Quick Update

Since returning from MS, our lives have been a whirlwind. I'll try to catch you up, quickly!


1. Brynna had an appointment with an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) Specialist. He recommended ear tubes for her. We have the surgery scheduled for Thursday, September 30.
Please pray for a flawless procedure with no complications, for my strength and calmness while taking my baby to surgery without my husband, and that this procedure solves her ear problems.

2. Lee is going "in the box" for an intensive two week training at NTC (National Training Center). He will basically be out of communication (no cell phone, no email) for two weeks.
Please pray that the time goes quickly (for him and us), that the training is productive, and for us to learn to depend fully upon God during this time of no communication.

3. The ministry group that I am involved with, Alabaster Ministries, is busy planning for two upcoming events; the Cake and Coffee on Tuesday, September 28 and the 2nd Annual Missions Fundraiser on October 23.
Please pray that we effectively share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and give Him all the glory in both of these events and that we work tirelessly furthering HIS kingdom!

4. The kids and I have been keeping plenty busy with visiting friends, attending Bible studies, being involved in our home-school co-op classes (I'm teaching, Grant is attending), joining the YMCA (a free benefit from the DoD-Dept of Defense, while Lee is deployed), and keeping up (kind of) with the house, yard, etc.
Please pray for wisdom for me to know when to say no and keep us at home and when it's ok to say yes, and stay busy! I'm torn between staying busy to pass the time and slowing down to relax, spend time together as a family, and be calm.

Loving the cooler weather and the footie jammies :)

‎"Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10

The last of MS

This is the last MS post I'll do. I have a few more pictures, but I won't bore you quite to death :)

At "The White Cap" restaurant. One of the only restaurants we could find along the beach (other than Waffle House).
Five years after the hurricane and there still isn't much along the coast...so strange!

On Saturday morning we drove to New Orleans. It was about an hour and a half drive along the coast...beautiful, but a few too many high bridges over water for my liking. Anyway, we thought it would be fun to see Bourbon Street. Well, we saw it, and a few things we wished we hadn't seen, ate a quick lunch and left. Neither of us feel the need to go back!

Just hanging out...the stuff you take for granted, until it's gone!
Oh, and Grant is eating key lime pie in this picture :)

Our pretty little dare devil...climbing the hard, wood stairs.

At the airport waiting to go home!


So, even though things didn't go quite as planned and we had more than a few mishaps...we are SO thankful for the time we got to spend together.

We don't know if Lee will get mid-tour leave at this point, so it may be 10.5 months before we see him again :( While that is pretty hard to think about, I also know that God is at work in all of this and that it is our job to give thanks and praise and give Him the glory no matter WHAT is going on in our lives. Seriously, I look around at other people's lives/marriages/situations and I'm not sure I'd want to trade with any of them...
even in the midst of our "trial" GOD IS GOOD!!!

Cute family shots

Photo courtesy of Grant.

On a dock, outside a restaurant we ate at...on Big Lake.

On a dock, outside a restaurant we ate at...on Big Lake.

We let Grant pick out is own dessert from the dessert case at the restaurant.
He ate the ENTIRE thing!
(This is taken on the balcony off the master bedroom at the rental house).

Brynna just got milk...and Daddy just enjoyed watching Grant eat the entire cake! The desserts there were amazing. Lee had pecan pie and I had a blueberry Italian cream cake...YUMMY!!!

More Mississippi

A few more "adventures" in Mississippi.

An 8 hour power outage because of a blown transformer and then a gas leak which halted the repair work.
Thankfully, I'm married to an Infantry Officer who had is gear with him because I did NOT pack a head lamp....although, Grant did say we should pack flash lights in case we lose power in MS...I'm starting to think I should listen to that little guy!

Brynna fell while trying to climb on one of the window sills (they were big, full length windows) and got this nasty bump/bruise on her forehead.

Grant loved sitting in the tall chairs and eating his oatmeal at the bar.

Brynna wearing my necklace and bracelets, calling someone on her cell phone.

