Herding Cats

Thought this was worth sharing. I absolutely love the idea! Enjoy!

(Not) Dealing with it

As a military wife, I am suppose to be the backbone of the family. I am suppose to be strong, confident, tend to both myself and my children while not complaining one bit that my husband might be some place else warm and defending our country. Even though he might not want - strike that - does not want to be there without his family, I still envy him when both boys start to act up and I feel as though I can barely make it through the rest of the day. But should I really mention this to hubby/Daddy? Nope. I am to remain strong so he can focus and accomplish the task at hand so he can just come home when his time is over.

Since Daddy left for Cuba almost 3 months ago (boy does it seem and how I wish it were longer), LMA has been dealing with Daddy being gone. Or not.

Lately, I've noticed LMA's attention span dwindling. Incident reports are being handed to me on a daily basis, it seems, from his school teacher. Temper tantrums are at an all time high. He's constantly acting as if he is tired, at least that's what he tells me. Some of this has changed, like acting bored, since Pop-pop has arrived last month, but the others are still affecting our daily life. I've even gone so far as to wonder if he is starting to show signs of ADD. But my mother assures me that he is not. He wouldn't be able to sit still for 20 minutes while you read him a or several books, he wouldn't be able to sit still for 20 minutes while he plays with his LEGOS, and so on.

The other day, after waking up at 7am (I know for some that is sleeping in, but for my first born he should really be sleeping in until 8am), I was determined to make him have "quiet time". He of course thinks that includes sleeping, but to me its' just simply "down time". So that's what we are calling it now. He, on the other hand, was determined to fight me the entire way.

We walked, or should I say, I walked with LMA being dragged behind, into his room. I, with book in hand ("How to talk to children and how to listen so children will talk"), sat down in the middle of the room and began to pick out some books for him. He wanted to play. And was completely focused on that and nothing else. When he moved closer to the closed door, I would pulled him back into the room. Finally I sat in front of the door. When he came close again, I grabbed him and gave him the biggest bear hug. This time, I was going to take the squeeze approach to handling this tantrum.

After wriggling what seemed like 5 minutes, I finally began to whisper words in his ear. "Daddy loves you, A. Daddy misses you, A. Mommy loves you, A. Mommy loves you so much."

His reply? "I don't love Daddy. I don't miss Daddy. I don't love you, Mom."

I just kept repeating the words over and over, even though he was still wriggling and yelling "Let me go!" I held tight.

Finally, I asked, "Tell me how you are feeling. Are you mad the Army took Daddy away? Are you sad he's not here? Do you want to draw how you feel? If you were a color, what color would you be right now?" These just happened to be ideas about tantrums in the book that I was able to read while he was trying to sneak out of his room. This caught his attention.

After he finally calmed down and we talked about how he felt, we settled down on his bed to read "The Velveteen Rabbit". If it wasn't for the fact that he had to go pee halfway through the book, I'm fairly certain he would have fallen asleep. Even still, just laying down, listening intently to the story seemed to calm him.

Since then, I'm lost as to how to make his daily life better without Daddy here. I'm determined to have him spend at least 30 minutes in his room reading. It doesn't have to be in his bed, so maybe that will appeal to him. Last night though, while reading the "Parade" magazine from the sunday paper, I found an article about Flat Daddies. The story, about a mother of three who's husband has been deployed several times and has missed all 3 of his three-year-old daughter's birthdays, talked about the adventures with their Flat Daddy. He spends almost every occasion with them even going to Chuck E Cheeses, the mall, birthday parties, and of course, holidays.

This, I decided, is my answer. If I order it this week, we should have a Flat Daddy by Christmas. I was hoping we could get it in time for LMA's birthday party, the week prior which also happens to be Daddy's birthday, but I almost think that Christmas would be even better. Of course, hubby is going to wonder what the hell is going thru my head. I have to hope for the best. If it doesn't work, then maybe it'll help us, not just LMA, remember that Daddy is still a part of this family. Even if he is hundreds of miles away he's still here in our hearts.

