An afternoon at Monmouth Battlefield State Park

One of the things we're trying to do while we're here is to see the local attractions. We have lived to many places where we haven't done this, and I regret it. So, last week, we decided to go to the Monmouth Battlefield State Park. Though we knew the kids were too young to appreciate seeing a historical landmark, we (Chris and I) wanted to see it for ourselves...and I knew the kids wouldn't mind because the weather was gorgeous!

We didn't get to see much of the battlefield (as the boys weren't quite up to walking that much) but we did walk across one of the open field areas. As we walked across the peaceful field, I couldn't help but wonder what it looked like and sounded like that June day of 1778....more than 200 years ago. I can't even begin to imagine the scene...and how drastically different it was compared to the peaceful, serene sight we saw.

It is humbling to walk the sacred grounds of a battlefield.

On that field, lives were lost.

Men were wounded.

Victory AND defeat were experienced.

You can't help but be THANKFUL to those who fought so hard for the freedom of our nation.

Here are the pictures from our afternoon there:

General Von Steuben

Luke standing in the battlefield

Luke and Will running through the battlefield

bridge across the battlefield

There are corn fields and orchards that grow there now.

Some views of the battlefield (it's hard to imagine a bloody battle here when it looks so peaceful.)

I had to put this picture in because Chris and Luke are walking exactly alike...these two guys are so much alike in SO many ways!!

The boys wanted to toss a few stones into one of the creeks on the field...

Will walking through the battlefield

Posing for a picture

I had the boys touch the ground. I told them they wouldn't understand it right now, but later they would see that they were touching history.

Luke took a picture of Chris and I...

Then, Will insisted on taking a picture of us too...the following pictures are his attempt...

Attempt 1: "Will, hold the camera higher..."

Attempt 2: "Will, the camera has to be a little higher..."

Attempt 3: Foiled by an attack from Luke...

Attempt 4: "Good try, buddy...now give the camera back to daddy and mommy, please."

Some more pictures from the day:

Some silly pictures of Luke in front of the cannon...

Checking out a pond near the park's playground

The boys and their shadows...

Luke loves bugs. He loves to collect them. We found this slightly crushed locust shell at the pond. After he played with it for awhile, I told him to leave it there...but he insisted on taking it home. Again I told him to just leave it there - we could find another one later...then he said, "but it's so beautiful!" So I figured, if he found this battered and bruised locust shell "beautiful" who was I to say he couldn't bring it home.

Playground!

New Jersey Move - Part 2

Where did I leave off in this highly-detailed series? =) Oh yeah, we all fell in bed exhausted after a very long, vomit-filled day where everything seemed to go WRONG. =)

I can't say the following day was much better. But thankfully, only the morning hours involved a child vomiting.

I took on the task of cleaning Will's car seat (which was a mess from the "sickness" of the day before)...and it was D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G. It took about an hour to get it cleaned. But the task HAD to be done before we could go to the store to buy laundry detergent and get food for our empty cupboards. I desperately needed to do some laundry (cause you know when kids have the stomach flu laundry is essential...and though we don't have a washer/dryer in our unit, the laundry room is thankfully next door) and we were all longing for a home cooked meal.

So the boys and I ventured out to find a grocery or department store. We were completely unsuccessful. Not because there was a lack of stores, but mostly because it's really confusing to drive here...even with the GPS! Who would have guessed you had to turn right to turn left? And why can I see the stores, but the signs forbid me to turn at all...in any direction?! Eeeek!!

After a little bit of confused driving, I had to turn around and come home empty handed because the cable guy was coming to hook our cable and internet up. Plus Will was looking a little green...and I didn't want to clean up the car seat again.

We made it home and the cable guy got us set up. I made the boys a quick lunch and then decided to try to find a store again. This time I plugged the nearest Wal-Mart into the GPS...I figured it would be a one-stop-shop. It was about 20 minutes away...this may the farthest I have EVER lived from a Wal-Mart. And it's not like we're in the sticks here...this town is fairly congested and busy.

So off we go to Wal-Mart. We made it in one piece (though I did see some very interesting driving on the way.) Unfortunately once we got there, I realized it had the smallest food department I've ever seen in a Wal-Mart. I was able to find a few things (enough for supper) short of the meat I needed. So off we went to find another grocery store. After getting lost a few times, we came across a small store...but it didn't have what we needed either. By this point I was just ready to go home. Luke and Will had both fallen and hurt themselves in addition to a few tantrums...and the traffic and confusing directions were about all I could take for the day. So, I plug our apartment address in the GPS and for the life of me, I can't get in the right lane to get to the right road to get home. If you've never driven here, I can't even begin to tell you how confusing it can be. So, in my "lostness" I find a grocery store. We go in, get the meat we need for supper and then attempt to head home...go in circles for awhile...then finally we find the right road and journey back to our apartment. Phew!

