To Dude On His 5th (kind of) Birthday

 

 

 

 

Five years have gone by way too fast!  It makes me a little sad that you are a whole hand old. I guess there is comfort in knowing that you are really only one years old, being born on Leap Day and all.

You are the best little boy any parent could ever ask for.  You are easy going and laid back.  You are still rough and love to wrestle and, to my chagrin, fart.  And on command at that.  You are also hilarious!  You are by far one of the funniest 5 year olds I've ever met.  You've got some crazy mad dance moves, too.  I don't know where you get them from, but you've got them.

You have been  very obedient in your first five years of life.  You came out of the womb being obedient.  Your due date was March 21.  Your Daddy thought it would be great to have a Leap Day baby.  I told him he was crazy!  That was way too early.  The doctor said he was crazy, too!  So, he had a little talk with you.  He told you that it would be so awesome for you to be born on February 29th.  Sure enough, you obeyed and were born on Leap Day.  For being born 3 weeks early, you were 7lb and 7oz and completely healthy.

You have been our Dude from day one.  You love Superheroes and "Sirs".  I think that's a great combination.  When you are asked what you want to be when you grow up, you say an astronaut, a teacher, and a "sir".  (For those of you wondering what a sir is, that's all military people)

 You love picking out "Dude" trucks and going to baseball games.  You would be happy just to eat at Chik Fil A every day.  Oh, and yogurt, too.

I know that you are going to be a great pianist like your Daddy and sister. You already impress me with what you can play and you're only 5 (kind of)

You are just beginning to understand that life as a military kid is tough. You still ask about all your friends in New York and when are we going to move back. It's not easy to move, but like your sister, you make friends so easily. As you grow up you will think it is awesome to have friends all over the world.

I'm so proud of how you remember the scriptures that we learn every week. I'm glad you are hiding His word in your heart. I'm excited to see what you do for Jesus as you grow up.

I hope the next five years will be as easy and fun filled as the first, but I'm sure we will have some bumps along the way, but remember that I will forever love you.

Happy 5th Birthday (kind of), Wesley Tate!

A song for Wesley

                                        

Dude Through The Years

 



Always the ladies man.

He has a very repentant heart.

 

To Madelynn On Her 10th Birthday...

How can it possibly be 10 years since you were born?  How can you possibly be two full hands old?  It really only seems like last week that you came into this world on your actual due date (which I appreciate your timeliness, because we discussed while you were still in the womb my obsession with being on time). 
You came into the world with a little drama, which should have been warning right then.  You were bigger than they thought (8 lbs and 13 oz bigger) and they had to do an emergency c-section.  For a split second (which actually seemed like an eternity) we thought you were a boy.  The nurse said, "look at the little guy" and in the split second all I could think about was the pretty purple outfit my new son was going home in.  Your Daddy quickly got clarification that you were actually still a girl.  So from birth you were a drama filled red head. 

I remember being alone with you late that night in the hospital room thinking what in the world am I going to do the with this baby.  I was new mom, what did I know?  I still sit alone in the house at night with you now and wonder what in the world am I going to do with this baby?  I'm still a new mom, what do I know?  I've never raised a pre-teen before!

You have been through so much in your short 10 years.  You are so strong.  Stronger than many adults.  It's not easy being a military kid.  In just 10 years you have had your Daddy deploy three times, moved 6 times, and have gone to 4 different schools.  My heart breaks for you a little with each move because it's hard to move to new schools, but you have done so beautifully.  Making friends so easily. 

You are a wonderful student. With each move you have had to learn the different ways of each school, but you catch on and you do it. Some days are tougher than others, but you don't give up.

You have made me and your Daddy so proud.  You are an amazing piano player. A terrific singer that has tried out and made the school choir twice! For only being 10, it's unbelievable what you can do.

You are a traveler.  You like to see the world.  It doesn't scare you try something new.  You have been on more adventures and seen more amazing places than most people.  There's so much more!

You can be full of drama at times.  Many times it leads me to extreme eye rolling and you in some trouble, but honestly this could be your way to scholarships for college.  Yale and Harvard have great drama programs.

You are extremely headstrong.  Sometimes that gets you in trouble, but I know that it will do you well as you get older.  You will not be pushed down.  You will go for what you want and not let anyone tell you that you can't do it.  I think of the Shakespeare line, “Though she be but little, she is fierce!”  It describes you well.

You have a kind and sensitive heart.  You have a special place in your heart for children with special needs.  That's a calling that only a few people get.  Special people.  Very few children would give up their recess to volunteer in the Special Needs class.  Not many 10 year olds would already know that they want to be a Special Needs teacher.  That's amazing.

Most of all you love Jesus.  It makes me very proud when you play and sing worship songs.  It's a joy to watch you get excited to play for church.  I can't wait to see what you do for Him in the next few years.

We have our days when we get on each others nerves and I know there will be many more in the future, but I am so glad I get to be your mom!  I'm so glad that He chose me to raise you.  There are days that I fail and days that you act, well, like a red head, but you should always know that I will forever love you.
Happy 10th Birthday, Madelynn Claire!

