Catching up: Daddy's home!

Due to the security-need for discretion, I refrained from mentioning in my posts from June 08 to June 09 that F was deployed to Iraq during that time. C missed Daddy very much, but we prepared well by having F record himself reading some of her favorite books on DVD, which she didn't watch as much as we expected, but did enjoy when she asked for them. We kept in touch via cards, packages (containing photos and her crafts) letters, phone calls and emails as well as Skype, using the video-call feature. C loved watching Daddy on the computer--so much so that she would sometimes ask to talk to Daddy on the computer at random times, times when he certainly wasn't available to call. We prayed for Daddy every night and she slept with her Daddy-doll from Operation Giveahug. She also made me kiss it goodnight. In May, we prepared a countdown chain in order to help me explain that Daddy was coming home and prepare her for the changes in our household. She jumped up and down with excitement when I would tell her that it was time to cut the link each morning. The day Daddy returned, the welcome-home was at 0200 (yes, in the morning) and I had prepared to get C into jammies and asleep at the hotel well before time to get him, so that I could take her sleeping. That did not work. She stayed awake the whole evening and up to the ceremony, even insisting on wearing a dress for Daddy, not the aforementioned jammies. She hugged her daddy, and once she was in the car with him, only then did she fall asleep. Such determination. We spent a few days in a hotel while F turned in all his gear and had a few final meetings, finally bringing him home 4 days later. Here they are, enjoying playing at home as our summer vacation really started.

The Lay of the Land

This is our second (3rd? they were back to back) assignment in Kansas, and one of the last things we did before leaving 3.5 years ago was visit Kansas City. It had become a fairly special place for us. We got engaged there at the Plaza and visited some attractions with friends several times as well. After getting settled in, we've found ourselves with a bit of extra time on our hands, so we've been off exploring how things have changed. One of our favorite haunts used to be the Hallmark Gold Crown Center. We made use of Parent's Night Out at the Child Development Center and had a very nice date there, enjoying Kabuki and having some excellent vegetable tempura. We discovered that the vendors immediately outside of the Crown Center had expanded, but for the most part, the inside vendors of the center remained unchanged. The only real change we noted was that the scrapbook shop on the second floor that used to have a photo studio inside had been replaced by a fragrance shop, and the paint-your-own-pottery place across from the Crayola Cafe had been replaced by a cell phone vendor. Both were disappointments. We've also explored the shopping on NW Barry Road, and there are robust shopping complexes that hadn't even broken ground when we left in 2004! It should be fun exploring Zona Rosa. South on I-435 we recalled that there had been construction going on around the Kansas Speedway when we'd left, wondering what it would become. Now that area is bustling with a huge Cabela's, Nebraska Furniture Mart (*chuckle*) and Legends, a massive shopping complex, and all the restaraunts that go along with such a commercial district. Seeing such changes happen in such a short period of time is a bit mind-boggling, since we'd thought KC quite robust in the shopping arena as it was!


I love the downtown in Leavenworth. There are so many simply lovely shops. There's a paint-your-pottery place, at least 5 antique shops, a flower shop with a toy store above, and an amazing quilting store. It's been fun exploring all the nooks and crannies.


I'm also looking for the options available as far as activites to occupy C's time go. Although I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, I bought two excellent books: Shifra Stein's A Kid's Guide to Kansas City and The Kansas Guidebook for explorers by Marci Penner. The former I found at Waldenbooks and the latter at a local shop called the Corner Pharmacy. I've found tons of interesting things for us to do and see while we're here. We tackled on of the top items on our list before F left for training, going to the Wonderscope Children's Museum in Shawnee. It was a reasonable drive, and there were plenty of activities for her there. There are programs on Tuesdays and Fridays for little ones, so Cand I will most likely venture down there at least once a month. Here she is on our first excursion. She was fascinated by the gate in the art room that maintained the partition between the rest of the room and a sandbox area.

