Beach bound

Our family left for a quick, sort of spur of the moment, 24 hour getaway before Brad's departure date next week. We headed to Ocean City to spend the night with plans to play at the beach right outside our hotel in the morning, and visit Assateague Island to see some wild horses, ride bikes, and play in the sand and waves in the afternoon. 

Chappie was loaded to the max, and we left the confinement of our 1 bedroom apartment not looking back.  Unfortunately, the brotherly tormenting dramatics came along for the ride:

Those dramatics didn't stay long when we woke up the next morning, threw on our swim suits, and headed for the waves. My prediction was Talan would not go in the water past his ankles and would complain of sand being on him, Ashton would think he was awesome if his shorts got wet, and Syphr would be hot and done after 10 minutes. I couldn't be more wrong. 

Ashton spent the entire time being thrashed around by waves, attempting to successfully body surf his way into shore, all while wearing his blue snorkeling goggles. 

I thought this was awesome because Ashton is inside this wave. You can barely see him in the middle.

Talan, while walking to the beach from our hotel said, "I don't want to get sand on me." I told him that he was going to have a big problem then and explained what a beach was. He was hesitant at first, but ended up having a blast running from the waves, building sand castles, and conquering the big waves with Ashton and Brad.

Syphr is definitely a beach fan. He giggled at the waves crashing into his feet, dug in the sand with his little shovel, and banged shells together. 

His most favorite, and by his face each time I'm guessing also least favorite part of the beach was sand consumption. There were at least 4 different occasions where I caught Syphr eating sand, and every time he made the same face, yet 10 minutes later he was doing it again.

As lunch time, and check out time, approached we headed for some lunch and more playing on Assateague Island. Assateague Island is home to about 300 wild ponies. I say wild, but what I mean is they are as wild as you can get. They roam the island and beaches free, and the last Wednesday in July about 150 of the pony population head for a swim across the channel as they are herded to an auction to reduce the numbers of pony inhabitants on Assateague Island. Sadly for us, that meant all the wild ponies were in a pen so they were ready to make their annual swim, making them look much less wild. Annoying, but made up for by the relaxing, and nearly private, beach we stumbled upon during our bike ride.

This was hands down the winner over Ocean City. Not only did the sand dip down into a little trench which waves would periodically refill to make a Syphr sized ocean, but there was no worry to watch out for incoming boogy boards, or other kids to stomp on our sand castles. 

Syphr found the sand unappetizing here as well, yet still shoved his mouth full a couple times.

 The only thing that lost this beach a few points was the tiny crab residents. Good thing we brought the Fivefingers to protect our toes from tiny crab pinches.

 So, I love a good succession picture. I saw this happening out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't realize I had gotten it on camera. I'm so glad my camera was set up to capture 3 pictures at a time. Watch Syphr on the left:

I think it is safe to say we will be back here when Brad returns home.

All was quiet...

Until Ashton shreiked, 

"NO, SYPHIE, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! OH MAN, SYPHRRRR!"

He has been eying Talan's lotion since he was mobile. After several months of waiting, plotting, and observing, his window was opened. I forgot to put the lid back on the lotion and Syphr had a party.

Phase 1

It is hard for me to imagine that Ashton's mouth is too small for all his teeth. Seriously, check out the size of this thing:

I'm also not an orthodontist, and apparently a jaw which is too small for the incoming teeth can cause massive problems if not corrected. So, a few weeks ago, I realized how junky orthodontic insurance really is, and practically signed my life away.

For the last few weeks, Ashton has had spacing rubber bands in his back top teeth. The rubber bands spaced his back teeth out ever so slightly so a metal spacer could become the new inhabitant of his mouth.

We are most excited that the new 'appliance' will be cemented in his mouth, and we will not have to make several trips back to the orthodontist to replace the broken rubber bands.

And here it is:

Basically, this could be compared to a torture device. At the roof of Ashton's mouth is a dial. Every day for the next week I will turn the dial one time with a special key which will slowly widen his top jaw. The hope is that his bottom jaw will follow since the top and bottom teeth want to fit together. So far, he said he is in no pain. The only annoyance of the day is all the excess spit his body is creating since it thinks he has food in his mouth and wants to digest this torture device. 

He is getting better at speaking, but I still can't understand everything that comes out of his mouth. Here he is trying to say,

"How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood."

On a side note

Ashton and Talan have started their own blogs. I'm not sure what content will be in them, but you can be sure Ashton will be scientific and sarcastic, and Talan's will probably not make any sense at all. Both things should make for a good laugh every once in a while. I am especially fond of the titles they have chosen for their blogs.


