I need some billy-isms

While getting ready for bed, i asked billy to give his brother a kiss. He walked over to noah and gave him a kiss. He then pulled away, cradled noah's head in his hands, and said "Noah so warm. You okay noah?"

"Billy you want *fill in the blank*?"
"sure! I yike *fill in the blank*"

After transferring the first of about 50 beads from a plate to a bottle "almost done!" (They say the first step is the hardest, right? So maybe he's on to something!)

"Dinner is ready sweetheart. Come get dinner sweetheart momma!"

Holding a feminine product in it's wrapper "momma, I wan eat it!"

After-nap confession:"Momma I took off my socks." I tell him that's okay, then ask him if his socks are uncomfortable. "No. I just like my toes."

"Billy, you're growing up so fast!"
"You're growing up so fast, too, momma!"
"I wish you didn't have to grow up."
"I have to grow up, momma. I have to."

3 days after being up all night "spitting" (vomiting), he noticed a bowl of salsa on the ottoman. His face had a look of horror and he shouted "mama I spit in the bowl!!"

While daddy was away on a night flght, Billy got a package in the mail and i told him It was from daddy. Immediately after opening it (and showing his excitement upon seeing it was a keyboard) he said "I need to say thank you!! Daddy thank you!!!"

"Billy, I'm so lucky daddy works so hard so that I get to stay at home with you!"
"No mommy, I'm so lucky"

"I don't like that slide mommy. It's gonna burn my knees UP!"

"Is you my buddy mommy?"
"Yes, I am your buddy billy!"
"Then would you may go get my lovie please?"

Immediately after I finished vacuuming: "mommy give me five! You cleaned up all the dirt. Good job cleaning up all the dirt!"

Happy Mother's Day Noah!

"Is you have a penis yet, momma?"
"No honey I don't have a penis."
"We can get one at the store later!"

Buh bye, daddy airplane!

Note: Billy calls the T-6 (or similarly sized airplanes) "daddy airplanes." Static displays are "baby airplanes." Except the static display of the T-38, that is a "big airplane." and recently, he referred to some other static display as a "dirty airplane." It is painted camouflage :o)

I had a doctors appointment on wednesday morning but I got out of it just in time to snap this picture:

It's hard to tell (i took it with my phone) but that was the take-off for kyle's last flight in the T-6.  He's the one on the right. I'm so glad i was able to snap this picture. I already really miss looking up at the sky, seeing a T-6, and wondering if that's my love up there.  I am so proud of him!

That being said, we are both VERY happy he is done with this beast!! It is not an airplane he really enjoyed flying, and I didn't really enjoy a less-than-happy (sometimes grumpy) husband. So, we are both pretty stoked it's over.  And to be stress free for almost 2 whole weeks!  I say stress free, but I guess that's not quite true...

I spoke too soon when i posted a few weeks ago. Our chances of leaving here (going to Ft. Rucker for helo training) have slimmed. They aren't non-existant, but the odds definitely are not in our favor like we once thought they were. So, while we keep reminding ourselves to trust in God's plan for us, we both have a hard time feeling out of control. And boy do we have ZERO control over it now. But just now, in this moment, I have decided that is a freeing feeling...let's hope that feeling sticks around :o)

This next week or so is going to fly by! Party at a friends house tomorrow, holiday party on saturday, easy work week for kyle next week, then my sister and her family get her on saturday, then kyle's mom gets here on sunday, then tuesday we find out what the future holds!

Oh, how could i forget? He brought me flowers and champagne (for mimosas) to celebrate!

I'm happy to have my husband back for just over a week. I missed him.

Okay so I gave myself a moment (many moments) to think about how hard leaving here will be...

Today, a friend came over at a moments notice to be here in case noah woke up while i picked up billy from school. Later, while i was out on a walk, that same friend felt comfortable enough to come into my house, open my fridge, and leave me some AWESOME guacamole and chips. She reminds me of the friends i miss so dearly from back home.  Thanks, rachel.

Another friend let me and the boys take over her house right after dinner time today (and during daddy time at that!) when we happened by during our walk. No notice. Just "c'mon in." She has stolen billy away so i could get things done around the house, helped me clean my backyard, and even offered to help clean the house b/c she "loves to clean." And no, it wasn't because my house was so awfully dirty. At least if it was she never made me feel like it.  Thanks, Deborah.

Another friend stopped by earlier this week just to chat because she knew i needed it. We tried to get together several times over the course of a few weeks, and it never seemed to work out. But she kept trying. She didn't have to do that. She wasn't the one who needed to talk. She, too, has taken my boys on many occasions to give me a much-needed break. And she has played an integral role in my growing relationship with God. Thanks, Brittany.