All for me?? You shouldn't have.

No, really. I wish he hadn't.

LMA has officially entered the 4 year old stage where everything is overly emotional, overly exaggerated, overly everything. It's like living with myself while on PMS ALL. THE. TIME.

It's exhausting.

So the other day when he decided that he couldn't put his clothes on all by himself like he has been doing now for the last few months, he went WAY over board.

For four hours he walked around in his underwear crying, "I CAAAN'T put my shirt on, MA-OOOM!!"

Being the mother that I am I told him, "Yes, you can. Go into your room and try again."

Trust me there were times when I wanted to say, "Fine, A! You win. Come here and I"ll put on your d#@$m shirt!" but unfortunately for him, I did not. It was the basic principle of it. I knew he could and he just wanted attention. And every temper tantrum needs an audience.

So, when I had finally had enough I asked him to just put on his pants. Ok, he could do that, but the shirt thing was still throwing him for a loop. Now mind you, this is the same child who for almost 4 years I have been putting on his own socks. One day, right in front of me while I was dressing BBZ, he decides to do it all by himself. I was astonished. Thrilled to say the least!

By the end of the four hours, after I knew he was cold with no shirt, no socks on, I finally gave in. Just a little. I walked into his room and told him to "show me on you are putting on your shirt." Wouldn't you know, he did it just fine.

Grrrr!

Thanks. You really shouldn't have. Really.

Puzzled?

Since Daddy has been gone, LMA has been, well a little bored with me.

"I wish Daddy were here so I could have someone to play with."


I know at times I am trying WAY too hard to do everything and keep both boys entertained (although I'm pretty sure if you gave them a cardboard box they would be perfectly fine). Unfortunately, it's really taken a toll on LMA.

Fortunately, in just two more weeks, he'll have someone to play with once again. And that means, I'll be able to relax just a little bit myself.


Are you sure you are ready to join the crazy house again, Dad? Well, we're waiting for you.

Dinner for Three

Well, now that BBZ is a year old, I assume he can eat the same stuff as the rest of us. And he can for the most part, they just need to be in smaller pieces or when he shovels everything into his mouth it kind of "back fires" if you know what I mean.

So the other day, while I was preparing plates for dinner, I had to stop myself and do a double take.


I'm actually preparing dinner for three again. This time however, it's for two small people and me.

And when Daddy gets home next year, it will be for four. I wonder what the plates will look like then.


Added note: The boys did NOT finish everything on their plates but came pretty close to it.

His boots

Just like a real fireman, LMA knows how to wear the boots in the family.

Happy Halloween

So after a very long weekend of running the boys around to different trick or treating events, I eventually learned that I should not have looked any further than my own street.

The festivities started on Friday when LMA was able to dress up like....


Kuddos to Gramma for putting this excellent suit together!! I was able to stop by the fire station last weekend to take a picture of the back and she did an excellent job mimicking the design. I'm sure he will be wearing this for AT LEAST the next year (although he has already decided that he wants to be the Transformer, Optimus Prime next year).

Saturday we had several options: A fall festival run by our local HOA, Trick or Treating at a local grocery store strip center, and Trunk or Treat at a local church. Since A couldn't get decide if he wanted to play around or get dressed we decided on the first one in the afternoon. Thankfully it was adjacent to our wooden playground because there was nothing exciting about this "festival" at all. After dinner, we ventured out to the church for Trunk or treating, moon bounces, FREE Chick fil A, and caramel apples. Although it sounds like fun, it was actually just fun for me and A. Z was strapped to the stroller the entire time (I tried to let him roam free but we wouldn't stay around us). On top of that it was cold and EXTREMELY crowded (probably because it was the only event in the area for that night).


