Hooray for Vacay!

I love going places and taking trips. We never have the money to go anywhere, but we go anyway. And now that I think of it, we've never saved up money to go on a vacation before. Probably not something to talk about amidst a great recession!

So anyway, we're leaving today for a mini-vacay. A much needed mini-vacay for all of us! We're going to Houston, which is only about 3 hours away.

Oh, and did I mention we're not even packed yet?! HA! Such is the life of a procrastinator. We always get it done in the end.

Daddy & Hunter

I love those pictures where there's a little guy and his daddy, and because that little guy has his daddy all is right with the world. There's nothing else he needs. Hunter has spent most of his life without his daddy, so he knows for a fact that all he needs is a sunny day, and his daddy's hand. And Daddy knows, from spending so much time watching his son grow up through pictures, that all he needs is a small hand wrapped around his finger, and the biggest most adoring smile his little guy will ever give anyone. For one moment, all is right with the world.

Homecoming Sweet Homecoming

It's been a week and a half and, lawd I haven't said a word about it. (Yes, I'm slowing and stubbornly turning southern. I apologize.) Saturday January 10th was the day. Kind of. The kids and I spent all day cleaning and running errands and being very excited and all the normal things we do and feel when Husband's on his way home. After the 11 hour delay, we were certain there would be no more delays or blips or glitches.

Wrong.

The eagle was due to land at about 11:00 pm, turn in weapons at the airport, load buses, and make the hour trip home. He was supposed to be in the gym here on post at about midnight., so the kids and I showed up at 11:15 because sitting around the house was doing us no good. Hunter got very excited when we arrived because he thought we were actually going to 'Raq to see Daddy. He was jumping up and down asking when we were going to get on the plane!

At 11:45 we got word the guys hadn't even loaded the buses yet. At 12:30 am we were told the guys had loaded buses and were finally on their way.

A whole hour longer to wait! It 'bout near killed me, I swear. Drew and Hunter spent the time running all over the gym. In the front of the gym they had rows of flags set up, along with two projection screens that had videos of the guys when they were in Iraq. Several times Hunter came very close to knocking something over. I could just imagine the rows of flags going over like dominoes. Thank goodness he petered out before anything actually did happen.

The gym was packed with family and friends waiting to see their loved ones. It really was something great to be a part of. I've had friends tell me how awful it is and what a horrible wait it is, and I have a few friends who don't even go when their husbands come home. I wouldn't miss something that like for the world! I didn't get to do a big ceremony like that when Husband came home from Afghanistan, so this was very special. There was so much energy and electricity in the air. Even when they told us about the last delay, we were just still so excited to finally be at that point. Our men (and women) were THAT close to us!!

At 1:35 am Hunter finally crashed and burned. He layed down on the floor and was out. Poor little guy! I picked him up and tried so hard to wake him up again. Around that time the guys who were running the "show" stopped playing the slideshow of pictures from Iraq, and started showing video of our troops getting off the plane just a few hours earlier. I didn't actually see Husband get off the plane, but that didn't matter because I realized the video was just a distraction.... those tricksters! They didn't want us to see our guys (and women) lining up outside the gym. Right there, that close to me, was my husband. Just a door separating us. Someone was peaking through a window and she shouted "they're all lined up!!" Screams of excitement and sounds of joy came from all over the gym.

I can't tell you what song was playing when they started to file in, all I can say is my heart hasn't beat that fast in a long time. I had no tears. I wasn't scared. I just wanted to see his face and make sure he could see mine. They filed in in a single line. One after the other. Walking down, standing at attention, eagerly searching the crowd for their loved ones. Soldier after soldier walking past, the crowd cheering, pictures flashing. I didn't see him walk in and I was so worried he'd already passed by me and I didn't notice. My friends saw their husbands and waved. I pointed out a few guys here and there to someone who had just come to take pictures for us.

287 soldiers walked past me before I finally saw mine. I know that because there were 288 total, and mine was the last one in the door. He caught my eyes right away and again, there were no tears. Just smiles bigger than I think I've ever smiled. He saw Hunter fast asleep on my shoulder and gave me a quick little smile/giggle.

