Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Every year, Jack’s elementary school honors veterans – past and present – with a program presented by students and staff.  This year, a teacher contacted me and asked if my husband would speak at their Veterans Day event.  I volunteered my husband immediately, because I knew he would be happy to participate.  He is proud to serve in the military and delighted to help out at our son’s school.

My husband and I arrived several minutes early to meet with the principal and to gather his thoughts to prepare for the speech.  If any of you know my husband, he can wing most speeches and leave the audience impressed.  He did just that.  He spoke about what the military meant to him and his family.  He addressed all branches of the military and what each mission was to keep our country safe.  He spoke about the good times and the hard times.  Several students asked questions and he provided honest answers.  For example, “How does the Army fight?”  My husband replied, “hard.”  The adults chuckled.  Most importantly, he informed the students and staff how humbling it was to be a part of the school’s event and tell about his experience in the Navy.

As I sat and listened to him speak, I couldn’t help but think back to the last eleven years we’ve been a part of the Navy.  We’ve lived in several different states, and experienced numerous deployments and detachments away from each other.  It’s been a crazy journey, but one I from which have learned so much.

At the end of the program, each student who has a veteran in their family placed a flag in the ground to honor those who served.  It was the sweetest act of patriotism.  Jack was so happy to show his Daddy his flag and gave him a big hug while whispering the words “thank you” in his father’s ear.  Oh, yes I had tears streaming down my face.  It was an emotional moment for all involved.  Hundreds of flags lined the entrance to the school waving in the breeze.  What a special program the school presented and we were happy to be a part of it.

Happy Veterans Day to all the honorable men and women who serve this great country and to all the spouses/family members that show them unwavering support!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Living a military life has its ups and downs.  The deployments, distance from family, and last minute moves can all be rough on a family.  However, the relationships I’ve formed with many friends along the way has been incredible.  We all live in the same “world” and deal with the same issues from day to day.  We understand each other and help each other.  There is always some one who answers my questions about the best school, the best dentist and the best place to eat.  In fact, when we show up to a new place there is usually a welcome packet full of information.

Unfortunately, this week I have to say goodbye to FIVE of my dear friends.  They are like sisters to me.  I know I can count on them for anything… including watching my children on a minute’s notice. Our children attend the same schools, we exercise together, BBQ on the weekends, and occasionally go on day trips with and without our kids.  It’s unfortunate that all five of them are leaving at the same time.  I’m really going to miss them.  Two of them are moving internationally.  Thank goodness for video chats and social media.

I’ve been pretty bummed with “the end” sneaking up.  I do not like saying goodbye, but we’ve been lucky to know at least one person who already lives in the new town.  I’ve always had someone to call and help house hunt or give me information about the new town.  I have also reciprocated the help with others providing the same tasks. We all move around and sometimes we eventually meet up again.

My children have developed relationships with my friends children who are moving.  This has been the first time my husband and I had some emotional issues to face with our kids.  Jack is at the age where he understands he won’t be seeing his friends for possibly a really long time.  We showed him where his friends are moving to on his map.  We hope it will help him get an idea of just where in the world they’ll be.  Who knows, maybe someday we’ll make a visit.  Italy sounds really nice right now.  I am not a fan of putting my kids through sad situations, but I know they will make new friends along the way.

This is all part of being in the military.  I am a stronger person for having this life.  I’m confident my kids will be stronger as a result.  When my husband is out of town for a week I rejoice because it isn’t a month or six months (or longer.)  I try to tell myself “things could be worse” and I always have low expectations.  This way if things get out of control they can only get better.  Yes, there are days (many days) I wish I lived closer to family and had a “normal” life, but if I didn’t experience the life I have now I would not be the person I am today.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
It is hard to believe that Easter is already here.  Spring snuck up on our family and we are busy preparing for the holiday weekend.  Although the weather has been cool and overcast, we still have spring fever.  There are a few flowers sprouting. Maybe the sun and its warmth will follow suit.

Our spring calendar is pretty full. The boys both have school Easter parties. One pre-school mom is hosting Tate and his large class of 2-3 year olds at her home. She has planned a fun morning of egg hunts, crafts and lunch. It’s always fun watching Tate and his friends play in a different place with lots of new things to explore and discover. We have other egg hunts scheduled for the boys outside of school, and I am wary of the mayhem that competitive candy consumption provides.

We are hosting Easter brunch this year.  Our guests have two children the same age as our boys. We met them when we moved here three years ago and our kids have grown up together. They are a Navy family too, and their children get along great with ours so it works out wonderfully for all involved.  Unfortunately, they are moving to Italy in a few months so we’ll be sure to make more memories before they begin their next adventure.  We’re looking forward to great company, food (especially the Peep s’mores on the menu), and fun this weekend.

