To all you expert parents...

I have a question.

The last, oh, week or so, Sophie has been waking up in the middle of the night, screaming her head off. The first time it happened I rushed in, afraid she was seriously hurt. It was that kind of screaming.

Keep in mind she has been sleeping through the night since she was about 8 weeks old... she's been sleeping about 10-11 hours without waking up for months. Now, it happens, about 1:30 and/or 3:30. Every night.

I have tried letting her cry it out, but she just gets more and more frantic. She doesn't go back to sleep.

So, I go in, pick her up, hug her, hold her for 45 seconds- a minute or so, then lay her back down... she goes back to sleep right away. She won't take water and doesn't fight being held (meaning she doesn't want to go play or anything).

Any ideas? At first I thought maybe it was bad dreams, but it's happening a lot, and on schedule. My other thought was maybe a neighbor is coming home from work or something, and the car wakes her up, since it's scheduled - but why would that scare her so much? I have no idea and am open to suggestions!

So, uh...

Sorry I've been avoiding you.

It's not you. Really. It's me. The last month I have had the energy of a slug.

And it's been busy, much going on.

And, it's difficult to blog when the only thing I feel like writing about I'm not ready to.

So, to sum up, here's what I would have said over the past month or so:

I'm tired.

I'm hungry, but nothing sounds good.

I eat anyway.

I want to sleep.

I think I'm going to throw up.

I can't wait for Sophie's naptime so I can take one too.

I shouldn't have just eaten. Still feel like I'm going to throw up.

Still tired.

Being pregnant with a one-year-old is much more tiring than just being pregnant.

Now, aren't you glad I didn't blog? What a complainer!

We also went to Atlanta for an impromptu trip with Aaron & Jenny, I hosted a Coffee, went to to the Hunter Spouses Club Luncheon, a Hail & Farewell for Jon's Battalion, Chaplain/Family luncheon, Jon started teaching a weekly financial class on Wednesday evenings - plus the usual PWOC and such.

The pregnancy is going well. I'm now at 10 weeks - due August 26. (Or August 3, if this baby is like Sophie...) I've been feeling ok - mostly tired (see above).

On that note, I've been sitting here for the past hour and need to get some things done - more updates soon! :-)

Eating Together

If you don't know me well, I tend to be a bit of a procrastinator. I also tend to have really great ideas, but follow-through... not so much...

About three years ago, I heard a story on NPR about this fabulous new book called The Surprising Power of Family Meals: How eating together makes us smarter, stronger, healthier, and happier. I of course went directly to Amazon and had it shipped.

I finished the book yesterday.

But not because it was hard to get into. I mostly blame my degree work. When one has to read for no fun so much, it makes it hard to read for fun.

The other part of the blame is me.

Anyway, now that that's off my chest... it is a fantastically encouraging and enlightening book. It gives the history of the culture of eating, and how that has impacted culture throughout the ages. It points out that kids are more confident and resilient if they have regular meals with the family.

One of the motivating sections for me was about kids cooking. It is a known fact that when kids help prepare the meal, they are more inclined to eat it. I have heard this many times in my life, and we shall see in a few years if I am carrying through with this notion, even though it makes cooking time longer. (Really, can a 3-year-old wash and tear lettuce faster than me?)

It also instilled that whatever eating habits I have, most likely my kids will pick up on. Mothers who constantly diet tend to have 10-year-old daughters who think they're overweight. Do I end every meal with dessert? (not saying that's a bad thing necessarily... ;-) My kids will too. Children will learn to eat - and enjoy - what their parents do. (This is why most 4-year-olds living in Mexico have a higher tolerance for spicy heat than I do...) They learn appropriate portions, nutrition, what foods go together - and these things will stick with them forever.

That is why, to this day, whenever I have fish, I have peas. Why? Growing up, for some reason, it was written in some secret Nave code that peas go with fish. Also in this code is that Sunday lunch includes roast and homemade biscuits, Wednesday evenings were for fried food (gotta love going to youth group smelling like a Fry Daddy...), and potatoes go with everything.