The post commander stood up and gave the briefest speech I've ever heard, followed by these four beautiful words, "Soldiers, you are released."

The song "At Last" by Etta James blasted over the speakers and I was finally in his arms again. Still no tears, just the greatest flood of relief you can imagine. He hugged Drew and Louisa, and we tried to wake Hunter up. Hunter, who'd been waiting *so long* for that moment, would not be woken.

We had to go outside to find his rucksack, and then headed to the truck to take our hero home. (He doesn't like being called that, by the way.) Once we were at the truck Hunter opens his eyes and says, "Oh HI, Daddy!!" He gave Daddy a big hug and asked if he was home now. We buckled him in his carseat and he says, "Daddy, can we go home and go to sleep now?" hehe.

A week and a half later and we are well adjusted. Friday is a big re-deployment ceremony, and then he's on leave for 30 days. We get to sit around the house and be bums and relax. He's earned it.

We've both had an incredible amount of support during this deployment. Family, friends, and even strangers have given to us more than we feel we deserve. We don't feel we do anything special by living this life, but we thank everyone who recognizes what hard work it is. God has blessed us in many ways and we are so grateful for everyone who's helped us. God couldn't have given us a better extended family than all of you who prayed, sent cards and packages, gave love and support, and let me lean on them when I needed it. God gives us all our obstacles, but He also gives us support when we feel we can't get through.

Hurry Up!!! ........ and wait.

So, I have this husband, and he's trying to get home from a 14 month deployment in Iraq. While I do understand that *worse* things can, and have, happened, I'd really like for all the delays to stop so he can just get here. We miss him, and he misses us. 14 months is a l-o-n-g time.

We were planning on a reunion tomorrow afternoon around 2:00. The kids and I were all set. T-shirts made. Banners hung. House clean. Ready. To. Go.

I got a call tonight from a sad soldier in Germany. They have an 11 hour layover there. Again, I realize it could be worse. But I feel so bad for him and I feel bad for the kids. We've talked about Daddy coming home all day so it will be a little hard for them to hear it will probably be after midnight.

Here are a few things we did today to get ready for Husband's return.

(Just a side note, thank you to BuildASign.com for *all* the free banners they have provided. Our post is filled with them!!)

My Daddy's Coming Home!

An original by Hunter.
Turn your volume UP! Not sure why, but it's very quiet. And yes, my house is messy. Get over it :)

Welcome Home! (preparation, that is!)

Still waiting......

But, we are making preparations. Tonight I let Drew and Louisa make their t-shirts. Here is a sneak peak at Drew's shirt for the Welcome Home ceremony. Whenever that is.

Hunter lended a "hand" (yes, literally) in making some welcome home signs. I also ordered some big 3x6 vinyl signs to hang on the carport, but we want homemade ones as well.

It's so crazy the emotions you go through when sitting around waiting for your husband to come home. If I thought about it, I could probably change my little Punky Moods emoticon on the right side of the page about once every hour. The only emotion I don't have is nervousness. I'm not nervous. Some of my friends have been terribly nervous waiting for their husbands. I haven't felt that. I am anxious, excited, proud (in him, the kids and myself), frustrated & disappointed (because his return date was delayed by two days), joyful... and without a thesaurus I'm running out of adjectives that just generally mean GLEEFUL BEYOND ALL BELIEF! Oh, and relieved.

Today three big units from our base came home and as I was driving across base I saw 4 very large tour buses drive down the street. They not only had a 4-car police escort, but the police were stopping traffic at all intersections so the buses could go right through. It was a magnificent sight! Knowing my friends loved ones were on those buses made my heart jump with such joy. I so badly wanted to reach for my cell phone and call them all up to say "I see the buses, hold on a few more minutes!!"

