God is Good

In February of 2001, my husband enlisted in the Army. He joined to be a Calvary Scout. He joined for adventure, adrenaline and danger. He had nothing to lose. The average life span of a Calvary Scout at that time was 2 weeks in the field (or so he tells me).

Halfway through Basic Training, the Drill Sargent called him out of formation and told him that his clearance had come through and he was leaving Basic Training early to go straight to Intelligence School (crack the jokes about the Military having Intelligence HERE ).

He was shipped off to Intel school despite the fact that his military entrance test scores were all too low to be in this field and he had no interest in Intel whatsoever. He sat through this school for three iterations, failing, studying in the assistance lab every waking moment...failing some more.

They ended up passing him and sent him onto his first duty station. He struggled a bit, but found some people who looked out for him and found a job he could get by doing.

At this point, he was generally miserable in his job--no adrenaline, staring at a computer underground-and decided to try for Special Forces. After completing the assessment/selection course for Special Forces, he was not selected because his academic test scores were too low.

This is where I met him. The day before he left for Special Forces Assessment School (SFAS), I was sitting at the next table over from him in Starbucks. I thought he was cute, but I was there to read my Bible and felt really guilty about fighting distraction about a boy during my devotional. Wait! He was reading his Bible too! I fought distraction even harder. After an undetermined length of time, one of my friends came in and instead of sitting at the table with me, she sat next to him. I instantly forgot my devotional time!! We spent the rest of the night together. We finished at Starbucks and then he and some other friends came to the restaurant where I worked and hung out there until my shift was over. Afterward, they all came back to my house and stayed until 1 am the next morning. My overall impression of him that night was that he was a cocky and self-absorbed. I wanted nothing more to do with him. He left for SFAS at 5 AM...that morning.

The next month was supposed to go by as normal for me, but it didn't. Every day, I couldn't get that cocky kid out of my mind. I prayed for him everyday he was gone. When he came back, he was in pretty bad shape physically and we didn't even see him for about two weeks. After that, we were inseparable. Two weeks later, we were talking about marriage and freaking out that we were talking about it so soon. Five months later he officially proposed and we were married the following year. I fell in love with him for the depth in his heart, for his strength as an individual, for the way he never has given up on anything and the way he pushes through to finish a goal. I fell in love with him for his handsome face and his amazing body. I fell in love with the way he seemed to know the answer to every question I had about the world and life and whatever. I also fell in love with the way he loved me. He communicated with me not so he heard what I said, but so that he understood my heart. He pursued my heart and I fell hard.

My husband is an amazing man. Sorry for the digression.

A little bit of life happened that isn't really relevant to what I'm trying to say here, but after a short while, we ended up in Paradise as two-month newlyweds. The palm trees and the never ending beach were the exact opposite of the freezing island we just came from. One month later we found out we were expecting our first child. Life has only picked up speed, as you might have guessed. Twenty months later we welcomed our second child into our family. We've begun our family here, built the foundation to our marriage, grown stronger as individuals and as a family with a lot of support from our awesome church. Our time here as a family has been wonderful, with a lot of rough patches that has made us grow (and grow up!) a lot.

His professional time here has not been marked by many successes, but he's kept trying and kept pushing through. He's been back to SFAS and was not selected, again because of his academics. He's failed multiple job qualification tests and has been bounced back and forth from one job to the next. Nobody knows what to do with him or where to put him. He's been fine with that and has focused his energy on his academics; last week he received his AS Diploma. But it's almost time for us to leave and so it became time for him to contact the guy who decides which duty station each person goes to next. This guy is called "Branch".

Branch has one opening for James to go back to England. Our first choice, my home, is not available and will have nothing available in the time between now and when we are scheduled to leave. This slot that is open in England requires that my husband gets more advanced job training before he gets there. Okay, but he's struggled and not necessarily passed every job school/training/test he's faced. Nonetheless, he was up for the challenge and after a lot of prayer, gave Branch the green light.

