Branson Christmas

I am a very sentimental person. I am very sensitive, too. With our lifestyle, I have learned to grab every opportunity that I can when it presents itself. Being close to the Ozarks at Christmastime was one such opportunity.

Every few summers, or so, my folks would load us up into the old conversion van and we would make the trek 200 miles to Branson, Missiouri.  Silver Dollar City was the usual destination. We never made it during Christmas.

The winter after my dad died, a friend of the family insisted that we go down for a few nights. She had a granddaughter, and I had a two year-old Madelyn.  So the five of us went together in my mom's truck.  We did a lot of shopping, the Dixie Stampede, and the Trail of Lights out by the Shepard of the Hills. It is a memory that I will cherish for many, many years. Branson was a favorite of my father's, so I was hesitant about going without him. But it helped with closure, in a weird way.

This year, I was sitting in the living room when it slapped me in the face. Take your girls to the Dixie Stampede!  I asked mom if she thought that Audrey would be entertained enough to sit through the show. She laughed at me and checked me for a fever.  After some discussion, the plans were made to leave Audrey with Gramma and David the next weekend, and for me to head off with Madelyn and Hannah after school on Friday.

The three hour drive was easy with just the older two kids. We checked in at the Clarion and went to the Stampede to see all the horses in the stall.

We made our way into the pre-show area of the Arena and settled down with our snacks and drinks. I went to get Madelyn another popcorn at the concession stand.  While I was up there, a gentleman tapped me on the shoulder.

"This lady will need a rag, too. Her daughter just spilled her soda."

Oh crap.

I went back to check on Hannah, who was just a mere twenty feet behind me, and she was sopping wet. So was the lady sitting next to her. I felt awful.  I got her table wiped off, and patted Hannah the best I could. I couldn't get her very dry. I tried to take her to the bathroom so I could hold her pants under the hand dryer. But they only had paper towels.  I tried the gift shop. No pants. Just shirts.

"Sorry, honey. You will have to stay in these pants."

She was fine. She didn't care at all.

After being ushered into the grand arena, we were seated at our counter. The drinks offered were Pepsi and Iced Tea.

"Is the iced tea decaf," I asked.

"No, ma'am."

Oh boy. Caffiene for my girls. That is okay. We have a lot to accomplish tonight, anyway.

The show started promptly at five-thirty, and Hannah was in awe.  Madelyn loved it, too.  Supper was served. It was a cornish game hen, pork loin, corn on the cob, baked potato, and a biscuit. All to be eaten with your hands. I thought Madelyn would be grossed out, but she loved it! She cleaned that bird.  Hannah was too busy watching the show. I had to remind her to eat constantly. It was hilarious to see her so enthralled.

After the show, we headed down Highway 76 and out to the Trail of Lights. It was two and a half miles of electrical engineering marvel. Half way through, we met a huge traffic jam. After sitting idle for about seven minutes, Madelyn lost it.

"Oh! For Pete's sake! What are you doing? Taking a picture of every bulb on that tree?!?"

I told her that this was a lesson in patience.  But to tell the truth, I was this close to honking myself. 

Ninety minutes after we entered the trail, we finally saw the exit. We felt like freed hostages. We rushed back to the hotel for an hour of swimming in the indoor pool. After showers and jammys, we were tucked in bed by eleven.

The next morning we were going Christmas Shopping at the Tanger Outlet Mall and then to the Landing in Downtown Branson.

We got to Tangor at 9:38 AM and got the last parking space. We hit the Carter's outlet and the Disney Store. Hannah was in no mood to shop.  We went to the truck at 10:45 and the parking lot was insane. The aisles were jammed with vehicles. The driveway was backed up and it caused a huge jam on Highway 76 for miles. I was glad to get out of there. We didn't have to leave Branson until two, but we all decided that it was chaos.

We tried to eat at Lambert's for lunch. It was an hour and a half wait. We didn't wait.

Red Robin had a table for us in Springfield. The waitress was so sweet. She gave us a huge dessert for free. She said she knew it must be hard for me to get out with my husband away, and she wanted to treat us. I saw on the ticket that she had paid for it herself in cash. I left her a huge tip. It sure touched Madelyn's heart.