Sunday, we weren't going to do anything but stay home because Saturday night I was up with BBZ ALL NIGHT LONG! He started coughing uncontrollably at 10:30pm so I took him into our bed to help prop him up. That seemed to help but then he couldn't breathe at all. I tried Baby VapoRub but when 30 minutes went by with him coughing non-stop I reached for Triaminic (even though I'm pretty sure I should not have according to the directions). We both fell asleep until 4am when the coughing started again. By 4:45am I had had enough. I took him downstairs to sit in the hot steamy shower with him. He got to play with toys that LMA wouldn't let him play with the previous night and was finally able to breathe. After a quick breakfast he was ready to go back to sleep... and did until 9:30am.

The rest of the day, we went to get LMA's haircut and played outside. BBZ has taken to stepping up and down steps (fortunately not our inside house steps yet) and decided he could step down our concrete front steps on his own. That just added to the rest of the scrapes and bruises on his head. After an early rise from both their naps, I decided to head to the mall and trick or treat there. BIG mistake. There were more people there than the Trunk or Treat the night before. Afterwards, we went to McD's for a quick dinner and then home.

When we got to our street and I noticed that there were quite a few porch lights on (and a small group traveling down the cul de sac), I decided I should show LMA the true meaning of Trick or Treating. In a short 30 minutes (plus a few extra to chit chat with the neighbors), we were able to fill up his pumpkin bag, BBZ was able to roam around freely, and both were able to get some needed exercise before bedtime.


Next year, I'll know better.

Trick or Treat

A difference a year makes

Just looking through the pictures on my iphoto and stumbled across LMA's first day of school last year. Granted there really isn't that much difference, but just a slight change in his face. Of course now he weighs 40 pounds and is 39 inches tall. But what a difference a year makes.

Attention: Vacation mode

Tomorrow, the two boys and I are traveling across country on an 8-hour plane ride to visit Gramma and Pop-pop in California.

I'm insane, right? Two kids by myself on a plane for 8 hours straight?

But the positive side is that when we get off the plane, we are going to have a wonderful time! Or at least I better.

No set schedule, just a couple places that we are looking forward to visiting, and lots of fun things to do at the resort. Like a water park with a 140 foot slide that goes down the side of the mountain! Is that not cool? Also while we are there, we will be celebrating BBZ's first birthday! Already??

So, I'll elaborate on the good and not-so-good times when we return in 2 weeks.

My new love

Don't worry, hubby. It's not a person.

For the past few months I have been looking for the perfect water bottle. Has to be stainless steel, has a straw, and MUST be at least 16 ounces. I tried the Camelback stainless steel, but it isn't insulated so the ice doesn't stay frozen for very long and it really sweats on the outside when filled with ice. I tried accepting my Bubba Mug, but the damn thing was so top heavy it kept falling over and leaking water because I wanted to use a straw rather than the opening spout.

But then, I found this:


Isn't she beautiful? By Thermos, insulated stainless steel 16 ounce bottle with straw for either hot or cold drinks. We already have 3 of the 12 ounce ones.

I love it!

Picture of the day

After each meal we have a rule that LMA helps clean up the table... or at least his dishes taken to the sink. He's even gone so far as to dump his leftover food in the trash for us as well.

The other day after dinner, after LMA had already cleaned up his area, I took my things to the sink and found this:


I didn't even know he could reach that far into the sink let alone carefully stack all those things.

Later he told me that he made a "mountain with his dishes".

Can you say a bargain?

I know, I've done this before, but I just can't help myself. Because of my sale/coupons buys hubby took more than enough shaving cream, deodorant, toothpaste, and razors to last him the entire year - or at least that was the plan. I'm sure the other guys are going to look at him funny, but I don't care. I saved money!

Here's another one that I did today at CVS. The only thing not included in the pic was 3 boxes of tissue which we took to LMA's school to help out with supplies.


All for less than $10! The deodorant alone was originally priced at $2.79 and the toothpaste was $3.29 each. This week with the CVS card you get $2 back when you purchase Right Guard deodorant, up to three (that's $6 back right there).

Am I good or what?




Yes, dear. This is next year's supply of toothpaste, shaving cream, and deodorant. And yes. Those m&m's are for me.

