Save it for Sunday

Good grief, I am two weeks overdue here. We have been blessed to be keeping so busy with our weekly routine, a staycation in Denver, and two sets of wonderful visitors.

The Highlights

On Friday, March 15th, Brad and I celebrated ten years of togetherness. What a major milestone! He has been a part of my life for one third of it. I was trying hard to ignore the date night that could have been in the weeks leading up to it when my friend Kaitlyn saved the day. They live in Hawaii and had an overnight layover in Denver on their way to visit family on the mainland. When she asked if I wanted to bring the kids up so we could squeeze in a visit I was honestly hesitant. Those of you who have taken overnight adventures on your own with a 4 and 2 year old know exactly why. I was nervous about managing the chaos but ultimately booked a hotel for Friday night and got pumped for a mini anniversary staycation. I just kept telling myself to roll with the punches. It was worth it to see our friends and create some joy for myself and the kids.

Immediately after swimming lessons on Friday we drove up to Denver and headed straight for the aquarium. Kaitlyn, Scott, and their son Grant met us there, and the reunion was as sweet as I had imagined. They treated me to an anniversary dinner, and I swallowed a lump in my throat a few times as we ate together, so overwhelmed with gratitude for their company and love on a day that easily could have been a sad one. Eloise's life was made seeing the mermaid show and meeting them afterwards. Harvey decided mermaids aren't really his type. We parted ways for the night to head to our hotels, and this is where the real fun began. I found downtown Denver street parking, unloaded us and our overnight bags, and got us safely checked in and to our room with two overtired, overstimulated kids in tow without totally losing my marbles. There was a moment while trying to convince a screaming Harvey to use his legs that had become noodles that I considered throwing my own fit or just dragging him down the hall to our room. Rolling his Lightening McQueen through the lobby and chasing after it was just too fun to quit. Once in our room, after asking Eloise not to jump on the bed 329 times, Harvey decided to follow her lead and did an epic fall off the edge. The way he landed I thought for sure I was calling an ambulance. Thank God it was not anything some snuggles couldn't fix. The day ended with the three of us in bed, each with a strawberry ice cream, watching Homeward Bound (oh the nostalgia!) together. All of the struggle of the day was worth it for this one moment.

On Saturday morning we met our friends for a farewell breakfast before their flight out. Without launching into a huge sap fest about how much I love them, I'll just say THANK YOU, Kaitlyn and Scott. For filling our weekend and our hearts. For chasing one kid while I chased the other without an ounce of judgement. For the sweet Aloha Mickey and Minnie you brought back for the kids. For loving us through a tough season. For making quality time with us a priority. For reminding me that the best part of the Army is the family it creates. I am holding the image of Eloise, Harvey, and Grant walking hand-in-hand together close until we can be back together again.

After breakfast we headed for the children's museum as our last stop of the celebration. Cue the arrival of my saving graces, our neighbors Jenna and Jorden. They drove up to help me make the museum a positive experience, and that is exactly what they did. Jenna and I tag teamed keeping track of my kids while Jorden was on baby Dawson duty. There is no way the kids could have had half as much fun as they did with my attention being split. I would have been forever shouting at one or the other to slow down and wait to move on. They were so happy bouncing between activities at their own pace. I also love spending time with Jenna because we both find such joy just in witnessing Eloise and Harvey's joy. Three cheers for Denver for creating such a great space for imagination, learning, and hands-on exploring! We will definitely be back.

The last two weeks have apparently been all about feeling the love from our Fort Leonard Wood family. The following Friday after seeing the Kaitlyn and her guys, my friend Ashley made the drive with her three kiddos from their home in Kansas to spend a long weekend with us. The two moms to five kids ratio was...exciting! Let's just say our heads hit the pillow hard at night. But I was so pleased with the little tour of Colorado Springs we gave them and how much fun we created for our crew. On Friday night we did our usual pizza and a movie night with our guests. Seeing all five kids lined up together watching Mary Poppins Returns was the sweetest sight. I think Ashley and I only took 800 pictures between the two of us. Saturday was a zoo morning with an afternoon picnic, and Sunday took us to brunch at our favorite cafe followed by a walk through the Garden of the Gods. After naps each day we enjoyed play time and a home cooked meal. Our bodies ached by the end of each day, but I think all hearts were full to the brim.

