From the Mouth of Wyatt

I'm helping Wyatt get into his PJ's

Mom "Wyatt, what about your undies?"
Wyatt "Naaa, I'm gonna free-ball it"

Nice...Wonder who he got THAT from .... DAD!

Wyatt "Smell my finger!"
Mom "Why?"
Wyatt "Just smell my finger"
Mom (smells finger)
Mom "what the heck is that?"
Wyatt (laughing)
Mom (looking serious) "What IS that?"

Wyatt (matching my serious look) "Nuffing"
Mom "Wyaaaat?"
Wyatt "Nuffing!"
Mom "Its funky, what IS that!"

Wyatt "My butt"

Nice.....

Lil M is sick. Fever, crabby. Went to the doc, its just a little viral thingy and her throat has red spots but not strep. I can't keep her healthy. And this is the child I breast-fed the longest!

We got back from the State fair (forgot my camera, good mommy!) she took 2 steps into the living room, found her Carebear, 2 minutes later...we have this....

Rewinding back to Tuesday the 5th. It was National Night Out. Basically, neighborhoods can close of their streets for a kind of block party. The idea is to strengthen police-community partnerships, generate support and participate in Neighborhood Watch programs and build a rapor with your neighbors to keep crime/drugs out. Its was fun. My neighbor and I were in charge of games. We had no idea how many or the ages of the kids coming so we did over 160 water balloons and a big ole' pinata. It was really fun and nice to meet the kids and adults in the neighborhood.

This is our neighbor Cole and Wyatt sharing a water balloon. :)

Above is Emma and the Fire Station Robot Dog thing. Theres a firefighter that talks for it. Every time Emma fell, dude would say "Uh oh!" She got a kick out of this thing. She patted his nose, followed it around, clapped for it. yep, that was her friend. Wyatt......hid behind a tree.

Emma became an honorary firefighter.

Wyatt finally came out from behind the tree when they put the robot away and brought in the big truck.

Oh...she OWNED this truck.

All the neighborhood kids with the firefighters. Wyatt's holding Em on the edge of the bumper.

Grandma

My mum is coming up this morning. We're going to check out the new exhibit at the zoo. This is a big deal. She took the day off and everything. Looks to be nice weather too.

There is something about the mind set of life-long Kenoshans that believe Racine (especially North Racine) is really really far away. I may as well live in Kuwait. We moved back to Racine from San Diego so that our parents could be close to our kids for a while before we had to venture to the opposite coast. They barely see them. Really. If I don't make a point to drive down there, my dad especially, doesn't see them. After all, Racine is REALLY far away from Kenosha. ;) It's like they really have to set aside a huge block of time to come up here. Plan vacation time, arrange a dog sitter, cancel the cable...etc. I complain/tease them all the time. More so tease lately, I mean....what am I going to do? We're leaving next July anyway.

What is up with that ? Is it because I lived in a Metro city after high school, that I no longer think that Racine is a foreign country when living in Kenosha ? My parents and I think my grandparents too, still operate on that "understanding."

Anyway, when the family does make it up, Wyatt is on cloud nine. He loves his grandparents.

So yep, its a huge deal my mum is coming ALL THE WAY up from KENOSHA. :) Applaud for my mum, she took the day off and everything to make this huge drive.

(I'm kidding! You know I love you mum!)

Dead Things

Tis the season....
Time for my dad to haul the whole family to the Pike River Rendezvous. Its a family thing. My dad is friends with a couple Indian dudes and fur trappers. This is my dads element. My dad is the quintessential Mountain Man. I indulged my dads friend for the billionth time in a row about the dead things hanging from his hat and laying all around him. "So, what is that little white dead thing?" "Something like a weasel" he says. "aaahhhh" (Sarah translation... EWWWWW!! Why the hell you want 2 of those things hanging on each side of your face?) Creeps me out a bit.

