Somewhat dry…
We couldn’t find his goggles tonight so he was closing his eyes—and having a fit “because I can’t see anything!” 🙂
Somewhat more wet…
As with most of his pool toys, the shark was one we bought that he pretty much wanted nothing to do with. Hug it? No. Sit on it? No. Swim with it? No. But give him a week or so and look what he’s doing…
Katie loves it when we pull her around…and then Owen was pulling her around and singing Row Row Row Your Boat to her. And see what else she does?! 🙂
Remember how I wondered if Katie was actually learning the sign for more?
If you know me at all, you know we order a lot of stuff from Amazon (and online in general, really—I mean, with two kids, it’s really the convenience factor). And with the quantity we order PLUS my sketchy swiss-cheesed mommy-brain memory, I often have NO idea what’s in each box when it arrives. Tom and I sometimes play a game: Can he open the box before I remember what’s in it? 🙂 (If you’re curious, I think it’s about 60/40 to him.)
Well, in my internet travels, I recently saw a really delicious recipe that I saved to Evernote post haste (Chocolate Chip Cookie Peanut Butter S’mores Bars by Cookies & Cups if you’re interested ) but what got me was the beginning text…which sounds just about like our household:
A few weeks ago I opened up my front door to a package.
Now I am no stranger to the package on the front door.
I consider myself a bit of an online shopping expert.But sometimes when you are such an expert internet shopper you forget about the things you buy…
That is until the box ends up on the front step.
ORRR the husband intercepts said box, which is basically the worst day of my life.
In these cases he generally stands over me while I open the box, all while I over-explain about how it was “on sale”, a “total bargain” or (my favorite) “for the children”.
Anyway, when you open the box it’s like a surprise! What did I order? I can’t even remember!
It’s basically like Christmas.
I mean, you all know how much I LOVE CHRISTMAS… 🙂
But now, all I can think about is those yummy-looking S’more bars. Mmmmmm. I wonder how they’d travel to Afghanistan?!?
I don’t suppose anyone would want to come paint my half bath? We just did it when we moved in two years ago (and when I say WE I mean my mom did it)…but it’s brown. Which, at the time, was fine. But with all the, um, potty training issues in that room…I’d really like a different color. But I suck at painting and have no idea how to pull out the toilet and sink.
Mom, are you up to painting it again when you come down? Pretty pretty please? 🙂
Katie officially knows what her milk is. I can say “Where’s your milk?” Or “Go get your milk!” and she goes right to it. I love watching the learning process.
I’ve also been trying to teach her the sign for “more” and this morning, she repeated it back to me! It has yet to be seen if it was luck or if she’s really learning it. 🙂
It’s somewhat challenging to record a baby when she’s on your chest inches away from your face and wriggling all around…but I tried.
It’s also challenging to move the camera and continue recording without being able to see what’s actually in the frame—as you’ll see. 🙂
This is what her game was tonight for at least 20 minutes…and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Owen and Katie are BOTH enjoying the empty diaper box. 🙂
Playing on the phone:
Hi dad. I know dad. I know! It’s really hard talking on the phone. I know! I know I know! Don’t say chicken butt at me! What? Chicken thigh. Oh!
Our first brief Skype:
He popped up in gmail instant messaging asking where I was. I asked where HE was! He meant he was trying to connect on Skype but I wasn’t logged on. My laptop lost its webcam somehow so I can only use the iPad, iPhone, or desktop computer…so I logged on with my phone!
It was just about two minutes—long enough to say he got there with no issues and he loves us! The connection wasn’t great—there was a big lag and I could still only make out about half of what he said. But it’s a start!
I love technology. 🙂
Grandma Marsha sent a care package and included some of these fabric flowers. Both kids love them, but Katie was really having a ball with them this morning!
I took 50 pictures this morning and ended up with five. Yep, 10% seems about right. 🙂
Owen: Mom, you’re my best mom.
Owen: Cats speak in cat…English. One meow says no. Two meows says yes.
Charlie: Meow!
Owen: She said no!
Owen sneezed really hard and loud.
Me: Excuuuse you!
Owen: No, it’s not excuse you it’s bless you!
Owen: Mama…I’m SO happy.
Me: Happy?
Owen: I mean sad.
This is one of those times I’m glad I have a camera phone and can snap unexpected cute moments.
Then he tried to kiss her head and she ducked away at the last moment, giggling the whole time.
Attempted kisses:
Amazingly, she stayed put today during pool playgroup.
