrasound technician told me otherwise. At first I didn't know what to think about having a girl...all of the little ones I had experience with had been boys. But God sure knew what he was doing when he gave us our Rea Rea. She is as sweet as can be and exudes joy and happiness from every pore of her body. She absolutely melts our hearts on a daily basis. I cannot imagine not having her in my life. I'm so excited about watching her grow into a little girl and young woman in the years to come...I am quite confident that I will only be the better for knowing her. I love you, sweet girl!

Long time no see...

2010-12-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

Long time no see, blogger friends. I apologize for not updating this thing sooner, but it's been a crazy month for us. As most of you know, the kids and I temporarily moved to Alabama and Josh deployed with the Navy. So we've been busy moving, shipping out and getting settled in.

Mid-November, Josh drove me, the kids and Buck (our dog) cross country to Alabama. It was quite an adventure...we made the drive in a little over 3 days. Didn't stop except to eat, sleep, pee and get gas. Once we arrived in Alabama, Josh stayed with us for two days before flying to Oregon, picking up the new car we bought (long story) and then driving the new car back to California. He stayed in California for a couple of weeks and then shipped out for deployment. We were sad to see him go, but excited to start counting down until homecoming.

For the last couple of weeks the kids and I have been settling in to life at my mother's house. I feel terrible...we've taken over her home. I try really hard to keep us compartmentalized...but we just tend to spill over into every room of her house. Maybe I'll gain control over the mess in the coming days and weeks...but it kind of has a mind of its own. haha.

This weekend, I decided to give my mom a break from the chaos and took the kids to Atlanta to see my dad. That's where we are now. We've had such a blast being here. We weren't in town ten minutes before Papa took Wyatt and Reagan to Chuck E. Cheese's. These kids definitely have their grandfather wrapped. Last night we drove through the Christmas lights at Life University...to say that Wyatt loved it would be an understatement. They had lights everywhere! I wish the pictures I took had turned out, because it really was amazing. Today we headed over to the Botanical Gardens so that Wyatt could ride the train they have set up for the holidays...as our luck would have it, Santa was also there. So I would say it was a successful morning.

I haven't had much of an opportunity to break out the camera these days, but I did get some shots this morning at the gardens. Thankfully, we got a few good ones...I wasn't sure I would since my hands were shaking and teeth were chattering so bad. It was a cold one!

I'm going to try and do better about taking pictures from now on...after all, Daddy needs to see what we're doing too. So stay tuned for more....but not too eagerly, I can't promise how soon it will be. haha.

Ohio

2010-11-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

We just got home from Ohio...it was such a great trip and it was so nice to see family. Wyatt had a blast, as usual. Grandpa's farm is like heaven for a two-year-old boy. I think we did everything a little boy could dream of doing. Rea was along for the ride too...but she really only wanted some attention and a bottle. I will spare you the recital of every detail of our week, and let the pictures speak for themselves...

Nana

2010-11-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

After we got home from Tahoe, we had two days before my mom (aka Nana) came to visit. Me and the kids drove up to San Jose to pick her up...and while we were there, visited one of our favorite stores...

We had such a blast checking out all that they had to offer...and Wyatt had a blast running up and down the aisles with his paper measuring tapes. And yes, we bought a ton of stuff.

Nana stayed with us for four days. While she was here we played a lot, had a CAbi party and ate lots of good food. We were sad to see her go...but we'll see her again soon! ;)

Lake Tahoe, October 8-11

2010-11-02T13:39:00.001-07:00

So I'm going to attempt to do a little catching up here...

Josh left at the end of September for Fallon, Nevada (he would be gone a month). Thankfully, we had plans to drive up to Lake Tahoe and meet him a few days later. I loaded up the car with clothes, snacks and babies and drove the six hours up to the mountains. I had never been to Lake Tahoe before, and I knew that it would probably be beautiful...but I just had no idea. It is in my top three of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The pristine lake surrounded by mountains and crisp, clean air. Sigh. Can we go back now?

Anyway, we and four other families rented a huge cabin in South Lake Tahoe. The first night we were there, I sent Josh out to the car to grab some groceries that I had left out there. He walked outside, looked up, and this is what he saw about three feet from his face...

Fortunately, that was our only bear encounter. haha.

We spent four days just hanging out and enjoying our surroundings. The kids also relished in some daddy-time. We managed to spend a couple of hours at the lake one day and got some great shots of the kids...

This trip was entirely too short. I wish we could've stayed forever. Hopefully someday soon, we'll head back up that way...

A quick observation...

2010-10-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hanford finally gets a drink...

2010-10-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

We FINALLY got a light sprinkling of rain yesterday! It has not rained here since late March...maybe early April. Seriously, there have not even been clouds in the sky. This development was so exciting that when I took the kids out in the stroller, Wyatt screamed "Clouds!!!". And so exciting to me, that I had to write a blog post about it.

I grew up in Alabama where almost every afternoon of the summer a thunderstorm blows through. I used to hate that. I hated that you would have to leave the pool early, or that you got stuck in the house for a few hours. This was before I could appreciate a good nap, of course. But now that I've gone without rain for two summers in a row, I miss it like crazy. The sight of little droplets on the pavement brought me more joy than getting to sleep in on a Saturday....although I'm not sure I even remember what that's like. haha.

