Mark OCS - Phase II

It has been a while since I posted an update about Mark.  I received my second phone call from Mark on Day 28.  While our conversation was very brief, he sounded good and assured me he is plugging along through Phase II.  He also told me that I should get another call in two weeks (Friday, 3/2).  

Here are some Phase II letter excerpts:

February 7th - Letter #5

"We're in class from 0500 to 2000, taking breaks for meals of course.  We have a test every couple days, 8 total in this phase, along with our PT test, a 7-mile ruck, and 10-mile ruck....

Running everywhere in our battle rattle with boots makes it feel like you're floating on air in PTs....

My life is mostly spent in the classroom now.  On the plus side the instructors are great and they keep us engaged and (mostly) awake.  Some of the material is a little dry, but it will pick up...infantry tactics coming up soon."

February 10th - Letter #6

"Our instructors (not TACs, these are teachers) have been fantastic so far.  The tests are not very difficult -- 20 questions, multiple choice.  Being a LT is a lot of paperwork, so they are teaching us all the systems we need to know....

We had a bad day with the TACs on Wednesday, so our instructors bought a bag of mini Milky Ways and gave us each one.  They are definitely the "good cops".  Little things are all you have here.  It's not like Basic -- you can never really relax at all, except in class -- I love being in class.  

Another good thing happened today (we'll see how long it lasts).  Every hour in class we have to run outside for a TAC break, where we take accountability and give the TACs a chance to drop us for something.  Today at one of our breaks, no TACs came out.  That means they trust us enough to do our own accountability and do a quick study break before we head back in.  Pretty cool.  I'm sure we'll screw it up somehow...

Smellies go kudos from my TACs (weird, but kinda funny), so don't be shy.  Tell everybody to get to writing!  I can't express how hard it is to find stuff to really look forward to....

I'll leave you with some quotes from one of the head TACs.  He is a Ranger with two combat jumps, one of the most imposing people I've ever laid eyes on, but he encourages everybody a lot.  He says some hilarious stuff...like, 

• "Get up, candidates.  We have oceans to swim, skies to fall out of, and people to kill."
• "Do not sneak up on me, candidate.  I will catch you in your dreams and snap your neck."
• "You are not ready to kill a great white shark with your bare hands.  But soon, you will be."

Phone calls are going to be stingy for at least another couple of weeks.  We've submitted some memos up the chain of command, but its a hassle for them to set-up phones (there's no payphones, a TAC has to sit us down 10 at a time for 10 minutes).  Hopefully we act right and get access to cell phones sometime soon!"

February 11th -- Letter #7 

"The company commander gave everyone in the company fire guard last night.  Lights out at 2300, up at 0100 - 0130 for fire guard, back to bed, then up at 0300 for the day.  Sucktacular....

Got your letter yesterday about playing outside, walking the dog, etc.  Cost me 50 pushups, but I had help!  Keep'em coming!...

February 15th -- Letter #8

"I scrounged some Tylenol from the medics...it took care of the muscle pain in my chest....

Sunday didn't go so well.  As usual after PT, we were given 20 minutes to shower, change, and be back downstairs.  There are only 7 showers, so half of us just change clothes and go.  Somehow the TACs found out, so 20 of us got negative spot reports for not obeying an order.  The other 3 platoons didn't own up to not taking showers, losers.  You know if half of our platoon didn't take one, half of theirs didn't either.

Yesterday was our first command inspection.  The senior TAC came through our barracks to inspect our lockers & equipment.  The TACs that came in before us couldn't find much to complain about -- they even said things looked pretty good.  The day before two other plattons had their inspection and it set a bad tone for the rest of the day.  We didn't come out unscathed, but the things we got dinged on super-tiny.  Dirt in a canteen cup earned us 15 minutes of holding them, full of water, straight-armed.  

We did sprints up Tank Hill, this awful 15% grade hill on our running course.  The TACs let us go straight to chow after and then bussed us back b/c it got so cold...

One more piece of good news -- I got my "go" in a leadership position as Platoon Guide.  That is a requirement to get to Phase III, so I am really happy about that.  The TAC that assessed me told me he thought I was prior service, so I guess that means I'm doing something right.  

Tomorrow we have a 7-mile ruck march.  What makes it bearable is that the last 2.5 miles is around Talledega Motor Speedway.  Shake & bake!

