A Sunny Saturday...

The weather has been great here. I could really get used to living somewhere that only has 2 months of cold weather. We decided to pack up the family and head to the Jacksonville Zoo. A nice warm day, a dad who doesn't have to work and zoo membership are a great combination. I've written about our membership before, but it's such a fantastic thing to have. The only cost to us each trip is riding the train - which we get a discount on. I always pack the boys a sandwich so that we don't have to pay to eat in the restaurants. Today we only stayed 2 1/2 hours because apparently we weren't the only ones in Georgia/Florida who thought today was the perfect day to go to the zoo. Plus, the boys were getting tired and hungry. But it was a great morning together! Check out our pictures!

The zoo was also crowded because it was the member's only preview of the new Komodo Dragon exhibit.


Head first, of course!


Luke loves to slide!


2 little monkeys watching the monkeys...


Mark and Daddy


Luke and Mommy


Lunch at Whataburger - "What a burger should be!"


Playing Peek-a-boo!

The Best Love EVER!

I've had a stomach virus for the last 24 hours. It hasn't been pretty. Not at all.

But that's not what I'm thinking about this evening. Today I was reminded how blessed I am by my two little guys (and my one big guy.) Mark knew I wasn't feeling well and wanted me to feel better. I told him that crackers made me feel better so he decided it was his job to bring me Saltines every so often all afternoon.

At dinner I told him how much I loved him. He smiled and said, "I know." I asked, "Do you love me too?" He laughed and said, "With the best love EVER!"

And I think he just might be right.

How Do You Eat Your Oreos?

It's the age old question. For Luke the answer is opened, creamed first. Of course, the poor kid IS allergic to milk and drinks out of a sippy cup, so I guess dunking is out. And you could argue that the whole experiment is tainted because his mother buys him Golden Oreos and not regular ones. But nevertheless, I submit proof of Luke's preference...

Opening...

Looking rather pleased with himself...

Devouring the cream-filled center...

Oh, how he captured his mother's heart today.

Mmmm...bacon!

Mom got up early to set a nice table for our family breakfast. It happens so rarely that we all get to enjoy a relaxed breakfast together I thought I'd make it a nice one!

Mark slept until 8 am this morning. Happy Valentine's Day to us!


We had heart-shaped "Toad-in-a-holes" and bacon...



Poor Lukie only got bacon. He seems pretty happy with it though.
Notice his spoon. He insists on having one when he eats now.



Mark got a magnetic cars fridge set and a new Thomas DVD.
Luke got a new book that squeaks and Dad got his favorite candy - Sweet tarts!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day with the ones you loved.

Heard Today...

"Mark, don't do that. You could fall."
"If I fall I won't feel sorry for myself."

"I need my hammer to watch Bob."
(And apparently he doesn't need his pants.)

"Whoa. Hammering is hard work."

In the car we saw a "monster" truck with big tires and had a conversation about it. We then saw a regular pickup and I said, "Look, that truck has regular tires." "No, I think they are soy tires."

He got a sucker from the clerk in a store and when he finished he asked for a washrag to wash his hands. I told him I didn't have one and he could have a baby wipe. He thinks about it for a minute and says, "I would like a big boy wipe."

Mark and Luke each had a train while we were in Target. I look over a few minutes later and Mark is holding both trains. I tell him to give Luke back his train or he will have to give me both of them. He hands Luke the train and says, "Here Lukie. I didn't mean to take your train. It wasn't my fault."

Lastly, I think my poor conversation habits are being passed along to Mark. We saw a horse trailer and talked about the horses. I said, "Mark! I think there were like 4 horses in there!" He calmly said, "No, there were like 5 horses."

25 Things...

If you are on Facebook (also known as the world's worst time waster) you know that a lot of people have been writing a note called "25 Things About Me" or some variation on that theme. It got me thinking that I'd like to write 25 things I love about my husband. After all it is Valentine's Day week and he just got back from sea. I've had over a month to think about and miss all these things about him. So here goes:

1. He laughs all the time.
2. He thinks I'm funny (see #1.)
3. He loves my cooking.
4. He has a giving spirit.
5. He loves playing with his little boys.
6. We could talk for hours about anything.
7. He believe marriage is forever.
8. He is passionate. (OU football, theology, Cowboys football)
9. He is a hard worker.
10. He makes friends easily.
11. He's handsome.
12. And looks great in jeans.
13. And looks great in his uniform.
14. We like the same tv shows. (Well, not The Bachelor, but most other things.)
15. He has godly character.
16. He teaches our children scripture.
17. He prays.
18. He takes good care of me.
19. He's a great kisser.
20. He makes cute babies and even cuter little boys. (Although they seem to turn out somewhat rotten so I might need to look into this one further.)
21. He loves my family.
22. He leads our family spiritually.
23. He disciplines our children in love.
24. He genuinely misses us when he's away at sea.
25. He's my best friend and loves me in spite of all my faults.

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you take the time to tell your spouse some of the reasons you love them this week.

Dinner In...

I mentioned that we aren't going to dine out for Valentine's Day this year. Tim just got home from sea and I wasn't expecting him home in time for celebrating. Since the holiday falls on a Saturday I imagine a call now to reserve a table would be met with a hardy chuckle on the other end of the phone line. And I want to do something special for Tim that I think he will really enjoy. No dressing up. No pressure. Just a romantic dinner in.

