Exciting Weekend Before a Lonely Month

Pat leaves Monday for a month at JRTC. I won't go on about how upset I was that Pat forgot to tell me he leaves Monday and not Tuesday until I asked a random question yesterday.

Anyways...we've been enjoying some family time this weekend and soaking up as much of Pat as we can. I've stocked up on groceries so that I can hopefully limit the trips to the store since with two children trips out aren't much fun. This afternoon we are super excited to bring Ryan to Playhouse Disney Live! I think he'll be so excited to see all the characters, but especially the Little Einsteins. He now knows each character by name, but I think June is his favorite because he has me read a book about her new shoes every night before bed. I just hope that Ryan will sit relatively still through the show and that Sean will nurse or sleep and be happy.

More excitement for the weekend is that we finally booked a hotel for our block leave vacation to Atlanta in May. Some of you are probably wondering, why Atlanta? We wanted something in relatively easy driving distance for the kids, and we wanted a place with a lot of family activities. On our way down to Atlanta we plan to stop at the Chattanooga Aquarium. In Atlanta we will go to the zoo, aquarium, children's museum, Olympic park, and botanical gardens. The thing I am most excited about right now is that we got a hotel that is perfect for us. It is a two room suite, with a separate living and bedroom area. That way we can put the kids down for bed and then watch TV ourselves. Our room has a fridge and microwave; the hotel has a pool and free breakfast. It is a perfect location too. I am just over the moon right now that our plans are coming together. Pat and I haven't really vacationed or travelled at all ( and I really mean at all) since our honeymoon except for traveling to Disney with my family. I am looking forward to taking a family vacation with our kids. I guess thinking about this vacation will help me get through the next month.

Today is a very happy day. I'll post later about how the kids do at the show.

A Couple Firsts

Last night when Ryan and I were eating dinner (again without Pat), we had someone else join us at the table...

Sean sat in his high chair for the very first time. He really enjoyed being up at the table to see us at eye level while we ate. Poor little guy would love to share the food too, but he isn't going to start solids until 6 months.

Then this morning I got out the jumperoo. He is taller than Ryan was at this age so he can actually touch the ground. He loves his jumperoo. He is a jumping fool. I can't believe my baby is already jumping.

Spicy Salsa Pasta and Beef

Here is a recipe that I said I'd share. It is an easy and quick meal. It reminds us of hamburger helper but homemade.

Brown 1lb. ground beef in skillet. I add onion too. Drain fat.

Stir in 1 can condensed beef broth and 1 1/3 cup water and bring to a boil.

Add 2 cups uncooked medium shell shaped pasta. (although I bet you could use a different shape just fine) Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently until pasta is tender.

Stir in 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup and 1/2 to 1 cup of salsa depending on how spicy you like it. Cook until mixture is hot and bubbly.

I like to stir in a bit of shredded cheese and put a little on the top. Tonight I'm spreading some bacon that was left over from last night's meal over the top.

In The Crib

We have a big milestone here...Last night Sean slept in his crib in his room for the very first time. I had been dreading moving him from his bassinet because there was something comforting to me about knowing he was only a few feet away. However, I knew we needed to move him before Pat goes away to JRTC next week for a month, and he had outgrown his bassinet long ago. Overall, Sean did really well. He woke up several times, but he was never really upset at all. I have lots of hope that each night will get better, and we will get more sleep. I am really happy with how the transition went. Best of all, he's still asleep now.

Ryan's Language

Ryan is talking a lot more, but often times what he says is only intelligible to us as his parents. Some of his cute words/phrases are the following:

abra = open (And yes I realize he is saying it in Spanish, but that is just a coincidence. He cannot pronounce open and it sounds like abra. But on that note, he is capable of rolling his Rs very well.)

Lau Ou = Love You

Bubba = Baby

HiNean = Hi Sean, also this is what Ryan thinks Sean's name is.