Sweet Rea turns 9 months

2010-09-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that my sweet Rea is 9 months old already! It seems like yesterday that she came into our lives. The first few months were a little rocky (thanks, colic), but now this girl is seriously the sweetest thing since cane sugar! It's amazing to see her personality come out day by day. She is completely content 99% of the time and smiles constantly. She's definitely rewarding us for our perseverance in those early days. Every day with Rea is better than the last...while I will miss these precious times we have together now, I'm excited about our future with her and watching her as she grows.

She's crawling everywhere...and is desperate to keep up with her big brother. She goes everywhere that he goes--even to the potty. She is "cruising" around the coffee table, couch and various other furniture and her balance is improving by leaps and bounds every week. I fully expect her to walk early. She is eating squash, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, peaches, apples and bananas now. It won't be long and she'll be eating solid food with her brother.

It feels like I had her, blinked, and here we are at 9 months old. I have a feeling that I'll blink again and she'll be 2.

Alabama v Penn State

2010-09-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

Wyatt and Reagan had so much fun watching football this past Saturday...and of course supporting the Tide!

ROLL TIDE!

A gentle reminder...

2010-09-03T14:58:00.001-07:00

So I don't like it here. And by here, I mean the Central Valley of California. This is the prettiest picture I could find of this place...it should be noted that all of the smog that settles here after leaving Los Angeles has been photoshopped out, the ever-present smell of cattle removed and the 115 degree heat covered up to trick you into thinking that this place isn't so bad.

I was telling Josh today that there are two good things about California...In n Out, and the fact that during football season college football is on literally from 7am until 10pm every Saturday. And that's all I've got...two things. haha. It is especially difficult to deal with this place after growing up in this place...

As I was cleaning my house the other day, and my nostrils were being burned by the smell of manure, I glanced up at a magnet on my refrigerator. My mother gave it to me a long time ago...and I had forgotten about its existence until this moment. On this magnet it says, "Grow where you're planted". It stopped me dead in my tracks. I had, as Oprah likes to call it, an "aha moment".

So I don't like it here...but God has me in this crazy place for a very specific purpose. I haven't the faintest idea what that purpose is, but I'm sure it is His will nonetheless. I will probably look back ten years from now and totally get the point. But until I can look back and get the point...I must grow where I have been planted.

This next little guy will be my inspiration. His surroundings are less than ideal and probably quite difficult to deal with...but he's growing where God planted him.

Potty Training, part deux

2010-08-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

So potty training was going really well. We had a week of small victories...and we were making progress little by little. And then, Wyatt figured it out. He realized that Mommy isn't fooling around and this isn't a game. We are not going back to comfort and ease of diapers. Which is when he started to buck the system. He has done everything he can to resist the potty...and I have tried every trick I could think of to convince him that it might be a good idea to keep pee pee off of the floor. Our biggest struggles are that Wyatt could care less if his underwear are wet or dirty. He would sit in a mess all day, if I would let him. He also thinks that cleaning the carpet/floors is fun. Uugh!

Today I broke out another strategy. I set a timer to go off every 20 minutes. When the timer beeps, he has to go potty. The first couple of times he fought me all the way to the potty...but I still got him to go. Then I think he caught on and maybe even liked the idea because now Mommy isn't telling him what to do...the alarm clock is telling him. Fast forward to this afternoon and we've only had once accident today! Normally by this point we'd be on pair number 30 of undies. I count it as a win...hopefully this situation will only continue to get better and better. I'm banking on all the struggles with Wyatt paying off when it comes time to potty train Miss Rea.

I haven't been taking as many pictures of this process, probably because I'm ready to get it over with and I'm not really sure it's something I want to remember. haha. But I will leave you with a picture of what has become my arch nemesis...

While you were gone...

2010-08-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

This one is a post for Daddy...here's what you've missed...

(yes...they destroyed the rubix cube. haha)

(found a mouse in the garage, trapped in the garbage can)

Ask me anything...

2010-08-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

I just got a question, not seconds ago, in my "Ask Me Anything" box....the question is:

How much do you miss me?

Well, Joshua Loyal...and I know it's you...I miss you so much it physically hurts sometimes. I miss you so much that I lose sleep and wear your clothes occasionally. I miss you so much that I find myself tidying up a house that you're not coming home to tonight just because I know that's how you like it. I miss you so much that I plan all of the special things I'm going to do for you when you get home three weeks in advance. I miss you so much that I won't let Wyatt go into your office because I don't want him to move things from the place that you left them. I miss you so much that I eat leftovers even when you're not here. I miss you so much that I find myself staring at Wyatt for long periods of time because he makes all of the same faces that you do. And I miss you so much that I think about you every second of every day.

I love you, honey...and I'm counting the days until you get back! XOXO

Happy Anniversary!

2010-08-20T13:49:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to say Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband of 5 years! Today is the anniversary of the day that I finally got the man God had destined for me, and the beginning of an amazing adventure that we have lived together. Joshua, you are the best friend, husband, father and provider that I could have ever asked for or imagined.

Here's to another 5!....heck, here's to another 50! I love you, Keev!

