FLORIDA! FLORIDA! FLORIDA!

I have a few minutes since the boys our napping, none of our household goods have arrived, I figured I would update the blog!



As we drove away from Altus, it was so bittersweet. I loved that little town and all the friends we made, but we were all so excited to be moving to Florida. Athen and Matt chanted Florida throughout our entire roadtrip and Maximo tried his hardest to say Florida right along with them. It was so cute. The last week has been one of the most stressful and exhausting weeks of my life but we have been so blessed. It makes me realize why military families have so many kids, when you move all you have is each other and the more of you there are the more you have to rely on.
Before we left Altus there was a serious hail storm...It was unbelievable the amount of hail that came down. Unfortunately our house had some damage. We had a window break, some shingles shredded and the siding on our chimney damaged. So this made our departure from Altus a little more difficult because we had to make sure these were taken care of before we could leave! Luckily our cars weren't damaged because we were at a friend's house on the other side of town that didn't see much or any of the storm. The NB family opened their home to us all week, and fed us dinner the night before we left. They gave the boys the sweetest gifts before we left. Maximo got a shapes book, which he has hoarded since he received it. For Athen they made him the coolest coloring book ever! Inside was a place to keep crayons and then she had made pages of pictures from photographs taken of him and all of his friends. It is so cool! He loves it and told me it was "perfect" about 10 times on the car ride. Saying goodbye to the NB family was so hard and I pray that our paths will cross again SOON!

The car ride was as smooth as could be with two little ones and being pregnant. We drove 6 hours the first day, 8 the second day, and about 10 the last day. The boys slept great in all the hotels, however they woke up around 6am or earlier every single morning. They also both added four states to their roster! Athen has now been to 14 states and Maximo has been to 11 states. Athen has a map and has been following where we are going. He kept asking me if we made it to "The Mississippi" yet. He was really into where we were. I love that they are able to see so much of the country. On the rode, we mostly stopped at places that had play areas for the boys, so pretty much Chick-Fil-A's. It was good for the boys to get some energy out and be able to play before we got back in the car again. In the middle of one of our chaotic stops Matt and I were running low on patience and were arguing about our plans for the night. We were all sitting and eating and sweet little Maximo grabbed my hand then grabbed Matt's hand and looked at us both. We had forgotten to pray before dinner and it was just a sweet reminder to us of what was really important.

Florida is vastly different from OK. The scenery is beautiful. We took the boys to the beach this morning and they were both in awe and loved it so much. Athen asked if we could go back after quiet time and after dinner too! He also asked me why their are spider trees everywhere...palm trees. I'm also realizing sand will be a big part of my life. And boy is it messy!!! We were also so blessed to be able to buy a house within a day of being here. We get to move in TODAY, our household goods should be here TODAY as well. So PTL for that. The house is pretty small but the amenities are really nice. We can see the pool, playground and gym from our back porch. It is also less than 1/2 mile from the beach. Matt has to start work tomorrow and we are hoping that he can get some time off to help us unpack and settle in to our new home!
Here are some pictures from Altus and now our new home Florida!
The old big window getting loaded on a flatbed, and was eventually loaded on a big rig, and is hopefully being delivered as I type this!

Me dressed up for a ladies 80's party before we left!

Our Oklahoma home before we left!

Athen swimming one last time at the pool on base!

Once we get the keys to our place I will take some pictures and upload them.

Moving...

I don't even know where to start about our next move... I love being a part of the military and all the opportunities we have been given, but I never realized how hard moving would be. When I moved to LA from the Academy, I was so excited. I picked (sort of) where I wanted to go and I was moving for MY career. As we begin another chapter or another move, I realize how difficult it is to be a military spouse. Although our husbands don't always get a choice on where they want to move, they are moving for their career. When they move they typically have built in friends at every base, because they either work with guys from school or are with guys that share similar interests. As spouses we start from scratch at each new place. We join them on the journey but we leave behind homes, churches, and friendships that only other military spouses can truly understand. It makes me sad thinking about how much time I spent making this house our home...How I came here with just one baby and pregnant with another...How Maximo took his first steps right here...How we celebrated the boys 1st and 3rd birthdays...How Athen helped us pick out everything for his "car" room...How I leave here and will probably never come back to this house or even this town again... What is even harder is leaving the friends that we have made. Military friendships are truly one of a kind. When you meet someone else in the military you don't wait to hang out, you make plans as soon as possible because you know your time is short. Also, noone has family around to help out, so these friends become your family... My friends here have been the biggest blessing to me. They have cooked me countless dinners when Matt has been gone...Have loved my kids like their own, kissing their ouchies, disciplining them, and cuddling them up...Have given me a break when I am not sure I can keep going...Have opened their homes for holidays, Bible studies, and girl's nights...Have cried with me, laughed with me, and vented with me...Have helped me clean my house after a party because I was 33 weeks pregnant and just wanted to help me... I can't even begin to explain how much I will miss these women and their children. I love them like sisters. The saddest part is not knowing when or if you will see them again. You hope and pray that you will but you just aren't sure.
My boys don't understand that we are moving. We have had endless conversations about going to Florida, about our new home (which we don't have yet), about leaving Oklahoma. I don't think the reality of it will set in until we are actually gone and they want to go to a friend's house or have a friend over. This week I had a "Going Away" party for them and their friends. We had a great time! Here are a few pictures from the "beach" party!




