Long weekend...

Tom has a long weekend starting tonight. He goes back to work Tuesday morning. He's planning a special dinner for me tomorrow night (grilled tuna steaks) and we will spend some time preparing for the ACES gathering next weekend, and Kevin and Geraldine's arrival the same day. I am so excited! We haven't seen K & G since we left Europe on 2005.

I guess lots of people have plans for the local beaches -- not me! You couldn't pay me to put up woth the crowds that are usually there on holiday weekends. Although Tom does want to take a trip to the exotic wood store in Charleston for some supplies. I guess we'll get to see any damage that occurs due to Ernesto.

Have a great weekend, Everybody! Be safe.

p.s. Still no word on Jacque and her baby. We're still praying for healthy baby and Mom!

The newest country? Australia!

Actually, it is a hit from India routed through Australia, but I still think it is pretty cool. Thanks, Christina!

In other news, our friend Jacque should have a new baby boy by now. The doctor decided to take the baby via C-section this morning at 8:00am. Since Jacque lives in Germany, it is six hours later there. I imagine we haven't heard anything yet because husband Jimmy is too busy admiring his marvelous progeny to bother going home to email all their friends and family about the new arrival. We're thinking of you all!

What did you get for your birthday, Ryan?

Ryan responded to Grandpa's question over the cell phone...and Grandpa said "Duct tape? Duct tape is always a good thing..."

No, Ryan didn't get duct tape, they had CUP CAKES. ;)

Happy Birthday, Ryan! You're 3 Today!

Three years ago today I was living in Belgium and hoping to arrive home in time for the birth of my daughter's first biological child. It was not to be. Ryan was anxious to see the world and arrived two weeks early. In Belgium, it was the day of the 'Fun-For-All Fest' and Tom and I were both working all day. Tom was cooking burgers and hot dogs, I believe, and I was at the Trips and Tours booth, interacting with all the people who entered our raffles and informing them of the different trips we offered. I was aware that my daughter had been in labor, but was under the mistaken impression that she had already given birth. Jay had given us Jen's hospital phone number and I tried to call several times during the day, but had lots of trouble with the base telephone system. When, late in the afternoon, I finally got a ring on the telephone, there was no answer. So-o frustrating! Turns out Ryan arrived around 5:30pm Belgium time. Jen's room phone was ringing away during some of the most difficult part of her labor! Jay asked if he should answer it...I think Jen threatened his life (or at least his well-being) at that point. We got the details at home a little later.

Ryan, you were worth waiting for~we have enjoyed every minute we have gotten to spend with you, and we love hearing about the times we don't. Have a wonderful time being 3! Love you!

*~*~*~*~*

Favorite things to do with Ryan:

• get hugs and kisses
• go to gymnastics class
• play outside
• play in water
• push him on his swing
• read 'Snuggle Puppy'
• just spend time with him

Oklahoma! is history.

This afternoon's performance of Oklahoma! was the final show for Sumter Little Theater's first show of the season. There was a cast party following, to which spouses were invited. Tom decided he wanted to go, so I met him after the show. Good thing we decided to do it this way because Tom forgot his camera and called me while I was at the commissary to ask me to bring it when I came. He was able to get some photos of the set pieces he worked on, as well as some shots of the cast.

At the party, I met some other members of the stage crew. One even told me my husband is a genius! Of course, I already know this, but the affirmation is always nice. In thinking back, I should have been clever and said something like 'I know, he married me, didn't he?' I'm just not that quick.

By the time I saw Tom, I was relieved to see his lip was back to normal ~ we had been doing some gardening in the morning, and Tom had what seemed to be an allergic reaction. His bottom lip looked like he'd had collagen injections!~ He said his face felt like it was swollen and his lips tingled...he wasn't overly concerned, as he often is not, so I told him to be aware of his breathing. Any difficulty should be met with a trip to the emergency room. He agreed (thank goodness!) but the trip proved unnecessary.

The crew is taking a day off, then strikes on Tuesday. I guess that means the actors don't help...

Denmark!

I got a hit from Denmark! (Thanks, Erin.) How cool is that? I just love when people from different countries pop in.

Spa Night

Last night was "Spa Night" on the base. The Airmen and Family Readiness Group sponsored the event which was open to anyone affiliated with the base. It was a nice event, with booths from different companies like Pure Romance, Mary Kay, About the Body Massage and Skin Care, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, a Chiropractor, Pampered Chef, Another Level Catering, Close to my Heart Scrapbooking and Stamping, Discovery Toys, Tupperware, and the base gym and HAWC (Health and Wellness Center), among others. I'm not sure what some of those have to do with 'Spa', but they were there. Anyway, I met an acquaintance there and we enjoyed the evening together. Have a look at all my goodies!