Well, I can't get the pictures to load on this computer. I am at Jay's folks house for Christmas.  The trip out here is another blog in itself. But, I promise to post them when I return to Chanute. They are worth it!

Stay tuned!

*****

Here are the pictures...

Outside our Hotel: Clarion on Hiway 76

When I got out of the shower, Hannah had carafe from little coffee maker and was playing tea party.

Nutcrackers outside back door of hotel.

The waitress gave us a free desert at Red Robin, Springfield, Mo

Poinsettias outside of Dixie Stampede

Character from Dixie Stampede

Horse Stables

Christmas Light display from Trail of Lights

Under the Sea theme section

Hannah's favorite part

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Gearing Up

Tomorrow begins Christmas Break for us. Madelyn gets out of school at 11:45 in the morning. On December 16th.  Yes, the 16th.

HUH?

When I was in school, we would have gone until 1:30 PM on the 23rd.

Now how am I supposed to finish Christmas shopping with a sneaky seven year-old at home?

Easy. I don't.

We party instead! We started the celebration a little early. We began tonight with photos of the girls at play.

Tomorrow, we head to Branson.

Wish us luck!

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Selfish Children

Keeping your children alive is a difficult job. The responsibility of raising them so that they are an asset to society is even harder. Just listing the characteristics to deter your offspring from is daunting. That is why God has created the Family Set. If not for support, then for someone you can go whining to when you feel like you are failing.

I absolutely despise spoiled brats. I always thought it was the result of poor parenting. I realize, now, that sometimes it may be because no one will spank Grandma!

No, seriously, giving kids what they want when they want it is so, so bad for them.  Everyone can name at least three adults that are difficult because they have the same mentality of a two year-old.  My seven year-old seems to have come pre-programmed this way. I was in denial for first four years. I just said, "Oh, she is just a passionate child." I am working very, very hard to break that 'all about me' mentality. The worst part is when people who have that mind-set are totally clueless. Again, I blame the parents.

I was going through the check-out line at Wal-Mart this morning. The cashier had swollen eyes. She was a grandma. I asked if she was alright. She told me a story.

"My kids will not come home for Christmas. They never come home. When my kids were little, we loaded up every holiday and went to their grandparents house. I was excited to finally be at the place in life where I could host these wonderful gatherings. My daughter just says, 'Mom! You don't know what its like to travel with a five year-old!' I just want to slap her. Of course I know what its like! I had kids, too!"

"Oh, I am so sorry," I say. "What are the ages of your grandkids?"

"From ages nine to three."

"Oh, well, then it sounds like she needs to discipline her kids to ride better."

"Exactly," she replies.

"How far away is your daughter?"

She teared up. "Kansas City"

My eyes bugged out. An hour and a half away. And her youngest was five. Oh. My. Word. That was pathetic.

"And another story: For Thanksgiving, my son went to his in-laws in Wichita for three days. They went back home, but had to return to Wichita for a funeral a bit later. I asked if they would bring the kids over to Chanute to see me since they were so close. They said, 'No. We already drove all the way down from Salina. We aren't going to drive all the way over to Chanute.' I was just heartbroken. I have to work and can not take off much to go see them. I get so sad about the whole thing."

I was speechless. Salina. Her son lives in Salina. Two and a half hours away from Chanute. And he made the trip 'all the way to Wichita'. HA. That is about seventy miles.

Maybe there has been another drama issue going on in the family background that the children shouldn't travel to their mom's house.  Of course, there is always another side to the story. Another point of view. But she just made me sad thinking about how selfish her kids are.  If they couldn't afford to travel, that is completely understandable. But to not because it is 'so far away' and their five and three year old kids are 'too young to ride that far' is selfish.

I drove to my mom's house from El Paso alone this summer with a six month-old, two year-old, and a six year-old. It was a full two day drive. But we did it. It wasn't easy. But we did it. And I didn't think twice about it.

I am taking my now one year-old, two year-old, and seven year-old to Denver for Christmas. It's a days drive. But I am looking forward to it. Its only one day. Sheesh.  Plus I have a rear DVD player to keep kids entertained.  Remember road trips when you were little when all you had to play with was your brother or sister in the back seat? Kids have it so easy now.