I have yet to experience the big homecoming in the gym you see on TV so much. The last deployment Husband had the good fortune of coming home early, but that took away the big ceremony that everyone else got. I'm so excited to see the families waiting eagerly together. I heard that they show video of the soldiers getting off the plane at the airport. I can imagine spouses and parents pointing saying "There's my soldier!"

I'm so excited. I don't think I can say that enough. He's coming home soon and we get about 4 months together before he takes off for the summer to do some training.

I asked the kids what is the first thing they want to do with Daddy when he comes home. I wrote down their responses, knowing Daddy will read this. (Oh, and note to Daddy, don't look at the above pictures!)

The first thing Hunter wants to do with Daddy:
"Give him a hug. And a kiss. And then (jumping up and down making karate chop motions) watch Kung Fu Panda."

The first thing Drew wants to do:
"Take Daddy to my martial arts class."

The first thing Louisa wants to do:
"Play Monopoly, or my new Harry Potter Clue game."

The first thing I want to do:
I can't say. His mom reads my blog :)

Happy 2009!

Can you *believe* it's 2009??!! (and can you believe how many times you've probably heard that the last 3 days?!)

Where o' where did time go? Again, another common cliche lately.

I thought this deployment would drag and drag. I thought it would never come to an end. Yet here we are, mere days from the finale. Most of our unit has actually already arrived. Husband is bringing up... fairly close to the rear. Not quite, but close.

It's crazy to see the mass of soldiers that I never realized were missing. The PX and the commissary shelves wiped clean, the liquore store dangerously low (yes Honey, there's still enough left for you!). When they left in late November/ early December 2007, I didn't really notice the lack of soldiers on post. Maybe I wasn't observant, and I guarantee I was lost in my own little woes of having just said good-bye to my husband. People were curious, with 4000 troops gone, is there a noticable difference? Thinking back, I just don't know. To me, no, there wasn't. But coming in! Wow do I notice! Longer lines, single soldiers walking everywhere with big bags full of food, empty shelves, it's nuts!

The most common topic of discussion right now is "Are you ready?" If you mean, is your house spotless and ready for all the gear your husband's about to dump in it, then I say HA! I don't think I'll ever be organized enough to be "ready". (And I thank God continuously that I have a husband who just doesn't care about that stuff!) But if you mean, are you ready to have your other half home again? Then Yes! I'm ready, ready, ready to have my best friend home again. 14 months is just plain painful.

Oh, and by the way, Happy New Year!! I ask you all to pray hard for our new administration that's about to take office. Even if I wouldn't have voted for them myself, I do pray that Obama and his crew are the change our country so desparately needs. War, economics, jobs, health care, schools, natural resources, natural disasters... our country is facing just as much as it ever has. Sometimes we've had amazingly strong leaders who've gracefully lead us out, and sometimes we haven't. Pray this is one of those times where positive changes are made.

Christmas 2008

Two Christmasses in a row without your husband really starts to wear on a person. Even the strongest of us! Last year he had *just* left, and I was at my parents house. I did ok, but he struggled. This year, as hard as it is for him, he's too busy to think about it and I'm the one with all the time at home by myself to mope.

Time is getting closer. It will be so good to have him home. 14 months is a long time and I know many wouldn't get through it as easily as we have. I don't feel I did anything special, and we'll gladly do it again the next time around. Ok, maybe not "gladly"! But we'll do it just the same.

Christmas Eve we always let the kids open a few presents. They always get new pajamas right before bedtime. By the way, if your daughter isn't into High School Musical or Hannah Montana, it might not be a good idea to go PJ shopping at Walmart. I didn't have much of a choice. Luckily the lady next to me found Tinker Bell and asked if my daughter would like that. Yeah! Hunter got Kung Fu Panda, which he says so funny I can't repeat it, and Drew got Transformers PJ's.

I also let them open one of their gifts from Nana & Gramps. My parents like to give one big present for all three of them, which I appreciate. It's nice because they don't play with toys and whatever my parents buy them they have to share. The kids are usually good at sharing in the first place. Last year they got a Wii and it's been put to good use. So this year my parents surprised the kids with their very own laptop! And I was grateful that I don't have to share mine because I'm not as good at sharing as they are!

