Scouts, Spring and Stuff

Last week was big for us scout-wise.  Brandon finished up as a Wolf scout, and is now a Webelos scout!  He's been working really hard, and has SO much fun with scouts.  Several of his buddies are in it, and he just has a great time... but that may have something to do with the fact that his daddy is his den leader!  We're so proud of him!

Brandon & his friend, Christian












Brandon receiving his Webelos badge - that's Mike to the right of him.



Spring is "springing" outside.  The grass is starting to get green again, we've had rain showers, and my flowers are on the cusp of blooming.  I LIVE for my hyacinths to come up each year.  They smell soooo good!  As I'm looking at these pictures though, I'm realizing that I have some considerable landscaping work to do.  Helloooo mulch!

I know nothing about duck habitats, but I have come to the conclusion that we must have a duck nest somewhere near our house.  Each morning as the kids go to the bus stop, we either see a mallard or a female duck in the vicinity of our front yard.  The mallard prefers hanging out in our cul-de-sac, while the female duck hangs out in our front yard.  The pond in our neighborhood is around the corner & across the street.  Maybe they just like our yard?  Who knows.  All I know is that Brandon was convinced the female duck kept saying "Aflac".

Last night, we had our first big "storm" of spring.  The sky turned black & we had hail, along with gusting winds & rain.  Brandon, being terrified of storms, boogied straight for the basement.  In fact, we all just moved the party downstairs.  I made popcorn and the boys & I watched "Survivor" while the weather decided to be a little scary.  As it turned out, the cell that moved over our house had tornadic (is that a word?  I'm going to pretend it is.) activity just a little bit east of us.  Yikes!  While this freaked Brandon out, Ryan pointed out that we did indeed, make it through tornado weather.  ;)

Today is Thursday.  Monday-Wednesday, my kids wore shorts to school.  After our big "storm" last night, a cold front moved in.  This morning, they had jeans, long-sleeved shirts, hats & gloves on.  And they're talking snow for the weekend.  Welcome to the bi-polar weather state, otherwise known as Indiana.  Where else can it be sunny & warm one day and cold & snowy the next?  ;)

It spoke to me!

Yesterday's church sermon, that is.

I hate to admit it but, I don't go to church as often as I should.  Many times our schedule plays a big part that doesn't allow us to go.  Sometimes it's the fight of getting everyone out the door - and seriously, I think I lose more religion than I gain most Sundays with this feat alone.  While our new minister gets the job done, the previous one left some pret-ty big shoes to fill (in my opinion).  I just can't seem to get inspired by the "new guy" -- and really, he's not that new...he's been there for a while now.  Anyway, I sometimes find myself taking polls to pass time during the sermons -- short hair -v- long hair; dress -v- skirt; tie -v- no tie; etc...  Many times the sermons just don't speak to me.  That was not the case yesterday.  I found myself hanging on every word.  I love those sermons!

While many things during the sermon spoke to me, two things stuck out.

First, our minister said, "The world is like a book.  If you never move or travel, you never get past the first chapter."  How true!  Now, I'm by no means worldly or a world traveler.  I've been to 3 countries outside of the USA:  Canada, Mexico and Jamaica.  I've done my fair share of moving, courtesy of the USAF.  Granted, Mike & I haven't moved anywhere NEAR as often as some of our friends.  But we've moved enough to where I've learned a lot about myself.