Maybe that is the problem.

We are creating these little pacifiers for our kids, when, really, they are for us. Who are we hurting in the end? Our kids. And society for having to interact with our little brats.

But that is another blog...

Now, it is time for photos!

Papa D gets a coveted foot rub

Madelyn's Godmother sends goodies and games often. We are blessed to have Amy in our lives!

It took us a while to find Relph this morning. He was inside the cupboard.

Baking Elves preparing for the Cookie Exchange

Christmas Season is really picking up. Don't get caught up in the parade.

Enjoy the Season. Cherish the Reason.


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Christmas Prep

The Christmas Season doesn't get fully inaugurated until the tree is standing in its full glory.

I had lots of help while I screwed the tree into the base.

I was doing well, until I saw two mice under the tree.

Of course, I had to take a photo with camera on automatic settings.

And then a photo with my settings. The girls wouldn't stand still, but I think it adds to the ambience of the evening.

Relph has been busy getting into mischief this week.

And Madelyn added to Gramma's shopping list.

Yep. Barbies.

See you Monday!

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Game On!

You can always tell when the kids are feeling better. They come back at full force.  But, sometimes I can't tell who is more mischievous. Me, or the Elf on the Shelf.

I was folding laundry this morning, and Gramma and Hannah were in the office working on Christmas Cards.  I decided to have a little fun with my number two child.

I placed a stuffed zebra at the office door, which was closed, and knocked.

"Who's there? Come in!"

After a small wait, the door creaked open. I could hear it, because I was standing around the corner in the bedroom.

"Oh!" Hannah found the zebra, swept him inside, and shut the door.

"Zebra, Gramma!"

"Really? A zebra knocked on the door? Huh. Well, alright."

I placed a huge kitty at the door, knocked, and ran.

"Come in!"

Door creaked open, and "Kitty!" was exclaimed. It was drug inside, and door slammed shut.

"Its a Kitty, Gramma! A kitty to play with zebra."

I placed a Mickey Mouse book at door, knocked, and ran.

"Come in!"

Door slammed open, "Mickey Book!"

The book was gone when I peeked around the corner.

This time, I just knocked and left.

"Come in! Oh. *slam* No body there!"

I placed my basket full of laundry to be folded at the door, knocked, and ran.  I was giggling. I could not wait for the reaction from this gift. I didn't know if I was more excited to hear what Hannah had to say, or Gramma.

"Come in!"

I heard the door open, slowly.

"What? What is this? This is Panties, Gramma!"

I almost lost it. It was David'd underwear and socks.

I heard grunting. She was dragging the basket into the office.

SLAM!

"What is that? Wait! Hannah! Someone left laundry at the door?"

"Yep!"

I was waiting for it to be returned. But, it never showed up.

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Unexpected Responses

Kids are wonderful at conveying their innocence.  The way they see the world is magical.

Madelyn had five days off of school for the Thanksgiving holiday. She appreciated the opportunity to sleep in and have jammy days. I appreciated the opportunity to let her.

On Tuesday after, Gramma had to go to work, so she drove Madelyn to school.  Gramma parked a ways down from the entrance so she would have the chance to walk with Madelyn to the door. As they approached, Madelyn slowed her gate and practically stopped.

"Boy. School sure cuts into my family time." Madelyn can put things into perspective with just a simple statement.  It warmed my heart to know how much she cherishes the time she spends with her family. There aren't many kids who do that, or at least show it.

Later that week, Audrey and Hannah came down with terrible, fierce chest colds. They were up all night long, and were impossible to care for during the day.

One night, Hannah was having serial night tremors and Gramma couldn't calm her down. Gramma came downstairs to get me. I had just finished tucking Audrey back into bed for the umpteenth time and was reading a book on my iPhone. Gramma tapped my shoulder and I about fell out of bed. I had not heard Hannah screaming from the other end of the house and had no idea what was going on. Gramma ushered me up to Hannah's room and I tried to calm her the best that I could. The rest of the night I was shuffling back and forth between Hannah and Audrey. There was no sleep for the Army Mommy that night.

