Let's Have S'More!

I'm all out of order in reporting our days, but don't want to neglect to document the fun we have in our own backyard. Literally. Jeff got the bright idea to have a little bonfire in our fire pit on the back porch so we could roast marshmallows. Well, if you know me you know that I always have chocolate in the house, and we even had a few graham crackers, so we fired up some s'mores for the kids. They didn't fully comprehend the plan, but knew that it involved marshmallows, chocolate, fire, and some sort of good idea from Daddy so they were all in. We all traipsed outside and gathered around the fire.

Please note the glee in Jeff's eyes. He likes fire.

When I picked up my camera, she picked up her camera. Again, note the self-styled hair.

The beginning: Wyatt's face says, "yum! marshmallows" and Nat's says, "you want me to do what?"
And yes, we always roast marshmallows in vintage Mickey shirts and fancy skirts. Don't you?

Wyatt's beginning to doubt; Natalie just wants a marshmallow. Enough with all this waiting.

This is the moment when Wyatt learned that sugar is really flammable.

And this is the moment when Jeff said, "well blow it out!"

Natalie has now outsourced her roasting and is pilfering chocolate from the tray behind her.

Just had to include this one that documents our ever-present Trio blocks, and a scavenging Millie.

First bite. Yummmmm.

Natalie's over it completely. After tanking up on chocolate, she jumped ship and went for a drive.

Superstar

I'm going to use this moment to brag about my husband, since I figure that's the beauty of having a blog. As soon as we got our assignment to come to Kansas (more than 18 months ago) he announced he wanted to do the Kansas Half Ironman. I'm kind of used to him setting and achieving these lofty physical goals and I had no doubt he'd do it. However, after watching him balance training, work, family and fun for the last six months, I was still impressed when I watched him complete his goal last weekend.

The race started with a 1.2 mile swim in Clinton Lake, which he says was more than a little choppy. Then he hopped on his bike for a 56 mile ride, which is where we caught up with him. Sadly, I failed to check my camera settings and completely screwed up my exposure for all the biking pictures so you'll have to take my word for it when I tell you that (A) he looked like he felt really good; (B) the kids were adorable, holding up signs that said "you rock" and "go Daddy, go!"; and (C) the kids got lots of props from other riders who liked it when they stood by the road, cheering and holding the Go, GO! signs. My family also deserves a shout-out for trekking through all the spectating with me. My parents rode with me and the kids, helping navigate the backroads of Douglas county, passing out snacks and providing supervision so I could concentrate on the ill-fated pictures and my sister and her family chose to spend their Sunday morning doing the same. Jeff had resigned himself to not seeing any of us, so he says that seeing all of us instead was a great surprise.

I managed to get the camera adjusted before the run, and he still looked happy while running his half-marathon to finish it out. See?

start of the run

6.5 miles to go

rounding the corner at the finish

Jeff on the left, headed for the finish line. Clock time is what you see on the board,
his chip time ended up being 5:43:56.

before we could regroup to find him, here he came, all smiles

Wyatt, running for his Daddy

my three favorite people

Like a Cheesy Song

We are reunited and it feels so good!

Jeff returned home last night from 71 days (who's counting?) in the Pacific. We're pretty darn happy around here today; Wyatt is so glad Daddy's here to play with him, Natalie seems fascinated that he's three-dimensional again and I am just enjoying every bit of all of it. Jeff was fortunate to fly a jet back (I say fortunate because every flight that lands is a good flight, yet I wouldn't want to be in the cockpit of that airplane for 9.5 hours; maybe that's why I'm not the pilot in the family) and that meant we had the opportunity to meet him at the jet last night when he and his seven buddies landed. It is such a fun thing to be out there with all the other families, all waiting for their best guy to come home. Many of our friends were gone for the entire four month deployment, so you can imagine how excited they were to be back together again!

The kids and I loaded up a little after seven to head down to the base and it's getting dark here at that time of night. Apparently Wyatt doesn't remember being out and about in the dark because he was flat-out fascinated by the glowing signs - he said, "hey Mom! All those signs have lights in them and they glow!" He also wanted to know why "all those people" were out driving at night. Sometimes I forget how innocent little minds are; of course it would seem to him that the whole world goes to bed by 8:30 every night. I mean, he does, so why wouldn't everyone else?

commence waiting...

