Frocking (I love this one!)

Okay, so "frocking" is probably my favorite F-word thus far because it sounds incredibly naughty when, in fact, it is not. Frocking is one of those military terms that sounds so impressive. Basically, "frocking" entitles the service member to wear the higher grade and to benefit from the protocol of that grade. In essence, you get to put the insignia on your uniform so that everyone knows how cool you are.

So, Mike got frocked on Tuesday. (Doesn't that sound terribly naughty-naughty?!) I'm posting some pics so you can see how handsome he is in uniform and to show you how much Alec fully appreciated the ceremony (not so much).

First Class Petty Officer Mike Bishop

First class husband, father, friend, and now... First Class Petty Officer.

Petty Officer First Class is the sixth enlisted rank in the U.S. Navy, just above Petty Officer Second Class and below Chief Petty Officer. Mike was informed yesterday that he is to be promoted to this rank in a few weeks. This is a high achievement for him, and I'm extremely proud! Of course, higher rank means more desk job responsibilities and he's not too thrilled with that idea. He just wants to play music. He would probably be the most happy with the lowliest of the low in the rank as long as he could play guitar all day. :-)

Flower -- n. meaning a colored, sometimes scented, part of a plant

Well, apparently that old addage about April showers and May flowers is TRUE! After a week of being cooped up with a recuperating boy, I got out yesterday and was amazed by what I saw in our yard. Beautiful. God certainly does have a hand with a paintbrush.

Fractious-- adj. meaning irritable & complaining

Fractious.

What do you get when you have a seven year old boy with a really sore throat who has been stuck at home for the past five days with a little brother who is constantly clamoring for his attention? A fractious boy.

What do you get when you have a 30ish mom who's been stuck at home for the past five days with forenamed seven-year-old boy and his little brother? A FRANTICALLY FRACTIOUS MOM.

Yikes, who knew keeping a three year old in perfect health and a seven year old in not-so-perfect healthy would be so... frustratingly fierce. (I'm trying to make up for my lack of F-words in my past couple of posts. Are you appreciating this?)

We've watched a frightening number of movies, we've painted/colored/drawn an obscene amount of pictures, we've read, we've cried, we've played, we've sobbed... and yet we still have at least three or four more days of recovery. Zachary still needs pain meds on a regular schedule just to manage the ouch.

So my question is: What do we do today? How can we bring about peace and harmony to this fractious family? Any suggestions?

FRACTIOUS!@#$%!

Free of Tonsils

Zachary did great yesterday. He was very brave, had a great attitude, and never complained once. (He did much better than I did!) He's supposed to be home from school for a week, but he's already bouncing off the walls today. I can't keep him still. Supposedly the third day is the worst, so we'll see how things go tomorrow. Thanks for praying for him.

Tonsils: Not an F word but a bad word to us.

Zachary will be having his tonsils removed tomorrow morning. We're supposed to check in at 6:30 a.m. at the Bremerton Naval Hospital. I think we're all doing pretty well managing any anxiety about it. Zachary's primary worry seems to be that he'll be missing school. He doesn't want to miss any school and he doesn't want to be away from his friends. These two issues head his short list of concerns, and that's a good thing. I was afraid that he would really worry about it.

Thankfully we have had two really great pre-op appointments with some great doctors and nurses that made the effort to relate to Zachary on his level. I appreciate that very much. Zachary has been encouraged to bring in any comfort items (special sleeping buddy or blanket) and the O.R. nurse suggested that he just wear his pjs so he'd be comfy coming in and going home.

We'll appreciate your prayers for Zach!

Funny "free"-year old speech

Alec has a few Alec-isms that I know I need to correct but they are so funny and ridiculously cute that I can't bring myself to eradicate them yet.


The word "girl" is said like: "grill"
The word "squirrel" is said like: "sqrill"
The word "gorilla" is said like: "gurlilla"
The animal "cheetah" is said like: "Cheeto" (as in Cheetos)
The phonemic sound for "th" usually sounds like "f" or "d"
The phonemic sound for "v" often sounds like "b"
The word "bottom" is said like: "Bod-euhm"

So, to give you an example of what one might hear from Alec on a given day:

Mommy, my bod-euhm hurts. Did Darf Bador spike my bod-euhm with his light sabor?

Mommy, is that a grill squrill running on dat grass?