The pink bag is supposed to be a 'leopard skin print' and it is from the Brittany Spears collection. Yeah, I know, but it was a door prize, so I didn't say no. Actually, I won the first door prize of the evening and the last drawing of the evening! That drawing was for a 'Sweet Feet Treatment' at About the Body. The other items you see include a skin freshener sample, scent samples, and a Ty bear. There were also some free samples of food and smoothies. Yum! I had a pretty good night.

Tom had a pretty good night, too. The play he has been working on had Dress Rehearsal last night. The actors didn't know it, but there were representatives from the local paper there to do a review. Those present in the audience gave the show a standing ovation. I guess that bodes pretty well for the Sumter Little Theater production of 'Oklahoma!' which opens tonight. Shameless plug there....

What personality type are you?

You Are An ESFP

The Performer You are a natural performer and happiest when you're entertaining others.A great friend, you are generous, fun-loving and optimistic.You love to laugh - and you like almost all people equally.You accept life as it is, and you do your best to make each day fantastic. You would make a good actor, designer, or counselor.

What's" Your Personality Type?

So tell me, does anyone believe this about me? I get the friend part, but 'good actor, designer, or counselor'? I know a few people who could dispute that!

Thank you, Anheuser Busch!

How's this for a great tribute? With their "Here's to the Heroes" program, Anheuser Busch backs up their commercial with tangible evidence of their gratitude to our military. The commercial brings tears to my eyes every time I see it, and I can tell you from my personal experience being married to a military man that they, too, are touched by the outpouring of emotion and pride from the American people. When Tom first stepped back on American soil after his participation in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the greeting he and the other servicemembers received brought tears to his eyes.

The "Here's to the Heroes" salute offers free admission to one of their parks for one day to active duty military members and their direct dependents. Our family enjoyed a wonderful day at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, and we would like to say Thank You to Anheuser Busch.

If YOU know anybody who might be eligible for this program, please share the information with them. They deserve it!

Vacation...

Photo by JoanTom and TJ in Rehoboth Beach

Our Family Vacation in Rehoboth Beach was a success -- we all had a good time and shared fun and fellowship with members of the family we don't see nearly as often as we would like. Most people there had never even seen Lily, and one of Jen's cousins didn't even realize until the night before it started that she existed! That's easy to understand when we all realize how little we communicate except at holiday times and Vacation. So everybody got to see what a sweet, happy baby little Lily can be. She was full of smiles and giggles and was generally pleasant to be around. I loved her reaction to the ocean! She actually seemed to be excited by it.

The house we stayed in, The Beach Retreat, was pretty nice. It was actually two houses with access on the second floor -- of course you could go out one front or back door and in the other if you chose. The size of the house meant that everyone got a bed -- no sleeper sofas or air mattresses this year! We also had two kitchens, two refrigerators, two washer and dryers, two dishwashers, two living rooms and two dining rooms. With all that, there was still no ironing board and iron! Oh, well. We were on vacation. I just wore the stuff wrinkled.

Jen made a point to spend some time with her cousins. She bought some games to play with them and even spent an afternoon helping the older children - aged 11 and 9 - bake cookies. I think they had almost as much fun making them as they did eating them! Ryan was especially glad that his great aunt Dina's youngest son (Ryan's second cousin? First cousin, once removed? Does anybody know?) brought his Thomas the Tank Engine trains along for amusement. Ben was very generous in allowing Ryan to play with the trains. He's not even two, yet, but he surely seems to understand sharing. THe two little boys watched some Thomas videos together, too. It was so cute to see their little chairs set in front of the TV. Sometime during the week, we realized that Ben was calling Ryan 'Ben', too. Not sure what that was about, but it was still cute.

Tom and I took Ryan for breakfast at The Royal Zephyr. It is a train-themed restaurant that is actually a converted train. We had to wait a little bit, and there was the neatest little store there to browse through. I'll do a special post about that when we get Tom's photos from the trip.

During the week, we had people go golfing, to the waterpark, biking, swimming at the beach, visiting with friends, out for meals, shopping, and more. It was a good week and I enjoyed it. I hope everyone else did, too!

I'm Back!

