The Gift of Being Together

If you've been reading, you know that Ryan injured his finger a couple months ago and required surgery.  Today I want to share the full story, mostly so I don't forget how God provided a way for our family to spend Christmas together this year.

Ryan came home from a training trip this past summer and dropped the news that he had been given a deployment assignment.  He was set to leave the first week of November and would be gone for six months.  As far as deployments go, it was a relatively good assignment and could have provided good opportunities for him professionally.  But I don't think I have to explain why the news was still devastating to me.  We always knew there was a possibility of him going and I began to work through knowing that our family would be separated for six months.  During that process, I decided the kids and I would plan to spend Christmas with my family.  We hadn't originally planned to take a trip back to the states while living in England, but being with family during the holiday season seemed worth the effort.  So I worked alongside my parents, who were going to be in North America for Christmas, and made plans for the kids and I to travel with them.  I bought our plane tickets in the middle of September.

A couple weeks later, Ryan injured his finger.  And then had surgery.  And then began the process of finding out how the recovery would affect his job, specifically the work he would be doing while deployed.  Fast forward a few weeks and Ryan got word on the weekend of his birthday that because of the injury, surgery, and physical therapy required for recovery, he would not be allowed to deploy.

After processing the news that our family wouldn't be together for six months and submitting to God's sovereignty in that, it was shocking to hear two weeks before he was set to leave that Ryan wouldn't be going.  And so we started figuring out how to get him on a plane with us.

Fast forward another few weeks and our entire family was sitting on the same flight, with my mom, ready to fly to my sister's home in Vancouver.  Ryan will be with us for most of our stay and for a few glorious days this month, my entire family will be together.  Two grandparents, three siblings, three spouses, and seven cousins ages five and under who have all yet to meet.  So I'm signing off until the new year in order to soak up this amazing Christmas miracle of family togetherness.

Merry Christmas from the Paynes!

Treasure Trails

A couple weekend ago, we bundled up and headed to Cambridge in search of some buried treasure!  We used a Treasure Trails map and had a great morning solving clues and exploring parts of Cambridge that we hadn't seen.  

We solved the puzzle and used the map to figure out where the treasure was buried (though we didn't actually get to see any treasure!).

November Phone Dump (updated)

Collecting colorful Fall leaves

This is the first year that Rooke and Gretchen wanted to write for themselves on their daily thankful leaves.  It's been my favorite Thanksgiving Tree yet!

A weekend date with my gingers!  Peppermint hot chocolate and some chilled out reading at the library.

A fun surprise care package from the Heavilands brought smiles all around!

But I'll be paying Jessie back for this bike horn! =)

Bridgette and I got to have coffee to celebrate a dear friend's birthday.  The barista kindly offered her a little cup of whipped cream!  

A kind friend from church paid Rooke and Gretchen a surprise visit to deliver some treats for having memorized the verses our church was learning last month.

When was the last time you wore your qipao?!  I spoke to a friend's daughter's class about China.  Never mind I'm a white American living in the UK!  

Enjoying a gloriously sunny day with my girls

Feeling very patriotic after finishing this puzzle during Thanksgiving week.  Bridgette only destroyed it once!

We had some minor turkey drama, which sent me back to the store hoping there were turkeys left.  I managed to find two turkeys and brought home two monkeys as well!

Two other American moms and I helped with some Thanksgiving fun for Gretchen's preschool.  We sang, read stories (that didn't elaborate on the first settlers!), did a craft, and brought cornbread muffins, turkey, pumpkin bread and cranberry juice for snack.  Bridgette loved joining her sister for the morning.

My Thanksgiving day helper.

Snuggles with Kaye K during our second Thanksgiving with family and friends.

A little game time to end our holiday weekend.

Gretchen's stories

Gretchen is our storyteller.  She loves being read to, but after someone has read a book to her, she prefers to then read that book to herself instead of moving on to another one.  She usually compiles details from several different stories with her own commentary thrown in.  And my favorite part is when she completely makes up a word - with a straight face - so as not to loose the rhythm of her reading.  It will be a sad day when she starts actually reading the words instead of telling her own stories because I love her stories so much!  

Busy B at 20 months

Bridgette's breaking into her twenties today - a full 20-months old!  

She is funny, busy, into everything, and is generally very happy.  She loves her siblings, and they respond to her affection, unless she's trying to snatch a toy or book or mess up a lego creation or color on a treasured work of art . . . you get the picture!  Gretchen has recently taken to inviting Bridgette to play with her, which is so fun to watch, though we're still working on getting Bridgette to say her sister's name!  She's picked up on her words in the last couple of weeks, using "No", "Mine", and "I" the most.  Hmmmm.  =)  She also likes to remind me throughout the day that "Rooke gool" (Rooke's in school) and if you ask her something she doesn't know, she lifts her hands with a cute high tone and says "dunno!"  One of her favorite things to do is play outside and she likes reading books a lot more than she used to.  

We love our Bridgette Kara!

What's Normal Anyway?