Potty Training

2010-08-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have decided to potty train Wyatt, my 2-year-old. Am I crazy? you ask...Perhaps. I just figured that while Daddy is away and we don't have a lot of things planned, this would be as good a time as any.

I started this process by reading as many potty training guides as I could get my hands on...all of which contained conflicting information. They weren't much help. So I asked around...again, got conflicting advice. So I figured I would take the pieces of advice that seemed like they might work for Mr. Wyatt and put them all together...

We took Monday morning to collect "supplies". We needed some big boy underwear and what we affectionately refer to as "potty prizes". Can I please just give all of my mommy friends a piece of advice? NEVER EVER take small children to Toys R Us with you! I promise you, you will regret it! That night after I put the kiddos to bed, I went about setting up the house for our potty training boot camp. While setting up, I became so nervous about what was going to happen that I had to have a glass of wine to get to bed that night.

I got up super early Tuesday morning and waited for Wyatt to wake up. When he did, we took off his last diaper (single tear from mommy) and he threw it away. He picked out his first pair of underwear and then had this reaction when I told him that there were no more diapers in his future.

We made it a whole hour without an accident. And then it happened. He was standing on the hearth, in front of the fireplace, when he looks down and his eyes get as big as saucers. Clearly he wasn't expecting the warm trickle of water now running down his leg. I thought it would be cute to take pictures of all of the different underwear he wore on his first day as a big boy...but it quit being so cute after pair #17. I will spare you all of those pictures.

On the upside, Wy pee peed in the potty twice on Tuesday! For his progress he got to pick two prizes from the "Potty Prize Box" which sits on the bathroom counter.

After dinner on Tuesday night I cut Wyatt off from drinking anything. I was praying this would help him stay dry at night. No pull-ups? Nope. We're going cold-turkey, and I mean it! I tried to get him to go potty before bed time, but he refused. This sent me into a tailspin of nervous energy. I walked away from his room praying that he would stay dry. Well, it only took about an hour before I hear him up horsing around. I go up to check on him and he had peed on the floor. Uugh! So Wyatt and I clean it up and I put him back in bed. Major downer on mommy...When I went in to check on Wy before I went to bed, I was pleasantly surprised that he was still dry....so I kept praying.

I woke up early this morning and went in to check on him before he woke up. He was still dry!!! I waited around until he woke up and then shuffled him straight to the potty. He peed!!! Talk about a fabulous morning! I was in mommy heaven! Wyatt got to pick another prize...he was so proud of himself...

Over the course of day two of potty training, we have had five accidents and three victories! I'll count it as a good day. Right now the kids are napping and I'm praying that everyone sleeps for a while and then stays dry! I'll keep you all posted on our further progress!

Reagan June is 8 months old today...

2010-08-18T09:17:00.001-07:00

Wyatt is so fast...

2010-08-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

I took Wyatt to the indoor playground at a mall in Fresno, since it's about a thousand degrees here in the central valley...he decided he wanted to show me how fast he was. Here is how fast Wyatt is...

I have tried numerous times to upload the video of Reagan crawling and it's not working, for whatever reason. I'll try to take a new video of her crawling and then post that one.

Reagan June...the overachiever

2010-08-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

In the span of 9 days, my sweet little girl sat up, crawled and pulled herself up to standing. It absolutely blows my mind how quickly she has reached all of these milestones. I wouldn't be surprised if she started walking tomorrow. haha.

I've been trying all afternoon to get a video of Rea crawling to upload...it's not working. So I'll try it again tomorrow and post it for your enjoyment!

Our Travels

2010-08-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am updating the blog...finally.

So Josh left for Fallon, Nevada on a Friday. The following Thursday, the kids and I got up really early and drove to Las Vegas to meet 30 of our family members for a huge celebration. It was my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary and they generously provided hotel rooms at the Wynn for all of us to come celebrate with them. It is a gorgeous hotel and I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Vegas.

The drive over was surprisingly uneventful. There wasn't one solitary temper tantrum. Clearly God was traveling with us. Once we got there, we got all settled in and then headed with the whole family to the MGM Grand to have dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Wyatt loved it! Talk about the perfect restaurant for my sweet boy. I think everyone else enjoyed it too.

On Friday, we headed to gorgeous pool at our hotel, the Wynn. I wish I had a picture of it, but it was a little difficult to take pictures while wrangling two little ones. Anyway, we hung out at the pool until my children were melting down then we headed back up to the room for a nap. While the kids were napping I had to shower and get all gussied up--that night was the big anniversary dinner for Nonna and Papa at Maggiano's...and my hubby was driving in from Fallon. So, I had to look cute.

The anniversary dinner was amazing! Nonna and Papa really outdid themselves. They rented a private room with a bar, and the menu was outstanding! What can I say...family dinners with the DiCesare's are always fun. It didn't hurt that Josh showed up towards the end of the night too!

Saturday in Vegas was my favorite day of the trip. First of all, it was my baby boy's 2nd birthday! I can't believe he's two already. It seems like just yesterday, God blessed us with his little life. Uugh, I could just eat him up!

