Blogging again?

 I love looking back on the old blog posts.  Why did I stop?  I think it is because of Facebook.  I think I phased it out when we lived the first time in AL.  I used to keep it up for grandparents (actually great-grandparents Nana and Oompa).  We miss them.  They were able to view my blog posts and see what antics great-grandchildren were up to.  This is the wee ones now...(we haven't had a picture as a whole family in a long time!)

That's Why She Won't Swallow

Our kids have gotten good at the mouth wash thing.  They take a swig of mouth wash, swish it, and spit.  All four of them, even the three-year-old.  She loves doing what the big kids do.  In the beginning of this mouth wash experience, I made sure that Evelyn, the three-year-old, knew not to swallow the mouth wash.  Each time she would take any amount in her mouth in the beginning of using it, I would make sure to tell her that.  I didn't have to tell her very often though because she is so good at following the example of her older siblings.

Flash forward to taking medicine for a cold and a cough at night...pour medicine into a cup (similar to mouthwash).  My expectation is that she will gulp it down with its sweet grape flavor.  Sometimes she even faked that she was sick when I gave medicine to the other kids for a cold or headache so that she could have some too.  I didn't give it to her if she wasn't sick, so I fully expected that when she was sick, she would pretty much inhale it.  Wrong.

In the thick of a nasty cold, I gave her medicine right before bed so that she would be less congested at night and cough less, but after handing her the cup of purple teaspoon of medicine, she poured it into her mouth and then puffed out her cheeks, swishing a little.  I did not realize the connection in her mind between mouth wash and medicine and was telling her to swallow it, just like milk.  With her worried little expression in her eyes, she shook her head no and kept swishing.  I lead her to bed and she still had her cheeks puffed out and hadn't swallowed the medicine.  Maybe I should have given her a spoon full of sugar...helps the medicine go DOWN...

After much persuading on my part, and much resisting on her part, she got up and spit it out into the sink.  I just sent her to bed after that charade.  I would just have to deal with coughing that night.  Poor girl, and of course I was thinking, poor Mom, will be up at various times of the night and coughing will wake up siblings. Didn't happen.  Sometimes early in the morning, while I was sitting doing quiet time with Bible open in lap, I would hear her cough, and dread the idea of all the kids rushing in on my quiet time because it woke everyone.  Didn't happen.  Thank you Lord!

Next time I offered her medicine, she declined.  Thus, no medicine to "help her sleep" through her entire snotty, stuffy, coughy cold and she's done fine (and none of the other kids have seemed effected by her coughing).  I have given her some immune boosting pills (herbal stuff) - namely, Defend and Resist from Shaklee, and she is improving and not coughing anymore.  It was not until a couple of days after she refused to swallow the cold medicine that I realized she equated it with mouthwash and was horrified at the idea of swallowing it.  I hope I don't have to give her antibiotics any time soon...if so, they need to be in pill form...

I Guess This a Monthly Post...

I was hoping to do better than that!

I'm taking a risk starting this post now because I haven't eaten breakfast, only coffee, but the kids are still in bed so I'm going to take this opportunity.  I was about to post on Facebook, but I remembered my resolution to post more on the blog.

We still don't know where we are going to be next year - here in Colorado (our hearts' desire), in Texas, or in Massachusetts...or somewhere we did not expect at all...I keep reminding myself that God can do that.  Part of me wants to shout "Hurry up and decide...or just hurry up and tell us...did he get into DU or not!?...however, I've been reading in the Bible about waiting on the Lord...Psalm 27:4 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.  Psalm 33:20 We wait in hope for the Lord, He is our help and our shield.  Even though we are waiting on DU to get back to us, we are really waiting on the Lord...it's in His timing and we will go where He wants us.  

It would be so nice not to have to move after a year and to stay in this beautiful place with friends and family so familiar to both Max and I, but the place we really want to be is in the center of God's will.  As a military family...God chooses this place for us through the Air Force, at least in this point in our lives.

Now it is 11:20am and I'm back to writing. Evelyn woke up and called to me saying she was cold.  Of course she was cold she got directly into bed last night in her princess hoodie towel, which did not stay on her during the night.  Therefore she only had underwear on in bed and the towel and covers kept scooting off of her...note to self...don't let her go to bed in just a towel and underwear again.