It was supposed to be three weeks until he would be gone for 5 months of training. The kids and I had planed to go visit my family and my husband's family and travel around having a grand 'ole time.

Within a week, my husband's command pulled the orders to school and England. They refused his next promotion and promised that he would never get the next class to advance in his job.

It's been a few months since all this started. Each day has been a process of remembering to trust that God is more in control of James' career than the Army. His command has refused to submit his request to become a recruiter. His command has tried to pressure him into choosing another job in the Army. Obama hasn't released the funding to take tests, so James cannot raise his test scores to get another job in the Army or go back to Special Forces. Often, we feel trapped.

One day, three of his bosses (Commander, 1SG and Platoon SGT) pulled him into the Commander's office and shook his hand, congratulating him on the fact that he is getting promoted. They gave the impression that they didn't want to promote him, but another commander put James in for this promotion last year, and so James' current command can't do anything to stop the process, now that this paperwork has been found. All three of them said outright that the only reason he was getting promoted was because he was a praying man and they know that his faith in God is strong. Like I explained, they didn't want to promote him and there was nothing they could do about it. They clearly attributed this to James' faith in God. Yeay!

We are still waiting to see what will come of all this. One day we are hopeful and the next we are worried that they are trying to pull something behind James' back, but the one thing we know for sure is that at each point that we've felt scared about our future, God comes through really clearly and shows us that he's got it all under control. Looking back at James' career is perhaps the biggest thing that gives me faith that our future is secure. If the paperwork hadn't been switched, James could easily be a casualty number today. Instead, God put James in England, where we met. Hawaii has been the perfect place for us to find our feet as a couple, as individuals within that couple, as Christians, as parents, as adult friends. Looking back, we see very clearly how we have been taken care of each step of the way. Whatever happens, I KNOW that we will continue to be taken care of!

God is so good.

Father's Day

It's Father's Day. I have an exceptional father. Here he is:



I didn't realize until I was out of high school how hilarious my daddy is. He can always make me laugh. He can make us laugh so hard we cry, but here he is crying on a more serious, wonderful note:



They were crying after the wedding, but before the wedding, this is what Daddy was up to:



Thankfully, the kid on the left survived long enough to marry me. Now he's survived me long enough...never mind. Back to daddy.



I love the way his eyes sparkle when he plays with my kids. His eyes sparkle the same way when he looks at his own kids. He is a near perfect father. For the record, Joseph looks a lot like he did as a child, so I am hoping that there is some hope that the facial expression of my son will one day morph into the facial expression of my dad. Here's hoping.



This is the most recent picture I have of my daddy. His youngest child just graduated from high school last week. Two days ago she left for Ecuador. Two days after she gets 'home' she will move to Hawaii for college. He was crying today because he missed all of us.

Daddy's devotion to his family is legendary. His routine is set to time. His heart is deep. Really deep. He always gives you his full attention. He is brilliant. He is hilarious. There is not another man like him on the planet. Well, my husband comes pretty close, but that's for another post. I'm crying as I remember him and yet still unable to articulate all the many ways that he has touched me and influenced me. A million things come to my mind when I think of my daddy. A million things that all meld together to put a smile on my face , then it becomes an emotion that brings happy tears to my eyes, and then I miss him. No matter how old a girl gets, I don't think anything can replace a hug from her daddy.

Here's a hug on Father' Day, daddy. You mean the world to me.

Riddle of the day

"Please, I want some water with the things in it that go up and down, please." -Joseph

(He always says "please" at the beginning and end of the sentence.)

I thought for a minute and then...



...realized that James was drinking Sprite! Obviously, we NEVER drink soda/pop/that stuff, so he had no clue what to ask for. The "things that go up and down" was the carbonation and he had no reason to think that the drink was anything but water.

Sure he got some. It was just too cute.

Four Years Ago...

