The Last Frontier

The last month has been QUITE the anxiety ridden roller coaster. Actually, this entire year has been. I think about the amount of plans that have been made, then changed, then changed again...and it is overwhelming to sort it all out! But, one thing I CAN say is that life sure isn't boring!

First, we found out that we get to welcome a new addition to our family in the fall! Then immediately after that we found out we'd be moving to Guam about 6 weeks after that baby (which we now know is a baby girl!) was born. We started planning for that. I had to work pretty hard at moving myself from fear, uncertainty, anxiety, etc to excitement about the move to a 30 mile long island. But I managed to get there! Only to find out that it was no longer happening.

Fast Forward to April, when we found out that Joe would be going to Korea for a year. The short of it is that he will miss the birth of baby girl, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Isaac's 5th birthday, Christmas, New Year...then he will come home for a WHOLE MONTH which will fall  around our 6 year wedding anniversary. Then head back to Korea for 6ish months. It will be a wild ride! But we know we'll handle it like the team that we are. Focusing on the fact that we have the skills as a family to "survive and thrive" over this year apart is key. I'll be making a list of goals, destinations I'd like to take the kids, etc and documenting the whole year here. It will be great to look back at and see how much we all learned and the growth we made!

BUT...the best news of all...


J's crazy year of exercises and inspections in South Korea ultimately brought us to something we both wanted to experience in this life.

Photo from Google Images

Photo from Google Images

Photo from Google Images

That's right, folks! We are moving to Alaska in 2013! It was J's #1 pick when we put our heads together and came up with a list of places we'd like to go, given the choice.

It was very welcomed news! Especially after J had received word that his entire application for a follow on request had been DENIED. Due to the fact that he will only have a little over a year  left on his enlistment after he gets back from Korea. After some phone calls, "they" got it together and offered him one of the Air Force Bases in AK, after he agreed to sign an extension of his enlistment to stay in AK for 3 years.

People are mostly shocked. Living in a subarctic climate is obviously not on every one's "must do" list. But, we are from Michigan and definitely into Fishing, Hunting, Camping, Exploring...outdoorsy activities galore! Well...I should rephrase that. The boys are VERY into it. J is like super-outdoors man on crack and IJC is certainly following in his footsteps. J is also thinking, since we'll be there, maybe we should just stay there so baby girl can live in parkas and boots until she leaves the nest! Oh, Daddy's are funny.

I, on the other hand, do enjoy the outdoors. The beauty is obviously out of this world. I have been googling Denali National Park for a few hours. There are no words. However, I also like to sit in my house, or by a fire/campfire, and enjoy the scenery with a glass of wine. So, if there will be wine, I will be down for the Alaskan Interior!



The one where I overload you with pointless details and photos. Enjoy!

Our little He-Man has been having too-close-for-comfort near meltdowns all day and looking like he was dangerously close to needing to be put to bed since oh, about, 4:30. Imagine my surprise when we are watching Harry Potter (the one where R.Patz dies) after an early dinner and I look over to see him snoring into the arm of the couch. OK, maybe not so much surprise.

So I decided to settle in and write a real post and sort through a few photos. I'm certainly no editing expert, so judge away. I just enjoy playing around with photographs of my ridiculously adorable child. I am most definitely biased.

Moving on. We took a trip to our home state in March and I just got around to uploading the pictures today. Imagine my husband's surprise at the delay. Again, not so much of a surprise.

This was the first long road trip we've made thus far during this pregnancy. Well, that we knew of. I was pregnant and didn't know it early January during another trip. I was in no shape to try and pilot or co-pilot the long haul in one stretch so we took a break for the evening 3 hours into the trip. Yes. 3 HOURS. The horror. We got started much too late in the day, the dogs weren't having it, IJC's motion sickness meds were doing wonky things and my bladder was costing us some serious time. So we decided to stop in Arkansas and hit 'er hard in the morning.

The last leg of the trip went off without a hitch, as far as I remember. And we made it to the Mitten with lots of hugs waiting to greet us. It was the first time seeing everyone since finding out we were expecting baby #2, so everyone was extra excited. We visited, went fishing, shopped, ate and did all of the textbook home-visit things you do when you spend months away from your loved ones. We love the life the military has provided us and my husband 100% loves his job, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard to be away from our families as we raise our child.

He is a champ about it all, of course. Military children are some of the most resilient, well adjusted and well-rounded children I've ever met. Our son is no different and I am so very thankful for that. I'm constantly amazed at how he rolls with the punches of this crazy life. He makes me us proud!

Daddy and IJC enjoying some farm time.

(please ignore the mustache. Mustache March is the bane of my existence)

Fishing on the Pond!

 

And while I am at it, I am going to throw my 17 week belly photo. I am almost 21 weeks now, but I want to at least get it down here! I will post the 21 week photo on Friday and keep doing it bi-weekly until the end from there.

I'm feeling baby girl move late at night/early in the morning while I am laying in bed. It still tickles. IJC can't wait to be able to feel her, and of course neither can J. He will be leaving around the 35-36 week mark and won't officially meet her until she is about 6-7 months old so he has to get the snuggles in when he can. Even if she's still an inside-baby.

Well folks, that's all for now! I hear a big ice cold glass of water calling my name.

Well, here we are.

So, let's try this again.

In an effort to document the impending birth of baby #2 (Q), IJC's first year of school, a year in Korea for the Husband and me learning how to juggle it all...here we are again. Hopefully I'll be more successful at keeping this blog updated.

Most topics for the summer will cover our impending move, pregnancy, summer fun with IJC before Daddy heads off for his short tour and researching the heck out of WHEREVER the Air Force decides to send us next.

Let the fun begin! Again.