Daddy-O Is Home

Well, Daddy-O made it home Saturday the 17th around noon and we have been having a great time.

I have had several people ask me what Benjamin's first reaction was. First let me say that Don called at 8 a.m. that morning and spoke to both Benjamin and I and told us he'd be taking the 10 a.m. flight out of Atlanta. Benjamin drove me nuts about it all morning. He just could not wait to go to the airport! I had a few things I really needed to pick up at Target so I said to Benjamin, "Let's go to Target then we'll go to the airport." and his response was "Let's go to the airport first." (Of course, Daddy wasn't due in for hours at that point). We ended up not going to Target because I figured he would make that experience miserable by just wanting to get to the airport. He was so stinkin excited. We all were.

So, we got to the airport a lil early, picked up some fruit smoothies from the airport Starbucks, fed Samuel a couple containers of baby food and waited for Daddy-O by the baggage claim. I started to notice people trickling over to the baggage claim from down a ways so we headed that way. When I spotted Daddy-O I let Benjamin out of the stroller and he headed straight for Daddy. I wasn't sure if he'd be shy or not and he was not one bit. Don lifted him up and did what they call a "rocket ship". Benjamin has been talking about Daddy giving him a "rocket ship" for months. I teared up a bit and when Don saw me he asked if I had been crying. "Not until Benjamin saw you." was my response.

Being the camera obsessed Mom that I am I took a few photos at the airport and I'm sure you'll agree that Benjamin was smiling from ear to ear. Such a genuine happy smile. (Unfortunately, the lighting was really bad in the airport and the pics didn't turn out too well).

Of course Daddy was as equally excited to see Samuel and I. And we have been having a great visit ever since. I could go on and on about every lil thing we've done but the fact is that it's getting late and my hubby just went to bed. So, I'm going to get off this blasted computer where it is quite cold and go snuggle up in our warm toasty bed... with my husband.

Daddy-O's Delayed

Well, Don's homecoming has been somewhat delayed. He called around 1:15 a.m. today to say he was in Kuwait. I was glad to finally hear from him and know what was going on. Apparently, he was not able to get out of Baghdad on Wednesday as originally planned.

He was able to e-mail a flight itinerary to me from Kuwait. I was kind of out of it when he called and he seemed a lil confused on which day it was (here). So, I was originally under the impression that he would be in today sometime around 4 p.m. but when I looked at the e-mail he sent it actually says Saturday at 4 p.m. So, I'm still not sure exactly when he will arrive.

The boys and I have been having a great day nonetheless. Samuel slept from about 7:30 p.m. until 7 a.m. today and Benjamin actually declared that it was daylight when he woke up (around 7 a.m.). Finally a pretty good night sleep (minus the middle of the night phone call from Daddy-O, but I was glad to hear from him).

Samuel took a good morning nap today and Benjamin and I made cookies. Daddy loves chocolate chip cookies so we made some of those and some with mini- M&Ms for Benj.

They are both down for naps now and I think I will try to catch up on a few things too.

Thank you all for your encouragement, support, prayers, phone calls, e-mails and sharing in the excitement of Don's return for R&R.

(Photo of Samuel and I was taken by Benjamin this morning. He's fascinated with the digital camera and is getting better at taking pictures!)

Daddy Is En Route

Well, Daddy-O should be en route to see us as I type this. He will have a few flights and stops in order to get here so I'm not sure exactly where he is right now or when we are exactly expecting him. Most likely sometime late tomorrow night. We shall see.

We have had some busy days recently and this week has just flown by so far.

Monday I took Samuel to see the Orthopedic doctor regarding his feet and he prescribed Reversed Last Shoes. So, I spent some time researching to figure out where I could actually purchase these shoes for him without driving to Maryland. After numerous phone calls and Internet searches I tracked a place down in Arlington, Virginia. Since Monday was Veterans Day, our neighbor Katie was off from work so she ventured with me up to the shoe store. It was great to have her with me. She was much more familiar with that area and she entertained Benjamin while I got Samuel's feet sized. Boy are these some expensive shoes! But a small price to pay if it will prevent him from needing casting. We will try these for 6 weeks and hope they help correct his feet from turning in. The shoes should be in within the next few days and we'll see how he does with them. (I will not complain about the cost of Benjamin's extra wide shoes any longer!)