My sweet Harv man tried relentlessly to feed a turtle one of his goldfish snacks

Highlights for me were seeing Eloise and Ashley's middle child Josiah bond on a new level. They are truly kindred spirits with a matching enthusiasm and zest for life. There is also no describing the happiness of having a dear friend seated next to you on the couch after bedtime each night when you've grown so used to that spot being empty. We caught up on life and new shows and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of her company. Ashley is a role model mom for me. She and her husband work hard to raise their kids to be obedient and kind, but it is also so clear how much she loves being their mom even in the difficult moments. I learn so much and feel a renewed sense of enjoying this wild motherhood ride just from being around her. I was proud of us for pushing through and working as a team to make the weekend what it was. The kids excitedly pointed out they got to do "so many new things" including pet a wallaby, feed an elephant, and go rock climbing. Mission accomplished! High fives and hugs were shared between two tired but fulfilled moms as they headed home this morning.

 

 

The Small Moments

At meals lately we have taken to playing I spy or talking about the peaks and valleys of our day. I sometimes find it hard to actually sit down and have family mealtime without another adult present, but I am trying hard to embrace that they truly are old enough to have meaningful conversations. And I find I am almost always laughing when I do take the time to sit and listen to them. This week while playing I spy, it was Eloise's turn and she had spied something red. In true overexcited Eloise fashion, she asked me in one second flat before I even had time to make any guesses if I wanted a hint. Her not-so-subtle hint was, "IT'S DADDY!" She pointed up at the map on our deployment wall to the red location pin showing them where Brad is. Still a part of dinner with us even from 7,000 miles away. I am still smiling about that one.

Aunt Meredith taught us a valuable catch phrase on our Florida vacation that she uses in her classroom. "Don't yuck my yum." I have been using it a lot with my picky eater Harvey. Golly it is so frustrating to cook for myself and two pint sized humans and have one refuse to even try what I made. He has been randomly repeating his own version though, "don't yuck my tum", at various points throughout the day. It makes me smile every time.

During our bedtime lullaby singalong on Sunday night, Harvey abruptly picked his head up off my shoulder and said, "oh, beautiful" looking right into my eyes. I cannot make this stuff up. Every day with him opens my eyes more and more to how big and pure that mother-son love is. I am really spoiled to be so loved by a little man who clearly has his dad's heart of gold.

The Ways We Grew

On Wednesday we experienced our first ever bomb cyclone. Yes, that is a real thing. Bomb cyclone = snow + hurricane strength winds. Our local airport registered a 97 mph wind gust! The house literally shook, and at about 11 am we lost power. At first it was just inconvenient, but as the day went on and power was not restored, I started to sorry about keeping my tiny crew warm. Just before sundown our house hit 60 degrees and was dropping quickly. I packed us up and headed to our neighbors' house who had graciously offered us a slumber party spot in front of their fireplace for the night. We actually had a blast. Jorden made a fort for the kids and downloaded movies to watch together. We ate pizza by the light of emergency lanterns lit all over their house. The power actually ended up coming back on just as we were settling in to sleep. I did a happy dance while Eloise cried that she didn't want the sleepover to end. Jenna graciously hosted her for the rest of the night while I took Harvey back home to warm up our house again and let him sleep well in his own bed. It was an adventure to say the least. I would say our first real deployment hurdle, and the kids were such troopers.

