My friend Pork chop!

(I should probably begin by saying that my dad gave Denise the nickname Porkchop, and I really have no idea why... I'm sure my mom will comment on this blog and hopefully explain it, but at the same time - he gave me the nickname of Buckwheat.... NO explanation for that one either!!!!!)

My mom sent this photo to me the other day in email...Wow! it brings back a flood of memories. This is my lifelong friend, Denise! She was in a leaf pile with some wooly bear thing that we found in my backyard, along with my rabbit Sniffy. So many things about this picture that bring back so many stories...Denise lived one house away from us on Cherry Lane in Chesterland, Ohio. We have known each other pretty much since Day 1 of our own lives, and over the years and bumps in the road - we are still going strong. We used to play from morning until night, had sleep overs, ate meals together, and played Barbies for what seemed like days. She would bring her Barbie stuff over to our house, usually in the garage, and we would dump everything out and play forever. I think what worked between us, was that it was just us. No 3rd party, no boys jumping around, and no one else to fight with. She is an only child, and I have two older sisters who were not interested in what we were doing anyways.  

My family moved away to Michigan, when I was around 10yrs old, and we had to leave her behind. We kept in touch over the years, through letters and phone calls, and we even visited each other a few times. We drifted apart for a little while - in between a bad marriage or two - but these days we are just like we used to be... She has two sons, a beautiful little princess daughter,  and a wonderful husband, and I have three sons, a daughter, and a wonderful husband as well. Now we get to trade stories of motherhood, behavior issues with our children, and funny things about our husbands who seem to be very much alike!

Now that I am an adult and a mother, I appreciate my friendships so much more than I ever have. I am lucky enough to have a few women in my life who are my best friends in the world. I have so many memories with each of them, and I cherish each one. God has blessed me with many things in my life and I am so thankful for all of it...

Random questions.....???

Sometimes I get some of the funniest questions from my kids...Take for instance yesterday; while on the way home from shopping, out of the blue Tanner asked me if he was all bloody when he was born. I said, well no, kind of, a little...? Mackenzie immediately followed with, "Well, wasn't your stomach all bLoOdY?????" Leave it to her to make things more dramatic and gross... I told them that yes it was bloody because it was cut open so that the doctor could get them out. I was holding the steering wheel tighter and tighter, hoping that no one would ask the dreaded question of where babies come from, or how they get there in the first place. Well, guess who asked it? Yep. It was the girl. Thankfully we were turning on our street heading home, and I only had a few seconds to respond to the question and I told them that when a man and woman get married - they decide to have a baby...I said that it was a little hard for them to understand all the details, but that as they get older we could talk more about it. I'm hoping that I have a lot more time to come up with the story behind it, but I'm thinking that with this generation they are learning things a lot quicker than I did!!

This picture was taken after we had 'Kids Clinic' last weekend.

Kids clinic involved foot rubbing, face masks, and back scratching!

Samson was right at our side watching every move,

 and in the end he got a cold compress on his head from Mackenzie!

Feeling guilty, needing some peace, and cold mornings...

I'm sitting here this morning listening to only some small noise from the TV in the living room. No fighting, no screaming, and no one jumping through the house. I'm feeling guilty for enjoying a quiet morning after so many insane ones but we deserve to have some peace in this house. I just waved goodbye to Lisa, Jillian, Sara, and Chase...as they left off for their 9-10 hour drive to Ohio. Chase caught a ride with Lisa so that he can go to Nanny & Papa's house for 2 weeks. He is missing school, a dentist appointment, and a Boy Scout potluck dinner~but he will be able to spend time with family, while having some peace in getting some one on one attention from his grandparents.

(Ok, so NOW there is some screaming going on in the living room. I knew I should have kept my mouth closed!).....

The last few months have been rough on our family, on Chase, and on me...Our house is usually in chaos, and things are just not the way I envisioned our family life to be. I decided yesterday that after a morning meltdown and temper tantrum from Chase, that maybe it was time to take a time out as a mother. I asked Lisa first, if Chase could ride home to Ohio with her so that he could stay with my mom and dad for 2 weeks. Jason is in SC in a training class for work, so he will drive through Ohio on his way home and pick Chase up. My next phone call was to Dr. Pam, our behavioral therapist, who in my eyes has become like a good friend to me. She agreed that it was a good idea for Chase to have a break from mom and for mom to have a break from Chase. I knew that even more than anyone else, her opinion meant whether I let him go or kept him home. She knows whats best for him, right next to me~and over the last 3 years I have come to trust her.

Jason and I have gone above and beyond when it comes to making sure that our kids have what they need, and that they know how much we love them. I am praying that in the next 2 weeks I will be able to have some full nights of sleep, as Chase usually comes in my bed 2-3times a night, that I can bond with Tanner and Mackenzie more, and that I can get some rules put into place for our household. Things here have gone by the seat of my pants for too long. I have made rule after rule, and then bent them so that I can accomodate Chase's feelings and his lack of ability to cope with life sometimes. He has crossed the line with his temper tantrums, and he has to start over somewhere. I think that with him being away from home for 2 weeks, that he can get the one on one time he is longing for~and that when he comes home I will be recharged to start the battle again. I'm not so sure that Chase is suffering from just ODD and an immature emotional ability, but that he has a lot of 'learned' behaviors that need to be broken.