So as we spend our last few days here in Altus, I am going to enjoy every minute I can with our friends and just be thankful that I got to meet such wonderful people!

Dancing and playing

The boys have really been into dancing lately! Maximo spins and spins until he falls over. Athen does some sort of one-legged number most of the time. They are very cute!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend. We went to a birthday party for one of Athen and Maximo's friends. It was Cars-themed so they both loved that. However, it was definitely hot out and Athen wasn't feeling 100% and the next thing you know he threw up everywhere. That was our cue to leave :( Here are a few pictures of them at the party.







We finished up the weekend with a cookout at Church and then dinner with some of our good friends! It was a goodbye dinner for us because our movers come in two weeks! I can't believe it!!!!

Here are a few more pictures of the boys playing around the house. Athen and Matt built this tour and Maximo tore it down!

Athen's Foot

Last weekend Athen had to get a splint on his foot. We still aren't 100% sure if he fractured it or not. Living in a small town the orthopedics office was booked until June and the other office also had a long wait. He is still limping so we know something is wrong... However, this hasn't slowed him down a bit.


Here is a little video of the boys wrestling or more so Maximo's temper :)

Calling Nana and Pappy

Athen is always asking to talk on the phone. He always asks me if I have a person's message, which is if I have their number. I think this is because we get people's voicemails so often when we call. Maximo loves to talk on the phone too. He usually just makes all kinds of sounds and then says "bye-bye." It is so cute. Here is a little video of the two of them calling Nana and Pappy.

I also had to upload this sweet picture of the boys. One of the rare times Athen is being sweet to Maximo!


And lastly these are the beautiful flowers I got from the boys for Mother's Day. Athen even wrote Mommy on the card! And I also got yellow flowers because of course this is Athen's favorite color :) I love them!

Altus Rock-n-Rumble

I am pretty sure the Altus Rock-n-Rumble is the biggest day of the year here. They close down Main Street for a good 3 hours in the evening and people cruise in their cars, squeal their tires, and rev their engines. I've never seen anything like it. I love living in different places and getting to experience such unique things... The car show was pretty much one of Athen's favorite things ever (his words). He would say, "whoa look at that old big window," or "hey that's a split window." We even got to see "Ramone" from the Cars movie, and it really did look just like him. The only bad part was how hot it was. We would have stayed longer but it was getting close to 100 and my pregnant self couldn't walk around much longer. Here are the few pictures that I did take.

Pregnancy #3

I love what pregnancy gives me, sweet little miracles, but I am not the happy, "I love everything about pregnancy" kind of person. I really wish I was. I have been blessed with fairly easy pregnancies, however each one has been very different.

With my first pregnancy I was so excited to be pregnant and everything was about me, me, me...what maternity clothes I should wear...what maternity pillow was most comfortable...what I wanted the nursery to look like...napping whenever I wanted to...my husband joining me at every OB appointment... Looking back I realize how selfish I was allowed to be.

My second pregnancy I had wanted just as much as my first. A month after I stopped nursing Athen, we started trying. This pregnancy was a bit crazy...We moved first when I was 18 weeks pregnant to CO, and moved to OK when I was about 30 weeks pregnant, and we moved yet again when I was 35 weeks to OH. It was quite a whirlwind, the pregnancy went by so quickly, but I can't say that it was the most comfortable time in my life. There were so many times I just wanted to be in my home with my husband sleeping in my own bed.

This third pregnancy was quite a shock, to be honest I was devastated. I had just finished nursing Maximo, I finally felt like I had a handle on life with two little ones, and I was happy with our family of four. (I could go on and on about how I feel the world is made for a family of four, but I will spare you.) However, the closer I get to my due date the more I realize how neat pregnancy is. I hope, God willing, this will be my last pregnancy so I am trying to live in the moment and enjoy this time. It's so fun to share pregnancy with Athen. He is so fascinated with it. He asks so many questions. What is he doing now? Does he like when I touch your belly? Can he hear me? When will I meet him? Is he sleeping? He also feels him move all the time and each time he giggles and giggles. Tonight he sang him a song before he went to bed. It's just so sweet. However, I am sure things will be a bit different once he is born... Maximo on the other hand really has no clue. I feel a lot of guilt on how his life will change. Right now he is my baby and I know this will only last about 11 more weeks so I am giving him every bit of attention I can. He is constantly on my hip, in my lap or by my side. Today I was sitting on the floor "criss, cross, applesauce" and he backed up into my lap to read a book. I bet he backed up four or five times trying to get comfortable in my lap, but my belly was in his way. He has no idea nor does he care why he can't climb all over me and step on my belly.

I am really excited to be having another boy! I know the next couple of years will be exhausting, scary, and downright hard, but will be some of the greatest times in my life. When else will I have three boys depend on me for nearly every aspect of their lives? My little guys are wild, crazy, and make me want to pull my hair out, but man can they be sweet. Atleast once a day Athen will tell me he loves me and give me a big kiss and Maximo will climb up in my lap and lay his head on my shoulder just wanting to cuddle. I cherish the sweetness of my little boys, and I'm looking forward to adding another little wild man to this crew!