My Brothers and Dr. Seuss

I was recently reading Benjamin a Dr. Seuss book that we hadn't read yet. There was a picture of Dr. Seuss in the front of the book. He was pictured with salt n pepper hair and facial hair as you might have expected (see photo). I flipped right past the page with his picture. Afterall, how exciting is a picture of Dr. Seuss compared to his books?

As we finished up and closed the book Benjamin said "I want to see your brothers."

hmm. My brothers? I wondered for a second what the heck he could be referring to. Then I recalled the photo of Dr. Seuss. Ha! Dr. Seuss had facial hair! As do my brothers Ron and Kenny. I flipped to the front of the book. "Do you mean him?"

"Yes, your brothers."

"Honey, that's not my brothers. That's Dr. Seuss. He wrote this book. He has a beard too but he's not Uncle Ron or Uncle Kenny!"

Benjamin, "Oh."

I don't think we have any friends here in Virginia that have facial hair. It never really dawned on me until this fall when my brother Ron was due out for a visit and Benjamin declared that he was scary and had a beard. "Yes, he has a beard but it's not scary." Uncle Ron let him tickle his beard and made light of it and Benjamin was okay with it. Not excited about it but okay with it.

Then Uncle Kenny was coming in December to make that drive to Illinois with us for Christmas. "He has a beard. He's scary." Again, we managed to overcome this fear of the dreaded beard. But apparently it has left a lasting impression.

Daddy-O's New Tie

In the last package we sent to Daddy-O we sent along the tie Benjamin had carefully hand-crafted for Daddy in preschool for Dad's Night. Daddy-O received his special tie from Benjamin and sent a bunch of photos of himself wearing it.

Benjamin got a huge kick out of these photos. I printed them last week and had them waiting on his car seat for him when I picked him up at Jack's house after work. He has been totally fascinated with them. His first reaction when he saw the photos of Daddy-O with his hard hat was "Daddy is a construction worker!" Apparently, he was quite impressed with the hard hat!

For those of you wondering why Don has a hard hat it is because his actual job is hopital and health care faclitiy planning. The office he is deployed from (here in the D.C. area) is the Health Facility Planning Agency (HFPA) and you can see in the background of some of these photos the HFPA banner his D.C. office sent him for his office there.

Benjamin was absolutely thrilled to see Daddy in his special tie. We're looking forward to Daddy-O receiving his next surprise from Benjamin and hopefully some photos of him with that as well. With Benjamin not being at the age where he can read yet or totally comprehend everything I think seeing these photos of Daddy with his tie on really made him realize that Daddy is receiving the stuff we send and that Daddy is very much a part of our lives even though he's not home with us.

We miss you Daddy-O! Keep smiling and knowing that we love you.

Happy to You!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today is my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday, Mom! It sounds like she had a fun-filled birthday with all my brother's and their families squished into their condo. When I initially told Benjamin that it was Grandma Pat's birthday today he was excited. He loves birthdays. But he also had the impression that we'd be going to her house for cake. Ah, not so easy. I explained to him that Grandma would be celebrating in Illinois and we wouldn't be able to make it this time. The boys and I did the best from here to help make her day special. We called her after we got home from church and since Benjamin didn't want to sing "Happy Birthday" I did a lovely solo then Benjamin belted out his best "Puff the Magic Dragon" especially for Grandma. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy it too (as any loving Grandma would, of course). And Samuel gave her a few lil words of endearment (I guess, you could say that anyways) and then he accidentally hung up on her (oops. Next year, hopefully, he'll do better).

My mom has always been such a strength and support throughout my life but I know having her in my life right now has truly been a blessing. There rarely has been a day since Don deployed that my mom and I haven't talked to each other. She knows my schedule and can usually predict what I'm up to before we even talk. But somehow we always find something to blab about. And she is, without a doubt, my #1 blog fan! I think she secretly gets a lil disappointed when she checks my blog for the 10th time in a day and it's not been updated. Even though she knows everything that's already happened in my day. But she'll check it one more time before she goes to bed just in case I've updated it! That's my mom. And I love her so much. Thanks for all your words of wisdom and all the hugs and support even over the miles.

