Time to Catch Up

Wow...it's been nearly a year since I've posted anything on here. Sorry to be such a bum!!! Well, let's play catch-up really quick. Back in February, the Navy moved us from Everett, WA to Great Lakes, IL. During our transition, the kids flew down to TX for a visit while Josh and I made the drive from WA to TX by way of Vegas. Vegas served many purposes: anniversary trip, Christmas/New Years present to each other and just time for us. It was Josh's first time in Vegas, so we did a show, did just a little bit of gambling, took advantage of the gym and had some good food, courtesy of the Hilton (it's nice being a diamond member!). From there, we spent a few weeks in TX and then made the final transition to what would become our new home/duty station for the next few years. We moved into a beautiful house in an awesome neighborhood with lots of kids and great neighbors! Josh began his schooling to become an RDC (Recruit Drill Commander aka...boot camp instructor) in March and graduated from that in June (for which his mom came for a visit to take part in that graduation). He graduated having acquired the honor of demonstrating the most military baring in his class (only one of these certificates/statuses are given in a class). I was/am so proud of him!!! The graduation was awesome. Landin and Ashlynn both got to participate in pinning on his new decorations to his uniform which help distinguish him as an official RDC. He started "pushing" his first division that same day!!! After nearly 9 long weeks and even LONGER hours for him, Division 940 (consisting of 60+ new sailors) graduated on August 20, 2010. My mom, sister and myself attended the graduation for which the guest speaker was the real Antwonne Fisher. It was a smaller graduating group with only 5 divisions graduating, but Josh did his thing, standing in front of a ceremony hall full of new sailors and proud family attendees. He got a few weeks of a break and then picked up his second division only a few weeks ago. While he has been pulling 18hr days, I have been settling into life in a new city as a stay-at-home mom. Landin and Ashlynn have made new friends with neighborhood kids, and have kept me on my toes every step of the way! I have also started watching Nicholas (little boy from across the street) while Jenny and Erron (mom and dad) are at work. He is a fun and energetic kid with a contagious smile! He and Landin have their issues occasionally, but it's nice to have someone else for Landin to play with during the day while other kids are at school/daycare. Landin has started Pre-K through the park district here in the city and he's loving being back at school. He attends 3 days a week for a few hours at a time. He has made a whole lot of progress so far, even for only being there for a month! He is also playing soccer on the weekends with neighbor friend Alex in a youth league (it's absolutely the cutest thing ever!). This is his first exposure to playing sports, so we plan to try new sports til he finds the one that he really enjoys. Soccer so far is a good fit. He's learning... slowly, but he's learning. Point is that he's having fun. As far as Ashlynn goes, she enjoys riding in the wagon on our walks to and from school, drawing on the driveway with chalk, swinging and playing in the backyard and running away from me (her new favorite thing). She's growing up quick, coming up on her second birthday in just 2 more weeks. She fits easily into a size 4T, if that helps you to realize how big she is! Me... I'm trying to start school, keeping up with the house and kids, and trying my very best to be supportive of Josh and his schedule (the schedule is the part that I have trouble with sometimes). I do have to say, that I am quite content with how things are going in our life. I could not be more grateful for my husband who works hard, for kids that are loving (although sometimes defiant) and to be at home. We are coming up on winter and I'm quite nervous for the snow, but hopefully I will make it through without any hiccups. I'm looking forward to having a nice white Christmas though!!! I think that this will be a first white Christmas ever for me. We are looking forward to getting some quality time as a family after Josh's current division graduates in November. I think that is it, in a nut shell... That's the short version anyway. There are tons of other things, but those are the quick highlights.

On a side note: I love my husband, more with each day that passes. I love my children. They are my world, and I am grateful to be at home with them. I am grateful for everything that my life has become and I look forward to whatever the future holds for me. I will do my best to keep up with the blog from here. Sorry there's such a gap in time, but hopefully no more gaps.

See you soon!!!