Watch him go!

We interrupt this regular scheduled program with .....




He started taking a few steps just before Daddy left. I thought for sure he was going to be running by the end of the week, but thankfully he is taking his time. He won't use anything for support either. Not my hands, brothers hand, or a walker.

Yea, I'm scared. This one is a handful.




Ok, Daddy. So it wasn't 5 feet but I bet those two feet felt like it to him. :)

Things I've learned ... in the past week

1. 95% of how a situation unfolds is determined by how I react to it.

2. Organization and schedules are the key. Oh wait. I already knew that one. It's just been verified even more so.

3. The more I try to keep myself busy to stop from "thinking" too much, the more tired I become. That one should have been obvious with two children in tow.

4. Trying to take care of yourself and two children first thing in the morning goes smoother with tv.

5. This is a little bit harder than we thought... and not for the reasons we thought. Seems as though LMA has thrown a little more into the mix of how difficult this deployment will be for both hubby and I. He is asking at least 3 times per day, "Is Daddy home yet?"

6. When you are trying to convince your 3-1/2 year old to go #2 on a normal potty in a store, 5 minutes of your 11 month old crawling around on the disgusting bathroom floor and eating toilet paper can seem like an eternity! Needless to say, bribing him with a Lego set did not convince him to just go (for the love of God!).


Don't worry. I'm pretty sure I'll learn more about myself and my children over the next year.

What's happenin'?

Where to begin? How about hubby/Daddy is gone. He left last Thursday. Unfortunately the military cut that day short also. And needless to say it was not an easy day for any of us. Well, maybe .... no, BBZ had a bad day too.

Can't believe its only been a week since hubby has left. But when I am constantly worried about how each day will pan out, it kind of slows things down. Then add LMA asking 3x per day if Daddy is home yet... you can imagine how I feel.

But thankfully I'm organized. Does that mean I'm not exhausted at the end of the day? Absolutely not.

Getting ready for this deployment has really taken a toll on me. So much so that I've started going to a counselor and taking some happy pills again. I'm starting to wonder if the pills are really making any difference because it seems to me the more I talk about things, the better I actually feel. Thankfully, I started going before hubby left so we were able to open up a little bit more about how we were both feeling about the deployment.

LMA is back in school which is a really good distraction for him. Getting him ready in the morning... or should I say all three of us, have been a little bit of a challenge at times. But it seems to be getting easier with each passing day. The biggest set back is when I try to get him to get himself ready. I'll try to be patient with him and if he lags a little then that just means that I need to be hurried. Which, really isn't all that great either.

I've put books together for both boys with pictures of Daddy and them. I think I squeezed myself in there at least once, but it was actually more for BBZ. Through Military One Source (and of course from Gramma), we were able to get books to read with LMA about Daddy going away. Can't say that they have helped much. Made me cry more.

After the first couple of days, I started getting used to LMA saying something about Daddy being gone. He would wake up in the morning and say he had a dream of him and Daddy playing freeze tag and hide and seek. Wouldn't you know it hubby texted me saying he had a dream about him and LMA going fishing. Apparently, this deployment is taking its toll on everyone.

I'd like to say that I am okay with this deployment. I mean, thankfully its not over to the sand box, but it is guarding the 12 or 15 worse scumbags and everyone from the CIA to the FBI will be watching their every move. But a lot can happen in a year... a lot that Daddy will be missing. BBZ's first birthday coupled with a vacation that we have been planning to San Diego for the past year. LMA's 4th birthday. It's hard to imagine that the next time Daddy will see him will be shortly before he turns 5 years old.

On the flip side, I know once we get past counting the days, we'll be counting the weeks. Then each month we'll be looking forward to something new. Before we know it, Daddy could be home for 2 weeks R&R. Throw in there a few visits from Gramma and Pop-pop and I'm sure the year will be over before we know it.

