Audrey Strikes Again

Audrey was up most of the night last night. She has caught a cold and breathing has become difficult.  Her naps today were non-exsistant, and my patience proved to be the same.

I don't know what we do on the weekends that make my Monday mornings so busy.  I had a dishwasher to unload and two sinks full of dishes to load. I made quick work of it with a  fussy baby at my feet.

I picked Audrey up and swung myself into the laundry room to scout out that pile.

Ugh.

Just get started.

I stood Audrey by the dryer and I began loading clothes into the washer. I estimated that I had about eight loads to do. I was fuming because as of Saturday afternoon, I had all of the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away.

Where in the world did all of this come from?!?

Just get started.

After I got the first load going, I noticed that Audrey had toddled off somewhere. I made sure she wasn't by the stairs and started picking up the house.  Hannah was screaming from the back bedroom that she wanted to play her vTech video game. I got her going on that and met Audrey in the living room on my way through the house.  She smiled as she met me.  It was heart-melting.

Then I saw where she had been.

and...

what she had done.

And that she had some evidence lingering...

The rest of my day did not get any better.


------------------------------------------------

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

Memories and Thoughts

I had finally got the kids to bed, had supper and had climbed into the shower.  I love taking a shower before bed. I get to wash off my day. Plus, I can't imagine climbing into bed with my awesome sheets with nasty body oil and sweat all over. Yuk!

Since the sound of the water drowns out the world around me, I do my heavy thinking in there.  Tonight, it was about memories that I have accumulated, and good feelings that I have stored away for sorting another day.

This is by no means a complete list. It was just what I came up with in my quick shower.

1.  Using my husband's shampoo or soap while he is away so I can still smell him when I go to bed.

2.  Snuggling with my husband's T-Shirt.

3.  Waking up to find that my three year-old has snuck into bed and made her way under my arm.

4.  My favorite part of HS revolves around the boys basketball team. No, not literally around the boys.  It was because during the home games I got to spend time with my girl friends on the dance team. We had so many laughs on game nights, just prior to performance.  On away games, I got to keep the score book. I absolutely loved that job.  And for all games, it was watching Coach do what he did best.  Plus, I had bets on if he would get a technical during that game or not. He was the most passionate person that I had ever met, and he conveyed that rather intensely during those close games!

5.  Getting in the truck and having a full tank of gas.

6.  Listening to my oldest read aloud.

7.  Whispering to my brother through the heater vent when we were little.

8a.  Rolling down the embankment on the back of my Gramma's pond when we were little.
8b.  Rolling down the embankment on the back of my Gramma's pond when we were little, and coming face to snout with a snake!

9.  Our parents taking us to Disney World for the first time in 1993.  We went straight to Casey's Hot Dogs at the end of Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom. That has become a tradition for all of us for every time we return to Disney World. It is the first theme park we visit, and the first stop once there.

10.  Delivering our first child and hearing Jay tell me "It's a girl!"

11.  Walking into the living room after I had showered and finding that our oldest had snuck out of bed to snuggle with her daddy in his chair, and both were sound asleep.

12.  That moment when your one year-old stops crying and starts breathing those first deep breaths of sleep after suffering from an ear infection for a week.

13.  Anytime I ever got mail.

14.  The last glance at my father before they closed the casket and lowered it into the ground.

15.  The shocking moment, two years later when my mom told me that she's met another man.

16.  The relief to find out that other man was her David.

17.  Having a great Christmas with family and being able to use cash to pay for it.

18.  The first snow of every year.

19.  Hearing your school's name read on the cancellation list for snow days.  And, it applies to hearing your children's school, too!

I can go on and on with this list.  Just because I didn't have it on here, doesn't mean I am not thinking about it.  I think about these things when I get sad, or down about something in my life, or a close friend's.

I hope the good feelings that I have last me long enough to fall asleep soundly.

If not...

I am sure there will be a list of pet peeves for tomorrow night's blog...


------------------------------------------------

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

Thank You

I needed an escape with Hannah and Audrey the other morning. We have limited options here in our small town. So we opted for Wal-Mart.

