Take That Tuesday

Learning to Be Just Plain Thankful

I've been a bit bummed about the upcoming holidays. To be honest, I was hoping they'd go by unnoticed and that we could just forget that they even exist. Facing this holiday season with Bill in Afghanistan and the knowledge that the boys and I are "stuck" in Texas alone really seemed to suck all the spirit out of the entire season.

Then I got sick.

It was through the illness that I got the little kick that I needed to quit being so ingrateful and thankless.

God reminded me that He never gives us more than we can endure. I was so sick and barely able to make it to the bathroom and yet somehow I could muster the last ounce of energy I had to get the boys' basic needs taken care of without them suffering, too. He carried me through this 48 hour period. I survived to tell about it.

Just as I endured the illness, I will get through this holiday season. The boys and I will be just fine and way better off than most. We have a roof over our head, food to eat and the love of friends and family. We have so much to be thankful for and we have many reasons to celebrate. It might not be the way that we would have planned it had circumstances been different, but it can still be lovely.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So Sick

Oh my! I've been so sick. The GI bug bit and it bit hard. This mama has been sick before, but this has been the worst one in a long while. All the while my 4 year old starts having sympathy vomiting... Great. And he doesn't make it to any area that is safe. Now I am super sick, have a 4 year old right along with me and I have carpet to clean.

It's not been much fun here the past few days. I hope this all passes quickly.

What an Incredible 2 Weeks!

What a whirlwind! The past couple of weeks have just flown by and now we are back from vacation and back to reality.



Bill got home for his midtour R&R on 10/27. He was exhausted but in great spirits. He was so excited to be home on US soil and to see the boys. Ian was at school when Bill actually got into the airport so Aaron and I went to pick him up. Aaron was a bit shy at first, but warmed up pretty quickly. We brought Bill home for a quick shower and then ran to Logan's for a quick bite to eat. We then went to pick Ian up from school. Ian had no idea that his daddy was already home. I walked into the classroom holding Aaron like normal and Bill stood in the doorway. Ian happened to be seated facing the door and looked up and saw Bill and said, "Daddy?" with a very puzzled sound to his voice. He then repeated "Daddy?" with a little more vigor and Bill smiled. Then Ian jumped out of his seat and exclaimed "DADDY!" and ran to get a hug. The rest of the boys in Ian's class started dancing a jig and chanting "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..." It was chaos and so funny. I'm sure the teacher appreciated that one! LOL



The next couple of days we spent getting ready to go to Florida. Bill went out to lunch with a friend, we went out to dinner for my birthday to Boston's and celebrated with birthday cookies since we knew we'd be eating a lot of cake over the next week or so.



On Thursday, Ian went to school and we prepared for Ian's Super Heroes party. It was supposed to be outside at the park, but the weather just wasn't cooperating so we moved it to the house. It was a bit chaotic, but it worked out well. I counted 39 or 40 people and we had "super hero" sandwiches (6' submarine), chicken tenders, veggie tray, chips, sodas, water and Capri Suns. The kids had a ball wearing their super hero capes and masks and playing with the stomp rockets! We had a huge pinata, cake and presents. The party was a huge success and Ian had so much fun!



Friday we got up and finished our last minute preps for vacation and headed to the airport in Austin. We had a direct flight to Tampa on Southwest. It was slightly delayed, but we were only late by about 40 minutes. We picked up our rental minivan and met Mimi and Chief for dinner at Maggianos. YUM. (Thank you Mimi and Chief). The boys were tired, but we stopped at the local Walgreen's for diapers and few odds and ends and then drove to our timeshare in Orlando. We stayed in a 2 bedroom/2bath place and had lots of room to spread out. We put the boys to bed and we retired soon thereafter.



Saturday we got up and had a lazy morning relaxing before heading over to the Orlando airport to pick up Grandma and Papaw Hoagland. They came down from Indiana to spend a few days with us. They were pretty tired from having to get up so early so we just decided to go back to the room to let them get settled and to let the boys have some downtime. Bill and I went to pick up the remainder of the groceries we needed for the week and came home to prepare dinner. After dinner, Ian, Bill and I went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. Aaron stayed with Grandma and Papaw and so we go to go on some fun rides with Ian since he is now 40 inches and able to go. We met up with some of my friends from college, The Kolmans and enjoyed trick-or-treating and going on rides with them. We got back in late and were really tired, but it was fun!



Sunday we got up and we all went to Disney's Animal Kingdom. We had a great time going on the safari, riding rides, and seeing the show The Lion King. We also saw a lot of the characters and got some pictures with them. Grandma and Ian were wearing their Happy Birthday buttons and got free chocolate cake at lunch! That evening Grandma and Papaw were on babysitting detail and Bill and I were able to go out for the evening. We went to Downtown Disney and rode the balloon ride, ate dinner and just had a nice time shopping. (Thanks to Grandma and Papaw for taking care of the boys.)



On Monday, Grandma and Papaw wanted to go to the Holyland Experience. We all headed over there and saw some of their shows. We went through the Scriptorium that houses old scrolls and Bibles and ate lunch there. It had changed quite a bit in the past 7 years since my mom and I had gone. That evening we had a small birthday party for Ian. He had a white cake with raspberry filling and got a hunting game that you plug into the TV. He loved it and he and Papaw had a great time playing it.



