July Instagram

 Grant swinging at his new school~Grants handwriting practice~Wyatt painting

My Prayers Box from Lori~GameBoy~Always wrestling

Lunch Dates~Doing Chores in undies~Grant's organized friends

Box Movie Theater~Box Fort, literally~Snuggle Brothers

Dino Playground~My sweetie and me~Wyatt my protector

Grant my crazy~MOM Diet Coke~Wyatt;s handwriting practice

8 Years

10 Years together

8 years of marriage

6 moves

4 states

2 amazing kids

1 incredible life

Happy Anniversary my love!! We may be 7,390 miles away from each other but I love you more today than ever before!!!

Even overseas, he sends me beautiful flowers!!!

The Sandlot Boys

These two. Melt my heart! Right out of Sandlot!!

On one of the beautiful weather days we had, we headed out front to play some front yard baseball. My kids are just like me- unless its the perfect temperature, they don't want to play outside. So throwing them outside to play all day in the summers (like we used to do as kids!) just doesn't happen, sadly. But since it was decent, we could handle it!! 

The boys haven't ever played on a team, and we've hardly ever played baseball at home. But we did today and they were superstars!! Grant now says he wants to play on a team. So I'll have to start looking up spring leagues. Because I know summer ball isn't happening for him, or me!!

T-Rex Cafe

Grant has another loose tooth. Like, hanging by a thread loose. He thought maybe, just maybe, if we made a trip to T-Rex, it would fall out, like his first tooth did. Pretty smart little guy, considering I told them going there was only for special occasions, so it would be a while before we went there again. So he suckered me in because I REALLY want that tooth to fall out since the permanent one is halfway in and getting pushed farther and farther back because he won't touch the wiggly one. So it was worth a shot!!

 We've only been to the restaurant 4 times ever, and each time they have sat us in the SAME table in the same area! So the boys requested we sit somewhere else! They were happy to sit upstairs by the longnecks!

 I told them we could order dessert, since that was how Grant lost his first tooth! Wyatt eagerly ordered his fave- ice cream sandwich!! Grant was going to go with the chocolate tarpit, hoping he'd be 2 for 2 in the tooth losing count, but he switched it up and went with the painted dino krispy treat. I thought this dessert sounded more promising if you were trying to lose a tooth!

So....you're wondering...did he lose his tooth??? Nope, still sitting there to this very day!!! Oh well, at least we had a special afternoon out of the deal!!! Always worth it!!

Boys Room

I couldn't wait to actually decroate the boys room! This was another room Ive been imagining in my head for quite some time! I had the color scheme planned out for a while, I just needed all the supplies to make it come together! And it finally did!!

I found this metal shelf at Gordmans and I knew it would be PERFECT for all Grant's tiny collections. He had a small miniature box at our old house, but his collection was far bigger than that little box, so when I found this, I knew he would love adding all his tiny things in each cubbie!! 

I kept their bedding the same from the last house because it matched perfectly. But their beds look quite different!!!

And most recently, my mother in law found the perfect letters for above their beds. Id seen these letters at Hobby Lobby but our HL said they didn't carry W's or G's. Huh?? But when she came across them, she got them for me! I loved how they matched the metal shelf and they look perfect hanging about their beds!! The lockers turned out perfect too! An awesome find on VYS for $20!! A few cans of orange spray paint and it was exactly like I had imagined!!

I still have one more thing I'm trying to frame for the wall across from Wyatt's bed. And then their room will be complete!! I love having a special space just for them!!! They love their room!!

Dealing with Deployment

Levi has been gone for 12 days now, and while we haven't had a whole lot to do, we've stayed busy and are making the most of it! 

As soon as we dropped Levi off at the airport, we went to Hobby Lobby to get some supplies for some craft projects I wanted to do with the boys to help them understand about the deployment. The first thing we did was make a Kiss jar. I put the letters on the jar and the decorated the rest with stickers. And then we will filled each jar up with one kiss for each day Levi is gone (until his halfway homecoming for Christmas.)They are on the center of the kitchen table, and they get one each morning- who wouldn't love a chocolate kiss with their breakfast? They've enjoyed this alot!

