Simple Pleasures

Here we go again...

2012-05-30T10:23:00.001-07:00

I think we might be a little crazy but here we go. This fall we will be homeschooling Em, saying goodbye to daddy again and having a new baby. Yep, I am sure we are crazy! Zachary will likely be gone when the baby is born so we could use your prayers as we go through this time apart. Thankful for all my family that has already said they will come and help me. So far this pregnancy has been just like the other two...sick all day long and very tired. Em is sure there will be a boy baby for daddy and a girl baby for mommy. I have assured her there is only one baby this time. We are excited to be a family of 5 and can't wait to meet the little one!

Enjoying the sunshine

2012-04-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were able to finally enjoy some warm sunshine and play in the water. It was so nice to sit outside and watch both girls just having a blast. I am so glad that both the girls love the water. Clara will find the littlest amount of water anywhere and play in it. She loved it when daddy got out the pool and filled it up for her. We are looking forward to it getting a little warmer so we can start heading to the community pool. I don't think it will take any time at all to pick back up on what she learned last year during swim lessons.

Our 5 year old

2012-03-21T07:24:00.003-07:00

Em and I had such a fun time on this photo shoot. It was just her and I enjoying being silly together! I need to remember to do more things one on one with our kids! I couldn't decide which one was my favorite so I am sharing them all with you!
This sweet girl is so much fun. She has such a sweet generous heart. She loves to play with Clara and Clara absolutely adores her big sister. She loves to learn and reminds me everyday that we need to do school. I am looking forward to homeschooling her this next year and seeing her learn to read and write! She has her daddy's sense of humor and is always saying the funniest things. I love this little 5 year old and am so thankful for the blessing she is to our family!

Happy Birthday Em

2012-03-15T09:02:00.002-07:00

Em has been so excited to be five for awhile now. When she woke up on her birthday she asked since she was 5 now if she could go school. She was very bummed when I told her that she would have to wait to go to school. When she came downstairs and saw presents waiting for her everything about going to school was quickly forgotten. Since she woke up bright and early she was able to open a few presents before Daddy left for work. The rest we decided to wait until dinner that night. She requested her favorite hot dogs and chips for dinner and then we took her out to ice cream where we all shared a huge Sundae. She also requested to go to Starbucks that afternoon and I am never one to turn down that request. The day was very laid back and enjoyable. Saturday was the day of her party with her friends and she was very much looking forward to that. We surprised her by getting a hello kitty jump house and she loved it. She wanted a rainbow party so we made rainbow cupcakes that turned out very cute. We kept it simple and it turned out very fun.

Homecoming

2012-03-02T21:40:00.003-08:00

WHAT A GREAT DAY!!!!

It's Getting Closer

2012-02-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

The days are just crawling by for us lately. That must mean we are getting closer to Daddy coming home. I can't even believe that it has been 6.5 months since we have seen him, or had his hugs or seen him playing with his girls. Em and I talk about his homecoming every day and we are beyond excited to be reunited as a family. It will be such an amazing sight to see his ship pull into port and the sailors manning the rails. I can't wait to see him coming down the ramp waiting to hug his girls. I get butterflies in my stomach even thinking about it. I don't know if I will cry or just be to overwhelmed to cry! What a great day it will be!!

Tractor Rides

2012-01-20T20:52:00.001-08:00

Tractor rides at Grandma and Grandpa's house are the best. I think Grandpa enjoys it as much as the girls. As you can see Clara especially enjoyed it. That girl loves to be outside. As soon as she hears a door open she beelines it to the door hoping to make her escape.
When Grandpa offered to get the tractor out for the girls they were so excited. He took them all over the property and they throughly enjoyed it. They wanted to go faster and faster and when he turned the corners it was cute to hear their little laughs.

Our One Year Old

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

I know everyone says it each year of their childs life but I can't believe it has been a year and she is now a one year old! This year has gone by incredibly fast yet incredibly slow at the same time! We have missed daddy a lot during Clara's first year. I have tried to keep him in touch with everything she does. We are able to send pictures and videos often. Nothing compares to him actually being here to hold his little girl but I am thankful that he is not completely out of touch!

Clara is definitely different than her big sister. She started off on the small side and wasn't able to gain weight. After figuring out that she wasn't getting enough from breastfeeding and switching to formula she started to gain weight and has been on the right track since. She loves to eat and will eat just about anything you give her. She started crawling at 7 months and I thought for sure she would be walking by her first birthday. She did take a few steps while we were at my moms for Christmas but is not interested anymore. She mastered the stairs at my moms and can now go up and come down on her belly with no problem.