Anyway, since Nonna and Papa had never been to Las Vegas and they love all things italian, we walked around to some of the "italian" hotels in town. First we went to the Bellagio to see the Murano glass and the beautiful fountains. The glass really takes your breath away...they had these glass flowers that are the size of a small car. It just blows my mind how they even do that. Anyway, after ogling the lobby for a bit, we headed through the shops and outside to watch the fountains. At the fountains, I had what I call a "God moment". You know, a moment where God shows Himself and his Providence is evident. There are two things you should know about my Papa--he is the most patriotic person on this planet, and he has already picked out a song to be played at his funeral. So we walk up to the fountains and end up waiting about 15 minutes for the show to start. Just when I started to think that this wait might not be worth it...the show begins. The first song played in sync with the water cannons is "The Star Spangled Banner". And as if it couldn't have been more perfect, the second song of the show was--you guessed it--the song Papa wants sung at his funeral, "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli. It was one of the coolest moments I have ever had the privilege of witnessing. I will never hear that song again without flashing back to that place in time.

After the touching fountain show at Bellagio, we headed to Caesar's Palace for some shopping and lunch. By this point the kids were worn out, to say the least...

Sunday we said goodbye to Josh and drove back to Hanford...with my mom! It was so wonderful to have my mom here with us for a few days. The kids love their Nana, and I love having adult conversation so it was awesome. I only wish she could've stayed longer...

On Thursday of that week (one week after heading to Vegas) me, the kids and my mom all headed to Anaheim where we met our good friend Lindsey. I guess it was a girls/babies weekend. We got to see the new CAbi fall line and did a little shopping and eating. While mom was in a meeting, Lindsey and I braved Newport Beach and found the most amazing shopping mall, called Fashion Island. I cannot express to you how fabulous it was...I wish I had the picture that Lindsey took of the parking lot. There sat my little Chevy SUV surrounded by Range Rovers, 7series BMWs, Bentleys and Jaguars. It was ridiculous. My poor traverse must have felt a little insecure that day. Anyway, from this mall Linds and I both wound up with some fabulous shoes. And we loved the place so much that we convinced my mom to go back with us that night for dinner. The restaurant was hands-down the best Italian restaurant I've ever been to. The staff was SO nice (even helping me entertain Wyatt), and the food was delicious. So if you're ever in Newport Beach...definitely go to Canaletto at Fashion Island. Reagan hit a major milestone while we were sitting in our hotel room one afternoon--she sat up! I'm so glad that Lindsey was there to see it too, otherwise no one wouldn't have believed me. Sadly, I have no pictures of this wonderful weekend--we were too busy juggling babies and shopping bags. haha.

That Sunday, I dropped mom and Lindsey off at LAX and started the trip back to Hanford with the kids. I hadn't even gotten out of town--was on the 405 around Mulholland Drive--when Wyatt fell asleep. I was excited about turning off the Veggie Tales DVD and just listening to the radio for a little bit. Well, the radio wouldn't work. I started getting irritated, but figured I would just leave it alone and stop up the road to try and fix it. I picked a gas station on the GPS to stop at and kept driving. About two minutes later, I hear Reagan making the biggest poop I have ever heard. So I had to find a new place to stop...I ended up stopping a lot sooner than I had anticipated, but wasn't too crazed by it. When I finally pull over at a Shell station, I go get Reagan out to change her and I see it...her car seat was literally filled with poo. I should have taken a picture of that too, since there is no way you could imagine what a mess it was. While I'm cleaning Reagan (and her car seat) up, another couple with a baby pulls up at the pump next to me. The girl taps me on the shoulder and says, "I am so embarrassed, but my baby has a dirty diaper and I just realized that I don't have any wipes...and we're on a trip...do you have a couple of wipes to spare?" Of course I handed her two wipes without hesitation, and continued on about my business. When I had everyone clean and strapped back in, I hopped back into the drivers seat and started the car. That is when I felt compelled to give this woman all of the wipes I had in the car (had almost a whole pack of them). So I went with it, hopped out of the car and told her that I wanted her to have my wipes since I was going to be home in a couple of hours anyway. I thought she was going to cry...after her reaction, I realized that God had me there, at that gas station, for a reason. It was something so simple to me, but it was a lot more to her. I learned a lesson that day--when your day seems to be going wrong, there might just be a reason.

Anyway, we made it back home and began preparing for Josh to get back from Fallon. I was relieved to be getting back into a schedule and about getting some rest. Just when we were settled in, we were reminded (by Josh) about a fun weekend ahead. It had been planned for some time, but I had totally forgotten with everything else going on. Josh's mom, Pat, was going to be in Los Angeles for a wedding and we were supposed to drive over and meet her there. Josh came home on Thursday, and to say that Wyatt and Reagan were overjoyed to see him is an understatement. Then four days after returning to Hanford, we left for Los Angeles...again. It was so wonderful to see Pat. Wyatt was so excited...he kept yelling "Grandma! Grandma!" the whole way there. We met her at a fabulous BBQ place in Venice Beach, which I would highly recommend, and had many other fabulous meals together. We also visited the Long Beach Aquarium. It was so much fun... I only wish we could have stayed with her a little longer.

Whew....those were our travels as of late. It was a blast and exhausting all at once. Can't wait to do it again!

I know, I know...

