Woohoo!

I scored a 96 on my test!

D Day +1

Day 1--Abs accidentally overflowed the toilet. Not her fault, it's just old. Of course I thought she left the water on after washing her hands and sat there and listened to the gushing while contemplating what it was. Then it hit me. I ran back there to over an inch of water in the bathroom and hallway, and traveling fast. I yelled for Abs and as I am holding up the "thingy" inside and trying to plunge, she is getting all the towels and trying to stop the flow.

She saved the rest of the house, but we have used every towel we own. No big deal, I can wash.

The dryer isn't working very well, so it is taking hours to dry.

Damp, cold towels aren't so bad...sort of.

Wonder what Day 2 holds in store.

Erin told me about the Maine Troop Greeters and how they put up pictures of the Soldiers that pass through. Great!

Except Gunner went through Canada! Always has to be a little different.

Gone

See title.

Finally on take 4 they got it right. I think the long drawn out waiting, rescheduling, returning, rescheduling and waiting and waiting and waiting is the hardest.

More later.

What next...

I got a call today from Ab's teacher. Apparently she just couldn't manage to get anything done today. She gave me her cell phone number and asked me to call. I showed up instead.


Since it was raining and they couldn't go outside, there was little Abs wallowing on her desk with her head down not participating. Poor kiddo. I took her outside to talk to her. She informed me that her brain had more important things to think about today than what the teacher wanted her to do. I told her she could save those things to think about when she was not busy doing school work. Then I cleaned her absolutely filthy face, kissed her, talked to her teacher a bit and went on my way.


Not even an hour and a half later Gunner picked the girls up because Abs had a physical therapy appointment. What he was met with was his first grade daughter who had drawn a beard and a mustache on her face as well as colored her hands.

Good grief, what will this child think of next.

And these are the days of Ab's life.....I can't wait till she has a child of her own!!!

Counting Time

Obviously in order to practice good OPSEC I can't give more details, but we are down to counting time. Very little time. Not enough time. You get the picture.

We've been bums all weekend and enjoying all of Gunner's favorite foods. I don't think one of the foods is on WW, but I will be back on the program once he is gone. I couldn't deny him all the things that he will miss. Tonight we will have German food. Yum. Crepes for dessert.

I ordered the girls dog tags with a picture of them and their father. Once he deploys, the girls will be able to post a picture of their dad on the 'Wall of Heroes" up at school. A high school collected and donated teddy bears for each of the children at the girls' elem. school to have a bear once their father deploys.

Gunner HAS to pack tonight. He can't put it off any longer.

It's started....

Em is 10. Since she is growing like a weed and needed new clothes I thought we would run by Ross and see if we could find anything that we agreed upon that was on clearance. I HATE paying full price for anything.

We searched through the racks and as I would pull out something that was cute, tasteful and within our price range, Em would turn her nose up at it. Em on the other hand would pull out something that was not. My daughter is not going to wear a shirt that says "baby girl". She is not going to wear something that shows her tummy. And the nerve of me, she is not going to wear anything that says anything about how looks are more important than smarts, about how you must be dumb, I am better looking than you, I am cool, the list goes on and on and on. We never even found anything for her to take to the dressing room.

Gone are the days where I can choose her clothing and she will be happy. I am apparently not cool and do not have a good sense of fashion according to my pre-teen daughter. Thankfully she knows better than to pull out anything that does not cover her body parts! We call it the arm test--they have to raise their hands above their head and I don't want to see any belly buttons. Is that too much to ask?

I used to love Gymboree because we could always find something tasteful there. She's too big now. We looked online last night and agreed on absolutely nothing at almost every store. Surely there is a store out there that sells clothing for girls that is made for girls and not sex symbols?

On a side note, I checked Em's tennis shoes last night and the 7.5 women's size is not going to fit by summer. I think I was in high school or college before my feet were that big!

Spring?

Look what we woke up to this morning.

It hasn't snowed since last April.

Just because...

To go with yesterday's wordless wednesday pics. I wish I could see a little more of his baby blues, but I still love this shot.

Someone asked me if I wanted my son to be a Soldier too. I gave my usual response--he can do anything he wants AFTER college. Em wants to be a pop star but knows she has to go to college first and she wants to major in business so no one will try to take all of her money. Abs wants to be an inventer.

Speaking of Abs and inventing....I cleaned her room the other day. It's always an adventure to do that and this time was no different. Underneath her desk I found a pile of unwrapped pads stuck together in some kind of pattern. I shook my head and picked them up to throw them away. She screeched. I was throwing away something she invented. I was scared to ask what it was, but I did convince her that we could come up with a better medium for her to use on her creations.

We have school conferences today. I think Em is doing well, I don't hear anything too negative. She seems to be over her phase of doing nothing but reading during class time. She is in the middle of The Hobbit and is really enjoying that. Abs does well in school, but because her gross motor skills are delayed a bit her fine motor skills are not up to where they should be. That causes some hardship with handwriting, etc. Maybe they could let her spell out words using tampons?

