Write to Our Soldier!

The boys' regular babysitter, Natalie had her baby today! Nicolas James was born at 12:55 a.m. and weighed in at 6 pounds 3 ounces. So, I dropped by the hospital on my lunch break to pay the new baby and mom a visit. I don't think I've ever held a baby so tiny before! My boys were over two pounds heavier than this lil guy and every newborn I've ever visited has been a big baby too! (Jill, I can't even imagine how tiny Julia was at 3 pounds 12 ounces!) Anyways, they are all doing good. He is an absolute doll and they will all enjoy a long weekend together.

We had a good but what seemed like a busy week. Benjamin loves going over to Hunter and Jake's house and has been having a blast there. Phew. I was a lil stressed about this adjustment but all seems good. Today he was dirty from head to toe when I picked him up. They had been playing outside awhile and he definitely earned his bath. Hopefully, he'll sleep past 6:30 a.m. too!

Benjamin has been obsessed with Daddy-O's train table lately. It is something they love to admire together. Although it is a work in progress the train had been running when Don left. It has since derailed but recently I made an effort to get it back on track. Benjamin is fascinated with it and will just push it about a foot back and fourth for hours of entertainment. Tonight he actually asked me to take a picture of him with Daddy's train so we could send it to Daddy. Is this child getting used to having his photo taken daily or what?

Now, I would like to challenge each and every one of you...parents and kids alike, to sit down and write or draw Don, Uncle Don, Mr. Don, etc. a note or picture, postcard, photo, etc. I know you have all been meaning to. But I also don't think he's been receiving much mail (except from me and the boys, of course). Don't wait until Christmas. Please just take a few minutes... what else are you doing on this long holiday weekend of yours? And what better family project then to sit down together and think of something funny or just thoughtful to say to our favorite soldier! Reminisce about something, tell him what's going on in your life, what your favorite blog post has been, or just send him a recent photo, newspaper clipping or comic strip you enjoyed. I have e-mailed some of you his snail mail address but if I missed you and you'd like to send him a note please let me know. Thanks in advance for humoring me on this one!

That's Our Boy, Benjamin!

Last night as I was finishing up my blog entry I heard Samuel's baby mobile start playing it's sweet music over the baby monitor. I was a bit surprised to be hearing anything at all. It was around 10 p.m. and both boys had been in bed for a couple of hours. hmm. I didn't know what to expect. Samuel could not have activated his mobile. The on button is really out of his reach (until he learns how to stand). So, as I made my way up the stairs I saw Benjamin peeking over the edge of Samuel's crib near the on button of the mobile. hmm. Caught in the act. So, I quietly motioned for him to come out of Samuel's bedroom. And as he climbed down and around from the backside of the crib I noticed his lil butt was naked. And the bathroom light was on.

He actually woke up and went potty all by himself! A first and generally a big cause for celebration. Although the detour into his brother's room wasn't too desirable...he did not end up waking his brother. He seemed wide awake and gave me the usual report after success on the potty "Look! Poo poo in the potty!!!" I wasn't sure if he would get back in bed. But after getting him back in his jammie pants the lil bugger did. Phew.

Then this morning he slept until 6:30 a.m. He had breakfast with Daddy-O this morning. He saw the photo of him with Daddy-O by our kitchen sink. The one with Don in his old BDUs and him in his camo outfit that said "Pee all you can pee". Anyways, he loves that photo and said "there's me and Daddy!" So, I took the frame and placed it on the table while we ate breakfast. He liked that. We talked all about the photo, Daddy's uniform, Benjamin's outfit, etc. The frame says "My Hero" on it and I asked him if Daddy is his hero and he said "Yes, Daddy is my hero." It was pretty cute!

New Sitter is a Big Hit

Everything seemed to go pretty good at the new boys' sitter's house yesterday. Benjamin had a blast and can't wait to go back tomorrow. Although, Rie did call me in the afternoon yesterday with concern that Benjamin hadn't eaten. I think he was just really excited. She said they sat down for lunch and Benjamin declared he was ready for nap time. Hunter has bunk beds and Benjamin was so excited about sleeping in them that he skipped lunch for nap time. So, she said she closed the blinds in the room and he said "Goodnight" and he was out for about 2 1/2 hours. Phew. He did end up eating when he woke up from nap.

And she also mentioned that Samuel spits up a lot. Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes with Samuel can attest to that! He is my spitter. Hopefully, she can see past that lovely quality of his and find it somewhat endearing. Everyone says they start to outgrow all that spitting up and acid reflux around 6 months. I'm still waiting. Hopefully the spitting up will end soon.

When I went to pick them up from Rie's, Benjamin didn't want to leave. So, I think that is a good sign that he is going to adjust just fine to this change in his life.

Last night I had to attend a parent orientation for Benjamin's preschool. My neighbor, Cheryl, gracefully agreed to take on my two kids in addition to her two. And the meeting lasted from 7 p.m. until about 8 p.m. Everything went well. But I did get a lil teary eyed when the director talked about Father's Night and they showed slides of some kids showing off their school work to their dads. At least this is only preschool and in hind sight Benj will probably not recall these days much (although the kid has a remarkable memory so time will tell).

Today we went to get Samuel's 6 month photos taken. It is a very kid friendly place called "Portrait Innovations" that I take them to. But I packed some extra things to entertain Benjamin while Samuel was posing! I'm including a slide show of all is pics in this post. Isn't he too stinkin cute? He wasn't as smiley as I had hoped because really that boy can smile and today I think the timing was off and he would have rather been sleeping than smiling at the camera. Oh well. We got some cute ones nonetheless.

