Tales of a Lonely Army Wife No More

Revisited Resolutions

2012-01-10T11:22:00.001+01:00

Happy 2012! Josh and I have made some resolutions that I felt like mentioning, which also happen to be the same resolutions we've had a few times. It might sound cliche, but this time we stinkin' mean it. It even feels different. We feel like real grown-ups making life changes instead of kids raising babies, trying to be responsible while still wanting to have fun. We're grown now.

#1 - Quit smoking once and for all. Never ever again. EVER! We've quit and started back up enough times to know that it is impossible for us to have "just one" cigarette and have that be it. Impossible. We had started back up when Josh's brother was in the hospital and swore we would quit when we got back home. That was over 2 years ago. Most people don't know I smoke because it's embarrassing for me, especially being a mother. People assume awful things that are not true like I smoke in the house or car with my kids around ::eyeroll:: Do I look or act like a moron? Anyway... now I can admit it because I'm not a smoker anymore hahaha. I'm happy to say we're already on day 6 without a cigarette so I'm checking this one off as done.

#2 - Stop using credit cards. We had all of our debts paid off for a few years and hadn't touched our ~~little plastic hole-diggers of indentured servitude to multi-billion dollar corporations that suck the life out of you like blood-thirsty vampires~~ credit cards. Then we sold our house, Josh came home, I no longer had a job, and we moved. Our pay was drastically different and we were excitedly spending the gains from our home sale on goodies for our brand new house. We never looked at the finances. Suddenly our extra money was all gone and we were still spending like we had plenty to spare. Then we thought "sure why not" on a few big purchases with the credit cards. Then they were nearly maxed out. Our buffer was gone and the reality of our finances hit us hard with a few months of major struggling. We made a budget, stuck to it, slowly started chipping away at the debt. Then we moved internationally and maxed it all back out because we HAD TO to survive. This brings us to now.

#3 - Pay off all our debt. We've formulated a plan for this and should have it all gone in one year (including one car completely paid off) without sacrificing anything. After that all the extra $$ can go into savings. SAVINGS?! We haven't had any savings since 2006. Sigh. Such a bad thing when you have kids.

#4 - Stick to a budget. Both of us are committed to it. We both came up with the budget so we're well-informed and dedicated. This month we've stuck to it and it's been easy enough to do. We've lived on a budget before so we're not strangers to it by any means. In fact I think we've always lived on somewhat of a budget, but it's been a while since we set actual amounts to stick to for food, fuel and incidentals.

#5 - Start saving. This is something else we've really planned well. Most of our tax return is going straight into savings. Anything extra we don't spend from the budget goes into savings. We need to have enough saved up for our big move and for Josh getting out in 2013.

#6 - Be ready. We have a lot of individual goals to accomplish before Josh gets out. We don't want to be flapping aimlessly in the wind. We've already researched jobs (for both of us) and updated our resumes. Our degree programs are all planned out and we're working out the scheduling for classes and whatnot. I think I am going to have the worst time with this. I love motivating him, but I get so nervous about this kind of stuff. I can't settle on anything. I always procrastinate until it's too late. I just need to finish my degree in Spanish first and then I can quibble about what I really want to do with my life later. Hopefully we can motivate each other (like we usually do). That's a huge part of what marriage is about for us, being a unified team to make a brighter future for us and our kids. We encourage and enable each other to reach our goals.

We are realistic in our expectations. We know we're moving in 6 months, which is expensive. We have no idea where we'll end up, but we know we're probably going to be living in base housing. This means no extra $ for rent and bills, but no rent and utilities to pay anyway. This means we need to get our debt down ASAP so that our debt/income ratio is manageable with base pay alone. Easy enough to do. We don't know if Josh will have to go on deployment again before his time is up. Soon enough we'll at least know where we're supposed to be going next. We only have 6 months left so they had better get on the ball. There's a lot we have to do before then, and most of it needs to be done months in advance.

SOOOOOOOOOooooooo... that's what we're working on :) Pretty huge, huh.

2011 Year in Review

2011-12-31T15:36:00.001+01:00

Our 2011 was such a rollercoaster of highs and lows. It started with Josh being gone for a few months, and then a few more, and then a few more. We started Saturday's Unplugged, which have transformed our family. Our collection of games has grown exponentially and we spend time "unplugged" every day. We all LOVE IT!!

Brennan, shortly after learning how to work the doors in the house, took an awful plunge down the marble stairs which lead to a trip to the ER and a lot of crying... from Mommy and Daddy too. It still haunts me. How we love our little Brennan. Our world without him would be so much "less". His baby jabbers morphed into full sentences, complete with sarcasm and clever jibes at his brothers. He turned two and lives up to his age on a daily basis haha. Such a smart boy and a blessing!

Tristan played with and said farewell to many friends. We started a little preschool and he picked up on shapes and colors immediately. He's lessened hit fits and whining substantially and has become a wonderful big brother. He has developed his own sense of style, insisting on dressing himself every day: striped short-sleeve shirt under a long-sleeve shirt and "rockstar" jeans (jeans with a star on the snap), socks always matching. His cuteness is almost too much to bear. He turned 4 and is excited to start kindergarten soon. I can't believe it!!!

Noah packed his brain with knowledge from school and shared it with us over many scientific dinner conversations. His baseball team won the little league championship and he was awarded "Rookie of the Year". His lego & block-building skills have grown to the point of nearly fearful awesomeness and we're trying to keep up with his brilliance. He has also said goodbye to many a dear friend this year, but has taken each goodbye like a champ. Noah's grown into such a handsome, talented, empathetic child. He's the best big brother any kid could hope for. We celebrated his 7th birthday in Rota at the beach as a family. It was... fabulous :) He leapt into 2nd grade with determination and has calmed down so much over this year. He has matured a great deal.

Our marriage almost died, but was suddenly revived by a last-minute trip to Italy while Josh was on one of his many TDY's this year. Our lines of communication have been blown wide open and our outlook for the future is beyond amazing. Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to make a strong foundation for a marriage.

We had a lot of family come out for visits over the summer and it was AMAZING! We saw so many new places, and I took a billion pictures. I turned 30, got back in shape, really developed my photography (and am continuing my journey forward with it). I've taken up reading (again), and hopefully will stick with it this time.

We surprised our families with a month-long trip back to the states. There was a lot of driving involved, but it was so worth it to see everyone at once. We have so many great memories from that trip!! This broguht with it our first experience with Space-A travel, an experience I'd repeat, but maybe be better prepared for in the future. It was... interesting, to say the least.

December was wonderful. We were able to give the kids (with help from the grandparents) a really great Christmas. We spend many hours outside playing in the sun. Josh and I play cards or word games every day now and it's been faboo :) We've been trying new recipes and developing our family cookbook, complete with photos. Fun times!!

2012 is going to be full of change. Our time in Spain is up in June, right after Noah finishes 2nd grade. Tristan will be starting Kindergarten. Josh's time in the Army will be ending soon and we'll be prepping for our plunge into civilian life (a decision we made long ago and are sticking with). Our New Year's resolution is to stick to our new budget and get some money saved up over the next year and a half to give us a decent start "out". We hope the military will put us someplace decent and are hopeful Josh won't be deployed again, but not dumb enough to buy into that possibility completely. Here's looking at you, 2012! Bring it on! :)

Christmas

2011-12-30T21:33:00.000+01:00

This Christmas was very much like last Christmas, which is a good thing. We let the kids open their presents from the grandparents on Christmas Eve this year so they would get their own special attention. Everything was a big hit! Thank you again!! Later that night we made cookies for Santa. Any baking in this house is a fun time, and we bake every weekend. It can get a little CRAZY! No, not really... but it is fun! :)

Christmas day we had our friend Rudy over and we just hung out and relaxed, watched football, ate. The weather has been decent so the kids played outside with their new toys for a few hours. They got half outside toys, half inside toys (because we're all stinkin' geniuses). It was fun and relaxing, just what we wanted! Josh made his first ducken (duck stuffed with a chicken) and it was delicious. We all got what we wanted.

We've been enjoying our time together while Josh is off work... at home, chilling out and cooking :) I love my life. It might be monotonous sometimes, but it's a great life.

Another family we know and love has moved on. We had a little bu-bye dinner at our house. I got some funny shots of all the crazy boys together :) We'll be following soon... late June our time in Spain is up! Now that Jessica and Jamie are gone you might be seeing more of me as I try to maintain my creativity and sanity despite utter boredom and lack of companionship.

I am going to be getting Tristan ready for school. I don't know how much he knows already, but it's not a lot. Who knows he might surprise me. Thankfully he finally seems willing to do a little learning.

Brennan is going to get potty trained. We've been assaulting him daily with psychological warfare about the potty. I think he's going to be an easy one. After Tristan anything would be easy!

XMAS Card 2011

2011-12-25T09:30:00.001+01:00

Picture Tree Christmas

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Holiday Party

2011-12-18T08:06:00.000+01:00

As luck would have it, everyone was better just in time for Josh's work holiday party! I threw together some mashed potatoes (never show up empty-handed to a potluck, especially with 5 people). As soon as we got there Tristan ran over to the face painters and had her paint him up like Spiderman. He was an immediate hit. There were little spidermen and one spiderwoman running around all over that party. Tristan's such a trend setter. Christopher was all creative and asked to be the bad Spiderman.

Brennan spent his time coloring in the lines with an intense amount of concentration. I was so proud. He loves to color! He did a fabulous job. He also ate about 3 candy canes and a big plate of food. HOORAY!!!

Noah was busy playing outside with his "big kid friends" the entire time. The sun was out all day and it was so nice to get them fresh air again! We let the kids all hang out together outside and play with their new toys. Pretty successful party I'd say.

Afterwards we had to go to the store and the boys were getting quite a few delighted glances from passers-by. Tristan, being the hambone that he is, thoroughly enjoyed it and flashed his crooked smile at anyone who made eyes contact with him.

Noah's Holiday Concert

2011-12-17T10:32:00.001+01:00

Noah's big Christmas concert was yesterday. He was still feeling a tad under the weather, but he cried when I suggested he not go to school and pleaded "Mommy my stomach is fine, it's perfect!". He also said his farts were so hot they actually like melted his poop. If you really think about it, that's pretty awesome that a 7yr old still had no idea what diarrhea was! He's not sick very often to be sure. Anyway, back to the concert! It was adorable as per usual. Noah was definitely the most entertaining 2nd grader up there. By entertaining I mean misbehaving, of course, but the crazy ones make the concerts that much better to watch.

He did a lot of teasing. He was surrounded by girls, probably to try and keep him chilled out. Girls are always quick to step up and be a mom to anyone nearby ;) Well, it almost worked. Noah did a few pretty amazing poses. Apparently he learned this "goat head rocker" one from a kid in his class. I am fine with it. It was hilarious. We are proud to be the parents of the crazy kid at the concert.

Noah never could find me up in the stands despite my freakish waving. I guess I was too far back. Optimum picture range though. We were planning to bring him home with us after the concert, but he cued the waterworks again so we gave in and allowed him to stay at school the entire day. He gets over sickness so quickly! Meanwhile, Brennan was scaring the mommy-crap out of me for the past few days. Yesterday and the day before he wouldn't get off the couch, wouldn't eat, and was trying to refuse fluids. We were persistent with his fluids though and suddenly last night it was like a switch got flipped and he was Brennan again. This morning he ate and ate, drank a lot of water and juice, and is teasing his brothers again. We're so relieved he's finally better! Five days of the stomach flu is a long time for a tiny little boy who is already thin.

Brothers, Big and Small

2011-12-10T02:39:00.001+01:00

The boys have been playing exceptionally well together lately. Not only that, but they agree to get pictures taken!! Their dirt-smudged little boy faces melt my heart :) What to print, what to print.

And I just had to share this little moment I caught between Bosley and Brennan. Bren was laying there with Bos for a good 5 minutes, talking to him about his slugs. And yes he is still in his pajamas.

Aranjuez Revisited

2011-12-10T02:36:00.001+01:00

Our friends will be moving soon (does this story sound familiar?) so we went to Aranjuez again for a "last hurrah" and some great photo ops. I won't be sharing their photo shoot until after Christmas so they can surprise people with the cards.

First stop was coffee. Oh sweet nectar of life. The boys had a plate of chips to keep them busy while we slowly slipped our delicious brew. They didn't last very long.

After that we walked around the city and the parks for a couple hours and the boys went completely nuts. We'd all been to Aranjuez before, but only had time to see the huge garden. Well this time we saw the palaces and fountains! I'm glad they got to see it before they go back to the States.

Everyone got ridiculously hungry and, luckily for us, it was a Spanish holiday so the restaurants were still open after 4pm. As we were eating our early dinner a thick fog rolled in around us. It was like a snow day or something.

We were running and playing in the fog like little kids. Jamie was so excited she fell. I snapped pictures because... well, you can see why. Everything was just so stinkin' cool. It was such a great day! :)

November in Pictures

2011-11-28T22:51:00.001+01:00

I was so busy ~~being lazy~~ blogging about last month that I never got to talk about this month! We have been spending all the time we can outdoors. The nights are cold, sometimes the days are rainy. If there's sun, we're outside. It's been a great month, lots of family time. We listen to music and play games all afternoon. The boys get filthy every day.

When we're not outside, we're doing some fun cooking inside or watching a movie together by the fire, or watching the rain. We love "build your own pizza" dinner days!! We build our own salads/pizzas/wraps at least twice a month. The kids love picking out their own veggies :)

Jamie and her boys are over every day. We keep each other company and staying home saves a whole lot of money! We have a great time together, and so do our boys. Alex is almost walking and is the cutest little wobbly thing. They'll be leaving very soon so... I don't want to talk about it.

I've also been obsessively cleaning and organizing things (nooooo, I'm not pregnant). Being stuck in the house always makes me want to clean. We also got all our huge fire logs all chainsawed down and stacked onto the porch. The boys helped stack :)

Thanksgiving was a huge success. We had 16 people here (6 of them mini) and we had more than enough over-indulgent deliciousness to go around. We played a lot of games, had a lot of fun, drank quite a bit of wine, and ate a metric ton of food. It was a fantastic day! So fantastic that I didn't touch my camera except to take a picture of the Ring-Necked Parakeets that were eating my almonds.

Josh had that Friday off so we got all our Christmas stuff put up. The house looks all cheery and festive now.

That's about it!! Bring on December! We already got half the Christmas shopping done and have the rest all planned out. It's going to be a very Happy Holiday! :)

Saturday thru Monday - Our Stay at the Dover Terminal

2011-10-31T20:58:00.000+01:00

SATURDAY - Up until this point everything has been running quite smoothly. We'd been delayed a few times, but we fully expected to wait around for a flight, which is why we wanted to get to Dover with four days left on Josh's leave.

Saturday morning comes. We had to check out of the hotel by 10am again, have the rental car turned in before heading to the terminal. First thing we did was go to the terminal to check into the flight, which had been pushed back again to 8pm. We checked in and drove around awhile, not sure what to do with ourselves since the rental didn't need to be returned until 5pm, but we didn't have to check in for our flight until 5 either. The weather was awful so we couldn't walk around anywhere outside, which stunk. Walmart ended up being "the place to be" for the next few hours. I have never been a fan of Walmart, but that was pretty much the only available hangout other than going to the terminal early, which didn't make sense since we hadn't turned in the car yet. We wanted as much time as possible with our vehicular freedom before calling a shuttle and being stuck babysitting all our bags at the terminal. So many bags. Walmart also happened to be very close to the rental place and we didn't want to burn up fuel since we'd be charged if the tank wasn't full upon turn-in.

Our shuttle arrived at the rental place early, and so did we. It was 4pm. It was freezing outside and raining. There were muddy puddles everywhere. We had to load all the bags and kids into the shuttle. Josh went inside the tiny office to pay and wasn't allowed to do a split tender on 2 credit cards, even if one was a debit card. He had to find an ATM and pull out cash while we waited in the shuttle. Transaction finally complete we made our way to the terminal. Still raining. Still cold. And now we were without vehicle or hotel room. Cue the fun!!

The Dover terminal is tiny. There are bathrooms, one check-in counter, a security area, the USO, and 2 seating areas with maybe 100 seats total. As soon as we rolled into the terminal, and then back out to get more bags, and then back in, and then back out for the last of the bags... we heard from the 15 other people waiting that the flight had been pushed back again to 2am. Are you kidding me? But... I don't have a car now! Now that we had to have our bags with us at all times we were stuck. No checking bags for Space-A, not until you're actually being checked onto the flight. CRAP! They projected 15 seats available for the 2am flight though so our chances were decent at getting onto it. Just to be safe we reserved the last room at the hotel, but they'd only hold our reservation until 5am without charging us.

The USO was beautiful - theater room, internet access, lots of food and snacks, reading materials, a pool table... and closed early due to lack of volunteers. Once 8pm rolled around there was absolutely nowhere to go and nothing to do. There was a children's area, which was being remodeled. All we had were a few rows of seats and some TV's. We were trapped inside thanks to the weather, which was worsening still. Thankfully, once I got over my initial annoyance about the situation, I started getting to know my fellow stranded passengers. We made friends with a great family, who was also on their way back to Spain with their 2 adorable little girls. Awesome people, our kids played together nonstop. We talked and laughed the entire time, which lightened the tension considerably. There were a lot of retired couples on their way to Europe, whichever flight would take them. By 11pm we were all pretty comfortable with each other. I took orders from everyone who wanted Angelo's Pizza, and successfully talked the delivery guy into bringing a big load of food up to the door of the terminal. The pizza arrived at 11:45, and as he walked out the door we heard an announcement. "The 2am flight will not have any seats available". We all lost our appetites.

SUNDAY - It's now Sunday. Josh and I considered calling the shuttle to take us back to the hotel again for the night. Neither of us wanted to try and sleep in the terminal, especially not with our poor tired little boys. But, we had food and good company so we waited until 2am just to be positive there weren't any available seats. 2:30am - absolutely, there weren't. We were about to leave. Someone told us about another projected flight at 6:30am with 73 seats, and it was the last flight to Spain until Monday. Josh ripped into the sergeant behind the counter for not announcing the flight, knowing full well he had 15 people waiting for a flight to Spain. It was already 2... was it worth it to pay for a shuttle twice, load everything up twice, and pay full price for a few hours in a room? No. We went ahead and canceled our hotel reservation so we wouldn't get charged. The younger kids were asleep so we stayed, hoping to get onto that 6am flight. We'd know in a few hours if there were any seats available. Noah eventually passed out while playing his DS. We tried to get some sleep. It was flippin' freezing in there. We weren't allowed to push the rows of seats together to make little beds for the kids because we were told it was a "fire hazard". I wanted to kill that guy, the same guy that didn't announce the flight. Seriously... at least think of why the rules are what they are and give me a good reason. He was an incompetent, apathetic, heartless a-hole.

Josh and I maybe slept 3 hours total between us. Finally it was 6am. Announcement time! "No seats available". How the hell can a flight with a projected 73 seats magically now not have any seats available? Half of the people cleared out of there. The last ones left were us and the other family we'd been talking to the entire time, plus a few retired couples. We called the hotel and the shuttle. We were going to share the last available room with our friends and take turns with the shuttle. Josh and I loaded up first since the reservation was in our name. We got all the bags unloaded and rolled into the room. A knock at the door. It was the shuttle driver. "Your friend called, he said there are seats! Let's go!". Part of me wanted to be happy, but most of me wanted to get to the terminal and rip that guy's face off. Freakin' idiot. Maybe he did it on purpose because Josh and I got in his face that evening for being a moron. All I know is thank GOD we met amazing people in that terminal who called all over the place looking for our shuttle driver so that we could get on that flight.

It's 6:30am, the flight will be ready to go with 73 seats available by 9am. I am giving this guy the evil eye from every direction. I fully suspect he will burst into flames at any second. It's shift change... he's leaving... the new guy is compassionate, well-spoken, and helpful. HELL YEAH! We all got to check our bags in. No more babysitting luggage!!! The USO opened and the morning staff was fantastic. We got breakfast for the kids, who were excited about going home. By 8:30am we were all passing through the security gates... make that skipping, all-smiles. We walked out into the sun and boarded our bus. Sitting on the bus we were chattering away, laughing about the events, relieved it was over, exchanging contact information. We parked in front of our glorious C17 and watched them load our bags. Time passed, bags were loaded, but we were still on the bus. I looked over at the flight crew and one of them was staring up at one of the engines, watching it rev. And Again. Stare, walk, stare. Again, walk & stare. Again... shakes head. "Josh... look at that guy. That can't be good". Another member of the flight crew walked up to our driver and told him the news. Something's broken, we have to go back. It had been such a rough time already that all of us couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. At least our bags were gone. At least we had good company.

Since our bags were already checked onto that flight we were at the mercy of the crew and their repair skills. They said they wouldn't know if the flight would be good for takeoff until after 12pm. We trudged back into the terminal, somewhat defeated. Exhausted, but hopeful. We all went straight for the USO. They put a movie in for the kids and we took little cat naps in the huge comfy chairs. By 10 it was apparent we weren't going to sleep much so the mommies (and Brennan) took a short walk to the Post Exchange to get the heck out of there for awhile. It was still cold, but the sun was out and the rain had stopped so we were all about taking a walk. I bought some gum... that's about it haha.

