Beachy WiFi Joy

We loaded up [too?] much of our belongings and set a personal best land speed record on our way to the beach today. Three adults, three children, zero stops. Dave recalled his best First-Lieutenant-with-a-map skills and found the fastest, shortest way to the ocean. Geez, I love that man.

We're in our little four bedroom cottage for a week. Mom and I did the shopping and the kids are getting jammied for their bedtime. The greatest update is this: free WiFi in every cottage. Now if I can start losing track of time, we'll know that it's officially vacation.

The Rock 'n Roll Army

"Bad to the Bone" starts blaring over the loudspeaker and the bleachers, full of about a thousand parents, siblings, relatives and Puget Sound Debs, take notice of the billowing smoke cannisters across the parade field. Two of the newest-of-the-new troop transports, the Stryker Armored Fighting Vehicle, stealthily make their way and two squads, fully armed, unload and the demonstration begins. It's been almost two decades since I landed at Fort Benning, the poguiest of the pogues--a female JAG in a peacetime Army. Clearly, it is not Aunt Ruthie's Army anymore.

I was pleased and amazed by all the new things--including the Sippican friendly base housing [not a snout-house in sight!]--but nothing inspired me more than the 250 new young Infantry soldiers. Every one of them volunteered in the midst of a war with an intractable foe knowing they are the tip of the spear and are destined for battle. They looked impossibly young, but square-jawed and clear-eyed and ready for what awaits.

My son, all of six years old, was allowed to sit in the Stryker
and, within moments of being told which hand on the joystick, started zeroing in on targets. He wondered why he couldn't fire. How smart is the Army to make their coolest of cool vehicles fit into the digital-aged soldiers who now use them?

My nephew graduated, and, as I suspected, was different than the fellow we sent off in April.The Army does this to people and has from time immemorial, but it is still a wonder to behold.

The Happily-Ever-After Tour

I'm a little giddy with excitement and overwhelmed by the numerous details of our upcoming short jaunt to Georgia. My nephew is graduating from his infantry basic course at Fort Benning this week. We are going to celebrate his milestone and to reminisce about the place where it all began for our family.

The last time we were there was eighteen years ago. We were wed at the Infantry Center Chapel, right across from my JAG office, on a glorious October afternoon. There were 10 gentlemen in our sabre arch and our friend George cavalierly swatted my bottom with, "Welcome to the Infantry, Mrs. Adams!" I outranked him and had informed him that if he said Welcome to the Army or even Welcome to the Airborne that I would turn and drop him for push-ups, mess dress be damned.

My nephew, still known to us as 'Little Dave,' was wearing short pants and diapers on that day. It seems entirely fitting that we take our wee ones to see their big cousin as he embarks on something really big. He plans to go to Afghanistan soon.

Little Milestone

I had a mom-and-kids fun outing yesterday while Dave worked at the Wine Festival parking cars [and getting a very bad sunburn]. We went to Chik-fil-a. The kids did great and Annie, for the first time that I can remember, went into the play area [known in our house as 'the gerbil cage'] with her leg on and kept it on the whole time. She was able to do her climbing, sliding, crawling and walking without difficulty. Near the end, she asked to take off her Mr. Tony leg and I told her that if I took it off, it would be time to go. She considered that a moment and returned to her play with her leg.

Date Night and Family Fun Outing: Bon Voyage

We are making the most of the last couple months with our babysitter, who has warned us that he's done at the end of May. We had a date night with 6 members of Dave's family at our local restaurant/sports-friendly bar. Our nephew, known still and ridiculously as "Little Dave" is joining the U.S. Army. He will report to Fort Benning for Infantry Basic, A.I.T., Airborne and, God willing, Ranger School. He wants to be part of something bigger than himself, serve his country, find himself, and wield weapons. Lucky him. This one job adventure fits the bill.

Godspeed, Little Dave.

Family Fun Outing: Landscaping and Lunch

We're nearly complete making all the major improvements on the inside, so Dave is getting his wish and we're redoing the outside. We have hired a landscaper to re-vision our whole outside, front, back and side. We met him today at the greenhouse to select plants, shrubs and trees. He'll start in two weeks and we're excited as all getout to have a green make-over.

The kids did well with the greenhouse and we had a great lunch at Chik-fil-a. A great, quiet, lovely day together, topped off with my very own visit to the Confessional. Absolution, yay!

Family Fun Outing: Lunch and Shopping

Dave had a wild hair to set up the 'new' computer downstairs. We're still trying to make the best use of our limited space. We concluded that the corner console that looks like a heli-pad could go and something smaller could take its place. Dave mentioned seeing an armoire-style unit that might do the trick, so he suggested we do an outing to the office supply store. The kids were complaining of hunger, so McDonald's was the first stop.

