Just For You, Grandma Pat!

About 15 minutes from our house is a really great park with several play-scapes, a pond, and some alligators. You can even rent paddle boats and kayaks, but we have seen the alligators and the pond isn't that big so why the hell would you do that?!?!

ANYWAY, we have only been to that park one time that we weren't the only family there. It's amazing. The kids get free reign and I can sit in the shade and not worry about them. Several weeks ago we went on a picnic there with G's school bestie, Nolan, and I took a few shots of him playing. He was a little hyper but these pretty much sum him up.

HHI

A few weeks ago our dearest friends made the drive from MA down here for a visit. They stayed with us a few nights, then went up to Hilton Head, then we met them there for their last few days in the area. And fun.was.had. Here are a few pics of our people on our little getaway.

I mean, why not start out the day with a smile? And those jammies...

Frolicking in the baby pool!

On the first day, Erik was gone so she swam with Dave. We decided on a little tough love. This was the product the next day...

Here she was loosening up a bit.

Erik honestly has a tan line from her hands around his neck

These flew over and the boys started screaming "PTERODACTYLS!!!!"

 

Deluxe Baby Accomodations

In re the above pic:

Erik and Dave have been friends since around junior high, and then Dave's wife Vickie joined the crew in high school. Obviously, I was very late to that party.

 One night as the TEN of us piled in to an elevator to go down to dinner - with our combined HALF A DOZEN CHILDREN, I asked them if they ever thought this could ever possibly be their future. I wasn't that introspective in high school (and I didn't want children) so a family vacation for TEN was NOT on my radar then, and apparently it wasn't on theirs either because they just said all they really thought about was the next party and who was hosting. I just think it's so funny and neat that they've all seen each other through so many phases of life. I really envy that and am so grateful that they've accepted me with open arms into their little group.

_____

On the second night, Grant and Dave were feeling under the weather. We were going to roast marshmallows at the fire pit and take the kids swimming after dark, but Erik had class at 7 online and by the time that was over Grant and Dave were in their respective beds shivering off a fever. The compromise was to roast mallows at 10AM the day that we left. The pics aren't as good as they could have been, but fun was had regardless.

She never effing smiles for the camera!

My photographers assistant.

She got sick of waiting and went straight for the crackers.

Rendered cross-eyed by the deliciousness.

The resort also had one of these super cool chess/checkers boards. The kids were amazed!

Daddy was leaving for a few weeks after we got home, so we took the opportunity for some pics. I wish I would have turned the camera on myself! G was still feeling under the weather. He came home and slept the afternoon away. I have since determined he was in the early phases of Roseola.

Did I mention that she never smiles for the camera? Her entire life so far has her looking like a deer in headlights.

As an aside, Dave and Vickie came to visit us the most when we were in HI. I think they came an average of every 4 months, even if Erik was deployed. Hilton Head is really pretty. But we all agreed - it ain't Hawaii.

As another aside, if I can offer advice to anyone about anything it will now be to take vacations at resorts that you NEVER HAVE TO LEAVE. We have A HALF A DOZEN CHILDREN. No one wanted to go to the damn car. And thank God we didn't have to. The Omni on Hilton Head has EVERYTHING!

Someone Has a Lazy Mommy

It's this guy. The one with the huge cheeks.

He loves food so much he doesn't even make a mess!

The one who is seven months old and has barely had table food.

Because seriously, that is A LOT of work that I can't really deal with doing at this moment. (See post about extraordinarily clingy baby)

But I kind of got my act together about 10 days ago and started giving him rice cereal. Otherwise known as the most disgusting gelatinous crap on the planet. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he kept putting it away. So on Saturday we started giving him "real" food since I knew I needed to get that show on the road prior to Erik leaving or he'd miss the spectacle.

It took a few days to get Nash really on board, but holy cow is he into it now! Last night he probably consumed an entire half cup of the stuff.

Is it weird that I'm sentimental about the fact my other two kids started out on carrots and he didn't?

Untitled

85% of my day is spent holding a baby or listening to said baby cry. The last 15% is reserved for when the baby sleeps, which, as far as infants go, is NOT very often. And when he does sleep, it's short lived because of his sister wanting to kiss on him or his brother's ridiculously hectic schedule of school and soccer. (Okay, that doesn't sound like much, but seriously, all I do is drive that kid places! And letting full day school out at 2:30 craps on everyone's afternoon, Georgia!)