We only had to wait for about a half-hour inside the squadron before it was time to head out. It was thirty minutes of energy-release for the kids, running up and down the hallways, stopping only long enough to point out all the pictures of airplanes (hint: there are a lot and hint #2: Natalie's as into them as Wyatt is). Then, before we knew it, we loaded into the truck and made our way to the flight line. Wyatt wanted his sound-muffling headset before we exited the building and Natalie didn't want hers at all. By the time Jeff pulled in, she realized why she needed to wear them but still didn't get that Daddy was inside that jet. Wyatt, however, was keenly aware of what he was waiting for and spent approximately ten minutes jumping up and down, saying, "Daddy! Daddy!" His eyes were glued to Jeff's jet from the moment we saw them enter the pattern until the second Jeff got out.

still waiting...

there's Daddy's jet, engines are finally shut down

a little closer, ladder's up and we can see him

more jumping because hey! There's my Daddy!

and finally, with one leap

...it was just what Wyatt needed.

Wyatt has been this close to Jeff for the last 24 hours

who looks happiest?

 

Me. I think I look the happiest of all.

Ahhhhhh.....

What I did last week:

1. Read four books, two magazines and one travel guide.

2. Lounged poolside.

3. Went scuba diving to such delightful sites as The German Wreck, The Chimney and Cades Reef.

4. Met a fellow Jayhawk.

5. Ate whatever I wanted, kind of whenever I wanted it.

6. Dressed for dinner.

7. Spent time on a sea kayak.

8. Slept in.

9. Stayed out late.

10. Drank too much.

11. Lounged on a beach.

12. Used my passport.

13. Napped before dinner.

14. Took a few pictures.

15. Watched movies. Plural.

16. Beat my husband at ping pong.

17. Lost to my husband at pool.

18. Turned people-watching into a sport.

19. Had a massage.

20. Sat in a hot tub during a nighttime tropical downpour. Would do that every day if I could.

21. Missed my kids.


What I did NOT do last week:

1. Spend more than twenty minutes away from my husband.

2. Cook, clean or launder.

3. Correct anyone's manners.

4. Ask anyone to please stop whining.

5. Take enough pictures.

6. Look at a computer.

7. Worry about my kids.


Friends, if you ever have the chance to go to a Sandals, I highly recommend it. We had a fabulous time. It was beautiful, tropical, indulgent, relaxing, and every other descriptive thing you could hope for in a kid-free vacation. I really didn't take enough pictures, and I think it's one of those places that's difficult to convey anyway, but here are a few examples:

The view from our room

the view from our breakfast table

the view from our favorite spot at the pool

view from chaise back toward the buildings

checking our stash - minibar was refilled daily

Jeff enjoying sunset on the beach

before dinner our last night

Thank you, Jeff, for planning an incredible anniversary trip. Can't wait to see where we go after another ten years!

Intersections

So my Facebook friends already know this (and you might want to just come back another day because I'm pretty much Debby Downer today) but one of the Pararescue guys who pulled Jeff from the water was killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday (along with another PJ and two others). Our paths crossed ever so slightly, but Mike was a very nice guy. He led the mission to pull Jeff to safety and I know Jeff will never forget him and how good he and his partner were at their job.

It's safe to say I'm struggling with this news and that I'm struggling to understand why. I mean, I really didn't even know him. I met him the day he got an F-15 incentive ride and we crossed paths again at our favorite coffee shop right before we left Okinawa, but otherwise we're strangers. I find myself being thankful anew that Jeff's day turned out the way it did on January 17, 2006 and can't stop thinking about his wife and their two young kids and how their story is so different than my own. We've always been so grateful to everyone who was involved in Jeff's rescue - they were so efficient, so good, so glad to get a pilot rescue (seriously, they were as excited about it as we were)! So I'm just really sad for his wife, who supported a guy who was committed to saving others in dangerous situations and lost him in the process. To be really honest, I thought this was just me being overly emotional (I'm maybe prone to that) but then Jeff referred to the PJs as his "guardian angels" and has pondered going to the service, so I think it's both of us feeling this way. 