Ba = Potty (It seems P is a letter Ryan is not capable of saying right now so most of his P words start with a B. Ba is an annoying one though because it sounds similar to the way he says banana, bus, or even puff. So sometimes he'll be saying he wants a banana and I reply saying "you have to go potty?" He quickly corrects me though.)

Eenge = Orange

Abba = Abbey

Ahba = Pizza (We get this once confused with Abbey frequently because they are so close.)

Airmain = Airplane

Hubba = Helicopter

Vroom = Let's go for a ride in the car.

Buh Duh! = Stop that!

Menu Monday and More

This weekend my dear friend Robyn and her family came down to visit. I am so happy that they are living only a few hours away now. I had so much fun and it was great for me to have a friend around. We got to go to the movies (which I haven't done in years) and Robyn showed me lots of craft stuff. I'm now feeling inspired; she can do that to anyone because she is crafty at just about everything you can imagine. During Pat's deployment I am hoping to get up to KY to visit at her place.

This week's menu includes a lot of bacon. I had a coupon a few weeks back and bought a whole package. We'd never eat that in one meal, so it will be incorporated into a few meals this week.

Monday: Chicken Carbonara Deluxe

Tuesday: Spicy Salsa Pasta and Beef with Bacon (I'll post this recipe sometime soon.)

Wednesday: Cheeseburger Chicken

Thursday: Steaks

Friday: Pizza

I love trying new recipes, and I prefer easy ones. I've found some pretty good ones lately. However, what I really need help with is homemade side dishes. I've never had much success at finding recipes for side dishes that my family would enjoy. If you have any great side dish recipes, please share them with me.

Lastly, as you know I enjoy clipping coupons. Yesterday I got a great deal at Kroger (or at least I think it is). I got a 32 wash load laundry detergent for $1.69 by matching a sale with a $2.00 off coupon I had. Among other things, I also got my favorite toilet bowl cleaner at Target for $0.74 by stacking a manufacturer coupon with a target coupon. It was a great couponing trip yesterday, and that made me feel good.

Honesty About Pre-Deployment

I try not to write heavy posts all the time because if I did that you may get bored or think I am complaining. I sometimes hold back writing really honest posts because I do not want to be accused of being negative. This post is not intended to be negative. I wanted to give you an honest look at what pre-deployment is like for my family so that non-military can understand better and our military friends can see they are not alone if they are dealing with similar issues.

Pat knows he'll be going to Afghanistan. He's known this for a quite a while. The President's plan for a surge only solidified the fact that Pat is going. Pat will be part of that surge you are hearing about. We have known he was going since before the surge was announced. One of the hardest parts of preparing for the deployment is carrying the burden of knowing what is coming next for as long as we do. We could debate now whether it is better to know far in advance or to have short notice orders. We've never been given short notice, so I only know how waiting and preparing for a deployment wears on my family and relationship.

There is a tendency to withdraw before deployment. I am not sure if I do it myself, but Pat certainly does. I cannot speak for him or his feelings, but I can give my opinion on it. I know Pat dreads saying good-bye to his two little boys. I don't think it was as hard the first time when he left Ryan. At that point having a child was so new that there wasn't a way to really comprehend all that he was going to miss. This time he has seen not only how much Ryan changed in the 9 months that he missed, but also how much he's changed in the 13 months he's been back home. The kids change quickly and grow up so fast. It must be sad for him to look at Sean and know he's going to miss that stuff all over again a second time. One of the saddest comments Pat has said during this pre-deployment time has been, "Ryan won't even remember me if I don't make it back." I cannot dispute the possibility that Ryan is still too young to remember, but I know that if anything were to happen to Patrick, my children would hear all the stories and see all the pictures of our amazing time together as a family and know how much their father loved them. I know there is the possibility of Pat not returning to us, but to be honest I will not let myself think that way. My husband will return to me and our children.

As I said, Pat's response and way to deal with the pressure of an upcoming deployment is to withdraw from our family. He will not speak very often and just doesn't seem to be enjoying the times he is here. This definitely drives me nuts. For a while it was causing fights between me and him because I didn't understand what was going on. Now that I'm certain of the cause, the only things I can do are help Pat communicate his feelings with me, reassure him of everything, and remind him to be present in these moments at home that he is able to enjoy right now.

