Our Pumpkin Creations

We carved a pumpkin tonight and decorated another one. Benjamin said "We've never carved a pumpkin before." hmm. "Well, not since last year when you were three." (Overall, Benjamin has a pretty amazing memory [kinda like his Uncle Tim and cousin, Christopher] so I was a bit surprised by this comment).

When we first brought the pumpkins in the house Samuel just sat on one of them. (I'm including a shot of that). I think he keeps thinking these pumpkins are balls. He has attempted to roll them down our front stairs a few times and the way he sat on it was how he often sits on a big bouncy ball he has.

Anways, pumpkin carving is a fun time that I look forward to each year. And generally not something Don participates in. He is a very hands-on Daddy and a great Daddy but there are some things that he just takes a pass on which is fine by me. But NOT this year! He got right into the goopy pumpkin guts and seemed to enjoy every minute. It was great. (Although he just walked by and mentioned something about it being a full court press or a man-man defense. I didn't think it was really that chaotic. hmm. Last year there was no one here to help carve so I guess it's a manner of perspective).

Anyways, I ended up with some good photos. No worry, blog fans, I may skimp on some of my entries now that my hubby is home (yes, I'm referring to the phone call I recently received asking "Where are the blog posts?") but I will continue to bore you all with our family photos. As many of you know, I love taking photos, especially of our boys!

Big Shoes

The other day, Samuel put on Daddy's shoes, all by himself, and was just walking around in them. It was so cute. I took a few photos but they're not very good. He walked over to Daddy for help to get out of them. He has a bit of a shoe obsession and is often found trying to put shoes on his feet, on other people's feet or just putting them away.

Benjamin also tried Daddy's shoes on the following day. Apparently, he's got big shoes to fill!

I took a lil video clip of Benjamin in Daddy's shoe singing a little diddy and dancing about who knows what. It makes me smile every time I watch it! It's a little dark at the beginning so I'm not sure you can actually tell he's got Daddy's shoes on but there's a still photo too (where he was actually singing as well!)

The Little Things

What a week it's been! We have enjoyed sharing all the little things with each other again...

At mealtime we pray and hold hands around the table. We have always done this; however, in Don's absence our circle didn't quite make it around the table and I would just hold one of each of the boys hands while we prayed. Now Samuel lights up as he grabs two hands during prayer time and he holds on throughout the prayer. It's just so sweet to see something so simple bring a sly little smile to his face.

Samuel was also totally fascinated with Don's dog tags the other day and I took several photos of him while he was playing with them.

The boys have been really playing hard with Daddy. They love to wrestle around and really love it when Daddy-O tosses them in the air. The first time Samuel saw Daddy throwing Benjamin up into the air and catching him Samuel ran up to Don and wrapped his arms around his legs as if to say, "I'm next, Daddy!"

Don has gone into the office a couple of times this week but had a pretty easy week getting back into the swing of things. Today he had the day off but I took the boys to Natalie's and came into work. This allowed Don to get a few things done around the house. This afternoon he picked up Benjamin and his best buddy, Jack and took them to the movies to see "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." Don had never taken Benjamin to the movies before and this was Jack's first movie. It sounds like a good time was had by all.

And I have been enjoying having two extra hands around the house! Life is so much less stressful.

Even taking Benjamin (by himself) to the grocery store was a treat. He was well behaved and as we approached the checkout I told him he was a good helper. And he said "Mommy, you didn't yell at me." My heart sunk a bit when he said that. I'm sure in my rushing around I have been harder on him than I would like to be but I really won't say I "yell" at him a lot. He has a different perspective though.

The boys bedtime has also been great! It's so nice to have Daddy there to read stories and actually enjoy that quieting down time. ahhh. Life is good.

Some Family Time

We have been enjoying some wonderful family time since Don's return. We have been spending much of our time at home. And Don has been feeling a bit under the weather (which after some stressful and hectic couple of weeks is understandable). Overall, we have been sharing some great laughs and good times with the boys.

As a big surprise we ordered a blue Power Wheels ride on Jeep for the boys which arrived about a week before Don's return. So, Saturday morning we surprised them with it. They both love it and we've been spending lots of time outside while Benjamin cruises around the neighborhood.

