How you can help.

Thanks so much to all of our family and friends that have sent emails and comments! I am sorry I haven't had time to respond to you individually, my inbox is full of craigslist offers for our stuff we are trying to off load and I am running out of time. We do appreciate your letters and will have nothing but time in a few weeks and will respond then.

I did want to make a blanket post though, to say thanks to the many of you who asked and to answer the number one question.

"How can I help?" ~We are so blessed that you asked!

Well, prayer would be first on our list. Next would be to keep in touch-write us letters and send us pictures. We LOVE hearing from you! If you still want to help further (we'd be honored) we need books for school. Books that don't take up any space. Gift certificates at amazon.com are perfect because we can get all of our curriculum from there, plus great books for our entire family to enjoy. We will be using Charlotte Mason Education next year, which means TONS of great books. I have checked out the library system in the areas we could be living and it leaves much to be wanting... Just another way I got spoiled in Colorado.

Anyhow, thanks again for asking. I never expected it, but should have known. I do have such great family and friends.
Much love!

I have a Kindle?

Yes! Thanks so much to a helpful friend that informed me I actually have a Kindle already, it is on my phone, and it's FREE. How could I not know? I have no excuse. But thanks, Marci!

Now we need Kindle books on amazon.com
This is awesome! They won't take up ANY space on the RV.

I Heart Colorado

Dad called today from beautiful Boulder, Colorado, just to rub in the perfect weather and lovely scenery. I am so jealous! It was only 103 here today, but I can't even describe the humidity in a way you'll understand unless you've been here in the summer. Everyone always says "yeah, it's humid in my hometown too" but unless they are referring to a bayou, they have no clue. Seriously, you have sweat dripping from places I can't mention after being outside for only 3 minutes. At 5 am. And it's only June. But I am not complaining! I will put up with flying bird-sized bugs, fire ants, and sweaty armpits for the friends I've made here any day.

Here is a picture from October 2007. We hiked up this mountain a few times a month for a picnic, what a lovely place.

How I miss the mountains! I really loved living in Colorado. I pray to have a home way up in the mountains some day. It is so breathtaking there! I miss the smell of the mountain air and the amazing afternoon thunderstorms. I never thought I'd say it, but the winters are great too.

This picture is from a year ago. My how time flies! What an awesome place to go to school every day!

alright, last picture. I am getting all teary-eyed looking through files for pictures from our 3 years in Colorado...

I feel like a Navy Wife.

oh, wait... I am one! It has just been awhile since I had to rely on the locks on my doors to feel safe at night instead of the arms of my hubby! We have been blessed to have him home for so long.

Dad left yesterday morning for his Cross Country flight. This is the final milestone in Primary Flight Training. The end is near, and I am feeling it. Yesterday was mildly tense as I waited for the texts to let me know where he landed safetly, and how much his behind hurt. It took three legs to get there and you know, the seat is quite hard I am told.

Just 5 more days until the Navy tells us where to go. And what we are going to do for the next 20 years. You can't argue, you can't plea, you can't change any minds.

I can't stop imagining all of the possibilities. Will my husband's dreams be realized, or will they be crushed forever by a little piece of paper? I really, really, want his dreams to come true. You can't imagine how hard he has worked for this, how long he has been working hard for this, how incredibly determined he is, how much he has sacrificed, how intelligent he is, and how much he has been on his knees for this. Did I mention I think he is amazing and he deserves this?!

Don't misunderstand, we will be okay no matter what the Navy says. Actually, we will be wonderful. We know that God has big plans for us, for a future, and a hope. We know that all things work out for the good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. We are excited about flying in the sky, no matter what aircraft.

But it would be really nice to fly jets.

"Hey, look at me! Wait... Now what?"

Wow, going from crawling to standing didn't take long, only 2 days!

Lil Bird is proud of his new accomplishment!

until he realized he didn't know how to get down...

"a little help, please?"

"thanks, big brother!"

Our Girls

We are so blessed to have a few little girls in our home.

They sure do make life sweet!

Books, books, and more books!

One of our exciting plans for our year in the RV is to spend lots of time with good books.

At the top of the list we’d really love a Kindle- you can see HERE
that it would be wonderful to have in our limited space!

Here is our 2009 Book Wish List- in no particular order:

This early American History set HERE

Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula
Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
An Island Story by H.E. Marshall
Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
Viking Tales by Jennie Hall
Benjamin Franklin by Ingri D'Aulaire
George Washington by Ingri D'Aulaire
Buffalo Bill by Ingri D'Aulaire
James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriot
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Parables from Nature by Margaret Gatty
King of the Golden River by John Ruskin
St. George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges
This Country of Ours by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall
A First Book in American History by Edward Eggleston
One Small Square: Woods ISBN: 0070579334
Stories of Great Americans ISBN 780965273527
Journeys in Time ISBN 0618311149
Hymns for a Kid's Heart plus CD Joni Eareckson Tada and Bobbie Wolgemuth
The Story of the Wright Brothers and Their Sister ISBN: 1-930092-33-4
John Audubon ISBN: 978-1-882859-52-8
Science in Colonial America ISBN: 053115940X

My America Series HERE

Childhood of Famous American’s Series – HERE

Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
Pilgrims, by Clyde Robert Bulla
Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene du Bois
Little Lord Fauntleroy, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

That is all I could think of right now, and this is just the list of books we don’t have!

Here are the books we are currently reading:
Pilgrims’ Progress
Little House in the Big Woods
Elsie Dinsmore book 1
Indian in the Cupboard
The Boxcar Children
Misty of Chincoteague
Squanto
Stuart Little
Call of the Wild

"Never be without a good book in your hand" ~ Charlotte Mason

Just a couple cuties to share.

Dad's Solo

It's a bit late, but I still wanted to share. This was an exciting day for us, we all were able to watch dad's first solo in the T-34

This was the take-off. Let me tell you, if his heart was racing half as fast as mine, I could see the appeal. What a rush!

Korbin did the video taping for us. You might feel like you are in a tornado watching it, but his narration is priceless. Once I figure out how to upload video, (and find time) I'll share.

If I were witty, I'd have something to say about this one...

Dad rocks the plane. We are so proud of him!

We met the Commodore!

From: Commander, Training Air Wing FIVE

To: ENS Dad

Subj: COMMENDATION FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

It is with great pleasure that I commend you on your high degree of professionalism and scholastic achievement, which earned you the Training Air Wing FIVE Academic Achievement Award.

You achieved an overall grade of 98 percent in your assignment as a Student Naval Aviator in the academic phase of Primary Flight Training.

Signed by the Commodore.

I thought it was really awesome and I am pretty proud of my hubby. We got to go sit in the Commodore's office while he talked about leadership and get pictures taken. It is really sweet especially since we were told over and over from the begining that guys with children fail, and since we have five we are certainly not going to make it. Way to blow them away Dad, Glory be to God!