So much going on!

Luckily, most of the people who read this also are friends with me on facebook or at least talk to me on a semi regular basis. I've been a slacking blogger.

There are a few reasons that I'm a slacker. One is because we are pleasantly busy and the last thing I really have the creative energy for is to sit down at the computer and craft a blog that tells of the cuteness of my children and the adventures we've been up to without sounding like a complete bore. Another reason I haven't really updated is because there has been a lot of personal stuff going on and I really haven't figured out how to come onto this blog without over sharing or offending someone with a thought that might be a rant in disguise.

Here is a quick run down of our past month and a half-ish since I've updated.

-Sam went to his Annual Training up in San Louis Obispo. It was rough for him. He had evenings free where he was free to roam around in wine country, taking in the views and going to street festivals. (Do we sense my sarcasm?) But, while he was up there he was given the opportunity to take on a two year job with the Army, which means full time pay and benefits.

While it seems pretty obvious he should take it, we still had to do a lot of praying and seeking out of God's will. On the one hand, Sam taking the job meant stability for us, the opportunity to get out of apartment living and the ability to be a blessing to others more so (more missionary support, opening up our home to Bible Study, etc.). On the other hand, taking the job meant that Sam had to put his professional goals on hold for yet another year (most of you know what that means, can't mention it on the public blog, if you have questions message me).

After a lot of prayer and seeking the wisdom of others, we decided that this was a great opportunity for our family and so Sam decided to take it. He started last week and so far, so good. He's currently in Kansas learning what it is he's supposed to be doing here in California. It's such a great job because he's working at the base which is about 10 minutes from where we live. It's a stable job and all of our health benefits are paid for and we get a housing allowance.

Which moves me to exciting news part two:
-We are moving out of our apartment into a three bedroom house.
This is super exciting because we have lived in some sort of an apartment the entire 8 years we've been married. While I know deep down that we are super blessed to even have a roof over our heads (and the Lord knows that sometimes we weren't even sure how we were going to pay for a small apartment, but He always provided the means), it was time to move. There have been super sketchy things happening in our apartment complex as of late, and it makes it hard to allow the boys to play outside and not hear/see things that they shouldn't (older kids cussing, vandalizing, engaging in sexual activities, etc.).

Again, I understand that we are very blessed and that in some places in the world the boys would be exposed to much worse, but if I can protect their innocence as long as I can, I would like to do that.

-I got to take my wonderful Junior High group to Hume Lake Christian Camp.
This was my first summer at my new job and with it came the opportunity to take them to summer camp. I love camp, even though it takes me away from my family for almost a week, the excitement and spiritual awakenings that happen there is totally worth it. Hume Lake is up in King's Canyon and it's absolutely breath taking. After we move I will post some pictures of camp and our recent trips. Right now I cannot find my camera cord. I think it's packed.

Camp was great. The kids bonded together really well. I was also really happy to have the opportunity to just let myself relax a little bit and show them my fun side. It was good. I can't go into too much detail in order to protect the identity and personal issues of the students, but we had a ton of fun, and I know that God is still using the teachings in their hearts.

-We took a family trip to San Diego.
This is only a trip we have done as a family when Sam has been on deployment or about to be shipped away, so this was a new experience for us. We got to go and do things without the dark cloud of a looming separation hanging over our heads. We enjoyed the San Diego Zoo (a place Sam and I went pre-kids and enjoyed showing the boys. My favorite part was when we decided to go get ice cream and Nathaniel, who had been a little grumpy at this point, immediately cheered up and proclaimed, "Wow, Mom, I really love the zoo!") and we also visited the San Juan Capistrano Mission. It was very relaxing and just a fun time. Again, I will upload pictures in a week or so after we are done moving.

Oh, and Sam also got a job teaching as an adjunct philosophy professor online with Ashford University. It's great for him to be able to keep his philosophical mind in gear while doing Army stuff full time.

That's about it here. I have tons of cute kid stories. Aaron is growing like a weed and is really becoming more verbal. It helps that he's in daycare now so he's around kids who don't speak for him. Nathaniel tends to speak for him, which makes him perfectly happy, so it's nice that he has to work for his words now. Aaron also realizes that he's funny, so he does super silly stuff all day long with a silly grin on his face. Tonight he was pretending to eat his green beans (because, bless his heart, even though he tries and tries, he just doesn't like them) and so he was putting them near his mouth and then moving them outside of his chin and down his neck and tucking them into his shirt, pretending to eat them. He's really coming along in the potty training. He is super stubborn, but it's working in my favor because he throws a fit when I try to put diapers on him. Tonight I had to put a Pull Up on him because he wouldn't wear the diaper. Once I am more consistent with him, and once he's a little more verbal and coordinated, I don't think it will be a problem. Especially since he uses the toilet about 25% of the time.

Nathaniel is doing really well. Something clicked for him and now he is drawing pictures that actually look like what he says they are (this was after months of just scribbles). He's reading pretty well too and has really taken to math. We had a battle with Preschool earlier this month. I think it was just that Sam and I were gone so much this summer at different times that it threw Nathaniel off. He is super sensitive to one of us being gone. I know it's because Sam was gone so much of Nathaniel's early life. But, this past week he's had a good attitude and has been excited to go.

So, that's my book of an update. Lots going on and almost all of it is fantastic. I promise to update more often and put pictures as well. Especially before Aaron gets his first haircut (which is coming soon as he is starting to get a mullet). Thanks for reading!