We started putting our first package together for Levi and one of the things we did first was to trace their bodies so Levi can hang them up in his new house and Flat Grant and Flat Wyatt can live with him. Its been a work in progress getting them colored exactly how they wanted them. But they are ready to ship!!

I also ordered them these pillows! This is a wonderful service a couple in MO do for military families. All you do is submit the picture and they make the pillow, no fee at all! Although I'm going to submit a donation because they finished and shipped them here within a week! The boys love them so much and sleep with them at night!! Such a special treasure!

And we've been working on our Daddy Deployment wall and finally got it done too! It consists of maps, flag, countdown calendar, and lots of pictures! I also have two clocks, showing our time and Daddy's time. Grant has been reading clocks pretty well lately so hes able to kind of figure out the time difference. I put it on our garage door so we will see it each day we walk out the door!

And on top of the normal household duties I have, I have to make sure that I continue the things Levi used to do as well. Taking car of the yard, the cars, and fixing whatever is broken. He's also the official bike rider with the boys! It was so easy to ride bikes in OK, but not on our street. Too many cars driving by and no sidewalks. So I've taken on the job of bike-trailer driver!! We've gone to Heritage Park a few times to ride the trails, as well as driven up to the school playground. Its a heavy job to fulfill!

We miss Levi so very very much!! Life isn't the same without him being around. But we've got lots of things and family and friends to keep us busy!!!

The Basement Reveal

The first room I always like to put together when we move is the playroom. It was seriously eating at me that I couldn't put the playroom together until 4 weeks after we moved in! After the flooding incident the day before we took possession, the basement had been unusable. Well, we did have the TV, futon and some of the toys we had brought to the house in early May when we came. But the majority of the toys stayed like this....

Until finally, July 2nd, the basement was finished! I couldn't wait to tear into those boxes and make a playroom!!! Of course, I'd been imaginary planning it since the day we looked at the house. I was a little bummed my mental plans didn't quite measure out how I had hoped. And after moving the furniture around a few- ok, 5- times I think I finalized the layout (for now).

 I couldn't believe how much bigger this room was than our OK playroom. Like twice as big, with twice as big of a closet (I didn't take a picture of that, although I'm kicking myself for not, because its just as awesome!). The boys looked at their toys like it was Christmas! So many things that haven't seen since April! Oh did they have fun!!!

Grant said he wanted to a place to display his creations, so I used this extra cubby shelf, and he now refers to it as his personal Lego musuem. I still need to hang wall art up- I have a few things, just need to figure out where- and I should be finished! I LOVE IT!!!

The rest of the basement looks good too.  We love the hangout space it gives us! The boys love the freedom to play all over the floor and watch their TV shows downstairs!! Now if only we could do something about the lime green walls, ick!

 And its hard to tell from the first picture, but this kitchen was hiding under all those boxes! It's the perfect place to set up a smorgasbord of snacks on pool party days or to spread out and do some craft projects!!

 It feels wonderful to have this space done and usable!!! We love hanging out down there!!! I can imagine the boys being teenagers and having their friends down there. I pray that our house becomes the cool hangout someday!!

ER VisitS

Notice, I made that a plural? Yep, since we moved here the end of May, we have made 3 trips to the ER for one boy or the other.

The first came the end of May, when Wyatt slipped on our hardwood floors and hit the back of his head and started vomiting a short time later. It was a Saturday afternoon, so we headed to the ER. They didn't do anything for him other than monitor him closely for a few hours. They didn't think he had a concussion, thank goodness! He still talks about how he "rattled his brain." Everytime we drive by OPR, he says, "Theres the hospital I went to!" I guess it was a proud moment for him!!!

And most recently, and I'm talking this week, Grant went to the ER twice. I couldn't believe it!!