Clara simply adores her big sister and the feeling is mutual. I have to admit I didn't think they would be such good friends so soon. I never would have anticipated how fun it would be watching them together. They are crazy, funny, loud, adorable little girls. They will often get into screaming matches at the dinner table. Em will start with a loud burst and Clara will copy her and then it keeps going back and forth. I love that they get along so well that I try not to let the noise bother me too much. The other day Clara and Em were playing together in her room when I heard them just start busting up laughing. It made my heart so happy to hear that. Our girls are gentle reminders that we can laugh even in the hard times and together as a family we can do anything!

We love you Sweet Clara Alexandra and are so blessed to have you as part of our family!

He is faithful!!

2011-12-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

We are well into the holiday season and as I look back at what this year has brought for my family I have so many emotions! At the beginning of 2011 we welcomed our beautiful daughter Clara Alexandra into the world. Just 5 days later Zachary left for his first of many detachments which would eventually lead up to the deployment. We were dreading the day we had to say goodbye to him and wondered how we would get through this time apart. We were entering into a new world where it would be hard to find genuine smiles, joy and happiness especially during the holidays.

Looking back over this year though I have realized that God has remained ever faithful! When we have been at our darkest place He was there! When we thought we could not make it another day He was there! ‎"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!" Isaiah 43:1b

I am so grateful for the friends I have made in this journey. Friends who have been there and know the struggles we face as a military family. Friends who know when to step in and say you need to get out of the house and go do something! Friends who say let me take your kids so you can get a break!

Our parents have been there encouraging us along the way. They have stood right beside us supporting us, praying for us, talking with us, sending notes of encouragement and even coming to visit so I could get a break for a little bit. Without their love and support we would have a hard time going through this time in our lives.

I look at my girls and see their brave little faces and know the love they have for their daddy. Even Clara who has been apart from her daddy more than she has been with him gets excited when he sends her little videos and dances when he sings to her. My heart aches for them knowing that we will not be a complete family this Christmas season. A day has not gone by when Emily doesn't talk about her daddy. She has many plans for what she wants to do when he gets home. She has so much courage and strength! She prays everyday that daddy will be safe on the ship and that he will come home soon.

Even though I wish for nothing more than to be with my husband I know that God has a reason for this separation! Through this time we have seen our marriage grow into a deeper love and respect! We have realized areas that we need to work on in our marriage. We have realized that absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I am thankful for a husband who even though he is on the other side of the world manages to keep his family number one! Saying I love you just doesn't seem to do it justice!

So as I look back over this last year, a year that has held loneliness, fear, exhaustion, and despair, God has shown me companionship, peace, happiness, strength and determination! We do not know what the future holds for our family but we know that God will never let us go!

‎"On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:7-8

Dairy Farm

2011-11-30T10:13:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago a friend and I took our girls to a local dairy farm so that the girls could learn where where milk comes from. I had been wanting to do this since we moved here because it is such a way of life around here. It was actually very interesting and we did learn a lot. About halfway through the tour a little puppy joined us so the girls we much more interested in him than the cows. But it was a fun trip anyway! They got to feed calves and see what the cows eat and also got to see the milking process. Clara did great the whole time and enjoyed looking at the cows as well. She really wanted to touch them but I was kinda grossed out about that. She was happy enough just sucking on her toes.

Our last Disney Day

2011-11-08T20:30:00.000-08:00

On day 3 of your Disney vacation we rode a lot more rides, ate a lot more food and enjoyed every last minute we could at Disneyland! I had planned to spend our last day only at Disneyland but after seeing how much Em loved Goofy's flight school we headed back over to California adventure at the end of the day so she could enjoy that ride a few more times. We saw a majority of the characters on day 3 and one of my favorite things to do is to get autographs. I bought the girls a story book on our first day and that is what we used to get our autographs. I did that before on Emily's first trip to Disneyland and I really liked doing it that way. It is fun to look through the autographs each time we read the story. Em was very happy to meet the characters this time. As long as they were not mad guys she was good with it. We rode all of Em's favorites on the last day and and the carousel for Clara. At the end of the day I let the girls pick out a few things and Em loved helping Clara pick out her new toys. We can't wait to go back next time and take Daddy with us!