Having a Ball

Just to make you smile...

My Boys Antics This Week

First let me update that Don called on Monday. He had taken most of the day off on Sunday (a rarity for him since he's been there). He has been working on some corespondence course work and finally completed Phase 1 (out of 3 Phases). He is quite pleased to have that portion of this course over with.

Monday morning was President's Day so Benjamin had off school as did my helper! So, we picked her up at 9 a.m. It was an absolute gorgeous day here with temperatures around 65 degrees and sunny. So, we all spent some time outside then Samuel and I came inside while Benjamin and my helper stayed outside for awhile longer. Benjamin is doing great peddling on his little bike! He was just learning to peddle in the fall so it's great that he's really picked it back up. I managed to get quite a bit done on Monday morning and loved having the help. Benjamin was entertained for hours playing and having fun and Samuel took a decent morning nap which allowed me plenty of me time! Yipee! Don called during that time frame too and Benjamin got to talk to him. He was pretty talkative. After lunch we took my helper home and returned home just in time for nap time. Samuel surprised me by taking another nap!

And Monday after naps we headed out to Dave and Nelly's house. We had planned out playing outside there but the temperatures had started to fall by then. But the kids had a ball playing inside. We had dinner with them and I enjoyed the adult company at dinner!

Yesterday was a fun-filled day at work for me. And Benjamin and his buddy, Jack managed to stir up some trouble in the afternoon. Apparently, they found some mud puddles in Jack's back yard. After that fiasco, Natalie changed them up and was doing their laudry when I arrived! Luckily, Benjamin's shoes were dry for school this morning.

Last night after dinner Benjamin was looking at a magnet on the refrigerator. It is a Walgreens magnet that he is fascninated with for some reason. It has a picture of the store on it (which opened somewhat recently) and he often asks me the name of the store. Well, last night as he was looking at it he said "Mommy, can we go to Green Wall." I wasn't sure what he was referring to until I saw the magnet in his hands. "No, Benjamin. It is Walgreens and we're not going tonight."

Today was the post-poned Valentine's Party for Benjamin's class (since last week was a snow day and Monday was a holiday). Benjamin was VIP which meant he got to have a special guest in class. Well, I filled that roll today and we made some lil fish creatures out of foamy hearts. They turned out great and the kids had a ball making them. As all the kids thanked Benjamin's mom for coming Benjamin belted out "You're welcome, everybody!" It was pretty cute. He may not always be the best behaved child but he does great in the manners department.

We had a great day today really. Natalie watched Samuel for me while I went into Benjamin's class and then took his morning nap in the car. Samuel is too stinkin entertaining these days. He's such a busy boy... into everything and especially fond of the dogs' water bowl. ugh. He also loves to help me with the laundry. I often take him with me into the laundry room and he apparently thinks everything belongs in the dryer (i.e. wet, dry, clean, dirty). It often becomes challenging to get the laundry done. And I can forget about folding any sort of laundry when he is awake. He loves to unfold anything that he can get his lil hands on. Between his interest in the dishwasher and his love for laundry he ought to make some woman a very good husband in the future.

Our Not Too Exciting Weekend

Nothing too exciting to report this weekend.

Saturday morning we got up and I called Nelly to see if her and her two little ones were interested in joining us in an outing. We ventured out to the mall with 4 kids which were 3 years old and under. Quite an adventure, as you might imagine. But overall a pretty good day. We finally managed to get Benjamin's haircut which was a sweet victory in itself. He did awesome. No tears, no screams, barely a peep actually. Of course, I promised him a ride on the train in the mall and a blue lollipop. So, all was good in his world. Next thing we knew the hair was cut and Nelly and I and the four kids were packed into the blue car of the mall train.

