Happy Birthday John

3 years old

I grew up with all sisters (7 girls all in a row.) Then I got married young and had girls of my own (3 in a row.) I like girls. I know how girls work. I am a girl. I did marry a boy, but he is often a mystery to me. When baby #4 was born and we had to quick think of a boy name, a whole new world was opened to me.

It started with blue. At the birth of each little girl, I would have a sweet load of pink laundry to wash and fold. Not so with a boy - the "in" color for a boy is BLUE, if you are wondering. And if you have a boy after 6 sisters and 3 daughters, your husband will get a little wierd if you decide that the pink blankie is just fine to wrap the boy baby in.

Next came trucks. Lots of truck and car toys. Then balls. And trains....

From the first time we went to church people have asked me: "is it sooooooo different to have a boy???" and mostly the answer was no. Not really. Eat, sleep, poop, repeat. Until this year, I think.

Now that John is getting big, things ARE a bit different. First, I notice that he has strong shoulders. Not that the girls are weaklings, but there is something about John's shoulders that tells me one day he will be a man.

Then, there is this thing with trains and trucks. They are so fascinating to John. At the first sound of the garbage truck, John is glued to the window to watch it do it's job. I just noticed that John's big yellow dump truck is carrying two baby dolls...oh well...

Also, and I think this is the main boy difference I can see, is that John likes to have a job to do. If he has a job he will stick to it until it is done. He likes the job of jumping off every surface in the house. He is good at that job. But his favorite job is rocks. He knows it is his special life's work to clear the world of rocks. At my sister's wedding, he could have spent the entire 5 hour reception tossing rocks into the Puget Sound. He does this job with purpose and dedication. He does not get discouraged if the rocks are a little dirty or heavy, he just digs in and does the job. He cannot walk without finding a special rock to stash in his pocket until it, too, can be tossed into some water.

This boy is getting big, and it makes me a little sad that he is not a baby any more. Oh great. Now I'm crying a little. Just a little. Now I'm done.

John just woke up and broke through the paper over his bedroom door (a strange McBride birthday tradition.) And now I need to go put a candle in some waffles for his birthday breakfast.

Happy Birthday to you....

Now You See it, Now you Don't

We had a wild morning of school supply shopping, and we came home hungry and tired, ready for a late lunch and a rest. John and Emily gobbled up their sandwiches and pears, then started to play while I finished up my lunch.

I could hear Emily telling John "Now you see it, now you don't!" while hiding a bouncy ball behind her back. John was really impressed with Emily's magician skills, and didn't want to be left out of the fun, so he tried a trick of his own. It didn't work so well...

Next thing I knew John was crying and running toward me. He had his finger way up his nose, and his nose was really bleeding. John said he had put a bead up there!

This is when Nathan walked in the door from work. (Sorry Nathan) He took over and tried to get John to blow the bead out, but it didn't budge. So Nathan put John in the bathtub, hoping a bath would soften things up and help John relax. It did help John's nose stop bleeding, but it did not produce a bead.

At this point I am getting a little freaked out. It was about 3:30pm so my heathcare options were really limited. Getting an appointment at the base after 7am is impossible, so at 3:30pm my only option would be a trip to the ER. I hate going to the emergency room when I KNOW it is not really an emergency.

So I called a friend of mine who is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I was really calling for advice - was it worth a trip to the ER, or would it be okay to wait until tomorrow...

She was so great! She said I could wait, but something up his nose could cause a yucky infection, so it was a good idea to get it out tonight. She was still at work, and she invited us to head over to her office. We went right in, and they were waiting for us.

John was a real trooper. He just laid back on the bed and let those ladies poke and pry at his little nose until they pulled out the bloody little bead. He was so brave and I was getting all choked up and a little weak. I am not good in an emergency. One of his little eyes teared up. Poor little man.

But they got the bead! Thanks Theresa! And John got to pick out a car and a sticker and a juice box. All better.

I am so sore

Is it because I ran a record 7 miles yesterday morning?

No.

Is it because I have been chasing Emily around the parking lot, helping her learn how to ride a bike?

No

Have I decided to lift weights?

No

It is the stinkin' violin's fault that I am so sore.

My sister is getting married, and asked me if I would play a few songs as mood music, while people get seated. So I pulled out my violin and have been trying to dust off a few songs.

That violin is kicking my butt. My left arm is sore and cramping up. My left fingers are having a difficult time typing, and my finger tips are black from the strings. My back is a little sore, too.

And I still sound squeeky.

Hannah has been cracking me up with practicing tips. She is a strict teacher. (That doesn't sound like forte to me...)

I pulled out my Suzuki music and found that book 5 songs are impossible, Book 4 is scary, and most of Book 3 is way too hard. I found a couple songs in Book 2 and a song or two in Book 3 that I think I may be able to play. I stink. Do you think Sarah will mind if I just play Twinkles? (California Sunshine - California Sunshine)

Looking back at the years of music lessons that I did NOT appreciate, I can see that even though I was a complete practicing slacker, I still somehow learned so much! Thanks, mom, for making me keep playing, even though I must have embarrassed you at lessons when I had obviously not practiced. Remember the time I fainted?