Then we were off to the mall to pick up Benjamin's fat feet shoes that I had ordered from Stride Rite. So, there we were signed in and waiting for Benjamin's name to be called. And we ended up being the family you don't want to be around in a pretty tight knit store. ugh! Benjamin was running around the store bumping into people. So, I corralled Benjamin back into his stroller after making him apologize to the three women he hit. And then I buckled him in the stroller as he preceded to sob about being buckled in for the entire rest of our wait. I'm sure the employees there were very glad to help us and get us out of their store (as were many of the customers).

But in Benjamin's defense, I had just dragged him to his brother's photo shoot where he had to behave too. Just pushed him to his limits. And we all paid!

Both boys took naps today and I was able to poop scoop the backyard (yes, we do have two dogs) and also do some much needed weeding. I felt like I actually got something accomplished doing both those chores. Then tonight the boys, dogs and I went for a nice walk around our neighborhood. My timing was better and our route was shorter than the other night. phew.

Don e-mailed that he had a long day and sounded like he is back at his regular base now.

Another Nap-less Day

This morning I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and could not believe there was no one stirring in my house. And I was a lil irritated that I was awake! ugh. So, I got up and enjoyed some me time for about 20 minutes until Benjamin woke up. He hasn't slept that late in ages...but he did not have a nap yesterday. And Samuel woke up around 7:15 a.m.

So, we were at Target around 8:30 a.m. stocking up on diapers and dog food and a few other things. But I was pretty proud of myself for not veering off my list of things we actually went there for. Of course, Benjamin's highlight of going to Target is the "fruit smoothies" at the Starbucks. So, he started asking for "a smoothie. a big one" right as we were entering the store and I managed to hold off until I was paying at the register. The Target was empty (apparently, most people have much better things to do on a Monday morning) so as I was at the register he walked over to the Starbucks (which was only a matter of a few yards away from me). So, I gave him some money and some guidance and he actually said to the lady at Starbucks "Strawberries and Creme please." It was too cute! His head barely poked over the counter for the lady to see him and then he tossed the bill on the counter. So, when I met up with him he said to me "She didn't take it (meaning the money)." I explained that she was making the smoothie and that she would take it in a minute. He really lit up when she handed him his big smoothie. ahh. All worth the trip to the new Target.

When we got home Samuel took a whopper of a nap and Benjamin again escaped nap time by playing in his room. ugh. Samuel woke up around 2 p.m. and we went over to the boys' new babysitters house so Benjamin could get used to the surroundings and I could drop off some of their things. Tomorrow they will start going to Ms. Rie's house. She has two sons, Hunter who is 4 1/2 years old and Jake who is 18 months. Benjamin and Hunter had a blast playing with cars and he can't wait to go back. He didn't want to leave today and as soon as we got home he asked if he could go to Hunter and Jake's house. Hunter has bunk beds in his room and Benjamin LOVES bunk beds so he is actually looking forward to nap time tomorrow. Let's just hope he actually naps! He has always been a great napper so for him to go two days in a row without a nap is a first.

Tonight we ate dinner early...like at 5 p.m. I guess I was hungry and not paying attention to the time because we usually don't eat until 6 p.m. After dinner we had lots of time before bedtime so we went for a walk. The boys and the dogs. This was the longest walk I've taken on with the dogs and the boys all at once. ugh. Don't think I'll be taking that route again anytime soon. Benjamin got really whinny (most likely because he hadn't napped in 2 days) and Samuel lost it because he was hungry (bad timing on my part). The poor dogs were just being dragged along panting the entire time watching out for the stroller wheels. We ended up taking a bit of a short cut back home. We couldn't have been home soon enough.

Samuel had taken a good long nap today but only one nap so he was also very over tired. Both boys got baths tonight and Benjamin was in bed around 7:30 p.m. and Samuel was fighting the sleep and finally crashed around 8 p.m. I just hope I'm not paying for those early bedtimes bright and early in the morning! But we all just needed for them to get to bed tonight. It was a long day. And I'm somewhat looking forward to going back to work tomorrow!

Sweet Sunday

Today was a great way to end a good weekend. Don called this morning before we went to church. It was great to hear from him. He is still in Tikrit, Iraq. He traveled there by helicopter a few days ago and will be there for a few more days. He sounded good. Sounds like things are a lil more relaxed there. He said the unit he is visiting have been there for about a year. We talked for awhile and Benjamin talked to him for a good long while too. He gets so excited to talk to Daddy-O on the phone. It's really sweet. And with Don keeping up with the blog and the e-mails I send him he knows what's going on in Benjamin's world and was asking him about his upcoming birthday party and his new Diego rescue pack. All things Benjamin is excited to talk about.

After church we all laid down for naps. I slept about a half an hour when I heard some toy making noises from Benjamin's room. So, that was the beginning of what was to become a napless day for Benjamin. ugh. This has only happened a few times in his life...when he just didn't nap. Usually, he is a good napper. So, I dreaded bringing him anywhere with him not having had a nap but we had plans to go over to our friends, Dave and Nelly's house for dinner. And Benjamin was so excited to go play with Brookie. This could have been part of the reason he didn't nap. Because when I eventually gave into the idea that he wasn't going to nap he asked "Can we go to Brookies' now?"

So, we had a nice visit with Dave, Nelly and the kids tonight. Benjamin and Brooke and a couple of neighbor boys had a blast playing. And Samuel and Reed (who are just a few weeks apart in age) had some fun rolling around on the floor together. And I enjoyed a night when I didn't have to cook dinner!