Okok, maybe I didn't keep all of that. I did not inherit my mother's affection for potatoes... but I did inherit her comfortable, homey style of cooking. I have adapted it and made it my own... just as my kids will.

One of the things I appreciated about this book is that the author didn't make judgment calls. She never offered a model of how family meals must run. In fact, quite the contrary. She suggests, that, if nothing else, eat breakfast together, or a bedtime snack. She of course promotes cooking at home - whether that mean gourmet meals, or things so simple a young child could do them. This isn't a cookbook - it allows you to make the best of whatever family situation you have.

If you have young kids - or even if you don't - I would highly recommend this book. It is a quick read (as long as you don't put it down for months between chapters...) and will either inspire you to change, or reinforce what you are currently doing.

A year ago this week...

our little bundle of joy!

T-Day in KC

We had a great Thanksgiving! (What? Late in posting this? Nah...)

We went to Kansas City to be with Jon's grandmother on her 85th birthday! She had never met Sophie before... nor had she met 3 of Sophie's cousins who were there too! What fun!

After a long Thanksgiving Day spent in the airport (thanks to a 4 1/2 hour long layover), we finally made it to KC late that night. On Friday we went to the WWI Museum there. It was a great museum - very interactive. If you ever have the chance to go, you should.

(As I write this, there is a pile of shiny gifts in the middle of the floor that I wrapped while Sophie was napping. True to the saying, she is literally playing with the empty box of one of her gifts, completely ignoring the bright presents next to her...)

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Ok, that was yesterday. Anyway, that evening all (well, most) of Jon's siblings and his dad came into town, and we all went to the church to hang out! It was great having it at the church instead of someone's house - we ate in the gym, so the kids could play on one end, we could talk on the other, and we weren't all on top of each other. They even brought in some nursery toys for the little ones. Fabulous.

The next day was Grandma's birthday party! Jon and two of our brothers-in-law took the young kids in the nursery to play - it was great! They got to talk, and the moms didn't have to worry about the kids! Sophie had a great time playing with new toys - and her cousins! Ok, she probably wouldn't have known one way or the other if her cousins were there, but I like to think so...

Saturday evening we all played Apples to Apples. Now, you have to understand something. Growing up, my family got a board game every year. Though we actually rarely played between Christmas, we ALWAYS did that day. Trivial Pursuit was a perennial favorite, though never mine. Jon has been telling me for the past four years that his family "doesn't play games." Ha! We all sure did have a great time that night! Then we played The Name Game, and Amy and I pretty much kicked butt.

Sunday Jon's dad and siblings left for home, so we went to Grandma's church. After that we went to his uncle Jeff's for lunch - leftover Thanksgiving! Since we at at Friday's in the airport for our Thanksgiving dinner, Joanne's leftover turkey, stuffing, and potatoes were FABULOUS!

You can see all the pics from the trip here!

Once around the sun...

My darling, on this, your first...

In some ways I can't believe it's been a whole year since you were born, but in other ways I can't imagine life before you. You have added such joy to our family!

I love how your face lights up when you see your dad. Yesterday when he had to leave for work, you laid on the floor and sobbed, brokenhearted.

A few weeks ago you learned how to smack your lips to make "the kissing sound." You are even getting the hang of doing it at the same time you get (or give!) a kiss!

We gave you a push-behind walker for your birthday the other day. As soon as you saw it, you flashed up a big smile, pulled up, and took off! It is now your favorite thing to walk around the house - if only you could figure out how to turn!

You love your independence. You have been self-feeding for months, barely letting me get a spoon in your mouth. Now that you can even drink out of your sippy cup by yourself, you drink water all day long! Part of it is probably that you are thirsty - but I am convinced that part of it is because you just like being able to do it for yourself.

When you get a very special treat (usually chocolate), you giggle. It doesn't matter what kind of mood you were in before - sometimes even crying - but unexpected chocolate is enough to make you giggle with glee.

