Need your help!

We bought a deep freezer yesterday!!! Yes. THREE exclamation points. It is very exciting.

The refrigerator in this house is considerably smaller than we've had in the past - and the freezer has about enough room for 2 bags of vegetables. Being people who like to stock up during sales and such, that just wasn't cutting it...

One of my plans is to use the month of July to prepare some meals ahead, so in the last weeks of pregnancy and first weeks of Life With Two Kids, I can have some frozen meals ready.

Suggestions?

I need meals that freeze well - all suggestions are welcome! My ideas so far are chicken (pulled chicken, maybe with garlic/onions, that I can use in other things), sweet & sour chicken, meatloaf, of course soup... what else? I'm looking for not just meals, but also things like the chicken, that aren't a whole meal, but would cut down immensely in preparation.

Look forward to your ideas!!

Sophie Update

Sophia turned 18 months on Sunday! We celebrated by having her well-baby check-up yesterday...

She is, not surprisingly, doing great. I have had several people comment to me that she looks tall, which I never understood - until yesterday. Seems she is in the 40th percentile in height, but only 14th in weight.


Sophia, now that you're 18 months, here are some of the things I absolutely adore about you, and never want to forget...

~ The way you drink all your milk from your cereal bowl when you're done, following my accidental example...

~ When you see something you want, you say "peeease" and nod your head.

~ The way you start "reading out loud" from the book you're looking at when Dad or I read to you.

~ How excited you get when Dad gets home - you run toward the door, arms out for a hug, squealing the whole way.

~ How you have started liking being "pretty" - barrettes and headbands in your hair, necklaces, combing your hair.

~ How, every time I walk down the hall, you follow me, either saying "upupupup" (telling me you want me to lift you "up" onto my bed to play), or "po-y" (meaning you want to sit on the potty).

~ The way you sit at your desk with a piece of paper and pen, diligently writing, as if you are chronicling your day for future generations.

~ How, when you know we're getting ready to leave, you start gathering things: your shoes, my shoes, my purse, the diaper bag... then get VERY upset if we don't leave right away!

~ The way you hold your hand up to your mouth and make "whisper" noises if Dad or I whispers to you.

~ How you fold your hands and say "paaay" when it's time to pray - and if we say the Lord's Prayer, you say it with us. In tongues, apparently. ;-)

~ How upset you get when someone else is crying or yelling. I hope you never lose this sense of empathy.

You are such a sweet child!

I really should write more often...

I'm sitting outside right now, under the covered patio, eating chips and cheese, watching it rain. I love this. The cool breeze is such a welcome break from the 90s weather we've been having - I'm actually wearing a sweatshirt right now! Feels like fall...

It's been busy around here. It's definitely a different kind of "busy" than the last unit - but busy nonetheless. Those "leave work at 5" days (novel concept!) have quickly fluttered by... ah well... so, here's a recap of the last few weeks...

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We went to our first 832nd Hail & Farewell last week. It was by far the shortest I have ever been to - and they were farewelling the Commander! Usually these things take HOURS - even with the meal, this one was done in about 90 minutes! It was cool to get to meet more of the people in Jon's unit.

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Sophie is growing more interactive every day! She is getting to a really fun age - there are times I'm not sure what I'm going to do with a newborn again! She is very independent and loves doing things that Mom and Dad do... though not always exactly the way Mom and Dad do them. For example, she loves helping me unload the dishwasher. There is a low cupboard with plastic things she can put away, but lately she has been putting away the silverware for me. Unfortunately, since she can't reach the drawer, she has claimed another low cabinet for silverware! She very purposefully gets each piece, one at a time, walks over, and puts it on the shelf. She's trying so hard to help I can't bear to stop her!

Last night at Bible study one of the Soldiers put Sophie up to the microphone - she didn't even hesitate doing exactly what Dad does... she leaned forward and started singing away! The words consisted mostly of "duh"s and "nuh"s, but it was definitely a song! When he tried to put her down, she grabbed the mic and started singing louder!

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Thanks for all your suggestions about play group. We didn't go on Tuesday, and there weren't any problems today. There were fewer kids there today, plus one of them was a 6-year-old girl who loved helping Sophie play all morning!

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Long story short, I got some good news about my degree last week! They FINALLY got all my transcripts evaluated (2 1/2 years after the process began...) and they accepted ALL of them!!! The one blow-off AP math class I took in high school even paid off - not only did they give me 3 credits for it, but it waived THREE math classes! All said, it seems I have 3 CLEPs and 6 8-week classes left! Even taking my time (and a term off for the baby), I should be done in less than a year! Woohoo!

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We were visited by yet another "official welcoming committee" this week. It's funny to me that every group comes individually - I think this was the 3rd. They came with a cookbook with recipes from spouses (Officers' Spouses Club), so that was cool. I have heard people talk about not feeling very welcome when they move on post, but that hasn't been our experience at all! People here seem just the right amount of friendly - they'll welcome you and talk to you, but don't intrude! ;-)

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I'm officially in my third trimester! Let me tell you... this kid... shirts I wore up until the day I had Sophie are already stretched tight around my belly. After I eat, I have to push him down so I can breathe. I'm really hoping I go early again, because I have a feeling he'll be bigger than Sophie was! I would love to do a natural birth again, but if he's big... I just don't know...