Tuesday morning we got up and went to Epcot. It was an overcast day so it wasn't super hot and we got lucky that it never did rain on us even though it threatened to all day long. We rode several rides. Ian loved Test Track and rode that a couple of times. We also rode SOARIN' which he still is talking about. We also saw several characters and got several more pictures with them.



Wednesday we got up and took Grandma and Papaw back to the airport so that they could go back to Indiana. We had a great time with them! Afterwards, we went to Hollywood Studios. They have really changed that park to be more kid friendly and we really had a great time. Ian and Bill went on Star Tours. We saw lots of Pixar characters, ate lunch at Pizza Planet, went on Toy Story Mania, saw a stunt show and went into the Animation studio where we hit the jackpot on seeing characters and playing with their technology. Ian even rode the Tower of Terror twice and was frightened and thrilled all at the same time. (He calls it the Tower of Terrorists.) We went back to the room exhausted from such a fun day!



Thursday we got up and went to the Magic Kingdom. Ian rode Big Thunder Mountain a couple of times, went on Splash Mountain and went to see the princesses. The teacups were closed for maintenance which was disappointing. We were glad that he got a chance to do those at the Halloween party. We had lunch at Pecos Bill's and then went to ride the flying Dumbos and Peter Pan. We went back to the room and Mimi and Chief came for the next couple of nights. We planned on going to Fantasmic to see the light show and Mimi and Chief offered to keep Aaron so we could take Ian. (A BIG thank you for watching him since we know he wouldn't have had much fun at the show.) We got out of the show late, but Ian wanted a snack so we headed to Downtown Disney. He noticed the TREX restaurant so we indulged him since it was his birthday. He loved all the dinosaurs and had volcanic cake!



Friday was Ian's 4th birthday. We woke up and went to the Magic Kingdom for breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends at the Crystal Palace. It was breakfast buffet and we feasted on Mickey waffles and all sorts of eggs, bacon, sausage, pastries, juice, etc. The characters come around to each table for photo ops and they staff knew it was Ian's birthday so they brought him a cupcake with a candle to blow out. We had a good time. We headed back to the room afterwards to pick up Mimi and Chief and went back to Hollywood Studios. We had fun seeing the Indiana Jones show, the stunt show, saw the Beauty and the Beast show, went on the Backlot tour, saw Mickey again and had a great time the whole day. We went out to dinner at BW3.



Saturday we woke up and had to check out of our room. We had to hurry since Daddy made us a huge breakfast and we had to be out of there by 10am. We made it in the nick of time. Mimi and Chief headed back to Tampa and we went over to Downtown Disney. Ian received a 68 dollar giftcard to spend from Disney for his birthday since he didn't need a ticket. (Disney's big promotion this year was free admission on your birthday so they gave him the price of a ticket on a giftcard.) Ian bought a snowglobe, a Star Wars gun, stickers, a red Mickey shirt and a Donald Duck for his brother. We stopped at McDonalds on the way out of town and headed over to Tampa to Mimi and Chief's house.



Saturday evening we had a birthday party for everyone. Mimi and Chief had iceream cake and steaks and all sorts of yumminess! We opened gifts and retired full and happy. Thank you for all the lovely presents!



Sunday, Bill and I went to the Buccaneers game and the boys stayed with Mimi and Chief. The Bucs hadn't won a game this season up to that point and so we went thinking it might not be as fun as we had hoped earlier in the season. Boy were we pleasantly surprised! It was the throwback game so everyone was wearing the "creamcicle" jerseys/shirts. It was a sea of orange dreamcicles! The Bucs rallied and beat the Packers and the crowd was so into it. It was so much fun. I'm so glad that Bill got to see his team win when he was home. Thanks so much to Mimi and Chief for babysitting. It meant a lot to Bill to get to see the game and it meant a lot to me to be able to go enjoy it with him!



Monday rolled around and we packed up our stuff and headed to the airport. We flew back to Austin and stopped at Chuy's for dinner. The boys fell asleep on the way home.



Tuesday Ian went back to school and Bill worked on completing the "honey do" list. We met up with his buddy Steve for dinner at Pluckers.



Wednesday was Bill's last full day here. We went and got family photos taken and took the boys to Chuck E Cheese. They had a grand time running around and it was nice to see such smiles. We came home and Bill had to start getting things packed up to leave.



Bill's flight left Thursday morning. We all took him to the airport. The boys and I sat with him in the little restaurant part until he has called to go through the security check point. We were super sad to see him go, but know that he has a job to do. We will miss him and are counting down the 22 weeks that he has left in his deployment.

Go check out my friend Shelley's Blog

Shelley's blog

1st Annual Birthday Trivia Post

My friend, Susan from Cheerios in my Shorts, a inspired this post. She celebrated her birthday a few days ago and I think her annual useless trivia is just the thing I should post on my 35th birthday. So here goes! 35 useless things that you didn't need to know about me.