We got home around 2 p.m. Just in time for naps. However, Samuel had fallen asleep during the mall train ride and slept for the rest of our stay at the mall. So, he apparently, figured this nap was suffencient enough for him for the day. Oh well. I keep reminding myself that he is a great night time sleeper. So much for naps.

Our big success story for the week is that Samuel is no longer taking a bottle! I found the sippy cup of his dreams and he is content. Phew. I didn't think we'd ever hit this milestone. Apparently, he prefers the handled sippy cup by Nuby. Who knew? Well, I have been feeling pretty good about that accomplishment. And no more formula either! He's officially on whole milk and doing great with it. He is trying lots of new foods these days too and tonight he ate chicken noodle soup with me while Benjamin opted for a hot dog after trying the soup. (At this point, my rule is that they have to try new things but if it doesn't work out then we move on. I don't want a hungry child up at 5 a.m. because he didn't like the strange new concoction that was put in front of him the night before).

Today we made it to Sunday school and church then all managed to get naps. I'm starting to feel a lil raspy and a bit under the weather so a nap was definitely in order today. Samuel and I only managed to get about an hour worth of nap but I was happy to have that. We made a trip to Target this afternoon and our neighbor Katie joined us. Extra hands on shopping trips like that make life easier. Then we stopped off at a smoothie shop to pick up some smoothies before heading home.

All and all a pretty uneventful weekend. Unfortunately, no call from Don. Actually, no e-mails since Thursday either. Maybe they're having Internet issues. I hope to hear from him soon.

How Sweet It Is...

Happy Valentine's Day!

James Taylor - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I needed the shelter of someone's arms and there you were
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs and there you were
With sweet love and devotion
Deeply touching my emotion
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I close my eyes at night
Wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore
Everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
But you brighten up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

You were better for me than I was for myself
For me, there's you and there ain't nobody else
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

Happy Birthday Sweet Samuel

Today, ironically, there was an ice storm. Ironically, because one year ago today there was an ice storm! Last year my mom, Harry, Benjamin and I went to Bethesda, Maryland for my 40 week doctor's appointment. My mom, Harry and Benjamin made the treck back to our house amidst the falling icey snowy mix. They ended up admitting me and Don left work to meet me at the Naval Hospital. They enduced labor and by 5 p.m. we met our Samuel Thomas. He came out weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces (just like his big brother). We were thrilled.

The week before I delivered we found out that Don would be, most likely, deploying to Iraq in the summer. I was a little emotional to say the least. I tried to be strong but mostly, I tried not to think about it. I didn't want anything to interupt our joy of welcoming our lil guy, Samuel. But part of me was terrified of the idea of Don leaving me with these two boys. Not only would I get a taste of being a single parent but Don would also be missing out on so many of Samuel's firsts.

Well, we are half way there and still going strong. It amazes me that Samuel is a year old. Where did my baby go? I find traces of him here and there. He snuggled up and fell asleep in my arms tonight. I cherish that time. One on one time together with him (with either of the boys really) is so precious but sometimes I don't take the time to appreciate it.

Today was not only Samuel's birthday but was supposed to be Benjamin's first Valentine's Day party at school! However, the ice storm brought school cancellations and it looks like Valentine's Day will be celebrated next Wednesday instead. So, once it started to warm up a bit we headed out to Burger King to meet Natalie and her boys so the boys could enjoy the play area there and use up some energy. We got home close to 2 p.m. and the boys and I all took naps. But before I went down for my nap I noticed that the dogs kept barking at the front door. So, finally I peeked out the front door and saw a dozen red roses sitting on my doorstep. hmm. Nice surprise (thank you, Hunny). I'm posting a photo that Benjamin took of me with our Flatdaddy and the Valetine flowers he sent me. He's awfully sweet.

Sunday Shanagans

A lil flashback to Sunday...

We got up and got ready for Sunday school and church and actually made it there with time to spare (a rarity these days). After church we had lunch and the boys both went down for a three hour nap (also a rarity).