February 17th -- Letter #9

"We had our 7-mile ruck march to Talledega, which went well.  Everyone in the company made it, even this one girl who's 4'8.  Walking the track was interesting.  The bank going in to the turns is a 60 degrees.  You can almost touch the track by putting your arm straight out from the apron.  Somebody put in a memo for Gatorade at the end, so we got the Army version.

The first of three strange, but good things happened that night.  For one, the Major let us have cake in the DFAC -- unheard of!  The downside was we had to PT to earn it -- 45 sit-ups, 11 pull-ups, and 36 push-ups.  Normally before meals we do -- 20-5-15.  Then , the major gave us a compliment before our viewing of Band of Brothers.  THEN, our TACs let us eat all the contraband we had collected over the last two weeks!  AMAZING!  Had cookies and a snickers.....

So they switched up the platoons again today.  So far, so good.  I got squad  leader again, but I'm not getting rated.  The squad seems pretty good so far.  They came together a little bit easier every time.

For whatever reason lately I've been thinking about what I want to eat when I get out of here.  In no particular order:  your home-made sugar cookies rolled in coarse sugar with your home-made buttercream, no-bake cookies, a protein shake with peanut butter, a hamburger off our grill, and strangely, asparagus.  We don't get many green veggies here...but there are two kinds of gravy at most meals!

I can't wait to get a cuddles request from Jman and play Worms with Aubs.  Funny thing about your Bon Jovi reference -- one of the platoons used "Oooh, we're halfway there" as their platoon motto the other day.  We used "Carry on my wayward son."  Sometimes, this place is almost fun.

To get from our formation to chow we have to cross over a couple of small bridges.  Every once in a while, our Sgt will put a rock or tape or something on the bridge and act like it is an IED -- the challenge is to spot it b/c the TACs are usually yelling at you to hurry and it is a little chaotic.  From now on we are going to send a recon element forward to inspect the bridge...."

__________________________________________________________________________________

Whew!  Glad I am finally caught up!

 

T minus 12 hours

Tick, tock, tick, tock.  In approximately 12 hours I will be a kid-free  for 2 1/2 days!  I am so excited I can't sleep!  LOL.  Friday shopping plans with my Purdue BFF Kandice, dinner & a movie with Biffie on Friday night, Finally Free Ladies' Conference with my church gals on Saturday, and Sunday morning with no kiddos to get ready for church!  A big thank you in advance to DD & Mx and Aunt Jen-Jen for taking the kids so I can have a free weekend.

Family has been stellar in supporting us throughout Mark's time away.  I told my siblings that the weekends are the hardest part of our week, so they gladly offered to come down for visits.  Rach came first and Bubba followed the weekend after.  It was nice to have another adult for me  to hang out with and playmate for the kiddos!  And as I mentioned before, family are taking the kiddos this weekend :)  I really appreciate all of the help!  

Cuddles with Rachel

 Playtime with Uncle Bubba

Dear Hubs #5

Dear Hubs,

Yesterday we visited Miss Wendy for haircuts.  Aubbie did great.  Just a little trim b/c she likes to wear her hair in a ponytail and she wants it to be long like Rapunzel.  I didn't get a picture, but Wendy put a little bit of her hair in a braid.  Aubbie loved it and of course it looked adorable.  So Mama Stonehands is going to have to learn how to braid.  J, as you might remember, is not fond of haircuts.  Little turd screamed the ENTIRE time.  Hair kept falling into his mouth, which really ticked him off.  Then he would try to spit.  With the exception of the humiliation it was quite funny.  Needless to say, no picture of J sporting his new do.  I'm sure I will have one for you next week....Since I write you everyday, not a whole lot to say, so I will leave you with some pics of Aubbie & J's latest adventures.

I told you the weather has been crazy.  Well, we played outside again last week.   The kids love it!

Our cuties.  Joshua looks distinguished, ey?  His Easter hat from last year finally fits his tiny head LOL>  Aubbie is posing at the gym.  Her hair has grown quite a bit.  It wasn't long enough for a ponytail when you saw her last.

Last but not least, here are pics from our trip to open gym that I wrote you about on Monday.  Kids had a great time!  Joshua & Nate have turned into best buds over the last couple of months.  It is really sweet to watch them play together.

24 DAYS!  WOOT WOOT!

love ~ wifey

Dear Hubs #4

Hey Hubs,

This post is basically a picture recap of my last few handwritten letters.  I'll start with hide-n-seek.  As I told you the kids have gotten better about hiding in more than one location; however 75% of the time you will find them behind the recliner in the sitting room.  Too funny!

