Words That Start with 'M'

The Girl and The Boy started back to school this past week. I am sure they are loving being with their friends and doing all sorts of fun activities, and of course Mommy is loving only having one non-mobile child at home with her :) The Girl had her very first homework assignment sent home to her to complete over the weekend: Cut out 3 pictures from magazines of things that begin with the letter 'M.' So, fast forward to today... we were shopping in Wal-mart, my brigade of children and I. The Girl had the great idea to start naming things that start with 'M.'

"Mouse."

"Magazine."

"Mushrooms."

Great, fine and dandy. It kept everyone happy and occupied for 20 minutes. Then Bitty began crying which alerted me to the full stinky diaper he was wearing. So we made our way back to the restroom.

"Marbles."

"Meat."

"Marshmallows."

And of course the bathrooms were being cleaned. So there were benches back there and so being the resourceful army wife I am, I used them as a makeshift changing table(yes I did have a blanket and a changing pad lol.) I noticed there was another family sitting on the opposite wall from us, but I was too busy to take not of any specifics about them.

Just then The Girl yells out, "MEXICANS!!!"

*Me looking over and realizing that the lovely sweet family is of hispanic decent and wondering if there was anyway they could have not heard that*

"That starts with M, right Mommy?"

*Me trying to hush her as quickly as possible and try to somehow camoflage myself into the wooden chair*

"Mommy, did you hear me? MEXICAN?!?!?! Did I get one?"

"Shhhhhh, (whispering now) Yes sweetie, Mexican does start with M, good job. Shhhhh"

"Ok, YAY!!! I told you(yelling at The Boy) that I knew it was Mexican!! Mexican, Mexican!!"

*me trying to figure out my plan of escape from this torturous moment*

The very nice sweet family gets up, walks by us, sweetly looks over at me and my beautiful children... and gives me the stare of death.


Just another trip to Wal-mart for us.

Status Update

Wow I hadn't realized it had been almost a week since I had blogged! I suppose "real" life has caught up with me. I have been actively trying to spend more time with the kids doing fun stuff, rather than studying, homework, housework, etc. So we have been playing outside a lot, riding bikes and going places.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we had an awesome chapel service at the local lake, where about 10 people were baptized. It was so stormy, but God showed His awesomeness again, and allowed the clouds to part for a few hours so the serivce could go on as planned. Even the Chaplain said during the sermon that he was "one of little faith" because he didn;t think we would be able to have the outdoor service with all the severe weather. But it was so beautiful, special and meaningful. And we even had a chance to go swimming in the lake after that for a couple hours. The kids loved it... even Bitty! Poor guy is so chubby he was too big for his brand new 6 month swimsuit and rash guard. So I had to go buy him a TWELVE MONTH one! The boy is only 3 months old! :) And of course I forgot the camera. I know. I have already scolded myself lol!

Then on Monday, the pools on Post opened for the season so we were one of the first families there! We all had a great time! I was suprised at how calm and easy it was with 3 kids by myself sans GI Joe. It was nice because my friend and her 2 kids were there also, so it was nice having another adult there to supervise during potty breaks, nursing Bitty breaks, changing Bitty breaks, etc etc etc.

So I suppose my status is:
-Spending more time with kids(Which will hopefully equal a tan for my pasty legs)
-Algebra OVER! I pulled an A! YEAH!(Now I just need to pass Govt 2...)
-GI Joe doing good. (He needs me to send him large paint brushes to clean his weapon??? lol)
-Kids doing well and getting bigger by the day
-House getting cleaned as soon as I am done with this post because my mom is visiting tomorrow! MUST HAVE HOUSE SPOTLESS. LOL :)

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Today was a beautiful day, excluding the fact that it was incredibly humid. But, instead of having the kids cooped up at home all day,(in the AC, where I belong... the humidity and I are not friends) I decided to meet up with one of my friends and her kids at the local HUMONGO park. I amazingly had never been there. It was like the Disneyland of neighborhood parks for kids. It was right on Post(thats the Base for you Navy/Marine Corps peeps) and the kids LOVED it. It had about 10 different huge climbing structures, monkey bars a-plenty and the entire ground was soft foam rubber. It was all enclosed with a fence also! Ah perfect. We took some chairs and sat and enjoyed the briefly overcast sky until the sun came out and made everyone super sweaty.

Well, right next to the playground was a skate park. Where tons of sk8r bois were hanging out. Due to the increase in sunny-ness(yes, I also like to make up words... GI Joe is rubbing off on me after 11 years), one teenage boy decided to take his shirt off to beat the heat. Watching this whole scene is The Boy and his 3.5 year old friend J. The two little boys think this shirtless skater is amusing and intriguing and begin calling him "The Naked Guy." Now this would all be just fine and dandy, normal preschool humor, except for the fact that "Naked Guy" decided to come skate right next to the playground, WELL within earshot of the two boys. As soon as the skateboarder rolls closer, they say:

"Hey, look at Naked Guy."
"Wow. Why are you naked, Naked Guy?"
"Hi Naked Guy. Whatcha doing Naked Guy?"
"Naked Guy is skating. You're naked."
"Look at him be naked."
"Naked Guy. Guy guy guy. Naked naked naked."

