Moving

The movers are scheduled to arrive Wednesday which means we are scrambling to grab all the stuff we want to take with us. We have narrowed down our house search. Hopefully our favorite is still available next week. We are ready to head to Jacksonville. I can't wait to see what the city has to offer.

Bringing home the bacon

A disagreement has started between my husband that is probably a pretty common one. My husband wants me to get a job after we move. We will be paying on his student loans soon so the extra income would be nice. I am not ready to put both kids in day care all day. I like having the freedom to schedule appointments whenever, take spontaneous trips to an aquarium or a zoo, or even head out of town if the situation allows. My husband doesn't work normal hours. Some days he is gone all day. Some he is finished by 8am, and others he doesn't even go into work until 4pm.  It is harder to get time off.  I like that if he does get a day off we can do something as a family and we don't have to wait for the weekend. Heck, weekends are still working days for the Navy. Plus there is the deployment factor.  He will deploy within the next year. I will be on my own. I am afraid if I am working plus taking care of the kids and house that I will be burnt out. I know many spouses do it, but I am not sure I want to be one of them. I guess I am afraid of missing out or cheating my kids of fun. My mom worked part time during school hours so she was available when I was home. I loved that. However, my parents were more financially stable than we are. It is such a tough decision. I have looked at jobs that are available in Jacksonville. The ones that I like either require travel or are second shift. I will admit there are days where it seems easier to work so someone else can deal with Hannah's attitude all day, but I am pretty sure I would miss her.  I am pretty sure I know what I need to do, but I am not ready to admit it to myself. Chances are good I will get a job to help with the bills, but my heart doesn't like it.  I will miss these faces.

Winging

6 days ago my husband received his wings of gold and became a Naval Aviator.  It was a chaotic and crazy day, but it was worth it. Hannah did not behave through most of the day's activities. Luckily the CO was very pro-family and didn't mind if kids ran around during the ceremony. He actually told me to let her do it since he didn't expect a 3 year old to sit still. She didn't sit still, but at least she was quiet. She decided to crawl under the chairs. Meeghan though stole the show. She would cry every time I stopped holding her. I was supposed to be the one to pin on the wings. I decided to take her with me so she would stay quiet. My husband held her while I attempted to pin on the wings. She dropped her toy and gave the CO quite a look when he handed the toy back to her. I guess everyone thought it was pretty cute.  I do give my kids credit for behaving as well as they did. The ceremony started at 3 which is right in the middle of nap time. They were tired, but they pulled through.

Trying to pin the wings. Meeghan dropping her toy.

The wings! Did you know they go 1/4 of an inch above the ribbons? I tried my hardest to get it right.

The family with the bay behind us

As for me, I was exhausted and cranky.  And terrified. I had no idea just how scary it can be to have a room full of people watching you pin a set of wings onto a uniform. I also didn't know just how thick the uniform is. I was struggling to get the darn thing on. I was shaking pretty bad which did not help. I hate having people stare at me while I do something like that. It's over though. He has his wings. He finally has his orders. Packers will be here in 6 days, and we leave Texas in 8 days. We are in moving mode. We are organizing, cleaning, throwing stuff out, and making unusual meals from whatever we can find in the freezer and fridge.

Orders are in!

An hour or two after tweeting about how nerve wracking it is waiting for orders, the husband received a call from the CO.  Orders were submitted Friday morning, and by last night the CO had been told of their slots.  My husband was picked up for the P-8! That is the plane he wanted since he made the move to maritime. I am so proud of him. He has worked his butt off to get this plane. Now we know for sure that we will be in Jacksonville for 3-4 years. We haven't been in a city longer than 10 months since we moved in June 2011. We are still waiting on the hard copy of orders so we don't know when we will be moving, but it is nice to know that we have a destination.  His winging is in 6 days and I know that things are going to be crazy the next few weeks.  Here is the plane he will be flying:

It is basically a 737 that the Navy uses to hunt for subs.  

7 months

Meeghan turned 7 months old while on vacation.  I know I say this every month, but I can't believe how fast the time goes.  She is sitting up like a pro.  She can go from all fours to sitting.  She is crawling althought it is still mostly the army crawl.  She will crawl on all fours for a few and then move to the army crawl.  She is faster that way.  She is enjoying her solid foods.  She just started showing an interest in them the last 10 days or so. She has tried carrots, beets, sweet potato, pears, apples, spinach, rutabaga, parsnips, white beans, cinnamon, peas, and avocado.  She liked everything except peas and avocado.  Those were all purees.  I tried dicing a banana today and she wouldn't put it in her mouth.  Everything else will go straight to her mouth except for the one thing that is allowed.  Silly girl! She had fun trying to pick it up though.  Either way she had fun and she worked on motor skills.  She is a chatterbox, and she thinks her big sister is the funniest person on the planet.  They were laughing with each other in the car yesterday.  It was the sweetest sound in the whole world.  I am trying to savor this time because I know soon enough Hannah will think of Meeghan as the annoying little sister.  She has started waving, and she is working on clapping.  I love this little girl to pieces, and I can't believe my baby won't be my baby for much longer.  

Home!

A 14 hour trip turned into an 18.5 hour trip, but we made it home last night.  Leaving at 4 in the morning makes for some cranky adults and hyper children.  Meeghan was pretty pissed about being in the car seat so much.  I am definitely not looking forward to the move in a few weeks although we will split that into two days.

I had so much fun in KC! It was great to see my family and friends.  Hannah slept in a bunk bed and loved it.  Meeghan received a ton on attention, and she definitely loved it. It stinks it took 7 months for my family to meet her, but I am glad they were able to see her now. I am pretty sure I gained about 10 pounds from all the food I ate.  I have been home for less than 24 hours, but I am already craving barbecue.  Texas barbecue just isn't the same.  I am hoping we can make it back for Thanksgiving or Christmas so we don't go an entire year without visiting.  Once I finally make it through all my pictures I will post some.

We survived!

We made it to KC without too many issues.  The only miserable part was the last hour when Meeghan decided she had enough of being in the car.  Otherwise we made it in about 16 hours.  Leaving at 4:30 sucked, but it helped make our arrival a decent hour.  We have been having fun visiting with family and friends.  Only a few more days and then it is back in the car for another 16 hour day.  At least we know what to do for the move in a few weeks.  Let's hope the trip home is as smooth as the trip here.

Last flight

Today is the husband's last flight as a student.  I am so excited for him! He has been working very hard for this point.  In just 16 days he will receive his wings which will be such a great experience.  To celebrate we are hitting the road very early tomorrow morning to visit family in Kansas City for a few days. He hasn't been home since Christmas 2011 and he really wants to go back.  He was approved for his paternity leave, and we are off.  It probably isn't the best idea considering we are moving in a month, but we will figure out something. I am so happy to be visiting family and friends!