The Month of the Military Child

Gosh, it's been a hot minute. Every time I make a bold claim that "I WILL keep up with this blog", I fail miserably. The truth is, I Instastory my life so much, that I find myself not being as inspired to blog. I have yet to switch my blog to Wordpress (like I have been saying for MONTHS), and who knows if that will ever happen. But anyway...

I shall grace you with my rambling today...

Since April is the "Month of the Military Child", I thought I'd share some things about my own two children and how awesome they are.

If you're a longtime follower of my Instagram/blog, I don't have to repeat my life to you. But if you're new, I'll give you the "Barney style" rundown. I am a former Marine of 10 years, married to a current active duty Marine (who will hit 18 years of service this July), and mom to 2 pretty fantastic military "brats". If you're really curious to know the whole back story of how my husband and I ended up together...just click here. You can read all about our whirlwind elopement in fabulous Las Vegas.

Back to my 2 fantastic military "brats". I have a love/hate relationship with the term "military brat". When used in the right context, it can be endearing.

Who wants to be called that anyway?! I have said this a gazillion times that military children should be the most respected members of a military family. Why? Because my husband and I CHOSE to serve. I CHOSE to marry my active duty husband. My children had NO CHOICE. They were born into our family, and forced to live this life. Not that children ever get a choice in the circumstances they are born into, but that's a whole another blog post for another person to write about. 

As parents, we have tried our best to give our kids the most "normal" life with the best opportunities we can provide. My children are involved in sports, music, activities, playdates...all the things that "regular kids" do. We make holidays special, and celebrate everything and anything that is a reason to celebrate! From that viewpoint, we are a pretty normal, All-American family!

Of course, circumstances due to the fabulous "Uncle Sam" will throw "normal" out the window in a heartbeat. My 9 year old daughter has been in 5 schools in 4 states...again...she's NINE. My 5 year old son has been in 3 schools in 2 states in his short lifetime. We tried to do the math once, and roughly figured out that both of our children have lived more of their life with their father deployed to combat or gone for training than with him under one roof. These kids are resilient.

My children have certainly "bloomed where they have been planted". Of course, we always go through an adjustment period, and I'm not saying it's always been easy. If anything, it's been rough. Our move here to Arizona from Texas was by far one of the toughest moves we have done yet. My oldest had deep seated roots in Texas with a group of friends that were thick as thieves. I think I shed more tears leaving Texas than any other duty station....not because I was sad, but because I felt like we were literally ripping our daughter away from an amazing life and group of friends. My son had just started Kindergarten in Texas, and after only 6 weeks (when he was finally getting adjusted), we moved and put him in a new Kindergarten class...in a new school...in a new state. Being 5, and being the "new kid" is tough, and I admire little Mattis for his courage and tenacity.

We have been in Yuma for roughly 7 months now, and it finally feels like home.

Our kids have settled into their new schools and have made friends. Most importantly, they get to live under the same roof as their dad, and that is a blessing. The things that most "regular kids" find so normal are things that my kids cherish. I wish you could hear the squeals of excitement when my husband has time to drive them to school in the mornings, or see the excitement on my son's face when he sees his dad on the sideline at his soccer game (cheering him on like a fool). The smallest things are the biggest things to a military kid.

They deserve a month to be dedicated to them. There is a generation of military kids growing up with a parent (or both parents) who have served in a wartime military for 18 years. I truly believe that these kids are going to change the world with the worldliness and experience in this oftentimes, uncertain life.

A Texas Hill Country Wedding

Hey y'all! It's been a minute. I am failing miserably at my goal of keeping this blog updated more often. I have been meaning to blog about the last wedding we went to sooner, but life happened. Nick left for training, and I've been here pulling mom/dad duty for going on 2 weeks now. You'd think that I'd be a pro at this (for those new to my blog, Nick and I spent a year apart last year), but I'm not.