This morning we went to pick up Don's new car (which he had ordered while still in Iraq). The boys (including Daddy-O) had a blast checking the new vehicle out. And Don says I have left my mark on it by securing two car sets in it right away. His lil sports car complete with two car seats!

(Actually, he was pretty thrilled to have us all pile in his new car (car seats and all) so we could all enjoy the thrill of getting a new car).

And this afternoon Daddy took Benjamin to preschool and met his teachers and classmates. Benjamin is VIP (Very Important Preschooler) this week in his class so it is an exciting week at school for him as well. He brought a photo collage of himself with family members as well as a paper cardinal he had to decorate. (He is in the "Cardinal" class and of course he colored his cardinal blue. Hmm, more of a blue jay but this is Benjamin we're talking about and the teacher did say they could decorate them however they'd like).

We've had some busy but great days and have been enjoying every minute! Just enjoying some of our weekly tasks together have been fun: Benjamin's soccer, going to church, eating meals together, reading stories, wrestling around, playing with favorite toys, etc. It's amazing the lil things you take for granted and appreciate so much when they're shared as a family again! We're all loving it!

The Homecoming

Here are some photos from the airport last night.

As you can imagine we're all on cloud nine and enjoyed a great day together as a family. Don was up at 5:30 a.m. but the rest of us slept a bit later! We enjoyed Benjamin's soccer game and otherwise just spent the day at home.

While Samuel and I enjoyed afternoon naps, Daddy and Benjamin really spent some good quality time playing and enjoying each others company... reading books, playing trains, cars, and playing outside. It was awesome.

And Samuel is really warming up to Don. Don got him up out of bed this morning and he was happy. Then he was calling "Mama" from his crib this morning after an attempt at a morning nap and Don asked if he should get him because he was calling "Mama" then we both realized that he switched and started calling "Dada!" (Daddy-O really ate that up!) I think in another week Samuel may have forgotten that Daddy wasn't here for all that time!

Sitting at our dinner table tonight, Benjamin said "We're a family again." He has been grinning all day.

(Tonight at 7:30 p.m. I was the only one still awake!)

WELCOME HOME DADDY!

I'm thrilled to report that Don made it home last night! His flight was due in at 9 p.m. and it actually landed early! We were hoping to make it the gate to greet him but ended up not having quite enough time and instead of risking it and end up stuck waiting in the security line we made a brief stop at the Dulles Airport USO then waited just outside security for him.

The boys did great. They were both pretty well behaved especially for being past their 8 p.m. bedtimes.

Samuel was rather shy last night but has really warmed up to Daddy today! It's awesome watching him with the boys. There are a lot of smiling faces in the Chapman house today.

We are so glad to have Daddy home again. It's been a great day! (AND I SLEPT UNTIL ALMOST 8 a.m. Thank you, Daddy-O!)

I will post more photos soon...

Our Busy Week

Don is not quite home yet but the anticipation sure is building! He still has a few things to do before he can leave Ft. Lewis. But, hopefully, he will be home sometime this evening! (Yes, amazing to finally be able to type those words!).

The boys and I have had a busy and eventful week otherwise. Including our crazy Wednesday which lead us to the local Urgent Care around 9 a.m. Samuel was running into the dining room, tripped and cracked his head on a dinning room chair. (Yet another notch on this child's forehead. ugh). He was screaming and as I picked him up the blood just covered his face. I not so calmly told Benjamin to get me the phone as I was trying to stop the blood. I called our trusty neighbor, Rebbecca and asked if she could come to the ER with me. (She is the mom of 3 school-aged boys). She said "I'll be right there." And she was. Phew. By the time we got out the door the blood had really slowed down and I think just having Rebbecca there helped calm me down (I'm not too good with the sight of blood, especially in large quantity that seemed to be endlessly flowing out of Samuel). So, Rebbecca drove and Samuel calmed down and realized I was sitting next to him. (Kind of a treat since I really never get in the back seat with them these days). Since the blood had slowed and Samuel was calm we decided to head for an Urgent Care center close by (vs. the ER across town).

Once there, Rebbecca entertained Benjamin while I took Samuel back to be seen by the nurses and doctor. They decided he did not need stitches. Phew. And they actually used a glue for skin that seals it up and should help reduce the scaring. Overall, it was a good experience (as far as an "emergency" experience) and we were out of there in about an hour.