The next day, Gramma drove Madelyn to school again. I do not know how the conversation got started but it ended like this...

Madelyn: My Mom didn't sleep with me last night

Gramma: I know, honey. Audrey and Hannah were both very sick and your Mommy was busy taking care of them.

Madelyn: I wish she wasn't tired all the time.

Gramma: Well, I think she waits up some nights to talk to Daddy. She needs to get her rest, and try to talk to him in the morning.

Madelyn: No. She needs to talk to Daddy.

Gramma: Yes, but on days when she is exhausted, she needs to just go to bed and get her rest.

Madelyn: No. She needs to talk to my Daddy.




You can't argue with Madelyn. Not when it comes to issues with her Daddy.



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Jay's Christmas Present

I created this video for Jay's Christmas Present. Song sung by Scott McCreery.

The Trouble with Girls

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Christmas Parade

I had a rare experience tonight. I got to spend time with Madelyn. Alone. And, it was great!

Hannah has been suffering from a lower respiratory infection for several days. Audrey is still recovering from a serious ear infection. So there has been a lot of drama in this house. And a lot of whining. Of course, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so Madelyn has been feeling pretty neglected lately.

Tonight, Gramma told me to take Madelyn to the Christmas parade without the two little girls. I jumped at that opportunity.

A tad after six, we were barreling down the driveway in our truck, talking excitedly about how much fun it will be to just have some Mommy-Maddy time.

Thirty minutes before the parade began, we parked a few blocks from Main street and Madelyn climbed up into the passenger street next to me. We each had our own hot chocolate mug and we sipped in the dark glow of the radio light. For me, it was magical. For her, it was time to gossip.

"So, tell me about how you met Daddy..."

"Well, back when I was in college, ...." Insert long cheesy story here.

"Did he kiss you goodnight?"

"Kind of. He held me tight, and kissed me on the forehead. I just melted right there on the spot."

"Oh, really? Is that why you love kisses on the forehead so much?"

"Yes, sweetie. It's something special that your Daddy does."

"What was your second date?"

"Hmm.  Well, we went to a museum in Topeka. There was an exhibit of the faberge eggs."

"That sounds...boring."

"It could have been. But, Daddy made it fun."

We sipped some hot chocolate. I went on to tell her about how Daddy left for the invasion, and came home later that summer. I told her about how we had to move our wedding date up by six months because he was scheduled to deploy again. I told her about when we found out we were having a beautiful baby, who was to be her. She was putty in my hands.

"I like a boy, Mommy."

Oh boy. It's starting. I can hear her father cocking a shotgun at the thought.

"Oh how exciting, honey! Who?"

She named the boy. For her privacy, I will not share it. But, I am definitely paying attention to her classmates from now on! I want to put a face with the name.

We finished our hot chocolate, and climbed out of the truck. We were bundled up and moved to our spot on Main Street.  Apparently Ward's Bootery was now home to Merle Norman Cosmetics. We huddled back in the recess of the entry way out of the wind for the remaining ten minutes.

The parade was a lot of fun. Madelyn got lots of candy, and I got a cool Hallmark photo frame Christmas Ornament.

We both bonded, and that is something that I will carry away with me and hold dear to my heart.

She will, too.

She just won't know it for a few years...

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Contacts: Renamed

Thanksgiving was always a great family holiday for me. This year started off with a laugh. Well, I could say that it started off with a 'Jerod' and wouldn't need to add more to this entry. It would speak for itself!


"How hot is your water heater set at? Welcome to Hell?!?"



Yep. That is how our Thanksgiving vacation actually started. Jerod was doing dishes and he almost scalded himself. Of course it wasn't his fault.



I giggled at his outburst. Then I got a mischievous idea. I felt drawn to the notion of pulling a prank.  No, not on my brother, who for all intents and purposes quite deserves it, but on my kind, generous, giving, sweet, unsuspecting mother. No. Making her dance outside a locked door wasn’t enough.



I must go one step further.



I smiled as I glanced at her from across the living room. This must be something worth remembering, something that will take time to appreciate.



I had it. I must change all contacts on her cell phone to fictional characters.