Day 2 at Disneyland

2011-11-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Day 2 at Disneyland was actually spent at California Adventure. Pretty sure Em enjoyed it the most. Between day 2 & 3 we probably rode Goofy's flight school no less than 20 times. We got fast passes for all our tickets and then when we got on from the fast pass we got stroller passes too. So Em got to go twice as much. We ventured over to Bugs Life but Em just was not impressed with the little kid rides and wanted to go back and ride the ride with blue tracks (Goofy's Flight school) She absolutely loved that ride and talks about it all the time. I think a close second for her would be Mickey's Silly Symphony Swings. There was no line for that ride so we were able to ride that a lot too. For Clara her favorite was by far King Tritons carousel. As soon as she sat on one of the animals she would just get all excited and smile the whole time. Another was the Little Mermaid ride. Clara slept through it the first time we went on so we rode it again for her. It was so cute to see her start to dance and to see the smile on her face as we rode through the ride.
Em is all about making silly faces for the camera. So whenever I tell her I am going to take pictures she strikes a pose. She is not satisfied until I take 2 or 3 either. Sometimes it is frustrating but that is her and I want to remember her at this stage and what a fun crazy girl she is. When I asked her to stand at the Hollywood backdrop she just went crazy and I was laughing so that made her be silly all the more. I love that girl and her fun personality!

A Day of Disney Firsts

2011-10-25T20:44:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful trip to Disneyland we had. The only thing that could have made it better was if Zachary could have been there. It was an awesome fun filled 3 day trip. We spent every last possible minute at the park, came back to the hotel to crash and then did it all over again the next 2 days. So thankful that my parents could share in this time with us. I could not have done it without them. Pretty sure my girls wore them out but I am sure they will never forget it either.

Day one was filled with many first:

Clara got her 1st visit pin
Emily ate her first of many Mickey ice cream sandwiches
Clara got her first pair of Mickey Ears
We rode our first ride which also happened to be Clara's favorite (King Arthur's Carousel)
We met our first character of the day (Pluto)
Emily rode her first roller coaster and is hooked for life
Clara met Pooh and fell in love

I was curious to see how Em would be with the characters because her last experience was not a good one. This time however she loved them. As long as they were not the mad guys she was happy to see them and get their autographs. I really wanted her to love roller coasters as much as her mom and dad and she absolutely loved them. Once she did her first one she was not that impressed with the rides in fantasy land. She just kept wanting to ride the fast ones. She loved thunder mountain, splash mountain but her favorite one of the whole trip was Goofy's flight school in Ca. adventure. I will save those pictures until the next post. My brave girl even went on Tower of Terror with me. It was not her favorite at all but I think if it wasn't so dark she may have enjoyed it more. I am so excited to have someone else to enjoy the roller coasters with. The day ended all to soon, as it always does at Disneyland but we had 2 more fun days ahead...

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-15T15:51:00.001-07:00

Fall is my favorite season of all. I love the colors, the smells, the coolness of the day, baking, pumpkin spice latte's and so much more. I love going to the pumpkin patch and this year we were able to enjoy the pumpkin patch in Southern California with the girls Grandpa and Grandma Walker and Uncle Caleb and Auntie Lauri and Nanny. It was really enjoyable to get away for the weekend and spend some time with family. The girls enjoyed all the extra attention and I enjoyed just not having to answer a million and one questions for the weekend. It was a nice pumpkin patch with plenty of things to keep us busy. We were able to enjoy a hay ride around the patch and Em even got to try out the pumpkin launch. We did a few hay mazes and well as a corn maze. Em did very well finding her way around. She also got to ride a pony for the first time. Em picked out a pumpkin for her and Clara and they are proudly displayed on our table.

Preschool

2011-09-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

This year after much prayer and research we decided to homeschool Em for preschool. Our first day was this last Monday and so far so good! Em and I are both loving it. We are doing school in the afternoon while Clara naps and it gives me the ability to give Em all my attention. She is already learning so much. She asks all morning when we can do school and is quick to clean up her toys so that we can start right after lunch. We are focusing on letters and their sounds along with numbers and a memory verse a week. Only 3 days into school and Em already has most of the pledge of allegiance memorized. She wanted so badly to learn it so that she could send a video to daddy and he could see what she is learning. I set up a little classroom for her and she is always playing school with her dolls when we are not having class. We have gotten together with a few other homeschooling families on base and are having fun getting to know them. So glad that I can talk with other moms and get advice on what works for them. I love the fact that I can be the one to teach her at home. I am thankful for a husband that supports this wholeheartedly and prays for us daily while he can't be with us! We love you Zachary and can't wait until you can be here to see your daughters learn!