Now for posting pictures...The last two weeks my Mom visited and she got to experience a lot of different things - she's not in all of the pictures, but some of them she took, but all of them she got to experience while here in Colorado.  What she didn't experience was the snow storm in the North East because fortunately for me, she was not able to fly back on Friday when her flight was scheduled and ended up staying another 4 days.  This was not stressful at all for either of us since she doesn't have the restrictions of daycare anymore (yay for grandparent retirement!) and I got to have the company of my mom for a little more than two weeks!

Here are some of the pictures from her visit:

She got to experience little snow falls here in Colorado...nothing compared to what was falling in the North East!

The kids wearing their black bear and wolf hats.   Grandude and Carrie joined us for dinner.

Evelyn getting a ride on Misty

The kiddos enjoying the snow.

Chicken running wild...oh, yeah...and three cute kids.

Getting ready to plow the driveway for the first time.  It wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be.  Evelyn was actually more scary in her bear hat...oh my!

Attacked by viscous snowballs.  Here I come with my plow to get you...JB! 

Benaiah and Gloria enjoying a ride from the neighbor's house.  Benaiah doesn't look too bad here, but he was pretty upset just before this after he cut his head open on a rock while sledding at the neighbors place.  Tough kid.  Wonderful neighbor (she's a nurse and took care of him while I was plowing away oblivious to what was happening until I saw JB and Gloria waving their arms).

Enjoying some sunshine on the deck.  Listening to JB's recording on his tablet of the story he wrote.

TOUCH A TRUCK...or a police car...

This is totally in the wrong place.  This is NOT at Touch A Truck, but aren't they sweet Valentine cookies?  Sent a whole bunch of these and, including chocolate-mint heart-shaped ones to Max in two big-ish boxes.  Thanks for helping me make two batches of each Mom!  Thanks for the recipes Gramma Shell!

Now back to TOUCH A TRUCK!

This is what Grampa Larry needed while in Boston with 2 feet of snow and big snow drifts!

Nice pose Gloria...now don't get any ideas!  Speaking in your father's voice!  :)

Gramma Lois reading a nifty train book that Gramma Shell bought for Benaiah at Touch a Truck.  My mom asked if he had read "The Little Engine that Could" and Benaiah responded by saying "I know a Little Engine that Couldn't"...an Adventures in Odyssey story about a train who was not happy with who God made him...so he ended up crashing and then hauling children at a fair since he was wrecked instead of going super fast (which he wasn't made for...he was made strong for pulling train cars)....

A cute little lambikins.  Unfortunately, you can't get too attached to these cute little critters because they die easily in the middle of winter...and for other reasons.

Man, I ended this posting on a sad note.  However, I want to leave you with this...God is good and He alone is in control and sovereign!  Comforting in the midst of continuing uncertainty and waiting...God bless!

His Goodness in the Midst of Uncertainty

(Here we go with my "New Year's Resolution" made about 2 months ago.  I'm starting it on Jan 18 at 10:30pm when I really should be in bed.  Better late than never, right?  BTW, resolution - writing on my blog and not just posting to Facebook.)

My honey made it home for 9 days after not seeing him for six-and-a-half-months.  You wouldn't believe how excited I was on the day of his arrival.  His flight was not making it in until early afternoon, so I had things to occupy my time in the morning, such as homeschooling, cleaning, and going for a run...all of those breathless with the thought of seeing and touching my husband again.  I seriously could not breathe running up the mountain I had ran up countless times in the past 4 months...and no, it was not as much altitude as it was unbearable excitement over my husband coming home if only for 9 days.  The longest we had been apart in the past was 3-4 months and that was right after Sept 11 of 2001 when he was gone for an "undetermined period of time."  Both times I have landed with kid(s) in Colorado.  I just can't stay away from this place...especially with the beauty, the wonderful weather (I love seasons, and unexpected temperate, beautiful days in each one!), and most of all, loving family whom I don't know what I would do without.  I don't think I would have hair left if it wasn't for Max's parents and also loving friends and other family that surround the kids and me.