We have long talked about the budding romance between Benjamin and Brooke and I think these photos may have captured some early moments of their lil love affair! Aren't they just too cute! (Watch out Davey! Those Chapman boys can really stir a girl's heart!)

Today was another pretty uneventful day. Samuel was awake from 4:45 a.m. until about 5:15 a.m. ugh! I guess I paid for him going to bed early last night. But then he went back to sleep until 8:30 a.m.

We all got a nap today which was much needed (on my part). Then we ended up heading to the pool. So after gearing up for all of us to venture up...with pool bag, towels, floaty for Samuel, vest for Benj, etc. all gathered up we arrived at the pool amidst cloudy skies. We all got in the water. Benjamin jumped in once from the side and the water was feeling rather refreshing on a very hot and humid day. We were in the water for about 5 short minutes when the lifeguard blew his whistle and said "The pool is closing. A storm is coming." ugh. So, out we go. We gathered back up our pool gear and were on our way back home. ugh. Here is a photo of Benjamin looking out the window for the storm after we got home. It did end up storming a bit but blew over rather quick. Oh well.

Benjamin received his "Rescue Pack" in the mail today. This backpack is featured in his favorite cartoon series "Go Diego Go" and now he has one of his very own. Thanks to e-bay! Unfortunately, no actual "Rescue Pack" seems to be on the market so I did my homework and found a lady who makes the backpacks and sells them on e-bay. I mentioned to Benjamin the other day that the mail man (yes, for those of you who have read previous blogs, we usually do have a mail MAN who tends to use his horn less often) would be bringing his rescue pack in a few days. So, for the past few days every time Benjamin has seen the mailman he asks about his rescue pack. And he actually went out to the mailbox with me today and was so excited when he opened up the envelope containing his very own rescue pack!

Samuel has really got this scooting stuff down. He is really all over the place. And not only that, now he kind of stands up on his feet with his hands still on the floor (see photo). He is very interested in everything he can get his lil hands on which mostly means his big brother's toys. But also means it's time for me to get down on the floor and re-child proof my house! ugh.

I received a political call today. ugh. Not even sure who it was for but as soon as I knew for sure that it wasn't Don I was ready to hang up. I told him I wasn't interested and he said "You're not interested in the future of our country, ma'am." He's lucky I hung up when I did because otherwise he probably would have gotten an ear full. Geesh... assuming that I'm not interested in the future of our country just because I was too busy not to talk to some political party that I'm NOT going to be sending any money to regardless of their political affiliation.

On that note, no word from Don today. I'm assuming he was just too busy today or traveling back to his normal base. I've just gotten a lil spoiled by having two Saturday phone calls two weekends in a row.

What's Cookin?

Today was a good day. Not sure exactly what time Benjamin woke up today because he actually stayed in his room and played for awhile. I heard him stirring around 6:15 a.m. and was up outta bed with him around 6:30 a.m. Samuel on the other hand slept until 8 a.m.! My kinda man.

Benjamin's neighbor friend, Abby, came over to play this morning. She was only over for about an hour or so while her mom was at the dentist. It was perfect timing, Samuel went down for a nap right after she arrived. So, I said to the kids, "Who wants to make cookies?" And I had two very happy children screaming "I do! I do!" So, that started the great cookie baking disaster! No, not really, just a few mishaps. They were excellent helpers and totally enjoyed the entire process. All was good until I forgot to put the bowl with the flour and other stuff into the mix before we actually scooped the first batch of cookies out and stuck them in the oven. I couldn't imagine why they looked so funny until I saw the bowl of flour sitting on the counter which I specifically placed out of the way so it didn't get knocked over...never thought I'd completely forget about it! So, it was a quick fix while the kids got distracted playing with something else. And the rest of the cookies turned out okay! Phew. They would not have been too pleased with me (especially since it was the last of my eggs and I couldn't have whipped up another batch!) However, this did create quite a mess to clean up. The first batch kinda caramelized and I thought I ruined a good cookie sheet but with some serious elbow grease all turned out better than expected.

Samuel's nap time didn't overlap with Benjamin's so much today so he got lots of Mommy's undivided attention today which was nice. He's at such a fun and animated age right now. I love it! He loves to smile and scoot around. I think I could always have a 6 month old in my house. (As long as it was one that slept through the night!) It's hard not to smile when you get such a great reaction back. They are both feeling much better and of course, healthy boys makes for a happy Mom!

So, after nap time today we went to the Leesburg Corner Outlets (which is in the next town over). I didn't have much on my list to accomplish which is always a plus with the kids in tow. I managed to get done what I had to and Benjamin played on the playground there so we were all happy.

After dinner tonight Samuel went right down and Benjamin and I enjoyed some one on one time before we read books and I tucked him in.

I heard from Don via e-mail today! I was really happy to hear from him because he had indicated that I may not hear from him for a few days and I really had no idea how long "a few days" would last. So, this is a lil of what he had to say:

"I am emailing you from COB Speicher. I am very busy in meetings with the staff here discussing their hospital and how it works and how it could be improved.

I love you and the boys and miss you both tremendously."

I was just ecstatic to hear from him. But I'm sure he is staying plenty busy. Not sure if this means that we won't get our Saturday phone call or not? hmm. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Yesterday marked 1 month since Don deployed. (Of course, he left home about a month before that and spent time at Ft. Lewis.) Time continues to roll by pretty fast and it's hard to believe September is almost here. So, 1 month down...about 14 to go!