While we didn't think about Mike Flores every day, we are forever thankful for him. And I can pretty much guarantee he didn't think about Jeff much, but I hope he knew how much we appreciated him. I promise to not be a downer anymore, but please send up a prayer or positive thought or whatever you can for his family and everyone else affected by this loss.

Dude, Where's My Car?

A little history - or a lot as it turns out:

When I met Jeff (in 1997, mind you) he was proudly driving a 1982 Toyota Supra. He took great care of that car (as all Rocks do; it's in their blood or something) and drove it until 2003. That's right. He drove it from California to Kansas to Arkansas to Florida to Oklahoma before choosing to move on. When he made that grand leap of faith into a new vehicle, he (we, I guess, but mostly he) did a ton of research to figure out exactly what he wanted and then haggled and bargained and walked out of negotiations on more than one occasion before coming to own a brand new 4Runner. He loves that truck. And I enjoy it, too, of course.

In all those pre-truck years we relied heavily on my then-new 1997 Camry, which was largely a graduation gift from my parents. We drove the Camry all over creation: Kansas to Arkansas to Florida to Oklahoma to Texas to Oklahoma then back and forth to Kansas so many times in 4 years that we wore ruts into I-70 and then finally to Florida (again) before accepting an assignment to Japan which meant selling and/or storing vehicles. The government pays for the storage of only one car per household (which, in hindsight, makes no sense but it's the gov'nment so what should I expect?) so our choice was easy. After 7 action-packed years, it was time to bid the Camry farewell and hold onto the 4Runner.

Only we didn't, courtesy of Jeff's parents who purchased our Camry from us before we left Florida (and incidentally they spent our three years overseas taking care of our 4Runner which we stored near them. They drove it, washed and waxed it approximately every 30 days. See previous mention of how Rocks take care of cars). So that was easy. And then we spent three years in Okinawa driving the Crapina (if you don't know about that beast of a car, check the archives) and an old 4Runner, aka Surf. Life was good. We spent those years wondering what kind of car we'd buy for me upon return. I visited the military Volvo sales on more than one occasion; my suggestions fell on deaf ears.

Then we moved home and Jeff's parents returned the Camry to us. Is that awesome or what? It was seriously awesome. So I drove the Camry and Jeff drove his 4Runner and all was well.

Until we had another kid and it turned out the Camry was annoyingly small for two carseats, a double stroller and Costco runs. Seriously, it was the Costco runs (oh, and the extra piece of furniture in our garage making it impossible to get an infant seat into the car) that made me lose my mind with that car. So somehow (uh, maybe it was my incessant griping and general crankiness on the matter) Jeff and I switched cars. That was about 8 months ago and I've enjoyed every minute of it. Yet I've also feel a tad bit guilty. For eight months.

So today, as I was leaving Costco with two kids and small items which have now become our standards and no stroller because we're past that stage, what with Natalie sitting in the cart and Wyatt walking or sitting next to her, I realized that my needs have changed again and I could be driving the Camry. I could give Jeff's car back to him. So I mentioned to Wyatt that we could trade cars with Daddy and he agreed. I told Wyatt he could surprise Jeff with that news at dinner. And then I forgot about that conversation.

Fast forward to dinner tonight with my elephant-minded son when he announced, "Daddy, we're going to start driving the Camry. You can have the truck again." Jeff looked baffled, but I quickly backed him up and said, "yeah, we talked about it and we're ready to trade back so you can have your car." Jeff was kind enough to suggest that we should keep things the way they are since the 4Runner is probably a safer car, so after a little back and forth between me and Jeff, it was settled. Wyatt was confused. So Jeff started explaining to Wyatt and it went a little like this:

J: Well I really appreciate the offer and that you guys would think of me, but I think you're safer in the 4Runner so I want you guys to stay in it. I mean, you'll probably drive the truck someday, Wyatt, if we can hold onto it that long. So I want you guys to be in it and...(cut off by Wyatt)

W: (interrupting) no, no, no, excuse me...excuse me....excuse me, Daddy?

J: What?

W: Um, Daddy? I'm going to drive the Camry.

And then I cracked up. And Jeff cracked up. And Wyatt cracked up because he's a social laugher if there ever was one, though he had no idea why we were laughing.

So in 13 years, when you cross paths with us and Wyatt is driving a 1997 Camry, don't feel sorry for him. It's what he wanted. And Wyatt, if you're sixteen and reading this, you did it to yourself, sweetie. We love you.

