Cloud Nine to Melt down

Well, well.... Mk has been on cloud nine since 9 p.m Saturday night (yep, I got the "cool mom" award because that is an hour and a half past her "normal" bed time).  Why you ask?  G.G. and PawPaw made a "surprise" visit all the way from Florida.  Needless to say, Joe and I were chopped-liver for the rest of the weekend.  Sunday was a beautiful day, so we took G.G. and PawPaw to "Mount Trashmore".... My dad's response "Why the hell are you guys playing on a Land Fill, you know how many toxins you are probably breathing in?" Mk's response, "Geez PawPaw, take a deep breath, it is just for fun".  For those of you who have never been "exposed" to Mount Trashmore, it is a "Landfill" and a historic one at that.  Just look it up (http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=24654). 
Monday, Mk asked me, "mommy, can you have duty, like daddy?  G.G. really wants to babysit me and PawPaw wants to take me to HIS favorite store (according to her, his favorite store is Toys R Us)."  Even though I was not able to "participate" in Duty, I did work half a day and then was able to come home and spend some time with G.G./PawPaw and their little Hemi (Mk).  We dyed Easter Eggs (which for the record, next year Mk will have hers eggs and I will have my eggs.  I am way to OCD to let her mix colors, designs, etc...), we painted a bird house (again, WAY to OCD to participate in non-structured painting) and played I-Spy. G.G. has the patients of, well, whatever has a lot of patients and then times it by 10.  I wish I could even have half of her patients. Mary, like her momma, is a worrier... Every few hours she would ask, "G.G., you don't leave today, right?" G.G. would calmly respond, not until Tuesday evening.  However, I will be flying back up for your birthday in a few weeks."  It was so relaxing to have G.G./PawPaw here, everyday they had a wonderful dinner cooked with extras to be frozen for one of our many nights as "just two".  It gets hard sometimes being sooo far away from family, so when they are able to visit it is like a breath of fresh air. As Monday came to a close and Mk was in bed at her normal time (totally lost the cool mom card here) it was time to sit and relax for a few minutes with G.G. going over new house "layouts", decorating ideas, etc... The house will most definitely have blank walls until she is back up for Mk's Bday. She can arrange and decorate a house like Maratha Stewart (just another jealousy point).
After work on Tuesday, as I pulled into the driveway, Mk met me at the door saying, "mommy, shhhhh I hid G.G.'s Sweater so she can't leave".  You see, G.G./PawPaw were going to leave when I got home from work, so they could make it to Uncle Luke's house before dark.  Well, let the melt down begin... "G.G., don't leave me here, take me with you." As if she is "made" to clean and cook and scrub the floors like Cinderella.  G.G. calmly brought her back inside and "explained" for the 100th time the "action plan" to be back for her birthday. No Nap + G.G./PawPaw leaving = Drastic Measures Needed. I tried the bribe thing, the time-out thing (total joke anyway), the "I am going to leave you outside" thing and finally I caved in with "extra dessert" thing.  I know, horrible, but if that is all it took to get her out of the front yard flailing around like a baby bird out of its nest, then here eat the whole damn Easter basket of candy from Aunt Mo.  Once she finished dinner and the sugar-crashed had set in, it was off to bed for books (an hour early, I might add).  So, at 6:30 p.m. and half-way through "Blueberries for Sal" Mk was snoring in my ear.

Well, not tons to report, However it was SOOO NICE to have my parents here this weekend!!!

~W.O
You better have faith, because luck runs out

First (and probably last) family bike ride of the season!!

We had the most beautiful weather here in Virginia!!! Perfect for the first (and probably last) family bike ride of the season!! So, as the laundry continued to multiple, the dishes continued to stack up and the back of the house continued growing mold (thank goodness for someone's "side" pressure washing business) we loaded up the bikes and were off to the Great Dismal Swamp.  Don't let the name Great Dismal Swamp fool you, it is absolutely beautiful.  Imagine a forest, with all types of trees, greenery, flowers, etc... and a perfectly smooth paved trail right through the middle of it all.  A lot of people had the same idea as we did; families on bikes, runners, walkers and people having picnics. Off we go!  Joe was leading the pack, Mk in the middle and me bringing up the rear.  About 1/4 into the ride, Mk; "daddy, we need to stop for water".  Joe responded, "I can still see the car, we haven't even gone a mile." Well, it didn't matter to her.... There a a picnic table on the trail and that meant you were supposed to stop and have a drink (Mk wins, stop number one).  We are off again!  Mk actually did quiet well and we made it one whole mile before there in, plain sight, was bench (yep, you know who won....Stop number two). So after a few sips of water and a "rest" we began our journey, again.  We were talking about the trees and what type of animals might be living in the forest, bushes and swamp, when all of a sudden Mk started taking a "detour" off the smoothly, paved road and down the side embankment.  I froze, Joe Froze and fear had taken over Mk's face.  I started yelling "Put your brakes on", Joe started yelling "Push your petal backwards" and Mk started screaming "I Can't" as she dropped her feet to the ground, in hopes she could drag her toes and stop.  Well, she had picked up enough "speed" that the "toe trick" was not going to help.  In the blink of an eye she had flipped over her handle bars, did two rolls and landed head first (upside down) in a hole.  By this time Joe had already thrown his bike down and was in a full on sprint.  He had to grab her by the legs to pull her out.  Only when he pulled her out, she was soaking wet.  The "hole" was at least three feet deep and full of water.  The fear on sweet Mk's face brought tears to my eyes and panic to Joe's whole body, not to mention she was in total shock and soaking wet.  The thing is, this hole was maybe two-three feet wide and was practically covered by a rock.  When joe pulled her out by her feet, she had cuts and scraps all over and thank goodness I MADE her wear a helmut.  I, for some reason, had packed a backpack with extra clothes, so I changed her, wiped her scrapes, cleaned her glasses and daddy held her till she was ready to venture back.  She said "I am not getting back on that bike and you can give it away", so the "ride/walk" bike took even longer.  Needless to say, daddy promised her a trip to the toy store and an icy to make things better.  I thank god for the extra angels that day, because the outcome could have been a lot worse.  I just think, what if there would have been a cement block down there or what if there would have been sharp objects sticking out of the ground.... I know I shouldn't necessarily think that way, but from now on, Mk will be the one wrapped in bubble wrap.  The new "bubble girl".  So, that was the adventure of our first (and last) family bike ride of the season.  Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, with adventure!!
Here are some pictures of the "Event".  They were taking with Joe's camera phone.

  

W.O.

You Better Have Faith, Because Luck Runs Out!

New Favorite Holiday?

Well, I think Mk has a new favorite holiday (of course after her birthday and Christmas).  She first "learned" about St. Patrick's Day while we were at the doctor's office yesterday (cold/allergy season here in VA).  After being seen by the doctor, we proceed to the pharmacy to pickup her medicine.  On the way to the pharmacy, we encounter a gentlemen wearing a kilt.  Only to Mk, it was not a kilt, but a "skirt".  I bet you can guess what happened after that!!! Yep, Mk's response, "Mommy why is that boy wearing a skirt?" This was not a whisper, but a slight yell, followed by a "that is gross" comment.  I tried my best to crawl under the waiting room seats, but there was no hiding.  So I calmly tried to explain, St. Patrick's Day and Kilts, etc... She was not having any of it and kept saying "Boys do not wear skirts".  Needless to say, I went back later to pick up the medicine.

However, she did like the fact that she got to take cupcakes to school for their little St. Patty's Day Party. Unfortunately these days the cupcakes can not be home made, but they have to be "store made"(no sarcasm here).  However, we did decorate the top of them with a little design from http://tomkatstudio.blogspot.com/.  Hope everyone had a very good "St. Patrick's Day" and had a chance to enjoy a "green drink"

Off to watch Idol.

W.O.
~You better have faith, because luck runs out!!

(Cupcake Toppers)

http://tomkatstudio.blogspot.com

Dear, Mr. Day Light Savings

Let me ask you this, Mr. Day Light Savings (yeah, "Mr." b/c only a male would come up with such a stupid idea as "loosing" an hour) have you ever tried putting a 4yr old to bed while it is still light out.  Well, if not.... It ain't easy and here is how it went;

7:30pm - Mk; "Mommy, why are those kids still playing outside."
               Mommy; "I'm not sure, they might be older.
               Mk; "well, you know I am going to be 5 in April, so I will be older too...Can I stay up"
               Mommy; We will see, GoodNight!

8:00pm - Mk; "Mommy, is tomorrow Monday"
               Mommy; "Yes, why are you still awake
               Mk; "My babies wanted to know, b/c they are feeling sick"
               Mommy; "put the babies to sleep and you go to sleep"

8:30p.m. - Mk; "Mommy, after Monday it's Tuesday, Right?"
                 Mommy; Why are you still talking to me
                 Mk; Well, I think it is morning b/c it is still light out.
                 Mommy; Don't make me come up stairs
                 Mk; So, I don't have to get up yet and get dressed
                 Mommy; GOOOD NIGHT!

9:00p.m. - Mk; Ok mommy it's dark now, so I will go to sleep.
                 Mk; Mommy, did you hear that? I said I am going to sleep.
                 Mk; MOMMY, I AM TALKING TO YOU!

Well, as you can see I did not answer the "finally" plea from a 4yr old and sure enough, she was out. So, Mr. Day Light Savings, I am not a fan of yours or the idealist approach "we" seem to follow.  Now, as I  sit here and try to "makeup" for the "lost hour", Shoving my face with a half of a brownie and a cup of tea for dinner (totally not the right "cruise diet") I am hoping the morning will proceed smoothly (one can hope right).

Overall though, it was a good weekend.  Joe was able to be home (on Saturday) and spent the morning with Mk. I ran errands, worked out and tried to get a head start on Mk's birthday decorations (Stay-tuned for the invite sample).  With 5hrs and counting until the alarm goes off, I must go!

Sweet Dreams
-W.O.
You better have faith, because luck runs out


 

Ice Ice Baby

When your alarm clock starts off with “Ice Ice Baby”, you know it is going to be one of those days.  Needless to say, Mk and I started the day off in a rushed state of mind.   After we practically inhaled smoothies and put the dogs up, we made a mad dash to school and work. 

Ah, work… A couple of us are working on manuals (trust me, I won’t bore you with the details) that are very tedious and time consuming.  You take the tedious work combine that with fluorescent lights and wallpaper from the 20’s, you have the makings of a migraine. 

Right now we are renting a town home in a little community, which I really do like.  However, you know the one thing that can totally change that? Yep, an ignorant property manager.  One of the “luxuries” of renting is when something breaks, you pickup the phone and call the property manager.  Well, in our case, we get a voice mail and a returned phone calls “questioning how broken is it”… Are you serious?? Oh well, we will be moving once again in April.  I mean, I just wouldn’t know how to act if we didn’t pickup and move every other year.

So, after a rushed day, ignorant landlords and a migraine, to the gym I went.  Going to the gym or yoga studio is a total release of everything for that hour and a half.  Nothing to stress about, worry about or plan (well, I am always planning my next step, so that isn’t all the way true).  For example; I was planning on how long it would take me to pick up Mk, get her changed for ballet and to the dance studio before 6pm (when it was already 5:30).

After a long day and extremely exhausted mommy, I am finally off to bed (of course after Idol).  As I walk up the stairs to check on Mk one last time and see her peacefully sleeping while Metallica Lullabies’ play in the back ground, everything is put back into perspective.

--W.O.

You better have faith, because luck runs out    

The Beginning

The reason for this blog.... Honestly, my mom has sent me journal, after journal, after journal and has told me that studies have shown how good/therapeutic it is for people to write down their thoughts, worries, joys, etc... So, after many years of procrastinating, I thought I would take her advice. xoxox Mom

Oh, where to begin?!? I will start from the beginning and do my very best to give you the "short" version.  I grew-up in Winter Park, FL (attended Brookshire Elementary, Glenridge Middle and Winter Park High School).  I have two brothers one of which is John Kendall, who is married to Megan (I get a sister). They have a little boy, Landon Kendall.  Nathaniel Luke, who is married to Tiffany (I get another sister) and they have a little boy, Preston Kendall.  I attended the University of West Florida (in Pensacola, FL. and I swore I would never return to the armpit of FL.) and earned a B.A. degree in graphic design with an area of study in photography.  That being said, I did not major in English/Grammar, so please excuse mistakes (I am sure you will get the gist of it all).  

After college, John introduced me to my husband, Joe.  John and Joe were both stationed on the same ship in Jacksonville, FL (US NAVY).  We were married in July of 2004 .  Joe has a sister (I get another sister) Tina, who has 2 children (Kinsley and Braydon).  Right after we were married, we had our marching orders to Norfolk, VA. We spent 3 years in VA. and then were transferred to Panama City, FL. (where I swore after college, I would never return.  Just goes to show you how "little" you are in charge).   While in Panama City, our family went from two to three.  Mary-Kathryn Huett, our little princess, graced us with her presence.  She is absolutely wonderful and is a total daddy's girl.  As a matter of fact, if you looked up "daddy's girl" in the dictionary you would see her smiling face.  

After our three years in Panama City, we received more marching orders back to Norfolk, VA. We will have been here a year in May 2010.  Mk (how I will refer to Mary-Kathryn) from here on out,  is in pre-k, Joe is EXTREMELY busy aboard ship, and I am working at a company doing graphic work for the military (glamorous, I know... However, the people are great and I can pretty much make my hours).  Which brings us up to date.  

These blogs are intended for my  "release" about the trials and joys of being a military wife (from my perspective ONLY), trying to raise a child, working full-time, and being supportive of a very hardworking husband. Yes, I was fully aware that in marrying a military sailor there would be deployements, worry, and heartache as well as many opportunities for joy and laughter.  So, please don't respond with any "Smart Ass" remarks about "You knew what you were getting into."