I think that this deployment is the most intimidating of the ones Pat has been on. The political/terrorist climate over there right now is so tense. As our troops begin to surge, the enemy has promised to surge too. For those who do not know, do not think that Afghanistan is like Iraq. I am not saying one deployment is worse than the other, but Pat learned last time that they are very different deployments--the terrain, the enemy, the country, the fighting, etc.

So how do we prepare for this? We try to enjoy all the moments we have together. We accept the reality of what is going to happen in a few months and all that entails. However, we do not dwell on it. That is difficult on Pat because he feels the need to be mentally prepared. He has the hardest job. He has to be the Soldier and the family guy, and sometimes those roles conflict. For us, the only way to work with both roles is complete honesty. I need to know what Pat is thinking, feeling, fearing. I can reassure him to the best of my ability, and then we open our arms to the unknown hoping for the best. And before we start our journey through another deployment, we celebrate every second we can spend together.

A Few Beauty Must Haves

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner

Yes, this product is expensive for an eyeshadow, but I believe it is 100% worth the price. This cream shadow goes on smooth, and the color is buildable. With a moderate application, it leaves a sheen with a hint of color. I like a more natural look, and this definitely gives the "natural only better" quality to your eye. I bought it in the flatter me color which is a mix or brown and pink. On my last trip to Sephora I checked out the other colors, but I'll be honest that they all looked fairly similar. So I decided to stick with the one color I have and use it till it is gone, which I think will take a while. The reasons this shadow is a must are that as the name says it doesn't crease, it looks natural and beautiful, and most of all because it literally stays ALL DAY! When I go to remove my makeup at night it is still there. I'm not sure I can say that about any other shadow I've tried in the past.

L'Oreal Everpure Shampoo

I have curly hair. Curly hair tends to be on the dry side. I saw a little hint in my Parents magazine saying that these sulfate free shampoos are very helpful for curly hair because they do not having the drying chemicals in them. Since this is a drugstore product and I had a $2.00 off coupon, I had to try it. I've heard that sulfate free shampoos do not lather well, but that is not the case with this stuff. I get a great cleansing lather. The smell is very soothing, and best of all my hair looks very healthy. I liked it so much after trying it that I got another coupon and bought a second tube of the shampoo. I really suggest you give it a try curly hair or not.

Nars Blush in Orgasm

This is a cult favorite. I knew that it was a highly recommended product, but I kind of thought that it was probably just over-hyped. I was so wrong. Check out the reviews of Nars Blush on Sephora; more than 5000 reviews and over 4000 of them give it five stars. They say the color Orgasm is a universally flattering color. I didn't want to be a follower, but I am so glad I decided to buy it. This color is absolutely beautiful. It is peachy-pink and leaves your cheeks glowing. I had been using a cream blush prior to this and thought I would never go back to a powder blush, but this product changed my mind completely. I cannot say enough good things about this. I will be re-buying this over and over again.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer

I seem to have pretty sensitive skin. My skin is also pretty dry especially in winter. This moisturizer works well at hydrating my skin. I put it on in the morning after a shower and before makeup. I will say that I think I need to find a thicker night moisturizer though. Maybe I will have to look into the other Clinique products for that. Do you have a suggestion for a moisturizing night cream? What are your must haves?

Food, Food, and More Food

The Lenten season has begun. One tradition that I was raised with is that I give up some sort of food item for 40 days of Lent. This year I am giving up soda. This will be rather hard for me because I go through periods where I really like Coke, and recently I've been liking it a lot. I am hoping this will work as a sort of detox for me, and that I will not go back to drinking so much soda after Lent. Another thing I am really going to try very hard to give up is swearing. I have been using curse words a bit more than I used to, and I want to cut them out all together.