On a side note, I just wanted to thank all of you who continue to stop by our blog and read about all the nonsense going on in our lives. I love to hear from those of you that have been checking in on us, so please let me know that you're visiting our blog (if you haven't). We are so truly blessed with all the wonderful friends and family members we have. All the support, prayers, e-mails and words of encouragement are so very appreciated.

Trying out a new (new to me anyways) feature with a slideshow of photos I took of Samuel today...

Our Not So Exciting Wednesday

Today we had a pretty uneventful day which was awesome after the past few days which have been rather hectic. Yesterday Samuel was up from 4-5 a.m. then went back down rather easily. Then Benjamin was up at 5:40 a.m. and I had to roll out of bed at 6 a.m. ugh. I felt awful most of the day yesterday... pretty exhausted and my throat was bothering me too. I worked briefly...and had a couple of doctor's appointments and the boys were at Natalie's house. Then I went to a baby shower for Natalie at one of her neighbor's house. It was nice to get out. I brought Samuel with me while Benjamin stayed with Jack and his daddy, Dennis. Unfortunately, after doing great all day, Benjamin did get sick while with Dennis. ugh. But otherwise he is acting pretty normal.

Today, Benjamin was up at 5 a.m and after several attempts at sending him back to bed I asked him to read which didn't last too long. So, our day started pretty early once again today. But I'm feeling much better. And my sore throat seems to be gone!Samuel was very needy today and really just wanted to be held. I think he's still not 100% but I also think something else is going on... teeth? Time will tell. Here he is sitting on the kitchen counter while I was loading the dishwasher. He managed to find a roll of yellow ribbon I had sitting there and kept himself quite entertained.

Benjamin took an early nap today which made for a long afternoon. But he did pretty well today. We took an afternoon walk which we all really needed. The weather has been great this week. In the 60s and 70s and finally some rain!!! Besides the walk...we went nowhere today which was fine by me. I managed to sort through some of Samuel's clothes... they go through them so quick at this age! So, I felt like I got a lil accomplished but besides that and a little bit of laundry not much else got accomplished! (But I still have about an hour until I go to bed!)

Here are a couple of photos I took of Benj tonight at the dinner table with his Army water canteen that Daddy-O sent him last month. He was so excited to use it. It's actually on his dresser right now as he sleeps.

Don has been good about sending daily e-mails and seems to be doing good. Definitely, has not lost his sense of humor. He had read the previous blog I posted regarding the incident with the beloved mail lady and he suggested that my throat was hurting from yelling at her. Ha! Lucky he wasn't in a near vicinity making comments like that. (Note: My throat hurt before the incident. Really.) Anyway, Don will be out of the office for a few days so please keep him in your prayers.

Yesterday I called my friend, Kelli, in Memphis whose mother recently passed away. I thought maybe she would be home from work...but when no one answered I didn't leave a message and figured I'd call back again soon. It was weird though because I really felt like I needed to call her (we don't really talk on the phone often although we have remained close friends for years). Then she left me a voice mail last night that she saw I had called their number and she said it had been a rough day and that her grandfather passed. I know they are going through a lot right now and I'm praying for her and her family every day. Hang in there Kelli! I know it may not seem like it but the sun will shine again.

Mail Lady Mayhem

Last night was a lil bit of a rough one. Both Samuel and Benjamin are sick now. Benjamin threw up yesterday and then again last night in his bed (ick!). And Samuel was up in the night with problems stemming from his other end. ugh. So, this morning when my alarm went off I declared a day off. I was scheduled to go into work but decided I needed to focus on getting my kids to the doctor if need be. So, after a couple of phone calls trying to get into the doctors office a nurse called me back and said it sounds like they have a viral infection and gave me very detailed and helpful instructions on what to give them and what to avoid. I took this pic of them this afternoon...Benj looks a lil groggy with his bed head and Samuel just couldn't stop smiling even though his tummy has been upset.

Unfortunately, I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for today. ugh. So, I called Natalie (the boys' trusty babysitter) to cancel on her for the day and she offered to take the boys while I went to my doctor's appointment. Phew. She's the best!

So, when we got home from Natalie's house the boys and I all went down for much need naps. And this is where the story gets ugly...

Then around 3 p.m. I woke to a distant...honk. honk. HOOOOOONNNNNNKKKKK. It was coming through the baby monitor. This honking was right under the boys' windows. ugh. And the honking continued on for about 5 minutes. So, as I laid there and listened to a few more minutes of honking I realized this honker was not going to stop until they got someones attention. She just didn't know who she was messing with today. I was tired. Exhausted. And as I made it out our bedroom door Benjamin greeted me and said "I hear a noise." Of course he did.

Well, living in town homes we have community mailboxes and they just happened to be in front of our home. Somewhat convenient most of the time but a total nuisance in this case. And as I came to from my grogginess I remembered that our neighbors were out of town and left their vehicle in front of the mailbox. (We've accidentally done this before and received nasty notes on our cars. But no honking). So, I told Benjamin "Go look out the front window. I'm going to go talk to the mailman." And I flew out the door. There she was in her mail truck in the middle of the street next to our neighbor's car...not a care in the world. And I approached her and said, in a rather abrupt tone "Excuse me, ma'am. I have two sick boys napping upstairs and you are honking." and she had excuse after excuse as I verbally attacked her on a rampage of sorts. ugh. I had it. She said "How did I know you had two sick boys napping?" So, my thought is... otherwise it would be okay to honk excessively??? But that's not what I came back with instead I just said "It's nap time." Obviously, she has no lil kids. And she also said that she didn't think anyone was home. What??? My car was in the driveway. And if you really didn't think anyone was home why would you continue to honk??? Geesh. She just kept adding fuel to my fire. I also told her if she kept honking then maybe the neighbors that were out of town would hear her in another state. I didn't cuss. I just spoke my case....rapidly and with arms flailing. And I honestly cannot even tell you exactly what else came from my mouth.

