Family ties

It's been a while, but I Thought I'd post about what is going on in our lives. Mostly I've been keeping my other blog updated, (the ramblings from my inner mind), but this is the "family blog" and I know many people ... (maybe as many as 2 or 3!), actually check here to see how our family is doing.

So: Ben, doing great! Very happy, good with the kids.

Me: love love love my job! And my family!

Jacob: started preschool here, and he enjoys it a lot. Brandon: starts speech next week, as active as ever. Talking, laughing, and pretty much a handful.

Megan: talking more, and more opinionated than both her brothers put together. Totally didn't see that one Coming!

This weekend we're here, next we'll probably head to Idaho to visit family, because Ben's sister is due late this week, so I'm assuming she'll have had it, (maybe), by next weekend. :-)

We went to Ikea the other day, and got little train tracks for the kids. The boys think they are so awesome, and love nothing better than playing trains all day, and even make up these cute little stories.

Megan enjoys the wooden trains, for a while, then she goes off and does the girl stuff. She's a girl, and she knows it. She cuddles her dolls, and puts them to bed. She pretends to feed them, and on occasion brings daddy her hair stuff and has him do her hair, because she likes It! she is definitely a girly girl! It's exciting.

Anyway, that's about all for now. Love you all!

House Husband

Although Ben has been staying home with the kids since he lost his job and I went to work, this is a little different.

I'll be working nearly full time, while he stays home with the monkeys. Day in, day out. And somehow, I still need to be a mother, and do something at home.

In a way, I'm relieved, he's always had a way of getting things done at home that I can't. I can come home from work, and the kids are happy, fed, and the house is clean.

Including the laundry! I helped with the laundry the other day, and realized quickly that I am not supposed to touch the laundry anymore. Everything I folded, wasn't folded right! And I put things in the wrong piles!

So final opinion? he does a better job than I do at home. So I guess this sojourn into working while having a full time daddy at home .... will be for the best!

And the best part ... he mates socks!

Techie geek?

I've never considered myself to be at the "cutting edge of technology." In fact, typically, I run so far behind the pack it's not even funny. But working with computers, as I'm prone to do daily, I have apparently became one of those weird people who knows something ...

I can change an IP address, I understand some things about computers. As for technology ... I use a broadband Internet card, (which shockingly ... is one of those "newer things"), and I just installed windows 7 on my computer. (Hey, students get it for cheap! .. and working on campus, I qualify close enough to count)

Am I even close to the cutting edge? Not really. But I enjoy where I am. I'm in a position I can watch what's coming out with curiosity, and do what's best for my family, and my computer.

Every day ... (see, I am a geek), I check the news through Google news, I am on facebook, twitter and I have a family blog. I also have multiple Email addresses. (Work, Friend, and junk)

Then there is even a handful of sites I like to check daily. From my favorite blogs, to a couple online comics, and zooborns, cakewrecks, and horriblelicense plates. These are all my daily smiles, and help keep me updated.

Part of being updated, I know was for my job. When I know what is going on in the world, it helps my spelling ... because I have seen the words before. (Plus, when governor Schwarzenegger or somebody with schizophrenia makes the news, I like a heads up before the teachers start to throw these around in casual conversation).

I like sending occasional words to the Typewell folks, simply because in my computer classes I type, I see some of the newer words, the one's that haven't quite made it to websters dictionary yet. (Did you know Blog is even a newer word for some folks?)

So overall ... I guess I'm no longer in the tech illiterate group, but not quite at the top of the mountain yet. I doubt I ever will be. But I'm close enough to get a good view!

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans day, 2009.

Yesterday was the fort hood memorial service, and I have a wonderful Twitter friend who actually lives on fort Hood, and wrote a firsthand account of the events of that day, and the service.

Even if I bore you ... read it! http://thisfabulousarmylife.blogspot.com/ It's amazing!

Anyway, today I was thinking about my life as an air force brat, which seems so far behind me sometimes. On the radio this morning, there was a song (this Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p2EW3yBqSk ) and it made me cry.

I hardly remember dad not being there as a child, because mom was an awesome mother, and made up for it somehow. When we were in Panama, she made sure we made little audio tapes of our voices for Christmas for grandparents, so we could tell them merry Christmas, and in a way, not seem so far from them.

I remember dad telling me a touching story about the brother I almost had. When he was in Korea, he spent his spare time with the Chaplain, and quite a bit of time at a nearby orphanage. There was a cute little boy there. He'd been on the streets for a while, his mom had given him some money before vanishing, and he knew to take it and ask for his favorite treat from the vendors when he was hungry.

