Life in the fast lane

Two months since my last blog. Sheesh. Kinda pathetic. I think, though, that it's a testament to the break-neck speed our lives have come to reflect since Daddy's return. The first month is a fog, honestly. I don't remember much except wanting to spend every moment with him and the kids. And waking up to the sheer joy of lying next to him in bed. After a couple weeks of reintegration, we ventured to the beach with the kids. It was fast and furious, but the kids had a blast.
As soon as we returned from our sandy vacay, Big D started the Big K! The Lord provided the funds for us to send him to a Christian school and each day he learns not only from his books but from the Bible as well. I cannot tell you how deeply this blesses our hearts. A school that backs up what we teach at home -- what a delight!! It has been such a blessing to see him thriving this early in his education.

Once we were sure things were going well in the Big K (and by that I mean that we, the parents, were going to be okay with our little baby in school :), Hubby and I took off for a more extended vacay ourselves. In case anyone military is reading this, if you don't know already Camp LeJune (in North Carolina) has FABULOUS beach front accommodations that can be reserved and rented through their MWR. For cheap!! We spent a few nights there and then spent a night in Wilmington as well. We intended to stay longer, but, as my husband so tongue-in-cheekly likes to put it, "another woman came between us". Yep, Hurricane Irene thwarted our plans for our last night's stay. So we headed home early to wait out the big storm. Which, for the record, was more like a good rain soaking and wind blowing as far inland as we live. Thank the Lord for his protection.
September and its slightly cooler temperatures brought with it a new routine for our family. One that begins early with a predawn rise for PT for our resident Chaplain. I am up not too long after him to get that sleepy-eyed boy up and at'em for school. Our sweet angel girl suffers the most from this new routine, being woken up some mornings long before her internal clock tells her to rise. Depending on the day of the week, I spend anywhere from 45 min to 1 hr 15 min in the car by 9am. Jordan attends a local Christian preschool three mornings a week and it is on those days that I run errands, clean house, and attempt to improve my time on the 5K. The days seem to go by so fast with afternoon pick-up and dinner preparation. I live and die by the clock. Time dictates everything to me. Not that this is a bad thing, just another adjustment in life. A new season. No complaints here. Our family is moving, and changing, and maturing -- together, as it should.

Tim and I attended his Brigade's ball mid-September. It was a celebratory ball to highlight the end of their year-long deployment. I always enjoy these events as they afford me the opportunity to feel like I'm attending the prom I never went to. Tim picked out and bought for me a BEAUTIFUL dress, which I affectionately named my mermaid dress (because of the color. We had a wonderful evening!

We also had the opportunity to travel with Tim to Arkansas in late September to visit our endorsing church and see our church family. We took a plane ride there, which was fun and interesting. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with friends and were so blessed by their generosity.

Historic Cotham's Mercantile in Scott, AR

Another one of my biggest blessings and yet biggest challenges as of late has been the ladies Bible study that I am co-teaching with my dear Army wife friend Rachel at our local PWOC. God has stretched me, pushed me, pulled me, and grown me through this experience. The preparation is hard work; it makes me dig deep into the Scriptures -- deeper than I would otherwise probably do for a typical quiet time. A good thing. God has also blessed us with a WONDERFUL class of women hungry for his word, passionate about Godly children, and eager to learn. This experience has been one that I will never forget and I look forward to how God will continue to work in the lives of these gals throughout this semester!

Recently we enjoyed an outing with our maternal grandparents to the pumpkin patch. I look SO forward to this time each year with our kids. There's something about the bright orange pumpkins that make such GORGEOUS pictures! Here's a few to enjoy:I loathe BIG "download" posts where weeks and months get lumped into one post. So, thank you for bearing with me through this one. I long to be more intentional about blogging and share our lives in smaller chunks with you. I also long to share more of what God is showing me on a heart level. He's always working, you know! And as an uncle once encouraged me, I want to keep blogging because "one day it will be my family's history."