We went home for a couple hours and I put Samuel down for a nap. Not sure he ended up napping but he did rest some before we were off to Pumpkinville in nearby Leesburg for Benjamin's school field trip. The boys had a great time. It was unseasonably warm around 80 degrees and really a beautiful day to spend outside. But it also made for a long and exhausting day for both me and the boys.

Almost Time

I just wanted to update everyone who has been wondering "When exactly IS Don going to be home?"

Well, Don called and he will be leaving Ft. Lewis shortly. His flight should arrive at Dulles around 9 p.m. tonight! A lil late for the boys but hopefully they'll have good naps today. We'll all be thrilled to see Daddy-O no matter what time it is!

Back in the USA

Don called this morning around 6:45 a.m. He was in Rockford, Illinois... his first stop back in the USA! He said they had a few stops and it was a long flight but he was able to sleep a bit.

Don also said as they got off the plane in Illinois they were greeted by some vets that were handing out cell phones for them to use. (Thank you to all those volunteers! It was only 5:45 a.m. there and I was thankful for the phone call).

We spoke briefly and I was thrilled to hear that he was back in country. Benjamin spoke to him too. "Daddy! I'll see you in 3 more days!" And they chatted away for a few minutes before we all said good-bye.

By now, I'm sure he's at Fort Lewis, Washington and we look forward to reuniting with him at the end of this week!

The Kisses Are Almost Gone... Hershey Kisses That Is!

As you can imagine... excitement is starting to fill the air around the Chapman house! We're anticipating Daddy-O's arrival by the end of the week now and the boys' jars of Hershey Kisses are almost gone!

We have a homemade calendar posted to fridge which we are X-ing off the days after dinner every night. Benjamin is thrilled. It's a big cause for celebration and we have made up a new song about it almost every night... tonight's rendition was "3 More Days til Daddy's Home"... that's it... we just repeat it over and over again in a sing songy kinda way! With lots of smiles and excitement of course!

We've been enjoying the nice weather and have been spending some great time outside. Today the boys were so exhausted they were both in bed by 7:15 p.m. We've had a few nights like that recently and it's been kind of a nice break. A big advantage to no nap for Benjamin. And the fact that the sun has been going down earlier makes it so easy to move bedtime up earlier. Some days it makes for an earlier morning the next day but usually we're getting up for some reason or another anyways. And every morning now, I smile as I rise and think "This is the last Saturday, Sunday, Monday, etc. I'll have to spend without my hubby in Iraq!" (Of course, technically, he's already out of Iraq but you know what I mean).

Speaking of Don... he called Sunday afternoon. We only talked briefly (a lil over 7 minutes) due to the fact that he said they were getting ready for formation and there were two other guys still waiting to use the phone. He said the next 36 hours or so would be long. Their bags were packed and they would be moving to a staging area then eventually onto customs and then begin their long journey back to Ft. Lewis, Washington (state) with probably a couple stops on the way.

He said I probably would not hear from him for at least a day or two and so today was rather quiet. No e-mails from him and, of course, no phone calls either. That is a good sign! He's got to be moving out! Moving on! Moving closer to home! woo hoo.

Zippity What?

As many of you know, my maiden name is Duda. Along with the name comes a lifelong affiliation with the song "Zippity Doo Dah." And guess what song Benjamin has been learning in preschool this year! He is thrilled. Afterall, he will be the first to tell you that he IS a Duda. (And just the other day he said "Mommy is Mommy Duda Chapman and Daddy is Daddy Duda Chapman." hmm. Not exactly the way it works in our family but he'll figure that out with time.)

It just hasn't been a song that I usually sing around the house. We do have lots of favorites in our house and Benjamin and I frequently turn just about anything into a song (I get this from my mother and she's proud to admit that it helps keep things happy around the home. Afterall, it's hard to sing a silly song with a smug attitude).

So, of course, I know all the words to "Zippity Doo Dah" and now Benjamin does too. And in addition to that he has cleverly come up with a new rendition called "Zippity Chapman." I took a few short video clips however the old digital camera I have been reduced to using will only record 10 second video clips. ugh. (I was spoiled with my old camera that got dunked into the water with Samuel a couple of months ago).