Settling In

To all ya'll who didn't believe me when I told you that when I move, I am unpacked in 2 weeks or less, and that I was sure I'd do the same thing this time, even with a toddler...believe! Our household goods arrived on the 13th and every box is empty _and_ the cardboard is out! Everything has a home within my home, my pantry is restocked and the pictures are on the wall. All the boxes arrived, albeit with a few dents and smashes. Not too much in the way of damage to report. The steam cleaner application hood got cracked, and one of our cheap-o Wal-Mart put-it-together-yourself bookshelves arrived with the backing falling off. Everything the packers put in boxes arrived unscathed. I was pleased with the care of their packing, though some of the things I thought ought to be in boxes were not. Turns out I was a bit in the right on that one. When I questioned it, I was told that these bulky, not-easily-packed items would be used as top-load, or light-pack. These were things like my "wire"-rack paper system, our "wire"-rack shelf units, my wooden shelves, curtain rods and the like. The put-it-on-the-truck guys, on the otherhand, took the furniture and these "light-pack" items as they were, assembled and all. However, only the primary piece got a ship-tag. When the goods arrived, we weren't here yet to accept them, so they had to go into storage. This meant that all the things that went on the truck assembled with 1 (one) lable, got disassembled. That aforementioned bookshelf arrived without its shelves, because they hadn't been labled. Hardware to put the "wire"-rack systems was also missing, as were some of the other hardware pieces to bookshelves and the media armoire. We also discovered that the packers had neglected to open the drawers and pack the items in the coffee table--luckily what I had in there was small, not breakable, and light enough so as not to cause damage to the table as it was moved around. For future reference--next move I'm going to disassemble all that stuff myself, zip-tie things together and make a little "hardware" box (shouldn't be very big, really) to carry with us in our car, so it's ready to access as the furniture comes into the house. Oh, and Fred admits that some of my "Monkishness" that he was teasing me about before the packers/movers came has paid off. Score one for beaverism over otteriness (if you don't get the reference, ask me sometime).

I'm enjoying my new home, though it's a bit difficult to remember where I've put things; because of our layout, not all the things _can_ go where it makes the most sense to put them. I'm still doing some organizing in my craft area; that's one of the two places I really need the placement of things to "make sense", but then again, I was still organizing the one at Fort Irwin the month before we left, so... *shrugh* Haven't quite gotten around to taking pictures of the new place yet, but I'm not going to post them here; protection of personal data and all that. However, if you _want_ to see the pics, email me and I'll send them out. Oh yeah, apparently hotmail has something against my gmail account. When I sent out my info update, which had to go out en masse, every hotmail address came back rejected. Even though I've tried to go back and send each one of those individually, they've come back too. What gives! Guess I'll just have to wait until those who have hotmail accounts write to me to let me know they're missing it. (hint, hint)

Jehovah-Jireh and then some

A year or so ago, I had the opportunity to engage in a study of the Word based on the names of God. The one I really remember (because, well, I have to confess I didn't keep up on the reading as well as I ought...sorry Nicolle) was Jehovah-Jireh, God the Provider. We discussed this image in depth, and how God provides all good things to His children, who trust in Him, and ask for His provision. I have to testify that God truly does hear the prayers of His children, and He does more than provide, if we trust Him to. He provides more than we need, He blesses! In September, when we found out about this move, I fretted and fumed about housing, and of course started researching all the options. I discovered quickly that if I wanted to live on post, which I did since F's leaving, I had little to no control over what kind of house we would get. I started praying about our house, and asked just about every woman of faith around me to pray too (okay, yes I'm a bit selfish). In December we found out that we might not be allowed to live on post, and I started fretting and fuming again, and tried to take control of the situation myself. After torturing myself for several days, I finally went back to prayer, and the of/on-post issue was resolved. I reached a peace and a sense of trust about our house options, a willingness to take with gratitude what was available. Then, mid-January before leaving, I learned that our only option was going to be a house about 700 square feet smaller than our then-current home. I went to work trying to figure out how to get our furniture into it. It was going to be tight, and perhaps uncomfortable, but I managed, at least with my little to-scale furniture papers. When I called housing on our way to set up a time to meet, I learned that our options had changed! We arrived to find ourselves able to take the option of a LOVELY (approx) 2000 sq. foot home/apt with everything all on one level! There will be NO problems fitting everything (our room might be tight just b/c of the size of the rooms themselves), _and_ we even have space for a guest room in addition to the scrapbook area. The change in availability was a last-minute one, which I am confident the Lord orchestrated. I have to give all the credit for this amazing space to God and God alone. He has done more than provide for our needs. He blessed us with abundance! Our neighbors are also folks we knew at Irwin back about 2 years and across the way is a friend of F's from his years at Hood. Wow...a great space, and friends too. Now we're just waiting on delivery of our household goods. Will let ya'll know how the decorating goes.