 

Next week we go back in again for more blood work with Eloise's endocrinologist. I am excited to see what her progress has been with the most recent dose change because I am seeing more of the Eloise I have desperately missed since her diagnosis shining through. The other day I ran upstairs to move laundry to the dryer. Harvey was upset and crying about something. I heard Eloise say, "Bubba don't cry. Here is what you do. You take deep breaths like this and count to ten. Let's do it together." Then I heard their little voices counting together with Harvey's tears completely subsiding. What a moment! I was proud of myself for implementing a way for Eloise to manage her own big emotions and even more so proud of my girl for embracing a teaching moment with her little brother. In other exciting Eloise news, just a few weeks after achieving starfish status at swimming lessons she has already earned her tadpole medal! She had to complete tap-tap-turns, swimming on her back and using her core muscles to flip to her stomach with her face submerged and return to swimming on her back again, all the way across the pool. I can't wait to see our fish swim in Nana and Mickey's pool this summer.

The Witt-isms

"I love you." -Eloise
"I love you more." -me
"I love you MORE.' -E
"No, I love YOU, more." -me
"Mom. That's enough. You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." -E

"So handsome." -Harvey, picking up Eloise's brush and attempting to comb his own hair

"Cool dude." -Harvey, anytime he finds glasses or sunglasses to put on

Looking Ahead

One month down + spring break  --- Today marks one month of deployment in the rear view! I am planning a celebratory donut date with the kids later this week once things settle back down. This week is also spring break, and Colorado Springs is gracing us with some sunny 70 degree days. Instead of dreading the wide open days without our usual school and extracurricular schedule, I am embracing the chance to soak up some quality Eloise and Harvey time out in the fresh, spring air.

Surprise visitor | 3 days --- A few days ago we received the exciting news that a VIV (very important visitor) is headed our way at the end of this week. I can barely contain my excitement, and keeping it all a surprise for the kids has been a major challenge. Stay tuned! 

And in closing, my favorite of the latest and greatest Eloise iPad selfies. Tiny hippo included. You're welcome. She proceeded to take a shot just like this with every little animal figurine of her set.

Save it for Sunday

The Highlights

On Monday I dropped my mom off at the airport to head back to Michigan. I am so thankful to have had her here through the transition of saying goodbye. As if they planned it on purpose, our friends were here visiting that same day from Florida. Lauren became one of my best friends at Fort Campbell. A hug from her after saying goodbye to my mom and spending the day together was just what I needed. The sweetest moment of the day was seeing Harvey bond immediately with her husband Chris. It was like there was some unspoken, mutual understanding that Harvey just needed some guy time.

It is strangely weekends that I dread the most during deployment. Everyone else is absorbed in family time, as they should be. I end up missing our busy routine of school, dance class, swimming, and working out and look forward to Monday's arrival (crazy, I know). I decided to face this first solo Saturday square on and fill it with happiness. The three of us attended our zoo's stroller safari program where we met Matilda the wallaby, fed chickens, played games, and ended with popsicles and a sunny picnic. The kids were such angels and a true joy to be with. I had so many "this is perfect" moments soaking up the spring Colorado sun with them. When I set all of my reservations aside and force us out of the house just the three of us, I always end up surprised by how empowering and satisfying our adventures are.

This will be the tale of an extreme low point that I turned around into a highlight and laughable moment of the week. On Friday morning Harvey said the words no mom wants to hear immediately upon entering his room in the morning. "Mess. Mess. Mama help." SH*T. Literally. Everywhere. He has been blowing out his morning diapers for awhile now, but nothing to this magnitude. He was really flustered too, which only made the situation harder and more heartbreaking to manage. And of course this was all playing out at 7 am when I had plans for all of us to be dressed, fed, packed, and out the door no later than 8 for my workout class, a post office trip, and the kids' swimming lessons. We made it to all three events. On time! I easily could have skipped out on my workout and buried my pity in a pile of poo laundry, but I didn't. Definitely my gold medal moment of the week. Of course I had to take a picture of Harvey to send to Brad. I am thinking I'll just take a mom vacation when he gets home perfectly timed with potty training. Kidding! Sort of.