Yesterday I met a woman who is early twenties, married for 28 days and new to the island with her Army husband. This is their first duty station, they are far away from family and they have so much ahead of them. Talking to her took me back to June of 2005, when I was 22, we had been married 2 months (two weeks together at that point) and we were brand spankin' new to the island. I couldn't help at look back at the past four years. I feel like both James and I have matured a lot as individuals, really grown as a couple, and learned more than I could ever write here or anywhere else. Here are the easiest things to articulate about what I've learned since we were young newlyweds at our first duty station:

* A Costco membership is worth it, even if it is only the two of you

* I've learned to trust my husband's judgment and honor his wishes.

* I've learned how to have a civil disagreement without running away and clamming up or yelling and accusing.

* I've learned to pray for him instead of nag at him.

* I've learned that married life and parenting are the two most selfless things a person can ever do. The past four years have been a process of coming to terms with the self-discipline and dedication it takes to be a good parent, wife and keeper-at-home.

* I married the right man for me.

* I knew children would be a lot of work, but even so, I underestimated the emotional and physical energy they would demand. I've learned to try to balance what they need and what I need, even though I've oscillated between both ends of the spectrum.

* I've learned that yelling at my children doesn't accomplish anything, but I haven't quite accomplished stopping. Yes, my children yell because I set that example.

* I've learned how to take care of myself without putting others on the back burner. If I don't exercise I get grouchy. If I don't eat, I can't think. If I don't sleep, just put me back to bed.

*I've learned, and then come to terms with the fact that there are definite phases in life. The things that I was doing as a young single are not the things that I will be able to give or do now. Eventually I hope to get past changing diapers and soiled clothes to the point where I can give back to others who are where I am now. Hopefully that happens within 30 years or so.

* I've learned to reach out for help when I need it, even if I know I can't reciprocate the favor. I've been humbled to tears at how willing friends are to help when there is a need.

* I've learned that even when I feel like God is so far away, he is really carrying me through those difficult times. I've learned that when I come back to a place where I can put more energy into that relationship, he is right there to pick it back up again. His patience is humbling.

* I've learned that even though I thought of myself as a patient person, it's not enough for a husband and two children. I need a power higher than myself to get through without destroying everyone close to me.

* I've learned, and come to terms with the fact that I am not in complete control of my life.

* I've learned that friendships look and feel different in this phase of life than ever before, but I've also learned to appreciate the friends I have now on a deeper level than ever before.

* I've learned that life is tough. Life is wonderful. Life can suck. Life can rock. Life is peaceful and happy. Life is dark and scary. None of that is what makes me joyful or at peace.

Zoo Day

We went to the Honolulu Zoo yesterday.


It was a free day for military families only.


Most of the animals were either not out or asleep.



Except for the zebras. They were running around and playing with each other.



Kendra liked this animal best:



Henry Kapono was there playing and singing while we ate our free hot dogs and ice cream. It was wonderful.



I love that in Hawaii, emergency vehicles carry surfboards:



Joseph was allowed to climb all over the fire truck and the ambulance and talk to both firefighters and paramedics. This was really great considering that this week we've been talking about what to do in an emergency. We've talked about not being afraid of police, firemen and paramedics and what to tell them if you get lost or hurt. Hopefully that information never comes in handy!

We had a great day.

Favorite Moments from May

Matching Bandages Video for Gramelee

This was taken Monday night. Joseph got a burn on his forearm while we were in Teas and Kendra decided she wanted to be like her brother. The doctor had just told us that day that we didn't need to keep wrapping his whole arm, so we didn't need to save the rest of the gauze. It really shows how Kendra is communicating, but I doubt many people will be interested unless you hold the title of "Grandparent". Sorry about the scratch at the end of the video...

Back Home Day

I know that I need to blog about our trip, but there is so much to say that I'm having trouble putting it all in order. I have posted the best pictures at the following sites:

First half of the trip
http://web.mac.com/jvmoorefamily/iWeb/Site/Ranch%20Favs.html

Second half of the trip
http://gallery.me.com/jvmoorefamily#100164

We really did have a great time. Travel couldn't have gone more smoothly even though everything had to be last minute. The worst things that happened were that Joseph's left forearm was burned pretty badly from a grill, we missed one train and when we checked into one hotel, they assigned us a room that someone else was already in--and it was 11:30 at night. Oops! The children loved the travel and the activities. The highlight was seeing family--almost all of James' family and we even squeezed in a quick visit to my Grandparents in the Bay area before we flew out! This morning Joseph was even telling me that we needed to go to the airport this morning and catch our plane. I guess he's pretty acclimated to traveling!

