What is it with kids and the word...

POOP! All the way home from work last night the kids could not stop saying it! Ellie was saying she knew how to spell it and then they were putting poop in front of every word they could think of...poopy Evan, poopy brush, poopy head...you name it they added it! They have done this a few times now, laughing like crazy at themselves...I just don't get it! Is it that funny? Or is it a word that is just slightly naughty so they can say it without getting soap in their mouth but it still pushes my buttons?!

It's been a long time...

I know it has been a long time but that made it even harder to sit down and write. We had a GREAT vacation up to NC. We got to see so many friends and family and really got to spend some quality time with many of them. It was just so weird to come back home...I mean this is kind of our home but we will be leaving it sometime soon. So as nice as it is to come back home it was still strange.

We actually went up to Albany yesterday and to tell you the truth it just stressed me out more...I know that in time we will be settled there TOGETHER and I will find my new job, friends and church but it can all be a little overwhelming!!! Especially because Edwin starts in 2 weeks and we havn't sold or rented our house yet. So it looks like we will be here without him during the week which I have to just take a deep breath and count to 10 about...and will have to do that a lot while he is gone! But I have done it before and at least they are sleeping through the night and going to school and Edwin will be coming home on the weekends...so as a former military wife I know I can handle it I just don't want to :( I am reminded of what my mom always tells me "God doesn't give you the grace till you need it." So I know I am kind of freaking out about it right now but I know that when it comes God will give me the grace and patience to be the mother I need to be! So when you say your prayer,s pray some for us...I know God blessed us with this job so He must have his timing with everything else as well!

Elastic waistband...

ok so Edwin and I are trying to find him new dress pants for his new job and he only wants pants with an "elastic waistband." Does he know that he is only a 31 year old man??? Whatever happened to my "hot husband"? JUST KIDDING! He is still way hot but elastic pants...REALLY??? He had some from Kohls and you better believe me he couldn't find them at the stores so he had me on the internet ordering them! Too funny...on a different note...I am LOVING having him home! I can't believe he has to go back to work next month! I told him this was the most consecutive time (1 month) he will have off until he retires :) To all those in NC we are in counting...2 days! We are so exited!

Not a baby anymore...

I didn't want to say anything until I knew it was for real this time...but there will be no more pacifiers in the Zapata house! Everett has now gone 2 days and 2 nights without one...yeah! It was much easier this time thank goodness...the only real time he missed it was this morning when he woke up at 5:30am and he was crying and looking everywhere for it! Somehow it still is a little sad for me...knowing this is it...Everett (now Rhett a lot of the time) is not a baby anymore and there are no more coming...very weird...for me anyway...Edwin loves the fact that he the last one and he is growing up! Maybe we can get out more as a family! I am just praying I get to be an Aunt pretty soon and that will cure my baby fever!

New pictures...finally!

Cowgirl Ellie
At the park...they love this rock
Nana gives them change for their piggy banks. Even Everett loved it! And this is Evan from picture day. You can double click on the pictures if you can't see them very well...

Not an Air Force wife anymore!!!

As of 9:30 this morning we are OFFICIALLY out of the military!!!! I don't know when it will hit us! We are both so exited to be "free". Now if they want him to work overtime he will get PAID for it! And no more worrying about him leaving me for months at a time...I don't know who of you know but his squadron was about to go to 6 months here, 6 months gone!!! That is no kind of life for a family...but don't get me wrong the air force has been good to us...it has made us stable on our feet and given us a good start to our life together and unforgettable friends that we will have for a lifetime! But we are both exited about the next phase in our life. There are still many unknowns but at least we will be TOGETHER!

We get to visit home!!

Well Edwin got his official start date and it is not until Nov 10th which is what we wanted! So a week from tomorrow we get to go up to Franklin for a week! Fall is my FAVORITE time of the year and I just can't wait to get up there and enjoy the changing leaves and see our family and friends! Plus it is still hot here so I can't wait to put on jeans and a sweatshirt and feel a chill in the air! Not to mention the feeling of being home and playing cards and eating your mom's cooking!!

Also our real estate agent is letting us put the house up for rent this week so we just need it to rent or sell...either one and I can move with Edwin...he is actually going up there today to check everything out...we will let you know what he thinks!

We have a JOB!!!

So Albany, GA here we come...not quite where either of us wanted to go but it is a really good opportunity for us there...Edwin got the official word yesterday! We are exited about the position he got and what that will mean for us in the future...it is a great stepping stone and the way the economy is right now we are blessed to have it! So they are working out a start date and we are trying to figure out what to do as far as our house is concerned...but things are moving along...Edwin's last day in the Air Force is actually thursday! It has been good to us but we are both so exited to be out from under it and feel a little more freedom in our lives...it is really nice to know he won't be leaving me again!! For now the kids and I are staying here in Valdosta where they are settled in school and I can keep teaching at the Y...if we have not sold the house by the end of the year, our contract will run out and we can rent it out so then we can move to be with Edwin...in the mean time it looks like Edwin will be there during the week and home on the weekends....be praying something works out as far as that is concerned...we would really like to be able to move with him :) Still lots of unknowns but at least we have a JOB!!! Thanks for all the prayers and we'll keep you updated!

halloween

ok so right now I am trying to figure out how to explain to a 5 year old why we don't celebrate halloween....I knew that this would get harder as the kids got older but finding the right words is quite difficult...especially now that she is in kindergarten and they have the whole classroom decorated! At this point she understands that she is allowed to dress up everyday and have candy anytime so she is not being "left out" of anything...but you can't quite go into the history and origin of halloween with a 5 year old! Growing up we had many families who did not celebrate halloween so I think it was easier but we do not know a single family here that does not participate...We are standing firm to our convictions on this but please be praying that we can find the right words to express them to our children in a way that they can understand...this one is a kind of hard one to write because I know many people may not agree with me but this is what I am dealing with at the moment.

separating...

So I keep making the mistake of telling people we are "separating"....they all respond with a big "I'm sorry to hear that....or are you ok?" I respond by saying "of course I am ok I'm very exited about it!" After that they really look at me wierd. Then I figure out they think I am saying that Edwin and I are separating and I am really saying that we are "separating" from the Air Force...It is been quite funny and I keep accidently doing it! Ohhhh the english language right?