At Staples, we spent about 5 minutes selecting a new laser printer, then onto the furniture. I'm probably being strongly influenced by Sippican, and also just plum-tired of putting together furniture with cam-bolts and a hex-wrench, but I just did not want to 'go for faux' one more time. Further, for the $300+ that will wind up in a landfill soon, I thought we could do much better. Sure enough, they offered a couple sleek glass-and-chrome tables that would work well at half the price. Tempered glass doesn't make any pretense of being wood. We chose this one. It will be in the basement and possibly in a child's room in the unlikely event that any child of ours actually gets to have a room with a computer in it.

The rest of the day was spent in the Sisyphean pursuit of Annie's glasses. Found, natch, by the owner of the uterine homing device.

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The girls had a mid-morning appointment with their beloved eye doctor. Annie's patching is going well and she's been moved back to patching only 2 hours a day. She clearly has a right-eye preference and a very mild crossing [we notice it mostly when she's tired], but he's not interested in surgery for something this mild. She showed much improvement at answering his eye-test questions.

Mary Jo was on Daddy's lap and I'm told she did just fine. She withstood the dilating well and her prescription is too close to be changed. She won't see the eye doc for 6 months.

After the girls did so well at their appointment, we went home, got Zeke and Nanny and dined together at Applebee's. All now nap, and I better hurry if I'm gonna' get one in, too.

Date Night and Family Fun Outing

We have been having a great time with my cousin and her husband here. Last night, we had a sitter and took them out for a great dinner at a local bistro. Today, it was Mass together while the kids were in church school, being cooked-for by my guests, playing all afternoon with the kids and a family fun outing to the big gerbil cage and Mac and Don's Supper Club. All the while, there were endless conversations and reminiscences with folks who are joyful to be around.

There are a few people in my life who I have conversations with which never really end. My cousin Anna is one of them and I'm just enjoying her company and seeing her newlywed bliss with her wonderful man.

Family Fun Outing: All Day of Play

We had a hang-around-the-house-get-lotsa-stuff-done day. It was broken up by lotsa playing and just being together. Dave did a heroic job on the yard, getting it almost all ready for spring in one brief day. Dave visited his father while the kids napped. Upon return, we all had a family fun outing to McDonald's gerbil cage. I'm jammied and ready for bed myself. Tomorrow will be busy in a different way: Mass and a pizza party with our friends.

Hallowe'en Recap: Go West Young Man for Fifty Cents

I worked a short day today, so as to be home to princessify the girls. Zeke was already quite Incredible [and Dash-ing] went I got home. Annie was determined to walk the whole way and she did. Dadgum, but there are some treacherous hills and front porches in this neighborhood!

Just as last year, we turned on the light and had a little self-help candy for the taking. There is still much left. We got home and the tired kids shed their Disney skins and donned their jammies. I answered the doorbell to two young [about 12-14] African-American males who weren't dressed up in any costumes. I gave them big handfuls of candy and said, "You know, I've got to give you a ration of grief for not having on costumes." They wryly said, "I'm Kanye West," and "I'm Fiddy Cent."

Well, Mrs. Milky-Beige Mayonnaise [that would be M&M] wouldn't have known that in a million. I asked them to give me a sample and they did. Dave signaled to me to turn out the lights because the party's over.

Saturday Fun

We just had an ordinary Saturday for us. We went to the Y [I had a good workout] and a nice lunch together at home. This afternoon, Dave did his magic with the yard and went out to visit his father while the rest of us had naps. Then tonight, some fun was had at Chik-fil-A. Jammies are on, teeth are brushed, and they're watching some classic Disney DVD before prayers, books and bed. Completely ordinary and yet completely pleasant, nice and beautiful.

Family Fun Outing: Double and a Spectacle

Two family fun outings today: the YMCA and Chik-fil-a. In the interim, I turned the house upside down looking for Annie's eyeglasses lens, which she popped out in a fit. Neither I, nor my husband, nor our cleaning lady, nor our Nanny could locate the lens. I even called upon good St. Anthony, to no avail. I'll probably buy the replacement Monday and find the missing disk that afternoon. We were looking in places that are borderline ridiculous. I might just have to see if someone swallowed them [unlikely!], but once you've exhausted the logical places, the crazy ones aren't so crazy anymore.

Upside: It felt like spring cleaning and several old toys were rediscovered.

UPDATE, Sunday 4:30 p.m.: David found the lens. Both he and I had a sniggling doubt about looking near my dresser. He moved a box to look at the dresser, and when he moved the box back, the lens appeared. St. Anthony! Still batting .990! [Still waiting for my stolen purse and its belongings to be returned.]

Date Night: New Town Bistro & Shopping

Today was awesome. Dave and I took the kids to the Y. We got schweaty and they had fun. Then it was a road trip to Ketchie Creek [sound at link] to pick up my birthday cake. All the while, my cleaning lady worked her magic and we came home to lemony-fresh house and clean sheets on all the beds.