The visit was sleep deprived, due to Max's 10-hour time change, but oh so worth it!  It's also been worth the heartache of having to say goodbye again.  I'm so thankful that he got to visit home (he makes sure I know that his deployed location is not "home" for him, so I'm not sure I could say he was "visiting" home), and that it is not (Lord willing) going to be six-and-a-half-months before we see him again.  The last night he was home, we finally both got a full night's sleep, having adjusted to the time change for Max, and me adjusted to having him back home - believe it or not going from sleeping alone to sleeping with someone in the bed is a big change that sometimes causes...not sleeping...at least not like before.  I am so looking forward to being adjusted for the both of us when he returns "for good" (good, no...great, it shall be!) and living together almost every day, not  feeling like he's half way across the world, which he is, and not feeling like it's so temporary (which our stay on this earth is anyway).

God made us capable of dreams and desires.  Max and I both agreed that this house feels so much like home, so like "us".  Beautiful views from all sides, having remodeled it according to our tastes, plenty of space inside and outside.  Our dream is to live here, together, as a family.

However, we have been through this before.  We have our dreams of what would be "ideal" or "wonderful". God has brought us in other directions as a couple and as a family we never could have dreamed or imagined and looking back, although some aspects still mysterious, we say "oooohhhh...that's why He had us there".

Even though we pray for Colorado for our next assignment because that is our desire, we both know that God could have something bigger and better in store...both for His Kingdom purposes and for us.  I truly can say "Your will be done" and mean it.  I think eight moves and having to place the location and assignment plans in His ever-capable hands so many times, has helped bring about the peace that comes from remembering...remembering that He has a plan, He is in control, He is faithful, He will never abandon us, and He, God Almighty is GOOD.

New Year's Resolution - a month early

Okay, so Facebook has taken over and thus, I have not been posting on the blog.  The instant feedback at just a few clicks of the mouse or just writing a simple sentence has been hard to beat.  With the blog, it is much harder for others to give feedback and I don't know who is looking at it so...I don't get that instant gratification.  There, I said it.  I sense God is telling me to get back to the blog even though I can't get 10 comments minutes later.  It's almost as though there is more value with the blog, somehow...maybe it's because I know that there are some out there who do read it and they are all, though maybe a small group, very dear to me and to our family. It also takes greater sacrifice to do the blog because it's more time and brain cells.  However, I do so enjoy relaying stories to loved ones, especially when I'm bubbling over wanting to share them.  Here's my outlet...and it's not a one liner or a string of pictures...not this post anyway:).

My first story back to the blog is about our family time tonight.  It wasn't a complete family time because it doesn't have Max here with us although he was brought up many times and the kids heard his voice coming from the computer between book-readings.  Max called before work...hearing Daddy's voice on the computer is a normal thing now for the kids which is great because we never had that (or maybe just didn't use it) in passed deployments.  Daddy is still a part of their lives even if it's Mommy abandoning the book she is reading to the kids to catch Daddy's call on the computer.  Evelyn (3 years old and last saw Daddy boarding a plane 5 months ago) is still confused as to whether Daddy is on his airplane or in Mommy's computer...she's probably thinking "both" at this point...and it seems fine with her.  My answer of "in another country" doesn't cut it with her.  She needs something more concrete.

We love you, Daddy!  Can't wait to have "roast beast" with you!

I cut off gadget/screen time at 7:30pm, whether it was Adventures in Odyssey-listening on G's tablet or "Learning with Leap" on the Leapsters or Gmail on the kids' computer - it all was turned off and put up (look at me and my Southern talk - military wife thang) and I told the kids it was a reading night.  I think sometimes that cut-off from gadgets and screens is very important because then the kids can just know that that is NOT a possibility and settle into reading time (my thinking "out loud" right now).  It seemed to work tonight anyway.

Evelyn was first to chose a book and it was a cardboard "Baby's First Bible".  Gloria got into that one with us and then brought a book about a princess who had this precious gift - her first kiss - and was saving that for her husband - a book on purity in fairytale form.  JB joined in at this point after stopping a game of war with Benaiah.  Then came out Dragon Knight, which I read a few pages of before I realized that Max might have tried to call, which he had, thus, the abandoned book and dash for the computer.  After having Daddy's voice in the house with us for a bit before he headed to work, I had the kids get their jammies on and teeth brushed.

