The Husband:
An Army Officer, Infantry, in the service so far for about 6 years. Career? Maybe. Its one of those mysteries of the universe. He came home from Iraq in March 2010. His first tour was to Afghanistan in 2008. He is basically amazing. And sometimes he calls the baby by the dog's name, but we still love him anyways.
We recently learned that he will have to go through Deployment # 3 before getting his Masters Degree and then teaching at West Point . It was a hard thing to accept, but our family is strong and I know we can get through this, together.
Lora:
Mom, Mommy, Mama. Depends on who you ask. I am a Registered Nurse. Blogging is one of the ways I cope with deployment and life in general, and I think it helps Daddy feel connected to our everyday-life when he's gone. It also gives me an excuse to post innumerable pictures of my cute kids.
I work for a nurse staffing agency, which means I work when I wanna work and never when I don't wanna work! Best of all worlds in my opinion. Oh, and I get paid awesome. The hospital I spend most of my time working at is about an hour away, but its cute and there are statues of saints everywhere and the people are super nice so I can't complain.
Edo:
Twelve years old and in the midst of his second year in the wide wild world of Middle School. AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! He reads more than any kid I have ever met, and actually retains it all. He is the best big brother these three little ones could ask for, patient with a dash of bossy. He also checks every day to see if he is taller than me....and sadly
Pudah:
Nine years old, with the sweetest soul I have ever encountered. Pudah experiences life at 100% all the time, whether it is Happy, Sad or any emotion in between. He is always the first to give a hug, share a tear, and make up a crazy-pudah-dance. Every kid in his class will tell you that Pudah is their best friend, cause that's just the kind of kid he is.
Ladybug:
Five going on 15. I am not sure what I am going to do with this kid as a teenager, but Daddy had better be home for that bit. She is fearless, intense, and has giant untamable curly hair to match her untamable personality. Her new favorite thing is to dress up as "Anakin Skywalker." My one and only princess had a Star Wars party for her 4th birthday. It's one of many hazards growing up in a house-full of brothers, but she is one stinkin' cute Jedi.
The Baby Man:
2 years old old, he started out rather serious but now he's one heck of a wild child! He loves to give "hughughug"s and play trains. He didn't learn to walk until he was 22 months old, but now you can't stop him from jumping and climbing on everything! Our Baby Man has always been that way, just living life at his very own pace, thankyouverymuch. He may not get those milestones on time, but he will get there when he is good and ready.
To read about Baby Man's homebirth story go here ( nothing gross or scary, I promise! Its totally family friendly :) ). Since his Daddy came home in March he has become much more adventurous and silly, much to my delight, but he can still stare you down with those steely-blue eyes.
Vi:
She is 5.5 but her eyes have a story that make her seem much older than her years. She grew up in an orphanage in Ukraine, and has recently become the newest member of our family through the process of adoption. Vi has cerebral palsy, but she doesn't let that stop her from always being on the GO! This girl loves to play outside, go to the park, follow her brothers and sisters everywhere, and go to preschool. She is learning English at such a rapid pace it blows my mind! She has taught our family so much about life and love, and we are so very blessed and grateful to have her with us forever!
You can go to this post to see more about our family, or click here to see a more recent slideshow done right before Daddy deployed for the 3rd time in April 2012.
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