Typical Day in Montgomery

This is what a typical day looks like for us in Montgomery. With Eden's schoolwork, Jake's naps, and me taxiing-or-sharing-the-car-with Scott for his classes every day, we haven't gotten out a lot. Luckily there is a playground here that the kids love. And, we have gone out to 'see and do' a few things while we've been here. (That's another post). This is what we've done most.

If you click on the collage to enlarge it, you'll see some funny things:

- Jake stuck his plate of ketchup on his face, then rubbed it in his eyes, so he wasn't very happy that I was taking a picture before cleaning him up

- The Lego bucket turned upside down next to the garbage can: when I went to get the camera, Jake had used his make-shift stepstool to climb on top of the garbage can a STAND on it, but he climbed down before I got a picture

- Andrew's rough brotherly hugs for Jake

- Eden's messy hair: one of the casualties of homeschool, we don't always get her hair done before we start school work

I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones that come to mind right now.

Our day of green

I did what I could to make St. Patrick's Day fun for the kids, they kept looking for green toilet water. I guess our leprechauns will have to remember that for next year.

I am SO ready to be done with school, but we'll be going well into June, I'm sure.  AND I'm actually looking in to the charter school system in Colorado Springs.  Scott will probaby be on rotating shifts, 6 days on and 4 off for at least 18 months.  It might be nice to be able to have the kids on a more flexible schedule so we can go see and do more easily.  We could even stick with the same k12 curriculum that we've been using this year.  I know it wouldn't be as hard now that we've done it for a while, since I would only be trying to do one year of curriculum in one school year, instead of 1 year of curriculum in half a school year.  Then again, it might be hard to do homeschool when Scott is supposed to be sleeping.  Not to mention that I am so ready to have those 4 hours back every day.  Its been great to see Eden's learning, and be more involved in the process, but there are really good schools in Colorado Springs.  So, I'll most likely give them a chance to teach my kids, knowing that I am capable of homeschooling if the need arises.

Sorry for the ramble on a completly unrelated topic.

Montgomery Adventure, continued: Florida First

My brother and his family live in Naples, FL.  I couldn't resist the relative 'nearness' to Montgomery, so the kids and I dropped Scott off at Maxwell AFB for his SOS class and drove one more day to spend time with the cousins (and the beach).

Florida has actually been experiencing abnormally cold weather, so we only had one real 'beach day', but we still got outside everyday. 

Eden read bedtime stories for everyone.

Scott got to join us for one day the following weekend before all of us drove back to Montgomery together. 

Jake wasn't really loving the beach this day.

I'm not sure why Eden decided to write "NOeL" in the sand, but I think she made our Christmas card for this year (if I actually get to it this year!):

We had so much fun, thanks Bren and Elise!

Our Montgomery Home-Away-From-Home

Because we have more than 2 kids, we were not allowed to stay in the cramped little studio apartment dorms with the rest of the accompanied spouses for SOS.  The Air Force still only gives us $39 per night, plus Scott's per diem, to find lodging off base.  At first we had an extended-stay hotel suite booked, but then we came across some apartments that offered short term leases.  It turned out that short term usually meant 3 months.  Then Scott came across a couple of companies that sublease furnished apartments to corporations and individuals for REALLY short term (at a REALLY high rate).  We wanted to find a two bedroom to squeeze into for these few weeks.  But, all that was available for our trip was a 3 bedroom apartment with nearly the same square footage as our apartment.  It is still a little cheaper than the hotel we had booked, and much more family friendly with a playground right outside our building.  Between the $39/night, Scott's food per diem, and the travel per diem, we should just about break even, which isn't so bad either.  We figure we can cover the rest with part of our ridiculously high tax return.  Anyway, here's the pictures of the place we call "home" right now:

what you see when you walk in the door

little kitchen with the living room straight ahead and our bedroom to the right

where Eden does most of her school work, and there's a small screened in porch through the door to the right of the TV.

Down the hall to the laundry, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom

and looking back to the front door

Grateful

At least one of my kids appreciates oatmeal for breakfast!

Today I am so happy to be home taking care of a sick Jacob.  He had a fever last night, and still has it this morning.  So Scott is teaching my Sunbeams class (2 kids) and my friend's CTR 4 class (her family is sick too).  I'm not happy Jake's sick, and I'm not happy to be missing church (although the quieter house IS nice).  I am just so happy to be able to stay home with the child who needs me.  For the past six months, when someone was sick on a Sunday, I always had to make the big decision on whether they were sick enough for all of us to stay home or if they were well enough to suffer through 3 hours of church so the rest of us wouldn't miss our church meetings.  Sometimes its hard to believe Scott was really gone for so long.  Other times, like today, I am so grateful to have him home.