As we were walking back at 11am we saw this crazy guy running towards us from the terminal, waving his arms like a lunatic. Oh! It's Josh! Grab Brennan and RUN! What? What?! "It's fixed, we're loading up. Hurry! Now!" Well crap! An hour early?! SWEET! We check through security again and sit down with our boxed lunches and carry-ons in the secondary waiting area, ready for the bus. Our friends are the first to load onto the bus, one retired couple... "what? I thought you said it was ready now!"... "Sorry folks, they said not quite yet, but soon". And off the bus they go... again. Waiting... again... but one step closer. All 5 kids ran in circles around the chairs screaming and laughing and none of us tried to stop them. They needed to do it. They had been stuck in a terminal for far too long. Our total wait time in that room was about 30 minutes, which was nothing. We all loaded onto the bus and onto our plane at 11:30am Sunday morning and were taking off by noon. Projected flight time 9 hours.

The C17 had a separate seating area much like a commercial plane up over the cargo area. It was filthy, there weren't any windows or entertainment, but it was free. We dug into our boxed lunches and all succumbed to sweet slumber shortly thereafter. There were so few of us that we got to sprawl out in our own rows for some decent shut-eye (finally). I was the first to wake up, the boys were all still asleep. I look over at our friends and they were both awake, kids starting to wake up too.

"Any idea what time it is?", I asked.

"No... I'm afraid to ask"

"I know me too"

Someone a few rows up was thinking the same thing and had the guts to ask. We heard a thirty mumbled in there somehow so I asked him to repeat "Excuse me, how much longer did you say? An hour and a half?" "No we'll be landing in about 30-45 minutes." I turned to my friend "Holy crap. I could just kiss him right on the mouth". We had slept the entire flight. Miraculous! We laughed and started excitedly waking up our offspring. I let Josh sleep. We still had a 6 hour drive ahead of us.

MONDAY - Going to the States you gain tons of time, coming home you most definitely lose. It was 2am Monday morning when we landed. Our friends offered to have us stay at their house for the night, and we changed our minds 3 times before finally settling on no. Once we saw our van we just wanted to get home. Our own home. Our own beds. We wanted to be done traveling. Plus Josh's leave was technically over so he'd have to be at work by 9.

Driving at night is a blessing and a curse. There are less cops and less traffic, but more night blindness and less options for food and fuel. The kids drifted in and out of sleep and watched movies the entire time. They weren't complete angels, but given the situation they were absolutely amazing. We were beyond tired, but we made it home safely at 7:30am. Josh walked in, shaved, and left for work. I put the kids down for a nap and called up Jamie to come over for coffee and catch up. There was no way I was going to sleep while Josh had to work a full day. It just felt wrong. I cleaned the house and brought in all the luggage. Josh worked until 5, poor thing, and we fell asleep on the couch after putting the kids down to bed.

So, that concludes our trip... and what a way to end it, right? It was an experience. I would do Space-A travel again in a heartbeat, even with all the uncertainty and annoyances. To me it's worth the $5,000 I save on airfare. Hope you enjoyed the saga ;) Now back to our normal broadcast.

Tuesday thru Friday - Final Goodbyes and a Long Stay

2011-10-28T21:27:00.000+02:00

TUESDAY - Tuesday morning we awoke relatively early so that we could get over to Dover and return the rental car before it was too late. We had to have it in by 5pm, but we also wanted to stop in Pittsburgh to see Uncle Ben and Nate at Cannon Coffee. I thankfully remembered to wrangle the kids up for a picture with Grandma and Grandpa right before we left. I wish I had done it sooner, with better light, and when the kids weren't cranky... but I love it, and that's what counts :)

We left for Pittsburgh and all Josh and I could think about was how awesome it was going to be to finally try Ben's coffee... see their shop, talk to them in person, give them a hug. Ben made us pumpkin spice lattes and they were literally the best coffee we've ever had. We've had cappuccino in Italy and it was damn good, but this pumpkin spice latte was just insane! Maybe it was mixed with the joy of seeing my little brother, maybe I'm biased, but it's still delicious ;) There was a chance for us to see an old friend of ours (hi Amy!!!) but we couldn't get to the shop by the weekend so we just missed each other. Sweetheart that she is, she went to Cannon with her friends anyway and left us a card. Love you, Amy! Maybe next time!! I chatted with Ben while Josh and Nate were talking military, politics, & business (or so I think... like I said, I was talking to Ben haha). We hung out until much later than we should have, but you can't rush a visit.

We finally left at around 12, giving us barely enough time to get to Dover by 5pm with no stops whatsoever. Josh and I were hyped up on caffeine, but the boys weren't. They slept for a good 3 hours in the backseat while Noah played his DS quietly. We were afraid to upset the balance of the universe so we didn't even stop to pee until those children woke up. Man that was a long 3 hours, especially after 3 coffees. We got gas and a few snacks and hit the road again.

Believe it or not we made it to Dover by 5:30pm. Everyone was starving since we hadn't truly eaten since breakfast. We promised the kids we'd go to the same exact restaurant we visited when we first arrived in the States... Bob Evans. Shocker, I know. We had to make a quick stop at the car rental place beforehand to extend for another day, which happened to be across the street from BE.

Dinner was great, as Bob Evans dinners tend to be. We immediately headed for the terminal to check on available flights. None until Saturday. OK! This is why we left ourselves with so much extra time. Unpredictability of Space-A travel, you don't scare me! Luckily, base lodging had an available room, but only through Thursday night. The rooms are used so often as temporary lodging that they're fully stocked with all the amenities of an apartment. We had a full kitchen and 2 bedrooms for a rock-bottom price. Oh thank you, base. You rock. We were exhausted from the day. The kids crashed immediately, but Josh and I stayed awake until 2am talking about options and plans. We were focusing on the bright side, and it was good. We stayed up so late that we got hungry again. Found a place called Angelo's that delivered until 1am and it was deeeeeeelicious. With full tummies, we finally drifted off.

WEDNESDAY - The first thing we did Wednesday was run to the commissary to get groceries for the next few days. We were SO going to cook! And we did.

We made lofty goals about taking a trip out to DC the following day, even asked friends in the area if they wanted to hang out. Yeah!!! We are totally stoked about DC! WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Josh has never been! We have to go! The weather was good so we took the kids to a playground. As they played the temperature started falling rapidly and a thin mist began to fall. It stunk. They didn't care, of course, but I was stinkin' cold. We made a trip back over to the terminal (just to be sure Saturday was still our soonest flight option). Surprisingly it had been moved up to midnight, and we'd have to be there on Friday night by 10pm for "roll call". The rest of the night we spent watching the Food Network. They were showing a "Chopped" marathon and it was scrumtrulescent.

THURSDAY - Since our flight had been bumped up a bit and the weather was still crappy, we decided against DC. Instead we stayed at home and did our final packing and laundry. For real this time. This is it. No more. I had to get some pictures printed off for Noah so he could finish his homework up properly. Journals aren't real journals without pictures, you know ;) We took the kids to a few local playgrounds when the weather cleared up, which lasted for all of maybe 1 hour. We did a bit more grocery shopping. We stuffed ourselves with healthy foods so that we wouldn't get sick with all the traveling we'd endured over the last few weeks (which worked, by the way). We watched TV, movies, and we slept. Pretty blah day, but it was quite nice to have after all the packed days of yore.

FRIDAY - Our hotel room was reserved for Friday night so we had to be out of there by 10am. After a quick clean-up of breakfast we loaded all our crap back up and headed out to the great beyond. We didn't have to be at the terminal until 8pm so we had some time to kill. We went downtown to check out the "scene". Not too much to speak of in Dover, but it's a nice town with some interesting history. The visitor's center had pamphlets galore of all the fun little places to visit. We settled on the Victrola museum and the US Civil War exhibit.

The kids learned all about the historical meaning of "put a sock in it" at the Victrola museum, and they still tell me on a weekly basis what it means :) I didn't get any pics of the Civil War exhibit because I was too busy ushering boys to the bathroom or trying to stop them from touching things. They had just gotten out of the car yet again so they were a little nuts. They did manage to settle down when I started explaining the tools in the combat medic bag... the saw, the drill, the lack of pain meds. Of course it fascinated them.

On a whim we thought we'd check one last time at the terminal before we handed in our rental car and were stranded. Good thing we did because the midnight flight had been delayed until 11am Saturday morning. Oh good! We won't have to stay the night in the terminal!! Off to Olive Garden we went for dinner (again, and still not sick of it). The kids were a little annoyed that we weren't leaving, and a family dinner out was a nice treat for them. A room was available at base lodging for us again (yay!) so we had an inexpensive, but wonderful place to stay. Everything seemed to be working out how it needed to... maybe not how we wanted or how we planned, but it was working and we couldn't complain.

Monday - Lunch, Art, and Ipads

2011-10-24T01:42:00.000+02:00

Monday was our last day in Ohio so we spent it at home, just relaxing and spending time together. Mom and I left for lunch out at Olive Garden with Pam and Michelle. We had a great time chatting and laughing. We knew we might not see each other again before I left, but we didn't do the big goodbye's. It was nice. I am not a fan of saying goodbye to family and Michelle and Pam are no exception... and sometimes it seems that's all I do is say goodbye. Sigh. Anyway... it was a fabulous lunch, delicious food and wonderful company :)

When I got home Mom introduced us to the Ipad for Angry Birds and Mahjongg and that's all she wrote. I think we played those dang things all day long. I took breaks to do laundry and pack, but the majority of my time was spent matching tiles, while Josh spent his day slingshotting perturbed birdies at green pigs. Ahhhhh ain't technology grand?

The kids got art lessons from Mom while we lazed around on couches. They created their own masterpieces while Grandma worked on her portraits. Brennan definitely was interested and Mom says he shows a lot of talent for a 2yr old. Noah's also a little artist. Tristan had fun, but he was more interested in the marbles Mom keeps on hand for curious grandkids. It's the simple things :)

At some point we ate. At some point we slept. At all times we were happy to be with family.

Sunday - The Lake and Apple Picking

2011-10-23T01:21:00.000+02:00

I had mentioned to Mom before we left two weeks ago that I had really missed apple picking since I moved away from home. Not many states (or countries, for that matter) have apple orchards where locals are free to roam and pick to their heart's content. Ohio is one of those magical places ;)

Sunday morning we called everyone up and made plans to meet at the lake to get some pictures of the kids and let them play on the playground and then we'd be off for some apple picking. The sun was in a bad spot so the pictures didn't come out like I'd hoped, but the kids had fun nonetheless.

We stopped for a quick bite at Wendy's before we headed out to Hartford. The orchard hit hard times the last few years. The original owner had passed it down to his son, but his son didn't want to have anything to do with it so the apples got a little disfigured and eaten away by pests. Thankfully someone came to the rescue and the apples are slowly making a comeback. It was slim pickin's, but an apple doesn't need to be pretty to taste good in a pie... plus they were very cheap!

We searched high and low for good apples, had some fun by the pond, got more pictures of the cousins together (my how they've all grown!), and then headed home.

Mom made a roast beef dinner for everyone and we all hung out a little more before everyone had to head home and get sleep before work/school.

It was a long day, but somehow Josh and I found the energy to go to Target yet again, just to return a few things this time. We came back and caught up on more TV and watched "The Last of the Mohicans" (which I had never seen... shocking, I know). Then we headed to bed as well.

Friday & Saturday - Big Brother Mark & family, and back to Mom's

2011-10-22T08:42:00.000+02:00

We were on the road again by 8am, plenty of time to arrive by lunch in Marysville (a mere 3 hours away). We called Mark and Jennifer and let them know where we were and when to expect us. I was way off. It didn't help that we had crossed time zones and I couldn't remember if I had switched the clocks accordingly. We had to stop 4 times and let the kids run around because all of us were so tired of our nomadic lifestyle at that point we could only bear an hour in the car at a time. Walmart made for some decent leg-stretching time. The boys played in the toy section for a good hour.

We finally made the last leg of our trip and were at Mark and Jen's house by 2:30. They had big warm hugs, smiles, and pizza there waiting for us. We hadn't decided yet whether or not we'd be staying the night, but after a few hours of amazing conversation and relaxation we were set on staying. We talked about politics and finances, military life. We caught up on the last 5 years of our lives, which was far too long to go between visits. It was wonderful to talk to my big brother again. He and Jennifer are fountains of wisdom and shared so many great bits of advice with us. Watching them with their boys was educational as well. They are such wonderful kids and their relationship with them is one we aspire to achieve some day. I am so proud of my nephews! :)

Mark gave Noah and Tristan his kids' old DS's with a few games and Noah played it until the batteries dies, then played it some more. His cousins David and Daniel showed him the gaming systems and he was in boy heaven. So many electronics, so little time. Tristan's DS was snapped in half by Brennan almost immediately so it's sitting on my shelf awaiting repairs. Thankfully it still turns on. A little electrical tape and I think we'll be set. Thanks so much again for the toys! It definitely made the last legs of our trip much more palatable.

Dinner was Mark's famous spaghetti sauce, a family tradition (we each have a very distinct but equally delicious sauces). Brennan started losing his mind due to exhaustion, but once I was able to get him down we got to put on a movie. We curled up to watch "The Green Lantern", which my boys were still a bit too young for so they stopped halfway through and headed to bed. The rest of us slept eventually.

In the morning we milled around for awhile. I packed again, got all the dirty laundry together and made a "go bag" for Mom's house while everyone was out and about. Jennifer had to run to the vet with Mark Jr. Mark took the rest of the older boys to game stop where he recorded a fabulous video of Noah playing an interactive game of something volleyball-like, very intensely. It was hilarious! We all met up at Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch and then took off for Mom's from there at 4:30pm. We are so glad we made the stop to see you guys. We had such a great time!!

After such a relaxing 2 days we only had to stop once so we got to Mom's at 7... even earlier than it usually takes! Tristan shouted with joy "it's the same house we were at before!!!". They were so happy to be someplace new, but not. Mom had dinner waiting for us, homemade chicken noodle soup. I know I ate a lot. Right after that I started laundry, including the clothes off their backs. They were happily running around in their underwear. Tired, but wired. Grandma showed them the treadmill and gave them "balance challenges", and they took it very very seriously lol. She wore them OUT. Way to go Mom :) Luckily their good ol' American washer and dryer worked quickly so I was able to clothe the kidlets again. The basement (where the treadmill is) was COLD.

Josh and I stayed up for a bit with Mom and Dad and caught up on our shows, watched a few new ones. We caught them up on our week since we'd been there. I showed them some pictures and made sure the tire swing pic made it to Mom's desktop ;) The plan for tomorrow was set. Hugely fun outing with the whole family!!

Tomorrow - Mosquito Lake & the Hartford Apple Orchard!

Thursday - Hotel

2011-10-20T07:15:00.000+02:00

We were back on the road after breakfast Thursday morning. Our goal was to make it halfway, to Indiana, but then we had a thought... maybe we can make it to Marysville to see my brother Mark and his whole family. It could happen!

Driving and driving and driving...

We had a good three hours to go until we would arrive at Mark's so we pulled over right outside of Indianapolis. We'd spent 10 hours in the car at that point. We were all thrilled at the prospect of getting out of the car for the night. First hotel - booked solid, second hotel too... called to the final hotel. No no no, make that Motel.

Apparently there were several conventions going on in Indianapolis so every hotel within a 20 mile radius of the city was completely booked solid, and twice the price. Hooray! :P The College Inn in Greencastle, Indiana was like one of those hotels in murder movies. You know, where the guy's on the run so he stops at a seedy motel to wash all the blood off of himself in the 70's style green bathroom. That was it, and for the rock-bottom price of $100. Booooooooooo!!!!!

One bright side was that the Pizza King across the street had amazing pie and wonderful staff working there. We did get some sleep once the heater started making a difference. The kids got clean, slept well. It was good enough for what we needed and much better than the car! I went to sleep feeling itchy and had nightmares about bedbugs, but I slept haha.

We woke up super early and left for Mark's.

Wednesday - The Greats! ;)

2011-10-19T18:00:00.000+02:00

We stuck around at home all day Wednesday and I took that opportunity to get all our laundry and packing done. Great Gpa and Gma B drove (for 4 hours) all the way up to see us. We were planning on detouring to go see them, but their trip saved us 8hrs of drive time. Thanks so much again for making that drive, Audrey!!! We had lunch and dinner (Kim's homemade lasagna ::drooool::) together, just visiting and enjoying each others' company all day. It was fabulous! :)

Kim and I took the kids outside a few times, but it was still really cold and windy so we had to tough it out in small chunks of time. Of course the boys didn't care at all. It surely helped that Grandpa ran out and bought them all fleece-lined hoodies.

Bryant and Josh escorted GGpa and GGma to their hotel while Kim and I got the boys turned in with "Yogi Bear" in their room. We warmed up the DVD player for ourselves to watch "Bridesmaids". The TV was being all weird and we missed some of the action, but I thought it was hilarious all the same. Raunchy at times, but hilarious. Bryant and Josh talked in the kitchen while we ladies watched our movie. It was a wonderfully relaxing day and we were so glad we got to visit with Audrey and RB.

We decided it was better for us to go ahead and leave the following day to try and make it back to Spain (and still get all our other visits in) before Josh's leave was up. It was actually Bryant and Kim's idea, and they were so kind to emphasize that they felt they had plenty of time with us and wouldn't feel shorted if we left a day early. This was great to hear and eased our stress immensely. It's so hard to visit everyone and give them all equal time, so when someone understands that... it's a big... relief :) Thankfully, everyone we visited was very understanding on that issue, which helped make our trip all the more pleasurable.

Tomorrow - Back to the east coast!

Monday & Tuesday Morning - Grandpa and Grandma B!!!!

2011-10-18T21:03:00.000+02:00

We arrived at Grandpa & Grandma B's farm a little after 8pm, not too far off our target time. They had cooked up a fabulous dinner for us and it was waiting on the table. It's always amazing to have home-cooked food in my book. All kinds of goodness. I believe I thanked Kim at least 4 times :) We were riding with a huge lightning storm the last hour which made for an interesting drive. The weather continued to worsen. It got outrageously windy, bitter cold, and the lightning never seemed to stop. I tried to get a picture, but I gave up once I couldn't feel my fingers anymore.

After dinner the kids retired to their room to watch "The Cat in the Hat" while we all talked at the table. None of us stayed up too late. Poor Kim had to wake up at 4am-ish so she headed to bed a bit earlier than we did, but we weren't too far off. Josh and I are now convinced we need to buy a memory foam mattress top because that bed was ridiculously comfortable!

The next morning we awoke refreshed and ready for the day. Surprisingly enough, after the huge storm and chilling temperatures the night before, the sun was out and it was relatively warm (in the sun). I took the opportunity to get my photo op done before the boys got dirty outside. Another 8x10 over my couch!!!

Our first stop was the tire swing. This is quite possibly my all-time most favorite-ist photo I've ever taken of my kids. This may end up being one of those huge poster prints someplace in my house. We let the boys wander around the pond and watch the fishies and frogs jump around. We also visited the cows, horses & mules. The wind was still whipping around and we were cold so... perfect time for lunch!

After lunch Bryant took us on a tour of the town. First stop MATER! This is the actual truck on route 66 that was the inspiration for Tow Mater on Disney's "Cars". Apparently the ladies who own the gas station are going to be featured on the "Cars 2" DVD! The kids got a big kick out of it. They also had an old fire engine there that bore a strong resemblance to Red (also from "Cars").

Dad took us on a tour of all the damage left behind by the recent tornado. It was unbelievable how demolished one building would be, but right across from it was one that was fine. Craziness. I didn't realize how bad the tornado was until I saw almost an entire town completely demolished. A lot of it is still a big mess, but some places are rebuilding. The kids started getting impatient so Gpa and Gma were nice enough to get them some Sonic slushies and take them to the playground. I was freezing! Brennan had fallen asleep in the car so he was a big grouch and wanted to be held the whole time. Tristan and Noah had a great time though! We didn't stay too long because the temperature was dropping fast, the wind was picking up even more, and everyone was starting to get hungry again.

Kim cooked us an amazing meal again and we settled into the warm house to watch a little boob toob. The kids disappeared into the "kid room" to watch movies and eventually passed out. We stayed up late talking at the dining room table again. It was a wonderful day :)

Tomorrow - A visit from Great Grandpa and Great Grandma B!

Sunday & Monday Morning - Majekka!!

2011-10-17T08:59:00.000+02:00

Sunday morning we were left to our own devices to pack while Gpa and Gma went to church. This worked out really well since we would have been running all over the place, not visiting anyway. Once they got back I finally got my picture of them with the boys since they were still looking all snazzy in their church clothes :) They turned out great!! This is going to be an 8x10 on my wall, above my couch.

We left shortly thereafter since we had to run back over to Target and exchange/return a few things. Jessica wasn't expecting us until 6pm so we had plenty of time to kill. We killed it at Bob Evans for lunch... again. What is that the 4th time already? I can't help it!!!! I just love love love it!! Bob Evans and Target are my kryptonite!! Ahemmm... so, yeah... we grabbed a coffee and hit the road again. Next stop, Fort Riley! Jessica called to let us know her plans had fallen through and we were a "go" for early arrival, but by that point we had dawdled so much we were barely going to make it by 5pm... and we didn't. We made it by 6pm. Just in time for dinner!

The girls were all standing outside, watching and waiting. I got bum-rushed with hugs and I could not have been happier to see them all again. The kids disappeared into the hills and playgrounds of the neighborhood for an hour while we grown-ups caught up. They all wandered back hungry so we ordered some Chinese food. Nom nom nom. Kidlets were bundled up on couches, waiting impatiently for dinner.

While we were waiting for the food to arrive I showed Jess a few tips for her camera, gave her a very quick breakdown of terminology and manual controls. She absorbed it like a sponge.

