He's Baaaaaacckk...

So...as most of you know, Jon made it home a little over a week ago. YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! :D It's been a kind of crazy week readjusting to him being back. It always is. The girls are adjusting pretty well. They spent the first day of him home stuck to him like velcro! They sat, hung, climbed, and walked next to him the ENTIRE day. It was kinda funny to watch. lol.

It's been crazy hot here this past week! It was 100+ for a few days. So we've been spending a lot of days in the pool, at Water Country or at the Splash Park. The kids have definitely been enjoying it. We haven't tried to do it yet, but we might try to fry an egg on the sidewalk! The kids would probably have a lot of fun with it. So we'll see.

Last night I went on a boat for the first time in years. If you don't know, I don't like boats. Not because there's anything wrong with boats or the water, but because I get violently motion sick. I can't even ride as the passenger in a car without getting sick. So I took some new motion sick meds and actually did good! I didn't get sick. Well, not until a storm about hit us. It was kind of cool, watching the lightning on the water and to see the huge dark wall of rain. The storm didn't actually hit us (thankfully) but it did shake things up for us.

This week will be another busy one for us. We have some fun mornings at church and some nights up there as well. This week we are having Adventure Days for 2 days and Preschool Fun Day 1 day. Adventure Days are one of my favorite things all year. It is so much fun! The kids get to play fun, messy games and learn about God too. I have lots of fun playing with the kids and loving on them. So I'm looking forward to having some messy fun. :) We have a 2 band practices this week in preparation for the last Genesis service and the first service in the new worship center. There is so much hard work going into making this transition smooth and easy. Thank you everyone who has been working, preparing, training, getting trained, etc to make this possible.

On top of all the craziness of life, we have been dealing with behavior issues (again) with Amara. Her meds have been getting changed around by the doctors and she has been having big mood swings. She is also not enjoying her classes on Sunday mornings right now. Not sure why, but she has been defiant and refusing to go into large group and just causing issues all around. Please say a prayer for her and for us if you think about it. This aspect adds a lot of stress to our lives and makes even the simplest of things very difficult. Thank you!

Mya

PS- this was supposed to get posted a few days ago, but my power went out as I was finishing it. Oh well, better late than never!

Flattened.

So we thought that Jon was going to be home today. The girls were SUPER excited, asking constantly for the last few days and about every hour today. But that joy was quickly flattened. Thats the best word I can think of to describe the feeling. It's like someone stole the birthday cake from the party. Or another way to think of it is like you're skiing. You go down the slope, but run into a tree. It hurts, but you know you still have to finish going down the slope and that there IS an end down there. We did find out the reason for him not being home today. It had nothing to do with the ship changing schedules or anything, just a big miscommunication between Jon and I. But that doesn't make it easier on me or the girls. I kinda knew in my heart that it was too soon, that it just had to be a little farther off, but I didn't listen to my self and I got excited. Stupid me. I know better after all these years in the military that if it sounds too good to be true, then it definitely is! Well, theres nothing I can do about it.

On a sort of up side I did find out about the "Night Before" party. This is the big party they throw for all the family/friends who are going to be picking up the military person. It's obviously the "night before" they get back, so its all a very last minute sort of party. But I went to one before and it was fun. Well as much fun as you can have 8 1/2 months pregnant in the middle of the night! At least this time they put it at a reasonable hour! lol. The kids will have fun there I'm sure, so we will be going. Unfortunately, Jon won't get off the same time as everyone else, he'll probably get off the next day, so hopefully that doesn't depress the girls too much.

This has been a very hard deployment. And the fact that we have another one very soon doesn't help. We haven't told the kids about it yet, just in case it doesn't happen, which isn't likely. Thank you all for your prayers and support through these trying times. It really means the world to us. And we are happy that Jon/Daddy will be home SOON! Even if its a little later than we were expecting/hoping.

I'm Gettin' Sentimental

VBS week went GREAT! I am so blessed to have had such wonderful kids and fantastic helpers. It was a wonderful time and hopefully the kids learned something too. But I'm glad its over. I am recovering from the week (I was sick during VBS too) and trying to pull the house together before Jon gets back. WHICH, BTW, we are COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS! So that means we are super close to the end. YEEEEAAAHHHH!!!!! I'm very ready for him to be home.

As we are nearing the end of Jon's deployment, we are also nearing the end of our Genesis services. For those that have been here a long time, we used to have the Ecotone service at night, and then Genesis was created as a morning overflow plus night service. Its been so long now that we've had it! I've been reminiscing over people that have come and gone, things that we've done in the service, both good and bad, fun times and crazy antics. I have loved serving in Genesis and pray that God continues to use me in the new services as well, in whatever capacity He chooses. I'm sad to see Genesis go, but I know that its for the best. I'm nervous to be entering into the new format in the new sanctuary (as many of you probably are too). But I'm also very happy! I'm happy the church will be "whole" again. I'm also happy that we won't have to tear down and set up a stage and all the equipment every week! lol. I'm sad to think that some of the people I serve with right now every Sunday, that I may not see them every week because of scheduling changes. We have become like a family in Genesis, I don't think anyone would argue with that. We've helped each other through some very tough times, and been there to share joys with each other. I will truly miss this stage of life, but look forward happily to the future. Change and growing can be very hard. It can be hard to change and grow when you've become so used to how things are. But I'm ready for some stretching. ;)

With everything changing, I've been thinking a lot about the future and what it holds. I've been thinking about Jon's next deployment, and whether we will be moved after this next one or not. I've been thinking about houses, and longing for a new home, but trying to be content with what I have. I've been thinking about the Fall and homeschooling the girls for the first time. It's a scary and exciting thought. I'm ready for it, but at the same time I'm definitely not ready. Where will we be? What will we do? What if...? Those questions have been going through my head like crazy the past few weeks. But no matter what the future holds, no matter what questions I have in my head, there are a few things I know for sure. I know that God will take care of us. He will provide everything we NEED. I know that we will be a family, whether we move from here, whether Jon is deployed, whether we stay here or get a house, etc. We will be together. I know that I have friends who love me and whom I love dearly. I know that no matter where we go they will always be there for us. So I may not know what will happen in the next month, 6 months or year, but I do know that its taken care of and that I don't have to worry.

Love you all!
Mya