Santa, Family, Friends, and Chocolates

We have been having a busy fun-filled time visiting with family and friends.

We took the boys to the dreaded visit with Santa. I say "dreaded" because Benjamin has been talking about how he is scared of Santa's beard for some time now. But he was a trooper and Santa was super sweet. He asked Benjamin to give him a big hug and told him there was no reason to be scared of him any longer. (Originally, the boys were supposed to be in matching sweaters but I gave that idea and battle up once he seemed willing to approach Santa without a fight). This was the best photo out of about 5 that the photo elf snapped. Photo with Santa taken. Mission accomplished. ahhhh.

We had dinner at my brother Ron and Nancy's house on Friday night and had a great time. Benjamin wrestled around with his big cousin Matthew and Ellen entertained Samuel. Nancy made a super tasty soup and Ron made burgers and we all enjoyed our visit.

Yesterday I was able to go out to lunch with two of my girlfriends from high school (NO KIDS!). It was so nice to break away. Benjamin and Samuel went over to Uncle Ron and Aunt Nancy's and again had an enjoyable time playing with their big cousins. I, on the other hand, enjoyed a great lunch and uninterrupted visit with my friends! It was so weird to be able to eat a meal without worrying about feeding the boys too. And Michelle, Jill and I laughed as we walked out of the restaurant about how our conversation has changed over the years and that now potty training issues is somehow the focus of our conversation. We have been good friends since we were 15 years old. It is one of those amazing friendships that no matter how much time has gone by since we have seen each other we can all pick up and talk about our yesterdays and todays. God didn't give me sisters but blessed me with some incredible friends.

After that nice outing. I was happy to return to my boys. And so grateful for my brother and sister-in-law for watching them as well (I think they enjoyed showering the boys with their love). And I know Benjamin had a blast.

When we got back to my mom's she had a productive day preparing for the family and friends Christmas party she throws annually. She had created some wonderful baskets of homemade chocolate candies and goodies. They looked lovely and she set them aside in a bedroom out of the way. Why am I typing this? Well, they apparently were too lovely to resist. As we sat in the living room I heard our dog Campbell rumbling around a bit but couldn't see what he was doing. So, I went to find him and he had found those lovely baskets of chocolates. Dog lovers know that chocolate is one of the worst things for dogs. Much to my mom's chagrin he had devoured about 2 baskets full of chocolates and goodies. ugh. My mom got on the phone to my brother, Kenny (dog lover extraordinaire) and he looked up online what to do. So, Harry was off to buy some magic potion that made the chocolate reappear from Campbell's belly (in a different form, of course). It ended up being a pretty eventful evening with all this going on right at dinner time. But somehow we all recovered (including Campbell, or so it seems). And Mom was able to restore the baskets to their original glory with some addition treats she had stashed away. Thank goodness!

This morning was a lil odd too. Benjamin started stirring early. He exclaimed "It's Christmas!" but, of course it is only the 23rd so I had to let him know the sad news that it's not quite Christmas yet. And that he needed to hush and go back to sleep as I looked at the clock and it was said that it was barely 4 a.m. ugh. Then Samuel started stirring as well. So, our night seemed to be over. I couldn't imagine how I was going to get these boys back to sleep. But when I got up and went into the kitchen to fix Samuel a bottle I noticed that the clocks were all flashing. Apparently, the power had gone out during the night. I found a battery powered wall clock and found that it was actually 6:30 a.m. ah. Much more manageable. Although Benjamin and I did get up Samuel managed to go back to sleep and is still sleeping (at 9 a.m.).

Don e-mailed yesterday. He said he received about 20 cards in the mail as well as some packages. So, thank you all for thinking of him and taking the time to mail those cards and packages. I know he really appreciates it.

He also e-mailed a lil bit about his day yesterday (Saturday) that I thought was pretty humorous so I will end this blog sharing it with you all:

"I have been busy working my trip report and updating project status on my big project. I flew back Wednesday night, worked a little Thursday morning after I arrived at 0730 and then slept till about 1pm. The quick trip a little over a week after returning from R&R leave has thrown my schedule totally off. Yesterday, I walked around thinking it was Saturday all day. And this morning I thought it was Sunday, so I slept in an hour early, went to work in PTs and signed out on the board that I was going to Chapel. Needless to say they weren't having a chapel service. I thought they might have canceled due to Christmas eve and Christmas day services, but when I got back in the office CPT Hughes, told me 'Sir, you know it is Saturday today.' He had a good laugh at my expense. That is when I realized that I blew off my boss' morning standup at 0800."

Merry Christmas from Illinois!

