Some pictures from Jeremy

This picture is of his quarters. Fancy, isn't it?

Traveling to Baghdad. Those seats sure do look comfortable, don't they?

This was taken in Kuwait last week.

Update on Jeremy

He arrived at his final destination of Baghdad yesterday. He had an exhausting night of travel, from the sounds of it. He is not sharing a tent with a dozen other soldiers anymore, so that is very good. And communication should get much easier for us now, since he won't have to wait in long lines to use shared computers and phones anymore. It was nice to talk to him today without the buzz of dozens of other people talking around him.

Pictures from our Thanksgiving!

Grandma actually had to hold Ross in the air so that I could get his picture yesterday. Great view of his broken tooth, isn't it?

If only Reid could be so loving with Ross...

Such a happy baby...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope your travels are safe, your dinners enjoyable and your time with family cherished!

This year I am thankful for email, yahoo instant messenger, webcams and lexulous.com (online Scrabble)!

Hmmmm...are we brainwashing them?

Usually Ross needs a night time song before going to sleep. Lately he has gotten picky. I'll start to sing a song and he'll dramatically shake his head and say "different". Tonight I went through about 4 songs before I found one he would let me sing. It was Carmen Ohio. And he requested it over and over.

Woohoo!

So, today I accomplished something monumental. I took all three kids to the grocery store BY MYSELF. Better yet, I got everything I needed without any of the kids crying, screaming, throwing things or, in general, misbehaving. Now, I know it shouldn't be a big deal for a woman to leave the house with her kids. But it is for me right now. I'm still figuring out exactly how to maneuver all three on my own. So, I'm one step closer to having it figured out.

On the other had, Ross was up every half hour from 11:00 to about 2:00 last night. And then Lucy got up three times after that. So, I am exhausted today. I have to figure out a way to keep Lucy from rolling over on her back...

A few pictures of our Buckeye celebration yesterday!

They're ganging up on me.

Uh. Last night was not pretty. Ross and Lucy seemed to have a bit of contest going as to who could keep mom up the most. On second thought, perhaps it wasn't a contest, because they appeared to be on the same team. I went to bed around 10:30. Ross woke up for the 1st time between 11 - 11:30. Then he got up again at 1:00. Then Lucy woke up at 2:00. She rolled herself over and couldn't get back onto her tummy where she likes to sleep. (Yes, I know they say don't let babies sleep on their tummies, but I'd rather let them sleep on their tummy than have them not sleep on their back!) Of course, she couldn't go back to sleep without a snack. Then Ross woke up at 3:00. Then Lucy woke up again at 4:00 -- again, on her back and ready for a snack. Then Ross woke up at 5:00. I almost just got up for the day then. I probably should have -- it would have made getting out the door for church on time easier.

I can just hear it now, "she's been asleep too long, you need to cry because I did it last time".

Again, one of my favorite quotes is "the days are long but the years are short".

Lucy playing

And yes, I know I should post more pictures of the boys. Lucy just happens to actually sit still for picturing taking right now...

Jeremy arrived safely.

Jeremy arrived safely at his destination earlier this week. Sorry I forgot to post that. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say where he is right now or not. He's not at his permanent destination yet, but he is staying put for a while.

One of those days.

The entire day wasn't horrible, but there were a few moments that wore me out pretty well, so I'm keeping this short so that I can get to bed sooner rather than later.

This morning Reid had speech. The library has story time after his speech appointment, so I've been trying to take the boys to that each week. Last week was a disaster -- we had to leave half-way through. So, today Reid announces that he doesn't want to go to the library when we are driving there. I verify with him at least a dozen times that he indeed does not want to go to the library. No, he doesn't, he wants to go home. Okay, fine, I'm not going to argue. I don't need a repeat of last week. So, guess what happens shortly after we pass the library? You guessed it -- he changes his mind. Now, there was no way I was going to turn around to go to the library, especially since we would now get there after story time started and have to interrupt. So he screamed at me all the way home and for at least another 1/2 hour. He's such a pleasant child sometimes.

