Yesterday we spent most of the day at the Space Center in Houston. They had the usual space exhibits but they also had the animal version of Grossology, and the boys LOVE that. Really fun. Of course it was sad that daddy wasn't there with us, but maybe when he comes home we can make another trip back. I know he would have loved playing with the boys at the Space Center.

Here's a short slide show with pics since we've been in Texas this summer.

At 6 months post partum I am 29 lbs. under my pre-pregnancy weight (I know, I was really fat) and about 41 lbs. under my delivery weight. I still have a ways to go, but I can already see a difference: Pre-pregnancy: Today: (Ignore the mess in the background...I'm in the process of cleaning/packing)

This morning the kids and I attended a Boy Scout/Cub Scout Memorial Day ceremony. It was kind of an early morning for us, since we all had to get up around 5:30 am, which is about an hour early for me and an hour and a half early for the boys. They were very good about getting ready, though, and we made it to the post cemetery on time. Unfortunately, the time that had been sent out was 30 minutes prior to the start time. Someone pulled a "dad" on us and posted 6:30 am to be sure that ever...

Izzy had her first experience with a cup and with something besides breastmilk. She had 2 oz of unsweetened pear juice diluted with 2 oz of water. Next time I think I will dilute it a bit more. She seemed to find the aftertaste a bit tart, LOL. She managed to take in about 1/2 an ounce. Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

A little comment about what a smartass my oldest is growing up to be (I'm so proud!): At the Cub Scouts Crossover ceremony (where they get to switch over the next rank up), he kept snickering when the Cubmaster talked about the path to Eagle (scout). Apparently he kept hearing the path to EVIL. Haha.

I am officially going grey. I have found grey hairs before (found my first one during the last deployment), but this time there are MANY. White, crinkly strands of oldness. My mom says my dad started going grey at 17 and apparently it runs in our family. I did some wiki work and learned about the mechanics behind going grey. Unfortunately, there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I can yank those bastards out for now, but I've developed an allergy to hair dye, so when they take over, ...

Ignore my stupid baby-talk, please! Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Good Mother's Day. I got the baby to (kind of) sleep until 10 am. My mom called to wish me a HMD and didn't call at the crack of dawn and wake me up. Baby realized she can splash loudly by slamming her heels into the water in the tub, and that was very amusing. I lost 2 lbs for no apparent reason, bringing my total lost since the end of my pregnancy to 39 lbs. The boys were waiting downstairs with MD cards and Orian had made me a very sweet photo frame in class. My Moby Wrap was in the m...

It has been crazy hot/humid here.  Or maybe I'm a wuss and just not used to it yet.  It just seems so uncomfortable.  Our electricty bill jumped from 120 or so to nearly 300.  I signed up for average billing which will help.  The electric co rep I talked to said I picked a good time, since August is usually the biggest bill of the year.  I really don't think we waste electricity but me and the kids are home all day most days, so I guess that doesn't help. Adrian ...

I took a "vacation" back to Hawaii in my dreams last night. There was no plane ride.  I was just there.  Adrian was there, too.  Unfortunately, he had meetings or other work-related tasks all day, everyday.  We were there on a Monday through a Friday, but the time passed like it was a single day.  It would suddenly be dark and night-time without there having been any time to explore or reminisce.  The entire time I was sad and frustrated at having such beauty ...

I'm now 18 weeks pregnant...2 weeks away from the halfway point.  Time seems to be passing very quickly.  It's exciting to think that we will soon have a new baby in the house. I have been taking a picture of my side profile every 2 weeks to see the changes.  I did the same thing with my pregnancy with Isabella, and afterwards it was really neat to look back at the pictures. The baby is in a stage of rapid growth, so I expect to "pop" soon and look very obviously pregnan...

I know home-schooling is more common in big families.  I don't know if it's like a big family philosophy type thing or if it's because of the cost of sending kids to school (even free public school costs $$), but it does seem more common with "big" families.  I think 4 kids counts as a big family?  Dunno.  All I know is, I will NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER homeschool.  School starts in less than 2 weeks here and it cannot come soon enough. It's too hot mos...

Forgive me children, for I have sinned. Tonight has been somewhat frustrating.  Adrian has been home for 10 months now and I'm getting soft.  He has to work all night tonight, and I think it has us all feeling strange.  Isabella keeps saying "Da" and "Mail" because she knows he should be home and they go get the mail together, LOL.  Orian didn't notice anything was up until it got dark then he started wondering, haha. As I was washing dishes, I asked the boys to pick ...

Naming another human being is a pretty heavy task.  You want a name that reflects who you think this person is, who you hope they become, and what you are comfortable yelling up a flight of stairs. Should the name  be traditional or unique?  What ethnicity origin should the name come from?  Is meaning important?  How should it flow?  Should the number of syllables be more or less than the last name?  How should you spell it?  Will a common spelling fail...