Today's Scoop

It seems like it has been a long day today. So, I will try to keep this brief then be off to bed.

Benj woke up about 2 minutes before my alarm went off this morning. Somehow we ended up having a late start though. My goal is to be out the door by 7:15 a.m. on days that I work. Sometimes that is easier said than done. And today I was hoping to get out the door by 7 a.m. Yeah, right. We made it out the door about 7:25 a.m. Sometimes this potty training business slows us down a bit. When he's gotta go...he's gotta go.

On Monday morning it was foggy and Benjamin told me, "Mommy, it's foggy." Not sure where he picked this information up from but he was absolutely right. So, since then every time we've gotten in the car he tells me "Mommy, it's not foggy anymore."

Well, we stopped off at a house in Natalie's neighborhood to pick up a Bumbo seat from someone I found on Craigslist. What's a Bumbo seat you say? Well, take a look of this pic of my smiley lil Samuel and you'll see him in his Bumbo. It just helps them to sit up when they can't quite sit up on their own. I asked my friend, Kelli, about the similar type seats she had for her triplets and she gave me the pros and cons. They can be rather pricey for something they'll only use for a few months so I didn't want to spend a fortune on one. So, I placed a post on Craigslist.org and got a few responses. So, I stopped by to pick it up this morning (prior to dropping the boys off). The lady asked if she could talk me into taking a bouncy seat too. I'm all about freebies so I happily agreed and then we were off to Natalie's. I offered the bouncy seat to Natalie (since Samuel is there quite often and she has a new baby on the way). She was happy to give the bouncy a try (as was Samuel).

Well, tomorrow is the big day! It will be August 1st. Benjamin's preschool registration is due. And the deadline for potty training. The form states that he must be potty trained by August 1st. I think we just made it! I'm pretty amazed at how well he's doing. And I'm loving the fact that I haven't had to do laundry just to stock up on clean underwear! He ought to be an old potty pro by the time September 10 rolls around and he starts school.

We had a quick dinner tonight and Benjamin had his first "Firecracker" Popsicle. He loved it but it got pretty drippy and his entire right hand turned blue. He was a mess. We soaked his hand for quite awhile but it was still a tad bit blue when he went to bed. Oh well, such is life of a boy.

Harry is still in the hospital. It has been a week now that he's been there. But it sounds like things are looking brighter. He wasn't running a temperature today (at least when I spoke to them around lunchtime). So, hopefully everything is clearing up and maybe he'll be released tomorrow.

I didn't hear from Don today but I realize some days he will be busier than others. The Internet just totally spoils me. I don't know what I'd do without him having Internet access.

I'm assuming he is still in Kuwait.

My Lil Knights

Yesterday was a good day but today I am happy to be back at work. Some days it's definitely nice to escape!

We got up and went to Sunday School and church. I talked Benjamin into wearing a shirt with buttons on it by telling him he could pick out his clothes when we got home from church. He has this aversion to any shirts with buttons. I don't know what it is but it's so annoying. He throws a fit, cries and hides when it's time to put a shirt on with buttons. Any type of buttons. This photo of our boys was taken after church, right before Benjamin declared that he was going to go pick out his pajamies. He took off his church clothes at lunchtime and remained in his pajamas the rest of the day! That's our pajama boy.

One of the finer things about Sunday is that I get to be called a "princess". Benjamin thinks I'm a princess. And he loves to tell me so. "Mommy, you're a princess." Some of Daddy-O's charming personality must have rubbed off. When I changed after church yesterday he noticed and told me, "Mommy, put your princess clothes back on."

Let me also note that he often says he's a princess. I correct him and tell him he can be a prince or a knight but boys cannot be princesses. I don't know if he quite understands that yet. But he is one of my lil knights in shinning armor!

Benjamin was really fascinated when I was painting my toenails Saturday morning and wanted his painted too. Don't fret, Daddy-O! I drew the line. He does not have pink toenails to date although that really would have made his day.

Harry is still in the hospital. No word of when he will be released (as of this morning anyways). His pneumonia has not resolved itself and he is still running a low grade temp off and on. This has affected his oxygen level, his breathing and also his heartbeat. Three doctors are trying to come up with solutions. Any exertion on his part sends his heartbeat upward, and every evening he seems to run a temp. So, hopefully the doctors will figure out what is going on soon so he can start to feel better.

Don has e-mailed a few times. Apparently, he is limited to about 30 minutes of Internet time per day. So, he cc:'s me on a lot of messages he sends out. That way he doesn't have to repeat things to me and I know what's going on with him.

Yesterday he sent a message that said:

"I am in Kuwait currently out in the middle of nowhere. The Kuwait-ies don't even live out here. Email access is limited both in opportunity and time allotted so I am not online often or long.

It was 121 degrees with a rumored heat index of 135 yesterday. All I know is that it was very hot."

In a separate e-mail, Don also said:

"I don't have a lot of access time to an Internet capable computer. None in our sleep tent. There is an MWR trailer, but time slots are 30 minutes.

I am in the TOC right now with only two computers and 15 people working at various parts of the day. Not too busy, just competition for time."

Then today we crossed paths online for a lil while. It was great! At lunchtime I sent him a couple of e-mails and he responded almost immediately. Cool.

He hopes to share some photos once he gets to Iraq.

A Fair Day!

