Parting is such sweet sorrow

Our time here at Fort Irwin is now drawing to a close, another chapter of our lives ended. We are definitely excited about our future, and some of you may think that we are elated in every possible way to leave our isolated desert home. But in truth, leaving Fort Irwin is bittersweet.

No, I will not miss having to fill 4 callings at church and having Sundays be my busiest day of the week. I will not miss 120 degree temps in the summer when even a dip in the pool can't make the heat less unbearable. I will not miss driving over and hour just to go out to eat (or anything else)...and that is to Denny's anyway. I will not miss a house so cramped we have a baby sleeping in the closet. I will not miss the grocery store (commissary) that has only slightly more selection than a 7-11. I will not miss the tank target practice rumbling my walls and knocking things off my shelves. And I won't miss the constant control the army keeps over our lives.

But, I will miss all my wonderful friends I have made here. I will miss the beautiful sunsets that I get a perfect view of from my back porch. I will miss the excitement in my children's eyes when they watch the helicopters zoom overhead (by the way, that never gets old). I will miss the mild winters when I can take my kids to the park. I will miss the serenity and quietness that comes with living in the desert. But most of all I will miss this place for the mere fact that this is where my family grew up. When we got here, we were a family of four, and Jacob was barely over a year old. We've added 4 years onto our married life, doubled our kids, and they call this place home. Tyler spent the bulk of his "little-boyhood" here. We've got great friends who will be dearly missed and are required to visit us every time they are in Utah (you know who you are...). Fort Irwin has been a challenge at times, but overall she has treated our family well. We will always look back on this time in our lives with a tender spot in our hearts for Fort Irwin....just don't think that means we would EVER come back!!!

Our kids when we moved here...

Our kids now...

My how time flies....

Rhyme Time

Jacob is really into rhyming right now. Yesterday he came up to me and said, "You know a rhea, the big bird? Like from Diego? That rhymes with diarrhea." Nice.

Out of order

Okay, so all the pics in this post are out of order, but I am short on time so it will have to suffice. I am confident in all of your ability to figure out what goes where.

I have to say first that life is speeding along at breakneck pace. I keep thinking it is Tuesday when it is Friday, that it is still the beginning of March when it is closer to the middle, and can't believe in less than 2 weeks we will be out of Fort Irwin for good, that my oldest will be baptized in a few months and that my little newborn is 6 months old! Where does the time go?

The other day was Dr. Suess' birthday (I am sure those of you with little kids knew that from all the stuff they did at school about it...) and Jacob's class got to make big Cat in the Hat hats at school. He brought it home and left it on the desk. A few minutes later I couldn't find Maggie so I walked around to the front room and saw this--I couldn't stop laughing for at least 3 minutes....
I haven't posted too many pics lately, so here is a spotlight of each wonderful child.

Joey is a chunk and a half. He loves to eat all the time--he outgrew all of his 6 month clothes a month and a half early. He is a total people person--hates to be alone, but loves to watch his brothers and sister play even though they often end up injuring him in some way with a bonk in the head or stepping on a hand. When he smiles his whole face lights up and his mouth opens hugely wide. It just melts your heart....even though he keeps my up at night!
Tyler isn't a little boy anymore--he is big grown-up kid. He loves to be independent. He is very social and is friends with just about everyone at Fort Irwin. He won an award at school for "Sharing and Caring" and when other kids got called up for their awards there was normal applause--when Ty was called up the auditorium erupted in "WOOHOO!"s and "GO TYLER!"s. He's a rock star! Plus he is so tender-hearted--it makes it more difficult at times but it also makes him so considerate and sweet and caring.
Maggie can definitely hold her own with her brothers. She is a little sassy girl. She has to have so much stuff in bed with her at night that it leaves little room for her to sleep--2 blankets, 4 baby dolls, at least one book, a huge stuffed dog, My Little Ponies, etc. I try to sneak away without giving her one of her items but she always knows. She keeps up with her older brothers amazingly well, but still loves all things girly including the color pink. If it's pink, it's Maggie's.
And Jacob is as Jacob'y as always. He is loud, excited about life and seems to have more vigor than his body can handle sometimes. So he always keeps our life interesting. He is a wonderful helper--always bringing diapers, getting things, and helping clean up. He always helps take care of Maggie and Joey, and loves playing with Joey too. He is very smart--his teachers always tell me that he is very smart, social, and they love having him in their class. We love having him as part of our family too.
I mean, seriously, how could anyone not love these guys?

One good thing about living in the desert is that it is outdoor weather 99% of the time. Yesterday was one of those days when it was sunny (as always) and 70 degrees so we went out back and rode bikes/scooters. The kids love playing outside--I will miss being able to go outside all winter long once we are living in Utah. Maggie got a new scooter for Christmas and she loves it! They played so well together...one of those rare moments when there is no fighting over toys or whose turn it is. It was jut a nice afternoon. Love it. Jacob gave us a preview of a song he is learning about kindergarten. The kids love to be filmed--it is so funny!