After weeks of several sick bugs and hospital visits and surgeries and overall busyness of life, things are starting to calm down.  At the end of last week, I thought to myself that my days felt normal again.  The question that followed was, "What does normal look like right now?"  I like structure and routine, so I have in my head what a "normal" week looks like.  But I know that will change and in just a year from now "normal" will look very different.  I decided on Wednesday to document my day in an effort to remember what this season of life looks like.  I set my phone alarm and took a photo every hour (with a few extras thrown in).  I want to be able to look back on this season, remembering that "normal" was spending a lot of time doing pretty mundane things, but each day was unique because I got to spend my hours with three little people and a husband who made normal feel really special.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013:

6:00am

Ryan's gone for a run.

My alarm woke me up.  

I'm dressed and hoping to get some quiet time alone before someone needs something from me, even if it is just a snuggle.

6:02 - Rooke's footsteps keep me from making it all the way down the stairs.  I give him a snuggle, get him settled into my bed with a pile of books and instructions to rest until 6:30.

6:07 - Gretchen joins Rooke.

I go downstairs.

6:30 - Bridgette is ready to get out of her crib: "MaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaMA!"

7:00am

Breakfast of cinnamon toast, scrambled eggs and smoothies.

Ryan and I tag between burning toast and a dirty diaper.  

Little mouths are ready to EAT and setting the table is NOT what they want to be doing.

8:00am

Breakfast and accompanying devotions are over.

Morning jobs are completed.

Ryan has left for work (wave out the window!)

Everyone is dressed, some needing more help than others.

We're all crammed in the bathroom brushing teeth.

Cousin Itt doesn't want Mommy to fix her hair (you think the hair is cute, but I'll tell ya that there are plenty of days when it would be WAY easier if she had none at all!)

8:40am

Rooke has done his reading practice.

Shoes and coats on.

Out the door to walk to school.

9:00am

Rooke is settled in his classroom.

Girls are waiting for the gate of Gretchen's preschool to open so she can head in.

10:00am

Enjoying a play date snack and coffee chat with friends

11:00am

Saying goodbye to my sweet friend, Diana, and her little man.

Off to run a few errands.

11:30am 

Stopped by for a quick spin in Daddy's work chair

12:00pm

Just pulled into the driveway.

Grab some lunch.

Walk to pick up Gretchen from pre-school.

12:30pm

Tired from a morning of playing, Gretchen likes to ride home!

12:35pm

Tired of being strapped into her high chair and stroller, Bridgette likes to meander walk home!

1:00pm

Reading a couple books with Bridgette before her nap.

1:05pm

Sweet girl goes right to sleep without any fussing.  I've never felt more okay with using a pacifier.

Read with Gretchen in her bed and help her settle to rest with a "pile of books".

I hope she sleeps.

 2:00pm

Straightened up the living room.

Sitting down at the computer with a cup of tea (milk and one sugar, please).

2:30pm

Gretchen joins me downstairs.

 3:00pm

Wake Bridgette up.

Walk to pick up Rooke.

 4:00pm

After-school snack has been devoured because everyone was "SO HUNGRY" they almost couldn't walk all the way home.

4:03pm

Practicing a jump-dive-catch

Telling a story

Getting ready for swimming lessons

Putting away clean clothes from Sunday so I can fill up the basket with more dirty ones to wash

5:00pm 

"I jumped in and blew lots of bubbles!"

"I dove down and retrieved three sinkers!"

6:00pm

Ryan has a late afternoon meeting at another base an hour away, so we eat dinner without him.

Kids are allowed one candy from their treat bag.

Gretchen likes to share with Bridgette, who doesn't realize that she has it made because neither of her siblings were getting candy at 19 months!

6:00pm

Checking out our veg box delivery that came while we were swimming.

7:00pm

Kids are bathed (three is getting to be a crowd!).

Bridgette is in bed.

Bible story is read and prayers are said.

Enjoying one of my favorite parts of the day - working our way through a chapter book.

8:00pm

All the little people are sleeping.

I was supposed to be at a children's ministry meeting right now, but Ryan is stuck in traffic.

Laundry day.

Ryan comes home and we get caught up while he eats dinner.

9:00pm

Kids' load goes in last.

 10:00pm

Ready to crawl into bed and read something before my eyes can't stay open any longer.

Set alarm.

Whoever gets more tired first says "lights out".

Pumpkin Picking

We enjoyed our annual pumpkin picking farm trip with great friends this year!  The rain held off, we all found pumpkins we liked, and we put our wellies to good use in the muddy field.  Follow that up with some warm soup, cornbread, and pumpkin pie back at our house and we had one fun-filled day!

Little Miss, marching her way to the pumpkin patch!

The boys.

The girls.

I want this one! 

Bridgette was bothered by the increasing amount of mud caked to her boots!

If she'd have ridden back in the wheel barrow with her boots, it'd have been even better!

Lacy, Bridgette, and Claire had a drive-through/run-by ice cream window going on!

Our crew made up by a bunch of Paynes, Courtney and Randy with their fab-four, and Chris and Claire with their little pumpkin due in March!