Honorable Discharge

Yesterday Kevan received something in the mail that is worthy of celebration: His official Honorable Discharge from the United States Marine Corps. Yup, he is officially done with all his duties and obligations to good 'ol Uncle Sam. His time in the Corps is especially marked by the 7 months that he spent in Iraq... three years ago already. We can hardly believe that it actually happened - and that we lived through it (in more ways than one). And we are SO happy he never has to do it again. When the paperwork arrived yesterday I got that familiar knot in the pit of my stomach when I saw "Department of Defense" in the return address. I knew his time of service was done... but that feeling is hard to shake! I know some guys are "lifers"and do tour after tour overseas. But once Kevan got married he realized that that lifestyle was just not for him. Being apart was just about the worst thing we could imagine, and living through it was nothing short of agonizing. But, at the same time, we're incredibly proud of his service and sacrifice - and thankful to those who continue to answer the call of duty. Kevan was honored to serve our country and he served with commitment and dedication for 6 years. And I am so proud of him. For doing what was right even when he would rather take the easy road, for seeing beyond himself and his own little world in an effort to make the world - and our country - a better place, for waking up at 4 a.m. on the weekends once a month to spend 2 days training and sleeping on dirt and then heading back to work on Monday, for walking miles to a phone in a combat zone for a 10 minute conversation with his wife... the list goes on. The guy made a great Marine, but he makes an even better husband and dad. And I am so thankful we never have to share him again!

In a helicopter in Iraq

Cooking up burgers on the grill he built in Iraq

In case you're wondering if it was all fun and games... how miserable does this look?

Welcoming him back to American soil

I love my former Marine! (Thank goodness it's over!) =)

Fun with Cousins

Autumn, Daniel, Morgan, Ezekiel and Bekah Jane... a perfect day for ice cream!

Imagine if you will 11 kiddos ranging from 3 months to 8 years old... yeah, sort of sounds like a super stressful episode of Nanny 911. But it's actually the reality known as my parent's grandchildren (and with 2 more on the way things are not slowing down!).

Last week, we had the special treat of getting all the kids together at mom and dad's for a play date. As crazy as it is, we all love these rare days when all the cousins play together and the adults try to keep up! It was such a fun day - I just soaked up every minute. I painted Maddie and Morgan's toenails, went lizard hunting with Abby, had snail races, and Aaron and I hung out with 8 little ones in the spa (counting heads every 10 seconds!).

A couple days later we met up with Melissa and her kids so Uncle Kevan could spoil them a little (he had to work earlier in the week when we got together). We played at the park and then headed to Baskin Robbins for some yummy ice cream. Remembering how my parents used to trick me as a kid, we tried giving Ezekiel just the cone. Yeah, he's a lot smarter than I was! He just looked at his pathetic little empty cone and kept asking his cousins for a bite of their ice cream. Nice try.

Maddie, Morgan and Bekah Jane. Morgan held baby Bekah as often as she could. Such a good little mother's helper!

Morgan and Seth help keep Bekah asleep

Ezekiel and Autumn winding down after a busy day

At the park... Bekah Jane trying out the swing for the first time

Doesn't she look so tiny?!

Weee!

Ezekiel finally getting a taste of some Mint 'N Chip. Mmmmm!

A bit of business

Forgive me for getting down to business for a minute, but I could really use a referral for a good dentist. Any suggestions for a dentist who cares for children as well as adults? I've been feeling guilty about not taking Ezekiel yet and we've just switched to a new plan so I have no clue who to go to. I'd love to find someone in the Fullerton/Brea/Anaheim/Yorba Linda area.

Let me know if you have any suggestions and I'll see if my plan covers them.

As a thank you, let me offer you this adorable picture of my daughter mastering the skill of holding up her own head:

Are we crazy?!

Yeah, that's what Heidi and I were asking after packing up our 4 babies, driving to the beach, and attempting to camp for 2 days sans our husbands. Had I even stopped for a minute to think about this plan ahead of time, I might have realized the complete insanity behind it and opted out. But then we would have missed out on all the fun, too.

It was crazy. We spent 2 full days keeping 4 kids under 2 out of the ocean, out of the street, out of the fire pit, out of the neighbor's campsite... and we just about went out of our minds. Did I mention we slept in the back of our SUV's?! For some reason we thought it would be "easier" than setting up a tent for the night. Oh, how we regretted that decision as we desperately tried to make up "beds" for our little ones while it was pitch black and they were crying from exhaustion. And I regretted it even more around 3 a.m. when Ezekiel refused to sleep anywhere else but on my arm, on my tummy, across my legs... you get the idea.

