Snow and a Beach Getaway

Since the Army and the public schools here had a four day weekend, we decided to visit San Diego for a couple of days. Sunday, after church, we drove over to enjoy a quick getaway. We will certainly miss San Diego when we leave. It will always be a special place to our family.

On the three-hour drive over, we drive mostly through desert. We have to cross a mountain range, and the pass goes from below sea level to about 4200 feet. We saw snow near the peak, and it was beautiful to see. Not many probably think of snow when they think of sunny Southern California or nearby Mexico, but here it is.

After a delicious dinner at Cafe Coyote (one of our favorites), we stayed at the Navy Lodge. The next morning, we visited the commissary (for more Julian Pies-yummy) and the Naval Exchange (like a Wal-Mart). We had lunch bayside on Coronado at a local pizzerria, and after that, we went to the beach at Coronado at the naval base (technically different base then where we stayed). As you can see, we were warned of sting-rays, and we didn't see any either.

Alex was very unsure of the sand. Thinking back, he hadn't been to the beach since last July, so he didn't remember it at all. I put him down on the blanket for a minute, and he just sat there for about five minutes, which is very unusual for this toddler on the go. He quickly realized the sand wasn't so bad after all.

Luke dove into sandcastle mode quickly.

Here, you can see the Navy Lodge to the left. The construction is the new lodge that is scheduled to be opened after we move...after that, it doesn't matter. We won't live here and get to enjoy it. It looks like it's going to be awesome, so I guess we'll have to visit it again sometime.

Scenery pictures...we're going to miss this place. This is a view of downtown Coronado Island. In the distance, you can see the mountains of Mexico.

View back toward the parking lot...we love how wide and open the beach is. It's also empty most of the time, so we love that too.

Madison really enjoyed just chilling out and building sandcastles.

Alex discovered the boche ball set (notice he's still sitting in the same spot on the blanket).

Luke found this huge batch of seaweed and proceeded to drag it around. It was hilarious to watch. He didn't say anything. He just walked around with it, and when he was done, he just put it down.

Still dragging

So, what got Alex up off the beach blanket? He decided it was a great (and hilarious) idea to throw the boche balls at me! He kept getting them and throwing them at me. I had to put the camera down to protect myself, so Edward snapped the pictures.

Still at it...

Beautiful views

We will miss the Baywatch towers of Southern California. They don't have ones like this in North Carolina.

Those islands in the distance are where we headed on our whale watching tour back in January. They are about seven miles off-shore.

Their sandcastle masterpiece

Madison spelled her name in the sand. I couldn't get her whole name in the lens.

Happy beach baby has returned

Luke had fun looking for shells.

Destroying the masterpiece

View toward the parking lot

Well, Alex went from one obsession to another. After we got him off the "Boche Ball Attack," he played nicely for awhile, and then he started in on "Sand Wars: Mom Edition." He was obsessed with dumping sand on me, no matter what I did. He kept following me with shovels full of sand! Oh, and we think he's a lefty like Madison (note the shovel-he does everything with his left hand).

A different shovel full of sand...

Still stalking me

Luke decided to attack the seagulls.

Seagulls-1, Luke-0

We went on a walk to the "end" of the beach.

The beach "ends" at this huge fence. No, it's not "The Fence" separating Mexico. This fence is right on Coronado, separating the military beach from the city beach. The military does a great job of keeping things secure, and we think it's very cool to have a military beach. We'd never actually walked down to the fence.

So, our day comes to an end. Home to Yuma we must go. The sand in Yuma is no comparison to this beautiful place. San Diego is for sure a place we'll visit again after we move. We love it here.

"A Little Bit of Water in my Boot"

We had rain in the desert this morning! It was wonderful to see. We only see rain about three or four times a year. Because of our rain, we had some standing water out in the street. The house across from us sits a little lower, so there is always a collection of water in the driveway. Well, our kids love to ride their bikes and scooters through it. We were all outside enjoying the 65 degree day. Alex had left his scooter in the huge puddle, and I had asked Luke if he wanted to ride the scooter back across the street. He ran over to get the scooter, and of course, he started riding it around in the puddle. Edward and I sat there taking bets on how quickly he'd fall. He fell right away into the puddle and soaked himself. We couldn't stop laughing, and what made it even funnier was without a word, he stood up, got back onto the scooter, and started riding again. He rode for another couple of minutes in circles, until he finally brought the scooter back to the garage (I think we were still laughing). He walked up to us and said to Edward, "Daddy, I got a little bit of water in my boot," has he stood there dripping from the water. It was hilarious, and aside from "water in the boots," he wasn't bothered. Oh, and these are his "upgraded" cowboy boots. He outgrew the last pair. This pair used to belong to Madison, but there's no telling how long this pair will last with as hard as Luke is on things.

Dripping wet, although hard to see. Luke is ALL boy. My laundry and list of items broken in my house prove it.

And, here's another one. He's definitely all boy too. He's soaked from the knees down too.

We Went Shopping...

...and bought a house!

Yes, we're still in Arizona, but we have a contract on a home in North Carolina. We've been searching the MLS listings multiple times a day to watch as listings would come and go. Bragg still has a pretty good housing market, so we knew good ones wouldn't last. Add to that 25,000 new troops who are moving in starting now through the summer, and you have limited availability. Plus, living there before, we knew where we wanted to live (school district, proximity to post, etc.).

Pictures to come when I fly back in March. We were sending me on a house hunting trip, but the house we kept coming back to on the MLS we (and our realtor) were afraid it wouldn't last. So, we put in our offer, and it was accepted! A very special thanks to my mom and dad who drove over to tour the home with the realtor. We'd seen a ton of pictures of it online, but we wanted eyes and ears there to check out the specifics. All looked great, and I'm told our inspection that took place today went well with just a few things. I still have many things to take care of in March, so the trip will not be wasted. Plus, I will also be able to see the house we bought!

