My little sponge!

Noah has been soaking up EVERYTHING around him lately! He's so interested in learning about the alphabet and spelling and numbers and counting. He wants to write constantly and asks how to spell words. He also wants me to read a bazillion books every day too!

This may not seem like such a big deal to most parents of a 4-year-old, but my child has been SO stubborn all of his life. He had no interest in learning the alphabet or writing anything. He liked to color... but only 5 or 10 minutes at a time! I was so worried about him going to kindergarten because he would get frustrated very quickly if I even attempted to show him something about the alphabet.

Now, don't get me wrong, he's smart. Too smart sometimes. He knew all of his shapes and colors very young, and he could count to 15 before he was 2 and a 1/2, even count up to 15 objects. But he didn't want to learn the alphabet song... didn't want to see the alphabet... didn't like books about the ABC's. And he could not recognize any letters or numbers.

Then... a friend recommended a dvd by Leapfrog. The Letter Factory dvd was an amazing teaching tool. Noah loves to watch tv... although he doesn't sit still for an entire cartoon episode, he wants it on all the time. A learning dvd was just the thing for him. I was really amazed when he sat through the entire 'movie' the very first time I played it. We watched it 3 times in two days... and my child could recognize all but 2 of the letters and knew all of the letter sounds when asked. It was like someone flipped a switch. Anyone with a toddler or preschooler should own this dvd... and the math one... and the alphabet fridge magnets too! Leapfrog is awesome!!! And I should get a commission!

I bought him a preschool learning book months ago... it was collecting dust until recently. He wants to do his "school work" every morning after breakfast. He is all the way through the beginner writing section and the shapes & colors section. He's working on learning to write the alphabet. I think he would go through the entire book in one day if I would let him!

He talks constantly about letters and words and reads the letters on signs when we are out driving. He asks me to spell words and wants me to write letters for him all day long! I'll admit, it does get a little frustrating at times. I have to stop whatever I'm doing to write for him or spell for him. I can't remember the last time I got a shower without him opening the door to ask me about a letter or a word. FYI: Magna Doodles hold up pretty well to steam & water. ;)

Usually he can write his name if I help him along a little with it because his name isn't spelled exactly how it sounds... but last night he wrote his name all by himself!!! He found my post-it notes and used the whole stack... 150 post-its to write his name. *sigh* Anyway, I thought I'd share his masterpiece! heehee...

Please ignore my bad editing! I had to lighten it up and get rid of a really awful shadow on it... since I took this at my dining room table, standing over it, late last night! But, you get the idea!

So, I'm 35.

Today was my birthday. I'm officially 35. So.... ok. :)

I had a pretty good day. I slept in a little this morning. Had lunch with my 3 boys. Relaxed around the house all afternoon. Went out to dinner (YAY! No cooking or cleaning!). Got to talk to my mother-in-law and my hubby. (Actually spoke to Tom twice today... heehee... I'll explain that in a moment.)

I also had a bunch of amazing friends online wish me a happy birthday and some even made beautiful cards! You can see them in the card gallery at ScrapLove. When I first checked my email and read a message from Amy, I started crying... and pretty much all day long, I've been a sobbing mess! I'm so touched by all the wonderful birthday wishes from so many friends. Thanks to each and every one of you... and especially to my dear friend Amy. You have been a rock.

Now... about Tom's TWO phone calls! He called me early in the day... at 8am for him. He'd just gotten done flying all night. He was exhausted. And he totally forgot my birthday!!!! I knew he was tired and cut him a little slack. ;) So, he slept all day and when he was getting ready to go to dinner with the other guys, he realized the date! He told them he'd meet them at the dining hall because he had a phone call to make & explained about my birthday. They all told him he'd better RUN to the phone... and get on his knees to beg for forgiveness!!! heehee

Out of the mouths of babes...

Ok... almost daily Noah makes me laugh with the things he says... but tonight... well, this topped it all!