You go through phases with things. Like, the kissing sound you made for about 3 days, then stopped for about 2 weeks. You also went through phases with sticking out your tongue (not straight out, but touching it down to your chin), "bubububing" your lips (when you stick out your lips and run your finger over them to make that sound), clapping, waving, and pointing. If things in your life go from cool to not cool that quickly, I don't think I will ever be able to keep up come junior high...

You have recently developed separation anxiety. It makes me feel good that you like to be with me so much, but I do wish you would let others hold you without screaming! Yesterday a friend from PWOC saw you cuddling with Dad at the Christmas party, and she was amazed you would go to anyone but me. I am so grateful you love your dad just as much!

You LOVE your doll. Every time you see her you say "aaoow" in your cute little way, smile, and give her hugs. You even pat her back (just like you do when you hug Dad or me!) - you somehow know how to treat her differently from the rest of your toys. The things you pick up on are amazing.

You are such a peaceful child. You are content at every stage, but excited to reach the next. You always want to know what's going on - if people are talking, you want nothing but to be in the room. You don't talk or try to be the center of attention - you just take it all in. Aaron said that you have that look in your eyes that says you know what's going on. You are so aware.

You're also fun! One of my favorite things you do is when you start laughing because other people are. Sometimes I laugh for no reason, just to see yours. You have recently started playing games and teasing too! Yesterday you were giving Dad kisses, then I asked for a kiss, and you turned away and laughed. Three times.

Sophia Anne, I love you. I can't imagine life without you. You have filled my life with so much joy. I am so proud of the little girl you are and the one you are becoming.

Happy birthday!

Christmas Peace

My friend Megan wrote a beautiful post that is a great follow-up to my last one. Though many are hurting, we know that the Prince of Peace comes to offer hope! If you don't have time to read the whole thing (which you should!), at least scroll down and read what's in green toward the bottom...

A Revelation

I have been given an amazing gift this Christmas season. It was probably costly, but not expensive. It is laced with beauty, but not found in diamonds or jewels. No, this Christmas season I've been given the gift of understanding.

Understanding how awesome it is that Jesus came to our world.

Understanding the idea that He began His journey to redeem the world on that lonely Christmas night.

Understanding what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.

In my devotions, I've been reading about the promise of Christ throughout the entire Old Testament. How Christ has reigned supreme since the very beginning of time. God revealed Christ for the very first time when He said to the serpent, "You will bruise His heel, but He will crush your head." Again, He declared the promise to Abram when He declared that "all the peoples of the earth shall be blessed through you." Abram knew God wasn't talking about Him, but of the One who was to come through Abram's line of descent. David received the promise of the Messiah when the Lord God said, "your kingdom will reign forever." Again, David knew it had nothing to do with him, but everything to do with God redeeming the world.

In the book of Isaiah, we find four songs of the servant, which can also be referred to as Messianic prophecies. One that has always been read during the Christmas season is Isaiah 9:6-7:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this."

What I find to be amazing are the verses that precede this text, rarely ever read together:

"Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan - The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For unto us a child is born...."

Do you see what I'm getting at? How incredible it is that the one who brought peace came in the form of a baby! I have many other thoughts on this that I will write in another post, but for now I want to focus on the issue of peace. Reading my friend Sara's blog the other day, reminded me of the war-filled world we live in. Having her husband as an Army Chaplain, I doubt that she is ever able to think otherwise. It is sad for me to read stories of real people who are losing their lives. Men and women who are fighting for our country, but also wars that are taking place around the world that we don't even know about. Civil wars like the ones in Africa, tribal wars, religious wars, etc. take place always. Will peace ever come to be in this world of hatred and hurt?

Yet, in this passage in Isaiah, God says that there is One greater than all of this. There is One who will bring peace. And peace means so much more than just an absence of war or an inner calm. My devotion suggested it as, "completeness, wholeness, fullness, soundness, firmness, safety, well-being, prosperity, and contentment." Being a Wonderful Counselor indicates wisdom and royalty; "Mighty God" is associated with power and victory; "Everlasting Father" points to His eternal and divine origins; and "Prince of Peace" means he brings peace and well-being to the earth.