Because it is Lent, my meal plans have had to adjust accordingly. Pat informed me this morning that he does not like stuffed shells without a meat sauce, so now that meal is out on Fridays now too. Tonight Pat requested pizza, and I really wanted to make my homemade dough again. It has been ages since I made the dough. I love homemade pizza, and that is thanks to my mother who always made delicious homemade pizzas while I was growing up. So my dough is currently on the rise, and I cannot wait until tonight.

Tomorrow we are having inside out cheeseburgers. You put the cheese inside the burger instead of on top.

Last night I made some pretty good Buttery Pork Chops. Here is how you make them:

Season pork chops as you wish with salt and pepper.

Coat chops in flour.

Dunk chops in a milk and egg mixture.

Place the chops in a baggie with crushed Ritz crackers (and a little garlic salt and pepper if you like) to coat with crumb mixture. I used honey butter flavored crackers and they were very yummy.

Place chops in a casserole dish and place some pats of butter around the chops.

Cover and cook at 375 for 40 minutes.

They were very rich, but since I really do like butter that was a good thing. The only warning I will give though is that the cracker coating is a little soggy with this recipe as opposed to crunchy, but I rather enjoyed them.

Potty Adventures

I consider Ryan potty trained. It has been a very long time since he's worn a diaper now. We can even put him to bed in underwear if we want, but sometimes I try to sneak a pull up on him just in case and because we have a spare box of them. We do not think twice before putting him down for a nap in his underwear. Now that he's potty trained, our trips out have sometimes left me in awkward situations.

A few weeks ago I went to a play date at a friend's house. This was our first play date outside our house since potty training. I put Ryan in a pull up before heading over because I wasn't sure how he'd do while playing with friends. During the play time he told me he had to go potty. I brought him downstairs and placed him on the toilet. He immediately began to freak out. He was terrified that he'd fall into the toilet. He jumped off the toilet as fast as he could. I tried again this time making sure to hold him tight and let him know I wouldn't let him fall. He continued to melt down and asked to leave the room. I agreed, and we went back up to play. Shortly after that he repeated that he had to go potty again. I brought him back down thinking maybe things would be different this time. As soon as we got into the bathroom, he wanted to turn around and head back out. I was getting frustrated and desperate at this point. I didn't want him to regress. I decided that maybe he would go if he could sit on my lap. I stripped my pants off and sat him on my lap. Thankfully he wouldn't go because in hindsight that could have been a very bad plan. At that point I gave up and figured he would just have to go in the pull up. As soon as we arrived home I brought him to the potty. He was DRY! I couldn't believe that he held it that whole time despite feeling like he had to go. I was very proud of him. After that I began my search for a travel potty seat to place on regular toilets when we are out.

The other day when we went to Nashville Pat and I had strategically planned out when we would take a potty break with Ryan. We had the new travel potty seat to try out. We decided to bring him at the mall during my Sephora visit. Unfortunately Pat and I completely forgot to take him to the potty. We had been in the car about 5 minutes on the way home when Ryan said he had to go. We immediately set the GPS to find a McDonald's. It was 1.6 miles away. I thought we'd be just fine until I realized that there was a lot of traffic and plenty of red traffic lights in our way. I was starting to panic and get upset that we were messing with all the progress I had made training him. I was so mad at myself and Pat for forgetting to take him earlier. Poor Ryan kept telling us he had to go and I kept saying "one minute hunny". Finally as we approached the McD's we got caught at another red light. Pat pulled into an adjacent parking lot hoping to make it into the McD's, but there was a barrier. I pulled Ryan out of the car and carried him across the parking lots and right into the McD's bathroom. It was a very small restroom with only two stalls and one was occupied. I set up the travel seat and stripped Ryan's clothes down. I placed him on the seat, and he was instantly scared again. He jumped down and didn't seem to want to get back up. I adjusted the seat so it was better placed and put him back up. Just my luck that the toilet was a sensor self flushing one that started to flush just as I put Ryan back on. It was one of those really loud and powerful toilets, and I swear Ryan thought it was going to swallow him. I held him tight and reassured him it would be okay. Finally he started to pee, and I think the fact that he was desperate to pee was my saving grace. Getting his clothes back on was kind of a production. I was a little bit embarrassed to see a line of people waiting for the stall as we opened the door. One women commented, "it's the special little moments..." as we were leaving the bathroom. I can say I never thought my knees would touch the floor of a public restroom until I potty trained my 2 year old.

