You just never know...

We had a great family weekend! I love it when that happens! You know, those outings where everyone is happy, no one is fighting, no one pees on you, and laughter is all around!! We had two outings like that!!

Let me go back...it all started Friday: ITT was giving out free tickets to a Texas State University game, so we figured what the hey, and picked some up. Saturday night rolls around and we head out. First off, the weather - it was BEAUTIFUL!! We have been in a wretched heat spell of 100+ degree temps and it was actually breezy and coolish - SO NICE!! Our seats were in the second section, and after we persuaded A (I mean me carrying him up the stairs because he was a little freaked out at the height, noise and wind) to get upstairs, we had a blast!! We yelled with the cheerleaders; ate popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, cotton candy, snow cones and m&ms; enjoyed the band's halftime show; even had crickets "rain" down on us - the kids couldn't stop squealing and screaming "it's raining crickets - it's raining crickets!!" Then we ended the night with fireworks - too fun! Best quote of the night from A: He looks at us and says "I think I'm really starting to like football - Daddy! Let's wake up early tomorrow and watch football ALL DAY!!" Big grin follows on J's face :)

Labor Day was finally our day to hit the Schlitterbahn! Our realtor gave us free passes three months ago, but we just haven't had the time to go. It is AMAZING!! I highly recommend it to everyone! The park is Bavarian style, covered with trees - the water is fresh from the Comal River (FREEZING!! - which as J pointed out, how in the world can that water be SO cold from a river that flows through smokin' hot San Antonio....interesting!). There are at least 4 kid areas around the grown up areas, so we took turns riding and watching kids. A and Lil L must have gone down the slides 500 times! They played from 10-6pm non-stop!! I got to spend some time with my girl, N, and she kept up on all the scary tube slides!! I quickly realized a string bikini was NOT practical as everytime I went on a ride I was checking to see if things were still in place OR pulling things out of places they shouldn't be!!

All in all, it was a great weekend....God has blessed us with such a great family - thank you Lord for your joy!!

Too long!

So, it's been four months since my last post - yikes!! Life has been wonderfully insane...we passed the summer away at Six Flags, the pool, museums, playing - anything to keep the kids busy and cool in the 100+ degree heat that still isn't gone yet! TOO HOT in TEXAS!! I was telling someone last night that every day was cloudy in Germany and we would beg for the sun...now every day in TX is sunny and we beg for the clouds - too funny!

I started two jobs - one as accompanist for the Traditional service and as accompanist for the Protestant Praise and Worship service. It's great to be working for the Chapel again and God is definitely stretching me as a musician - I'm playing the organ now!! AHHHH!! But every Sunday gets a little easier and the job is perfect for our family.

John is doing great - loving his job and pins on Major this Monday!! Major Decker - thank you Jesus!! What an amazing military career he's had and God's blessing has just been so overwhelming!!

Nicole started 4th grade - loves it! Her teacher is brand new and VERY young - so good to see all her creativity isn't squashed! Kids have it so easy in school these days - never thought I'd say that :) Anson started 1st grade and he says "I think my teacher is the nicest lady I've ever met!" Lil L starts preschool Monday - three days a week in the mornings. She is excited and always leaves the house with her backpack asking if it's a school day for her! Too cute! They are good kids and I"m so proud of them!

Nicole will be baptised Sat in a pool - I love our church :)

Well, that's all for now...I need to do this more often :)

Wow - I haven't blogged in forever!!

I am now sitting in my living room - on my lovely Italian leather couches, on the internet and relaxing from a long day of unpacking boxes...the beauty of that statement is that I'm in OUR house with our stuff - even if it is all in boxes!! We have had a busy month! We spent 5 weeks in the Randolph AFB TLF....VERY thankful not to have to move, but VERY ready to leave our one bedroom arrangement. The kids started school and are loving it! I was very worried about switching them mid-semester, but they have adjusted just fine. Kids are so resilient!

We left for AL and were able to take part in a commissioning ceremony for some dear family friends. I sang the National Anthem and John was part of the Official party and did the Oath of Office - it was so awesome to be a part of such a monumental experience for them! AND having been through the OTS program 9 years ago, it was great to just sit back, relax and enjoy all moving pieces that make up OTS - an awesome experience yet extremely difficult 13 weeks! We hit Destin, FL the end of the week and loved the sunny beach !! We all ended up MAJORLY sunburned and are still peeling - ewwww :)

We closed on the house Monday, had painting done by Tues, then household goods came on Thurs - busy week! Storage from 3 years ago was delivered Fri and we are finally unpacking...it's alot of work moving and always packing/repacking but we love it - we love San Antonio so far and are just enjoying all the sun and new opportunities!

Where's that dern sanity, y'all??