Then I came inside to my two year old crying on the stairs because he must not have understood what Mommy said about her going outside for a second. Poor guy. But at least he was in the same spot as when I went out the door and didn't witness his crazy mom out there with the Mail Lady.

So, I don't know if I felt better after releasing all that tension or not. I'm sure she did not. And I partly regret doing it. It is not often that I lose it like that but her timing was impeccable. But hopefully, she will not honk like that at my house or anyone elses again. Just leave her nasty note saying to not park there and be on your way, Mail Lady.

I was a lil concerned that maybe she gave up after that and we wouldn't have any mail. But we did. And my neighbor had a nasty note on his car too.

I called another neighbor, Cheryl, to see if she heard my escapade from her place. Or the honking... she lives up the street a lil. She did not. But she also said it was rather loud at their house at that particular time and she would have been furious if her lil one was napping too. Hopefully, no one else witnessed this maniac woman verbally going at the Mail Lady.

So, anyways, the boys seem to be feeling a lil better. Benj didn't have much of an appetite today and Samuel wasn't as quite messy as yesterday! Hopefully tomorrow they'll be all better.

Tonight we also learned three quarters of a new bottle of baby body wash makes for good bath bubbles. (This incident occurred while I was quickly getting Samuel undressed for bath time and Benj was having a lil too much unsupervised fun). So much for that new bottle of baby wash! Their bathroom smells very clean and baby fresh though.

That's all I have for now. I think my blood pressure rose just reliving this episode today.

Fire Station Celebration

Last night was a bit exhausting. I was up and down all night...between Benj getting up a few times and the dogs barking (which I always have a hard time falling asleep after they sound an alert. ugh. They are my watch dogs and allow me many restful nights until they bark...then I start to wonder what they're barking at.)

So, Benj started this wonderful day around 5 a.m. and after sending him back to bed won a spot in Mommy's bed around 5:30 a.m. I was too tired to fight the battle today.

We stayed home from Sunday School since Samuel still doesn't seem to be 100% and made it to church just fine. I held Samuel through the services instead of dropping him off in the nursery and he did surprisingly well.

We came home, had lunch and changed Benjamin out of his church clothes then were off to his best buddy Jack's long anticipated birthday party at the fire station. He was so excited. But he did fall asleep during the 15 minute ride there. He had a blast. They got to climb on a fire truck, ambulance and other fire vehicles. I think this photo of Benjamin says it all with his expression of pure happiness.

I met another mom at the party whose husband is in the National Guard unit here that was activated. They have been in training for a few months and soon, after a brief visit home, they will leave for Iraq for 9 months. She has a 3 1/2 year old son and a 1 year old daughter. She had a few questions about communication with them over there...but I'm sure everyone's situation is different with that. We've been so fortunate that Don has daily access to e-mail and is able to call about once a week. Her husband was deployed 18 months ago to Afghanistan so she's been down this road already.

Don e-mailed a lil this morning and this is what he was up to today:

"Went to chapel. Went to lunch. Had an internal office meeting. Submitted a test for ILE. Started the next module... it is a streaming video of an Iman speaking at ILE. It keeps buffering when it catches up to the download every minute or two...so I find other things to do for 5-10 minutes and come back and watch two more minutes or so. Waiting for dinner."

Well, that's all I have for now...I have laundry to finish up, dishes to do and about half a dozen other things yet tonight. Thank goodness the boys and I all had naps after the trip to fire station today!

Catching Up

It's been a lil while since I really made a typical post so I apologize for the lengthy post in advance...

This morning I woke up with a headache. ugh. Upon further investigation I realized that the headache was most likely caused by the fact that I was breathing like a porpoise with one tiny blow hole. (My nose was so stuffed up it whistled every time I breathed...probably more detail than you ever wanted). Anyways, I have long dreaded the day that I would not be feeling well and not be able to cover my head with a pillow and go back to sleep. But I took a couple of Aleve at 6:15 a.m. and when Benj woke up short after I was surprisingly able to function okay. phew.

Samuel has not been himself lately (although you'd never know it from the pics I'm posting today) and I'm hoping he is just teething. So, both yesterday and today I was hoping to get an early start but Samuel ended up taking a super long morning nap...so, we just postponed our activities for the day a bit, unfortunately, cutting it close to their afternoon nap time (and the return of Captain Crabbypants).

Yesterday we spent some time at the mall picking up a few things for the boys. Benjamin's fat feet are still measuring an XW so we made a trip to Stride Rite for their annual back to school sale. Of course, all the shoes they carry in stock in his fat foot size are total geek shoes. So, I ordered a pair that should be in within a week or so. He doesn't really need shoes now but I went ahead and ordered the next size up just to save a lil!

Both yesterday and today we got out with the dogs and made it to the playground nearby as well. The dogs get excited just hearing the mere mention of a walk and go absolutely bonkers when they see us getting ready to go out. I snapped this pic in the front of the house after our walk yesterday...minus me this is the whole gang! We may look quite ridiculous going for our walks but we all need it. And Campbell and Loudoun (our dogs) are getting quite used to avoiding the path of the stroller. With Samuel not up to par I think it really helps him to get some fresh air and get his mind off his upset tummy.

Today, the main thing on our agenda was going to check out a potential site for Benjamin's upcoming 3rd birthday celebration.