Our kids go to bed early and well. (I don't think I'd be a sane person if they didn't!) That means that we will have the television and house to ourselves around 7:30. My plan is to set up a picnic in the living room. I'll be serving Tim's favorite fondue. (Don't worry it's a very manly recipe that he always enjoys.) We'll have lots of bread and Lil' Smokies for dipping, along with some veggies. Then we'll watch our wedding video. I don't know if you have a wedding video, but we love ours. I recommend a videographer to all of our friends getting married. It costs a little extra, but we watch our video at least twice a year.

After the video we'll have chocolate fondue with fruit and angel food cake. It's the perfect plan for an evening in. We don't have to fork out money for the babysitter, drive to Jacksonville to find a nice restaurant or dress up. We can just be together and remember how it all started.

Having Valentine's dinner in works for me and is just one way I'm honoring my husband this week. Read more inspiring stories of loving our husbands at We are THAT family this week.

Love is in the air...

Dad's home! I mentioned it in my post yesterday, but Dad came home last Thursday. I intended to write about it earlier, but we had a whirlwind weekend. For a time we thought Tim was going to be changing boats and leaving again less than 48 hours after arriving home. Needless, to say there wasn't much time for blogging. The boys were thrilled though. This was the scene in Mark's room a couple of hours after he arrived home.

But thankfully he is indeed home for the next month or so until his first full patrol after he relieves and takes over his new job. We are looking forward to spending some time together as a family and as a couple.

I'll be posting several times this week about our Valentine's Day plans. We aren't going out this year because we don't have reservations or a sitter. I wasn't expecting Tim home so I didn't make any plans. And since the holiday falls on a Saturday this year that means we can eat dinner at 3:30 or 10:00 without reservations. (Or go somewhere and wait 3 hours!) No thanks! But more about that later. Today you can read all about our love story at Today's Housewife.

Spoon...

Tim's home from sea. What is one of the first things he does? He teaches Luke to use a spoon so that he longer wants to be fed anything by anyone else! Thanks Dad! On the upside, Luke moved the spoon to his left hand so he might be a lefty or ambidextrous like his Papaw GC. Tim's already hoping for a left-handed pitcher!

Sweets for My Sweetie...

My friend Sandra hosted a "Sweets for My Sweetie" party last year for Valentine's Day. It works like a cookie exchange. Every guest brings a dessert to share and a container to take home goodies. After some great fellowship, everyone shares their sweets with each other take home a sampling to their own sweetie. How fun!

We are doing a virtual Sweet Swap at Today's Housewife this week. We are sharing our best recipes for sweets in plenty of time for you to make one (or more) for your sweetie this Valentine's Day. Check out Tim's favorite cookie at Today's Housewife and come back on Friday to link up your own favorite recipe for your sweetie. That's when I'll be sharing my own favorite, "Heavenly Chocolate Trifle."

Why You Should Read Your Appliance Manuals...

Ever wondered what happens when you run over a spool of thread with your vacuum and don't pay attention? It winds around your brush many, many, many times capturing the fuzz from your new carpet each time you vacuum. And eventually your vacuum will start to make crazy noises that will prompt you to turn it over and discover this....

I wish I could tell you that I ran over the thread the last time I vacuumed, but I think it was before Thanksgiving (when I ran it over, not since I last vacuumed. We aren't THAT gross!) This whole experience has led me to share some wisdom with my readers.

My advice is two part:
1. Don't run over thread.
2. Pay attention to the manual that says to periodically check your brush.

Sundays are Hard...

I think Sundays are the days I miss Tim the most. The other days of the week just sort of run together. Tim would be at work all day Monday - Friday anyway, but Sundays are our family day. We try really hard to protect it as a day for worship and time together. No work, no studying, no outside activities for the most part. So, these are the days that feel so empty when he's at sea. Everything we do on Sundays makes me painfully aware that he's gone.

I get up and get everyone ready for church - alone. I get the kids and bags into Sunday School and checked in - alone. I sit and wait for Sunday School to start - alone. I find a seat in the sanctuary - alone. I stand and smile during the fellowship song - alone. I come home, make lunch and put the kids down for a nap - alone. It's not that those things are that hard. (Well, maybe getting the kids and bags all into church in one trips is kinda hard!) But I can certainly manage. We have our routine and I know what works for getting it done. It's just that everything on Sundays is a constant reminder of how much I miss my partner.

And today is the worst day we've had. I didn't expect it, but Super Bowl Sunday makes me miss him more than I have during this patrol. I think it might be because it feels like holiday only it really isn't one. If Tim were gone over Christmas or Thanksgiving, people would be sympathetic and invite us over. They'd say things like, "I'm so sorry that your husband is gone today. Do you have plans? You shouldn't be alone today." And even though today isn't a holiday, it's a day that makes me miss him terribly. If Tim weren't at sea we'd be having a fun dinner together and watching the commercials, er, I mean the game. It's not a big deal, it just would be nice if people acknowledged that today might be tough.

But that's enough feeling sorry for myself. It's just one more day closer to Tim coming home - whenever that might be. And after throwing this pity party for myself, I made Mark Garrett and I Crazy Nachos. Actually, it was my version of them. But they were pretty good anyway. Good enough to impress a 3 year old at least. And I'm still going to watch the game. Life goes on, right? I guess I'm rooting for the Cardinals tonight. Who doesn't like a good underdog story? Plus, I think Kurt Warner is a stand up guy along with my brother-in-law from Arizona. So there it is. Go Cardinals!