Blurry June

In June, preschool ended. It was a sad day for the kids, but even more sad for us moms! We loved hanging out, seeing each other every day and seeing Mrs. Pettebone. Teachers can't get any better than Mrs. Pettebone!

The last week of school was a blast. It included a giant water slide that Maddox LOVED. 

It's still hard to believe that preschool came and went so fast.

The older you get, the faster it goes. So true.

It was a great experience (even though Maddox picked up some not-so-nice behaviors during the year).

Maddox even ended the year liking (no, loving) Mrs. Moon, the music teacher he so feared the first few weeks of school. She gave the kids kazoos on the last day and he still has that little treasure tucked inside his bookbag.

For Father's Day, we kept up the tradition of a meal with the Lamky family. This year we hit up Another Broken Egg Cafe in Destin. We waited over an hour (gotta love tourist season) but it was worth it! 

Other June happenings: Maddox went to his first ever Vacation Bible School (favorite part was the shirt and of course the candy). He loved being in class with his preschool buddies again, but wasn't so happy with all the coloring. Haha. 

We went to the beach a little, played a lot at home, and looked forward to our big trip to South Carolina....

May Days...because I'm way behind!

It's August and I still haven't blogged about May. Or June. Or July.

Wow. Slow down, time! I seriously can't keep up.

Here is a quick (yea, right) recap:

MAY:
I turned 28. It's dangerously close to 30, but it's been a fun age so far. We celebrated at Harborwalk and it was a gorgeous day! Jude slept through lunch and then Maddox suggested (or pleaded) that we go to the "go-cart place." So, it pretty much ended up being Maddox's birthday, but it was still a good time ;)

We also did some other fun stuff in May. There was Fairytale week at Maddox's preschool, Mother's Day and then he and Andrew went kayaking for the first time ever. And there was lots and lots and lots of popsicles.

Sir Maddox!

The highlight of May was the Billy Bowlegs Festival. Who doesn't love pirates? We met up with friends, walked the packed downtown streets and the boys looked like they had been at Mardi Gras by the time we left.

Uh oh. Joplin gave Maddox a lesson in ping pong...and holding hands.

She also gave him her phone number in preschool.

I don't think he ever got the hint.

So...I lied. I just brushed over May and I'm already tired.

The rest of the summer will have to wait.

Summer Came

April and the beginning of May were on the chillier side (for Florida, anyway), but now the days are long, full of blinding sunshine and oh-so-hot.

Maddox got really sick about a month ago and was diagnosed, after two long visits to the pediatric ER (which included two butt shots) with virus-induced asthma. It basically means a cold triggers his asthma but when he isn't sick, he has ZERO asthma symptoms. Now we know to start the breathing treatments right away at the first sign of the sniffles. It wasn't a fun week.

The only thing that made it better was that EJ, his buddy from preschool, was sick with similar symptoms, and they'd make each other cards and have us moms post their pictures on Facebook. They have the same penguin, too!

Toward the end of the never-ending asthma, Andrew's parents came for a visit. Unfortunately, Maddox was in a grumpy mood and the steroids he was on turned him into something worse than a teenager.

Still, it's always good to see family from back home.

They left for SC the same day Andrew left for Greece. We watched his plane take off into the sky and then we drove back home, with tears in the backseat (and driver's seat, too).

The next two weeks I got a taste of single parenthood.

No thank you.

But, we made the most of our time together. We had lots of playdates, cupcake dates, outside time...we visited the pet shop and met the sweetest Golden Retriever...we ventured to Moe's alone...and we had a great time at the Earth Day Festival, where we ate snow cones and learned about different kinds of snakes. We even saw a yellow python and he smelled so bad poor Maddox started gagging!

Of course, I can't forget the circus show at Maddox's school. Here, he is a "strong man" about to lift some heavy weights. It was adorable. And Jude behaved through the whole show, thanks to several cups of popcorn!

We missed Andrew and we were glad to get him back!! Every day, Jude made him a card and a bracelet (made of a pipe cleaner and one bead). Maddox was faithful with his cards too. 

He got to see some amazing sights overseas, but he had a pretty bad accident there that almost ruined it. As soon as they landed in Greece, he fell through an open grate on the flight line and ended up with twelve stitches. Thank God they are healing nicely and no infection ever set in!

Now, life is back to normal.

This post is way too long so I'll have to wrap up April and start with May next time. 

Time is passing so, so, so fast.

Sometimes I want to speed it up...or slow it down.

Sometimes I want to change it, like when my parents were supposed to come visit for my upcoming birthday but my poor mom got food poisoning. Then I got a nasty sinus infection. Then my dad got a fever.

I was so disappointed, but sometimes you just gotta accept things and look forward to the next time.

Next week will be better!

Summer has arrived

Today, the boys asked if they could get in the pool. It was hot, but not THAT hot. And...I didn't feel like dealing with wet clothes and muddy feet. So what did they do? They sat in their water table. They pulled out the shovels and we made mud pies. They ate frozen strawberries and got the juice...everywhere. 

I guess we have jumped straight from winter to summer.

I'm ready! (Even if that means tracked-up carpet, instant sweating and yes...even geckos, just not in my house!)

Down by the Bay....

Living away from family and never knowing what the military will throw at you brings its ups and downs, but living in a beautiful place definitely eases the burden. After my grandad died this year, my great-grandma soon joined him. I was relieved, since she had suffered from dementia for so long, but my heart still ached knowing she wasn't on this Earth with us anymore. I remember simple things about her - her amazing jelly rolls and lemon tea, her plastic raincap, or how she always let me win in Monopoly. She was a prayer warrior and would pace the floor for hours, praying for loved ones and ones she didn't even know. I can almost hear her voice singing "The Bears Went Over the Mountain," as we cuddled on the front porch swing. That is the hardest - forgetting the voice, the touch, the smell. But we never, ever forget the life...or the impact. How can we? It is a part of who we are.

Andrew, the boys and I recently started taking weekly strolls down to the bay by our neighborhood. We stand at the top of the rocks and show the boys Okaloosa Island, Destin and the Niceville Bridge...way in the distance. The salt air and sound of water, and its endlessness, brings me peace. The boys love to throw rocks in the water and spot the occasional boat. It's a happy place for us. Somehow, no matter what is going on in life, it reminds me to be grateful for this short, yet beautiful time, and for the people in it.

♥♥♥