I was so relieved that it was a good nap day because we had a busy weekend. And Sunday evening we were off to Brooke's 3rd Birthday party at Sports Bounce. Benjamin had a blast! Not only was Brookie there but his buddy Jack was too! The boys sure used up a ton of energy and on the way home Benjamin sorted through his goodie bag from the party and said "This is cool, Mommy. This is really nice." He was so excited about everything. That boy loves a party!

It was after 7 p.m. by the time we got home and time for our bedtime routine. The boys had baths and I let Samuel play around without his diaper for a little while after bathtime because he has been battling a wicked case of diaper rash. Well, I thought I was keeping a close eye on him until it came time to get Benjamin out of the tub. So, while I turned my back for a minute to get Benjamin out of the tub wouldn't you know it... Samuel decided to drop a load on the bathroom floor. ahhhh. It was not pretty. I scooped him up and applied diaper rash cream and diapered him up. Then preceeded to clean up the mess.

It was one of those nights that I was glad the boys were both in bed and I could relax a bit. So, I sat in front of the t.v. for a bit until I heard Benjamin rustling around upstairs and declaring that the had to go potty. So, I went upstairs to find the bathroom door locked. "Benjamin, unlock the door." Amazingly, he listened and unlocked the bathroom door. He took care of his business then we headed to his bedroom. As I turned the door handle on his bedroom door I realized that this door too was locked. He was locked out of his bedroom. It was about 9:15 p.m. Well after his bedtime (especially on a school night). We have never had this issue with locked doors. hmm. I tried to fit a standard flathead screwdriver in the lil hole in the knob. Didn't work. I asked Benjamin to go lay in Mommy's bed for a little while. He proclaimed "It was an accident, Mommy." How do you accidentally lock a door to a room that you're not even in? hmm. Well, I decided to call my brother, Ron. Surely, with three kids they have encountered this issue from time to time. And sure enough. He guided me on what kind of screwdriver I needed and how exactly to turn it to get it open. I was a lil frustrated by this time and I'm sure he heard me tell Benjamin to go back to Mommy's bed a time or two while we were on the phone. Wala. Before we knew it the door was open and I was hanging up the phone and tucking my sweet boy back in bed with instructions that only grown-up are allowed to lock doors.

Somehow I survived Sunday and someday I will probably get a good laugh out of it. But for now it's too fresh in my memory. So you laugh (I'm sure my brother Ron is) and I will just look forward to the day that I too can laugh about it.

On another note, Don called Sunday while the boys were napping. It was good to talk to him. He is over 50 percent done with his deployment now! Woo hoo. A small victory. We are all looking forward to October when he will arrive at home again. And he can clean up poop and unlock locked doors, etc. I can only imagine how fun life will be. Don't get me wrong life is definitely full of laughs and good times with the boys. They truly bring so much joy to my every day and I would not change places with Don for a day. But it will be wonderful to share life's daily challenges with the other parent again.

Samuel's Party

Samuel turns 1 year old tomorrow! We celebrated his birthday this past Saturday with a few friends. We had a great time.

Everything went pretty smooth. It was a Curious George Party! I made the cake Friday night. Benjamin helped bake it then I decorated it after the boys were fast asleep.

Both boys took naps before the party(phew!). And our wonderful neighbor, Katie, came over early and helped me decorate and get a few last minute things done. I made a cheese ball and ordered pizza. The pizza arrived a lil earlier than I planned so we had lots of left over cheese ball (which I have been snacking on ever since).

Then we had cake! As you can tell, Samuel enjoyed making a huge mess out of his cake then I gave him a quick dip in the bath tub.

Benjamin and Samuel had a blast playing with their buddies: Jack, Brooke, Reed and Nicholas. And I enjoyed the adult company too. Dave took lots of pictures for us and Dennis took video so I will have lots to send to Daddy-O. And, of course, Flatdaddy made a special appearance (complete with party hat!).