And even though the mysterious muscles on my forearm are sore, I am really enjoying playing the violin. I love the violin. I want to be able to really play it. I think I need to get a job so I can afford to pay for lessons for myself. Or maybe I will make the girls quit the piano (they gripe about practicing anyway) and use that money on myself! (insert evil laugh)

Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite

Yesterday I caught a spider like this -

wolf spider

Then a bug like this was crawling across the floor -

centipede

The weird thing is, we hardly have had any bugs here (besides ticks), then yesterday I had to catch two really big gross bugs. Blech.

And then today I read an article about bedbugs

Apparently bedbugs are really on the rise. What really creaps me out about the article on bedbugs is that it mentions Hawaii -
In Hawaii, where tourism is a major industry, state lawmakers passed a resolution for a prevention campaign after infestations at some hotels damaged their reputations and annoyed travelers.

Doesn't it make you itchy just thinking about it?

Yucka Yucka! In preparation for our move I was reading about Hawaii and noticed that there are loads of yucky bugs over there. Like these -

roach

And even these gross guys -

rats

I don't know if I can handle it.

Checking in from the Flightsuit Party - cute dresses, good food, dancing! What more do you need? It was fun to see all the variety in flighsuit dresses. Most popular was the short skirt dress, but there were also some cute capris, and jackets. I think my favorite was the girl who came as Rosie the Riviter - she had her sleeves rolled up, a red bandana on, and was carrying a wrench - so cute!

The party was held in a hanger on base and I think there was kind of a deployed location theme with camoflauge nets, maps on the tables, and long tents set up for drinks and food. On the menu was an entire roast pig (scary)

I would just like to mention that I never went to a drinking party in High School, but as an adult we seem to spend a lot of time at events with alcohol. It bugs me a little that most of the fee for the party went to beer, and there was only powdered lemonade or water for us teetolers. I guess the solution for that is to be more involved in the planning...maybe next time...

The music was great and it was fun to see all the dancing. I am NOT a dancer, but Nathan loves to dance - oh the agony. I think I need to find a dancing-for-dummy's class.

All in all the party was great, and I felt like I was heading to prom in my cute dress. I think I will be saving it in case Hannah needs it in a few years. Or, hey, Erin, if you need a formal this winter, just let me know!

Flightsuit Party

Tomorrow is the big day! So today I tried on Nathan's flightsuit, pulled out my sewing machine, and got to work...


Before

You are not a military wife if you do not have a stash of ugle green thread, a must for sewing on rank and mending beat up uniforms.


Everything to make a dress

Here is what the kids were up to while I was trying to get some work done.


Kid Sandwich

And - dum, dum, du-daaaa:


After

What do ya think? I am hoping to get some pictures of the other ladies tomorrow night. Everyone has been working hard - I think this was the most fun I have had sewing in a long time!

Goal #2 - Try 10 New Recipes

I have been working hard to accomplish this goal. This has been tough, as it has been so hot and my kitchen turns into an sauna whenever I light up the gas stove. But I have also been avoiding going out in the heat to the grocery store, and we are all out of pretzels and fishies and chips. So I've had to become a little creative about snacks for the kids.

We were getting ready to head out to see the Tops In Blue perform, and we had zero good snacks to take with us. The only thing snackish thing that I could see in the cupboard was cereal, and all the good snack-like kid cereals were gone. I did notice some oatmeal, and I decided to see if I could make my own granola bars. I love granola bars so much that I'm not really allowed to have them in the house. I remember once (or maybe twice - it's all a little fuzzy), when Emily was a baby, I bought a box of the cheap chewy granola bars with chocolate chips, and ate the whole box in one day! Those granola bars are like heaven - chewy, chocolatey, delish. So I cannot even walk too close to them at the store.

Lucky for me we were out of chocolate chips, too, so I felt it was safe to go ahead and make some granola bars. I got on google and found a recipe, and it turned out great! Chewy. Peanutbuttery. Good flavor. Not necessarily healthy, though. The recipe filled my cake pan, and made about 22 bars. Not a bad snack!

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
2 c. quick oats
2 1/2 c. rice crispy cereal
optional stir-ins: raisins(yuck), nuts, coconut, choc chips(mmmm)

Bring brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil in saucepan at medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in peanup butter and vanilla. Add oats and cereal, stirring until coated; let stand 10 minutes. Add stir-ins. Press mixture firmly into a 13x9 inch pan and cool. Cut into bars and wrap tighly in plastic wrap.

I think they would have been even better with mini chocolate chips!
The granola bars are all gone...

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Today's run - 3 miles
this week - 3 miles
this month - 3 miles
running log total - 70 miles