South Dakota fun

This will mainly be pictures, because really, the words are the same as any other SD post ( blah blah flying, blah blah, family, blah blah, green grass, blah blah actual activities shopping and restaurants....).

On of the activities we did was visiting Reptile Gardens. I remember going as a kid, and it's fun to take the boys back to places I went as a kid. 

This guy talks a big game about being the brave caution to the wind kind of kid, but that day, he was having none of the touching the alligator business. 

And then in a complete reversal, the kid who is afraid of an ant ( and almost everything else on the planet) decided he was Crocodile Dundee that day. 

It rained while we were in SD. All the time. Like, I thought my parents had up and moved to Seattle rained. While I was happy for their drought situation, jeez lah weez, I was so over it after a while. My mom came through though with some fun activities, including an indoor picnic :) 

All the rain did produce some amazing greenery though. NM is so so brown, and I will never take the lush green grass for granted again. Even Ambrose noticed it as we were landing in SD. The boys have no idea that having grass in a front yard is even an option, they think everyone just has rocks and thorny plants like us. 

 If we could have spent all day riding the train at Grandpas store, Bram's life would have been complete. He loves all things trains, and the fact that Grandpa was there as company was icing on the cake.

I also took the boys to Story book island, which is so much fun and it's totally free. 

So, there's been a lot going on.

A lot of nothing at first, and then a lot of somethings later on.

The last month John was gone ( the month of May), I coasted. I did nothing that added to my workload, I just survived and kept the boys alive. I said no to almost every play date that required any kind of effort...White sands....too much sand. Pool...too many sticky articles of clothing to pull on and off kids. Bike rides....to much work heaving bikes in and out of cars. I was SPENT. Emotionally and physically spent.  I have said over and over that for me, the hardest part of a deployment is the first two weeks and the last to weeks.

So, I'll be catching up on here, slowly but surely. Everything will probably be out of order, but there are pics and events that I want documented, and here is the place I do it :)

So, first one is out of order, but the most important! This happened. 

I quit counting after 300, but out of this calendar year, June to June, we have spent over 300 days apart. We were apart for every one's birthday, first day of school, last day of school, anniversary and every single holiday except for three. Thankfully, the three he was here for, were the biggies...Thanksgiving, Christmas and New years. Dear sweet Mary, it is good to have this year in the rear view mirror. 

Here's our bunch of nothing pics.







I'm letting Bram's hair grow a bit. For the most part, I love it. However, with the heat of the summer ( it's supposed to be 108 degrees tomorrow...for the LUV!) the added hair seems to make him even sweatier, so I'm thinking of cutting it and letting it grow again come October-ish.


With the longer hair has come some fantastic bed head. 






So, now I'm going to try and throw in some of the happenings in more of a chronological order.

I ran another half marathon. Not only did I run it, I won it ( for females). Before you're too proud, the ladies who were running it were a bunch of moms trying to prove that age wasn't getting the best of them. The time I ran it in was most definitely not a winning time, but I'll take it. I don't win things. Ever. Especially not things that require athleticism.

 Ambrose had his last day of preschool ( for the year, he'll go back to the same church preschool next year. So will Bram. Holy Moly! How can that be?!).

The following day, we boarded the plane for SD. I'm not sure where I'd be with out portable electronic devices, they are my saving grace when we fly. I see so many parents that bring huge carry on bags jam packed full of every toy under the sun, but for me, those are a total waste of space. I bring a couple trains, planes and then two portable electronic devices, and call it a day. 

I'll be back with some of our South Dakota trips, John's weapons school graduation, and some other not as exciting events, but that's it for tonight. 

As of late...

* My friends have truly been my sanity saver this past year.
When John is gone, we spiral into this weird twilight zone where nights and weekends are the times I dread most.  Those are the times that we look forward to most when john is around, but when it's just the boys and I, lets just say the time passes so slllooooooowly. My friends all know that, and invite the boys and I over.


* I had one of those embarrassing moments where my kid puked in public. It was outside , in a parking lot, so it could have been much worse, but embarrassing none the less. If you're keeping track, The puke bug score around here is Bram: 2 Ambrose: 1 and me: 1 all  since john has been gone. For the love, lets everyone keep the contents of their stomach INSIDE their body for the next 5 weeks.


*The other day we were out running errands and Bram was falling with impressive frequency.  At one point I turn to him, and exasperatedly say " Jeez Bram, could you try falling a little less." After getting to the car I look down and realize I had dressed him with both legs through one leg hole. Another gold medal in momsmanship added to my collection.


*Brammy turned two a couple days ago, and I'm sorry to say, it wasn't quite the production like Ambrose's. Poor guy, second born gets screwed sometimes. In my defense, even when Ambrose and I burst into Brammy's room all excited singing happy birthday, Bram just kind of glared at us through the bars of his crib, so I think he preferred we keep things low key. So, we did. You're welcome Bram. We did go out together and eat at this super yummy specialty cupcake place, and they were delicious.We chose to sit outside in hopes of helping the staff avoid the crumbly mess that is cupcake eating with kids. So, we sit down at an outside table, and about 5 seconds later a young kid less couple sits down at the table behind us. The boys are snarfing their cupcakes and a gust of wind comes up and blows the cupcakes, plates and bagillion little cupcake crumbs right onto the back of the gentleman  sitting behind us. Not all was lost, the boys don't mind eating cupcakes off the sidewalk, so we scooped up the cupcake remnants and the boys recovered from their tearful fits and happily finished their cupcakes. Crisis averted (except for the guy sitting behind us...).