We planned a date night, and I suggested a new-to-us restaurant: New Town Bistro. Someone unknown-to-me put me in the birthday club and the restaurant sent me a big postcard with a free entree during my birthday month. We both had excellent pan-seared steaks and the dessert was out of this world. The wine list was good and I tried a couple new things. They played jazz and it was an unhurried, delicious, nice meal with my man.

In an effort to save the fee on the nearest ATM, we went grocery shopping. In an effort to act my age, not my shoe size, I purchased my first ever pair of reading glasses: +1.o strength and Barry Goldwater style [that's what Dad always called his black hornrimmed glasses.]

It's been so lovely, I can hardly imagine tomorrow being much better.

Family Fun Outing: Dinner and the Park

We had a lovely do-little day and dinner out tonight at Zeke's favorite place for chocolate shakes: Applebees. All the kids were famished and so I got the waitress to snag me some crackers to tide them over. Mary Jo asked for her "crack-uh" and Zeke corrected her with, "do you mean your crack-ore?"

Daddy, not missing a beat, replied, "No. That would be bad." Whereupon Granny and I grinned. And I said, "I'm so going to blog that."

After a nice dinner [truly, any one where I'm not cooking or cleaning up has to be nice], we went to the park and the kids ran off some steam before regular bedtime.

Family Fun Outing: Pizza Pool Party

Our friends invited us to their neighborhood pool for an evening swim and a pizza party [Papa John's delivers right to the pool]. We went and had a lovely time and the pool nearly to ourselves. O.K. There were 15 of us, but it was mostly just us.

Rookie mistakes: telling the kids about the plan earlier today, and not telling the kids the specific exit plan tonight. They were having too much fun and did not know the full consequences "everyone out!" I have pretty maleable kids. They do resolidify after melt-downs.

Nice Little Day

What a little treasure trove of blessings today. I had a hair appointment and it was early, but not too early to stop at my favorite coffee house for a white chocolate mocha en route. I love my hairdresser and told him it's been 12 years now that he's been my go-to guy. I think that is a personal record for me. Home in time to finish up with breakfast and gather the troops for a little trip to the Y. Daddy and I got sweaty while the kids played. Zeke, now 5, graduated to Kid Kare and not the little baby nursery.

Dave napped and I watched 'Father of the Bride' on TBS. Steve Martin is fine, but I think Spencer Tracy did a better job [he being a Ripon College man, no doubt.] The kids played outside and I supervised the Saturday night bathing. They were up way too late and Mary Jo exhaustedly cried 'I'm NOT tired' as she was tucked into bed. Asleep in no time. And now I blog. A nice little day.

Family Fun Outing: Ratatouille

This morning's plan: go to the early show [10:45 a.m.] of "Ratatouille" [sound at link] with the children. Nanny came along on the field trip and Dave surprised me with his presence. This was the first time ever to go to the movies for the girls and all three of the children did well. The first movie I remember attending was "Herbie the Love Bug" [must've been a re-release] when I was in second grade. It was March and the girls from my class were celebrating Keely Blish's birthday. How come I remember it was March? Because we had Shamrock Shakes at McDonald's on the way home. Another first for me.

I think a love of the cinema is in my familial blood. My great grandfather owned the movie theater in Manistique, Michigan where my father attended every Saturday morning. Dad described all the shows he watched, and all for a nickel! My mother tells us of the time she saw "The Wizard of Oz" and insisted on getting her money back because the movie was billed as color and all she saw was black and white. The usher shushed her back to her seat and she was wowed. My sister, Peggy, is a certifiable cinephile and loves the whole movie experience. We both agree popcorn makes a meal. I didn't see many movies as a child because there was no theater in my little town and I just don't think it was high on my parents' priority. But I do love the movies, the huge screen, the dark room, the group experience and I hope that we have begun to pass that on to our crew.

Movie review: I loved it and am sure to put it into the family collection of all things Pixar. Zeke announced at 10 minutes from the end that he had had enough. Both girls got a little fidgety, but remained quiet. This time next summer, they'll know the dialogue by heart and they'll be laughing in French [aaanh haaanh haaaawnh].

Family Fun Outing: Y? Because We Like To

New policy at the Y: nursery care is free to members with family membership. Dave and I had some sweaty together time on the adjacent elliptical machines while the kids were well behaved amid the chaos. That counts, right?

Family Fun Outing: Father's Day Family Dinner

We are so blessed to live in close proximity to David's whole family. His mother went on to her heavenly reward about 15 years ago. My sister-in-law and her husband and children moved back to NC about 5 years ago. Since her return, there have been family gatherings. She is a most excellent cook and they are gracious hosts. We get together several times a year.

Dave and I loaded the van and picked up his father and brother at the old homestead, then doubled back for the trip to sis's. Dinner and revelry was had. Home by 9.

I am reminded that family gatherings almost seem to require a matriarchal influence.