Lots of well, randoms..

I have so much on my mind tonight and a 3 year old behind me. Daddy is on duty at work, Ladybug is sleeping and I am too lazy to put tot in bed...So he is watching Aristocats behind me...and dancing. It's almost 10pm...get your kid in bed lady! Anywho, things are as busy as ever at the Farn. We are trying to rid our home of excess everything and donating what we don't use to a local Battered Women and Children's Center. It has been so fun going through each room and finding out what we truly need and don't need. I told the shelter worker that we would have about 6 to 8 boxes and bags...and we have that doubled!~ Tomorrow we lug it all to the front porch where it will await its new owners....Hopefully everything will get great use!

In Ladybug news, the Patient First doctor that we saw was pretty much wrong on all things Ladybug. Her congestion went away and we really haven't changed much, leading me to believe she did in fact have a cold that took 16 days to go away. She is back to her happy, healthy self and sleeping in her crib! She goes to bed at 8pm and wakes at about 645am and then goes back to sleep until 9am, an Angel sleeper! Bubba is sleeping in his bed now but frequently heads over to our bed at 3am! haha...Oh well. We are moving in about a month and do not feel like changing anything just yet. We are hoping upon arrival, that setting up his bed, with the bunk on top will entice him to sleep in a new "fort"....We shall see...

Grandparents are coming...both sides. Daddy's side is coming for 3 weeks over the course of the move. We are having fun planning the trip to Vermont and hoping to stop at a few neat places along the way. We are also hoping to celebrate Christmas early with BOTH sets of Grandparents in Vermont...Wouldn't that be great?

Daddy is excited for his new job in Vermont and eagerly planning all the outdoorsy stuff he misses from WA....There is something about camping in Georgia and Virginia heat that turns us off totally! He has spoken with the person he is relieving and that gentleman had nothing but great things to say about the job and the area. Both Daddy and Mommy are most likely going to get their master's degrees in VT! hmmm...I have no idea what mine will be in yet, but am excited at the thought of going back to school, even if it is from my laptop in the kitchen!

I have been researching lots of Homeschool curriculums and discussing options with homeschool moms online. I am so excited to homeschool. I never knew that it was an option for us. We had always planned on private school educations until we did research and decided that homeschool was for us. With our most recent decision to stay in the Navy, homeschool fits even better. When Daddy is home, school can stop for a bit. We can take much needed vacations in the middle of any month we want. When a new baby arrives, we can take a break and enjoy our new addition...And most importantly, our children will learn what we believe, whether the school teaches it or not...we will teach what we believe and are so excited to do so! I am spending the cold Vermont winter planning Bubba's K-4 year...we will start K-4 in September of next year! Our kids will have school from Labor Day to Memorial Day and summers off! Ah, refreshing! So wish me luck on planning his first year! It is so exciting already and we have 3 curriculums picked out!

And something else on the mind...J and I had a wonderful discussion the other night on the couch about our life as a military family. The Navy used to be our job, now it is starting to become more of our life...Like I've said before, we aren't Joe Navy type people...but when you make such a big commitment you can't help but realize it is what it is.....So in talking I mentionned that it is such a sacrifice to be a military family. J quickly chimed in that it wasn't. We don't sacrifice much. We live great, we are paid well, and we have job security. That is until I mentionned a few other things....See, this is what I love about my husband. No matter what he does, he doesn't ever think of anything as a sacrifice. I usually don't either. We chose the job, and we live well....BUT...I am starting to appreciate much more about my husband's job and I pointed out the sacrifices we make, just so that he can be proud of what he does. It isn't just a job. It isn't just a paycheck. It is a life that many Americans CHOOSE, so that others do not have to. Our kids will all be born in different states. We take pictures of the fronts of all of our houses to frame one day and we already have 4 in 4.5 years of marriage. Our 3 year old doesn't have more than 1 "friend". He has severe separation anxiety and often sleeps as close as he can to Daddy. Twice a week, in months WITHOUT deployments, I make a dinner for myself and have no one to tell the day's chaos to. In month's with deployments, well you get it....There have been 4 anniversaries and we celebrated 1 together. Many missed birthdays....I've been to a hospital and learned of the loss of one of our babies without him there. I told him over the phone that I was ok and our 15 month old was too. I've moved alone twice, either pregnant or with a baby....J thought this was all normal and not such a big deal...It's a big deal. I am really proud of him, of us, of our family, and of our choice to do this....There are so many, many benefits of being a Navy family. I see all sorts of places and have met the most amazing people along the way...We are all unique...we welcome each other. And my little family of 4 is as close as a family could be. My son is super attached to us, as I am sure my daughter will be too. Those kids see 2 faces each day that love them more than anything....but not many more faces....our choice to stay in the Navy is really going to keep us close. I hope our kids grow up not knowing of their sacrifice. It will be normal for them to say goodbye to Daddy for 6 months...And one day they will look back and think, Wow, we must have been such a close family to be able to endure those things....I hope they are as proud of their Daddy and their country as I am......