This should be the new name of our family blog! We made it to San Antonio, TX!!! YAY!! We drove up to Frankfurt the day before leaving to stay close and not have to get up at 3am the day of flight. True to my husband, the Sheraton Hotel was FABULOUS and we took full advantage of our Executive level lounge ;) We all had a good nights' rest, packed up, then walked over to the terminal. We were on the plane and leaving by 1030, saying goodbye to Europe - this time a one way ticket. The kids did AWESOME!! Our flight lasted 11 hours to Dallas, so we each had our own screen/remote. That helped!! I actually watched 4 movies, we all ate, napped, and the time flew by. We had a long wait for luggage/customs in Dallas, just making it to our connecting flight when they began to board. 45 mins later we landed in San Antonio!! It was so amazing to be back "home." Our dear friends from IL met us (they live here now) and we had a great time of reconnecting! Almost 24 hours later, we were finally in our TLF and settled - WHEW!! We couldn't have asked for a better trip :)

Almost two weeks later, we have now bought a house! We looked at renting, but buying new was amazingly cheaper and better economically! We found one that we loved, was 30 days from completion, had complete peace, and just waited for God's will to be done....and was it ever!! We have a house payment below our montly cap, tax benefits, a brand new house full of bells and whistles (including a sprinkler system and 25 cubicft stainless steel fridge my husband played hard ball to get), a great school bordering the neighborhood, AND loan approval - it's just more than we could have hoped for!! Thank you GOD! We should be able to move in the first week of April...all this was confirmed on my 33rd birthday - what a great day!!

The other great news is that J is now a Major Select and has been given a school slot. This means he should pin on sometime in the Fall and in two years he will go to a type of Command School, place TBD - I am SO proud of him!! It was a great birthday! We went out for lunch and dinner - commercial overload for us, but we love all the shopping, eating and just conveniences you take for granted until you live overseas.

Lil L turned 3 on Saturday! Wow!! She is almost fully potty trained - that helped SOOOOOOOOO much with the trip!! She is sassier than ever and holds her own with her brother - and man do they go at it!! I didn't think it was possible for any person to be louder than A, but she is close :) We took her to Peter Piper's Pizza - they had fun playing games...then we let her take a loooooong nap before having cake - birthday girl was a little grumpy :)

I'll try to do more updates now that we are halfway settled - it's just so great to be "home!"

Moving...

We have now moved nine times - that's counting all the moves in-between moves! I don't think it ever gets easier! And now that there is nothing left in our house but mattresses, I can't wait to see my stuff once it gets off the boat...which will probably be 2 months. Although, this is the most prepared we've been - we've gotten rid of so much junk - no more baby stuff to lug around! Moving every couple of years affords you that luxury...I told J "some people live all their lives in one place, one house even, and don't get the joys of moving around and cleaning out the house every two years!" We love it, though. We enjoy the adventure of a new assignment....and as the packers are boxing and crating, I reminisce of our time in Germany and our house and just think how good God has been to us, how much fun we've had traveling the world, how much fun we've had as a family, and how ready we are to be back in the states. It's snowed the last two days and is frigid cold - HELLO TEXAS SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lost teeth, the tooth fairy, cats and lists

The day has finally arrived...A lost his first tooth Sunday morning! It has been loose about 2 weeks now, but my beautiful big tenderhearted boy who loves swords and lightsabers and ricochet's around the house as a ninja, was too terrified to touch it or let us wiggle it out! So, having lost our teeth ourselves and watched his older sister loose hers, we knew it was only a matter of time and left it alone :) He proudly walks in our bedroom and says "LOOK!!!" Then tosses me the tooth and leaves to play. One down, lots more to go! So, at bedtime he is asking for the tooth and a ziplock baggie. From watching N, he knows that we put the tooth in the baggie under the pillow, then in the morning there is money. He asks about the tooth fairy...then proceeds to say that there is no such thing as fairies and it is Dad and Mom who come into the room and take the tooth and leave the money - smart boy! He then asks to have a quarter for his tooth. J says "how about a dollar?" A pauses, grins super big and says "that would be SO cool!!!" We are all on the same page now about the tooth fairy....Lil L will just get a deposit in her bank account by the time she starts loosing teeth.

So, N has allergies...LOTS of allergies. Even on two daily allergy meds, she retains her allergy "shiners." The Doc finally suggests allergy testing so we can pinpoint the allergens. She did so good...quiet as always, but very brave. They have a ten sample mix of the most common allergens and then they do more comprehensive testing based of those results. They mark two rows of five, then with a tiny needle containing the sample, they pricked her skin and we waited 15 minutes for her skin to have a "mosquito bite-like" reaction. The verdict? Cats....she only showed a strong allergy to cats. Which is odd because we have never had a cat....my guess was surely mold, grass, weeds, trees...it was interesting. Then I'm thinking....what IS she allergic to then?? So, no cats for us - which isn't a problem because J and I are allergic as well. Of course, we are praying the allergies go away completely and the move to TX will hopefully help!