It is so humbling to me to think of my God coming to earth as a human. Think of a baby you know and love; maybe your own child. Think of Christ in that precious form. Knowing that those tiny hands would be nailed to a cross. That those tiny little feet would take the grueling steps toward redeeming the world as the world threw insults and hatred at him. That his sweet, soft skin would be covered in stripes of blood. And that through all of this, we have the promise of peace. True peace that no President, pastor or peace treaty can provide.

Why is it we tend to bypass this great truth? Why do we only look to the cross on Easter? For truly, that little baby was looking to the cross on that miraculous Christmas night. I will never cease to be thankful.

The Return of the Red Baron

Last January, as Jon and I sat on the couch in the sunroom, one phrase stuck out at me:

"I'll be home for Christmas..."

And he is. When he first told me he was deploying this year, neither of us really knew the details, how long he would be there. What we were fairly certain of was that he would be home for Christmas.

That means so much to me... we all know another deployment is down the pike, and with all these calls for surges in Afghanistan (wait... not a surge, right? Just quickly sending more troops...), who knows if he'll be here next year...

You know those messages that are on radio and tv this time of year, from the war? "Hello, this is Sergeant X stationed in Baghdad, wishing a Merry Christmas to my wife and kids back at Fort Stewart." They make me cry every time. Jon will come home from work to find me in tears, listening to Christmas music.

Especially if "I'll be Home for Christmas" happens to come on. It's over then.

I have found another song this year that makes me emotional. I remember it well from my childhood; it was always one of my favorite Christmas songs. Remember it?



Yep, The Return of the Red Baron. Growing up I just thought it was a fun song - it is actually quite significant. Though the events specifically aren't from the famous Christmas Eve Truce of 1914, similar events were told of all over the war zone.

Don't know what I'm talking about? In 1914, when WWI started, no one thought it would last more than a couple months. On Christmas Eve, stories are told of both sides agreeing to not fight on Christmas. They really are touching stories - I think what's most amazing is to hear Soldiers talk about how that made the war more human to them. They realized that the enemy Soldiers were men just like them, with families and lives back home.

If you've never seen it, I'd encourage you to watch Joyeux Noel. I wrote about it two years ago in this post. (Though, I feel the need to caveat that there is one scene you may need to skip through...)

Christmas is happy for me this year. I have a beautiful daughter and a wonderful husband at home. Yet, I can't help but think about all the people it isn't happy for. Whether those around me whose Soldiers are still deployed, or others who are hurting in many different ways, this is certainly not "the most wonderful time of the year" for everyone...

Remember these people in your prayers this season. Be grateful for what you have. Help others when you can.

Merry Christmas.

my mind is on the brink

We have family here! My sister Andrea, her husband, and two girls are here for a visit. I would say "you won't see much of me because my family is here"... but the fact is, you haven't seen much of me around here anyway...

Not really sure why that is. I suppose part of it is that a lot of the things I would want to blog about, I can't, because I never am exactly sure who all is out there reading...

Another is that my mind is tired. I sit down to blog and find myself staring off into the distance instead. I am frustrated at my class (BY FAR the WORST professor I've ever had!), busy with PWOC, and trying to keep up with an ever-changing little girl!

So, let's talk about her - she's much more fun to talk about than my frustrations! :-)

She's on the move! She is now cruising (walking along furniture), talking nonstop - we are even starting to be able to discern some things! She has said "Mom" and "Dad" with discrimination for a while now, and these last couple days I've been pretty sure she's saying some form of "down/done" when she's done eating - or done with anything! She was pretty sick last week - poor little girl. Fever, thick runny nose, clingy - just all around miserable. (That explains it, Lori! ;-)

She's loving her aunt and uncle and cousins being here! The first night she had to make sure Mom & Dad were close by, but now she's taking off to go find them around the corner! She's being much more adventurous with eating and is a ton of fun!

If I don't "see" you before then, have a great Thanksgiving!!

MER Weekend

Now this is irony.

I'm sitting on the couch, eating leftover chocolate cake and watching Food Network. Alone.

The reason I'm alone? Jon's at a Marriage Enrichment Retreat.

