Bavaria

Hi family,

Just a quickie tonight to let you know that we are alive. Mike is in the field and the girls and I are running full speed ahead. With Mike's new command I have taken over as co-leader of our family readiness group (FRG) with Mike's 1st Sgt's wife and things have already become very hectic. So much information is going out now about the deployment and so many meetings and phone calls I feel like every second of my day is scheduled with something. I have started telling people that we can talk after 9:00 so that besides the meetings I can be with my kids.

Besides that we are in the middle of planning our Stake Primary Activity which involves even more phone calls- we all live about an hour away from each other in different directions. July should calm down a bit, the last two weeks being when all of the guys take their leave.

I found out today that it doesn't look like we are going to be able to come home for Christmas because they won't be able to process the baby's passport in time (you can't expedite it like a regular passport). So I've got to come up with something good for Christmas and then figure out when will be the best time to come home. I would love to do the incredibly yucky month of Feb. but it will depend on Jane's school. I know they are going to be flexible, I just don't know if that is rubberband flexible or Brooke flexible.

A few exciting developments for Ellyn. She really is starting to get the hang of running and laughs the whole time she's (kind of ) doing it. She has wanted to sit on the toilet twice and has even reached for toilet paper and gone over to wash her hands. And...at night when I make the girls wash their feet with a babywipe-yes, Meagan you can call me Michelle, we can hand one to Ellyn and she will start washing over her own feet. Pretty dang cute.

Jane is loving school, loved last week, has been getting a little offended by our neighbor Marianne, which I understand I'm getting a bit frustrated too. She treats her own children like angels that can do no wrong and can be short with my girls for pretty dumb reasons. Gosh, I could be the same way except that my girls really are angels. Plus her daughter has done some pretty mean things to Sadie lately without getting in trouble (unfortunately I've only heard after or it hasn't really been worth a visit-yet) and Jane's getting pretty defensive. However, it's part of living in a neighborhood. The girls still have lots of fun and me and my nonconfrontational self has to decide when I should say something (I only argue with Mike and mom). I know she is pretty upset about the deployment and so you have to cut her some slack. We read a Friend article about forgiveness tonight (the little girl stepped on Sadie's hand and ground it into the railing at the church activity tonight when Sadie was trying to help her up the ladder by offering to let her push off her other hand and she didn't want help -but my friend's huband saw it and said something to Anika so I didn't feel like I should say anything but poor Sadie's feelings were so hurt and Anika is five and a half and knows better). Sorry, I'm venting to all of you because I can't talk to Mike about it and get it out of my system. Call me petty and small. I'll go say my personal prayers now and ask for patience and forgiveness. I know if it were boys this would probably be the least of what happened in a day. Stupid aren't I?

Okay, now this is long and it is really late. I'm going to go to bed and will probably read this in the morning and cringe. I love you all. Love, me