Speaking of the move....it's here now and we will be packing out the next two weeks! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I've been compiling a mental list of all the things I will/won't miss about Europe and Germany. For example:

Number 1 thing I won't miss: the toilets....they flush by a panel on the wall and there is always very little water AND what my friend likes to refer to as the "poop shelf"

Walkie - Talkies

Bedtime is always fun around here...it usually takes a good hour. When N was little, it would take 2 hours, then A came along and we downsized to 1 hour, and now that Lil L is here, I think we do pretty good to still have it at 1 hour! You actually have to start the process by saying "It's time for bed!" Then they proceed to say how hungry they are, what books to read, what toys to pick up, clothes to pick out, lunches to pack, etc...the list goes on and on and on!

Anyways, last night as I'm getting Lil L ready for bed, A and N had found their walkie-talkies. They were chatting back and forth, except A was just yelling. N finally got fed up and said "A! Stop yelling into the walkie talkie! I want to hear you on the walkie talkie, not yelling from the other room!" She is so tolerant of her brother! And of Lil L, N has realized what an asset she can be. The other night N left her blanket in the living room and lil L proudly brought it to her. N pauses and says "I like her - she brings me my things!" The wheels were definitely spinning on that one :)

Moving!!

I am overwhelmed at the moment...well, at complete peace, but overwhelmed at the work that looms ahead - we are moving to San Antonio in March!! We knew this time frame was a possibility, but now it's a reality! So, off to pack out, ship our car/stuff, leave Europe behind, find a house, schools and settle back in the U.S! Which is so exciting, but alot of work! The good news is that we don't have to be separated as a family - did our fair share of that last year with the deployment! The time has gone by so fast....

MLK Day

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., N's class did a project. The title was "I have a dream..." These are the dreams and desires our 8 1/2 year old has:

I have a dream...

for the world! No more crime.

for my community! I wish all the kids in this school would stop doing bad stuff.

for my country! I wish most of the people here spoke English.

I am still laughing my head off!

Let's Go to the Movies....

Deployment is a common theme in the Air Force....much like moving every 2-3 years, living/seeing places you never imagined, and quirky base housing. I say that because I had great friends that kept me going while J was gone 182 days, and now it's my turn to help out! I have two friends with deployed spouses and last night one of them suggests the movies....ouch....the MOVIES! I love to see movies, just not necessarily with my children. Well, N and A do great - it's just Lil' L who doesn't quite appreciate the movie going experience. Last time I took her, I spent the evening out in the lobby....the ENTIRE evening. Which would not have been too bad, except for the fact we have one theater on base and basically in our area. Oh, you can drive the 1 1/2 hour to Luxembourg and have the ultimate movie experience - complete with gourmet snack food, massive screens, reclining chairs and the original English version movies - but that isn't always so convenient. AND if you speak other languages, you can go local, but again, not really what we are looking for in a movie experience :) Our theater is in an auditorium - think cafeteria/gym with stage on far wall...I liken it to having prom dinner in the cafeteria and then returning 2 hours later to said cafeteria and having the prom dance - YES AHS PEEPS!!! But, I'm not complaining - just painting a picture :) So, after much discussion by the man and I, we decide to suck it up, take the kids and be there for our friend. We do a quick stop at Taco Bell - yes, we actually have Taco Bell, Burger King, Subway, Pizza Hut AND a "we proudly brew Starbucks coffee" place! - and head over. Ahhhhh, the excitement is building....tickets....Popcorn....SOda....CANDY!!!!!! Where are we sitting!!!! Where's my popcorn!!! Oops I spilled!!!! Fun times :) So, after we stand for the National Anthem - yes, you have the anthem at base theaters - we settled in to watch "Bedtime Stories."

The verdict??

AWESOME!!! Now, the movie was great - we all laughed and even laughed harder when we heard the kids cracking up! But the best part is that for the first time in 2 1/2 years, we ALL sat through a movie without any interruptions! No more spills, no bathroom trips, no screams, no fights, no hitting, no running up the aisles, no standing in the lobby...it's like we were in our own bedtime story, as J pointed out. We had a great family evening out and our friend enjoyed some adult time - which you need when your other half is away! I'm just thankful God gives us those wonderful moments to offset the not so pleasant ones...like the day before where I was spent and had a rough go of it with the kids - but that's another story :)

Sour Cream and Peanut Butter

Always at a loss of getting my kids to eat, I'm more than willing to try new things! They eat what their body needs, so I've been told, and that can consist of nothing but peas for days on end followed by a declaration that they will never again eat peas - EVER! So my youngest, Lil L, has some odd tastes. I'm eating a homemade quesodilla one day and she sits down next to me and declares " I want some that!" She is pointing at the sour cream on my plate. I figure what the heck, and give her a spoonful. She proceeds to eat said spoonful and demands more. I had already given her a spoonful of peanut butter prior to this and now I look over and she has a spoon in each hand - sour cream and peanut butter. I gag....but think, well it IS dairy and protein...can't be that bad.