Despite the great time we had away, it was good to get home. Our neighbors are awesome and the whole trip they kept begging us to come home and they were good at assuring us that our house had not burned down. The children keep waking up early, but it has worked to tell them that they have to sleep until the sun comes up and they go right back to sleep. Yesterday we were up early to go get my driver's license. My out of state one expired in January, so I was driving for a couple months on an expired license and then I took the written test so I had my driver's permit for a couple of months. After three hours there yesterday I am a licensed driver! Straight from there we all went to the Y so Papa and Mommy could get some exercise (Mommy gets grouchy when she doesn't work out!). Joseph climbed on the climbing wall and played with the dump truck while Kendra played with the dolls. Then it was nap time! While Joseph and Kendra slept, Uncle Joseph came over so that Papa could take Mommy on a motorcycle ride: (notice the rain)



When we got home, the children had just woken up and we all went to Battle & Battle's house for dinner! After that, the children went to bed without any fight whatsoever. It was a great day of being home and being together.

Ranch Fun

Last Sunday, we hopped a military flight from Hawaii to Southern California. We had no idea what awaited us in Cali, but as it turned out, we found an REI store, a Bass Pro Shop and a Victoria's Secret. We also found Claim Jumper and Melting Pot restaurants!! After three days in Southern Cali, it was time for us to catch our train to Texas. We had planned it perfectly: drive the rental car to the MetroLink public transportation train, take the MetroLink to LA and catch our Amtrak Train to Texas. Unfortunately, the MetroLink train waited at the platform less than a minute, which left James with a few of our bags on the train and the rest of the baggage, the children and myself on the platform. The children and I started running after the train yelling, "STOP!" and James pulled the Emergency Stop button. Finally the train stopped, but then the engineer told me that he couldn't open the train door. Finally, one door opened to let James out, but they told him not to get back on the train and that it should have been a $500 fine for pushing the Emergency button. But we still had to get to LA! We ended up taking a taxi to the next train stop and catching the only other train that would have gotten us to LA in time. Thankfully, the rest of our trip here to the ranch was uneventful. Long, but uneventful. All said and done, all four of us made it from Honolulu to the ranch for a grand total of $600. Airfare alone would have been over $2,000 so we are FRICKIN' proud of our frugalness!

Now that we are here, the children are having the best fun of their lives. The first day we loaded onto the dune buggies and gathered sheep and goats. Kendra was laughing the whole time and Joseph immediately became his Papaw's (grandfather) shadow, Joseph repeated everything Papaw said and mimicked his every action...it hasn't stopped yet. We've done more ranch work, ridden tractors and petted the horses and dyed Easter eggs and hunted the eggs and had huge Nerf gun fights. Joseph has wanted to sleep on the dune buggy every night. They are exhausted from all the fun--so much so that they probably should have two naps each day just to keep up. They are back again from their latest adventure and it's time for me to go get them some lunch. I'll type more when I get the chance!

Joseph is 3!!

More birthday pictures posted on our Mobile Me Page (see sidebar to the right).

Today we celebrated Joseph's third birthday. He is such a blessing! We celebrated at the beach with our amazing neighbors and good friends from church. We played in the ocean and ate an entire cake from Costco, along with a ton of munchies. Despite going without naps, Joseph and Kendra maintained good attitudes and didn't drown. Wonderful time. Joseph got some very cool presents.