We went to the Loudoun County Fair today with our friends Natalie, Dennis and Jack. It was pretty sweltering but we braved the heat for awhile and Benjamin and Jack had a ball. People are right when you hear them say "you live through your children". I love it! When they light up with excitement. Nothing beats that beaming smile.

Well, Benj and Jack climbed on a bunch of tractors, saw a kids music show, a thrill show (juggler, tumbling, etc.), went on lots of rides and saw lots of farm animals. I'd say their highlight was the carnival rides...oh, and checking out the woman doing the thrill show. I don't know how they know to be all enamored with a woman at this age but both Benjamin and Jack were really into her. They kept asking "where'd the lady go?" every time she left the "stage".

For those of you who don't know...Natalie is who watches both Benjamin and Samuel when I work three days a week. We met when we were both pregnant...through our husbands. Then really got to know each other when we went to a breast feeding support group when the boys were just tiny. Dennis is also in the Army. Jack is only about 4 weeks older than Benjamin and they are best buddies. Benjamin has been going to Jack's house since he was only 4 months old (and I returned to work). So, going anywhere with them is a tremendous help. Natalie knows them just as well as Don and I... and Benjamin listens to her too. They have been such a great source of support already and Don has just left. When Jack was only about 5 months old or so Dennis deployed to Kuwait for about a year...so they have been down this road already. And Dennis is a wealth of information on anything I want to know about the Army or Don's situation. Thank you Kellens! We really do appreciate all that you do for us. :)

It was great fun and we all left hot and exhausted. It looks like I did good with the sunscreen though and no one got burned! (pat pat on my back). Benjamin fell asleep soon after we left the fair grounds. And when we got home he went back to sleep (one thing I miss tremendously is Don's help getting the kids in the house when we come home and Benjamin's sleeping. Caring him up 3 flights of stairs is exhausting. But waking him up after he falls asleep in the car is a gamble to whether or not he'll go back to sleep and could result in an even more exhausting afternoon than caring him up those stairs). He did go back to sleep this time (victory!) and I got Samuel down too so I was able to nap. Thankfully. It was an early morning today and after walking around in that heat I definitely needed it.

I guess I cannot complain about the heat. Natalie is expecting another boy at the beginning of September (a new buddy for baby Samuel!). And she was a trooper in the heat.

Samuel is on my lap and really feels the urge to type his own blog message...so here goes...

''''''KKKKK''''''''''''''''FCFCKRCV JEXGCVCCC ,FRNHJFJRFJHRFJJRJTKIE

Now he is off to bed. Both down for the count by 8:30ish. ahh.

Benjamin did awesome on the potty again today! Two trips to the port-o-pottys at the fair. And no amusing questions this time. He's acting like a pro. Dare I say we are there? We've made it? He's potty trained? hmm. I'm not doing the victory dance just yet. One entire week without any accidents and then I shall dance and sing! Neighbors beware of the commotion at the Chapman house. It will be a sign of sweet victory with the potty training.

Finally Friday...woop-tee-do!

There is a country radio station here that Don and I both listen to. On Friday mornings they always play this lil clip that goes..."Finally Friday....woop-tee-do!" Well, for awhile (when I was still working on Fridays) we would hear this in the morning periodically when our alarm clock would go off...and then it kind of became a lil saying in our house...you know what I'm talking about, Daddy-O! "Finally Friday...woop-tee-do!"

Well anyways, Don left a message on our answering machine yesterday. He called before we made it home from my work day and picking up the boys. It was great to hear his voice even if it was on the answering machine. We have a collection of messages from Daddy-O on the answering machine now and sometimes Benjamin and I play them just to hear Daddy's voice.

I received a couple of e-mails from Don....he says "Sleeping is OK. The sleep tent is air conditioned."

And he also said... "We have one or two training events per day. Sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. They only last an hour or two, but the heat is so intense it is more than enough. Try to siesta in the afternoon. It is just too hot to do much."

The heat sounds exhausting to me. ugh. Hopefully he will adjust with time. Not sure if he will have the luxury of air conditioning at all once he gets to Iraq.

We had a good day today. The major excitement was that Dave, Nelly and their kids, Brooke and Reed came over with pizza tonight. We hadn't gotten together with them in what seems like ages so it was great catching up. I think Benjamin is getting used to having some serious "mommy time" at dinner though because he was really seeking my attention while we were trying to eat. Oh well.

They left around 8 p.m. and both the boys were asleep by 8:30 p.m. Our bedtime routine seems to be getting easier and easier. Of course, Samuel would prefer it if I would cradle and rock him until he fell asleep but I'm trying to get him used to falling asleep on his own. He doesn't really fuss too much, wears himself out and then usually passes out for the night. He's a good nighttime sleeper which I am very thankful for.

Benjamin had another excellent day of potty training today! No accidents two days in a row. And once he actually went up to the potty all by himself and went! I was soooo excited. And he did #2 twice without even a word of encouragement from me. Just a lot of praising and dancing afterwards. We celebrate every monumental occasion of this sort. I'm so proud of him. I think we might be on the final road of this journey. One can hope.

Samuel is really scooting. He gets up on all fours and kinda rocks. He definitely does NOT stay in one spot when I put him down. Today he fell asleep in his swing for the first time. He is so different from Benjamin at this age who had spent half his life in the swing by the time he turned 5 months. I think he looks like he's trying to talk to Daddy-O on a phone in this pic.

