25 Weeks

Here we are at 25 weeks!

I'm really not sure how BIG I am because obviously I had my body turned at a slight angle in some. I can't believe how far along we've come. I remember that early December morning I peed on a stick like it was yesterday. I can't decide if it's going by slow or quick.

I feel her move often now. Kicks, punches, rolls....she's got alot going on it seems. I love feeling everything though. I am simply amazed at being able to feel this little life growing inside.

Somebody's 31

Everyone singing to the Birthday Boy!

Cheesecake with cherries on top every year.

Uh-oh...Trick Candles!!! ( I even forgot they were trick)

 Plus, it's good lung exercise now that he's 31.

Here we are and here he is rockin' the high tops. 

He said he was trying to bring it back (no one at work was on board).

(Dear, Please leave it in the 90s, along with your youth.  Love, Me)

I reassure him that I love him no matter the age, plus I kinda like older men (haha!)

Happy Birthday Aaron!

I love you and am proud to be your wife.

Max, the Helper

This is Max's idea of helping with chores.

Laying on top of  warm freshly laundered clothes.

Then he has the nerve to get grumpy when I start folding them.

Spoiled?

(Don't answer)

An Elvis Excursion

Our house in located on top of a hill and we have no neighbors behind us. What does this mean? Free roam for the dogs to dig, smell, chase, bark, and MANY other things their mischievous minds can think of.  Usually on a Friday or Saturday night you can find us outside on the back porch shooting the breeze with friends as ALL of our dogs are playing till their hearts' content. It really is a "dog's life" on our hill. 

I'm certain most of Elvis's thoughts are consumed with "When can I go back outside??" ; "I can't wait to DIG!!"; "It's night...the shrews are out. I must hunt."  He will stay out for HOURS keeping himself fully occupied and zoned in with his "task" at hand.  He's in full miniature dachshund mode and it can be hilarious to watch at times. 

This particular night he stopped to grace those of us on the porch with his presence. How he looked makes my skin crawl!! The grass on the side of the hill hadn't been cut in some time and these little seeds stick to the dogs like glue.

You can see his friend Batey here checkin' him out sayin' "BOY! What you got all of  you?"

And here's a full frontal of all those SEEDS!!!

I don't know what about it makes my skin crawl, but the look of it just grosses me out (and I hate havin' to pick them off). It's like he has some sort of skin condition or leprosy, but he LOVES every minute he has to explore his hill. 

Oh yeah, this is a shrew. Never heard of them until I came here. Many little shrew graves exist in our backyard thanks to Elvis and Max.

When they find one, we hear high pitched squeaks for a few minutes and then SILENCE.

(I'm just glad they aren't cats and bring it as a gift from them to me)

Half Way There

April marks the half way point for our tour in Guam. THAT I cannot believe. I remember thinking the morning we arrived (at 3AM), and after I had gotten a few hours sleep from hectic the 16+ hour move, 'What did I just do???' Aaron on the other hand was lovin' it. I couldn't understand him, but I'm thankful he was cheerful. 

Obviously, our reactions were opposite. 

He was excited to be in a new place, I was scared outta my mind. It was the first time I've ever been homesick and I couldn't imagine 'how looooonnnggg 3 years were going to take!!' Yet here we are half way done, a year and half later, we've made our home comfy and familiar.  I knew I would get to this point and I refused to have a bad attitude the entire time we were going to be stationed in Guam. I only needed some time to adjust.

Guam has been good to us. We have Aaron's cousins, the Greenwood family, stationed here too. Our next door neighbors, the Peters, & our other set of friends, the Burns-Garrett crew, hale from the Deep South (can I get a Roll Tide!), we have our dear friends, the Nielsens, who followed us from Virginia Beach.  Not to mention all the other wonderful people we've met and become friends with as well.

Aaron has really enjoyed working at his command. He tells me all the time how nice it is to be working with the kind of people he does.  He's been able to do some incredible traveling for work:

Japan, India, South Korea, the Philippines and Rota (a tiny island north of us)



Japan



Japan



@ the Hobbit House restaurant in the Philippines



Hard at work in Rota

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've stepped out on our back porch and seen the most beautiful rainbows, or how many nights we've been outside hanging with our neighbors & we see a shooting star.  I'll miss that.

(I didn't take this pic, but this is what the rainbows generally look like here)

and I'll miss scenes like these...

It's been something else living on this side of the world. We've had opportunities to travel together to Fiji, Palau, Rota. and the Philippines. We're hoping to get to Hong Kong in May (we originally were going to Japan) and at least Australia or China before we leave.

HOWEVER
My Hair and Skin will NOT miss this hot humid weather year round.

Some days this is what I feel like

We both really miss having 4 seasons to enjoy

(but not when we hear about snowstorms slamming parts of the U.S.)

Lots of blessings have come our way since being in Guam.  We're experiencing military life in different aspects ....by living & working on base, Aaron had his 1st 6 month deployment since we've been married, your friends truly become family (even though we're lucky enough to actually have family on island). We are seeing the Church work in a different part of the world and learning so much too. 

I don't want to admit it, but I'm thinking a little part of me will miss all we have come to love about Guam.