I needed to figure out how to get the phone from her. I have been known to tamper with phones left unattended. I may change the ringtone, or the wallpaper. So, others have grown weary of leaving cell phones just lying around.  This made my plan all the more interesting. I am just living up to set expectations of me.  It isn’t my fault you left the phone on the counter. Hmmm.



I just asked if I could play on my mom’s phone. She said, “Sure.”



Ha. Sucker!



I quickly snatched the phone and snuggled on the couch. I was on a mission. I needed to change 167 names, and do it fast.



I soon realized how mean this was. But, it didn’t stop me. I ended up only changing those whom she contacted often. That amounted to about 70% of the enteries. It was a safe assumption that she would recognize the numbers later.



Yea, that backfired.



She didn’t recognize more than about three.



Whoops.



The moment she realized it was when Bugs Bunny sent her a text. She giggled and asked who Bugs Bunny was. Then it hit her. It was a legit text. It took only a millisecond for her to realize what had happened. The look on her face when she scanned through all of her contacts will be forever burned into my memory.



Yes, I was laughing. I was rolling on the floor, actually. I thought I was pretty cute.



She will, too.



Someday.


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A Day with Madelyn

Having three girls sure makes me appreciate life from new perspectives. Today, I am sharing my day from the view of a seven year-old.

Last spring Madelyn sprouted new teeth. Her bottom front incisors emerged behind the baby teeth.  We had a chat with Dr. Jones about the issue and he said to give them until October to fall out.

They didn't.

But not for the lack of trying.

That girl was wiggling and waggling those things at every moment.  They were just too crowded in there to allow any movement for a proper first-loose-tooth extraction. We had to call for back-up.

On our way in to town I had a conference with Madelyn in my rear view mirror.

"Madelyn? Dr. Jones is very good at what he does.  Do not worry about pain, okay? I promise you won't feel anything but some pressure. But, if the doctor says that you do a great job, I will make sure you get a reward afterwards."

"Really? How much of a reward?"  Oh boy. Here we go.

"I will give you a $20 bill. You can choose to save it or spend it. You can buy Christmas presents with it, or toys, or a movie, or socks. If you want to buy ice cream or potato chips, then that is your choice."

"Okay!" Her eyes were bulging. She was plotting.

As of 9:12 this morning, Madelyn became two teeth short of her normal set of chompers. I was asking the doctor and his assistant how she did.  They said she did fabulous.  I was a bit torn about how to feel. I was surprised that she didn't fuss or flinch, but then I knew that Dr. Jones was the best and wouldn't expect any less than for her to be relaxed.

And I lost $20.

I asked her how she felt.

"Fine. I got to watch TV."

Okay then.

I waited. I knew the $20 was going to enter the conversation.

"Ready to head home? I have to get bottle liners for Audrey before we leave town."

"Do I get my $20 bill now?"

"No. I will hold on to it for you. It will be safe in my wallet instead of your little pocket."

"Okay."

We get to Wal-Mart. Madelyn and Hannah rush through the doors. Madelyn turns and frantically starts pulling at me.

"What, sweetie?"

"I need my $20 bill! I saw the ZhuZhu movie in the red box. I wanna get it!"

"Redbox only accepts credit/debit cards, honey."

"Oh."

We shopped for a while. Madelyn would pick something up and carry it around until she found something more interesting. Then she would swap it out.  A copy of the ZhuZhu movie from the DVD section was one of the items.  She settled on a Liv Girl that was on sale. Hayden was her name. Hannah got a tiny mermaid because she did a great job waiting at the doctor's office. That, and she didn't understand why Sissy got a doll and she didn't.

We got back to the house and was trying to carve the Liv Girl doll from the packaging. It was nearly impossible. I was literally rolling around on the kitchen floor trying to peel the doll out of that thing.  Hannah and Madelyn just stood there watching me. I am sure I was a sight to see.  Of all the things that have irritated and frustrated me, this doll packaging was the worst. I was downright ticked off. After muttering all kinds of condemnations towards China and plastic in general, I finally stood up and announced that she was never allowed to receive another Liv Girl Doll in her entire life. To my amazement, she nodded in total agreement. Wow.