Our potty escapades have now branched out to Sam's Club too. Thankfully each potty trip seems to be getting slightly easier than the previous one, but it is still a comical adventure.

A Weekend to Love

This long weekend has been such a wonderful break for our family. We've had lots to love this weekend, especially each other. Here is a recap that gets kind of long.

Saturday morning I received a delivery of roses from Pat. They were beautiful, and he was rather proud of himself for sending them. Since he had given me a gift that day and I cannot wait to give people their gifts, I showed him one of the gifts that I bought for him that I knew would not arrive in time for Valentine's Day. I had ordered him the Band of Brothers blu-ray set. The laptop I bought him is blu-ray capable so he'll be able to watch it when he's deployed too.

Saturday I took Pat to the running store in Nashville that I had heard awesome stuff about. All the reviews were right. I wish I were a runner so I could have enjoyed the store more myself. You bring in your old sneakers, and they look at them and analyze the wear you put on the soles. Then they measure your feet. After that is all done they bring you out the perfect shoe for your foot. Then they have you test it out by running in the parking area. They were really good at their job. The only downside some people might find is that you don't get too much choice in look or color, but in reality a good fit is the most important for running. Pat got lucky and got a good looking shoe that he LOVES. He said they felt "so good" and were really light.

After the running store I convinced Pat to bring me to the mall so I could go to one of my favorite stores...Sephora. I could really play in this store all day long. I got a tinted moisturizer I'd been wanting to try and a new blush that I think I may be in love with. I'm hoping to make a "5 beauty products that I love" post in the near future. So if these products make the grade I'll tell you about them then.

Sunday we went grocery shopping. I saved over $16 dollars in coupons at walmart. I was pretty happy with that accomplishment. We had wanted to go to the local museum in the afternoon, but Ryan desperately needed a good, long nap. Instead Pat and I had some pizza and watched a movie during nap time. For dinner we had some chicken that unfortunately didn't sit well with me or Pat, so we didn't quite enjoy our Valentine's day evening the way we imagined. (By the way, I didn't cook the chicken.)

On Valentine's day I gave Pat the part of his gift that had arrived. It went along well with his running shoes that we bought earlier in the weekend. I got him a Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS training watch. We had been talking about them for a little bit, and he expressed interest. He wanted a decent one, but not the super expensive ones. This one seemed to have enough features without being too much. The weather hasn't allowed him to use it yet, but hopefully it will be helpful for his running.

But of course no matter how much I tried to spoil Pat, he spoiled me more. He gave me diamond earrings with black diamond jackets. It was much to generous of him, but I'm not complaining. I secretly love getting jewelry, and he did such a great job picking these out. He knows I like more unique pieces that are not trendy or mass produced, and these were perfect. I am such a lucky wife.

Today we took Ryan to Jump Zone again. Jump Zone is a place here that has about 6 large (and I really do mean large) bouncy houses with slides for kids to go on. Parents can go on with the kids if they want, but to be honest these slides are rather high and fast. I get really anxious when we go here because I feel like it is an accident waiting to happen. The last time we went I met my friend there, and Ryan played with her daughter. After a couple times around he was off on his own going up the giant slides like a pro. (This terrified me, but I was also proud of him.) However, today since we didn't meet up with any of his friends he was much more timid. He made Pat go on every thing with him and didn't want to go anywhere without his daddy. He did go on a few by himself though, so at least Pat could see what a big boy he was. Ryan has so much fun there that we literally have to drag him out of there while he bawls his eyes out. It is rather sad, and I understand where his fit is coming from. So while it is a pain in the butt to have a child throwing a fit, I don't mind as much because I know he's just sad to leave.

