Ketchup Time

We FINALLY got new family pictures (if you haven't noticed the new fall themed blog)!

Here are a few of the beautiful shots taken by Katherine D Photography

I love that our time before deployment was beautifully captured on film! AND that I didn't have to stress about taking them myself. Although, since our shoot, I have been dying to get out my camera again. I'm going to deep clean it first, and then begin to charge it. We will see what I have time for after that!

As I said earlier, my mister has deployed and things have been okay. Sad, but we are finding a new normal without him. Adjustment for everyone has been...well, an "adjustment".. duh!

The last three nights have been rough, and I am really tired. But my patience is mainly still intact. I have moments, but I have learned to take mommy breaks more often.

My instinct to organize and keep things nice and tidy has been overrun by the fact that all 6 kiddos are walking. And the bottom 4 are CONSTANTLY getting into things. Everything I do, little N follows me around and un-does it. It makes me angry, so I have learned not to go around being an OCD freak unless he is down for a nap.

Once I figured out that they could get into cabinets (which they normally don't even notice), I spent the next day installing cabinet locks. I only got 3 done, and it took forever and lots of yelling (in the air) in frustration. The next day, they broke into them, got out furniture dusting oil and sprayed it all over the kitchen floor and wall, and "finger painted" with it. It was a doozy to clean up!

The next morning, my 3 year old decided he was ready to get up at 6am (which is also abnormal) and unlocked the back door, and began riding his four wheeler outside in the heavy fog and dark. What the heck!? I didn't even know he did it, until he came into my bedroom soak and wet from the dew. I thought he peed the bed.. and he said "I'm sorry, I just went outside and rode my "formula" (his 4 wheeler)" I don't know how I will ever keep them all alive by the end of deployment! They see a cliff and they just jump... no fear at all!

This morning we all woke up with the sniffles. No fevers but I bet we are on the cusp of getting colds. Eh.. that's okay. I can handle colds.

We get to talk to daddy every day over webcam and our service is really great. I remember 7 years ago when he deployed to Iraq, we had discovered Skype the last 4 months he was over there. And the delay was SO bad we would just pull up the screen so we could see each other and then type our conversations out. Ha! Whenever I get sad, I just count my blessings that we have such great technology this time around!

We have also started up homeschool. It has taken a full two weeks to find routine with this. It's getting easier, I think.

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ALSO... this is kind of exciting (well, for me anyway). I got my first tattoo!! The hubs and I had been talking for well over a year about what we should get. We wanted to get something matching but not cheesy. Something unique, but nothing that would give us "bad juju". :) No neck tattoos of our significant other's signature or anything like that!

Here's the results!

It reads: "always with you" in Hebrew. Hebrew is read from right to left. I wanted my tattoo facing me, so I could look at it as a reminder. Both the mister, and God are always with me, even when I feel alone. When I have anxiety, I sit in a closet or the bathroom and journal. I write with my right hand and I wanted this tattoo to be something I couldn't ignore. I also chose to get it on my wrist so that when we go to formal functions, I can wear jewelry to conceal it. (forgive me, sometimes I don't think tattoos are the most classy when wearing a ball gown for a military event!)

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Anyway... We are surviving. He is surviving... but it isn't the easiest. We'll make it! After this, we get to move!!! Yay for moving! I love it! After being here almost 8 years, I am ready for a change! We would love to get Hawaii, Germany, Colorado or even Alaska! Wouldn't that be great!? After 2 years at our next duty station, we will head to Monterey, CA for 18 months and then we get to move again! I am SO ready! Let's hope our 2 year duty station is somewhere fabulous!