Yes, 'tis the season in life in which I can't leave Sophie overnight, and this is a "No Kids Allowed" kind of thing. My dear friend Lori has graciously agreed to watch her tomorrow so I can go join them for the day. It will necessitate 4 1/2 hours on the road, but it whatever it takes to be with my husband!

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I actually wrote that Friday night. Jon is now happily by my side! I did go yesterday and had a great time meeting some of Jon's friends and enjoying the beautiful island! (It was at the Westin on Hilton Head Island, SC). Unfortunately, Sophie didn't have quite as good of a day. She's cutting a tooth, so it would seem - today she was drooling and had a runny nose. Many thanks to Lori for doing everything she could to console her yesterday!

Picture update

"Hmm... not totally sure what this is..."

"Ooh... it's good!"

"I wonder how I can most efficiently get this all in my mouth at once..."

"I have an idea!"
"This works even better!"


"Happy Birthday, Mom! Good cake!"

A couple weekends ago we were able to go on the Savannah Riverboat Dinner Cruise! That's something we've talked about doing since we move to Hinesville 2 years ago and told ourselves we would after the deployment. Well, a few weeks ago a fellow Chaplain's wife offered to watch Soph any time we needed it - so we took her up on it! :-)

It was SO much fun! It was pretty dark after dinner when we went up on the 3rd deck, but it was still pretty cool to see all the lights. We took the Savannah River out to the Atlantic, then back in.

Unbeknownst to us, there was a Seafood Festival going on at the same time. As an attraction there, there was a tall ship that is run by a commune of people. After seeing the tour cost only a $1 donation, we were all over it! We were able to spend about 15 minutes there before catching the cruise!

Jon loves boats, and that evening made him want one even more! Maybe when he retires...

Come again no more...

It's been a long couple of weeks.

I've been putting off writing about this, for various reasons. One is that I've been too unfiltered and wouldn't trust my judgment in writing. Another is that I wasn't sure that I even should write... but you know, one of the purposes of this blog is to tell the story of a military Chaplain's family... so here goes...

Two weeks ago, Sunday morning, 6:00am. I heard my phone ring, and sprang out of bed to the other room to get it. If there's one thing that's certain in this world, it's that 6am phone calls rarely contain good news...

I missed the call, but it was the Commander's wife. Jon hadn't heard his phone ring just before, so they tried mine.

There had been a suicide.

Jon spoke with the Colonel and took off... I barely saw him over the next couple weeks. He came home exhausted every night, working seven-day weeks.

More details have unfolded since that morning, but the one big question has remained unanswered: Why?

It was actually a good friend of Jon's. Tragic situation, difficult for everyone involved. And because it was a staff officer, the people making decisions and handling the situation (the other staff officers) were all his friends.

The Memorial Service was Wednesday. The sculpture of the helmet, dog tags, weapon, and boots adorned the front of the chapel, next to a large picture of the deceased. Jon sat on the stage, stole around his neck, friends by his side.

His wife was out of town at the time (with their five-month-old daughter). I went with the Commander's wife and another Soldier to meet her at the airport. That made it more real, to see her standing in front of me. She's my age. She left a wife, and came home a widow.

A few nights ago Jon went with the Commander to visit her. At one point she turned to Jon and said, "How could a merciful God do this?"

The fact is, our merciful God did not do this. Living in a sinful and fallen world did this.

A couple weeks ago I wrote that the 60-90 day window after a deployment is statistically the hardest. It's true.

I have had this blog post sitting in my drafts folder for over a week now. Somehow, I haven't been able to bring myself to post it. I haven't wanted to write about anything else until I published this, but I just couldn't do it. One of the reasons is that I have no idea how to end it.

Sometimes I think we have to add that "but" disclaimer to everything - "but it's okay" "but God's in control, so it will all work out" ...

Unfortunately, there is no happy disclaimer for this post. No "On the bright side...", no "it'll all work out". Not knowing the state of his heart (do we ever?), I can't even confidently say "he's in a better place"...

Sometimes there aren't answers.

Sometimes there aren't bright sides.