Thought it may have helped that I was tossing her crackers, blueberries, and a donut hole to go with her milk and water. 🙂
Just a random picture of our living room…
GOTCHA!
Well, I’m doing much better than I had anticipated…and life goes on (are you sensing a theme here?)…so we’re having a pool playgroup today! Not everyone could come, but two moms (each who just had husbands come home recently!) and three kids will be great!
He called from the airport around 10 and then texted around 11:45 to let me know they were on the plane. So now it’s just a waiting game to see when he gets time and/or service to let me know what’s going on.
…but I made it through. The kids and I had a dip in the pool, I had a drink, I updated the blog, I texted with Tom, and now I’m off to take a sleeping pill otherwise I will be up all night (I can NEVER sleep the first night he’s gone).
Now only about 200 days left…
Someone really loves her new bed…I almost had to physically pick her up out of it for her last potty break.
After the hot and sweaty time saying goodbye to Tom and then at the playground…the pool sounded really good. Of course, I didn’t realize my waterproof camera didn’t have the memory card in it until I was already in the pool…so these photos are from after I got out and grabbed my real camera.
Katie LOVES the pool. Owen LOVES the pool. They love playing together. It’s awesome.
And then watching Sofia the First.
Tom just texted that they are heading out.
When I showed Owen the picture and asked him to find daddy—he giggled like a crazy person when he saw him! 🙂
She climbed up there all by herself!
He couldn’t QUITE make the jump…
So I helped him up once. But then he wanted to try all on his own…
Tom’s unit wasn’t scheduled to depart until 6:30-7, but we went about 4:30 because the waiting was just THE WORST. I knew we wouldn’t stay the entire time (to actually see them off) because I knew I couldn’t keep from breaking down that long. And it was about eleventy billion degrees and humid and the kids needed to eat dinner. Tom was perfectly okay with an early goodbye.
This is what the staging area looked like (forgive the bad pictures—I only had my phone)—piles and piles of bags and gear, hundreds of people, and lots of trucks.
Of course, now that Katie can walk, she really did NOT want to be held…so we just let her roam and she had a blast. She had a few tumbles because the ground was fairly uneven—but she didn’t let that stop her!
More than a few people commented on how cute she was, how cute her dress was, and how good she was at walking.
That’s Tom taking her picture.
Then as I was trying to get a picture of Tom and Katie, one of Tom’s buddies stepped in to take a family picture. Amazingly, he took two and one was halfway good!
Hugging daddy before getting in the car. I know he understands that Tom is leaving, but I really thought he’d be a bit more emotional—but he seemed kind of lackadaisical about it.
Then Tom and I hugged and kissed goodbye, he walked off, and I got in the car…and Owen started crying. 🙁 I got out to give him some tissue and a kiss, and of course seeing him break down made it worse for me…
THANKFULLY it didn’t last too long—we passed by a playground on the way off base and he said he wanted to go! Well, it was too late for that one (I wanted to be closer to home if either of them got tantrum-y) so I took a different route home so we could stop at a playground…
The cute dress was a gift from (I think) Grannie Lin. I had to get her in it before she outgrew it (it’s size 12m). We just don’t often have the opportunity to wear dresses!
So Tom just drove off. He has to be in early to drop off all his bags and pick up his weapon, etc. (We go in at 6 to see him off.)
Of course, I’m an emotional wreck today, so cried after he left.
Owen: Mama, what’s wrong?
Me: I miss daddy.
Owen: [Singing, from Daniel Tiger] Grooo-oooown-ups come back!
Me: You’re right. Can I have a hug?
We hug. I’m still crying.
Owen: It’s okay mom.
/bawl
Tom leaving is always hard, and as the time draws nearer, it gets exponentially harder. But there are stupid little things that you don’t think about or don’t expect.
One of Owen’s random cartoons this morning (that we’ve never watched before) played Pachelbel’s Canon in D. SERIOUSLY?!? A song from our wedding? The day he leaves? Sure, THAT won’t set me off. 😐
Tom’s side of the bed cleaned up.
His side of the sink cleaned out.
His stuff not in the shower.
His shoes not on the rack.
The remnants of his last-minute packing on the kitchen table.
The random shirt hanging over the tub.
It’s seemingly never ending.
After a few days none of it will really bother me, but for now…it really sucks.
Me: Owen, why are there underwear on the floor?
Owen: I was wearing a ninja mask!
