The Devil Pup is 6 today!

It's so hard to believe that it's been 6 years since our "baby" Devil Pup came into the world at a whopping 8 lbs. 14 oz. and with a head full of hair.  That was a big surprise.  But it wouldn't be the first time we noticed how different she was from her sister.  

As a baby, she was so easy-going and laid-back, even when her sister got her all "dressed up" with stacking rings: 

Now, we can't get her to stop talking or moving, unless she is drawing or coloring.  And even then, she's usually talking.  But some things don't change.  Our Devil Pup, for all her impishness, is a sweetheart who always wants to make others feel better.  She is still the go-to kid for cuddles.  And she still loves a good adventure.

I can't wait to see what she'll conquer next!

DP today after school.  I wish I could say she was meditating, but she was just being goofy.  It was the first non-blurry shot I got of her.

After the Ball

Wouldn't you know it? I forgot to take pictures before the Ball so we took some after we got home. Of course, part of the problem was that we were running late and we were supposed to meet 2 other couples to carpool!












In case you're wondering: I'm not on a box or wearing stilts. Stretch is squatting... Feel the burn!

Happy Birthday, Marines!

Today, our Marine Corps celebrates 234 years since their birth in Tun Tavern. On Saturday, I was privileged to attend a Birthday Ball with my Marine. It is impossible for me to attend a Birthday Ceremony without being affected by the sense of history and fraternity that is a palpable presence.

Our men and women in all the services continue to give their all. You can honor their service and their sacrifices. Please give generously! They already have.

Click on the Valour-IT thermometer on the upper right sidebar to donate. Thank you!

Semper Fi!

9 years ago...

She came into the world weighing just over 8 lbs. 7 oz. and measuring 20-1/4 inches long.
Today, she's almost 4'6". That's roughly 33.5 inches of growth in 9 years. It sounds like a lot, but it creeps up on you. On day, she's a bundle of babyhood entirely dependent on you for everything. Then one day, you wake up to find a little girl who wakes herself up for school and makes her own breakfast. She's not entirely sure that you know anything about anything but has to stay on your good side to keep collecting her meager allowance. I'm telling you those 9 years went by in a flash!

Big Sis turned 9 today.

I took cupcakes to her school for her to share at lunch. She'll have a party this weekend. But today was just for family. She asked me to make veal piccata for dinner and I helped her bake brownies for dessert. After dinner, she opened her family presents. While her sister was less than thrilled with the book she received, Big Sis was excited about the Little House book she got.



I was reminded of my sister and myself as Big Sis went about opening her presents. While L'il Sis urged her to just tear them open, Big Sis very carefully and slowly unwrapped each gift.
(One Christmas, my younger sister grabbed my gift and opened it for me because I was being too slow in her opinion!)



Enjoying Big Sis's brownies for dessert...

PreK Graduation

Monday night was busy one here. L'il Sis had her dance class then we had to rush to her PreK graduation. The kids have been working hard to prepare 8 songs. They all did such a great job. But between the slide show, the songs, and the diplomas, it all made for a long night and L'il Sis was pretty tired by the end of it. It was bit over the top but the kids were so cute.

The night wouldn't have been complete with at least one "I don't know that child. Nope. Never laid eyes on her before" moment. It had nothing to do with L'il Sis. Her big sister, the 8 year old who claims she's not a child and therefore should know better, was the perpetrator. She said she couldn't see and had crept forward while the kids received their diplomas. It was done by class so there was a bit of a lull between classes while parents moved forward to take pictures. During one of these lulls, we see Big Sis pulling on the preschool director's blouse (she was MC'ing the ceremony) to tell her something. Oh, the horror! Turns out Big Sis thought the director had skipped a song (she's heard the practice CD a few times). It was the last song, the one the kids sang after receiving their diplomas.

Although they had their graduation ceremony, there's still a week of school left for L'il Sis. And thank goodness. Her class was small and very close-knit. She'll miss seeing her friends every week. Only one will be going to the same elementary school and there's no guarantee they'll be in the same class.

I'm thankful...

...that the cooking is OVER! This is the first time I've cooked Thanksgiving in, oh, about 6 years. (So, the first time I've cooked it for L'il Sis.) I wasn't sure if I remembered what to do or when. I started baking yesterday. That lasted all afternoon: pumpkin bread, pecan pie, pecan tassies, beer bread. I thought I'd get around to making some Semper Fi cookies, too, but that will have to wait for another day.

I managed to get up, prep the bird and get it in the oven at a decent time. (Even more impressive was the fact that it was actually quite good, if I do say so myself.) We were shooting for eating at lunchtime. With a little help from Stretch, I managed to time it so everything was ready at the same time (relatively). The girls were a little confused as to why we were eating dinner if it was lunchtime.

