Olivia Eileen

So the hubs made it home just in time for Thanksgiving this year...like 9pm the night before. Other than missing it once altogether that's the closest he's ever cut it, in 7 years. I am grateful. We spent the holiday with our good good good friends. That tradition was started by us crashing their family thanksgiving with 6 extra people....practically on the spur. We've since learned to at least let them know how many extra people we will bring to Thanksgiving dinner (ahead of time) AND actually cook some food for them ;) With family too far away and friends that are practically family, Friends-giving has become our tradition and I love it. I am grateful. On the flip side of holiday fun, while the hubs passed his extra jumping out of planes schooling he kind of hurt his ankle.  So, that threw a wrench in his other hopeful schooling plans before we move. However, because of that "snaffoo", almost quite literally, when we move HE'LL STAY WITH US. Instead of

A big month is wrapping itself up in my current season of life. It's been....The first month the hubs has been away in about 7 months...so it's probably only the second time I've juggled all three kids (and myself) solo. And, it's going to be the last full month we will be living in our hometown of 6.5 years.................this is kind of a big deal. Both of these realities have created a "dawn" in myself, so to speak. We have three children ages 6, 2.5, and 16 months. We home school, well, I home school.  And dad's been jumping out of planes at about 15,000 feet this month. Totally normal. Totally dangerous. The first week the hubs was gone this time was a panicky exhausting almost tear jerking blur. Just feeding and bathing everyone everyday was enough to keep me COMPLETELY occupied. I really just wanted someone to come unload my dishwasher every night. THAT would have made my day...okay probably MONTH. The kids also got sick after that first

On this beautiful fall Monday morning after DST I want to encourage you to pace yourself . Last year at this time I could barely WALK or pick up my babies without wincing in pain after I would go for a "run". You know, just.... A "run" to help lose some baby weight. A "run" to clear my mind. A "run" for a busy mama of 3 littles needing a moment. I was a swimmer in high school and a cyclist in college who morphed into a triathlete. And then babies happened, so I turned to running because it was an efficient way to exercise and with a jogger I could do it with my babies if needed. But after my third pregnancy I didn't & wasn't recovering properly. (It was probably because I ran my first Marathon when I was only 9 months post partum with my second...and already 5 weeks pregnant with my third. Whoops. Yeah, never again. Just reading that makes me wince .) So last year at this time I had to let running go ...and go to

The last 2.5+ years the hubs has been in training land for his j.o.b. Half of that time he's spent away from us at different times and for varying lengths. So, for a while I had a REALLY good rhythm figured out for balancing his comings and goings.  S o good that we pretty much forgot how to do life together for longer than 2 months ! Add in the fact that we have 2 more children... And we bought our first home... So, of course, then, the very last 6 months of his training was spent coming home every night after work . Say what?? A novelty for us. That was a hard enough adjustment in its own special way....Just think for a moment about the budget conversation ;) Oh, and did I mention that we are moving??? It's a good thing for his career and typical for our lifestyle. But what's not typical is that we have LIVED IN THE SAME TOWN FOR 6 YEARS . Yeah, I don't wanna leave my roots. *They* warned me about roots. But I put them down anyway. I digress a tad. But that

You guys, I'm homeschooling this year, like for real-ish because AB is 6 *gasp* and we're moving at some point this year, probably around Christmas *YAY* ......  *SIKE* ;) Anyway, I also have a 2.5 year old girl and a 15 month old BOY *CHEERS* :) So, I'm doing REAL school with the 6 year old, like I've lesson planned like you wouldn't believe and we get stuff done...most days. Buuuutttt the little 2.5 year old of course wants to be like her big sister, so I'm also doing "real" school with her ;) We started school on August 1 this year because we had a big graduation celebration for the hubs in the middle of September so I knew that week would be OUT...grandparents visiting. ceremonies. long drives. wacky schedule. dinner out. parties. NO sense in trying to still do school with all those variables!!! I wrote out ALL the activities I have done with G bug (the 2.5 year old) since we started school and I was ASTOUNDED with myself, yes I am patt