I guess it's almost been 3 weeks since Mattis and I attended the beautiful marriage of two very dear people to us, Nicolette and Joseph. Nicolette was an integral part of "the Romer tribe" while Nick and I attended college. As if being a full time college student wasn't time consuming (and stressful) enough, we were also actively trying to raise two kids and nurture a marriage through it all. Needless to say, we needed a lot of help, and Nicolette helped us a lot with our kids (a LOT). She was everything from a nanny to a date night baby sitter for us. I actually hate the term "nanny". It sounds overly pretentious, and something that only the rich can afford. Lord knows, as a military family, we are anything but rich. But she was so much more than just a "baby sitter" for our kids and our family. She had her own carseat. She picked them up from school when I needed, picked them up from gymnastics or dropped them off at gymnastics when I couldn't, she fed them Chick Fil A, loved on them, and did everything in between. She became an extension of our family.

So when she asked us if Mattis would be her ring bearer for her wedding, we said YES without hesitation!

Then we found out our family was heading to Okinawa, Japan. One of the first things I thought of when we found out about Japan was her wedding. I told Nick that there was no way that I was going to miss her wedding. I made plans to fly back to the United States so that Mattis could walk down the aisle for her! But we all know Okinawa never happened, and we ended up in Yuma, AZ. This made travel plans a whole heck of a lot easier for us! So Mattis and I headed to San Antonio, TX earlier this month for the long anticipated wedding of our girl! We made it into a fun mother/son trip, and I am so glad that we did it that way!

First class...just because.

The rehearsal dinner was at a local pizza joint called Fralo's.

Familiar faces that Mattis spent lots of time with when he was with Nicolette.

The groom and the ring bearer with an obligatory Gig 'em photo! Joseph is currently in medical school in Galveston!

I think this was the only photo we got of us together that evening.

No kid looks better in a bowtie than Mattis.

First time seeing the bride!

He fit in pretty well with all the guys!

Mattis and the father of the bride!

The wedding was held at the Kendall Plantation right outside of San Antonio in Boerne, TX.

It was clear skies, sunny, and absolutely breathtaking.

It was a perfect day in for January in Texas!

I loved the little details...

The reception area was also beautiful. 

The venue was an antebellum style home converted into reception area.

It was the perfect Texas wedding in the hill country.

I. can't. get. over. Mattis. in. a. tuxedo.

Always a ladies man.

Because Gig 'em...

Mattis was the flossing king at this wedding.

He was a pretty big hit with everyone.

 Mattis and sweet Carlye! 

Carlye is Nicolette's little sister who is now attending Texas A&M.

We got to have her as a babysitter for our kids for just a few months before we moved away!

One last photo with all the pretty girls.

The wedding was beautiful, and I cried. We are so thrilled for Nicolette and Joseph, and we were so honored to be present on their big day! Cheers to love and happiness!

An Offical Aggie!

I've been an Aggie all my life, but....

I officially have the coveted Aggie bling and a diploma! Like I'm "officially official"!

Nick got me a Ring Wrap for Mother's Day this year.

I've waited 33 years for an Aggie ring...he figured, he'd go ahead and bling it out for me!
I waited longer for an Aggie ring than I did a husband....seriously.

Husband and wife Aggies!

I have neglected this blog because of school, family, graduation, vacation, and everything else that has been going on in my life the last month! I finally have a moment to sit down and share on my blog about everything that has happened!

First off...
Nick and I GRADUATED from Texas A&M on August 11! We are officially the newest members of the Texas A&M former students' association! I got the sticker on my car to prove it too! Some reasons why this graduation meant so much to us...

1. Nick never got to walk the stage at his high school graduation. He failed math his senior year, and had to take summer school to graduate high school and join the Marine Corps. Getting to (finally) wear a cap and gown and walk the stage was monumental to his life. He had a picture of his mum inside his graduation cap. It was so sweet and sentimental.