Ashton's blog

Talan's blog

Under the sea

Once learning of Brad's upcoming deployment, and when plans were looking like we were not going to be given any more time with Brad than it takes him to out process at the Pentagon, we decided to skip town, cross our fingers that no one needed Brad for anything so we wouldn't get caught being somewhere he weren't supposed to be, and have a super fun family day. 

A super fun family day that brought us to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. We seriously love this place, and they had built new things since we were there several years ago. Talan, of course, wore his bee hat in hopes of scaring the dolphins. It did not work. 

Syphr loved the jellyfish. He was so interested in seeing everything, and trying to figure out what he was looking at.

Whine, whine...cry, cry...would you like an apple pie?

First, I'd like to say how much I love being a military wife. Not only does Brad look ever so great in that uniform, but I'm so proud of the hand that he has in keeping this country safe.  I can't really imagine what it would be like to have a husband who works 9-5, and is home every night for dinner. It is not an easy life, and it isn't for everyone, but even with the bad I've grown to love it and even when we are facing trials, and seperations our relationship with one another only gets stronger, and I learn something new about myself in those times.

Unless you are in our shoes, you can't begin to understand what it feels like, or all the sacrifices are involved, not only for the soldier, who sometimes have to live in less than desirable and dangerous conditions half way around the world from their loved ones, but also for the family left behind in those times. The spouse who is left to pick up the extra work loads around the house, and put on a brave face for everyone while in constant worry of her soldiers safety. The kids who spend 18 months of growing missing their dad. Then there is the excitement of getting a phone call even if it is only once a week, or seeing your husband (or wife in some cases) for the first time in a year and a half walk of a plane or bus unharmed. There is a new appreciation for the small things that most people take for granted.

Brad has been deployed overseas twice now in addition to the last year stint of him being half way across the country for all but 4 days a month. I didn't complain when I was a scared 19 year old left behind with a 10 month old baby and no clue as to what a deployment would be like, or when Brad was only able to call me once a month for about 15 minutes at a time for the first few months because the phone was a drive away. I didn't complain when he was deployed within weeks of my dad passing away, and instead of being able to go home and pick up the pieces from that heartbreak I had to set that aside and pack up our house and set into military mode. I didn't complain when we had to be apart again, only seeing my husband 4 days a month. How could I complain about that when some families can't have their soldiers home at all?

With all that said, I feel like it is my turn to complain....just this once, as Brad's deployment card has been very suddenly reactivated, for a very soon departure date. After this, I will hold my head high, and do what needs to be done until Brad comes home.

I just want to scream!! We just got here, and they are taking him away. I know the president has a job to do, but it just makes me so angry and want to punch him in the face when he can go home to his family every night. Maybe he needs to come here and tell my 9 year old he has to say goodbye to his dad again, and then sit with him and reassure him everything will be okay every night for the next 15 months. Or answer my 3 year old when he asks when his dad is coming home from fighting the bad guys 75 times a day. Until then, his attempts to relate to the hardships we as military families face has no meaning to me.

I know Brad will be safe....it is just the leading up to, and the goodbyes that are one of the worst parts. After that we just do what needs to be done, and count down the days until we can be together again.

Hair drama

I am incredibly fond of Syphr's hair. After his haircut at 10 months, I haven't been able to bring myself to go near it with scissors because, as his hair grew longer after the cut, it grew the cutest little curls. I do so enjoy having a boy with hair that is not super straight. 

That said, I do have an issue. The hair on the top of his head is straight. No wave, no thinking about curling....just flat and straight. I thought it would follow the example of the rest of his hair and curl as it grew longer, but no such luck. 

So far I can only come up with 2 solutions:

1 - shave the top of his head, while avoiding the awkwardness when someone asks about his unusual hair growth,  and cross my fingers it grows in curly

2 - perm his baby head on up

Now, I'm sure that the outcome of either solution would land me on someone's list of worst parent ever, but I just can't get rid of those curls. What to do, what to do....

I love when Talan picks out his own clothes

Happy Independence Day!!

Toddler status

This is a few weeks behind, but Syphr now walks....or toddles! He has been wanting to walk since he was about 9 months old, and I thought he would walk earlier than the other two who didn't make it past 1 to toddle away, but I think he was just waiting for Brad to see him. 

The Danimals in his mouth is one that he confiscated from the table which was luckily empty. He screams if you even hint that it is about to be taken away, and for the last 20 minutes he has not taken it out of his mouth. I don't think he has any future plans to remove it either.