Phase One Complete

With baby planning, Thanksgiving hosted at my home, and Christmas on the horizon it has been difficult for me to focus my thoughts long enough to even consider writing a new post. To my regular visitors, please accept my apologies. I know it has been pretty boring here with no new content. So much for my old rule of at least one new blog entry per week. My brain is just on overdrive, and if it were not for lists I would never accomplish a thing.

Seeking out cute baby clothes has been quite a pleasure. Who remembers new babies are so tiny? Have you looked at a newborn baby diaper lately? Are their butts really that small? I had to put a stop to my clothes shopping; at least for a while anyway. About the only thing this child needs in the fabric department is some more Onsies and those cute little mittens that stop their little nails from scratching their cute little faces. Other than that, I have the newborn department filled. Time to focus on other things like bottles, nipples, diapers and accessories, blankets, sheets, a monitor, and the million other things I'm not thinking of right now.

Over the years I have grown to know and love certain resale stores in the area. That is one good thing about living in such an urban setting, there are plenty to choose from. Imagine my surprise when I found the cutest little boutique style resale shop, Secret Treasures Upscale Resale, right in the neighborhood. I have managed to find over 95% of the things I have purchased so far all under this one cool, little roof. The quality of their goods is amazing, and you don't have to pick through armloads of items to find something good. It's all good. You just spend your time deciding what is cutest in your size and price range. Love it! This past Friday I found an adorable, like new bassinet for $40; a steal in my book based on the prices of the new ones. I spent the weekend rearranging our bedroom and redecorating the walls. It looks great, and I find myself staring at the bassinet hardly believing that in less than two months there will be this cute little miracle in there completely depending on me for everything.

How is it that babies can be so cute, lovable, and awe inspiring while at the same time completely terrifying? Of course, I don't mean that literally, but there are moments when I do feel a little intimidated. There is solace in knowing that my feelings are all completely normal. It is also interesting to note that this is the most relaxed I have ever been anticipating the arrival of a baby. Maybe it's the fact that I don't have to give birth. (Heaving a BIG sigh of relief!) Barring some unforeseen miracle of God, which we all know he is capable of but hope he's not planning on demonstrating, experiencing the miracle of birth is something permanently checked off of my list of things to experience in my lifetime. AMEN!

As the arrival of our beloved Avery gets closer and closer it is becoming more evident to my husband as well as myself just how different life will be with a newborn around 24/7 and completely dependent upon us for his nurturing. Pat, my husband, and Andrew, our oldest son, went to our friends' home in Big Rapids to do some hunting. When he came home he told me all about this idea he had for us this summer. Our friends would come to our home, and we would ride the motorcycles up the coast of The Thumb to those great cabins we stayed in two years ago for our anniversary. I thought it was a great idea, but I wondered how much fun it would be on the back of the motorcycle with Avery in a sling. Of course, this got a few chuckles out of both of us. The fact that we would then be new parents had completely slipped his mind. So, the original plan switched from riding up together to me driving the car with our new bundle of joy while they rode the motorcycles so that motorcycle riding would still be a fun option for the excursion. A win, win situation for all of us.

It's strange to think this time next year we will be preparing to celebrate our first Christmas with Avery. Who would have thought we would ever have that experience together? I was most certain that big landmark firsts were a thing of the past. This just goes to show that one really does never know what lies around tomorrow's corner. Life is full of wonderful experiences and opportunities when one is a willing participant in the plans of God.

Second Year Award

Andrew receives his two-year award at Sea Cadets this past Sunday!

One Down; Two to Go

Well, the kids have started trickling back home. We got back this afternoon from picking Andrew up at Fort Custer in Battle Creek. He actually graduated from two trainings, POLA and Hazardous Materials. There was some type of mix-up that made it a bonus for him; two trainings in one with no extra fees. You have to love that! Now he will be able to advance more quickly. He just has to get his course work completed. He'll see E4 in no time.

Adrian is slated to arrive home sometime tomorrow afternoon. What a blessing it is to have a ride just "drop out of the air" for him. We have been saved from two early mornings and long travel days in a row. I think Pat and I will likely hit the pavement on two wheels in the morning. The weather is supposed to stay beautiful, so it should be perfect.