After that we found ourselves at a friend's house. We spent Thanksgiving at her house, and we'll probably spend New Year's Eve there as well. And when I think back over the year as far as holidays go, the same friends have been there for almost every one. That's comforting when I think of the turnover rate I have for friends. At least I've held on to the same ones for a year!

We let the kids open one gift at our friend's house. I gave Hunter some HotWheels I meant for his stocking. And Louisa has been begging me for these bangles they sell at Walmart. Everyone in school has them (which yes, a lot of girls do), so I gave her some rainbow ones, and lucky her... Santa gave her blue bangles in her stocking! While roaming the store one day I found this really cool deck of Star Wars information cards. I knew Drew would love them, and he did. He didn't put them down for the rest of the night.

Yesterday morning the kids got to open gifts their family sent them, but had to wait to open their Santa presents until Daddy got online. He wanted to see them opening their presents on webcam. Oh blessed webcam! Daddy was happy to see the frenzy of wrapping paper, and the kids excitedly held up each gift in front of the camera for him to see. They each got three presents. They don't need more than that. They got exactly what they wanted and we don't have a lot of excess that they won't ever use. Less is more!

Christmas evening we ran over to Andrea and Colton's house. Another staple in our lives the past year. The best friends a gal could ask for. We had gifts for Colton, and they had gifts for the kids. We weren't planning a dinner with them, and I don't know why, but I didn't plan a Christmas dinner at all. I think I had been so focused on Christmas Eve dinner, and the 5 other projects I have going on right now, that Chirstmas dinner just escaped my mind. Silly me. Another crazy chaotic moment among many.

Because everything was closed except the Chinese buffet, we settled for a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. If you don't know what that is, watch this.

(You can fast forward to 3:05 to see what I'm talking about, and yes, that's really what we had, minus the jelly beans!) Hey, it happens. We all get too busy sometimes. I'm busy with several huge projects right now that take a lot of my time. God is putting me in certain places to do certain jobs. And He's blessed me with children who love to live life outside the box! I'm sure we couldn't get away with this in more structured households.

In closing, I leave you with one of my special children who is extraordinary in every sense of the word.

After 12 Days of Christmas... Chaos Mommy goes Insane!

The kids and I came up with our own version of 12 Days of Christmas. And really, any time of year Chaos Mommy is lucky to make it out each day with sanity in tact, but Christmas backed up with Husband finally coming home make life much crazier! You can go ahead and fill in all the extra verses because that's just too much typing for fingers that have been wrapping presents and baking pies all night.

On the first day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with one pair of Missing Keys!

On the second day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with two trips to Wal-Mart.

On the third day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with three letters home from school.

On the fourth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with four poopy diapers.

On the fifth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with five after school activities.

On the sixth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with six broken ornaments.

On the seventh day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with seven party invitations.

On the eighth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with eight loads of laundry.

On the ninth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with nine bills to pay.

On the tenth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with ten Sponge Bob re-runs.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with eleven crabby neighbors.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with twelve More Months of Deployment!!! (just kidding :)

Getting Ready

Can you believe there's only 4 more days till Christmas?! Where o' where did time go? Not only did December fly by, but this whole year flew by quicker than a jack rabbit on fire!

A year ago I didn't think I'd ever get through all these holidays without Husband. I dreaded an entire year away from him. I was sad for all the things he'd miss. Now, here we are. Mere weeks away from our reunion. Christmas is knocking at the doorstep. We've almost made it! But where did the time go? What did we do? Does it even matter?

I tried to make this a year the kids could look back on and say, "Mom tried her hardest that year to make us happy". On the other hand, I wonder if we left Daddy behind. Will we pick up right where we left off when he comes home? How could we? We've all changed and grown so much since he left. Even he's changed. He has a higher position at work (which shortens the list of families we can hang out with when he gets back), he's been living in a foreign land where a white Christian is in the minority instead of the majority. He has to come back home and adjust to our culture and time zone and being able to drive faster than 5 mph! (Yes, really, they can only drive 5 mph through the neighborhoods.)