So, Wednesday night, I was determined to get the boys to bed at 7pm. We'd had late nights, busy days, and cranky boys. So we were on schedule, brushing teeth and going to the bathroom at 6:45. While I'm brushing Wyatt's teeth, Grant is horsing around, as usual, pretending he's going to cannonball into the toilet. Well, he misjudged his cannonball, and actually wound up bashing his chin on the rim of the toilet, immediately busting his scar open (from his previous chin bashing). The second I saw it, I knew we had an ER trip in our future. So I called my mom and her meet us there, so she could bring Wyatt home and get him settled. Grant was very worried he was going to be poked with a needle, but we got good news when they said they could glue it back together. It did sting while the glued him, and he cried for a second, but he held it together. The doctors all got a kick out of him and his crazy story. Seriously, cannonball into a toilet? I don't think they'd heard that one...

And the next night, we returned to the ER. I kept saying, Levi won't believe this!!

So I was out to dinner with my dad while the boys went to the park with Mimi. They raced around the corner to the firetruck park, and when Mimi caught up and turned the corner, she saw Grant on the ground, saying, "I can't walk." He'd got tangled up in the little jungle gym letters- basically, his leg went through the bars and his body went over it, meaning his leg stayed straight when it should've bent. So once I got back from dinner, seeing how he couldn't bear any weight on it and the fact that he was shivering from the pain, I decided we needed to go to the ER. Again. Wyatt got an impromptu sleepover at Mimi's, so he was happy. When we got to the hospital, most of the same staff was there and joked with him, asking if he attempted another toilet cannonball. They did Xrays and couldn't find anything alarming. But after doing some motion tests on him, they recommended that we see an orthopedic specialist the next day to confirm. So they splinted him up and prescribed him crutches (since they didn't have any small enough). He felt pretty cool to have a "cast" on AND he got wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair. 

 And since he couldn't walk, I had to carry all 49 pounds of him from the car all the way upstairs. I decided that since he couldn't walk on his own, he needed to be in my room in case he needed anything, so I pulled his mattress into my room and got him all settled. It was almost 11pm by the time we got settled, so even though the splint was uncomfortable, he crashed til 8am the next day!

And yesteray, after dealing with Tricare, a trip to his new pediatrician, and multiple phone calls with Tricare, we did go to the orthopedic specialist late afternoon, and he took HD xrays and he concluded that there is nothing torn, broken, or fractured. Its just sore and swollen and he should get better and better each day! He was walking a little bit on it this morning, bearing a little weight on it. I'm hoping tomorrow he will be even better. I just thank the Lord for keeping him safe, because I know this could've gone a different route for sure! I hate seeing my little guy not be able to walk/run/play like usual! Although don't think for a second this has slowed him down- he's relearned the art of crawling! 

Now, I need to start shopping for life helmets and padded walls. 

Lots and Lots of Swimming

Having a pool in our backyard might be the best thing about this house!!!! We went to the base pool nearly every day the past two summers. We'd load up the swim bag, throw the life jackets and swim rings in the trunk, pull out the towels, and drive to base....just to unload it all and carry it all the way across the parking lot through the entire pool area just to get to the kiddie pool. It was kind of a pain, although worth it to swim for a few hours. But to just walk out our back door and get in the pool is pretty amazing!

Never in our wildest dreams did Levi and I think we would be pool owners, but we are so so thankful we are! Although this summer hasn't been scorching hot (yet, I'm sure) the pool has been used just about everyday, and many days- multiple times a day! 

Since the day they jumped in for the first time, until today, they have made major swimming progress!! Grant was hesitant to swim around without his life jacket and certainly wasn't eager to play with diving toys at first. But now, his favorite thing is to dive down to the bottom, swim across the pool floor, and do it all again! He is quite the swimmer. We did start private swimming lessons last week, and he has been working on swimming in the deep end without his life jacket too. He's doing amazing! Wyatt is still fearful and cries most times his face gets wet. He loves swimming and loves to be in the pool with his life jacket. He will go anywhere in the pool with that on, but the second that comes off, hes got a death grip on whoever he is with. Swimming lessons have been good for him though. He's learning how to blow bubbles, swim with a noodle to the deep end without his life jacket, back float, and his teacher has even dunked him a few times. He cries about 1/2 the time, but after each session, he says how much fun he had! So I know he wants to do it, he's just stubborn! Glad I'm not the one teaching him!

We love the pool and I feel so fortunate to be able to enjoy it with my boys!!

