tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13561272118073099922024-03-13T04:10:21.464-04:00What Matters Most To MeAmber Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01608395469450831334noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-33225083676530784612013-08-20T17:27:00.002-04:002013-08-20T17:27:34.844-04:00Much needed rest....I knew it was only a matter of time until the last week caught up with them too.
I told all three of them this morning, before they left for the bus, that their chore for when they returned home from school was to really clean their room.
I've been needing to finish going through their clothes and shoes to pull out everything that no longer fits them anymore.
We haven't done real school Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-15853751369686440052013-08-19T15:05:00.002-04:002013-08-19T15:56:29.916-04:00A day to rest....
Today is a quiet August day.
Our life for the past year has been so busy.
This past week especially.
School started just a little over a week ago.
We weren't so great at getting ready for back to school this year.
School started when it was beginning to feel like summer was just beginning.
It has been rainy and cold here all summer, not the hot, humid summer days we are used to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-18904319430957487052013-07-09T08:56:00.002-04:002013-07-09T09:00:13.868-04:00Hot Summer Days
Last week my sister and her two boys came to visit.
My two nephews are a whirlwind of energy, but I love it.
We took them outside to play some games.
They threw balloons into a chalkboard drawn target on the ground.
My girls were trying to show them how to play hopscotch.
And then we ended up taking them on a walk down the road.
Bradley was peddling the same little tricycle that was Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-56447729699620124862013-05-13T15:34:00.000-04:002013-05-13T15:37:38.630-04:00A Navy Chief and his tattoo.Back in March for Jerome's birthday we took a weekend trip, just to two of us, to go visit his brother and his girlfriend.
Jerome's brother has several tattoos and set an appointment up for Jerome with his same tattoo artist.
Jerome had been wanting to get an anchor tattoo for a while now.
We searched for ideas, found some favorites and gave them to the tattoo artist.
He did a wonderful job Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-82358646025497027782013-05-10T16:41:00.001-04:002013-05-10T16:43:58.671-04:00Our Book.
I've been finishing up our 2012 yearly book....I can't wait to hold it and see it in print.
This year's book was a lot like our 2007 book. It has SO MANY pages and pages of pictures and stories.
It is full of deployment pictures, pictures Jerome has taken over in Afghanistan of his life over there, pictures of us here at home that we sent him to give him a little piece of home, pictures of allUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-18423807478129968392013-02-28T09:38:00.002-05:002013-02-28T10:03:32.723-05:00You're gonna miss this...I was driving home yesterday morning after dropping Spencer off at school. The song, "You're Gonna Miss This" started playing on the radio.
It made me smile and feel sentimental.
Maybe its because of all the pictures I was going through a few days ago (I sent negatives from 1993-1997 off to Scan Cafe and received my scanned negatives back). Pictures of Spencer as a baby.
Maybe its because Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-14523554604888259862012-11-05T15:21:00.001-05:002012-11-05T16:26:03.351-05:00Feels Like Home.For the past few months I've been enjoying spending each and every moment with my husband again.
The kids are so happy to have their dad back home.
It feels like home again.
On September 14th we welcomed him home.
I met him at the airport and then we went to each of our kids schools to surprise them.
I have so much more to write about this day, and pictures to share....but for now just a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-76691218323421363512012-11-05T15:12:00.001-05:002012-11-05T15:44:06.922-05:00Catching up.I have SO MANY pictures to share that I haven't even put on here. A summer full of memories, a trip to the beach, first day of school, and most importantly Jerome's surprise homecoming....where we surprised all three of our kids at each one of their schools.
I told myself I'm going to go in order here, chronologically, and not post current pictures until I get all the summer pictures posted. TheUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-26353602883895268462012-10-10T09:58:00.001-04:002012-10-10T10:11:23.750-04:00Camp Dawson.JUNE 29th
Spencer spent a week at a military camp, Camp Dawson, this past summer.
He wasn't sure what to expect but he was looking forward to it.
At the end of the camp week they had a graduation ceremony.
We coordinated everything before camp to make sure that Spencer's dad would be able to watch his camp graduation ceremony.
We drove to Camp Dawson the day before.....and let me just say itUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-37642977936395169102012-10-09T11:38:00.000-04:002012-10-09T11:39:49.617-04:00Strawberry Pickin'
June 20th.
Katie dressed up in her white cotton dress.
I braided her hair and tied the ribbons.
I'm going to miss seeing these braids and ribbons on her when she gets older.
It reminds me of when she was very little, she loved having her hair in braids just like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.
We took some pictures with the strawberries.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-24632102691885728862012-10-04T08:37:00.000-04:002012-10-04T08:37:00.103-04:00The Deployment Trees.June 26th
I went with a friend of mine to a nursery that was closing to buy some trees and shrubs.
We drove home with Jerome's truck FULL of trees and shrubs.
I bought three Cleveland pear trees, two red maple trees, one peach tree, three apple trees, and four holly bushes....all for less than one hundred dollars.
I was excited being able to buy so many trees for so little.
But what I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-35334346579494238212012-07-26T21:30:00.001-04:002012-07-26T22:02:38.268-04:00Summer of StormsThis summer has been full of storms.
It seems if it isn't in the high temperatures, it is fiercely storming outside.
The end of June we were hit with a hard storm.
We were on our way back from picking Spencer up at Camp Dawson, over three hours away from home.
The sky was as blue and clear as could be.
Thankfully mom called and warned me about a storm that was coming through and to be Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-30682822643271541982012-07-24T22:47:00.000-04:002012-07-24T22:51:55.653-04:00Our 4th of July
We had a wonderful fourth of July this year.
Some of my family and friends were still staying here with us due to the storm that went through here the week before.