I never truly appreciated our Wal-Mart. It wasn't until I saw the nasty ones in El Paso that I missed my hometown Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart is great. No matter where we moved to, I could always go to the Wal-Mart and I felt like I was back home.

Not so much, anymore. They all seem to have crazy different layouts. Some don't even turn on all the lights, or have finished floors.

But I digress...

So we arrived at our discount city around half passed ten. I had to use the rest room, so I went to the ones at the front of the store. I had kids and coats and my handbag in a cart, and wasn't about to haul all of that into the stall with me and leave the cart outside the door. So, I wheeled the loaded cart right through the zig-zag entrance and into the handicap stall. It took some highly skilled maneuvering, but I got it done.

After washing all of our hands, we weaved our way out and was headed towards the toy section. I was after Play-Doh for Hannah. I looked down and noticed that Audrey was missing a Twinkle Toe bootie.

Crap.

I made our way back into the bathroom and checked everywhere. I couldn't find it.

I emerged and told Audrey that I hoped she left it in the truck.

We headed back to toys.

Clank   Clunk   Clank   Clunk   Clank   Clunk

Yep. I got the noisy cart. Good grief.

The entire store noticed when we arrived at our destination because that atrocious noise halted.  I mentioned to Hannah that I wanted Play-Doh.

"Over Here"

I smiled. I went around the aisle to see but no one was there.

"Marco?"

"Hah Hah Hah. Polo!"

It was a Wal-Mart associate. She was stocking the aisle and was near the Play-Doh.

I was ready to examine a canister when I hear over the loud speaker:

"Would the lady who lost a baby shoe please report to the front of the store?"

It was repeated three times.

Clank   Clunk   Clank   Clunk   Clank   Clunk

Yep. All the way back to the front.

I arrived at the greeter and she said, "A customer found a baby shoe in the parking lot. She took it up front."

"Thank you!"

The customer met me.  "I found a baby shoe in the parking lot. I turned it in up front."

"Thank you!"

A checker turned and spoke to me. "A customer found a baby shoe in the parking lot. She took it up front."

"Thank you!"

The lady who works at the eye glass station caught my attention.  "A customer found a baby shoe in the parking lot. She took it up front."

Umm.  "Thank you!"

The lady at the podium came rushing towards me with a pink sparkly shoe held at arms length.

"A customer found a baby shoe in the parking lot. She turned it in to me."

"Thank you!"

I turned to go back to toys to again scour the Play-Doh items.

Clank   Clunk   Clank   Clunk   Clank   Clunk

Yep. I didn't know what was more annoying at this moment. Hearing one more person tell me that a baby shoe was found, or my cart.

I think my cart won.

------------------------------------------------

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

A Couple's Getaway

Jay and I got married eight years ago.  He was an E4 in the Army and I was in college. I had the second draft of my Master's Thesis due the following Tuesday.

Needless to say, we had no honeymoon.

But we made up for it while he was home on leave.

After taking Madelyn to school on a Friday morning, Jay and I headed north to Lawrence, Kansas. We met a friend of ours there. She had her two, very young, children with her. She agreed to take them out into the cold afternoon to meet us for lunch. Her life right now reminds me of what mine was a year ago when my husband was a recruiter. So my heart was aching for her. Having children under the age of five in the house is very stressful, let alone surviving at home alone with the kids while the husband is out fighting to make a living.  She showed no signs of weariness, and had tons of patience.  I was happy she let me hold the infant so she could eat her lunch. Plus, her oldest is a boy, so Jay really bonded with him.

It was a fantastic time visiting with her. When we left, Jay said, "Her and 'T' are reasons enough to move to Lawrence when we get out of the Army."

That spoke to my heart. I smiled because I was thinking the exact same thing.

After lunch we ventured over to Kansas City. We checked in to our hotel, the Westin at Crown Center, and wandered the shops.  Jay had received some Christmas money, so we checked out the golf stores down in Olathe and Overland Park.  After that, we hit the Power and Light district off of Main Street downtown Kansas City.