Anyway, I don't mind holding him, as I'm really trying to soak up his baby-hood since we're pretty sure he'll be the last baby, but sometimes things have to get done and that usually involves him wailing. Not just fussing. Freaking the hell out. Which makes my milk let down and cause what I can only describe as mild to moderate electric shocks you-know-where. Lovely, huh? This is also the time in which one or both of my other children decide to have in-depth conversations with me and/or attempt to tear each other limb from limb.

Imagine my surprise when I laid him down this afternoon after picking up G, clicked on a show for the big kids (I admit it!) and sat down at the computer to organize photos off my camera - with ZERO argument from the baby. In fact, he's been playing quietly for the better part of an hour. And by "playing quietly" I mean desperately wishing he could crawl toward the toys instead of rolling and stretching and rolling and stretching.

I kind of wish I had chosen something more exciting to fill this time with besides file organizing.

Erik is gone for awhile and I have an ongoing list of honey do's for myself. Isn't that cute? That I think I'll get MORE done because my husband is gone? Riiiiight.

Picture Preview

The other day I had my kids pictures taken and just got the sneak peek. A photographer we love (that had moved away) was in town and offering half-hour sessions at the last minute. We still had their cute matchy-matchy outfits from Easter (though admittedly Nash had to be squeezed into his even then) so I jumped on board.

It's like a cruel game trying to get 3 kids to look at a camera while an (imaginary) timer ticks away. A joke even.

One kid looks when you sing Let it Go.
One kid looks when you sing a special song we made up called "Smash Mash Crash"

(("Smash, mash, crash,

Wonderific you're terrific

Smash, mash, crash,

Wonderific, you're terrific

NASH!"))

One kid looks all the time, but can't be bothered to smile anything but the biggest cheeserific smile you've ever seen, even though he's got the sweetest smile on the planet.

And they ALL wanted to run around the big, lush, green, gorgeous field and pick wildflowers and weeds instead of sitting and taking pictures.

Let me tell you, letting one sibling run and play while the other one gets individual shots taken does NOT solve this issue. It just doesn't.

See that super adorable girl there? She's the WORST at having her picture taken.
She doesn't want to do it, she doesn't want to smile and she can't be bargained with, begged or threatened. Just no.

This little sweetie though, he's as sweet and cooperative as he looks! Unless it's between the hours of 12AM and 5AM.

By the time this one (which was a product of P hiding and a very skilled photographer) I was ready for a cocktail.

Soccer and Self Esteem

As a parent, you try your hardest to build your kids up. But it's possible I've gone too far.

G has started playing soccer with the Y league. The kids on his team range from ages 3 to 5, and some are first timers, some are second timers and some (like he) are third timers. Now, let's be honest. The first few go-arounds with team sports at such a young age are so much more about socialization and *not* staring at the birds and shapes of clouds in the sky and more on the ball. I get that and we have definitely gone through that ourselves.

At the first practice I wasn't sure what to expect. He hasn't exactly been known for his focus or attention span. But I was pleasantly surprised. He wasn't well focused because he was busy meeting all the new kids but Erik has been working with him and he's got some serious power behind his kick!

HOWEVER

At the second practice he began announcing to everyone that he was the best player. "Stand back guys, this is going to be the best kick all day!!!!!""I'm the best!! Check this out!!!! I'm smart too, you know." So now we're working on that. Because (and I see my kids clearly, people, so this isn't just mom talking...) he really is one of the best players on the team. So he seems extra douch-y announcing his mad skillz on the field. Is it wrong to say your kid seems douch-y? Probably. But if someone else's kid was making these statements, I might think the same about him, so.... You know me, I like to call a spade a spade. ;)

So at the third practice, during our pre-practice pep-talk, when I'm usually recounting our plan "focus on coach" and "talk with the kids afterward" and "be a good example to the younger players" I have to now add in "You're an EXCELLENT player, but it's not nice to point it out over and over and over...."

But really, soccer is going super well this year. They're the Pirates. The Pirates with the most patient coach on the planet. Because let's talk about what a crappy job that would be. Noooo thanks. God bless people who like other peoples children! Teachers and volunteer coaches make the world to 'round!

Surely you recognize that blonde-headed number 10 there. 