Harry is still in the hospital and last I heard he may be discharged tomorrow if all goes well. He has been running a low grade fever from time to time. They are still trying to figure what is causing some of his problems and are monitoring him on different meds. Mom says his spirits are up. So, that is good. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Today I received my free packaging supplies from the US Postal Service. I strongly recommend ordering these if you intent to send Don a package. It's free, quick and so easy. And you can reorder time and time again. Not that you'd need to but I probably will! It includes all the forms necessary so they can be filled out before even going to the post office!

For more info here is the link:
https://hdusps.esecurecare.net/cgi-bin/hdusps.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=5961&p_created=1101136164&p_sid=HEQTsHHi&p_accessibility=0&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9OCZwX3Byb2RzPTE4LDg5JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0yLjg5JnBfY3Y9JnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li=&p_topview=1
or

The kit may be requested by calling 1-800-610-8734 (Packing Supply) and:
Choose your language (1 is English, 2 is Spanish).
Choose option 1 (it states it is for Express Mail® service, Priority Mail or Global Express Guaranteed®).
When you reach a live agent, request CAREKIT04.

Update on Don

Received an e-mail from Don today. He made it to Kuwait and will be there to acclimate for a few days.

This is what he had to say:

"It is morning here and we have had breakfast and walked around a little. It is getting very hot very quickly. It was 96 degrees at midnight last night and it's well on its way to probably a high of 120 something today. And it is just now 0800. Anyways we are probably going to go back to the sleep tent and take a nap. Nothing really scheduled till tomorrow."

I was glad to hear they were there and that he obviously will have e-mail access for a few days!

Don Arrived in Germany

Don called me this morning while I was at work. He was at an airport in Germany. He sounded good. It was so good to hear his voice. He had called yesterday from the airport in Washington state but we were out with some friends at a playground and missed the call.

He said they had a good trip over and he watched a couple of movies en route. The officers got to sit in first class and he said it was nice and roomie. The first time he's ever flown first class. But of course it was a chartered flight so the extent of his first class experience was the extra space. He was using his credit card to call because his calling card wouldn't work from there. I'm sure it cost a pretty dollar but it was worth it just to hear his voice.

The boys and I are doing good. Benjamin played at a playground for 2 hours yesterday without going potty! I was so excited. Then we stopped at the port-o-potty on the way back to the car. ugh. The dreaded port-o-potty. 2 year olds love to touch everything and have about a gazillion questions. So, he sat right up there and admired other's evidence that the potty had been well used. Then as he was looking into the murky waters below he asked, "Is that a seal?" I was a lil distracted at the time and didn't even realize how funny that question was until today. He also asked if he could flush. No, no flushing.

Samuel started eating spoon fed cereal and is doing great! He loves it. Craves it. Would probably eat the entire box in one sitting if I let him (maybe not quite but he does devour it!).

Last night I checked on Samuel as I always do before I go to bed. He stirred a bit then I saw him reach around (with his eyes still closed) until he found his pacifier. Then he stuck his finger in the middle (he uses these ugly soothie pacifiers that the hospitals use) and he then plopped it in his mouth. His coordination amazed me. He looked like he had done this a hundred times before. Who knows...maybe he has done it before??? hmm.

I received a call tonight that my step-dad, Harry is in the hospital. He had a severe asthma attack today and was having problems breathing. He will be there overnight. It's hard to be away from family when things like these come up. I want to be there. I don't know what I could do but I always feel a world away when something goes wrong. So, I will pray for Harry from here.

I will also continue to pray for my friend, Kelli, and her family in Memphis. Her mother is ill and I know each and every day is presenting a new challenge for them. Hang in there, Kelli, the good lord is watching over you and your mom.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and sharing all the fond (and maybe not so fond) memories of Don. I'm sure he will be surprised when he sees it. If you haven't left a message yet...please do so!

Happy Birthday Don!

Today is Don's birthday so I thought I would share some background on us...for those of you who knew us then and for those of you who didn't...this is my version of how Don and I met. I'm sure this will bring back a lot of memories, Sweet.

Fall 1990: It's funny how so many people you meet can influence your life in so many ways. Well, I met some great friends my freshman year at Bradley University and they in turn knew some guys at the Pi Kappa Phi house. So, we used to go over to the fraternity house and hang out with the guys from time to time. The first time I remember meeting Don was in Steve Nenonen's room. I was there with Jen DeBlasio and I don't really remember who else. Anyways, at some point Don dropped in. I don't know why but I can still remember him wearing camouflage pants and a grey tank top. Maybe I remember that because it was not typical of the fraternity boys, at that time anyways. And, this also happened to be the time that Don had shingles. So, he had two red raw patches under his eyes. Not really the kind of lasting impression you'd want to make on someone. Anyways, that was just the first time I remember meeting Don. Just a brief encounter and I didn't think twice about him.

Fall 1991: Then my sophomore year at BU I met Don again. I was at a Pi Kapp party with my friends and Don asked me to dance (which was kind of odd for me because usually I was just out dancing with my friends). So, we got to talking and he told me he was ROTC and I know he recalls me telling him that my brothers were all involved with the Army in some capacity. Anyways, at least he had justification for wearing those camouflage pants.