Thanks for checking in. I have returned from a Family Vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and will be catching up in the next few days. I have photos to post and stories to share. I just wanted to let everyone who might be checking in that the blog will have some new information soon. I'll let you decide if it is interesting or not!

Off to get the oil changed...

Should have done it when I got here...but I am off to do it. I feel guilty abandoning Jen, but as she says, she deals with three kids all day every day even when I am not here.

Friday

Spent yesterday afternoon and evening with Mom and Dad. Dad is looking better and seems to be feeling a little stronger. Mom made meat loaf, cucumber salad, and corn on the cob for dinner. Yummy! We had a nice visit and I enjoyed myself very much.

On the way home, I stopped by my SILs to drop off a toaster oven that is intended for use by her daughter is setting up her apartment. It was really too late to demand attention, so I knocked lightly. WHen there was no response, I left it on the covered porch and sent an email when I got home, telling Laura what I had done. I sure hope they found it!

When I got back to Jen and Jay's, I found they had both been making wonderful progress at home. Tryig to get things done after work and when the little ones are sleeping means they both get the most done in the evenings -- and they stay up too late. I hope they get good results from their efforts! Jen managed to find some time to add some photos to her blog. Very cute!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Got any plans?

Thursday already?

I'm in one of those weird states when times seems to drag and fly by at the same time. Saturday is the day Tom joins us for Family Vacation and it seems to be taking forever to get here. We are attampting to have certain things done here at Jen and Jay's by then and the time for getting that done is going by so fast one wonders what happened! Very weird.

Monday, Monday...

* Took Ryan to Gymnastics class. He had a great time and did a great job, too. While there, I signed him up for the 'big boy' class in the fall.

*Ryan and I followed up our trip to the gym with a visit to the library. We were returning our books so we wouldn't have to worry about them during vacation. We read a few stories, but mistly we watched (and seemed to be influenced by) other children misbehaving. No wonder mothers are so eager for school to start up again in the fall.

* Picked up a few things, like bread, at the grocery store on the way home.

*Used the ATM at the bank to access some cash.

*Saw a bunny at the end of the street when we came home.

*Had lunch.

*Sent Ryan's mommy for a nap since she had such a rough night last night.

*Played trucks with Ryan.

*Took Lily so Mommy could catch a few more zzzzs.

*Was useless in comforting Ryan two minutes later when he bumped his head on the coffee table. He went to Mommy for a bandage and ended up falling asleep in her bed.

*Dinnertime was leftovers that Jenny heated up for us. I did dishes while Jen cared for Lily. Ryan wanted Grandma to read stories. Daddy read one first, then Grandma read three. Jammies, brush teeth, sing songs and prayers. More prayers. More prayers. Mommy says enough. Sleep.

Why do I feel like I was a lazybones all day?

Happy Birthday, Renée!

Happy birthday to my Sister-in-law! Renée is next in line to older brother Tommy, my husband. (I don't generally call him Tommy, but his siblings often do.) Renée shares the joys of grandparenthood with granddaughter Cloey. I think she loves it as much as I do! Happy birthday, Renée, and many more!

Lily is teething (we think...)

Poor little Lily is just miserable, and so are the three adults in the house with her. She is screaming in I can only guess what kind of pain and there doesn't seem to be much we can do for her. Mommy has held her, nursed her, given her cool teething rings, rubbed Oragel on her gums, sung to her, played one of her baby musical toys, rocked her, checked for fever, speculated that the little burps she has causes pain...all to little avail. Grandma has cuddled her, sung Goin' to the Chapel (which is usually successful in calming her), swayed, bounced, danced and bopped with her, Daddy has fussed and worried, and offered what help he can, and the poor baby is still crying. She seems to calm then suddenly bursts out in the most pitiful of cries. It is enough to break your heart! If she is teething, I hope not all her teeth cause this much anguish! I guess I was lucky - my kids were easy teethers. One day a tooth would just appear, no hassles, no crying, none of the usual indicators.

All is quiet. Perhaps she is asleep...say a prayer for a good night's sleep for both Mommy and baby. They're going to need it.

To Russia, With Love

How cool is it that I got three hits on the blog from Russia? (Yes, I am that pathetic - I think it's great!) So, whoever you are, thanks for checking in! You gave me another country on my 'hits list.'

Recently there was a hit from India, but I happen to have a friend traveling there so I am pretty sure I know who it was....but Russia has me stumped. Nobody I know in Russia would have this blog address!

