one hundred days ... and the count continues...

It's been 100 days since we hugged Daddy Dale good-bye.  We are all getting into the groove of doing what we do... praying daily is key and I know that GOD's love continues to embrace us.  We're busy.... but not as busy as before.  Since returning back on island from our summer travels... we're home more and enjoying a lot of down time.  It's nice not having to run around everywhere.  The kids are only taking UKULELE lessons  so that's only one night a week.

Let's see... 100 days in - here's what's going on with everyone.

"Measure me, Mommy...
I'm growing and growing...
now I can ride the Grover ride"
She was too short when we went
to Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL

Mia is such a chatterbox right now.  Negotiating everything!  What she eats, when to sleep, where to go.  It's really funny!  Ahhh... the joy of parenting her with the experience of our older three makes my job as  her mommy such a sweet experience!  I'm so glad that Dale convinced me to go for ONE MORE and stick to our original plan of having 4 kids!  Oh how I still remember that conversation...  I was convinced that we were done with 3!  :-)  Now I can't imagine life without our sweet little Mia!

Every morning Mia wakes up wanting to measure herself to see if she grew.  It's really funny because all you have to say is, "honey, if you want to grow - you have to sleep!"  Mia's memory is amazing... she remembers a lot and will recall conversations that happened 6 months ago or even longer!  She gets frustrated with me when I don't remember what she's talking about... but she's good about describing what is in her thoughts and eventually I figure out what she's saying... or at least pretend to.  Yikes!  She likes to draw and write her name... sometimes the letters get mixed up... but we're working on that!  She starts with the M then the little i with the dot right on top of the line (just like Dani used to do when she was Mia's age)... and then for some reason she sometimes puts the A in front of the M... :-)   She loves to play hide and seek, reading and taking trips to the library.   Underwater World is also one of her favorite things to do. (the aquarium here on Guam).

"can I watch a little bit, Mommy?"

Her new "thing" is watching her movies on our old portable DVD player  (she loves being independent and operating it on her own... hmmm... we're learning how to put all her DVD's away so they don't get all scratched) Mia also loves to cook and help with anything and everything!!!!!  When I do let her help she always thanks me... "Thank you, Mommy for letting me help!"



"Mommy, I have a good endea... I fink we should go to the pool".  She absolutely loves her pool time with and swim lessons with Ms. Mandi.  Her favorite place is swimming at the hotel slide pool here at Leo Palace.

She named her crutches
Mark & Vanessa
(silly girl!)

Dani
is such a big helper  consistently - even 100 days in.   She loves her baby sister!  She loves to surprise me.  Cleaning up and cooking whenever she has a chance... her specialty - making pancakes on Sunday Morning.  Today she is limping around on crutches because she got slammed on her ankle by one of her brothers.  Xrays were taken... nothing broken... just some deep bruising!  Sometimes it's tough being a younger sister to 2 big brothers... but she definitely can hold her own!  She is really developing into such a beautiful young lady... with a heart so sweet and loving.  Spending quality time with her is key!  I know she misses her daddy so much - and she is always so much happier when she is able to skype with him.  Dani is having a great school year... "4th grade is the best" (she says)... she has a wonderful teacher and class this year!   Thank you, Mr. Zimms!   Yippeeee!!!

Thumbs up, Ry!  The rice filled sock
holds the heat to "melt away" his
eye bump... it's actually almost gone!
Rice on his eye... rice on his plate....
can you get any more Asian than this?

                  Ryan loves to cook and spice things up to anything he is making.  He's all about the spices and the flavor.  He's so full of energy and so the biggest challenge I find is trying to channel it properly.  Fifth grade is absolutely fun and social for him... he's all about his friends and recess and soccer and for awhile - he was all about the silly band craze.  He's since stopped wearing them... so that came and went.  He's been the bus drivers helper on the school bus... with our little neighbor friend - Christopher... and has helped him transition into being a kindergartener.  I love that Ryan is very aware of people around him.  His love language of "touch" is also his way of expressing love.  So with that... he's my hands on - back crackin' and walkin' on my back masseuse.  Surprisingly, for as little as he is - he's got skills!   Our neighbor even comes over to get an adjustment from my little man Ry!