1993: So, those were the first couple of times I remember meeting Don but it wasn't until our junior year that we really "dated". And I put that in quotes because I usually felt like Don fell short of a boyfriend in a lot of ways. I felt like I was doing all the chasing and then I got tired of that. But once he found out I was dating someone he was all about winning me over. I remember at the end of my junior year (his senior year). We were talking and he told me that he was going to marry me someday. jesh, right. I was more worried about getting through my finals at that point. But we stayed together for awhile and then he was off to start his career in the Army.

1996: We went our separate ways for awhile and then he returned to the states after 2 years in Korea. I was just getting out of a relationship and not looking to start a new one and there he was calling me and writing me. Then he had a friend from college getting married in Illinois so he invited me to go with him. He came to town and that really kicked off our new relationship. Before I knew it I was making reservations to fly out and spend a week with him in the D.C. area. It was great. We clicked.

Then he found out he was going to Bosnia for something like 6 months (seems like nothing now!). We really kept up with each other even though distance put us farther apart. I flew to Germany when he had his mid tour R&R and we spent 11 days together traveling all over Germany. It was awesome. Shortly after he returned to the states we were engaged and married in November of 1999. We had not spent more than 11 consecutive days together until we were married. That was a bit of an adjustment. We learned a lot about each other those first couple years of married life.

Somedays it seems like I have known Don my entire life. We have really grown together in so many ways. We have built an incredible life together and we both thank God for all that he has provided for us...our love for one another, our children, our home, our families, and so much more.

When I think back on our lives that seemed like a rather quick synopsis of our courtship but I don't want to bore you all forever. This is Don's 37th birthday. We met when he was 21 and I was only 19. Time sure does fly when you're having fun!

Today is not only Don's birthday but also a busy day for him as well. I'm not sure when he'll be able to check the blog again but I thought it would be nice for him to have a ton of birthday wishes from everyone when he did. So, if you have not made a comment to any of our posts to date this is what you do:
Click on the word "comment" at the bottom of this post (it should be in blue). Then you can "leave your comment" in the box provided. You can then click "Chose your identity" as "anonymous" and then click "publish your comment".

I'm sure Don would love to hear from each and every one of you. And if you think he doesn't know who you are because you know me better...believe me, he has probably heard a story about you at one point or another so just leave a birthday message. Feel free to tell a story that you remember about Don or just send him wishes. All comments will be appreciated!!! Thanks for helping us celebrate Don's birthday even though distance keeps us apart.

Happy Birthday to my true companion. On your birthday and always, I love you Don Chapman!!!

Another Sunday

Our day began at 5:30 a.m. today. Much too early for me after talking to Don until 11:45 p.m. last night. Samuel woke up early today but went back to sleep until 9 a.m. after a feeding. Benjamin, on the other hand, went back to bed at 5:30 a.m. but only for about 20 minutes before he was up for the day. ugh.

The dream I was having when I was awoken this morning was so bizarre. I was in some kind of combat zone. Don was there too. But it was kind of like a dorm setting. There were a bunch of people there and we were all in one lil dorm room. I won't bore you with details but it was just weird and I woke up thinking "what the heck was that all about?"

The boys and I went to church this morning and I reckon the volunteers in the nursery should be dwindling now. Samuel spit up all over one and Benjamin had a poopy accident. (But he did #2 in the potty two other times today! A victory in itself). I was pretty proud of myself though because I made it to both Sunday school and church. It was my first Sunday in church by myself since Don's been gone (since I've had all the company). I really missed having him next to me. I'm sure it will take some to getting use to that. It's great going to church. It really gives me something to look forward to all weekend. And when we get up at the crack of dawn it's really not that hard to get everyone ready and out the door.

When we came home from church today we all took a nap. I really needed that. Then we went up to the pool.

Like I mentioned above, Don called last night. It was great talking to him. It's a lot easier to talk to him when the kids are in bed. He called again tonight but it was the boys' bedtime and I was dealing with two difficult ones. But Don got to talk to Benjamin so that was nice. Benjamin brought up the fountain incident and told Daddy-O how he fell in the fountain and that blue ice cream is his favorite. We also sang happy birthday to Daddy since tomorrow is his big day and I'm not sure if or when we'll talk to him tomorrow.

The stuff Benjamin remembers is funny. We saw a VW bus the other day and he said "Look! It's like Fillmore." (For all of you that don't know, Fillmore is the VW bus from the Disney Cars movie). It was funny because it was not a total hippy looking VW bus like the Fillmore character is. It was a more modern one but he recognized it as being the same. Then today, we were walking up to the pool and he said "Look, Mommy! There's a car like Sally!" (Once again, from Cars, Sally is the Porsche). And, sure enough, there was a Porsche. But the funny thing was this Porsche was an SUV and the one in the movie is a lil sports car type. Then Benjamin was more specific "The car has eyes just like Sally!" He was amazed. And so was I (only I was amazed at him, of course, everyone things their kids are the most brilliant!). The "eyes" he was referring to were the cars headlights which did resemble Sally's, of course.