I'm trying to keep myself busy. I've started doing the newsletter for two organizations, my MOPS group and hubby's unit's Family Readiness Group. I'd like to start scrapbooking again - considering I haven't even started BBZ's first year album. I'd really like to start horseback riding again. It's been YEARS since I've been on a horse and I really miss it. Not only is it a workout but it's also a relaxer for me. Hopefully it will be just like "riding a bike" again. Not sure where I'll go yet either, but I am on the search before it gets too cold. If not, I'll just wait until the spring.

And lastly, I've started working out again. Yes, hubby, you would be proud. The Wii system that he actually bought for me (or himself) for Christmas last year, I'm using for yoga. I've tried to get up at "0 dark 30" but I just don't function that early. Plus if I had, BBZ would have cut into my workout more than a few times already. So I've left it to either during "quiet time" (if there is any from LMA) or just after the boys go to bed. This way I know for a fact that I won't be interrupted. Shouldn't anyways.

So there you have it. A lot at once, but I know hubby will be checking this more than once in awhile and once a month I've been told is definitely NOT enough.

Blogless in D.C.

So I had a few things that I was going to blog about, because God only knows I have had things happen in our little life here in Virginia. Alas, I have spent the last 20 minutes trying to even post them entry and I really wanted to get started on my yoga Wii lesson for today (yes, hubby. I'm finally using it), so unfortunately it will have to wait until tomorrow.

So, adieu. Until tomorrow.

He likes 'em, He really likes 'em!

At nine months old, it wouldn't be unusual for you to find LMA surrounded with books and him flipping through every single one of them. I know children can be difference as night and day, I was prepared for that. I was really hoping that this love of books would be the same for BBZ.

He's ten months old now and could really care less about books, except maybe to chew on them. I think it's my fault. After BBZ was born, we continued our night time routine of reading books to LMA. Even with BBZ in hand. We even made BBZ wait until after we were done with books before I would give him his last feeding of the night. Sometimes he was so outraged, that Pop-pop just fed him anyway while I was reading books to LMA.

We finally found a book that he enjoys. Picked up at the library, so I may have buy one. I'm sure it's more to do with flipping through the pages and turning them one by one that has intrigued him, but that's definitely a start. In these pictures, he was so enthralled with this book, "Baby: Bathtime" that he could have cared less that big brother was loving on him, that Mommy was trying to get his 10 month picture with his elephant, or that I was making TONS of animal noises to get him to look up.





I don't care. As long as he likes books.

Rain, rain. Don't go away.

Maybe I should have thought of having him do this before. LMA LOVED running in the rain. At first he had on his rain jacket, but since it was more of a spring jacket, he changed his mind.



I got more pictures of him playing/running/having a good time with a huge puddle in the middle of our driveway, but couldn't fine the right setting to stop the motion without using the flash.

Better luck next time.

What could he be thinking?

I can't believe it's been close to an entire month since I posted. Lately, I just haven't been in the mood. Occasionally, I'll have a few photos I want to share, but just can't find the words to go with it. I should probably just post the pics considering family like Wenderina love to just see how the boys are doing. Even the big one.

We've started talking about Daddy going away with LMA. It started mainly by accident a couple weeks ago when I had a yard sale. The signs I made said "Moving Sale" so everyone kept asking me, "This is the moving sale, right?" I replied that is was going to be a moving sale, but then the military changed their mind and decided to just send hubby. Sometimes I'm not sure what LMA is thinking. Is he sad? Does he understand? Is he mad? Does he think Daddy is going away and not coming back?

Today we watched a video done by Sesame Street talking about a parent, in this case Elmo's Daddy, going away for work. I really wanted to sit down with LMA and Daddy and watch it together. I thought maybe LMA would have questions or just want to talk about it afterwards. Nope. He got mad. In a quiet way.

After quiet time, he wanted nothing to do with me. "Where's Daddy?"

So when I came out into the living room where Daddy had been taking a nap, I found this....