Anyways, the original Benjamin's "Zippity Chapman" song which he very wittingly came up with on his own goes something like this:

"Zippity Chapman, Zippity Rock
My Oh my what a cloudy day
Plenty of clouds heading my way
Zippity Chapman, Zippity Rock

Mr. Blue Red Yellow Bird on my shoulder (of course he couldn't part with the BLUE bird)
It's the truth, it's actual
Everything is satisfactual"

Boy is Don in for a treat with our two very entertaining lil guys.

Don Has Started his Journey Back Home!

Just a quick update on Don. He called on Wednesday from Kuwait! He'll be there for a few days yet before they head back this way. He sounded good. Of course, he's thrilled that he's one step closer to coming home. He said they got there then he settled in, rested, read a newspaper and called. There were lines to use the phones.

We've been receiving a lot of packages from him. He sent some things ahead so he didn't have to pack them. He also sent the boys a package which Benjamin was thrilled about. They each received an "Army Kid" t-shirt and hat and small stuffed giraffe.

________________________

On another note, Benjamin and I had a cute conversation this morning on the car ride over to Ms. Natalie's.

Benj: "Z is for Znooooore."

Me: "Z is for what?"

Benj: "Z is for Zzzznoooore."

Me: "Benj, I'm not sure what you're saying. What does it look like?"

Benj: "When you're sleeping you zzzznoooore."

Me: "Oh, you mean snore! No, S is for snore."

Benj: "But there are z's when you snore."

Try explaining this concept to a four year old.

Our Silly Samuel

This is our silly Samuel. He's such a busy boy but a total joy and generally a smiley lil man.

These are just a few pictures taken this week of some of Samuel's silly antics.










Tonight at dinner he picked up a pumpkin place mat and peeked at Benjamin and I repeatedly. He knows he's cute! So, Benjamin and I enjoyed dinner and a show from Samuel.

The photo of Samuel with the soccer balls was taken Sunday after church but is actually a common pose that Samuel has. He loves balls! And he will try to carry around as many as he can at any given time. He's getting pretty good at it! He can actually hold them like this and then shoot one through his basketball hoop. He's going to be disappointed when he does do sports someday and finds out that there is only one ball on the court or field at any given time.

Samuel took a bit of spill on Friday. He spent all day at Ms. Natalie's house and came home without a scratch. Then he came home and within minutes he fell walking into the back sliding door. He fell right onto the metal door jam and it was just skinned. No blood. Unfortunately, it turned into a nasty scab which I cannot wait to heal up! Between the two of them it seems like someone always has a scab on their head of some sort! Boys! (If it was closer to Halloween I'd be tempted to dress him up as Frankenstein!).









I'm including a photo of Samuel throwing his blanket onto Loudoun. (The blanket is affectionately known as "Paggy" in our house. Benjamin named his blanket "Saggy" and Samuel's "Paggy" some time ago now and it his stuck. So, I often find myself asking Samuel "Where's Paggy?"). I am not sure exactly why he was doing this to our dog, Loudoun. But I think it looks like he's about ready to saddle up on her. (Benjamin will also be the first to tell you that "Loudoun is Samuel's doggie. And Campbell is my doggie." Which is actually pretty accurate especially since Loudoun likes to gently take any food Samuel has to offer out of his hands.)

And here is a photo of Samuel with his first attempt at playing with Play dough. I'm not sure he knew what to make of the stuff, however, he got very excited when I rolled the Play dough into a ball and he exclaimed "Ball! Ball!" Unfortunately, he decided that it looked more like food than something to play with. So, the activity was short lived.


Another thing Samuel LOVES to do is help. At the grocery store he helps take things out of the cart and place them onto the checkout counter, he carries up the recycling bin to the front of the garage once a week, he carries in the Sunday newspaper, etc. With his helpful nature, it's only natural that after dinner he likes to take a sponge and help me scrub the table down. He's going to make a good husband someday!

Don should be home in the later part of next week (I know, it's exciting for me to even type that!). And there are so many things I can't wait to share with him again. The thing I look forward to most is sharing in all the joys of parenting our boys together.