2010-07-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...I'm lacking in the blog area. Allow me to explain--Josh was gone for the last three weeks (he's home now) and while he was gone the kids and I traveled to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and once Josh got home, Los Angeles again. Needless to say, there just has not been enough time. That said, I promise to sit down very soon and catch you all up on our adventures as of late.

Anyway, my very good friend, Savanah, had this on her facebook page and I loved it so I thought I would "steal" it and share with you. Unbelievable how true this is--there is always a bit of truth to humor....

God Bless America

2010-07-04T16:04:00.001-07:00

God Bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Thru the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home.

Wyatt's early birthday

2010-07-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

We decided to give Wyatt his birthday present a week early, since Josh's schedule won't allow for present opening on the actual day. I can't recall another time when I've seen Wyatt so thrilled about a gift (well maybe at Christmas, but we got a pretty great reaction this time). I am no longer referring to this gift as a "tricycle"...I will now call it "Wyatt's pride and joy". Here are a few pictures of the blessed event...and one of Reagan thrown in for good measure.

A few new pictures of "i bambini"

2010-06-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well...it's my birthday.

2010-06-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

Where did all the years go? I mean, where was 22...or 26? It's like I just woke up and realized that I'm going to be 28 on Thursday. I'm guessing it's because I spent my first couple of years as a twenty-something trying to pretend that I was still a teenager and thus allowed to make all of the ridiculous life-mistakes that I was making. Perhaps I just got into the habit of "being a teenager" and continued this silly practice until I woke up this morning and thought "Crap! I'm going to be 28 in three days...I'm an adult. (gulp)". You would have thought that the two rather short people who also live in my house would've clued me in to the adult part...but I suppose that there are plenty of "children" who have babies too.

Upon further reflection of my twenties so far, I realized that the greatest days of my life and my most important lessons have occurred in the past 8 years. I met and married my best friend. My best friend and I bought the best dog in the universe and managed to survive his puppyhood. We moved three times...one of those was across this amazing country that we live in. I gave birth to the two most beautiful children on the planet and thus learned what true, unconditional love is. I learned to actually cook and really clean (clean the way my mother always prayed I would). I learned how be responsible and how to be a landlord. I have been completely schooled on the mechanics and workings of an F-18C. A "good day" has changed from sunbathing and bar hopping to getting a good night's sleep and a family trip to Costco. My reading materials have gone from "Cosmopolitan" magazine to "Good Night Moon". I have traded a desk and computer for a kitchen and a laundry room. I have learned how to depend fully on the Lord for strength, companionship, patience, security and energy. In the process of learning how to be a mommy, I've learned how to be a better daughter.

It should be said that I'm still processing a lot of these lessons...so stayed tuned for my official grade one day.

I think when I get up on Thursday morning (at 6:30am, no doubt) and I am 28, it will be like a fresh start. It will be the first day of my new-found adult life and the happy march towards 30. "Happy march", you ask? I just figure that if so many wonderful things happened in my twenties...then my thirties are going to be amazing and I will happily march through life excitedly awaiting the big 3-0.

Sweet Lullaby

2010-06-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I will no longer sing the creepiest lullaby ever, "Rock A Bye Baby", anymore. I know you're wondering why I think it's creepy and weird...so take your time, and really read and ingest the words:

Rock a bye baby, in the tree top

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall

And down will come baby, cradle and all.

Totally disturbs me. On what level should it be soothing for your mommy to tell you a story about a child being placed in a tree and then left there to fall during a wind storm? Thankfully my children are so young, they have no idea what I've been singing to them all this time.

Excuse the cliche housewife moment...but I was folding laundry and watching "Days of Our Lives" (yes I watch it sometimes), when the character of Sami was singing to her baby girl. She sang a new version of this horrible song and I love it. So I'm keeping it...and thought you might like to exchange the disturbing for the sweet too!

Rock a bye baby, sent from above

Mom's little angel, God's little love

Now that you're with me, life is so sweet

Since God's dearest angel made it complete.

Not entirely Biblically accurate, but still better than the song about child neglect. Now I can sing my children to sleep without getting the "heebie-jeebies".

An update on Reagan

2010-06-24T10:25:00.001-07:00

Miss Rea is growing like a little weed. It's hard for me to believe that she's six months old already! She had her well-baby doctor's visit this past week and she's doing fabulous. She's weighing in at 15 pounds, 9.9 ounces and is 25.1 inches long. She's hitting most of her milestones right on time and a few of them early. Her favorite things right now are rattles, Daddy holding her, eating, and her big brother. She could sit and watch Wyatt for hours at a time...if he would just sit by her to play. Too bad Wyatt doesn't really sit still. She has also discovered some new things about how her body works and it is so cute to watch her discover more...Anyway, I took some videos of her over the last few weeks and thought I would share them. (Wyatt is in some of the videos too--we call him the "scene stealer" because he can't manage to stand on the sidelines)

