It's Official...Michael is NINE years old!

 I still remember the joy and excitement that I felt as I walked into the hospital 9 years ago knowing that I would soon be holding my son! I was floating. In fact, I was so happy that the L&D nurses thought it must be a false alarm because I was just too happy to be in active labor. (They were convinced after a few hours as I begged for an epidural!) God was fulfilling my heart's desire for as long as I can remember, to be a mommy.

 

 I remember being concerned as they whisked him away to the warmer, talking about calling the NICU doc because his cry seemed so weak. My heart skipped a beat as I prayed with all that I was. Within just a few minutes, the specialists were convinced that he was just a quiet baby. He would whimper and then just look into his Daddy's eyes and watch in awe. He has been so watchful and quiet from day one.

 

 That has not changed at all. He is still very quiet, very introspective. I used to gaze into his big eyes and wonder what caused his constant look of awe. I used to wonder what on earth was going on inside those thoughts. I love that he is old enough to tell me now. I love even more that he wants to share those thoughts with me. I pray that never changes.

 Although he is quiet and thoughtful, he has my sarcastic tendency. He is also so incredibly witty. He is really funny when he is comfortable. He is my comic relief quite often.

 He is also very artistic. He LOVES photography and taking videos. Little Man is constantly filling up my camera memory and using up my battery. But he is pretty talented. I'm not at all biased :)

 Michael has really matured in the last few months. He is making friends and building relationships outside of our family. So far he has picked wonderful kids to befriend. I pray that wisdom continues into adulthood. It is so important!

 He is one smart cookie (again, I am in no way biased). He has such insight and wisdom for a 9 year old. He can feel and know things that are much deeper than the surface that most 9 year olds see and know. He blows my mind sometimes by his deep feelings and wisdom.

Dear Michael, 

 I cannot begin to tell you how much I love you. You have had a huge part of my heart since the minute I knew you existed. As I looked into your big brown eyes for the very first time, I knew that you were amazing. As I've watched you grow, that has only deepened. I am so proud of the boy you have become. I am beginning to see your talents and gifts form and am so excited to see how they develop and how they will be used to serve our God. I pray that you will follow His every lead and allow Him to use you. As you grow, I know our relationship will change. You will drive me crazy and I'll drive you crazy. But nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever change how much I love you. I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as you're living, my baby you'll be.

With Unfailing Love, 

Your Mama

Michael's NINTH Birthday Party!

 We celebrated Michael's birthday a couple of weeks early because Marvin was going to be underway(out to sea for a short time) for his actual birthday. Michael did not mind celebrating early, he was so excited that he didn't have to wait any longer for the good stuff! We invited Michael's good friend Josh and his family(who happen to be my friends) to a bowling party. They did such a good job. He LOVED it! It was glow bowling, so we were rocking out...well, at least we were trying to!

 He got several strikes and spares and was so excited with his awesomeness. I am absolutely not going to tell him that it is MUCH harder without bumpers...all he needs to know for now is that he is totally filled chuck full of awesomeness!

 I'm thinking he is a natural bowler, like his Abba...maybe we should buy him his own bowling shoes and ball. Or, maybe we can track down Marvin's old set :)

 We were pretty impressed by the pizza they made! All we did was buy some cupcakes on the way and have a blast together! I do believe this was the easiest, most fun party we've had yet!

Catching Up

Well, it has been awhile! We started our school year last month. We start early because we just never know what a year might hold for our family. More than likely, we will be facing a move sometime during the year and have found it is much easier to start ahead than it is to catch up! Public school starts here on Wednesday, so we'll be almost 5 weeks ahead. That is how I like it! Michael and Sam are both doing Exploring Countries and Cultures from My Father's World. They are both doing Math U See and Apologia study of Astronomy as well. They are doing a program for Dysgraphia for handwriting, so while all other nonessential writing is taken out until the program has had a chance to work, they do their Language Arts through a computer program called Time 4 Learning. Spelling will be added in week 12. Josh started Math U See this year as well and LOVES it. He and the girls are all doing a literature based program called Five in a Row. They are also doing Handwriting Without Tears. It has been hard to feel out a routine now that I have more to actively teach. I feel like we are finally getting into a comfortable rut. We have been waiting for news on our next orders since before we got here in March. We had hoped to be off the ship before November and the ship's next deployment. It is not looking promising. That means another 6-9 moths before we have a shore command. It also means the second Christmas that Marvin will miss on his second Deployment in under a year. Although it is a 5 month deployment, the ship is scheduled in dry dock in Virginia as soon as it is done. The navy won't move us because Marvin is not on the ship for over a year. That means we will have to wait for our next duty station on opposite coasts praying it will be sooner rather than later.The good news is that Charleston is a real possibility at that time. Although we will go to the first available slot, so we just can't know until it is time. This news was quite a let down for us. We are all ready for a break. It feels like we really haven't gotten much of a breath since the last deployment and we are getting geared up for the next. Tired and emotionally drained is an understatement. That said, I am so thankful that we are where we are. We have a wonderful house with a huge yard that is not my responsibility (the neighbors do the yard maintenance!), a church that is AMAZING, a good homeschool support network, and my older boys have made friends. I really can't ask for a better situation to be facing the coming months. I know that the Lord will sustain me. I cannot imagine getting through yet another separation in such a short time, but I have learned that God gives us the grace as we need it. With His strength, we will all make it through and be closer to Him in the process. I trust Him for that. And, I have been given 5 amazing children to remind me everyday just how blessed I am even in circumstances I wouldn't pick!