If I don't write these down now they will be lost forever and that would be a crying shame.
Today Gunnar asked me "Mommy, did you know that one of Jesus' special powers is that he's basketful?" When I asked him what that meant he said "It means he's really good at basketball".
While I was tucking P into bed G, who was supposed to be tucked into his own bed, came frantically running into her room to announce "Mommy, there was a huge jet outside my window". When I asked him how he saw the jet since he was supposed to be in his bed he gave me a furrowed eyebrow and said "I was out of my bed doing my robot dance".
We were having a conversation about animals that it is not safe to go near and G named lions. Then he said "But God will protect us from lions". I was thinking about how to respond and he asked "Only Daniel?". I was thinking for another minute and I could tell that he knew he had stumped me when he said "well, if I ever go near a lion I'll just wear sticky shoes so that I can walk on the roof and get away".
Later, we were having a conversation about some new rules that we will have once the new baby gets here. When I was telling him that "we" don't touch her face he interjected with "and we don't pick her nose"...
Seriously, what a mystery the four year old brain is...
Monday, June 13, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
A Humbling Conversation
This morning I was totally wrapped up in some task when my mom brain realized that Gunnar had gotten down from the table without being excused. The following conversation ensued...
Me: Gunnar, get back up to the table and finish your breakfast.
G: How did you know I got down?
Me: Because I'm the mom and I know everything.
Several minutes pass, during which G is dutifully eating his yogurt and watching our neighbors from the diningroom window.
G: Mom, do you know those neighbors? What are their names?
(Even though I don't know ANY of our neighbors, I look out to see exactly which neighbors he is talking about)
Me: No, sweetie, I don't.
G: See, so you don't know everything.
Who is more humbling than a four year old?
Me: Gunnar, get back up to the table and finish your breakfast.
G: How did you know I got down?
Me: Because I'm the mom and I know everything.
Several minutes pass, during which G is dutifully eating his yogurt and watching our neighbors from the diningroom window.
G: Mom, do you know those neighbors? What are their names?
(Even though I don't know ANY of our neighbors, I look out to see exactly which neighbors he is talking about)
Me: No, sweetie, I don't.
G: See, so you don't know everything.
Who is more humbling than a four year old?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Bad Mom Moments
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that all mom's have bad mom moments. My worst bad mom moment is so embarrassing that years later I still haven't shared it with anyone but my husband. Anyway. I feel like deployment makes these moments more frequent and then (in true deployment mom guilt mode) I overanalyze them. Even in the short period of time that John has been gone, I feel like there have been a million bad mom moments. So, what's a mom to do but share her bad mom moments? Here are a few of the ones that I have chalked up in the last two weeks.
- The other night I fell asleep with the t.v. on (sometimes the silence in the night is just too much) and I woke up at about 1 a.m. to find G sitting in my bed intently watching American Pickers. I have no idea how long he was there before I woke up.
- Approximately 5 times have I gotten into the car and put it in gear before G has yelled, at the top of his lungs, "I'M NOT BUCKLED IN". (Note -- I've never driven with him unbuckled, so don't freak out).
- The other day I was vacuuming and there was a dime on the floor. I told G to come pick it up and put it "away" with the money he takes to offering on Sunday. Instead of making sure that he did it, like I normally do, I went back to vacuuming only to have P walk up a few minutes later and say "Mommy, Gunnar gave me some money and I put it in my mouth and now I can't find it". That's right, ladies and gentlemen, she swallowed it.
- When I was doing laundry yesterday I realized that the kids pajamas outnumbered their day clothes 2 to 1. We have to get out more.
There you have it, some of my best and brightest moments.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
All About Gunnar
I know that it's hard to believe, but four years ago today I first held my baby boy. Gunnar took four years of fertility treatment, just over $47,000, and a miracle from God to conceive. It's hard to believe that at this point we have had him for just as long as we tried for him.
We could not be more blessed to have him, so todays thankful list is all about Gunnar, so here goes.
When it comes to Gunnar I am thankful...
48. for his capacity for compassion -- G hates to see other people sad and everytime he sees me cry (even happy tears) he sheds a few tears of his and wants to know what he can do to make it better.
49. that his sister is his best friend -- G & P may argue and bicker like all brothers and sisters, but they hate being apart and G revels in making P laugh.