Wordless Wednesday

I got my way!

My Favorite Day!

It's time to vote again in Texas.

Head Sensors

I got this article from Babcock's update. Gunner got this installed in his kevlar a few weeks ago. He came home and showed me and told me to "blog this". Abbie told me the other day that I needed to "blog about the pillows that made her sick"--no idea why she thinks it was her pillow.

Raider Brigade Soldiers first to field new HEADS Sensors
New technology to make future helmets safer

Spc. David Hodge
1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.
February 29, 2008

FORT HOOD, Texas – Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team will be among the first units of the 4th Infantry Division to receive the Head-born Energy Analysis and Diagnostic System Sensor and begin fielding the new technology while deployed to Baghdad. The sensor mounted inside the Army’s Advanced Combat Helmet will be worn by Raider Brigade Soldiers throughout their 15-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The technology surrounding the ballistic helmet is continually improved to lessen the trauma caused by cranial impacts that Soldiers face while operating on today’s battlefield, said Lt. Col. Rick Caya, executive officer, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. “The sensors help improve treatment of head injuries and development of next-generation combat helmets,” Caya said. The latest addition to the ACH will contribute to lessening the impact on Soldiers in the future, he added.

“The sensors provide the ability to help the U.S. Army improve a Soldier’s individual equipment system,” stated Caya, who hails from Waterloo, Iowa. “It’s a great opportunity to provide downrange feedback for the U.S. Army,” he said.

Although the sensors are not going to directly affect 1st BCT Soldiers during the deployment, the sensors will benefit future units by aiding researchers in developing better equipment and technology to assist Soldiers in combat, explained Caya. “If the Raider Brigade can help in that advancement process in any way, that would be great for Soldiers,” he added.

The six-ounce HEADS sensor is a small, undetectable piece of microchip technology surrounded by thin plastic composite that records traumatic disturbances to the helmet, said Caya. The HEADS sensor fits neatly under the crown pad of the ACH and contains a three-axis accelerometer and pressure sensor that detects sudden movements and percussion, explained Caya.

“We asked ourselves: ‘How can we make a better helmet to save the Soldier?” stated Steve Motoyama, the program manager for the company that designed the sensors. “The HEADS sensors will provide a good opportunity to make future helmets safer,” he added.

The 1st BCT is one of the first units in the U.S. Army to field the electronic technology in Iraq. These efforts ensure that future Soldiers remain the best equipped and best trained Soldiers in the world.

Traumatic Events

I hope that one day my children don't look back on the times that I tried to get a good family shot as a traumatic event. Yesterday Gunner got in uniform, dressed the kids and we headed to my mom's house. We then loaded up my mom and went towards the front of her retirement community, Sun City. We found a beautiful spot with water, rocks and trees. Enter from stage right three screeching children. They wanted to play in the water. They wanted to throw rocks in the water. There were rocks to hop on, hop across the water on. The sun was in their eyes. The rock was wet. They wanted to be in the shade. Eyes were squinted and threats were made. We gave up and left.

(Yes, everyone's eyes were closed in this shot)

We then headed to a park in the neighborhood thinking that it might easier (and with more shade) so we could get the perfect picture there. Junior didn't want his picture taken so Gunner held goldfish and would give him one to eat while I snapped away. I think in every picture there is a half eaten godfish making an appearance.

We decided to walk around the pond and down a trail a bit, which went through the golf course of senior citizens enjoying an afternoon round. That is until we found a tree to put the kids in. Gunner hoisted Em up and she got stuck and started screaming. We gave up that plan and kept walking.

A fallen log! We put the kids on the log and I started to snap away again. Junior didn't want to be on the log, he wanted goldfish. Em didn't wants Abs near her. I have pictures of them fighting on the log. What great memories!

(Em shoved Abs off the log at this point because they were touching)

We kept walking and found a log bench. Em wouldn't sit with Abs at all. Abs wanted to look for "fairy hats" and Junior was busy following Abs. I didn't want to be in the pictures, but it ended with my mom taking pictures of Gunner and I together.....and in almost every picture you can tell I am telling one of the kids to "Stop that!", "Quit Fighting", "Don't touch your sister!".

After that fiasco we headed over to the community center which has a pond with giant Koi. A couple had their granddaughter there feeding the fish and they had a dog. I wonder if they will remember in 30 years that the fish and the dog were more interesting than preserving memories!

Abs always squints and never wants to look at the camera. Junior likes to have his mouth open in every shot (probably waiting for food). Em just doesn't want to be near her sister.

Interesting family pictures are better memories anyway, right?

Scared yet?

Sarah over at Trying to Grok wrote a post about things children do that have her worried. When you read all the stories you will laugh until you cry. Looks like mine are in good company! At least we know that there are some spirited, creative children out there to run the world in the future. The girls can come up with a solution to about anything (yes, most of it involves duct tape) so maybe they will be the one to develop a cure for cancer or some other deadly disease. Who knows!