It was very cold. We tried to see a movie but they were sold out until the eleven o'clock shows. I am too old to stay up for that. Let alone stay up for the movie! We wandered down to the bars and spotted Lucky Strike Bowling. Neither of us had been to one before, so we walked up to the counter, anxious to experience the atmosphere.

"Shoe size?"

"Nine for me, please," I respond. "But, how do we pay for a lane?"

Dumbfounded look towards me from long-haired hippy guy.

"You mean you don't have a reservation?"

Jay and I look at each other, obviously not knowing where we were, recognizing a pattern.

"No."

"Oh. Dude. It's, like, two hours before my next lane opens up."

"Oh. Okay."

We walked around the lounge. I wanted to leave to find a bar. The Broncos were playing the next night and I wanted to scout out a place to watch the game.  Buffalo Wild Wings was my place of choice, but a sports bar would work.

We found a place, then went back to our hotel. We watched a basketball game in the bar in the lobby and had some appetizers. We were exhausted and went up to bed.

The next morning, I woke up and Jay was sitting on the foot of the bed holding a tray. He had ordered room service. It was amazing! It was delicious and awesome to be treated like a princess.

We spent Saturday at Union Station.  We checked out the Rail Experience museum and ventured through the Science City.  Lego was there hosting a Master Builder competition, too. It was neat to see all of the creations that the nerdy guys came up with.

We split for Oakpark and did some shopping for the girls. Jay was missing them and decided to spoil them. We found toys for each and headed back to the bar we had scoped out.

We got there an hour early, and got to witness the Saints loss to the 49ers.  After the fourth play in the Bronco game, Jay pulled me out and said we were going to try for a movie again.

It was pretty painful to watch that game.

And the movie was sold out, again. We just do not understand the concept of 'reservations', I guess.

We ended up in the hotel bar again, watching the game. I had a Tom Collins, so I didn't see much.

I do remember waking up to breakfast in bed again.

Sunday we headed home around nine in the morning. We stopped at the AMC theater in Olathe and saw the new Mission Impossible movie, and grabbed some lunch at Old Chicago. They had fried pickles there. They were awesome. Jay and I vowed that we would make those at home the following week.

View North out our hotel window

Jay posed at the Science City to show Hannah the dinosaur

Clock outside Union Station. I was amazed at no power lines or street lights in the shot.

Model train exhibit at the Rail Experience

Our room at the Westin. Wasn't impressive, but had a great view of KC

Sprint Center is silver blob of a building in center

Lego Building Competition.  This round theme was 'animal'

We didn't know while we were away that mom had gotten sick. She had my uncle come get the older two girls so she could recover. We felt awful about it. But, in the end, we couldn't have done anything about it, and the girls love staying with 'B' and 'B'. So, we are grateful that we didn't know and that it didn't ruin our weekend.

Everyone was well by the next Friday. My baby brother, Tru, was coming to visit.  Jay and I decided to fry up some pickles.

I had the batter whipped and was ready to dunk the pickled slices when my mom turned around and asked, "What is that?!?"

"Um. Batter? Its beer batter."

"No, why so much?"

"Dunno. I just went by recipe. Just one bottle of beer. I told you I needed lots of pickled when you asked what to get at store. You laughed and showed up with 12 ounce jar. Now you know why I needed 36 ounce jar."

Jay, mom and I all rushed for the fridge. We wanted more stuff to fry. We found another jar of pickles, and banana pepper rings. We all drooled over the peppers. We knew they would be awesome!

I began dunking the  pickled and laying them in the hot oil. Jay was the fry cook. And he did fabulous!  He said that his dad always told him he wouldn't amount to nothing more than a fry cook. Well, here is a picture!

It felt great to be working close to Jay. He was funny, and we laughed a lot. He had patience with me while I was spattering batter and hot grease all over him. I never told him how scared I was that he was near the oil in his new KU shirt. 

I had to leave to get Madelyn from school.  When I got back, they were finished.  They had even fried jalapeño stuffed olives. Those were yummy!

Later, Tru arrived, and he came bearing gifts.  Jay asked him to pick up a can of dip on his way. We were laughing when we saw this on the side of the can:

Jay is from Canada.