A Picture

2010-06-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

San Diego

2010-06-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are nuts. Yes, we went on a long weekend trip to San Diego two days after returning from the East Coast. And I am so glad that we lost our minds for a bit. We had so much fun! We are in love with San Diego and look for every opportunity to visit it. We stayed at the Loews Coronado Bay, and would highly recommend it to anyone venturing that way. They allowed us to bring Buck and even left him his own welcome gift. The hotel sits right on a large marina and it was so wonderful to wake up to the water and gorgeous yachts every morning. We spent some time with Josh's Aunt Loretta and our good friends Ian and Sara, and Shaun and Kim (who we miss so much). We managed to squeeze in a Padres game while we were there too. Wyatt loved it...and I'm pretty sure his new best friend is Ian, who taught him to paint while we were there. I can't wait until we get back there. I missed it the moment we left.

some pictures courtesy of ian espich

Birmingham

2010-05-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

After we left Atlanta, we drove over to Birmingham to see my mom and stepdad. It was such a relief to finally be home...in the place where I grew up. There is such comfort in being at your mama's house. We had a blast hanging out with everyone and just getting in some quality time and relaxation. We dedicated Reagan, at the church I grew up in, on Sunday morning. It was so special since Wyatt was also dedicated there...and the pastor had agreed to do a special dedication just for us. Reagan look beautiful in her gown and Wyatt was looking extra dapper in his little suit. The suit actually belonged to my brother, Trey, when he was Wyatt's age. While we were there, Nana bought Wyatt his very own lawn mower. It wouldn't quite fit in our suitcase...so we had to leave it behind...it has been a constant topic of toddler conversation ever since. Nana always knows the right things to get...she definitely has Wyatt pegged. I only wish we were closer so that Wyatt and Reagan could have more time with their favorite person!

Anyway, here are some pictures from our trip...I can't wait until we can go back again!

Wyatt does Atlanta

2010-05-20T12:38:00.001-07:00

We are having so much fun in Atlanta right now! It's been non-stop outings since we arrived. Wyatt is loving it and is definitely "Papa's boy". He follows my dad around everywhere and gets a little 'tude whenever he has to take a nap without his grandfather. We arrived late Tuesday night...might have technically been Wednesday morning...Yesterday we hit the Chattahoochee Nature Center and a local park. Then today we went to the Georgia Aquarium and out for pizza. Needless to say, the kids are worn out. Rea has enjoyed being here too...although she has spent most of the time passed out in her stroller.

Anyway, tomorrow we head to Birmingham to see my mom and we can't wait! There will be lots more pictures coming soon...so check back with us!

Excitement

2010-05-17T12:07:00.001-07:00

There is some excitement at the Keever house....well, mostly I'm super excited (not sure how everyone else feels). I am excited because very soon we will heading back East to see my parents. We'll first fly to Georgia to see my dad and stepmom...then we'll drive over to Alabama to see my mom and stepdad. I cannot wait! I haven't been home since we moved in August. It has been way too long. Oh how I miss the Southeast! California just isn't my cup of tea!

I'm planning on hauling the camera with us...so stay posted for what I hope will be some great pictures!

ps. Reagan rolled over (back to tummy) yesterday! I'm going to try and get some video of her doing it...once I do, I will of course be posting it!

Randoms

2010-05-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures of the kids that I just haven't gotten around to posting yet...I'm sure there will be more to come today as I download things off of the camera!

Happy Mothers' Day!

2010-05-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

I would like to say a very happy Mothers' Day to my own mother. Mom, you have been the best mother that a girl could have asked for. You have ushered me through life's most important milestones...birth, my first steps, my first day of school, my first track meet, my first day of college, my wedding day and finally having my own children. Had it not been for you and your encouragement, many of these things may not have happened. I love you more than words can express. I actually find myself unable to fully express what makes you such a special mother...so I found a quote that says it for me...

Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away. ~Dinah Craik

Mommy, you are my safe place to fall and my best friend! I love you!

I have also been reflecting about the fact that I am now a mother. It's still a little crazy to me that I am now on the receiving end of this holiday. Again, I struggle for words to express just how much I love being a mother to my sweet babies. They have made me a better person and have changed me in unimaginable ways. Being a mother is the greatest job on the planet. I get to watch my children grow up and I get paid for it! Paid in love! Cheesy, I know...but it's so true! And since I found a quote that fit my feelings about my own mother...I decided to find a quote about being a mother...

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

Finally, happy Mothers' Day to all of the mommies out there! I hope that you enjoy your day and truly feel all of the blessings that come with being a mother!

Wyatt's new favorite toy

2010-05-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

Wyatt has a new favorite toy...it's an oldie, but a goodie. He has recently discovered Mr. Potato Head, and he adores it. Problem is, he's not very good at getting the parts into all of those little holes...so we have a lot of "help! help peas!" being shouted at our house. After seeing some of Wyatt's creations, I decided to start documenting all of "les pommes de terre du Wyatt", as the French would say...here are his first four potatoes...

I will post more as I have them...as you can see, I have a very creative (or just oblivious) almost-two-year-old.

A word from Beth...

2010-04-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

I follow Beth Moore's blog and have been slowly reading her new book, "So Long Insecurity"...she posted this poem on her blog a few days ago and I thought I would share it with all of you...especially after my previous post about shedding our insecurities...

My Dear Sister

If Christ is Your Savior

You are the dwelling place

Of His own Spirit

You have it IN YOU

to be secure.

Every day of your life

You have a choice to make

You can live in your old defeat

Or you can turn from your unbelief

And choose life

Make up your mind

To put off the old you

And put on the new you.

