4th of July weekend

These were some happy boys!

Fort Benning had its Independence Day celebration Saturday evening and lucky us, Jason's unit let them spend time with their families! It felt so good to have my brood back together again!

We arrived around 5:30 that night, parked amidst the traffic-filled parking lots way the heck away from the field where everything was happening and trekked over there. We found Jason pretty quickly and I got to meet some of the guys he's in school with, all nice guys. It was especially nice meeting his two buddies, other prior service members, who he spends most of his time with. I call them the Three Muskateers.

While the guys stood guard over our picnic blanket and bags, we ventured off to explore the booths and games and to get some lemonade to cool off.

The lemonade didn't last too long. James insisted on playing a game or two, so with Daddy's assistance, he banged on this one and won two swords.

Many a sword fight followed.

More sword fighting (or rather twig fighting).

And even more sword fighting.

We settled down after a while. James wouldn't got near the inflatables, but marvelled at them from a distance. We were chatting with Jason and his guys when all of a sudden it started thundering. Out of nowhere we got caught in a downpour. Rain hit us like pellets and everyone started running off for either the parking lots or covered tents. Jason got called off to a formation, so I had to drag the wet, whining kids, and all our heavy, soaked stuff, and a stroller through the mud back to the car. We stopped under a tree with another group of people (which didn't seem like the greatest idea during a thunder storm, but the rain was hitting so hard it hurt). It was a horrible day to be wearing a white top. When it lightened up a little, we took off again toward the car. I cursed the far-away parking lot the whole way, alternately sliding and getting stuck in the mud. James was hysterical because he wanted his Daddy and he wanted to see the fireworks. We finally got to the car and got everyone inside and buckled up and like clockwork--it stopped raining. Are you kidding me??

We sat for a while, like several of the people around us. Some left, some went back. We sat. We stayed there for probably an hour and finally I got out and asked someone if they had shut it down. The man said that it didn't look like and that they'd started blowing up the inflatables and playing music again. My phone got soaked in the rain so it wasn't working at all, so we couldn't get in touch with Jason to find out if he got to come back. But James had to pee and we were sick of just sitting there all soaked, so we got back out and headed down there.

I looked for Jason where we'd all gathered before--nothing. We walked around past all the booths, looking through the concert crowd, the lemonade, BBQ, and funnel cake stands, everywhere I thought he might be. He'd been in civilian clothes before, so I looked for polos and khakis. Nothing.

We walked around for over an hour, only stopping at the port-a-potty for James (who was super grossed out--who could blame him?) and there was no sign of him. Finally, I found this group of an older couple and a woman who I guessed was their daughter who looked friendly. I told them about my phone and the rain and not being able to get in touch with my husband who was in school and asked if I could use their cell phone. They were happy to let me, but he didn't answer. I left him a message to meet me at the token tent in the center and that I'd wait there a while. We sat for a little bit, looked around, and finally I lightened up. I figured we weren't going to see him, they were probably called back in and put on duty and that as long as we were at this thing, I might as well make the most of it. I offered to take James to the bouncy houses. He didn't want anything to do with them. He wanted ice cream. Blue ice cream (of course). So we stood in line for some tokens and got some blue italian ice to share.

As we were sitting there eating our ice, the man from the group before came over and told me that my husband had called the phone back and they'd just missed it and asked if I wanted to try him again. How nice were these people?? So I ran over and gave him one more call and he answered! They had just let them come back out and were in uniform this time (which was like trying to find a needle in a haystack--there were TONS of soldiers in uniform all over). We got to spend maybe half an hour with him after that, but it made the night so much better! I thanked them profusely for getting me in touch with him.

Our time together was short, but we all got some good hugs in there. It was hard for James to let go, especially. He kept telling Daddy that we had to take him home and he couldn't go back to school. It made it that much harder on Jason, too.

Riley was sad to see him go, too. Especially since he had to sit in the stroller again. hmph.

Even dumber than Jason having to leave--they called him in right before they started the fireworks display!! The boys and I tried to make the most of it and picked a good spot to sit down and wait for the show. A nice man in front of us offered them some gummy snacks. There was a tv news crew filming right next to us and when I told James he started acting silly in hopes that they'd film him!

When the fireworks started, James was a little freaked out by the noise, so he curled up in my lap like a kitten, begging me to scratch his back.

Riley loves a good show, so he ate it all up. He was grinning and clapping and watching with wide eyes.

James eventually warmed up a little, but kept my arms wrapped tight around him.

It was a nice, big show, and reminded me of the ones we used to see at Fort Campbell. We got stuck in forever-long traffic in the parking lot, which I expected but still sucked. It was after midnight by the time we got home and in bed and we were all wiped out.