Now, it is 1 AM on Sunday and we are frantically packing hoping to jump onto a military flight to California in 4 hours. Plus: it's free. Down side: we aren't guaranteed to get on the flight. Our great Texas adventure begins today when we try to hop a military flight with enough room to Cali and then hang out there (camping? hostel? seven hour road trip?) until a train heads to Texas. In Texas, we plan to ride horses, ride dune buggies, go to James' cousin's wedding, go to Sea World, camp, ride more horses, shoot guns and RELAX. Then we get to reverse the adventure with the train and military flights at the end of the month. My neighbor, EmilieAn, said I was either stupid or smart. We won't know until we try to get back!! I'll keep you posted.

Four Years

Today James and I celebrate four years of marriage. It feels like he has always been a part of my life and it is such an honor to be his wife. He always treats me with respect and is so careful to make sure I feel loved. He is so good at taking care of me--not only physically (financial, making sure I have a jacket when it's cold, etc.), but he is so good at looking out for me emotionally as well. He is so in tune with when I'm beginning to get run down and he will tell me to go take a break or a nap before I hit my crash point. I love him so dearly. Our children adore him; they know that they are a priority to their father. He gives them such focused attention and for some reason they obey him so well because of his special combination of "I'm serious" and "I love you so much". He is not the picture of the man I always dreamed of marrying, but he is better than what I had imagined. I always said that living in the suburbs with a white picket fence and two kids was my worst nightmare, but that's exactly where I am now and I love it. Life is so deep and meaningful--largely because of James vision for our family and for raising our children. He is a man who loves God with his whole heart and is willing to follow Christ regardless of outside influence or opinion. I love him so dearly. James, you are the biggest blessing that I will ever receive. I am thankful for you beyond words and I'm excited for many more anniversaries to come!

Gone Camera Gone

This morning our camera got dropped and broke. We did get some shots of the kids this weekend though! Joseph had been asking to go golfing all week, so on Saturday morning we took the children to miniature golfing. I'm not sure how soon we will make a decision about another camera, so until then, here are the last pictures:

Parkish Pics

Ha. My children are this filthy BEFORE the park!



Starting out mellow:


Just so you know where they get it from:


And my favorite:

Kid's Pictures

I haven't posted recent pictures of the kids for a while so...

Here's two of the kids in their "new" Goodwill clothes (SCORE!) and one of last week when we went to ride the Dole Plantation Train again:

The funny thing about these pictures is that they are really not that great of the kids and when I took them I thought that I really got a good picture. Oh, well!

My Favorite Joseph Prayers

"God, we need to hang out, okay." ~Joseph

"Dear God,
Thank you for bowling today. Thank you for Auntie helping me. Thank you for Uncle helping me. I am blessed. I am very blessed. Blessed, blessed, blessed. Thank you God for dinosaurs. Amen."

Love It.

Kendra's 18 month Appointment!

Kendra is now 18 months, 33 inches and over 25 pounds. She is perfectly healthy, a great climber, a great eater, a horrible sleeper and a joy to have around. We're thankful for you, Kendra!

Cute Quipps

Mommy: "Joseph, what are you doing?"
Joseph: "I'm trying to fly."
Mommy: "Oh. Good luck."

Another kid: "Mrs. Moore! There's a crab down here by the beach!"
Mommy: "Do you see it, Joseph?"
Joseph: "Mom! I see a whale!"

Joseph to a friend: "Can I see your dinosaur?"
Friend: "I don't have a dinosaur."
Joseph: "Yes you do! It is green and it lives in it's house."
Friend: "I don't know what you are talking about."
A while later the friend realizes that the "dinosaur" is really his pet chameleon :)

Joseph grabs a stick.
James: "Joseph, is that your Bazooka?"
Joseph: "Yes, it's my Zabooka."
Cute.

In Joseph world, everything is a sword, a gun or a "weapon". If he sees you EVER, his first question will be, "Do you have a guitar?". If he knows you have one, his first question will be, "Do you want to play guitars with me?"...except guitar sounds more like "Tar". He is HILARIOUS.

Kendra is repeating every word she can and she wants to be like the bigger girls in her world so bad. Now she wants pigtails, powder on her nose, to carry a purse, to wear her shoes when the older girls do (and to take them off when they do too!). She has learned the word "no" and uses it as much as possible, even when she means "yes". She is working out how her will is allowed to function in the context of obeying Papa and Mommy...and she is SO CUTE.

