Only a few days left

Jason will be home this week! Hooray! We are more than ready to see him again. Single mothering is way too hard...my hat is off to any mother who has to do this full time. The kids and I have been trying hard the last few days to not get on each other's nerves. Luckily, I had a couple lifesaving friends come to my rescue lately. I went to the new Twilight movie with my friend Kamee Hale (yes, all you Montana friends, That Kamee). Her husband was a saint and offered to watch the kids while we had a GNO. Much needed on my part. Anyway, that was super fun. And then my visiting teacher called and offered to take the kids for a couple hours. I didn't do anything super exciting, just grocery shopping, but even grocery shopping without kids seemed like a treat to me. And now the end is in sight. And you know, 7 weeks is a long time for a 2 year old. She has changed a lot since Jason left. She speaks in almost comprehensible sentences now. Won't Jason be surprised.

Motherhood

I cried when I watched this...hard. With Jason gone, things have been hectic, to say the least. I've been less patient and understanding than I should have been with my kids. I know I need to rely on Him a lot more. My children are the most amazing people in my life and they deserve my very best everyday. Sometimes messages of hope like this one are exactly what mothers like me need to hear.

Happy Independence Day!

I am so grateful to live in this country. I am grateful to my husband and all the military members who give their time and energy so that we can continue to enjoy our freedom. Our lifestyle depends on these people to keep being selfless in helping preserve our freedom. Thank You!

Jason is still in Cali, but I wanted to make sure and celebrate the 4th with the kids somehow. I found out that Fort Carson was hosting a big celebration, and since Colorado Springs didn't do a thing, it seemed like a good option. I am so glad I went! I've been telling everybody that the army really knows how to throw a party! There were about 20 jumpy castles for the kids, booths, lots of food, glow necklaces that my kids loved, and a band that was very entertaining indeed. The rock band and a traditional band accompanied the fireworks, which made it even more amazing. I was worried that the kids would be awful considering I had them up 3 hours past their bedtime, but they did remarkably well. Charlee was scared of the fireworks at first. I had her up on my shoulders until she started pulling my hair out to get down. Then she hid behind my legs, only peeking out briefly and then hiding again. But after a while, she warmed up to it and was just as enthusiastic as the boys.

My parents came up a couple weeks ago and we had a ton of fun exploring Colorado Springs. It is very beautiful here with lots of things to see and do. I think we only scratched the surface, and we were busy for 5 days. Here are some of the highlights.