Next on the list would be Valentine's Day....or should I say Valentine's Week, as they received so many goodies that they probably thought it was Christmas again LOL.  It started on Friday, with a care package from JJ, then Aunt Rachel delivered goodies from DD & Mx, next came cards from Aunt Sandy, cards and goodies from Biffie & Chuck.  I gave them their card from you on the morning of the 14th.  Aubbie asked me if you had been home the night before.  I told her that you had given it to me before you left for "Army Stuff". She seemed to understand.  Could tell that for a split second she thought you had come home and not come to "see" her.  They also had CMO on Valentine's Day, so they each came home with a bag of goodies.  At snack time I gave Aubbie a small box of chocolates that she insisted on sharing with me.  It was really sweet.  Joshua on the other hand did not want to share his Zanies (marshmallow hearts).  He licked all of them, so Aubbie and I decided we were okay with not having any!  Here are some pics.  Check out J's awesome bedhead.  I told you he needs a haircut LOL.  Aubbie loved the Ariel card you picked out for her and I found the Tasmanian Devil card to be most appropriate for Jman.  Good job Dad!

We hope you got the Valentines they made for you.  We had a fun filled week of baking heart cookies (picture not included -- I'm not that cruel Hubs), making cards, and putting together treats for the CMO party.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!  Today marks the halfway point!  T minus 30 days!  Check out our chain, its getting shorter!!  Love you ~ wifey

Mark OCS - Phases 0 & 1

Twenty days ago, Mark departed to Fort McClellan, Alabama for Officer Candidate School (OCS).  From conversations with Mark, I believe I am correct in relaying that their are a total of five phases (0-4) in OCS.  Prior to his departure, Mark spent a week at Atterbury to complete Phase 0.  In Phase 0 they got their gear squared away and prepped for their land navigation course.  I'm sure Mark did more than this and I am just not aware, so he can add more details later.  

On Day 14, Mark got his first phone call.  A reward for completing Phase 1.  We got about 10 minutes to catch-up.  Here are some excerpts from letters I received during Phase 1, minus the personal stuff :)

January 24th ~ Letter #1

"What a crazy 5 days.  No joke, we are up at 0400 every day, and don't go to bed until 11:00.  We are doing stuff pretty much the entire time.  Tonight is the first time I got 20 minutes or so of time.....

Right now there is a big emphasis on working at the squad level (8 to 10 guys). Another guy from IN ended up in my platoon, in the same bay, so that's cool....

I get a phone call after Phase 1, but not before.  Have to run.  Miss you guys like crazy, but in all honesty I couldn't even tell you what day it is."

January 29th ~ Letter #2

"I think by this time at basic I had written at least 15 letters; as you can tell, things here are A LOT different.  It's tough up at 0400 or earlier everyday and lights out is 2300.....

The TAC's (Teach Assess Correct) are just merciless.  We get dropped for every tiny infraction, everytime someone forgets some obscure D&C (drill and ceremony) motion, messes up a command, etc.  They are trying to instill attention to detail and teamwork.  In my platoon it is working out ok so far....

The first week a lot of classroom stuff, D&C practice and merciless smoke sessions.  We failed, by design, the first two locker inspections and paid a mighty price....

During our first ruck march I got a blister that covered my entire heel.  Bad day to say the least....

We are doing a lot of land nav in prep for our test on Wednesday.  Walking in the woods (beautiful weather down here) for 3 hours with no TACs around is awesome.  Yesterday I found all my points and just sat and relaxed for over an hour.  Heaven.  

I miss you guys like crazy.  Not having a support system for something like this is tough.  At basic, it was easy, and we got enough sleep.  Here everyone is tried and it's an unbelievably stressful environment.  I'm sure your letters are in the mail, but I haven't gotten them yet.   Please tell folks like my mom, etc that I won't have much, if any, time to write until it wouldn't matter anymore.  I'm probably just going to be writing you."

February 2nd ~ Letter #3

"What a looooong couple of days....the last week has been hardcore land navigation.  Basically they put us out in the woods with a compass and a map and we have to find points on the course.  I passed both portions of my test with no problems.  Got 7/7 during the day and 4/5 during the night.  It's a load off my mind, because land nav sends more soldiers home than anything else (it's a go or no-go event).