Anyway..... moving on... Tomahawk Toss. Ok...here's the thing. My father is NOT a sports guy (not saying he's not athletic, just sayin he could care less about sports in general) No, we were not the family that had tag football games in the back yard, softball games, etc. We had a huge tree stump on its side that we shot throwing stars, knives and tomahawks at. That was our sport dad taught us growing up. So in other words, my brothers and I haven't a clue the rules of football, but we can throw a knife on target 99 % of the time.

It took my dad a while to teach me (me, being "the girl") but I came to him when I was little and told him "Dad, I want to throw tomahawks too. Could you teach me, and make me a pink one?"
(I figured, if it was pink and girlie, he wouldn't mind teaching me along with the boys) Sooo...twas done. I learned to throw with a pink tomahawk that my dad made just for me. Still have it too.

Its been a while since I've thrown so I was pretty pleased when I sunk those suckers into the wood. ;) Im pretty sure my dad lit up inside. Yea, dad, I haven't fogotten. ;)

I think when Wyatt gets older, I'll have to think long and hard before I hand over a tomahawk or throwing knife. I may just stick to throwing softballs.

Almost Home

We've almost made it. Randy will be back tomorrow night. Whew. It actually went by pretty fast. I kept the kids and I busy. I've been going to the gym just about everyday if not twice a day and the kids I've kept distracted with activities. Randy's happy to be coming back home, Poor Randy out in sunny San Diego is just soooooo bored. He'll live, Im sure.

I've got to get Emma away from me more often. Carrie watched her while Wyatt and I were at a Kiddie Korner "party" and I guess Emma has separation issues. That girl fusses at everyone that watches her who isnt me. Is it the age, or is my girl just a little pistol ?

Recipe Time. This has been a house favvy lately. (yes, chili in the summer)

White Bean Chili (I usually half this recipe to make about 4 bowls)

2 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
1 large onion(s), chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), chopped
32 oz fat-free chicken broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder, chipotle variety
1 can diced chilies
30 oz canned white beans, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, fresh, coarsely chopped

Cook meat, onion and garlic till brown and drain. Dump that plus everything else in a slow cooker. Cook on high 4 hours or low for 6ish hours. Walla!

Angst

Wyatt's been really pissy lately because dads gone. Emma even isn't acting right. Real weapy and easy to cry. (then again she could be getting sick)
Anyway...
Randy called to say goodnight to Wyatt

Randy- "Hey, Wyatt how was your day"
Wyatt- (In a mean mad voice) "When San Diego closes, you need to come right home!"

Like Randy's at a bar or something ? hehe too funny

Gone baby Gone

The kids and I just dropped Randy off at the airport. He's going to San Diego for a training mission for 1 week. (Training Mission- US Navy code for playing golf with a 6 hour seminar thrown in each day) Just kidding... Kinda.

Wyatt's sad. Lip sticking out and everything. But not talking about it. If you do try to talk about him being sad Daddy left he changes the subject to his good ole' standby ... light bulbs. So... he's confused and disturbed by it. We went and bought mint oreos and pizza, and he's lookin a little brighter (ok.... So I know going to eat junk food is a pretty crappy parent behavior to fling onto your child, but Im workin' without a net here. Its our first time away from Daddy where he actually is noticing his absence)

I've felt sick about this too. Well... aside from the fact that if Randy brought this little "training mission" up to me in April when he found out about it, the kids and I could have tagged along. Free rental car, free hotel, hell the only thing the kids and I would have to pay for is our food. That would have been sooooo awesome. Could have seen our friends, some family up in Fallbrook, could have shown Wyatt the Zoo, the ocean (where he used to get the sand), where we used to live, the hospital he stayed at for 3 months. (They love seeing their NICU babies all grown up) But no... Randy didn't think about that. Whole different batch of bitterness, to be had out with Randy at a later time. Maybe when I have a punch bowl on my head at a family reunion or something.