I have lots lots more pictures from the weekend so I hope to post a slide show in the near future. Just wanted to catch up a bit since I haven't made a post since last week.

The Boys

Here are a few photos I took of the boys after being dropped off by the Goodyear shuttle van last night. Look at Benjamin; he's still beaming with excitement from riding in that Goodyear shuttle van.

Is it obvious that I am training Samuel to help out around the house already? Here is a photo of him taking his plate to the dishwasher. Start 'em young! (Not really, he was being oh-so-helpful by removing the clean dishes from the dishwasher as I was attempting to empty it).

Benjamin has recently rediscovered this unique book that he has that turns into a jeep. He has spent that past couple of nights playing in it while I make dinner. The challenge has been to keep Samuel from knocking it over while Benjamin plays in it!

WHAT????

Yesterday was another hectic day. After dropping the boys off at Natalie's hosue, I took my vehicle in to get that brake light fixed at the nearby Goodyear. That was my first mistake! I had a few things to get done: brake light, oil change, new windshield wipers, check tire pressure. The guy checking me in suggested the 45,000 mile check up. The thought of running the vehicle to the dealer in the neighboring town anytime soon did not appeal to me so I agreed. 45,000 mile check up, the vehicle would be ready by lunchtime and they'd call if they had any other problems.

They had a shuttle van that would take me to work. One of the main reasons I went to the Goodyear. They took me to work and I received a call around 11 a.m. that there were a few issues that they found. There was a seal leaking on the axel and something er other about the rear differential. They said I could drive on it but it would just get worse over time. Again the idea of running the vehicle around to get it fixed elsewhere did not excite me so I agreed. Another mistake. They said it would be ready around 3 or 4 p.m. They lied.

I called at 4:45 p.m. to make sure the vehicle was ready and let them know I'd be there shortly. The vehicle was NOT ready. It would be another hour to hour and a half. WHAT???? They had the wrong part and would have to go to the dealer to get the correct part. They never called to tell me anything about this. "Just put the vehicle back together. I need it at 5 p.m. and I have to pick up my kids."

"It will take about an hour to get the car back together, ma'am."

WHATT??????

Well, after having a brief irritated but rather calm conversation with "Ron the Serviceman" we negotiated that he would be taking the car seats out of my vehicle and install them in their shuttle van. Then they would take me to pick up my boys then drop us off at home. My co-worker was nice enough to drop me off back at the lovely Goodyear and the carseats were already installed in their happy shuttle van. The part had arrived and it would only be about an hour. They were to call me then swing by and deliver my new and improved vehicle to me at my home.

The best part of the day was seeing how thrilled Benjamin was to ride in that Goodyear shuttle van. He was beaming from ear to ear. And Samuel was pretty content too just looking around taking it all in.

We arrived at home shortly after 6 p.m. Not that different than a normal work day evening. We ate dinner. Still no phone call from "Ron the Serviceman." So, I called the local Goodyear and aske for "Ron."

"Sorry, ma'am, Ron is gone for the day."

WHAT????

"Oh, Hi Mrs. Chapman. They just finished up the work on your vehicle. They are taking it for a test drive right now and will be bringing it by shortly."

7:20 p.m. Vehicle Arrives safely in my driveway. Dogs barking, somewhat chaotic, but keys in hand, wa la. They had my car for approximately 12 hours.

WHAT????

I just spoke to Marty Keller the "Managing Partner" of the local Goodyears. I relayed the entire saga to him. He seemed pretty informed of most of the story. He said he understood that they dropped the ball yesterday on the timing. He also said something that rather infuriates me even now as I sit and stew over the whole episode. He said "It happens all the time."

WHAT????

Needless to say, I will NOT be a repeat customer of the local Goodyear. Courtesy shuttle van or no shuttle van. I will NOT return. Sorry Benjamin and Samuel, you have had your last ride int he shuttle van.