This odd combo of sour cream and peanut butter has been a surprisingly consistent staple in her diet, as some friends recently got to witness while over for dinner one night. L takes her spoonfuls, leaves the table, then returns about 5 mins later. She looks at us and says "Shtuck-a...in..muh..mouf!" We are laughing and say "what?" she repeats even louder "SHTUCK-A in muh MOUF!" "NEED JUICE!!" Ahhh....the joys of peanut butter!

Anger Management

So N brings home a worksheet on how to deal with anger. As follows:

Why did you get mad? Lil L broke my dog collar for a dog.
Where did it happen? In our house.
Who were you angry with? Lil L.
How mad did you get? I blew my head off.
How long did you stay mad? 1 minute.
How did you handle it? I thought of something else.
Who did you tell about how you felt? My dad.
What would youdo differently next time? I would keep it safe.

My favorite answer is "I blew my head off." I wonder where she gets that? I found her answers quite amusing and then stopped to think of my own coping mechanisms. I tend to be fine when I'm well-rested and healthy BUT that honestly doesn't happen very often!! Sometimes I don't want to be the mom who speaks kind words and love - rather, after an hour of cutting my insanely squirmy son's hair, I scream out "I HATE CUTTING YOUR HAIR!!!" Then the kids normally look at me and bust up laughing...and I always join in. Great reality check for mom :)

In addition to the worksheet there is a list of "Safe Ways to Handle Anger." I love the simplicity and real descriptions - see life through a child's eyes...it becomes more of an adventure.

*Take time out and relax.
Count to ten. Take three deep breaths. Feel rubbery.
*Take a warm bath.
Wash away the bad feelings.
*Walk away from the problem.
Go to a safe place where you can shout :)
*Run and play.
Have some fun.
*Put your feelings on paper. Draw and color.
Make some angry pictures showing how you feel.
*Hit something safe.
Hit your pillow or kick a cushion.
*Use humor. Make a joke out of it.
See something funny in what happened. Laugh at yourself.
*No big deal. Work with your mind.
Decide if this problem is worth getting upset over.
*Talk it out. Use "I" messages.
Tell how you feel. Make a deal. Share. Ask them to stop.
*Say you are sorry and make up.
Only do this if you really mean it.
*Get help from a grown-up.
Or ask another kid to mediate.

Good safety tips :)

Only 5 days in...

So, it's now January 5th. We took down Christmas decorations on Sunday - well, I should say J did because I have a chest cold. I was more in the management capacity, directing what goes where if you will. He's the best :) Anyways, 1230 rolled around and I realized with all my yacking I sounded like a chain smoking lounge singer. Which is fine, I like my raspy low voice, but not quite the sound I go for on Sunday worship sets. That coupled with the complete lack of ability to keep my eyes open or remove my body from the couch, I opted to stay in. It was a nice Sunday at home, regardless, and now our house is less cluttered...meaning you can actually walk without bumping into something. I am very thankful for our housing, but I can't wait to move to TX where apparently everything is big!
The kids went back to school today - YAY!! I could tell they must have spent the day learning and working so hard because they came home and vegitated on the couch for at least 2 hours before playing the wii. It snowed today and tomorrow the high will be 19....brrrrrrr! Did I mention Germany is dark and cold? Where our favorite saying is "well, it looks like a lighter shade of grey today?" Don't get me wrong, I love living here....but the sunshine sure will be nice :)
A (in his signature bass voice): Mama. Everytime I walk by Roman's cat.....he stares at me.

Me: ok

I mean - how do you follow that?? They DO stare at you!!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!!! We spent our last New Years' in Europe going out with friends and finally found a decent dessert! Let me back up: dinner started with brotchen and pumpkin soup - luscious! Then we enjoyed steak and rinderouladen - tender! And for dessert, a trio of chocolate consisting of mousse in an edible chocolate box, chocolate souffle, and chocolate sorbet - the BEST dessert yet! I say that because dessert isn't sweet over here - not like us Americans are used to. They use much less sugar - for example, a fruit tart would just be a shortbread like crust, non-sweetened cream, topped with unsweetened fruit - such as peaches or apples, coated with a semi-sweet glaze. Most cake is dry, only moistened with a type of liquor such as brandy or cognac, and frosted with a semi-sweet ganache. My traditional cake would put them in sugar overload!! It has taken some flavor adjustment and most of the time we avoid it all together - it can look awesome, but the taste never delivers! I say that, but France....mmmmmmm.....the French do know how to make a FABULOUS pastry :)