Mommy, a cheeto runs very FAST! A cheeto is much faster dan a gurlilla! I think I am faster dan a cheeto though 'cause I'm supa fast! Do you think that a squrill is faster dan a gurlilla? I think dat Molly (our cat) is faster than a gurlilla. Molly is a grill cat, isn't she Mommy? Do you think Molly likes sqrills Mommy? Maybe we can get a pet squrill and then Molly can have a friend. She would like dat, Mommy. Molly is a (insert Molly chasing Alec away from her) OH! Molly is an UGLY cat. She bite my toes wif her sharp TEEF! ... (and on and on and on.... and onnnnnnnnnnnnnn.)

Funny.

Ferry Fun

For those of you who aren't from Washington, the area where we now live is surrounded by water. Port Orchard is right on the Puget Sound, on the Kitsap Peninsula. We're directly across the Sound from Seattle, we can see the city skyline from our living room. If you are interested, a good place to see the geography is http://www.visitkitsap.com/, which shows you where we are in relation to other cities in the area.



A main method of transportation in this water-logged state is the use of ferries. There are the really big ones that you drive your car onto (these ferries hold about 100 or so cars I'd estimate) and then there are smaller "foot" ferries that only take walk-on passengers and go shorter distances.



Yesterday was gorgeous, so the boys and I took a foot ferry from Port Orchard to Bremerton. It's about a 15 minute ride across the water and riders can either sit inside the boat or walk around the outside deck. We were outside, enjoying the wind and the watching the waves and the ducks, when I noticed a little brown head swimming along beside our ferry. It was a sea lion and the cute thing just cruised right alongside for a few minutes before flipping up and into the water and disappearing. The boys both saw it and thought it was really neat. (I LOVED it, certainly not something I grew up seeing in Oklahoma!)



We live about a half-mile from the water and from our backyard we can often hear a group of sea lions barking and carrying on. It's a fun little treat that we have grown to love about this part of the country.



Our foot ferry took us to downtown Bremerton where we enjoyed cups of ice cream from Cold Stone (similar to Marble Slab) and then we walked along the water and enjoyed the water fountains and just the lovely weather. It was a great afternoon.



It was FERRY fun! (I know... cheese.)

Fear and Faith

Isn't it amazing how God uses faith and fear in such interchangeable ways. Sometimes fear precludes faith, but usually, faith is our way of dealing with fear. Faith wipes out fear.

Zachary has had a lot of trouble with his tonsils this year. He's had strep throat and/or tonsillitis six times since September. It works out to be another trip to the doctor and another round of meds and another sick boy about every five to six weeks . He's missed 21 days of school; thankfully he's a bright kid and hasn't suffered too much academically. But still, 21 days!

He's just not been completely healthy, and it is very difficult for a mommy to witness that! A couple of months ago I struggled with the idea of having his tonsils removed. It was a scary idea. I was, honestly, fearful. So I prayed for wisdom and peace. Zachary got sick again... and again. And each time it was just a bit worse than before. The antibiotics took longer to kick in. The fever spiked higher and stayed longer. No fun. So, after this last bout in April I was no longer fearful. I was eager and impatient to see the ENT and discuss this option of surgery. God answered my prayer and gave me the peace I was seeking.

Zachary is having his tonsils removed on May 15, less than two weeks away. This will be a pretty big deal for our little family. It's an out-patient surgery, but he will be put under anesthesia and he will be in pain when the drugs wear off. He's expected to miss 7 to 10 days of school as he recovers. The doctor said that Z will most likely lose weight because eating will be very difficult for about a week. He likes his food so this will probably make him grouchy! He'll be missing baseball, he'll be missing his buddies, he'll be missing more school.

Please pray for Zach and his ENT, Dr. McDowell, who will be removing those pesky tonsils. Pray for all of us, that the fear will be pushed out and cast aside and that faith and peace will reign. Thanks!

Fun in the sun.

It doesn't happen very often here, in the Pacific Northwest that is. Alec and I shared an all-too-rare sunny morning yesterday. It was beautiful. Sunny but with a brisk breeze. We went to a park near our house and were blessed with the sight of about fifteen tiny baby ducklings running along after a very protective Mama duck.

Of course, about two hours after our morning sun it started raining. But when one lives in this part of the country, one learns to grab the good weather while it lasts.

Enjoy the pictures of my youngest. It was a sweet, sweet morning for the two of us.