Computer Smart Already

Yesterday, the boys asked me if they could download a program from the LEGO site that allows you to create with virtual LEGO bricks. We used to have it on the computer we replaced, so I said okay. My older son clearly knew what he was doing (he's reading, after all), but I sat down and had a chat with him about how he must always, always ask before downloading anything on the computer. Thus far, he's been a pretty trustworthy kid, so I believed him when he promised to do just that. (We keep the computers in the living room so we can keep an eye on them for situations like this.)

Today, they sat down together, one on each computer, to play. Wyatt asked if he could download the program again because he was on the computer we hadn't put the program on before. I said yes, then went off to take care of something. I walked back in the room to see that Oscar was in the middle of downloading the program on the laptop that already had it.

Apparently, he wanted to play, too, but couldn't figure out how to load the program from the desktop. So, he opened up the browser, found the right page, and started it up himself. At four years old.

On the one hand, I appreciate that our kids are so tech savvy. I believe it will serve them well as they grow. It does, however, remind me that I am going to have a keep a close eye on them. No, they will not be allowed on Facebook for...well, possibly forever.

Daddy is Not an Office Worker

Oscar was playing with his Lego guys today. He brought this one to me and started telling me all about how he was a boat guy (he'd been using him in Wyatt's aircraft carrier). I asked him what kind of shirt he was wearing, and he shrugged and just repeated what his job was supposed to be.

I thought it was kind of funny. When I was growing up, my father worked in an office. I would have considered this a "work shirt" if anyone had asked me that question when I was little. Oscar, however, rarely sees his dad wearing a tie. It's even rarer now that we get to attend church maybe twice a year. So, as was my first instinct, I can't ask him if it's a church shirt, either.

He does, however, have a pair of brown camo pants that he's quite proud of. Even though his dad wears blue cammies, every time he wears them, he tells us they are his "duty pants".

Clearly, we are raising a couple of military brats.

The Latest on Order Picking

I thought the orders situation was on the back burner for a few months, due to several things. Then, a couple days ago, Oliver came home with a possible situation for us. Basically, if he agrees to move in July instead of October, and they can find someone to fill his billet then, we will be able to get orders to our top choice. He asked me what I thought, and I really didn't have to think at all - absolutely I am behind the plan!

The one bad thing is having to go back to a boat early; we're certainly not raring to do the deployment thing. However, we'd kind of like to, you know, have a grocery store to go to again. Little things like that. More importantly, leaving early will solve the school issue. The program I want to use to homeschool is through the public school - kind of like a charter school. So, they follow the school year, and the biggest catch is that you have to have residency to apply. So, we need to live there at least a month before school starts so we can apply and get all the paperwork done in time for the first semester. Otherwise, we have to start in January and do, I don't know, the rest of the time.

This has been a headache for us. The last thing I want to do is split us up when it's not necessary. As bad as a deployment can be, it's far worse when you know the only thing keeping you apart is a decision you made, even if it was for the best of reasons.


I'm just praying now that someone will want his orders.

Thinking About Moving

Now that we're in this holding pattern of waiting for order picking (this should happen the beginning of the year), I cannot seem to settle down. Every day, I wander through the house picking out things I need to get rid of before we go, or trying to decide how best to packed things to make it easier for the movers (also, we found if you go out of your way to get things ready when they come, they do an awesome job with it - totally worth all the work we put into the last move!). I keep telling myself I really have three months before it's even remotely important to buckle down, but I keep obsessing over it.

In truth, though, the thing most on my mind is getting housing. We don't plan on living on base unless we get sent to Hawaii or something like that. We want control of our money this time, and I'm not too big on the trend in military housing to charge utilities on top of your entire BAH. That's crazy when you consider that by virtue of rank, you could be spending twice as much for your place than your neighbor with the exact same apartment. There is no accounting for that at all, and by the time we left WA, we were paying for our tiny two bedroom what we could have paid for an entire house out in town.

So, no more military housing for us. That does kind of leave me in a dilemma, though. I am realizing that the last time I really had to find a place to live was over ten years ago. I got it through an ad in the newspaper, albeit their online version. Clearly, this isn't really how people do that sort of thing these days.

I guess I will have to look at Craigslist? I have almost no experience with that as it's not exactly an option here. Or is a realtor a way to find a house to rent? Do realtors even deal with rentals? I kind of like the idea of going and seeing a couple places at once, but maybe you can only do that when you are looking to buy a place.

And buying a place is not what we're going to do. At least not yet. Hopefully in ten years, we'll know where we want to land and be ready to get something. We'll see. It's tough to imagine us as anything but wanderers.

P.S. Totally random, mostly unrelated fact: Apparently, if you had a VA loan, you can get a VA refinance. With interest rates so low now, not a bad idea to look into.

Growing Up

Wyatt and I had a conversation the other day. We were sitting on the porch steps, and he started talking about a few concerns he had about some other kids in his class. I soon found myself in a back-and-forth exchange that, well, was rather grown-up for my six year old. I was so very excited to be having it.

I do enjoy being a mother, really. It's been an amazing journey. I'm not gonna lie, however - I find the baby years insanely difficult. I don't operate particularly well on no sleep, and I've never been particularly good at entertaining toddlers. Babies are adorable, and I have some very sweet memories of cuddling them close. I'm grateful for every minute we've shared, even if I have found myself suffering through many of them.

It's awesome, however, that they are growing up and becoming people. The best part of motherhood for me is watching them become someone. I'm eager to have a lot more conversations with my boys as they make choices and figure out where life is going to take them. I hope I can be a sounding board for them, that they will always know that I respect their thoughts, allow them to take risks, and don't expect them to follow a path I've decided on for them. I'm looking forward to the years ahead.

Wyatt and I driving a go-cart together this summer.