Ten on Tuesday

1. I love my husband. He is the sweetest, kindest, best guy and I am so lucky to have him as the father of my beautiful babies and my partner on this crazy journey.

2. I do not understand how someone that works in multi-million dollar technology - I'm talking big stuff - can't set up a Leapster Explorer.

3. The techno guru is also at war with my blackberry. In trying to help me with fitting the charger through the protective case, he got out his exacto knife and cut his own hole. On the wrong side :)

4. We finally had a Gigi's. I have the biggest sweet tooth around and I'm sad to say it didn't really live up to the hype.

5. Since we got hit with a winter blizzard worthy of New York state, I'm wondering if mother nature's going to give us some mild humidity this summer? She'll probably make it 98% just to prove who's boss.

6. The kids snowpants are currently in route from my parents house even though the mail is not currently running. I will not be unprepared next time.

7. Let's hope there's not a next time.

8. I went on a corndog run Sunday night after church and the grocery store was completely out of bread. I mean maybe 5 loaves on the shelf. Craziest thing I've ever seen.

9. Yes, I feed my children corndogs. I know they're full of toxins and not even made out of real hotdogs. My kids love them.

10. Jason is currently singing along with Barbie and the Diamond Castle DVD. It sounds lovely. Have I mentioned yet how much we need to go back to school tomorrow?

the pit stop

When we arrived in this little place in the world that we now call home, it was a temporary stop. When you are a military family you never get too comfortable anywhere because you never know when you're leaving. Three months, a year, two? Jason had lived on three bases, done three overseas tours and I can't even count how many schools before I met him. I met him when he returned from Irq at the end of '03on his way to yet another base. We moved five times in 26 months and for the first year of our marriage resided on different bases in different states, eight hours away from each other. The army has a funny sense of humor sometimes. As Jason finished up another tour in Iraq at end of 2005, he reassigned to a different branch and we were up for another yet another move. He put a lot of time into researching the jobs hoping he wouldn't be chosen for anything that would immediately send him back overseas again. I was more interested in the location, even though I knew it was going to be a temporary stop. A pit stop on our journey to the next destination. I didn't care what his job was, he wasn't leaving me in the sticks again. My requirements were 1)a Gap 2)a Target 3)an actual grocery store not the super walmart 4)no tornados 5)no snow 6)I must be able to drive to my parents in 8 hours alone with the baby. He looked and looked over all the jobs and made his selections. We waited and waited to see where he would end up. He returned to the states and finally got a telephone call asking if he would be interested in coming here. I remember looking at him and saying are you crazy? You aren't even a pilot and you're going to an aviation unit. There?! That place wasn't on our list and we just came from a terrible place and now we're going to another one. I braced myself and tried to be excited..it was four years, afterall, and I could do anything for four years. It was four years closer to getting me "home". I could do it.
We arrived and for the first two years here I wasn't a big fan. The heat was miserable. We chose to live in the country and it just wasn't the right fit or us. There weren't any kids to play with and I had a hard time making friends. Jason went to school, got sent overseas some, and traveled all of the time. Note, we have a difference of opinion on his traveling but when you're the one at home with the kids, it was a lot of travel. Let's not forget the blessings that arrived eleven months apart. And the last one that arrived a mere 15 months later. I am a planner and an organizer and I took a lot upon myself. I was counting the days to leave. We were at two years, and then three. And I remembered a something an old friend of Jason's told me, "You can't make a home anywhere if you're always waiting to get somewhere else." Around our third year here we sent Bella to preschool and she fell in love with the ladies there. We decided to try the church and felt at home, we've been there ever since. And slowly "here" has grown on me.
The friends from our past started arriving too. Their stays are brief, usually a few months for school, or at most a week to check on their systems and programs. They crowd around our dinner and become fan favorites of our kids. They all fight over who gets to sit by them and in the case of our good friend Leith, you're requested at bedtime for kisses and for bathroom/bottom duty because they love him that much. When June and Scott left, the kids cried and I'm sure it's going to be that way for Tyler too. I get to hear the funny stories that Jason tells only when his old friends are around. The college stories that are even more amusing hearing it from someone else that experienced it too. The older the story, the more entertaining it is. Hearing two men tell it, that are more like brothers, makes my heart smile. And I'm happy that we are here to provide a home away from home for our friends. I know, now, that's one of the reasons we are here.

Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will be with you wherever you go
Joshua 1:9

snow, part duece

We have been under a threat of winter weather since last Tuesday. They've been warning us it's coming. Get your milk. Buy your bread and eggs people. The snow is coming. Sunday morning the thermometer read nineteen and the chance of wintry mix was one hundred percent. Super, just what I wanted to hear. We headed to church that morning and by that afternoon, without a snowflake in sight, school was cancelled. The snow started falling as soon as we got home from AWANA that night. I had to run to the store for some must have items and it started on my way home. It came down fast and furious and the flakes were enormous. We had thundersnow, something new, even for me. We woke up to eight inches of snow and I heard the squealing as the little feet came pounding towards my door Monday morning. They could hardly wait to go outside in it!! Jason took them out to build their snow person and our awesome neighbor came over to help him shovel our driveway. (Thanks Charlie! You're the best!) Now, we did have fun today and I'm sure we'll have fun tomorrow. But we really need to be back in school on Wednesday so lets warm up a little bit mother nature.








Amelia is really distraught over how the snowman is accessorized. Obviously, Will is too :)


The finished product..wearing her shirt per Amelia's request and we finally put the fish headband to good use! Swim little fish, swim on!

Ten on Tuesday

1. It has been brought to my attention that some of you don't know who Kit and Ruthie are..what planet are you living on and how do I get there?

2. I would like to say that we are no longer technological dinosaurs and welcomed technology into our home with an IPad.

3. Jason and I need to take a class to figure out how to turn the thing on and off. The kids can be found on youtube.

4. Now taking suggestions for delicious New Years Day food items to bring me luck for next year. Blackeyed peas and pork-sauerkraut dishes need not apply.

5. Way to represent, BIG10, in the bowl games. If my Buckeyes lose tonight I may take the very last seat on the Auburn bandwagon and call it a day.

6. Thanks to the lovely lady that sent us five pounds of gummy bears. Amelia saw the bears and knew immediately who they were from. I'm firing up my treadmill now.

7. Most annoying saying of Christmas break "You're not invited to my birthday." I guess when you're 3 and 4, that's about as terrible as it gets.

8. Jason taught a class that required his uniform yesterday. When he returned the kids said "Did you go to the Army today?" They've adjusted to college life rather well.

9. Bella started back to school today. She got up at 6:15, ate, brushed her teeth and was dressed by 6:35. I think she was a little excited to get back.

10. Has anyone tried the couch to 5K program? I used to be a runner but need to start slowly..I'm much more comfortable walking now.

swan dive

Jason took the kids out for a daddy date yesterday. They went to eat more chicken and to see Tangled. Seeing as how Will usually chooses Barbie movies anyway, he was equally as excited as the girls to see Rapunzel. They enjoyed the movie and of course stopped at their favorite chocolate store for a truffle on their way out. They also had to make a wish in the fountain, another tradition, before leaving. Apparently this time however, Will decided to climb on top the fountain wall to throw his penny in. The fountain wall = forbidden territory. They were with Dad and he might not know such things. His rules are sometimes not as strict as mine.
Well just in case any of you are wondering about the mythological story you hear from your parents..kids really do fall in those fountains. Yesterday that kid was mine.
Will went in head first, fully submerged and arrived home wearing nothing but Jason's sweater. Jason said there were little wet foot prints leading all the way out into the parking lot.