Well, we are in Illinois! We had a long but somewhat uneventful drive here. My brother, Kenny, flew out on Friday night and we got in the car around 6:30 a.m. Saturday. It started to snow about the time we hit Ohio. Kenny drove the entire way (unlike Don who usually takes a break and gives me the drivers seat for at least a couple hours). I could get used to sitting in that passenger seat!

We made it to my Mom and Harry's house around 7:30 p.m. (CST) that night. The boys, the dogs, Kenny and I were all glad to pile out of that truck. Although, all were well behaved the majority of the ride. Samuel got a lil fussy from time to time and Benjamin got a lil ancy too but nothing too horrible. We stopped about 3 or 4 times and took some nice breaks. Kenny helped with the dogs then would meet up with us in the rest stop and help with the boys.

Of course, with the snow, my mom was a nervous wreck and called us about every two hours. She was so glad when we all arrived (as were we!). Although, now, after spending a few days with us I'm sure she and Harry are both a lil wore out from all the energy that a 3 year old and a mobile 10 month old exert. But they have been a tremendous help. And it's been so nice not to have to worry about what's for dinner!

Some of the highlights of our trip so far have been:

Going to cousin Keegan's basketball game (Benjamin thought this was pretty awesome. His first basketball game. He loved all the cheering and hollering. And Uncle Kenny took him down to the basketball court after the game to bounce the basketball and after that Benjamin said "That was awesome.")

Benjamin and I made a snowman! And I showed him how to make snow angels too. We had a blast outside in the snow. We also found a huge mound of snow (the land is very flat here) and Benjamin had a blast rolling and sliding down it.

We spent some time at my friend, Michelle's house. She has 3 boys (and a baby due any day). It is the perfect place for the boys to burn off energy and have fun. We've been over there twice so far. And the second time was for a Christmas tradition we have with our families. We exchanged gifts and the kids had a ball opening and enjoying some of their first Christmas presents of the year. Michelle's husband Eric also spent some time wrestling around with Benjamin which was nice. He loves to tackle and wrestle and it is so nice to see him get that interaction with a man while Daddy is gone. He was smiling from ear to ear and going back for more.

Kenny, Gloria, Keegan and Keegan's friend, Danielle, took Benjamin to see "The Chipmunk Movie" and out for dinner. It sounded like they had a great time and Benjamin has been singing the song from the Chipmunks ever since "Alvin, Simon, Theodore... We're the Chipmunks!"

While Benjamin was at the movies Samuel, my mom and I went over to visit my brother Ron and family. Nancy's sister, Heidi was visiting with her husband and girls from Michigan and we enjoyed visiting with them as well. I got to get my baby fix and held their lil baby, Olivia for a good long while. (Thank you, Heidi! She's a doll). Yes, I did say I got my "baby fix" because even though Samuel is only 10 months old he just doesn't want to sit still long enough to snuggle any more. (Plus that chunky monkey is too heavy to hold onto for any length of time). I miss that snuggle stage already. He is really up and moving these days. He's a very busy boy and is walking pretty good distances now.

This morning our nephew Christopher had a late start for high school so he surprised us by swinging by with Dunkin Donuts. Sweet! We had a nice visit with him before he headed off to school. Christopher is our eldest nephew and has grown up so fast! It's hard to believe he's driving and it's so nice to see him enjoying his new found freedom of having his own wheels. It seems like just yesterday that he was the size of my lil guys and here he is entertaining his little cousins. (His brother, Matthew, likes to remind me that I'm getting older. ugh. Thank you, Matthew Tommy, you, my dear nephew, will always be 2 years old in my heart and love hammers! ha.).

This evening the boys and I went over to my brother Tim's and sister-in-law, Caris' for dinner. Benjamin and Samuel enjoyed playing with their cousins, Evan and Ian. Ian is his cousin closest in age to my boys and Benjamin enjoyed all the fun boy toys as well as some hide and seek with the boys. Then we headed home for bedtime.

Our routine is definitely off and sometimes becomes rather challenging but overall we're enjoying our visit. Of course, we all wish Don could be here with us. I miss him in so many ways. Sharing in all the traditional things we do this time of year but also the lil things: walking the dogs, scraping the car windows, warming up the car, entertaining the kids, visiting with everyone, etc.

Don did call here this past Sunday and the boys and I all had the chance to talk to him. It was the first time we spoke since he was in Kuwait on his way back there. He sounded pretty good. He was traveling this week but has already returned back to his base safely. I'm so thankful for the Internet and the ability to keep in touch with him on a daily basis online.

