Mini Project Complete!

At least one of the many many projects on my list was completed this weekend!! I ordered the bed rails for Brayden's bed a few months ago and got the call that they were ready for pick up last month. But they were ready for pick up in Seattle and I just could not get down there. Something always came up....so last week my good friend Aaron picked them up for me and brought them to me!! THANK YOU Aaron!!!

So this weekend our good friends Ross & Carly and Ryan & Ashley came over and we ate and the guys put together Brayden's big boy bed!! He is soooo excited....before this weekend he had a full size mattress set but no head board or foot board. It is amazing what a difference it has made!! So another big THANK YOU to Ross and Ryan for your help! I am so very blessed to be surrounded by great friends who are always willing to help in any way they can!

So...I am one step closer to completing the boys room re-do's and of course I will finish just in time to pack up and move again but I am determined to get them done!! More pictures to come as I get more done but for now....I can check one more thing off my list!!



Please tell me I am not the only one who just can't seem to find enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to?!? But I will keep chugging along, trying to get as much done as I can, and continue to work at being content with knowing I am doing my best!

Happy Easter.....better late than never right??

Aside from the pouring rain and random hail shower......we had a wonderful Easter! The boys had a ball dying and decorating eggs Saturday night! Thank goodness the Easter bunny hides the eggs inside at our house or it would have been one messy egg hunt, as the weather decided to not cooperate! =)

My boys after decorating eggs!

Then Sunday, we started our day at church where we were blessed to enjoy a musical presentation by the choir and a wonderful message from our Pastor. I was overwhelmed with gratefulness for the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross that day and for the miracle of his resurrection. It is incredibly difficult to wrap my mind around the unconditional love that our Savior has for each and everyone of us, but I took that hour in church to reflect, ponder and give thanks. After the service we enjoyed fellowship at the annual brunch that the church puts together!

Me and the most handsome boys around!

Later in the afternoon we had some of our "Navy family" over for food, fun and fellowship! We had a housefull and enough food to feed an army!! It was truly an enjoyable afternoon and evening and I am thankful to have such an amazing "Navy family" to share these special days with!

Party Animals!!


I pray you all had a little time to pause and reflect on the miracle that Easter is truly about and that you were able to enjoy celebrating with family and/or friends!!

Goodbye "K" Family

I knew it was part of the adventure that we, as a military family, are experiencing right now, but I wasn't quite prepared for how difficult it would be. Goodbye. I have met so many wonderful people and made so many incredible friends in the last couple of years, and while I knew it would happen, the first goodbye snuck up on me.

Brayden and Anneliese

Tonia and I met when our kiddos were in preschool together. What an incredible blessing her friendship has been. Our kids have grown to be the best of friends and I have grown to cherish the support I found in our friendship. From playdates at DQ where it all started......to weekly coffee and breakfast at Angelo's when the boys started kindergarten......all the late night phone calls when the guys were away.......the shakira(is that how you spell that?) dance when 9 months pregnant and everything in between.

The original pre school crew!

Tonia.....you have touched my life more than you will ever know and you will be so very missed! True friends that you know you can always count on when you really need them are few and far between...but I have been so very blessed to find that in my friendship with you. You saw me through some of the hardest times in my life and I don't think you even knew how much your support and friendship meant to me then and will continue to mean to me! You amaze me, you inspire me and I will miss you so much! Give the kiddos a big hug from "Aunt Aubrey" and the boys....we miss you already!

One last picture together.....

In the Hope for the Home Front Bible study I am doing right now there was a chapter on the sacrifice of separation and author Marshele Carter Waddell ended with the question...What's so good about good-bye?? I'd just like to share a few of the answers she gave....



~It is good that we stop our frenzy of activity to express our appreciation for the comfort, the friendship, the support, the laughter, the tears, and the encouragement the person has added to our journey.



~Good-bye is good if it teaches us to cherish life and breath, strength and sound mind, and the moments we are allowed to walk side by side with a friend.



~Good-bye is good if, in that difficult moment, we stand still long enough to give thanks to God for the lessons we've learned together, the love given, and the love received, recognizing that these blessings are gifts from the hand of God.



Driving away from the "K's" house after our final goodbye I thought back to this lesson and I did thank God for the time I had to walk side by side with Tonia!



So "K" family.....Fair winds and Following Seas.....you will be truly missed and we wish you all the happiness in the world as you move on to the next part of your journey!

Luck O' the Miculka's

HAPPY ST PATTY'S DAY!!!

I was looking forward to a fun filled green filled day and things didn't quite work out the way I would have liked. As alot of you know, Colby spent all of last week sick with a "fever virus." (who even knew there was such a thing??? ) And in perfect Colby style he has spread the "love" and lil brother has now come down with it. Poor kiddos....So I spent my St Patty's Day catering to a cranky, feverish 2 year old! I couldn't even get him to put on his cute lil shirt I got for today....=(.....but it wasn't worth fighting him over! Colby, however, did get to sport his St Patty's gear and even got to go to the parade downtown after school!! I didn't tell him until i picked him up from school and he was beyond excited! So....a BIG THANK YOU to our good friends the Martin's, for taking Colby along! Hope everyone had a fun day!