The Small Moments

Meet Sir Phillip! A little of my crazy cat lady must have worn off on my sweet husband who has befriended a deployment cat buddy. This little guy waits for Brad outside of the gym every day! Yes, he named him. Yes, I already sent a package of cat treats in his first care package. This selfie of them together makes my heart burst.

For whatever reason FaceTime has not been working well for us this time around. Half the time our calls were dropped or the video image didn't come through for one of us. There is nothing more frustrating than poor connections during these times. We decided on a whim to try Facebook's video chat. It is AMAZING! There had to be a military spouse on the development team. The connection is crystal clear, and there are really cute little games that Eloise loves to play with Brad. We are into a routine now where she knows for the first little bit of the call she has to really talk to daddy and fill him in on what she has been up to, and then they get to play the silly games. Hearing them laugh "together" is music to my ears. My friend Ashley snapped the sweetest pictures of us talking to Brad in the middle of dance class on Wednesday. When Dadford calls, no matter where we are or what we are doing, we answer. The rest of the world can wait. Bravo and thank you, Facebook, for helping military families stay connected so beautifully.

We had an equally wonderful wake up before our zoo excursion on Saturday. The kids must have known I needed a happy day. Eloise wanted to "read" to Harvey. They sat in the chair together in Harvey's room and went through a whole stack of books. I loved watching Harvey stay so captivated and hearing Eloise's rendition of some of her favorite board books. Earlier in the week Eloise fell in love with this dumb pig at the pet store. It has the most obnoxious squeaky toy noise. But she started to throw a fit about leaving without it. So I bought it. Because, well, choose your battles. I am so glad that thing came home with us! I laughed until I cried watching Harvey run laps around the kitchen with the pig tucked under his arm. He squeaked/oinked with every step and occasionally said, "excuse me" whenever the pig let out a louder than usual noise. It was hysterical. As all of this was happening, I remembered I had forgetten to give Eloise her thyroid medication. She has to take it first thing upon waking and wait awhile before she can eat breakfast. Of course by the time I remembered the kids were hangry and ready to eat. On my way upstairs to grab her pill, I heard Eloise's little voice say, "It's okay mom. Accidents happen." Be still my heart, and thank you, universe, for a laugh-out-loud Saturday morning.

The Ways We Grew

When we were hanging with Lauren and Chris on Monday Harvey did a big wipe out. He was running to chase a ball and had one of those classic feet slid out from under him in slippery socks moments. As it always is when someone does an epic fall, it was funny but not funny. I knew he was okay, so we were all stifling giggles as I comforted him. Eloise rushed right over to comfort him too, looked Lauren right in the eye and in such a serious tone said, "It is not funny." She was right, it isn't funny when someone gets hurt. But that kind of maturity and compassion from a four-year-old really shocked us all. Man, don't mess with Harvey P...he has one protective big sis watching out for him. In addition to looking out for her favorite little dude, Eloise has been busy perfecting her selfie skills. She gets a bit of iPad time at the end of quiet time every day. The pictures taken on the iPad automatically end up on my phone. I look forward to seeing these gems pop up every night. Such a pleasant little surprise that makes me laugh every time. Here are some of my favorites.

The Witt-isms

"Mom, you are my one true love." -Eloise

"It is a little foggy outside today." -Eloise
"RIBBIT." -Harvey

"You did it, mommy." -Harvey, anytime I do...anything. He said it to me today after I cut up his grilled cheese, when I got his shoes on his feet to play outside, and after retrieving a lost car from under the pantry door. My own personal cheerleader.

Practicing putting her whole face in the water in the bathtub:
"Mom, I dove so deep to the bottom of the sea!" -Eloise
"Awesome! Did you see any fish down there?" -me
"Nope. Just Harvey's booty." -E

Looking Ahead

10 year date-aversary | 5 days --- On March 15, 2009 I agreed to be a certain someone's girlfriend. I wish you could have told me on that day to fast forward a decade and I'd be crushing deployment number two with the two tiny humans we made together. Wouldn't change a thing (but you might have scared the snot out of 20 year old me). I am not sure yet how we will celebrate, but I am looking forward to it nonetheless. 