We'll make it work because we always do. We have great communication skills (namely teasing and sarcasm), and we love to laugh and have fun. Husband is good at separating work from home. And we're good at helping him to adjust (and by "adjust" I mean throwing all three kids at him as soon as he steps in the door and running like hell to the grocery store... BY MYSELF!!!) Ha! I wouldn't really do that to him....

Or would I?

Too tired to think of a clever title!

I did not get all those ornaments made. Not even close. I giggle now, thinking about it. Trying to make 11 of those recycled greeting card ornaments in one night! HA! The results are worth it, but if you want to make those for friends or family, do it very far in advance. And leave plenty of time to perfect your style and work out the kinks.

In the end I made two. One for Louisa's teacher and one for Drew's teacher. The kids were happy with them and excited to give them as gifts and I was happy that I'm crafty enough that I can whip together something nice whenever I need a gift.

Procrastination... again.

I was going to make these ornaments for my Girl Scouts. Besides cutting out a few circles from some greeting cards, I don't have too much done yet. I went to read the directions just a minute ago and it says that each ornament takes about an hour to complete. I need to make 11 ornaments and our last meeting before Christmas is tomorrow evening. Oops! Talk about procrastination!

Um... either I start cutting out the rest of the circles now, or I give up. I can't buy them anything because my Christmas budget is shot. I think I need to get cutting and gluing!

Elmo is not in Hunter's ear...

... but a piece of candy wrapper is!

Last night Hunter kept waking up crying, saying his ear hurt. I assumed he had an ear infection. Twice I found him balled up on his bedroom floor on a big pillow. Finally I gave him Tylenol and took him to bed with me. He slept like a rock in my bed, go figure.

This morning I call the family practice clinic and get an appointment for him. When we got there, the doctor, or PA... or whatever he was... seemed a bit loopy. Long day? Or maybe he's just always that way?

He bounded into the room and said "Hailey?!" I say... "um.... no. We have a Hunter." Doc says "Ok, that'll do!"

No, not That'll do! He left the room for a second and I checked the file to make sure it was Hunter's!

He checked Hunter's ears and asked the usual questions, when did the pain start, how much pain was he in, does he have a cold, has he had a fever???

When Louisa was little, her pediatrician used to find silly things in her ears, like Elmo. My ped used to find potatoes in mine. So now I always tell Hunter that Elmo is in his ear. He says, "No! Not!" When this doc looked I asked Hunter if the doc would find Elmo, but apparently it wasn't the time for joke making. Hunter sat very seriously because, well, there's an otoscope in his ear.

Finally the doctor made the announcement that it was not Elmo that was stuck in Hunter's ear, and it wasn't an ear infection either..... it was.... (he paused for dramatic effect)... a Hershey Kiss wrapper!

Huh??

I am still wondering how he knew it was a Kiss wrapper! That in itself amazed me. It was the tiniest little thing, stuck way down in Hunter's ear, and it was the green mint kind. So it wasn't even silver.

He got it out with the skinniest tweezers ever. Hunter is Kiss wrapper free. For now. I asked him not to stick things in his ears anymore and he immediately points to his nose. No! Not in your nose, either! I had to deal with that when Drew was 2 and stuck a popcorn kernel way up his nose. I think we're done sticking things in facial holes for awhile.

Aprons for Girls

I previously wrote that I was thinking of buying Louisa this apron for Christmas because she is having fun cooking and wanted to look the part. However, the other night I got caught up in one of my favorite pastimes, cruising Etsy.com, and found this apron. I emailed the shop owner and asked if she could make it in a bigger size for a preteen. She said yes, she has "Big Sister" sizes. Perfect!! But... she's out of this material. Louisa is very into Asian culture, which is the main reason I got so excited over this apron. The shop owner did say she creates these aprons from her fabric drawer and she does have other kimono style fabrics if that's ok.