We have no idea what this implies.  Your thoughts are welcome in the comment section at the bottom. Post as anonymous if you would like!

Anyway, I drove him back to KC the next night. We stayed by the airport at an Embassy Suites. The heat was broken and the bathtub didn't drain. I didn't have time to complain at the front desk the next morning. We had to be up at five to get his gear packed and ready to head out.

It was dark and raining when I left the terminal at the airport.  Our kiss goodbye was something we were dreading, unlike two weeks ago when we were drastically looking for each other through the glass.  All I could see in his eyes were the moments he shared with the girls when he told them goodbye. It ripped at my heart.

I honestly don't remember turning from him and walking to my truck.

I was sad on the drive home. Then, I was angry with myself. I get to go home to our daughters, a warm bed, a refrigerator full of food, and a regular routine.  Jay is returning to a crap-hole, to put it lightly. And I am sure he hasn't even told me the worst of it.

So here is to the next seven months. May God keep our soldiers safe. May God bless our leaders with wisdom and knowledge. And, may God be with the children of deployed soldiers to understand why they are worth protecting.

------------------------------------------------

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

A Reunion: Part I

Two weeks ago tomorrow, I got a phone call at seven forty-two in the morning. Jay was on the other end.

"Honey, they moved my flight up. Can you get me at Kansas City by eleven forty-five this morning?"

He was scheduled for five forty-five in the evening.

"YES I CAN!"

I dropped Madelyn off at school. I ran back home to give Audrey and Hannah a kiss goodbye and was out the door.

I made it to KCI in two hours and eight minutes.

Thirty minutes quicker than any previous trip there from Gramma's house.

I was sitting outside his gate for about ten minutes when I noticed people started trickling out of the exit door. I stood to watch for my soldier.  He was in his multi-cams. There wouldn't be a whole lot of soldiers flying in to KCI today, so I should be able to pick him out easily.

I watched. I waited.

I couldn't find him.

I stopped someone who was leaving.

"Excuse me, but were you on the Atlanta flight?"

"Yes, I was."

"Okay. Thank you!"

So he had to be there.

A UNIFORM!

I watched as a solder came around the corner and exit the security booth.

It wasn't him. But he was greeted by his four year-old twin girls. That was an amazing sight.  He hugged them so tightly. I was imagining what it will be like when my three girls see their daddy in just a few hours.  I noticed the mom was taking pictures of the girls with their dad. Then they turned to leave. He didn't even kiss her 'hello'. I thought that was odd.  I knew they were married. He put his arm around her when they walked away.

Oh! Watch for Jay!

So I brought my attention back to the people exiting in front of me.

Another uniform!

Nope. Not him. Weird. Two other soldiers in Multi-Cam on that flight.

Another uniform!

Not him either!

There were seven soldiers that crossed my path before I started getting worried. I was almost concerned that one was my Jay and that I didn't recognize him!

Finally, I spotted my SSG from behind the glass. He turned and smiled at me. The world screeched to a grinding halt around me.

It was about fifteen seconds before he could get to me. Fifteen long seconds before I could experience that amazing first kiss and be wrapped in his arms again.

I have done this many times before, and I can tell you that the anticipation of being reunited with your Soldier is greater than so many things in this world, and it only gets better every time.

Jay dropped his bag and just held me in his arms. We gazed into each other's eyes and we kissed. Everything just vanished around us.

Then we rushed to the car to get him home to our girls. We just couldn't wait to see their reactions.  It was Hannah's birthday that day, so it was very special for Jay to be there for it.  She was napping when we got back to the house.  Audrey was there at the door to meet us. She went right to him. She knew he was her daddy.  Jay went to wake Hannah. She cuddled and loved on him, too.

So precious.

It was time to get Madelyn from school.  Jay and I ran in together to pick her up. We got there about ten minutes early and she was on the playground with her class.  Jay walked up towards the fence to get a better look at his precious seven year-old at play.  She spotted him and went running across the yard.  The teacher noticed us and was about to blow her whistle.  Then she saw that it was a man in uniform and she stopped. After Jay swung Madelyn around in his arms and gave her a huge hug, her teacher told us that we can take her home early. She said there was no way to follow such a beautiful moment.