Benjamin fell asleep on the way home from the shoe store Monday evening around 5:30 p.m. (after not napping that day). And he slept until almost 6 a.m. the following day. Phew! He must have been wore out. (Precisely why I truly believe he's not ready to give up those naps).

Today Benjamin did NOT have a good day at preschool. ugh. When I went in to pick him up I could tell something was wrong. First of all, the kids' artwork was all lined up outside the classroom minus Benjamin's turkey shape creation. hmm. Then Miss Jenny was letting all the kids go to the other parents. But not Benjamin. I was one of the first in line. hmm. Well, the other teacher, Miss Tracie asked if I had a minute she'd like to speak to me. uh oh. She said Benjamin had a "bad day". And for them to use those words it must have been bad because they really do a good job at remaining positive. Apparently, he was hitting all the kids in his class and he threw a fire truck which broke. ugh. He was pretty disappointed that he wasn't getting his sticker from his teacher (which he has never NOT gotten). And they had him sit out from doing the turkey art project. The teachers are great and super understanding but it's still awful to hear that our child was not treating other kids kindly. ugh. Most likely he was overtired. No excuse but he can definitely get unruly when he's tired. He was up around 5:30 a.m. today too. And after lunch he took a 3 hour nap.

The other art project he did do had a list of things he was thankful for which said "Benjamin is thankful for race cars, Pop Tarts and Halloween treats." That's our boy.

Well, I have about a gazillion things to do. The house is still a bit of a disaster even though I managed to get a few things done today there is still lots to do. So, I may not be posting frequently for a couple of weeks but I will try to post some picks from time to time.

(I'm adding a video clip I took tonight of the boys with the balloon we picked up for Daddy-O's homecoming. Samuel loves the balloon. The clip is a little dark but hopefully you can still make out their images.)

Fall for All

We enjoyed our not so exciting weekend. Caught up on some laundry and a few chores around the house that I'd been avoiding. (Still have a ton to do!)

We set up a lil tent in our bedroom first thing Saturday morning and all pilled in (Campbell dog included). We enjoyed a few stories and giggles in there before heading out to the grocery store. Benjamin loves to go and as long as I keep my list rather short, both boys do well. Benjamin pushes his own mini shopping cart, gets a free balloon and sugar cookie, and, if he behaves he gets to ride Harry the Dragon on the way out of the store. So, of course he loves to go grocery shopping! He's a good helper too. When we arrived home Samuel was sound asleep. So, I brought the groceries into the house then carried Samuel up to his bed. As I came downstairs I could hear Benjamin saying something like "It's not too heavy." And as I made my way all the way to the ground level (where I had dropped all the grocery bags) Benjamin was heading up the stairs with a bag full of groceries and declaring that he was helping. He was so proud of himself and I was surprise to find that this was already his second trip up (with evidence of another full bag of groceries already placed on the kitchen table). Of course, he got a special treat for helping Mommy with all the groceries plus the very distinguished title of being "Mommy's Great Helper" which he was pretty proud of.

Benjamin played in his room for close to two hours but never napped Saturday. ugh. When Samuel woke up we headed out to Target and our neighbor Katie joined us. She was pretty entertained by Benjamin belting out the tunes to the "Cars" Soundtrack that we play in the car (constantly). But as we arrived at Target (15 minutes from home) we were somewhat surprised to find Benjamin sound asleep. So, I pushed the double stroller so he could get a lil bit more of a nap. I had a list and managed to get everything I went for (plus a few things, of course). One of the main attractions to going to Target for Benjamin was the fact that the long anticipated Christmas trees are up again. So, once we got to that area I woke him and he was thrilled. On the way home we stopped at Moe's for dinner. It was nice to have Katie's company and help.

This morning we went to church and when we got home it was pretty nice out so Benjamin and I worked on corralling some of the leaves that collect in our yard. He was thrilled. We have been reading a book about the leaves falling and talking about jumping in them. He had a ball. I practically had to drag him in the door after that. Samuel stayed pretty entertained just watching his big brother.

