Let's Have Another Baby!

Ok before anyone goes jumping to conclusions let me set the record straight. No, I am not pregnant! This weekend Jonah was away and Gracie and I found ourselves alone in the house just the two of us all weekend. It's bad enough having Daddy gone and losing that element of entertainment. Take Jonah out of the picture too, and Gracie and I were bored to death! There is only so much baby entertainment to occupy one day. Kevin called me from Kuwait and my first statement was, "let's have another baby." My husband can't wait to try for another boy so his response was of course ok without hesitation.

My Mom used to always say it's easier with two when Jonah was a baby. I never wanted to believe her until going through six years with Jonah being an only child. Now that Gracie is here I can't wait to have another one. Bring on the chaos, bring on the babies. The more the better. Let's have them all close together and be done is what I keep saying. Adding more life to our family makes it so much easier in the big picture, although I am very aware of the not so easy elements that come with lots of children as well. My Mom was right. Two is always better than one. Three is icing on the cake. Four is the cherry on the top. Five is just way too many! Nineteen like the Duggar family is just insanity!

Having my husband gone makes me appreciate and value my children and what they bring to our lives and to each others lives. Gracie loves her brother and I know Jonah loves her just as much even though he would never admit that. Removing one of them from the picture puts us all off balance. Now all we need is Daddy to come home to put the final element of balance back into our lives.

The Only Vegetable Soup

Today it has been cold and rainy all day. Perfect for a hearty bowl of warm soup. I created this recipe years ago when Jonah was a baby and we were living in Oklahoma. I call this soup the only vegetable soup because it's just that good!

4 Green Zucchini, Chopped
1 Red Pepper, Diced
1 Yellow Pepper, Diced
1-2 Yellow Onions, Diced
1 Bag Baby Carrots
1 28oz. Can Diced Tomatoes With Basil & Garlic
2 Vegetable Bouillon Cubes
3 Cups White Wine
5-8 Small Red Potatoes, diced, Skin On
4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped

Saute onions and garlic in EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) until caramelized. De glaze your pan with white wine. Add remaining ingredients and just enough water to cover. Cook on medium low heat until vegetables are cooked through. Enjoy!

A Lot Of Things Different

Today Gracie and I spent sometime dancing in the living room to one of my favorite albums; Kenny Chesney No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems

The memories I have of dancing and singing with my children are some of my very favorite. When Jonah was a baby, the only way he would go to sleep was if I would sing to him while dancing in the kitchen. Gracie just giggles and smiles looking at me like I'm crazy. We crank up the music and for a few minutes nothing else matters. We all have things in our lives that we wish we could have done different, but making those mistakes along the way make us who we are today. We continue to struggle daily with the balance of our choices and the daily stepping stones that make up our lives. Everyday is a decision and how we choose to live with that decision is the hard part. No regrets! Take time out for a dance the next time you have a few minutes. I know you won't regret cranking up the music and spinning around the room with the ones you love.

A Bug! A Bug!

Jonah is terrified of all bugs. He is fascinated by them, but terrified all the same. If he sees a bug in any size, shape, or form he screams a blood clenching scream at the top of his lungs. This scream always sends me running to see who is hurt or who has died. When I arrive to discover that the scream was produced by a fly that had just landed on him, I shake my head and laugh in disbelief. I thought little boys were suppose to smash bugs with their bare hands. Stomp on them until they are specs on their shoes. Tear them apart and inspect the results with a magnifying glass. Well, when it comes to my little boy none of the above apply.

If you find your self driving by our home and you see a six year old running around the yard with a fly swatter there is no need to do a double take. It is an actual daily event at our home. Jonah loves nothing more than spending his outside time swatting any and all bugs that cross his path. Locust are his "arch enemy" to quote him. He is terrified of them. Our yard is filled with hundreds of these dead creatures belly up all over the yard. Jonah is convinced that they are in fact not dead and he takes drastic measures to avoid any confrontations with them at all times.

If you questioned his use of fly swatters outside his response would be his new favorite, "It's a man thing Mama, you wouldn't understand." Somehow I don't think that running around the yard with a fly swatter and screaming at the top of your lungs over a gnat qualifies as a "man thing." But, what do I know. I'm only the Mom!

There's No Place Like Home!

What is it about coming home? You can't wait to leave, but then when you leave you can't wait to get back home. No matter what age you are it's the same. It takes you hours to leave the house, and then as soon as you leave you immediately start to anticipate your return home. In the back of your mind the entire trip you are wondering why you ever went through all the trouble to leave the house to begin with! Gracie has started squealing with delight every time we get home from being gone. As soon as I pull her from the car and she realizes where we are, she instantly starts squealing and smiling with delight! We're home! We're home! There's no place like home!

When I grow up I want to be a millionaire.

Jonah is obsessed with money. Everything he talks about relates to money in one way or another. He has to know how much it costs with tax included, and then he wants to know what he has to do to reach that financial goal. He spends hours reconfiguring his latest want list on the computer. Calculating his price totals in his attempt to make it affordable to purchase everything he wants. If I skip one of his allowance payments you better believe that he has a running tally going in his head.

Jonah is also always trying to sell something to anyone who crosses his path to add to his personal wealth. His latest venture is selling cow skulls that he gets from his Papa's farm. Jonah's opening statement anywhere we go is, "Do you want to buy my cow head?" No one has taken him up on this yet. He is also quite the expert at convincing other children to purchase miscellaneous toys from him. He came home from school telling me how he had sold several tattoos for five cents each, and a Lego piece for a quarter. I quickly informed him that selling things at school was probably not ok with the principal, and that he would have to limit his selling to e-bay and craigslist.

His obsession with money can most likely be blamed on me. I have always been very open about money and what things cost. I was a single mom when Jonah was young, and I had to be very clear with him as to why there were a lot of things we had to do without. I appreciate the fact that now if I say he can't have the latest $80 toy that he looks and me and says, "You're right. What a rip off!"

Understanding money and wanting more of it may not be what every six year old spends hours worrying about, but I have no doubt that Jonah will be successful and achieve all of his money goals with this passion. It was no surprise to me when yesterday he brought home a packet from school labeled, "All About Me," where on the what do you want to be when you grow up page Jonah wrote Millionaire. Our little money man!

Where Do I Go From Here?

I apologize as I've been on a hiatus from writing since Kevin left. Our lives were flipped upside down in one quick motion and I find myself saying, "Now What?" Everything changes as we recompose our daily routine and our lives adjusting to life without Daddy. Hitting the week mark was one of the most difficult days for us. Knowing that it had only been a week with so many more lying ahead of us felt very heavy on all of our hearts. Despite all of the hardship that deployment brings, it does bring some good in all of the bad. It makes you appreciate and value each other and your family. It makes all of the little things that you used to worry over seem microscopic and insignificant. It allows you to love one another in a way that few people will ever get to experience. For these things I am thankful. You may find me here less as I find my feet again. My five minutes of Mommy time have now upon the absence of Kevin become more like three! I'm taking it day by day.