Mix and Match

I know it's been a while since I checked in last. Here are some updates on the Robertsons.

Jeremy is being deployed to Djibouti (Africa) from January to August of next year. We are going to miss him SO much. It is a fantastic opportunity for him, and he is looking forward to being immersed in the military lifestyle again. Originally he was slated to go to Afghanistan but was offered Africa at the last minute. It is recommended that he be deployed every three years so this assignment was well overdue. I am keeping a positive attitude about the challenges ahead, and look forward to experiencing the tender mercies that are bound to come my way. I am thankful the children will be young enough that they won't be traumatized by the absence of their father for such a long time.

Having him gone for six months is such a small sacrifice compared to the military spouses that go well over a year (or six months every year -- boo hiss Navy) without their partners. My last ward was full of valiant, resilient and brave women who rarely complained about the huge burden deployments are. I am glad I got a chance to see how they prepared for the separation, how they met the day-to-day challenges while their spouses were gone, and how they transitioned backed to normal life when their spouses returned. I miss those awesome ladies EVERY single day.

On to happier news...

I got Abby a set of watercolor paints, but she will only use the black paint. I guess she must be going through a 'dark' period in her life. She was kind enough to paint one for me and each one of her grandmas.

I gave myself a makeover last week. I finally cut off all the dead and damaged hair and got a bob with highlights. I also got some fun to new clothes for all the date nights Jeremy and I will be having before he goes.

We got to experience St. Martin's Day for the first time with Abby's school. Here is a brief history I stole from Wikipedia: St. Martin started out as a Roman soldier. He was baptized as an adult and became a monk. It is understood that he was a kind man who led a quiet and simple life. The most famous legend of his life is that he once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the beggar from dying of the cold. That night he dreamed that Jesus was wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. Martin heard Jesus say to the angels: "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised; he has clothed me."

Most of the children in the school followed St. Martin (a boy riding a horse) around the neighborhood to show off their awesome lanterns that they made in class. There is a video on the bottom of the blog. It was so much fun.

The walk started at 4:30 and it was already pitch black. I swear the sun doesn't reach the top of the sky before it starts setting again. DEPRESSING.

Oliver has started to use his bumbo seat. He loves it.

Abby only draws in color on the walls. She was kind enough to stretch this design from the top of the stairs all the way to the bottom. You can clearly see how sorry she is (or not).

Jeremy is in charge of getting Abby to bed. It was so quiet upstairs the other night that I thought they were both sleeping, but I found them both engrossed in reading in the bathroom instead. I love that the magazine he gave her to read is Food and Wine. If she breaks the Word of Wisdom then it's going to be his fault.

Here are some fun videos. Enjoy!