time.....

Well, so much for my daily or weekly updates.  It has been almost two weeks since my last update and I have to say we haven't done much, but we have been busy.  In my defense...I was waiting for my busy husband to read and see the Halloween post which took a few days and then I was in the throws of a busy week.
So what do we do????

We play outside.

Jenevieve has become quite the daredevil on her bike.  I am waiting for the trip to the ER any day...lucky for me she is quite coordinated and can handle the high speeds that she generates and the tight corners.  I can't believe in has only been a few short weeks since she learned.  When we take Jillian to school she usually rides her bike and does great.  I am usually hustling to keep up with her.  She also has started riding Jillian's razor and has gotten quite good at it.  It was only a few short months ago when she was having difficulty balancing on it and went back to her three wheeled scooter.  Not anymore..she is off.  She also learned how to swing well this week...something has clicked and she is on fire.  Her gymnastic coach is VERY impressed.  She just needs to get over her fear of the balance beam and skies the limit...she will do it in Jeneveive time.

Jillian has been trying to catch a rabbit that has been killing the neighbors grass and that was trapped in their back yard (and then ours) but is now free.  She set up a trap filled with carrots and checked it every day until the box mysteriously disappeared...the rabbit took it..so she says.  She likes to rider her bike around, or her scooter or big wheel, what ever is available.  What I love the most is to watch her run...it is indescribable..she is just good at it.   I am starting to see that big kid in her..the one when I look at my niece.  She is getting big this year.

I thinks if we don't get outside, Juliet will explode.  She is enjoying the freedom of walking now.  She roams all over the place, steals the kids snack or drinks and the most fun she has is pushing the bigwheel around.

She is already starting to participate in the kids games.  Tonight the girls and poor Dash were going in a circle to the "drive-thru" where Jillian was handing out "samples"...or zamples and Jenevieve says.  She followed in line and waited for her turn.

She loves to "chat" with Elin (the neighbor's six-month old) but also follow the big kids.  She also has taught herself how to climb on her rocking horse and rock out...speaking of rocking out...she LOVES music.  All I have to do is pick up the guitar and start strumming..and she starts "dancing".  Outside she has figured out that the "Mustang" has music and hits the buttons and enjoys when the music starts.  She starts the head bob followed by the deep squats. 

So time....it flies, it stands still, it boggles the mind.  Walking into Jenevieve's room while she was sleeping I stood there looking at her legs...they are long, and thin and muscular...they are big kid legs.  When did this happen?  When did my baby start walking and turn into a toddler and start running?  She gets going so fast that she skips on one leg when taking a corner..sometimes she makes it, sometimes not.  But she stands right back up and keeps going.  Nothing is going to stop her.

Jillian looks more and more like a BIG kid every day.  She makes her own lunch, helps with the little ones (sometimes too much..we are working on it) and astounds me with the knowledge she is obtaining and retaining.

I am so blessed to be able to watch them grow..to change, to learn about God.  Jenevieve talks about Him all the time...I just love it.  Jillian wanted to get a devotional Bible today..of course it was pink and had a crown on it, but she read it the whole way home.  I just love watching their relationship evolve with the Lord.  You may ask why I am going on and on about this, but one thing I am really coming to grips with is that deployment is a LOT harder on my spouse than it will be on me.  He is missing the goodnight kisses, the tidbits of knowledge learned from the day, the group hugs...Juliet will go up and hug and kiss her sisters...such a love!  I may have the day in, day out tiresome list of tasks to do, but I get to watch our beautiful children grow and mature.  There are times when I blink and they have changed...how will it be for him?  He will come home and they may have changed ten times over since he left, and I am privileged enough to witness it.

I keep promising myself that I will somehow keep him in touch with the girls lives, but I have failed this week and I am sorry Josh.  I will try to do/be better and that is all I can do.  

Here are a few pictures from today when the girls had "Thanksgiving".

The feast begins

My girls and "Sydney Lee" at the table

I asked the girls what they were doing..they said they were having Thanksgiving.  Juliet climbed right up in "her" chair and joined in..

They were "full"

  Juliet has starting diving on the soft chairs.  She gets a running start and dives and is so proud of herself...where did the time go???