I was cleaning up after dinner and he was being his usual self... "Mommy's best helper" or so he says. I was loading the dishwasher... and he brought the salt & pepper shakers from the table. I just got new stainless salt & pepper shakers... with the letters S and P on the top. This must have been the first time Noah noticed that the holes made letter shapes. He's ALL about letters right now. I had my back to him and he was just chattering away... and then all of a sudden he says, REALLY LOUDLY...

"HEY! I found the S hole!"

ok... yeah... I totally lost it!!!!! bwahahahaaaa!!!!! I couldn't stop laughing. He got SO annoyed with me. But c'mon... say that out loud to yourself... THAT'S FUNNY.

And trust me... if you have your back to a 4-year-old when they say what I *thought* he said, you'll turn around QUICK!

12 x 1.5 = ??????

Well, when you answer that math problem, you'll know just how many hours of Tom & Jerry I will be subjected to over the next few days.

Noah got a package from Daddy today. Yup, you guessed it... the whole 'collection' of classic Tom & Jerry cartoons... TWELVE dvds... an hour and a half each. He was SO happy!!!! Me... not so much. ;) And at this very moment he is watching #11. I guess the picture on that one was more interesting when he spread them out all over the living room floor to pick one to watch.

And... just for the record... the boy LOVES to get mail... especially any box with HIS name on it. I am rethinking that whole 'teach him to spell & read his name' thing now. hahaha! When we go to the post office, I have to stand at the box until he inspects each envelope & post card to see if it has Noah on it. If we have a notice for a package, he is just SO sure it's for him. And today... it was addressed to Noah! Everyone... and I do mean everyone... in the whole post office heard him! He was just a lil bit excited!

Teen drivers...

Dewayne is a very careful driver... well, at least he is a very careful driver when I'm in the car! ;) He has hit a few curbs, usually when parking & pulling a little too close to the side because he's being extra careful about parking beside another car... just scraping the tire a little. But this time.... ugh! He really nailed the curb last night and now the tire scrubs when the car turns. He says it "pushed the tire in" somehow. He basically turned to sharp in a parking lot... ya know those end curbs for a row of parking spaces that are sorta half-moon shaped... and then overcorrected so that the side of the tire hit the curb. I'm waiting on the car garage place to call me back about getting the car in to be checked. NO IDEA if he damaged anything... we'll see what the mechanic says. Last night Dewayne said "I know I'll be riding the bus if something is wrong with Tom's car". Ummm, YEAH!

But... since he had semester finals today & had all of his books, I let him drive my car today with explicit instructions to avoid the curbs! The best punishment, other than riding the bus when he has a license, is to drive the "mom car" to school today! heehee

My main concern is that this is TOM'S CAR... and he's gonna freak if it's a big problem. I'm hoping I get an answer from the garage BEFORE I talk to Tom. :)

********* UPDATE **********

We finally got in at the base garage. They are going to inspect it and see what, if anything, needs to be done. The guy took a quick look this afternoon and said it didn't look like it was major. I'm wondering about his definition of "major". He said if it's anything to do with the framework or the body, then I will have to take it to the auto hobby shop because there is a certified body mechanic there. Ok... whatever... just tell me it's safe to drive & won't do big damage until they can actually get us in over there. The guy promised they would call me in the morning as soon as they look at the car. I'll update again when I know something.

*********** ANOTHER UPDATE ***********

And we still don't know how much this is gonna cost. The garage wrote up all the damage... and told me they really don't fix that sorta stuff. The "lower arm" is damaged... and there is some play in a ball joint on that side... yeah.... that's Greek to me! I have to take it to another place on Monday. Frustrating, to say the least. And I told Tom. He didn't completely freak out... but then again, we don't know exactly how much it's gonna cost yet. :)

My ABC's

Just something fun I saw on another blog... and it was a little less thought than the "100 things about me"! Maybe I'll get that one done sometime this month!