We also pulled out the good china and flatware. Threw an actual tablecloth down on the table and used cloth napkins. I know, our kids didn't know what to make of that! I even managed to corral everyone into sitting for a family picture for our Christmas cards (almost overcooked the potatoes doing that).

Now, back to planning my shopping strategy for tomorrow...

Happy Belated 233rd Birthday, Marines!

Better late than never! We celebrated the Marine Corps' 233rd birthday Sunday night. (The actual birthday was Monday, November 10.) One of the beautiful things of moving so much is that I get to recycle dresses because I'm the only one who knows how old it is or how many times I may have worn it!


The program for the evening had a page with quotations about Marines. Last year, I didn't attend a ball but provided a few of my favorite quotes. I have a new one to add to the list:


They told (us) to open up the Embassy, or "we'll blow you away." And then they looked up and saw the Marines on the roof with these really big guns, and they said in Somali, "Igaralli ahow," which means "Excuse me, I didn't mean it, my mistake."
--Karen Aquilar, in the U.S. Embassy; Mogadishu, Somalia, 1991

Big Sis

8 Years ago...

She always did have long legs like her daddy...

The birthday girl today...

10 years

10 years. That's how long it's been since we said our vows before family and friends. Since then, we've had 9 addresses, 6 PCS (Permanent Change of Station) moves and 2 children along the way. We've moved down the coast (both of them), across the country and around the world. We've driven across barren wasteland wondering when we'd see the next person. And we've survived driving in the urban traffic of D.C., L.A., and Seoul.

10 years. We've endured the blistering heat of Mojave Desert summers and the butt-numbing cold of Korean winters. We've survived ice storms, tornadoes, earthquakes and monsoons. We've seen some beautiful places in the world. From the back of beyond in British Columbia (places so remote that the only way in and out was the train) to soaking up the sun in Jamaica to the fabulous sights and shopping in Singapore.

10 years. We've made so many memories. It's been an incredible decade of learning about ourselves, each other, and our marriage. And there's so much more to learn and experience. So many more memories to make. Here's to the next 10 years!

L'il Sis is Four!

Wow! Time really does fly! It's hard to believe but our baby is definitely NOT a baby anymore. L'il Sis turned 4 last weekend. I made chocolate/pumpkin muffins* for her to take to preschool. She wanted pink icing and did the sprinkles herself.

We celebrated as a family on Saturday. This was nice because Stretch was gone last year. To be fair, that's the only birthday of L'il Sis' that he's missed. Big Sis and I haven't been so lucky.

*I made chocolate/pumpkin muffins so that I could have something, too. They are only 2 Weight Watchers points per muffin. The kids never noticed the difference. Basically, it's a chocolate cake mix and a can of pumpkin. Mix and bake.

Spa Day

We're going to be moving (again!) in a couple of months. It seems like we just got here. Oh, yeah, we did just get here (practically). We'll have been in this house for almost 16 months when we move.

I'm going househunting next week with my mother-in-law while Stretch stays home with the kids. Between all of the recent chaos, stress from the upcoming move, stress from worrying about finding a home at the other end in a good neighborhood with a good school, etc., etc.... Well, I've been a bit stressed lately. Then, add another birthday this Sunday. Yay, me!

I have to give Stretch kudos this year. He did really well. I received my pressies early this year since I'm leaving tomorrow. The kids gave me perfume and Stretch gave me jewelry (always appreciated). Then he also surprised me with a spa package at a local day spa. A massage (pure bliss!), mini-facial (very nice!) and a spa manicure (I would NEVER get this for myself). It was so nice to spend 3 hours being pampered and not feel an ounce of guilt for it. So relaxing!

Preschool

L'il Sis started morning preschool last week. She's getting to be such a big girl! (And I'm reminded of that when she sings "I'm a big girl now!" from the Pull-ups commercials.)

L'il Sis and a classmate waiting at the gate for their teacher to come and get them.

Welcome to Preschool! L'il Stinker never even looked back once the teacher had them all lined up and headed to their classroom. Not once!

At the end of her first day, L'il Sis was happy to tell me what a great day she'd had.

As much as I'd been looking forward to this day, it was a little sad, too. She's potty trained and now she's started preschool. She's no longer a baby, or even a toddler. L'il Sis is officially a preschooler.

Happy Anniversary

We picked Ruth 1:16-17 as our scripture reading for our wedding ceremony. At the time, I thought I knew what those words meant. I'm sure lots of military couples choose this passage. If they don't, they should! Truer words were never spoken: "Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Well, we've done that in spades!

In our wedding album, I incorporated a lot of quotes about love. Here are two of my favorites. I think they're pretty appropriate, too:

"Do not think that love, in order to genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired." ~Mother Teresa

"How lucky that we two should meet and make each other's lives complete." ~Unknown