Don had called and left a message before we got in from church. He called back though and we were able to talk to him for awhile. I let Benjamin answer the phone and he was so excited to talk to Daddy-O and discuss all their upcoming plans (doing what they call "rocketships" -- which means Daddy-O tossing Benjamin high in the air and catching him, going to Chucky Cheeses, Great Wolf Lodge, etc.) And Benjamin proudly recited the Pledge of Allegiance for Daddy too.

Of course we are all anxious and excited about Don's upcoming visit. I feel like Christmas is coming! Well, I know it is right around the corner. But I feel like the excitement and anticipation for that day is happening this week. His visit will be the best gift of the season for us all.

Please pray for his safety as he travels home this week.

I'm Already There

This song rings true to our situation in so many ways. I know it is a favorite of a lot of military families going through the same separation we are. Every time I hear it, it brings tears to my eyes. Country music fans will know the song... all you other folks ought to look it up online or something and give it a listen. (Actually, I linked the title directly below.)

I'm Already There

(Performed by Lonestar but written by (Richie McConald/Gary Baker/Frank Myers)

He called her on the road

From a lonely cold hotel room

Just to hear her say I love you one more time

But when he heard the sound

Of the kids laughing in the background

He had to wipe away a tear from his eye

A little voice came on the phone

Said daddy when you coming home

He said the first thing that came to his mind

I'm already there

Take a look around

I'm the sunshine in your hair

I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind

I'm your imaginary friend

And I know I'm in your prayers

Oh I'm already there

She got back on the phone

Said I really miss you darling

Don't worry about the kids they'll be alright

Wish I was in your arms

Lying right there beside you

But I know that I'll be in your dreams tonight

And I'll gently kiss your lips

Touch you with my fingertips

So turn out the light and close your eyes

I'm already there

Don't make a sound

I'm the beat in your heart

I'm the moonlight shining down

I'm the whisper in the wind

And I'll be there until the end

Can you feel the love that we share

Oh I'm already there

We may be a thousand miles apart

But I'll be with you wherever you are

I'm already there

Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair

I'm the shadow on the ground

I'm the whisper in the wind

And I'll be there until the end

Can you feel the love that we share

Oh I'm already there

Oh I'm already

There

1 week to go and Daddy should be en route home for a visit!

Pictures from Our Soldier

Don has been putting that new digital camera to good use! He sent a couple of photos of taken last week of himself. They are of him at a coffee shop that he and John routinely go to around 0930 every morning right after their morning meeting.

I thought it was odd how the inside looks like such a trendy coffee shop atmosphere... like you'd see around here. But apparently, it's no Starbucks as you can see from the photo of the outside of the container! It's pretty amazing how that can transform these containers to fit just about any need.

For those who have been keeping up with recent blog posts you know that Don has been traveling within Iraq. Well, he was visiting the Baghdad ER and he sent several photos taken while he was there. These were taken from the Baghdad ER rooftop. He sounded like they were keeping him pretty busy there and he returned back to his regular base late yesterday.

Only 9 more days and he should be here with us! We can't wait.

Samuel is starting to stand on his own and I think he's saving up those first few steps to share with Daddy-O on his visit home.

(Note: you can click on the images to enlarge them).

Samuel Sleeps and Benjamin Naps! woo hoo

Lately I cannot even believe how much Samuel looks like Don. He just gives me some looks that some days I feel like I'm truly looking at a mini version of Don.

Plus the fact that anyone that knows Don says he looks just like his Daddy! Today at church, one lady said "When you miss Don all you have to do is look at him and you can see Don".

Well, Samuel finally slept through the night last night. I wasn't sure this day would ever come again. Thank goodness it did. Benjamin woke up at 5:30 a.m. which I attribute to the time change. And Samuel slept until around 7 a.m. He slept about 12 hours straight. phew.

Samuel has two bottom teeth poking through (FINALLY!!!). They are just barely through the gums but they are definitely there. Hopefully this sleeping through the night again is here to stay.


Thanks to the time change we were all set for church early today. Samuel wore the sweater that his Great Aunt Shirley Kemple made and sent him when he was born. She does an awesome job and putting him in it this morning reminded me of the beautiful sweaters she used to knit and send me for my dolls when I was a kid. (I guess that was just practice for the real world! Who knew?) It's an adorable sweater and fits perfect so thank you again Aunt Shirley!