Eventually the delivery guy made his way over and we fed the starving herd (none of them cleared their plates, except Emily... she always does). We popped in Nanny McPhee for them and they passed out in various locations in the living room, one-by-one. We played with our cameras and chatted some more.

After the movie the kids all went down without a fight. We stayed up maybe an hour longer, thoroughly getting a kick out of seeing American cable again. Will and Lillian both woke up and that's the "cue" for bedtime We were all tired anyway.

The next day we took the kids out to Target (shut up, I know) and let them run amok while Jess and I looked for jeans. We had planned on taking the kids to a park or something, but the weather stunk. It was cold and windy and gloomy. Lunch was at Wendy's and we got tons of looks from other patrons, our group of 8 kids sitting at a table together. They were well-behaved though, and that's always nice.

Back home we went over a few more camera tips and let the kids play together outside some more before we got back in the car to head to Dad's. By some miracle they agreed to pose for a picture together!!! Oh happy day!!!

We stepped off the porch, into the car, and headed to Gma and Gpa B's!! Target arrival time 7pm.

PS - quick description of the title! Majekka is how Tristan & Brennan say "Miss Jessica", and on a sidenote Brennan was the one who gave baby Will his nickname "Baby Whale" :)

Saturday, Day 8 - Picnic

2011-10-15T08:50:00.000+02:00

Saturday started slow, as Saturdays should. We bade farewell to Gpa Mark and he was off to the races, and the rest of us headed out for a family breakfast at the Santa Fe Depot. We stuffed ourselves with biscuits and gravy and I tried eggs benedict for the first time. I approve! We arrived at the LHS Reunion picnic with the kids, still full from our big American breakfast. We didn't talk to very many people. A majority of the guests were those popular rich kids who still think they're better than everyone. La dee freakin' da. Some people never change.

All the kids who could effectively run were shoveling dirt onto a skateboard ramp and sliding down. There was a playground, but it was so far from the picnic area that it wasn't an option. I spent most of my time sitting on a bench watching kidlets slide around in dirt. It wasn't a complete loss though because Mama Bell was there!!

Mama Bell was in ROTC with Josh in High School and when they saw each other it was huge hugs and ridiculous smiles. I'd heard so much about her that meeting her in person was just a technicality, we were instant friends and she hugged me just as hard. Instant love :) She is one of those people who would be welcome in our house, no matter where, no matter when, and we'd do whatever we could if she ever needed our help. She is amazing and I love her! The kids love her, she loves them. I was so thrilled to finally meet her!

We stuck around and chatted until we got hungry again, partook in the free sammiches, and then called it a day. The boys stayed at home with Grandma while Josh and I ran to get a few things at Target before the big night. We got back with plenty of time to get ready and we looked positively smashing... but I didn't take a picture. This is the only one I took... oh and one showing what Brennan was doing at the time (being all mopey with his blankie).

We got to the Reunion uber early since Josh is just like that. I got to talk to Mama Bell again and we made plans for her to come live on my ranch if Josh deploys, or if he doesn't! People slowly began trickling into the hall and we finally picked a table. With today's technology you can do a lot of hilarious things. Everyone who had internet access checked into "the fun table" while we were sitting there. We were smuggling in beer (how very apropos for a HS reunion). We joked that this time it was because we had jobs and responsibilities and weren't paying $4 a bottle! After reminiscing about psycho ex girlfriends and old teachers, and catching up on what everyone had been up to, we turned our attention to the DJ. His name was DanTastic. He was awful. We knew every song, and they were all famous a decade ago, but they were all horrendously slow... like Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy" and Brandy's "Almost Doesn't Count". Did he want us mellow and depressed? We don't know. But, it was fun to roll our eyes and groan.

Finally it was time to eat. Barbecue!!! WOOT! It was pretty good too. Everyone hung out and drank so things got louder and funnier. They eventually took a class picture. I helped move tables so she could get a good shot and was bugging the crap out of her with inane questions. It was clean up time and... well, I am a mother and I was raised to leave a place better than when you arrived. So I did. I cleaned. Mama Bell had been one of the head organizers and I wanted to help her out too :) Suddenly all the "fun table" kids were helping. Guess we're just awesome that way! Me, Josh, & Mama Bell stayed until the place got locked up. Then we stayed even longer, discussing politics and families and futures. It was GREAT!

Eventually we made our way to the car and I remembered "HEY! I need a new toothbrush!". We went to Walmart for a toothbrush and came out 1 hour later with about 10 DVD's and bluray's and a toothbrush. Whoops!! Most expensive toothbrush EVER! We have a movie addiction. What can I say. It had been awhile.

When we finally made it home we were filled in on all the marvelous antics of the grandniños to include Brennan's repetition of the phrase "gummi worms are my faaavorite". We updated them on the happenings at the reunion and then all parted ways and turned in for the night.

Tomorrow we're heading to Manhattan, KS to see my Jessica!!

Friday, Day 7 - Sorry Guys, We're Taken

2011-10-14T10:41:00.000+02:00

Growing up I was a tomboy. While my Mom may have wanted to take me out on salon days, paint my nails, curl my hair... primp. I probably would have thrown a fit or purposely sabotaged my beautiful nails with fresh mud or sand or something, maybe even shave my head to get rid of the curls for good. I refused to wear makeup because I thought it was pathetic and debasing to paint your face for some dumb guy. I am still one of the most stubborn people you will ever meet. Mom gave up on trying to make me girly eventually, and helplessly watched as I nurtured my love of all things Lowe's by working on projects with my Dad. She watched as I joined the Army. While I am still ridiculously excited when I can do more pull-ups than a man or when I visit hardware stores, I've grown to love my feminine side as well. Finally... at 30 years old I wear girly clothes, do my makeup, sport my sparkly trinkets, and can walk in heels. Shout-out to my Mommy - we will have our date soon! You've been patiently waiting for a loooong time!!

When I first met Sally she made me nervous. She was reformed and proper, well-educated, extremely knowledgeable, cultured, she was a lady... and I was an Army chick who had nooooo concept of any of that, not yet at least. Not only that, but I had an aggressive attitude towards all things "girl". They were below me, why would I know about sewing and baking, and if you do you must be an idiot, how very cliche UGH. I had nothing but insults when it came to femininity... how weak and pathetic to be a "girl". It was more of a defense mechanism than anything else. I didn't know how to be a girl so I made sure everyone thought that was my own choice. Here I was, this person, already married to Josh, and there was nothing she could do about it! I was sure I had offended her every time I opened my mouth. We played a game called "Battle of the Sexes" and I made an absolute fool of myself the entire time, insulting the questions I didn't know and the people who knew the answers. I found out my husband knew all about ballet and baking, sewing, sports, tools... he knew it all, and so did Sally. That one stupid simple game. It made a huge impact on me (10 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday). Here was Josh, manly and amazing, answering questions about ballet with no shame at all. Who the hell was I to insult knowledge of any kind? Slowly but surely Josh helped me reform my ways. So anyway, that's the backstory leading up to today. My first impression with Sally was a bad one, I thought, and I wanted to show her I wasn't like that girl anymore.

I had been planning this day before we ever left Spain. A date with Sally... a girly one. This would be my very first "salon date" and why not go with one of my favorite people who, as it happens, has only sons. At first Sally was all "oh I will just go and keep you company" HA! As aforementioned I am very very stubborn. We called and made our appointments, she allowed herself to get excited and forget the guilty feeling we girls get when we spend money to take care of ourselves. Guilt be damned!! We had plenty of time before our haircuts to go out on a romantic lunch date ;) hahaha.

We picked a new little Italian place called Luigi's and it was DELICIOUS! It had been a long time since I had classic, real Italian food in the States. We got a few visitors from surrounding tables since it was lunchtime and we seemed to be at a teacher hot spot. I didn't mind at all. We did a little small talk for warm up haha. I got to show Sally I had learned how to eat with a little dignity lol.

We still had ample time before our appointment so we took to driving around the neighborhood, looking at houses for sale, prospective homes-to-be in the near future for Gma and Gpa N. And we talked... about everything. We talked about married life, our dreams for the future, our childhoods, our problems. It's hard to put into words what this meant for me. It was an affirmation that I am a respected adult now. I've changed. I had a moment of self-realization back when I first met Sally, that I was a tomboy with a bitchy attitude and had a lot of growing up to do. I had a moment of self-realization with Sally today that I was a grown-up. I made it. It was very cool. I still have changing to do, we all do. But, that's what makes us adults - knowing we're not perfect, and not judging others for their imperfections. The woman I once fearfully admired is my close friend, she trusts me and I trust her. It was an amazing experience, realization, gift, whatever you want to call it. Our dynamic is one of mutual love and respect, and it's invaluable. I love my Mother-in-Law and the friendship we share. Very few people are so lucky!

Eventually it came time to get our hair done and other girly maintenance. The same guy was cutting us both so we had to take turns. I went first, LOVE IT! Sally got brave and went for bangs... BEST DECISION EVER! When she was done I was so overcome with excitement over the cuteness that I gave her a huge hug and squealed like a girl lol. We finished up at the salon and didn't want to go home yet so we divulged in one more guilty pleasure: coffee. I think we made it home at around 4pm, and then realized the house had been locked so Josh and the boys couldn't get inside while we were gone. They hung out at Target most of the day. Whoops! hahaha... Josh didn't care at all though. He was so happy we had our day of bonding.

Later that night Josh and I went to High Noon Saloon for the high school meet & greet. We talked to a few people, drank a few beers, and went back home. It was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be and I was looking forward to Saturday- the actual reunion!!

Thursday, Day 6 - All the Pretty Horses and Jason Statham

2011-10-13T09:36:00.000+02:00

We woke up fairly early and got ready for our big day out. The carousel museum wasn't going to be open until 10 so we had plenty of time to mill around, eat breakfast, and slowly get ready for the day.

We arrived as the museum was being opened and were treated to a free guided tour, even though we only bought the carousel ride. Thanks, guys! The carousel we rode was way faster than any carousel I've ever ridden. It had a mini drum and cymbal set that acted as the "live band" during our ride.

The staff is all-volunteer and the museum is run on donations. They have the oldest functioning carousel in the world. It was built in 1850 and is still operated by hand crank, as our tour guide Virginia demonstrated. Fascinating!

There was a lot to see for the adults, but the kids were antsy and getting hungry for lunch so we didn't stay too remarkably long after the quick tour.

Our next stop was Homer's Drive-In, a classic burger joint which happens to be our Joshua's first place of employment. Other than a few changes in personnel and decorum, he claims it's just the same it's always been. They make some delicious burgers and fries!!

We took our lunch to the park and ate there so the kids could get some playground time in. After lunch we had to take Grandpa back home so he could get to work on time. Our next destination was the Weston Red Barn Farm, where after 2pm you get to pet the animals for free. Hecks yes. I tried in vain to get the boys to take a nap first. Can't fault me for trying!

The farm had so many interesting little displays set up and the animals were very friendly. They had information sheets by all the pens so Noah did a lot of reading that day. The weather was perfect... my allergies started killing me towards the end, but I had a great time showing my boys new animals, face-to-face.

The little pony gave all of us horsey kisses on our palms, which made a funny smacking noise and tickled. It was hilarious!!

The goats loved Brennan for some reason. We never bought any feed so I think they just liked his small stature and "burgery" aroma.

Grandma snuck into the shop and bought us all presents: fudge for Josh and I (drool), and little animal figures for the boys so they'd remember their time at the farm with Grandma.

Once we made it home the boys were happily exhausted and ready for dinner. Sally nudged us a bit and encouraged a fabulous, simply crazy idea... we, the parents of 3 young boys, should go on a date. What what what?!?!?! A what?! OH YEAH! I forgot about dates!!! hehe.

We threw leftovers into the oven for them, our parental guilt not allowing us to permit their own Grandmother to do it, lingered by the doorway for a bit asking "are you sure?". Silly question. Of course as soon as we got into the car we were all smiles and sighs. I believe the comedy station was turned up very loudly and we laughed our way to Kansas City for a "night out".

Our night out was a quest to provide our American bodies the cravings for which they'd been screaming for two years... the Outback Steakhouse bloomin' onion. Yes, it may be 2,000 calories with that amazing sauce, but it's sooooooo worth it. We used to be able to polish off an entire bloom and full dinner, but we couldn't do it! I take that as a good sign. The portion sizes were even smaller than I remember. The waitress looked at me a little crazy when I told her we wouldn't be taking our leftovers.

Next stop was the movies. Since it's so rare we get a chance to see anything on the big screen we insisted it be something action, something worth seeing all ginormous and loud. We finally settled on "Killer Elite", which didn't start until 10 and it wasn't even 9 yet. Yay! Enough time for coffee. We walked into this... can't remember the name... let's call it... Not a Starbucks at 8:52 and noticed someone mopping. Wait, are you about to close? "yeah but it's fine, we're here for you". No we can't do that to you, we won't, did you already clean everything? "we can clean it again". If they hadn't smiled and insisted so much we would have left, but they were sweethearts. They were also very confused why people who live in Spain were vacationing in Kansas... "shouldn't it be the other way around?" hahaha. The coffee was sublime, but I miss the rock-bottom Spanish prices. We did some people watching outside the theater, flirted, sipped our cuppa javas, and eventually it was time for the show.

Note to self: popcorn and soda, not worth it!! Just say no. The movie was pretty good. I don't remember much of it so I guess it wasn't that good... typical assassin movie with Jason Statham... he ruthlessly kills everyone everywhere, but is a "nice guy"... you know. We left happy, but ready for bed. Thanks again for the date, Sally! :)

Tomorrow: I get to go on another date... a girl date OH SNAP!

Wednesday, Day 5 - Let the Good Times Roll

2011-10-12T10:10:00.000+02:00

OK so I think the pictures from yesterday were actually taken on the 12th, but... you know? I am not going to fix it haha... they at least reflect the mood. Suffice it to say, I took no pictures on the 11th either. Back to the story...

After one day of grouchy laziness (poor Sally), by Wednesday morning we were feeling much better. Grandma's bowling league was scheduled to play so we decided to tag along and play our own game off to the side.

First we took the boys to a local park to get some fresh air and exercise. We saw crawfish, minnows, frogs, toads, Autumn leaves. The boys threw a lot of rocks and black walnuts into the creek and got a nice hike in. They also visited the playground. We left the park and made it back just in time for bowling!

Noah bowled 2 strikes, one with the assistance of the bumpers & the other went straight down the middle. He has better form than I do. I am an awful bowler... well, inconsistent. The boys made Grandma's day by running back and forth to visit her during her league game. Their utter cuteness was the talk of the town! We bowled a couple games, got the kids all hopped up on M&M's and gatorade, and then went home for pizza.

I tried to get the kids to take a nap, and was eventually successful (which would explain the pics I posted for yesterday). They snoozed for maybe an hour, had a snack, and we started on another delicious family dinner. After dinner everyone settled in to watch "Apollo 13". I had never seen it, and after that I still hadn't seen it since I fell asleep somewhere in the middle. Whoops!

We all got another good night's sleep, excited at the prospect of going to the farm and carousel museum the following day.

Tuesday, Day 4 - Recovery

2011-10-12T09:01:00.000+02:00

I don't remember much of Tuesday. I know there was a lot of sitting on recliners, lying on couches, watching TV... and napping. Josh was up early to make it to class on time (HA!). He ended up being there all day, though he thought it would only be a few hours in the morning. I was annoyed enough with him after last night's "car-fest" since, you know, it was his fault (and I hadn't had my coffee). We didn't know when he was coming home. He didn't have a phone. The hours kept ticking onward. We didn't want to leave so we held off lunch until like 1 and finally broke down and got a pizza. He eventually made it home at 3-ish. He changed and we went right out to do a grocery run and get coffee... oh sweet coffee.

The grocery store was a shock. Produce is expensive here!! I am going to have a ginormous garden (one of these decades). Everything else was about the same. Josh and I wanted to cook because we loooove to cook so we planned our dinner menu and headed back with the necessary accoutrement and freshly caffeinated attitudes, complete with smiles. We handed off some snacks to the kids. They had a lot of fun with the grapes. Once I had my caffeine and some fruit I was feeling up to taking pictures.

Josh and I went straight to work on dinner: salad, pork chops, asparagus, and rye bread. I felt great after eating dinner, finally fully recovered after the dreaded driving day from hell. We made plans for cool stuff on Wednesday, went to bed at a decent hour, and that's all she wrote.

Monday, Day 3 - Driving Driving Driving... driving driving driiiiiiving

2011-10-11T10:58:00.000+02:00

Monday morning came sooner than expected. We dawdled as we drank coffee and enjoyed our breakfast. I wasn't in a hurry to get back into the car... yet again. We eventually loaded up around 9:30am and stopped at Kmart to grab a few things for a picnic lunch on the road. Josh wanted to get to Leavenworth in time to talk with the ROTC classes at the high school on Tuesday morning so we were going to see just how far we could get that day.

On we went. Driving and driving. It was a gorgeous, sunny, warm day and the landscape of Fall made the trip visually interesting. The boys took a morning nap. We stopped for lunch somewhere in Illinois. I took nary a photograph. The camera was in the trunk and I didn't feel up to digging around to find it. Plus we weren't doing anything interesting enough to record for posterity.

Driving and driving and driving and driving. We made a few stops to break up the trip and somewhere in Indiana I remarked to Joshua "are you sure you want to do another 4 hours? You know it will be more like 6"... he was sure. He really wanted to make it to the school since the ROTC department was counting on his presence to answer questions from the students. The sun was setting in our eyes and it was the perfect excuse to stretch again. Bob Evans anyone (this is not the last time you shall hear this)? The last hours in the car were fairly excruciating.

We had 2 hours left. It was 9:30pm. We'd spent 12 hours in the car already. With 3 little boys. It was no longer sunny and warm. It was cold and dark. The boys were annoyed and uncomfortable and tired. We made one final stop to let them stretch out. They cried the entire time, even Noah, which is very rare. Regret started to set in, but we were so close that it made no sense to get a hotel at that point. Josh promised us all we wouldn't do this ever again, especially not on the way back.

Tiredness was getting the best of us until Sally told us of a great radio station. It became our beacon of hope. Once we hit close to Kansas City our ears were glued to the 24hr comedy station and it made the last hour much more bearable (for us anyway). The kids kinda slept the last hour. There were a few whimpers once in awhile, which woke everyone else up and started a chain of whimpers. We didn't yell. Not allowed to yell. It was our fault. Poor babies.

Grandma and Grandpa were waiting for us outside, all smiles, in their pajamas, at 1am. We chatted briefly. I insisted the boys get a bath to wash the "bleh" caused by 16 hours in the car off of them. I was grumpy. Josh was grumpy. The boys were awake watching cartoons. An hour later we all passed out. NEVER AGAIN!!! Though I believe I said this after the ridiculous trip from San Antonio to Augusta. Next time I just need to put my foot down for the kids' sake.

Tomorrow's installment will actually have a few pictures!

Day Two, Sunday - Ohio (take 1)

2011-10-09T08:11:00.000+02:00

Since we arrived so late to Ohio it was technically Sunday when we settled in and caught up with Mom and Dad. There was a king size bed waiting for us with fresh sheets, cots for the boys, tasty leftovers in the fridge. It was nice to be somewhere we could relax. We didn't stay up too long. Just enough time to describe our journey up to that point and explain the plan for our trip. We successfully assuaged the disappointment that we'd only be staying for a couple nights by explaining we'd be back in two weeks. Tristan and Brennan warmed up to Grandma and Grandpa while they played on the floor with froggy and dragonfly checkers. Despite our excitement we all went to sleep once it had truly sunk in that we were in Ohio, in my Mom and Dad's living room... all of us. Finally.

Sunday morning came a lot earlier than we expected considering the tiny amount of sleep the boys got the nights before and the time difference. Still, they were up bright and early, ready for breakfast. Bob Evans sausage and waffles, coffee for the grown-ups. Lots and lots of coffee. Shortly after breakfast we all went outside and stayed outside... all day. We discussed politics and plans for the future. We toured the many wonders of the yard like the soccer ball sized mushrooms hanging out by the side of the house.

The boys destroyed the basement by dumping every available toy onto the floor. They also visited the creek to throw rocks and threw piles of leaves into the fountain. Lots of throwing going on. We ate some pizza for lunch. Mom and I went to the grocery store at some point to buy stuff for dinner. It was a nice day so Dad wanted to grill and we were happy to oblige. While we were cooking I finally told the rest of the family we were home. They didn't seem to surprised so I'm pretty sure a little bird spilled the news. We had a teleconference with Vita and Evie then signed off for dinner.

Everyone arrived right as we were getting dinner onto the table so the boys couldn't possibly eat! The house was packed... with love hehe. All the kids were running and screaming in the front yard until the sun set. The Browns game was on a TV somewhere. The food eventually got eaten. We did a lot of talking and laughing. Good good times :) We made plans for when we'd be back in two weeks. All departed, we tried to get the kids to eat something (they finally settled on waffles), gave them a nice bath, and they went right to sleep.

One thing I can count on with my family is that someone will be taking pictures other than me, but usually EVERYONE is taking pictures. So, I don't bother generally. My Dad took a lot of the boys playing outside and once they're up on flickr I might add them in later.

Day One - Driving and Hoping and Hopping

2011-10-08T14:43:00.000+02:00

*** the next few blogs will be a chronicle of our vacation, the dates have been changed to coincide with the events of that day, and I will be posting one a day***

We decided a few months ago that we would attempt a military hop flight to the US. We hadn't seen either of our parents for over two years. It was apparent that due to multiple reasons they were never going to be able to make it to Spain before we moved back to the states and we just couldn't take yet another year without them. The few visits we've had from other family members were amazing, don't get me wrong. But, sometimes you need your Mommies and Daddies ;) Our main objective was to see Josh's side and also hit up his 10yr reunion. If we could find a way to get to Ohio to see my side as well that would be awesome. We didn't tell my side of the family because there was no way to know how this would transpire and we didn't want to disappoint anyone.

