The Sweet and the Not So Sweet

Ian has had a bit of a rough time adjusting to his daddy not being around. He thought that I had taken Bill out to Ft Hood, left him there and that now Bill is lost. Ian started being aggressive toward me and his brother which was not normal. So I tried to explain to him that Bill was at work far, far away, but he continued to be mean to kids he was playing with. He even shoved one kid and I know he hasn't ever done that unless someone provokes him in the past. ARGH. So now I feel like the mom of the kid that no one wants to be around. Bill did finally manage to get a call through to us and he did talk to Ian. He told him that he wasn't lost and to be good for mommy. He has been a bit better since then. I'm hoping to see a marked improvement by the end of the weekend.

Ian does still have his sweet side though. He was so cute out picking "flowers for Mommy" while we were at the park today. We were there for the "predeployment party" and Ian did pretty good minding, etc. It also seems to have helped that we've been able to SKYPE with my inlaws and my parents. Just having that interaction seems to help keep Ian in check. Here's a picture of my sweet boy with his flowers for mommy.

God Bless Daddy and All Those Who Serve

We spent a lovely weekend in Arlington and Bill was able to share a couple of his loves with the boys before he left this morning. We drove up on Saturday morning and got stuck in a horrible traffic jam on the interstate, but still managed to get there in time to enjoy some baseball and swimming. We were able to get some great seats to the Rangers/Royals game and also a good deal on the Embassy Suites.



(and mostly because I think it's so stinking cute!):


Bill also took the time to teach Ian how to hit a ball off a T in a moment of spare time between packing. It was so fun to watch those 2 out there playing together.


This morning was the "dreaded day" for me. I am so very proud of my husband and all of the servicemen that do such a wonderful job keeping our country safe, but part of me is very sad knowing that he will miss so much here at home in the next year. I had the pleasure of reading one of my friend's blogs this morning before I came here to write this. She is much more eloquent than me and also is a military wife, but is also a military mom. Her two sons have followed in their dad's footsteps and have gone on to become military men in their own right. Her second son is on his way to MEPS today. She writes of her pride and her sorrow. It's the letting go part that seems the hardest regardless of how many times you've come across the path of separation. I took great comfort in her words because they seem to be very much how I feel even though I am sending off a husband this time and she is sending her son off to basic training. (I'm going to ask her permission to link her blog to this post and will add it when she says ok.)

So our prayers today are with the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that serve our fine nation. We pray especially today for Bill and for "Carkiller." Bill and his unit are on their way to Afghanistan to serve for a yearlong deployment and "Carkiller" is on his way to MEPS, his swearing in ceremony and then to basic training at Ft Jackson, SC. We pray for their safety and their success. We pray that God places His hand of protection over them. We pray for the families that are left behind. And we pray that His Will be done in all of the lives involved.

9 Months Already?

Aaron is growing like a weed and hit the 9 month mark yesterday. I blinked and his infanthood is fading fast. I wish I could slow him down. He's doing well in all respects and we are so blessed to have him as a part of our family!

A Very Blessed Easter

The boys got up to find that the Easter bunny had been very, very good to them. Ian loves his new Fisher Price FP3 player and his light sabers. He also loves his books and of course, the candy! Aaron seems to like his things, too. It looked more like Christmas than Easter here except there were eggs to hunt! Thank you Easter Bunny!

After the egg hunting, we all got ready for church. The boys just would NOT let me get a good shot of them in their Easter clothes. Here's an outtake for your viewing pleasure! Ha!


So I decided to try out the timer on the camera and try to get a family shot. First the boys and I tested it. LOL

Then it was time for the family shot. It wasn't too horrible.


So off to church we went and Ian and Aaron went to their respective classes and Bill and I enjoyed the worship service. Ian did cry when we dropped him off which is not typical of him. I think he is sensing the changes around here and things seem to get to him quicker than normal. He was fine when we went to pick him up. Aaron did well and was asleep in the crib when it was time to pick him up.

From the church we decided to go to Cheddar's for a little Sunday lunch. Aaron ate soooo much. I can't believe how much food that little guy can put away! He really doesn't like baby food so we try to feed him table food. He had tilapia, rice pilaf, broccoli cheddar casserole, croissants (which he devoured!), mashed potatoes and french fries. What a little piggie!

