What a cool husband I have

Just a picture of Trav and the fun he is having without us. Looking cool and everything. I just liked this pictures actually.

Life gets crazy sometimes

Why is it I am always trying just barely stay in control of my life--I never actually get to the point that I feel in control, and the control easily slips from my grasp and then it takes forever to get back to "almost"? That doesn't make any sense. Anyway, I need to post lots of pictures but there are so many to choose from and the task seems too much to accomplish right now. But usually that keeps me from writing anything, and I decided that shouldn't be the case right now. Shauna and her daughter Bailey came out to visit with us for a couple of weeks and it was seriously a blast. We made sure to fit in seeing as much of the east coast as we could with the kiddos in tow, and they tolerated and enjoyed it amazingly well. Pictures to come on some of that. Anyway, they left on Wednesday, and I have had a sad couple of days since then. This was my "look forward to" event, and now we are almost halfway done with this deployment. It's not like we aren't having fun without Travis here. It's really been a fun and enjoyable summer and has gone amazingly fast. We just miss him, and doing fun things almost makes you miss someone more when you wish they were there with you. I guess that's the way it's supposed to be--when you experience joy (like the gospel!) you want to share that with those you love. I am babbling.

Church today was so so good for me. Just what I have been needing to set my perspective again, feel the spirit and the confirmation of all things good and wonderful, and to feel better about everything. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who knows what I need and when, and blesses and strengthens me in those moments. And now I really do need to do some of those things I renewed my strength to do...

Having Fun with Family--Finally posting after a few weeks...

It's funny to be sad on the way to the airport picking someone up, as if you were already taking them back. If that makes sense. I picked up my sister Shauna and my niece Bailey a week ago and totally felt a little sad along with the excitement, because this has been my thing to look forward to while Trav was away. What to do when it's past and gone? But for now we are having a blast and trying to cram in as much as possible into every day without traumatizing anyone. The first day we took it easy and planned a little, and since then we have been running and doing lots of fun things. Friday was Jamestown--I didn't take many pictures, maybe because Shauna did and I assumed I would get them from her, and she takes much better pictures and has a much better camera. But Kaden did undergo some sword fighting training, and the first thing he did when we got home that night was train Ammon. Hmmm.Ammon was my traumatized child this day. We had left Micah with my friend which was oh so helpful. And Ammon had fun but he did get carsick on the way there and threw up just as we got there, then fell asleep in the stroller before lunch, ate lunch and threw it all up an hour later (after the ferry ride). I was almost afraid he had gotten some disease from wearing foggy goggles for 5 days straight, but I have been washing them out good and people have reassured me that that wasn't his problem.

After lunch we took a Ferry to a town across the river from Jamestown named Surry. The ferry is free and it was very fun, I thought. I've never thought of just driving our van onto a ferry...

I need to get Shauna's pictures from her. A lot I didn't take because she did and her pictures are always much better. She and Bailey went inside this Colonial Plantation to tour it while we explored the outside of it.

Sacrament meeting artwork

Today seemed to be more challenging in the first hour of church than it has been for awhile, even with having my sister Shauna and my niece Bailey here. Noah was throwing a fit about who knows what, and when Shauna asked if he was going to sing, he asked her not to check up on him. Ammon did not want to get off my lap. And he has a scab on his forehead that he keeps picking at. I looked down at him and saw blood all down his right sleeve (and was trying to figure out what happened, and saw that he had picked his scab and wiped at it with his other arm. Just as I figured it out he wiped it with his other arm. It did not look good. We ended up just rolling his sleeves up. Micah didn't nap before church and was extra cranky, and Kaden went to the bathroom right before, and I noticed he had worn a pull-up to church and told him that wasn't okay and he had better keep it dry, so suddenly he had to go to the bathroom right away again and had to wait for the sacrament to be over and just cried and cried about it. Then he though it was alright to just sprawl out on the bench and try to sleep. Hmm. Finally after the sacrament, I let him draw pictures and watched as he drew this. He explained that it is his dad in flying a jet back home from across the world. And then he drew another jet flying to an island just for fun.

Picnics and watermelons

I love nice days--it always seems too hot, too humid, too buggy, or something (or am I too picky?) Anyway, I was out watering plants today and realized it really wasn't all that hot. So we have taken advantage and the kids have been outside all day. I love it. Ammon has worn those goggles on his head for 2 days now. It looks so uncomfortable...and hot. They have constant water condensation dripping down the lenses.

We have been searching our watermelon plant and finding cute little watermelons starting. They are all about the size of a penny. But our friend was here the other day and exclaimed because she had spotted a big melon hidden in all the vine, this about 7 inches diameter. I don't know how we missed it, because we search almost every day--it's so exciting to watch! Anyway, upon further investigation we found 3 more about the same size. It's the coolest thing ever. To prove that I am definitely not bragging, I should mention that our poor garden spot is suffering. We got 4 good zucchinis before that one bit the dust, the pumpkins don't look like they'll make it, nor the peppers or tomatoes. We got a couple of cucumbers and about 7 beans. But it does look like we might at least get some nice carrots soon. And tons of tomatoes from the pots. And the watermelon in that spot has the watermelon on it that I took a picture of awhile ago, which may also not make it....it's a little warped and hasn't been growing very quickly. Oh well.

Celebrate

We got to celebrate our country with great friends yesterday and it was so much fun. We had a bbq at our house with 2 friend families from church and our great friend Emily, whose husband is with Travis right now. We are grateful for them and their service to the country, and mostly we missed them. Sniff. Tinah made this great cake that I wanted to eat all of.The kids got to enjoy some male bonding in the house and ate it up. You never realize how much they might miss their dad until you see them with another dad and see how they really love that interaction.

Feasting.

Grace and Emily. These two have become a part of our family in the past month plus. Such great people. And not such a great picture...

Tug of war--I totally called this one wrong.

All kids against Brother Pinegar...

Grace and Micah

Brother Spataro holding the pinata--Brave man.

All of the babies together inside while the kids do sparklers and fireworks.

More festivities.

We forgot to get a red white and blue family picture so I tried to take a few,

And then the family attempts were taken by our friend Harper who is 4 years old, but a very mature 4 he is. I think he did great, considering the uncooperativeness of his subjects...

I was my typical scatterbrained self and forgot to put out the corn on the cob at lunchtime! How sad is that? Or was it on purpose?....We got to eat corn for dinner, for a late night snack, and again for dinner on Sunday. Mmmm. Micah has never had it before. I think he likes...

After eating dinner we went to our neighbors who were having a 4th of July party. They have a pool that Noah and Kaden have gotten to swim in a couple of times and it is all they talk about. They have a blast, and these people are so kind and considerate. The dad is the one who mows our lawn, and I can't even say what a blessing that has been. I need to think of something nice to do for them. But what? Anyway, they also had fireworks at 9pm. When they said they had some fireworks, I didn't dream to the extent that it was. It was just like the big firework shows we could've gone to on the beach, only it was from practically our backyard. In fact, we should have just stayed in our backyard, but this was fun, too.