The Homestead

We were so fortunate to be able to return to our favorite family resort, The Homestead, for some pre-Christmas family time just a few weeks before Christmas.  It was as magical as ever...fully decorated, loads of activities for the kids, and just a great time to be together and watch the kids run and play and make memories.

Chess lessons in the garden room.

Afternoon tea in the lobby.

Back when the walking wasn't so steady.

Bit of nightime ice skating.

We're Still Here!

Just before Christmas our computer finally heaved its last reboot and decided to stay dead for good. I've used this lack of technology access as an excuse for all sorts of procrastination and inactivity, including the blog silence. No more. I'll see if I can get caught up by posting right from my phone. First up: Christmas Awesomeness.

Choosing a tree:


 
An outing to the Nutcracker ballet with the Hardy girls, Sarah and Kim.

 

Just Hannah being Hannah...

Christmas Morning...






Kids gifts to each other. This is my favorite tradition. They take so much care and pride choosing just the right thing. Among the treasures: a striped headband for Millie, fancy bandaids for Simon, chew toy for Casey.


Our gifts to the kids. Our tradition of buying just four gifts for the kids (we do 'something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read') keeps my stress about gift buying and balancing under control.



Oh my. Handmade Red Riding Hood from Kim to Hannah. What a treasure. And the Hershey Kiss behind her is my gift from Mils. It's a symbol of our year of Daddy kisses. Yes, I cried while receiving both.


Casey in her new bed, destroying her new toy.



Other favorite gifts: play table, Legos, pioneer get-up, almost anything Hannah got to unwrap herself!

 

Summer's Farewell

I'll reach into the way-back archives to get this post up on the blog because I just don't want to forget it.  Just before the kids went back to school, my sister Julie flew into town for a long weekend of fun.  We headed down to the Outerbanks for one last summer hurrah at the beach.  Lots of swimming at the hotel pools, a morning hunting shells on the beach, a return to our favorite pier on the bay and great memories made with Aunt JuJu.  Perfect.

Simon salutes his Daddy!
Morning walk on the beach.

Beautiful summer rainbow, photographed by Millie.

Rainbows! Gymnastics! Friends Bearing Gifts!

Can you think of anything more heavenly for a six year old girl?  Mils seemed to revel in her birthday party this weekend.  I loved every drop of the pre-planned, no mess, easy to execute perfection of it all.  The party in pics:

Gratitude

The five of us...we got through it.  I will never forget the exact moment that I felt like the long weeks and months of this deployment were coming to an end.  One morning just after my parents had made it into town to help me get ready for and to take care of the kids during my trip to Italy, the whole gang piled in the car for school drop offs.  Leaving Hannah and my parents behind, I plugged in my headphones, turned up the music and took off for a SOLO run home from preschool.  Alicia Keys just put me right over the emotional edge (..."I'm going to find a way to make it without you. I'm gonna hold on to the times that we had...").  I stopped right there in the middle of the bridge and just cried.  We did make it.  There were times that I didn't know if I could, but it's over now and we're all put back together again.

One of the greatest lessons of this crazy year is the difference that a community of friends and family can make during a tough time.  We were simply carried by those who love us.  Our friends fed us, constantly.  I got calls in the morning telling me not to bother with dinner...some would be dropped off for us.  We spent so much time at friends' dinner tables and backyards, laughing, juggling kids, doing more than just getting by...we were having fun.  My sister in law came down for a visit and filled our freezer with meals that lasted us months!  We lived on my mom's zucchini bread and vermouth chicken.  The award for most creative...and frankly, most "just in the nick of time before total breakdown occurs"...goes to Kim who showed up at my door at 7:00 pm with beer in one hand (she and her husband are opening a brewery, so this was the good stuff) and cheese and crackers in the other.  With hardly a word, she walked right upstairs and totally took over bath time and bed time.  When the dust settled, we got to hang out and talk over beer and cheese.  That's turning lemons into lemonade for sure.

Before-bed story time happened on Kim's front steps, in pajamas with Murphy keeping watch.

Millie's bud Sarah and Miss Kim showed up for support at her ballet recital.

Backyard birthday party!

My friends took my kids off my hands for hours so I could grocery shop in peace.  Took turns pushing the baby jogger so I could run unburdened for a bit.  Threw me a birthday party in their back yard.  Offered up their husbands as sherpas so we could actually get to the beach this summer.  Hosted Wii & pizza parties for Millie and Simon, knowing what a break this would be for me.  I received some of the sweetest and most encouraging letters and emails from friends all over the country.  I never, ever felt alone.

Beach time with the Humphreys.  Seven kids, three adults, so much fun.

We loved our visit from our Capitol Hill neighbors turned dear friends Greg and Sybil.

Cousins on a slurpee run with Aunt Jennie!

Love this...C's JAG buddy Jimmy Sanzi on kid duty!

My sister just kept showing up...from LA, Guatemala, Honduras.  In the midst of her crazy schedule of international travel, Julie would pop in and play with the kids, make us some dinners, lighten the mood around here.  Christopher's family threw quite a birthday party for me...some solo shopping time with my sister in law, my favorite dinner, gift of a night alone in a hotel!

And my parents just kept on giving.  We moved right in with them for more than two months this summer.  It was just magical for us.  At this point, my parents have spent more time with us here in Norfolk than in their new house in Colorado.  They would tell you that it was their pleasure to do it, but I know it was so much work.  Hopefully a labor of love.

Pedicure for Yammy.  Looks so luxurious and relaxing, doesn't it?

Thank you doesn't even begin to express all of my gratitude.  I have learned how to love better because of the love that was shown to us.  I look forward to passing it on.