I think this song was written especially for you

 

 Madelynn through the years

 

Operation Kid Comfort

This past Wednesday I was able to see what true, selfless giving was.  It was given to my kids in the form of a pillowcase and quilt.

A while back I had heard of Operation Kid Comfort.  This service is for children of service men and women who are deployed.  It's an all volunteer organization who make pillowcases and quilts for the children.  I submitted Madelynn and Wesley's names along with some pictures and these wonderful ladies worked their magic.

I was so glad Madelynn was with me on Wednesday when they called to tell me that they were all done.  I had not told either of the kids about this very special gift.  The look on Madelynn's face was priceless when the sweet lady who made her pillowcase unfolded it.  Madelynn gasped and whispered, "It's beautiful." 

Madelynn seeing her pillowcase for the first time.

Wesley saw his when he came home from school and he was thrilled! You would have thought Batman was sitting on the couch!  He loved it!  He also likes to wear his as a cape.

He loves his special quilt

You can find out more about Operation Kid Comfort here

I'm not a crier, but when I saw the love and time that these wonderful ladies put into making these quilts, my eyes nearly started sweating. 

A few of the wonderful ladies who do wonderful work.

My children have never known a world without war and probably never will.

They will never know of a time when you could get on an airplane without pat downs and screenings.

In our town a majority of the kids have one or both parents in the military.  They worry about whether their parents will come home from Iraq/Afghanistan.

They live in a world where we look over our shoulders wondering if someone around us is a terrorist.

This is just the normalcy in the world they live in. 

It should not be the norm. 

My heart breaks for the town of Newtown, CT.  I cannot even imagine the nightmares those children, parents and teachers/administrators will face because of that terrorist.

When I saw the videos of those little kids, the same age as my own, with tears streaming down their faces it made my heart hurt.  Looks of confusion and disbelief that veiled the innocence.  The pictures of teachers trying to keep calm and get everyone out, it made my stomach turn.  This could be my kid's school.  It could be the schools my sister and sister in law teaches at.

I was working at my children’s school when I heard the news of the school shooting.  As a parent, I immediately wanted to find my kids.  I knew they were okay, but I just wanted to see them.  I wanted to give a hug to every child that I came across.  I wanted to assure them that they are safe.

But that’s not the world we live in.

My only assurance is in Christ.

Every morning, I place them in His hands because that's all I can do. 

Each morning before they leave for school, we hold hands and pray.  We pray for their safety.  We pray for their bus driver.  We pray for their teachers and we ask that angels are all around their school.

While today’s events would make many of us want to keep our children home or if we had to let them out, bubble wrap them and have them wear Kevlar, I’m reminded of the scripture that gives me strength,  2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 

My prayers are with the families, school, and people of Newtown, CT. 

 

This is the song that came to my mind when I heard the news today.  I hope this every one's prayer.

 

 

 

 

 

The One In The ACU Is Mine

*It's muliti-cam uniforms they are wearing.  Not ACUs. I stand corrected* 

 

I'm pretty sure the one second from the left is mine. 

Sometimes it's hard to tell.  Once, Wesley went running up to who he thought was his daddy.  It was not.  Thankfully, it was our friend, Bob.   

 

I'm hoping Steven sends me more pictures so I can share with you all.

 

I have had so many people ask me for Steven's address and I thought this may be the easiest way to get it out to those who want it.

 

HHC, 4BCT, 1CD

Task Force, Longknife

FOB Gamberi

APO AE 09310

 

Don't forget that you have to fill out a customs form when mailing any packages overseas.  It's a real pain to have to do that at the post office.  People send you looks of great disdain and hate.  Also, you can use the one rate boxes.  Let me tell you, his Shakespeare book weighs as much as a toddler, and those boxes save me some serious dollars.

 

Again, we are so grateful to all of our friends and family who take the time to send emails, text, facebook messages to check up or check in with us. 

 

 

Also, if you want to keep up with his unit connect with them on Facebook

LongKnife 4BCT

Stationery card

Wreathed Monogram Wishes Christmas Card

Send Christmas cards personalized with your family photos.

View the entire collection of cards.

The Countdown

 We are only a week and a half into this deployment so saying "the countdown" might seem a bit premature.

How do you help a 9 and 4 year old "see" how much longer until Daddy comes back?

Slash marks?  No.  Too prison like.

Paper chains? 270 of them.   Oh, the time it would take to make those. And then just to tear down all that work.  So that's out.

  I saw this adorable  "Days Until" sign. 

 

I purchased it from My Treehouse Treasures.  They have all kinds of adorable signs.

Then my friend Tiffany shared with me what she is doing with her kids. 


Kisses From Daddy

Our Kisses From Daddy jar.

Every night before they brush their teeth, the kids get to eat a kiss from daddy.  Not only are they counting down on the board, but they can also see how long until Daddy gets home as the kisses get lower.

Good night, Daddy!
 

 

What do you do help your kids countdown until a special event?