So now I'm excited because Louisa will have a special apron that's made just for her! We're not exchanging family gifts until after Husband gets home, and something this great will definitely come from Me, and not Santa. So the shop owner has a little more time to get it made since she won't have to ship it to me by the 25th.

If you need a special gift this year for a hard-to-shop-for person, check out Etsy.com. It's addictive and amazing!

Cooking with Kids

All three kids love to help me in the kitchen. Which is great when you have a normal sized kitchen. Or even just extra counter space. My kitchen is small with very little counter space. It can get crowded fast. I always move them to the dining room table (except the dining room has carpet so spills are not always fun to clean up).

Lately I've been letting Drew and Louisa take turns choosing meals out of their many children's cookbooks, making a shopping list (then shopping, obviously), and then getting to be the head chef. They enjoy creating delicious meals. Sometimes we do a three course meal, sometimes it's just the main entree. Either way they are learning valuable skills.

Hunter helps me with anything that needs to be measured and stirred. He's good at measuring (with help) and he's very good at stirring and mixing. Again, the little counter space makes for a cramped kitchen, but he's the right size to stand in there and help me.



Some fun stuff we've bought to get the kids in the cooking spirit are: Monkey Measuring Spoons, The Little Cook Tool Kit, and The Better Homes & Gardens New Junior Cookbook.

For Christmas I'm going to get Louisa this apron. It's SO cute and she has been wanting one for awhile. But I also love this apron set. Excpet that Louisa is just not a "pink" girl anymore. However, if you have a little cook you are buying for this Christmas and need a last minute idea, it's very cute. I thought about getting this Mommy & Me set. I'm not sure yet. It's a great price for all that comes with it, even if it is a little more Christmassy. I love Gooseberry Patch. It's so hard to decide.

This past week we bought this cookie decorating kit from Crayola. The kids had a blast and did an amazing job. I took pictures, of course!

Louisa and I watch the Food Network all the time. We love Iron Chef America, Paula Deen, Rachel Ray, Guy Fieri (which goes to show you that some of those reality series winners DO make something of themselves!), and Ace of Cakes. We just can't get enough of that stuff. Louisa is trying to take some of what she learns into the kitchen. I really hope this turns into something for her. Not necessarily culinary school, but just a love for the art of cooking. I'd love to go to her house for Thanksgiving some day and have a beautiful piece of art laid out for us to chow down on! Then I can smile and say, "All because I introduced her to the Food Network!" :)

Playgroup Makes Me Fat!

Seriously, playgroups are a bad idea if you want to lose weight. Very bad. Every time we meet up we have food. Lots and lots of carb and sugar-rich food. Take this past Wednesday for example. I had some playgroup friends over at my house to make Welcome Home signs to hang in the barracks when the guys get back. I had made some cookies for the little ones to snack on and bought juice boxes. Another mom brought donuts, and another mom brought more cookies. Hunter went in the kitchen to get some food and came back with a plate full of cookies and donut. So, he sat and ate cookies and donut.

Of course, they left all the food when they went home, so I ended up eating 3 donuts that day! I can't just let them sit there! Ugh. Playgroups not good.

Last night we had a cookie exchange for Girl Scouts and I had to take all the leftover cookies that people left there. Today we're having a cookie exchange for playgroup. Maybe it's just Christmas time in general, but wow am I eating a lot of junk food lately. So are the kids. Hunter seems to be on a 24/7 sugar high. Trying to get their Christmas pictures taken on Wednesday night after the major sugarfest he had all day was quite a task. We got one nice picture after... I don't even know how long. Well, at least we got one, I guess!

Update on Flash

And apparently we have a dog again... long story. He's back and here to stay. He's had a long week and he's obviously glad to be back. Hunter is very happy as well.
Oh, and he has Lyme's disease. Poor puppy. Just a bottle of pills and I guess he'll be fine. That had nothing to do with his adventure away from home, though. He got that awhile ago. The shelter we picked him up at wouldn't release him until they updated his shots and gave him a blood test, so that's how we found out. It causes soreness in the joints, which totally explains why he can't walk well some days. And some days he just has trouble getting up in the first place. Hopefully the meds will get rid of all that achy-ness.