We had a nice morning at Sunday school and church. Benjamin has been attending Children's Church during the morning service and really seems to be enjoying it. It is geared for kids that are at least 4 years old but somehow he's graduated out of the nursery early. Today when I went to get him he was very busy decorating a shoe box that will be sent to a needy child through the Samaritans Purse Operation Christmas Child which is an program our church participates in every year. Our family will be filling two shoe boxes this year... one from Benjamin and one from Samuel.

The highlight of our day was that Benjamin finally took a nap for me today! We have been talking about it since yesterday and he knew the inevitable was coming. But today he didn't fight it one bit. He stayed in his bed and I was thrilled. Just when I was feeling like I was getting a few things accomplished Samuel started fussing. He napped at church but besides that he fought the idea of napping all day. He went to bed exhausted at around 7 p.m. And it was a struggle to keep him going that long. Hopefully he won't be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow. We shall see.

I did manage to get some Christmas presents wrapped and am feeling pretty good about getting some of that accomplished.

We didn't get our weekly phone call from Don this weekend. I kind of anticipated that due to the fact that he is traveling within Iraq this week. But it's a bummer nonetheless. His calls are like taking a happy pill once a week. I don't know how else to explain it. I guess I just feel re-energized to some extent after we talk.

Only a matter of a couple of weeks and he will be here with us!

A Poopy Day

It's not even 8 p.m. (before the time change) and the kids are both asleep.

We all got up around 6:45 a.m. today and I dread the thought that with the time change that could mean getting up at about 5:45 a.m. tomorrow. ugh.

We spent the morning at the Leesburg Outlet mall. The boys were excellent and I managed to use a gift card I had received for my birthday from the Ford family and also get lots of Christmas gifts. woo hoo. Besides the Eddie Bauer Outlet store I didn't get much else done. But Benjamin had a good time at the outdoor play area and Samuel took a good nap.

One of the funniest things that happened was when I was trying on a pair of pants with the boys in the fitting room and Benjamin said to me "I like those underwear, Mommy." I can only imagine what people might have thought if they overheard him. But underwear are a highlight in his life. He loves underwear and pajamas and is very opinionated about both (mine and his). He often requests that I wear certain pajamas at night when I'm tucking him in. He'll say "Mommy, will you wear your red snowflake pajamies tonight?" He also loves my monkey pjs and some with bears sledding that Don gave me. He's really into my flannel ones since I have just switched over to them for the colder weather. He would live in pajamas if I let him.

Anyways, we managed to lose Samuel's hat while we were shopping. I was bummed because I was pretty proud of myself for picking it up before the cold weather even arrived. I was totally prepared. And it was pretty stinkin cute on him too. We backtracked a bit in hopes of finding it but didn't. Benjamin was a lil distraught over leaving the mall without finding it. He kept saying "We lost Samuel's hat." and "We have to find Samuel's hat." But I reassured him that it was okay and that sometimes Mommy's lose things too. Oh well.

When we came home from the mall it was lunchtime so after lunch Benjamin played with play dough for awhile. He hadn't done that at home in some time but plays with it at school quite a bit. So, he had a great time and stayed entertained with that for about an hour. Then I put Samuel down for a nap and decided to approach Benjamin's nap time differently today.

We headed up to our room and I laid down with Benjamin. I put in a Thomas the Train video and he actually sat quietly for a good hour. I fell asleep. I figured he would too. He did NOT. ugh! And when it was over he was in high gear. Well, at least we had one hour of quiet time.

(When I took this photo of Benjamin I asked him to give me the biggest smile ever. Nice. And I think the photo below of Samuel looks like he's trying to talk on the phone. He really does hold the telephone like that when Daddy-O talks to him. It's too cute.)

My patience ran thin at one point after Benjamin was up for a little while and I sent him up to his room while Samuel and I played downstairs. Then I heard Benjamin say something about poop. So, we headed upstairs and if the poop would have been blood it would have looked like a murder scene. It was brutal. Poop just about everywhere. And Benjamin was sitting with his poopy butt proudly propped up on the counter with his feet in the sink rinsing some poop off his feet. ugh. I immediately put Samuel in his crib and started the bathtub for Benjamin. So much for the bathroom that was just cleaned yesterday. I got that all cleaned up then by the time I got Samuel back out of the crib he too dropped a bomb. Bonus. Lucky me.