Happy Easter!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Being in the military, it’s normal to move every two or three years.  We have moved numerous times in our ten year military career, but this time we are moving by choice.  Right now we are renting a house and have been for the last three years.  There have been some “issues” with our landlord, so we feel it’s best to move and start a fresh chapter with our next set of orders here in the same town.

We’re moving about a mile away so we’ll still be in the same school district and close to all of our favorite parks and friends.  Our new landlord is a friend of ours, so we are sure to enjoy the new place and be free of any troubling issues.  However, this little disruption growing in the Gulf of Mexico might impact the move.  We’ll just have to hold on tight and hope Isaac blows far, far away.

My husband and I have talked to our kids about the move.  Jack went through one move and adjusted fine.  Now that he is older and understands a little better what moving entails, I’m hoping he’ll adjust well again this time.  So far he is happy about it.  There is a great play set right in our back yard and the street is much quieter.  He’s excited to ride his bike on our flat road and driveway where as before we had hills and more traffic on our street.  Both Jack and Tate picked out their bedrooms and are excited to set up all their toys and belongings.  Jack made me promise him one thing:  “Mommy, please make sure all my Legos make it to the new house.”  I assured Jack all of his Legos will make it to the new house just fine.

We have not moved in a while, but we are excited for the fresh start in a new house. We are trying to make this an adventure for the kids so they are excited. Hopefully we don’t get a hurricane for a housewarming present.

From Friday Mom – Jaime:
Wait a minute… How did it get to be December already? I don’t know about you, but this year has flown by. And I am completely in denial that Andrew will be 4 at the end of the month!

Thanksgiving was barely over before the world turned its attention to Christmas (and in some stores, we were already there before Halloween!). As I drove Andrew home earlier this week, he was so excited to see all the colored lights on houses and stores. Then he got oddly quiet.

When I asked what was wrong, he put on his sad voice and pouty face to tell me, “Everyone has lights except us.” So first I try pointing out that the universe does not have lights up yet. There are maybe 10 houses in our development that are all lit up right now.

Then he started fawning over the Christmas tree we could see through someone’s window… I tried to remind him that we’re Jewish. “Yeah, mommy. I know. Hanukkah. It’s OVER. The teacher said so.”

So I made the mistake to trying to tell Mr. Andrew that his teacher was wrong. He didn’t speak to me for a few minutes after that affront to his beloved Miss Danielle. Then he resumed the “We need lights on our house” chatter.

He wants blue and green lights because he LOOOOOVES those colors. No. Not white ones. Those are BORING.

And mommy, it is NOT FAIR that you won’t give me my lights. He said it with the watery eyes and voice cracking. The one that’s so hard to resist…

I’m not sure how far to push this one… Christmas isn’t really our holiday, though parts of the family do celebrate it. When I was little, we had a tiny tree that we decorated with some lights and ornaments. I think it was because my parents didn’t want my sister and I to feel left out because all our friends celebrated Christmas and had their own trees. My grandmother always sent presents from “Grandma Claus” every year. And really, what harm would a few lights do if they make him happy? I don’t know…

Anyway, have a good weekend everyone. Hopefully I will not be spending it stringing up lights around Andrew’s room.

Jack and I are part of a play group organized amongst the wives of our squadron.  Every couple of weeks we get together and do something fun with our kids.  It may range from meeting at the mall jungle gym on a rainy day or exploring museums two hours away.  The last function we attended was blueberry picking.

Miraculously, Jack and I were up, fed, packed and ready to pick blueberries by 7:30am.  In our area we do active things early in the day to avoid heat stress. We arrived at the farm and were surprised at how beautiful it was.  The farm is family owned and pesticide free, which made for eating while picking very exciting. It was beautifully landscaped with a small lake, large trees and so quiet we could hear the birds chirping in the highest of trees.  We were given buckets and pails and off we went to the fields to collect some yummy berries.

Jack had so much fun picking berries.  He was determined to fill his pail, but I think we would’ve been there all day at the rate he was picking.  He would pick about 5 and then inspect each one while squishing at least one of them.  He found a furry caterpillar he fell in love with and managed to not get stung by the swarm of bees beside us.

Jack asked a lot of questions while we picked our berries. “Mommy, why are blueberries blue?” “Why are the blueberries wet?” I was happy to see that he was very interested in our adventure, and it ended up being a great learning experience for him.  That was the first time I picked blueberries, too.   All the kids had a blast and we were all done by 10am and headed to the pool to cool off.  We ended up taking home five quarts of fresh blueberries for just under $4. To top off the morning, the owner had baked blueberry bread with blueberry icing that we all devoured when we were done picking.  Needless to say we’ll be making another trip back there soon!

