I am the queen of the lanes...

I thought I'd better continue my updates on all the fun we had while John was here for RnR.  One afternoon we packed up the girls and went bowling.  Both Bella and Maddie LOVE to bowl.  Me...I can take it or leave it.  John?  Well, he seems to think it's the time to exact a challenge to himself as the master of the between the legs bowling...

Its almost too much to watch, but the next three minutes of your life will be spent in the **saddest** display of between your legs granny bowling that you've ever seen...



Maddie is a pretty good little bowler.  She kept starting from way back by the seats and then would literally throw the ball...it would bounce once before it hit the lanes so John showed her some better moves...and the kid got some strikes and spares. 

Bella, on the other hand would just walk up and drop the ball so John would give it an extra push...

...and then they'd hang out and wait...

These were seriously the s.....l....o....w.....e.....s....t bowling balls ever.

Except this little bundle of bowling ball energy...

Yeah...we had a good time....and that would be YOURS TRULY who totally rocked the house with a score of 104...

I don't think they'll be banging my door down anytime soon to ask me to join their league ...but at least I knocked at least one pin down every time I tossed that ball.  (ha ha ha....that was just one more tease for Mr. Chucklehead's bowling experience.)
It was really more about family time anyway.

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10 things I miss...

1.  Someone to walk Maddie to school in the morning instead of me rushing her out the door...almost always 5 minutes late...  I think being late is genetic.  I blame my father.

2.  Cooking good food for a full sized family... like this lasagna.  Which, this is the 2nd lasagna I've ever made in my life.  The first was a complete disaster.  It was about an inch thick because the sauce was too runny and I actually served the disaster to my mother and father in law.  (I'm so sorry you had to be part of my "learn to cook" experiment featuring lasagna!) 

I decided I had improved enough in my cooking skills for another try.  Used Pioneer Womans' recipe.  I nailed it.  (So proud of me!)

3.  Hair by dad...  Maybe its the constant grind of day to day...but I'd forgotten how much fun bathtub hair could be. 

 4.  Someone to paint my toenails for...

5.  Breakfast in bed!  I suppose it would be irresponsible for me to allow an 8 year old and a 2 year old to cook me breakfast without adult supervision...but when dad's around...guess what mom got! 

6.  Photos when you aren't quite ready...  (every time I look at this picture I laugh outloud.)

7.  Bella brushing daddy's mesmerizing hair...Its hard not to let your eyes wander up to his bangs when you stand there talking to him.  Mesmerizing.

8.  Romantic kisses... 

 9.  Kids trying to make daddy laugh... 

10.  Do I really need to even caption this one? 

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Feed the deer...tuppence a bag....

Remember that song from Mary Poppins?  Actually, in our case its Feed the deer...un euro a box of corn. 

There is this GREAT little outdoor wildlife park with wild boars and elk and deer.  Its in the forest and has a little gravel/dirt pathway that you walk around the park in a big circle.  The day we went had just a little gleam of sunshine shining through the trees making the green on the ground sparkle...

I'm guessing to minimize the goring law suits, the wild boar and elk are kept separated from the masses.  Call me crazy, but I'm just fine with hucking food over a fence for these wild pigs.  They are HUGE.  And they are seriously...well, piggy and gross.  They ate the hardest stalest bread and before chomping on it would root it around in the mud...Yuck.  It was pretty fascinating to watch them.

I'm not sure if John is taunting this bore to "jump" for the bread or what...

The deer, on the other hand, are hanging out in the park just roaming around.  Some of them are very skittish...others are totally approachable and will eat out of your hand.

The first time you see the deer come close I was a little nervous because honestly I've never seen deer teeth and I'm not sure if they are going to nibble fingers or not....  Plus, the fact that we had a deer with a rack on his head come racing toward us was pretty cool...but both John and I kept close to make sure that nobody got their eyes poked out. 