So we got back last night around 1030 and the TACs just went crazy on us.  They smoked us on the muddy parade field in the cold rain for 30 minutes, and then we had to clean up before bed and get up early to finish...nothing like 2 hours of sleep.

On another good note, I got my first "S" on a leadership eval as a squad leader.  Basically means I did OK, well enough that the TACs said I should do it again.  In Phase 2 you need to get S's to go to Phase 3.  

Mail is much more of a morale booster here than at basic.  There is just no downtime --- up at 3, to bed at 11 is pretty normal.  I've gotten two letters from you so far & one from you mom, so thats great!  Keep'em coming.

Gotta run (literaly...we run to chow)..."

February 3 ~ Letter #4

"Just talked to you, but have a couple minutes as everyone else makes their phone calls, so thought I would write you some more details....

First, they split us up.  All the land nav failures and people who decided to do traditional Phase 2 are no longer here.  Now we are down to one company of 180 people.  I'm in a new squad and new platoon.  I have a guy from IN in my squad -- his name is Howell, he was my roommate at Phase 0 at Atterbury.  That's great.  My new platoon seems pretty squared away compared to the last one, but it is much more crowded.  We have 48 people, whereas before it was only 37.

The new TACs seem a bit "better" than the old ones.  Tomorrow starts hardcore briefings and classes for the next 4 weeks....

In 2 weeks they'll move us around again.  All part of the game.  

P.S.  In your next letter can you put some current events?  Just headlines are ok...."

Thats it so far.

39 DAYS & COUNTING

Dear Hubs #3

Hey Hubs,

Looks like I should have waited a couple of hours to mail Dear Hubs #2.  I hit the UPS Store at 8:30 this morning on our way to the Children's Museum.  I checked the mail when we got back from Indy to find the letter you wrote last Friday.  I was going to wait a couple of days to write again, but since you are in need of PT shorts and boxer briefs I figure the sooner, the better.  LOL.

In response to your letter....sounds like they are shaking things up a bit.  Down to one company, new squad, new platoon.  So happy that your roommate from Phase Zero at Atterbury is now in your squad.  Is he the one that you crawled through the blackberry bushes with during land nav prep?  I remember you saying that you had a lot in common.  Before you left you explained to me how unlikely it would be for you to be in a platoon, let alone a squad, with someone from Indiana....and add that it ends up being your prior bunkmate!  A pretty awesome blessing if you ask me :)

Well, amazingly enough I have a ton to report even though I wrote you less than 24 hours ago.  This morning started off a bit frustrating.  I hit snooze at 5am (I allow myself to hit snooze 2x, then I'm up by 5:10).  Before the second alarm could go off, Aubbie hollers, "Change me! Change me mommy!  I peed."  Strip the bed, clean her up, put her in my bed, get her settled and decide to head downstairs for some coffee and bible/quiet time.  At roughly 6am, Joshua hollers from his gate, "Poopie! Poopie! Poopie!".  Boy was he right!  He has never had an explosion like this one.  Poop was all over him.  Thank God he had a one-piece sleeper on.  It trapped all the poop, so it didn't get on anything but him.  Needless to say that sleeper is no longer with us.  Side note---- he had a big poo at CMO yesterday.  He didn't want Miss Jodie to change him.  Put his hands in it and rubbed it all over his shirt!  Poor Miss Jodie!  That shirt is also in the trash!  So why all the poo?  Well, I am pretty sure he has one molar that must be working its way through b/c he is a bit grumpy, has lots of poo, and he tried to bite my index finger off last night during Caillou.  Side note complete ---No worries the morning got better.  7am brought us to breakfast of coffee, french toast sticks, mins (vitamins), and bakey...and an NSYNC dance party.  By 8:30 we were out the door to mail your letter and to drive to the Children's Museum.  

As we pulled up to the museum Joshua let out a huge ROAR!  It was adorable.  At first I thought he was crying but then realized he saw the giant dinosaurs.  Aubbie started screaming, "Mr. Potato Head!" b/c there was a HUGE banner to promote the new exhibit. We met up with DD & Rachel in the skywalk.  After some hugs and screams, we headed inside to get our membership.  Your military discount knocked $17 off the membership cost!  Woot woot!  As DD and I were signing up for the membership, Aubbie was talking to the GINORMOUS (over 2 stories tall) Transformer in the lobby.  She informed us that his name was Bumblebee.  You would have been so proud.  She said she can't wait to show you!  I couldn't get a good picture b/c Bumblebee was soooo big!