Fishing Day

2011-09-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

While we were home in Redding a few weeks ago we were able to enjoy a day fishing. Emily had been wanting to go fishing for awhile now and I was excited to take her for the first time. They had a free kids fishing day in Mt Shasta were they stock the ponds so that the kids are sure to catch something. It was perfect because almost as soon as you threw the line in you had a bite. My dad came along with my sister and the girls to help. Pretty sure we could not have done it without him. Alicia and Dad put the worm on the hook and helped the girls cast the line, when they caught something they were able to take the fish off the hook and put it on the lead line while the girls caught more. I was the camera girl so I didn't get the opportunity to touch the worms or fish. Someone has to take the pictures though. Emily had such a great time and was so excited to catch her first fish. She didn't even have any issues with touching it. They were able to catch 2 fish each and Em tried and tried to catch her second fish but the fish just kept eating the worm and we couldn't hook it. It was such a beautiful day in Mt Shasta and I am so glad that we could enjoy with my Dad.

Cousins

2011-08-21T21:50:00.001-07:00

We were able to get all the cousins together for one last picture session before we are all separated by many many miles! Getting everyone to look and smile at the same time is quite the challenge! At least they are all in the same picture. So glad that the girls and I were able to come to say goodbye to my brother and his family! I have had too many goodbyes this year and it doesn't get easier. Excited they get to go on this new journey though!
It has almost been a month since Zachary left. We are still able to email everyday and I am so thankful for that. He is doing okay but missing his girls like crazy! His days pretty much consist of working 12 hours, eating, watching part of a movie and then going to bed, and repeating it the next day. He is very much looking forward to when they port so he can visit the country a little and have a break from his daily routine. We are desperately hoping that he has a chance to skype while in port too. We miss his face and I really want to hear his voice!
The girls and I are home in Redding for a few days visiting family! We are trying to squeeze in as much time as we can with our friends and family before we head back home!

A Beach Visit

2011-08-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

While we were in San Diego I really wanted to play on the beach for a little while. I miss going all the time like we did while in Pensacola. Emily absolutely loves the beach no mater what the weather is like. We decided to head up to Ventura to visit my Aunt and to play on the beach. Because of traffic things didn't quite work out as planned. We didn't make it to the beach until around dinner time and it was incredibly windy. So our beach visit only lasted about 30 minutes. But, for it being such a short visit Emily had a blast. She didn't mind the wind at all. She found many treasures on the beach. She decided to be brave and walk out into the waves and kept creeping out further and further, all of a sudden a huge wave came and knocked her over. She lost her bucket and was so sad. We saw it go into the waves and tried to get it but it was just too far out. She finally decided that maybe a friend would find it and then they could have it to play with. Clara didn't seem to mind the wind and was happy to just be outside and out of the car. I wish we could have stayed longer to play but we still had a 4 hour drive home.
Zachary and I have been able to email everyday so far. So thankful for that! He is doing okay and his days are just blending together. He told me today that he can't even remember what day it is anymore. He is working 12-14 hour days and is pretty tired by the time he gets off that he basically goes right to bed. We miss him like crazy and we are counting down the days until our reunion. The girls and I are staying busy and have a few fun things planned over the next few months.

Goodbyes are Never Easy

2011-08-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, the day the we had been dreading came last week. It is never easy to say goodbye to someone you love with all your heart! I will say that I am glad that we can finally start counting down the days until we are in each others arms and together as a happy little family! We spent every possible minute with Zachary while we were in San Diego. We had to drop him off at the pier Thursday evening to help with the onload so we just hung out at the pier and every once in awhile he would come up on the flight deck and wave at us. It was nice to catch even a small glimpse of him. After he was finished working we were able to spend a few last hours together. We ended up saying our last goodbyes shortly before midnight. At that moment I just wanted to hold on forever! We gave each other one last long hug and then he slipped out of my arms and walked back to the ship to what will be his home for the next 7 months.
I am so thankful that our some of our family was able to be there with us. It was so nice to have their support and their continued prayers will be a blessing. We also were able to share this moment with the sweetest family, the Morrisons! Their husband and daddy will be on the same ship as Zachary! So thankful that I have someone to go through this with, shed tears and laugh with. Their 2 little boys, Ethan and Sean are best buddies with Emily. Emily just adores them and they are quite the threesome when they are together. Rhonda, we will get through this. Thank you for being such a sweet friend!
The morning that the ship pulled out of port we were able to go to the pier and wave to Zachary as he was on the flight deck. As the ship started to pull out we headed over to the beach so we could watch it head to sea. Catching our last few glimpses of the USS Stennis!
Let the Countdown Begin!!