Friday afternoon we had a brief meeting with Noah's teachers and left from the school to start the 7hr drive to Rota, the nearest US base where a hop would even be offered. We had orders in hand guaranteeing a decent chance to get on a flight, and a general plan laid out for whatever hop would be thrown our way. We finally arrived at our hotel in Rota at 1am and the boys were so ecstatic to be out of the car that sleep was not on their radar. Tickle fights and a relaxing bath and a continental breakfast were though. Josh called the terminal a few more times to check on possible flights. One to Texas - down for maintenance, and cross off one of our plans. One to Bangor, Maine - huh? wow that drive would suck, but let's see what positives we can find... New York would be cool to see. One to Dover, Delaware - OMG that would be perfect! We could drive from Delaware through to Ohio to see my family, and then over to Kansas to see Josh's family. Ooooo let's get that one!! Josh left us at the room to put our name on the list for the day. I tried to get the boys to calm down and sleep. I kinda took a nap. I don't remember Josh coming back in, but I know we all got about 3 hours of sleep. Suddenly it was 7:45 Saturday morning and we were throwing things together to head to the flight line to catch something to the states, preferrably Dover. COME ON DOVER (said like Eliza Doolittle).

There were only 2 spots available on the Dover flight so it wasn't an option. Booooo. We added our names to the Maine flight. I took the kids to eat breakfast next door. Suddenly Josh came bursting through the door "they're getting us on the Dover flight, but we need to go NOW!!!". We literally ran. The ticket agent poked her head out as we were unloading the van, trying to get Brennan's carseat "de-latchified" and warned us we had less than 5 minutes. I believe the word NOW was used several times. We abandoned the carseat and grabbed the booster. We threw bags onto luggage carts, dragged kids through security, and hopped onto the bus that would take us to the C17. They printed and delivered our boarding passes to us on the bus. This is how fast we were pushed through. It wasn't until the bus ride that we really knew which flight we were on. Was it Maine to Dover? Just Maine? Straight to Dover? ::drumroll please:: Straight to Dover!!! SCORE!! Somehow we made it. We thanked everyone about a million times for finding a way to get us home that day.

The C17 was packed with huge metal cargo crates covered in bits and pieces of the red Iraqi countryside. It smelled like Josh's luggage when he finally made it home from his deployment. We were riding with a few retirees and a group of guys coming back from Iraq. Welcome home, guys. The seating was little dropdown canvas "director" chairs that lined the sides of the plane. Our feet faced the middle and everyone had ample kicking space. The plane was loud, but they gave us all foam earplugs and the kids found that pretty dang exciting. Thankfully we brought sandwiches and other various snacks on board. There were little snack bags available, but chips and a snickers bar doesn't cut it sometimes. However, who are we to complain about any free food on a free flight, so we never said anything but "thank you". The military flight ended up being much shorter and more comfortable than any commercial flight we've ever endured. After we made it to our target cruise altitude we were permitted to move freely on the plane. The boys hardly sat at all. Their favorite part was the tiny singular window overlooking the ocean. People were sleeping in groups all over the floors and rested peacefully the entire flight. The flight crew was amazing and loved the boys, even when they were running around. No one complained. Because it was such a large plane, and a military flight, we flew directly across the ocean to the east coast. No curving up towards the UK or Canada, which shaved 3 hours off of our flight time.

We landed in Dover after an easy 7hr flight. Due to the time difference it was as if no time had passed at all. Our flight left Spain at 9am on Saturday, but we arrived in Dover at 11am on Saturday. We had a reservation for a rental car, which ended up being the biggest hassle of the entire trip thus far. What kind of rental car place closes at 1pm on a Saturday! A shout out to the Dover Shuttle driver that lied to Avis and told them Josh was almost there as she sped down the highway 85mph to make sure we were taken care of. People are generally awesome, and we've met a lot of them so far! While Josh was flying down the highway I was watching our luggage in the sun as the kidlets played in a nearby playground. All I had left to offer them was Hi-C juiceboxes and they chugged 3 apiece. Probably not the best idea.

Our first priority was food. Real actual food. Bob Evans was near the rental car place and our shining beacon of hope for real sustenance. We devoured some delicious American food and discussed our plans for the next day. Dover means Ohio... and my family had no idea we were even planning on coming to the states. This was going to be FUUUUUN! We stopped at Walmart to purchase a GPS and then headed out to Ohio. It was going to be at least another 7 hours of driving. The kids did ok, but after so much traveling and sitting they were justifiably cranky and exhausted. We finally called my Mom and Dad at 10pm when we hit Pittsburgh, PA after a failed attempt to surprise Ben at the coffee shop. Mom was just excited that I called her... well if you think that's cool, guess what! She was beside herself :) The last 30 minutes of our drive were the worst. Noah got car sick and was puking in a bag in the back seat. We just kept going. We had to. SO CLOSE! We arrived at around 12:30am. Poor kid threw up a few more time at Grandma's house and then succombed to sweet slumber.

So... all of that. That was our first day of travel. DAY ONE. I'm surprised the kids were so good and we made the drives unscathed. We should have fallen asleep or fought or something, but we didn't. Granted, Noah had a bit of a time with it, but all-in-all I am very impressed with how it all transpired. Somebody up there loves us! We're constantly surprised by the blessings we receive.

Tomorrow - DAY TWO in Ohio

Autumn in Pictures

2011-09-20T21:10:00.002+02:00

The leaves are falling, the madroños are red, the buckeyes are dropping, colors are changing. Tis the season for photography.

We gathered a gallon of unshelled almonds over the weekend, and that was about half of what was on the tree. Oh what goodies we shall make!

We also did some other stuff... like stick our tongues out at each other, roll around outside, show off our new teeth, and make faces in timeout.

Guess what else!!!

I just mooned you!! hehehe

Party Time

2011-09-20T20:36:00.001+02:00

We had a little party for Elias and Tristan over the weekend. The house was overrun with testosterone: presents were torn open, football games were watched, wrestling ensued, bikes were raced, a metric ton of tacos were voraciously consumed, cake was destroyed, forks were optional. What a way to welcome the big 3 (Elias) and 4 (Tristan). It was a great day.

The mothers' ears needed a break so we went outside to play with the camera for some slow shutter speed, tripodded, nighttime photography. And we planked.

FUN TIMES!!! :D

Tristan's 4th Birthday

2011-09-16T22:18:00.002+02:00

Look at my big boy!! My how he's changed this year! He has transitioned from toddler to "kid" and while it seemed to drag on forever, it's as if the "switch" happened overnight. Moms everywhere warn you it'll be gone before you know it, but you don't really get it until it happens. That's what this blog is all about. I will never forget and they will never forget me. My voice will always be here, telling their stories. Here is the simple story of Tristan's 4th birthday.

We did a little bit of preschool because that's what Tris wanted, especially since his birthday was marked on the calendar with a big cake! Then we took all the boys to the "pirate ship park" so they could expend some energy. They climbed and slid and played and picked buckeyes. When picking buckeyes and sticks turned to picking on each other and hitting with sticks, we left. Sure sign of hunger!

We had some beef stroganoff for lunch, delicious cupcakes a'la Jamie for dessert, and soon after Josh came home early so we could go pick out presents before Noah got back from school. Tristan said he wanted to pick out his own presents instead of surprises. He desperately wanted a big kid bike with training wheels. Well, we went to 3 different stores, but weren't happy with the bike selection so we got a golf game, which reminded me of one of those beanbag kids games and 10 "aniballs" (foam golfballs painted like animals) and Tristan agreed to wait so we could get the perfect bike from the computer.

We also picked up everything we needed for the birthday dinner! After we got Noah the boys played with the new game and ate magical green popcorn while we made Tristan's birthday dinner. He requested chicken on a stick, fried rice, and eggrolls. All homemade. Josh had a lot of fun cooking for us, as usual. That was about it!

We like our boys to feel special on their special day, but getting a present and a special dinner is special enough methinks (FOUR specials in one sentence?!). We must be right because he was thrilled to just do that... to be "the boss" and decide what to eat that day. He excitedly said thank you about every single thing that happened. He had a good day. We were so impressed with his patience regarding the bike, which we finally had to buy from a store here today since no one wants to ship one to an FPO. ANNOYING! Anyway, big party tomorrow for he and Elias! Prepare to be amazed!! (10 points if you can gimme the Disney movie I got that line from). Going to have a nice bike-riding video for you all. Later! :)

Happy 4th Birthday, Tristan!!

2011-09-13T01:00:00.000+02:00

The time has come for Tristan to say goodbye to the "terrible three's", and make way for the "hilarious four's". I can't believe we've had him for four whole years now! It's been quite a ride, right from the beginning. We were so excited when we found out we were pregnant (and it only took a month long trip to Germany haha). His birth story was action packed, but awesome.

Tristan learned quickly and kept us on the run as soon as he possibly could.

He's a troublemaker, a clown, a joy, a pain. He's everything a little boy should be.

We absolutely adore him and can't imagine our family without him!!

Happy birthday, Tristan. We love you!! You're growing so fast!

A Decade Later

2011-09-11T13:15:00.001+02:00

It's the 10 year anniversary of September 11th. I figure it's about time I tell my story of where I was ten years ago when tragedy struck.

I enlisted into the Army in August of 2001. I had been out of HS for awhile, working the night shift at KMart for pennies. I tried college, but I didn't know what I wanted to do so I wasn't comfortable "wasting the money" while I figured it out. My boyfriend at the time started looking into joining the Army. I was MAD! I was sure recruiters were liars, but when I saw the option to become a linguist, I reconsidered my stance. I'd always been interested in foreign languages, having taken German, Italian, Latin, and French in high school, I was ready for more. I was ready to be a linguist and the big enlistment bonus was just that, a bonus. I said my tearful goodbyes and off I went to Fort Jackson, SC (aka "Camp Snoopy"). I assured my Mom I'd never go to war... like that is something anyone really knows.

We were about halfway through our training when tragedy struck. We were completely disconnected from any form of media. There were no papers, no TV, no computers, no calls from home. At first I thought it was a rumor. We marched to breakfast with our obviously agitated drill sergeants. Yesterday's paper was on the bulletin board outside, nothing of interest. Our training for the day was buddy drills and bayonet training. It wasn't until we had marched to the training site that our drill sergeants finally told us what had happened. It was brief. Someone attacked the towers, we're likely going to war, take this training seriously. We screamed and plunged bayonets into old tires, still unsure what was happening. The Drills were around, but obviously distracted. We marched back to base, and where we once had a set schedule for everything, there was a sudden confusion. The command was grouped together and silent. They were angry. They were obviously on edge. Lunch was the last scheduled event.

We were called into the bays for meetings. Everything had to be changed. We were shutting down the base. The threat level had risen and we were on alert. Metal picnic tables were tipped and pushed into the bay openings. We were issued M16's and given our 24hr guard duty postings. New tasks had to be taught... "halt, who goes there. Advance to be recognized". Our ID's were constantly in our hands. We were scared and nervous and oblivious. Later that night we finally were given the opportunity to call home. No calls went through. Lines everywhere were busy, but some of us kept trying. Our platoon leader had a brother vacationing in NY. He was a firefighter and would have rushed to help out. One call finally went through and when I saw our platoon leader punching the ground, the vending machines, the phone, crying and screaming... I think that's when it finally hit me. Apparently his brother had gone in, and the tower collapsed on top of him. No one knew if he was still alive. No one knew anything.

I don't remember eating dinner. I don't remember sleeping. I remember sitting in the classroom with the chaplain and several people who had lost someone. I was crying so hard everyone thought I'd lost someone as well, but I hadn't. I couldn't handle all the pain in that room. I sat in the back alone with a box of tissues. Most of the people there shipped off for emergency leave on buses. My sister was living in Ft. Drum at the time and I finally was able to contact her thanks to the chaplain's cell phone. It was chaotic out there to say the least. She was fine, scared but fine, and I was happy to hear it. Later we got news that our platoon leader's brother had been found. Both legs were broken, but he was awake and asking for grits in the hospital. We laughed and cried together about the good news. Eventually we went to bed and talked ourselves to sleep about how scared we were. We were sure we'd be sent straight to war.

Outside the chow hall the next morning was a crowd of soldiers. No drill sergeants were yelling or telling them to get back in formation. There was the paper behind the glass of the bulletin board. The twin towers with smoke pouring out of them. All we could read was the headline and a bit of the story. And that was it. The rest of basic training was on high alert, but we never heard anything else about September 11th. We saw the front pages as they made their way behind the glass. To this day I feel very disconnected from September 11th. I never saw the news stories. I wasn't with anyone glued to the TV, watching the events unfold. I didn't discuss it at graduation with my parents. I got a few letters from family about their experiences. The first time I finally read about any of it was after graduation in the airport. I sat in my class A's on a plane to language school and sobbed over pictures of my flag being burned. I read about what had transpired and saw the pictures. They were small. They were "old". They were flat. There wasn't a sense of camaraderie. I was alone. I landed. New drill sergeants. New schedule. New room. Life went on.

I wish I had seen the towers before they were attacked and destroyed. I live in Spain, but I still haven't been to New York... driving distance from where I grew up. One day I will go. I will visit the memorial and maybe, finally, standing in the square reading the names, I will finally feel connected. Maybe then I can really grasp that it actually happened. Now I'm out of the military, a SAHM of 3 boys, married to an Army man, living in Europe. Wow.

Little Hombres, Big Messes

2011-09-10T21:34:00.000+02:00

Yesterday and today, despite my constant lectures about the pool and the hose, the boys finally wore me down and I turned a blind eye as they made a river of mud. They scooped up mud and made an "island" on top of the greenhouse wall. They also had a mud fight with the greenhouse and each other.

I remember playing with sludge and I can't deny them such a joyful and significant event in ones' childhood. It's practically mandatory! As my Mom used to say "if you didn't get dirty, you didn't have fun". Wise words :)

So what else is going on...
Every once in awhile Josh and I get creative and get all gourmet with dinner. We send the kids to bed with cheap pizza in their bellies and get to work on our 3 course meal. This time we had pate, grilled cesar salad, steak, white wine potatoes, and grilled asparagus. It was outstanding. The only downside to having a restaurant-style meal at home is that you have to clean up the mess yourselves... and boy is it a mess. It's always a mess though so what else is new. Sometimes I feel like all I do is clean, especially the kitchen. At least I have a dishwasher!

Preschool has been going well thus far. We have a lot of ideas and are developing our lesson plans to teach the five senses, farm animals, the food pyramid, colors, textures, shapes, letters numbers. We have a schedule worked out for our 3 hour pre-k day and it seems to be working well. Tristan is having the most fun. Elias and Brennan are still a little young and find it difficult to pay attention, but they are also absorbing the lessons. I think the hardest part is trying to get our morning coffee and workout in as well... dammit we CAN have it all!!! We're determined! One of these days I will get around to taking pictures of our preschool days :) Tristan's and Elias' birthdays are coming up so we're going to do a little party for both of them next weekend. There will definitely be pictures!!

Summer's Over, Ready for School

2011-09-04T21:21:00.002+02:00

We had our last hurrah of summer over the weekend and went on a trip to Aranjuez with our friends and their boys. It was a lot of fun.

We didn't make it over to the palaces or the island garden because it suddenly got HOT and we were done walking at that point (especially since half the kids are sick). The boys all enjoyed the big garden though and we had a picnic in the bamboo.

After that we all went back to our house and hung out so the big boys could watch football (the American kind). Their oldest Christopher stayed the night and he and Noah played the wii all morning. They both jump around like crazy and get waaaay too into it haha.

Noah's starting 2nd grade tomorrow. I can't believe how quickly the summer flew by... or the last 7 years. Noah's got another loose tooth!

Since he turned seven we've been trying to treat him like a "big" kid more often. I let him try his hand out at chopping veggies for our spaghetti the other day. I didn't have to tell him much... he's obviously been watching me closely and waiting for years now. He even scraped everything off the cutting board and into the pot with the knife. I gave him a lesson on spices and what different knives are used for and why. He soaked it all in like a sponge and throws the word "serrated" around whenever he can now :)

We moved Tristan and Brennan into the same bed, back over to Brennan's old room. Noah has his own room now. Brennan is no longer in a crib. They all took to it really well. Tristan had a bit of a breakdown the first night, wanting to be back with Noah, but he got over it fast and never did it again.

Tristan's been doing so much better and is ridiculously excited about starting preschool with his friends. Jamie and I are excited too. I'm fortunate to have so many qualified people in my family that can give me advice on a preschool curriculum. It's going to be a fun year :)

Brennan's been sick lately with a croup cough, but he seemed to be doing a lot better today. We'll see tonight. It's always worse at night. I haven't been getting much sleep, but it doesn't bother me anymore. Poor Bren ends up taking like 3 or 4 little naps a day.

He perks up eventually and is back up to his old tricks though. He's taller and thinner all of a sudden. He's starting to look less like a baby to me. This is usually the stage when the baby itch hits me really badly, but not this time. Everything is everything and were doing well out here in Spain :)

One Fine Tuesday

2011-08-26T08:08:00.001+02:00

Tuesday was a great day. The weather was amazing. I got a great workout, ate delicious food, stayed away from the net, and played with my kids. I haven't played in a long time. Josh was busy getting his car PC installed so he had to sit out this playtime.

We brought the big blocks outside and built a kitchen and then it just took off from there. We scoured the yard for bark and leaves and berries and other great "food" items and created some delicious dishes :)

Brennan and Tristan insisted on crawling through the counters like they were tunnels (much to Noah's dismay since he was the chef). There was a decent amount of fighting. Finally Noah gave up and allowed a remodel.

Noah built everyone a toilet. Tristan and Brennan found this marvelously entertaining, especially after Tristan had the idea to really pull his pants down before planting his hiney.

They climbed the walls (like Spiderman).

They tumbled.

They teased each other.

They rode the trike.

They scratched Charlie's belly.

They hung onto my legs and laughed when I tried to lift them and walk.

We made a clubhouse so Tris and Bren would leave Noah's new kitchen (complete with microwave and oven with shelves) alone. Noah served them meals.

Then Noah did a cooking show for us. He made "The World's Best Pork", "The World's Best Steak", and "The World's Best Chicken Soup". I am going to upload at least one of the videos soon! Ahhh my precious boys :)

I've been taking more photos. I think the cooler temperatures get my creativity going.

"Tron"

2011-08-23T00:38:00.000+02:00

We were outside today and Tristan had the marvelous idea to pretend the frisbee was a disk from "Tron". He and Noah had an epic battle. I was cracking up watching them spin and flip and fall over, especially Tristan!

Good Habits Gone Bad

2011-08-22T16:46:00.001+02:00

Any parent who has been through toddlerhood knows that the most amazing/awful things can happen if they're left alone for any period of time. At all. Today was one of those days that reminded me that every toddler is an evil genius. Allow me to recount for you (and yes I took pictures this time).

You all know Brennan, 2yrs old, talks a lot, gets into everything. Jamie's son Elias is 2 and a half, ridiculously cute, much quieter, gets into everything. Typical toddlers. When they are together it's love/hate. They incessantly fight over matchbox cars and everything else that can be held in a hand. We literally have a ginormous vat full of matchbox cars, but whatever 2 cars are in the other one's hands are the only cars worth playing with apparently. They snatch then pinch and slap and run and cry and tell and do it all over again. So, they're doing their normal hitting and teasing routine while Jamie and I are enjoying our morning coffee and "getting to know you" chat. Tristan appears to inform us that Elias and Brennan are eating brownies. Hey! No more brownies!!! Acknowledged. More time passes. Elias appears, covered in chocolate, brownie in hand. Brownie is removed from toddler claws... and he doesn't want it back. Why doesn't he want it back? Because in the 7 minutes they were unsupervised they consumed a good 20 brownies and they were stuffed. Doh! I think Tristan had a bit to do with that as well. We brushed it off, gave them a little lecture, and set up our exercise DVD. What can you do. We should have caught the foreshadowing!!!

The playroom was semi-clean so they boys were actually interested in being there. Hooray! They were happily sending cars down the hot wheels track when we left them. All 5 of them were playing well together. Baby Alex was asleep in the swing. Cue Jillian Michaels!! We got about halfway through our workout when Elias poked his head through the living room, covered in toothpaste. We knew it was toothpaste because they were caught red handed yesterday, tubes and brushes in hand. They were punished. They were specifically told today to NOT TOUCH TOOTHPASTE! But, they're toddlers and toothpaste is so awesome!!! Twenty minutes of unsupervised toddlers. What were we thinking?! We paused our workout to do some damage assessment and general bebe cleanup.

Brennan was covered. Elias was covered. Tristan had a little bit on him, which makes me think he may not have been completely involved, but was a silent witness. We went directly to my bathroom tub. Glistening blue and white toothpaste globs were around the sink and coated the recently new forsaken tubes, now practically empty. The sink had been plugged and was full of clouded minty-fresh water. As the water drained I found a matchbox bread van with no wheels, as if it were hidden evidence of some shady mob business. Jamie came up with Elias, who had loaded his diaper with a nice flouride-filled poo from yesterday's antics and needed changed before bathtime, and she asked me if I had seen Brennan's room yet. Crap.