My neighbor has taken the baby monitor COUNTLESS times so i can leave the house while noah naps. On one occasion she ended up having to take care of noah for MUCH longer than I ever would have anticipated. She didn't complain. She loving took care of him (and fed him) and offered to do it again "any time." Thanks, Alyssa.

Another friend, she stepped in like a sister to help out with noah's birthday party. AND made some of the tastiest cupcakes i have ever eaten! Seriously, they were perfect. She's always offering to take care of the boys...I just have so many offers that i haven't been able to take her up on it! And she is always down for a drink and/or crafting! Thanks, Jamie.

Another friend took some INCREDIBLE pictures of my family for me. Though she probably doesn't know it, and I hope she doesn't take this as an insult, she helped me realize I don't have to be the perfect mom in order to be the best mom for my kids. She is an inspiration. Thanks, Danielle.

Another friend is so special to me and my boys that billy randomly asked to go visit her today. I asked him if he wanted to go say hi to his buddy luke, and he said "go say hi christine?" I guess it had been too long since he last saw her :o) She brought us sandwiches the day we moved in, helped me decorate my house, ran errands with me and the boys countless times, helped me figure out this gluten-free lifestyle, and let me talk her ear off on many occasions. She's just incredible. Thanks, Christine.

And then there are the ladies who i have only had the chance to interact with a few times. The women I have met at this base, as a whole, are so openhearted, kind and generous. It's like nothing I have ever experienced. 

Thinking about the possibility of leaving them, even if it's not until after july because kyle got T-1's and we stay here until graduation, is rough. Really rough.

Our days here are numbered...maybe?

This next month is going to be a roller coaster of emotions for me. I can feel it. I'll try to break it down in as few words as possible...

Kyle wants helos. On dec 11th we will find out if he gets them. There are a few ways this can go:

1) He doesn't get helos. This is the worst-case-but-still-not-that-bad scenario. Not a whole lot changes for the boys and I. 

2) He gets helos. yay! His dreams keep coming true!!! But, helo training is at Ft. Rucker Alabama, so that means a move for us! Which could happen in several different ways. here is a breakdown of the few i can imagine:

        A) He has to start training with the very next class (he has been told that is highly likely), which would be Jan 3. As you recall, he finds out if he gets helos on the 11th of december. That leaves us about 22 days to get everything involved in a military move taken care of (which is a LOT). Not so bad...except a friend told me about an Air Force regulation that prohibits a "Report No Later Than Date (RNLTD)" between dec 20 and jan-5. So that would leave us with about 9 days to get stuff taken care of. Add to that the fact that we have purchased tickets for the boys and I to fly from denver (which will take us a day to drive to from Enid) to MT (kyle planned on joining us after the 21st) from the 19-31 of december. So that gives me about 6-7 days to help get things in order here. Seesh!

      B) He starts training with the following class (about 6 weeks later). This would mean we saunter about the united states, slowly making our way to Alabama, and allowing ourselves the time to stop and see some random sights. Maybe take some detours for any hole-in-the-wall that has been featured on "diners, drive-ins, and dives."  Basically make our PCS into a family vacation. Can you tell this would be the BEST option in my head?

       C) Just for fun, let's throw another wrench into this whole process...EFMP. Billy can't be taken off that program until he has been off medicine and seizure free for 6 months, which would be around June 2013. Assuming Ft. Rucker feels they can provide adequate healthcare (either military or civilian), this creates almost no problem (maybe a few days delay waiting for approval). However, if they do not feel that can provide billy with the care he needs, they can prohibit the boys and I from moving out there with Kyle. So that kinda brings us to the first scenario. Only minus kyle...who, you know, we sort-of like.

My brain hurts from the what-if "planning." I put it in quotes b/c there is truly only so much planning I can do. In fact, the ONLY thing i can do it get my house move ready, which essentially means getting rid of the crap we don't need/want and deep cleaning.  And if we don't move, hey, I have a really clean and clutter-free home :o)

Speaking of home, Enid has been just that for less than 6 months now, but i feel an incredible bond with all of my friends here. It's hard to explain. These ladies have been my rock through one of the hardest parts of my life. And we all have similar values and moral. And we just...click! I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that all of our spouses are going through the EXACT same stuff at almost the exact same time. And because of that knowledge we felt comfortable taking care of each other like family. Other than at Rucker (assuming we go), I don't think we will ever have that again. I haven't even given myself a moment to TRULY realize how much it's gonna suck to leave them...