Water Park

2011-07-25T13:19:00.001-07:00

We had such a great time at the water park on my birthday! We decided to go after 3pm because it was $10 cheaper and I had coupons. Turns out you can't use coupons after 3 but then we found out active duty was free so we ended up paying less than we thought we would. Both of the girls love the water and love to be outside. So it was perfect! They have a great kids area that is divided up into 3 sections. Em just kept going down the slides over and over again. Even after she got a face full of water she just kept going. She also had a blast in the wave pool. Zachary took her out and she loved jumping over the waves. Clara and I sat on the shore and she loved the waves splashing on her. Zachary and I took turns and enjoyed going down a few of the bigger slides. Mostly I think we both just enjoyed watching the girls have so much fun!

Daddy Time

2011-07-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

We are getting in as much Daddy time as possible

Swim Lessons

2011-07-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Emily did another 2 weeks of swim lessons again recently and has really done well. It is so great to see the progress the kids had made since they first started. She absolutely loved it and loved doing it with her friends! In the beginning she didn't even want to put her face in the water but by the last class she was putting her whole head under water. The last day of class the teachers took the kids on the water slide. After the first 2 weeks Em was too scared to go down but this last time she decided on her own that she wanted to do it and she loved it. Daddy even stopped by on lunch break and the Em was able to go down again so that daddy could watch. The swim teachers were so great with the kids and had a lot of patience! I think that with a little more time in the pool she will be off swimming by herself. We have a great community pool her on base so I think we will be spending a lot more time in the water the next few weeks! Clara loves the water too and is very happy to sit in her float and splash away.

As the time draws near

2011-06-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

I find myself dreading the day he has to leave more and more as it fast approaches!

I have such deep admiration for what my husband does. I could never do what he does or deals with everyday. Especially since I would be terrified and would cry every time someone would yell at me.

There is nothing scarier than saying goodbye to your husband the day he leaves. Whether it is for one month, six months or a year or more. I can't explain it to you. Can not put into words how absolutely, positively, physically, emotionally, and mentally painful it is.

There is also nothing better than holding him in your arms the day he arrives home! It is pure bliss!

Some ask if this life is hard? Absolutely! It is hard because we never know when he will be home, he never actually has a day off, he deals with so much on a daily basis, yet still makes his family number one! It is hard knowing that he will miss so much of his daughters lives. He will miss Clara's first word, when she first starts crawling, her first Christmas. Emily loves her daddy and I am sure there will be many days when I will hear her say "I miss my Daddy really so much" and I know that we will cry but that is ok!

I can't say that I am going to be strong the whole time. There are going to be many days that I will break down and just want him home. There will be many days where I just wish that his stinky PT clothes were in the laundry needing to be washed, or his boots where sitting in the living room floor needing to be picked up, or I get his texts asking what's for dinner. I love us! I love the family that we have become! I love that we get better as the days go by! I love that he can still make my heart melt by just hearing his voice on the phone and simply saying " I Love you". Even when we bicker or need a break from each other for a bit we treat each other with love and respect! As much as I hate when he is away it makes it that much sweeter when he is home!

I am not going to be one of the ones that constantly complain that my husband is gone! I knew that this day would come. I knew the potential of him deploying when he enlisted! This is the life we are living at the moment! The path that God has chosen for us! And for that reason I do not have the right to complain! Complaining about it would just mean that I don't trust that God has an ultimate plan for our lives! We have the knowledge that we are right where we are suppose to be in our lives and as hard as it is going to be, God will hold us in the palm of his hand and take us to the day we are reunited again as a family!

*pictures taken by the lovely Ines Wilson*

Berry Picking

2011-06-14T16:08:00.001-07:00

I really do enjoy the small town that we live in. There are plenty of things to do if you look for it! We heard about this little berry farm in town and decided to give it a try. We found out it is the only one in the central valley that is a U-pick place. They do not use any pesticides on the berries and let you eat as many as you want while you pick. They were so many different kinds and all so yummy. The kids had a great time together and we brought home a lot of delicious berries.

Clara is finally gaining some weight! Over the weekend she gained about 4oz. She is drinking formula and eating avocado and bananas the day and I am still able to breastfeed her at night. Although I am sad that I can not breastfeed her as much I am thankful she is finally gaining weight. We go back in 2 weeks to make sure she is still gaining.

Swim Lessons

2011-06-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

It is only day 2 of swim lessons but I can already tell it was a good idea to sign her up for them. She is dong such a great job and absolutely loves it. Plus as an added bonus is wears her out and she sleeps so well at night. She gets to take lessons with 3 of her friends and they are all so cute together and encourage each other in the pool. It is also a nice time for us mommies to sit and chat for a little while. If she continues to progress and loves it still than I may sign her up for the next level. Daddy is sure looking forward to coming home and swimming with his girl!