They PAINTED. The bed, the floor, the door, the recliner, the dresser... and there was water and an empty cup in front of it all, which I assume was to refresh the dried pasty smears for another round of fun. I opened the top drawer for a diaper and found more toothpaste blobs and 2 toothbrushes in a puddle of baby drool. A literal puddle. I picked them up and was treated to an impressive string of slime. I baby-wiped what I could, got Brennan and Tristan redressed, and brought Brennan back downstairs for the long timeout. Elias and Brennan stayed in timeout where we could see them until we were done with our workout. Then they were right back to teasing and smacking and crying until lunch. Despite it all I got a good workout, spent time with my friend, had an excellent lunch, had something to blog about, and no longer have to face the temptation of 5 brownies for breakfast ;)

Now I think I finally have the strength and desire to mop and scrub that room!

Noah's Birthday in Rota, Spain

2011-08-17T22:23:00.002+02:00

The closest support site out here for American military is Rota Naval Station, a 7 hour drive. Certain things cannot be taken care of in Madrid and once in awhile we have to take the looooong trek out to the coast and make things happen. Getting on base is a hassle... doing anything on base is a hassle with all their outrageous regulations. We avoid going there at all cost. Unfortunately we had to go, and on Noah's birthday! Thankfully the trip was mostly paid for.

We started off a little late, but we were just dandy. About halfway there our brand new tire blew. We had noticed a bulge in the rubber, but we didn't have time to send the faulty tire back to the states, wait for them to send a new tire to us, and then wait to be able to put it on. We took a risk. Bad idea. Whatever. We made it the rest of the way on a donut which Josh so fabulously changed in a mere 15 minutes. This was good because the traffic was ridonkulous on the highway and we almost died at least 3 times, but I was really good at waving my arms and jumping so they'd swerve back away from my poor Josh. Stressful... very very stressful.

So we arrive on base (day before Noah's birthday - Sunday). Every hotel is booked. Everywhere. Not just on base, but everywhere. Now, you'd think a family with orders in their hands would take priority, but no... apparently it's first come first serve for the hotels on base. Right. Perfect. Did I mention we despise going to Rota? None of it makes any sense. It's like their goal is to stress everyone out by doing everything contrary to common sense. Anyway. They finally found us a place that was over our allowed expenditure for lodging, but we had to sleep somewhere, and it was the only place available. I doubt they'll take that into consideration and cover the cost. Regardless it was a really nice aparthotel and we really enjoyed it.

The next day happened to be a Spanish holiday (and Noah's birthday) and we had all kinds of responsible crap we had to do. We tried to find a tire to no avail. They called 9 different shops in the area with no luck. We brushed it off, it is what it is. Thankfully we got everything done by lunchtime, including the purchase of a brand new bicycle, so Noah could finally celebrate. He requested pizza for lunch and we were happy to oblige. I didn't take any pictures there because I was still stressed out from the hoop jumping of the day.

After lunch we headed to the bowling alley. Noah was so excited to finally be strong enough to play real bowling. He did pretty well! Brennan and Tristan used the slide and were thrilled to do so. They jumped and cheered no matter how many pins they knocked down. We went to the shoppette and let Noah pick out his birthday dinner. He picked chicken, pasta roni, stovetop, corn, and garlic bread... so healthy ;) We also grabbed some hostess cupcakes for our makeshift birthday cake.

We went back to the hotel to wait out the heat wave and get a short rest and then were off to the beach!! It was right across the street from the hotel and it was nice and not too crowded. We hung out, built a sandcastle, played with seaweed, splashed in the waves, checked out the barrier, poked at some little crabs, watched the sunset, and then walked back for a late dinner.

It took a long time to cook on those 2 tiny burners, but we made it happen and dinner was delicious. We all passed out shortly after.

The next morning they found us a tire that was slightly too big, but safer than a donut, and we made it just in time for them to put it on for us. We were on the road by 2:30 and finally home at 10pm. It was a long few days. It was fun though, and definitely memorable. Noah rode his bike as soon as we got home and it fits him perfectly :) The rest of the pictures of our trip are here.

Happy 7th Birthday Noah

2011-08-15T01:29:00.000+02:00

It's hard to believe that seven years have passed since I was taken to the hospital in San Antonio to deliver our first baby boy. It was a long and difficult labor... I was terrified. He came out and turned Daddy white with fear when he wasn't breathing the first 7 minutes of his new life on the outside. That labor and delivery was a piece of cake compared to life with baby Oah, toddler Noah-Boah, and now big kid Noah.

He was our first. We made the most mistakes with him. We suffered a three year separation during his first years of life and because of the stress, I'm sure his infancy was less than perfect.

But, look at him now! Noah is the sweetest boy to everyone. He reads people well and only wants to be loved. He's an amazing, patient, lovable big brother. He's extremely smart and not competitive (no idea how that happened given his parents). He's compassionate and hard-working. He's also stubborn and slightly OCD, but I think that will be beneficial to him later on. We love you Noah!

Another One of Those "After the Fact" Posts

2011-08-03T21:45:00.000+02:00

After Ben and Jessica left I was feeling a little depressed. OK... a lot of depressed. I did all the right things to pull myself out of it, but nothing was working. Intellectually I knew I shouldn't be depressed. Everything is going really well here at home. Things are great with the kids and Josh. I just felt so incredibly alone. Jessica was around for my day-to-day and knew all my "secrets". Now there's an ocean and 6hrs time difference to account for, which limits our phone conversations to be sure. I miss her kids. I know them. I love them all. It was a huge adjustment that I never was able to prepare myself for so I went into shock. And it SUCKED. Having Ben here both aggravated and assuaged my feeling of loneliness because no matter how much time has passed we still connect on such a personal level, but I knew he eventually had to leave. I didn't realize how much I missed having him around until he was gone again. So, when the opportunity to go on a trip alone was presented to me to see a close family friend (Kevin), well it was a no-brainer.

I left on a Friday and my flight was delayed for a couple hours, which didn't stink as badly as it would had I been entertaining 3 rugrats so I just parked it and waited patiently. We were in the plane for 2 hours just sitting, waiting for takeoff... again something that wasn't too bad considering my lack of bebe's. Finally we left and I was off to Germany. Kevin was there to meet me at the airport and we were gabbing the whole way back to Garmisch. Neither one of us were tired so we went for a late night photo excursion, seeing as we both love photography but lack the time to practice. We had all kinds of boring discussions about shutter speeds, f-stops, and ISO... but it wasn't boring for us! We spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get the perfect shot with the perfect settings, to blur water, to capture light and color. It was nice to have a fellow photog to bounce ideas off of and the TIME to try out our burgeoning knowledge. Eventually we got tired. Kev had plans for the next day. The entire weekend was planned, but never rushed. We took our time and really enjoyed the sights and relaxed our butts off haha.

Saturday morning I popped awake after barely sleeping, still a little out of sorts and depressed. We had coffee and breakfast and drove around in the rain for a bit to discuss our options for the day. We decided Linderhoff Castle would be the best bet since the weather looked too gloomy for much else. We had to make a few stops to get even more coffee and some cold-weather gear for me. I was not truly prepared for the 20 degree temperature difference nor was I equipped to withstand the rain. Whoops! We eventually made our way out at around lunch time.

Linderhoff was awesome and we took even more pictures (unfortunately none from inside). The gardens were dazzling and the overcast sky provided a fantastic backdrop to contrast the buildings and greenery. I love my wide angle lens!!! It's my new fave :)

But, I digress... We had dinner and more talking, trying to sort out issues in our heads. We've known each other for over 10 years now so we're pretty good sounding boards for each other. Finally by Saturday night after some wine and the eventual realization that I wasn't at home and I had nothing to worry about but me, I was beginning to unwind and found myself feeling more "me". The surprise parade and beer tent opening helped too. I love being around when a huge cultural event is going on! We watched the parade, poked our heads into the beer tent, and decided tomorrow would be a better night. We hit up a local bar and talked to a few people, suffered through some 80's and 90's pop music, watched the Germans not dance. It was fun :) I was actually able to sleep that night. No weird dreams. No nightmares. No tossing and turning. Yay!

Sunday we got up semi-early for coffee and breakfast. The sun was out! Perfect day for Zugspitze, the highest peak of the German Alps!!! The 2 mile cable car ride to the top of the mountain had breathtaking views, but it was nothing compared to what we saw when we made it to the top. Imagine being in an airplane, above the clouds, but with no windows to hold you back from overexposure to pure awesomeness (Kung Fu Panda throwback hehe). We literally drank coffee in a cloud. Seriously. We could see the cloud rolling over us and feel the slight spray. It was crazy.

The scenery was always changing as clouds moved and gave way to the cities, lakes, mountains, forests, and sharp imposing boulders below. It was absolutely amazing and we wished Josh and Erin had been there to see it. I did not wish the kids were there though because I would have had an aneurysm or something. The air wasn't as thin as I thought it would have been. It was easy to breathe up there. There were piles of snow all around, but we were so close to the sun that we felt quite warm most of the time.

We stayed up top for hours. We finally left once it got really crowded and we were too hungry to wait on German waiters to show up (it neeeeever happens, especially at tourist traps). We went down the mountain a bit to the ski resort and beat the crowd there and were able to eat at a serve yourself cafeteria SCORE. We were exhausted though so we boarded the train for the bottom. Of course I had to check out the Eibsee (a glacial lake at the bottom) before we drove back for dinner.

After dinner we weren't tired and wandered around for awhile, checked out the casino (which was extremely boring), and then heard the oompa music. Oh yeah... the beer tent's open!! We were treated to some great folk dancing, live music, yummy fair food, and real German beer. One beerstein = 3 beers so I was DONE lol. Good times :) I didn't have my camera because I was all "snapped" out after the mountain. I don't regret it, but I do wish I had a few shots of people in lederhosen and dirndls to show you all. It was an experience! Very cool indeed.

The next day I said my goodbye's and thank you's to Kevin and boarded the train to get to the airport. I missed my first connection, but another one came around 15 minutes later. I got to my flight with more than enough time to spare. I loved hearing all the Spanish around me. I was ready for home. I missed my babies and Josh. I even missed Spain. Three days was plenty. I had a blast! We plotted and planned for Kevin and Erin to come to Madrid. I can't wait! Erin you're going to LOVE SPAIN! I am so excited to show it to you!!! Seriously... even if it's just you who can make it you have GOT to come here!!

So... there you go, everyone. If you ever have a chance to escape, take it. Forget the mommy/daddy/relationship guilt and just do it for yourself because it's refreshing and renewing and replenishing and other re- words I can't think of right now ;) Thank you Joshua for being a man I can trust to take care of everything at home and for trusting me to go. I feel remarkably blessed.

Whirlwind of Adventure!!

2011-07-21T17:40:00.000+02:00

I took tons of pictures! I have only posted a few of the highlights, but I linked all the locations to my own pics. All 805 of the pictures are here.

The last few weeks have been packed full of adventure, sadness, joy, stress, happiness, and the occasional goodbye. Josh came home from Italy the same day Ben arrived from the states. The first day here is always a resting day, jet-lag is awful when you're coming from the states! We stayed home at acted weird, cuz that's how we roll ;)

The next day we did a short jaunt to El Escorial. I don't get tired of seeing that gorgeous place... and once again we were able to go inside (Josh had never seen inside either). When we got home we started prepping for the weekend. A bu-bye party for the Neil's. A few drinks, 90's hits, a couple rounds of pictograms, and some good food. It was fun... and sad. We had 11 kids at our house (just 3 families) and they all played together beautifully. Hooray for pools and playrooms! Good times were had by all :)

Ben said he wanted to do some hiking and we were more than happy to oblige. It was sweltering down by our house, but we got up to the mountains and it was actually cold. I was sorry I had worn a tank top and had a towel wrapped around me for awhile there. We had a great hike, though... up to the old civil war bunker, which we had to climb into! The next two days we had a lot going on so we didn't go anywhere except for the airport.

My Jessica is gone. They left a little over a week ago. We dropped everyone off at the airport and after crying the entire way home I was ready to get out and do something. After all, Ben was here visiting and that's definitely something to be happy about!

We headed downtown via the metro system, and we stayed there for 8 hours. I finally got to see the inside of the Palacio Real and Templo de Debod!! Ben saw every "plaza" (sol, espana, mayor...) and we ate some good food. Madrid is all about food :)

The following day we went to a nearby town called Aranjuez. I couldn't believe such a beautiful place had been just sitting here, a mere 30 minutes away from me, and I had never seen it. There were parks, gardens, palaces, mansions, rivers, fountains... it had it all. We loved Aranjuez and it may very well still be my favorite place we went while Ben was here.

We took a day off to plan and get packed and headed out to Zaragoza. Our plan was to stop at Monasterio de Piedra on the way there, spend one night, see the city the next day, head back home and stop to see Belchite on the way back. The drive there was breathtaking! The Monasterio de Piedra and Natural Reserve was even more beautiful. Waterfalls, caves, and trees everywhere!

The Monastery has been partially converted into a hotel while the other parts have been turned into a museum of sorts. We learned that the Monks there were the first to make chocolate. They also made wine.

We got to our hotel in Zaragoza with enough time to shower and change for dinner. Unfortunately, we parked in a garage for a store and when it closed, the garage closed. The next day was Sunday, and though we had planned to head out... nothing was open, including the parking garage. So, since our van was held hostage we extended our stay and were able to see all of Zaragoza on Sunday... not too bad a deal. Zaragoza was eclectic and fascinating and we ate quite a bit of excellent food. We walked for over 9 hours and were exhausted afterward, but we saw nearly everything in the city. On foot. With kids. Very impressed with us ;) Roman walls, Moorish churches, a gothic castle, and plenty more.

After our two nights in Zaragoza we were finally able to get our van and head back home, hitting Belchite on the way. Belchite is a preserved historic site where a Spanish Civil War battle ensued. Over 3,000 people were killed there in the span of 15hrs and it is said to be one of the most haunted places in Spain. They decided to leave it as it stood as an homage to all those who perished during the war. It was surreal to say the least.

The churches had perfect holes in the ceilings where bombs presumably made their way through. Apartment buildings still had basic structure and paint on the walls, even some leftover belongings on the higher shelves. Some buildings were completely demolished and only a small hole remained where a doorway used to be, which was quite sad. We even found a garage with 2 cars still inside.

We found a few human bones on the slope between the church and convent that had been slowly uncovered by passers-by, which made it all that much more real. We think they were a femur and some phalanges and possibly part of the hip was exposed. We thought it best to let it lie. Oddly enough a farmer led his flock of sheep and goats right through the town after we climbed the clock tower and his donkey allowed the boys to pet him and gave Ben a nice kiss on the arm. We spent a few hours scouring the area, taking in all the history, and then started back home.

Our last day was spent hanging out at home. We had a great time with Ben! Once he left it really hit me how much more boring my days are going to be. I miss my family and friends, but I am still happy to be in Spain with my own little family... and I still have a few pretty awesome friends left here ;) Next week I am going on my own little vacation to Garmisch, Germany to see my good friend and fellow photog Kevin. Let the exploration and picture-taking continue!!

Time

2011-06-29T23:32:00.000+02:00

I've been in a melancholy mood lately. We've been spending a lot of time with Jess and her family. They're leaving soon. It's bittersweet time together. I think I start to cry a good 4 or 5 times a day, but then I make myself stop... save it for the airport. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh military life. Sigh... anyway.

Our kids have been playmates so long that they act like siblings (yes, this means some epic battles). It's always a great time... chaotic, but great. We are going to try and take a little day trip someplace not too daunting. Eight kids vs two Mom's, we're obviously outnumbered.

Rookie of the Year, Turning 30, and Summer Has Begun!

2011-06-28T10:11:00.000+02:00

It's been a while! Quite a bit has happened, but I will just brief everyone on the big events :) Noah's baseball team won the championship game and Noah was named "Rookie of the Year" by his coach. Noah was so thrilled he forgot his certificate at the field :/ Luckily a friend of mine grabbed it for me. Sigh. I took tons of pics since it was the big game. They all got little trophies and certificates, pizza, soda, chips. They played so well! I haven't heard about baseball since. Noah's on to nagging incessantly about the swimming pool. Hooray!

I turned the big 3-0. Not a big deal. Josh and I celebrated a few days early. He made me feel like Pretty Woman and spoiled the ever-lovin' crap out of me, which I allowed since this is the first birthday in 8 years we weren't broke. He got a sitter, rented a mercedes, gave me new dresses and purses, took me to the top floor of a 5 star hotel, made dinner and club reservations at 2 amazing places. Then he hands me a card and inside is a confirmed itinerary for my little brother to come to Spain. Best night ever!! Unfortunately, Josh was only home for a couple days before going back to Italy, but it was amazing!! He really loves me :)

On my actual birthday I went to my friend's house for a BBQ and stayed there all day long until like 11pm. It was amazing. The kids entertained each other and were actually good. The grown ups got to talk. We all relaxed. I got a sweet new coffee mug, a birthday song, and a cake from a bunch of adorable kids. Who could ask for anything more? All my boys got sunburned from swimming and Noah won't stop peeling skin off of himself. So I had 2 fantabulous birthdays because that's what turning 30 is all about... right? ;)

I have begun the arduous task of cleaning the pool out. The trick is accomplishing all of this while keeping the boys away from harm. Nigh impossible. I tried a baby pool and water guns. No dice. Not when the big pool is right there, a nice inviting shade of turquoise speckled with rotting leaves and dead algae. Fun fun fun. I hit a snag after nearly finishing the vacuuming, the pump stopped working. I dug all the pebbles out of it, thinking that was the culprit... nope. I was going to take it apart today until I looked inside and there's an epic Indiana Jones sized centipede living in there. Major girl moment. I still shiver when I think of it :P Unless centipede moves out, Josh will be fixing it when he gets back.

I'm glad school is out. I don't HAVE to wake up early anymore!! The sun sets at 10:30pm and the kids are allowed to stay up past 10 every night. They sleep 'til 9!! That's good enough for me. I just have to make it through the next 2 weeks and then Josh will be back and Ben will be here and awaaaaay we go! Don't know where, but it'll be more fun than baby wrangling here at home.

A Full House Trumps Nine Trips to the Airport

2011-06-11T16:04:00.000+02:00

Between May 22nd and June 9th I made a grand total of nine trips to the airport to pick-up or drop-off family. I loved having everyone here though so I didn't mind at all. The only time I really mind driving is when I'm downtown in my big boat van, which is not made for Europe :P We were able to see quite a bit! I don't think V & S got to see as much as they would have wanted due to the joys of traveling with a baby, but I know they had a good time.

Toledo - We got here late on a Sunday so nothing was open to see, but we looked at the outsides of buildings which were still intriguing and ate a good dinner as the sun was setting. Josh was even able to make it out! I forgot my camera but I knew Vita had one so I didn't mind too much. We got a lot of cute family shots (thanks for the pics, V!). Toledo is a beautiful city and I plan on going again with my camera and more time to see and do :)

Downtown Madrid - V & S grabbed a hotel in a nice area and we stuck around there for a few hours. We found some amazing little "pastelerias" (bakeries) and stuffed our faces with coffee and delicious French-inspired baked goods.

We walked around a bit and found a cute park and thought it'd be a great spot to get some family pics. And we were right ;)

I didn't take very many pictures while V was here because she's also a photobug, but now I feel weird about it. We had a lot of fun out here, despite my lack of photographic proof ;) It was great to see you guys! We'll be here until June of next year so maybe we can all try it again!

We took a couple days off of traveling to get some errands run thanks to some highly annoying and inconvenient banking issues, but then we were back to planning day trips. Bobby had discussed his intentions to propose to Alex with us prior to flying out and we had formulated a plan. We all got dressed up and headed out to the Templo de Debod for sunset.

It was awesome!! She said yes of course. Then we went to a place called the Midnight Rose for a celebratory dinner and enjoyed some of Madrid's nightlife. Great night!!! :D Congratulations again you guys. We love you both! :)

The next day we lazed around until Noah got back from school and then we were off to Avila. The drive there was absolutely stunning. I couldn't handle not stopping at this little cafe we found right on the river. Best find ever! We determined from signs that we were in El Barraco. Gorgeous!!! We stopped caring about time and Avila while we were sipping our coffee and playing on the shore.

We did eventually head back out (right after Brennan got attacked by ants). It's nice the sun doesn't set until 10pm... gives us a whole lot more time to explore! We didn't make it there in time to walk on the wall, but it was still fun and we had a pretty awesome dinner. Plus the walls look even cooler at night.

The following day we had a plan to hike to the top of one of the Guadarrama mountains in Navacerrada, Madrid's ski resort town.

The scenery was gorgeous, we had all of our supplies, everyone was pumped up, we were all doing well... then came the rain. It started off slow and we thought it might pass, but we ended up having to head back down. Our feet were swimming in puddles. By time we got down the sun was coming back out.

Everything happens for a reason - we had enough time to catch El Escorial and see inside the Valley of the Fallen and the Monastery before they closed for the day. Score!

I have been to El Escorial at least 4 times and have never been inside of any of the monuments so I was super excited even if we were wet and gross. After that we had a little snack and headed home.

The next day we woke up early and left for Segovia. The road there was insane! We took the non-highway option, which meant circling up and around the mountains. Pretty, but a little scary since the roads were wet and slick. We made it there alive though and stopped for coffee and tortilla (an egg and potato pie, basically) so we wouldn't be starving. Our first stop was the Catedral de Segovia.

This cathedral was amazing. We were there for well over an hour... we just couldn't leave. They spent so much time on every tiny little detail and we were noticing all of it. It's impossible to describe it all. It was ginormous and breathtaking. After taking it all in we headed to Alcazar Castle!

