Lost Toy

Why do they make children's toys that have pieces so small? My son has a pirate set that has the tiniest pieces I have ever seen and it seems to be what he wants to play with all the time. Amazingly the kid has a mind like a steel trap when it comes to how many miniscual swords should be in this set (Yet he can't remember to put his shoes away even though I have said it a thousand times). So inevitably I hear, "I can't find the little sword, I can't find the gold sword!" So I comb through the carpet to find a sword that is a 1/2 inch long so the captain and the matey can have swords, very important.

As for Grace - Barbie, need I say more to anyone with a girl that is over the age of 5. She has a fold out Barbie house that has removable toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste. Yes, toothbrushes for a barbie (very small).

Obviously who ever created these toys do not have any children otherwise the pirate swords would be fused to the hands of the pirates and the toothbrushes would not come out of the holder. I think in the realm of tortuous toys I would rather have the loud annoying alien gun and the princess toy that only plays 2 songs than the current favorites. Ugh I am off to comb through my rug for the "small sword" they are all small, how they can be smaller than small I don't know , but it must be found, the matey can't be without his sword, why you might ask, "because how will he fight the bad guys, mom his arms don't move for punching?"

We Need That

So it has hit my son full force. What might you ask? Commercials. I used to think of them as innoccous little annoyances that kept me from my show, but I am now aware that are actually meant to torture me through these words, " Mommy, I need that, I am going to get that for Christmas." Now we have just encountered this problem recently since my kids have started watching Nick Jr. versus Disney (who only has commercials about other Disney shows). My son has come to a full awareness that the commercials that come on in between Nick Jr. shows are for random crap - - I mean children's toys that he now needs. Not wants, but needs. So currently on his list are Bendaroos, some foaming bubble machine for the bath, various action figures, transformers, games, and the like. And since Christmas just passed, where he got a myriad of toys he now associates all gift giving with Christmas. So I say hello to the hell of commercialization and my sons obsession with owning every single thing that crosses the tv screen including non toys at times.

New Year

With a new year comes resolutions, desires, dreams and the like. I read a devotional today that marked for me the desire of my heart this year. " Be today who you want to be tomorrow." It really resonated with me because so many times I say that I will do it tomorrow, that I will do better tomorrow, but why not today. Why not get up earlier today, exercise today, love those around me today. So my hope and my "resolution" is to be today what I shouldn't put off until tomorrow. To love my children the best that I can today. To tell my husband that I love him whenever I think about it. To be thankful for the blessings of today and not worry about tomorrow. To embrace teaching again today and not worry about it. To volunteer now, to love what I do and be true to myself. To remember it is not always about me. To be careful to listen to God's words today and to be cognizant of my effect on others around me. To care about my attitude and how I speak to others. To be the woman God created me to be, to be the woman I want to be tomorrow . . .but instead make it today.

Christmas Programs

Both Grace and Ben had their Christmas programs and they were so stinking adorable.
Grace sang her little heart out. She got to be on eof the "special kids" that walked a present to the manger. She was so excited. I have to say I was so proud of her, she practiced those songs over and over and really gave it her all up there. She definitely has a passion for music in her heart.
Benjamin (after he stopped crying) went on stage and sang his heart out as well, and at 3 and a boy he did well. He sang all the favorite parts of his songs. Made some adorable faces while up there and waved at me about a million times. I was proud of him for going up there and showing his "Mad Skills" he calls it and looking super cute while at it with his little sweater vest and tie.
My little ones are really special and I was reminded in all the chaos of the season just how quickly they are growing up. This Christmas is poised to be really special and I hope that I can make them understand just how special they are to me and not get caught up in the hectic run around the holidays seem to have all the time. They only get to be 5 and 3 for one year, so I am going ot savor my time with them and not worry about all the rest.

Agonizing the Decision

Well the holidays are in full swing and so is holiday gift buying. And if you are a mother or maybe even just a woman buying gifts can be an agonizing task, at least it is for me. I can spend hours on the internet just looking for the perfect gifts that I think my kids will love. I can return a million items just to replace them with a million more just to doubt that maybe the first gifts were the better choice and return them again to get the first million I bought. Yes, the walmart customer service ladies shriek when they see me and my ten thousand stapled together receipts for all the returns and exchanges I have made. I however shriek when I add all the receipts together and my best laid budget plans go into the toilet.
Then there is the other side of the spectrum instead of too many options and returning and exchanging and returning and exchanging to get the perfect gifts there are people like my dad who are impossible to buy for. What does he want, he doesn't know, I surely don't know, and gift cards are out because he hates to shop. Trying to come up with a gift for my dad (and really my brothers too although they like money any time) is like trying to solve a quadratic equation, you go through the brain hurting steps and agonizing line by line to get to what you hope is the correct answer. So what are my options 1. My mom says he wants a pressure cooker??? A what??? For what??? What kind of gift is that??? 2. Car detail - My dad is kind of picky and enjoys detailing his own car. 3. New floor mats for his car - too easy to order the wrong thing since I know nothing about cars and a pain to return if they aren't right. 4.New Phone - out of my price range 5. DVD player for his bedroom - Boring. So one of these options will be picked just have to agonize about it a little bit longer before I make my final answer . . .ugh.

Happy Holidays!

Meeting the Neighbors

The house we live in on post is a quadplex. So that means we have a family that lives above us in a house that is a duplicate to ours. Well, a few nights ago my wonderful husband asked me to make one of his favorite late night snacks, bacon wrapped smokies. They are little smokies, wrapped in bacon covered in brown sugar and then broiled til crispy. They are delicious, but a pain to make because the are so messy when they cook and they tend to smoke a little due to the broiling of the sugar and fat. So it is about 12:45 at night and we are watching a movie while the snacks broil away and then we begin to hear a loud shrieking noise and an automated voice saying, Fire!! Fire!! Low and behold the very miniscual smoke has set off the most sensitive smoke alarms ever made in our building . . . that's right, you got it, not only do our fire alarms go off but seeing that it is a shared building so do the ones in the home above ours . . . at one o' clock in the morning. So of course the husband from upstairs come to check to make sure everything is okay, and it is, but none the less, not the way I wanted to meet our neighbors.

Thanksgiving

I cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving, seems simple right? Not for me, no I like to complicate things whenever possible. I decide I am going to go with all the rage this year and cook the turkey breast side down, seems simple right? Flip it over into the foil pan cook. So the night before thanksgiving I am looking up a recipe and I notice I need a V shaped rack or something like that to cook the turkey on. I don't have a V shaped rack, so I call my mom (at 12:00 am her time) to ask her what I should do. She helps me improvise, so what did I end up with? A 17 lb turkey (that was the smallest turkey they had) balanced upside down precariously on my broiler rack which is then balance on top of my handi foil throw away roaster pan. I do have to say, it did work out, the turkey was moist and delicious, but I think I might just invest in the v shaped rack it would have made my life a lot easier. I also think I might just get to the store earlier so I don't have turkey for 20 with my family of 4.

Lists

Things I didn't expect:

1. Before we joined the Army I never expected Peter to be able to assemble and disassemble an M-16 in 3 minutes.

2. I did not realized that there could be so many acronyms for things that you would need a 100 page dictionary just to figure out what people are saying.

3. I did not expect so many people to ask the question, "What made you join the Army?"

4. I did not expect that the traditions of the military would mean so much so quickly as a new Army wife.

5. I did not realize that I could fit everyone's clothes into two small closets.

6. That it could be crazy windy today with temps of 30 and dry and 70 degrees the next day. How do you dress for weather like that?

7. That speed limits of 25 could be so prevalent (like every street I drive on it feels like. (Speed limits on post are strictly enforced and you do not want to get a ticket from an MP - Very Bad.)

8. That my car can actually go 5 miles an hour when that is the posted limit and that I can actually walk faster than that (probably).

9. I did not realize I would ever love to wear jeans (and I do now seeing that it is cold here). Hoping that I can love closed toed shoes, I am a die hard flip flop fan currently even at 30 degrees.

10. I did not realize what a blessing the Army life would be to me and my family. It is an experience that has changed the Dell family for the better the experience thus far has been priceless for us.