We spent a perfect evening tonight watching Monsters Inc. as a family. Ryan seemed to enjoy it, and it entertained me and Pat too. I really want Ryan to see the movie Toy Story sometime, but it is difficult to find because it is currently locked in the vault by Disney. I'm going to keep my eye out for it still.

Pat has tomorrow off, but I think a lot of it will be spent catching up on things around the house. So I’m going to end my long catch up session here so I can spend some quality time with Pat now that the kids are in bed.

Valentine's Plans?

Do you have specials plans to celebrate Valentine's day with your Love?

I still haven't come up with any real plans here. Remember, romance in our house has taken on a new meaning since having kids; I haven't even been to the movies since November 2007. So what I'm thinking is making some special food treats that Pat and I can enjoy after the kids are in bed on Valentine's day. I'm pretty sure we have a bottle of sparkling grape juice in the fridge too. (See I told you it would be a little different now!)

I have two gifts that I'm pretty excited to give Pat. Now, Pat and I know that Valentine's day really isn't about giving gifts, but I love the opportunity to try to spoil Pat. He definitely takes good care of me, and I want to give him the things he wants but would never buy for himself. Plus we already know he won't be here next Valentine's day. The only problem is that whenever I think I've really done great on buying gifts for the holidays, Pat undoubtedly one-ups me. Hopefully between what I've got him for Valentine's day and for his birthday coming up next month he'll be a very happy guy. I'll let you know after I give him the gifts.

Pat has a long weekend this weekend. I've got two activities I want to bring Ryan to do. I think we'll really enjoy watching Ryan have some fun. Also, if we have time I want to bring Pat to an awesome running shoe store I heard about so he can get new sneakers for running. Maybe that can be part of his Valentine's day gift....hmm. But it seems all these plans depend on how the kids are doing because it now looks like Sean may be coming down the with cold that Ryan just had. I'm crossing my fingers that my little baby can avoid it, but we'll see.

I think that this weekend promises to be a fantastic one as long as we are together and having fun. Gifts really don't matter, the smiles do.

4 Months and a Video

(turn on your speakers)

Sean had his 4 month well-baby visit today. The doctor assured me I had a very healthy and strong baby on my hands, although I didn't need him to tell me that. Sean is quite a big boy too. He was 25.75" long and weighed 19 lbs 6oz. He is doing really well and is very happy.

Ryan had to get his second flu shot. They weighed him (with shoes on) and he was 30lbs. He was also 37" tall (in his shoes).

My boys are getting so big so quickly.

So Tired I Can't See Straight

Every night lately as I go to bed (around 10 p.m.) I am so tired I cannot see straight. I mean this literally. I don't want to sound like a complainer, but I do want to explain why I'm feeling so completely run down.

I do not blame Pat because I know there is a reason things are running like they do, but I do sometimes wish for a break that I know I just cannot get. Also, do not get me wrong, I have the best job in the whole world. I just need to figure out a way to refresh and recharge myself.

I was going to type out what my day looks like, but I've changed my mind and do not want to bore you with such details. However, I can summarize it like this: from 6:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. there is no time in which I don't have a child with me. I spend all day taking care of them or doing things around the house like cleaning and cooking. I feed the three dogs both of their meals each day. Then once the children are down I get about 1.5 hours to watch TV and snuggle with Pat, if he is home. When I go to bed, I know sleep is going to be interrupted. I will inevitably get up once with Ryan and several different times with Sean throughout the night. Add on to the above statements that Ryan and I usually eat dinner without Pat, and I am the only one who can put the boys down to bed or wake up with them in the middle of the night and you may now understand why I am so tired.

That all said, I am not complaining. I am not looking for your advice on a better way to divide responsibility because this is the way it works at our house. I am, however, looking for your advice on how to recharge and refresh. I need a way to get over feeling so run down. I feel like I never have any me time, but at this point I really wouldn't know what to do with me time. How do you relax and recharge your battery?

Patience

As you can see I got a new blog layout. Isn't it beautiful? I absolutely adore it.