1. I love to travel. My passport as dust on it. I really am dying to dust it off, but am afraid it is going to expire before I get a chance. Guess I'll have to apply for another one!

2. I can't use a pen if the cap is missing.

3. My first car was a 1984 Dodge Omni. I paid 200 dollars for the car and 200 dollars for a transmission to put in it. I paid for it with money that I earned at my first real job.

4. My first real job was working at McDonald's. I was 16 and I was saving money for a trip to France.

5. In college when I was desperate for money, I took a job telemarketing cemetery plots. You haven't had a job as bad as this. No one likes to be interrupted to be talked to about death, especially during dinner time.

6. I drove myself to the hospital when I went into labor with Ian. My husband was out doing field exercises and I was scared. When the hospital staff finally decided to check me, I was dilated to 8cm already.

7. I love to host playdates, but I loathe the nerves that come trying to make sure everything is great.

8. I have a very melancholy side to my personality that most people don't know about. My sensitive side gets the better of me more than I care to admit.

9. I am super competitive and love to "smack talk." I especially love going to work on the days after the Cowboys lose! LOL

10. Motherhood is by far the most humbling experience in my life.

11. I only dislike 2 foods. Olives and beet roots. I'll try anything else.

12. I love shoes and handbags. Forget the jewelry. Bring me a new handbag and shoes and I'll love you forever.

13. I met my best friend in kindergarten. Nothing beats a lifelong friendship and we can pick up right where we left off every single time.

14. I would rather have a pumpkin pie for my birthday over a birthday cake even as a little girl. My mother has plenty of pictures to prove this fact.

15. I can speak enough Hebrew to get around Israel pretty well, understand enough Arabic to be dangerous and can speak French well enough to make some believe that I know what I am talking about. LOL. I get rusty, so I like to brush up these skills occasionally.

16. I am a girl who loves math and science. It thrills me when I see girls pursue careers in these areas.

17. I grew up in a very small town in Indiana. The sign outside the town really says this. "Welcome to Hillsboro, the town of 600 Happy People and a Few Old Soreheads." 600 people don't even live there anymore.

18. I am a Bulldog. A Butler Bulldog.

19. I met my husband via the internet though not in the conventional way. I like to say it was seredipity. He randomly instant messaged me and I had a lapse in judgment and responded. The rest is history.

20. My outloud voice has a name. It's Frank. If you know me, you know why.

21. I hate to be told that I can't. I will do just about anything to prove you wrong if you say it to me.

22. My shoe size has increased with each pregnancy. I wore an 8 before Ian. And 8.5 after Ian and now am the proud owner of size 9 shoes. UGH.

23. I sing in the car to the radio and know that people have to think I am nuts when they pull up next to me.

24. I only had 3 wisdom teeth. I wonder what else is missing sometimes!

25. You will never get me to skydive or bungee jump. Quit asking. It's NOT happening!

26. I sometimes wish I had just gone on to medical school and then I have someone show me their nasty boob rash and thank God that HE kept me from pursuing that path.

27. I have an uncanny eye for details. My mom used to get so annoyed with me when I would point out something new in the house that she hadn't told my father about yet. My grandmother had that same knack.

28. I love witty puns.

29. I snore and talk/eat in my sleep. Fair warning if we ever have to share a hotel room!

30. I hate when I don't have the complete "set" of something and it drives me insane until I find every piece.

31. I do not like sugary cereal at all. Blech.

32. I hate having my toes touched. My feet are just way too ticklish.

33. I ran a half marathon when I was 9 weeks pregnant with Ian.

34. I was the first girl from my high school to run cross country.

35. I can't believe I am 35. I feel like I'm about 25!

He's Home!

My husband completed his journey home to us today! He even got in 4 hours before he was originally scheduled and I was thrilled to meet him at the airport along with Aaron. Aaron was a little hesitant about his daddy, but he's starting to warm up. I was able to bring Bill home for a nice shower while Aaron took a nap before heading to Logan's for lunch. We then hit up Walmart before going to Ian's school to pick him up.

Ian was sitting at the table working on his "E" worksheet when Aaron and I walked in. Bill followed, but stood in the doorway. Sweet Ian looked up at him in disbelief and said very hesitantly "Daddy?" He then asked again looking for a little more reassurance, "DADDY?" Bill then smiled at him and Ian's face lit up and he screamed "DAAAADDDDYYYYY!!!" It was so awesome! He ran over to him and gave him a big hug and then all the boys in the class proceeded to do the dance of joy as Bill chased them around the class. I'm sure the teacher appreciated that one. (She's a military wife so she understands!)

Ian has been on Cloud 9 all day. He can't get enough of Daddy and Aaron is starting to follow in his big brother's lead. We've spent most of the day resting and trying to let Bill just take it easy.

Tomorrow is my "mid life crisis" birthday. That's been the joke at work, at least. (It's only #35!) I have no big plans except to enjoy my complete family! It's been a long six months and I can't think of a better gift.

We did receive word today that our initial home study was accepted as passing and we are now ready to go for fingerprinting. They are forwarding the cards and we both should be able to get that done while Bill is home. I believe we both have to have physicals done, too.