 Morgan... He is STILL growing and may be as tall as Daddy soon!

He's almost a teenager.  It's just so hard to believe!

Stretching into a size 16 pants... size 9 shoe... and his low voice throws me because it's so deep already... yet he's only 12!  Although his body seems to be rushing into manhood... there's absolutely NO RUSHING my boy!   Mo is my steady and even tempered kid.  He's tolerant and when something finally bothers him... you'll definitely hear about it!    How nice it is to have his BABYSITTING status and abilities so that I can go and do my photo shoots.  Now I know it's team work as far as the kids go - because Dani & Ryan are also very big helpers with Mia... but he is the one of age to keep it LEGAL!  My challenge has been making sure he stays motivated to turn in his work on time (crazy part is... he's done with the work... just forgets to turn it in!  HELLO!)  He's the silent, mysterious type!  So taking time to "hear" him and communicate is key!  He's all about MUSIC, Kung Fu and Wushu (gymnastics w/ kung fu moves).  If he's not kicking or looking up different martial art styles online he's on youTUBE looking up a song and within an hour or two playing it on the piano or ukulele.  That amazes me!  Mo definitely has his daddy's ear for music!  Maybe all that Mozart that I constantly played for him during his naps and at night when he was a baby really did open some spacial reasoning and musical abilities.

... at least the pup has more hair than Dale! ha ha!
Your eyebrows look less thick with that stash, honey!

You know I LOVE YOU! Even from afar you make us laugh!

Dale... ooh my sweet husband... let me first say, "I am so thankful for you and for what you're doing."   Imagine my reaction when he skyped us one day and we saw his upper lip a bit THICK!  At 100 days in... he's growing a moustache!  Yes!   It's true!  He decided to join in on a MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) competition to see who could grow the best moustache.  Needless to say, it has been fun making fun of him.  We love you daddy with it or without it... but we can't wait for the contest to be over... haha!    :-)  Work is keeping Dale busy in Kuwait.  I'm so thankful for skype and facebook so we can stay connected!  Thanks to the USO - he's definitely seeing his share of celebrities and even professional cheerleaders come through their facility... haha... "it's all for the Morale of the patients", he says!    I love that he's learned to download and edit photos on his new little point & shoot camera... he's able to share his photos and we can see his life away from us.

ME - busy mommy of four.  I'm constantly making sure everyone is fed, clean, clothed and on schedule.  Although, I'm blessed that my kids love to be independent.   Lucky for me, they enjoy preparing food and helping themselves in the kitchen.  On school mornings this is especially helpful - since my kids LOVE to wake up at the crack of dawn!  One day they'll learn to enjoy the idea of sleeping in.  

I purchased tickets to go back to the states for Thanksgiving to be with my family.... I'll admit... it was an emotional purchase because at the time (when we first got back to GUAM) I was missing my hubby and family - A LOT!  I was an emotional mess... I admit it... a few choice friends even witnessed it and hugged me through it.  Well, now that reality is in my face, I decided to take on MORE photo shoots to pay off 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 plane tickets... *gulp* YES, 5 plane tickets!  So far so good!  100 days in... and I'm a few photo shoots away from taking care of that!  Yeah!  No regrets though... because I know it will be GREAT to surround ourselves with family - especially during Thanksgiving, my favorite HOLIDAY of the year!    I'm relieved to say that the heaviness in my heart (since Dale left)  has been lifted.  Every day I pray that God opens the eyes of my heart so I can see HIS awesomeness working in my life.   Truly... there is so much to be thankful for!  SO MUCH! 

Happy 100 Days... we're in the 3 digits now... so that's a good sign... a sign that we're closer to the end of our time apart!!!  We'll continue to count up... until Dale's return... and when we learn of a return date - then we'll start a count down... but for now we're on the up and up!

Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, e'mails and phone calls!!!  How blessed we are to have amazing family & friends, like you!!

Ephesians 1:18-20 (New International Version © 2010)

¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe.