Deployment Day

The dreaded day has come and gone. Today was the day that Josh boarded a plane here in Illinois for the first leg of his journey overseas. It’s almost impossible to prepare for a day like this. I had every intention of being strong and composed so that Josh would feel my support. For being an incredibly emotional person, I I’m not sure why I thought I was going to pull that off. I hope that he could still see support through the tears.

My boys

We had a little time this morning to all snuggle together before heading to the airport. I'm sure Josh was thrilled to get one final fix of Mickey Mouse before leaving. I had to take a photo of my happy boys this morning.

(By the way, it's hard to tell in this photo, but Dylan's t-shirt says, "Taking car of Mommy until Daddy comes home." It was made by Katie Runnels for Dylan to wear this year. I figured it was quite appropriate for today.)

Once it was time, we loaded the car and started the trip to the airport. Josh's parents and sister, Michelle, my mom, and Bob all came to say goodbye. We all got passes so we could go through security to his gate. 

"Goodbye Daddy"

After some goodbyes, the rest of the gang headed out so the three of us could have the last few minutes together.

Dylan didn't understand the significance of the moment. But he didn't hesitate when I told him that Daddy had to go bye-bye and we were going to give him huge hugs and kisses.

Dylan has a few things to help when he is really missing Josh...

Dylan's Daddy Doll

Katie Runnels and family sent him a Daddy Doll. I had heard about them, but hadn’t seen one before. She took a photo of Josh in his uniform while he was at their house in Georgia. It arrived here last week. Both Dylan and I love it! Dylan loves to hug “Daddy” and cuddle with him. I do too! Thank you Runnels Family! What an awesome idea!

Josh also bought Dylan two of the recordable books from Hallmark (a Superhero book and a bedtime story). We read the ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ before bedtime tonight. As soon as I opened the book and he heard Daddy’s voice, he snapped his head around to me with huge, excited eyes and a huge grin while laughing. It made him so happy that Daddy was reading him a nighttime story. We read it twice.

It was a sad day in our house, but I am so blessed to have such a wonderful and supportive family (and friends). And I know that Josh is feeling the support from all those who have sent him cards, messages, and calls. Please keep your thoughts and prayers with my amazing husband for the next 12-15 months while he is serving our great country overseas. 

Bouncing Around at Monkey Joe's

On one of our last days with Josh in town, we took Dylan to Monkey Joe’s. We wanted to get there right when it opened, but we were a little too punctual and arrived 15 minutes before the doors opened. So we drove across the street and checked out all the animals at Petco. Dylan loved seeing all the ferrets, fish, lizards, and kitties. It was like little boy heaven over there!

We killed the necessary time and were the first ones in the door at Monkey Joe’s. I was amazed when we walked in. The only other bounce house place I had been was in Georgia and it was nothing compared to this! I immediately sent Katie a text because I wished her and Elleah could’ve been there with us. Elleah would have lost her mind with all the fun there!  

There was even an adult area with couches and a big screen tv (turned onto ESPN, of course). It could've been called "The Daddy Zone." Give the men a beer and they could stay there all night long!

We were ready to play! Dylan was a little apprehensive at first. All the bounce houses were much bigger than the ones he is used to. But the nervousness didn’t last long. He was running around like a wild man in no time. Josh and I took turns going into the different ones with him. I think he had more fun when Daddy was with him because Daddy was being just as silly as he was. My boys are quite a pair!

At one point, Dylan was laughing so hard he was almost crying. He started laughing every time he fell down…that’s almost every other step in a bounce house. He was loving it!

He got really adventurous and wanted to try every one. We wore that kid out. He hit his fun limit in just under an hour. It was getting close to nap time and he just couldn't handle any more fun. But it was $6 well spent. I'll gladly go there again...and so would Dylan!

"I love it here!"

Celebrating Five Years!

Feb 2, 2007
(Yes, we wore flip-flops!!)

Yesterday was Groundhogs day. But more importantly, it was the day five years ago that Josh and I got married. I know that’s confusing for some people who were at our wedding the following September, but our first exchanging of vows took place on Feb 2, 2007 in the Downtown Orlando Courthouse. It wasn't really a secret that we were already married at our wedding. I’m sure everyone knew. We wanted to have that party where we could celebrate with our family and friends even though we exchanged vows before Josh went into the Military.

We got married on the 2nd and Josh left a few days later for Basic Training. We did managed to squeeze in a weekend at the Disney Resort on Hilton Head Island and a Superbowl party before he left. Now, here we are 5 years later and separated again. Oh, the joys of a military life! But I fully support him and I’m so glad we are in such a good place in our relationship right now. Otherwise, this separation and deployment would probably drive me crazy!

Dylan and I have been keeping really busy this week. We had a family come through to look at the house and an hour later, my rental place called me cancelling all the future appointments for others to come because an application had been filled out. I’m hoping they get the house and I don’t have to have any more strangers wandering through my home! Only 16 days until the movers come. Holy cow, I have SO much to do! We’ve already dropped off two huge loads of stuff to Goodwill - and there’s more on the way. But, I feel like I’ve turned a corner and that I might actually get my to-do list completed in time...maybe.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

Dylan is doing great! He’s added “Bowl” to his word list now. He had a fever yesterday, but it only lasted a short while. I’m not sure if it was picked up somewhere or if it’s because of the 6 teeth that kid is pushing through! But he’s back to his wild self today. We’ve been playing with the Runnels and trying to stay active. Dylan loves going to the park!

Earlier this week, TJ offered to watch Dylan so I could go to a spin class with Katie on base. Katie and I worked our butts off, and the kids had a blast! Then Katie and I picked up dinner on the way back to their house. I was really needing a pick-me-up that day and the Runnels really came through for me. They are the best!

Josh is doing well at School. I did get his mailing address that he will have from now until Mid-March. If you would like the address please email, text, call (etc) and I'll give it to you. He is still in the midst of administration stuff, but he did get his new Camo uniforms! I am impatiently waiting for a photo of my studly man in his new Camos!

Smile of the day: 
Now that Josh is gone, I’m finding the small joys in little things that make me smile. Most of them are posts on Pinterest (my new addiction), but I know not everyone is on that site (yet). So I thought I’d share some of those things that make me happy.

Today’s is a kiddie costume of the old man from Pixar’s Up. I can’t tell you how adorable I think this is!

We Survived Week One of PDT!

It’s official. Josh is away at school and we won’t see him until sometime in May. Right now he is at Pre-Deployment Training (which lasts about two months). After that he has two more schools (one in VA and one in CA). Even though he is going to have a brief stop here in GA between those schools, we decided that Dylan and I would move in a couple weeks anyway. It will be really nice for us to be around family while he’s gone. And that way, we will be completely settled into our new house by the time he gets to Illinois in May. We will be able to relax and enjoy our time together instead of trying to unpack and organize.

"I'm gonna stop him from packing!"

Josh left about a week ago and we already miss him like crazy. The day before Josh started packing his suitcase that he’s going to live out of for the next four months, Dylan came into our bedroom with his book and plopped down on top of the suitcase. I’m pretty sure he was thinking, “If I just sit here, Daddy won’t be able to pack and leave for Pre-Deployment School!” Unfortunately, his plan didn’t work and Josh still had to leave.

Dylan's Progress Report: I’m not sure why it worked out this way, but this week has been a huge week for Dylan. Just like everyone told me it would happen - he has decided that it’s time to start talking. When Josh left, Dylan had about 8 or 9 words. Now, we are adding a few every day. The big thing in the last couple days is animal sounds. Josh had been doing animal sounds with Dylan for a while, but Dylan just wasn't repeating. The other day I was telling him animal names out of his book and when I said Monkey he did the sound. Right now, our pile of sounds includes monkey, dog, cow, and lion. His words are Mom, Daddy, yes, dog, duck, cat, sock, car, teddy, and chewy (I feel like there’s more, but I’m drawing a blank right now). Today we were working on saying the letters D and S (his initials). He also shakes and nods his head and uses sign language for Eat and More. I’m a proud Mama!

We’ve been trying to keep busy here now that Josh is away. I feel like I’m being productive, but I’m not seeing the results that I want, so I’m a little frustrated. I guess I’ve got to just keep with it. I’ve been trying to organize our house for the move, throw things out, and get car loads of stuff to Goodwill. Once the house starts looking move-ready I think I’ll feel better.

Making Valentine's Day cards

Our lifesavers have been the Runnels Family. Katie is always letting me gab with her when I need a distraction, Elleah’s loving all the playdates, and TJ doesn’t complain with all of the Anika & Dylan time. They even had us over a few days ago so the kids could make Valentine’s Day cards. The greatest survival tool a military wife has are good friends. And I have amazing ones. On that note, I’m also grateful to Colleen and Jonathan for calling me all the time. They make my heart happy, and I need that. I am blessed in the friend department.

Josh moved locations today. His first week was a class and now he’s getting into the “fun” stuff that he’s been looking forward to. The good news is that he has better internet now, so I’m hoping we can Skype soon and Dylan can see his Daddy.

We survived our first week apart (of many). I told Colleen that I was a little sad that Josh was missing these new things Dylan was saying, but I was going to have to get used to it. She said, “Just frequently remind him he is not only ‘missing it’ to better your family, but all American families!” See why my friends are amazing?

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we adjust to our new lifestyle. Thank goodness I have such an incredible husband who is totally worth it.

Our Sitko Thanksgiving

It is the last day of the 2011 Thanksgiving weekend and I have been thinking about all of things I am thankful for this year. Let me tell you about our Thanksgiving while I mention some of those things.

Thankful Thing 1: My boys. I am surrounded by testosterone in my home and I couldn’t be happier with it. Even my cat is a boy!! But those boys that live in my house are absolutely the thing that gives me joy. I have a husband who loves me for who I am, a cat that cuddles with me, and a son that couldn’t be more amazing. If I had to pick what I am MOST thankful for I wouldn't hesitate when I said, "My boys."

We spent our Thanksgiving over at the Runnels home. I spent lots of time the day before prepping the food, and then cooking in the morning before heading over before kickoff of the first football game. The Daddies hung out with the kids and watched the game while the Mommies put on our matching aprons and got to work in the kitchen. (Yes, we have matching aprons. Katie is a creative whiz and made me one when I freaked out over how much I liked  hers. Mine says “Domestic Goddess!!” By the way, the fact that our outfits underneath the aprons matched as well was just an awesome coincidence.)

Thankful Thing 2:  I am so thankful that we have made friends like the Runnels here in GA. Anyone in the military will tell you how difficult it can be moving around and constantly having to start all over at the beginning with friendships. But on the other hand, I have made friends with people I would have never even met if it wasn’t for our military life. I really lucked out this time in my friendship with Katie. We have so many things in common and we can completely be ourselves around each other. And it doesn’t hurt that we have children that love playing together.

While we were busy cooking, the men kept the kids entertained with an entire playroom, coloring books, sticker books, and (of course) some roughhousing that involved a bean bag chair, Daddies roaring, kids squealing, and some flying through the air.

Thankful Thing 3: The man that I married turned out to be such a wonderful father. In the past, I had seen him interact with his nieces and nephews who just adore him, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he is so amazing with Dylan. But I still find myself smiling while watching them play and cuddle. I don’t it take for granted.

We had a HUGE meal with turkey, corn casserole, dressing, potatoes (mashed & sweet), chicken & dumplings, and more. It was enough to feed the entire block! The good news is that I haven’t had to cook anything since!

Thankful Thing 4: My son is growing into such a little man! Not that I want him to grow up so fast, but I am so proud of him every day. Not only is he the sweetest thing I’ve ever known, but I feel like he is always trying to learn something new. The joys of Motherhood are amazing.

After our meal, we all took some time to relax together and play with the kids. We really had the perfect day. Full bellies, happy kids, and football on tv. The kids were so happy that they were, literally, hugging and kissing by the end of the night. (I won’t tell you how many times they had to kiss to get this photo!) SO CUTE!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with reminders of all the things we have in this life to be thankful for. I hope I continue to remember mine and don't take any of them for granted.

Thankful Thing 5: I know how blessed I am to have such an amazing family and wonderful friends. You all know who you are, and I am so happy to have you in my life. Even though we couldn’t be with everyone over Thanksgiving, it doesn’t mean I’m not incredibly thankful for each and every one of you.

Nana Connie comes to GA

This week, my Step-mom (Dylan’s Nana) came to visit for a few days. Connie gets lots of Dylan time, Dylan gets lots of spoiling, and I get lots of relaxation…everyone is happy! She came for a 5 day vacation, which we all agreed is not long enough! Next time, we will know better.

We picked her up on Saturday, just in time for her to come to the ‘Trunk or Treat’ on base with us and the Runnels Family. I didn’t have Dylan’s costume ready so he just wore a “I heart Mummy” shirt - and I think he looked adorable! I’m not sure if he was scared or amazed at all of the costumes around him. In this photo, I couldn’t get his attention because I think the Mario Brothers were standing behind us!

‘Trunk or Treat’ went up one road and back down the other, and there were lots of trucks, cars, and even boats all decked out in Halloween decorations. It was sunny and gorgeous out, which meant that LOTS of other people were there at the same time as us. The line to walk up and down the street was really long! But we still had fun.

Dylan really liked the big blow-up lawn ornaments. Every time the spider would move his head from side to side, Dylan would laugh and clap. I guess he didn’t get the memo to be scared around spiders that are bigger than your car.

He also liked the giant black cat. His head moved back and forth too. After clapping for a while, he went over to pet the kitty. But that one wasn’t as cuddly as Oscar.

All of the cars had different themes and cute stuff. Dylan liked the Pirate themed one (of course) and tried to steal some treasure instead of candy. He knows what he likes!

Us with Katie & Elleah

I’m so glad the Runnels let us tag along with them and their little half angel- half devil. The only down side was that both of our kids didn’t take good naps that day, so neither one of them was energy packed and ready for fun. At least there was no screaming and crying! Now we’ll just have to hope that our group Trick-or-Treating night goes well!

Dylan has been having so much fun with Nana Connie. I think they are both going to be sad when she leaves. At least he got a huge amount of spoiling squeezed in the past 5 days. Between all of the hugs, and long walks through the neighborhood, and book reading, and snuggling, and presents (more on that later)...he has been one lucky little fella!

Dylan & Nana Connie

Dylan's Girlfriend

Dylan and Elleah sitting on the floor…

Hugging and kissing and then some more…

After months of Katie and I trying to get Elleah and Dylan to hug each other for picture time, they finally got on board. But to the Fathers’ dismay, it wasn't because we had our cameras out and were trying to pose them together. They started showing affection all on their own. The scene of the crime was Dylan's Birthday Party...

It all started with my son, who I have been calling a “lady killer” for months now. Hum, maybe I should stop doing that? Maybe it was one of those self-fulfilling prophesies. He went in for the (pardon the pun) kill, but realized that kissing would be difficult with his pacifier in his mouth.

So he went for the more casual cuddle-while-we-watch-tv move:

But Elleah, the older and wiser one, showed him how it’s done with less effort.

And then my son decided to go for broke and put it all on the line.

At least Elleah’s Daddy, TJ, thought it was funny and my son didn’t get his first father-of-the-girlfriend talk. Oh boy, am I in trouble or what?

Fourth of July

This year was Dylan’s first Fourth of July. I was really excited to get out of the house and do something because last year for the holiday, I was on bedrest and we did absolutely nothing! So I wanted to make up for it this year.

Downtown St. Mary’s does an all day event that has the streets filled with tents selling everything from carnival food to local knick-knack stuff. So we went with the Runnels to walk around a little bit in the afternoon. Forget the fact that we live in Southern Georgia and it is the middle of the summer…can you say “Hot! Hot! Hot?” But my little man did great. He sweat like the rest of us and didn’t complain at all.

I absolutely have to post a photo of Elleah in her little Fourth of July dress. She could not have been any cuter! I have never been so jealous of a two year old’s wardrobe as this little girl. Oh well, everyone needs a style icon, right?

Before we all left to get out of the heat for a bit, Elleah got to pick out an inflatable character. (By the way, I am only telling this story and posting the photo because it drives TJ crazy…and I love it!) TJ was helping his little girl pick out which toy she wanted while I rolled Dylan’s stroller into the tent to get us out of the heat for a few minutes. Well, I think that when TJ was getting the toy down, Dylan thought it was going to be for him. Don’t worry, he didn’t cry or get too upset. But he gave TJ a look that said, “How dare you? Don’t you see how cute I am and how much I needed that toy??” I’ve been telling TJ not to worry - I’m sure Dylan will get over this ordeal in a few years.

Later that night, we met back up with our counterpart family of three to watch fireworks. We set up a blanket in the park and played with the kids for a while. It was really a lot of fun. Dylan chowed down on some carnival food (aka French fries and funnel cake…hey, it was a holiday, don’t blame me!) and we really had a great time.

How cute is my little man?? If you said, “unbelievably cute” then I totally agree with you!

I am also going to hop on a tangent for a minute to talk about my friend Katie. Not to get all sappy, but it’s really nice to have her around. We have a lot in common and our kids are pretty darn cute together. She’s a great friend and I’m lucky to have her around. Okay…back to my Fourth of July recap.

The kids managed to stay awake to see the fireworks. The bad news was that that park was downwind and we were getting bombed by all the firework debris!  Elleah got popped in the face after one of the first fireworks and was done watching after that. Poor thing!! Dylan watched about half of the fireworks with me and then wanted to move into Daddy’s lap.

Once he got up there, he started repeating everything Josh said. So every time a big one went off Josh would say, “Oooo. Ahhhh.” And then you would hear my adorable little man say, “Ooo. Ahh.” So cute!

The major downfall of the night was the traffic trying to get out of downtown. But after some GPS overlooking of the neighborhood, and some conspiring texts between Katie & me, the Sitko and Runnels vehicles were cruising around through the St. Mary’s neighborhoods looking for a quicker way home. Thank goodness we found it! We shaved at least an hour off of our drive home. 

I would say that overall, Dylan’s first Fourth of July was a booming success! 

Josh's Father's Day Gift

I spent a lot of time last week working on Josh’s Father’s Day present from Dylan and me. Of course, Dylan helped immensely with his moral support and constant need to see what I’m doing. He also played a vital role in the actual present.

I got the idea from my cousin’s wife, who did this for my cousin Matt last year for Father’s Day. I don’t want to take credit, because she was the creative one. But I loved it so much that I had to do it too! I hope she doesn’t mind!

So it started with a trip to Michael’s to get the plain letters. I decided to not only get S-I-T-K-O, but also D-Y-L-A-N to hang up in the little guy’s room. I also had to buy paint and brushes since I am not currently crafty enough to just have those things lying around the house.

I had the perfect plan to get as much painting done as possible while Dylan was sleeping one day. Unfortunately, it was like he knew I was anxious to work on something important, so he waited an extra hour before wanting to take his nap. And then he woke up long before I was ready! But he let me get some done while having some snacks and watching Mama trying her best to be crafty. This trend continued on day two of painting.

I started with the blank letters and painted them solid colors:

Then I wanted to give each one a fun design:

But trouble started when I got out the red paint. The blue, green and yellow worked like a charm, but the red was out to get me. When I started painting I realized that the “Red Rover” color looked more like “Party Pink.” I knew that Josh would not be okay with me hanging pink letters in his little boy’s room. Maybe if I put like 5 coats on, it will look more like the shade of primary red that I’m looking for. Okay, first crisis averted.

Once all the letters were painted (and dried) we were ready for a big photo shoot. The Wednesday before Father’s Day, we went to the park by the Marina for some creative photo taking. I had the help and extra brain power of Katie, and the excited enthusiasm of Elleah. Crisis number two became obvious as soon as we set foot in the park. We were completely overrun by bugs! Instead of giving up, I decided to push through, wave my hands around in the air as much as possible like a crazy person, and get these photos taken asap!

Of course, my little angel was wonderful! I got several cute photos of each letter in record time. So crisis number three was trying to pick one photo of each letter.

So now we only had to print them and get them in the frame! It turned out great and I was so excited that I couldn't even wait until Father’s Day to have Josh open it. (I am truly my mother’s daughter - she gets super excited about presents too) He opened this afternoon and already hung it in our living room!

Photo of finished project to follow…