The next day, my friend Casey's daughter Lucy came over for the day. She's right in between the boys' ages, so she's a perfect playmate to either. She hadn't been over for half and hour and James was already asking her on a date to "go see the fireworks" (he sure knows how to work it!).

When Riley went down for his nap, James set up his Mickey Mouse fold out chairs to "watch the fireworks" in the living room. He sat her and handed her a pink bowl of cheezits and worked his little ladies-man-magic. It was precious to watch.

I had intended on letting James skip his nap, but he kept acting up (and acting super tired) so I put him down as I got Riley up. He took her on a "movie date" and they watched Max & Ruby a million times and read some books.

Today, finally the actual Fourth, was low-key. We spent it grocery shopping, eating popsicles...

...watching Twilight Zone marathons on the syfy channel. No matter how many holidays I've spent watching these old episodes over and over I still get a thrill from each twist!

We did "arts and craps". We broke out the mod podge, clipped some magazines, and fancied up our $1 frames from the craft store.

Riley had a meltdown because he wasn't interested in decorating the frame as much as dumping glue onto everything.

After knocking everything off the table, and flipping over furniture and throwing things, he got a little time out in the corner. Pretty much his first real time out. He calmed himself down in minutes and came out to give me a hug. He's such a sweet little boy, but man are these tantrums wearing me out. James is having his own behavioral issues. He's very defiant and rather than asking or telling me what he wants, he just starts beating up on and picking on his brother. I'm afraid of him becoming a bully or how it'll affect Riley in the long run. I try separating them, explaining the importance of using his words and telling me what he wants, punishing him, comforting Riley, taking things away, everything. I make it clear that it's unacceptable to hurt anyone, especially his brother. It's just a lot to juggle right now, especially with Jason being gone. I know that's where a lot of the acting out is coming from. Whew! Kids, man.

But for every crazy-hard moment there are plenty good ones. I'm thankful I had these boys to spend the Fourth with.

this is summer

Thursday morning after we left the gym, we ran over to Walmart to search for a pump to get everything inflated. We searched the pool toy promotional aisles in the front. Nothing. We searched the garden section. Nothing. We tried sporting goods. Aside from a basketball pump, we were out of luck. Finally, after a half hour or more, we found a hidden kiddie pool aisle in the back of the store next to--what else? electronics. Whatever. We went up and down it and finally, hidden in the back of a shelf were the very last two electric pumps!! We grabbed one and headed home to set up (finally) the slip'n slide. I guess it's just the way that tunnel is made (cheap) but it was still nearly impossible to inflate. I got the pump plugged in and going and slowly, it barely inflated it. I tried shoving the attachment in as far as it would go, I tried squeezing the plug thingy, everything. Finally, after about 15 minutes, the pump overheated and crapped out on me. Are you serious??? I just spent $20 on this stupid pump for it to only work for 15 minutes and not even finish the job?? I dug out the air mattress pump and stuck the new pump's attachment on it and prayed it would fit. It did and we still had the same problem with the tunnel not inflating. Since it's battery operated (the new one was a plug-in), I was also worried the battery would die on me before I got it up. I messed with the plug some more and somehow managed to squeeze it just the right way for air to get in and bam! We had a tunnel! I also discovered (which I would have found out sooner had I just read the freaking instruction manual) that nothing else had to be inflated with air. So we could have been using it, but James was really excited about this tunnel, so it ended up working out.
After I got everything ready and was exhausted and dripping sweat, I plugged in the hose and shoved the kids outside. James didn't totally get the jump and slide concept, even when I demonstrated (yeah, hilarity ensued). So he just crawled down through the sprinklers about a thousand times.

Riley was only brave enough to reach into the sprinklers with his hand and play in the messy puddle all the water was making in the grass.

The yard guys came yesterday morning and finally cut the jungle of grass that was our yard, so by the end of playtime the kids (and the slip'n slide) were covered in wet, muddy grass clippings.

We welcomed July with a trip to Randle Farms in Auburn, Alabama to pick blueberries with some of the girls from our playgroup.

The boys were so excited to get their buckets and venture into the rows of blueberry bushes.

Even though it was 9 am (their time, not ours) it was already so hot, we were sweating within minutes. James complained, being the high-maintenance little babe he is. "I hot. I tired. We need to go inside. I thirsty" and so on.

Riley was so excited, he growled and purred at the bushes, eagerly plucking berries (even the not-so-ripe yellow and red ones) and alternating between popping them into his mouth and his bucket.