I've learned these things:
1.  Moving (military style)
*You will be able to pack up, move & unpack your house by yourself while your husband is away at training.
*If the packers show up a day early, you have to roll with it.
*You have to wash the dirty dishes in the sink because the packers will pack them dirty.
*You have to hide your trash can because the packers WILL pack your trash.
*You have to quickly decide which uniforms your husband will need, and guard them with your life so said packers do not pack them.
*You will move while you're pregnant.  GROSSLY pregnant.  GROSSLY 8 1/2 months pregnant in the deep south's finest heat & humidity.
*If you give your husband specific instructions for the packers while you go to your last OB appointment before moving, write them down - otherwise, he won't remember them.  Case in point:  You have wreaths made from your dried wedding flowers.  You want a separate box for each wreath so they don't get crushed.  You come home to find ONE box labeled "Reefs".  Reefs?  Apparently Mayflower packers have their own way of spelling "wreaths"??  You open said "Reefs" box to find your flowers crushed into oblivion.  Husband has the "a-ha" lightbulb moment & says "Ooooh, I was supposed to tell them to do separate boxes, wasn't I?  Sorry."  (sigh)

****Now, I have to give props to my husband.  If he hadn't been away at training, or been transferred to another base for training, I wouldn't have learned these things about myself.  Or, how we would handle things and adventures together across the country!****
      
2.  You write your military friends' addresses in pencil.

3.  You make new friends quickly... and those friendships will last a lifetime.

4.  Once you arrive in a new town, you throw the map out the window and just drive around.  Yes, you will get lost, but you see more of the new town this way - whether you want to or not!

5.  Once you arrive in the deep south, do NOT order unsweet tea.  You will literally bring the restaurant to complete silence, only to have the waitress say, "Sugar, you're not from around here, are you?"

6.  When you move away from home, your friends & neighbors become your family.

7.  During a deployment, no matter how long it may be, the following things WILL happen:  a major appliance WILL stop working; any and all children WILL become ill; animals WILL bolt out the front door and will NOT come back until the next day;  pet frogs WILL die;  you WILL have to put on your game face...even when you don't feel like it;  you WILL have to fix things around the house;  you WILL have to make major decisions solely on your own and pray that you made the right one;  you WILL have to dry your children's tears after they Skype with their daddy who is half-way around the world;  you WILL shed your own tears after your children are tucked into bed because you are completely exhausted.

8.  You are strong and weak, all at the same time.

But after thinking about these things, I started to wonder... what about the people who have never really left home?  Have they figured things out?  I mean, we learn new things all the time.  But, have they really figured themselves out without the security net of family nearby?  Something to ponder, anyway.

Okay, so this is just a glimpse into the chapters of my "life" and a few things I've learned along the way.  While I've moved past chapter one, I still have many more to go & lots more to learn.  Each day, I learn something about myself, and by doing that, I will create new chapters in my life.  I believe Maya Angelou said, "You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle three things:  a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas lights."  This makes me chuckle because at different stages of my life (thus far), I've handled these things differently.  My husband will certainly attest that I did NOT handle lost luggage well on our trip to Jamaica.  Of course, that also was paired with missed flights & lost reservations.  Mike kept a level head.  I, on the other hand, just downed a glass of champagne & fell into a chair.  Regardless, we got through it.  Good.  Bad.  Or otherwise.  ;)

All of the above things would be different for any of us.  In my 38 years, I've learned to be pretty independent. Now, I had help in this from my mother, who taught both my sister & I to be strong, independent women - and she taught my brother to be a strong, independent man.  Well, my dad had a part in this too... however, I was and will ALWAYS be a daddy's girl.  ;)  As my dad says, "your mom is a crusty old broad".  And, he honestly means that in the nicest way possible.  A term of endearment, if you will.  :)  I hope to be at least half the woman she is.  Both of my parents are huge inspirations to me in how I live my life.  They are both kind, sarcastic (which in turn, taught all 3 kids to be sarcastic as well -- hey, you had to keep up!), easy going & generous to a fault -- but a good fault!  They both strive to make others feel good.  Which brings me to my next point that spoke to me in the sermon...

Be a blessing to someone.

What does that mean?  How do I do that?  By sacrificing yourself for others.  How many times have I, as a parent, given up something so my kids could have something?  Many times.  And, it made me feel great.  Why?  To see the look of pure joy and happiness on their faces, that's why!  Now, it's not always monetary things.  It can also just be your time.  One-on-one time.  Yes, I have 10,000 other things to get done, but the world WILL keep spinning if I don't get to the dishes or laundry at that very moment.  Instead, I'm going to go & color pictures of Spongebob or make a Lego creation with my boys.

Sacrifice is defined differently by all of us.  It could be something small.  It could be something big.  It could be the latte that you were in such desperate need of at Starbucks... but instead of getting it for yourself, you gave it to your child's teacher - because by seeing the day she was having, you could tell she needed it more.  It could be just sitting and listening to a friend vent because she was ready to go postal, or sad, or frustrated, or, fill in the blank.  It could be listening to the cashier at the grocery store share a story about her granddaughter that other people would've rolled their eyes over because they didn't want to take the time to listen.  It could be a myriad of things.  It's just taking time to do things for others.  Sacrificing your time.  We all get so busy that our time is precious.  But is it so precious that we don't have time for others?

I just want to take the time to thank my parents, for the gazillionth time, for being the wonderful people they are.  They give themselves selflessly to others.  I hope to be just like them when I grow up.  ;D  ha!

So I have to remind myself of these two important points.

1.  Create new chapters in my life.  LIVE my life!
2.  Be a blessing to others, and in return, YOU will be blessed.

Spring

has SPRUNG!

Today was the first really nice day in quite some time.  I'm talking where 55 degrees feels like 80 - just because you're SO sick of cold & rain.  Not a cloud in the sky.  Beautiful.

I actually had the sunroof open today while running errands.  It was wonderful!  However, I did still have my seat heater on.  It reminded me of my convertible days where I'd have the top down & the heat cranked all the way.  Yes, I love to have the wind in my hair.  But I also enjoy a toasty tush!

You know great weather is really here when the kids hustle to get their homework done so they can get outside to play.  And when you heat dinner up twice because each time you try to call them in they say, "Aw mom, but we're still playing football!"

I love days like these.  And if the forecast is correct for tomorrow, we'll be seeing 68 degrees.  I can't WAIT!

An arm & a leg

is what I just gave to fill up my land yacht of a vehicle, otherwise known as my Suburban.

Today, gas was $3.47/gallon.  I shop at Kroger, and for every $100 you spend, you get $.10 off per gallon of gas.  So that meant I got gas for $3.37/gallon.  I paid $84.85 to fill up the beast today.  And sadly, it wasn't on empty.

I think to avoid sticker shock in the future, I will not let the tank get past half.  I know I'll still be paying the same astronomical rate for gas, but it'll trick me into thinking it's cheaper.  Hey, it's girl math.  Y'know like if I spend $75 at a certain store, I get this way cool discount & this pair of shoes for FREE!  It's this sort of mind trickery that gets us through the day.  (or gets us those super-cute boots that we simply CANNOT live without.)

With these gas prices, I think I'll do my half-marathon training by running to & from everywhere I need to go.  Kids need a ride?  Run with me.  Groceries?  Strap them to my back.  Ya, that was a good thought for about 5 seconds.  Don't worry, I snapped back into reality.

I'm thankful for...

Doctors.  Medical testing.  Mother's intuition.  Everything.

I know I've babbled incessantly the past few days about my kids being ill.  Sorry, they're my life.  It's my job to take care of them!

Yesterday was a breaking point for us with Ryan.  His fever went down, only to go back up again.  Then to add insult to injury, he developed a yucky, rattling cough -- that was causing him pain.  Uh oh.

Mike was due to get home from work at 6pm.  We planned on doing the kid hand-off... I take Ry, he watches Brandon.  So, off we went to MedCheck.  MedCheck was closed.  Okay, off to St. V. Urgent Care.  Closed.  Hmmm.  Apparently these places don't think people get sick after 5pm on weekends??