So, we're excited about our purchase, and it will definitely meet the needs of our family. It has a big kitchen for the cook in me, four bedrooms, and a bonus room for our kids, and a nice sized backyard. The house is three years old in a nice area, with almost all military around. Madison will be attending a brand new elementary school that just opened in August (yea!).

Substitutes

Madison had her first substitute teacher today. Yesterday, when I picked her up, she told me she didn't want to go to school today because her teacher wouldn't be there. I told her substitutes could be a lot of fun, and that she would still have a good day. She wasn't convinced. I finally convinced her to TRY school today because I said there were some very funny teachers out there and told her she could get a teacher like Aunt Mer. That made it all better, and she was willing to try the substitute.

Well, when I picked her up today, I waited until their classroom door opened to see a nice grandmotherly type at the door. All the kids were all smiles, and Madison reported she had a great day. The teacher looked really nice, and Madison told me she couldn't wait until next Thursday because the same substitute was going to be in music class.

Thanks to a great sub for reassuring Madison and 17 other kindergartners today that sometimes, it's okay when your teacher isn't there. And, thanks to her teacher for the heads up that today, while different, would be a good day.

Toothless in Arizona

Madison lost her first tooth today, February 8th. It's been annoying her for a few days, and she was delighted it finally came out.

Valentine Boxes

Yesterday afternoon, I helped the kids make Valentine boxes. Madison is SO excited for Valentine's Day. She says it is her favorite holiday because it's all about love and uses pink as one of its colors. We made our boxes to hold any Valentine's Day cards they get. Just a couple of hours after finishing our boxes, they received cards in the mail from my parents, so the boxes already have a card to open on Valentine's Day. Madison can't wait.

Out of the Desert, Into the Sandhills, and Back to the Desert

Some of our family has already learned that the Army will be moving us in June. We are awaiting the official paperwork, a.k.a. orders, but all things are in motion (including Edward's replacement here, what a praise!).

We have always said in the Bible, God sent a lot of people to wander in the desert. Luckily for us, we didn't have to wander 40 years as some did. We're leaving the desert. God has new plans for us, and we're trusting in Him to take care of all things.

Our new, well, not really, destination:

Fort Bragg, North Carolina!

Yes, we came from Fort Bragg. The area of Fort Bragg is called the Sandhills, so that should answer part two of the strange title to this post.

Back to the desert...Well, Edward got the job he wanted and will be taking care of many of the same men he works with here, a very specialized group of guys (some joke it's the best medical continuity they've had in the Army!). They will already be deployed by the time we arrive, so as soon as we get there, he will be outprocessed to Afghanistan to join the men. We all knew this time was long overdue in coming, but it doesn't make it any easier to have to send him off to war, while explaining to three kids with a minimal understanding of where Daddy is and what he's doing.

We are very excited about our upcoming move, but definitely don't want to rush things as we want to enjoy our family time.

Please keep our family in prayer as we prepare for our move. I sent off preschool applications for both boys yesterday (praying they get in!), and we've been searching for a home online for weeks. I'll be flying to NC in March (by myself) to find us the house with the perfect fit for our family (can you say a little stress over buying something that big by yourself??).

More to come on the move as we learn more...

Abstract Art

Alex is definitely getting closer to turning two years old...he exhibits his "independence" in many ways around our house. Friday morning, he wanted to color. He doesn't color much, but he watches Madison and Luke color, and thinking he's a big boy, he wants to do it too. This was kind of a weird time, considering Madison was at school, and Luke was at preschool. He came out to the kitchen, opened the craft drawer, got out the box of crayons, and sat down. He looked up at me and said, "Color." Okay, so I got out a coloring book for him. Alex proceeded to stand up, take off his pants, and continue on...

Note, he took off his pants, but he left on his socks, shoes, (and diaper thankfully). I think it helps he was wearing a onesie style shirt. Like the beaded necklace he's wearing? He found that in Madison's room, and she has since given it to him since "it's a blue necklace, so it's a boy color" as she told me.

And, he was extremely happy for the two minutes he "colored."

Soccer Kids

The kids have their soccer "team" pictures this evening, so before they went off for pictures, I wanted to get some here at the house. The sun was pretty bright, so they didn't want to look toward the camera, but here's what we were able to get:

Madison on Team YPG Revolution

Luke on Team YPG Dust Devils (love that name!).

If you don't know what a dust devil is, come to the desert. It would look like a tiny tornado, all of which is a ton of sand swirling around. We get them here all the time, and if they pop up on the drop zone, they can really throw the jumpers around. To give an example of their potential strength, one blew across our driveway and completely ripped the flagpole off the house, mount and everything. The flag and pole ended up about 50 feet away.

Luke-Ready for Soccer

Luke had his first soccer game yesterday. He's a very good little soccer player. I have to say that it's quite funny watching a bunch of three and four-year-olds "play" soccer. They actually did a pretty good job, that is, the kids who weren't off climbing trees, throwing fits, or just un-interested. Luke was the opposite, very interested. In fact, we think he's ready for tackle football because if the other team had the ball and Luke wanted it, he pretty much took them down. It was quite funny. Other kids had ways of getting the ball. Some fell on it (which Luke fell some too, but usually he tripped over his own feet), and others just picked it up to run with it. Awesome afternoon. What was really nice about it was the fact that all parents knew all the kids, so we just enjoyed cheering on any kid who was able to kick the ball at the goal...any goal. That's another thing. They started trying to actually play towards the right goal, but as kids got turned around and kicked towards the wrong goal, we all cheered anyways. I love watching pee-wee soccer! Great job Luke...it looks like football will be a huge hit with you eventually!