Can I just say that Don's deployment has really lucky timing on getting him out of a ton of diaper changing (and poopy disasters). If we have more children in our future, he will definitely have some serious diaper and potty training responsibilities to make up for this time.

Speaking of Don...he has been traveling this week and e-mailed today that he will not be back at his normal base for a couple of more days. Please keep him in your prayers as he travels back this week.

It is November and he will be home around the 15th! I'm so stinkin excited about it I just can't stand it. I just want time to stand still for awhile while he is here. We will celebrate our 8 year anniversary on November 20 and I am so glad we'll be able to share that day together.

Our Halloween Happenings

Yesterday was Halloween which was awesome but one of the most exciting things about the day was that we all slept until about 7:45 a.m. Samuel was the first one awake and I heard him stirring and jumped out of bed. I couldn't believe it was almost 8 a.m. And our neighbor, Rebbecca, was due to stop by after her boys got on the bus around 7:45 a.m. Her son, Mati, was a a soldier for Halloween and I offered to let him wear some of Don's pins.

7:45 a.m. - It was a good start to an eventful day.

We went to Benjamin's school and watched all the classes in the school parade around in their costumes. It was about the cutest thing I'd ever witnessed. Just about all of them looked pretty petrified as they looked out towards the paparazzi (aka parents with all sorts of cameras and camcorders... me included!). He was the only cow in the school and he was so stinkin cute! It was his turn to be the class line caboose which is a big highlight so he did a fine job at that. I had a weak thought as he was up there on stage that I would absolutely hide under a chair if he decided to whack another kid on stage. Phew. We made it through the event without incident.

Samuel took a good nap yesterday afternoon and Benjamin again frustrated me as he caused a commotion in his room while he was supposed to be napping. I thought that if he would just sit still he would fall asleep. So, I took another approach at letting him lay down in my room and watch a calm t.v. show. No luck. No nap. ugh.

We had some neighborhood friends join us for dinner. I made some Halloween pasta (that was shaped like bats, pumpkins, ghosts, ect.), meatballs, and carrots. Cheryl and the girls brought over some garlic bread and cookies and Miss Katie brought pumpkin cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory (sweet!). It all went pretty well and before we knew it we were off trick or treating.

Miss Katie lives directly next door so she took care of our candy and passing it out for us. (We usually spend time socializing with her but with Don gone the night was a lil crazy. And we missed hanging out with our dear neighbor friend. But at least we got to spend time with her at dinner).

Benjamin had a ball trick or treating. This was really the first year he totally got into it. He was running from house to house and would shout out "Trick or treat!" Then "Happy Halloween!" And "Thank you!" He got it all down pretty quick. And sometimes after he'd get a treat he would turn to me and shout "A peanut butter cup, Mommy!" or "Halloween playdough!"

Samuel sat pretty contently in the wagon. He was my "sitting duck!" Oh yes, there was plenty of corny comments to go around. Not to mention that he should have been the one who was a cow since he's all about the saying "Got milk?" and a good portion of his trip around the block was spent downing a bottle.

Our neighbor Paci was a chef and I told Benjamin to say "What's cooking?" to him and he quickly replied "Beef." ahhh. Not so funny when you're dressed like a cow.

After trick or treating we hurried over to our church. They were having the first fall fest we've had. It was really fun. But by the time we got there it was already 8 p.m. (bedtime on a normal day). Cheryl and the girls joined us there too. They had tons of games, a puppet show, moon bounce, lots of door prizes, food, candy, etc. Benjamin and Abby had a blast. And everyone adored seeing the boys in their costumes.

By the time we headed for home it was already past 9 p.m. Yikes! Our church is directly across the street from our subdivision, however, Samuel managed to fall asleep in the car. He was completely tuckered out. Once I got him into bed Benjamin and I followed someone of his normal bedtime routine but only read one short Halloween book (instead of 2 or 3 books). He was exhausted and went right to sleep.

Unfortunately, I still had a mess from dinner to tend to but I called my mom and before I knew it the dishes were all done too. I snuggled into bed around 11 p.m. until Samuel woke up around 2 a.m.

After that interruption the boys slept until I woke them up around 7 a.m. this morning. I can only dream about how late Benjamin could have slept if we wouldn't have to had to go anywhere.