Missing Member

But during this time (since early October actually) Peter has been away at OBC (Officer Training) in San Antonio, Texas. It is December 1st and it feels like he left ages ago and I just miss him terribly today more than any other day thus far. Doing life everyday without him is like trying to ride a bike with no hands - doable but not as easy, the balance has to be just right or you will crash. I know what you are thinking that it comes with the military life you chose, but it still doesn't make it any easier. I know that our time apart is almost over for now (2 1/2 more weeks to go), but in truth, this seperation has served as a reminder that we no longer have control over when he is home or when he is gone and I have to be totally honest, the thought of him being gone for a year scares the s*** out of me, excuse my french. I just am not sure what it would be like to lieterally lose a year of his life intertwined daily with mine. I know that it is going to happen at some point (in a very etherial manner of speaking), and I know that we will make it through it, but I still won't like it (like any one does, right!).

And Babe, if you are reading this, I want you to know that loving you is what is right with my world. Knowing that just me alone is enough for you is a gift greater than you can imagine for my heart. As time has passed from February my heart has healed, our relationship has blossomed again, but the day I read the note you wrote me in the field saying my love for you was the most valuable in this life was the day I truly came to believe you, not just in my head but in my heart completely as well. I love you, I always have, and I always will whether we are next to each other on the couch or thousands of miles apart, my love for you is unceasing and the love I get in return from you is priceless to my heart and soul.

Okay so that was longer than I anticipated it would be, but nonetheless there it is, my heart overflow for the night.

Halloween

So I took the kids trick or treating tonight with a friend of mine and her kids. Wow! I think every child within a 10 mile radius was also out as well, leading me to wonder, if all the kids and their parents are out, then who is left to hand out candy? Nonetheless, there were people handing out candy to my little pirate and fairy.
Going trick or treating is quite the adventure when your kids are 3 and 5. We started out strong, running, laughing, playing, all fun and games. Things were going good as we rounded the corner of the street, they were excited to be with there friends and dying to eat the candy they already had gotten.

Now as we go to the second block things began to deteriorate slightly. There was some whining, but not too much. However, as we rounded the corner on the second block (the furthest point from our starting point) things went under in a hurry. The kids (mainly Ben) are whining that their feet hurt and their baskets are heavy. Benjamin is lagging so far behind its ridiculous, leading my friend to ask, "Is this overwhelming for him (AKA: Is he always this slow?)." To which I respond, unfortunately, yes he is always this slow the kid doesn't get staying with the group, or hurrying in any way shape or form. It is a foreign concept to him, he resides in the World According to Ben and everyone else needs to get on board. In his mind he isn't the slow one, we are all just going too fast. And even as I listen to Ben tell me he is done and wants to go home, something in me wants to keep going from house to house, why might you ask do I want to continue the torture that is trick or treating when my kids no longer care to get anymore candy? Well, the buckets aren't full and for some reason it seems like they should be full! Keep knocking, get in line, just because it isn't fun anymore doesn't mean we stop we press on until we have conquered EVERY SINGLE HOUSE!!!

Now I have to say that although my gut reaction is the one stated above, we did stop and head back home when the kids stated they were done and wanted to go home and play, the mother in me took over my overacheiver mindset and we trekked and yes I do mean trekked, dragging my pirate and trying to control my fairy who was so hopped up on sugar she might have actually been able to fly given the chance back home to play for a little bit.

Going trick or treating with preschoolers is kind of like eating 2 fat pieces of rich chocolate cake. Each bite seems so delicious and the second piece doesn't seem like a bad idea until it is all consumed and you feel sick to your stomach like you are about to explode and you never want to see chocolate cake for a long while. Trick or treating is so fun at first, the kids look so cute, they are having such a good time on the first block you go to so you think lets continue the fun and go to a second block until you get to the back corner of the block and you realize no one is having anymore fun, the kids aren't as cute, you aren't as cute as you snap orders to stay out of the street and you don't want to see one more lighted house giving out candy that you will have to stop at, you just want to get back to square one, take off the costumes and not see halloween decorations for another year.

Well, the night is over, the halloween festivities which have encompassed our entire weekend are over, the costumes hung up, the kids are fast asleep, and the candy is calling my name as I resist the urge to raid their pumpkins for anything gooey and chocolate. Although I am glad that the night is done and normalcy will reign again as Monday arrives, in all seriousness, I did enjoy watching the little faces of my pirate and fairy as they looked with wonderment at their full pumpkins and all the candy like it was a million dollars sitting right in front of them. It is amazing how easy it is to thrill little ones. A $17 costume changes their whole persona and a bucket full of candy makes their night. They are precious and sweet and I look forward to lots more halloweens to watch them thrill over costumes and candy.