Jars of Cake

When I was researching care package ideas I came across an interesting thing. {And yes, I researched care packages - I'm a nerd!} I saw the interesting concept of baking cakes in jars. After you bake them you put the lids on and since the jar is still hot from being in the oven, it seals itself and it should stay good for quite some time. {I'll have to get back to you about how well this holds up!} Tonight Eden, Hunter, and I gave it a go and we'll mail the jars off later this week.

All you are supposed to need to do is mix your cake batter like normal.

 Put the jars on a cookie sheet for balance purposes, mainly.

 Fill the greased jars like you would a cupcake pan.

 Put 'em in the oven and bake. I'm not sure how long I ended up baking mine. I did it for about 5 minutes at a time because I wasn't sure how the jars baked. I know I ended up with at least 15 minutes in the oven.

After they come out, put the lids on while the jars are still hot and they should seal themselves. Package it in a box with a can of icing and some plastic forks/spoons/knives so they can be enjoyed!

Motherhood Is...{25}

This week I am blessed with knowing that we are one month closer to hugging Lane again!

That's right, we're one month down! The weeks/days leading up to him leaving were rough. Eden got the ear infection from hell and we were trying to adjust to life of packing, planning, and departing, so we were all on edge. Once he was gone I was ok. Then a week or 2 passed and reality sank in - he's not coming home a week from now. We knew we were in for the long haul, and it seemed like it was going to be forever.

These last 2 weeks have flown by! I'm so glad for that. It gives me the hope I need to know that this deployment can go by quickly. Now that we're into it and we've found our new normal I'm hoping that time flies!

Fruit Salad

This week the kids and I have been getting up super early {for us} and heading to Vacation Bible School. Oh-my-goodness...I am tired! I've had a class of 8-11 preK kids. They're great and wonderful and sweet - and oh so full of energy! Eden and Hunter have been apart and with their own age groups. I think this has been awesome for all of us. Even on Sunday mornings the kids are together, so this week has given all of us a break so we can appreciate each other that much more when we're together again.

At the beginning of VBS I take my kids to the sanctuary and there's music and a small skit put on to teach the kids the fruits of the spirit. We've done 2 every day and in order to keep the kids interested the skit includes a chef who is making fruit of the spirit salad! Along with the skit we've had fun making different crafts, playing outside, doing music and movement, and having story time. The stories have been told with a felt story board, with a puppet, and even just with a kids Bible. It's been fun, and I'll be sad to see it end, but we've got a busy week ahead of us next week, so I've got lots to do around the house to prepare for leaving for Georgia!!!

Yummy

We sent another care package! Hopefully the things in this one make it there before they go bad.

This box of goodies includes all of that delicious stuff! I made banana bread for the box. I'm hoping it makes the journey around the world without spoiling. I used our food saver vacuum seal for it AND put it in a ziplock. I really only added the ziplock because I wanted him to be able to save what he doesn't eat. I was also smart enough to add in a plastic knife so he can slice it! The pringles can is just a decoy - I actually filled it with some delicious cookies. I made pink lemonade cookies {right from a box.}

Of course no care package is worth anything if it doesn't include art from the kids! I let them bust out markers {until I had to take them away from Hunter because he colored on his legs and the floor and he melted down completely!}

Eden wrote her name on her own for the first time. She wrote it without tracing it! I hope Lane is going to be so proud to see it!

Motherhood Is...{24.b}

I am blessed to have a strong man by my side, who has my back, and who leads me through life - all at the same time.

I can't let this week go by without praising a special someone in my life. Today I not only value his for his awesome role as "Daddy" but also his wonderful role as "Husband." Today marks 6 years married for us. I can't believe it! We've known each other for 12 years and have been married for 6 of them. We've been married {and putting up with each other 24 hours a day} for half the time we've known each other! Wow!!!!! He's stuck around, too. That says something for sure. I know I can't be the easiest person to live with at times, but he's stuck by my side no matter what. He's a great partner to have on the days the kids are driving me crazy, but he's also wonderful to have around to share in the laughter that the kids can bring to our lives.

When I posted this picture {from the La Jolla Half Marathon} on facebook before, I added a caption that summarized the moment.

He didn't train for it (I did). He shouldn't have done well (but he did). He threatened to embarrass me by singing with headphones in (so I'd run faster when it was the last thing I wanted to do). He wouldn't run ahead of me (I begged him to leave me behind). He ran side by side, never leaving me behind, and held my hand as we crossed the finish. I hated him for his "good pace keep it up" and his "this is where we pass people" comments throughout the race, but he never left me. Terrible hills, and 13.1 miles long, but we made it! Thanks for dragging me across the finish, Lane (and making it look like I wasn't being dragged!)

I love this man more than I ever knew I could, and I wish that we could be together to celebrate. Though we're on opposite ends of the earth this year, I am blessed that this man is willing to put up with me through thick and thin, and love me through it all!

Happy Anniversary/Father's Day, Lane! We love you!!!

Motherhood Is...{24.a}

This week I am blessed by warm sunny weather that lets us play outside {almost}all day every day.

My kids love to be outside. They would eat, sleep, play, laugh, cry, run, jump, and do everything outside if they could! They love being outside - simple as that.

Eden borrowed some skates from her friends and took off! She loved being on wheels, and each time she fell, she got right back up. I reminded her that if she thought she was going to fall that she shouldn't panic. All she had to do was stop, take a breath, and make sure she had everything under control before trying to move again. She was a pro before the day was over.

Hunter bounced that ball around all morning long. He threw it, chased it, picked it up, and did it all over again. He never did it without laughing, so I'm guessing he was having more fun than he knew what to do with! He was so fun to watch.