I wish I knew what was going through his little head. I wish I could make him understand that even though Daddy is going away for what seems like a really long time, he loves him and really doesn't want to go. Daddy wishes he could take us with him.

They say there are two different types of reactions from children when they learn that a parent is going away for awhile. One is to be separated, distant. The other is my son: attached. Wants nothing more than to just be with Daddy.

I hope this next year goes by fast.

Picture Perfect?

Not that I really think I have any business entering a photo contest, especially one that both my father and uncle have entered, but I thought I would try my luck. I've had some good ones, at least I think they were, but here is my favorite of LMA. Here's the photo that I entered into Greeblemonkey Greeblepix July contest.



Top 10 will be picked this Thursday by the blog author. We'll see.

The Military Saga Continues

Oh, how things can change in a blink of an eye. Sometimes I hate change. Would prefer things to stay status quo. Not sure why I ever decided to become a military wife or a mother then, but alas I did. Thank goodness I love my husband and my children.

As of last week, hubby was waiting for his short term orders to come through. One last memo needed to be added to the packet to make it complete ... oh, and then another.... oh, and one more just for good measure. Instead of doing drill last weekend and hopefully finding out if his packet was complete and if he was ordered to start 15 July, he decided to help out Wally's World because he was gone for 2 weeks straight and he's too nice of a guy. He opted to do it on Tuesday and Wednesday instead.

Monday morning he received a call from a captain at his unit asking him if he would like to volunteer for a deployment. This captain has had hubby's name for awhile and looking out for possible deployments/mobilizations - any where. It's been five years since hubby was deployed overseas and being a new lieutenant he's at the top of the list to be deployed again. I would just prefer it to not be Iraq or Afghanistan (which happened to pop up and I promptly told him NO!).

So when this opportunity came around, needless to say he was actually excited.

The position? At Cuba. Guantanamo Bay. For 330 days.

How am I? I've already started to go through a couple phases of acceptance. First, Denial. "I'll wait until I actually see the orders," I thought. Next day, orders came. Well, at least it's not Iraq or Afghanistan, I thought. I mean he could be selected/told he was going somewhere rather than given the opportunity to choose, I rationed. Then I thought, it's only 10 months (or so he kept telling me. Come to find out it's closer to 11 months. He'll be back July 25th).

Then, I started thinking about how frustrated I get during the day and relieved I am to see him walk through the door at the end of the day. For 11 months, he won't do that. That's about when it hit me.

How am I going to keep sane?
How am I going to keep the house clean, feed the kids, laundry, take care of garbage, and everyday maintenance?
How will LMA deal with not having Daddy around?
He's going to miss BBZ first birthday. Will this child really know who Daddy is when he comes home?
How in the world am I going to dig myself out of the snow if we have another winter like last year???

Of course I want him to take the position. Not only is it a great opportunity for him, it's some place relatively safe, and when he comes home he'll be a 1LT (he'll be up for promotion while he's away). At the same time, I just wish things had never changed.

We both said when he accepted his promotion last October that the next year and a half until he would make 1LT would be tough. I just didn't think it would be this tough. Or maybe I just thought I was tougher and able to handle anything.

I've thought about moving to California with my parents, or moving to Texas with a good friend, or moving back to our old neighborhood here in Virginia. I think the best thing, especially for the boys, is to not change too many things. Even they like status quo too sometimes.

So September 7th, we'll miss him, but I think we'll be okay. I hope.

Pool party fun

Ok, so it wasn't an official pool party per se, but you could have fooled LMA and BBZ. Last week, Gramma bought a pool with a slide and basketball hoop/ring toss combo for the boys. We blew up the slide but realized it needed to be tied down after we filled the pool with water. Needless to say, we didn't get it secured enough for LMA to really take full advantage of it's use.

Take away the slide and the basketball hoop/ring toss and the boys could have cared less. I was able to catch these photos while they were having fun.

Running out

You know your house has turned into a play house and is over run with toys when your cats can't find a clear spot to take a nap and end up here...



I think he just liked the sunny spot and the train set just happened to get in the way.