Sometimes we just pray and have faith that our God loves us, even when the world doesn't look the way we think it should.

This is one of those times.

toddlers, dads, and wives (oh my!)

Sophie went to her first library story time today! I think she was a bit overwhelmed at the 15 or so toddlers running about, but the storyteller did a great job at keeping her attention! By the end she was smiling and clapping her hands in excitement - so I guess she liked it! We sang songs and listened to a story, then went to Panera with friends. I think this might become a regular part of our week!

It was an interesting feeling... it was the first time we have been a part of something like that. Really, it was the first time I was included in a group collectively referred to as "mommies." ("Mommies, help us sing!" "Help your little ones find their seats, mommies!") Again, I'm in that stage.

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In other news, did you see that the new defense spending bill includes 10 days paternity leave for all male service members who have babies? That's pretty awesome! (Congress wanted 21, which admittedly seemed quite steep to me...)

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I went to the new Commander's wife's welcome party with the spouses last night. It was a really great time. A couple of the other battalion Commanders' wives were there, who attend PWOC. They did some great recruiting and got a few more to commit to coming! This was the first unit spouses function since a large transition - coming back from the deployment, a lot of people left. It was a little weird for some of my friends who have left to not be there, but I'm excited to get to know the new spouses!

Maybe soon I can construct a thought longer than a paragraph, but not today.

So long!

HAAF PWOC in the news!

One of our Brigade's journalists came to our PWOC Kick-Off and wrote an article about us for the Stewart/Hunter paper! I have been waiting for it to be posted online so I could include the image. What great publicity!

Hunter PWOC Kicks Off New Bible Study
SPC Monica K. Smith,
CAB Public Affairs Office

The sound of women chatting and babies squealing filled the fellowship room of the chapel as the Protestant Women of the Chapel held their Fall Kick-Off, Sept. 18 on Hunter Army Airfield.

“We hoped to expose women who have never been to PWOC to what we do and what we’re about,” said Sara Fisher, president of the PWOC and wife to Chap. (Capt.) Jonathan Fisher, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion.

The PWOC is a group that exists in many military chapels. At Hunter, the group of women, many of them military wives, meet each week to socialize and take part in a Bible study.

“For the ladies who come, building relationships is very important. It’s what draws them in,” said Fisher. “Our belief in Christ is the common denominator and the friendships are what keep people coming back.”

The kick-off began at 9:45 with from the Fort Stewart PWOC, Misty Raybon, wife of Chap. (Capt.) Phillip Raybon, the 92nd Engineer Battalion.

“We all want to be a woman of excellence, but sometimes you need help and that’s what this group is for,” said Raybon. “That’s why I think the PWOC is so great – to know that you can come here and someone will be here to greet you and help you along your road to growth.”

The group meets each Thursday morning at 9:30 -11:30 a.m., at the Hunter Chapel. The kick-off began the group’s study on marriage. Fisher said the first few weeks will cover an overview of the Bible and be an opportunity for women to ask questions on the Bible and Christianity.

“You don’t have to come to the chapel to be involved with PWOC,” said Fisher. “Any woman involved with the military in any way is welcome.”

Updates via Crayon Box

We had a great time away last weekend! Jon got a 4-day weekend (thanks to Columbus Day), so we headed up to the mountains of North Carolina with some friends from Fayetteville, Rocky & Carolyn. It was so good to get away for a couple days and be with friends. I was a little concerned about how Sophie would do with the two golden retrievers, but she fell in love with them! If only they would have stayed still long enough, I think she would have "loved" their eyes out!

We went out on the boat, and Jon & Rocky found an area with really thick mud... we had fun! Carolyn and Sophie stayed clean on the boat!

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Those pics were taken with Rocky's phone. Remember when we were kids (well, at least when I was a kid) and we had toy cameras? We'd hold them up and have everyone say "cheese" and pretend to take their picture. If only we actually had all the pretend pictures taken with the toy camera at my grandparents' house, I think we'd have some stories to tell!