Both kids were in their element. Outside, fun, sun, letting loose.

Ahhh, to be able to sit and watch the kids while they have fun is what I'm blessed by this week.

Just Another Week

Eden wanted to have a picture taken with Hunter and Nugget.

Eden's soccer picture.

Hunter and Coen on the motorcycle.

Apricots ready to ripen so we can eat 'em!

Eden and Hunter are 2 peas in a pod. They stand up on the wall and Eden will say, "clap your hands" and they will, then she'll say, "stomp your feet" and they will. They're awesome together.

Morning picture to send to Daddy!

Curling her hair just like Mommy did for the Flight Suit Formal.

Apricots! There are probably 200 still on the tree. I think I need to open my own fruit stand!

Eden and Hunter wanted a picture - well, Eden did. As soon as she covered her eyes, he reached over to take her snack!

Plums getting ready to ripen!

Outside fun.

Eden, Charlotte, Grace, and Hunter.

Coen left a ball at our house over a month ago. We couldn't find it anywhere - look what Eden found!!!

Crazy kid!

I think Someone misses Daddy!

My run. My pace is still a whole minute slower than I want it to be for the race on the 4th of July. The good news is that I won't be pushing the kids in the stroller for the Peachtree Road Race, so let's keep our fingers crossed that I can drop that minute! I was able to run 2 miles at a 9:21 pace per mile, so there's hope, even if just a little bit!

Feeling Loved

This morning wasn't my best morning since Lane's been gone. I went for a run - which was a good run - and then was chatting with Anna after our run. Lane and Jay {Anna's husband} both got a chance to call while we were sitting around. While it's always great when we get phone calls, part of the news wasn't the best. We still have no idea of when the guys are coming home, but early isn't an option anymore. Ok, so we figure after Thanksgiving, but before Christmas...maybe not! They might miss Christmas. Not fun for anyone! So, we went on about our morning deciding that since nothing is set in stone that we won't worry. Even if they miss Christmas, they're still going to come home eventually, which is what matters most in the end. It's just a let down.

After leaving the lake where we went running the kids and I went shopping for some running shorts for me and then went to the post office. We had to send a care package. Once we got home I put the kids down for naps and a rest and called my parents. They said they mailed me something and asked when UPS came because there should be a box for me today. I was excited to see the box on my front porch, and even more excited when I opened it. I'm not going to lie, it made me cry, but it was awesome to get loved on by my family back home!

The inside of my box! My parents must have been reading up on how to decorate and create care packages!
There's bubble bath and 2 kinds of k cups, coffee and a sleepy time tea to help me start and end my days!

Fun little goodies

Starbucks card.

Anniversary card and notes from my Dad {with instructions on pairing a wine that they sent}, Parker, Sara, and my mom. My brother's note made me cry. I didn't expect the notes from him and Sara, so seeing them made the box extra special. He said something about how not fun it is to be away from your loved one {Sara's still in GA while he's in VA} but that it gets easier. It made me realize that he's growing up more than I realize. He's always looked to me for advice, and now he's giving me advice too!

My bottle of wine.

Motherhood Is...{23}

This week I am blessed by technology.

I don't know how it was done before video chatting and emails and text messages! I honestly can't imagine how I would explain Daddy's absence to my kids if they couldn't see him every now and then and hear his voice. It costs us nothing extra to be able to have this luxury while he's deployed {If you don't count having to buy the device to get internet where he is. But since it's just an up front cost, I don't count it.} 

I mean, there are families who dealt with deployments with very little communications with anyone. Snail mail was the way to go and the only way to talk to loved ones. These days I have some sort of communication with Lane every day. Even if it's just a text message, we're still able to share a quick "I love you" or "hi, my day is going _______" with each other. It makes me feel like he's closer to me than the other side of the globe. 

Lane was able to watch part of Eden's soccer game today. Come on...how cool is that?! Yesterday we talked to him at {our} lunch time and he was able to see Hunter using his spoon to eat soup. He was able to make fun of how ridiculous of an idea it was that I actually gave Hunter soup. And it wasn't at the idea of the memory of it while I recalled the event, he was there for it. He's able to participate in the kids' lives much more than I thought he would. 

I love that we're able to chat with him, and I know the kids appreciate it too - especially since Eden is starting to catch on to the fact that Daddy isn't coming home soon. {She cried about it for the first time today, broke my heart!}

So this week, I am blessed by technology that keeps our family together while we're apart!

Flight Suit Formal

Each year the Raider-ettes get together in June and have a flight suit formal. All the ladies chop up old flight suits and we make them our own.

Normally, the Raider patch goes where the crown is, but since Lane is deployed, he has his patches and I didn't have any to borrow. Since my call sign is Princess, I spiced it up appropriately.

I had to get Lane's opinion, so I had to take a mirror picture to send to him. I'm glad I did because I think it's the only picture I have of myself from the event.

My accessories to go with my call sign.

I embroidered a crown on the right butt cheek of my flight suit. As some may know - and most may not - my first {yes, first} tattoo was a princess crown on my right butt cheek. 

It is a night that we all get call signs that are assigned by our husbands. Most call signs come with funny, absurd, ridiculous, and/or embarrassing stories.

Angela "flew" in to the theme of Top Gun. Her flight suit is decorated as a C-130.

Ma'am

Listening to the story of her call sign.

Champ

D.I.V.A

Glock

I'm not even sure what this was all about!

Pineapple

Kalee taking the red carpet as Nicole came up under her to dance with her. Kalee took it like a champ and just danced along.

Danza

Last night was the night and we had a blast.

The ladies who earned their call signs at this years flight suit formal. And yes, that's a baby in the pant leg of a flight suit turned into a matching dress with her mom!

The whole group.