Freshly Amazed....

Once again, I am freshly amazed by God's timing! In my bible study lesson last week I came across the following verses and the timing couldn't have been better.

Ephesians 5:22-24

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. (24) Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

I took time to truly stop and think.....Am I giving John the respect he deserves as my husband and the head of this household?? Am I submitting to him in everything as I have been directed to do in scripture??

As we begin to look at options for where we will make our home next I am being taught an important lesson is submission to the man God chose to lead this family. Of course I have my ideas of what I want.......and I have found myself getting frustrated when John brings up options other than what I want. But once again the Lord has humbled me with his timing and His word and how thankful I am for it. I am going to step out in faith and know that the God given leader of this home will make the right decision......we have discussed everything.......he will take my feelings into consideration and will turn to the Lord for guidance and we will do the Lord's will for our family. And as hard as it has been for me to come to accept.....it may not be what I want. And I am working on being ok with that....its difficult but I am comforted by the following verse....

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

What a comforting declaration from our Lord and Savior. This verse has been such a comfort to me in so many different situations and I pray it can be the same for you! We serve an amazing God and I am so grateful for the husband he has blessed me with. Please pray for John, and for our family, as we go forward with the process of finding out where our next home will be!

Sparks-A-Rama!!!

Colby had his Sparks-A-Rama competition on Saturday up in Bellingham!!! It was a fun day! Our Awana group competed against 4 other teams and we came in second. But more importantly the kids had a great time! I have really been working with Colby on not focusing so much on "winning" but taking on the attitude that as long as you try your absolute hardest and you have fun doing it that everyone comes out a winner! And he and his team most certainly came out winners this weekend...they worked together as a team and had fun doing it! Brayden and I had a good 'ole time cheering them on too! It was held in a high school gym so it was like flashbacks and flash forwards too! I did a little reminiscing about the good old days....dancing in our high school gym at pep rallies, going to basketball games, etc....FUN! And then thinking forward to what it will be like when I am going back to a high school gym to cheer on my boys....CRAZY! Then we made a day of it and did some shopping and I treated us to dinner at Olive Garden. We were pooped when we got home but it was a fun day together!

Colby's numero uno fan.....

Lil Cuties......

Family Bible Church Awana Team.......

Me and my favorite lil boys......

And now some not so fun news...Colby is running a mystery fever. =( Poor guy.....he is congested(which around this house w/ all the allergy problems the boys have is nothing new) but otherwise is not showing any symptoms other than the fever. Hopefully whatever it is will run its course quickly so that he can feel better soon! So we are shut-ins for the time being and hoping and praying that Brayden and I can remain healthy!!

Feelin' the Love!!

Is there any feeling better than the love of your child?!? My favorite is when I go to pick Brayden up from his little class on Fridays......his face just lights up when he sees me and he runs into my arms!! It is the greatest feeling in the world and makes all the struggles of parenting seem so small in comparison! I also love the random hugs and kisses I get from the boys.......LOVE IT!! They just know how to make me feel so incredibly loved and appreciated sometimes ya know!?! Even Colby...although you know he can't do it in public cause that just isn't "cool"!! =) But he is still so sweet and loving and I'll take all the love I can get even if it is just at home!

And John has been so wonderful about making me feel incredible lately too! I don't know if he realizes how much it means to me......but in every email he sends the past couple of weeks he mentions in one way or another how amazing I am to him! So...since I know he does get to check this blog....Thank you Babe for your dedication to making sure I know how much I mean to you. You are truly amazing to me as well.......hold your head high and know that I am so proud of you!! I love you so very much and I am so blessed by you!

So all in all I am just feeling extra loved lately and it is WONDERFUL!!

I took the boys for much overdue haircuts yesterday afternoon and Brayden sat in the chair all by himself!! He is just growing up so much and it seems every week there is some new way his growth is showing itself!! Colby did great as usual......he does such a good job of setting a great example for his lil brother! Of course I forgot the camera so I didn't get any pics of the action but I did snap this one when we got home......

And here is one of Brayden when we got home from his class this morning! He is holding his "tictures" (aka pictures) that he made today!! TOO CUTE!

Tonight I am having a few girlfriends over to do some stamping!! I am looking forward to it so....no doubt we will have a good time!! Here is a lil peek at a couple of the cards we will be making!!

Hope everyone is feeling the love today as much as I am!!

Good Night & Sweet Dreams

There is a children's hymn that I used to sing as a child at church and for years never sang it. Then my precious little bundle of colicky joy named Colby came along and the words and melody came flooding back. I would rock him and sing this song to him and he would calm down. Still to this day he occasionally asks me to sing it to him when he is having a hard time going to sleep! And it has worked its magic with Brayden too and he regularly asks me to "sing song" for him. =) I love that as their "Momma" I can have that calming affect on them. So here is one verse of the lyrics....

