Haircut

For the last 4 years we've not lived the lives of typical army families, because Phil has worked in specialized positions. Now that we are back to regular duty, it comes with all the normal stuff. I won't say much, as I've been asked for security purposes, not to say much about what Phil is doing. If you want to know, you've been asked to call or email. For now I want to present the new haircut!

I'll probably get in trouble for posting this one, but this is what I walked in to see! I thought it was funny.

Matthew, once he noticed, was fascinated.

Every time I try to take a photo of us, he does something like this! Yup, I'm married to Uncle Fester.

But after some complaining I get a smile, normally.

Weekend happenings

Isabelle and Matthew playing. (She didn't hurt him, he was actually laughing.)


Who is this boy??? I sent him with Phil to get a boy cut, and I ended up with it all buzzed off! I guess I won't have to worry about it being shaggy for a loooooong time.

Who knows what to title this one?

Once again we've rounded the curve out of the work week, into the weekend. It's been 2 full weeks of work in the daycare, but I've really enjoyed it. I think Matthew is really enjoying having Mommy there. I would say the weekend would be totally awesome because Phil is home for the first time in 3 weeks, but one of my daycare co-workers went home to find her husband dead at their house today. They are an older couple, but it was still pretty shocking for us. (It happens to be Matthew's friend Amanda's grandpa. So we feel sorry for the family's lost. Matthew and I'll be helping to hold down the daycare fort by working full-time hours next week. Life is just such a fragile, fleeting thing isn't it?

Well, now that I have that out of my system on to more cheerful things. I was able to get outside and dig up some plants and move them to new locations. I still have more to move, but I'm still thinking out I want to do it. I have some bulbs I need to dig up from my Grandmom's and I need to thin her irises. My "oriental" irises are really starting to come up. I think I might end up with at least 8 sprouts now. I'm so ready to get the rest of my orders in! Next spring will be such a surprise with all the new stuff planted.

Yesterday we also went over to my old boss's house for supper. Matthew has decided that he is family and helped himself to a Capri Sun out of her fridge. Nice. I told him that he needed to ask first and she was excited that he was so smart and observant that he knew exactly where they were.

Today I got a new haircut, and true to form, not a single person noticed. I expect people at the school to notice in about a month. That's the way it works for me. Always has!

It isn't easy being cheezy

As usual another weekend went too fast. Although Matthew and I have been on vacation now for almost 2 and 1/2 months, weekends still don't seem to last. Phil graced us with his presence here. We did so much good work yesterday, we were too pooped to go out for a night on the town. I'm sure the people who invite us out think we are the oldest young people they know. But something about chasing Matthew around all day, while doing hard work, really wears a person out. The good news is we finally emptied the trailer (which was filled at the very end of May), pulled all the nails out of the wood I brought home, cut the grass, weeded beds I've been neglecting, sorted out kitchen stuff, got rid of all the pottery except 4 pieces, sold some extra stuff, had hair cuts, and enjoyed each other as a family. I can tell we are on getting towards the later part of summer because I woke up freezing from the icy night air pouring in. I'm looking forward to seeing if the daffodils I planted come up happy next spring, but I'm really not looking forward to the cold winter in between. I am starting to get itchy about putting up Halloween and Fall stuff. But I'd be jumping the gun by at least a month, so no fall stuff till Sept. 15th and no Halloween stuff till Oct 1st. I've got to remember what season I'm truly still in!

Matthew just keeps us rolling around here with his antics. He's ever the little helper. He's taken to repeating my commands to Scamp and improving on them. I told Scamp to "come." Matthew told Scamp to "come, now." Matthew's really taken to "now" at the moment. Today he kept telling me to get his juice "now." Unfortunately for him, it didn't work on me. Yesterday Matthew sat all by himself getting his hair cut. I can't believe he's already that grown up. I wasn't there to see it, but Phil said he sat very still. I swear he's grown an inch since his birthday (he comes up to my hip bone and I'm not a short girl) and he's already in size 7 shoes. I think we're going to have a hard time keeping him in shoes. He used to be the shoe cop, making everyone wear their shoes at all times. Now I have have a heck of a time getting him to keep his shoes on outside. He's working hard to learn his colors, but more often then not he says the name of the color opposite on the color wheel or he fixates on one color and that's all he'll say. But he is making some progress. He knows he's 2 but likes to up the age to 8 or 9. (What kid or teen doesn't? It's only once you hit 21 you want to say you're younger.) When I count to three, before putting him in time out, he sings "2, 3!" himself. I have to say his most annoying trait is playing with all the clean dishes drying, with his grubby little hands. His most endearing trait is saying he loves us, and hugging and kissing us, off and on through out the day. It's not surprising he does since he has been squished and squeezed and kissed and told how loved he was his whole life. Still at the end of a long day, nothing melts the heart more then "Love you" followed by a blown kiss from a little boy freshly scrubbed in a bed.