2. Nick is the first person in his family to graduate from college! HUGE!

3. My parents immigrated here to the good ole U.S.A. more than 3 decades ago. They had hopes and dreams. One of the biggest reasons why my dad worked so hard in starting his own business was to be able to put my sister and I through college. He truly wanted to invest in our education and our future. My mom and dad never went to college, and they didn't want that same fate for their children. It broke their heart when I chose to skip college upon graduation from high school to join the Marine Corps. Of course now, they are two very proud Marine Corps parents, and have expressed how proud they are of my life choices and how I have turned out. But I know a little part of them still dreamed about having BOTH of their children be college grads. Well, mom and dad....BOTH of your daughters are college grads and so are BOTH of your son in laws!

4. I've dreamed of becoming an Aggie graduate. There's just something different about calling yourself an "Aggie" while wearing an Aggie ring. I've whooped and "gigged" all my life, but having this piece of gold on my finger makes it feel so much more official. Like...I finally became part of the "club".

5. Statistically speaking, children of parents with college degrees are more likely to attend college, and excel in school. Of course, this is just a statistic, and we know many successful people without college degrees with successful children. However, just having a little more security in our children's future is well worth the little piece of paper saying "hey, I went to college!". And no...college isn't for everyone, and a college degree doesn't make you better than anyone. However, there are just so many more doors that open up as far as opportunities go with a degree.

And last...
6. Nick and I finished college while raising a family. Two kids, marriage, a mortgage, bills, etc. We volunteered in our community and stayed active at A&M. It literally took a village (thanks to our nannies, babysitters, friends, and family). But accomplishing college as 30 something year old undergrads with two kids is something that I will cherish forever. I hope that my kids will remember this and takeaway that nothing is impossible if you have the drive and the will.

Mark, me, and Nick! 

Mark is also a Marine veteran that graduated with us. 

All three of us had a class together last semester, and needless to say, it was probably one of the most fun classes I've sat through because of these two!

We were so blessed to have my entire family join us on our special day!

Special shout out to my sister and her family for flying all the way out here from Nashville to celebrate our accomplishment with us!

Oh, and my sister is pregnant with ANOTHER baby girl!!!!

I get to be an aunt again!

I will have to catch y'all up on everything else that has been going on as well in future posts! Nick is officially a Marine 2ndLt, I dunked my Aggie ring (and beat Nick), and our family also just got back from a vacation in Mexico! So much to talk about and so little time! Thanks for all the well wishes and congrats! 

Life These Days

I don't blog a lot these day. Heck, I hardly have any time to read my favorite blogs that I used to frequent daily. Thanks to Instagram, however, I get to keep up with most of the bloggers I love through wonderful filtered photos. I want to get back into blogging a lot more. But things like school, kids, school, life, happiness, Texas, school....they all seem to take precedence over blogging. I do post a lot on social media, so if you follow me there, you get a pretty good idea of what is going on in my life. Here's just a little recap for those of you who don't follow my IG.

 Dannika is having an early birthday celebration tonight with a joint birthday party with one of her besties at our local pool. Joint birthday party = best idea ever. The other family and I split the cost of everything right down the middle, and it is so much less stress! Hassle free! Nick is relieved, because I tend to go into super party planning mode when it comes to my kids' parties. I turn into a bit of a momzilla.

We did a cute Evite photo shoot.

Look how adorable it turned out!

Sweet nanny Rachel came for a quick, short visit!

We made our Summer bucket list.

Fingers crossed we get through all of it!

We've done some frog catching at night.

I've woken up in the mornings a few times to find these two cuddled in bed together.

