Marveling at my children

I'm amazed at how fast 8 months can go by. 
I'm amazed at how much you can forget so quickly.
I'm amazed at how fast they learn and how impressionable they are. 
I'm amazed because they are both so very amazing!

My baby boy is giving big wet open mouth pressed to your cheek with baby drool dripping down your face kisses.  He seems too young for this, but I guess if you have been kissed on by every person you have come in contact with for 8 full months of your little life then you too would be handing them out as soon as possible.  He makes me smile.  His sister loves to make him smile.  As he lies in his bed each morning chattering away to himself.  Sister will soon find me to see if she can go in to talk to her brother.  I hope they always have this.  I know they will fight and argue and generally drive each other crazy but I hope they will always have the love and admiration for each other that they do now.  That may be a bit naive but hope it just the same. 
My big girl is beautiful and head strong and full of life.  She is full wonder and compassion and energy.  She is fantastic!  Not too long ago Poppy had come to visit for a day or so.  I had run to pick up dinner while he stayed with the children.  I return home after about 1/2 hour to find Poppy and Colton standing in front of the TV (this means Colton got fussy.  Poppy's tried and true method for easing fussiness is to distract babies with big screen TV's...it works).  As I enter the house Sister meets me in the kitchen exclaiming, "Momma, It's all OK I'm making him a bottle!"
"So you think he's hungry?"
"Yes, and I'm making him a bottle, come see it's almost ready."
She leads me to her bathroom where she has taken a plastic bowl, filled it with warm water, retrieved a bag of milk from the freezer (using her step stool) and began thawing it.  She had a bottle on the counter ready to pour the milk into. 
She informs me that it only has one cold spot left and then it will be ready. 
Feeling the bag she has placed in my hand there is in fact only one frozen piece left.  She refills the bowl with warm water and moves the bag around until it's gone. 
She filled the bottle and off she went to find her brother!
(Never mind the fact he never did get the bottle thing down)  Sister did what she could to take care of her baby brother while Momma was away.  She ROCKS!

Dogtags, Dogtags, and more Dogtags

When Hannah was about a year old she discovered Brian’s dog tags, and LOVED to play with them. I’m not sure whether Hannah was more excited to see Daddy at the end of the day or to get her hands on his dogtags. One day Brian just handed them to her and she toddeled off swinging her prized possession. After that day we never saw them again. We scoured the house high and low! Linda came down to visit not too long after and she and I decided we were going to find them once and for all! We systimaticaly searched the house room by room, looking in drawers, under furniture, in the most random of places (because of who had them last there was no telling where they would be). Every room, every closet, every where…and nothing. They were nowhere to be found!


Last August when we moved, we searched again as things were packed and moved and the house was cleared of everything and still…nothing. Brian was convinced that Hannah had flushed them down the toilet.

Once we arrived in Beaufort Brian had to get new dogtags. I ordered a set for him online but they just weren’t the same they didn’t even say USMC on them and for some reason that made me crazy. Determined not to send my husband on a deployment with dogtags that were less than perfect I insisted that we have another set made. Brian, seeing that I was becoming a bit nurotic about this, agreed to getting yet another set of dogtags. This Friday I went to a shop here in the area and ordered another set of dogtags. Today we picked them up…they turned out okay; they still weren’t the same but atleast they had all the info on them. Guess they would do.

Today was a hard day as we struggled not to focus on the fact that tomorrow he leaves. Hannah was out playing and Colton and I were sitting on the bed talking to Brian as he packed. I hear Hannah hollering at me. I look out the window and she is peering in the mailbox, Momma, the mail is HHHEEEEEERRRRRREEEE!!! (She can’t reach inside yet). I put Colton down and walk out to get the mail, Hannah had disappeared around back. Nothing too exciting, car tag, survey, two ads and a padded envelope for Brian.

Brian opened the envelope, pulls out a sheet of paper but continues to peer into the envelope. “You’re not going to believe what is in here.” The Dogtags!! The letter was from the people who purchased our house. They had found them under the stove while having some work done on the gas line. CRAZY! CRAZY! CRAZY! What are the odds of us getting this package the day before he leaves?

Thank you Lord, thank you for easing my nurotic mind. Yes, I know you will take care of him and bring him home to us.

South Carolina Snowfall

On February 12th after the entire nation had experienced snow (except for us) we finally had our turn! Not much but it was snow none the less and in Low Country of SC that's almost unheard of.
The Bear had been dying to make a snowman since all of our friends and family had snow at Christmas!
I noticed the snow falling about 8:30 in the evening. Daddy had just finishing getting the Bear settled down and in bed when i bounded through the bedroom door insisting she pull on sweatpants and a sweater over her nightgown and grab her coat and gloves! Dodging the daggers flying at me from my husband’s eyes I raced off to bundle myself up and go make a snowman!!
She stayed up late but we had a blast collecting all the snow on the grass to make our two foot snowman...isn't he cute.

One Soggy Day

Today while killing time between picking up Little Miss from school and going to our play-date, we stopped to watch the geese in the pond. I decided to use that time to feed the baby. Miss climbed into the front seat and rolled down the window so she could holler at the bald eagles (aka sea gulls...not sure where this confusion comes from. She's seen a bald eagle.) We then spot an Egret in the water....Momma, why isn't that egret moving? Is he dead?
No, he's just holding still
Holding Still!? WHY!!? (This is a concept obviously lost on a three year old)
Hannah continues her dialog with the sea gulls...Hey, what's your name? Why is he standing so still? You sure he's not dead? Is he real!?

In the mean time baby boy needs a diaper change so I pull him out of his car seat, set him on my lap and begin to change him. Suddenly my leg is getting wet! AGH! and the steering wheel and the floor board. I stop the flow, turn to get another wipe and am getting wet again. Really!?! About that time I hear Momma, I have to go potty NOW! Miss scurries into the very back of the car to get her port-a-potty ready (life saver for potty training kiddos and beyond) She hands it up to me so that I can get the bag inserted all the while balancing a wet half diapered baby on my legs. Port-a-potty is set, I hand it back to Missy who continues on with her business and her ongoing commentary of life that began months ago. In the midst of her constant chatter I hear, "I got a really big poopy." Assuming that all is well in the back I begin cleaning up little mister. Suddenly I hear, Uh-OH! (not good with pottying toddler in the back of car). Then, "Momma I can't find my poopy" she says ever so calmly.
WHAT!?! Isn't it in the bag!?!?!
Oh yeah...there it is.
Whew that was close. We almost had pee in the front seat and poppy in the back. Really, is my whole car a port-a-potty?
Feeling safe again I search for new clothes for baby only to find a newborn size onesie. Oh No, that's not going to work. Seeing as my not even two month old son has practically doubled in weight since his newborn day. I don't think I can squeeze him in to it. I fumble around in the diaper bag until I produce another onesie size: 3 months. Will have to do...luckily he's squishy! Upon donning said onesie he looks like a lump of play-dough that has been squeezed through a bag with five holes...sorry baby, wish I could say it won't happen again but I know better.
One child dry and clothed while the other finishes up.....
At this point Miss realizes there is a puddle at her feet where she claims to have missed, "but only a little". Now her pants are wet....humm...brain whirling...oh yeah we have her backpack there are extra pants in there! Wahoo! Feeling good. Managed to get daughter cleaned up and clothed! Wiped up the back of the car with rest of the diaper wipes luckily it was only a little (pants had soaked most of that up!)
Off to our play-date!
Whew no wonder I'm tired at the end of the day!!

Please note that the a fore mentioned incident occurred in late January early February and I'm just NOW getting this e-mail out.