- Last night we made a sign that says, "Welcome Home Daddy!"
- Yesterday we went grocery shopping for all of Matt's requested foods. Apparently there is a severe lack of vegetables and ice cream in Iraq.
- Saturday I did our yards for the LAST TIME alone!! And, might I add, they are looking goooooood.
- Tomorrow I am shipping Bennett and Jace off to a neighbor's for a few hours so I can get down and dirty with my house. I will also be deep cleaning my car.
- Wednesday night I ordered a new dress off the Internet to wear on the homecoming field. Pray it gets here in time...
- Tuesday, mine and Bennett's hair were both recreated by my fabulous neighbor friend who works at a very posh salon and I am just lucky enough to know her personally. I will also be getting a manicure and pedicure tomorrow. I feel so grown up.
- A professional photographer has been arranged to meet us at the field when we are reunited as a family. As a military perk, this is costing us nothing.
- A weekend getaway trip and babysitter has been acquired for some much needed alone time.
- My page-long list of projects to be done before Mattie gets home has been completed for several weeks (except the organizing of our printed photos, which I highly doubt will ever be done).
We are ready.
Now all we need is Matt...and a healthy dose of patience...
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Mommy and Bennett
tonight I tried to slip quietly into Bennett's room
while he was asleep
to put away a few items that were left out from our day of playing
but he woke up and saw me
and he smiled
because Bennett always wakes up with a smile
and in his tired little voice he asked,
"Mommy cuddle cuddle with Bennett?"
how could I say no?
so we laid on the bed together
Mommy and Bennett
and I stroked his arm
and listened to his heavy, even breathing
and thought of the last year
of how often I had wished time away
that it would go faster
that the end would come sooner
and suddenly I realized
we had made it
the end finally is here
and as excited as I am for all of the happy things that will happen
for our Mattie coming home
and our family (hopefully) growing larger
I will miss this year
I will miss being Bennett's whole world
I will miss being his everything
nobody but us two
dependent upon each other
Mommy and Bennett
for one year I had the privilege
of playing two roles
and it was such a blessing
because as much as our little boy has needed me
to care for him
to play with him
to teach him
I have needed him
to love me
to remind me that I have divine purpose
to give me reason to wake up in the morning
(and several reasons to go to bed at night) :)
to make me better
so much better
and we two
so inseparably connected
will grow and change in the near future
to become older
to become greater
to become more
because life is such a happy thing
always moving forward to the next adventure
but for now
we will lay together
Mommy and Bennett
and the time I have so selfishly wished away
I suddenly want to freeze
while he was asleep
to put away a few items that were left out from our day of playing
but he woke up and saw me
and he smiled
because Bennett always wakes up with a smile
and in his tired little voice he asked,
"Mommy cuddle cuddle with Bennett?"
how could I say no?
so we laid on the bed together
Mommy and Bennett
and I stroked his arm
and listened to his heavy, even breathing
and thought of the last year
of how often I had wished time away
that it would go faster
that the end would come sooner
and suddenly I realized
we had made it
the end finally is here
and as excited as I am for all of the happy things that will happen
for our Mattie coming home
and our family (hopefully) growing larger
I will miss this year
I will miss being Bennett's whole world
I will miss being his everything
nobody but us two
dependent upon each other
Mommy and Bennett
for one year I had the privilege
of playing two roles
and it was such a blessing
because as much as our little boy has needed me
to care for him
to play with him
to teach him
I have needed him
to love me
to remind me that I have divine purpose
to give me reason to wake up in the morning
(and several reasons to go to bed at night) :)
to make me better
so much better
and we two
so inseparably connected
will grow and change in the near future
to become older
to become greater
to become more
because life is such a happy thing
always moving forward to the next adventure
but for now
we will lay together
Mommy and Bennett
and the time I have so selfishly wished away
I suddenly want to freeze
Monday, August 22, 2011
Something's Gotta Give
I just had to kick a ginormous pile of clean laundry out of the way so I could make it to my computer. Slacking on the mom job? I think yes. But it can wait, because I am going to update this blog if it kills me. And it just might, because after the long day I've had I am seriously compromising my health by staying awake any longer to do this. Be grateful.
So, what happened this week? Nothing. My family all left a few weeks ago, and when they did it got very quiet and very boring. Add to that the fact that Matt is due home any day, and you have a recipe for, what I have dubbed, "Waiting Fever." The entire time Matt has been gone I have just sort of put my head down and worked through whatever came my way one day at a time. But all of a sudden I raised my eye line and could see the actual finish line, and I can't even begin to tell you what that did to me. To see the finish line, but to still be so far from it, was torture. And the more I thought about it, the worse it got. And the crankier I got.