We hit the Mr. Potato Head Exhibit first.  Aubbie ran around with Aunt Rachel and I followed Joshua around.  He was a bit overstimulated.  They really didn't pay much attention to the stations where you could build a Mr. Potato Head, but they did like all of the play stations.  Joshua's favorite was the Mr. Potato Head Space Station.  He was so absorbed that other kids weren't getting a chance to look.  So of course I picked him up to move on to something else so other kids could play.  Well, that torked him off!  He was in a foul mood for the next fifteen minutes.  He even pushed a little boy!  Little turd.  Oh one more thing...the pic below in the right-hand corner is of Darth Tater, Spudtrooper, and Mashter Yoda!  Bahahaha!  I know, I am easily amused!

After the pushing fiasco we moved on to the dinosaurs.  Aubbie was a bit scared of the fake dinosaur noises.  Both kids were fascinated with the fossils and computer stations.  Aubbie also enjoyed the dino-dig.  J was too busy running around to get into the dig.  He wouldn't wear the required goggles either.

After lunch we headed to the 4th floor to check out the carousel.  Both kids loved it.  With our membership we get free rides, so we rode twice!

Also in this area there is a mini-house, that according to Aubbie was "just her size", and a fun treehouse to climb around in.  Our last stop was the water area.  Aubbie floated a boat with Rachel while Joshua splashed around at the "build-a-dam" station.  He was completely soaked by the time we left.

A really fun day!  Aubbie is very excited to take you when you get back.  An exhibit on the Science of Flight is opening at the end of February.  I told her that you would love to go!  The Barbie exhibit is open for a bit longer too.  Maybe I will be a good wife and take her to that one before you get back :)  LOL.  Love you! ~ wifey

Dear Hubs #2

Hey Hubs,

Ahh.....just put the kiddos to bed.  Week 3 of Caillou and the Monsters book is a bit much, so I am pretty sure both will be MIA tomorrow night.  Anyhow...I wore them out with an intense game of hide-n-seek, so I am sure they will be asleep in no time.  I don't have a ton to tell you since our talk last Friday -- which was AWESOME!  Good to hear your voice.....

Not sure if I mentioned it on the phone, but we are having CRAZY weather for this time of year.  We have played outside twice this week.  We even took Tiller on a walk.  Aubbie rode her scooter, while J hung tight in the backpack.  Tiller was a complete retard b/c he hasn't been on a walk since October.  I'm sure the neighbors were amused.  Especially when I was recording a short video of Aubbie on her scooter, as Josh pulled my hair and Tiller tried to get a bunny.  Even after that we tried to go on a second walk, but J refused to go in the backpack.  He wants to be big like Sis and ride his scooter.  I knew there was no way I could manage Tiller and both kids on their scooters (plus J wouldn't have been able to do the scooter for the whole walk), so we rode the scooters in the driveway, played soccer, climbed trees, and played on the swingset instead.  God was probably looking out for me LOL.  So we have enjoyed the random warm weather.  Its not sticking around.  Yesterday it was 50 degrees, today it was 32, tomorrow they are calling for snow.  Gotta love Indiana.

 

What else....the kids are really into games right now.  I taught Aubbie how to play Old Maid.  I told her she doesn't want to end the game with Ursala (The Old Maid of Disney Princesses) in her hand, so of course that is the one card she definitely wants.  When did she get old enough to play card games with us?....We didn't want to leave Joshua out of the games, so we played with his Mickey Mouse shapes-n-colors cards too.  His speech has really improved in the short time that you've been gone.  He is saying more compound words and stringing words together to make short sentences.

Over the weekend we babysat Nate & Maddie, so Michael & Beckie could go out on a lunch date.  The kids were great.  We all wore hats for a bit.  Nate was a cowboy, J a pirate, Aubbie a princess (surprise, surprise), Maddie a flower, and me a cowgirl. 