Tag, Now I'm It!

Shelley at Through Mother's Eye tagged me in her blog post 8 Things.





8 Things I am Looking Forward To:

1. Spending this last weekend together as a family and celebrating Easter
2. Aaron learning to walk
3. Ian going back to school
4. Friends coming to visit
5. A Year passing by quickly... *please Lord, get Bill there and back safely*
6. Summer activities like swimming and water balloon fights
7. Bill's R&R sometime in November
8. 2010

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Got the boys up and ready
2. Went to an Easter party
3. Watched DOOL
4. Went to an FRG meeting
5. Ate dinner with the family at BW3
6. Watched American Idol
7. Read to Ian and opened a Resurrection Egg with him
8. Chatted on Yahoo with Stephanie M.

8 Things that I Wish I Could Do

1. Keep my husband from going to Afghanistan
2. Lose the baby weight overnight
3. Move closer to friends and family
4. Keep my house clean for more than 5 minutes
5. Sleep in
6. Find more time in a day
7. Prevent my children from getting hurt or sick
8. Eliminate worry all over the world

8 TV Shows That I Watch:

1. Days of Our Lives (Sick I know, but I find it entertaining)
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. American Idol
4. Desperate Housewives
5. Brothers and Sisters
6. ER (I'm so sad that it's over)
7. Seinfeld reruns
8. Everybody Loves Raymond reruns

8 People that I Tag:

1. Shelley at Through a Mother's Eye (http://throughamotherseye.blogspot.com/2009/04/tag-im-it.html)
2. Knitter at Become What You Are (http://becomewhatyouare.wordpress.com/about/)
3. Stephanie at The Moody Chipernos (http://themoodychipernos.blogspot.com/2009/04/off-to-good-start.html)
4. Kid Juggler at Coloring Outside the Lines (http://kidjuggler.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/a-few-more-pictures/)
5. Rachel at Steffen Family News (http://steffenfamilynews.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post.html)
6. Amanda at Outnumbered by Testosterone (http://outnumberedbytestosterone.blogspot.com/2009/04/catepillars-over-5-miles-and-quiet.html)
7. Debbie at The Lindstrom Crew (http://thelindstromcrew.blogspot.com/2009/03/kyle-time.html)
8. Dawn at Mike and Dawn Plus 1 (http://thekissels.blogspot.com/2009/04/movie-night.html)

Preparing Our Minds and Hearts for Easter

I took the boys this morning to get Easter photos taken to send out in our Easter greetings that we send to family and friends. The boys were both very well behaved and we got several great shots, but this one turned out to be my favorite from the bunch to send in the cards:



This afternoon we came home to have a lovely afternoon of outdoor activity. Ian loves to play outside, but boy does he find a way to get filthy and fast! He played with his bubble bucket, bounced in his bounce house, played with his Tonka truck and any number of other things. Here is my boy with a dirty face only a mother could love, playing with his bubbles:


This evening Ian and I watched Pinocchio together. It was the first time that he has sat through an entire movie with me. I can tell that he is getting a longer attention span. That is part of the reason why I decided to get the Resurrection Eggs for this year. I got them out and went through the first 3 so that we can get done by Easter. Ian listened intently and could repeat back why the little surprise inside the eggs was special. I have always hated how commercial Easter is and have tried to make sure that we read stories about Jesus during this time instead of things about bunnies. I do think bunnies are fine and the Easter bunny does come to our house, but I really want Ian to understand the real reason behind Easter. These eggs seem to be the perfect combination of the "fun egg" and the real meaning behind Easter. I did have to go through and ask questions about the stories on a preschool level, but Ian seemed to understand the lessons. Here he is holding his carton of Resurrection Eggs and showing off the silver coins from the story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.

Routines!

I just love routines. They keep me sane. Last week when we were on vacation we had NO routine. And while we were having fun, the tiredness crept in and the sickies came to hide and then we came home. And we brought with us crankiness and sickness and our routine was still gone. Well today, I feel like we are getting back to our routine finally! The kids were actually in bed on time, we ate meals at normal hours and we went to the library like we do every week on Thursday.

I think I just need to make a routine for my chores. Maybe then they would all get done! Nah! Routines like that are boring! LOL