*insert melting heart*

Random morning doughnut dates

Playing outside in the rain

Dannika attended a Christian day camp last week called "Pine Cove in the City". Pine Cove actually has  two locations in Columbus and Tyler Texas where they host their overnight camps. Pine Cove in the City are satellite day camps they do all around Texas. They give kids the fun camp experience without the over night part. This is the first year Dannika has done Pine Cove, and she had an absolute blast! Dannika will be attending Carolina Creek Christian Camp for their overnight camp again this year (for the full week this time!). So Pine Cove was the warm up! I was so impressed by the staff, the camp counselors, and the activities that they had planned for the kids each day. They made learning about Jesus fun and interactive. Dannika actually came home from camp each day excited to read her bible and dig into the word. It was really exciting for me to see her willingly want to do that! I highly recommend this camp! It's especially great for parents who are not ready to send their kids away for overnight camp!

Dannika and her camp counselor "Boom". 

Dannika was described as selfless, compassionate, and trustworthy by her camp counselor!

What amazing words of affirmation for a 7 year old girl!

 We've done lots of swimming at the neighborhood pool!

Mattis started gymnastics this summer!

It's been a great way to wear him out, and also start building some strength, agility, flexibility, and balance!

We're hoping it pays off when he starts to play sports!

And of course, lots of sprinkler fun!

Summer has been busy so far!!

But we've been having a lot of fun! 

Prayers for Nick and I to finish classes this summer strong so that we can graduate in AUGUST!

Goodbye 2nd Grade

I'm way behind, and am playing catch up on my blog! Nick and I just got back last weekend from a fun little getaway to California for a wedding, and I had to dive into summer school as soon as we got home. I've had no time to do anything! I took my very last math class of my college career this month, and finished an 8 week course in a week! I finally feel like I can breathe a little...and blog! I'd figure I'd start with Dannika, and her last day of 2nd grade. This school year flew by, and it's crazy for me to think that I completed two semesters at A&M during this time. It's insane to me that I'll be graduating in 2 months! SERIOUSLY! WOW! 2nd grade was full of new surprises for us as parents, and definitely a lot more academic than Kindergarten and 1st! This is the first year she's had consistent homework every week. This is the first year we dealt with some "girl drama" (good lord!). She's grown practically 3 inches this year, and grew out of an entire wardrobe within the first three months of starting school. 2nd grade was a great year, and with all the amazing teachers that Dannika had, it's hard to imagine the outcome of this year being any different!

 So here she is on her first day of 2nd grade.

She wanted to be a teacher!

And here she is on her last day!

Can you tell how tall she's gotten?!

Also, she told me she wants to be a fashion designer.

I have no idea where that came from, since she has never mentioned it before!

I guess we shall see in the future what she becomes!

2nd grade was pretty awesome, but we are ready to enjoy the summer!!!

Because I'm a Texan, That's Why

Did you know the official state flower of Texas is the bluebonnet?! Well, now you know!

The bluebonnet is a seasonal wildflower that blooms in Texas for just a few weeks each Spring. Every Spring, you'll see people pulled over on the side of the highway (very dangerous) taking photos of their kids nestled in the beautiful bluebonnet patches that grow wild everywhere! I also should mention, people have literally been killed on the side of highways taking bluebonnet photos....seriously y'all...don't take bluebonnet photos next to 70MPG traffic....it's not a good idea! ANYWAY...bluebonnet photos are basically a Texas tradition. If you're a native Texan, and do not have photos of you as a child in a bluebonnet field, then you're Texan card is revoked!

In our little family, I am the ONLY true born and bred Texan. Nick is a southern boy from Alabama, but he is a Texan convert (thanks to yours truly). Dannika is my SoCal princess (born in Orange County, CA) and Mattis is my New England "masshole" (born in Newton, MA). But as a Texan, I demanded my kids take bluebonnet photos, and I am not ashamed to admit that I used Starbursts as bribery to get them to participate in this age old Texas tradition. I dusted off my ol' DSLR, and headed out to the George Bush Library to get some bluebonnet photos last week! Here is what I came up with...

Because no photo sesh is complete without an "Gig 'em" photo...

For an amateur photographer (me), I'd say they turned out ok!