Along with my new blog comes a new title, "Our Motto Is Patience". You may be wondering why I chose patience. Here is how my new title came to be:

Around the new year I began thinking about having a custom blog layout made, but before I could commit to a new look, I knew I needed a title for my header. I thought long and hard. I even looked up all my favorite quotes, poems, and lyrics to songs. I couldn't find anything that fit just right. I sometimes kept Pat awake at night trying to come up with something that would represent me in the blog world. Of course, Pat fell asleep before we came up with anything, and I decided to wait for a new layout until I found what I was looking for. A few days passed, and I wasn't any closer to figuring it out.

***

Monday, January 25, 2010 Pat worked late again. We had just had a long and rough weekend; I was sick Friday, Pat had duty all day Saturday, and then Pat was feeling sick when he came home on Sunday. By Monday I was completely exhausted. 8:00 p.m. rolled around, and Pat hadn't left work yet. I was overtired and lacking patience. Sean decided to push his normal bedtime late, so he was up and fussing as I tried to put Ryan down for bed. Ryan and I followed his normal bedtime routine, but Ryan was not quite tired yet. I on the other hand was desperate for some quiet time. I took Ryan to the potty, and then we headed to his room to read some books. I read a few books and tucked him in. Our normal routine is that I read him some books, then rub his back for a few minutes, and as I leave we blow each other kisses. On a normal night the routine goes smoothly, and there are no problems with bedtime. However, on this night I rushed through the stories and didn't stay as long as I should have to rub his back. I could tell he wasn't quite ready, but I left his room anyway. As I sat in the kitchen preparing to put Sean down to bed, I could hear Ryan getting out of bed to come to his door and cry. Ryan has a quirk though, whenever he gets out of his bed he goes over and pulls his nightlight out of the wall. He likes having the nightlight on while he sleeps, but for some reason he feels he should take it out of the wall when he doesn't want to be sleeping. As Ryan began to cry, I listened hoping that he would go back to bed on his own like he's done so many times in the past. I heard him heading back to his bed, but then I also heard a loud "Bang!". The crying was muffled for an instant but then restarted with force. I ran to his room, and he jumped into my arms. I rocked him and asked if he wanted me to read him more books. He got right back into his bed ready to read when I realized he had a large lump on the side of his nose near his eye. It was already rather swollen, and he was still upset. I grabbed him from the bed and hurried him into the kitchen. At that moment as I rocked him, Pat walked through the back door finally coming home from work at 8:30 p.m. I showed him what had happened to Ryan, and I called my parents to ask what we should do. Ryan's nose had started to trickle some blood, and I was extremely worried. While I was on the phone with my parents I even noticed that he had burst some blood vessels in his eye. At that point we decided Pat should bring Ryan to the emergency clinic on post right away. I had to stay home and put Sean to bed, but I couldn't stop worrying about my little boy. I talked to my family, and they helped me immensely. However, nothing could stop me from feeling guilty. In many ways, this accident was my fault. It was a result of my lack of patience. If I had shown more patience dealing with Ryan that night, I wouldn't have half-assed bedtime. If I had put more effort into the bedtime, Ryan never would have gotten out of bed. It was my impatience that had caused Ryan to have his first big boo-boo.

Ryan ended up being just fine. He had a bump and a couple good bruises, but that was all. We still do not know what he stumbled into in the dark, but we assume it was his bed. That night while waiting for them to return home from the ER, I decided that patience was going to be the key to not only my blog title but also my life. From that night on, I have vowed to have more patience with my children even when I am overtired and run down.

I also need patience as an Army wife. As all my fellow military spouses know, patience is vital to surviving the military life style. Often times the Army throws us a curve ball. I would never be able to last as an Army wife without patience, especially during deployments.

Very recently, my two very wise parents reminded me of something that I frequently overlook; I need to have patience with Pat. I find myself getting frustrated with him much more than I should. Sometimes it is because he works so much that I feel like I hardly see him, and other times it is based on how he handles the children. I know that Pat does not want to work late or miss out on so much time with the family. I needed the reminder from my parents to realize that Pat is learning how to be a father after having missed so much during deployment and from his long daily schedule.

