So I Want to Post . . .

But I have no idea what to write about. No, I have not forgotten about you blogger world. I just don't know what to say. Life is crazy, but that is nothing new. We have been in school for nearly a month now and finally my kids seem to have settled in - in spite of disruptions from a hurricane. We made it through the hurricane just fine and it was a great time spent in Raleigh at Grandmommy's house! Some unexpected Grandmommy lovin'!!

Aiden and Tristan are having a blast with karate and finally got their white belts yesterday so they really feel official now! You have to have taken at least five classes before you get your beginning white belt put on. Mikayla is absolutely loving ballet and every spare moment at home is spent showing one or the other of us what she does in class. Bethany is sooo wanting to be in ballet like her big sister, but she is content so far with the answer that she has to be a couple years older first.

We are meeting our neighbors and enjoying life on base, as opposed to in the city. Life in base housing may be a tighter fit in our house, but it's much more "Life in the Fifties" relaxed than anything I've seen wherever I've lived before. Still hanging out with some incredible Christian friends we've made out in town, too, though! Such a blessing there!

In a couple days I will be halfway through this pregnancy and Philip will be about halfway through his deployment. Both are delightful milestones! I thank the Lord daily (sometime by the minute!) for a pregnancy in which the nausea was essentially gone by week 14 or so (the last three lasted until 18-20 wks). Makes taking care of the other four much easier when I'm not in bed for most of the day. I also thank the Lord daily (or by the minute) for His incredible grace with the deployment, too. Life with a deployed husband is so much easier when you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are each where the Lord wants you for this season!! Do I suffer loneliness? Yes. Do I miss our daily talks? Yes. Do I miss being able to bounce ideas and questions off him? Yes. Do I miss his help with the kids and house and everything else in life? Yes. I could go on and on. But His Grace is sufficient!!! I am learning things with him gone for about seven months that I would never learn with him here. Like how to take a breath when the kids drive me bonkers rather than just scream at them. With Philip around, it's like I can scream at them now and Philip will make it up to them later because he's so gracious or more patient or fun or somethings. I don't know. Awful, but true. Lessons Mommy NEEDS to learn. Or how to let Aiden or Mikayla take on some responsibility even if whatever it is doesn't exactly get done perfectly and/or my way. Normally I would drag Philip in somehow to help even though the kids are perfectly capable of doing some of it themselves. I just want it done MY way and perfectly. Perfect can't happen when you are trying to train kids. They. Are. Kids. Easier said than lived out for me. Did I mention that God is good and His Grace is sufficient? Granted with my independent, control-freak, I-can-do-it-myself personality it may actually take a whole lot more of His sufficient Grace on the other end once Philip comes home . . . we'll see. :-) I have heard that reintegration can be, um, interesting. We shall see.

So I think that's our life in a nutshell. Sorry about no pictures. I sent my camera with Philip to Afghanistan and I don't have my new one, yet (hopefully next week!?!?) and I hate attaching my phone to my computer to download those pictures because Verizon has made it so much more complicated than it used to be. Maybe next time. :-P