We had Christmas when we got back to the house. Jay got to see the girls open presents and he got to open his. It was so, so much fun. I just sat and watched my family interact, cherishing ever stinkin' moment that I could. I knew these next fifteen days would fly by and I wanted to remember everything.

Jay had a three day journey to get here. It will be a five day trip to get back to his camp, because of the time zones. I just pray that our time together will be enough to get us all through the next seven months.


*A Reunion: Part II will be posted at the end of next summer

------------------------------------------------

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

A Colorado Christmas

When Jay and I got married, we agreed to treat holidays as divorced parents would children: alternate holidays the first year. Then switch them the subsequent years.

That worked great. In theory.  Then Jay's lifestyle set in quickly.

The year Christmas was with his family, he was deployed. So, I stayed with my folks with Madelyn. We would pick up next year where the system failed.

But, you know what? Our system never ran an entire cycle. Jay was always deployed, off on training, or away at school for multiple weeks at a time.

We had to make a decision.

Since Jay was gone, I made the decision for him. Wasn't that thoughtful of me? Didn't need to bother him with trivial issues, now, did I?

No matter where either of us were, we would stick to the system.  Even if that means we are at our in-laws without our spouse.

Praise the Lord that we both adore our in-laws, right!

So it all works out.  This year, Christmas was with Jay's family.  That left me with driving with three young children to Denver alone. Oh boy.

We did it. And it really wasn't bad at all! It's sometimes just the thought that can make it worse than it really is.

A few days after we arrived, there was an awesome snow.  We got over fourteen inches!

Hannah

Madelyn

Jay was able to be online while we were opening our gifts Christmas morning. We sat the laptop on the recliner and left the webcam on and he watched us while we giggled and laughed together. That was awesome!

It sure was fun to live through your kids on Christmas morning. I always had glorious Christmas Days. But nothing had prepared me for what I'd feel as a parent on that sacred morning!

The kids quickly snapped me out of my moment. Audrey had disappeared. I found her in the bathroom. She had shut the door and unraveled an entire roll of toilet paper.

Madelyn received a paper doll kit. It was Barbie and over four feet tall! It came with twenty pieces of clothing and accessories. It sure kept her busy!

A few days later, the opportunity presented itself for Papa and I to attend a hockey game. It was a fantastic time! The tickets weren't ready at will call, so our group was upgraded to a Box Suite. So we had fabulous seats. It was fun being Jets fans sitting in Avalanche box seats :)

We had a fun stay. I got to go shopping, sans kids, and use all of my gift cards. So that was a major accomplishment!

We left Friday morning, on December 30th around fifteen til nine.  I was nervous about driving home with the girls. Our trip out had been pretty smooth, given the fact that the girls slept most of the way due to the nighttime driving.  I had debated leaving Friday night and trying for the same effect.  But, I would be antsy all day waiting to leave.  Plus, a nap was never guaranteed for me.  So, we headed out that morning.

Our trip went well. We stopped once in Goodland for fuel. That was about four hours away from Nana and Papa's. I pulled over again in Hays to let the kids play at the McDonald's Play Place.  I wouldn't let them eat. They had to run around for an hour.  Then I got their food to go and we were on the road again. I  was pleased at how well that worked out.

We stopped in Salina for the night to visit with Jerod and Megan, and got home around one the next afternoon.  The trip was great!

Except for the three days that it took me to unpack everything.

But Gramma was happy to have her girls back, and they were so excited to see Gramma.  They didn't let go of her for a few days.

Jay is on his way home for his two-week leave. Please pray for safe travels for him!

Until next time...

------------------------------------------------


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

On the Road Again

Our drive to Colorado was pretty interesting. I was planning on leaving Monday, Dec 19th, bound for Jay's folks' house south of Denver.

After a visit with my grandparents down the road, I changed my plans very quickly.