I think this boy is going to be much better about recognizing cars than his daddy! Benjamin has had some kind of obsession with wheels and vehicles since before he could even talk. Don is so NOT into cars. Unless it's a Mustang...then he can spot one a mile away. I don't know how many times we haven driven through the Ford dealership's parking lot to get a good look at the Mustangs they have in stock at any given time. And he will actually stop the TIVO to watch a commercial for the new Mustangs. Which just reminded me of yet another Benjamin related car story that happened today. When we got to church another vehicle pulled up and it just happened to be a Mustang. Of course, Benjamin being of the same bloodline as his father noticed this. And he said "Like the commercial." You have forever scarred our son, Daddy-O!

Well, this ought to be a very busy week for Don. Soon we will be able to start out countdown as we already look forward to his return. Please remember him in your prayers.

Two Posts in One Day?

What's this...two posts in one day? I know, I can hardly believe it myself. Nothing exciting to add... just bored, I guess. And I took some pics of the boys today that I thought I'd share.

Don called twice this afternoon while the boys and I were outside. He said he'll try back later tonight so hopefully I will get to talk to him yet this evening. The weather has been so nice that it's hard not to go outside and enjoy it. We took Benjamin's motorcycle around the block. It was the first time he's done that without stopping to flip it over and "check the engine" or whatever it is that he flips it over and pretends to do. Then we went to the park again. Samuel really loves the swing! And Benjamin had a ball too. His friend, Abby, showed up and they had a grand time playing. Then Abby rode on the back of the motorcycle all the way to our house. It was pretty cute. I told Abby's mom, Cheryl, that she better watch out since her daugther is already riding on the back of a boy's motorcycle! (I suppose I better watch out too... Abby is 5 and Benjamin thinks she's a princess! Going for those older girls??? hmm. I don't blame him. She's cute and witty!)

Today went by so fast. The boys were good and Benjamin did excellent on the potty! woo hoo. We made it through another day accident free. Every day is a victory! I picked him up some new underwear with Lightening McQueen and Mater on them (from the Cars movie). He loves them. I washed them and he had to put them on already. It was too funny. I told him if he took his own shorts and underwear off by himself that he could put the new ones on...so, he did just that. I also picked him up a new fire truck pillow case for his bed. He was thrilled with it. He could hardly wait to lay his lil noggin on it tonight. It's so cute how the simplest things thrill kids. I hope he is always this easily entertained.

Don e-mailed me an APO mail address for him today so I should be able to share that soon. He will not be in country for awhile though so he asked that nothing be sent to him just yet.

I think the next week will be tough. Probably won't be hearing from Don much (or at all). I dread the days that I know he is en route somewhere. I'll feel much better when he is in one spot for a bit. Hopefully, his job won't entail him moving around much. Time will tell.

A Saturday at the Chapmans

Talked to Don last night. Benjamin got to talk to him which was good. I think he has really been missing him. Sometimes, when Benjamin seems rather inconsolable, I start talking to him about Daddy-O and all the fun things we have done together recently (our vacation to Virginia Beach, Great Wolf Lodge, the zoo, etc). It really seems to get his mind off of whatever it was at that moment that he was fussing about. Plus, he's been watching a lot of home videos from these events which keeps everything fresh in his mind. Anyways, he was really excited to talk to Daddy last night. It was cute. Makes me a bit emotional to hear him talk to Daddy. He really listens to him and tells him what's going on his lil world. Received an e-mail from Don today that said "I really enjoyed talking to Benjamin yesterday afternoon. That is the most he had to say on the phone that I remember." So, I think it made his day too.

Don should be leaving very soon. He has been working a lot and we haven't heard too much from him. Although, I have received a few e-mails this past week. He has been great about responding to my e-mails when I have a question or concern.

We had a good night last night. I worked yesterday and when we got home we had dinner then we were off to the playground nearby. Our neighbor, Katie, joined us which was nice. The weather has been beautiful... not so miserably hot or humid. This morning, we got up , I made french toast for Benjamin and I while Samuel slept until around 8 a.m. Then we were off to Wal-mart to stock up on formula and diapers. The new Target nearby is due to open by the end of this month. Benjamin and I can hardly wait! Every time we drive by he says "There's the new Target, Mommy! Can we go?"

Well, nothing too exciting to report here. But the day is only half over.

Our Day

We went up to the pool this morning for a couple of hours. It was great. Benjamin has been wearing his floatation vest (which at first he refused to wear) and has been having a blast. He and Keegan splashed around the kiddie pool too and had big fun. Then we went home, had lunch and my boys took naps. Benjamin slept for about 3 hours! Phew. We needed that. But when he woke up he looked like a racoon. ugh. I was really afraid of getting sunscreen in his eyes (this happened earlier in the summer and he was miserable). So, now I have a son with two red rings around his eyes (see photo at left of my Sunburned Bandit). I feel like a bad mom. But overall, I think I did pretty good... Samuel has absoltely no pink spots (other than his skinned up toes from scrapping the bottom of the kiddie pool while he was in his baby floaty the other day...I know, bad mom) and all the pink on Benjamin after today's long stay at the pool is all around his eyes (and cheeks).

We just returned from the airport where the boys and I took my nephew, Keegan, after his 10 day stay with us. His flight was at 7:05 p.m. and they took off a little late putting us at home right about 8 p.m. without much of a dinner. So, we sat and finished our sandwiches from Potbelly which we got at the airport.

