A New Season

It's been a year since I last posted on our family blog and so much has happened!  In January 2013, I wrote that I thought 2013 was going to be a year full of potential.  It was all that and more.  In the Fall of 2012 my husband began taking the steps to enter into the Chaplaincy Program of the United States Army.  That process took almost 9 months, a time well like pregnancy where hopes and dreams of a new life builds with anticipation.  We decided not to share details online until Guido was accepted into the program.  In April 2013 the military board met to decide on the applicants.  In a time of downsizing in the military, the Army is only choosing the best of the best.  There were only a handful of candidates who made it, and Guido was one of them.  From that moment on life seemed to throttle forward so fast, I still don't know how I survived the whole ordeal. 

The ordeal being Guido leaving me for 3 months for basic training.  I was tasked with taking care of all 5 kids by myself and packing up our home for our eventual move out of Alabama to Missouri.  By the time we were ready to announce leaving to our close friends, time slipped by even quicker and we were celebrating Guido's graduation.  From graduation we traveled straight to our first assignment waiting for us in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

And so here I am in March 2014, feeling like I can finally take a breath and relax.  It has been such an adventure to get to this moment.  We have been so extremely blessed in the journey to get here.  The parsonage in Alabama sold instantaneously, and while we could not move to where Guido was for training, the new owners of the house allowed us to live there for 6 months free because they said they wanted to bless us.  We didn't have any income for the month of Sept. and the money we had saved for this time went on uniforms and supplies for Guido.  As an officer he does not get reimbursed fully for his uniforms. But God met our need and provided everything we needed and more. 

So I am back now online, ready to record the next chapter of our lives.  The kids have all gotten bigger and smarter, their transition to army life has been good.  Our neighborhood on post is full of kids and all around us are other chaplain families with the kids the same age.  Life feels blessed.   

Someone Wants To Learn

It's times like these that I wish our budget included some extra curricular activities for the little ones.  Olivia got a ballet necklace and book from Santa for Christmas and I caught her practicing.  She is literally teaching herself the steps!  Hopefully by summer we'll have some extra funds to put in her a class, but watching her do this just broke my heart.  I guess she really wants to learn.

Birmingham Art Museum

Birmingham has an awesome art museum!  And even more exciting than the beautiful pictures and Wedgwood collection is the children's department.  Two rooms full of great activities.  We went and spent 2 hours just in the kid section.

 There are all sorts of manipulatives that the kids can stack, build, create.

 Two gigantic smart boards with the ability to email pictures to your account

  There is a light table, a water calligraphy table, chalkboards, etc..

 They have at least 100 high quality puppets that the kids spent time creating stories and plays.

And then the art outside with the waterfalls!  After having to be quite in the museum exhibits it was a great to run around and yell and shout all they wanted to outside.

Birmingham March For Life 2013

Last weekend was Birmingham's March for Life.  I've missed the last 2 years due to cold weather and little ones so I was really glad that we were able to come out as a family and support something I strongly believe in.  The Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision turned 40 years old this year.    My generation has been the generation of abortion.  

Roe vs. Wade was about the protection of the ninth amendment, the right to privacy.  While I support that the government doesn't have the right to tell me what to do with my body, is the life of an unborn child without rights?  In America the unborn have no civil rights unless they are wanted.  The 14th amendment that guaranteed all US citizens the right to be free says these civil rights are only assured once someone has been born.  I don't know if abortion will end in my generation.  But my family and I will do all we can to support life in this death culture.  

Call the Midwife

I try very hard to find good quality television shows that promote more of my values.  In recent years that has become harder and harder to find.  Especially, since most of the shows on TV are all reality-based.  I think in my line up of favorite shows, one is a comedy and the others are crime dramas.  If I'm not watching those than the TV is stuck on the cooking channel or HGTV.  The only problem with watching those kind of shows is that it fills me with envy for the things I don't have.  

I once got so interested in a drama show that I watched it loyally, every week, for 3 years.  And every week I was disappointed by it's cliff hanging ending.  It took me 3 years to finally say, "Enough!".  I stopped watching it and never picked it up again.  It was actually something that bonded me with my brother.  We looked forward to it every week and we would call each other speculating the plot for the next episode.  We ran around an island trying to find the actors and the sets.  My brother watched it to the very end and would give me seasonal updates once in awhile.  

My favorite shows in recent years have been miniseries played on Masterpiece Theater  PBS.  The most popular one being Downtown Abbey, which I have just started watching the 3rd season.  I love tv shows that are period pieces.  Over Christmas I stumbled upon a new show that totally wowed my socks off. I found myself weeping, which no show has every done for me.  It has such a sweet mix of sacred and real life.  The first season has come and gone and where was I?  So I found it at my local library only it's checked out till the end of January.  I was fortunate to find it online, free here.  

It's based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth who began nursing as a midwife in the 1950's in London's East End (the poorest of the poor).  A local convent of Anglican nuns serving as nurses to the East End community is where this young girl goes to begin her duties.  Hubby watched an episode with me and was amazed at how real the birthing depictions look.  He's an expert after having seen 5 babies being born.  He knows what the real thing looks like.  He was impressed.  He was also impressed at the faith aspect of the show. 

It is now my favorite show.  If you get a chance to watch it, let me know what you think.