So, off to the ER we went.  I was envisioning standing-room only, screaming children, bleeding adults, coughing, blah blah blah.  We walked in, and it was a ghost town.  Are we in the right place?  So, I registered Ryan, and we waited all of 5 minutes before we were called back.  He was assessed and we waited in a room.  Within minutes, a nurse came in, took his vitals, and we were told what would happen.  A chest X-ray was in order to see if he had pneumonia.  Advil would be administered to try and bring his fever down.  So, we waited for the X-ray tech, and again, it was all of 5 minutes.  Chest x-ray done, and we wait.  The doctor came in, said they saw pneumonia in both lungs (yikes), and a prescription for a Z-pack was being written up.  Follow up with the Pediatrician on Monday, and off we went!

I would have to say, this was the best (in a matter of speaking) ER visit in history.  No screaming children.  No long wait.  No fuss.  Easy peasy.  But the best part was actually finding out WHY my baby wasn't feeling well, and having doctors that work hard to FIND those reasons.  I'm so thankful for them!!

And as an added bonus, the meds are working!!  Ry's fever is UNDER 100 this morning, his appetite is back, and he's fighting with his brother.  While the latter of these things make me crazy nonetheless, it's good to have him back.  :)

As corny as it may sound, all I can think of is the "Thankfulness song" from Veggie Tales.  The lyrics are:

"I thank God for this day, 
For the sun in the sky, 
For my mom and my dad, 
For my piece of apple pie!

For our home on the ground, 
For His love that's all around,
That's why I say thanks every day! 

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart! 
I'm glad for what I have, 
Thats an easy way to start!

For the love that He shares, 
'Cause He listens to my prayers,
That's why I say thanks every day! "


That's why I say "thanks" every day.

What would I do without...

Fill in the blank.

Most days, I can fill this blank with "my friends, my family, coffee, Twizzlers, Peanut Butter M&M's...".  However, with the kids being sick the past few days, I'm going to throw in "Facebook."

Why Facebook?  I'll try to explain.

Okay so, I don't work outside of my home, other than my occasional photo shoots or my occasional substitute teaching gig.  And, I'm okay with that.  Except that some days, when you're cooped up with sick kids, or the weather is nasty, or you're not feeling well, or well, just anything... you need an outlet, right?  I don't have the proverbial "water cooler" to catch up with my co-workers.  Unless going to the fridge door, getting water & having 3 cats & a dog stare at you counts?  I don't have the pat on the back for a job well-done.  I don't get a pay raise.  Anyway, I'm not saying anything new about being a stay-at-home-parent.  It's what I do.  It's what many women/men do.  And I love that I get to do it.  Anyway, I digress.  I need an outlet.

Facebook is my outlet.  My link to the outside world.  My "water cooler", if you will.  My friends & family are a mere click away.  If I'm having a good day, I'll share.  If I'm having a bad day, I'll share.  While this may be annoying to others, too bad.  It's my sounding board.  It's my one-click away from my "golden girls".  We don't usually have time to have a long, drawn-out phone conversation; but we can comment, message, chat, and make each other laugh.  I'm talking the uncontrollable, make-you-cry, convulsing, make-you-spit-various-liquids-onto-your-laptop-screen, laughing.  It's this kind of outlet that gets me through things.  Good times, bad times, sick kids, awards, tears, joys.  This is how I look at Facebook.

Anyway, I'm thankful for friends & family who are a click away and who will build me up when I'm down.  Who will be my cheerleader when I feel like I'm going to fall over from lack of sleep or pass out from Lysol fumes.  Friends and family who care about MY family.  I just hope that I reciprocate in the same way for everyone who fills my parenting/friend/family tank.

What would I do without Facebook?  Today, I don't want to find out.

Sickness

As usual, the Hoke house is getting it's fair share of illness.  This is day #2 of both kids home from school.

Yesterday, naps were no problem.  Both kids were miserable.  Sleep was good.

Today, still not a problem for Ryan -- he is flat-out miserable.  He has a fever of 103.  Achey all over.  Sore throat.  Pure yuck.  He's napping blissfully as I type.