Anyway... a couple weeks ago we were at a friend's birthday party, and this little boy had a toy cell phone. I thought it was hilarious when he held it up and said, "Say cheese! I'm gonna take your picture!"

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Yes, I have entered that stage of life. The stage where things like goldfish and Cheerios are bought in bulk. I officially feel like a mom.





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I have also entered the stage where I go to sleep on a Friday night with snare drums playing in the distance. (read: I went to bed before the high school football game was over.) And that was AFTER sleeping on the couch for a half hour. And when I did go to bed, can you guess what was competing with the snare drums for playing time in my mind? "Super why, Super why, with the Super Readers, we're gonna fly..." If you have never heard those words, you are apparently not presently in that stage.

Ah yes, how the mighty have fallen. Some of you know how ardently I have kept Soph from the TV. Well, she still watches very very little. But what can I say, at 6:30 in the morning when she thinks it's playtime, a lap tray full of Cheerios and PBS Kids allow me that few extra minutes of sleep on the couch...

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Sophie is pulling up! Of course, the first place she did it was her crib... Jon went in to get her and found her standing up at the end! Time to take out the bumper... Since then, she has started pulling up on pretty much everything. She gets such a look of accomplishment on her face when she stands up!

She loves to watch the rain from the slider. She also loves to play with the blinds.



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Jon has been super busy. A lot of marital and PTSD issues come out in the 60-90 day window after redeployment... which we're currently right in the middle of. So, his counseling load is incredible. He really is glad he is able to help so many Soldiers, but we're both looking forward to things calming down a bit.

Every couple of months, he has EOC (Emergency On-Call) duty. There is a certain cell phone that all the Chaplains take turns with. That way, if anyone needs a Chaplain after-hours, they don't have to track down their unit Chaplain... which also means no one needs to give out their personal numbers. It really is a great thing - a lot of problems that happen happen at night and on the weekends. Jon has it right now and was up from 2-4am on the phone. Again, it's so great to help people - and great to pass the phone off to someone else! :-)

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I start a new class on Monday. Blah. I took Classical Social Theory last term (which I loved, by the way) and am starting Contemporary Social Theory now. I am really not looking forward to it. I love the actual subject matter - it's the reading and writing I hate. More so the writing than the reading. From the syllabus, this class looks like less work than the last one, though, so hopefully it will go ok.

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All for now - have a great weekend!

Happy Red Flannel Day!

Sophie says, "Happy Red Flannel Day!"

Stream of consciousness, condensed edition

Took a final today. Feel confident. 2 week break before the next class!

PWOC is wearing me out...

Sophie has been deciding it's play time at 6 am for the last two weeks...

Weather is high 80s. Feels more like spring than fall...

Sophie is working on another tooth.

Does anyone know what this is? It is in our kitchen pantry. We stuff plastic bags into it, but that is quite obviously not its intended use.

Did you know you can recycle plastic grocery bags? Reusable ones are still the best choice, but it was good to learn that for when I forget to bring them in...

Clearly Gray

We had a very interesting discussion at PWOC last week. A few weeks ago, I asked if anyone had any questions/ topics they'd like to discuss. We had just had a conversation that day about baby dedication, and one of the ladies asked what a baby dedication is- why wouldn't you just baptize? So, needless to say, baptism was on everyone's mind.

Being an all-protestant group presents some unique challenges. At no local church (at least that I've ever been a part of) would a group have such varying backgrounds and beliefs. We are very conscious to respect everyone's faith traditions, and I think sometimes that clouds what the Bible says. We tend to focus so much on our commonalities that we avoid our differences.

I think it's important, though, to focus on our commonalities... and discuss our differences. This is a very tricky and blurred line. What is appropriate for me to "teach"? I have had to pull back my presuppositions as much as possible, and look at the Bible for what it says- not viewed through the lens that I have always looked at it with. It is so important to not dogmatically teach views that truly aren't so black-and-white in Scripture. The difficulty is when it comes to things I believe ARE black-and-white, but not everyone agrees. If I were in a local church, it would be easy. But in this setting, where it is right and appropriate to respect and allow other beliefs... not so much.