Meanwhile my friend and I are trying not-so-successfully to stifle our overflowing laughter and look away so Naked Guy doesn't see us laughing at him. I think every muscle in my upper body cramped up from laughing so hard. *Note to self-- need to work out ASAP*

The little boys just went on and on like this for a good 10 minutes until Naked Guy finally got the hint and decided to don his shirt once again. I love childhood innocence and candor.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope your day was blessed with much love, joy and peace! I had such high hopes for the day. I stayed up late making bows for The Girl to wear to church that matched her Easter dress. All three of my brats had the CUTEST coordinating outfits to wear to church today. But the day didn't go as planned(does it ever? lol)...

I was woken up at 5am with three screaming kids. There was a huge spring storm rolling through. The Boy and Girl are deathly afraid of thunder so they came rushing into my room, where I was already nursing Bitty in the bed. It took a good 1.5 hours to get everyone back asleep and in their bed after the storm was over. So I was already sleep deprived when my alarm went off at 8am. Oh well... nothing a little, er, A LOT of coffee can't fix.

So I get up, change Bitty's diaper and walk into the living room where the big kids failed to notice the baskets on the kitchen table. I show them the error of their ways and they become so excited and start opening the basket and seeing what treasures they have accumulated. When suddenly, without notice, The Boy throws up ALL OVER his candy and basket! GROSS!! (And BTW, WHY do my kids ALWAYS get the stomach flu when GI Joe is deployed?!?!) He starts freaking out. I am holding Bitty so I quickly put him down. I get a wet washcloth to wash The Boy's face with. He is crying saying his belly hurts so badly. I get him cleaned up and lay him down on the couch with his blanket and Lambie. Then I turn around and see the task ahead of me... a puke-filled Easter basket. Oh Joy. After dry heaving an innumerable amount of times, I get it cleaned up and everything sanitized. The Girl then asks when she can put her Easter dress on and when we are leaving for church. I give her the bad news that we wouldn't be going to church today because of her brother. She wants to wear her dress anyway and I oblige. So while I am still trying to air out the house, she is twirling and swirling around the living room in her pretty dress and new white shoes.

So no church for us today. And I was so looking forward to it, the sermon, the praise music, everyone dressed up. I mean, THE TOMB IS EMPTY!! JESUS LIVES!! HE HAS RISEN!! Who wouldn't want to sing for joy?!?

But God obviously had other plans for me today. The kids and I had a lazy family day at home. We colored eggs and enjoyed cuddling on the couch watching cartoons. I got to read some blogs while they napped. I came across MckMama's post about The Truth About Easter. WOW. What an amzing post. It was like attending church online! LOL So I listened to some soft praise music and really just reveled in the awesomeness of the day.

Sometimes we don't need fancy dresses, loud music(even if it is about Christ), or a loud booming sermon from a wonderful God-loving Chaplain. Sometimes God has other plans for us for that day. And unfortunately, sometimes those plans involve a puke-filled Easter basket.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 46

Day in the Life of this Army Wife...

I had a plan for the day. I made a list. A timeline, if you will. And boy was it a busy one. I managed to get almost everything done I wanted to, but whew. What a day. Anyone who says military wives have it easy is just a silly billy!

0600-0830 Feed Bitty Boy every 30 minutes while trying to get last few possible minutes of sleep.
0831 Get up from bed and find The Boy and The Girl making a huge mess in her room. Tell them to clean up.
0832-0845 Change Bitty's hugely poopy diaper. Wash hands. make cinnamon sugar toast for older, crazier children.
0845-0915 Feed and rock Bitty to sleep. He is fussy and still tired.
0915-0945 Check email, myspace, twitter etc. while savoring a few nice cups of coffee. Mommy time finally.
0945-1000 Separate laundry, throw a load in the wash.
1000-1020 Iron kids clothes for bluebonnet pictures and my clothes for the day. Get big kids dressed.
1021-1045 My Mom calls... talk to her about my crazy week and crazy kids. Crazy kids talk to Grandma about their crazy Mommy. Crazy crazy crazy.
1045-1100 Get diaper bag ready for the day. Pump a bottle. Thaw a bag of frozen breastmilk for another bottle.
1102-1108 Shower, get dressed, brush teeth, etc. (I have this down to a science now... it's called Mommy of 3 Hyperspeed)
1109-1115 Wake Bitty up, change his clothes and diaper. Put him in carseat. Out the door.
1125-1132 McDonalds drive thru to grab Happy Meals for kids.
1145 Bluebonnet Pics... well worth the effort!

