I’m Alive…

Really, I am. I’m just busy! School starts this week and my Mommy just left today. 😦 So give me a couple days and I’ll be back!

The Reinforcements are Coming!

Today, I pick my Momma-Lou up from the airport at noon. I cannot tell you how glad I am to have her here! As I mentioned in my last post, August is just “The Month That Will Not End”! She isn’t here very long, but it is going to get me through this stink’in month!

It’s not that I can’t handle it, (I can’t) but the help is just sooooo nice! I think I could just write every sentence with an explanation point because I’m really that excited! !!!!! Oh…sorry. Ok, I’m calm.

Due to my Mom’s impending visit, I’ve been cleaning the house a little better than usual. But, it is REALLY hard to keep the house clean when a 4-year old lives in that house.

This morning I told Cooper to pick out the cereal he wanted. He grabbed the cereal of his choice (honey kix) and a box of nilla wafers. I told him to put the cookies back in the pantry because we don’t eat cookies for breakfast. He then grabbed the box, turned it upside down and shook it. Then he tossed it up in the air. Yeah.  I wish I could show you my mad face and tell you how my blood BOILED as cookies and millions of cookie crumbs flew all over my NICE. CLEAN. FLOOR. AH! I felt like the old cartoon characters whose head explodes with fire coming out of their ears like a jet engine….

I told him to leave the kitchen so I could calm down. Then I made him pick up the cookies. Then I swept the millions of cookie crumbs up off the floor and got the mop out, AGAIN. I’m restraining myself. Really…I am….Because now, I have to also vacuum the living room floor because those millions of cookie crumbs stuck to his feet as he left the messy kitchen.

I know my mom loves me even if my house is dirty/messy, but it would just be nice to keep it clean for a little while. A few hours, really. I like a clean house! Whew! The reinforcements are coming!

Speaking of which, yesterday marked 7 weeks that Jeremy has been gone. Next Tuesday we hit the 2 month mark. This has NOT flown by, however it is super-dee-duper nice to be able to say 2 down, 10 to go. 11 is better than 12, and 10 is better than 11.  I know once school starts, things will really pick up.

Oh yes! And one more thing I should mention. Jeremy is now Specialist Promotable! He could make Sergeant really soon! YAY!!!

See….all this happy news about reinforcements and 2 months down and Jeremy being promoted even cheered me up-crazy morning and all. I hope it cheered you up too!

A Little on Jeremy, A Little on Me and the Boys

I’m feeling like I should post something on the ol’ blog…but I’m a little teched out with all my updates on email and facebook. (I hope I’m not wearing all of you out too!) Can you be technologically tired? Is that just T.M.I.? It’s that or it could be that it is late right now. My mom will tell me to go to bed. Right mom?

BTW-If you didn’t get my latest email about Jeremy-I sent it earlier today-and you want to be added to The List, just leave me a comment telling me to add you and I will.

Anyway, I heard from Jeremy today! YAY! It was the best 5 minutes I’ve had since last week when I heard from him. 🙂 He’s doing well by the way. As many of you know, the company suffered our first combat related death last week, Troy O. Tom. It was a hard week, but not just for me. Jeremy said it was the hardest 96 hours in his whole life. He is sending me a letter explaining those 96 hours and I’m anxious to receive it.  You can read about Tom’s death here. Jeremy said the guys had a memorial service today for him and it was very helpful as he grieved Tom’s loss. I only met Tom a couple of times, but Jeremy knew him well.

Jeremy sounded really chipper on the phone. My friend later pointed out that it was 1 in the morning when he called! I was surprised he was so awake that late. It was great to hear his voice. Cooper got to talk with him too. I think they both enjoyed that.

Today, that call was just what I needed. I was praying and hoping he would call sometime this week as I had heard that a lot of the other wives had heard from their hubbies. It was really uplifting to my heart to hear how he is doing and to know I could trust it because I could hear it in his voice.

I’ve taken to calling August “The Month That Will Not End” because it has just drudged by so slowly.  I think that despite this month passing so slow, we are really starting to get into a good routine. Chase’s earlier bedtime has helped me TREMENDOUSLY! And I think it has helped Chase too.  I’ve really enjoyed that one hour alone I get with Cooper. Plus, since both the kids are down by 8 pm, I am able to settle down a bit earlier. I’ve gotten to bed before 11 pm several times this past week! WOO-HOO! I’m so proud.

School starts for Cooper in 2 weeks. I’m freak’in out. I don’t do change very well. Transitions are tough for me.  It is unsettling to me. You may laugh, but I’ve prayed for peace about my decision to send Cooper to this private school. It was actually a tough decision for me because of the financial commitment and because of the fact that Cooper really has 2 years before he’ll start Kindergarten. Most likely, we will not send him to school again next year.

Jeremy and I hemmed and hawed over this because we have no idea what next fall will be like for us as a family. Jeremy will be home from Afghanistan (YAY!) and he is technically out of the Army in February of ’11. We are still praying through our next decision and asking the Lord to show us what would be best for our family given the state of our economy and how difficult it would be for Jeremy to apply for jobs from so far away.  Cooper would start Kindergarten in the fall of ’11 and we think we’d be back in St. Louis by then. Our plan from that point on is to have Coop in public school. So the inbetween year will be weird.

In the end, we just decided to give Cooper this full year of a good Christian preschool and then I’ll homeschool him next year. We can always re-evaluate next summer, but for now that is the plan.

It’s crazy to think that we are making all these plans for something that feels so far away. I always joke with Jeremy that we have to have “Plan A” and then contingency plans “B”, “C”, “D”, “E” and “F” because of how crazy life in the Army is!

Ok, I’ve rambled on a lot! I am off to bed. More later!

My Life As a Rock Star Mom

This is a HILARIOUS little story taken from the MomSense Magazine for July/August that MOPS International puts out. It’s a great way to think about our position as moms.

_____________________________

by Melinda Coats

I live the life of a rock star.

It’s true!

I have wild hair and make-up with frequent costume changes.  Everywhere I go I have an entourage. People are constantly YELLING my name. I look out into the crowd and they are actually CRYING for me, REACHING for me.

I have no privacy. I’m watched when I shower, when I’m cooking, even when I use the restroom…for my own protection, I’m sure.

When I go places I must do so quickly before my fans get out of control and start a riot. Every night a different guy wants to sleep with me. Each of them seem genuinely hurt when I turn him away.

Occasionally, I get dirty undergarments whirled at me with a “whoop” and a smile. It’s even hard sometimes to walk through my home without someone spotting me and trying to grab my legs or my clothing!

Oh, and don’t forget about the stalkers! You know those crazed fans that follow you EVERYWHERE? Why, I can’t even talk on the phone in the pantry without an eye or two peeping in at me.

Yes, it’s true-I live the life of a rock star. And this goes out to my three biggest fans- Xavier, Zerach and Zidon-thanks for making my debut so special!

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Ha ha ha ha! Hope you guys laugh as hard as I did when I read this. Walk around with sunglasses on all day today and remind yourself that you are a ROCKSTAR!