Much 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 shopping yet, especially seeing that it is just August and they can still wear shorts to school.

I have been cleaning our house all day long.

 My day of rest yesterday really helped.




As they all three came walking in this evening from school......they looked exhausted.

Extremely.

Completely.

Exhausted.

They washed their hands and told me about their day, then fixed a snack to eat.

As they were eating I told them I was going to give them a "chore pass" today.

No cleaning their rooms. Just homework and resting.

I told them we'd have pizza for dinner and maybe watch a movie and relax.

You would have thought it was Christmas in the house.

Ten minutes later......they were all three sound asleep.




I knew the week we had last week would catch up to them eventually.

They still have homework to finish, but for now they are catching up on some MUCH needed rest.

A 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 having.

Kate was in school three days and had her first allergic reaction. Now I worry daily while she is in school. It has been hard learning to live with her severe allergy.

This past Wednesday my husband's granny died.

It was hard news to take in.

It was even harder to be the one to tell my husband the news.

I ache for my husband, I know he was close to his granny; shared many special memories together with her. She was like a mother to him.

She will be greatly missed.

We spent most of last week traveling to be with family during this time. We came home long enough to unpack our bags and then pack again.

We said our goodbyes to her Friday at her funeral.

We came home Saturday, just long enough to start packing again. This time for military orders for my husband.

Saturday evening we went out to dinner, since we knew he was going to be away again for a little while.

Sunday he left and I spent the day at my parent's home with our kids, for my dad's 62nd birthday.

Both of my parents were sick and not feeling well.

We made dinner, my sister's and I.

Then after dinner I went to my parent's garage to pull out pictures, VHS tapes (I'm specifically looking for the video Jerome and I took of my Grandpa and his brother and them telling their story of WWII, it was a history assignment we had in school) and found slides and old video reels. We all started going through them. Dad showed me how to use the slide projector and Mom was reluctant to let me bring it all home.

The kids and I crawled into bed late last night. It was a busy day yesterday and an even busier week we had had.

Today my intentions were to get our home put back in order.

If you can imagine, we have been home long enough to unpack, do a few loads of laundry (but not get them put away) and then pack again and leave.

But today I woke up, and felt like I had been hit by a freight train.

I am completely exhausted from the past two weeks.

So I decided to do what I can, and spend the day resting.

I wanted to do something I always enjoyed doing.

And that was writing.

Writing here and keeping a journal of our life and our children's lives, so that one day they can look back and remember their days at home.

So.....I decided to rest.......and to write.

Something I have greatly missed.

~Amber Hope

Hot 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 Katie's when she was little.


 Caleb loved his wagon ride.

.

I believe Katie's tricycle has seen better days.

The front wheel bent on the way home and Bradley was unable to peddle it. Natalie took his place and rode it back home, Flinstone style.

A 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 putting together exactly what Jerome was wanting.



The shop had this Norman Rockwell picture hanging up.


Jerome's brother Joey and his girlfriend Lauren checking out the progress of the tattoo....


Jerome said the outline was the worst part, but all in all it wasn't painful.


The before and after (I'll get a better picture of it this summer at the beach).....


Lauren and I walked to an antique shop while Jerome was getting his tattoo.

I found a little Jadite bowl that I love.

Joey and Lauren gave Jerome a Navy Chief pin from WWII that they had found at an antique shop earlier. Jerome absolutely loved it.

We had a good weekend together, Jerome had a great birthday, and now he has the anchor tattoo he has been wanting.

Our 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 all the surprise homecomings and then the wonderful everyday things in our life.

It has taken me a while to finish it but I am finally down to two pages left to finish it up and then send it in for printing. 

I plan to do every year this way, a book to look back and read the stories that are easily forgotten with age.

I also plan on making each of the kids a yearly book of their first five years, order two copies, and save the extra copies for when they someday marry....it will be a bridal shower gift.

Memories to take with them on their new journey in life.

Here are a few pictures of our 2007 family book from blurb, I will post pictures of our 2012 book when I receive it.

 

1.24.2011

{ our book. }

I finished this book from Blurb over a year ago and always meant to post some pictures of how wonderful it is.  I have since started on our 2008 family book and am almost finished (I'm up to Halloween 2008) and cannot wait to order another. Although 2007 will probably be our largest book printed seeing that is the year Jerome was deployed to Afghanistan and I did a whole LOT of picture taking to keep him feeling a little closer to the kids and to home.



















I love this book. I love how it turned out and that I can open it up, look back and read our memories from that year. To me it is a priceless keepsake.