While we waiting for Keegan to get on his plane both of my boys were both having issues. Samuel was having a fussy fit so I picked him up and was holding him when his pacifier shot out of his mouth followed by a huge splash of spit up. It was a mess. And his pacifier rolled over to the next line of passengers waiting to board the plane. Keegan asked a man to pick up the pacifier. He bent over and picked it up. It was all nasty and covered in spit up. yuck. Of course, this was the only person boarding the plane with one of those medical type masks on. Total germ-o-phobe and he's the one that picks up the pacifier! I'm sure he was utterly disgusted. I was quite disgusted myself. Then, once Keegan got on the plane we waited. And Benjamin notices this guy with the "germ mask" and says "Mommy, a doctor". I wanted to laugh and crawl under a chair all at the same time. So, I said "Yes, it's like what a doctor wears. To keep away germs." That seemed to be enough. Although, after the man boarded the plane he asked "Where'd the doctor go?" "On the plane like your cousin, Keegan." was my response.

When we got home tonight, Benjamin really got Samuel laughing. He was just laughing at him and making a tickling gesture. It was the cutest thing. They were just laughing back and forth with each other. I loved it. It made me cry. These are the things I wish we could share with you, Daddy-O. It's the little things.

Don called last night. We talked a bit. It had been a few days since he called. But I guess I ought to start getting used to that. He has been working long hours. If you have e-mailed him and he hasn't responded that is why. I guess it is good they are keeping him busy. He says time is really flying by. He should be headed out sometime next week. Please keep praying for him and for the boys and I. We really do appreciate all the thoughts and prayers.

Signing the Blues

I can hardly even believe what just happened.

We went to Maggie Moos tonight for ice cream and, of course, Benjamin had to order the bright blue cotton candy ice cream that turns his mouth (and just about every other kid's mouth that enters Maggie Moos) completely blue. Then we walked down to the nearby fountain to enjoy our ice cream. Benjamin finished his ice cream and was off to run around the fountain which has about a 1 1/2 foot ledge around it. Big fun. All the kids do it. (I know, if all the kids were jumping off a bridge would I let my kid?) My neighbor, Katie, and nephew, Keegan were with us as well and I commented what a redneck my son looked like with his bright blue mouth and trusty Go Diego Go shirt on (his favorite...thank you O'Neills!). A lot of the other kids playing were dressed quite nicely because there are lots of restaurants there as well. Benjamin on the other hand is very opinionated on what he'd like to wear daily. (And if it were up to him he would live in his army pajamas! But the Diego shirt is one of the few tools I use for getting the pjs off and the clothes on!) Anyways, Benjamin ran around and around the fountain like he always does. Big fun! Then he ran over by us and accidentally ran into our stroller. He was looking the opposite way and just kinda bam hit it before I knew it. Ouch. But he was fine and off to running around the fountain once again. I mentioned to Keegan and Katie that I thought he was going to fall into that fountain one of these days...little did I know that TODAY was that day! Kerplunk. He was in. Up to his neck in water. Shoes and all. I ran over and scooped him up. He was crying and dripping wet blue mouth and all. So, off to the car we went. I stripped him down...and thanks to potty training had an extra pair of Go Diego Go underwear with us...so, he rode home in his underwear with a baby blanket on his lap.

Oh well, we all got more than we bargained for on that outing. We came home and he was off to bed. We talked about the fountain incident a bit and I think he will be weary about approaching it next time. We shall see.

The boys, Keegan and I went into the district this morning. We spend about 3 hours downtown. It was a beautiful day. We saw the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument (although we did not go up in the Washington Monument). All were well behaved and Keegan was very helpful. My boys and I all took naps when we returned. Quite an accomplishment.

No potty accidents today! Phew!!! He went on two big potty's while we were in D.C. We're making huge progress there.

Hoping Don will call tonight.

Those lil' Buggers

Well, I've come to the conclusion that Benjamin has been wrecking havoc due to the fact that he has two honkin' big teeth coming in on the bottom. Those lil buggers are causing a bit of misery on us all. Today was an extreme case of the "terrible twos". ugh. Benjamin was not a force to be reckoned with. When he got out of the bathtub I wrapped him up in the crocodile towel and he snuggled up tight on my lap and said "I'm crabby." I don't think I had said that to him but it's funny that he came up with that conclusion on his own. hmm.

Benjamin did a pretty good job on the potty today. He went #2 three times today before his afternoon nap! Quite an accomplishment in my book. But this afternoon he managed to have an accident at the playground (which I blame myself for...you know, this is training me as much as it is him at this point...and sometimes I forget too!). So, we all came home from the playground for a quick change then went back.

Samuel had his first ride in the swing at the playground and loved it!!! Smiles from ear to ear. Gotta love that. Now that he's finally on Zantac I think he will be smiley guy #2...following right in his brother's footsteps with a perty contagious smile of his own. Samuel turned 5 months old today! That time has really flown by.

Cousin, Keegan, took Benjamin for a bike ride this afternoon too. Benjamin and Keegan had an absolute ball while I was a nervous wreck. I just find it a lil challenging to ride the bike with the extra weight in back myself...but Keegan handled it like a champ.

Last time I talked to Don he sounded good. I think he's getting anxious to deploy so he can start counting days already. The sooner he goes...the sooner he returns. And we're all looking forward to that day.