It's Time To Go

We knew the day was coming, as its been in the back of our minds since February. It's one thing to think how the day will play out, but its always different when it becomes real. I mean, we've done this a few other times, so you would think I knew how I'd be feeling. But since the end of April, we've had so much time together to just enjoy each other, work on house projects, and just be a family. Something we didn't get a lot of in Oklahoma. So being in our new house, it was so great with Levi being on leave, just enjoying our time together. Which is why saying goodbye was that much harder. 

A few days before he left, we went on a final date. Well, it seemed like a first date really because neither one of us could really remember that last time we had a true date night together. We dropped the boys at my parents in the afternoon, enjoyed soaking in the pool together, and then went for a couples massage! Then we came home and got all dressed up and headed to Hereford House, where we shared a bottle of wine and ate until we were completely stuffed! It was amazing! 

We spent the next two days packing, last minute shopping, swimming, and snuggling!

 And then the morning came to head to the airport. It was hard knowing the long journey was about to begin, and knowing the boys were oblivious to what they were about to embark on. As Levi went to check in for his flight, the boys and I sat down to wait. This nice old lady asked the boys if they were getting ready to go on a trip. Grant replied that his dad was leaving for a deployment for one year. Up until that point, my eyes had stayed dry, but then I lost it. The lady walked over to me, held my hand and said that her husband had been in the Army for over 20 years while she stayed home and raised 3 boys. She knew my pain. And then she said, "The good Lord will see you through." And then she prayed for me and the boys. She was this little angel God had waiting for me at the airport to help me through this time.

As we walked down to Levi's gate, I just couldn't imagine how this next year will be. Without my best friend, my other half. But Grant kept saying, "Don't cry Mom. Dad's done this three other times already. Its going to be ok." My little rock- well really, people showing emotions makes Grant really uncomfortable, so really he wanted me to stop crying for himself- but I used it as a sign to be strong for my little fellas.They snuggled Levi one last time, happy as could be- oh to be blissfully ignorant! After I watched Levi walk through the gate, I had my moment, and then I picked myself up and the boys and I started our journey in strength and faith. 

Because like my angel said, "The good Lord will see us through." And I know that to be true!

Our Dear Friends

I remember the first time I met them. It was summer 2012. We were hanging out at the Enid Public Library. A spunky little girl with blonde pigtails and an inquisitive little boy with red hair were bouncing around. I instantly wondered if they were going to go to Grant's preschool in the fall. I didn't introduce myself to their mom like I usually would do, but they were with other friends, so I didn't want to intrude. But I remembered them. And then I saw them at Grant's preschool orientation two months later and I was so happy to finally meet that little girl with the pigtails, Gracie Beth, and her mom, Lori!! 

Grant and Gracie seemed to have an instant connection. Grant didn't talk about too many people from school early on, a few names here and there, but one name I heard more than once was Gracie. He liked that their names sounded and looked similar and he LOVED her braids, or "brains" as he called them.  I took their first picture together, by Grant's request....

And somehow, I can't even explain how it all unfolded, but Gracie's mom, Lori and I became instant friends as well. I don't even remember the moment we exchanged phone numbers or anything like that. It's just like we were friends from the start. Maybe it was the fact that Lori and I had sooooo much in common- I mean, her middle name is Beth, she was a former teacher, scrapbooker, blogger, family photo taker, our kids are the same age, love a good holiday theme, and I could go on and on. And the best part is- both our kids were instant friends too! And over the last 2 years, we've been enjoying lots of playdates!! 

And not only did Grant and Gracie form an instant friendship, but Wyatt and Luke did too!! They could literally play together ALL DAY LONG and never get bored or tired of each other!!! 

And once little Jace came along, he fit perfectly into the bunch as well!! 

I knew moving away from Enid was going to be hard. But leaving these friends was unimaginable, for all of us. Although, we are so fortunate to only live a quick 4 hour drive from them, we know the playdates can continue for years to come, just not weekly like we got accustomed to. We are truly blessed by their friendship, faith, and fellowship. Knowing that Lori is just a text away makes it easier to get through the distance! 

We love you W family!!!!