They brought him in, and he wouldn't really talk. He was scared, and alone. Dad grew to love this boy, and was planning on adopting him and bringing him home. However, another family fell in love with the boy, an Air Force translator, and his Korean wife. They ended up adopting him, but hearing dad tell the story, he still has a soft spot for the child that I was never able to meet.

Daddy missed the births of two of my siblings. He was in Korea for one, and new jersey for the other. He met President Bush (the first one), back when he was vice president. (And didn't recognize him until they announced him as the next speaker).

I remember that when we went to a movie theater, the star spangled banner would play before every movie.

I was only eleven when dad left the military, and sentenced us to civilian life, but deep inside, that will always be a portion of who I am, and my past. I miss those years, and I admit I have Military issued "gypsy feet", I always want to be going somewhere, but I'm grateful for the way life panned out.

My children will never know military life. They will never experience the pain of having a father overseas, or the joy of having them come home. But I will do my best to make sure my children have the same love for their country that I do. I am an American, and have always been. But true Americans don't just live here, they understand what their country means. More than just on the fourth of July.

Those friends I met during those years, have never left my heart, and some I will probably never see again. (Usually because I don't remember their last names, children have that problem).

A thank you to all those who have fought for our country, who have served our country, and the families who love them, support them, and grieve for them.

Halloween

We've come to that dreaded time of year. The time when people with masks come out, leading to months of terrified children.

This year, we did remarkably well. Not only did the kids go to the trunk or treat, but they all did remarkably well, and only had a few people they wouldn't go near because they were terrifying.

All in all, I was greatly impressed with halloween. It was lots of fun. Jacob was a fireman, Brandon was a farmer (and we actually got the hat on him), and megan was a cute little dinosaur.

Sensory Integration

Sensory Integration disorder, OCD, vs ... my sanity.

Score: not very pretty.

Let me explain something about my son here ... he's not spoiled. He's not the way he is because he's special or because I have let him act like this.

He's ... just Jacob. If everybody would accept that he is the way he is, life would be easier.

Jacob has sensory integration disorder. You know how when you run your fingernails on a chalkboard, it bothers you? Imagine that ... except worse, and you don't know how to deal with it.

Some things in his life .. just ... bother him. And he doesn't know how to deal with it.

Toe socks, Buttons, Snaps, Zippers ... these are all in this category. They just bother him to an extreme that he doesn't know how to process.

We've come such a long way.

Mom: Jacob, it's time to go.

Jacob: alright.

[Snapping seatbelt on]

Jacob: {breathing deep} it's not in order!!!!

This used to confuse me, now it doesn't. He's not hysterical, Yet. But he's close. His problem is simple, his seat belt is twisted, not straight. If I fix it, we can go on, and life is great.

If I am in a hurry, and leave it alone, his mental process overloads and we have a meltdown ... and it will continue until either his seatbelt is off, or "in order."

We can't all work around him, there are plenty of times I can't work with it. But when its' something that takes two minutes to fix, its' quicker are fix it then deal with it.

This morning, I put Jacob's blanket on him as I left for work. He immediately started getting upset. The blanket was bunched up in places and folded in places. So I pulled it tight, straight, and he drifted to sleep again, because his world is once again, in order.

We don't like mud on our hands, or anything gross like that. Or our feet for that matter. Socks don't work on occasion ... and we can completely forget overalls.

Costumes ... another that doesn't go well. Random guy in a bear, or dog, or anything else suit .... we have a meltdown. This includes Santa. In fact, he's terrified of Santa. Last Christmas I had to promise him Santa would not come in his room before he'd go to sleep.

Yet sometimes, it's hard, because all I hear is .. "you just need to be strict with him", "you spoil him" ....

It's hard wired. It's not parenting, it's not me. It's not him. Its' just ... his brain. He's learned so much. Two years ago he just broke down. Now even when he's upset, he can explain the problem, and I can fix it. sometimes we still have problems. But we survive.

Babysitters: ick. Ick. Ick. Ick.

believe it or not ... I have had two good friends tell me, "I'm sorry, but I can't babysit your kids at my place anymore."

Really? No way! Apparently, my kids have problems with people they don't know and meltdowns over things. Especially Jacob. Yes, especially Jacob.

So when I get lucky, like now, to find a friend who likes babysitting my children ... worth more than gold!!!

Anyway, that's my random diatribe on my child. Who by the way, is not spoiled, or a bad child. He just has problems with sensory.

Grandma Power

Here is Grandma Reading the little old lady who swallowed a fly

There she takes them to the park

Then she reasons with them.

And we know the lego's weren't for the children

But when all is said and done, we have happy, well adjusted, superheroes.

The end.