July Update

Since it's been so long I will go back to July.
Justin arrived home on July 28th. We were so very excited to finally have him home. Our wonderful neighborhood wanted to help welcome him home.
This is the entrance to our community.


The sign on our house.


We lined the street with flags. When we were arrived home Justin was greeted by about 50+ people lining the street and clapping their hands for him. This was such an emotional homecoming. I started to cry when I saw all the people there(that is why there is no picture of that.) I think his eyes filled up with tears as well.
We are so very lucky to live in such a wonderful place surrounded by wonderful people. If it wasn't for the kindness of the people around me I don't know how the kids and I would have survived. It was very hard to leave Washington and all the support we had there. I was naive about how difficult it was going to be the second time around. I have never been one to ask anybody for anything, and if I do ask then that means I really do need help. Living here, I have not had to ask. My friends really stepped up and helped us out. Sometime the smallest gestures mean the most when your going through such a difficult time. Just having someone call or ask how we're doing, or dropping by to chat for a few minutes helped tremendously.
I was dreading summer vacation...Big Time! All I could think about was how I was going to keep these guys entertained and their minds off the fact that daddy was gone. In June Justin asked his Aunt Nancy if one of the boys could come stay a week or so with her. He called me one afternoon and he was so incredibly touched by her response. She said, "I don't want just one of them, I want 2, and I want them for 2 weeks." I don't think the she knows how much that meant to us. At the time I was barely able to keep my head above water and she was offering to take 2 boys and keep them busy for 2 weeks. That meant I only had to worry about 3. No, problem. Three is a piece of cake compared to five. So, Brayden and Kyle went down to Florida and had the time of their life. They still talk about their trip and are looking forward to going back. We were so incredibly thankful for her. We will never forget her and Uncle Hank's kindness and support during Justin's deployment.

Way overdue update!!!

I cannot believe it has been so long since I've updated this blog. I promise that I will post some pictures and an update soon. We have been very busy with school, sports, surgeries and work. I will update soon!!!

Summer Dayz....

Graham and Logan spend much of their day on the Ripstick. I have tried and tried but I am afraid that I will break a leg if I get on one of these. Apparently you have to balance yourself and wiggle you legs back and forth to make it move. It looks easy enough but it really isn't. These kids can zip up and down the street, go up hills and even have RipStick wars. I am not a fan of the war. They try to knock each other off, using only the ripstick. I have seen kids Grahams size knock kids the size of Justin to the ground. I had to put a quick end to that game. I can watch them do just about anything but this game makes me cringe.


This is my favorite way to spend the summer. Sitting back watching Logan or Kyle do some yard work. I keep saying that having 4 boys is going to pay off someday. I am starting them young and they way I see it, Justin and I should not have to mow a lawn again for another 10 years at least!!




Mia's favorite way to spend her summer days is to swim or ride her bike. She loves to go to the pool in our neighborhood. She swims around on her belly, plays with her toys or just she just sits back and watches the kids play. He second favorite summer activity is riding her bicycle. She loves to peddle up and down the street. She rides around the cul-de-sac and she is very good about watching for cars. She parks her bike at the end of her friends driveways when she wants to see if they can play. She fills her basket with treasures she finds along the way

What to do???

So Mia was supposed to be in her room taking a nap. I was in the garage getting Graham and Logan to clean it before JT gets home. When they were done Logan went in to put his swim trunks on and this is what he found:





Yes, this is my makeup all over her. I went to check out the damage and it was everywhere. Then she tried to clean it up and made the mess even bigger. When Logan caught her she said "I want to lay down!"

Wedding Pictures

We had a wonderful time at our dear friends wedding. Graham was so excited to wear his tux. I think he would have slept in it if I would have let him. He counted down the hours to the wedding and made sure he did his best job walking down the aisle. Mia was a beautiful little flower girl. Although, I'm not so sure she was down with leaving the flower pedals on the ground. During the rehearsal she was picking them up and trying to put them in her basket. Logan rolled out the aisle and he was so cute.