Around the (farewell) Horn

F's fond of sports phrasing, and he mentioned today that we've gone "around the horn" in saying farewell to our California families now, in just one week. First, we said our "see you laters" to our Chapel family, then Regimental Staff family, the Shop family, and now the Family family. We've been blessed by having made and had so many connections while at Fort Irwin, and it feels like we're really on our way out now.

Homeless

As my Gr'pa used to say/sing, "We're on the road again..." That's right, our household goods are all on a moving truck, we've cleaned and cleared housing ($560...not bad, all considered) and are currently in transit. C keeps asking to go "home" and we explain it over and over again, but I don't think she's going to really comprehend it until all our things are in the new house. I've had her say "good bye" to as many of our friends (that we could fit in) and familiar spots at Fort Irwin, but she just waved and said "see ya later," to them. Perhaps she's following my lead, since I'm not saying "goodbye," just "see you later" out loud. The packup went reallywell, and I was pleased with the way I saw things going, but won't know for sure how well they did until we're unpacking them. The loadup didn't impress me as much. The guys were too anxious to "get 'er done" and moved too fast with our furniture and boxes for my comfort level. I hovered a bit much and I'm pretty sure they were glad when I had to absent myself to go handle a childcare issue. During this whole leaving process, I just have to publicly praise God for providing such care from our friends. Several gals helped watch C during the busy-ness, and one family even invited us for a home-cooked dinner on our last night on post. It was incredibly restful to be able to eat a dinner that wasn't at a restaraunt, since we'll be getting our fill of those during this move. C was able to play while we ate (after she was done), and it tasted wonderful! Some others offered to bring us meals to the house, but we couldn't accept, because it was the place to eat the meals that had us most challenged at the end! Still, the thought meant so much to us.

Tonight's stop was Auntie Irene's house for dinner with their family and Auntie Jennie's too. One blessing about living out here in California was having some of F's aunts and uncles close by. We didn't see them as often as we'd like, but we're at least trying to see them one more time before leaving. Auntie Irene fixed an incredible dinner (can't wait to try out the chicken recipe on my own in the new home!) and we just got to relax. What a treat to have a dinner I didn't have to cook, rush away from in order to get things done to get ready to move, or do dishes. I felt so pampered! Thank you so much Auntie!

In other news, I can tell that I'm getting into a really bad habit with the television shows and C. After exploring Auntie Irene's house a bit, she found the television there. She sat right down and here's the coversation:

C: "Watch George please?"
Mommy: "No, Auntie Irene doesn't have any George."
C: "How about Bob?" (as in Bob the Builder)

I laughed so hard, I couldn't figure out what to say to that one. After I could breathe again, I told her that we'd watched enough shows for today in the car, and we were going to play. She accepted that, and we moved on. But how's that for some early creative thinking!

Twas the Night...

...that C stayed away from home all night for the first time.