Alcazar looks like a fairytale castle, which was really fun for the kids. All the rooms were very ornate and we couldn't help but notice how short it appears everyone in the past seemed to be. The beds were teeny tiny. They spent a whole lot of time making intricate gold-plated designs on the ceilings. It was very interesting.

Alex and Bobby climbed the 151 steps to the top of the tower and waved hello to us.

We had to cut it a bit short so that we could try and see the aqueduct before having to head back and meet Noah at the bus stop. We snapped a couple pictures on the way out... it's just an aqueduct anyway ;) haha.

So... that was about it! Hope you enjoyed the brief rundown and the pictures. We loved having everyone out and look forward to doing it again soon! :)

Magic Hour(s)

2011-05-16T20:56:00.000+02:00

I find it difficult to maintain my sanity at the end of the day. It always goes the same way... every... single... stinkin'... day. From the hours of 6-8pm I am having the "worst day ever", every day. Lemme break it down for you.

All day long the kids are beating each other up, teasing, making messes, all the usual stuff. We get Noah from the bus stop, have a snack, and then the magic begins. It's 6pm, which means I need to start making dinner. It's like someone gave my children a combination rabies/caffeine/pure sugar IV drip. It's always worse when Josh is gone. They act out more and I don't have someone to "tag" for normal referee duties whilst I prepare our gourmet dinner (hahaha).

Tristan and Brennan take turns beating up Noah, who makes it a point to wail like the widowed ghost in a crappy horror flick. Then Noah turns on them and starts fighting back and they in turn scream and cry and stomp their feet, taking small breaks to bust into the kitchen so I can hear and see their extreme pain. Then the play shifts to a reenactment of the running of the bulls, taking turns being out front with whatever object is their current trophy. Today it was an electronic tetris game, which none of them actually play (but it makes noises and they are boys). They run from the dining room, to the living room, around the recliner (messing up my curtains), out into the entryway, through the hallway, into the kitchen, back into the dining room, and on and on. Eventually someone falls (usually Tristan) and cries, and then gets angry, and then hits someone who also falls and cries, and gets angry, and hits back, and so on. They laugh and cry at the same time. They scream with joy and pain, within milliseconds of each other. It's ridiculously stressful and irritating. When they come in for sympathy from me (yeah right) they also switch gears to beg for tastings of whatever happens to be on the chopping block. Like they are starving to death.

It is now 7pm. Finally dinner is done. As I am plating and cutting meat into bite-size pieces they are fighting over who gets to wash their hands first. Water gets all over everything in the process. I never go in there. It dries by morning and I just don't care anymore. We sit down to eat. One of them tells me I forgot drinks, which I didn't. I yell at them to have some patience and respect. I know they don't have drinks yet, I am getting them... I haven't even gotten my food yet! By time I get my food, someone has spilled a drink (usually Brennan) and I go right back in the kitchen to get a towel. Tristan has finished a few bites and has begun his "I don't want to eat my food" routine, which he will recite every 3 seconds for the next 30 minutes.
ME: fine, but you won't get a cookie
HIM: but, I want a cookie!
ME: then eat your food
HIM: but I don't want to eat my food
ME: then you won't get a cookie
HIM: NooooooOOOOoOOOooo I want a cookie
ME: then eat your food
HIM: NOOOOOOO

Done arguing, done explaining. Why bother. I try to ignore the "I don't want to eat my fooood" while Noah tells me about his day at school. Brennan jabbers on in the background, occasionally dipping pieces of food into his milk, and spilling. I keep my head down and eat my food. Responding as needed, checking the clock. Almost bath time.

7:30pm and everyone is done. Usually everyone gets a cookie. As much as they fight it, they finish their food so it's even MORE frustrating and annoying to have to go through such a pointless exercise every damn day. More running and wrestling in the living room, this time with cookies. Yay crumbs!! 7:45 BATHTIME, says I. YAY!!! They love bath time. I do not, however.

They all strip and then start smacking each other on the bare butt, and I tell them not to, and they laugh and laugh and laugh, and then go for the "peanuts"... NO! You are not allowed to touch anyone there!! NO! (this is said another 10 times at least). I quickly wash the babies. Noah washes himself, but requires constant doses of reality as he stares in the mirror, contorting his face like a moronic cartoon character and reciting various quips about butts and farts. He never stops gazing at himself in the mirror, making bizarre faces. I even told him the story of Narcissus. I think he was too distracted by his bubble beard and spikey hair to listen ;) OK time to get out! They fight over who has to get out first. They wiggle and giggle while I try to dry them off. They stare at themselves in the mirror. They go for each other's junks. They tickle. They make a million butt jokes. Brennan pees in my shower after every bath. They all weigh themselves and announce their poundage with pride. They run circles around me as I tell them to go get dressed. They can't hear me anymore. It's too late now.

Naked boys running with toothbrushes. Tristan climbs up to the top bunk and starts throwing his blanket down for Noah to catch and toss back up. GET DOWN! I said BRUSH YOUR TEETH and GET DRESSED!! I get him down. I drag Brennan out of the bookshelf so I can get him dressed. He squeals and squirms. He kicks and laughs. I am not amused. He is made aware I am not amused. I get him dressed and brush his teeth. I go back to the other two and get Tristan down from the top bunk AGAIN. They all run to the sink to rinse. Fight over the cup. Spill water. Run back into their room and get dressed. All the time hooting and hollering about whatever word they've decided to be the "magic word(s)" for the night. Tonight they were "NOT MY PEANUTS!!". Very much like Pee Wee's Playhouse, someone says the magic words and the whole room goes wild.

Brennan hands me a book, but snatches it back when I try to open it up and read it "MY BOOK!". Tristan hands me one, Noah hands me one. I read. Noah listens. Tristan looks at other books to throw in my lap. Brennan looks at his book and "reads" on his own. Ok everyone say goodnight to Brennan! Brennan jumps up and laughs and tries to run away, off to his room to hide behind my recliner. I drag him out. Noah gets in a hug. Brennan refuses to hug Tristan and Tristan throws a fit. Bren will push him over. If I hold his arms he head butts Tristan in the face. So, every night Brennan gets smacked on the leg before bed for being mean to his brother. I literally have to hold Brennan's head and stretch his arms out for a hug in order to stop Tristan's fit and keep Bren from hurting him. Brennan thinks it's hi-LA-rious.

I put Brennan in his crib. He runs in place and shakes his head like he's having a seizure. I tell him to lay down so I can put his blanket on him. Evil grin "no!" OK then, and I walk out, and he whines for me to come back in, and lays down so I can cover him up. Tristan yells that I forgot to say goodnight to them, which I didn't. "I am putting your brother to bed... like I do every night. I will be in there in a second... like every other night". Noah and Tristan ask me for every kiss they know: eskimo, butterfly, alligator, crab, horse, monkey... don't know all of these? Read the book "Fish Kisses" and bedtime will be a lot more fun :) Tristan asks to sleep in Noah's bed "No, he has school tomorrow. Only on weekends". One more I love you. Door closes. MUST HAVE TEA and ALONE TIME!!!

All this stuff isn't bad. I can handle it. The problem is that every single thing I listed. Every comment, question, noise, issue, movement, every little thing I said... happens EVERY DAY. EVERY SINGLE STINKING DAY. At the SAME TIME. I dread this part of the day. Sometimes I let them stay up and watch movies until they pass out just so I don't have to do this part of the day. Sometimes we have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a bowl of cereal for dinner. Sometimes I put their butts in bed at like 7 without a bath. Sometimes I watch my own shows with my laptop and big noise-canceling headphones. Sometimes I just can't be nice and patient so I save them (and me) by doing what I can handle. And sometimes that's not very much. :P Fin.

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-10T20:10:00.000+02:00

As usual our weekend began on Friday night. We drank hot chocolate (well, in all honesty it was chocolate milk after having to cool it off so much) and ate cheetos while watching "Matilda", one of my all-time favorite movies.

Since we started Saturday Unplugged we've admittedly had a few Saturdays when TV is more than welcome (like the weekend we were all sick). This Saturday we were back to "the norm" even though it rained all morning. We set the slide up in the living room again and the boys tackled each other for a solid hour. There was a lot of jumping and screaming, but all in good "boy" fun. At least they left me out of it this time! ;)

I finally cleaned the playroom and fixed the DVD player up there so they could watch movies again without monopolizing MY tv ;) Noah and I worked on a 1,000 piece puzzle diligently most of the morning. Then we got out the wikistix from Aunt Michelle and played with those for awhile. Tristan made a huge ball of them for Aunt Vita, Grandma & Grandpa. He wants to keep this mashed ball of wikistix around, which is covered in dog hair, until our family gets here to receive this precious masterpiece. Hope you like it, V! ;) He looked like a cat playing with a ball of yarn. I gave them a super nutritious snack of teddy grahams and nutella and once that was over and their tiny veins were pulsating with sugary goodness, the sun came out! Thank God!!

Outside I bore witness to their usual antics: sticks as swords, bats, and bows, and lots of throwing and digging in dirt (and a few instances of dumping shovelfuls into our poor pool). They also decided to pluck all the petals off of my roses and shower themselves, which I was completely cool with!

Then it was dinnertime. They wrestled and cuddled on the floor while I cooked. Bath time, movie, bed time. Tomorrow is Mother's Day, kids! Don't forget to let me sleep in ;)

HA! Yeah right. Though they all did remember (thank you, Noah) and gave me my cards and some awesome coupons for feeding dogs, watering plants, helping in the kitchen, cleaning rooms, and making beds... stinkin' CUTE! I remember making coupons! It was a gorgeous day so we met up with Jessica and the girls (and baby Will) at a local playground/park and hung out for a good 2 hours while the kids imagined being captives and princesses and ninjas and all that other fun stuff. We plopped ourselves on a bench in the shade and made faces at Will to get baby smiles and giggles. Pretty awesome stuff :)

Our families parted ways and I ended up taking the boys to yet another park after we had lunch. The wildflowers are in bloom over here so it's picture-taking time! Purple, yellow, red, white... and there are seeds flying through the air that make it look like it's snowing half the time. Kids LOVE that! We found a big puddle that was chock-full of tadpoles. I think the boys would have played there all day if I'd let them.

So, that was basically it! We had a wonderful weekend. Very relaxing. Great Mother's Day! :)

Big Surprise and Brennan's 2nd Birthday

2011-05-01T22:07:00.000+02:00

Saturday was baseball game day, as per usual. I chatted with friends and cheered on their kids while Noah practiced before his game. Then everyone started clearing out, and Noah's game started... the wind picked up and the temp dropped, Brennan and Tristan started whining and throwing fits because they were tired. I was trying to maintain order and balance while cheering Noah on from the stands. Brennan was crying at my lap, smacking me in the legs. Tristan was whining about wanting yet another sucker, hanging on the fence and arching his back in true toddler style. I was kinda done... I had tuned them out and was just watching the game quietly while I'm sure the parents in the stands were wondering why i was ignoring my kids. Same as every other Saturday!

Then I hear "need some help" and there he was... my Joshua :) He got off work a couple hours early, went straight to the airport, boarded in Naples, connected in Rome, landed in Madrid, and jumped into a cab to the game from there. It was like all those misty chick-flick moments we women dream about, but it actually happened. And yes I did cry a little. Brennan and Tristan were so busy whining they didn't even notice until I said "Hey! who's this guy?!" and then they immediately stopped whining, yelled DADDY! and gave him big hugs... and made him take them to the potty and to get suckers lol. No rest. Noah was busy playing, and right when Josh was getting back from the bathroom he was up to bat. He struck out (first time ever) and was feeling a little defeated. Josh walked up to the fence and called to him and then HUGE SMILES and a high five followed shortly by a big hug in the dugout (and I got all misty again).

After the game we chilled at home for a spell so the kiddos could take naps while Noah played the wii... great timing. Then we headed out to the mall for some dinner at an all you can eat Brazilian place where they just keep bringing different meats to the table. Our little cavedudes were so excited. They counted (and devoured) every new meat that came out, the final count was 9. We picked up some shoes for me, some presents for Brennan, and headed home to get the kids down to bed. At this point Josh had been awake for... days. I don't even know. I think he lost track too. He took a nap after much insisting from me, and I cleaned up the house and got everything ready for cake-baking. We watched a couple movies and drank some wine. We finally went to sleep at around 4? On the couch. Got woken up at 7 I believe. Poor Josh lol. Let the birthday fun begin!!

Brennan got his cake for breakfast. He sang happy birthday to himself and was ecstatic. He blew out all his candles :) He loved all his new toys. They played on the slide in the living room all morning while we dozed in and out of consciousness on the couch to cartoons, giggles, fights, whining, yelling, and other boy noises.

Eventually we got up and around. The weather was crappy so we took them to Burger King so they'd be able to get some energy out indoors. We ended up ordering a pizza for us at home. The weather finally cleared up so we sent them outside to try out the new toys.

They shoveled and wheelbarrowed dirt in the greenhouse for hours. We polished off the pizza, popped a movie in for the kids, took showers, and then had to take Josh back to the airport. All three of them fell asleep in the van on the way there, but woke up as I was driving back home alone. They were perfectly ok with Daddy being gone again, though a little sad as always and all agree he should come home every weekend ;) ::sigh:: I wish!

That brings us to now. I am sitting outside watching them throw dirt, shovel dirt, uproot and replant weeds, and dig and refill holes in the greenhouse. So far it's been a fantastic day. I found out Noah doesn't have school tomorrow so we're going to have a late dinner and watch a movie tonight. Guess I had better get to cooking... don't want to be up too late (again)! :) Josh is landing back in Naples and going straight to work from the airport for at least a 12hr shift. He is amazing. Thanks again for the surprise, babe. Having you here made Brennan's birthday so much more special!! Miss you already. Hope you get some sleep! We love you!

Easter 2011

2011-04-28T23:43:00.001+02:00

After all the hustle and bustle of overcoming sickness, unpacking bags, and sterilizing the post-apocalyptic disaster that was "Pukefest 2011"... we ran out of time for Easter shopping. Everything was closed by Wednesday. No candy, no white eggs, no Easter lamb. Not a big deal. We are not really Eastery people. We celebrate Easter as the arrival of spring, longer days, the end of winter. We enjoy family time, and allow our children the joys of candy spoils (that they are not normally allowed) and fun easter egg hunts to build "esprit de ninos"... give mommy and daddy an excuse to gorge on delicousness from our own kitchen and enjoy a little more wine than normal. Our boys don't believe in the Easter bunny. We do not associate it with any religious beliefs, and that's easy enough to do. But, I digress. Either way, Josh was gone and Tom is back in the states (we miss you, Tom!!) so it would have been pointless to do a huge dinner anyway. I was sad we weren't able to color eggs, but also a little relieved. The boys didn't mind.

Thankfully my Mom had sent us a big Easter basket stocked with delicious Amurrrican candies and plastic dinosaur eggs. I also received some solid milk chocolate dinosaurs from Tom's parents over at Matangos Candy and those were a ginormic hit. They gnawed at those things all day long. We hid the eggs a few times outside, had time to decorate Bosley, but then the clouds rolled in and it started raining again.

Then I downloaded 5 new movies and we just vegged out and cuddled all day long. OK... I'm lying... really I vegged out and facebooked while yelling at them to stop trying to kill each other during sugar fits. I made stuffed cabbage rolls and salad for dinner (NOM NOM NOM), which only Noah ate (unless you include the 10 I polished off myself in one sitting, and the 2 cold ones I ate with my bare hands before I put them in the fridge).

The boys snarled and begged for more candy even though they didn't eat dinner, and I caved... holiday rules! They stayed up until 10pm on a school night. I was glad to put the cherubs to bed, without a bath, covered in boogers and chocolate, during their sugar crash. Good Easter. Best part? Spring break was finally over! ;) hahahahahhahahaha.

Progress, Pompeii, and Pukefest 2011

2011-04-20T09:10:00.002+02:00

I don't like to share personal information with people I know. Now... I can tell a stranger my entire life story and be fine with it. But, when it comes to spilling my guts to family and friends, I clam up immediately. Plus I am awful with keeping/hiding my emotions so I tend to isolate myself to avoid questions. Doesn't fool anyone, I know. It's obvious that I drop off the face of the planet when something is bothering me. So anyway, this explains the long break I have taken from this blog. Other than being a Mommy, I am also a wife and... get this... an individual! Who knew ;) I was working on those. I love my kids, but being their mother is not enough to make myself or my husband happy so... lots of personal growth going on.

Marriage is difficult. Anyone who seems like it's not is currently riding a high, but there are always lows... it's inevitable, but it's ok. It happens, they make you stronger if you get through them, and you learn a lot about yourselves as individuals and as a couple. Did a lot of that. In fact that's why I went to Naples last minute without the kids. We needed it. I needed to do it. Josh needed to see I could.

I was only there for a couple days, but it was amazing. I loved every minute of it :) I was there to see Josh so I took basically no pictures... except for Pompeii because you just can't NOT take pictures of Pompeii. It was so much bigger than I thought. Every wall in every house was painted, not just a color (like we do)... full fresco murals. Being an artisan back then must have paid well. There was so much detail put into everything. The floors were mosaics, the walls were carefully decorated, vaulted ceilings, patterned brickwork. They used volcanic rock as accent stones. The mountain views through the streets were amazing... hard to believe that's what killed them.

We didn't get to see any of the plaster casts of people because the exhibit is closed for renovations. They are trying to get the amphitheater up an running so that they can run shows for tourists, shows like they would have had in 79AD. Very cool. Naples is a dirty city, but the people are awesome. Mafia families still reign supreme and happen to be in control of trash pick-up so the city is basically being blackmailed by their own garbage. They won't come pick it up until it's "worth it" to them. So there are piles and piles of trash all over the place. Poor Naples.

Cappuccino in Italy is absolutely fantastic, as is pizza. I also had fagioli with clams (white beans), lamb, and rotisserie chicken with rosemary & sage potatoes and it all was a.MA.zing!!! It was a great trip! I miss Josh. He'll be back in July. He's going to try and come out for Brennan's 2nd birthday and we're planning a trip to Rome with the whole family for my 30th in June. Josh bought me a few new dresses for summer... for Rome. Excited!!! Hopefully he can get off work. It's been crazy out there.

So... I get back and Noah had puked in the bed, the kids were complaining about tummy aches. Pukefest 2011 had begun. Last night was the first night since I got back (Saturday) that no one threw up in the middle of the night. Hooray! I hope we're out of the woods. My stomach feels better today and I never did puke ::knocks on wood:: so... let's hope! It wasn't stressful and I'm not tired. After 2 days without them, taking care of my sick kidlets is pretty easy. Tristan's poop on the potty was a fluke, he hasn't done it since. I told him he has to change his own diapers from now on. His response "but I will get poop everywhere!!" yes, I know "and that's not my problem"... yeah he said that lol. I'm still working out and feeling super sexy and awesome. All good things! :) So that's the general update!

The Baby Whisperer

2011-04-12T11:59:00.001+02:00

Last night my nearly 4yr old FINALLY pooped on the potty. Huge success!!! He would hold it for 4 days and refuse to go until he finally ruined countless outfits. But then last night he finally went. VICTORY!! (and yes the use of "finally" in every sentence was intentional)

So reeling in my motherly prowess I felt super awesome this morning and suddenly had a thought to combat back-talking, fits, general misconduct. I don't know if I've seen it before or something... I mean I doubt I invented it. Anyway, I tried it. It worked. I have yet to test it on an ultimate toddler fit, but I am hoping this method will stop the fits from ever happening. So, here's what I did.

Scenario 1: Tristan is jumping up and down screaming because Brennan drank the leftover milk from his cereal bowl. I calmly dropped down to eye level with him, grabbed both hands in one of mine, lifted his chin with my other hand and said very very calmly "Tristan look at me" (until he did, which wasn't long at all) and then also calmly said "we don't have anymore milk, would you like some juice to drink?" and I got an OK, Mommy. The fit was over. Normally this fit would escalate into screaming and end in a timeout, which would result in more screaming, which would result in Mommy smacking a leg or mouth and screaming right back. End product: severe Mommy guilt and a screaming child I don't want to be near. Not working!

Scenario 2: Brennan is screaming at my legs, smacking and grabbing at me, wanting to be held. I am chopping veggies to make breakfast. I get down to eye level. Grab the hands, lift the chin, wait for eye contact and say "Brennan I can't hold you right now. I'm cooking. Go to the living room with Tristan and watch Sesame Street" and again I got an OK, Mommy and he just walked away to the living room. What the what?!?!! Nearly every day for the past year I have dealt with screaming Brennan at my legs while I cook dinner. He refuses to allow anyone else to hold him. He refuses to stop. I resort to yelling... for an hour while I cook. He screams at the door. He bangs. He throws things. He hits. I ignore him because, frankly, I gotta cook. Makes for a stressful end of the day.

I am going to keep this up today and see if it will still work later on or if they'll "get over" it and go back to their usual antics. Right now I feel like the baby whisperer though. Jessica gave me the title after I told her about it on the phone this morning. This constant "patience, kindness, compassion" mantra I started 4 weeks ago is really helping my anger issues. I know I yell and hit because I lack patience, not because the kids are exceptionally bad. While I will still be the occasional yeller and smacker since I think kids deserve it once in awhile... it won't be for lack of patience or anger on my part. I know they will learn from my example and become calmer, less aggressive little people... they learned the opposite from me so it only makes sense ;)

By the way I have pictures and videos and stuff, just lacking time and desire to upload and edit them!