First let me address yet another addition to this blog with Benjamin sporting his Go Diego Go t-shirt. I did laundry yesterday and I tucked that shirt down somewhat deep in his drawer. I don't know how he spots it but he does and immediately grabs it out as soon as the drawer opens. And I have no doubt that tomorrow morning when we get ready to go to church that he will again ask for his Go Diego Go shirt! (It's either in the laundry or on that boy!)

So anyway, we were off to the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum not knowing what to expect. It opened at 10 a.m. and we pulled in the parking lot around 10:45 a.m. We were the only ones there and I was a bit hesitant...but they had a tractor in front and Benjamin was thrilled to be going to a Farm Museum. (The kid definitely has some Duda genes...he gets so excited about museums!)

So, the place was right up Benjamin's alley. He loved it. And I think he will love it eve more when his friends all gather there for his party in September. I just can't believe we hadn't been there yet! There were kids tractors for him to ride on, "Milkie" the cow to milk, a kid friendly general store, a puppet theater, some pretend race horses to ride, dress up clothes (see Samuel's photo) and a ton of other kid stuff. Good wholesome fun. And a nice lil cabin to corral everyone in for food and cake after exhausting them in the museum! I'm pretty excited to have that marked off my list...no worries about cramming everyone (and two dogs) into our townhouse this year! Phew.

So, then we're leaving the museum and I said to Benj who should we invite to your party...and we're naming some of his friends "Jack" and he says "Jack!" and Brooke "Yes, Brookie!" and then he pipes up and says "Will Daddy-O come?" hmpf. "No, Benj, Daddy won't be able to come to this one. He'll still be working with the Army."

Then he spots the flag outside on a flag pole and says "We have that flag!" and Mommy reminds him that is the flag of the "United States of America...can you say United States of America." He fumbles through it...close counts. Then almost on cue the country station I listen to says "Then National Anthem of the United States of America." (That station always plays the National Anthem at noon). And he says it again..."United States of Aimerreeka."

Ahh...and to top our day our wonderful neighbor, Katie, picked up some infamous cotton candy blue ice cream for Benjamin and some ice cream for me too! What a great treat. Tonight after playing outside we came in and enjoyed our ice cream. I thought you'd all enjoy this pic of Benj and his big blue mouth!!! Even he was quite amused by the photo.

Daddy-O called a lil while after we got home from the museum. I almost didn't answer because I didn't recognize the number on caller ID and I was in the middle of handling a blowout from baby Samuel. But luckily I did.

He's doing good. Sometimes we talk about how time is going by fast...but we know we have a long way to go. We can't believe how much the boys have changed already. (I recently sent him a video of the boys I took and he really enjoyed it).

So, he went to the Bagdad ER today. Not sure how often he will make this trip or others...not sure I really want to know. But he was back safe and was getting ready to head back to his container for movie night with a few guys. He moved containers. He is now further away from the generators which were pretty noisy and closer to a couple of guys in his unit that have some shaded area where they can all hang out. He has been working some long hours but hopefully tonight he made it back in time for their movie.

He said someone took a pic of him at the Bagdad ER today so hopefully he'll send that and I can post it soon.

Samuel Who? Mr. MaGoo?

Well, I think it is time for me to address the recent poll that was taken on this blog regarding Samuel.

For those of you who didn't pay any attention to the poll or the results, let's review...

The question was:

Who do you think baby Samuel looks like?

And the final tally was:

Daddy-O..............7 votes (43%)

Mommy...............0 votes (what?)

Papa Chapman...1 vote (6%)

Mr. MaGoo..........8 votes (50%)

At first, I must say I was a lil saddened by the fact that not one person thought that our son Samuel resembled me...afterall, I was the one who carried that boy around in my belly for 9 months and 1 day and gave birth to the 8 pound 12 ounces of cuteness. That he resembled Don was okay. Even I agree with that. But the fact that Mr. Magoo, a fictional character who we are obviously not even related to got more votes than me (or Don) was a little concerning.

hmpf.

Then I found out the truth. And the truth, my dear friends and relatives, is that this poll had been tampered with. That's right! I had someone admit to me that they felt so strongly that Samuel resembled Mr. Magoo that they tampered with the poll and actually voted frequently in his favor.

So, now I'm not sure what to make of my unofficial poll. I guess we shall just wrap it up and say that indeed our son does look like Mr. Magoo; however, due to improper voting procedures and perhaps a hanging chad...it looks like this election...errr, poll is corrupt. Now what? No recount. Nope. We'll just move on and figure out what the next poll should be.

Well, thank you you for all of you that voted from the heart and didn't make an effort to sway the vote. And thank you to the person(s) responsible for corrupting the poll as well. It really did make me laugh. And, of course, I do think that Samuel resembles Mr. MaGoo, afterall, I was the one who originated the poll (and his nickname...poor baby MaGoo).

Any idears on what kind of poll I should post next?

6 Months Ago

Samuel turned 6 months today! It's hard to believe. And even harder to imagine that he'll be a year old in another 6 months! I love this age. He's so funny. He loves to laugh and is totally smiley. And Benjamin loves to make him laugh too.

6 months...which reminds me of when we first found out that Don would be going to Iraq. I was 39 1/2 weeks pregnant. We were on the phone and he said "I have good news and bad news." And that is just not what you ever want to hear from your military spouse (especially when you're less than a week away from delivering their baby). So, he says "The good new is that I'm not going anywhere until June or July. But the bad news is that I'm going to Iraq for about a year." My heart just sank. But somehow I managed to tuck it far away in the back of my mind. After all, we were getting ready to embark on one of the happiest days of our lives...meeting our new lil man. So, the next week I went to a doctor's appointment on a snowy icy-day (the boys' Aunt Nancy Ford's birthday, actually). And they admitted me. Don met me at the hospital...straight from work. And within hours we welcomed Samuel Thomas into our world. I think I can speak for both Don and I that it was one of the happiest days of our lives.

