2 years

It always happens. I have every intention of being on top of this thing, and I drop it. It's been 2 years! What has changed?

Firstly we're now a family of 8. Meet Flynn:

He joined us just this September, and we're smitten.

Gyven is 12, and an avid reader and storyteller. He loves writing his stories down and creating elaborate worlds to play in.
Kyra is 11, and also enjoys reading, as well as building elaborate LEGO cities. She also is very much a doting big sister to all her little brothers.
Sidney is 8, and is currently big into LEGO and building with other materials. He is often found using objects not intended for building to make structures and designs.
Nevyn, 6, likes LEGO, too (we're clearly big into LEGO around here), Ninja Turtles and Ninjago and basically if it's a ninja, he's cool with it.
Efrym, now 3, is into Batman, anything his big siblings are into, cars and duplos and his baby brother.

Patrick is still working in the wind power industry, managing site service (keeping the turbines up and running and in good repair). I'm still a stay at home mom, teaching our children at home and doing what I can to keep our very busy house running! Maybe if we're lucky, I'll be back to update again before it's been another 2 years...

Happy Halloween!

A spare moment

Quickly. Nevyn is now 4.



Love him. He's such a fun kid. Very opinionated, thoughtful, clever, curious, funny, sweet. Loves to keep up with his big siblings, but also loves to share special moments with his younger brother. His birthday was heavy on Lego this year. He loves creating fanciful objects out of some unassuming plastic blocks.

Efrym has decided to let me enjoy his babyhood a smidge longer, and is not rushing off to walk just yet. He takes the odd couple steps, but is in no hurry to switch to walking over crawling. I'm holding tight. His first birthday is only a few weeks away.

Patrick and I will celebrate 9 years of marriage on Friday. No time at all, and also forever. I can't imagine this crazy and wonderful life without him.

I did that thing again...

That thing where I try too hard to come up with something to say, and instead say nothing and don't update. Oh, well. Let's try again.



From around Kyra's birthday. All 5 kids in one picture! Not a perfect shot, but those are even more rare than getting all of them in a single shot.



And even more rare, a picture with ME! Okay, not rare if you follow me on instagram, there are regular shots of me and what I have jokingly called my daily babywearing selfie, because most of the time if I am in a picture there, it is because I have Efrym wrapped. Wrapping has turned out to be a lifesaver with Efrym. We've been big fans of babywearing since Kyra was a newborn, but mostly so we could run errands or go places without lugging the bucket car seat (which honestly my kids who have ridden in one have HATED) or trying to navigate a stroller. Every time I have to use a stroller I feel like it is more of an encumbrance than a help to me. Then Efrym turned out to be a very picky napper. The easiest way to get and/or keep him asleep was to wrap him up. And I can reliably get him to nap anywhere. This picture was taken on the 4th of July and Efrym was way past ready for a nap. Popped him on my back and walked around our set up at the park a few times, and he fell asleep and got the nap he needed. I also was able to keep him in the wrap during the fireworks, which meant he handled them a lot more calmly than one would expect a 10 month old to handle them.



And to finish up, this picture was taken on a recent trip to the Amarillo Air and Space Museum. It's a great museum, and the volunteers who keep it running clearly love what they do. They are trying to renovate an old set of buildings at the edge of the airport so they can expand, but they are funded only by donations and a very small grant. We donated a bit more than we would have paid to go there (we were shocked that it was free), and hopefully they can get their renovations, a bigger space and more room to display their unique and interesting collection.

Long time no write

Once again, I am woefully behind.

It just is so easy to say "I have nothing to say" and let it go. And go. Or "I have so much to say, how can I make one post?" Or worse "It has been too long, there is no point in writing now." All of which is bull. If I really put in the effort, I could find something to say quite often. And if I get behind, well, say what needs to be said and continue from where we are.

So, minor updates.

Gyven and Kyra and Sidney continue to be home schooled and are amazing in how imaginative, unique and special they are. Nevyn is blossoming as we near in on 4 into a very funny, clever and quick child. Efrym is a wonderful baby who loves discovering everything and is closing in on walking and talking with a quickness that astonishes me. I'm not ready for him to be a toddler anytime soon, but it is coming whether I wish it or not. I am trying to enjoy these fleeting months while I have them.

Hopefully I can come back and really keep up with this. I know I should.

Happy Halloween!

The crew was quite a collection this year! We have Vitruvius (from the Lego Movie), Elsa (like at least 50% of the little girls we saw around!), a Stormtrooper, a construction worker (or as Nevyn says "struction site wor-er"), and a baby mummy. I think this picture captured the kids' personalities a lot better than some of the more "perfect" shots with neat smiles and everyone looking at the camera. Efrym was not impressed with any of it, as he has a bit of a cold. Babies with colds are some of the most miserable creatures. He only wants to sleep being held. He slept in the Boba (baby carrier) most of the hour we trick or treated.

So I do this thing...

I always swear I am going to get better about blogging here. And then I don't. What can you do?

A quick catch up. We moved. Twice. We also added a 7th member to the family just weeks before moving the second time. Meet Efrym:

August 28th, 2:07 am, 8lb 13oz, 21.5 inches. He's a snuggly love and Nevyn is just smitten.

And life marches on! I've been homeschooling, which is quite a trick with 3 school age kids, a preschooler and a newborn plus moving!

Here's to more content in the future and hoping I quit neglecting it so much!

Slacking again!

Tho this time I think I have a good excuse:


Nevyn joined our family on July 29th at 5:53pm after 2 very intense hours of labor. He was 8lbs and 20 inches long. He's an absolute joy and a wonderful addition to our family.