One of THOSE days

Yesterday was one of THOSE days. We had a birthday party to go to at 9:00 that was across the wall from us--the next door (wall) neighbor's son. Of course, since I do childcare, I had two extra children with us, but I don't think the morning would have gone much smoother without them. Joseph woke up while I was taking care of business/phone stuff at the computer. I let him play while I finished up, but he was angry that he didn't have my full attention and brought a dump truck load of rocks into my laundry room. While I told him to pick all the rocks up, Kendra woke up. By the time I got her, set her at the table with Cheerios and checked on Joseph again, he had poured liquid laundry soap all over the rocks, floor and laundry pile. Red Hawaiian dirt, rocks and soap were everywhere. I tool a step away and a deep breath, only to find Kendra covered in spilled orange juice and on the table. I told Joseph to sit in the corner while I got Kendra down and changed (quickly!). By that time, our little 12 month old FCC child was into Joseph's mess. I changed her and strapped her into the high chair, hoping she couldn't get into anything else there. By the time I got everyone fed, clothed and at the door, we were 20 minutes late--and we had such a short distance to travel! So I went to the garage to grab the present for the little boy only to find that the car is gone. "Oh well", I thought. We walked out the front door, through our driveway and passed our car that was parked in the driveway and to the party. I didn't even realize that the car was simply moved so James could get his motorcycle out that morning. Thankfully, the party went pretty well and nap time followed shortly thereafter, even though they each had ice cream and lollipops. The mess in the laundry room sat for the rest of the day, through the night, and through this morning until I finally got the energy to tell Joseph to clean it up and enforce him doing so. Finally, I came out victorious...a full day later :)

Starting Off...

To be perfectly honest, I feel guilty that I watch other blogs and don't leave anything for others to read. Because I'm starting this blog out of guilt and not for a truly valid reason, whether or not I keep up with it is up in the air. I don't even know what I will blog about, but I will be pretty good at keeping pictures on our MobileMe Gallery --there is a link to it in the column on the right--so at least check those!

Right now I feel the most peaceful and excited about life that I have in a long time. A few weeks ago, we took J and K to the beach with some friends boogie boards and we were all able to go out riding the waves together. That was 5 weekends ago and we've gone out at least twice every weekend since. It is so freeing to me to know that we can go do active activities without having to split up or limit the time or activity. So we've since bought a surf board and took that out last weekend, the children are now semi-pros at riding waves in any form and I'm encouraged. Other things that have helped me get to this point: a Costco membership so that I can actually get nice, healthy meals on the table every night; membership to the YMCA because they give two hours of free childcare to as many children as you have EVERY DAY (plus, the Department of Defense now pays for it for military spouses!!); learning more self-control so that I can pass it onto my children, especially J. He has been a handful, but it's been a steady up hill climb since we realized how much we needed to crack down and enforce the rules. He is still the most rowdy child wherever we go, but his listening and obeying skills are getting better at just the time that K is seriously testing the boundaries!!

I am so thankful for all the awesome people in our lives.

The Khul family reminds me constantly to be consistent and keep going in raising my children--even when I want to throw up my hands and send them off somewhere!

To Josh, Battle and Lady: Thank you guys for loving our children as much as you would love your own. Thank you for all the times you've given us breaks and for the joy that each of you bring to our home. We specifically love the fact that you are willing to meet us where we are at (home!) so often so that we can get together.

To Jenni and Jonelle: you both are inspirations to me in different ways. You're awesome!

To our families: You give us so much support and love--even more than you often have time or energy for. We wouldn't have made it this far through parenting if it wasn't for you!

To our neighbors (Kempers, Rochas and Eplings): Thank you for watching out for my kids when I'm not, for bieng our friends and making me laugh on bad days. Thank you for making our section of street a place that I know is safe for my kids. I am so blessed to be surrounded by you guys and I'm already crying about what will happen after this summer.