50. for his giving heart -- today G got a birthday card from Aunt Nancy with two $5 bills in it. Immediately, he looked at P and said "look Patton, one for you and one for me, isn't that exciting?".
51. that he is his fathers son -- not only is G a spitting image of John, but he also shares most of his habits and tendencies, which ensures that he will grow up to be an amazing man.
52. for his love for God -- I am often humbled by the way that G loves God and the way that he lives that out.
53. for his sense of humor -- just like his dad, not a day goes by when G doesn't make me laugh until my stomach hurts.
54. that God picked me to be his mom.
We could not be more blessed to have him, so todays thankful list is all about Gunnar, so here goes.
When it comes to Gunnar I am thankful...
48. for his capacity for compassion -- G hates to see other people sad and everytime he sees me cry (even happy tears) he sheds a few tears of his and wants to know what he can do to make it better.
49. that his sister is his best friend -- G & P may argue and bicker like all brothers and sisters, but they hate being apart and G revels in making P laugh.
50. for his giving heart -- today G got a birthday card from Aunt Nancy with two $5 bills in it. Immediately, he looked at P and said "look Patton, one for you and one for me, isn't that exciting?".
51. that he is his fathers son -- not only is G a spitting image of John, but he also shares most of his habits and tendencies, which ensures that he will grow up to be an amazing man.
52. for his love for God -- I am often humbled by the way that G loves God and the way that he lives that out.
53. for his sense of humor -- just like his dad, not a day goes by when G doesn't make me laugh until my stomach hurts.
54. that God picked me to be his mom.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
About Alaska
I'm pretty sure that so far I have done nothing but sing Alaska's praises. Rightfully so. It's pretty awesome here. But, there are a few things that I really, really, really dislike. Not to give an unbiased review of the place, should any of my friends decide that this is a good time to move to Alaska, here is a quick list of things that stink about the state: 1.Alaska is not technology friendly. This means that your internet is limited, you will likely not get cell service inside your house, and your home phone will sound like you are talking to someone who is on Mars. 2.Alaska is not coupon maniac friendly. This irritates me to no end. 3.Even with WalMart and Fred Meyer, supply and variety are limited. With just about nine weeks left until Baby R makes her appearance, I have yet to find a store that carries the bottles that fit my breastpump. A bit too much information, I'm sure, but it makes me mad and I had to write it. 4.In light of item #3, internet shopping is a must, but be prepared to spend an arm and a leg on shipping. I wanted to order Baby R a car seat from Target. Shipping was $109. No kidding. 5.Customer service stinks. At restaurants. At stores. Even at the tax place. Do not expect fast or friendly service. Ever. In spite of all these things, Alaska is still awesome. If you're reading this, you should move here...
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
A Lesson
I've said this before and I'll say it again and again -- no matter how many Bible studies I complete, how much time I devote to God in the early morning hours, or how many Sundays I sit in a pew, the biggest faith lessons often come from my kids. Last night was a good example.
On this move, with the expectation of the new baby, G gave up his toddler bed to P, who in turn gave up her crib to R. This left G with what was previously our guest bed -- a queen. So, John being John, last night he taught G how to run and do a somersault onto the bed. While it's fun to have a dad like John that teaches little boys to do things that will inevitably lead to an ER visit, his timing wasn't the best because it was right before bed and it was a bit tough to get G to settle down enough for his bedtime routine. Eventually he got settled down enough to read and pray. When it was his turn to pray he started off normally "Thank you for this day, thank you for this family, thank you for everything"...and then suddenly his eyes popped open and he said "God, watch this", after which he promptly jumped up, ran to the other side of the room and somersaulted onto the bed before calmly sitting back down and saying "and Jesus' people said, Amen".
G was so excited about what he had learned to do that he actively invited God to watch him do it, and then he was confident that God indeed had his eyes on him, giving him His full attention while he demonstrated.
I'm pretty sure there is a lesson for me to learn there...