Church

So we've been attending the church on post here for about a year. It took a LOOOONG time before P would be dropped off at the nursery without a barrage of tears, but we've made it there somehow - although sometimes she still overs her eyes with the back of her hand when we get to the nursery door. And G goes to children's church, though if I'm being honest, I'm not sure he likes it. Part of me understands, I'm bad about not taking them when Erik is gone, so we only go a few times a month so he's not comfortable there yet. Maybe he'd feel better if I was better.

Anyway, two Sundays ago we went to pick him up and the teacher comes out and says "I don't know what you're doing at home..." and I'm thinking "Oh, holy crap. Gonna have to find a new church..." and Erik later told me he started to open his mouth to say "I'm so sorry!!!" but then the teacher continued with "but he is the first to answer all my questions and he's so knowledgeable about the bible!"

Yeah, lady, I don't know what we're doing either. I thought he pretty much only knew about David and Goliath. Maybe we're better than I thought!

Month of the Military Child

Every month is the month of something, and if I'm honest, I think it's kind of overkill. BUT... This month is the month of the Military Child and of course, I can get behind that. Since I'm mostly writing this for my own "military" children, obviously.

I saw this online the other day and I've printed it for the notebooks I keep for them (note to self, it's time to start one for N, slacker!) and I wanted to share it too. It's so beautiful! I can't credit it with certainty, but I pulled it from the Chameleon Kids FB page. I hope in 20 years, this is exactly how my babies feel.

I hope my children will grow-up to know:

They lived a life like no other.

It was hard,

But there was adventure,

There was sacrifice,

But there was beauty.

For now, I want to help them focus on, 

how challenge can help them grow,

Not how it will beat them down.

Then one day, 

when someone asks them where they grew up,

they'll be able to say:

My home? It was everywhere.

I was a military kid. 

It wasn't always easy,

But I wouldn't have wanted it any other way

Guess Whose Back (back, back, back).... Back Again...

Oh God I miss the 90's.

Yes, I'm back!

I still feel like blogging is the ultimate form of self importance, but I'm a terrible record keeper (as we've discussed ad nauseum) AND I think this will be a better way for me to keep far away family up to date on the happenings around here. SO... Probably a lot less snark and intellectual thoughts than I was known for in the past (HA!) but a lot more pics of cute kids.

I have been trying to get back on here for about a month actually, but OMG I have all these kids. And a dog. And a husband. And probably some plant dying in the corner. Things are hectic. I just feel like we're in constant chaos. I don't even actually have a post planned here, but everyone is napping and I saw this as my chance. If I don't start, I never will.

Last week I ventured up to Watertown, NY to spend a few days with my BFF. I took only the baby, so it was pretty much like having a vacation. You know, because he doesn't talk or ask a million questions. He actually barely makes any noise at all unless he's mad and he really only gets mad if his feet are touching something while he's trying to eat. P was like that too. It's SO ANNOYING! He screams in fury just the way she did. I also didn't have to travel with ANY baby gear, because her kiddo is a toddler so all the baby stuff was available at her house. I took ONE (yes, one) suitcase.

We had a super great time and while I was gone Erik took the big kids hiking and to a toddler time at a national park about an hour away. While they were painting at Toddler Time I was IN A COFFEE SHOP, SURROUNDED BY GROWN-UPS, DISCUSSING A BOOK. (((I wrote that in regular font to start out and then I decided it was probably the biggest part of the post, so I went back and capitalized it. BECAUSE I WAS IN A COFFEE SHOP, SURROUNDED BY WOMEN (and babies, but they don't count) AND WE WERE DISCUSSING A BOOK WE HAD ALL READ.))) All of us. We made time to read the same book. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called a book club. I think it's what happens when you have lots of friends and not a million children, a husband, a dog and I don't know what else that keeps me from doing this sort of thing regularly. It. Was. Amazing. Whenever I think of that little jaunt up north, I definitely think I'm going to think of that morning at Crissy Beans in Watertown. Eating my coffee, nursing my baby, talking about a book and harkening back to my more fabulous days. My hair wasn't even in a ponytail! You guys, it was fantastic. I felt so carefree. But I sure did miss those babies I was getting picture texts of all morning.  I'd include the pics here, but my phone is upstairs and N is asleep and I am just not going in there until I have to.

Oh wait, I have to. Pipes just woke up.

So there we go. Re-entry to blogging, Volume 3, Issue 1, DONE! :)

(((HI PAT!!!)))