Some of you reading this blog had lots of questions and some didn't even know he was going until I e-mailed the blog out... so let me answer a few questions here:

Don will be deploying with a medical unit from Ft. Lewis, Washington (state). He will be deployed about 15 months (plus the month he is there now and maybe some time when he returns too). He should get two weeks R&R about mid-tour and be able to come home (no guarantees). He will be working on a hospital construction project at the Bagdag Airport base. He should deploy sometime before the end of this month from Ft. Lewis. We will not see him again until he comes home for R&R.

Smile

Benjamin's smile and laughter is so contagious. It always has been. He's been smiling and laughing ever since I can remember. I love it! And he loves to make Samuel smile too. When we are in the car he often talks to Samuel, then tells me very excitedly, "He's smiling, Mommy!" Benjamin loves to make people smile. It's his gift. His job. I love it.

Days go by faster because of Benjamin's smile and laughter. I treasure it and love to laugh with him.

(These are some smiley photos of Benjamin taken last summer with Daddy's barret).

Smile by Nat King Cole

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile eventhough it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by

If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near

That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

Keep on smiling Daddy-O!! We miss you and love you so much.

Singing Praises this Sunday

So much to be thankful for today!

Big and little things...but all big blessings in our world:

1. Benjamin slept until 7 a.m. today. (That just doesn't happen in this house! Usually, Samuel will sleep until 8 a.m. but not Benjamin).


2. Our nephew Keegan is visiting from Illinois. He is so helpful and he and Benjamin adore each other and really play great together.


3. Benjamin went #2 on the potty twice by 1 p.m. today! No accidents in two days. Yipee!!!


4. Samuel has been a great baby. The Zantac seems to be making a world of difference. He still spits up but he is really a happy boy these days!


5. Samuel is days away from crawling. He can really scoot across that crib! Up on all fours!


6. The lord has truly blessed us with a wonderful family. We miss you, Don but we love you and know that this time apart will just bring us closer together!

This morning, Benjamin came running into my room at 7 a.m. and climbed in bed with me. He told me that Daddy was sleeping at the "Army's house". Something we really hadn't talked about but apparently he has figured out on his own. I reassured him that he is sleeping at the "Army's house" and that there are other daddies that work for the army there too.

A Day at Home

Not too much to report here today. Talked to Don this evening but we got cut short due to a bit of a poopy emergency on Benjamin's part. Let's just say he ended up in the bathtub while I scrubbed the rest of the bathroom down.

At least Don and Benjamin got to talk to one another before all this happened. Benjamin told Daddy about playing outside today and about the fireworks he saw on the 4th of July. He told Daddy he was "scared". And that was a pretty accurate account even though we were just a neighbors watching some lil fireworks...that was enough for him!!!

Don asked me to put the phone up to Samuel's ear too. He seemed pretty intent on listening to what his daddy had to say. He loves to hear his Daddy's voice on his "Build a Bear" Bear. If he is unhappy and I press one of the bears' paws (which activates Daddy's messages to him) he totally calms down and listens. It's really cute!

We had a beautiful day here today. Not too miserably hot. I filled up the baby pool for Benjamin and he had a blast in our backyard this morning.

We received the free Sesame Street DVD that I ordered which is about parent's being deployed (sponsored by Wal-mart). Benjamin watched it and it seemed to have some really good messages about dealing with daddy being gone (on his level). A couple of cute songs too. I'm sure we'll be watching it over and over.

Our nephew Keegan arrives tomorrow morning and we're all looking forward to his visit!

Fourth at Fort Lewis

Today was the Fourth of July and it was pretty warm here compared to what the weather has been in this very temperate North West climate. It was supposed to hit the 90's and I would say it got there. There is a celebration at the sports stadium on base all day today. Feature act is the Drifters in concert and fireworks tonight. I actually went to see the movie Transformers today. I was a little too old for the cartoon when it came out in the 80's, but now that I am closer to 40 than 30 watching cars transform into robots seems pretty cool.

Life is getting fairly routine, for the time being. Yesterday I had the day off, but went in to review files for an extra duty that I was appointed. I have been tagged as a Financial Liability Investigation of Property Loss or FLIPL (the military loves its accronyms) officer. This was formerly called a Report of Survey officer, but Army has now adopted the DoD name and forms. When someone looses a piece of non-expendable property, the circumstances about the lost must be investigated to determine if the loss was caused by someone either willfully or through negligence and then a recommendation of financial liability. This one is a doozy and appears to be a comedy of errors, bad paperwork, and a very complex and busy unit that has deployed twice plus transformed its structure and was retrofitted with new equipment. Oh, by the way, nearly everyone that was involved in events leading up to discovery of the alleged loss has left the unit months and some years ago. What is really hard to tell is if the equipment was really lost, or the paperwork just got sideways in the property accountability system.

Anyways, the night before last, I couldn't fall asleep because I was thinking about it. So yesterday I went through every file, every scrap of paper, every shipping document, technical inspection, etc. I found one document referencing a technical inspection completed on one piece of equipment that was on the list of missing items. It was worth $10,000 alone. However, there are 60+ items that I couldn't resolve, hence why they were submitted to begin with--they cannot be accounted for. Trust me, no one would steal this type of equipment, no value outside.