F and I returned today from an overnight stay away from C. We had a Regimental Ball that was out of town since there simply isn't anywhere here that will hold that massive number of people (92 tables of 10!!) There was child care provided on site there, but considering the number of children involved, we decided that we'd find a friend who could keep C here. A dear friend from PWOC and her husband and older children had her stay with them. C had been to their house before and spent a day with them when I was recovering from my surgery. She adores their boys and really enjoys their doggies. She ate well, napped, and even went to sleep at night without a fight! I am so impressed that she did so well. When I was her age, my parents would leave me with my grandparents or aunt and uncle. In the Army life, one doesn't always have the luxury of having family nearby, and friends are called on to stand in the gap. I am sooooooo incredibly blessed to have found such a family of friends here at Irwin-town. Makes my heart sigh that we're leaving so soon.

updated countdown

Moving Ticker

I've found this site that lets a user make just about any type of countdown tool that they want to. So, now I'm counting down to moving day...just for fun. I actually keep losing track of how much time is passing.

Decisions, Decisions...

I feel like all I do these days is make decisions...or make decisions about making decisions. Ugh. After getting the news about moving, we had to decide about housing. First, we were going to put it off until Fred got some more specifics about dates and such, but I was browsing the available housing off-post in the Leavenworth area, and discovered that the houses I liked that were open one day for our intended time-frame, but were snapped up by the time I looked again, so we decided to decide about housing! I spent a number of days on the phone with friends more familiar with the area than I, and after much "going 'round", we have determined that the best choice for us is going to be taking on-post housing. Even though there's no guarantee of the type of housing we might be assigned, I'm confident that I'm more likely to regret not living on post for social support than I am likely to regret not living off-post so I could get a house with more perks.

Orders

That's right, we've gotten orders for the next assignment, and it looks like a move will take place shortly after the Winter Leave period, also known as Christmas Break, though not closely enough to move during the leave period...thank goodness. Also involved will be a deployment. This will be my first as an Army Wife. Not sure just how I feel about that just yet; I'm still trying to wrap my head around leaving Ft. Irwin. In the last 10 years, (since college, basically) I've lived here longer than anywhere else, and it feels odd to think about moving again. My head is spinning with all the details that have to be worked out and plans that have to be made. Not really looking forward to home-hunting from a distance again. However, the internet makes that a whole lot easier. I'm also having heartache leaving so many friends, and in the middle of the year, not at the usual PCS-season, and all the familiarity of the area. However, we are moving back to a relatively familiar landscape, and I have several friends once-from-here, who are now there. The move was planned, as we expected F to go to school this summer. It's just not quite on my timetable. I wasn't so "happy" about the move at first, more "practical" but God has truly provided His peace, in scripture and in circumstances. I'm ready to plan, and so, we're off to Fort Leavenworth sooner, rather than later! Kansas friends...see you soon!

Mommies aren't supposed to get sick...

...right? At the very least, mommies of toddlers shouldn't be able to get sick. Just mommy-ing takes energy enough! It's well-nigh impossible to keep up with Cassie while my head threatens to explode. Yep, I've got yet another sinus infection. The ear-nose-throat specialist said that I should be having fewer of them, now that I'm on a prescription allergy medicine instead of the OTC stuff. Right now I'm feeling ill-inclined to believe her. One thing is amusing about blowing my nose and sneezing. Every time I make a nose-noise, Cassie looks up and says "Oh my!" I know it's because the noise surprises her, but I like to think it's her version of "God bless you, Mommy."

I have a new appreciation about Army-living because of the hourly care through the CDC (child development center). It's in the same building as a regular day-care center, but is only for care on a limited basis. I (finally) registered Cassie, and I just call, make a reservation, and drop her off when I need child care for a few hours. I came to the realization the other day that this hourly, as needed child care isn't usually available in non-military communities. It's really a luxury to not have to beg or borrow babysitting from my friends every time I need help with child care, yet not have to have her in day-care full time. Yesterday, when all I wanted to do was sleep, I took her in, dropped her off for about 3 1/2 hours, and picked her up after sleeping a bit. It was so much better for her than watching PBS and eating snackies out of a bowl on the coffee table, and better rest for me. With the next post and next child, I'm definitely taking less than 18 months to get registered!