1200-1225 Drop kids off at AWESOME Super Saturday daycare on Post. LOVE it! 16 hours FREE per month when your hubby is deployed!
1240 Arrive at Olive Garden with my BFFs. Stuff myself silly with delicious food.
1310 Find wierd conjoined twin cherry w/ two stems in my cherry coke. Take picture of it and send to Twitter.
1410 Leave Olive Garden and arrive at mall.
1420-1445 Get relaxing super quick pedi at local crappy-but-it'll-have-to-do pedi place
1450-1500 Try on ginormous nursing bras at Motherhood. 38F?? GEESH!
1503 Realize we are late for hair appointments. Begin mad dash through Dillards and food court.

1507-1825 Get hair cut and highlighted. I am a blonde again!! And yes... it took over THREE hours!(Meanwhile in that time I had to have my BFF go and pick up my kids or else I would have been way late. GOD BLESS HER!!)
1835 BFF and I realize we do not want to cook dinner and clean up horrible mess that our crazy kids will undoubtedly make. Deployments suck. McDs gets our business yet again. Yeah two Happy Meals in one day. So what?! Come over here and say that to my face! :)
2012 All kids start having horrible meltdowns and we start packing up to head home.
2013 GI Joe calls in the middle of the chaos. His sixth sense for knowing when the worst time to call is very keen. He has the "Unagi" that our beloved Friend Ross speaks about.
2014 Tell GI Joe to call back in 15 minutes. He promises to do so. Mmmhmmm, well see...
2025 Arrive home. Tell big kids to get ready for bed.
2030 Tuck kids in bed. Feed Bitty.
2055 GI Joe calls back. 40 minutes... not 15 minutes, but not bad either. :)
2125 Get off the phone with GI Joe, Put Bitty to bed.

Nice conversation with my husband. Three kids in bed sleeping. Currently in comfy PJs and slippers. All is well with the world.

Palm Sunday: A Time for Birthdays, Easter Eggs and M4 Sherman Tanks???

Ah yes, Palm Sunday. It was on Palm Sunday back in 2004 that The Girl crawled for the first time... to a Pepsi can. But in all seriousness, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian calendar. It is when Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the King of Kings. He was praised and loved. People shouted "Hosanna!" which means "save us." And then just one short week later, He was put to death, humiliated and beaten, spat upon like trash. What a difference a week makes.

Today started out great. We were only 5 minutes late for church(practically a record...) and they handed us those little palm fronds. I made them into little crosses like my Dad used to do for me every year(and still does when I am with him on Palm Sunday.) We sang some great worship songs and the message was very touching. Bitty Boy slept through the entire service so I really felt like I was able to have some one on one time praising the Lord, which was awesome.

Which, speaking of my Bitty Boy, he is 2 months old today!! Look how handsome my little man is! Such bright blue eyes... ahhh I'm so smitten with him! This is him in the Mai Tei carrier.

After church we did the usual trip to Burger King where my fellow army wife friends and I and all our plethora of young children go wild in the playplace. Then it was a (not-so) quick trip to Wal-mart (blech) and then we raced home. Only by the grace of God was I able to make deviled eggs in 10 minutes flat so we could be out the door and head to the Battalion Easter Egg Hunt and BBQ. It was held at the uber-military 1st Cavalry Division Museum which the Brats just L-O-V-E-D. So when it was time to search for the eggs, they were hidden among tank tracks and Howitzer canons. Ahhh such sweet childhood innocence.

April is Month of the Military Child

For those of you out in Normalville who may not know, April is Month of the Military Child. It's a time to honor our kids in the role they play to support our military men and women... their moms and dads. Especially nowadays with long, frequent deployments, they have to endure so much. I know my kids have sacrificed a lot for their country, probably without even knowing it. They just think of it as a "normal" life. But it is definitely far from that. My kids have spent more time living without a daddy that they have living with one. Hopefully, God-willing, that will change soon and GI Joe will get to spend more time at home with us as a family, like he should be. But I digress..

So today we celebrated this auspicious occasion with a trip to Kids Fest 2009. Free food, free activities, free games, free giveaways, free music... sounds great right? Well, I mean it was pretty neat all the free things the Army had for the kids. But, it is already the beginning of April... and we are in Texas... so that means summer is creeping it's nasty little head closer and closer. And yes... I mean NASTY. Summer here is 110 degrees with 100% humidity and just plain grossness. So, while I LOVE warmer weather and summer activities and swimming and ice cream and all that goody goody gumdrop fun, I DREAD the heat. Well, today was a reminder of why I loathe Texas summers with every fiber of my being.

The day started off ok, mid 70s with a nice cool breeze. But after waiting in live for 45 minutes for a hot dog(...but it was FREE) in the scorching sun, that 70 degree weather quickly rose to 90. I had 3 kids all sweating and complaining and I was starting to melt. I didn't put sunscreen on my shoulders so by the time we left, my shoulders looked like candy canes... complete with red and white stripes.

The kids got to make a bracelet, get free ice cream, jump in a jumpy jump jump and see a real firetruck and monster truck. All in all it was fun, albeit tiring day. We can home, I put the kids down for a nap and I took a nice chilly shower.

Not really looking forward to the Fourth of July Festival...