I Am A Child of God

I am a child of God
And he has sent me here
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear

Lead me Guide me
Walk beside me
Help me find the way

Teach me all that I must do
to live with him someday

There are a few verses but I just love this song and the simple message it conveys. I am regularly fighting tears as I sing to my precious baby boys and thank the Lord. Because my children are truly His children that he has sent here to me.....trusted me to care for them, teach them and guide them so that they can live with him again one day. What an amazing honor this is....my heart swells and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my Savior's love and grace. What a blessing to be an earthly mother to these two precious lil men. May I always lead them, guide them, walk beside them and help them find their way back to their Heavenly Father!

What a Crack Up!!

Sooo....Brayden has been so funny lately!! He is talking more and more all the time and it is so fun to hear the things that come out of his lil mouth!! And some of the things he does are just plain comical....I love it! One day I hear "dis my work mama" and I turn to find this......



Dat's his work!! He was wearing Daddy's uniform shirt and hat!! Too cute!! And another funny from Brayden.......he decided to "wide"(aka ride) his "motocycle" (aka motorcycle)!! And the funniest part for me is that this is a toy that was Colby's and he did the exact same thing with it!! I love that I can relive some of those stored away memories this way!!
So here is Brayden riding his motorcycle and then him holding the motorcycle.....too fun!








And what has Colby been up to?? Well.....he is staying busy with school, Awana, and soccer lessons!! Who knew a first grader could have soooo much homework?!? Thankfully for the most part he has a great attitude but there are times that it is tough to keep him focused! He is doing well in school though, and I am so incredibly proud of him! And he recently finished his Skipper book in Awana and is now working hard towards earning his Hiker patch!! He is almost there...we should probably be sewing on his new patch in 2 weeks!! He loves Awana and I love that he has a fun, energetic place where he is encouraged to learn and love God's word. I also cherish the time we spend learning verses together....does it get much better than cuddling and learning the Bible??? Here is a snapshot of him on our way out the door to Awana last week....it was Career Clothes day so he chose to be a sailor!!



No doubt this is where Brayden got the idea......the admiration that these two have for their Daddy melts my heart. It is such a priceless gift to have the relationship with John that they do! Even with John being on the other side of the world....he does whatever he can to make sure the boys know how much he loves them and misses them. What an incredible daddy they have.....I love these 3 men God has blessed me with more than words can begin to say.

And as for me.....God is so good and I am so blessed!! I have settled into this deployment now and the boys have as well which makes day to day life so much more bearable! I won't say easy.....but my prayers for patience and strength have been so graciously answered and we are doing well! I have found a little bit of time lately for my Stampin Up which has been lots of fun! I miss it when I don't have time to play! =)




And this afternoon I have been making berry applesauce!! YUMMY!! The boys love it and so do I and it is super cheap and easy! We have had so much fun picking berries while living here and our freezer is pretty well stocked so I figured I would pull some out! So today I used logan berries and raspberries. The house smells amazing and we are gonna have a GREAT after school snack!




Here is the recipe!

Berry Applesauce

2 cups berries
3 lbs tart apples (cored, peeled, and chopped)
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon (i use more cinnamon cause we like it!)

Place all ingredients in a lg. soup pot over moderately high heat. Bring mixture to a simmer, stir, cover and cook for 20 min. stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and puree in a blender or food processor. Serve hot or cold! Enjoy!!

So easy and it is soooo good!!! Now Brayden and I are gonna bundle up and head out for a walk to pick bubba up from school! Have a wonderful weekend!!

A lil of this & A lil of that

Well....the beautiful weather has continued and I cannot say enough prayers of thanks! It has been great to be able to be outside and enjoy this gorgeous place we are so blessed to live! So we have been to the park and taken lots of walks and kept the windows open all day.....so very refreshing!!

Please tell me that I am not the only one who has such a hard time letting go of "my baby"!?! Brayden started a class at a local kids fun and fitness center and this is his first lil thing that is all his ya know?? I mean he goes to child care while I'm at bible study and he calls it his school but this is different! It is called Terrific Two's and they paint, do crafts, play and have circle time. What a big boy he is getting to be! The teacher said he did great and had a lot of fun! My lil man is growing up sooo fast

And....this afternoon Colby had his 1st grade music program!! Its so cute to see them all up on the stage nervous and excited! Colby has been practicing for a couple weeks now and did fantastic! I didn't get any pictures.......it was hectic and they had the parents sitting in the back of the gym so I video taped it for John. But i did snap a quick shot of him when we got home....it was a Presidents Day theme so they sang songs about George Washington and Abe Lincoln. Too fun and oh so cute!

So.....that was alot of random things but that is what we have been up to! Tonight we are headed to the missions conference at our church where we will be privileged to hear from missionaries we sponsor from all over the world! I am looking forward to hearing about Gods work being done around the world! And they even have a children's program planned where the kiddos will get to hear from missionaries while on a pretend world tour via pretend airplane! FUN FUN!!