Posted by What Matters Most at 2:53 PM No comments:

You'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 hearing him talk to his dad about joining the military when he graduates, a regular conversation between the two of them.

Maybe its because he is now learning to drive.

Maybe its because seeing him dressed up in uniform to go to his military ball, makes me realize how much more he is growing into a man.

Maybe its because I realize two more years really doesn't seem like much time at all.

Maybe its because the past fifteen and a half years have flown by.

All those days when he was little that I struggled with, two year old temper tantrums, worrying he wouldn't stop sucking his thumb, potty training, taking my four year old little boy, my 18 month old and  3 month old little girls to the grocery store alone, trying to teach him multiplication, the bully on the school playground, learning to ride a bicycle, moving far away from his best friend, wanting to step in as a mother but knowing he needs to do things on his own to help him grow......

All those days I wish I could hold on to forever, singing him to sleep while rocking him in my arms, the way his hair curled on the top of his head, his little hands holding onto mine, watching him take his first steps, reading with him before bedtime in his favorite pajamas, watching him run home with a big smile on his face after his first day of kindergarten, watching him running on the football field and holding my breath hoping he doesn't get hurt, laughing with him because he can't wait until he is as tall as me (he is now MUCH taller than I am, he is over 6ft. 3in.).......

And now, now I am watching him grow into the wonderful, tall, young man I always knew he would be.

I know I wish those days hadn't gone by so quickly. It makes me realize that 16 years really isn't that long. And knowing he only has two more years until he graduates.....well, it just makes me feel a little sentimental sometimes.

Feels 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 little video we made of the day full of welcome homes.




I will share more from this day soon.....for now we are still enjoying our time as a family together again.

Catching 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. The problem with that is there is A TON of summer pictures.....and with the weather changing to the cold autumn air....I'm wanting to post more everyday things....like I used to (when I was somewhat caught up), I want to be able to write when the mood hits me (not wait until I'm "caught up" and then try to remember the story from that moment).

Truth be known, we have been enjoying our time together as a couple and as a family again since Jerome returned home from Afghanistan in September. So I guess I will keep up with our everyday now....and every once in a while when you see a post about our summer vacation in the dead of winter....you will know that is just me catching up!

Camp 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 it is a drive.

We drove long curvy roads that seemed endless, up a mountainside and then back down again, and then back up again....I was beginning to believe we would never find this place.


We woke checked in at Camp Dawson LATE that night.

The next morning we woke up, had breakfast and then got ready for to go to the ceremony.

Grandad and Grandma came to his camp to see his graduation.

The kids were all marched in as they sang their cadences and did what the instructors told them to do.



Katie recorded Spencer marching in for me while I took pictures.


Jerome was able to watch his camp graduation from Afghanistan.

When Spencer marched in I could tell he knew his dad was watching.




After the graduation they were dismissed.

We walked out into the large hall and found a place where the sound didn't echo so much, so that Spencer could hear his dad talking to him through Skype.

Unknowingly Spencer was standing at parade rest at first while he was talking to his dad.

I guess he had been taught so much the past week at camp which way to stand, that now it was just second nature to do so.


These next two make me happy and sad all at the same time.

The first picture is how he lights up and is himself again while talking to his dad; the second, how he is when he is missing his dad.


One of his instructors came over to talk to Spencer.

Spencer proudly introduced him to his dad and they all three had a good conversation.

He was holding the phone up to see how much Spencer really does look like his dad.


Grandad joined in on the conversation too.



Spencer's sweet girlfriend Danielle traveled up with us too.

They were both happy to see each other.


Then Spencer got his shirt signed by one of his instructors.

A few of Spencer's friends signed his shirt and he signed theirs.

We stopped at the small gift shop there and bought Jerome some nice boot socks to ship over to him.

We started on the road and the first thing Spencer said as we were driving away, "I've never done so many push ups in my life!"

Strawberry 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.
 

The 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 didn't think about was the amount of holes in the ground I'd have to dig.

That evening my plan was to get the trees planted in the ground.


I wanted to mow the lawn first....at least where I was planting the trees so that it would look really nice when I was finished.

I pulled the riding mower out.....it wouldn't start.

I pulled the push mower out.....it wouldn't start.

I decided to try the riding mower again, and with luck it started but was making an AWFUL noise. I turned it off, afraid that I would mess it up, walked across the street to my neighbors and asked if he could help me figure out why my mower is making that noise. He told me that he will when he has time......that right now he was busy planting all the trees that his wife had bought.

I said I understood and walked back to my yard. I decided to mow at least the place where I was going to plant the trees. I think you could have heard the mower a mile away....but I mowed it anyway.