As any typical boy, Jack is a huge fan of all types of vehicles.  Obviously, his love of trains you are all well aware of.  He loves garbage trucks, constructions trucks and lately he is into pick-up trucks.  I’m not quite sure where that favorite one came from, but I believe from one of his picture books.  Jack’s daddy is a Navy pilot, so he has been around planes, particularly jets, his entire life.  He has a handful of little model airplanes that he loves to play with and often ride along in the car with us.  Last weekend we were fortunate to attend an air show with The Blue Angels

If you have never seen the Blue Angels air show it is truly a sight to see and one to put on your to do list!  They are the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron and are currently the oldest flying aerobatic team.  I have seen them perform numerous times over the years, and they still impress me every time I see them.

When I heard the “Blues” were coming to town I knew we would have to mark it on our calendar.  Jack loves to watch planes and jets on TV so watching them fly right in front of us was surreal to him.  As soon as we arrived at the airfield there were other planes demonstrating their aerobatic skills.  Jack was so amazed I think he said “Look, mommy” at least 4 dozen times.  There were all different kinds of military and civilian static displays that he could get up close to.

The Blues were the final act.  By the time they came on Jack was starting to get a little restless since he didn’t get his nap that afternoon.  With loud engines rumbling and music playing he woke up and was ready for the show.  With ear protectors on and proudly wearing his Navy wings T-shirt, he was one of the proud Americans in the stands!

We are very lucky to have a friend who is one of Blue Angels.  He was so nice to get us VIP passes for the day.  We received reserved parking, free food/drinks, seats at center line and a picture/autograph with the pilots after the show.  Jack got the VIP treatment. I was so happy to see him smile and enjoying the day.  Although I got a bad sun burn, and daddy got to chase after Jack all afternoon, it was a day all of us will never forget.

We have been planning a cross country move over the last few weeks.  Needless to say, it has been more than a little hectic in our household.  We have been scheduling movers and packers, shredding four years of paperwork, changing our address on umpteen different websites, and that is only the tip of the iceberg.  Although it’s been a little stressful (okay a lot) things have been running pretty smoothly.

The big challenge we are facing is trying to prepare Jack for the change.  This is the house to which we brought him home from the hospital,  and this is the house that he first rolled over in, took his first steps in and gave us that heart-melting grin in.  It’s a bit sad to say the least, but I’m looking forward to new milestones and memories we will make in the future.

This week, the packers will enter our house and begin to pack up every single item (including the trash if we let them) we own.  If Jack sees me take apart even just a piece of his train track he one unhappy camper, so I can only imagine what he’ll do when he sees a stranger taking apart his entire room.  We have been telling him about our big move and making it as positive as possible.  He appears to be excited so I’m only hoping that emotion continues.  I mean, what child wouldn’t be happy getting a brand new bedroom to play in?

The trip will definitely be an adventure we’ll never forget.  I hope Jack will remember at least bits of it in some way shape or form.  As I prepare myself for the worst, I’m grateful that we will be together as a family and able to laugh, cry, sing or scream our way to our new home.

Wish us luck!

A week ago, Jack and I were able to reunite with our personal hero, Daddy. Jack helped me hang our “Welcome Home Daddy” banner and put American flags all over our yard.  We both felt pretty patriotic supporting our #1 guy (and all of the military).  Every time he returns from deployment there is a strange mix of anticipation, anxiety and excitement. Unfortunately, it was also an all too familiar feeling, since this was our third deployment in as many years.

I vividly remember the day my husband left for deployment. We shared countless hugs, kisses and tears between the three of us.  We knew the sooner Daddy left, the sooner he would return.  It was a sad day, but we are so proud of what he does for our family and our country.  Although it’s very taxing on us, we are emotionally there to support him 100%.  Jack and I constructed a countdown calendar.  Every night Jack would cross off a day knowing he was one day closer to being with Daddy again.  It was a good tool that helped give Jack a way to understand his father’s return. It also gave me something to look forward to.

When the big day finally came, Jack and I waited for Daddy at the air terminal. We were both giddy and excited to see him.  I was really curious to see what Jack’s reaction would be.  We talked about Daddy everyday and we chatted with him via Skype when he was in port. We also sent a lot of pictures so he could see Jack and watch him grow.  When Daddy came through the door Jack was a little unsure of the situation at first.  Jack was smiling at his dad but was suddenly a little more shy than normal. Daddy got down to Jack’s level and let him come to him at his own pace. After some apprehension Jack gave his dad a familiar hug. It was such a great feeling knowing our family was back together.  With in a few hours my boys were both rolling around the living room floor as though they had never been apart.

Welcome Home, Daddy!  We missed you!