Kimber's Navy Family

I started this blog before my twins were a year old, 7 years ago. We were a growing military family. We had PCS'd together 3 times by then. I felt like when I talked to other parents of multiples that there was a marked difference in our family mentality. They all had a long view-- neighborhoods they planned on living in for their children's entire childhoods, or sending their kids to schools that they themselves had gone to or all their previous children had gone to. As a military family, our focus is much more on the present. The time we have together today. Where we are living right now. My husband's schedule that week. We have to approach our plans with an open hand. Because I have found that I make plans and hold on to them with a tight fist and, like sand, they slip through my fingers. The military is always changing the game on us. Our orders were revoked before we moved to this duty station. Granted, they came through a week or so later, but at that point in time ...

When I have sat down to think about my blog and the direction I want it to go in, the first thing I think about is, "Why did I start blogging in the first place?" The question is closely tied to my life. I started blogging because I like writing. I like writing and felt that I couldn't do a lot of it with a toddler and infant twins. I felt like we had a busy life that was somewhat different than the civilian friends I know because my husband is in the military. I felt like we are a military family trying to put a lot of emphasis on family , because we do know that my husband is going to be career military, staying in until he retires. I felt like in the community of military families, it is good for us to talk about our search for "normalcy" and to stick together with our unique set of challenges. I felt like talking about these challenges in a public way-- on my blog-- would help shed light on our community and to overlap the similarities as a military family w...

April is Month of the Military Child which has made me think a lot about our 5 military children. Our oldest son-- 8 years old and in 2nd grade-- has attended 4 different schools: 2 public schools across the country from each other (kindergarten in Washington DC and 1st and 2nd in Washington state), plus homeschooling kindergarten in South Carolina and preschool in North Carolina. He has lived in 6 different states and 8 different houses. This is his second time having his dad on a sea tour (though he was 2 years old when we got off our first boat). For our other 4 children, this is their first time having their dad on a sea tour, though not the first time they have been separated from him. However, we were able to video chat and call him on our previous separations. Our 6-year old twins have lived in 4 states and 5 houses. So far they have done school "normally," 2 schools, both in the same state. One was preschool and they have now moved on to the elementary...

I've lived in North Carolina for a year and a half now. Compared to other places I've lived, I am much less connected here-- less friends, less things to do-- but the things that I have more of are big things: more children and more time with my husband. I've struggled throughout our time here to feel connected to the area, perhaps because I moved away from deep friendships as well as our "military family." Some days I feel like I'm inventing things to do just so I can have things to do, "Today, D, we need to go to Target, then the mall... then Starbucks... then... we need to go to the park." Other times I feel like I commit to things just to make a friend out of it or to spend time with people, "Why, yes, I would love to volunteer for that!" Why are adult friendships so hard? I just read a blog  regarding friendships. More often than not, I classify myself as the "new girl," even when I am not. A year and a half may be a short...

Shortly after W and I moved to North Carolina, my son and I found ourselves at Chick-Fil-A celebrating his second birthday over milkshakes. It was just the two of us, and I inadvertently eavesdropped on a conversation between two women a few tables over. There were four children demanding food, bathroom breaks, Mommy's attention, and the women were talking across tables to each other. (Or maybe I remember it that way so I don't sound like such a busy body.) Either way, I heard them say they were planning a neighborhood Bible study. Because I was new to the area and knew absolutely no one, I introduced myself. To my great surprise, they actually called and invited my family to their study. I remember when my husband and I were driving to the Bible study, the very first night, and I was reminding him over and over again that we do not want to talk about our next move. If it comes up, we will try to glaze over it, without lying. "Why, yes, he is in the Navy. No, he won...