Big boy billy!

Normally on a school day, I get billy dressed, get his belongings gathered, put him in the car and drive. I never mention where we are going, and he usually sees the school when we get there ad figures it out.

The first few weeks, he cried and said "no schoo" the second he saw the school. An the crying continued until music time, about a half hour.

The next week or two, he didn't cry in the parking lot or when we walked into the building. But he did start crying as soon as we crossed the threshold of his room. And they said he only cried for 5 minutes or less.

Today I decided to try something different. While putting on his shoes I said "billy, lets get ready to go to school!" He fought it a little, but no tears. We talked about how fun it is to learn his letters, numbers, shapes and colors, to make art, and to go to music and story time. He was sort-of on board after that. So we hopped in the car and drove to school. When he saw the school he very excitedly said "school!!" I got him out of the car, into the stroller and rolled him into school. We crossed the threshold of his room...no tears! I put him lunch away and pulled him out of the stroller...still no tears! I gave him a hug and a kiss and said "have fun sweetie! Be good!" And he said "bye mama" and that was it.

What a big boy :-)

Noah's First Birthday

True to my nature, I decided about a week and a half before noah's actually birthday that i wanted to throw him a party. That didn't leave much time for planning. And a november birthday practically necessitates an indoor party. I tried to think of what things noah LOVES. Food, obviously. But a party centered around food? Sounds like more work than i can handle. What else does he love? Baths. *lightbulb* A pool party! A goldfish themed pool party!!! Which is perfect b/c billy's first birthday had a blue and orange theme so i could re-use his decorations! Thank God my sister saved almost all of them for me :o) I didn't think i would able to pull off the type of party i wanted without the help of my family. Thankfully my friends here are more like family, and with a ton of help from them (cupcakes, cake, putting up decorations, entertaining children, cleaning up, taking pictures etc...), it all came together exactly as i imagined!

The snack table

 I made marshmallow pops. I thought they were yucky, but looked so cute!

 Not only were these adorable, but they were SPECTACULAR!! Thanks again, Jamie!

 A mini-aquarium (plastic fish, blue water, glitter)

 homemade pom poms, thanks to a martha stewart tutorial

 repurposed this banner from billy's 1st b-day

 i can't get over how much he has changed in a year!

 I had to fancy-up the high chair

 Adorable cake, thanks to jamie. With a little banner i made

 noah LOVED the sugar cookie fishy

 Billy is trying to teach noah how it's done

 It looks like his advice worked :o)

 He loved that cake so much he wanted to wear it!

 "Here, daddy, you want some?"

 happy family

Now for the REALLY fun part! The swimming! I think all the kids had a blast, but i know billy and noah were in heaven!!

 He had been asking to go swimming for weeks!

 so happy to be in the pool for the first time in months

 you couldn't wipe that grin off him the whole time!

 Happy kids AND happy parents!

Such a special day for my little man!

All in all, i'd have to say it was a roaring success! Thanks again to my Vance family for making this day happen. I am still shocked by how many people offered to help in so many different ways. I am especially touched by all of our friends taking the time out of their day to come celebrate Noah's big day with us. It may not seem like such a big deal, but family time here is essentially limited to the weekends (mostly saturday), so the simple fact that all of these people chose to add us to their family time is very touching. From now on, they will be known as my framily :o) (friend-family, get it?)

Halloween!

I had no idea what to have the boys dress up as for halloween. I asked kyle what he thought and he said "tweedle dee and tweedle dum." I knew i had seen alice in wonderland, but definitely could not remember what they looked like. a quick google search led me to this picture

and i instantly knew it had to happen!!

I took a quick trip to walmart for red sweatpants and white onsies, then to hobby lobby for yellow dye and red, blue, and white felt. Over the course of a few days, i spent about an hour making their costumes, and i could not be happier with how they turned out!

as cute as they are, they were MUCH cuter on!!

See what i mean?

The only problem was that it was about 90 degrees outside 2 out of the 3 times they wore them. Solution? Billy had two pairs of red shorts. One pair were cargos, and one pari can only be described as "shorty short shorts"

 Noah in the cargos, billy in the shorty short shorts

 is that not the most adorable things ever? I think i will have him be tweedle dee every halloween for the foreseeable future!!

 with his buddy luke, better known as "woody"

and again with his buddies ben (pig pen) and chase (a pilot)

 tweedle dee and tweedle dum trick or treating at daddy's squadron

 billy's 2nd stop for trick or treating

noah just hung out in the stroller, looking adorable!