The rest of my family came out for a cookout.
All of the kids swam in the pool.
The burgers tasted great.
And thanks to a little pep talk from my sister earlier that morning, I made this 4th of July as memorable as I could, even Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-86835061305205060612012-07-24T21:39:00.000-04:002012-07-24T21:56:42.005-04:00I love this man.
Every once in a while our youngest daughter receives a message from her daddy.
"Here's my moon tonight...does yours look the same Kaitlyn? Love you Monkey"
She looks forward to these little messages from her daddy and the picture with his moon.
Time is going by fast but at times it feels like it is going slowly.
These cookie brownies we sent him in the beginning of his deployment have Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-36946759382513276602012-07-24T20:50:00.002-04:002012-07-24T20:50:43.403-04:00Catching up.We have had a BUSY summer.
Which is exactly what I was hoping for.
One more season almost over.
Soon it will be fall, the kids will be back in school.
And then winter and Christmas break.
Then it will be time for him to come home.
I've taken SO many pictures this summer but I just haven't taken the time to post any or keep up with this blog.
I'm hoping to catch up these next couple of daysUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-7278201185915787672012-07-20T01:18:00.000-04:002012-07-24T22:11:31.752-04:00Horses for HeroesIn May I took our kids to River Cities Therapy and Recreation Center for the Horses for Heroes program. I had found the program through www.operationwearehere.com .
I think deployments are different for reservist families. We don't have all the activities and support groups that you would find near a military base with active duty families.
I just happen to come across the Operation We Are HereUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-60155354825683417302012-06-25T23:32:00.001-04:002012-06-25T23:32:30.797-04:00Staying busy.I can't believe July is almost here.
It is just right around the corner.
I've kept myself pretty busy this past month, my schedule has been a little crazy lately.
I'm running on four hours of sleep now and the exhaustion is finally starting to set in.
Along with diving head first back into photography I have decided to take on projects here at home to keep myself even more busy.
This morningUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-21829063376346499502012-06-24T14:25:00.002-04:002012-10-04T07:08:12.479-04:00Military Camp.Spencer left early yesterday morning to go to a military camp through his JROTC for the week.
It is the first overnight, week long, summer camp he has ever been to.
I think he was a little nervous.
And excited too.
He used his dad's sea bag to pack with for the week.
It was pretty heavy when he put it on his back.
He was surprised to read on the packing list, "Bring two pairs of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-82557835085835385552012-05-24T10:01:00.001-04:002012-07-24T22:13:44.304-04:00Kick-off to Summer
Tuesday was the kids last day of school.
Natalie went with her 5th grade class to Carter Caves.
She loved it.
Spencer had two finals on his last day of school....no skipping allowed!
Katie went to school dressed to get wet with water games and run and play in the schools field day, but it ended up POURING buckets of rain. She ended up getting signed out with her best friend Emma and went toUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-51533465090484392462012-05-23T01:15:00.000-04:002012-07-24T22:20:59.999-04:00Elementary Graduation And A Surprise.
Yesterday was Natalie's 5th grade graduation ceremony.
She decided to get ready that morning in our bathroom and I couldn't help but notice as she was standing in front of the mirror putting her make up on how grown up she looks in the pretty dress we picked out together for her graduation.
The graduation ceremony began and in walked both 5th grade classes.
Natalie looked over and smiledUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-82415556921652577172012-05-10T19:58:00.000-04:002012-05-10T23:52:56.708-04:00Breaking Point.
Most days I can make it through just fine.
Then after a week of those "most days" I begin to think everything is fine.
I begin to feel like this deployment is going by fast.
I begin to think I can handle it all.
I believe I'm strong enough.
Then just when I think everything is going well, something always happens.
Murphy shows up to prove to me that I can't do it all.
We have had down Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-19217676247469968972012-05-08T02:23:00.001-04:002012-05-08T02:26:33.329-04:00Good Morning Sunshine!I sent two other packages to Jerome a week or two ago.
One package was a nice soft blanket and sheet set.
The other was just full of a bunch of goodies that I just put in a box to get out to him quickly.
For this package, Care Package #7, I wanted to do something special.
I knew he needed more coffee creamer and I had been wanting to bake him some cinnamon sugar monkey bread in a jar to send.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-75031943284598375392012-05-03T08:29:00.000-04:002012-05-03T08:33:47.501-04:00Bedtime Stories From Far AwayBefore Jerome left I found this book that I knew we needed.
I knew the kids would find comfort in hearing him read them a bedtime story even though he isn't here.
A few days before he left I watched him read this book, record his voice and make this book for our kids.
January 2012
One night I found Katie snuggled in our bed and listening to her Daddy read her a bedtime Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-87777555484242749612012-05-03T07:30:00.000-04:002012-05-03T08:10:11.802-04:00Easter SundayWe all put on our Sunday best for Easter.
Spencer wanted to wear his uniform in honor of his Dad.
I think he looked handsome.
He gets it from his Dad.
We drove to the church my mom and dad go to.
It was good to be with family on this first lonely holiday without my husband by my side.
We spent the afternoon with my family.
The kids all wore one of my dad's tshirts and played barefoot in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1356127211807309992.post-90763144750821474782012-05-02T22:39:00.001-04:002012-05-02T23:09:21.563-04:00Tie A Yellow Ribbon.I mailed Jerome a letter in just enough time for him to receive it before leaving his training and heading over to Afghanistan.
He read it on the flight over.
In this letter, I told him that we will tie a yellow ribbon around our old sycamore tree and not take it down until he returns home safe again with us.
The kids tied the yellow ribbon around the sycamore tree.
They have proudly Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0