Ride it Out

I know how surprising it is that we finally have a tangible record of our family life. No one can be more shocked than I am.

We are in the throes of teething right now. In spite of his current disgruntled state, Adam is a budding musician and dancer at almost 14 months and we cannot imagine what we would do without him.

Our children fill our lives with so much joy. Natalie forms the lyrics to our life and Adam is the music.

Natalie is almost 3 and enjoys creating her own little world. Imaginative and inventive, she completely blows us away with her stories and ideas. She is never happier than when she is ensconced in a little corner with some odds and ends, string, some rubber balls, cardboard boxes, a milk carton. Definitely a good mix of tomboy and girl, she loves the movie Cinderella but her favorite cartoon is Popeye. Her current fascination is with pirates and her cherished friend is a crocodile aptly named "Pony".

Adam adores quiet moments slurping mud in the backyard or giving his constant pal Mickey Mouse a swirly in the water closet. He can't keep his hands off Natalie's wild curly hair and has a penchant for biting a good meaty arm once in awhile. He can be found dancing, his two original moves are the UpDown and the Sway (I'm sure you can figure them both out without help).

We are a crazy,ragtag little band of characters trudging through this life together. After a rough transition period we have settled contentedly into military life. Definitely some turbulence here and there but our Pilot has a steady hand.

Tim is an Army Chaplain, known more familiarly as the "Parachuting Padre". He thrives on adventure but gives 110% in counseling and reaching out to wayward men and women here. His days are filled with a myriad of counseling, briefings, seminars and paperwork but he is never too busy for a round of "Row Row Your Boat",several readings of "Goodnight Moon", or a much needed hello kiss (thanks babe). I have learned not to freak out when he is on his latest adventure, we exchange a Via con Dios and off he goes.

I am the Refreshments and Recreation Coordinator on this big ship and I couldn't love anything more. Someone once said "It's a happy talent to know how to play" and I have found to my surprise and delight that I have loads of talent in that department. I fill my days digging for worms and beetles, shaking down the little people here for mouthfuls of rocks and insects in the pockets, reading and singing and lots and lots of dancing. When I'm not at work I enjoy a good floor mopping or if I'm really needing some release I wash all the windows. What a life I lead...

My newest motto is "Ride it Out". When I am attempting to submit an article and someone is close to bludgeoning someone else with a plastic golf club, "Ride it Out", when the dining room floor is covered in sticky orange juice and Natalie announces they're having a skating party, "Ride it Out", when both little pocket rockets are wailing at the top of their lungs through the commissary and I can barely hold them both and push the ridiculously heavy cart, "Ride it Out", when I wonder how I will ever make it through a pile of bills and a load of laundry, "Ride it Out, when I begin to seriously question my sanity as I find magazines and toilet paper in the fridge, "Ride it Out". Nothing lasts forever. Peaceful times are coming if I can just stay on the board and Ride it Out...