Playing with my camera

Logan's 5th Grade Graduation

Well, Logan is moving up to Middle School next year. I honestly started to cry at his graduation. I'm pretty sure it was because they kept saying that they were the class of 2015. I just can't comprehend him staying in the house until 2015. He starts football camp on Saturday and he is very pumped up about it. I just see more visits to the ER and broken bones. He is very much a drama king. Everytime he falls he acts like it is the end of the world. Yeah, he has had a few broken bones in the past. He should be able to handle a little splinter. He has become very aware of mom's 48 hour rule. If your still in pain in 48 hours I will take you in. Unless, of course, there is an obvious injury. Otherwise your going to have to tough it out or pay the $25 co-pay for urgent care. He also broke up with his girlfriend. They had been together since Feb. Her and her posse of girls would come down the road looking for Logan. She was a very cute girl. Blonde and blue eyes. He said he broke it off for the summer. You know he wants to keep his options open. He is such his fathers son.

Mia's Birthday

Future Carolina Cheerleader

Wow!!!

It has been 2 months since I have posted. Things have been going pretty smooth around here. School has ended. So I am stuck with the kids all day. I have decided to keep them on a school schedule for awhile. We wake up at 6:30 and start working. By noon they are exhausted and ready for a break. So we eat lunch and pack up and head to the pool. We spend a few hours at the pool and by the time we get home they are wiped out. We have two pools in our community and they have become a huge blessing. Mia loves the pool. She plays in the water and has a great time. The boys are rough with each other and they get that energy out. I can actually relax for once.
I have finished Court Reporting school and I am very excited about it. I went to a Voice writing school. What that means is that I don't work on the steno machine like most people are familiar with. I use a mask and I repeat everything that is being said. This is going to be a great tool when Justin gets home because I have spent the last 6 months practicing how to repeat what people say. I will now be able to tell him what he said and he will have no way to deny it!!!!

Grahams Little Accident

The first day of the goose egg. You can't really tell how big it actually was. It looked like a golf ball was placed under his eyebrow. It was very impressive. He earned himself some ice cream for this one.



Graham had a little accident at school the other day. I guess in gym class he was standing still and his buddy was running and ran right into him. His eye swelled so big it scared me, and nothing really phases me anymore. It is getting blacker and blacker every day. He is a great sport about it all. He even told me thank you for taking care of him. He is a great boy!!!! He of course is the talk of the hood. Well he was until another little boy broke his arm today. I think these boys spend way too much time around their mamas listening to all the gossip.

Rough Week

With all the violence in Baghdad, especially in the "Green Zone" where Justin is, it has been a pretty tough week. It is hard to talk to Justin for more than a few minutes because he always seems to be busy. It is really hard on the boys when they only get to speak to him for a minute or two a week. There is so much they want to tell him, just not enough time. They have been good about emailing him. They each have an account and check many times a day for mail from daddy. Graham has really been concerned about Justin's safety. He starts to cry and wants to know what we will do if daddy doesn't come home. It is hard for me not to break down when he asks this. I try to let him know that daddy is safe and he needs to worry about 7-year old stuff, but I know these thoughts haunt him. Logan and Brayden choose to keep themselves so busy they don't think about dad too much. They have their moments when they are thinking about him and break down. Kyle is having a rough time because he knows that there is real danger in wars. He also just misses having his dad to talk to. He is opening up to me more but I honestly don't know what to say to him when he wants to talk about girls. Mia just says "My daddy left me!" She is not sure what to think. As for me, I try not to read the news or have it on the t.v. I try to stay as up beat as possible for the kids. I know they are having a hard time with all of the changes they have had this last year. My family was such a great support for them when dad was gone the first time. When we were feeling overwhelmed my brother would tell to bring the kids to him. He would rearrange his work schedule or take a day or two off. He would tell me to take a break and he would take care of the kids. I didn't have to worry about them and they loved being with their family. Of course he would let them do things that I never would..ie..ride motorcycles, jump off rocks into the river, but he always made sure they were safe. Most of all, he spent time with them. He let them know that he loved them and they could spend as much time with him as they wanted. I think that Kyle is really struggling now, missing his family. We are counting down the time now. Justin will be home in July. Not nearly soon enough. We are very thankful for the friends and family who take the time to let us know they are thinking about us. It means the world to the kids to know that there are people out there that love them and think about them. It means a lot to me and Justin as well. I think that Justin can focus on what he's doing over there knowing we have people here who check in on us and care if were okay. So thank you to everyone who has sent an email, or called or sent a card. Those little gestures really help make us feel better.