Jeremy made a tape of him reading books for the kids. This evening after dinner, Reid & Ross wanted to watch one. So, I was working on getting the tape going when Reid knocked Ross over. Reid was sent to time out for pushing. Ross was yelling because he got knocked over. Reid continued to yell because he thought he was going to miss the movie. Ross continued to yell because, apparently, it was the right thing to do at that moment. The movie wouldn't work. So, I tilt the VCR to the side to see if I can fix whatever is wrong. And then it happened -- the cable came out of the back of the TV. Which meant, no VCR usage or cable reception. I move the TV stand out to plug the cable back in. Now, this is where I should explain that our entertainment center is a piece of junk. It is a Sauder item and the move from Ohio to North Carolina was rough on it. One of the side pieces is broken and bends in, so you have to move it very carefully and you usually need two people -- one to move the entertainment center and one to make sure the side piece stays in place. Anyway...the piece almost completely broke off and my entertainment center starts to tip over. All the while all three children are screaming. Thank goodness Grandpa was home. And thank goodness the TV didn't slide back and put a hole in my wall. The good news: I got the video to work and the kids were happy.

I broke out one of Lucy's new bows today. Isn't she sweet?

One more thing!

Yes, I have heard from Jeremy -- once last night and once this morning. He sounds exhausted, but good. Probably won't hear from him again yet tonight, as it is the middle of the night wherever he is.

A few pictures from yesterday.

Today was a lot better than yesterday...

It was very cold here today. Too cold for my taste. In fact, there were snow flurries this afternoon when I was driving to the Paula Deen event. Speaking of which, the Paula Deen event wasn't what I was expecting. She didn't cook. It was simply an hour of her talking and answering questions. It was really nice, though. As she said, we can watch her cook 3 times a day every day -- how ofter do we get to just chat with her? She was really very nice and funny and seemed very sincere. The show was in a tent -- one which I assumed would be heated. Nope -- it was really cold (and drafty) in the tent! My feet were like blocks of ice by the time I left.

They entertained us with the 82nd Airborne Choir while we waited for Paula to arrive. They performed for 30 - 40 minutes and were really very good. I hate to admit it, but almost better than Paula. To top it off, they sent us home with a free ham.

Other than my trip to see Paula, the day was just a pretty ordinary day. Two days down...

Jeremy is gone.

Warning...this isn't my peppiest post ever.



As of this morning, Jeremy has officially left for his deployment to Iraq. It feels like this has been the longest day of my life and it is only 2:25 PM.

I suppose I should start off by telling you about our weekend. We didn't do too much, though we did have some friends over on Saturday evening. At the time I made the plans it seemed like a good idea, but as we approached their arrival time I started regretting my decision -- I really didn't want to share Jeremy. However, we had a lovely evening and for 3 or more hours Jeremy & I enjoyed their company and stopped thinking about what today was holding for us. It was a wonderful relief from the constant stress and worry that had been hanging on us all week. So, for that break, I am very thankful to our friends.

On Sunday Jeremy set-up the Christmas tree with the boys. Now, usually our rule is no Christmas anything until after Thanksgiving. However, we made an exception this year. The setting up of the tree is Jeremy's job and I didn't want anyone else doing it. It only has lights, but it would need to be that way anyway. I'll probably get the tree skirt and topper out after Thanksgiving, but won't put any ornaments up until the last minute (due to my nosy toddler and cat).

Last night I made one of Jeremy's favorite meals -- meatloaf made from the Cap City Diner recipe (Cap City Diner was one of our favorite restaurants in Columbus and the restaurant had the recipe published on its website). Now, meatloaf sounds simple enough, right? Nope -- not this kind. First off, the meatloaf is more complicated than the ordinary variety -- it has three kinds of ground meat in it and requires pre-cooking the mushrooms and onions. You have to make the homemade bbq sauce to put on it. And you have to make the homemade onion straws that garnish it (which are soooo good, by the way). It gets served in a big pile -- texas toast on the bottom, then meatloaf, then bbq sauce, then buttermilk mashed potatoes and then the onion straws. It was so good and Jeremy really enjoyed it. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he ate two full servings and gave himself a stomach ache. Silly guy...

Lucy and I went with Jeremy to work this morning, leaving the house just a bit before 6:00. He had a few last tasks to take care of, but most of the morning was standing around and waiting -- waiting for a bus and for our little world to fall apart. John & Betty brought the boys with them for the ceremony that was mid-morning. It was a very short ceremony, but I really can't tell you what was said. My mind was elsewhere. They played the national anthem, and for the first time that I can remember, it didn't send shivers of excitement down my spine. It simply left a dull achy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

After the ceremony there was more standing around. Lots of soldiers came out to bid farewell to their unit. Ross found the whole thing confusing and at one point ran up behind a soldier (a colonel, none the less) and grabbed him by the leg shouting "daddy". They do all kind of look the same from the back...

And now we're back home. The boys are sleeping and Lucy is down the street at Grandma & Grandpa's (hopefully sleeping as well). I ran the elliptical and did crunches, push-ups and tricep-dips until I can hardly move. Hopefully this will help me fall asleep tonight -- I figure the more physically exhausted I am the better. And now I simply need to find things to keep myself busy. That's what everyone tells me you have to do -- keep busy. Wish me luck.