Then I started digging the first hole for the first tree.

Our ground was SOLID and it took me almost an hour to dig that first hole.

I felt a sense of accomplishment when I looked at that first tree planted in the ground that I did all by myself.

Then I started on the second hole for the second tree.

This one took even longer.

As I was digging I couldn't help but watch my neighbors across the street.

Her husband was home. Her husband was digging the holes and planting the trees. Her husband was there.....mine was not.

I was still struggling with that second hole, trying to just get a hole dug so that I could plant the second tree.

My mind was flooded with thoughts of how I wish my husband was home.

I couldn't help but be jealous every time I would glance over at my neighbors house.

I had planted one tree in the time that he had planted four.

I was digging the hole alone and missing Jerome every single time I would put that shovel in the ground.

Molly, our dog, just kept looking at me. She knew I was upset and therefore staid right by my side.


My emotions took over and I began to cry.

I felt alone. I felt like I was NEVER going to get these trees planted.

I went inside had a good cry. Poured me a tall glass of ice water. Pushed the lonely thoughts out of my mind and made myself get back out there and finish planting those trees.

By that night I had the three Cleveland pear trees planted that I had wanted to get planted that evening.

It was late and it was dark. I was watering my trees in the moonlight. But I did it, I managed to get those three trees planted....even if it did take me hours upon hours to do.....I did it, alone.

The next morning I woke up, smiled at how pretty the trees looked in the yard, tied a small yellow ribbon around each one, stepped back and decided these trees......these three trees were forever going to be known to me as the deployment trees.

Summer of Storms

This 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 careful. I turned the radio on and sure enough there was a weather warning on.

In just a matter of minutes the sky was as dark as night and the wind was blowing terribly. We were driving through a construction zone and we were two miles from an exit. I pulled off the exit that I was familiar with and drove past cars that had decided to wait out the storm underneath an overpass. I knew there was a gas station just up ahead.

The road was covered in tree branches and by this time the storm was really coming down hard. I made it to the gas station, pulled up and parked and the kids and I jumped out and ran inside. The man stopped us at the door and told us that he was closed because their power was out. I asked him if we could just stand inside for some shelter until the storm passes. He agreed and about that time several other cars pulled in looking for shelter.

We waited out the storm and then went to my husband's parents house for the night. They lived just a few miles from the gas station we were at but driving through all the down trees and debris wasn't fun.

Their power was also out but we made it fun and camped out at their house for the night. The kids played board games, visited with Grandad and Grandma and spent the night tucked in safe and sound.



The next morning we all got ready and started home. The kids were begging for me to run through Tudor's Biscuit World....I told them it would be closed but they didn't believe me.

 I turned the radio on only to hear the craziness that the storm had brought with it. The power was out almost everywhere around us. There were only a handful of gas stations and most stores were only taking cash. I started to worry because we needed gas and I had no cash. A lesson well learned.

I made it to a gas station and to my surprise it wasn't awfully bad. There was a long line but they had attendants out  directing people to what pumps to go to. And the best part, they had a working ATM inside! I filled up the truck on gas and then went to the grocery store.

My mom called and their power was out, so was my sister's power and my best friend's power and water. I received a text from my friend and neighbor. It was pictures of our home and it said, "A big mess but at least we have power!" I was SO RELIEVED to know that we had power.

My parents, my sister Savannah and her two boys, my grandma, my sister Jolena and her two girls (and Natalie who had been staying the night with them and my best friend Mariah and her daughter ended up staying with us. There was a house full but it was fun. I was glad that I had power, running water and a place that they were able to stay, and that it was with us.

The kids spent the days beating the heat by swimming in the pool. I think for days they basically lived in the pool.

The storm did mess up our tree in our front yard. The tree that I tied a yellow ribbon around and promised to not take it off until Jerome is home safe again.

 We headed into July and many still didn't have power or water to their home.

The power would come back on at places, then another storm would hit and knocked the power back out again. It was crazy.

We watched several more storms go through. One time we sat on our front porch and watched the storm blow in.

Another time the kids pulled up the chairs and sat and watched the storm pass through. They watched the sky get dark, the rain come down hard and the wind blow through the trees.



And here we are the end of July, still waiting for a storm to pass.

The kids start back to school in three weeks.

With all of these storms this summer it feels like the kids haven't had much of a summer.

This was taken on our way home this evening.

I had picked up one of Natalie's friends to stay over and we were headed to the store. I saw the sky and quickly changed my mind. So we turned around and headed back home.