But, oh how it was fun, too. We played in the sand, we went on bike rides, we walked to a delicious breakfast, we stayed up late and chatted by the campfire. And we made memories. The kind of hilarious, crazy, sweet memories that can only be made when you take a little risk. And Heidi and I will always remember our camping trip to Doheny with two newborns, two one year olds, too little sleep, and too many laughs to count!

Ezekiel checking out the sand when we first arrived

Kate and Ezekiel making their mark with sidewalk chalk

The big kids loved going for a ride!

Everett - what a hunk!

Bekah Jane enjoying being outside (and she obviously loves her cute new suit!)

Snuggling with my babies

Isn't this so funny? Ezekiel put his hand on my face all on his own. He is such a crack-up.

Checking out the waves together

Ezekiel loved having his own big boy chair

The survivors! Think we'll do it again next year?!

Visit with Nana

Blogging is a funny thing. The busier we are, the more I have to blog about but the less time I have to do it. So that's my excuse for being sooo far behind on posting pictures. We have had a lot going on (mostly fun stuff, too!).

A few weeks ago Nana (Kevan's mom) came out to meet Bekah Jane and spend time with her main man, Ezekiel. As always, she spoiled the kids rotten and we had a great time eating yummy dinners, visiting the park and feeding the ducks, and just being together. We are so grateful for a Nana who loves her grandbabies so much and who is willing to drive out to see us as often as she does. Here are a few cute pictures from our time together:

If this doesn't make you smile...

How cute is she?! I cannot stop taking pictures of this baby. She is so stinkin' adorable and smiley, it is hard to put the camera down. It also doesn't hurt that baby girl clothes are soooo sweet. I have a bunch of posts I need to do of recent fun events, but in the meantime here are a few more great pictures of our little Rebekah Jane:

A day in the life...

Today I got a nice check in the mail, compliments of the Paid Family Leave Act - along with a notice informing me that my benefits are exhausted. Well guess what, Benefits? You're not the only one.

I admit it, I am exhausted. I know I talk a lot about the wonderful things of motherhood and the joys in my life. And you know why? Because, for the most part, life is wonderful. But I am quickly learning that wonderfulness and exhaustion can indeed co-exist. I am at the point where my to-do list is so long I don't even know where to begin. I finally get the kids down for a nap or down for the night and I am either too overwhelmed with what I should get done, or too tired to even begin thinking about it, and the list just gets longer. Perhaps I should lower my expectations. But I don't think ignoring the laundry will really solve anything (trust me, I'm doing that right now and all it's accomplishing is stressing me out knowing that 47 piles of laundry are waiting to be hung up).

Here, to illustrate my point, I'll go ahead and paint you a picture.

GOAL FOR THE MORNING: Go to Costco.

Seems pretty achievable, right? Rrrrighhtt... Here's sort of how it went:

Get dressed

Get Rebekah dressed

Bekah spits up all over her dress (decide to ignore it. after all, she'll just spit up on the next outfit, too)

Get Ezekiel dressed

Bekah spits up again, this time all over my outfit (decide to wipe it up with a burp cloth and hope that my skirt is cute enough to distract from the spit up on my shoulder)

Start packing up the diaper bag

Phone rings, baby cries, Ezekiel bites his sister, time out, give sister kisses, change poopy diaper, shoot... time to feed the baby again

What was I doing again? Oh yeah, pack the diaper bag

Load kids in the car, pull out of driveway (yesss!)

Bummer, forgot my cell (nooo!). Pull back into driveway and run into the house.

We're off!!

Glance at the clock. 30 minutes until naptime. Shoot. No time to make it to Costco. Hit up Henry's instead.

Spend $4 too much on milk. Spend most of my time convincing Ezekiel that he doesn't need a "bite" of everything in our cart. Spend 15 seconds feeling proud when a little grandma tells me "You're a good mother" as we pick out pears. Spend the next 2 minutes dealing with a temper tantrum and experiencing a gigantic decrease of the aforementioned pride.

I have reason to be tired, right? Right?! Other moms? Tell me I am not alone...

PS: In case you're wondering, I went ahead and tackled those pesky loads of laundry before I finished writing this blog.

Changed

3 generations of love - my grandpa, my dad, and my son


The circumstances of the past few weeks have been more joyful, sorrowful, wonderful and sad than I could have ever imagined. And I am not left unchanged.