Sunday we of course headed to church.  What is church like at OCS?  This weekend Ron preached on John 15:1-8 ~ The Vine & the Branches.  Message hit home...talked about how "pruning" is often comes through hardships and trials.  Made me think about all my health issues, transition into Army life, and our transition from a family of three to a family of four.  Reflecting on these trials made me think of a devotion I read a while back from Malachi 3:3 where it talks about God being a "refiner and purifier of silver".  Since you have a Masters in Material Science Engineering you already know that to be refined the silver must be held in the middle of the fire where the flames are the hottest so all impurities can burn away.  Anyhow...the devotion is about a silversmith explaining that he not only had to sit in front of the blazing fire to hold the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire b/c if the silver were left for a moment too long it would be destroyed.  The silversmith goes on to explain that he knows when the silver is fully refined b/c he can "see his image in it".  The devotion wraps up with, "If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you." Pretty cool, huh? I thought this might suit your situation right now....

I guess the last thing to share is our Superbowl evening at The Bakers.  The kids had a blast.  Chuck and Jenny let them play with their phones.  Aubbie is a huge fan of bowling, angry birds, and numerous other games that Chuck put on his phone just for her LOL.  Jenny let Josh play the "doodlepad" on her phone.  The kids literally sat on the couch for a half an hour as we ate and watched the game.

Well, its past my bedtime.  5am will be here before I'm ready for it, so I am going to wrap this up.  Should have plenty to write you about in a couple of days as we are heading to the Children's Museum tomorrow morning and Rachel is coming down for the weekend!  Talk to you soon.  love ~ wifey

P.S.  I taught J how to spit.  He's a natural.  LOL.

Keeping Busy

So what does one do during 59 days of single parenthood (when your not accustom to it)?  Make plans, lots of plans.  Playdates, outing, crafts, games, etc.  The day that Mark left for OCS we had planned a day at the Children's Museum; however incoming ice storms persuaded us to meet up for a short lunch with DD.  Aubbie & DD then headed to Kokomo for the weekend.  Pretty low-key weekend for all of us and a good distraction for Aubbie. Oh and I should note that this was our second botched attempt to go to the museum.  Earlier in the month we showed up to find that the museum is closed on Mondays.  The first failed attempt detoured us to Monkey Joe's and Build-a-Bear, which until now I have not had time to blog about. 

 

After bouncing for a bit and some lunch, we enjoyed a stop by Build-a-Bear.  The kids really got into making their bears.  Aubbie picked out a hideous purple bear with pink & green peace signs all over it.  She is still in love with the Little Mermaid, so we are now the proud owners of Ariel Bear.  Note, that we have several baby Ariel's (mini-Disney princesses), Ariel, Mama Ariel, and now Ariel Bear.  Joshua went straight for the camo bear.  We named him Louie in honor off Mark's upcoming commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant.

 

On our way out of Build-a-Bear we walked past a mattress store.  Aubbie was so tired she asked if we could go in and lay down!

Back to present day....while sis was in Kokomo playing mermaids, visiting Papaw Tay, and going out to dinner with the extended Smith Family, Josh & I enjoyed a pizza night at The Rikers.  Nate & Josh bounced themselves weary.  

On our way home from picking up Aubbie we stopped for a playdate with The Clevengers.  It was a great morning of play and catching up.  Jada and Aubbie enjoyed playing with make-up. Jada's smile cracks me up!  Kandice & I agree that its a clown-serial-killer smile. Joshua's favorite was definitely the bounce house.

 

We have also had two group playdates this month.  The first was prior to Mark's departure with our Super Mamas' group from church.  We met at The Commons for climbing, sliding, and running around.  Completely wore the kids out.

The second group playdate was at our house last week.  Four mamas', three 4 year-olds, three 2 year-olds, & a baby.  Homemade pizza, cake pops, and chaos!  A ton of fun!

Last but not least, we have enjoyed making crafts & playing games.  My friend Beckie gave me the idea of making a construction paper ring "Daddy's Home" countdown.  Aubbie helped me cut the strips, link the chain, and number the chain.  The kids look forward to taking a link of the chain every night after dinner.  Joshua takes the link off, Aubbie cuts it up into confetti, and then we all dump it into the "Daddy's Home" bag.  A positive end to our day!

46 days and counting!

Dear Hubs #1

Hey Hubs,

Just a quick note to accompany the Qtips you requested.  Not a whole lot to report since my last letter.  Did absolutely nothing all weekend.  We were so bored that I took the kids to Aldi & Walmart.  We surprisingly survived with no meltdowns or embarrassing moments.  On Sunday night we had the New Member Dinner at church.  The kids were really well behaved.  I on the other hand, some how managed to set a napkin on fire.  My gracefulness at its finest.  Thanks to The Harvey's (new members -- need to make sure they feel welcome, right?), it did not spread....stupid candles LOL.  Make sure to thank Gavin Harvey when you get back.  