Today, not so much for Brandon.  His ears are still bothering him, sure.  But his feistiness has come back, as has his appetite.  When I stated that it was time to take a nap, I got a standard eye roll, stomping feet and "the look".  Glad to have you back, Bran!

So, on his way (begrudgingly) upstairs, he handed me a hand-written sign.

I think this says it all.  And, it's true.  This child has hated naps since the ripe old age of 18 months, when he gave them up.  (sigh)  How is he MY child??  No one loves naps more than me!

New Year. New outlook. Just new in general.

Yes, it's March.  Yes, this is my first post of the year.  Yes, I'll vow to keep this up more consistently, and will probably fall off of that wagon.  Again.  Hey, it's who I am, folks.  ;)  But yes, I AM going to make a bigger effort this year!  Grandma, you need to keep nudging me, okay?  ;)

If I had a secretary, I'd be on top of this thing... but since I don't have one, and I'm a mom of 2 boys, and I'm a military wife, and I run in 20 directions at once, I'm grateful for when I actually sit down TO post!

Blogging alert... this one will be all over the place.  You've been warned.  ;)

After taking a hiatus from swim team (which has been very much welcomed), the boys have decided to go down the soccer road again.  Okay.  So we'll all go from smelling like chlorine to working on our farmer's tans.  Right on!  Dust off those lawn chairs!!  However, I will be investing in some decent golf umbrellas because as we all know, they do not cancel games for rain.  POURING rain.  Cold, POURING rain.  Cold wind, and POURING rain.  You get the picture.  And, as soon as I figure out how to clone myself & be at 2 practices or games at once, I'll let you know.

So, I never really blogged about my photography.  I think I mentioned that I wanted a whiz-bang camera, and that photography is something I had always wanted to do.  Well, I'm happy to report that I'm currently living my dream!!  I fell into it, sort of.  When one of my best friends' photographer pooped out on her, I offered my services.  I offered them because while this other woman took wonderful photos, she left my friend hanging.  You can't leave someone hanging for their beloved Christmas Card photos!  And because I had always wanted to take someone's family pictures, and because I love this friend & her family, here was my chance.  I didn't have my fancy, whiz-bang camera yet, but I took the pictures with my point-and-shoot & edited them nonetheless.  We posted them on Facebook, and the rest has fallen into place.  She jump-started my business and I will be forever grateful.  Thanks Cor-ay!!  :)

In early-to-mid November, I bought my whiz-bang camera, and I have been having a ball!!  Now, I'm still learning as I go, but wow.  What a ride so far!  I've met some A-MA-ZING families, and have made new friends.  I love meeting new people, and I have been so incredibly blessed that these people have allowed me to capture some very precious moments for them.  All of my life I've been looking at things through an invisible camera.  Now I get the chance to look at things through my new whiz-bang camera and take the pictures I've always wanted to take.  :)

On another note, have you ever just sat down & realized just how grateful you are for the people in your life?  I've been doing that a lot lately.  Last year, I made a resolution that I would quit putting time & effort into relationships where I received nothing in return.  It really opened my eyes!  It has allowed me to view these relationships in a whole new light.  It has also made it clear who really cared & who didn't.  And, that's okay.  I think I have spent so much time trying to foster relationships into being more than they were.  Turns out, some of them just weren't the "close" relationships I was looking for.  And again, that's okay!  I have been SO blessed with a group that I refer to as my "golden girls".  While there are different levels within this golden group, these are women that I can honestly say, I could not live without.  These are women that I could call at 2 a.m., and they would drop everything & come running.  These are girls that even if we don't speak for a couple of months (kids, families, and y'know, life in general), when we do, it's like there was never any gap in time.  I love these women!!  And I thank God for them every. single. day.

Okay, so I don't overdo it in one day, I'll end here.  Grandma, you can pick your jaw up off the floor now.  Yes, I blogged!!  :)