Never, ever, ever forget

That the Lord is your security.

He will keep your foot

From being caught in a trap.

He will take care of you

To your very last breath.

Now, leave this place

And go out into the world

And act like a person

Who knows she’s dearly loved.

You were born to be exceptional.

So, Girlfriend, go forth

And walk worthy of your calling.

You are clothed in strength and dignity!

Now unto Him

Who can keep you from falling

Be glory and majesty

Power and authority

Through Jesus Christ our Lord

Now and forever more

Amen.

Life with an almost two-year-old...

2010-04-27T12:09:00.001-07:00

These are the types of things you Google when you live life with an almost two-year-old...

He loves his little sister...and his cowboy boots...

2010-04-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

It can all wait...

2010-04-26T13:42:00.001-07:00

I was reminded of this poem by a friend who posted it on her facebook wall...I love it and hadn't heard it in a while. Seems like I remember my great-grandmother and my aunt saying this from time to time. Perhaps I should read it once a week...just as a reminder to slow down...

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow...

For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow...

So quiet down cobwebs... dust go to sleep...

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep!!

Finally...a big boy bed...

2010-04-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

We are finally back from Ohio (have been since Wednesday) and are still trying to get settled. As if things weren't jumbled enough, we decided to move Wyatt over to the current guest room and put Reagan in the nursery (finally). Josh dismantled our lovely little guest room and moved all of Wyatt's things into it. We took the huge king-sized bed off of it's frame, so that if Wyatt falls out it won't be such a big drop. Little man's new room looks a bit thrown together, but we've agreed that he won't get a fully decorated room until we move again. Plus he's one and only cares whether or not "dog dog" is with him...not about what the comforter looks like. Once we got Wyatt's new room all set up, we put the crib back together and got Reagan going in the nursery. After we finished all of this moving, the kids were exhausted so we put them down for their naps in their new spaces...Josh went back to check on them a little while later, and here is what he found...

Clearly, they didn't mind the new digs.

Anyway, that's what we've been up to. We don't really have much going on until the end of May, when we will be making a trip to Atlanta and Birmingham to see my side of the family. I can't wait! Even though my mom was just here...I could go for some family time right now. I'm also going to get to see my very best friend, Taylor...who just had precious twin boys. I can't wait to get my hands on them!

Well, stay posted for updates and more pictures! I promise I won't post any more from Ohio! haha.

Some more pictures

2010-04-22T14:27:00.001-07:00

I hope you're not getting bored with our Ohio pictures....because I have some more! haha. I promise that one day soon I will actually write a post...

The rest of the pictures...

2010-04-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are having a pretty lazy day here on the farm. Pat, Josh's mom, is at work (she's a nurse), Tim, Josh's dad, is running some errands, Josh is doing some more farming...and the kids are taking a nap. While all of this is going on, I thought I would put up the rest of our favorite pictures from our stay in Ohio. This trip has been so much fun. The kids are loving it here--especially Wyatt. We will all be very sad when we have to leave tomorrow and return to our normal pace of life in California. We might take some pictures today...if we do, I'll probably post those tonight, or when we get home. So stay tuned!

Wyatt watching the cows...

Wyatt and Josh heading to the soda shop for dinner...

Wow! That's a big tractor!

Having fun with Daddy...

Enjoying the farm life...

Doing some farming with Daddy...

It wasn't actually 90...but it did get up to 83!

Sweet Reagan waiting patiently in her car seat...

Reagan and her cousin, Ellie...

Trying to find a suitable horse...

One of Grandpa Keever's many cows...

And another...

2010-04-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

We went to the carousel in downtown Mansfield, Ohio this afternoon...and I managed to get this shot of Wyatt and Josh. Wyatt is giving Grandpa Keever "the face", as we call it...

Another one from the farm...

2010-04-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

Fun on the farm

2010-04-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

We're in Ohio now, having so much fun on the Keever Family Farm. Today, Wyatt went down the road to help Daddy farm...and he loved every minute of it. We've been pretty busy, running around, so I'll post more pictures as I have them!

Thought I'd share

2010-04-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

Just got an email from my mom with this in it...it's cute, so I thought I'd share...

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;
They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough
Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what
The vacuum just sucked up...

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'
And get their answer when a little
Voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth
Is not measured by height or years or grade...
It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother.....

A lesson in insecurity

2010-04-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

I have been reading Beth Moore's new book, "So Long Insecurity...", and have been awakened to my own insecurities. We women, and mommies, put way too much pressure on ourselves and each other to be perfect and to have everything together. I feel this pressure most as a mommy. I find myself hiding the bad days and highlighting the good ones. I try not to let people see me come unglued and I am in constant pursuit of perfection. I worry about what my kids are wearing, what I'm wearing, how they act in front of others, how many activities I have them involved in, how many times a day I read to them, what I feed them, and so on and so on... the blogging world has made this a much more prevalent issue for me. I read all of these super-mom posts from people I know and I immediately get down on myself and how I'm doing as a mother-of-two.

