We're still here!

    Well, it's been over a year since I've posted anything on this blog.  I'm not going to try and back track because that just seems overwhelming.  I'll give a brief review of our past year.
     Ben graduated from vet school and we left our beloved Pullman and moved down south to Santa Rosa, CA.  It's a beautiful place (Santa Rosa itself is nothing spectacular but the surrounding area is amazing) in the middle of wine country and only 30minutes for the coast.  The weather was beautiful year-round and I made some really good friends there. Ben worked at a 24-hour emergency vet clinic called Pet Care.  He LOVED it there.  Heavy case loads with interesting cases, many, many, smart and talented doctors that he absolutely loved to work with and learn from. He was only doing a year long internship so we knew we would only be there a year.  He loved the other interns he worked with.  There was a lot of fun things to do in California.  We were near San Francisco and also close to the redwood forests.  The Jelly Belly Factory was one of the kids' favorite places to go.  We visited Bodega Bay a lot and other beach towns.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity we had to live so close to the ocean.  We made a trip down to San Diego to visit Ben's friend, Cole, and his wife and new baby.  We went to Disneyland, which Kharisma loved but I think Willum was still a little young for it.  I was able to participate in the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon with my friends Heather and Samm.  In February we found out I was pregnant with Dixon baby #3!  It took awhile for the this to happen so we were very excited.  I even let Ben practice his ultrasound skills on me at the clinic, where he found out the gender but promised to keep it a secret because I wanted to be surprised.  He did it.  I was very surprised.
    Ben applied and was accepted to the Army Veterinary Core Program.  We were, at first, assigned to a base in Yuma, AZ which I was not excited about because of my disdain for any temperature about 75 degrees. Luckily, something happened that led us to be assigned instead to Kitsap Navel Base in Bremerton, WA.  I was thrilled about this.  Bremerton is located in the Puget Sound area and is just a 45min ferry ride to Seattle.  I love the Washington coast, it's beautiful and the temperature is perfect.
    Before going to his assigned base, Ben had to attend Officer Training School in San Antonio, TX.  He was there for three whole months.  Those were long months.  The kids and I were alone in Santa Rosa for about a month, packing and preparing for our move. Luckily the Army arranged for us to be packed up by a moving company.  Then our stuff was moved to WA and stored until we arrived.  So we went to Utah and lived with my parents for a month.  I'm so grateful for that time we had with them.  It was hard to leave.
     At the beginning of September we took the long drive to Bremerton.  My mom tagged along which was such a blessing.  The kids and I were alone for a month until Ben was able to join us.  During his three month training time he was able to visit us in Utah one weekend and then a week before he came home the kids and I flew to TX to visit him.  The first week in Bremerton was rough.  We live about 30 minutes from town and in a thick forested area.  I didn't have any cell phone service or internet service.  I had to drive about 10 minutes before my phone would pick up a signal.  I finally had to switch cell phone companies and then shortly after we had the internet hooked up and things got better, I didn't feel so isolated.  October 10th Ben finally joined us!  He had about two weeks off until he needed to start work.  It was sooo good to have him back.
     I have the kids in swimming lessons and gymnastics and I love watching them learn and grow.  I chose not to start Kharisma in Kindergarten yet.  I debated about this issue, literally, for years.  With her summer birthday it would have made her one of the youngest in her class and I felt that keeping her home another year would benefit her in the long run.  She was absolutely ready for Kindergarten but that wasn't my concern.  I tried many times to convince myself that it would be fine just starting her at the regular time but every time I did that I just couldn't feel good about it. I 100% do not regret keeping her home, I'm so glad I listened to my instincts.
    Well, there is my brief review. Next post will be a birth story!