Gyven and Kyra started school last week and are very excited about it. They are enjoying everything from riding the bus to playing on the playground and going to the library. They were both definitely ready for the new year to start. The only part they don't seem to like is the new strictness of bedtime and what time they have to get up!

I Have Been A Terrible Slacker

It has been so BUSY the last few months! In March we put in our notice to the house we were renting, as we were preparing to buy our first home! The last day of March I turned in the keys and the kids and I stayed in a hotel that night, and the next morning we picked up Patrick from the airport and began the drive from WA to OK! When we got to OK we were staying in a hotel until we closed on the house. We were supposed to close about two weeks later. That didn't happen, and the rescheduled closing date fell during a two week training class for Patrick in TX! When the closing date was rescheduled, the kids and I drove down to TX to spend some time with Patrick and see my dad and his wife. The week we were supposed to drive to my dad's and then back to OK, my van broke down! We had it repaired, and I drove it to my dad's without incident. But on the drive back to OK, the van broke down again, and this time it was all over. The repair estimate is more than the worth of the vehicle, so we called it a loss, Patrick and my dad came to rescue us from the little town in the middle of nowhere in TX where we spent the night and after we got back to OK, we rented me a vehicle to carry us through the next weekend to the again rescheduled closing date and while we got the things we needed to set up the house before we could really live there. We finally closed on the house (the picture is from that day, when we first got to the house after it was ours!), and then just a week ago we purchased a new-to-us Chevy Express van. It's been an expensive and very busy few months! And in just a couple more months we will welcome baby Nevyn, so we're trying very hard to get things unpacked and in order before he decides to make his appearance.

I've really not posted since Christmas?

Sorry, I'm really sorry.

Have some adorable pictures of the kids during our trip to Portland last week (we spent 4 days there while Patrick was attending a conference) to make up for it.











Ok, this one isn't from our trip, but it fits the 'adorable' requirement:

Merry Christmas!

Neglecting this again!

Gyven turned 6, and we had the first snowfall of the year since the last time I posted! The kids have been FASCINATED by the snow. Gyven and Kyra keep asking if the snow means it's Christmas, or at least time to put up the tree (the answer to both questions is a very solid 'no'). Sidney is both fascinated with, amused by and terrified of the snow. We took him and Kyra outside today while Gyven was in school, and Sidney would laugh and run around, having a great time, until he actually touched the snow. Then he was absolutely horrified. "Wet!!!!!!" He doesn't yet say 'cold' or I assume he would have said that, instead! Instead of pulling himself up when he fell in it, he just laid there and cried "Wet!" until Patrick or I would pick him up and brush him off, and then he wanted nothing more than to go inside. Then as soon as he warmed up, he was desperate to go back outside. So much so, that when Patrick opened the door, Sidney dashed out with his jacket and gear still off, and promptly fell into the snow again, with yet more wails of "Wet!"

Happy Halloween!

Look, a family picture!

Patrick is home and we're enjoying every minute of it! This photo was taken after hiking some of the trails at Fort Flagler overlooking the Puget Sound. We're all really happy to have him home and are enjoying the last of the summer weather and the chances to get out as a family. School starts soon and we'll be very busy this fall, so we're going to soak up the opportunities while they last!

Summer is winding down

And not only summer, we're nearly done with this deployment! We're so ready for Patrick to be home with us again, especially Gyven, who has made everyone promise him that his daddy will take him bowling at the first opportunity, and he reminds us of this promise daily!

Summer is in full swing

It's been hot this last week and we've been doing anything to beat the heat! We've spent quite a bit of time at the new splash pad on post and eating lots of frozen pops or ice cream and cold fruit. The weather finally dropped back down to more reasonable temps today and we're loving the change. The kids and I are so much more comfortable. Anything over 80 degrees Fahrenheit when you don't have air conditioning is just brutal!

The past few days we've enjoyed seeing friends who were visiting from out of town or who just got back to the area after a time away. Then today the kids were invited to the birthday party for one of the kids who lives on our street and they had a wonderful time. It's shaping up to be a much busier month than I had planned!

Happy Birthday Kyra!

Kyra turned four yesterday and demanded a pink princess birthday! She got it complete with pink cupcakes, a new pink outfit and nearly all her presents were pink or princess themed! It was also the kids' last day of preschool, and we made sure Gyven was registered for Kindergarten in the fall.

Today Sidney had a few cavities filled just like his older brother did last week. The kids did not get good teeth like their dad's. We brush and brush and it makes no difference. Hopefully their adult teeth will be better.

The weather has finally gotten warm here in Washington, after a very cool and wet June so far. To be honest I'd prefer a cool and wet summer, but the kids would be pretty miffed to miss out on all the pool and park time! We'll see what happens.

Long time no post.

Mostly because it's been one thing after another since Patrick left. First I was sick. Then the kids passed a virus around. Then Gyven scratched his cornea with a fork 2 weeks ago (he's fine now, the doctor says he'll have no lingering problems and zero permanent damage, but it was pretty ugly when it happened).



After it healed we went to the zoo with some friends and had a few play dates. Now this week I think Kyra and Sidney have rotavirus or a similar GI upset. It's been pretty unpleasant for all involved.



Hopefully they'll all be better soon!

We had a wonderful R&R! The kids had so much fun with their dad and we were all thrilled to see him. He's now back overseas, and we'll be without him until the deployment is over. We're all hoping these last few months we have left go quickly!

Real fast...

Patrick just texted me. He is stateside!