Merry Christmas from the 62nd Medical Brigade

Don's unit (Task Force 62nd Medical Brigade) recently taped a clip for Good Morning America. He e-mailed it to me today so I thought I would post it on the blog to share with you all. Don is on the back right.

They're not sure if and when this clip would air but I think it's also supposed to be on the Good Morning America Website as well.

Some Highlights of Our Visit

Well, I've heard from Don twice since he left yesterday. He left about the sweetest voicemail ever on my cell phone once he arrived in Atlanta. I think we're both feeling a bit blue about this departure after spending such a great couple of weeks together.

Today he called from Kuwait. So, not too much longer and he should be back at his normal base. I'm sure the traveling has got to be exhausting.

Now, to answer a couple quick questions that people have been asking me:

When will Don be home again?

He will be in Iraq another 11 months and is due back stateside in October. That will be the next time we will see him. And he already has a countdown going!

Did you celebrate Christmas while he was home?

Definitely! Santa knew Daddy-O was only home with us for a short time so he made a special trip here. It was quite exciting. Benjamin woke up on Tuesday morning this week and we told him we thought Santa had been here. So, we went downstairs and sure enough there were presents under our tree. Benjamin was thrilled! He said "Look at all the presents under our tree!" And Santa brought him just what he was asking for: the Dinoco Helicopter! (from the Cars movie). We all enjoyed that morning but the excitement in Benjamin was just awesome. And it was great to share that with Daddy-O!

We had a great visit and made every minute count.

Some of our highlights of our two plus weeks with Don were:

Don's sister and kids came to visit and we spent two nights in Williamsburg, VA at the Great Wolf Lodge. They have an indoor water park and we all had a great time. We also spend a morning at Colonial Williamsburg.

The day Don got home Samuel took his first step! I knew it was coming and I thought he might have been waiting for Daddy. hmm. Smart lil guy, eh? Now he has taken up to 4 steps at once! Won't be long and he'll be go, go, go! ahhh.

We put up our Christmas tree and some decorations on Thanksgiving Day. Benjamin loves it and Samuel has his favorite ornaments too!

The day after Thanksgiving we all went ice skating at Reston Town Center (an outside skating rink). It was Benjamin's first time on ice skates. He loved it! He had double bladed skates and used a bucket (and Mom, Dad and cousin, Aaron) to help keep his balance.

We went to Chucky Cheese (Benjamin kept saying he wanted to take Daddy there!) with our friends, Dave, Nelly and their kids Brooke and Reed.

Don took Benjamin for a bike ride (one of Benjamin's favorite things to do!) And they went and got smoothies and lunch on their bike ride. Benjamin was grinning from ear to ear after that outing.

We went to dinner and out for ice cream with our dear neighbors and friends, Cheryl, Mike, Abby and Hannah who are getting ready to move to Philly next week. (ugh). We had a great time with them that night. The kids were all well behaved.

We went to an Army vs. Navy football game party at Dennis and Natalie's house. We all had a fun (even with the outcome of the game) and Benjamin loved playing with Jack (after not spending much time with him while Daddy was home).

I think I could keep going on and on about the gazillion other lil things we did. It was just awesome how much we did together as a family. But it was probably the lil thing we treasured the most. I managed to sleep in a few times past 8 a.m. (amazing!!! Thank you, Daddy-O!). Don and Benjamin shared lots of books, rocketship flips in the air, and Don and Samuel got reacquainted too. It's just a joy to make Samuel laugh these days.

Don also joined us for 2 of Samuel's doctor's appointments while he was home. I was thinking that it was probably not an exciting way for him to be spending his R&R but he mentioned that he actually enjoyed being able to go to the doctor's appointments. I guess when you have the perspective of missing out on those sorts of things than they might be enjoyable when you actually get to go. hmm. I appreciated having him there for them that is for sure.

Well, that's all I'm going to say about our visit for now. I'm sure I will have lots of more to share in the near future. Please continue to pray for Don as he makes his way back to Iraq.

Bittersweet Farewell

Today we bid Daddy-O farewell. We had such an awesome two and a half weeks. It's hard to believe how much we crammed into such a short time frame. We enjoyed every last minute.

I will have a ton of photos to post but with the Christmas season fast approaching it seems as if every evening I have about a gazillion things to do. Unfortunately, the blog is taking a back seat. So, hopefully, over this coming weekend I will bring the blog up to date and share photos and some stories from our visit with Daddy-O.

While Don was here he confirmed what I already knew; He's a terrific husband and a wonderful father. We miss him already.

Please keep him in your prayers as he travels over the coming days. He has a long journey ahead of him.

We love you Daddy-O!