Although...that would have made an interesting blog...hmmm....and I would be able to say the rest of my life, "Stay away from the deer or you'll get your eye poked out."  that ALMOST makes it worth it. 

They also have some chain saw carvings around the park.  My favorite were the "teeny tiny mushrooms" made out of the stumps...

It was such a beautiful and peaceful day.  Its now a family favorite now to go and feed the deer.  So, if you come to visit be prepared to get nibbled on by a large forest animal.  Does that scream TRIP TO GERMANY or what.

PS...**sigh**....isn't he handsome?

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Wonderful and Terrible

Oh!  I've been so delinquent in posting for the past couple of weeks.  You can't really blame me...right?  I mean it was the only 2 weeks in the last 8 months I've had my sexpot husband back home with me...

I have soooo much catching up to do.  I figured I'd just do a big fat list right here and right now and then I decided I'm too tired and depressed to do that.  Instead I'm just going to focus on today.  Thats about all I can muster right now...

John got back here on the 6th of February and we just stuck him back on a plane for Afghanistan this morning.  I've cried out all my tears today.  Poor little Bella didn't know what to make of her mama being a big bawl baby...she just kept patting my arm and saying, "sad mama...so sad mama..." 

He walked Maddie to school this morning.  We thought it would be better for her to have a semblance of a normal day today...it was the right choice.  She came home happy and even though she missed her dad...I think the airport would have created a lot more drama than I really wanted. (read - could handle being an emotional wreck myself.)

So R&R is over...we laughed and played and loved and giggled and tickled and sang songs and wrestled... 

Git yer mind out of the gutter.  WE means the girls and John and I...not John and I.  Although we did giggle and wrestle and tickle some.  he he he

At the same time...it was hard for him to be a dad and not a soldier.  It was hard for him to not worry about what was happening in Afghanistan while he was here.  It was hard for him to turn off his brain and get more than 4-5 hours of sleep each night. 

There were times that having him here were wonderful.  And there were times that having him here were terrible. 

I think what I'm taking from this experience is that you can't be gone in a war zone for 8 months and come back "the same."  And on our end...you can't have someone gone for 8 months and have them come back and just slide back into their "old role" that they used to occupy.

You can't rely on the past to sustain relationships for the future.

You have to let some things just go...and become the past...and leave it that way.

You have to continue to have dreams.

You have to learn to share who you are and who you are becoming when you are far away from your spouse and they are far away from you...maybe there is less "culture shock" that way?

It was easier to say goodbye this time because I know our time is short.  Three more months.  Three more months and he's home for good.

I love you John.  I miss you.  Be safe. Read More...

Home Sweet Home

Well...all that anticipation and now its finally here.




Bella ran toward him then turned around and ran to me. I picked her up and went toward John...she was pretty shy the first few minutes. Unsure of what to do with this guy and his funny hair...but she quickly warmed up to him.

I, of course had to get in my kisses too.

He slept most of that first day.  It had something to do with that up for 56 hours thing.

I call our second day the "adjustment day..."  Where we worked out expectations and planned some of his RnR time.

We also went to the PX... He's been showing off his muscles all day.

Not to be outdone by her dad...Actually...this little girl has been shadowing him in every sense of the word.  What dad does...she does.

Bella, of course...our "brilliant child."  Love her.

Maddie brought home some cooties from school the week before an unfortunately they are making the rounds...So, she was sick when he arrived...Bella caught it on day 2 and I caught it on day 3. So far he's been spared the snotty nosed chest coughing...but seriously...of all the stinky luck - we manage to not get sick for 8 full months and then on the 2 weeks that he's here we get this..

Baaaaah!

Regardless...as I was telling some friends...I'm happy to pick up his dirty socks and hang up his towels and clean up around him.  I've just missed having him around.  Its been wonderful to hear his voice...listen to him sleeping next to me...watch the girls climb all over him begging for the tickle game.

Nothing like having daddy home. Read More...