Lucy sings!

Yesterday the boys I recited a rousing rendition of "The Farmer in the Dell". It took forever to complete the song, because the boys insisted that we use the cow in every other stanza. Reid and Ross both are just starting to really sing (I'm blaming Reid's speech delay for that). The funny thing is that Lucy would "sing" with us. It was hilarious. Her cooing became somewhat reminiscent of a dog howling. It was really quite hilarious! She'll only do it, though, if I'm singing to her. I'd love to post a video for you, but there is NO WAY I'll record it if I have to get myself on video, too.

Way Cool!

As most of you know by now, Jeremy will be leaving early next week for his trip. Jeremy has managed, though, to arrange one nice thing to perk me up. I get to go see Paula Deen live next week! I'm so stinking excited. Yep, I'm a total geek, but I can't help it. She's doing a show on post and only 600 people got tickets.

Mental note: buy butter so I can try out her recipes when I get home.

Lucy's Two Month Check-up

Lucy's two month check-up was earlier this week. She weighed in at 11lbs 7 oz and was 23.1 inches long. She's right at the 75th percentile for all measurements and looks good!

On potties and paint.

Ross successfully went on the potty again earlier this week. I would have been thrilled about it, except that he managed to pee all over his pants in the process. So, even when he does use the potty, it seems I can't escape dirty diapers or clothes.

Today is a rainy, gloomy day. So I pulled out the finger paint. Now, I bought this well more than a year ago, but just haven't broken it out yet. I hate messes, I really do. Yeah, I know it is good for the kids to explore and experiment, but I HATE messes. Anyway, I finally let go of my compulsive tendencies and got the paint out. (I should mention here that Grandma B. was down for this whole event, else I wouldn't have been brave enough to get it out.) The boys had a blast. The two of them are polar opposites when it comes to painting. Reid was neat and tidy, even insisting on wiping paint off his arms as he went. Ross was, well, not the least bit neat about his painting. He also had to be reminded repeatedly that paint is not a food.

Lucy's Baptism

On Sunday we had Lucy baptized. The whole thing went amazingly well. Lucy slept through most of church and most of the baptism. She woke up when the pastor was walking up and down the main isle with her, gave him a look of "who are you and where did you come from?" and then smiled at him. I did, however, almost miss the baptism. Ross went to the nursery early in the sermon, as he was having volume issues. I left during the offertory to retrieve him. Well, I got there and guess what? He had a messy diaper (and boy did he stink). So, I changed him as fast as I could, but boy was I sweating by the time I got back to the sanctuary.

I opted for a plain white dress, instead of an ornate gown for her. It wasn't fancy, but I liked it for its simplicity. Here she is almost smiling for the camera.

And this is the best I have of the whole family.

A nice weekend!

Mom & Dad brought Hannah down for the long weekend. Jeremy also has a long weekend, unfortunately he has Monday & Tuesday off and Hannah has Thursday & Friday off.

Thursday and Friday were gorgeous here, so we went to the park yesterday afternoon to snap some pictures. Last night Betty B. hosted a surprise 30th birthday party for Jeremy (yes, it is a little early). It was a nice party and everyone, especially Jeremy, had a good time. It was really good to see all our local friends here before Jeremy heads off. I must admit, though, that I had a bit of a headache this morning...yep, some of us had VERY good time.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday's trip to the park:

And now I'm off to enjoy my time with Hannah.

I am totally out of patience.

They are winning (they being the three little monsters that live in my home). Why my children think they need wage war on me is beyond my understanding. Really, I'm quite happy to peacefully co-exist with them.

It has been a long day and I'm tired and I'm grumpy -- extremely grumpy. Two of them are in bed, but the third is downstairs bellowing for me. I just need to collect what little patience I have before heading down to deal with her...I'm not sure I have enough left, though.

The return policy on babies...

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. The clinics that we go to are at the hospital where Lucy was born. Reid and Ross stayed with Grandma B. while I was gone. As I was walking out the door, Reid tells me to make sure to bring Lucy back with me. I told him that hospitals have a really bad return policy on babies...

Cleaning the pool...

...is so much more fun when you get to take a dip in it after you finish. I vacuumed it today, as there were a ton of bugs that had sunk to the bottom. It is much more enjoyable to do when the kids are splashing around having fun and the water is warm and soothing. The water today was like ice water. Brrr...I didn't get too wet, luckily.