Parenthood

You didn't know becoming a parent meant...

• Stacking today's unread newspaper on top of yesterday's unread newspaper.
• Eating dinner like we're trying to break a world record for the most pasta swallowed in the shortest amount of time. Standing up.
• Letting your partner choose between poop and laundry as a topic of conversation.
• Figuring out how to pee without putting the baby down.
• Wearing a bra that looks like something from a 1930s catalog.
• Spending three hours getting the baby to sleep and then waking her up two minutes later to make sure she's still breathing.

A real pair

I'm just going to let the pictures do the talking today. Not sure what else I can really say about these two boys, except they drive me crazy, both in a good and bad way. But LMA steal my heart every time I see him loving on his brother.

I love these boys. They are a real pair.

Momma? What's a ...?

Little Man is in the curious phase. More the "what's this?" and "what's that?" right now, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the why's start.

So the other day, when he came into the kitchen asking me a "what's this" question, I didn't think otherwise... until I turned around.

LMA: Mom?
Mom: Yeah? (Looking down at the dishes I was washing)
LMA: What's a redneck?
Mom: What's a redneck? It's a.... (then I turned around to see this)



And right behind him was daddy with a huge smirk on his face. Needless to say I didn't answer him and told him to go pick something else out to wear.

Memorial Day fun

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial. I also hope everyone appreciated the military service members, both past and present, for all the freedom and effort they have done and are doing for our country. I know I definitely do.

For us, Memorial Day weekend was also the start to pool season. And thankfully, hubby was home or else we definitely would not have enjoyed it with just mommy on duty. I was super excited to see how BBZ would react to the pool. It was a little crowded, which was expected, but we had a great time. Until of course, LMA was running and decided that on the concrete was a great place to learn how to slide into base. Not good. Shredded up the tops of his ankles and one knee. (He decided to add more coals to fire last night and do it again to the knee that wasn't injured the first time).




Later on after dinner we brought out our own little pool. The water from the hose was a little cold (we tried to off set it by adding a couple gallons of hot water), but both seemed to enjoy it.


Looks like I have two water boys on my hands. Can't wait to take them to the spray grounds water park this weekend.

Something wrong here?

I know I should be mentioning some things that have been happening around the household instead of bringing up our income, but while going over our monthly budget I had to bring it up to someone.

For the past two months, hubby has been working security/loss prevention for Wally World. He's really enjoyed it because of the chase and the thrill of catching someone stealing, but the pay just doesn't add up to what we were used to. He's still trying to get back into the active duty side of the military since taking his promotion last October. Unfortunately, we have both wondered why he took the promotion many times over the past 8 months. We continue to remind ourselves that he just needs to get through until April when he makes First Lieutenant. He does have a few things in the works. It's just a matter of something panning out.

Anyways, you know you had it made with income when you get two paychecks. Both of which are close to the same amount. However, one is for working 80 hours with Wally World. The other? THREE DAYS WITH THE MILITARY!

Didn't think I would ever say this, but he so needs to get back on active duty. It'll happen. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Too crazy, yet too cute

These boys totally have me wrapped around their fingers. When one is acting wild and crazy, usually LMA, the other one is totally cute with nothing but smiles, usually BBZ. Craziness, yet totally worth it.






Postscript: I think I used the word "totally" way too many times in that short entry.

So how was your Mother's Day?

This past Mother's Day was, well, to be nice to my boys, a little more hectic that I would have liked. I kept looking at LMA wondering who was this child and when would my good, sweet boy return from being kidnapped. BBZ was in rare form as well, totally skipping his last nap of the day which meant he was awake from 4 pm-9pm (I tried to put him down earlier but apparently his third or fourth wind kicked in by the time he finished his last bottle).

From now on, I'm making the Friday or Saturday before Mother's Day, MY Mother's Day. Here's why.