What else...not a ton going on this week, CMO, Riker Playdate, and hopefully we will figure out a place to hang out to watch the Super Bowl.  I hear downtown Indy is pretty cool.  Lots of people posting pics on Facebook.  I think my mom might have explored a bit with my Aunt Pam.  Jay & Pam saw Tom Brady and Eli Manning at St. Elmo's!  Ummmm, St. Elmo's.  So good, can't wait to go when you get back.  Anyhow...here are a couple cute stories about the kiddos.

• I put Aubbie's hair in a ponytail tonight.  She is so happy it is long enough.  She admired herself in the mirror and then told me about 50x that she looks like "Sam Sparks" (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs).
• I finally got Aubbie to drink my spinach-carrot-banana-greek yogurt shake.  I told her that sweet-n-low is "magic sugar".  She believed me b/c it is in a pink packet LOL.  She drank the whole shake!  Probably won't happen everyday, but still pretty cool!
• Hide-n-seek is a new favorite activity for both kids.  We play at least 2x a day for about 15 minutes.  Aubbie is getting better about not hiding in the same place everytime.  Joshua still kicks me everytime I say "ready or not hear I come".  It is hilarious!
• Josh is talking complete gibberish.  He gets so frustrated when I don't understand...which is all the time.  It is adorable.
• We need to buy stock in turkey bacon (aka "bakey" as Josh calls it).  The kids LOVE it. They have it everyday for breakfast.  Aubbie asked for some for lunch yesterday!
• Chuck taught Aubbie how to play Angry Birds on his phone....she is addicted.
• The kids are obsessed with Caillou, instead of cool movies...BOO!
• Kids picked out that delicious "Birthday Party" Blue Bunny ice cream that we had at Aubbie's birthday party.  Be jealous!  Lol, I know, I'm mean.  I tease b/c I love!
• Did I tell  you I am officially a coffee drinker.  2 cups a day.  I'm addicted LOL, just kidding.  1 cup in the AM and 1 cup at naptime.  Its like crack --- total pick me up.  Also, I have stopped drinking pop, except for one Coke Zero a week.  So the 10,000 cases of pop we have will need to be distributed.
• My Valentine's gift arrived early.  Thank you for thinking of me.  I have the cards put back for the kids to give them on the 14th.  B/c you know me well, I appreciate that you to me to open mine whenever.  I opened mine the day after you left LOL. 

Well, my goal this week is to take some pics to send you.  I am actually able to sleep (thanks to my sinus surgery) this time while you are gone, so not as many blogs this time.  I don't think I have the creative juices to write from the perspective of a toddler, so you will probably just get "Dear Hubs" letters this time.  Sorry!  Here is a pic of the kids to hold you over!  You are missed! Love ~ wifey

Aubbie Turns 4!

Dear Aubbie,

It is hard to believe that I have been a parent for 4 years.  Little lady, you CANNOT be 4 already!  When did this happen!  Sigh....New Years Eve 2007 will forever be one of the greatest days of Daddy & I's life.  You were tiny (7lbs 2oz & 21inches) considering you were 2 weeks over due!  But my how you have grown.  Your 4-year stats measure you at 42lbs and 42.75 inches -- the size of an average 5 1/2 year-old.  I knew you were tall, but geesh!  DD says that you are just like me in that way.  At your check-up, I was so sad to see that you are old enough to be required to wear the gown.  You were less than thrilled until I told you it was a "princess" gown.  At this check-up the nurse and Dr. Taylor ask you questions instead of me, which also made me a bit sad.  You have grown up so much in the last year.  I can only imagine what you will be like after you start Little Seeds next fall.  (Oh, for those of you that don't know Miss Aubbie got into our first choice of pre-school.  They don't have a ton of slots, so we weren't sure if it would work out.  We are thrilled that she will continue on at CMO up into their Little Seeds program.  Not only is it a wonderful program, but it will make life much easier for me b/c Joshua is still in CMO.)  Sorry Aubs, had to add that tid bit.  Back to the birthday business.....