Now his deployment is reality. But we had a few short months for it to sink in and to adjust. And now I can't tuck it in the back of my mind. It's here and we just take one day at a time. And sure, some days are more difficult than others but then tomorrow comes and it's a new day. New challenges, new excitement and new precious firsts to rejoice in with baby Samuel. Our boys have been such a blessing in our lives. And I'm so very proud of my husband. The first month has gone by fast. Let's just hope that time continues to race on by!

Overall, today was a pretty uneventful day. I decided we would stick around the house after Benjamin cried out from bed around 4 a.m. Just loud enough to wake Samuel up. ugh. So, Samuel and I spent some one-on-one quality time very early this morning then he went back to sleep until 9 a.m. Benj was up around 6:45 a.m. for the day and woke up as if to say "I am Captain Crabbypants...hear me roar!" ugh. But after much drama about nothing he calmed down and I was able to catch a lil snooze on the couch before Samuel woke up. I was just thankful that I didn't have to work today.

Here is a photo I snapped this morning right after Samuel woke up. Benjamin really wanted to hold him so he ended up helping out a lil bit too.

It seemed like the morning really raced by after that and after lunch it was nap time. Samuel and I both managed to take naps but Benjamin fought it today (which is unusual for him). But after two attempts at tucking him back in for a nap he ended up playing with puzzles, books and colorforms in his room for about an hour while I snoozed. Gosh, I sound lazy today! I guess I was playing catch up from the past two nights. With Samuel traditionally being such a great night time sleeper these wake up calls are really throwing me for a loop.

After Benjamin's playtime and my restful time we went out to get the mail together and low and behold a post card from Daddy-O! Benj was so excited. We sat at the bottom of our stairs outside and read it and examined it closely front and back. Then we brought it inside and Benjamin proudly added it to his collection on the fridge of Army postcards from Daddy-O!

This afternoon Benjamin's friend Abby came over to play. They had a great time painting, playing with blocks and then we all went outside for a couple of walks around the block and some time at the playground. They all had a great time. Then home for dinner, bath time and bedtime. Phew! Now back to work tomorrow...which really helps break up my week.

Don did e-mail that he received the first package I sent him. I couldn't believe he got it already. I just sent it last week. He did remind me NOT to send anything that may be sensitive to the extreme temperatures until November when it shouldn't be so miserably hot. (I sent him circus peanuts...he loves them and Benjamin and him often enjoy them together...but apparently they turned into one big mass of goo. oops. He said they were still edible...just rather disgusting to look at).

Don's First Call from Iraq

I must say I am getting pretty good at multitasking. I think this has always been a strength of mine but lately I feel like I've become particularly well at it!

Yesterday, Don called. Yipee!!! Hooray. His first actual call from Iraq. And guess where I was? At the new Target. Luckily we had already shopped for everything that we "needed" and spent a good hour checking out the toy aisles...so we were able to stay on the phone and get out of there. First I had to roundup Benjamin who managed to escape out of the cart and was running around aimlessly. So, I tracked him down. Buckled him into the cart and proceeded to the checkout. I told Don he probably save us some money by calling when he did because who knows what else I would have found to by while at Target. After the checkout, we got the smoothie I promised Benjamin from the Starbucks at Target. And finally we were in the car. And as I continue to talk to Don I hear a lil voice in between smoothie sips say "Mommy, buckle me." Thank goodness he doesn't let me forget this! ahhhh. (okay, so I didn't do particularly well at multi tasking that part).

NOTE: It really bugs me when people are glued to their phone while shopping or out an about. Like can't that call wait? hmm. I have new insight into that. No silly, this call can't wait...but Target can!

So, then we were off...we got to our neighborhood and Benjamin pipes up with his usual "Mommy, can we go around the block?" So, as we make the loop around I notice the garage sale that I saw a sign for earlier. They were cleaning up. But I spotted a lil toddler sized motorcycle so I rolled down the window and asked "How much are you asking for the motorcycle?"..."$1!" I hop out of the car and track down a dollar. Scoop up the motorcycle and put it in the truck. ahh. A very happy smoothie sipper in the back asks "That's my motorcycle?"..."Yes". So, we get home and Benjamin asks if he can ride the motorcycle. (At this point he had been shying away from talking to Daddy-O on the phone). So, I tell him we can take the motorcycle around the block after he says hi to Daddy. He quickly takes the phone from me and they have a brief conversation (mostly about the new motorcycle) while I get Samuel out of the car and into a stroller, throw our Target purchases into the garage and unbuckle Benj.

So, then we take our walk around the block all while still talking to Don. Benjamin had a ball...that motorcycle was worth every penny! (Although, Daddy expresses some concern about it eating up more of our precious garage space. oops. And Benj is probably already too big for the motorcycle...but Samuel ought to love it next summer!)

Don sounded great. It was sooooo good to talk to him. I felt so elated after talking to him. Like there was wind in my sails again. That had been the longest we'd gone without a phone call since he left for Ft. Lewis in June. Some times it's been hard not being able to just talk to him. Of course, some of the physical demands of being a parent can be draining from day to day but I can handle that. (I have a lot of respect for single parents now that is for sure). But I really miss just talking to Don....sharing the joys and concerns of our boys with him. There is only one other person in this world that really loves your kids the same way you do and that is the other parent. I know my boys are loved. But we have come to learn what a parent's love is together. And he really helps to balance me out when I'm stressed or overreacting or overly concerned. I miss that. He is so reassuring.