Well my fellow blog readers, is there anything you'd like us to blog on? Sometimes I can't think of a thing to say. Stuff happens everyday around here, but I don't think it's all blog worthy. So what are your questions? What do you want to know? What haven't I explained or touched on to never discuss again? Do you have a burning desire to know what's in our pantry, or my makeup bag, or Matthew's toy box? Want to see pictures of something? Maybe I do such an awesome job you don't want to know a single thing, but if you do, email or leave a comment. It might make for some awesome blogs I'd never have thought to do.

A better day

Matthew didn't hit anyone today. Thank goodness! My big talk must have stuck with him. Haha. We ate lunch with my dad today. Every time I hear Matthew rattle off a couple sentences I can't really understand, all I can think of is Jim Carey as Count Olaef saying, "I don't speak Monkey." (This is in the movie Lemony Snickett's A Series of Unfortunate Events. He's talking to Sunny, who's around Matthew's age.) Well, I explained all this to Dad, and the next time Matthew said something we didn't understand Dad said that to him. Matthew whipped his head around and told Dad all about it. It was so funny. Dad laughed so hard. The two of them are so comical together. I didn't tell Dad, but in the movie after Count Olaef says that to Sunny, she says back something to the effect of this man is an idiot. Of course it's written so we understand her. I also like that later she tells another guy that her teeth are at his service. Good movie.

Back to Matthew, over the weekend he was ignoring his food and just sucking down his drink. Phil tried to take it away from him and Matthew said, "I'm drinking this." He even said it just like a teenager would. We're in for trouble, I just know it!

An adorable puppy showed up at my parents house this morning. It has the softest coat you can imagine. It is going to be a big mixed breed dog with a thick coat. It would be so perfect for an outside dog. The vet clinic told Dad, after Matthew loved on it, it could have worms and that we should be very careful with Matthew's exposure to it so he doesn't get worms. Great, one more thing for me to worry about. And I wanted to adopt it. Of course, it'd just be one more pet to take care of. But we used to have 2 dogs and did ok. I'd better make a decision fast though, because Dad is totally ready to be puppy free.

I forgot to tell about how Phil decided to resolve his big decision. After much thought, he had a retired Army man cut his hair last Thursday. The man did a pretty good job, although I'm pretty sure he'd still rather have Sue cut it!

Big decision

The big decision of the day is Phil's. It's live altering. It's "shake you to your core" serious. The lady who cuts Phil's hair is going to be on vacation for the next 3 weeks. That means by time she gets back he'll have gone at least 5 weeks, if not closer to 6. It will be really shaggy and not in keeping with the army regulations by then. The big decision is whether or not to let one of the other ladies in the shop touch his hair. (You see, no matter who it is that touches his hair, it always goes bad. No one else seems to be able to cut it right and that's the truth. He isn't making it up. I've seen what other people have done to his hair and it isn't pretty.) He really wants to wait it out, but I don't think he'll be able to. Tune in later to see what he decides!

We've gotten alot of the ceiling frame work taken down tonight. Matthew wasn't sure he liked us doing it. What a difference it makes in the feel of the room already. I suppose next week I'll be busy steaming off wallpaper.

Helping dad. Every time Matthew could escape into the dining room today, he was climbing the ladder. He'd go all the way to the top and only climb down because someone caught him and made him.

The ceiling when I got home.

How it looks now.