Tornado Photos

Thankfully this is not our house. The front of this house ended up going through a car 3 houses up the street. Our street looked like a war zone. There was debris everywhere. Everyone did a great job of helping each other out to get the mess cleaned up. The kids went right out after it hit and cleaned the trash out of the street and yards.


Mia after the storm. She had a great time splashing through the puddles of water.

Some Pictures

Graham at his first basesball game of the season. It was very cold and windy.


Mia is dressed and ready to help us clean up the storm damage. If you look close you can see the shoes she chose to work in.


Kyle trying to pose. He is a very cute kid even though he runs his mouth too much.


Mia looking cute.

Spring 2008

We have a very fascinating year so far. Justin has left and has been in Baghdad since January. We have had a very hard time with this deployment. The boys just don't seem to be adjusting well. I think the big difference between the last deployment and this one is family. We were so lucky to have been around my family for extra support. Being around family they didn't have to worry about what was going on with dad. They could just be kids. This time we have made some incredible friends that have helped us tremendously. Our neighbor made the count down to Graham's birthday fun for him. She asked him with excitement everyday how many more days. On his big day they made sure he felt like the most important boy in the world. He had a wonderful day despite the fact his daddy was gone and he was not near his family.
We have had our share of trials as well. Logan broke his hand. Mia had the flu and was down for 10 days. She had the stomach flu for 3 days and finally her ear drum ruptured. We had a tornado strike our neighborhood. Luckily we only sustained minor damage. Our friends once again stepped in to help us out. It was pretty traumatic for Graham. He was prepared to spend a month in the bathroom. He had his guitar, birthday presents, a bowling pin, blankets and a pillow all in our small powder room ready to wait out anything.
We feel so fortunate to have moved into such a wonderful community. On any given weekend the boys are dispersed around the neighborhood. We have really relied on our friends and neighbors to help pass the time. Julie, next door, has threatened to secretly install a nanny cam in our home just to make sure the boys don't push me over the edge. She will stop by and do a head count, make sure she sees 5 little heads. It is not easy being a single parent without support from family. There are days when I get into bed and I am amazed that all the kids are accounted for and are still breathing.

Conversations with a 6 year old

Graham and I have been have some very important conversations lately. He seems to have a pretty good idea of what's going on around him.
The other night our conversation went like this:

Graham: I know why people go to heaven when they die.
Me: Oh really, why?
Graham: Because they don't have any gravity any more!

I hurt my back lifting Mia the other day and Graham had it all figured out why I was in pain:

Graham: Mom, I know why your back hurts.
Me: Why Grammy?
Graham: Because your almost a woman now!

Today our conversation went like this:
Graham: Mommy, how come when dad was a kid he was big and now he is so tiny?
How does he expect me to answer that one?

We had this conversation last year after his first baseball practice. I was almost alsleep, it was almost 10:00 p.m. and I felt someone was watching me.

Me: Grammy, what's going on?
Graham: Mommy, does your laundry get done quick? As he is holding his new uniform.
Me: What do you mean? I guess it gets done pretty quick.
Graham; Oh gooooood!...Mine never gets done quickly and I need this washed.
I'm guessing he thinks a laundry fairy comes in and does all my stuff and leaves his.