Holy smokes it's been over a year since I posted anything on here! In that time I have also stopped using my good camera (my phone has been so much more available). Time to shape up. Boys are growing and Oh how life is changing. The last three years have definitely been an uphill slog for our little family and though it isn't over yet there is light that is starting to seep through the cracks. There have been many a day when the only that pulled me through safely was the though that someday I'm gonna see Jesus and when I do the purpose of this will be shown and it will matter. It does matter. I do matter. How I live and how I love matters. That is an easier concept for some to grasp, not so with me. Nevertheless, God has been oh so faithful to guide me along. As the things that I thought defined me or thought I needed all slowly dropped away I consistently saw God step in a fill in the space, gently telling me "See, you don't NEED that. You need ME. Here I am. I was waiting even when pushed me away with your angry words and silent stares. I stood by you and loved you in your darkest moments because I knew from the very beginning something you didn't. You matter. I made you to matter. I made you to be loved and to love. I have purpose for you that you can't see and I LOVE YOU." So we keep marchin on. I have learned quite a bit about the beauty of life and peace in spite of circumstance. Not to say I am anywhere near all "learned up". But I am excited for a ever changing perspective on things. Here are some catch up pics from the last year.
Nate learned to ride a bike with training wheels and Adrian without.
Wrestling with friends.
Singing the froggy song.
Adrian went to and graduated from kindergarten and now he's homeschooling for 1st grade.
Love.
This is my favorite "my husband just got home from sea" picture. I miss that man.
The back porch became a popular place to eat (when it wasn't freezing or raining) because it minimized clean up for me. Likewise, pizza became more common (once a rarity) in our house because it took away cooking duty for a night. When you are on your own you find compromise just as necessary as when you are with someone. 
We learned to drink from sprinklers and run through them whether we had clothes on or not :)
Rainy day parades with umbrellas helped us to make the best of the Washington blues
We did get to celebrate this last fourth of July together with some wonderful friends. Little did we know it would be our last on in Washington. Only a few months later we found out the Navy would be moving us to Guam! More on that later...