I stood up and brushed myself off. I went back to the sack and began to open Hannah's mermaid. It was easy-breezy.  Then something caught my eye. It was the ZhuZhu movie. I held it up and asked Madelyn if she snuck it in the cart. Then, we asked Hannah. That was a mistake. Her eyes grew big. She ran, with her mermaid, to the chair and told me she was ready for her movie.  Oh great.

Madelyn must have seen the cogs working in my head about how to approach the Hannah about not getting to watch the movie. She offered her input.

"You know, Mom, I got this Hayden for not fussing while at the doctor's office. Did you notice that I didn't fuss or whine about going to the dentist office?!? That movie can be my reward for that."

How could I argue with that? I usually ask myself what Jay would say in these situations. This answer was blatantly obvious. Let her keep the movie.

So I did.

Madelyn stayed home long for the novacaine to wear off and to eat a soft lunch. I had her back in class by 11:45.

After school, Madelyn was finishing up her homework when she pulled out a picture she made in class. It was a cute poem about giving thanks.

I read the last part as "I am thankful for having a dad that beats me." I grew concerned.

"Oh, that is so pretty, sweetie! Nice choice of colors. Now, read it to me, please!"

"I am thankful for having a dad that protects me."

Wow. So did not see 'protects' in there. I was amazed at her. I just stared at her, speechless, for a moment, with her smiling at me.

"He protects you, too, Mom."

Okay. Breathe. Hide the tear. Oh boy.

I gave her a huge squeeze and told her that this was an amazing project and that I will save it forever. She packed her homework back into her pack and hung it by the back door, oblivious to the fact that I was crying.

I love my Madelyn.

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Back to the Funny

The running joke around here is epic.

Here is how it goes:

When someone is returning to a room or vehicle that needs to pass through a lockable door, then the occupant on the inside must lock the door before the unsuspecting person returns.

Seeing the look on that person's face when they try to open the door is not the only satisfaction that the onlooker earns.

It's making them dance in order to earn the lock to be free.

Example Given:

Yes. It is going to be a fun stay at Gramma's house.

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When You Love Somebody

One of the pluses of a deployment is the opportunity to reflect on life and relationships.  Sometimes your eyes are opened to an entire new world that always existed. You just may have never realized it was there.

I have always said that I was blessed to have my mom in my life. I do not believe that I cling to her apron strings. We just have a great relationship. We are best friends, well, we were until she found her David. :) But that is another entry. Ha! But, seriously, we truly are best friends and we respect each other as mothers and women.

My grandmother passed away when my mom was just twelve years old. So I never take for granted the fact that I get to share my life, and my children, with my mom. She never got to hug her mom on her graduation day, smile at her mom on her wedding day, or share the miracle of childbirth with her mom. I am truly thankful for those experiences that I got to share with Gramma Mary.

But, Lordy, can she be a handful.

I will have been here at her house for a week as of tomorrow. After the two day trip to get here, the girls were tired of riding. So I ran to town alone to run a few errands, childless. It was amazing! I was so fast and I got to listen to my radio station the entire time. It was great!

And then I got home.

Gramma kept the kids busy for me. They had a great time.

What did they do?

Well...

Gramma gave them tubes of paint, two aluminum pie pans and two paint brushes and sent them to the basement. They painted the walls of the basement. Granted, it isn't finished, yet, but they were allowed to paint the walls. Sheesh.  This was the first day we were here. I can't even begin to imagine what will happen over the next eight months.  But I will be here blogging it the entire time!

Gramma's heart is so big for her grandkids. She is expecting number four next spring and she is actually glowing. We are all excited for the opportunity to greet that baby, and introduce him/her to Gramma Mary.

She has such a happy spirit. Honestly, she has changed so much since she met David.  He makes her giggle like a thirteen year-old school girl.  They are so in love that when you look at them you see the world melt away around them. They hold each other when they pray. Their goodbyes are truly sincere and heartfelt. She falls asleep on his shoulder every night as they watch television. They do all their chores together with a smile and miss each other when plans change unexpectedly. Yes, they have only been married for a little over a year, but it is not the 'honeymoon' phase. It is genuine love that you do not see but once in a lifetime.