They crawled between the bushes, sat in the shade, picking from the lowest of branches full of berries left for the smallest of harvesters and turning their mouths a bright shade of purple.

As I finished filling the bucket, they ran through the maze of berry fields, giggling and chasing each other.

Riley, tired, hot, and lost started wailing a few feet away, so we combined the two buckets to make a full gallon and toted them off to pay for them. A few kids were working the stand and offered us dixie cups of cold water while they poured our loot into a bag. We hopped in the car, sticky and salty with sweat and berry juice and followed the other girls to O'Charleys in town for lunch and to cool down.

We now have a bag full of plump, juicy blueberries sitting on our counter, ready for scones and pancakes, cobbler and pies. Oh the possiblities! The boys have already been snacking on them by the bowlful and I forsee another trip in the near future!

Where we've been all week

Thanks to some google searching I found a women's fitness center close by that offers childcare! Even on Saturdays and evenings! It was cheaper than the Y, more daycare hours available, and the group classes are free to members. So we went to tour it on Monday morning. It's an older, small building, completely female-run and occupied. It wasn't too crowded and I didn't have to compete with grunting soldiers for equipment (like at the gyms on post) and the kids actually really liked the daycare (they didn't even want to come home with me the first day!), so we signed up and have been everyday since. Tonight I got a free session with one of the personal trainers, which went really well and was nice and informative.
Since all the moving craziness, exercise and diet have fallen by the wayside. Stress, poor choices, laziness, exhaustion, general chaos, vacation. Before I knew it I had gotten really out of shape and I've been feeling it lately. I've been meaning to join something since we moved in, but it never felt like the right time. Either I was to lazy to find something, or we were going out of town, or Jason was about to leave. So now. No more excuses. It feels good to get back on track, or at least to be heading that way. Since we got back from our latest trip and Jason's gone, I really want to make an effort to get in shape, not necessarily to lose weight, but to get healthier. I'm also planning on running a 5k either at the end of July (can you believe it's only days away??) or early August. Running has been something that comes naturally, and I've been doing lots of it this week. I could probably bump it up to a race mid-month July, but I'd like to do one when my sister comes to visit.
My one concern with racing is the kids. I still don't have a babysitter (which I need to find soon), so I'll probably be running with a stroller. I have a million strollers, but the one double we have is not running-friendly. We have a jogging stroller but it's a single. Dilemma.
I've found a double jogger that's on sale through target, has good reviews, and isn't ridiculously expensive that I'm debating on. Maybe put the single jogger on craigslist and put the money towards the double?

All our swim-time with our neighbors and friends has gotten James to start begging me to get him a pool. Jenna's new one was on sale at Walmart so after the gym we checked it out. We ended up coming home with it, and a fancy slip-n-slide thing ($12 a TJ Maxx!). James was so excited about swimming and "slippy sliding" today, so I got up and started trying to blow everything up. Without a pump. I couldn't even get the small tunnel part blown up on the slip-n-slide! I tried to dig out my air mattress pump (which, unlike our air mattress, actually works) but the attachment to use on those tiny blow up parts was MIA, so no luck. We'll have to make yet another trip to Walmart in the morning to get a pump for it so my poor kid can play outside. Fortunately, the yard guys come tomorrow, so the yard won't be a jungle anymore!

It's hard to believe that the 4th of July is already here! I'm hoping we'll get to go to some of the fireworks shows either on post or at Callaway Gardens with our neighbors. I'm still trying to get my house clean (struggle) so we can have them over to play. Maybe by Sunday we'll have everything clean, mowed, and water toys blown up and do some burgers or something? As long as we don't spend the holiday alone, I'll be happy!

Sunday swimming

Yesterday I was feeling bluesy since we haven't really gotten to see anyone or do anything fun since we've been back home. Weekends are the worst when Jason is gone because everyone else is with their families, spending time together. I usually waste the weekend being lazy, occasionally get some housework done if we've had a busy week, and anticipate the fun starting Monday. Luckily, my wonderful neighbor, Jenna texted me this morning while I was cleaning house and invited us over to go swimming! After lunch we put swim shorts on, stuck Riley in the stroller and down the street we went!
This visit was much smoother as far as the boys getting along. They shared (with only a few small spats over toys) and played and had a grand ol time. Riley entertained himself, as usual.
Note: he is not sunburned. He is a human thermometer like me and turns tomato red whenever he steps out in the heat. I had a little old man fuss at me to put sunscreen on him the other day at the beach and I promised him that I had.

Andrew and James are getting to be closer buddies now and chased each other around the yard on the 4-wheeler, with waterguns and pretended to "fight" the toy sharks in the pool.

