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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Tales from a Two Year-Old

I have been struggling without a kitchen sink for, wow, an entire week now. Going out to eat, or grabbing fast food was a great thought the first few days. Until I get there and realize that I am alone with three children...

Wednesday night, the girls and I loaded up and headed to Freedom Crossing for supper.  It was a tad before five, so I thought we could beat the rush. Audrey sang, loudly, as only Audrey can, the entire way in.  I got to the guard booth to show my ID and was almost completely deaf.

"Good evening, Ma'am"

"What?" Audrey is still singing, displaying her vast octave capabilities.

"HOW ARE YOU?"

"Thirty-two."

"Excuse me?"

"I am thirty-two. Are you quizzing me over my ID?" Now, its a decibel demonstration for Audrey. And it continues for rest of conversation.

"Sure, Ma'am." Peeks into my truck. "I see you have your hands full."

"You need me to pull over? Are you going to inspect my vehicle?"

"No, ma'am. YOU MAY PROCEED."

"I already gave you my ID?!?"

"PLEASE LEAVE. YOU ARE CLEAR"

"Oh, okay. Thank you, sir!"

Wow. That was embarrassing. I looked in my rearview mirror and he had a huge smile on his face. I wonder if he had kids. Or maybe he was thinking that he never wanted to have kids.  I hope I didn't ruin it for him.

We made our way down the street and found the main drive to get to Freedom Crossing. I usually never park down the main strip because I am afraid of it being too congested with cars and/or people. But, tonight I felt brave.  As I got closer to the fountain, I spotted an open spot in front of the new Under Armor store.  I noticed that the Grand Caravan just to the left parked at more of an angle than the space was allotted.  Oh well. I whipped in. I checked my alignment with the painted stripes and I was perfectly centered, and parallel to them. I was good.

I was excited to spend the evening with my girls.  I opened my door and twisted to get out.  My foot got caught and I somewhat fell out of the truck, slamming the truck door against the crooked mini-van.  I checked for a mark, and there wasn't any. So, I ran around the back of the truck to go get my opera star out of her carseat.  I glanced up and I could see a gentleman, in uniform, checking his rear tire well for a dent, or red paint.  I knew he wouldn't find any.  He turned and glared at me, then went and got back into his van.

I thought to myself, "Well, buddy, if you knew how to park then you wouldn't be in this situation."

Madelyn saw him, and asked why he was looking at me with a mean face.  I knew I had to do something to set a good example.

"Because Mommy tapped his van with her door. I will go speak with him."

"Ooooo. You're gonna get it!"

"No, I won't. See what happens when you do the responsible thing." I was praying that he was an understanding fella.

I had Audrey in a shopping cart, Hannah in the basket and Madelyn was standing beside us. I walked up to the guy in the van. He had his window down. Me: Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

I hate confrontations.

Here I go...

"Sir, I am very sorry that I tapped my door on your van.  I tripped when I was..."

"Don't worry about it. I get it. It's beat up anyway."

"No, sir. I am not implying that I did it because it was beat up anyway. I never noticed that."

"Its okay." And he shooed me away with his hand.

Wow. Seriously? Yes. He shooed me away like I was a pest.

Whatever.

I walked away with my girls, thankful that I had them. I was glad that I apologized. I was upset at how he took it. But at least I acknowledged that I had made a mistake. He couldn't think that I was careless and didn't care about other people's property.

I decided that I wasn't going to let it ruin my evening.  We ate Arby's. We shopped at the PX. We shopped at the new Under Armor store.  We went home and went to bed. We had a great night.

*****

Today, I was waiting with Hannah and Audrey at Madelyn's school.  Hannah's shoe had slipped off. She loves these silver sparkly glitter shoes that we got at Target for Madelyn last year.  I made a comment about Cinderella losing her slipper as I placed it back on her foot.

Then, Hannah let out a huge fart.

She giggled.  I asked what it was.

"That was a Cinderella Poop, Mommy"

Oh boy.

Now I know that royalty's crap still stinks.



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Pure Randomness

So, I haven't written in two nights. I had so much outlined in my brain to get down into cyberspace, but it just didn't make the trip. I will just share my awesome, busy week with y'all. (Pickin' up the Southern Vernacular nicely, ain't I?)

First, I am reminded, on a daily basis, how disappointing this house is by my soon-to-be seven year-old.  The major factor behind the complaint: No Stairs.  Why do children love stairs? I loved my house in Lacey, Wa because the bedrooms were upstairs and the toys stayed up there. The living space downstairs was separated nicely and was so much easier to keep clean.

But, then I found this picture on Pinterest. Yes, I am a Pinhead. But, seriously, find someone who isn't, nowadays.  I would be whining about no stairs, too, if I had this lacking in my life. Well, I do have this lacking. Commence complaining. (Oh, just click on the photos if you want to see them larger.)

Second, Madelyn was doing her homework the other night.

"Mommy! Get in here! Fast! ... Oh, and bring a camera!"

Oh boy. This could go two ways. Either it's gross, or its spectacular. Or she has folded her baby sister into some unnatural shape.

"Look at that 'g', Mom! Isn't it the most perfectest 'g' you have ever seen?"

"Yes, Madelyn! Its simply gorgeous!"

Whew. Glad that ended nicely. And rated 'G'. Heh heh heh. I got jokes.

Moving on...

Third, I signed up to be a PEPper this week. Nope, not related to Dr. Pepper (sorry, Megan!) but a class offered by the Relocation Program at the Army Community Service building. It is titled People of El Paso. It was a three day tour of what El Paso has to offer. And I am telling you, for those of you who complain about "Hell Paso", you are just ignorant of what is out there. It's amazing, and fun, and so different. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this class to anyone new to Ft. Bliss. Great leader, too! Oh, and childcare is free. Free, I tell you!

We went downtown on day two. We had an opportunity to tour the inside of an historic hotel. These two pictures will not do it any justice, but it will give you a smidgen of an idea. I would say it is comparable to the Brown Palace in downtown Denver.

Fourth, I have had no kitchen for three days. Water keeps backing up into both of my kitchen sinks, then into my dishwasher! So they are in the process of chiseling out the pipes to replace them. Oh, and digging them up, as well. Messy, messy. I am getting tired of eating out and microwaving food. I can't wait to use the stove and cook again!

Lastly, and yes, I am saving the best for last, we attended the Fall Festival at Freedom Crossing last weekend. The photo was posted today. I am pretty partial to the subjects, but I thought that it turned out pretty cute.

I can never get one with all three girls facing the camera. Oh well. I was happy to have Audrey in the shot. My Ladybug kept scooting away.

And that's all folks!

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