Do any of you women out there ride? I went down to Secretary of State and got my permit to get my cycle endorsement last year. I didn't ride enough and never got my license. Now, Pat is really bugging me to do it this summer. In all honesty, I really do want my endorsement. He just stresses me out about it, and we live in a VERY urban area with TONS of traffic. Talk about being thrown in with the sharks! Last year I just tooled around the neighborhood practicing stopping, going, and shifting. I just want to be proficient and confident before swimming with the big beasts. You know what I mean?

Anyway, back on track here. Thursday is our day that we pick up Amie from the airport. I am sure she will have plenty to share with us upon her return. Once we get her home, everyone that lives here will be present and accounted for.

Meanwhile, our one twin, Tammi, that lives in Indiana is coming home for a few days to visit with the little one in tow, Rocco. We don't see him often, and it takes him a little while to warm up to us since we are stranger to him than most. :-) We also got BIG news. When Pat talked to Tammi last she informed us that she is pregnant with number two child. That means that we will have seven children and five grandchildren, and we aren't even done raising kids yet! What in the world? People already look at me like I have three heads when I tell them our current family statistics. Initially, it is shocking enough to them that I am a Nana. Then, I get to tell them I have FOUR grandkids. Now I get to make that FIVE! Absolute insanity!!! BTW ~ I am a mere 37 years young!

Boot Camp Visit

Well, we made it safely to Chicago for Andrew's graduation from Navy Sea Cadet Boot Camp at Great Lakes Naval Academy. It was a great experience and very nice to see Andrew for a few hours.

He really seemed to enjoy himself, but he was glad to be moving on to new scenery. He did very well and learned a lot in such a short period of time. The Sea Cadets had the privilege in attending an actual ceremony where Navy Recruits become real enlisted Seamen. It seemed to have had a profound effect on him. He found the experience very emotional. Pat and I both feel that this experience will contribute greatly to his success when he attends actual Navy Boot Camp at the time of his enlistment. No, he has not changed his mind.

I truly believe that being in the military is Andrew's calling. This child has lived and breathed everything military ever since he was five years old. As a mother I never could have imagined myself encouraging any of my children to be in the military. At a certain point I came to the realization that I simply had no choice in the matter. This child was born to serve.

Now, it is a real pleasure for Pat and I to watch Andrew learn and grow into a polite and responsible young man right before our eyes. It is an even greater pleasure to be an active participant in the realization of his dream. How refreshing it is to see someone know exactly what they want, put goals in place to ensure success, and work toward an end goal daily. It is so awesome!

Andrew is now at Fort Custer in Battle Creek for a two-week Hazardous Materials Training. We will be attending another graduation soon. BRAVO ZULU, Andrew!

Boot Camp Pictures

I just checked the web site for the Sea Cadet Boot Camp, and they have pictures available. After wading through them I did manage to find some of Andrew.

It looks like they are working very hard. We did get a letter home. It was too funny! He was commenting on how he bets the food for Father's Day was so good and better than the food there. Not that the food is too bad there, but mom's food is the best. Gotta love that kid!

We are really looking forward to attending his graduation this Sunday at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois. There will be over 700 family members in attendance for the cadets.

Andrew is fourth back on the left.

Getting the famous military hair cut!

Running the track ~ second back on the left.


Third back, third row from the left.

Off to Boot Camp

Our oldest son, Andrew, left for Boot Camp today. He is 16 and in the Navy Sea Cadets. He will be in Chicago at the Navy base for a week. Next Sunday we will get to watch him graduate in a formal military ceremony. We are really looking forward to seeing his accomplishments.

Andrew has wanted to be career military ever since he was five years old. When he was little I always thought he would grow out of it; just a little boy's fantasy. Well, here we are 11 years later, and he is still focused on being career military. I never thought I would encourage any of my children to go into the service. Now, how can I not?

My aunt put it this way, "God needs people everywhere." That one sentence really got my attention. It is sound logic. It seems that is what he was born to do. God gives us all gifts, and it is up to us to pursue them. We are very proud of Andrew.

He has solid goals. Andrew is in marital arts and plans to achieve his black belt before entering the service. He also plans to achieve rank in Sea Cadets and earn his associates degree before he enlists. It is impossible to do anything but help him figure out how to make his dreams come true.

Click here to learn more about the Navy Sea Cadets.