Hooyah!

He's finally HOME!

Bremen was gone for 9 weeks doing Dive school for the Navy in Florida. That was the hardest thing I've ever done, being without him, in the dead of winter, in an unfamiliar area, with my 3 kids 24/7! But we made it! It has definitely given me a new respect for the submarine wives in our ward who say goodbye six months at a time (one lady has done that 8 times!), and for women like my friend Elaine who went over a year without her husband while he was in Afghanistan. I never mentioned it on my blog, because I was freaked out about strangers knowing I was alone.
I also have a greater awareness of my husband, and all the things he does and says that add up to the profound role he plays in our home. Not that I didn't appreciate him before~~but now I make more notes in my mind of how wonderful he is. We are blessed. And don't think I'm writing this so he'll read it, because he is a pill about looking at my blog. I'm just SO releaved this time has passed and we can move on to our next challenges.
Bremen did well there, and learned all he needs to know to dive and treat Divers, Navy Seals, and Submariners. He did come home tanner and in better shape than ever, (which I can't say for myself, but to everything a season, right?) I'm just really proud of him, he even escaped serious injury, which is good since a few, out of the 15 of them, were hospitalized for days over the course of the training.
Hooyah! He's home!!

Swans

So, the other day I looked out my window and saw these swans serenely gliding on the lagoon, so I quietly snuck out the front door...after a few seconds of taking shots, they got startled and flew away (their wings were pounding the air so hard, it was surprisingly loud). I felt really guilty that I scared them away, but as their wings flapping faded away, I noticed a little kid riding one of those rediculously loud plastic 3 wheelers, and realized he was the culpret....if you look closely at the first picture you can see him on the right. Not that he knew, my kids would've done the same thing. It just made me stop and think, I wonder how often we disturb or change the pattern of those around us without noticing.

Spring has finally arrived at the New England coast!

Daffodils are everywhere, and a scented mixture of ocean breeze & fresh cut lawns is in the air. What use to be a partial ghost town, on our penninsula, is one house at a time, coming alive and winter shutters opening. The kids are elated to feel the warm sun, cool breeze, and grass and sand between their toes! This is our yard~~Lexi & Dane LOVE playing out here and picking tons of flowers for me to put in vases....we have 6 vases full of daffodils around the house, and I'm loving it! When I was little my parents called me flower girl because I was always bringing them newly picked buds, I guess it's in the genes!
My neighbor just informed me that the bush on the right is Wysteria that blooms in May~~I can't wait. One good thing about being in a new place is you never know what will pop up!

CRAB!

We fondly call this area by our house the "crab graveyard". The seagull love to capture them and bring them to two particular areas to eat them, they always leave the legs~~kinda wasteful if you ask me. Since living in Maryland and Connecticut, we've grown to love crab.

Here's some funny video Bremen's brother, Ben, took last Fall when he was visiting us in MD

Visiting the McWhorters in Pennsylvania

For Spring break, DeAnn & Brian invited us to come visit them in Pennsylvania for a few days....we had a lot of fun... We went to the oldest pretzel factory in America, and learned how to make them, it was really interesting, they dunk them in a lye bath twice to get them brown on the outside, kinda crazy.

Then we had some amazing ice cream that the Amish make~~so good, seriously the best I've had since Italy! I totally love it there too, it's so fun to see the little Amish boys that are Dane's age in their suspenders, helping their dads with chores outside

So Grateful To Be Their MOM

When Elder Ballard spoke about Motherhood at General Conference I was struck with this overwhelming gratitude for the sacred calling which I've been given. I am truly blessed to be given this trust of bringing up these sweet children, and teaching them the wonderful truths that I have been taught. Mothering is challenging (I was eagerly taking down notes on tips he gave of how to simplify things and alleviate stress), but the moments I have with my kids that give me glimpses of heaven, far outway any rough patches I experience.

My Shellseekers

Lexi, My Protege

Lexi loves helping me around the house...anything she can do to help~~dishes, making cookies, and even folding laundry. Not bad folding for a 4 year old! I'm really gonna miss her company in the Fall when she starts Kindergarten! Love you Babe. And thanks for all the needed help :)

A Stay in an Old House

For a few months now, we've been staying in this old beach house near Mystic, CT. These are the owners who built it in 1927, the father was a doctor for the Navy~~a funny coinsidence.

While I have missed some of the perks of newer homes, that many of you enjoy, (a master bathroom, a walk in pantry, nice kitchen counters...to name a few), I have thoroughly enjoyed using century old furniture that seems to have many more years of use in them.

Among them... a springy old double bed in the master (yes, I miss my King size, but have gotten use to the double until all 3 kids try to pile in with me)... and for a scrapbooking space I use an antique fold down writing desk...and I know I mentioned this before, but I love discovering these amazing old books, like this Lord Byron book from 1900 and a book from the 1800's called "The Art of Marriage" and a Sears catalog from 1909 (which in a way doesn't seem that long ago, but a beautiful dining room hutch was only $11!

There's also this old highchair I found in the basement that I use for Lily, I think it's 60 or so years old, and that's my ironing board next to the highchair, funny. All in all, we've had a good stay here~~the owners are religious people and there's a good spirit about the home. I've gotten a glimpse into a history of a family and a beautiful area, and it's been really interesting!