I wouldn't trade Em, Abs or Junior for anything in the world, but I do look forward to a break every now and then!

Never Again

Tonight I met a friend for dinner. A simple feat right?

Not in Killeen and not on a payday.

We went to TGI Friday's and couldn't get a seat. So we went to Wild Bill's or something like that. Waited over an hour and a half in the bar--standing up. Then we got seated and the kitchen was backed up.

Luckily we had a lot to catch up on so we didn't mind the long waits.

Next time though we will wait for a non payday to venture out. I'm too old for these late nights.

7 things about me

Michelle over at A Cup of Tea With Friends asked me to reveal 7 things about me. I told her that I asked Gunner to tell me 10 things that he considered strange about me the other night and they came way too fast to his mind!

1. I make lists. Lots of lists. (Gunner says I make lists of lists, but I wouldn't go that far)
2. I mowed lawns to earn money in junior high and high school. I took the job over from my brother and made probably $100 a week if not more. It was a riding lawnmower so it was easy money.
3. I broke a tooth swinging between two bunk beds at camp. I had a great dentist and you can't tell.
4. I was a buyer for a grocery distribution company. I hated the company, loved the job and loved most of my coworkers.
5. I went to Vegas after I graduated from college with two friends. We had a great time!
6. I am scared of heights.
7. I love brussel sprouts.

Full moon & Flooded bathroom

My kids were crabby today. Junior cried all morning until he pointed to a Barney figure and said sing. I sang the Barney song over and over and he was happy. I needed to get things ready to walk out the door so I let the girls watch Barney with him for about 10-15 minutes and he actually sat still. Of course once Barney went off he was back to his crabby self. I took him to daycare and he cried because I wanted to take off his hat, he cried when I wanted to take off his jacket, but he didn't cry when I wanted his binky. Guess he chose his battle.

Abs flooded the bathroom. Last night she got out of the tub and there was no towel so she decided that the next best thing to dry herself off was toilet paper. She used almost an entire roll to dry herself off and then flushed. She was really quiet. Poor kiddo. She helped clean it up and now understands that you can only dry yourself off with towels, no toilet paper. I didn't know that I would have to make that a rule in our house.

Em went to the doctor and her foot is still not healed so she is still in the boot. That set her off to be as miserable as possible and make everyone elses life miserable too. I know the boot itches. I know the crutches hurt. I know it is boring. I don't think she will ever skip again. This morning when she was gimping around on her crutches she stubbed her good foot and is now walking with her gimpy foot and the toes of her other foot up in the air. She is convinced they are broken. We will tape them tomorrow to see if that helps some. She said that she *knows* they are broken, so I am kind of worried since she was right about her foot! I might definitely be out of mother of the year for next year too.

Tomorrow is the dreaded EFMP meeting for Abs. Wish me luck. Gunner is going to go along with me--probably to keep me from asking them stupid questions just to waste their time like they are wasting mine. Since I couldn't get an appointment till Friday for Junior in order to get his EFMP forms filled out, I'll have to have another one of these "meetings". Please.

Camp Purple dates came out and if Em and Abs get in, I think I will send both of them this year. It's free and Em had a great time last year!

I worked today and we had our weekly mexican food fix. We don't even order anything different every week, it is the same meal and it is always exceptional.

Predeployment briefings are coming fast and furious. I guess I'll have to go to one. So far the 1/2 days they were promised aren't materializing and we still haven't done our taxes or a few other legal things that we need to get done. I did get 8 hours of observation scheduled though, so that's one thing off my plate and five million more to go.

Wordless Wednesday

Think the Army will notice the extra weight?

P.S. These new bags are great!

Tuesday

Dick Cheney is coming to Hood today so everything is crazy around post. I won't even venture out to main post today.

Abs and Junior mayb have thrown up in the night/morning, but they were running around like wild monkeys the rest of the day. Abs spent the day in her room tying yarn to everything and playing dressup and dinosaurs. She can definitely entertain herself all day long.

So far none of the rest of us have caught it, so hopefully it will stay that way.

I am trying to get my classroom observation hours done and am having a hard time getting anyone to call me back! I'd love to get it all done before Spring Break but it's not looking too promising. I have to do 10 hours in 2nd and under and 10 in 3rd-4th. I have 7 hours so far, but they have to be in different schools, etc. I put out more phone calls and emails this morning and am hoping that someone will come through. I had 4 hours blocked off today to observe but I'm stuck observing my reflection in the computer screen or the sink when I scrub it. Guess I will apply for scholarships and get some ebay stuff listed, and clean Ab's room for good measure. Loads of fun I tell ya...

Back on the sick diet

Never fails, when we have spaghetti, someone gets sick. Andrew and Abbie are home today. Poor Em had to walk to school on her broken foot. Thank goodness she is in a walking cast. I cancelled coffee with my friend. I cancelled PT for Abs.

I'm cleaning bathrooms. Doing laundry. Matching socks. Waiting for the rest of us to get it.

I definitely need a nap today and leftovers from dinner are going in the trash.