Anyways, we probably spent an hour on the phone. He says he will try to call more frequently but probably not be able to talk so long. It is an 8 hour time change. So, while it was our afternoon he was preparing to go home for the day. He has been working long hours and getting into a good routine. I don't even know what we talked about really...mostly the boys I suppose.

The guy he is replacing has four young kids and had some good tips on helping keep in touch. We talked about that for awhile. I had asked Don to draw some pictures on the postcards and/or letters he sends to Benjamin so he can kind of read them on his own. Because right now he looks at the words and says "Daddy drew this?" Don is hoping to get a digital camera soon from the PX there so hopefully we'll be sharing photos from Iraq in the somewhat near future too.

Today we went to church then after lunch we all took naps (which was much needed after Benj was up at 2:45 a.m. for no apparent reason...then Samuel was up at around 3 a.m. for about an hour...probably woke up after hearing his brother! ugh). Then we were off to the neighborhood pool this afternoon. Actually, both yesterday and today we spent some time at the pool. Luckily, our very wonderful neighbor, Katie, is more than willing to head up to the pool with us and help me with the boys. So, we all had a good time.

And in keeping with tradition, I let Benjamin pick out his own clothes after church to change into. Today, like many other days, he opted for guess what? Yup. His favorite...Go Diego Go shirt...so I though I'd include a photo of him in that too...fresh off the top of the clean laundry basket!

On another note. My college friend, Kelli, called yesterday morning from Memphis. Her mother had been very ill and she had passed on Friday. I immediately started to cry with her. I cannot even imagine what she is going through. We talked for a good long while. I think we both had a good cry and we both needed it. Even though we are going through very different challenges right now it is nice to talk to a dear friend that can always help you see sunshine. Kelli, please know that you and your family continue to be in my prayers. You are a strong person and your mom will always be shinning through you in so many ways.

Tie a Yellow Ribbon

Yup. That's our boy, Benjamin out in our yard in his favorite Go Diego Go t-shirt, underwear and crocks helping tie a yellow ribbon around our tree! I've been meaning to put the yellow ribbon on our tree for a couple of weeks now and finally got an opportunity to do so. This was after Benjamin watered some outdoor plants in the same lovely attire. (Some days potty training is just easier without the extra layer!).

Well, we had a busy day today. We were out the door around 8 a.m. and off to the doctor's in Bethesda, Maryland which is about 45 minutes away. Samuel's 6 month check up! He'll be 6 months on Monday... I can hardly believe it. He weighed in at 19.5 pounds and measured 28.75 inches. Both the boys were really good at the doctor's office which was pretty impressive considering our appointment was at 9 a.m. and the doctor we saw didn't come into the room until after 10 a.m. ugh! (Love that free military healthcare...oh...we pay in other ways!). So, Samuel was referred to orthopedics. His feet have been turned in since he came outta my belly so we will see what they have to say about helping that situation out. So far each doctor he has seen in pediatrics over the course of his lifetime seems to have a different opinion: Doctor #1: Exercise his feet this way and it should help stretch them. Doctor #2: Not a big concern. He will outgrow it. And now, apparently this doctor (Doctor #3) seems to think it is serious enough for a referral.

After a couple of shots and a good wait at the pharmacy we were outta there around 1 p.m. And home by 2 p.m.! Phew. Benjamin fell asleep in the car and the nap was over the minute I pulled into the driveway...but bedtime was really simple tonight! He was out like a light. And Samuel was exhausted after spending all day at the doctors. So, he slept all afternoon.

I did manage to get a few photos of him awake this afternoon though... and this photo of the two of them in Benjamin's firetruck bed is my favorite photo of the two of them together to date. It just looks like what brotherhood is all about! Having a good ole time! Samuel looks like he thought he was big stuff sittin' in there with his big brother. I know they won't always get along as well as they do... but they totally adore each other right now. It's awesome. Benjamin loves to make Samuel smile and Samuel in turn loves to laugh at his big brother. And the cutest thing is that Benjamin almost always holds Samuel's hand when they are in the car. Their car seats are right next to each other and Samuel's is currently rear facing... so it puts their hands very close together... and Benjamin always reaches for Samuel's hand. It is very rare that I look in my rear mirror and they are not holding hands. Gotta love that!

I received a pretty lengthy e-mail from Don today. So, here is an excerpt from that:

"They did replace the air conditioning. This week has been cooler after the first couple of days here. I have been here in Iraq for about a week. The temperature this week has settled back down to about 106-108degrees. Sure beats the 120's. I am getting into a fairly regular routine. Get up, work out, shower, eat breakfast, work, eat lunch, work, eat dinner, go change into PT shorts and tshirt, lift weights, read my bible, go to sleep. Do it all over again the next day. Sundays I go to chapel service before going to work. I don't work out every day. Mostly running in the mornings and weights in the evenings. I got a vacuum cleaner and cleaned my room last night. Only one half of the trailer. I also tried to wipe the walls down. The dust is terrible and it doesn't look like the previous occupant did much to clean up when he moved, let alone routinely. It was disgusting."

So, I guess I won't complain about the heat today after hearing that 106 is a cool snap? hmpf.

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"So I'm standing and waiting and praying . . .

and one of these days Don is going to untie

that yellow ribbon. It's going to be out there until he does."

--adapted from Penne Laingen