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Ok, that's enough for now. I'm off to write the first paper for "Music of the United States"... it's a book report of the table of contents and chapter summaries. Seriously?!?! I think I'll like this class...

Petting Zoo

This week Sophie and I went on her first field trip! We have been going to a morning Play Group twice a week. Sophie loves Play Group - and so do I! It's sponsored by Army Community Services, and they have a huge building with all sorts of fun toys, plus an outside play area with outdoor toys just for Sophie's age. I have enjoyed getting to know other moms, and Sophie literally runs to the building when we gets there and... shall we say... it's a struggle to leave...


Sophie also LOVES animals. Didn't get it from me, that's for sure. "Dog" was her second word (after the ever-important "Dad") - and we don't even have one! (Notice in the first video how she got distracted by the dog - that happened several times that morning). So, I knew that she would enjoy this trip - she had a blast! It took some convincing for ME to feed the animals, but when I saw all the 2-year-olds around me not sharing my trepidation around the goats, I had to toughen up.. ;-)


You can click HERE to see the whole set of pictures (plus some with her new sandbox and table & chairs).

Life at Redstone

If you've read my blog for long, you have heard me "wax an elephant" about how a military Chaplain has a very unique roll - that of a religious Government employee. Each Chaplain has a different take on what exactly that means, but regardless of your personal view, what the job looks like on a day to day basis is different with each unit. And not only does the kind of unit/ mission affect the day-to-day work, but so does the Commander and his/her expectations.

Contrary to what many people think, the main function of a Chaplain is (typically) not pastoral ministry in the "church" sense. There is a large amount of counseling, plus meetings, staff work, training, etc. While there are some Chaplains who fill the pastor role, those jobs are few and far between - and even then, he probably shares the pulpit with all the others stationed there.

All that background is to say that this job is very different than what he's done, in a lot of ways - more on that in the future...

To make a long story not quite as long, Jon has started a contemporary service here! We have only met for two weeks and are about to undergo some changes (moving to a bigger chapel and meeting on Sunday evenings instead of mornings), but it has been refreshing for us to be in this kind of ministry. At this point, he's doing it all - leading worship, preaching, presiding over communion - everything. On top of that, he's doing a Bible study on Wednesday evenings. Though it's very different from his other roles, we are really enjoying this aspect of the Chaplaincy.

On a personal level, I'm loving it! I get to do a lot of those things that pastors' wives do that I never have. Or, things I did as a church secretary and miss! (Seriously, I get a ridiculous amount of pleasure from building Power Points for the service...) I am just beginning to build relationships with a couple female Soldiers and look forward to doing that more.

Jon and I have always made it a point to function as a team - "whatever we do, we do together" - but here, more than ever before, I feel like a part of his ministry and what he's doing. Of course, he still has the Soldier aspect to his job - and he can keep that! As for me, I will continue to lay in bed while he gets up to run every morning! :)

Stepping Out

Most people who know me casually think I'm outgoing. I'm not. I would typically be MUCH happier at home - even socially, I like to get together with one or two other people, not groups. AFTER I know you, I'm not quiet - but it takes every ounce of willpower to go say hello to someone I don't know. I have always felt pretentious doing that - I thought that if someone had any desire to meet me, THEY would come up to ME. What I've realized, though, is that most people don't just walk up and introduce themselves, which makes it REALLY hard to meet them! With each new place we've moved, I've tried to overcome that a bit more. I'm happy to say it's starting to work!

Earlier this week there was an FRG meeting - the first they have had in a couple years - perfect timing! :-) Unfortunately, Jon had gotten a call right before it started to meet with a Soldier, so he wasn't able to make it.

There were probably 25 people there or so, which, for having never done it, was a great turnout. I sat with the Commander and his wife, who I think were the only people in the room I had met before (Jon & I have gone to a couple Battalion softball games - fun! Reminds me of church leagues... except with cussing...). I quickly got to know the other people at our table, and after we ate, I met everyone else! It must be pointed out that Sophie is a GREAT buffer and way to meet people...

Contrary to my previous belief, no one blew me off and acted annoyed that I said hello like I thought they would! ;-) As much as it's out of my comfort zone, Jon sometimes reminds me that, as the Chaplain's wife, it is appropriate and good for me to take initiative to meet people like that. I look forward to getting to know them better!

Sophie and I have also started going to a play group that meets twice a week (though it's indefinitely canceled due to the swine flu... er... I mean N1H1...). The other moms there are super nice, plus it's great to watch Sophie interact with other kids her age! They have TONS of toys, both indoor and outdoor - once Sophie realized I wasn't just dropping her off and leaving, she was ready to explore!

Some other exciting things have happened, but those will have to wait for another day! :-)

Contemplating...

I have a post nearly ready to be published, about the people I've met and the things I've done since moving here. I just can't seem to finish it right now...

My thoughts are with my old roommate from Moody. Kandice, who just turned 28, was diagnosed this month with inflammatory breast cancer. She has been preparing to go to the mission field in a Creative Access country in Central Asia to work with the deaf. She's meeting with an oncologist for the first time, even as I type this. Please keep her in your prayers...

My sister-in-law Amy just posted this video this week from a conference she recently attended sponsored by Living Beyond Breast Cancer. I encourage you to take a few minutes and watch it.