"Get Out of Jail Free" Card

What a day it was! This morning I had to drop our dog Campbell off at the vet after I took the boys over to Natalie's house then I was off to work. Campbell was scheduled to get his teeth cleaned and a tooth extracted. I intentionally scheduled this appointment for a day that I had to work so I wouldn't have to worry about the dynamics of having children in tow. Surprisingly enough I made it to work a few minutes earlier than a typical day.

My day seemed to go fine actually. I had a productive day at work, called and checked on Campbell mid-day and all was good (he was just coming out of the procedure, which they knock the dogs out for). I ended up leaving work a few minutes early. I had to pick up some milk for the boys so I stopped at the grocery store next to the vet (how convenient!) then got Campbell. He was very happy I was there but he looked pretty groggy and rather pathetic. So, I headed for home so he could rest while I picked up the boys. Enroute I saw flashing lights in my rear mirror. ugh oh. I haven't been pulled over in years. Probably since right after college. Around 1995, I'd guess. So, this was rather surprising to me. Plus the fact that I was driving rather cautiously with Campbell in the car (and definetly within the speed limit). So, I pulled into our subdivision and put the car in park. As I rolled down my window I fumbled for my driver's license. The officer asked "Are you aware that you have a rear breaklight out?" "No, I had no idea." was my response. "It's the one on your passenger side," he told me. "I have an Illinois driver's liscense because I'm a military dependent." I told him. "Do you need to see my military I.D. too?" "No, ma'am just your registration. Is the car in your name?"

(Okay, let me break here and say that it is NOT often that I pull out the "Poor me, my husband is deployed to Iraq" card but I took the liberty to on this rare occassion.)

"No, the car is in my husband's name. He's in Iraq. And I know he e-mailed me the insurance card recently."

"I only need the registration card, ma'am. That's it there. And do you have anything in your vehicle I should know about... firearms, drugs, etc."

"No, just my dog who just had surgery." (Another, weak cry, I know. Thank goodness he was groggy because Campbell probably would have been barking like crazy by now under nomal circumstances).

So, he took my license and registration and told me he'd be right back. I called Natalie to let her know I was pulled over and running pretty late.

Mr. Officer returned to my car pretty quickly. He said "Can I ask why your vehicle is registered in Virginia? Was it purchased in Virginia?"

"My husband takes care of all that. Yes, it was purchased here."

He was really friendly. I think he was just thinking about the vehicle taxes here and the fact that most states don't have all that extra bolony. So, he reminded me which side the light was out on and let me go. PHEWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. I guess my "Get out of Jail Free" card worked this time around.

I ran Campbell home then picked the boys up from Natalie's. We got home a lil later than usual but not too bad. We had dinner and then it was bedtime. The boys were pretty entertaining tonight. Samuel thinks he's a big kid and really wants to wrestle with his brother. It's pretty cute until it gets out of hand. I just want to know how boys seem to know instictively at such young ages to wrestle and rough house. I can only imagine what a household with lil girls in it is like. Probably a little quieter and hopefully less physical!

Don Called and Help Arrived

Yesterday Don called at 7:30 a.m.! I handed the phone to Benjamin so he could talk to Daddy-O first. He was really excited and had so much to say to Daddy. It was really cute to hear him telling him all about "SSSSSSSforts Bounce" (Sports Bounce) and everything else going on in his lil world. And then he said "How is your work, Daddy?" I was rather surprised he piped up with this on his own. It was really cute. I suppose he hears a lot of people asking me how his Daddy is doing so I guess he thought he needed to ask him too. Don told him "Daddy works a lot."

Then I talked to Don for awhile. He sounded good. He had gone home early on Sunday (which is why he didn't call). With the difference in time zones, if he goes home at a decent hour then it is too early here for him to call us. (I think he is 8 hours ahead of us).

He has been working on some course work for a military correspondence course he's been trying to tackle for some time now. He finally is finishing up on Phase 1 of the 3 Phase course and is feeling pretty good about that.

