The Purposed Trek

Alex: "Knock, knock." Me: "Who's there?" Alex: "Auntie Marci" Me: Auntie Marci who?" Alex: "Auntie Marci, I love her." followed by a big hug and giggle... Thanks to the Yanov family for making my birthday one I will never forget...I love you guys sooooooo much. Mom, Heather and I ate "GU" tonight in celebration...

SIDE NOTE TO POST: I need to preface my next statement with this...I am so happy to be here and I absolutely love the time I have with one of my favorite families. I would like to say that anyone whoever disses or disrepects a stay-at-home mom, especially when you have 3 children under the age of 7, you will hear words from me if not a slap in the face to knock some sense into you. I have been asked what my typical day is like with my friends here in England while the Dad is deployed in Iraq (so me, Mom and 3 kids). Here is a typical day when we don't have gymanstics or ballet to attend: 7:30am Awaken (about an hour and a half after Heather awakes) and get ready for the day 7:45am: Go downstairs and see what I can assist with, do the dishes, feed kids breakfast, clean up after breakfast, change Kate's diaper, help get the kids dressed for the day. 8:15am: Every other day run about 1.5 - 2 miles 8:30am: Taylor starts homeschool, so I either do math and language arts while Heather hangs out with Alex, or I hang with Alex and Heather does school. (Kate - 1st nap). 11:30am: Prepare the kids lunch (always a veggie first, then usually a sandwich of some sort) 12:30pm: Play time, play games, etc. Clean the kitchen/lunch table up. 1:30pm: Rest time for Taylor and Alex, and Kate takes her 2nd nap of the day. Heather and I eat lunch (no kids to beg from our plates) :) 2:30pm: Taylor and Alex down from rest time. Taylor finished up school (Phonics with Mom) and I hang with Alex. 3:30pm: Kate wakes up and I usually get her up because Heather is on her daily 3-4 mile run. Kids and I watch a 30 minute video and I give them their snacks. Fruit or rice cakes usually. 4:30pm: Heather starts to prepare supper and I help unless I am entertaining the kids. They are usually running around everywhere at this point. 5:00pm: Eat supper 6:00pm: Clean off the table and the kids. Heather takes the 2 older ones up and gets them ready for bed - teeth brushed, in jammies, and in rooms with some books. I play with Kate and bring her up to her room. Do the hand off to Heather, and I scoop up the kids water cups and takem downstairs and fill them up. 6:45/7:00pm: Kate is now sleeping, the kids are listening to their Papa tape (their Papa reads stories to them on tape since he is gone), and Heather wraps things up there. I clean up the kitchen so when Heather comes down she can do whatever she wants to and we usually sit and have dessert on the couch and chat or watch a movie or by the computer and do Christmas shopping/searching. 10:00pm: Lights off because the kids wake up at 6ish every morning. I usually go up and read or call West Coast friends since I get to sleep in a little longer in the morning :) So that is a day in the life of Marci...Here is a picture of bedtime - all hands involved this night.

I need to post...when my brother said he has been checking the sight daily and there are no posts I thought I better do so :) I love you Jon. I am here in England with my friends and spending time on the Internet is very limited because of 3 adorable kiddos always wanting to play, be tickled, be spun around, fed, dressed, homeschooled...the list goes one. I love every minute of it and I am so thankful for this time I have with them and of course their amazing Mama. Here are their pics...in order of appearance...Taylor (6 1/2), Alex (3 1/2) and Kate (15 months). So that has been my life since November 1st. But to the trip to the motherland, well not necessarily mine, but someone's. I had a wonderful time - I love the people and the land. I had a wonderful time...having to run up a termite mound (yes a hill of dirt built by termites) from fighting hippos that were running towards us, feeding giraffes, petting lion cubs, sitting 6 feet from a big lion and huge elephants, having monkeys look in your room at you while napping, having to get out of mosquito netting, grab a flash light, and check the toilet before sitting on it to use the restroom in the middle of the night, showering virtually outside for 7 of the days, to loosing my voice, to almost drowning in and drinking too much of the Zambezi river while rafting (did I mention drowning), and finally ending the trip in the most amazing city I have ever been to...Cape Town. I took tons of pictures, too many to count or admit to, but as soon as I get some internet stuff figured out here I will post them for your viewing pleasure. I am going to move away from shutterfly and actually start to post my pictures on a website where the pictures will be for sale. Hey I have to earn a living somehow :) Love to all my friends in DC and everywhere. Thanks to Rich & Michelle and kids for an amazing week in Joburg, to Cindy, Ange and my Mom for making the other 2 weeks unforgettable, and to Heather and kids for opening your home and Josh for letting me keep your family company while you are deployed.