Part of me wishes we could be somewhere, and just enjoy being there.  It feels like we are always getting settled, getting ready to unsettle, getting ready for Scott to go TDY or deployed, and so on.  I am really, really sad to be leaving my friends so soon.  But, the Air Force has given us some exciting opportunites in the next few months, and I'm trying to focus on the positive aspects.  We are thankful we can stay together for Scotts training school, even if it means 3 days of driving each way.  We are happy to be moving to Colorado Springs, we like seeing new places.... I just wish we could bring our friends with us every time.

• I feel pulled in so many directions lately.  Life is good, but full & busy.  Lately I find myself wondering what I'm supposed to give up in favor of some of the things I've been neglecting.
• I still haven't blogged about our lovely trip to Washington.  The kids got to play with cousins, and Eden started some school work from our homeschool curriculum.  I got to jog outside for a change.  Even got a run in at Cougar with Robin, Elise, and Dana.  It was awesome.  Here are a few of my favorite pics, and for a more detailed description of the Dixon shenanigans, read here, here or here.  My sisters did a great and timely job documenting the reunion, plus they were there for the main event (Tricia's wedding).

• Scott came home almost two weeks ago, and even got in a few hours early!!!  We have loved having him home. 

• We celebrated by finishing off our Christmas celebrations.  We opened presents, and had Christmas breakfast for dinner that first evening together.

• We have joined the ranks of Wii-owning families.  Eden's favorite is making new Mii characters and dancing, Andrew loves the Star Wars light-saber duels, Jake likes to wear the remote around his wrist and play along, Scott likes the tennis and golf (he says the light-saber duels are rigged), and I had a fun time dancing to 80's music with Eden.

• Scott and I have completed 3 days of P90X.  I am sore and doubt if I'll ever do any pull-ups, but I feel SORE like I'm  getting a good work out.  And really is fun to be doing this together, even if I'd rather run a marathon or something like that.
• Speaking of extreme, Jake has taken toddlerhood to a level never before known in this home.  He sleeps LESS and climbs, dumps, yells, & wreaks general havoc MORE.  Fortunately, he's still pretty adorable.
• I started homeschooling Eden.  At first, it was great.  She was super happy, and the work was pretty easy on both of us.  Lately it's been a little more difficult.  The work is definitely still within her capability, but there have been more distractions around here. (see all of the above)
• We are headed SOUTH for 5 WEEKS and I haven't prepared a single thing.  Scott has to do a training school at Maxwell AFB in Alabama.  We are going with him, largely subsidized by the Air Force.  We'll even get to visit my brother and his family in Naples, FL.  I am so excited to leave winter behind for a while.  If anyone has recommendations on fun things to do while we're there, please let me know!
• Before I know it, we'll be in Colorado Springs!  Again, not a thing prepared yet.  I hope we can get everything done that needs to be done without going completely nuts or collapsing from exhaustion.

some things I want to remember... although I'm not really sure why.

I know I have plenty of news to blog about, but I'm trying to make my blog more of a journal for myself.  So, that means you all may be subjected to things that do not interest you at all.  This is one of those times, consider yourself warned.

- Jake HATES taking a bath. Not just the hair-washing, body-scrubbing part (I consider that fairly normal, at least for our kids), he cries and screams the entire time he's in there. And now that he's bigger, he tries to climb out too. So, I make it a quick ordeal, get him out and put his jammies on while the others play. But, then I can't keep him away from the tub! He gets soaked just playing over the side, but then he screams some more when I take his wet clothes off. He's weird.
UPDATE: Yesterday, Jake played happily for 5 whole minutes! Then he was done.

- Last Sunday, during the passing of the sacrament, Andrew used the bristle blocks (which are supposed to be for Jacob) to build a gun. He even had a little sight piece and laser attached to the top of the barrel. Then he starts shooting at me (very quietly, since this is sacrament time after all). And I must have been in a good mood (it was the last Sunday before Scott should be home), because I was just trying not to laugh at the irony- my little boy shooting his gun at me in the middle of what should be the most reverent time of the Sabbath day. sheesh

- Further evidence that I have some wierd kids: In a week I wash about 3 pairs of Eden's socks and about 12 of Andrew's. AND, he freaks out if he doesn't have socks that he approves of to wear. He likes to put them on first, even before his underwear. I have succeeded in convincing him his feet should 'breath' at night. So, AFTER he's all tucked in and warmed up, he asks me to help him take his socks off. In Eden's case, I'm pretty sure her sock number is so low because she doesn't wear socks all the time, not because she uses dirty socks over and over.  I've caught her a few times even putting on her black 'leather' boots without socks- ew!