With all that said, I am crawling back into my "queens bed" that my sweetheart bought for me...God he takes such good care of me, but I just want him back home with us...That's the next mountain to tackle for Jason & I, but that's for tomorrow's blog...

The picture below speaks volumes on what Jason is willing to do for our kids. He climbed up a tree at the pumpkin patch to get Chase one of the candy bags that was dropped from an overhead airplane for the kids down below. Chase saw this one in a tree, and asked Jason if he could get it down for him. And as you can see, Chase is anxiously waiting at the bottom of the tree for his treasure...

The dark/black spot at the top of the tree is Jason...

Fallen Soldiers...

Being an Army wife is definitely not something I take lightly. I am so very proud of Jason, for the commitment he has made to serve his country. Since we have been married, I have attended 4 Annual Training Conferences with Jason~similar to, or commonly referred to as an Army Ball. Not only do I love attending these Conferences because we usually get to leave our children at home~but it only makes me feel even more proud of my husband for the work that he does. I wanted to share a part of the ceremony that pays tribute to Fallen Comrades... The script is below, along with a few photos from the Conference we attended in December. Jason was the Master of Ceremonies, and I couldn't have been more proud to sit in the audience as he recited the following words...

"PERHAPS AS YOU ENTERED THE HALL THIS EVENING, YOU NOTICED A

SMALL TABLE, SET FOR ONE ‐ IN A PLACE OF HONOR. PLEASE ALLOW

ME TO EXPLAIN... THE MILITARY CASTE IS FILLED

WITH SYMBOLISM. THIS TABLE IS OUR WAY OF SYMBOLIZING THE

FACT THAT MEMBERS OF OUR PROUD PROFESSION ARE MISSING

FROM OUR MIDST AND ARE UNABLE TO BE WITH US THIS EVENING.

IT SYMBOLIZES THOSE KILLED OR MISSING IN ACTION. THEY ARE

COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS KIA OR MIA. HOWEVER WE CALL THEM COMRADES."

"The table is round – to show our everlasting concern for our fallen comrades. The tablecloth is white – symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty. The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of our fallen comrades, and the loved ones and friends of these comrades who keep the faith. The vase is tied with a red ribbon, symbol of our continued determination to remember our fallen comrades. A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those who will never return. A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by the families of those who have sacrificed all. The Holy Book represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country. The glass is inverted, they cannot toast with us at this time. The chair is empty because they are no longer with us. Let us remember – and never forget their sacrifice. May they and their families ever be watched over and protected.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen Please Stand; As first written and first proposed by our service members in North Vietnam prisoner of war camps where only water was available for toasting, a toast to those killed in action, missing in action or to prisoners of war is made with water. At this time, please secure your water glasses. “

Toast: "Ladies and Gentlemen, raise your glasses to those who have not yet come home, and those who never will-Response: To our fallen comrades.”

Loving my coffee...

I don't know what I would do without my coffee. I have to start every day with it, and I don't think I could get through the day if I didn't have it. The kids went off to school this morning, without any major breakdowns or fighting!! Thank you Lord. Tanner was so excited that two of his friends challenged him to a football game at recess today. He is so competitive, and loves to play sports.


Chase & Mackenzie were running around the kitchen trying to pack their lunches b/c they saw that sub sandwiches were on the menu for today. They hate the sub sandwiches at school I guess. Tanner came stumbling out of his room and asked what was on the menu, and he said "Ooh I love their sub sandwiches..." I cracked up because I just don't get how the three of them can be so different. They each have such different likes and dislikes, and they are such individuals. Austin has a bad cold, and he slept with me last night. Well, I should say he slept on me last night. On me, over me, across me, you get the picture. I can hear him in the living room coughing like he has been a smoker for 20years. Poor punkin head!


Today we are having pajama day unless I get up the motivation to take myself over to Kohls to look at yet another coffee pot for purchase. I apparently have gotten my coffee pot misfortune from my mother, because she is on her 12th coffee pot since 2008. This time the one we have is leaking from the back, but only sometimes. So on the days that I wait for the coffee to brew, it doesn't leak. It only leaks on the days I am in a hurry, or when the kids are trying to make coffee for me. Just another item in my life that is causing my nerves to writhe under my skin!


Jason is finally down in South Carolina, and today is his first day of class. I hate when he's gone, but he was so happy to be enrolled in a class after several years away from the school house. He is hoping to work towards his next promotion, so this is a step in that direction. He waited until he was on his way out of town to tell me that he has another class coming up in the next few months, so I'm guessing I will be on my own for that one too! He blames his motives for telling me from a distance on coincidence, I say it was good thinking! God I love that man!!


Well, my coffee cup is empty, and Austin wants his turn at the computer - so I'm going to catch up on the Bachelor from last night!!

Tanner, decked out in Jason's uniform!!