Hello Again!

2011-04-03T16:35:00.001+02:00

I haven't been blogging on here lately because, frankly, I have very little to say that is appropriate for this blog. This is where I update about the boys and tell of our adventures in Spain, not where I bare my eternal soul ;) Actually, everything is going so well right now!!! The 100 day challenge I am in has done so much more for me than just help me get into shape. The emotional well-being challenges are doing wonders... and it's only the 2nd week.

SparkPeople is a place where I can go and blog about my struggles, my challenges, my victories, MYSELF and not say a word about my kids. We Mommies all do that on there. It's a magical place... it's not often you can get with a group of Moms and not mention baby milestones, husbands, sales at walmart... it's been such a great experience so far. I am going to be sad when the 100 days are over. I don't think we realize how much our lives revolve around everyone else. Well, that's what the 100 day challenge has been about... US. So, sorry I've been aloof, I've been all about me on my off time and that depletes all my facebooking and blogging minutes. Which, in my opinion, is fabulous! :)

But anyways... the boys are all doing really well. Noah's a math and spelling whiz so we know he is in fact related to BOTH of us despite his "Josh clone" appearance. He loves spelling words at the dinner table. He played real actual scrabble with us over the weekend and scored himself 69 points!! We're going to have a lot of fun tomorrow playing our NEW scrabble-like game Grandma H sent. We are a family obsessed with word games and it's so awesome to me that our Noah Boah is old enough to play! His new favorite games are chess, sudoku, and wii Star Wars (which he wins every time).

He's a great kid, really enjoying baseball and pretty darn good at it. Josh is an assistant coach for his team now so Noah's paying much better attention ;) Josh and I agree his energy level is better suited for soccer. Next year! Noah always has a story about school (though it's mostly about who on the bus was playing a DS and which game it was). I always point out to him that they have DS's because they don't have cool little brothers to play with and they get bored and lonely. He's not buying it haha.

Tristan is closer to pooping on the potty. He loves to recite to me the following, which apparently means nothing to him: "Big boys don't poop in a diaper, they poop on the potty. If I don't poop on the potty I can't go to school like Noah. It's really yucky... ewww... it's stinky and gross". I wonder where he heard that from?! He had a few successes over the weekend and is not wearing a diaper to bed or during nap time (and only wet the bed the first night).

Tristan officially knows all his colors, shapes, ABC's, and how to count to 20. He doesn't recognize all his letters and numbers yet, but I think he's doing awesome. He's a much better talker than Noah was at this age so I am already impressed with his mad skillz. He cracks me up!! He is just the cutest little boy and he takes full advantage of that. Blonde baby hair, dark brown eyes, dark eyebrows, crooked teeth and a little smirk... he melts me. Then there's "Tristan Tantrum" setting, which is not cute at all lol. Getting better every day. He's just a really emotional guy and we're working on expressing that in more constructive ways (which are less loud, obnoxious, ear-piercing, and infantile). Talking talking talking. Using our words. So yes, Tristan is great.

Tristan LOVES playing outside. He flips over every rock to find worms and pill bugs, which he then places on his arms so he can get tickled. He's teaching Brennan all his cool bug-hunting tricks.

Brennan... oh my baby boy Brennan. He is such a hard-headed toddler, but super cute so it isn't very noticeable. He is really into imitating us right now so I have Josh's teeny tiny clone running around telling me all sorts of fun things. Some of my favorites to hear out of a baby mouth that send me reeling with laughter when I should probably be snappy and mad: "I don't like you! Get out of my life!! (Noah started this one, no idea where it came from, but I am betting a movie) NO 'MACKING, CHICHIN!! (no smacking, Tristan).

Bren's new thing is going around the room and pointing at every person and saying their names. Mommy, Daddy, Chichin, Oah, Bosee, Chaee, Bennan, Tom (Tom comes over a lot so he gets named even when he's not around). This phase of toddlerhood is my all-time favorite. The beginning of independence before it becomes cumbersome, the beginning of talking before it becomes snarky. Nothing but fun times. I still get giddy when I hear him say please, thank you, bless you, you're welcome... he's just such a little doll!

I took a video of him being his little adorable self, but it just made me want to take more videos... better videos. He counts to 10, recognizes some colors, and sings his ABC's. He also goes up to trees, pulls down his pants, and leans in like the big boys then proudly proclaims "I PEE!"... how stinkin' cute is that?! I guess he's ready for potty training, and maybe that will put some pressure on Tristan? Hmmmm... we shall see.

Update on Brennan

2011-03-22T21:25:00.000+01:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that Brennan is back up to his old tricks and showing no signs of a traumatic head injury. He's eating well, playing well, sleeping well, and no longer feels pain. Already?! I KNOW! I plan on taking him in to the pediatrician just so she can basically poke around at his head and tell me he's fine. I'm glad he's still young and his little plates haven't fused together yet.

ER Strength Training

2011-03-18T15:38:00.000+01:00

Yesterday afternoon Brennan fell through the slats in the banister on the upper floor, down to the marble stairs 6 feet below... and landed on his head. He is miraculously fine. They took x-rays and the one 6" long, 1" high bump he had on his head is now a barely visible red mark. I don't know how we got away with this, but I am thankful.

I walked the halls with him in my arms for 6 hours last night. Today he's been really cranky and wants to be held (and of course Daddy won't do) so I've been carting around a 25lb 22mos old for about twelve hours. He's also getting a cold, which doesn't help. I have 3 bushels of clean laundry waiting to be folded but any time I move I am treated to a full-out kicking and screaming, flat on the floor, snot bubbles and drool strings, toddler fit.

While this is going on Tristan is climbing and jumping all over the place, doing cartwheels, talking non-stop about nothing... but God forbid I don't listen! He also manages to tease his brother. They tease each other. They smack and fight. I am tired and sore, but I am still very motivated. Know why? Because today my toddler is in my arms, teasing his brother and being his old normal self after a fall that should have seriously injured him, or worse. He was sleeping on me in my bed last night as I cried all over his miracle baby head. Everything is just fine! :) Before all this happened I was really busy with editing photos from my last infant shoot and exercising.

Despite the fact that I don't want to be one of those annoying people blabbing on about fitness and food, I guess I'm gonna. It's either going to bore the bejeezus out of you or motivate you (it will at least explain the title).

I started this 100 day cardio, strength, nutrition, and emotional well-being challenge with a 700+ member group of Rants From MommyLand fans. I just started on Monday. It is now Friday. The challenges don't seem hard, but they are. The following body parts are killing me: thighs, calves, shins, glutes, and abs. One thing that doesn't hurt is my pride. I am having so much fun doing this. The women on this site crack me up every day and even though we don't work out together, it feels like we all do. There's a lot of support and honesty and it motivates me to keep going. I can't stop or I won't get to enjoy the laughs and love anymore!

Tomorrow is Saturday Unplugged. Noah has a game and hopefully Brennan will be feeling better so we can go to a park or something. I'd love to go on a hike or something if the weather's nice enough!

Summer Is Coming, and So Is 30

2011-03-11T09:39:00.000+01:00

I just joined SparkPeople to help me stay motivated to get back in shape. Rants From Mommyland has a team! I am on the Warrior Team because I have super lofty goals haha. Anyone else in?!

Josh is Home, Just in Time for Baseball!

2011-03-06T19:41:00.000+01:00

I may have blogged this a good fifty times at this point, but it's still just as exciting for us. Josh is home!! He was gone for 7 weeks... not very long in the Army world, but we missed him all the same. Unfortunately, after all the flight shifting and changing, canceling and rescheduling, his bags were lost in the mix. Since he was at school he had EVERYTHING... a good $5,000 worth of gear and uniforms. Thankfully they found the bags and 2 out of the 3 should be delivered today. Whew... like we wanted to spend our tax return on repurchasing everything he was ever issued.

We were treated to a front-row seat to Spanish troops coming home after a deployment to Afghanistan. It was a nice reminder that we're not alone out there. All their kids, wives, the Army, a police escort... they're heroes here too and everyone was there to welcome them home. It was a very familiar scene, just different flags on their shoulders. I was happy to see it (and snapped a picture, of course).

Noah had his first game yesterday! He spent the majority of his time messing with his buddy Matthew, jumping around, acting crazy. I caught him standing on the bench, leaping over to the other side of the dugout to cling to the fence like Spiderman. He also dabbled in dirt collecting with a random plastic bag he found. Good news, he was 2 for 2 when he was at bat and his team won 13 to 6. I'm glad he started with coach pitch and his coaches are all wonderful guys. Love the head coach. He's extremely patient and is doing a great job teaching them fundamentals and trying to get them excited about playing the game. This is not an easy task. Way to go Coach R! :)

I may talk to the head coach and see about doing team and individual pictures for all the teams. Last year they didn't have someone and he expressed some interest. A lot of work to do if this is going to happen... ordering cardboard frames, figuring out pricing, buying another memory card, making order forms... I look forward to it, but am nervous (as always). I need more confidence. If anyone out there watches "Top Chef" I would compare myself to Richard Blaise... doing good things, but constantly second-guessing and freaking out. Hopefully I will get over that soon ;)

In other news pink eye is running through our house. Brennan slept in our bed with us and the next morning I couldn't open my eye. Then, since I was feeling particularly crappy I failed to wash our bedding and Josh woke up with it this morning. At least we have all the drops we could ever need. Yay :P

Here a Park, There a Park

2011-02-27T21:56:00.000+01:00

Noah was off school since Wednesday for mid-winter break so we had a lot of free time on our hands which we promptly filled with random outdoor activities. Thank you great weather!! We had a kiddie carnival on base and a trip to the zoo with our friends.

Noah had his first baseball practice, babies had doctors appointments, we did some grocery shopping, and a whole lot of spare time left for exploring our local area (which is how the previous post came to pass).

We were feeling a bit crazy, needing to get out of the house so we did a lot of driving in our own neighborhood (and nearby neighborhoods). We found several cool parks we'll probably revisit and a shopping center in the middle of the 'burbs which I plan to visit during the week to see what goodies they're packin'. I listened to a lot of music and enjoyed the serenity of having all three children buckled into their seats, quietly watching the scenery zip by. This is probably why we barely got out of the car this weekend.

Today started off fine. We were cuddling on the couch and being all cute and Cleaver-y and then they were done with that and started getting aggressive, especially Noah. Best way to get out aggression is with exercise. Usually Josh will wrestle with them (and I do a lot as well, but I just didn't have it in me today). So we found two new playgrounds. So, what started out as a very stressful day ended up being a race to the slide. I needed the exercise too I guess.

The Ever-Elusive Castle

2011-02-27T10:50:00.001+01:00

The other day we went on a long hike, trying to find the road that would take us to the elusive castle in the distance. No luck! We had a lot of fun trying though. The boys thought the snow-capped mountains on the horizon and the abandoned house were soooooo cool.

I love going to places where I don't have to worry about people or cars. Our boys are globs of pure unadulterated destructive energy and need space to roam free and destroy things like anthills and sticks. Otherwise they just beat each other up and break things at home.

The sun was unseasonably hot and the kids were acting like we were a band of nomads trudging through the Sahara towards the end. So... we gave up. I think next time I'm going to try and get closer with my car. At least we got our exercise!

The First "Saturday Unplugged"

2011-02-19T23:53:00.000+01:00

Our first "Saturday Unplugged" went really well! So well that I hardly took any pictures while we were home because I was busy spending time with the boys. Imagine that! I went through slight withdrawal, not having my laptop to check email and facebook first thing in the morning with my coffee... but, it soon felt more liberating than annoying.

The weather was cold and rainy so we didn't get to play outside, but we did leave to hit the grocery store and pet store. The boys love to look at all the little caged animals... pretty sure all children do, and I am all for free entertainment!

The rest of the day we played games, just like we planned. I taught Noah how to play Go Fish, Crazy 8's, War, and Slap Jack... take a wild guess which one is his favorite. I'll give you a hint: it's the one in which you get to smack people. We also played Memory and I Spy Eagle Eye. Once our other games arrive from Amazon I'm sure we'll have even more fun.

We listened to a lot of music, had a huge delicious dinner, and ended the night with our one family movie "Tangled". Tristan didn't make it through, Noah cried at the end (first time he's done that so I guess he's old enough to really understand the concept of death now). Brennan kept sliming me with kisses and saying "hola" to me nose-to-nose. He also seemed to enjoy driving trains over or smacking Tristan's poor little sleep-face with a hot chocolate mustache. Tristan never even flinched. It was a good day. Glad we started this!!

Friday Fieldtrips

2011-02-19T23:36:00.001+01:00

Every Friday I take Brennan and Tristan up to the base for Music and Movement class. There have been more and more kids coming and my boys actually look forward to it every week now. Tristan used to cry the entire time and sit in my lap, refusing to participate. Now he sings, dances, plays instruments, and doesn't cry! So glad he finally warmed up to it because I really enjoy going someplace with other adults around.

We usually hang out there and have lunch with my friend and her babies, but this Friday we had things to accomplish... well, she did. I used the extra time to take the kids out to Burger King for late lunch and a romp in the playground, which made them super happy and cooperative. This presented me with the rare opportunity to take a photo fieldtrip back out to Brunete (where we watched the World Cup Final).

The weather was amazing. I wish I had grabbed my entire camera bag because the drive there was spectacular. The air was really clear, sky blue as ever, fluffy clouds, the mountains were covered in snow, and the fields were blooming yellow. I tried to use my wide-angle, but it's definitely not meant for that. I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to go back before my 365 pictures in 2011 is over. I've been loving this project, by the way.

So anyway... I took a lot of pictures and the boys ran all over the place and threw things in the fountain. Great day!!!

Saturday's, Unplugged

2011-02-17T10:05:00.002+01:00

These pictures don't really pertain to this post, but the feeling does.

Noah got his report card and has done better in most categories, but is still having a lot of trouble concentrating and is behind in reading comprehension (which is due to lack of concentration). We're still reading Harry Potter and that's helping. Noah's made a breakthrough with writing and he's a wonderful speller!! His hand-writing is improving. We're very proud of all the work he's done!

We decided it was time for some more drastic measures to improve his ability to focus. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you "Saturdays, Unplugged". From now on we're going to leave all TV, movies, computers, and gaming systems off on Saturdays and just play board games, outside, or with the plethora of toys upstairs. This also applies to Mommy and Daddy. After dinner we'll do our family movie night still, but anything before then will be strictly hands-on, no more passive mind-numbing activities (the wii is pretty action-packed... but still). I just ordered a few new games and supplies from Amazon: Perfection, Hidden Hints, Pictionary Jr., Guess Who, and a school scrapbook and writing pads for Noah.

It's going to be difficult for me, I know. I'm addicted to my laptop. Most likely I will lean on my camera to get me through hehe. That and cooking. Josh and I will probably start making huge extravagant meals on Saturdays... and cleaning a lot. Probably take more day trips! Excited!!!

I think it will end up being something we all look forward to, and maybe even a new tradition that gets passed on. In my head I see us 25 years down the road with the grandkids all playing games on Saturdays. I love this daydream!! We were both raised on family game nights so it makes sense. Josh is excited about it too. Time to bust out the legos again, babe!

Imagine the fun and excitement we shall have! I suspect it will resemble a combination of "Little House on the Prairie" and "Malcolm in the Middle"... so... wholesome chaos.

Valentine's Day Extravaganza 2011!!!!

2011-02-14T08:40:00.003+01:00

Hahahahhaa... just kidding. I am going to do laundry today and that's about it. Noah made me a cute card in Spanish class though :) We celebrate "valentine's day" on the 19th, the anniversary of when we started dating, our "CC". It's an acronym for our first conversation, which lead to us being stuck like glue to each other from then on. Plus it has the added bonus of being much less crowded if we go out. Aren't we so super romantical?! If we ever make it back to Texas I'd love to drink a toast at the scene of the crime like on "Serendipity" ;)

I used to say that the 6 weeks we dated was short and embarrassing, we were young and crazy and blah blah blah, but since this TDY happens to be 6 weeks long I must admit I've changed my mind. If our dating days went as slowly as this TDY then we dated for about a decade. We have decided after this dragging, miserably lonely time apart that he needs to get out of the Army. But, we've decided that many times. We'll see how we feel when it's re-up time. A friend of mine pointed out that with memories "the good stuff sticks and the crummy stuff is often forgotten". How right she is... and thank God.

Toddler Stories : GRENADE!

2011-02-12T22:22:00.000+01:00

I was brave and went to the grocery store with all 3 boys today. It was fun until the very end when everyone was tired, but wired. I wish I had brought my camera. Here, allow me to paint a picture for you with words instead.

I'm scouring the aisles for chocolate pudding. I see jello, vanilla pudding, tiramisu pudding, milk, butter, cream... back to the puddings... que el effe (what the F). Feeling defeated I ditched my cart at the creamy creations area and decided to settle for strawberry gelatin for Noah's lunches a mere 3 feet away from us. I grab some jello and turn back around to add it to the rest of our goods. There's a lanky dark-haired grandpa cracking up, holding my eggs, trying to talk Brennan into giving him the egg in his tiny, but surprisingly strong baby hand. There are two other eggs smashed on the floor below his feet. Everyone else is also laughing, recounting the tale to me as if it were the JFK shooting, shaking their heads in awe. There were about 5 people telling me all about it... all I thought was "damn, where's my camera". Brennan was an instant celebrity with his coy smile, snot nose, and long fluttery eyelashes.

TEN SECONDS, people... maybe even less. THAT'S HOW LONG I WAS GONE!! According to eyewitness accounts as soon as I turned he reached around for the egg carton, opened it up, and just started tossing them out like grenades. It was like he'd been planning it. It was funny... I didn't even blush and I generally blush over everything. It was just too random and hilarious for me to get upset or feel embarrassed. It was, dare I say... cute! I thought of this post from Rants From Mommyland immediately. I saw little faces on those eggs I swear. I found the chocolate pudding in the next aisle over... go figure. Out of guilt and a crushing sense of responsibility I bought the carton without replacing the 2 eggs. This means good Karma!!

Then as I'm recounting the story to Josh Brennan reaches over and hits the reset button on our converter box, shutting down the power to everything. "... bye babe" lol

Worst Mom EVER

2011-02-11T01:56:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I get lost in the blog world and end up hating myself as a mother. I realize most bloggers keep a lot to themselves and won't admit they yelled practically all day at their kids. If they do it's done up with so much humor and sarcasm so it seems more like a joke than the truth. But, dammit I wish they would blog about it. Are we all just these endless fountains of patience and understanding?! We're not... we don't talk about our tempers and the reality of how difficult it is to deal with kids. Maybe if we would talk about it and accept our flaws poor Moms who are freakin' stressed the hell out would feel comfortable venting and confessing and have their patience renewed. Or even ask for help so they don't shake their babies... YES WE DO ALL NEED BREAKS, sweetie. Here... give me the screaming pink thing and go have a drink. Nope we're all perfect mommies aren't we. I wish our lack of motherly nurturing perfection wasn't such a taboo topic.

When our kids are sick and crying and oozing we gently cuddle them all day long and comfort them with our splendiferousness. The reality is that a sick child is even more demanding than normal and usually louder, definitely messier. You remind yourself they are sick. You hold them. Your arms get tired. You put them down. They scream. You remind yourself they're sick. You hold them. They scream. You put them down. You wonder why they discontinued benadryl. They scream, they ooze, they won't sleep, they won't let you sleep... eventually that makes you a short-fuzed mommy. They scream. Hairs on the back of your neck go up. You snap. At everyone. I don't care if you're sick you need to stop that screaming!!! Which brings us to the confession: I yell at my poor babies when they're sick and even put them in time-out. I have hit them... when I'm angry... and they're sick. By hit I mean smacked their butts once, not bludgeoned them with a club (if you've done that it's definitely not normal, but visualizing that is in fact normal).

When we're fighting with our man... oh wait that also never happens!!! ;) yeah... we remember that the children are innocent and shield them from hearing or feeling our arguments. We can separate one from the other and never misdirect our anger at the kids. The reality is that a fight happens when a fight happens. If it's at the dining room table during dinner, that's where it is. If the kids are crazy enough to ask me something ridiculous while I am fighting with Daddy they're probably going to get a smart-ass answer... "don't we always have a snack when Noah comes home?! ALWAYS?! STOP ASKING ME THE SAME CRAP! WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS EVERY DAY!!!!". This is why my kids say crap. Confession in a nutshell: sometimes I take it out on the kids.

More Confessions: Today I sat on my couch, left the TV on almost all day for the boys, and played around on facebook. No reason. I am just tired of everything. I smacked Brennan really hard on his hand and yelled at him because he touched raw meat, knives, vegetables, and everything else on the counter I've told him not to touch 500 times a day for the past year of his life. Then I ordered them all out of my kitchen "GO TO THE PLAYROOM!! AND DON'T COME BACK! I WILL COME GET YOU WHEN IT'S READY!!" He just won't... stop... grabbing... things... Over and over and over and over I tell him to stop. Every single damn day over and over and over and over and over... all the same things. At the same time of the day. He's relentless. Towards the end of the day I stop talking and just slap his hand, and say "don't touch!!!". He still doesn't stop and that's when I grab his arm and physically lift him out of the room because the repetition has literally driven me to the point of insanity and I find myself wanting to cause pain.