"And He said "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven" - Matthew 18:3
On this move, with the expectation of the new baby, G gave up his toddler bed to P, who in turn gave up her crib to R. This left G with what was previously our guest bed -- a queen. So, John being John, last night he taught G how to run and do a somersault onto the bed. While it's fun to have a dad like John that teaches little boys to do things that will inevitably lead to an ER visit, his timing wasn't the best because it was right before bed and it was a bit tough to get G to settle down enough for his bedtime routine. Eventually he got settled down enough to read and pray. When it was his turn to pray he started off normally "Thank you for this day, thank you for this family, thank you for everything"...and then suddenly his eyes popped open and he said "God, watch this", after which he promptly jumped up, ran to the other side of the room and somersaulted onto the bed before calmly sitting back down and saying "and Jesus' people said, Amen".
G was so excited about what he had learned to do that he actively invited God to watch him do it, and then he was confident that God indeed had his eyes on him, giving him His full attention while he demonstrated.
I'm pretty sure there is a lesson for me to learn there...
"And He said "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven" - Matthew 18:3
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Short Notice
When John went to Iraq during the initial invasion we got 12 hours notice that he would be leaving. Literally. He called me at work the minute I walked in the door and I dropped him in the gym parking lot at 9 o'clock that night. The American military (some of them our dear friends from the 173rd Airborne, which we had just left four months earlier) had been on the ground in Iraq for less than two weeks, so we had no idea what the communication would be like, much less when John would be back.
When he went to Afghanistan in 2009 we got three weeks notice. We had been at Fort Carson for about six months when John came home one day and told me that he was leaving for Afghanistan within in the month, and truer words had never been spoken. He was gone in three weeks.
As bad as that may sound to be taken by surprise by a deployment, I've come to learn that short notice can be a good thing. In fact, short notice may earn the title of "my new best friend".
When we found out that we were coming to Fort Wainwright last November we implored a friend of ours to make a few phone calls and find out what the deployment scheduled looked like for the units here, so that we would know what were headed into. We found out that a deployment loomed in the April/May timeframe. Six months removed from that deployment I thought "okay, I can deal with that", because really, what other choice do I have? Exactly. None.
So, now here we are, settling in to life in Alaska. A full week into March. Deployment is definitely looming large.
If John were to leave May 1st, he would only have been home for 11 months between deployments. This isn't unheard of in the Army, as many of my friends know and have experienced, but it's not fun. He will miss G's birthday two years in a row, a whole new round of other birthdays and celebrations and milestones. Oh, and the birth of our child. I know that this sounds like I am complaining, but I hope that you will hear my heart and know that I am not complaining about these things that are inherent to CHOOSING the Army life (because let no one lie to you, everyone in the military today has volunteered to serve during a time of war). Really, I am lamenting about the six months that I was given to think about all of those things. The extended period of time that I have been given in which to pretend that everything is normal, when in reality this big pink elephant named Deployment is following me from room to room.
I'm not sure that I like the long notice. Twelve months is long enough to dwell over the possibilities, the damages, the distance. Who needs these extra months?
When he went to Afghanistan in 2009 we got three weeks notice. We had been at Fort Carson for about six months when John came home one day and told me that he was leaving for Afghanistan within in the month, and truer words had never been spoken. He was gone in three weeks.
As bad as that may sound to be taken by surprise by a deployment, I've come to learn that short notice can be a good thing. In fact, short notice may earn the title of "my new best friend".
When we found out that we were coming to Fort Wainwright last November we implored a friend of ours to make a few phone calls and find out what the deployment scheduled looked like for the units here, so that we would know what were headed into. We found out that a deployment loomed in the April/May timeframe. Six months removed from that deployment I thought "okay, I can deal with that", because really, what other choice do I have? Exactly. None.
So, now here we are, settling in to life in Alaska. A full week into March. Deployment is definitely looming large.
If John were to leave May 1st, he would only have been home for 11 months between deployments. This isn't unheard of in the Army, as many of my friends know and have experienced, but it's not fun. He will miss G's birthday two years in a row, a whole new round of other birthdays and celebrations and milestones. Oh, and the birth of our child. I know that this sounds like I am complaining, but I hope that you will hear my heart and know that I am not complaining about these things that are inherent to CHOOSING the Army life (because let no one lie to you, everyone in the military today has volunteered to serve during a time of war). Really, I am lamenting about the six months that I was given to think about all of those things. The extended period of time that I have been given in which to pretend that everything is normal, when in reality this big pink elephant named Deployment is following me from room to room.
I'm not sure that I like the long notice. Twelve months is long enough to dwell over the possibilities, the damages, the distance. Who needs these extra months?
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