So to cure myself of this "Waiting Fever" I decided to do something--anything--that would take my mind off of the killing anticipation. So I read. I got the first book to the Hunger Games series on a Thursday afternoon, and by Friday night I had finished it. Saturday and Sunday I rested. Then Monday I got the second book, and on Wednesday night I finished the third. It felt so good to read again! Especially since I haven't really read like that since high school.
However, something's gotta give when the only adult in a household decides to engulf herself in literature. Bennett spent long hours in front of the TV with a bowl of grapes or cheetos or whatever I could find in our pantry since I never went grocery shopping. And the house fell down around our ears with the laundry, dishes and toys taking over every available space.
And I read.
By the time Thursday morning rolled around and I had finally put down the last book, I looked up to discover a house in ruins and a son who had consumed more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse than is probably medically safe. So the rest of the week was spent cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, and trying to wean Bennett off the TV like a drug addict from morphine. Poor boy, he was so happy with Mickey.
But the good news is, we are all back to normal now. the "Waiting Fever" has broken, my house is clean...er than it was, and Bennett is back to his two shows a day limit. We even eat meals at the table again like real human beings. We are doing great...except for the giant pile of laundry that needs to be folded.
Oh, and this Saturday Bennett and I joined the mob of shoppers for tax-free weekend, where we learned that a "Code Yellow" at Kohl's means a very cute two-year-old little boy has wandered off during one of the most hectic shopping days of the year. Ugh. On a good note, I got some really cute stuff.
So there you have it. An update. And here's a picture to go with it.
This is actually from when we were packing to go to Oklahoma a few weeks ago, but I needed to document Bennett's potty training outfit. If this were socially acceptable to wear, I swear this kid would be potty trained already. Slowly, slowly...
So, what happened this week? Nothing. My family all left a few weeks ago, and when they did it got very quiet and very boring. Add to that the fact that Matt is due home any day, and you have a recipe for, what I have dubbed, "Waiting Fever." The entire time Matt has been gone I have just sort of put my head down and worked through whatever came my way one day at a time. But all of a sudden I raised my eye line and could see the actual finish line, and I can't even begin to tell you what that did to me. To see the finish line, but to still be so far from it, was torture. And the more I thought about it, the worse it got. And the crankier I got.
So to cure myself of this "Waiting Fever" I decided to do something--anything--that would take my mind off of the killing anticipation. So I read. I got the first book to the Hunger Games series on a Thursday afternoon, and by Friday night I had finished it. Saturday and Sunday I rested. Then Monday I got the second book, and on Wednesday night I finished the third. It felt so good to read again! Especially since I haven't really read like that since high school.
However, something's gotta give when the only adult in a household decides to engulf herself in literature. Bennett spent long hours in front of the TV with a bowl of grapes or cheetos or whatever I could find in our pantry since I never went grocery shopping. And the house fell down around our ears with the laundry, dishes and toys taking over every available space.
And I read.
By the time Thursday morning rolled around and I had finally put down the last book, I looked up to discover a house in ruins and a son who had consumed more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse than is probably medically safe. So the rest of the week was spent cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, and trying to wean Bennett off the TV like a drug addict from morphine. Poor boy, he was so happy with Mickey.
But the good news is, we are all back to normal now. the "Waiting Fever" has broken, my house is clean...er than it was, and Bennett is back to his two shows a day limit. We even eat meals at the table again like real human beings. We are doing great...except for the giant pile of laundry that needs to be folded.
Oh, and this Saturday Bennett and I joined the mob of shoppers for tax-free weekend, where we learned that a "Code Yellow" at Kohl's means a very cute two-year-old little boy has wandered off during one of the most hectic shopping days of the year. Ugh. On a good note, I got some really cute stuff.
So there you have it. An update. And here's a picture to go with it.
This is actually from when we were packing to go to Oklahoma a few weeks ago, but I needed to document Bennett's potty training outfit. If this were socially acceptable to wear, I swear this kid would be potty trained already. Slowly, slowly...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Fun Begins
I am copping out. Do you know how long it takes to go through eight-hundred pictures and choose the right ones and put little captions underneath that are informative and witty? A long time. So I'm not going to do it. Instead, I am going to take my parent's blog, Griffin and Ashland's blog, and Allison's amazing professional photography website (http://allisonkayphotography.blogspot.com), and compile my own fantastic plagiarized blog post. Because, honestly, why try to reinvent the wheel? But I will just say it was a BLAST!!!