Falling for Virginia

It's taken me over a year, but I'm finally really appreciating where we live. There's so much to do and we keep discovering more - I'm so glad we have a full year left. Given the unseasonably warm weather in the last week, we trekked to a local park to gather leaves.

As it turns out, Wyatt loved our mile hike around the lake, Natalie was completely chill in her stroller and we spent two hours enjoying each other. Wyatt had a magnifying thing from a Chick-fil-a meal so he inspected a lot of minutiae along the trail. Wyatt was great about not running, as stated on the sign at the head of the trail (see picture below - when this kid learns to read my parenting tactics will have to change.)

In fact, he had so much fun that he requested a repeat trip on Saturday so he could show Daddy. Pretty fun the second time, too, though he was much less content to take it all at a slow pace, instead wanting to rush ahead to see his favorite parts (benches, lake overlooks, covered bridge).

So if you come to visit us, there's a good chance we'll drag you out there for a little nature walk because this fieldtrip was a success all around.

No Paternity Test Required

Not that there was any doubt, but seriously. Check this out.

There's a little of me in there, but lucky for Wyatt there seems to be a whole lot more Jeff. I love my boys.

Sentenced

Jeff will be serving ten months (hopefully) easy time in school at Ft. Leavenworth beginning in February 2011. I never imagined the Air Force would actually send us home, even if it is for such a short time. We're already imagining lots of fun times with family and friends as well as some serious KU immersion training for the kids.

Life is good!

Give It Up For Khalil

Gibran said it best: "Let there be spaces in your togetherness..." This dude was spot-on with his observation. My kids are waaaaay more fun after a touch of space in our togetherness. Specifically, I had a girls' weekend away in D.C. a few weeks back and then this past weekend I got to spend a whole 2.5 days in Boston with my husband but without our angelic children (not an assumption - my parents tell us they were both great except for the part where Natalie was awake for two hours during the night on Friday). We had a fantastic time.



Have you been to Boston? You totally should go. I'd been as a kid and then again six years ago (still can't believe it was that long ago, but apparently it was) with friends. The first time produced memories of much historical learning - I'm pretty sure there's a picture of me and my sister at Faneuil Hall - though I managed to retain none of the knowledge. The second time was really, really fun but produced scant memories due to a lot of red wine. So this time was great. We did some History 101 review (quite frankly, it would be nearly impossible to spend 48 hours in that city without literally tripping over or running into something of historical significance), we did a lot of walking (thanks to gorgeous weather and the aforementioned NO KIDS), we took naps because we wanted to, we saw Blue Man Group, we ate yummy food, we wandered around Cambridge and the Harvard campus, we browsed in antique stores and learned we got some real deals on our Chinese antiques, and most importantly we met up with our college friend who, six years later, still lives there. Funny enough, we both fought off our own unique illnesses (food allergy for me, migraine for Jeff) and STILL had a great time. You know it's good when you can say that, right? Incidentally we're also becoming the old crotchety people you used to hate as we called the front desk twice the first night about our loud neighbors. I mean, we remember that it's fun to go out drinking but it's really more fun to sleep these days and these guys ruined our sleep. I'll throw down for some sleep.



And that space I mentioned before? Well, it do believe it has been the key to an attitude shift around here. Not sure if the change is Wyatt's, mine or both, but we have been having some really great days. So I'm pretty sure that this makes vacations more mandatory for me. Now I just need to start planning the next one. Who wants the kids?

Firsts

In the last week...

First time in the jumper for Natalie:



First solids (not a huge fan and a total spoon-grabber. She's going to be messy.)


First photo session sitting up the whole time:

First big boy bike:

First big boy bike maintenance session with Daddy:

First rocket launch. Not sure what made this hobby come back to Jeff, but it did and I think we're hooked. It was so fun! He and Wyatt built the rocket last weekend so today we took it to the park.

First Wyatt watched while Daddy set it up:


Then Wyatt flipped out at the sound of it whooshing into the air:

Then Wyatt spent the next ten minutes with fingers in his ears:

Then we went for launch #2, with Wyatt planted thisclose to me, further away from the launch site:
Then he got to play with the recovered rocket:

And here he is, loving this whole experience.

Good times.