Easter weekend | 40 days --- My parents just booked their flights to come spend Easter weekend with us! I always love having my dad in town and so do the kids. I can't wait to have them here together for the holiday to see the kids hunt for eggs and bounce off the walls on a chocolate bunny high. Best part though? My mom is staying for FOUR GLORIOUS WEEKS. I cannot wait for her company and help. Every tough day or lonely night right now is eased by the reminder that relief is right (ish) around the corner.

Save it for Sunday

It has been a week not for the weak! The bad news? We had to say goodbye to our best friend. The good news? Every second that ticks by now is one closer to being whole again. Let the countdown begin!

That smile says I kept him laughing until the very end. Mission accomplished.

The Highlights

There is truly no greater love than that given by friends and fellow Army wives at the kickoff of a deployment. My friend Jenna was literally waiting for me in my driveway with a huge care package when I arrived home after dropping Brad off on post. Even better than all of the goodies (the highlights being wine and girl scout cookies of course) was her hug. I fell right out of the drivers seat into her arms and ugly cried for a few minutes before pulling myself together to see the kids. It was exactly what I needed. So many encouraging texts flooded in and various friends stopped by with sweet surprises throughout the afternoon. Day zero is difficult beyond anything I can explain. I do not wish the atmosphere of the bag drop and final family farewell area on my worst enemy. The heartbreak is literally palpable. The sounds of kids crying for their parents as they walk away haunts me. I am so thankful for friendships that light up my darkest days.

Eloise is STARFISH official and SWIM SAFE! Literally the day after I wrote my last blog post and predicted she would earn it soon, she aced her test. In order to earn her starfish badge she had to do a flip, dive to the bottom of the pool, toss in, and humpty dumpty (fall off the pool ledge) with an independent recovery to her float position. And then she had to float on her back for a full five minutes! It was incredible to see. The best part was seeing her lose her float positioning a few times, mostly because she was bored not because she couldn't hold it, and get back into it all by herself. It made me feel so confident that no matter what sort of dangerous water situation she found herself in she has the skills to survive. Now she gets to move on to learning to really swim and move herself through the water. I can't wait to see her progress by the time summer arrives. And Miss Brittany thinks Harvey is not far behind our starfish girl! He is jumping in and swimming to the surface totally on his own and sometimes floating with just one hand of neck support. Sometimes being the key. Other times he kicks and squirms. The cutest thing is now whenever we lay him down in his bed he says, "no kickers."

Speaking of badges, I earned a new boy mom badge this weekend. We attended our first Touch-a-Truck event, and Harvey may never come down from cloud nine. As anticipated, he was completely enthralled and thrilled to sit in the drivers seats of so many of the vehicles he swoons over in books. To see, feel, and climb them in real life nearly put him over the edge. He was fascinated by the seat belt of all things in each truck, and Eloise was so sweet and tried to help him buckle it every time. Harvey's favorite was the bulldozer. Eloise's was the pizza delivery van. Sounds about right!

The Small Moments

I told Brad the one thing I wanted on his departure day was for the same chocolate covered caramel apple my friend Cat sent me during my 30 days to 30 birthday celebration to arrive on my door step. I have been dreaming of it ever since I devoured it in October. He broke the news to me on his last day home that it was a seasonal item. Always one step ahead though, then he pulled out the ingredients and proceeded to make me his own version! Find yourself a man who spends his last day stateside making you homemade caramel apples.

My mom and I took the kids to Barnes and Noble on Wednesday after dance. I am not sure who loves trips to the bookstore more, me or them. The train table and Winnie the Pooh stage in the children's section are always a big hit. Harvey obviously found a book with wheels on it to zoom around. The highlight of this visit, besides a fresh stack of fun books, was Eloise calling the Hundred Acre Woods the Hundred Naked Woods. We all had a good laugh which was exactly what our souls needed.