Anyway, that is probably way too boring and detailed for most of you reading this blog, but that is the life of a military officer, particularly this medical logistician. It is really beautiful here. When it is not cloudy, there is a great view of the Cascade mountain range and a spectacular view of Mount Rainier. I will try and post a picture (or postcard) of it sometime in the near future.

Thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragment. It really gives me a peace and comfort that I haven't felt in previous deployments.

Don

Oh What a Night!

I'm posting this blog post because, I think, sooner or later I will laugh about it! My life seems to often remind me of song titles (ie: Oh What a Night by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons ).

Although it's just after 8 p.m. and both boys are already in bed. ahhh. Not too shabby for a days work.

Tonight we went to the new Walgreens nearby and picked up a few things then headed for home and had a quick dinner. Don had called while we were out and left me a number to call him back at. He actually had the day off but ended up working to get some things done...so he was in an office I could call him at. He really called to speak to Benjamin. This was only the second time he had gotten to talk to him since he'd left. So, Benjamin told Daddy about some of his potty successes and rewards for the success! He has been asking about Daddy a lot since Nancy and Ellen left. It was great we had that distraction so soon after Don had left but I think he's really starting to notice Don's absence now. So, we've been watching videos of Daddy and looking at lots of pictures too.

So, Don and I were able to talk for a little while too. He's been calling about every other night which has been nice. And he's able to e-mail just about daily right now. (His barracks do not have Internet connection).

After dinner it was bath time. Samuel first. Easy, easy, easy. He's so funny these days. He really wants to sit up. He does well sitting up in the bathtub. I took a bunch of pictures of him. It almost seems like he wants to pull himself up to a standing position. He's a strong boy!

Then time for Benjamin's bath. I often multi task this one. I get Benjamin in the tub while I sit in there and feed Samuel his last bottle of the night then put him down for the night. So, all went well (except for the super size cup of water being poured out of the tub--that's what bath mats are for, right?) until it was time for Benjamin to get out of the tub. Then we put on the crocodile towel. A real cute one but apparently it now brings out the beast in our child (you read that correctly, "beast" NOT "best"). Imagine this, if you will, I was trying to cradle Samuel while feeding him the last of his bottle while brushing Benjamin's teeth. And that lil crocodile sunk his front teeth into my forearm. That was about 45 minutes ago and there is still a red mark of two distinct teeth. Not only did I want to scream because of the slight ting of pain, but also out of horror and disbelieve that my child was actually biting me. I leaned down to him and said very firmly "We do NOT bite." Then he explained to me very matter of factly that, in his words, "I'm a crocodile. ergh." Before I knew it he was on an escapade down the stairs to the toys he had been playing with before bath time. He stopped to let the dogs out the back door. (REMINDER: He is only in his crocodile towel at this point). Then he slips out the back door behind the dogs. That's our boy! Our butt naked crocodile boy on the back deck. Oh what a night!!!

I managed to catch him pretty quick and get him in before (I think) any of the neighbors actually saw any of this happen. Once I actually got Samuel in bed life was much easier. Samuel fell right asleep and only two books for Benjamin tonight and he was out.

Now I need some down time of my own. But before I go, I just want to thank all of you who have e-mailed and posted your kind words of support. It means so very much to both Don and I and it's great to know we are so loved. Thank you again.

Note to Kelli R: Thank you for the wonderful crocodile towel. He does really love it! But you may want to consider a more docile type of creature towel when your triplets are are 2 1/2! hee hee.

All is well at Ft. Lewis and at home.

My sister-in-law, Nancy, and neice, Ellen, left last night. The boys were in bed by 8:20 p.m. or so and all was quiet at home.

Don called. It was so good to hear his voice. All is going well at Ft. Lewis. It sounds like Don and some of the other officers have been getting together to get to know one another. Most are stationed there at Ft. Lewis but a few others that will deploy with him are staying in the barracks and at a nearby hotel as well. He went to a cookout at someone's house on Saturday. Sounds like they had a nice time. He says they're a good group of people. Very friendly.

He heard he will be living in a "container" in Iraq. Two guys to a container.

We talked for about a half hour last night. Mostly about the boys. Benjamin's big success with potty-training this past week (a big highlight in my world these days!).

At bedtime last night. Benjamin and I looked at a photo book I had done of our trip to Virginia Beach last summer. We hadn't looked through it in awhile. He was thrilled to see all the photos of him with Daddy in the sand. He said "I want to go to the beach" several times. Then halfway through the book he realized Samuel wasn't in any of the photos (these were taken the summer before Samuel was born!). He was thinking the book was from our recent trip. I guess I need to work on putting a book together from that trip. In my spare time.

Benjamin received his first post card from Daddy in the mail. He was so excited. It was waiting for him on the breakfast table. It had pictures of Army helicopters doing Air Assault exercises. He loved it! Thank you, Daddy-O!

Don's been going to a church on base and was off to the evening service last night once we said goodnight. At our church, the pastor did a nice Independence Day themed service and encouraged everyone to thank a soldeir, marine, airman, etc. in uniform when you see them. I thought it was funny that I mentioned something about that in my last blog post. I think it does mean a lot to them. It's great to have words of encouragement and support.

The boys and I are doing pretty good. Today is the first full day since our great helpers have departed. And before we know it my nephew, Keegan, will be arriving! Time seems to be going by fast. I can't believe it's July already! I just hope time continues to zoom on by.