2008

What a year... I swear as i get older the years seem to fly bye so fast i barely know it... We have been in Hawaii almost a full year now.. Jaum has already been with us for a year..
The kids are growing so fast.. Jacob is 11 1/2 now... and turning into a very handsome loving little man.. scares the heck out of me...Not ready for that. But he is a great kid, he makes good choices about help in others if i could get him to make those choices with his siblings it would be even nicer.
Jake has lost a lot of weight int he last year.. HE has also grown about 4 inches he is 1/2 inch from 5 feet tall...i can imagine that he will be taller than me in a short amount of time!
Keara is 5 feet tall and 10 years old now... She is loving girl but wow the Teen years are approaching FAST....can we say all aboard the Hormone roller coaster... But she is such a joy most of the time its all good... She love that she is taller than her brother, She is a nurturing child, loves to watch all the little children in our alleyway.. her favorite is Madison whom she entertains and watches all the time.. Keara is maddie's Rahrah...
Lily is almost 8 and will be getting baptized during the coming year. She is a talkative little girl and loves to be in the center of everything, except dinner that is always a battle with her... She is in the 2nd grade and doing well.. Loves Hawaii and the fact that she can almost always go to the beach or the pool... she has sprung up too.. she is very tall all legs like my little sister.. She surely keeps me a busy never a dull moment!
Jaum is teaching for the navy right now and really enjoying being home every night to spend some much needed time with us.. its been an eventful year fro him...But he is doing well!
As for me... Well i turned 35 this year... seems like it should be a marker of some sort but doesn't feel much different..I am teaching the 5 year olds at church and i have a autistic little guy that has taught me alot and has softened my heart.. I got my long time dream of my eclectus parrot for my birthday thanks to my loving man... but don't let him fool ya he loves her just as much as i do!! She is a hoot only 9 months old now... still a baby but learning lots of stuff already... My grandma got to spend the last few months of the year with us which is GREAT.. she gets to spend time with my kids and with me of course. Oh and in May Jaum and i finally got the wedding that i always wanted. He sure does alot to keep me happy! laughs... We renewed our vows at sunset here in beautiful Hawaii..right on the water of course... My family came out which was very enjoyable. and i got the pictures that i always wanted... ti was perfect! I felt like a princess... and my kids were there too... My Dad played some clarinet music for us and then he walked me down the isle... a moment i had always dreamed of and until it happened thought that it might not have been realized... He is doing great since HS brain hemorrhage.. has been getting back to his old self.. although some of the old him is gone forever we wont miss that part! We like the New and improved Bubba!! I am just happy that we have this extra time with him... each day is another blessing. So that is our year in a nutshell... I sure hope that your year has been as good and that 2009 is full of joy and happiness for all!

What is a military wife

Got this from an email a friend sent adn i think it is well written adn teh TRUTH!

What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique.

But what do they have in common?

They have THIS IN COMMON!

Lots of moving---
Moving.
Moving far from home.
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog----all riding with HER of Course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house.
Moving curtains that won't fit.
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends, moving toward new friends.
Moving her most important luggage; her trunkful of memories.

Often waiting-
Waiting, waiting;
waiting for housing;
waiting for orders;
waiting for deployment;
waiting for reunion;
waiting for phones calls;
waiting for the new curtains to arrive;
waiting for him to come home
For dinner----AGAIN!

They call her 'military dependant', but she knows better.
She can balance a checkbook,
Handle the yard work,
Fix a noisy toilet,
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall, anchors, and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes, sell a house, buy a car, or set up a move ---- all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
Reinvents her career with every PCS; locates a house in the desert, the arctic, or the deep south and learns to call them all 'home.'
She MAKES them all home.

She is fiercely IN-dependent and somewhat hasty;
Leaps into decorating, leadership, volunteering, career alternatives, churches and friendships.
She doesn't have 15 years to get to know people.
Her roots are short but flexible.
She plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other.
They connect over coffee, rely on the spouse-network and accept offers of friendship and favors and record addresses in pencil.

Military Wives have a common bond.
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands, his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a job, he has a 'mission' -- he can't decide to quit -- he's on-call for his country 24/7, but for the military wife, he's the most unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign:
TDY
PCS
TRE
OPR
ACC
DCA
BDU

And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long-distance link to keep them informed the glue that holds them together.

Military Wife has her moments----
She wants to wring his neck, dye his uniform pink, and refuse to move to Siberia.
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days, a travel brochure, a long hot bath, a pledge to the flag, and a wedding picture.
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.

But actually it is be cause she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by an amazing man
Who must put duty first
Who salutes the flag
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military husband,
She will remain his Military wife. And proud of it.