Snowpocalypse

     When you're a kid, there's nothing more gratifying then watching the news and seeing that your school is listed under the school closure list.  Now that I'm the grown up and no longer the kid, I was still enthusiastically waiting for a day of no schedules to maintain and the freedom to do what we want. 

     Well last week, my little ones and I got our wish. We enjoyed having our two days off of school and pretty much deemed those days, lazy pajama days. I love those days.

     However after those two days were over, I enthusiastically dropped them off at school and waved goodbye. I love those days too.

We're all ready, mom!

Hot cocoa is a must after playing in the snow!

Ethan jumps into 8!

Our first born turned eight years old this past weekend and he was loving every minute of it! Time sure does fly by fast and unfortunately it's not slowing down.  I'm completely in awe of the little boy that he has grown into.  He loves all of the things that a average eight year old little boy loves, but is exploring his own interests as well.  Our opinions still matter, but he is pretty much taken over the reins on how his time will be spent.  From his favorite subjects in school to the extracurricular activities that he wants to participate in.  He still wears his heart on his sleeve and has the very best attitude about being the oldest child.  No matter what I ask him to do, he does it without questioning me and is my biggest helper.  He enjoys playing with his brother and sisters and I love watching them make memories together.  He's a great kid and we love him so much! 

 Ethan choose to spend his birthday at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and invited his good buddy, Dario to come along.  It was a very cold day, so an indoor activity was a welcomed relief.  We ended the day at a nearby pizza place for dinner.  

 

Soaked after the dolphin show.

Since Ethan's birthday landed on the weekend, we celebrated his birthday at school the following Monday.

The birthday boy wanted a goldfish cake.

Faithful Servant

      10 years ago, Eric was commissioned into the Air Force.  We were married two weeks later and moved to our first base about a week after that.  You can say that we started this journey together,  he as the active duty member and me as the new spouse.  While it has been a crazy decade full of ups and downs, one thing that holds true is our family's dedication to the Air Force.  Eric is a patriot and a humble airman.  He loves his country and enjoys his job.  His dedication alone highlights the strong work ethic that the military thrives for.  He has missed birthdays, anniversarys, holidays and countless of hugs and kisses, but he's still willing to answer the call of duty at any moment. 

      I love our life in the military and I don't think we will ever get used to being in one place for more than a couple of years. I've enjoyed meeting all of the beautiful people I've come to call my family and all of the interesting places we've called home.  I'm not saying there are moments when I wish we were closer to family, but we have learned to adapt and carry on by ourselves.  It took some getting used to, but we have grown because of it.  A good friend of mine has said, "Destiny, out of all of the military wives I know, you seem to love the military the most."  It's true.  Having a positive outlook is essential to military life and I owe it all to Eric for teaching me how to embrace it.

On January the 1st, Eric pinned on Major.  The ceremony was held in the Rotunda at the National Archive Museum where the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights is located.  It was a beautiful and fitting location.  I'm so proud of my husband and all of his accomplishments.  He truly is a great guy!

Life in Between

Wearing Daddy's hat from when he was little boy.

Ethan got 1st place at the county fair for his age group. 

He made a bowl and a birdhouse out of recyclable materials.

Look who's able to sit up in the grocery cart now!

This picture cracks me up because it was almost bed time for the kids and Gracie was having a blast.

You can tell by my bloodshot eyes that I was exhausted and just going with it.

Lexie loves selfies

Lexie's Christmas presents from her teachers.

Our NYE spread

Looking so grown up.

Drinking hot chocolate while watching netflix.

 

On our flight back from New Mexico the airplane had a screen on the back of every chair. 

The kids watched Disney movies and I played solitaire. 

All I could think about was my mom and how much she would've loved it.

Lexie turns 4!!!!

Since we were visiting family during Lexie's birthday, we decided to throw her a small family party at McDonald's. She was't happy and pretty much cried during the entire thing, but her siblings and cousins enjoyed themselves. Normally she loves indoor playgrounds and enjoys going down the slide, but she made it quite clear that she wasn't having any of it. Oh well, its her party. 

Lexie has done so much in the last past 4 years that we can't wait to see what next year will bring us. 

She's communicating with us more than she has ever done and I know from what her teachers are telling us, that she is happy to learn.  She loves school and barely looks at me when I drop her off.  If I was adored by all of my classmates as she is, I would totally love school too.  She can be so silly and want an audience one minute to not wanting any attention the next minute.  However I think that's one of the things that I love about her.  She has her own personality and even when it may shine through at inopportune times, its there.  Thinking back to her birth, we got exactly what we wanted when it comes to Lexie. We got a child who has her own mind and uses it, expresses her likes and dislikes, and most importantly loves innocently. Yes, her vocabulary is pretty much a total of 4 words and she can't sit still longer than 2 minutes, but when you think about it,  those aren't nearly as important as to what she can do.  

She continues to amaze us.

She continues to amaze her doctors. 

Most importantly, Lexie loves being Lexie. 

That's all that matters. 

She watched home videos on my phone the entire time.

Eli with Auntie Jenny

 

We call this, I can't believe she put a pink bib on me, face. 

We love you, Lexie Rae!!