Matthew is busily working on saying more words. Tonight he copied Phil and said five and three. He told a girl at afterschool, "I don't know." For the first time tonight he actually sat on his potty chair for awhile twice! It was a real shame he didn't pee. If he had, he would have really understood what it was all about. But I was really proud he tried. I had him try because in an attempt to distract us from the ceiling, he had pulled down his pants and his diaper. Hopefully, he'll actually get on a roll soon. I'd love to have him potty trained by 2.

Family hair cuts

That born to be wild or bad look.

Pre hair cut...
...post hair cut.


Since we all needed hair cuts, we loaded up in the car and went to see Miss Sue. I can't get ahold of my regular hairdresser (I think she is trying to quit) so it was the first time in years that someone else cut my hair. Since '91 only 1 other person has cut my hair and that was because I was in Phoenix. I think Miss Sue did a good job. You can't tell how much different it is in the pictures. I now have sideways bangs and drastic layers. Alot of my hair was on the floor. I think I'm going to like the look alot, at least when I can get rid of my stupid glasses! I never feel like I look that great in them. Matthew did a great job of holding still. He was so good he got 2 suckers. A little bribery never hurts.

Ding dong the rat is dead

Everyone sing with me now: Ding dong the rat is dead, the which old rat? the crazy rat, ding dong the crazy rat is dead, it's gone where the goblins go, below, below yo ho, so open up and sing...

It was official yesterday. The service department finally got it. 2 weeks of terror are over. It looks like it didn't do much damage, just mostly trashed the car with poop and pee, so they have in the detail shop right now. (I hope they remember to give it an oil change too.) So tomorrow or Thursday I will be able to pick it up. And I only have to pay around $400 for this fun event. I think everyone should install a crazy rat, just to kick it up a notch.

I forgot to mention yesterday, because I was tired, how well Matthew did getting his hair cut. He studied what she did to Phil's hair and then it was like he knew what to do. He held very, very still and only turned his head a couple times and when he did, he did it slowly. No crying, no screaming. Even smiled as she did it. I was so proud of the little guy!

Grandparents invasion

Shhhhh...don't bother me, I'm very busy "reading" my book.

Miss Sue, what are you doing to my curls? I didn't say I wanted a big boy cut. Mom help! Daddy, let go!!!

Hmmmm, cake.

There's nothing better then smashing frosting on my chin and cake on my crotch! Oh yeah, I know how to show my guests what a stud I am!

Matthew loves to dance to all kinds of music, so when he was given this little piano for his birthday, you know it'd be a big hit. And it is! If you look at his sandal, you can see he still has frosting smashed in it.

I finally got to put some pictures up! I said I would. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend his 1st birthday! We had so much fun last Sunday. I wasn't sure how it went I was so busy at the time, but I've just been so pleased with it for the rest of the week. He missed his afternoon nap and played with the little kids so hard that he was asleep before we got 2 miles from the house. Poor kid! But he had such a good time.

This week has been rather different. Phil came home and announced that at 6am he had to be back in here for a PT test, so Wed. night we all loaded up and invaded that Grandparents. Phil went back to Olathe that morning, but Matthew and I have been here ever since. We've had a great time. This weekend is that annual street festival, so we've been enjoying the parade, carnival, street vendors, and flea market. I fell in love with some antique pedal tractors at the flea market and really want to get one. But if I spend $200 or $300 on one Phil says Matthew can't ride it. :( That'd defeat the purpose. So...I probably won't get one dag-nabit!

I was up visiting my boss yesterday and on the way home swung by our house to get the mail. My hollyhocks are still blooming. They are white, which I don't remember them being last year. I could have sworn they were pink. Can they change color year to year? I also saw that I had some yellow daylilies getting ready to bloom. I'm not real excited about yellow, but it's always a surprise when you are given bulbs to plant.

Matthew is really growing and changing. He has done so much new stuff in the last month. I think he's said about 30 words now. He will tell people hello or hi and waves goodbye with a greater consistancy. He's such a joy. He's just too smart for his own good. After a day and half of extensive training, we've finally broke him of his need to beat on the grandparents rather large screen tv. It's not a big screen, but it's much bigger then ours and I don't want to have to replace it. Boys must be hardwired for being rough with toys and things.