A= Available~ nope… married w/ kids!
B= Birthday~ January 24
C= Cake or pie~ cake… as in strawberry shortcake!
D= Drink of choice~ Mountain Dew or Welch’s Grape Soda
E= Essential items you use everyday~ camera, computer & phone!
F= Favorite color~ green… as in Certainly Celery!
G= Gummy bears or worms~ bears
H= Hometown~ Panama City, Florida
I= Indulgences~ new shoes & manicures **must add another one: CHEESECAKE! yum!
J= January or February~ January… my birthday!
K= Kids and Names~ 4: Dewayne, Andrew, Preston, Noah
L= Life is incomplete without?~ my husband & children
M= Marriage date~ September 5, 1999
N= Number of siblings~ 1 sister
O= One wish~ for my husband to come home safe
P= Phobias or Fears~ losing my husband or children… and spiders… EW!
Q= Quote~ "Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye." by Helen Keller
R= Reason to smile~ Phone calls from my husband
S= Season~ fall… I love the cooler weather & the changing colors
T= Time you woke up today~ 8:45, but only because Noah made me!
U= Unknown fact about me~ I don’t like chocolate.
V= Vegetable you don't like~ cauliflower
W= Worst habit~ picking at my nail polish (waste a manicure FAST!) and not putting away the folded laundry.
X= X-rays~ dental, wrist, ankle, lungs
Y= Your favorite food~ Italian
Z= Zodiac Sign~ Aquarius

My parents landed safely in Atlanta!

My parents left yesterday... and landed safely in Atlanta. They should be home soon. I bet that drive from the airport is the longest EVER!

I miss them already... and it really breaks my heart when Noah asks where Grammy and Papa went... just like it did in the summer when he asked where Gramma went when my mother-in-law left. He totally understands people visiting and he talks to them on the phone. He gets that we live far away and he'll see them again... but at the end of longer visits (3 weeks or 6 weeks) he really misses them! I'll be sure to spend some special time with him today and tomorrow. We watched a movie last night and just hung out on the couch for a while. He was so cuddly and wanted to just sit with me. I love when he's like that... but it just makes me ache that he is sad. It'll take a few days for him to bounce back... probably sooner than my parents or me! We're already talking about our summer... trying to figure out who's doing the traveling this time!

The whole week has been insanely busy... sightseeing, shopping, base spouse group meeting, bus rides to/from the airport, hosting a unit spouse group get-together... and I'm looking forward to really resting on Friday. I don't have anything planned and I'm just going to hang out with the boys and relax!

A rare vent....

I usually don't vent my frustrations on my blog... simply because family & friends get updates and general stuff here... but today truly needs a vent... or I'm going to explode. ;)

I am a reasonable adult. If I agree to be in charge of a group or club, I understand I am responsible for it running smoothly. If there are paperwork deadlines and rules... then oh.my.gosh... I TURN IN THE FREAKIN' PAPERWORK AND FOLLOW THE FREAKIN' RULES. Sheesh. How hard is that?!?! And it's not like the paperwork is outrageous... it's two pieces of paper due monthly, one piece of paper due quarterly, four/maybe five pieces of paper due annually. Do you seriously think that's asking a lot???? Someone please speak up if ya think this is too much to expect from the PRESIDENT of a group... please?!

*sigh* Apparently it's like asking for a kidney.

> vent over <
Thank you.

I think I finally get it...

I think I finally understand the feeling my husband has about his job. The man is seriously ga-ga over flying and just being AROUND the C-130! Watching this big gray plane fly around here is just one of those things that never gets old!

Canon dRebel XT, 18-55 kit lens

ss 1/1250, f. 11.0, ISO 400

(cropped to show only the plane & the sky and remove

some of the runway & buildings on the military base)

Worth every penny...

The airfare to have my parents come to Japan was worth every single penny... just for moments like this...

Noah and my mom were on the back porch. They seemed totally engrossed in their conversation. I went out to play with some manual settings on my digital camera (trying to learn a little about photography in 2007!) and completely cracked up when I realized Noah was telling a story to the smiley face band-aid on his hand! He wasn't telling the story to Grammy... he was telling the band-aid!!! It must have been quite a story... with all sorts of facial expressions & noises!! Complete with hand gestures, sound effects & loud growls! ;)

These are the moments that make the travel cost completely meaningless and priceless all at the same time.