FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!!!!!

HOLY SMOKES!!!! Anyone with boys should understand this sentiment. (OR if you know my boys...you may also understand this sentiment). So this afternoon, after I had just gotten home from the Commissary with groceries, I hear screaming and yelling going on in the boys room. For fear that WWE has commenced in the boys room...I run back there to see what is going on. We (Brent and I) separate them and put them in their neutral corners. Then the investigation begins...Brent takes Jake, I get Tom. My conversation with Tommy went something like this: Me: "Tommy, what happened in here?" Tommy (in a very matter of fact voice): "Well, first I was beating on Jakey." Me: "Beating?!?" (Just checking to make sure that I heard him correctly). Tom: "Yes, beating. Then he started doing this to me." (He begins to hit himself on the head). This is not an uncommon conversation in our house...Tommy often "helps" Jake "check in to reality" by beating him, hitting him...or what he just did two seconds ago..."Here, I'll pinch you." Still trying to figure out how to keep this kind of behavior to a minimum. But sometimes I get a chuckle in the middle of all of it.

Christmas Postcards...

For those of you who don't know...my sister, Erin, is a FABULOUS photographer (I think I may have mentioned that a few times)...and also wonderful at many other things. Something that she is doing this year is Christmas Postcards. She will design and personalize them according to your requests...then have them printed and sent to you. YES, this is a shameless plug for my sister...one which she DID NOT put me up to! I thought that since I liked them so much that ya'll might want to share in the fun. So to see what she can do for you...go to www.erinwallace.net. Her "Tiny Twists" division page will come up right away with samples of the different designs that she currently has. They are BEAUTIFUL (have I mentioned that yet?)...and we will DEFINATELY be ordering some. Check it out!

Guam...sweet Guam...

Well, we made it. After an epic journey to the States - just one mom and four kids, and another epic journey back with one mom, one dad, and four kids...we are HOME. Yes, home in Guam...and although there are things about Guam that may not always make me happy (ie. a lack of a Starbucks - not a single one on this island). It is nice to be home where we do what we do as a family in "normal" life...whatever that is. What an adventure the last few months have been...and I would do it again in a heartbeat. My mom and dad were FANTASTIC in every way...loving me, supporting me, and encouraging me while I LIVED with them. It may not have been the most ideal situation for them...but I recognize the great sacrifice they made for me and I am so very thankful. It is good to be home now though with Brent where we can see him and hug him everyday. God has been so good to our little (or not so little) family and we are so thankful. So now we will look at what He is putting before us in Guam and be thankful for our time here...our friends here, and the opportunities He sets before us. Now if we could just get our internal clocks back to Guam time...

Homecoming...

HE'S HOME!!!! The wait is finally over and on Thursday this week at zero dark thirty (as we Navy types like to say) Brent arrived at Dulles airport to his ecstatic wife and very excited children. We missed him so much! We have had a whirlwind of a weekend...Erin, my sister, arrived on Wednesday and went to the airport with us on Thursday morning to take pictures of our reunion. (They were fabulous of course, and can be viewed on Facebook). My brother, Josh, also arrived home on Wednesday for a quick pass through from college before going on a retreat this weekend. We got to see him for a day and a half...then he was off again. On Friday the rest of the family arrived. Erin's husband Chris, my sister Beka and her husband Joel, and my grandfather - Poppi Bob (as we call him). So this weekend we had 16 people all staying under one roof together and it was AWESOME! We normally have a week where our WHOLE family gets together at the beach, but this year that wasn't possible for us or for my brother-in-law Chris...so this was kinda like a shortened version of that (except we were missing Josh). It was busy and there were a lot of things going on, but we celebrated birthdays that had happened and that will happen in the next couple of months, we sat around and talked and played, and just generally enjoyed being a family. This is the part of life that I miss when we are on Guam...the part where the family gets together for those special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas. So I am thankful that I got to have a little piece of that before going back.

So true...so true...

Tommy just told me, "Mom, I make up my own rules." This is so true on SO many levels.

Strange...but funny...

I was just sitting with Tommy at the kitchen table eating lunch with him. He asked me to get him a drink of milk...and I asked him where his cup from this morning was. "Downstairs." "Well, you need to go downstairs and get it and then I will get you a drink of milk." "I can't." "Why not?" "Because there are balls in my feet." "What?" "There are balls in my feet and they are going nutso." Not kidding...exactly what he said...word for word. Weird...but funny.

10 Years...

It's official...I have now been a mom for 10 years. Meaning, of course, that our beautiful sweet Haley turned 10 today. Wow. Never could I have imagined what this life of motherhood would hold for me. So many treasures for my heart in the blessings that are my children. Yeah...we have our tough moments, but the moments of hugs, I love yous, smiles, and laughter make motherhood the joy that it is. I can't believe how quickly my children are growing...someday I will look back and remember with happiness these moments that I have with them. I am truly blessed to be a mom. As for Haley, well, she is a beautiful young lady with blue eyes like her daddy. It all seems to have happened so quickly. Happy Birthday my sweet Haley.