I sit admiring them and I can't help but compare their relationship to my own with my husband.  Jay and I do come from different places in life. He grew up in bigger cities with a lot more opportunities than I could experience. I am just a country bumpkin just doing my best with what is given to me. We compliment each other. He pushes me to see what else is out there, and I help keep him grounded.  He reminds me that I need to play sometimes, and I try to keep a house and home organized so that we can play.

Watching Gramma Mary and David makes me miss Jay so very much. I miss him holding me at night as David holds my mom. I miss the huge hugs that we share before he goes to work in the morning, or when he gets home. I miss his goodnight kisses and I miss catching his eyes across the supper table or when one of the kids do something adorable.  I know that my mom and David cherish all of these moments that they share, as each have lost a loved one before. That is what helps ease my sadness. It's amazing seeing a couple who know whats important in life. It's refreshing.

I haven't spoken with Jay in ten days. The last he was online was seven days ago, and we never got to finish our conversation as his internet connection was terminated. But the last time we had a meaningful conversation, it was at two in the morning through a messaging program on my iPhone.  I was asking him about us. He was commenting on how much he wanted to come home.

"Do you think we will be different when you get home, Jay? Do you think we will be closer?"

"I know we will," was his reply.

That answer melted my heart. It was the last thing that he said to me, and it makes me smile every time I think of it.  I am anxious to see him next summer. I am anxious for him to see his family, so that we can be a team again.

But, until then, we will just keep on keepin' on. We are an Army Family. It's what we do.

And I think we do a pretty darn good job, too.

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The Road Trip

With Jay being deployed, I was excited to have some alone time with my girls. The first month rolled by so smoothly. I was relieved to know that I could handle three girls on my own.  I am by no means bragging that I could be a single parent. I am not responsible for earning finances to support my family, so I am at no where near the stress level of those providing for their children on their own.  But the fact that the girls were all still alive was quite an achievement for me.

Then everything started to go down hill.

I got scared.

There had been a small crime wave move through neighborhoods around mine.  Some were waking up with home-invaders in their living rooms and bedrooms in the middle of the night. That thought just terrified me.  Then, there was an alleged shooting in the Wal-Mart parking lot that I frequent with my girls.  After hearing about the attempted break-in two houses over, I was shaking in my boots.  I found out about all three of these incidents on the same day.

I felt like the world was spinning around me.

I was going to go visit my mom and her new hubby for a while. I phoned her and asked if I could come sooner and stay longer. I wanted to get my girls away from here as quickly as possible.  Of course she agreed and flew down to ride home with me.  She arrived on Madelyn's birthday. Here are some pictures from that day.

I am truly blessed for having her in my life. And Mom and her David. They are amazing people!

So, we shipped a few boxes of clothes off to Kansas and loaded up the truck with everything else we could fit in there. We made very good use of space in that thing. I gave my house keys to a friend and we backed out the driveway.

I stopped and checked to make sure we had all three girls before we got too far down the road.

We did.

We were about three hours out of El Paso and were cruising down I-20 towards Dallas/Ft. Worth. The posted speed limit for vehicles was 80 mph, unless you are traveling at night, which it is then 65 mph. The posted speed limit for trucks is 70 mph, unless they are traveling at night, which is then 65 mph. Talk about confusing!

I set my cruise control at 85 and was sailing along.

Then, from the oncoming traffic, I see a black car take the ditch in the median! He was going so fast, bouncing around through the grass. Oh, yes, we had made it out of the desert and into a prairie-type of landscape. That was a welcomed sight to see! But, the car bounced so hard it ended up doing a one-eighty and head back in my direction! It must not have bothered him at all. He wanted help though, because he turned on some fancy red and blue twinkle lights.  I thought it meant that he needed to use my cell phone, or at least ask how to get back to the other side of the interstate.

He must not have trusted my directions too much after he came to my window. He didn't believe that I was who I was. So I had to show him my identification.  Then he must have wanted to know the details of the fine automobile that I was driving, because he asked for the registration papers and the insurance card. He sure was a nosy fella.  But, he had a gun, so I handed them over. I had a car full of precious cargo. I wasn't about to make him mad.