Once we got off the phone I had to rush around a bit so we could get Benjamin to school on time but we made it there. The teacher's said he had a good day. But he had an issue with insisting on sitting on a "blue chair" at one point. The kids chairs in the classroom are different primary colors and apparently it was really important to Benjamin that he had a blue one. (We will have a talk about this before he returns to school on Wednesday). Overall, he loves school and it sounds like he is doing great. He loves learning new letters and always comes home with new and exciting facts. On Monday he learned about groundhogs (something we haven't talked about so he was pretty enthusiastic about his groundhog pop up puppet he made at school. Although he kept asking "What is he again, Mommy?").

Benjamin had a few meltdowns yesterday about some little things so I figured he had to be exhuasted. But after laying upstairs and playing in his room quietly for about 2 hours I finally caved and let him come out. ugh. Another napless day for Benjamin. But Samuel managed to take a decent nap.

And my helper arrived yesterday shortly after 4 p.m. The boys had a blast with her. Samuel was laughing hysterically (seriously, he was belly laughing). And she and Benjamin were trying to out "roar" each other. He loved that! (She's a good "roarer"). I, on the other hand, was able to go through some of Samuel's clothes that he has out grown and pack them away in bins (without interuption! ahhhh. Finally got something accomplished). I folded some laundry, took the dogs for a walk, picked up the back yard a bit, then got ready to go out to eat. We all went to Moe's. Benjamin loves Moe's and it had been awhile since we had been. My helper seemed glad to be joining us and was a tremendous help with both boys. Phew. Success. I dropped her off after dinner around 7 p.m. then took the boys home for baths and then bedtime.

She will be back next Monday. Benjamin had a blast with her and will be looking forward to her coming back to play with him again. I am already dreaming about the things I will accomplish next Monday during my couple hours of "free time".

Superbowl Sunday

I type this as the Superbowl wraps up. We spent the first half of the game at a family from church's house. It seemed as if it was just yesterday that Don, Benjamin and I were at that same
Superbowl party and I was pregnant and due with Samuel any time. Has it been a year already?

Well, we had a nice and busy weekend. Yesterday we went to a new place in town called Sports Bounce. It is a warehouse type building full of moonbounces. Benjamin was invited to a friend's birthday party. He had an absoulte blast! And as we left the partyhe said "Mom, that was so fun!"

Both boys got wore out at Sports Bounce. Benjamin on all the moonbounces and inflatable slides and Samuel just running around the huge place and chasing after some basketballs there. The boy is so content if he has a ball to chase, bounce or throw.

Today we went to church then Benjamin took a three hour nap. It was awesome. Once he woke up I called our lovely neighbor, Katie, and she joined us in a walk around the neighborhood. The dogs loved it as did the boys and I. It was a delightful weekend weather wise. Very off season temperatures in the 50s and it's supposed to last awhile!

Shortly after our walk, we came in and got ready to go to the Superbowl party. We had a nice time and were home just in time for bed.

A busy weekend really helps time pass. It makes me so glad the boys are over their colds and that we're able to get out and do things again. With all the runny noses and sickies that went around our house over the past month it really made the month of January drag on and on. I'm so happy to be welcoming the month of February!

We didn't hear from Don this weekend. I know he was having Internet issues so perhaps that is why. Sunday is one of the days I look forward to because we have gotten used to getting phone calls from Daddy-O on Sundays. But not this Sunday. hmm. I was a little surprised not to hear from him. I was glad we kept busy and didn't have much time to dwell on missing him. Please keep him in your prayers.

Photo from Don

Don sent me this photo of him and Maj Steve Sheridan.

Don's e-mail said that Steve led his Bible study "Mighty Men of the Bible". And that he gets to go home to his family as his replacement is now in country.

Haven't heard too much from Don this week. Apparently, they were having a few Internet issues. Hopefully, this will be resolved soon and he'll be restored to full capacity once again.

Happy Friday!