Play Time!

Play date at the park with some of our friends

Sprinkler fun after the rain (meaning muddy yard already...before adding more water!)

A Day Trip to the Farm

Our very good friend Cheryl invited Granny, Alex and I to her farm for a visit.  Cows?  Horses?  Big open fields?  Once Alex heard, he couldn’t wait to go.  Mom’s cousin Cathy decided to join us for the day.

I never knew hay bales could be so much fun!  We spent a lot of time carefully inspecting them, and then climbed up to see the view from the top.

Alex affectionately referred to them as the “three grannies”

Of course the highlight of our visit for Alex was the ride in the ATV out to the neighboring pasture to see the cows.  And bulls.  And calves.

Once he learned the Mexican hat dance, there was no stopping him!

The hole at the bottom of the steps was even more fun than the mud hole in our backyard!

It was a beautiful day to spend outdoors, in wide open spaces.  

Little boys, dirt, bugs and plenty of sunshine make a picture perfect combination of laughter and joy.  It did us both good to get away from the city and enjoy time with friends and nature.

My Momma

It isn't easy being a mom...

...and a dad

...and a teacher

...and a friend

...and a cook, a homemaker, and everything else a military mom is called to be...

But military moms just do it all.  Because they have to.  Because there is no other choice, and because they love their husband, their children and the military too much to not do it.

Some are good at it.  They understand what is needed, and they keep at it, year after year.  Some never quite get it, no matter how hard they try.

But my mom...my mom was amazing at it.  She made being a military wife and mother look easy.  And looking back now, I know it must have been anything but.  I have a husband at home every night.  I am a teacher, but I have time and a million tools at my fingertips to help me along the way.  I cook, I go grocery shopping, I sew and make a home - but I do all those things as part of a family that all show up to the dinner table each and every night.  My mom didn't have any of that.

She had two daughters to raise, a whole ship's worth of other wives and children to support, and no family close by to help. No one to take her hand and tell her it would be alright.  No one to pick up the slack for her.

I know my mom, and I know there must have been many nights she wanted to cry...wanted to just give up...wanted five minutes to herself...wondered if there really was such a thing as peace and what it felt like.  But she would get late night phone calls from wives who needed help...who needed someone to be there for them...who just needed.  

She provided.  

She had ballet recitals and piano lessons and school plays and field trips and many visits to the ER and restless nights with little sick ones who couldn't sleep and sleepless nights with teenagers who had broken hearts and through it all...

She provided.

She never compromised on quality time...she never gave in to quick fixes or fast food dinners or time to herself just so she could get by.  She gave more and somehow she never ran out of giving.  I see now how much time she gives to her grandson and how many things she puts aside when he takes her hand in his and leads her down the path only a child knows to travel, and I am reminded of the things I remember from my childhood - not things I didn't have, because mom always made sure we never had a chance to really miss them, but of all the things I did have.

She provided.

She sewed the seeds of motherhood into me over those years of growing and learning and being, and when I feel hopelessly lost in the wilderness of raising a child, I am raised up by the knowledge that I have been gifted with such a beautiful example to follow.

My momma.  My hero.  Thank you.

Patriotism

Growing up in a military family is a unique experience.  So much changes and so little remains the same and yet in the middle of it all are the beautiful traditions that grow deep in the heart of a military child and foster a love for country and freedom.  

My sister recently took on the task of researching our family ancestry in the hopes of confirming the tale my dad has been telling us for many years - that our great, great, great, great, great grandfather (I hope I got the right number of "greats") George Belcher played a role in helping to establish independence by serving in the military  and supporting the cause during the Revolutionary War.  Once our lineage was confirmed, I filled out my application to the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and upon acceptance, I soon found myself once again surrounded by the many traditions that I remembered from my childhood.  

In a way, it feels a little like coming home after so many years.  

I am thankful every day for my dad, my husband, my many other relatives, and all military men and women who have given of themselves selflessly and willingly in the defense of our country and who have been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to uphold the beliefs that our founding fathers first fought for.

May God mercifully watch over the men and women who serve our country, both at home and abroad and may he always give strength to the families they leave behind.  May we always remember the sacrifice and may we never take for granted the privileges we have been given.

The Welcoming Ceremony for New Members

Receiving my new member packet and DAR pin

Being sworn in

New members of the Thankful Hubbard Chapter, DAR

I was honored with the Outstanding Junior Member Award for Thankful Hubbard Chapter 

for 2011-2012

I have accepted the appointment to Conservation Committee Chair, and the Junior Membership Committee Chair for 2012-2014 and I am looking forward to being part of such an historic and patriotic society and amazing chapter!

Family Comes to Town

We've had a busy Spring!  Here are a few pictures of our time with family.