Tristan has gotten better with my new "isolation" method for dealing with tantrums since screaming back at him for screaming didn't seem to help, and neither did whining back at him. Now when he starts the whining and screaming I look at him, say "go to your room and sit on your bed" and he replies "no no I be calm". Proud of myself for that one. The confession part is that before this method I was doing an awful lot of yelling. I mean YELLING. Like... I shocked myself with the loudness of the yelling. Once I started screaming "STOP IT JUST SHUT UP". That was the turning point. Yes... I, flawless blogging mother of 3 angel baby boys told my blonde perfect 3yr old to shut up. As loud as I could. It's not the first time I said shut up and I doubt it'll be the last, but I am not OK with it, just admitting it happened.

I eventually reach a breaking point. And I refuse to believe I am the only one who does. With Josh gone I no longer have back-up. I don't want or need advice or encouragement. I definitely don't want or need insults or calls to CPS. I know I'm a good Mom... maybe even great. I am just tired of all this "hype" about how wonderful our little blessings are with no mention of the hell they can cause and how it all goes downhill FAST and we lose our cool. Most days I can see the antics, find the cuteness and humor, and just laugh... but sometimes I can't, and they annoy me, and all I can think about is getting away from them.

Now we'll see if I have the guts to keep this up.

Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T09:44:00.000+01:00

Today is Groundhog Day and I always think of the Bill Murray movie. My life feels like that sometimes. I say the same phrases day in and day out, get asked the same questions at the same times every day. The Army phrase is "same old sh*t, different day" So... we're shaking things up!

I love love love love the 3 hours I get while Tristan and Brennan are napping, but I am giving it up. All I did was play on Facebook anyway... I could have cleaned, but I never did. Tristan hasn't napped in a few days and his tantrums have decreased exponentially. He just needed some more alone time with Mommy I think, especially with Josh gone. He also stays asleep longer at night now, which seems to help his 'tude as well. This also gives me more opportunities to teach him and try and get him to finally go on the potty. I have been more productive since I don't have the option to sit on my butt and be lazy while I feel bad for myself because Josh is gone.

Yesterday we went grocery shopping and for the first time BOTH of the boys were little angels. I got them candy as a prize :) They most definitely deserved it. I was even able to snap some pictures there. I like taking pics of our normal days out so people can see how Spain is different from the US. I gotta do it soon before I forget the differences!

For instance:

* You have to put a coin in a cart handle to unlock it and take it with you (you get it back once you put your cart back in the corral and chain it onto the "line"). The wheels all move 360 degrees, which may sound cool, but makes it nigh impossible to steer once you get some weight in there. I always see ladies in heels, straddled, faces scrunched, trying to convince their carts to swing down an aisle.

* The store I go to is one of the few that bags groceries for you and has plastic carts. The cashiers everywhere have chairs. They don't stand, they sit comfortably at their register, scan your stuff and throw it down the belt, take your money, and then watch while you try and throw everything back into your cart. This is the reason we bag groceries at the car. We have reusable bags, but the time it takes to bag groceries while 2 kids act like maniacs does not match up with the time it takes the cashier to scan and toss everything. I like avoiding glares. Most Spaniards will help, but it depends on the store. The more "wal-marty" (yes I mean you, Carrefour) stores are full of rude people... how apropos.

* There is a walkway much like the ones in airports that grabs onto the cart wheels and holds them in place, whisking you back to parking. That part is cool :)

* There is an abundance of seafood, cured/smoked meats, cured cheeses, and fresh baked breads here. I will definitely miss those when we go back to the states. I can't tell you how often I get a baguette, throw some cured pork loin or jamon on it, a slice of manchengo, maybe a little olive oil and chow down. I'm not big on the canned fishes, but the fresh (and even the frozen) is excellent.

That's it for now. Brennan's finally up! :)

These Magic Moments

2011-01-26T22:54:00.002+01:00

Our little tasmanian devil has been super busy lately. Just this month he's learned the following skills: how to strip, how to remove a diaper, how to open the doors, how to lift your shirt like a big boy when you go pee. He used them all at once yesterday right after dinner.

Normally our meal ends, the kids have their cookies, and then we're off for bathtime/bedtime. Brennan decided to get a jump on things and prep for bath in the dining room. He ripped off his pants and diaper and ran through the living room yelling "pubby pup", which I thought meant bubble bath... nope. He was saying poopy butt and I found his abandoned treasure on the dining room floor, poop-side up (thank you for that, Bren), next to a defeated Charlie whose curiosity had gotten the best of him and was now paying for the snoot full of poo fumes with some hearty dog sneezes. I turn to make chase, catch a glimpse of brown baby cheeks as he reaches up to let himself out of the living room. I catch up to him just in time to see him there in the hallway, holding his shirt up, watching the stream fall onto the floor in utter fascination... so proud of himself for remembering to lift his shirt like his brothers do when they pee.

What did I do? I laughed and grabbed my camera, but only got a shot of him just before he slammed the door in my face. He really likes to play DOOR SLAM peek-a-boo (it's the boy version, which means you can get seriously injured). His facial expression was hilarious... he was just so damn excited. So away we went for the same old routine: bath, brush, book, and bed. I finally cleaned up the puddle this morning because I forgot it was there until Tristan pointed it out to me as we were prepping for the journey to the bus stop. Frankly, I was a little shocked it was still there and not soaked into the bottom of my socks.

Thank You, Ms R.

2011-01-22T17:39:00.000+01:00

A lesson I just received from my 6yr old Noah:

"Mommy this is a solid shape. Do you know what it's called?"
Yes, a cube!
"RIGHT! and this one?"
Ummm... I don't know that one... it's not a cube.
"It's a rectangular prism. They both have 6 flat surfaces and 8 corners, but the rectangle has longer sides. And the cylinder has 2 flat surfaces and 0 corners... hmmm... We don't have a cone, mommy... that's another solid shape and it has only ONE flat surface and one corner
and it rolls in a circle, not in a straight line. OH I forgot the sphere, it's kinda like a ball,
no flat surfaces and no corners. I'll draw you a picture."
OK thanks.

Well, Joshua... your son loves geometry and math. Commence "happy dance" ;)

The End of an Era

2011-01-21T17:49:00.000+01:00

Brennan can now reach and open all of our doors. I shall no longer be able to shut the playroom door, knowing he will remain inside and not go plunging down the marble staircase while I go to the bathroom... this sucks. He also strips down to his diaper every day :P

Bring on Friday

2011-01-21T00:57:00.000+01:00

I'm going to be honest, people... this TDY is dragging. I knew it would be worse since Josh was home on leave for a month right before he left, but this is just... annoying. The weeks are trudging along at the speed of a three toed sloth stuck in molasses, who happens to be dead. That flippin' slowly. On the plus side, I've been busy :)

The weather is still nice during the day so we get outside time nearly every day. I've been getting out of the house on a semi-daily basis, did some "rebajas" shopping, hung out with my peeps. It helps.

I also have been furiously working on a website and details for my new photography business. After a few requests, compliments, and suggestions I finally decided to go for it. I hope it's as fun as I think it will be! I already have a newborn shoot coming up and I am on pins and needles waiting for this baby to arrive... for all the normal reasons too haha. So... check it out! :)

Allison Burnett Photography
and ABP on Facebook

Great Friends, Great Day

2011-01-15T23:53:00.000+01:00

I woke up relatively early and actually cleaned my house! :O Shocker, I know. Then I called up our friends and we planned a park trip. It's been in the upper 50's while the sun is out so we took the opportunity to let our kids get some exercise, sunshine, and fresh air.

Between the two families we have 7 kids (and one on the way). They have all girls (until their boy arrives within the next month or so), and we have all boys. The kids are pretty close in age and have a blast together.

We had a few small issues with the younger ones since it was close to naptime AND they were getting hungry... they all ended up not taking a nap today. We spent a couple hours at the park and then headed back to their place for some pizza.

My boys were exhausted. They got a nice bubble bath while I downloaded pictures and then happily went to bed. It was an excellent day! :)

5 Minutes With Brennan

2011-01-14T22:56:00.000+01:00

5 minutes is not very much time... unless you're a 20-month-old toddler, in which case it's a timespan of endless possibilities. This doesn't require embellishments. Everyone who has a toddler knows what they are capable of in a short amount of time. So... I get babblin' Brennan out of his crib and we walk down to the kitchen to get him some breakfast. His feet hit the floor.

Minute One
What Mommy is doing: Getting a bowl, milk and cereal, a cup of water, and placing it all on the kitchen table.

What Brennan is doing: He goes straight for a chair to push up to the counter to reach a water cup and watch me pour cereal. He drinks some water, spills the rest, runs to get the towel from the stove to clean it up, hangs the towel back up. Detour to the drawers to grab himself a cereal spoon. Gets sidetracked by the washing machine and throws his spoon and a stray sippy cup into the machine, twirls the knob, hits every button several times. Runs back to the chair, climbs up, screams CEREAL, tries to grab the bowl and bring it to the table himself. Climbs off the chair, pushes it back to the table, opens the washer to get his spoon, climbs back up, digs in!

Minute Two
Mommy: Filling pot for coffee, getting mug and grounds & other necessary accoutrement for morning brew.

Brennan: Takes a few bites of cereal, starts using his fingers, tries drinking it out of the bowl, notices the clementines in the fruit bowl "want baby orange", grabs one and tries to peel it with his claws, starts using his teeth instead. Spills his water again, dismounts for towel again, smears water around the floor in an effort to soak it up, puts towel back, throws clementine in washer with cup on the way back. Changes his mind, goes back for clementine, throws it in the trash, sees an empty can of olives, shouts "OLIVE!" and tries to take it out of the trash... NO! Trash is yukky, Brennan. Ewww yucky, Mommy... olive! And back for another bite of milk-less waterlogged cereal.

Minute Three
Mommy: Hot water is ready, stirring my coffee, getting my "sip on" and loving every second of it. Thinking about what to pack in Noah's lunch and what I will have to get done today.

Brennan: Done with his cereal, grabs his blanket and runs to the hallway to harass Charlie "Chareeee". Jumps onto Charlie for a bear hug, gets covered in hair thanks to sticky cereal residue, kisses Charlie, rubs his belly. Runs to the living room to watch cartoons. Tries to grab the candle off the mantle on the way there, settles for a picture. Magically opens the frame, removes glass & photo and is trying to put it back in... commercial is over. Loses interest in frame. Watches "Special Agent Oso" with his brothers.

Minute Four
Mommy: Packing Noah's lunch.

Brennan: Steals Tristan's blanket and starts running around the living room while Tristan scream cries. Runs behind the recliner, pulls all the curtains open, moves the chair backwards 6 inches, throws all the pillows and blankets onto the floor. Gives Tristan his blanket back, says he's sorry, smacks him on the head... Tristan scream crying again, smacks him back. Brennan scream crying to me, hugs my legs, visits the washer again for his hidden sippy cup, throws it down the stairs, uses it as a weapon against Tristan. Mommy steps in.

Minute Five
Mommy: Breaking up a fight with babies while big brother sits mouth-agape, staring at the TV. "Super Why" is on Mommy! Time to leave! Ok, everyone... shoes and coats!

Brennan: SHoooooo Shooooooo Shoooooo!!! Grabbing every pair of shoes he has, Tristan has, Noah has, Mommy has, and giving them to us to put on. Revisits Charlie for another dose of puppy kisses and dog hair reapplication. Hits Tristan in the head while I am trying to put his shoes on. Scream crying. Gives Tristan a hug and says "sorry", sits down next to him for his shoes. Runs away from me and gives me an evil grin while I hold his coat up, he changes his mind when he sees my exasperated face "bus bus coat, Mommy", slips his arms in, jumps and dances while I try to zip it up (not helpful) "go bus go bus". Zipped, revisits Charlie again for one last hairy hug.

And that's some of the boring 5 minutes... you should see him once he warms up! ;)

No More Rain!!

2011-01-13T21:31:00.000+01:00

This week's forecast is 55+ and sunny! Last year it was snowing, but I will gladly take this week off from Spanish winter to get the kids out of the house. They were thrilled to be able to be outside again and I was smart this time and picked up the doggie presents left all over the yard. The sun sets at around 6pm here right now. I parked the van outside the gate so the boys could have the entire driveway to ride their scooters.

I played with my 70-300mm lens, which I hardly ever use. It's amazing how much better the color and lighting are when you put a dang guard on the lens outside :/ Too bad I didn't figure that out earlier! haha

Brennan's been waking up a lot at night since Josh left. Either he is actually affected by it, he's affected by me being affected by it, or he remembers last month when he slept in my bed with me all the time while Daddy was gone. I love it! I love having him with me. I sleep better with him kicking me... weird. So, anyway, we don't really get to sleep until around 2am and then we're up by 6 to start the day. It's exhausting! So... I took a nap today (and yes he was in my bed with me again hehe). We slept from 11:30-3 and it was heaven. I woke up feeling great. We got some of my list accomplished, and now I am perfectly willing to do the rest tomorrow ;)

Then I made a super healthy dinner and everyone ate all their food without a huge screaming battle. Patting myself on the back again for my kids enjoying fish. It's common here in Spain. They even have fish baby food ::I think I just threw up a little in my mouth:: The fish here does taste better, even the cheap kind. This weekend I am planning a big movie night in the living room... or maybe in my room. All of them! Maybe I will sleep even better! Cuddles and cuddles and cuddles... isn't that why we forget about the heartaches and annoyances? They are just so damn CUTE! Wow... I should nap more often hahaha.

The Complaint Department

2011-01-11T12:09:00.000+01:00

Today started off fine. Kids were up at 5am which ended up being good since my alarm clocks morphed into a dream about my computer being stuck on a blue screen, shrieking at me... I tried to shut it down completely, even unplugged it, but the noise never stopped! Noah nudged me awake and I finally heard the alarms as alarms. Brennan was still passed out next to me. He was up at 5 also, but went back to sleep in my bed with me. So... we had plenty of time to get breakfast, get dressed, and get off to the bus stop. No rushing. Wonderful. Great. OK. Up until an hour ago.

All of a sudden my power went out AGAIN!!! This happens so often in this neighborhood it just makes me crazy. Fine. I turn it back on ::CHUK:: flips right back off. So I have to go through one-by-one turning off and flipping back on all the breakers to see where the problem lies. The rooms affected? The PLAYROOM and the LIVING ROOM... which means no movies and no internet. I flipped every switch and unplugged every damn thing in this house. It still will not stay on if I have the one breaker to the playroom flipped up (which also effects one living room wall, the wall our internet is plugged into) OR the living room breaker flipped up with the converter box plugged in... no, even weirder... I can have the box plugged in and turned on, but if I plug anything INTO the box the power trips again. Oddly enough once in awhile the short causes the garage door to open, which I didn't notice until after Charlie had helped himself to yet another pair of Josh's gloves... moment of silence for the left thumb making its way through Charlie's bowels. I flipped those stupid breakers so many times my fingertips actually hurt.

The good news: We still have heat. It's sorta sunny so the playroom isn't pitch black. I found a working outlet in the living room and chained power strips to get my internet back. Right now I hear a truck idling outside. No doubt the electric company again. They should just post an employee at the corner here seeing as this happens all the damn time! Another equally annoying Spanish utility complaint is the internet. It sucks. It's DSL and it's lame. When it's raining it's slow or doesn't work at all, which makes NO SENSE for a landline except that maybe everyone else is sitting inside trying to download crap and play fb games as well, gobbling up my precious bandwidth.

Why does stuff like this only happen when Josh is gone? Last time it was a broken hot water heater and a shorted light in Brennan's room. Can't it happen before he leaves? Time to drown my sorrows in hot tea and Bejewled Blitz.

Gone Again (Again) (Again)...

2011-01-09T23:14:00.001+01:00

We're pretty used to Josh leaving at this point. Thankfully he's not going to be gone for very long... almost 2 months. I've got my list going (again) of things to accomplish while he's gone. Brennan's baby book made the list (again). Still haven't started it, but at least I finally finished Tristan's (2 years late). I get to make fish, spinach, lentils, eggplant, eggs, cabbage... all the things Josh hates. In fact we made egg salad sammiches and cabbage slaw as soon as we got back from the airport. My kitchen stinks of deliciousness.

We also got haircuts and watched a few movies. Back to school tomorrow! I hope I wake up on time haha... seriously, though :P I just finished editing and burning a CD for one of the shoots I did last week. Hooray! Tomorrow night I should be able to get the 2nd one done.

It was great to have Josh home on leave for nearly a month. This should be an easy one... right? ;)

Five Questions

2011-01-04T14:05:00.002+01:00

I've been religiously reading Rants From Mommyland for a month now and this last post had my head spinning with my own questions. So... here we go. Five questions for my beloved boys.

1.) Why is it that as soon as the phone hits my ear you go into a major meltdown? God forbid I talk to an adult for any stretch of time while in your presence. Most of my friends have grown accustomed to the background screaming, but I tire of having to lock myself in the bathroom to make a business related phone call, which really makes the screaming worse anyway and includes the added bonus of door pounding. I don't understand why I have to hold your hand or hug you just because I'm on the phone. It makes no sense.

2.) Why do I have to order you to relieve yourselves when we're at home, but as soon as we get to a store... no no... as soon as we get as far away from the bathroom in the store you suddenly have to "go" or you'll explode? I have made you utilize the facilities before we leave every time, but still you manage to produce mass quantities of waste during the drive from home to store. While we're on the subject, Mommy is tired of having to hover in her own bathroom when she doesn't feel like wiping the seat down for the billionth time. We leave the seat UP... how do you get dribble all over it anyway?!

3.) You're not going to eat candy for breakfast. Why do you still ask EVERY DAY and then throw a fit when I say No for the quadrillionth time?! You're also not going to eat candy after dinner if you didn't eat your dinner... please stop asking ::sigh::

4.) What is it about potty training that apparently magnetizes your winky to be constantly stuck to your hand? All day long "Stop grabbing your pee-pee!!! Do you have to go to the bathroom?! Then STOP!". As soon as the diapers go away and the underwear comes out they just can't let them go. I've had moments when I was sure there was a rash involved for no one would grab that much unless something was seriously wrong. Nope... and no amount of parental involvement seems to stop the madness. Also, why is it that TV-watching seems to aggravate the situation? Is this a boy code or something? TV on, hand on junk.

5.) Why do afternoon snacks end up all over the floors? Why do you need the plate in front of you and not your brother... you can all reach it. Why does it matter? Why is this worth having a back-arching blood-curdling scream fit followed by a brawl? You are not wild animals and apples with cheese aren't a fresh kill during the dry season.

That's it for now... fun fun fun :)

"Boys Being Boys" Best of 2010

2011-01-02T05:44:00.000+01:00

I decided to do a little montage of my favorite photographic captures of "boys being boys" from this year.

Christmas

2011-01-02T00:20:00.000+01:00

Christmas has come and gone, 2011 has begun. I guess it's time for a blog post!

Christmas Eve day was great. We had a lot of fun and were totally exciterpated all day long. We baked our sugar cookies (I think about a metric ton). We watched all the kid-friendly Christmas movies we could find. The kids opened their ONE GIFT, which was a shake and go racetrack. They finally went to bed at 10pm after yet another version of "A Christmas Carol". We started in on the assembling of the playroom Santa spectacular accompanied by a decaf with Bailey's and amaretto. Then we were still excited and awake so we watched "Serendipity" and "Zombieland" (hilarious zombie movies are perfect for Christmas). By this time it's 4am... Josh informs me his decaf was actually caf since he's convinced caffeine has no power over him, and he's not tired. I am. So I head to bed while visions of zombies dance in my head. Kids are up 2 hours later. Ugh... what... was... I... THINKING! Josh is still up, and has my (now caffeinated) coffee ready to go. Thank God.

We had to wake Brennan since he had been up a few times during the night (another reason we thought it pointless to try and sleep). He's the best! No matter how tired he is, always smiling and jabbering on in toddle-speak. I reluctantly grab my camera and snap a few pictures. I set it on the tripod for a video of "the opening" downstairs. The rest of the day I didn't even feel like picking up my camera. Between the cleaning, cooking, putting together toys, playing games, eating, yawning, and watching movies... it just wasn't one of my priorities. So, Christmas Day was nearly sans photos. Santa, Grandparents, and Parents treated the boys very well this Christmas. I must say. I am having trouble finding places to put all these new toys! Every present was a huge success and is well-loved. Guaranteed. I was also spoiled by Joshua who reminded me that my birthday, mother's day, and our anniversary were a bust for me... good point. Bring on the spoiling!!!! I love my man :)

Since then we've been taking little shopping trips here and there, enjoying family time at home, and eating a lot of goodies. We went to Toledo (didn't bring my camera). We didn't stay long since it was pretty dang cold outside, but it felt good to go someplace outside of Madrid. Definitely going again WITH my camera when it's warmer. We've used the TDY money to finally buy random things we needed, but weren't desperate for like... socks, coats, boots, hats, scarves, batteries, firewood, winterizing pool chemicals, car parts, and light bulbs. Sounds sorta pathetic hahaha. You'd think Tristan had just been given a check for a million dollars when we bought him those Ben 10 socks though. I like that our kids get excited over simple things, even right after Christmas :) We've also been taking plenty of long bubble baths since I believe if you add bubbles to the water, the kids magically get clean without parental involvement. I know I'm wrong, but they smell clean and that's all that really matters after all.

So... that brings us to now. Josh and Tom are watching some American football. I cooked a ridiculous amount of food. I plan on eating at least one more time before bed. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2011 looks promising. 2010 was slightly crap, but worth the life lessons. Our friends have come down with a ruthless cold so we're hoping and praying (and baptizing our insides with vitamins) we won't get it right in time for Josh's trip. That would be awful for all of us. Josh will be flying out next week for a 6wk class. It's harder when he's been on leave for a long time and then ::POOF:: he's gone, but we'll survive like always :)