Valentine's Day Wake-up Call
 

Jana proudly wrote her own name for all her preschool friends



12:08 a.m. Kai, in my room:  "Mommy, I can't sleep.  Can you snuggle me?". 
Me: "Okay, Kai, I'll come sleep in your room".

5:04 a.m. Kai, in Kai's room:  "Mommy, is it morning yet?"
Me: "No, Kai.  Not even the roosters are awake yet.  Go back to sleep."

5:05 a.m. Kai: "Mommy, can I get up yet?"
"No.  Go back to sleep."

5:06 a.m. Kai: "Is Daddy up yet?"


"My kindy friends are going to LOVE these!"



"I don't know.  It's too early.  You need to sleep. GO TO SLEEP."

5:07 a.m. Kai: Can I just go and see if Daddy's up yet?"

Me:  "Oh, gosh, Kai!  YES!  Get up, get out of here.  I want to sleep."

Kai:  " Okay," and coming over to hug me, "Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy.  I love you."

Oh boy.  What a sweetheart.  I love my kids!!!  Thank you, Kai, for reminding me what Valentine's Day is all about, even if that means getting woken up before the roosters start.



Poor sick boy...

By 5:30a.m. it was clear that poor Kai was going to miss out on his cool day at McCool School (yes, that is really its name).  He was completely under the weather with runny nose and fever.  I did consider sending him anyway, but then I can no longer whine about those bad Moms who send their sick kids to school and spread the joy around, so I had no choice.  He had to stay home. 

He was really happy about it, as you can see (yes, he got one of the hearts for posing for the shot) (okay, he got three, and before breakfast, too!).





Ask and Ye Shall Receive.... MOET!!!!

This Valentine's Day finds me on day four of my "lose 22lbs by April 29th" challenge.  So I took the bull by the horns and abandoned all hint-dropping.  It went pretty well something like this: "Jed, if you bring me chocolates, I'll kill you. But I would LOVE a bottle of Moet".  And..............      voila!                                                   

Next year I'm going to ask for a leer jet and gold Amex card.            Since I don't have a champagne glass in the house, I custom-decorated this fine crystal goblet, standing ready for the teeny golden bubbles of joy.  Cheers!                                                                Big hugs and sloppy Valentine's Day kisses to all of our amazing family and friends.  We love and miss you.                                    xoxoxoxo  Peta

Another Anniversary, Another Promotion



Marine Corps Ball, Japan, 2003 (Just married)

From meeting in Japan, marrying in Australia, honeymooning in Mexico, back to Okinawa, we eventually headed to Southern California, and then Northern California.  Now we find ourselves in Guam, part of the Marianas Island chain in the Pacific.  I need a world globe on my car dashboard just so I remember my way home each day. 






As Jed and I celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary, and tenth year together, we also celebrate a promotion.  Nine years ago, in Okinawa, I popped off Jed's Marine Corps single bars and pinned on his double ones as he promoted to Lieutenant.  This week Kai and Jana had the privilege, and this time slid on his shiny new double gold bars at a Coast Guard promotion ceremony in Guam.  Woo-hoo. 

I realize we have done a lot together, seen a lot together, and travelled a lot together. We have such a crazy, mixed up, mobile military lifestyle.

As of today, we have slept on airbeds for 5 months and 25 days, while all of our "worldly possessions" are probably baked into a melted glob in Pacific Island Movers' hot, humid storage shed somewhere here on the island.  To know that my sewing machine and art supplies, the kids' bikes and toys, the pots, pans, knives, forks, and dishes are so near and yet so far, while we continue to eat from paper plates and use plastic cutlery, and "do without" for yet another week, is challenging.  But we have each other and we have our kids.  We have our cars and our kayaks.  Jed has his surfboards.  One day I'm thinking "what more could we want?" and the next day I'm thinking I'll go crazy living like this.  But I'm grateful that we are together.  Many a military spouse has spent her wedding anniversary alone.  While we have our little family intact, we'll do without our toys, bells, and whistles a little longer.  Oh, and hey, we will definitely enjoy that pay-raise!!