Anyway. No, I was sick that he was going to be leaving us for the first time, since we've had Emma and Wyatt is old enough to understand. It's a little harder now than it was when Wyatt was a baby and could have cared less dad was gone. This time Randy is going to be gone, is so not a long time. A week. Not long at all. Its not a 9 month deployment and I'm really disappointed in myself that I'm letting this week long trip get me down so badly. I'm a Navy wife, I'm supposed to be tough as nails and not let any emotion show, especially in front of my kids. Suck it up Sar. This is only a week, what the hell are you going to do next year when he's actually on a real deployment ? Remember those, spoiled little housewife? (6 months, 9 months, 11 months gone? What are you going to do 2 months before the actual deployment when he's out on the 3 month long "work up" mission?

Your going to crumble like a cracker under a fat guys foot. Get it together tough girl. It's just a week.

Pictures from the 4th

She's trying to get away

Mom! Look what I found on the beach!

What a mess THAT was

Emma progression

Emma Progression, I was feeling sentimental about the leaps babies make in the 1st year both physical and mental.

Birth

6 Months

One Year

Bested by a Car Seat

I had this great morning planned for the kids and I. A 10am bubble party playgroup then off to the gym where the kids can play in the playroom then lunch at Kewpees. Wyatt was sooooo excited.

I realized at about 9:30 that Randy left the car seat cover in the dryer and never put it back on the car seat. Which means all the buckles belts latches were off. No problem, I can do this. I've never down it before. At 10:45..... after an hour and 15 minutes of swearing at my husband over the phone for never finishing anything he starts and being a horrible direction giver, 2 beers and a bout of tears, the God damn thing finally came together and was finished.

I don't know whats irking me more, the fact that Randy never finished anything he starts, that Wyatt had to miss out on a fun playdate and I had to miss the gym, the fact that I couldnt figure out how to put the car seat back together myself or that it took me 2 beers to calm down to rationally figure it out.
NOT a good morning. On the good side. I didn't let Wyatt see me get that frustrated over something so stupid. Not a good example to set.

So, I created our own bubble party in our backyard for Wyatt and Emma. I think its gotten his mind off it for now. Nice save mum.

Lifer

How does a Navy Wife know when she's in deep shit ?
When her husband starts referring to the U.S. Navy as "we" and "us"

Shoot me please.

Birthdays

It happened my baby is one. My dirt eating, fireplace climbing all around adorable daughter is One Year Old.

We had a big party with all our family. Emma had no nap and did really great, She still wanted to party even at her 7pm bedtime. But it was kinna like... walk walk fall walk fall walk walk fall. She was pooped. It was a great 1st birthday.

Flying Leap

Oh time does fly....and leap....right out of the crib. Yes, M has discovered how to get out
fall out of her crib. I thought she'd be bruise free for her birthday, but nope. She's got a new egg/bruise. Even took her to the hospital. My doc laughed when I asked "is all this normal" referring to the climbing/walking/falling/bruising. Wyatt was 100% different. I think I see a gray hair peeking out of my head.

Almost...

She'll be 1 in a few days. Time really does fly.

The Thrill of the Hunt

Randy has been on his fishing kick. He gets fishing fever every May and it lasts until the end of October. We've come to a point now, where the fishing poles have their very own spot in our car where they stay "just in case" we find a good fishing spot. (on the way home from the grocery store, on the way back from grandma's, on the way to the hospital cause I have a fishing lure stuck in my finger) Anyway....our favorite go-to spot is Anderson Pond in Kenosha. Its where I went as a kid. They stock it full of fish in May, so you always leave there with a fish or at least a catch.

He's trying to instill this love of fishing in Wyatt. Wyatt.....will do a good 1st cast and will be content for about 10 minutes, (or less if he gets a catch) then its all about the "fishin' snacks". He just needs that one first catch and he's done. He'll then stroll along the shore eating his Chex mix, checkin' in on dad "How ya doin' dad" "Good Wyatt" "Don't step in goose poop dad" "I won't Wyatt"

If dad catches a fish its "Good Job dad!"

Can it be ?

A CURL ??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

.