On March 9, the Lord called my grandma to her long-awaited home in heaven. And, just 7 days later, her one true love - my grandpa - joined her. Wow. To lose two people we love so much in just one week is heartbreaking. Especially when grandpa seemed so strong. As my dad says, "He was a young 90." He was still so full of life and energy, corny jokes and endless stories. And he was a fighter. As a young man sailing the seas, he survived deadly storms by sheer willpower and the desire to live. The same tenacity stayed with him until his final days. Grandpa wanted to live. He wanted to continue experiencing life to the fullest, even if it meant doing so without his true love. But, in our estimation, grandma won this battle. I believe she had God's full attention and pleaded with her Lord to bring grandpa to her. Because, for 70 years, he had always been by her side.

And that is the other side of this story. While heartbreaking, it is also beautiful. For two people to love for 70 years and die just 7 days apart is more than just sweet - it is nearly miraculous. And I believe it is exactly the picture that the Lord intended to paint when he designed marriage. Unfailing, uncompromising, endless love. The kind of love that only exists when Christ is the Lord of your lives. And yet just a glimpse of the perfect love that Jesus has for us - a love unconquerable by even death. As much as grandpa wanted to live, he believed with all his heart that to die was to gain. For departing from this world meant entering an eternity with Jesus -and it is by God's grace that he and grandma met their maker just heavenly moments apart.

As for me, I am changed by the love my grandparents lavished on each other. I am changed by the love of their 6 remaining children - unselfishly poured upon their parents as they tenderly cared for them, and unashamedly displayed to one another as they grieve and rejoice together. And I am changed by the love of grandpa and grandma's greatest legacy - the family they leave behind to bear their name and carry their example. We came together in a time of great need and reminded each other of the things that were the hallmarks of grandma and grandpa's lives - to love the Lord and grow more like Him with each passing year, to love and serve those God puts in our life with generosity and hospitality, and to love passionately the family that He has given us.

By God's grace, may we also be blessed with a life that is a beautiful reflection of His great love for us.





Lou Holbrook, with his true love Molly

Some Happy Things

This week also gave us reasons to celebrate....

On March 3rd, my good friend Jen had her baby boy! Baby Caden Jacob made his appearance Monday evening and I was so happy to be at the hospital to greet him when came into the world! Caden is adorable and perfect and I am chomping at the bit to see him again. Thanking God that Jen's labor went text-book smoothly and that little Caden is here safe and sound. I can't believe my childhood friend and college roommate is a MOM! SO HAPPY for you, Jen!!

Baby Caden just one hour old


And my own babies are giving me plenty of reasons to smile...

Rebekah Jane in her new dress from daddy



"See my pretty dress?"


Her signature smile with her tongue sticking out!


Flowers and babies... doesn't get much better!


Sooo sweet...


Ezekiel looking so grown up!


Ezekiel has been really into oranges lately - and he eats them peel and all!

Saying goodbye...

Grandpa and grandma on Christmas Eve - their 70th wedding anniversary

Today is both a sad and happy day for our family. Sad, because after 88 abundant years on earth, the Lord called my grandma home to be with Him. And happy because we know she is no longer in pain and is rejoicing before her Lord this very day. What a life grandma lived, and what a blessing she was to so many. Grandma had 8 children, 23 grandchildren, and dozens of great-grandchildren. Her 6 living children have lovingly cared for her during her final years on earth, often making enormous personal sacrifices to tend to her needs and simply be by her side. The actions of her children spoke volumes about their love for their mother and the character of the men and women she raised. Since she was a young girl, grandma has had two true loves: Her Lord and Savior Jesus, and grandpa, her handsome husband of 70 years. 70 years! They don't even make Hallmark cards for such an occasion. Love like that is rare and beautiful, and what an example they've set for the generations behind them. I will always remember my grandparents as a couple, sitting side by side holding hands as they did every time I visited them. Even in grandma's failing years, grandpa was by her side holding her hand.

The week ahead will be difficult, and my heart is especially heavy for my dad and my aunts and uncles who lost their mom. But, as I pray for their peace and comfort, I also rejoice in the knowledge that grandma is now able to praise her Lord face to face.

Lotsa Love

Last weekend Kevan's dad, Richard, and his lovely new wife, Gina, flew in from Missouri to meet Rebekah Jane and play with Ezekiel. Being the first girl in a long line of boys on the Plumb side, little Bekah Jane has a special place in her grandpa's heart. And it sure was fun to see him smitten with his new little grandaughter! Both he and Gina doted and loved on the kids for (literally!) every waking moment they were in town. We had such a wonderful visit and I am so thankful for the love they lavished on my kids. Can't wait to see you guys again!

Meeting Bekah Jane for the first time


Three generations hanging out at the park


Shopping with grandpa

Look at my cute new outfit!


Loving on Bekah