Daddy & I felt that you are at the perfect age for your first dollhouse.  After researching, we opted for the KidKraft dollhouse that we found online.  We watched it on Amazon until the price was right.  I think we actually bought it 3 months before your birthday!  Well, your birthday finally came.  When you excused yourself for a potty break Daddy & I completed OPERATION DOLLHOUSE by frantically moving it to your room.  Daddy occupied you as I set up all the furniture and dolls.  Your reaction was priceless.  So happy we caught it on video.

 

The evening of your birthday we celebrated with Chuckie, Biffie, Michael, Beckie, Nate, and Maddie.  Homemade pizza, Ariel cake, and cupcakes.   Since we have three birthday celebrations, this cake was from Walmart.  An adorable $5. one-person cake that had literally 2 inches of icing!  You were in heaven!  We ended the evening with opening a few gifts and watching tv.  You absolutely LOVE your Vtech digital camera from Chuckie & Biffie.  We take lots and lots of pictures everyday.

I love how you are sitting with your legs crossed.  You weren't at first, so I asked you to please sit the way Miss Leah taught the girls at CMO to sit when they have skirts on.  Too cute.  This pic of the boys cracks me up.  They are watching Gnomeo & Juliet.  Joshua gets into the fight scene between Gnomeo & Tibilt.

Celebration #2 occurred on New Years Day.  DD, Mx, Uncle Bubba, and Rachel came down for lunch, cake & ice cream and of course more gifts.  DD brought a mermalicious J Edwards cake that we accompanied with your selections of  "birthday party" and cookies-n-cream ice cream.  You loved your mermaid cake and surprisingly the "birthday party" ice cream was great!  All of us adults were raving about it LOL.  While in sugar high mode, we moved the party downstairs to open presents.  Uncle Bubba & Aunt Rachel got you a pretend-play nursery for "Baby Maddie" (doll she got for Christmas).  You were very impressed with the crib, high chair, cabinets, bath, and sink!  You play with it daily.  DD & Mx got you a LeapPad and a mini-crystal bunny to add to the collection DD started for you.  The LeapPad is AWESOME!  To be honest, Daddy & I are pretty jealous.  Makes us really want an IPad.  Anyhow....you play games, practice writing letters, learn to read, etc everyday during your quiet time.  It is a wonderful learning toy.  I am amazed at how quickly you little people pick up on computer stuff.  You don't even need my help most of the time! 

Celebration #3 came the weekend after your birthday when JJ and Aunt Jen-Jen came for a visit.  We used the ginormous cupcake pan, that Uncle Bubba got Mama for her birthday, to make a chocolate-chip, pink & purple Ariel cake for your & Aunt Jen's birthday cake.  Luckily Aunt Jen-Jen likes Ariel almost as much as you do.It turned out great and you were so happy to have a pink & purple cake.  Joshua enjoyed being our "Master Taster".  He is such a little pig. 

You. of course. got some more presents.  JJ & Jen-Jen surprised you with the 7-doll Disney Princess Collection (Barbie doll size) -- Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella, Tiana, Jasmine, Rapunzel, and Belle.  You were BEYOND excited.  You also got a little baking kit and a cute sweatsuit :)

If all this wasn't enough, you also got a Target gift card from Aunt Sandy & Uncle Larry.  You picked out a fuzzy pink bathrobe and slippers, which you also use everyday.  Before you ask,  it is what you wanted.  I got a fuzzy blue robe for Christmas from Chuckie & Biffie.  You loved it so much that you asked if we could get you one.  The gift card was perfect for such an expenditure.  Thanks Aunt Sandy & Uncle Larry!

Well kiddo, you made out like a bandit this birthday; however I do have to say that all gifts have been very useful in our transition from nap time to quiet time.  Oh ya, thats one more big person thing you are doing.  No more naps.  You have quiet time everyday in your room while Bub is sleeping.  You are a lot like your Daddy, so you look forward to this time everyday.  You read books with you LeapFrog Tag, play on your Leap Pad, play dollhouse, and even rest occasionally in your bed.  I believe I even caught you snoozing once :)  We set your alarm to go off after an hour and a half.  When the music comes on, you know you can come downstairs, or as you like to tell me, "When the music comes on mommy, the Barbies will dance."  Bubby usually sleeps for at least 2 hours, so that gives us time to play a game, paint our nails, or do something else fun, just you and me.  

Can't believe how big you are.  As you can see you are LOVED and BLESSED beyond measure.  Happy Birthday Aubbie!  We love you! ~ mommy