Someday...

Someday I hope my kids remember I let them play in the rain. 

And not that I yelled more than I should have.

I hope they remember the times we spent laughing.

And not the times I said "Not now."

I hope when they think about the times D was gone,

They also think about when he came home SAFE.

I hope they know we thank God everyday for blessing us with them.
I hope they know they are smart and unique and God made them perfect just the way they are!

The First Week

D has been gone about a week now. The first week is ALWAYS the hardest and then after that it gets a little easier each day. The first week is also always the craziest, at least around here! Heres a few little facts about our first week!

1. We ate Chik Fil A this week ... 3 times. Whoops!

2. My children spent 3 of the past 7 days in just their diaper or underwear. Clothes are TOTALLY overrated.

3. Neither of my kids have seen their beds this week. Co-sleeping ROCKS!

4. Im totally ok with #3, I like them close when D is gone.

5. I just went grocery shopping and the only veggies in the drawer are tomatoes and squash. Veggies somehow got overlooked.

6. There are 6 cans of Spaghettios in the pantry, those did NOT get overlooked.

7. I have had no less than 3 breakdowns this week.

8. I have decided I have had enough and Im going home!

9. And then changed my mind about #8 at least 4 times this week!

10. I have awesome friends who have been there for me this week, laughed with me and cried with me and encouraged and I know they will continue to throughout this deployment!

Hello everyone!
I had been thinking about starting a blog for awhile and well I finally decided to take the plunge! :) No promises on how often I will post, I'm sure as the seasons in our life change so will the amount that I blog. I hope to keep friends and family up to date on what is going on in our little family and also to use this as an outlet for the many emotions that come along with the crazy, beautiful life style we lead. I'm sure I will also share the occasional recipe and craft. :) So for today lets do a little rundown on whats going on in the Zook clan now!

                     

                                         Little Man and Baby Girl watching the jets with daddy.
D recently left for deployment on the USS Boat! (Not sharing any details here! :) We knew he was leaving for this one before he was even home from the last one but that didn't make it any easier to see him go. As hard as it is to say goodbye to us, D loves his job and what he does. There is definitely not an end in sight for his military career! The upside is that sometime in the next few months we should have orders and will be moving soon after D gets home! I will let y'all know when that happens, we are VERY excited to see where we end up next!  

Little Man helping me make pancakes!

Little Man is growing like a WEED! Is it really possible my sweet little baby boy will be 3 in just a few short months?! He is my big helper, especially when daddy is gone, and is so smart it amazes me sometimes. And my some of the things he comes up with, he recently told me as I was putting him in time out " Mommy you have to be nice to kids! That means NO time outs!" Really little boy?? :) He is proving to be a strong willed child much like someone I know (ahem, me!). While this is (VERY) challenging, we are thankful that he will certainly never be a follower and we pray daily the Lord helps us to teach him how to use his strong will in a positive way!

Baby Girl taking her toy for a walk!

And Baby Girl! Well Baby Girl doesn't really think shes much of a baby at all, I do believe she turns her nose up at such nonsense! At 8 1/2 months old she decided to take her first steps!! Oh my am I in for some trouble! :) No teeth yet but Baby Girl flat out REFUSES baby food! She will nurse like a champ and eat anything she can hold and feed herself but will not eat anything pureed. Like I said she thinks she's a big girl already! I feel like Baby Girl was just born and already in a few months she will be 1! One. Year. Old. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner...

Me!

Its been a year since I EASed from the Marine Corps! I can hardly believe that season of my life is over already, it feels like it was yesterday and a million years ago all at the same time! While I do miss it occasionally I am very glad I made the decision to get out and be a full time stay at home mom. I recently started a Certified Personal Trainer course through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and I am VERY excited about it! I have always enjoyed working out and have had some awesome people to encourage me along the way and cannot wait till I can actually train people!

This was the day D left for deployment. Despite the smiles we were all very sad BUT I cant feel bad for myself. I have 2 beautiful children to take care of, I have care packages to plan and send, I have family to visit, school work to do, phone calls from across the ocean to look forward to, homecoming outfits to shop for, and the list goes on! This life isn't easy by any means but we wouldn't have it any other way....