Separating the Holidays

Isn't it crazy that as soon as Halloween is over, like on November 1, all the Christmas stuff goes up in the stores? Sometimes stores even get their Christmas section started before Halloween. I get how stores and companies make more money the longer Christmas decorations are available for us to buy. But why can't comsumers fight back? Why can't we boycot buying any Christmas items at all until after Halloween, at least? Let's have one holiday at a time here.

Or we can all put up one of these signs and be done with it.

I've always been taught to take each holiday as it comes. The Christmas decorations never came out until Thanksgiving was over, and each holiday was decorated with that holiday in mind. For instance, we didn't put our Christmas tree up just because we were having guests for Thanksgiving. Which to me is just plain weird. I know plenty of people that do it, though.

In my house, now that I'm a grown-up and I get to make the rules, we don't write letters to Santa until after Thanksgiving, or put up Christmas decorations, or even shop for anything holiday related. Christmas gifts being the exception, of course. Obviously, with the rising cost of... well, everything, and the number of people most families have to buy for, it makes sense to spread that out over several months.

So, my point here (I think I had a point...) is that sometimes we can slow down and take one thing at a time. Let the kids enjoy and learn about each holiday. Fall and winter have some amazing holidays, but each one has separate meanings. It's sad to see kids who have no idea what Thanksgiving is about.

We've Made it a Whole Year!

One year. Wow! So much has happened. So many people have been in and out of my life, so many experiences have changed me. I would love to say I've accomplished all my goals. I wish I could say I've learned to be more patient. And more than anything I'd like to say we have all sorts of money saved up and I've been a good steward this past year.

I can say that one year ago, I looked at the road ahead of me with little hope of being able to make it to the end with my sanity in tact. 15 months with just me and the kids by ourselves. It's not been easy. We've all had many days we wished Daddy was here to be the buffer. Take the kids to the park so I can have some quiet! Help Louisa with math that I just do not understand. Take Drew to his martial arts classes. Play with Hunter because sometimes he just needs his daddy.

We've still got a little longer to go, but I wanted to acknowledge today. One year. One year since we left him in the parking lot in front of his company office building. One year since we saw all
those duffel bags and ruck sacks piled higher than the kids.

Drew stuff

Yesterday I was sitting here, on my computer, fiddling with the virus yet again when I heard a horrible scream from outside. I guessed it was Drew and jumped up to see what happened. He flew in here holding his finger up. Blood and skin were hanging all over. Very gross. He had pinched his finger in the stroller while he and Hunter were taking turns pushing eachother. When he yanked his finger free, he ripped the pad of the finger tip off. Kind of. It was hanging there still. Again, gross. I can not handle this stuff. There's a reason I never became a nurse like my mom.

We ran next door to ask the neighbors if they'd watch Hunter and Louisa, and Drew and I took off for the ER. Much unlike our last ER experience, we got in right away. They X-rayed his hand since his finger had been pinched. They told us a small piece of bone could break off and he'd never even know it. Luckily, no broken bone.

I think the absolute worst part of the whole thing was when the nurse was washing his finger. I held him to me very close and he screamed and cried. I can only imagine how horribly painful that was. She had to really get in there, under that flap of skin, and clean it all out good. My finger hurts just thinking of it!

The doctor came in (the same one I've had terrible experience with twice before!), and said "Oh, this won't need stitches! Just some glue!" The look on Drew's face was too funny. Glue?! On his finger?! LOL! And yes, they glued the skin down. I liked that. It was painless, and now dirt won't get in there. They gave him a bandage and we were on our way.

When we got home he had to run all over and show his friends his glued finger. He had stitches when he was 2-years-old in his head, but he doesn't remember. I'm so glad we didn't have to do that this time. He wouldn't have been near as willing as he was 5 years ago.