When the 4-wheeler was all charged up, James hopped on it like it was nothing and whipped it around the yard. I just wish he'd watch where he's going.

Riley mostly kept to himself, so he wouldn't get run over by the older two. He was perfectly content to just play with his little watergun and splash in the pool.

We had a great afternoon over there and it wore everyone out enough to take a good nap. Now I just need to finish cleaning my house and get a kiddie pool to prop up in the backyard and have them over!

weekend rambles

Things are settling back in now that we're home, but so are the post-trip blues. In the past couple weeks of Tennessee and friends visiting, there was something going on just about every day. Three or four days of no plans or friend visits later, I'm crawling up the wall.
We did have a neighborhood meeting earlier in the week where we planned our big cookout for the summer. I was hoping it'd be earlier than it is, but I'm really just glad we're doing something like that at all. Everyone will pitch in to bring tables, chairs, food, music, the works, so we can all meet and greet and gain a sense of community.
I've been trying to work up the motivation to clean my [disgusting] house. Hasn't happened yet. So....I decided to take care of some errands instead. Yesterday we had to take the dogs in to get new heartworm meds, which consequently means I have to get their bloodwork done so they can have a heartworm-negative tests on file. I somehow managed to get myself and both kids ready, in the car, dogs in the car, and to the vet 20 minutes early. If you know me at all--this NEVER happens. I am notoriously late. For everything.
I was never punctual [much less early] before kids, but they just fuel the flame. I've even tried budgetting my time better, getting up earlier, planning ahead the night before. I've set out clothes and pre-made breakfast. I still end up rushed and frustrated. Granted, my planning is never perfect, and there have been many a snooze button that I've indulged in, but I promise there were several good efforts that just plain failed.
Anyway, so I got us all to the vet on time, without rushing, and good thing too. Do you know how horrifyingly hilarious it is to push a stroller, drag two dogs that try to run off in different directions, fuss at a 3-year old to hold on to the stroller and open a door? Like a full-on knob-turning door that is not a push-open or automatic??
Let me just say the place was pretty full. There was a family with a guinea pig having its nails trimmed on one side of the waiting room and a hoity toity couple on the other with a golden retriever puppy on the other. The husband was complaining about something to the front desk, and the wife sat there in the middle of the seating area, taking up all the space I could possibly walk through or sit down. I awkwardly parked the stroller to the side, tried to keep my barking dogs close so they'd quiet down and quit going crazy on everyone who walked by. There was also a man sitting there with his dacschund (not neutered! I was judging!) who took up the last possible seat close to the door that I could have taken. No one held the door open for me. Everyone ducked their heads, only looking up occasionally to snub me for having too many kids or dogs or whatever else.
Now, my dogs have never been to a puppy training class or anything remotely close to it. They run off if I let them off their leashes and they bark and whine whenever they see a stranger or a strange dog. They are great with my kids, have never bit them or snapped at anyone. They love people, but will bark and let me know if someone is outside my house or trying to get in. They know how to sit and shake, but that's about it. Basically they're good ole redneck dogs and that's why I have them. To feel safe and for companionship.
The man with the dacshund was the first to say something. "Are they [dogs] always like that?" Me: "Only around strangers." He huffed and went on. They weren't snarling or growling or anything. Just barking and whining because they were in a FREAKING VET CLINIC and there were strangers and strange dogs everywhere.
He occasionally mumbled something under his breath and kept saying to his dog, "You go show 'em how to act" and actually pushed his dog at mine at one point.
The guy who had been carrying on at the front desk was now sitting with his puppy and started chiming in then. Then, as if to show off how great his freaking dog was, started commanding it to sit. It plopped down and started scratching itself. Haha!
The two men kept carrying on, showing off, and whining about my dogs and how loud they were til the other side of the waiting room cleared up. I moved over so I wouldn't have to sit on the floor anymore (and listen to them).
Perhaps, gentlemen, you would consider opening the door for the young mother with her hands full before complaining about the dogs' behavior??
Luckily, they left eventually. A few older ladies sat near us while we were still waiting [forever] and every one of them had something kind to say. One lady told me about her shopping trip when her 3 children were young and she was pregnant with her fourth. The two oldest ran off while she was distracted and she had to chase them down, pregnant, with a baby in the cart. She laughed, and made me laugh, but you could tell she was far from laughing when it happened.
Finally they finished the bloodwork, after Bailey screamed (yes, the dog literally screamed), and everything was good, so we got our heartworm meds (which costed an arm and a leg) and a nice [real] gentleman held the door open for me on the way out.
Sooooo...I got my first encounter with rude people down here! But all's well that ends well.