Today was the first day we had built a fire in our woodstove on the second floor of this strange, but uniquely wonderful house we bought.  It is on the bedroom level, which is kind of weird since we don't have one on the first level - but I am having fun making the most of it.  We tested it out this morning in the midst of the craziness of getting back into homeschooling after Thanksgiving break - Gloria easily did her homework in front of it whereas JB could NOT do his homeschooling in front of it...way too much of a distraction - he loves "tending" to fires and can't just sit idly by while one burns safely in a wood stove.  Thus, JB had to go into my bedroom with a closed door to do his math.  The woodstove test was a success...we didn't have smoke bellowing into the house instead of up the chimney...perfect day for it today as it never got above 40 degrees and was cloudy for most of the day with beautiful hoarfrost on the pine trees.  Just gorgeous - the view was a main reason we bought this house and I soaked it in today, hardly able to keep my eyes from glancing out the Southern-facing windows (one of the few days that the sun wasn't heating up the house and blasting into the house - I do love that it warms and brightens the house, it's just nice to have an excuse for using the wood stove.)

This morning testing the woodstove - with extinguisher handy!

on the bedroom level - yes, that's a deflated balloon hanging from the  loft

Back to bedtime...I told the kids if they got ready for bed swiftly that I would read them books in front of the fire of the woodstove.  Well, they didn't get ready so swiftly...some more like a distracted squirrel, others flitting about.  Let's just say it wasn't swift.  I decided to read one story that Benaiah picked out since he hadn't been involved in the reading earlier.  He was ready for bed so I started "The Grinch" Dr Seuss book, which seemed perfect having recently set up the Christmas tree and being in front of a wood stove with a warm fire going.  It was also another time Daddy was "there" with us because of the "roast beast" mentioned and we all had that "aha" moment of "that's where Daddy got that from".  There was another saying in the book that Daddy says that we recognized but I cannot recall it now.  It was a joyous, warm time of reading to all four of them in from the the wood stove.  I think I might be able to get used to this fire and reading before bed.

I finished that book then broke the news that we couldn't read anymore even though the fire was crackling away because they had taken too much time to get ready for bed.  There were groans but they started to head toward their bedrooms, which are off of the large top-of-stair landing area where the wood stove mysteriously resides.  JB then had an idea - "why don't you read to us while we are all in bed from the loft and then we all can hear you?".  That actually was not a bad idea - they would be in bed and we would get to continue Dragon Knight (which I get into) and they all could hear me from one, high-up spot.  Another oddity about our house - there is a loft that connects the kids' bedrooms.  I did read to them a chapter-and-a-half from the loft and they were quiet and could hear me even as I read at a normal volume.  Benaiah fell asleep as I was reading and I could tell the others were settled and relaxed.  I was (and still am) a happy and settled Mama too.  That was fun and cozy - and now I get to share that with my Beloved, my Hubby, in the form of a blog post.  I am SOOOO thankful for technology that allows me to be so connected to my husband even though he's half way around the world.  I share this post with whoever else wants to read it too:).

Hi Max!

Thanks for "listening" as you get a glimpse of our crazy house in many ways - architecturally, kid-induced, and Daddy-less for now, yet still here in our conversation, our adventurous ways, and sometimes seen and heard on the computer.  We can't wait to have him back doing crazy life with us - believe me, it's even more crazy-fun with Daddy around - lots more!

At the top of the Crags

The Max Bremer Family...missing Max, but hoping he's living vicariously through us here in dazzling Colorado (and Colorful).  We love you and miss you, Max.

As we have come to be called..."Bremer North" (us) and "Bremer South" (the grandparents)

EV and I at the top

Here's Benaiah literally at the top of A Crag

Ta Dah!

Gloria at the top in a twisty tree

And JB literally at the top of A Crag

Ahhhh....JB in a cradle!  Go to sleep JB poo...

Almost to the Top!

Still a mystery...how does a tree get this way?

On the way up the Crags - Colorado

Max's Uncle Walter - a tree hugger

Benaiah helping Evelyn