I have declared Fridays at our house pizza party nights.  Our first one was spent eating pepperoni pizza on the living room floor watching Happy Feet together. It was also the debut of Big Head Brad! Eloise thinks he is hysterical and squeals with delight when he arrives to hang with us. Harvey seems confused and mildly terrified. It makes me smile to see his handsome (enormous) face in pictures with us. Big Head Brad will be making future appearances at recitals, birthdays, beach days, holiday parades, soccer games, for popsicles in the backyard, first days of school, etc. You name it, he'll be there. I am thankful for the idea I stole from a few other military spouses I have seen use a big head daddy. Whatever it takes to feel connected. I do not recommend leaving a big head propped up on the couch to leave the room for any period of time. When you return, the sight of it may inflict a heart attack.

The Ways We Grew

Eloise is a true sour patch kid lately. One minute she is making me want to rip my hair out and the next she is making my heart burst. She has a new fixation on her clothes. Up until this point she has never really cared what she wore and has always let me pick out her clothes. Now she is dedicated to only wearing dresses or skirts during the day and nightgowns to bed. On particularly fiesty days she will only wear pink or red dresses. I am at the point where I am about to stock her closet with only dresses because I am so over the battle. On Thursday as I was dragging my sobbing sour patch into preschool because it was chapel day so she had to wear leggings and her chapel t-shirt, she did a complete flip to her sweet side. She stopped and asked where the preschool director was, who is usually always standing at the front door greeting students by name (I love our preschool). Eloise almost always gives her a giant welcome hug and didn't want to go to her classroom without it. We found the director in her office on the phone. When she saw Eloise with her arms open wide and a big goofy grin on her face she immediately ended the call and scooped her up before I could insist we didn't need to interrupt. What a difference a hug can make in the day of a child. Dress crisis averted. For now, anyways.

Harvey started hugging me tight during our bedtime lullabies this week. When I squeeze him right back he giggles. We go back and forth alternating squeezes and giggles until our songs are done. How did he know I could really use the extra hugs this week? At the Touch-a-Truck event he learned how to say and what it means to wait your turn and did it so patiently. We also saw him willingly hand over two trucks he was having a blast with to another little boy younger than him in the toddler play area. I have been drilling it into him that we share with our friends, so now anytime he is face to face with another kid his age he says, "hi friend." Harvey's reaction to Brad being gone has really caught me off guard. I didn't think he would really think much of it, but he has been so observant and sweet. Brad wears a Qalo silicone ring on deployments. I wear his real wedding band on a chain as a necklace until he comes home. Harvey loves to put his fingers through it anytime he is in my arms and tell me it is Daddy's ring in case I forgot. He puts his ear right up to the audio player in the Army bears we had made for the kids when he hears Brad's voice. At the end of the recording Harvey says, "Love you, Dad." Every. Single. Time. I tear up. Every. Single. Time. Just as much as his emotions have taken me by surprise, I am shocked by how much comfort Harvey has brought me this week. He is a mini Brad. When I look into his big, deep blue eyes, I see so much of my best friend.

The Witt-isms

"Hmm...okay. But where is Neverland?" -Eloise, after Brad showed her where he would be on a map. Priorities!

"This boy is on fire!" -Harvey, who has clearly heard sissy sing her favorite Alicia Keys song a few times.

"Look! So beautiful." -Harvey, pointing to the train he just built.

Looking Ahead

Stroller Safari | 6 days --- Our incredible zoo does a monthly program called Stroller Safari's. It highlights a particular animal each month and gives kids a behind the scenes, hands-on sensory experience. I am taking the kids this weekend to enjoy the March with Matilda (the wallaby) event. I am hoping it brightens up our first Saturday just the three of us. Weekends are tricky as everyone else enjoys family time, but I am determined to make the most of it for them. 

Preschool Mother's Tea | 11 days --- Brad got to enjoy spaghetti with dad a few weeks ago with Eloise at preschool, and coming up shortly it is my turn for tea with mom. Harvey will stay home with Jenna so I can enjoy every special minute with my girl.