P.S- There is a lot here. I just really wanted the pictures to be printed in our Blog Book at the end of the year, so don't feel like you need to look at this. It is purely for us.
Some of these pictures are out of order, but that's okay. I'll go in and fix them later. We had a great time at our first "Greg and Nancy Hazard" family reunion in Oklahoma. Griff and Ash were wonderful hosts and we hardly noticed the heat. Haley and Bennett made the drive up from Texas which added tons of fun to the reunion. And the drive out with Nancy, Allison, and Courtney was a great way to start the reunion. Of course, we greatly missed Logan and his family, and Matt, but we are proud of them for where and what they are doing.
A pair of beautiful women. Ash and Zoey. Like mother like daughter.
Pool time!! The neighborhood pool was always a good option. Here's Nancy walking home. She's beautiful too!
Boat time!! We spent a couple of mornings on Hominy lake about 10 miles from Griff and Ash's house. It was very refreshing and lots of fun. Allison and Bennett . . . the boat mates!
Another walk to the pool. With such company, the walk was almost as fun as the swim.
Food time. Zoey and Courtney. Food mates!!
We got to visit the law office where Griff works. Very nice.
Griff's office is in the building in the background. I don't know how he gets anything done with the view he has from his 4th story total window office. It was beautiful.
Pool time!
Tuesday was Zoey's first birthday. We went to Jeff and Charlotte's home for a birthday celebration. Happy birthday Zoey. It's been a good year. Now it's time to get some teeth.
Happy birthday! Mom and Dad did good.
Wow!! Is all this for me???
Zoey and Bennett playing together. They were great parallel players.
After we got Griff from work, we went to the "Fat Boy Burger Bar" for dinner. The best hamburger I've ever had. It is about a block from Oklahoma State and right next to the minor league baseball field. Fun, fun, fun!
The captain.
Sometimes it takes two.
Here's two of the happiest people on the planet. Thanks kids!
Haley and Bennett. Swimming lessons between wake boarders.
Ahh, the four siblings. We missed Logan and his family a lot.
Come on Nancy and Bennett . . . hands up!!
Woo Hoo ... go grandma!!
No Bennett, you've got to stay in the tube.
We could do this all day!!
Submarine time. No, no, no, no . . . !
Wake boarding. Hurray for Haley.
(I almost got air on a jump. Next time, next time...)
and Courtney!
and Griff!!
and ????? guess who this is.
Skier down . . . hands up! This was Bennett's job.
Boat time. What a fun group.
More boat time. Bennett found out the boat was "slippery" and had a good laugh.
Allison and Nancy. "We just like staying in the boat".
Bennett teaching Captain Griff how to drive.
Allison and Ash. Don't they look like twins?
Cool glasses Court.
Happy Dad.
More boat time. Hands up Court!
We all love Nancy. I like to refer to her as my miracle woman.
Golf time. Go Griff.
Go Court . . . the 23rd time is the charm!
Go Ash . . . it's not that hot.
(This is exactly why I stayed home...)
Hit away Ash. Show us how it's done.
We had thoughts of boating on the cool lake while we golfed in the cool 100 degree weather.
I found it!!!
The cute family at the Tulsa Aquarium
(This place was awesome!)
Zoey and Griff at the Aquarium.
Tennis anyone. Lots of fun. The courts are next to the pool, so we could play, get hot, and then cool down immediately. Very nice.
More tennis time, pool time, and cool clothing time.
I can't believe he didn't get a rose!! What is she thinking?!
Shooting time on the ranch. Don't mess with these guys. Especially the one in green.
(Haha! favorite picture from the trip)
Touching the sea animals at the Aquarium.
More shooting on the ranch. Get out of the way cows.
Dinner with Jeff, Charlotte, and the Sellers. Thank you, thank you for the great time. We got pay back when you come to Rexburg.
"I used to could hit stuff.
"Because we're trendy like that"
And Finally: ALLISON KAY PHOTOGRAPHY (aka: Allison's photography blog)
zoey
grandpa and bennett
courtney taught us about "planking" on this trip. apparently it's very cool. this is her demonstrating how it's done.
courtney and bennett
bennett's favorite thing to do was to "water water grandpa"
look at that mischievous face.
grandpa "water watering" bennett
one year old outfit!
P.S- There is a lot here. I just really wanted the pictures to be printed in our Blog Book at the end of the year, so don't feel like you need to look at this. It is purely for us.