After unloading the car, I head to the kitchen to start cooking our supper...only to find that the stove isn't working. I pull it out to make sure it's plugged in - which it is - but not one burner nor the oven will turn on.

It is then that I realize my entire afternoon of trying to make it to a grocery store was a waste...I couldn't cook without a stove. Greeeeaaaat. A cup of coffee was necessary at that point and I felt much better after drinking it. =)

Needless to say, I wasn't able to do any laundry that day (the laundry room closed at 8pm), and we had to eat out for supper.

(Chris reading to the boys on the only piece of living room furniture in the apartment)

The next morning, we started getting ready for our trip back to Maryland to load up the truck. As we were packing, there was a knock at the door. I guess our kitchen floor linoleum needed to be ripped out and replaced...and they were there to do it. In the process of moving all the appliances out of the kitchen (which they did) we found the problem with the stove was VERY fixable...just a fuse. (I hadn't even thought of a blown fuse...whoops!) We waited as they fixed the floor, which thankfully didn't take too long.

Once they were finished, we packed up the van (which was mostly laundry...which made me feel like I was in college again) and made our return trip to Maryland.

Only one more part left to this overly-detailed series! =)

The Jersey Move - Part 1

Phew! I'm not even sure where to start! It has been an incredibly busy and exhausting two weeks. I'll try to sum up our move as briefly as possible (you know how hard that is for me!) since I know that most of you won't want to sit through a minute-by-minute description of the last couple weeks.

The Tuesday before last (the 10th), the boys and I planned to drive up to Jersey to turn in our lease, get our keys and clean the apartment before we went back to Maryland to get the truck and all of our furniture and boxes. The day before, Steve loaded up the van for us (Thank You, Steve!) and Jamie watched the boys for a few hours (Thank you, Jamie!) while I did some last minute errands.

The next morning (Tuesday the 10th), I woke up early to beat the boys up. The day seemed to start off on the wrong foot for Will though. He was fussy and started spitting up (which I was really really hoping was just due to some congestion.)

We got on the road around 8:30ish and the first few hours of our trip was pretty uneventful...some whining here and there, but mostly the boys were occupied by the DVD players (one of the BEST purchases we ever made for long car trips.) A little over halfway, we stop for a potty and snack break. The boys each picked out a special snack (courtesy of MeMe and Guka's treat money they slipped them before we left.)

Because Will had started acting really tired and a little off - I took my time at the rest stop as they ate their snacks just to make sure it set well on his stomach. He didn't eat much (a red flag...especially when the snack he picked out was donuts!) and was close to falling asleep as we left (another red flag.) But I had to press on and hope that if he got some rest, he'd feel better.

About 30 minutes from our apartment, Will started getting REALLY fussy...then, like an unstoppable force, he threw up everywhere....all over himself and the car seat (thankfully I had put towels around him at the rest stop because of my suspicions so it didn't get all over the van.) We rush to the apartment complex. We get there without getting lost (a plus since the last time I tried to find the complex, I got completely turned around.) As I'm getting him out, he throws up again. Ugh. So I clean him up the best I can (in the parking lot), put new clothes on him (thankfully the suitcase was within arms reach) and try to comfort him. I grab the lease, my purse, the boys and head up to the apartment office only to find...it's locked. And I think, "Are.You.Kidding.Me?!" I just wanted to get our keys and get into the apartment so I could give Will a bath.

Thinking that maybe they were out to lunch, I let the kids play on the playground across the street. Thankfully Will seemed to be doing a bit better at this point. After awhile, the kids were tired and we were just waiting outside and watching the office...hoping someone would open the door and turn the lights on.

Not too long into this waiting game, Luke started to complain that his throat was hurting. I asked if it was his stomach, but he was sure it was his throat...but then he threw up all over too...so I'm pretty sure it was his stomach!

So here I am...two stomach-sick kids clinging to me as we wait outside on a hot day for the office to open. I finally got a blanket out of the van, laid it on the ground and we waited there. Luke fell asleep right away and Will wasn't too far behind.

We got to the apartment complex at around 1pm...by the time I had Will cleaned up and went to the door it was about 1:30pm. Chris got off work and came to find the boys and I still out on the blanket waiting for the office to open at 3:00pm. I was SO THANKFUL to see him. It was like seeing a knight in shining armor riding up on a white stallion...ok...maybe that's going a little too far...but I was thankful he was there. He was finally able to talk with a maintenance man who was able to get someone to come to the office. Finally at around 5ish (I think...I lost track of time by then) we got our keys and got into the apartment.

By this time the boys (and I) are thirsty and starving (we didn't eat lunch.) I give the boys some juice and crackers (just to see how their stomachs are doing) and of course, Will threw up all over himself again. So it was clean up time again - and this time I could put him in the bath. Thankfully!

Chris unloaded the van and helped with the boys and then went to get us some supper. Thankfully Will and Luke managed to hold down their food and when we finally tucked them into bed they fell asleep in no time.

