Checking Out The Humvee

As we waited a little longer at the pool, Chris was able to be back on our base to pick us up from the pool and take us home. Before doing so, we drove by his work, as he had to turn in some paperwork, and there, parked outside his work, was the biggest sign that the typhoon is near, the humvees were picked up!

In case by any emergency during the typhoon, the Military Police only goes out in the Humvee, as they are much safer during these heavy storms. Not knowing how hard the storm will hit, they always get them as a backup just in case. The kids thought it was pretty cool, and when daddy asked if they wanted to have a look inside, they thought it was pretty exciting!

Here saying good bye, thinking that daddy had to stay at work already, but he surprised us to come home with us. For a short time anyway.. The updates were that the typhoon was supposed to go into TCCOR 1C around Midnight, and Chris who had been up and at work since 6am, was happy thinking that he could try to get a few hours of sleep, going to bed around 8pm. But when I was just about to read to the kids and put them to bed, I quickly checked my phone and sure enough, we had just entered TCCOR 1C around 9pm instead, and when we enter that, he and the rest of the MP's have to go into work on stand by until the storm is over.

Quickly got him his Typhoon Kit ready. Mainly food, snacks, change of clothes, boots and toiletries, phone charger etc..What ever he would need for atleast 24 hours, maybe more. You just don't know how long these things take, as they change in speed and width as they please..

After a quick exit, I was left with getting the kids to bed and continuing piling up the towels by the windows hoping that the rain wouldn't be as bad as last time when it poured inside!

Cassie was staying at her friend's and was having another typhoon sleepover, and I was up until 2am waiting for the rain to start, but when it until then hadn't started raining, I was too tired to stay awake and went to bed. Waking up on Saturday morning, it was not that bad. Not at all like last time! It was more like a normal windy rainstorm, but nothing out of the ordinary. Not  worthy the name of a typhoon...

Pool Time Before Typhoon Time..

So, as always, lots going on here at home and not having the time to update as much as I'd want to. But with the kids at home 24/7, the focus is on them and making their summer a good one and the computer time is put on hold.. The weekends are our special time where we try to make little adventures, but this past one got wasted, as the typhoon came around on Friday. It was meant to hit sometime in the afternoon, but as lunchtime came around with still clear blue skies and notification that the typhoon had slowed down, I decided to take the little kids to the pool for some fun times in case we would be locked up inside for the rest of the weekend. Chris was obviously working and very busy right before the typhoon, so he didn't have time to come home so I could have the car, so I took the little ones and grabbed a cab.

Cassie, our social butterfly, was not at home. She had been picked up early on Friday morning for a early scheduled birthday party that was supposed to be on Saturday, but due to the typhoon they had decided to have it on the Friday instead. The party was held in a water park, so she had a fun day ahead, before the storm too!

No car seats for a 5 minutes ride on base, but with lace covered seats! 

Most people were probably still preparing for the typhoon and were too busy to go to the pool, so we were almost the only ones there. Great when it's not so busy, and I could work a lot with the kids on their swim practice. I made them wear their "arm floaties" and then I had both safe in the pool. Then I could take one at the time and take the "arm floaties" off and focus on that one and practice. It worked out very well, and Ben is catching on very well, and loves the water. Isabella still needs some encouragement here and there, but is doing better each time we practice. 

Some pool side snack and lots of water breaks are needed!!

We ended the day in the play area, they had lots of fun playing with their toys and  also met some friends to play and share with. Ben also did awesome diving to the bottom picking up his toys! He was so proud, and so was I! As long as they think it's fun and like the pool, the swimming will come along great! Lucky for us, the season is pretty long here...

More snacks and water before packing up and getting ready to picked up by daddy!

Typhoon Season..

Why, why, why, do these typhoons always seem to ruin our weekends???  Today, or tonight rather, it's time again. Hopefully it won't be so much rain as the last one, when I was up all night keeping the house from flooding!! Sigh, we are stranded here in the apartment all week. Cooped up inside as it's not possible to spend much time to go outside as it's too humid to do most activities with the kids, if it doesn't involve pool or beach. With only one car, and hubby gone for most hours during the week, we really look forward to the weekend..sigh, sigh and sigh again. No weekend adventures this weekend either...

These Girls..

This is what happens when we take Ben for a special trip for alone time with mommy & daddy. We try to do this here and there, even if it's often combined with some errand running, we try to sneak in some time to make them feel special. This day it was Ben's turn to come along, and Cassie was home babysitting Isabella. As I get to see when I came home, they had a great time on their own. I think my oldest has inherited my love for photography! Such sweet pictures!!

Where I Grew Up..

Going through the photos from last summer, these are from visiting my parents. This is where I grew up, in the countryside on the South-East Coast of Sweden, in Smaland, where the woods are green and the houses are mostly red with white trimmings. This is where my parents still live today, in the house on the farm where I grew up.

2 years since they last saw mormor, when she came visiting us in Yuma.

This was still early in the summer, when it was still pretty chilly and it had been raining a lot. It was green and lush and lots of flowers everywhere. Later in the summer, it wasn't that green anymore, it dried up pretty fast, as you have to water a lot to keep it this green, and with their own well, water is sparse in a hot dry summer as 2014 turned out to be!

The little black gate that I still remember how it clicked when shut closed.. 

The building in the background, used to be surrounded with wood that was cut for the wood heating oven for the house. Later in the summers, we had to throw all the wood into the "wood barn" for the winter. and it was more or less filled to the ceilings!!  The wood heating oven, which also was switched to heat for hot water in the house, is still in use today...! A bit different than my kids are used to!

This is the door to the stables. It was a long time ago, when I was in Cassie's age, when I was in and out that door evenings and weekends. We had two horses at the same time and I was a so called horse girl while growing up, my favorite times were on a horse back riding out on the little paths in the woods for hours. Most of the time my parents had no idea where I was actually riding, even if I took off one way, it sometimes turned into a longer trip, taking shortcuts and changing my mind depending on weather and road conditions. Not thinking back, it's scary to think that they wouldn't have had a clue of where to look most of the time in case something would have happened! This was obviously looong before cellphones were even thought of for most people...But, it was different times then, and luckily never anything happened really at least not what I can remember...

We had milk cows in the front part and stables where the girls are standing. 

I have the exact same pictures of Cassie sitting on the doorstep to the barn when she was little, waiting for the kittens to come out from their hiding spots. Cassie was probably only about 1 1/2 years old then, and Isabella is obviously already 4 here, but still cute to get a picture of my daughters on the same spot.

 I couldn't find the actual picture right now, but here it is in a calender I made for my mom..

Cassie 11 years later at the same barn door!

Walking around the different big barns and buildings, the kids found all kind of old machines, tractors and other stuff that aren't in use much today. Some old, some new though.

My dad's office, not the favorite place in the house for the kids. Never ending walls of antlers..

Hunting was part of living on the country side..

Cassie on the steps where my mom used to stand and whistle for us to come in for dinner when we were out and about..

The house from the back of the garden.

On both of these sides of this path we used to have endless rows of strawberries and potatoes..

lots of weed hacking and strawberry picking for us kids..

No more potatoes to be seen, all planted with grass today.

The old favorite tree in the garden was still there..here Isabella is trying to save as many of the flowers as possible before my dad and Ben are running them over with the mower..

Lots of flowers to pick from the lawn...

Ben thought it was pretty fun..

But very loud!!

Soon he had lost interest, and it was really loud, so he helped Isabella pick more flowers for mormor instead, she was inside with Cassie getting lunch ready.

Mormor and the kids!