First up: HAZARDOUS HIGHLIGHTS (aka: My parent's blog)
Some of these pictures are out of order, but that's okay. I'll go in and fix them later. We had a great time at our first "Greg and Nancy Hazard" family reunion in Oklahoma. Griff and Ash were wonderful hosts and we hardly noticed the heat. Haley and Bennett made the drive up from Texas which added tons of fun to the reunion. And the drive out with Nancy, Allison, and Courtney was a great way to start the reunion. Of course, we greatly missed Logan and his family, and Matt, but we are proud of them for where and what they are doing.
A pair of beautiful women. Ash and Zoey. Like mother like daughter.
Pool time!! The neighborhood pool was always a good option. Here's Nancy walking home. She's beautiful too!
Boat time!! We spent a couple of mornings on Hominy lake about 10 miles from Griff and Ash's house. It was very refreshing and lots of fun. Allison and Bennett . . . the boat mates!
Another walk to the pool. With such company, the walk was almost as fun as the swim.
Food time. Zoey and Courtney. Food mates!!
We got to visit the law office where Griff works. Very nice.
(P.S- The entire lobby of this building was made of glass walls, which Bennett literally ran into at one point. Easily the funniest part of my day. Poor boy never even knew what hit him...)
Griff's office is in the building in the background. I don't know how he gets anything done with the view he has from his 4th story total window office. It was beautiful.
Pool time!
Tuesday was Zoey's first birthday. We went to Jeff and Charlotte's home for a birthday celebration. Happy birthday Zoey. It's been a good year. Now it's time to get some teeth.
Happy birthday! Mom and Dad did good.
Wow!! Is all this for me???
Zoey and Bennett playing together. They were great parallel players.
After we got Griff from work, we went to the "Fat Boy Burger Bar" for dinner. The best hamburger I've ever had. It is about a block from Oklahoma State and right next to the minor league baseball field. Fun, fun, fun!
The captain.
Sometimes it takes two.
Here's two of the happiest people on the planet. Thanks kids!
Haley and Bennett. Swimming lessons between wake boarders.
Ahh, the four siblings. We missed Logan and his family a lot.
Come on Nancy and Bennett . . . hands up!!
(P.S- Bennett LOVED the tube. Even when we all fell off, he came up laughing. I was lucky to come up at all, considering I was so worried about him drowning he was sitting on top of me. I seriously have never heard him laugh so hard for so long.)
Woo Hoo ... go grandma!!
No Bennett, you've got to stay in the tube.
We could do this all day!!
Submarine time. No, no, no, no . . . !
(Courtney was the best with Bennett. She would be screaming in terror, and Bennett would be laughing like a maniac. Polar opposites in the water.)
Wake boarding. Hurray for Haley.
(I almost got air on a jump. Next time, next time...)
and Courtney!
and Griff!!
and ????? guess who this is.
Skier down . . . hands up! This was Bennett's job.
Boat time. What a fun group.
More boat time. Bennett found out the boat was "slippery" and had a good laugh.
Allison and Nancy. "We just like staying in the boat".
Bennett teaching Captain Griff how to drive.
Allison and Ash. Don't they look like twins?
Cool glasses Court.
Happy Dad.
More boat time. Hands up Court!
We all love Nancy. I like to refer to her as my miracle woman.
Golf time. Go Griff.
Go Court . . . the 23rd time is the charm!
Go Ash . . . it's not that hot.
(This is exactly why I stayed home...)
Hit away Ash. Show us how it's done.
We had thoughts of boating on the cool lake while we golfed in the cool 100 degree weather.
I found it!!!
The cute family at the Tulsa Aquarium
(This place was awesome!)
Zoey and Griff at the Aquarium.
Tennis anyone. Lots of fun. The courts are next to the pool, so we could play, get hot, and then cool down immediately. Very nice.
More tennis time, pool time, and cool clothing time.
I can't believe he didn't get a rose!! What is she thinking?!
Shooting time on the ranch. Don't mess with these guys. Especially the one in green.
(Haha! favorite picture from the trip)
Touching the sea animals at the Aquarium.
More shooting on the ranch. Get out of the way cows.
Dinner with Jeff, Charlotte, and the Sellers. Thank you, thank you for the great time. We got pay back when you come to Rexburg.
"I used to could hit stuff.Introducing: FINCH AND THE NIGHTINGALE (aka: Griffin and Ashland's blog)
Swimming...
Boating...
Zoey's First Birthday...
Hanging out...
Aquarium...
Shooting...
Eating out...
And instead of getting a tattoo or a piercing, we the girls decided to get feather extension in our hair to commemorate the trip.
And Finally: ALLISON KAY PHOTOGRAPHY (aka: Allison's photography blog)
<3
This picture reminds me of Dan In Real Life so I love it
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