Daisy (cough cough) has bordatella...

When Jay brought her home from the kennel, we all noticed Daisy had a terrible cough. If she were people, we would have called it a 'barking' cough. Since she's a dog, I can only describe it as Kennel Cough. Daisy got her bordatella immunization when she went to the kennel for our long weekend. You know how a flu shot sometimes gives you the flu? Well, the same holds true for this shot. It gave the poor dog a kennel cough! Jen called for an appointment right away, but the soonest they could see her was today. Since I am here, it was easier for me to take her in. Jen came out to the car with us to put down towels in case Daisy got car sick. Daisy jumped right in before the towels were put down! Jen says this is unusual. She usually balks at getting into their car! I called her out so we could lay the towels (my car is only a year old!) and then she jumped right back in again. Daisy behaved well for me. I opened a window for her, since dogs seems to love to feel the air when they go for a ride. She has two prescriptions and should finish the course of treatment just as we leave for another vacation! Poor girl.

Happy Birthday, Tommy!

Today is my youngest brother's birthday. Youngest of five, Tommy manages to be personable and fun without overdoing it too often. Those who know him think highly of him. Tom, I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy the coming year. If YOU see Tommy, don't forget to wish him a Happy Birthday!

Conversations with Ryan

Grandma: Did you eat all that all by yourself?

Ryan: No, Daisy* had some, too.

*Daisy is the family dog.

*~*~*~*~*

Zach: What's the matter with PopPop?

Mommy (explains): PopPop is sick and he needs surgery to make him better.

Ryan (piping up): PopPop doesn't need surgery. He needs dessert!

*~*~*~*~*

Grandma (at the end of nighttime prayers): Ryan, do you want to ask for special blessings for PopPop, that he recovers quickly?

Ryan (looks thoughtful, then speaks hopefully): He had chocolate-covered pretzels with M&Ms that I made him.

*~*~*~*~*

Ryan (randomly, when the mood strikes): I love you, Grandma.

Grandma: [heart melts]

*~*~*~*~*

Not blogging much...

Sorry about that. I have been busily soaking up as much attention as I can get from the grandchildren.

Dad's surgery was a week ago. All is well, the surgery was a success and Dad is slowly recovering. I spent two nights at their house -- one with Mom while Dad was overnight in the hospital and his first night home. I took Mom out grocery shopping the next day, then came back to Jen and Jay's to stay until The Annual Family Vacation with the in-laws (or, as we say in this family, the out-laws).

Hubby is in South Carolina, all on his own and loving the time he gets to devote to the Community Theater there. J & J are gearing up for a move, so I am hoping to be helpful in keeping up the daily stuff so Jen can get things done. I have taken Ryan to gymnastics, which I love to do. It is so much fun to watch him do so much more than I ever thought a two-year-old could do! I have also taken both Ryan and Zach with me to the grocery store twice. I have to say I despise those awful 'car' shopping carts. Good idea, bad deployment. Those things are so difficult to maneuver through the store that it is a wonder mothers haven't picketed the stores to get rid of them! They also really limit your space for the actual groceries! The stores are not doing themselves any favors with those things. I also took Ryan out to the libray with me. Zach had the opportunity to come along, but he chose computer games, instead. We read books and played with the 'beads-on-a-track' table. After we checked out, we stopped at the snack bar (in the library!) for a juice and a cake. Then Ryan took me to 'the bridge.' I think it is supposed to be a wildlife area, with wooden walkways to keep people from damaging the natural area. Unfortunately, it was 103 degrees and the pathway to the wooden bridges was blacktop. The heat reflected back so much it was a miserable walk. Ryan asked me to carry him. I didn't blame him, since all the heat seemed to hover right at his level. But we managed to enjoy the wildlife while we were there. I took him home after that so we could cool off. I was actually worried about Ryan - he was flushed and quiet and he seemed to fall asleep suddenly in the car. Actually he was just quiet and staring ahead. He was fine when we got home, though. He was all excited to tell Jen about our adventures. Whew!

I actually got Lily to fall asleep tonight. A first since my arrival over a week ago! Seems my rendition of Goin' to the Chapel is just the thing to put an exhausted five-month-old to sleep. Ryan read me a bedtime story. Actually he has memorized Snuggle Puppy and I enjoyed it very much. He even did the gravelly throat singing at the same place in the story that I do. Too cute!

So, I'm starting to catch up. More blogging soon, I hope!