I spent a little time cleaning (thankfully the apartment was pretty clean to start with) but it wasn't long until we crashed too...and believe me, an air mattress never felt so good! The next thing I knew, it was morning again!

Ok...so my goal of not making you endure minute-to-minute descriptions failed...so, I guess I'll post this as Part 1 in the Jersey Move series...and for the next post I will try to be more brief in all my ramblings! =)

Packing is hard work!

Since this is considered a temporary move – and since our apartment is tiny - we have opted to only take the bare basics and leave the rest in storage. We’ll be taking some clothes, kitchen items, office supplies, toys and books for the boys, some furniture and a few miscellaneous items.

Though it’ll be nice to only plop a few boxes and a couple pieces of furniture on a small Uhaul – it’s been a little more difficult to sort and organize all of our stuff to find the bare basics. We have 95% of our household items in a storage unit. It is top to bottom – front to back – boxes and furniture. We knew that somewhere in all those boxes was our kitchen items, mattresses, dresser and couch…we just had to find them. Chris had a few days off last week, so he made the drive back from Jersey and we headed to the storage unit where we pulled out the majority of our boxes and furniture (lining the storage facilities walls with all of our units contents and hoping no one would come in during the process to get into their units) and started sorting, organizing, repacking and locating the needed items. It took us all day (and thankfully Steve watched the boys…not sure we would have been able to do all that work with two little boys running around) but we found what we needed – and even found things to give away or throw away in the process!

I have been doing the same sorting/organizing process on the home front as well. The boys are taking a little less than half their toys and books – so the rest will go to the storage unit. Chris and I are only taking what is necessary, so the rest of our things will head to the storage unit as well. This whole process is much more challenging with two energetic boys running around – and thankfully Steve and Judy and Jamie and Randy have helped by watching the boys here and there so I can have a few kid-free hours to pack without distraction. (Thanks guys!)

We are hoping the next move will finally be a more permanent move and we can just move everything! I’ll tell you one thing – I sure do miss the Army doing our moves for us!

Counting today, we have two days left here before a crazy week of driving and moving will begin. It will be hard to move away from our family, friends and church, but we will only be 4 hours away and can make the drive to come back for visits.

I’ll try to post pictures of our new apartment next week. Stay tuned for more of our Jersey adventure!

New Jersey or Bust?

Who would have ever guessed it would be this hard and take this long to find a job. Whatever the case, it took us 10 months for something to finally pan out (and believe me, it wasn't for lack of trying!) Last week Chris was offered a position through a Contractor as an Analyst at an Operations Center on an Army post in New Jersey. We are excited about this opportunity but there is a bit of uncertainty in terms of job security that comes along with this job. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining (because Praise the Lord it's a job!!!) But let me explain in a bit more detail:

Like I said earlier, the job is through a contractor that works on an Army post. Unfortunately, this Army post is closing in the next few months and the jobs are dissolving or moving elsewhere. (Gulp!!) All we know as of now is that the job Chris currently has though this contracting agency will be dissolving in about 3 months or so. (Double Gulp!!) This particular job will reopen as a government job at a different Army post, but there is no guarantee that Chris will be offered the job once it reopens and moves (though we are certainly praying that it will be offered to him!) So, we find ourselves in yet another very temporary job/living situation.

It's already been a journey trying to find a place to live. The cost of living and housing in the area is more than I had anticipated (I had sticker shock when I saw the prices of apartments!) But we have stepped out on faith and signed a 4 month apartment lease. The town is a bit iffy and the apartment is small, but livable. However, I am THANKFUL that we found this apartment because it allowed us to lease short-term and it's close to Chris's job. The benefits far outweighed its size and location when we made our final decision. We have decided to take only what we need for the next few months - basic furniture, kitchen items, clothes and of course -toys for the boys - and leave the rest in our storage unit here. We move next week! I have been going store-to-store to find boxes, organizing, sorting, packing, making lists, packing, cleaning, packing, packing and packing.

Chris left last week and has already been hard at work. The job requires shift work, so it'll be long hours for him. Since Chris already has plenty of experience working in an Operations Center (which is what he did while deployed) the job and its duties are nothing new. Right now he's staying with a friend until our apartment opens up. The boys and I drove up to NJ yesterday to get the lease and check out the apartment and now we're back in MD to finish things on this end.

Though this whole situation is VERY overwhelming and even a bit scary, I have faith that God has a plan for us. He has never EVER failed us and I know that even though this is a very uncertain circumstance, HE IS FAITHFUL.

I have decided not to dwell on the fear part (i.e. what happens when the Post closes and the job ends?!) and instead to look at the next few months as a journey and adventure. I leave the uncertainty in God's hands knowing He will take care of us.

So, here we go - on our next adventure!

Stay tuned and I will share this adventure with you via this blog!