So, I have decided to set myself free. I am going to tell you all the truth...and I am not going to worry if your kids are better behaved than mine, or if they dress cuter than mine, or if I'm a bad mother...none of that. Here are a few truths about my life as a mommy right now:

we have a lot of good days around here
we also have some bad ones
at least two days a week, the kids and I wear our pajamas all day long and then change into new pj's at bedtime
I have made Wyatt a lunch of fruit snacks, crackers, and cereal more times than I can count
while they looked cute, I wish my kids had looked cuter and more together on Easter Sunday
on any given day, it will look like a bomb has gone off in my house
I only read to Wyatt once today, and didn't read to him at all yesterday
there is laundry sitting in my washing machine that has been there for 3 days now (gross, I know) because I've just been too busy to go in there
I keep telling myself that I'm going to iron those clothes on my closet floor, but never get around to it
I let Wyatt have a sip of my Coca-Cola at breakfast
I haven't had a shower in 2 days...sometimes I go 3 without one...again with the busy-ness (if I don't sweat, I don't worry about it)
the other day, it was 4pm and it dawned on me that I hadn't had lunch...so I ate a Little Debbie
I still wear my maternity jeans sometimes because they're comfortable
I ran out of eyeshadow almost 2 years ago, but would rather buy Reagan a new outfit than replace it
we use food to bribe Wyatt to do "tricks"
I collapse into bed every night with a huge sigh and am asleep within 3 minutes
instead of cleaning my house, I'm blogging right now

I just think that we all put up this front because we think everyone is doing so much better than we are...that they're handling this mommy thing better...that we're not perfect and that we should be....

It's all such a bunch of bologna! Just so we're clear...I am not perfect. I am not the perfect mother. There are only 24 hours in a day. My children are not the perfect children. I try desperately to be perfect but usually fall short...such is human nature. It is by the grace of God alone that I make it through most days. It is so freeing to type those words. I hope that me filling you in on some of my secrets makes you feel freer too! Let's stop putting up the front and start calling things honestly, and leaning on God's loving arms to get through it all!

Ask me anything...

2010-04-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

A while back I noticed that a friend of mine had added the "Ask Me Anything" box onto her blog...and I thought it was a great idea, so I downloaded the gadget from formspring...and I have my first two questions to answer!!! So here goes...

#1: How did I create my blog layout?

The basic layout of the blog is just standard blogger format. Under customize they do have different setups that you can choose from. I think I chose the minimal format and then downloaded my background and gadgets. My background is from Shabby Blogs. There is a link for their website in the top left corner of my blog page. They have tons of free backgrounds to choose from. Once you pick a background that you love, you copy its HTML and paste it to the "HTML/Java" box when you're looking at your "customize" blogger page. And that's it. I wish I had more time to be super creative with my format...but that's how simple it really is.

#2: (I'm fairly certain I know who asked this one), How much do I love my husband?

Well, let's see....he is the love of my life and was an answer to many of my prayers. I wish I could go into how God brought me out of a pit and brought me to Josh, but that would take forever...so I'll spare you and just say that our union is nothing sort of Divine Providence. He takes wonderful care of me and is the greatest provider a wife could ask for. He gave me two of the most beautiful children on this planet and is a wonderful father. He is my best friend, my confidant, the spiritual leader of our household and so much more. Really, what more could I ask for? I guess to fully answer your question, I love him more than words could ever express.

Thank you for your questions...especially yours Joshua Loyal...keep them coming!

Easter and the days that have followed

2010-04-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday was wonderful at our house. Wyatt loved his Easter basket (Reagan was oblivious), we managed to get a great family picture (see previous post), had a fabulous time at church and the kids took a great nap once we got home. This week, Josh has been working hard while the kids and I have been playing with all of our Easter goodies. I've taken a few pictures and thought I would share...there are a few of Easter Sunday and then some from our adventures this week, including: Wyatt planting some tomatoes and coloring with sidewalk chalk for the first time.

Happy Resurrection Day!!!

2010-04-04T12:34:00.001-07:00

HE LIVES!!!

2010-04-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

I know that I have a habit of writing holiday posts the day before they actually occur...but such is the life with a house full of babies.

Anyway, we want to wish everyone a very happy Easter! What an amazing holiday this is...while Christmas Day is miraculous, because it celebrates the birth of our Lord...Easter just seems so much bigger. Easter is the day we celebrate why our life is worth living and the sacrifice that God has made for us. Now that I am a mother, I am completely blown away by the gift of new life God has given us. To give one's own child, to cleanse the sins of mankind...it just proves how much God loves us. I hope this Sunday will give you a renewed sense of love, thanks and reverence for our God and Savior and that God will pour out many more blessings on you and yours.

I leave you with the chorus from one of my all-time favorite songs...

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives!

-Bill Gaither

A week with family

2010-04-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night Josh's brother, Isaac, his wife, Heather, and their little girl, Ava, came to visit us here in California. Isaac is in the Navy and is currently stationed in Whidbey Island, Washington. They had some time off and drove down to spend a week with us! And I'm so glad that they did--we had so much fun! We did a lot of hanging out and playing in the back yard...but we also went to Sequoia National Forest and had lunch at the base Josh is stationed at too. We even managed to dye some Easter eggs (since Josh and Isaac had never done that before). Here are a few pictures from our fabulous week!