Oh ya, and we also went to the zoo for a quick trip to visit the animals on Bram's birthday, but that ended abruptly when Ambrose was pecked by one of the guinea fowl in the aviary. Non stop action around here folks.

*We have a new addition to our morning routine. It involves me barking to Ambrose to get his shoes on and meet us out at the car. He then runs over to the stools (where we have kept our shoes since we moved to this house) and stares perplexed at the pile of shoes. You guys, there is never, ever, ever a PAIR of shoes. There's just a pile of single shoes....it's maddening. What's even more maddening is he's more confused than I am about where the mates have all gone. Then comes some tears (from him) eye rolling (from me) and a lot of sprinting around the house look for just one PAIR of shoes (by both of us).

...see...total confusion.

*Speaking of shoes, I forgot Bram's today. As in, we are driving down the road, I look back at him, and he has no shoes on. I blame it completely on the Air Force because the only well baby appointment they had available was at 745 AM, and I don't do well getting everybody out the door that early. So, something had to give, and apparently, it was Bram's shoes. But, since I'm so unorganized in all avenues of my life, I happened to have a long forgotten pair in the car. So See, today, my disorganization paid off. If I had actually CLEANED my car, I'd have looked like a mom who didn't have her act together. My messy car totally saved my butt today.  Take that John.

P.S Am I the only person that dresses up for Well baby visits? The whole "fake it till you make it" is my motto for well baby visits. Maybe if I look the part of  "mom who has her act together", they'll totally buy it. Good thing Ambrose didn't rat me out about the forgotten shoes debacle.

*These two guys are actually playing together more and more. They used to play in the same room at the same time, but not really interact with one another. Now, they have little games they play and they run around and chase each other...it's adorable. I think the ages of 2 & 4 are going to be the best yet!   

Vegas baby

This past weekend I had the awesome chance to go see john by MY SELF. I had been looking forward to the trip since the moment I booked the flights!

I of course talk a big game and am all..." I just need a cotton pickin break"....." I just want to pee by myself for once"..." do you have to eat all the good parts of my dinner son"....but man alive, when it came time to say good bye to the boys, I almost died. It was tough.

I usually dread flying. It is such a total pain now, with the impatient and usually crabby TSA people, me barking at the kids to stand in line, trying to get their shoes off, trying to keep the pile-O-crap from falling of the security converyor belt, wrestling the kids through the medal detector and praying that neither of them are trying to smuggle a plane or train through security. From start to finish, flying with kids just about kills me. So, going all by myself, I actually wasn't filled with total anxiety, and dare I say, I was actually looking forward to it. The idea of sitting in one spot for an hour or so actually kind of thrilled me  because I might actually be able to read a book, or rest, or stare out the window instead of dealing with two boys fighting over who got the better snack, or who wanted to watch a different movie, or who pooped their pants. As I suspected, check in was a breeze, secruity was quick and painless. You'd think I'd feel free, but really, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was forgetting something (or two very important somethings), so it took me a bit to truly enjoy the freedom that came with traveling without the boys.

While I was waiting for my flights, I realized that Vegas flights are a gold mine for people watching. Really. The whole "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" way of thinking starts with the flights en route to Vegas. The outfits that people wear (or don't wear), the ammount that they drink on the flights and the excitement all begins in the airport. It never helps either that we are usually flying there on a Thursday or Friday and leaving on a Sunday or Monday...prime time for those looking for a good time in Vegas. Did you know people cheer when the flights lands in Vegas....they do. Applause..... cheering....the whole nine yards. The flight attendents are more fun too. I'm on the look out for the one that raps, I hear they're on the Vegas flights.

In a (not so small) miracle, John is able ti pick me up at the airport. We go to dinner and have what feels like our first good conversation in ages. It's refreshing and so so nice! . We've often joked that we'll have to start dating one another again once the boys are a little older and don't require 100% of our attention, but after the many many months apart , it's almost sad at how true that statement is. We go back to John's (dorm style) room, where I thought for sure I'd sleep like a baby ( for the record, I hate that saying). But I was oh so wrong. I slept terribly. Bram wasn't there to wake me up with his refusal to sleep and Ambrose and his loud terrifying night terrors were gone, but for some reason, I woke a million times. Speficially at 12:54 I laid awake for ages. Frustrating! Then because of the time change, I was awake at 5:05 ready for the day. Gah. You'd think that my sleep debt would be so significant that if given the chance, I'd sleep for days. Aparantetly, not the case. Anyway, John obsessively goes to the gym every morning, and with his crazy schedule it often means getting there when the clock says 4:somthing . That day though, he didn't have to go until the reasonable hour of 530 *eye roll*, and since I was awake, I went too. We part ways, he heads to work and I go shopping. Living where we do, there's no shopping...literally. We have Wal-mart and a JC penny, that's it. No lie. So, I'm over the moon excited to not only be able to try stuff on, but to do it without my kids. I am thrilled to find a few things and proceed to ( get lost and take 45 minutes to find) Panera Bread for lunch. I quietly eat lunch, where I don't take a break to wipe anybody's butt or bark a single command at anyone. It was blissful. Dinner that night was uh-MAZING. Again, we are hurting for good food and service in our small town, and I had almost forgotten what it's like to be at a nice restaurant. I loved it!