He gave them back to me and smiled and asked where I was going. I told him the circumstances of my living arrangements and he just smiled at me. He told me that the speed limits there are only 80 and that I was going 86.  I have no idea how he knew that! Must have a special talent.  He left and got back in his car. I assumed he was done talking to me, so I took off again.

Poor man. Must have been lonely. He must have been pretty desperate to talk to a car full of hot chicks.

I set my cruise at 83 and we blasted outta there, again. Sheesh. Now I have all that time to make up!

We stopped in Eastland, Texas for the night, and made it to Norman, Oklahoma for lunch the next day. Madelyn met a friend at McDonald's. It was fun watching them reunited again.

After several more hours on the road, we made it to the Finley-Knudsen camp around 1745 hrs. It was dark. But, we made it! The girls barreled out of the truck and we unloaded all of our gear. Gramma had to get some snuggles from her David, and Madelyn made herself at home rather quickly.

On Saturday, Gramma and her three dumplings made pies and tarts for High Prairie's Bazaar. It was interesting.

On Sunday, we all went to Otterbein for worship. That was a blast to see all my church family again. Audrey had her own captive audience, though...

It was a beautiful day, so we had to play outside after our naps. Gramma took the older two, and I took the younger two.

We all ended up enjoying some quiet laughs up by the house.

And for Monday, we capped the evening by watching the beautiful sunset.

Wednesday, Madelyn begins school, again. She went with me to enroll, and grew very excited about it.  I can't wait to hear about her first day. Or to experience that tiny parking lot and/or drop-off lane. They have over 800 kids attending there. Oh boy.
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Sisterly Fun

Now that Daylight Savings Time has come to an end, I chose to reflect on our fun in the evenings using natural daylight.  Since we are at the Eastern foothills of the Franklin Mountains, the sun sets around ten before five in the evening now.  That makes for a very long night in the Hare Hut. We do not get to play in the park after supper, anymore. Cabin fever will strike in our near future.

Last week was our last quest in the sandbox behind our house. The older girls each have a bucket and a shovel.  They plop down and begin to fill their pails quickly. You would think that they would get bored with this routine, but they don't.  Every time, they race to the swing set and begin digging furiously. Audrey gets her tiny baby legs threaded through the infant swing and coos after a mighty shove.  I step back and stare in amazement that all three girls are content and quiet.

After about ten minutes, Audrey began letting me know she had had enough of the swing.  I lifted her out and she attempted a swan dive to the ground below. I stumbled and caught her, then lowered her gently onto the sand. She was having a grand ol' time smacking that stuff around. She had learned how to use the shovel by watching her sisters, too. She used it to pile sand up on top of the pink pail.

I guess she got tired of sitting there, because she turned mobile on me. She doesn't crawl in the traditional sense of the word. She has a weird scoot that she does. She sits up, places her left heel down and leans onto her hands. She then swings her butt forward and lunges for another scoot. It resembles something of how an orangutan would run on its knuckles. It's quite a sight to see. It's another to discover the tracks that it leaves in the sand afterwards...

She was wanting back in the swing. I was ready to lift her back up there, then I noticed a lot of giggling coming from behind her.  This is what I saw...

Madelyn and Hannah were mimicking Baby Audrey.  They thought that they were pretty clever and were laughing almost hysterically. I was, too.

My Three Hams

It made out to be a pretty fun evening.  The windy season is upon us and we've endured two sandstorms in the past week. It was a blessing to be able to play outside that one last evening.

I was thinking of my three girls, and the memories that we are making together, while I was driving around town yesterday.  Jay and I are so blessed to have them in our lives.  They truly are amazing.

Madelyn turned seven yesterday, and I was trying to find her a special gift. I had just left Wal-Mart and was headed to Target. On my way out of the toy aisle, I grabbed their special ToyLand Christmas Catalog. Hannah leafed through it, and tossed it in the truck while I was buckling Audrey into her carseat.  Apparently it landed within Audrey's reach. I turned around to smile at my little girls and this is what I saw...

Audrey was reading the catalog. It was right side up and everything! I had to take a picture. It was priceless.

I love my girls!
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If you have any questions or comments you would like to share directly with me, please email thearmymommy@gmail.com