So, in beginning the conversation on Thursday, I made that caveat. Obviously, my beliefs were going to come out. But those who had different opinions shared theirs as well. I also spoke about how there are things that I believe and KNOW to be true from the Bible, and there are things that I believe, based on scriptural evidence, but the Bible is factually unclear. Those things I believe, but hold more loosely.

For the study, I had several passages that talk about baptism, we split up into groups and sought to answer:

WHAT is the purpose of baptism?
WHY get baptized?
WHO should get baptized?
WHEN should they get baptized?
HOW should they get baptized?

I was afraid these questions would be too ambiguous (my brother calls them "Guess what I'm thinking" questions) - but I was very impressed with how well everyone was able to glean and learn from their own reading. That's really one of my goals this year. I think it is SO important for Christians to be empowered to read the Word on their own, but all too often they feel that they are unable to know its meaning and instead rely solely on others.

I was also afraid they wouldn't really get into it, that it would be too boring. Anything but! We discussed this for over an hour, and almost everyone spoke up at some point! One woman said she was so glad to study it, because her pre-teen stepdaughter had been asking her just the night before about if baptism makes a person saved and if not, why do it. The woman knew what she believed, but wasn't really sure what the Bible says.

It gave me a lot of confidence that we can dive into some deeper issues this year. Everyone is yearning to learn - what a great place to be!

Sophie!!

Training her up in the way she should go...

So it's been a while since I've posted pictures of Sophie. Like I said before, I haven't been as diligent about taking them, much less uploading them. But, I know she has grandparents and aunts & uncles who need a fix, so here you are! In these videos, she "crawls," eats, laughs, and claps. But mostly it's just Sophie. Nothing out of the ordinary- just a day with Sophie. Also, since these videos were taken she has learned to use a sippy cup (mostly) on her own and can crawl from room to room without me noticing, if I'm not paying attention! Enjoy! :-) (ETA- for some reason I can't get rid of the double-video. The 2nd & 4th videos of her crawling are the same- sorry!)

Weekend of 603d

My pumpkin candle is lit, and I'm eating carrot-sweet potato-ginger-lentil soup. The windows are open, because it's in the 70s. Aah, fall.

We had a great weekend- albeit incredibly busy! Friday evening we had a farewell dinner for Jon's Commander. That basically entails an hour of mingling, a nice dinner (it was at an Irish pub instead of the typical roasted chicken-beef stroganoff meal we're used to having at these events!), followed by another hour of speeches and gift-giving. It was cool to meet some of the spouses of the guys Jon deployed with, but I could do without the hour of speeches...

After that we went out with Aaron & Jenny. Aaron was Jon's roommate in Iraq, and Jenny and I also became good friends while they were deployed. They're leaving in a few short weeks to go to their next duty station- sad to see them go!

Saturday was the battalion "Welcome Home Party"- basically a 5-hour long picnic. It was pretty fun. Jon got to push Sophie on the swing which she LOVED!! She had been on one before, but not since we were up north over the summer, and never with Daddy! Somehow everything is just more fun with Dad around...

Sunday after church we headed over to Aaron & Jenny's- Jenny & I went to the Commander's wife's farewell with the spouses (Aaron and Jon stayed with the kids- I could get used to that! ;-). Another chance to talk and eat food- gotta love it! I think the chocolate chip cookie dough cheese ball was the highlight, but maybe that's just me... Dawn went out of her way to make me feel welcome in the unit, even joining in the middle of the deployment, and I appreciated her a lot. She has a son about 6 months older than Sophie, so it has been fun to watch the kids grow! It was great to get together with all these spouses one last time, as many of them will be leaving soon... only in the Army are you one of the "old hats" after 6 months in a place! :-) We came back, made homemade pizza, and hung out past Sophie's bedtime... again...

Anyway, that was our weekend. Lots of fun!

As soon as I can find my camera cord I'll be posting some pictures of Soph... now that Jon is home, I'm not so diligent about taking and uploading pics. The fact that I haven't been able to locate my battery charger since Michigan might just play into that too...

Ok, much to catch up on- later!