Saturday I started my day with reading. An entire book. Literally. While on my 4 day vacation, I read 4 books. I had forgotten what it was like to read more than 2 pages in a sitting. We went to the gym, had breakfast together and then packed up to head to the Wynn where we would be seeing the Cirque de Soleil show La Reve and then staying the night. We checked into the hotel, and if you're ever stumped at which hotel to stay at in Vegas, I have to say go wtih the Wynn! The bathroom and the view alone will sell you on the place. It was amazing. We had drinks and tapas at another awesome restaurant and then went back to the hotel to get seated for the show.

The show was a cirque de soleil show, and like all cirque shows it had incredible acrobatics and stunts, but this one was set on an aquatic stage, so it included diving that made it that much more amazing.

The best part about the weekend was just the time spent together...not just together in the same place, but completely focused on the other person. Two little boys aren't exactly conducive to giving one another our undivided attention, so when it does happen, I drink it in.

All that came with that weekend wouldn't have been possible without my amazing mom. The restorative time for my marriage, the emotional recharge that came from thinking solely about myself, the re-energization  of myself so that I could come back here and be a better mom to my boys...all those gifts wouldn't have been possible had she not sacrificed her time to be down here watching my boys. She is selfless in every way, and delivers support from afar or in person (depending on my emotional state) with out fail.

Stop me if you've heard this one before...

 Yup, another blogging hiatus over here. Sorry about that. I know I issue this apology frequently, and I find that I quit blogging when I feel like I have nothing to write about. When John is gone, life takes on a very ground hog-esque feel, and we do the exact same thing over and over just plugging towards another day checked off the "how man days until daddy comes home" calendar. However, my aunt and mother assured me that despite the fact that our days may be monotonous and boring, some people still enjoy reading about them, so I'll try to be better about popping over here (but don't say I didn't warn you about the million pics of kids bath time, or running around the lawn in nothing but a diaper, or the giant pile of unfolded laundry on the couch that seems to appear in the background of every pic, or the paragraphs of me whining about how the last 15 minutes of the day just about kill me dead every time).

So, I'll dive right in with Ambrose's birthday party. We went with a Lego theme this year and it was a total blast!

One of my favorite parts of the party was a photo booth. My mom and I made some props for the kids to pose with, and hoped for the best. I was positive that we wouldn't get a single kid to sit down and pose with a mustache, but I think that we got a picture of almost every single child at some point. 

 I think for every child at a birthday party, opening presents is the most exciting part. Watching Ambroses'  friends excitedly give him their gift was so cute!

This is the face of...

A little boy who is going through a night terror phase. They play out exactly like the articles describe.... Completely and utterly traumatic for a parent. Lots and lots of loud screaming, eyes open and clearly seeing something and totally terrified and I can't wake him (which I tried once, and then read the articles that specifically say not to). It is truly one of the most helpless things to observe. He never remembers them and swears that he didn't cry in the middle of the night, but man alive, the entire neighborhood would say otherwise. 

an almost 2 year old that has a black belt in sleep fighting. I'm sure, if you've never had the experience of parenting "A Bram" , than you're like me and my pre Bram thinking that my child's lack of sleeping is because surely I haven't tried this that or the other thing. But oh ho HO, let me tell you folks, that is not the case. Throw your suggestion, book, article and message board at me, I've READ it,   put it into practice and come out the other side with a kid that still fights sleep. * after hitting publish, I decided that I was a touch harsh....its' all relative, and we've come a LONG way in the sleep department...he doesn't always sleep through the night, and getting him to finally fall asleep at night is a battle, it could be A LOT worse...so here I am eating my words a bit.

a sweet boy who every preschool morning says to me, " I'm going to miss you today mom."

of a kid, who pooped 4 times yesterday, and the last two were in the bathtub (just to be sure you're looking at the right picture...this is about Bram....my poor other child bathes on pins and needles, fearing that I'll lunge for the stack of red solo cups on the edge of the bath, and shout at him to stand up and get out because his brother just pooped in the bath...again...sometimes Ambrose asks to just skip bath time, which may be the smartest option. He probably comes out cleaner in the end when he skips it. And now for all of you worrying that I don't clean the bath or kids in between the incidents, don't worry, all involved get a good spray down  ). 

* of two people who realize they are truly and undeservedly blessed with this life, but are still totally bummed at the insane amount of time we are spending apart this year.