With all this in mind, Pat and I decided that "Our Motto Is Patience" is quite a fitting title. It is very true that we all need patience in dealing with our lives. I find patience is especially needed for me with my children, the Army, and with my dear husband. I hope that each day that I come to my blog it will serve as a reminder for me to live my life practicing patience.

Super Bowl Sunday '10

We had some really great family time on Super Bowl Sunday this year. I made some queso dip with leftover homemade chili we had earlier in the week. It was yummy! Then we went to the book store to buy Ryan some more books for bedtime. Ryan was a very good boy at the store. We cuddled with Sean most of the day. He is a very happy baby. Pat and I had some quality talking time which we really needed. And lastly we watched the Super Bowl. Our team wasn't in it, so I didn't really care too much about it.

Sean wore his Patriots gear for the game. I know the Patriots weren't in the Super Bowl, but he still has New England pride.

Daddy and Sean before the game.
Sean being a cutie pie.
Ryan says the queso dip was good...well at least the parts that made it into his mouth and not on his face.
Happy and messy little boy.

Why Blog?

I bet it is clear that I do not blog to get followers, huh?

Part of the reason to blog is to keep family and friends updated on the kids through stories and pictures. But that isn't all. It would be a rather boring blog to many others if that is all there was.

I do NOT believe that a blog is only good for a deployment.

I blog to share a bit of myself with you that I probably wouldn't say otherwise. I am more of a writer than a talker. I am an introvert in person. However, I will sometimes write more about myself than I would tell you if we were talking face to face. In some ways it feels good to open up even if it is through the faceless blog world. I use the blog as a release. My blog is a "good friend" that I can come to and tell how bad or good a day was. My blog can remind me that I need to be a better person through the idea that people are watching/listen. It is true that my blog does not usually talk back to me, but by me writing on it I find clarity. And lastly, no matter how trivial what I have to say is, I know my blog is always listening.

Some of what I write or post may bore you. Not to be harsh, but I don't care. I do this blog as much for me as I do to share my life with all of you. I hope that you enjoy reading it, but the most important thing is that I enjoy writing it.

Why do you blog? What is your blog to you?

Photo Shoot

These were taken yesterday, and I couldn't resist sharing them. I had taken out my camera to take some photos of Sean, but Ryan immediately wanted to join in the "cheese". He quickly sat next to Sean, and I began snapping photos. They are two sweeties and really seem to like each other. I am a lucky mother.

Sean's Baptism

(I tried to make the pictures clickable so you can see them bigger. Try it out.)

I didn't have time to make the frosting as smooth as I'd like, but it tasted even better than it looked.

Mommy and Sean

John the Godfather and Sean

Pat, John, and Sean
Baptism (And a big thanks to my wonderful hubby for taking all these great photos of the Baptism.)

Best Buds

Ryan definitely enjoyed having John around for Sean's Baptism. If he woke up from a nap and Pat and John were out, he would be very upset. He even kept asking John to take him to the potty instead of me or Pat (of course we didn't make John do that though). Ryan was sad when John had to leave, but he definitely had a good weekend.

Baptism photos coming soon...there are many to sort through.

Snow Days

We got a fair amount of snow with the storm this weekend. We didn't have a snow shovel, so we didn't clear any paths. Therefore, it was wise to have Pat carry Ryan off the deck.

Ryan was amazed by the amount of snow.
But it did cause him a little difficulty walking around.
Ryan doesn't have gloves, and the mittens we had from last year just were not meant to stay on a toddler's hands. So Pat put his gloves on Ryan.
Ryan was still in awe of the snow.
He loved walking around in it but hated when he'd fall down.
Abbey loved running around in the snow. She really wanted Ryan to chase her, but Ryan found walking around without falling was more than enough to hold his attention.
Sean even came out to see the snow.
But he liked being cozy in the house better than looking at the snow.
Relaxing on the couch was his idea of fun.