We're officially in our new house! We are absolutely loving it! Our favorite part is the kitchen/breakfast nook/playroom/living room. Most people don't put their play room in their kitchen, but it really works for us! We spend just about all our time here. We're probably all 4 doing different things, but we're together, which is very cool. Things are beginning to find their places, and the garage sale planned for later this month seems to be getting bigger by the day. The house is about half the size of our old home, so we're doing lots of sorting. (How many towels does one family need, really?) The only major thing so far is that we haven't found our coffee grinder. This is incredibly annoying. Plenty of whole-bean coffee. No grinder. When the entire thing is done, we'll post a video tour. So be waiting in anticipation of THAT! :)
We've traded our spectacular view for a small but equally spectacular fenced-in back yard. Axel has already taken over with his new playhouse (thanks to Pa & Guh Guh - construction pic below) and his new bike (thanks to Papa & Guh Guh). He talks every day about how "New House" is in "Big Big Wada, Hawaii," but he has made it very clear that under no uncertain terms are we to go to Oahu. Axel: "No go Oahuuuuuuu!" Us: "Okay. We won't go to Oahu."
Axel's biggest news is his new big boy undies! He's doing a great job keeping his Thomas the Train underwear, "Allllllll dry!" There have been a few accidents along the way, but the entire downstairs is wood-laminate, so clean-up has been pretty easy.
Joslyn is thinking very hard about starting to take a first step. She is already following her brother around and trying to do everything he does. Including: 1. Driving toy cars all over the white walls. 2. Pushing the semi-truck across the room and "go boom!" into the kitchen cabinets. 3. Climbing up onto the toilet (which for her means playing in the water . . . I know . . . ick). 4. Using toy bats (or anything shaped like a stick) to hit anything and everything around her. So they're having lots of fun!
Joslyn has been such a trooper though these last few months. From pack-n-play to pack-n-play she's smiled just about the entire time. She's starting to get her top 2 teeth opposite the bottom 2, so she's got this baby hillbilly grin with a scrunched up nose that we have yet to catch on camera. Dada is hopelessly wrapped so tight around her little finger he can hardly leave the house to go to work. I think in about another month I'll be able to put pigtails around those chubby cheeks. Can't wait!
The living on an Army Post is definitely a little different. Showing your ID every time you come home is kinda strange. Watching people salute your husband is just weird . . . and somehow a little funny. Being called "Ma'am" all the time is not cool. Learning all the acronyms (or just nodding and pretending that you know what they're talking about) is overwhelming. Hearing random trumpet sounds seemingly out of nowhere is creepy. Looking through pictures of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and finding one of the Japanese bombing Wheeler Army Airfield (where we are living now) at the same time is enough to make me look up flights for home. Living around some of the most brave, strong people in the country is amazing, and incredibly intimidating.
We've met several neighbors so far. Two of them live right across from us. Their husbands have been gone for almost an entire year, and they are taking care of 2 and 3 small children by themselves. (Remember how much I whined when Dan was gone for 2 weeks?) They are of a very different mold than I am. To be able to hold things together for that long while your husband - your children's daddy - is in a war zone is beyond my ability to comprehend. They were not a mess. They had make-up on, their hair was done, their children were well-behaved, and they had dinner cooking in the oven. They were not in tears. They were talking in the alley watching all our kids play together, trying to fill me in on some of the code they were speaking. (Seriously, it's like a different language.) They will be my friends soon, I think.
We are very happy. We love our new home, and we are really having fun with the nice weather and the beautiful landscape. We physically hurt when we think of how our parents are missing our kids, but we get to see them all very soon! Axel tells me every day about all the things he's going to do with them when they get here. I hope they don't have too much else planned!
By the way - one more thing. If you're one of the people who has sent us text messages at 4am (our time). We'd REALLY appreciate it if you'd wait until after noon (your time) to text us. :) Thanks!
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