There was a blizzard warning for western Kansas effective Sunday, Dec 18th.  The storm was to begin late that night, and last for three days.  I wasn't even ready to pack, so it was a lot of fun rounding all of our stuff up for our two week excursion. Plus preparing for winter weather play time for the girls once we arrived, and remembering all of the Christmas presents that needed to hitch a ride, too.

After about thirty minutes of randomly throwing stuff in tote bags and two suitcases, I decided it was the best that I could do.  The girls were playing in the dining room and Audrey was singing in the kitchen.

I backed the truck up to the back door and began loading my stuff.  Audrey started crying, so I buckled her into her car seat. She didn't like that at all. But, it was the only place I could put her where she would be safe. I knew she wasn't going to fall down the stairs in this position.

Gramma Mary and Papa D arrived from their shopping trip in Wichita just in time to help me load the last two items.  I got the kids nestled in their seats and we were off.  It was six forty-eight in the evening. After dark.  Prime deer-hitting season.  Lord, please be with us.

We stopped in Salina, which was a three hour trip, to see Jerod and Megan. I was going to stay the night there, then head out early in the morning. It would have made me three hours closer to Nana and Papa's house by staying there.  But, Jerod brought up the weather report.  We decided that it would be in our best interest to be through Colby, Kansas by noon the next day.  

I knew that if I had stayed in Salina, I wouldn't have slept. I would have worried about making time to get to Colby.  I wasn't tired at all. It was only nine-thirty at night.

So I hugged Jerod and Megan goodbye, and left for I-70, west-bound.

I knew I could make Hays. It's only a little over an hour to Hays from Jerod's house. That would put me closer to Colby, and stress in the morning would be minimized.

Then my phone 'dinged'.  It was Jay. He was online in Afghanistan and was messaging me on my messenger app.  I installed a talk-to-text app and was chatting away with him.  Girls fell asleep just before Hays, and Audrey had a little later.  I debated drinking my Red Bull and try for Colby, or to stop in Hays and not push my luck.  Since I had Jay with me, in a sense, we both decided that I could do Colby. 

You know what! We did it! Even without the Red Bull!

We pulled over in Colby forty-five minutes after midnight. The Holiday Inn Express and Suites is completely remodeled, and had a vacancy for the girls and I.  I kissed Jay good night, in essence, and tucked my girls into their snuggly hotel beds.  I got the $120 suite for $70. Thank you military discount!

I had a dream that night that when I had woken up, we were snowed in. There were over five feet of snow on the ground.  But Jay was with us in the room. We hung out together, the five of us, and had a wonderful time.

I had mixed feelings when I did wake up for the day.  I was relieved that we weren't trapped so far away from family, but was missing Jay a lot.  Oh well. Buck-up, Stacy. That's life. Get over it.

So after grabbing bananas from the breakfast bar, we were loaded back into our dependable truck and headed west again by seven-fifteen.  Three minutes later, I heard my phone 'ding'.  Jay had made it back to his computer to keep me company for the rest of the trip. I cried.  Such a simple thing. But I was very nervous about beating this winter storm and having him there with me made all the difference in the world.

We stopped in Goodland for fuel, and made it to Mountain Maple Avenue by eleven that morning. The girls rode so well.  Jay had used Find My iPhone and watched my blinking dot all across western Kansas and through to his folks' front door.  I was amazed at technology. 

I thanked Jay for being there for me. It was killing him that he couldn't be here to take care of his family, but he knows that they were in capable hands.  Having his trust means so much to me.  And I think it really helps him over there, knowing that we are competent to handle life's speed bumps.

It started snowing two hours after we unpacked the truck.

The next morning the news reported eleven deaths from that winter storm.  New Mexico interstates were shut down and I-70 was from Colby on.  

Boy did I smile.  We called that.  Jerod and I sat and analyzed the differing weather reports and decided that Colby would be the critical point. It sure feels good being right.  But when Jerod is involved, that is usually the case.  

I just realized that I hope he doesn't read this. Hah!

Anyway, that night, I played with my camera and took pictures of Nana's beautiful tree and its ornaments.  That is what I have to share with you today. 

------------------------------------------------

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