The slinky that I brought for airplane entertainment was a hit!

Beach - Part 3

As promised, the oil (tar balls??) and jelly fish...and a couple last cute ones of Grant and Brynna!

We thought his oil spot was pretty gross...

until we discovered mine!
At least the kids didn't get any on them and it didn't get in anyone's hair. It was HARD to get off...I had to SCRUB, hard, with soap, water and a washcloth.

The jellyfish has to be one of God's strangest, creepiest creatures! What exactly IS it's point???

Isn't it a requirement to bury someone in the sand when at the beach :)

Another day of scooping sand into her bucket...happy as can be!

Beach - Part 2

This was the MAIN attraction of the trip...so we have LOTS of beach photos to share :)

Riding the trike IN the ocean.

This is the life :)

Brynna literally sat and filled up her bucket for an HOUR without moving.
If we only lived near the ocean, maybe I'd get to relax...

I didn't plan for our swimsuits to be red, white, and blue...it just happened :)

Family self-portrait :)

The Beach - Part 1

As I said before, the kids LOVED the beach. Grant asked to go everyday...I think we went three days. Oil and jelly fish pictures to come...

The very first visit to the beach!

Digging in the sand.

Big WHEELS on the beach...he was in HEAVEN!!!!

She was still pretty sick this day, but at least she didn't fuss while at the beach.
Notice her cute little pink toe nails :)

In the ocean with DADDY!!!!

Gulfport, Mississippi

Here are the highlights from our "vacation":

It was GREAT seeing Lee again and being back to "normal" for four days. It was HARD to say goodbye again. It doesn't matter how many times you do the goodbye thing (and in the Army, it's too often) it does NOT get easier!!!

The flights went fine, except for the descent/landing on 3 out of 4 flights, Brynna SCREAMED because of her ears. I don't mean a little crying, I mean SCREAMED...oh well, we survived and no other passengers made any rude comments, I'm sure they were thinking them, but they didn't say anything :) Oh, and going through security with A MILLION bags and two kids is not the quickest or most fun thing I've ever done :)

Both kids were sick the first couple days, bronchial/breathing/coughing issues and then throwing up because of the coughing and mucus crud. I had to make an emergency call to our pediatrician and, thankfully, Brynna needed the same medicine that we had just got for Grant the day before we left. We LOVE Dr. Amy!!!

Brynn slept through every night, but didn't nap well. Grant napped well, but did not sleep through the night. Oh well...who needs sleep, right???

We lost power at the vacation rental house for about 8 hrs one day due to a blown transformer and then a gas leak in the city of Gulfport. No AC in MS, even in September = HOT!

Lee and I got oil on us from the ocean.

I got stung by a jelly fish, EEWWW!

We saw more jelly fish the next day, EEWWW!!!

Grant and Brynna LOVED the ocean!

Grant injured Lee's eye by "shooting" one of my stretchy headbands. Total accident, but Lee's vision is blurry, and after having the vision correction surgery a few months back, he's a little concerned. Pray that it heals back to normal.

P.S. Bourbon Street in New Orleans is not a good place to take kids (or anyone, really) even at 11:00am!




I have LOTS of pictures to post from our "vacation" so I'll do them in groups.

These are of the airplane ride and the vacation house we rented.

We flew out at 6:00AM!!!
We left the house at 4:00am and he was still smiling :)

This is the house we rented. This is the BEST way to travel with kids. Everyone had their own bedroom and we had a dishwasher, washer/dryer, full kitchen...SO much easier than a hotel!

The view from the deck/back door.
The house was on a cove of Big Lake.

The kitchen/dining area.

The living room.

Lee and Grant on the dock!

The CUTEST kids :)

Just for fun!

No more mail!!!

Please do not send any more mail to Lee at the Camp Shelby address. He'll soon be off on pass (hanging out with US in Gulfport!!!!) and then he will be off to the National Training Center in California. I should have his new mailing address soon, so email me at jessvandewater@gmail.com if you want it.


Have a great weekend!