On Friday, I received a beautiful, or at least it was suppose to be, red miniature rose bush with ceramic pot from my parents. I say suppose to because the pot was destroyed in transport and the rose bush was practically transplanted into the plastic wrap around the plant. I was planning on putting it outside anyway, so it wasn't too bad. Also included was a gift certificate to a choice of local restaurants (to be used for hubby and I when they come back into town next month) and a small box of chocolates (which somehow have not been finished yet). Thankfully, Mom was able to contact the company and get a full refund for the damage.

On Saturday, hubby went out to return a fan to Home Depot and go to Lowe's to get one in the same brand so we could match hardware. Along for the ride was LMA, and as soon as they entered Lowe's, LMA heard banging in the distance. Kids Workshop. We've recently been taking him so many times that he now has four aprons, one from Home Depot and three from Lowe's (I plan on taking two back next time we go to Lowe's), a pair of goggles, and his own hammer (not sure we were suppose to walk away with this, but he wouldn't let it go). Anyways.... he ended up making a special little planter with trellis and Lowe's supplied a petunia for Mother's Day. He also worked hard at school making a card, a bookmark (which I didn't include in the pic), a tile with his handprint, and a little popsicle stick frame with picture taken by the teachers.


Before the end of the day, I received a bouquet of long stem roses from "Your three boys". We even had a wonderful dinner where both boys were on their best behavior and LMA didn't have to be told 500 times to "eat his dinner" or "sit down." And for dessert? No Pudge Fudge Brownies with white chocolate chips, caramel pieces, and Andies candies scattered on top. Could not have asked for a better day.

So from now on, either I go out and get a massage on Sunday or I just call Saturday Mother's Day. Either way a massage would be good (hint hint hubby).

Photo Ops at the Zoo

I just loved playing with my macro lens at the zoo. Most of these were taken in the "Vivid" Function Mode, so the colors are already popping. The only bad thing about using a macro lens is when you don't have proper support or if you happen to have a 6 month old trying to reach for the camera, it makes it a little difficult to get that perfect shot.

Enjoy!

Day Trip

Since Daddy has been working a civilian job lately, he's had some weekdays off. So we have decided to make the most of still being in the D.C. area and visit places with the boys while we still have a chance.

This week, we ventured via metro to the National Zoo. The metro trip alone took more than one hour before we reached the zoo. We got there just in time for lunch, so we found a cozy spot and tried to convince Little Man A to eat his lunch so we could see the animals. I think he was too excited with anticipation because it took a lot of coaxing on our part just to get him to finish his yogurt.


Last time we visited the zoo, we made the mistake of taking our time while traveling downhill to the end of the zoo. The trek on the way back up the hill was one that we did not want to experience again... especially while pushing a 40 pound child and a stroller uphill. We tried to make a beeline for the end, but there of course were diversions. I mean, how can you just walk past an orangutan sitting in the doorway of the outside exhibit. Or pass by the elephants without taking a picture.


We eventually made it down to the Kids Farm (an hour later), but unfortunately the petting zoo area was closed for the season (not sure when the season even starts). However, a keeper was out walking a pony so LMA was able to pet the pony and see the donkeys going crazy because they were jealous of the "escapee". That, I was later informed, was LMA's favorite part of the day.

BBZ was even enjoying himself. He unfortunately skipped his morning nap and thought the train ride was a little more exciting than trying to go back to sleep (poor kid had just fallen asleep in the car when we parked at the metro station then we moved into the stroller). So after lunch, I was able to face him toward me in the baby bjorn carrier so he could take a little snooze. When he woke up we were passing the Kids Farm and heading to the Reptile House. LMA and BBZ loved spotting the snakes, watching the turtles swim, and smiling at the iguanas bobbing their heads at each other.

On the way home, which wasn't until 4 hours later (and unfortunately after the normal metro rates kick back in), both boys zonked out on the train. This of course was great for bedtime later considering LMA had just woken up. But we eventually settled down.


















Next week, we were thinking of heading to the Baltimore Aquarium. Stay tuned for great animal shots from the zoo.