Shopping with Three

So when I was little my grandmother had this hand cuff/cord device.  It had two velcro bracelets attached by one of those spiral vinyl cords, like the old phone cords.  I remember when she bought it.  The box had a picture of a mother wearing one of the bracelets and her son wearing the other, both happily smiling, linked together.  Well Grandmother used it to cuff Meghan and I together, and then she'd hold the cord in the middle when she'd take us shopping.  I was probably six, which means Meghan was four.  We were both mortified by the thing (and I repeat- I was SIX), and I remember begging not to have to wear it.  She could trust me.  I had previously gotten lost in Beall's one day.  I was terrified.  I never strayed again.  Why did I need to be cuffed?  I've vowed never to do that to my children. 

But I'm rethinking that vow now.  I took the boys to Home Depot and Kohl's this morning, and let me tell you, Clayton was everywhere and into everything.  I've never dealt with a wandering child because he's never had the opportunity to roam.  He's always ridden in a stroller, partly because I'm a control freak like that, and partly because he just likes to ride.  Now that Aaron's given him the boot from the double, a whole new world has opened to him, and it's making errands a lot harder on me.  We're going to really have to work on that one. 

All this is to say, that vow or no vow, if I had one of those hand cuff/cord things this morning, I may have actually strapped him to the side of the stroller. 

Ohhh... Look what I found.  Apparently there are lots of ways to strap your child to yourself, your cart, or your stroller.  Clayton had better watch out, or he might find this in his Christmas stocking.

A&M vs. OSU

On Thursday night Ryan and I were able to make it over to Stillwater to see our Aggies take on Oklahoma State.  We had really debated whether or not to go and who we should take.  In the end we decided we wanted to take Clayton to his very first Texas A&M football game, and because I'm nursing Aaron, I couldn't really be away from him that long.  Eli, on the other hand, really had no need to go.  In true "neglected middle child" style, we left Eli with a friend for the night, and the four of us headed to Stillwater.

Our Aggies got off to a great start but managed to throw it away in the last minutes of the game.  Oh well.  The game was more about the experience than whether or not our team won.  I think Clayton had a pretty good time.  Aggies stand the entire game, so that made seeing the field pretty difficult, but Ryan held him a lot.  The stadium was surprisingly unpacked, so we actually had a lot of room for Clayton to roam, which made the night a lot more enjoyable.  Aaron did pretty well and slept in my front carrier most of the first half.  Unfortunately, he was pretty fussy most of the second half.  I think the noise and lights were upsetting.  He did better when I'd take him out of the stands for a little break every now and then.  Man, my back was sore by the end of the night. 

Taking a break

Happy in the first half

 Fussy in the second half (but really sweet in his 12th Man jersey)

The game didn't start until 6:30pm, and it was televised, so that made for a long night.  We didn't make it back to our car until 11pm, and then with all the traffic, it took nearly an hour to get out of town.  It was nearly 2am before we got home.  Even though we missed Eli, we still really enjoyed spending some family time together.

Pure Joy!

When was the last time you did something that made you feel like this?

And just because he looked cute...

And this one too...

Watch Out Aaron

Here comes trouble!

Sunday Afternoon

My new favorite picture of the three boys.  I love these guys.

The only child who willingly looked at the camera.

KUDOs

(Kids Understanding Deployment Operations)

Ryan took Clayton to Operation KUDOs at the base this morning.  The event is hosted periodically to help kids understand what happens when their parents deploy.  There was a lot to do, and I can't imagine how much work must have gone into pulling this off for the kids.  I actually had to take notes in order to write this post.

When Ryan and Clayton arrived they went through a processing line in the same location Ryan processes when he deploys.  Clayton got his dog tags, mobility bag, orders, and processing check list.  Then he visited with legal, finance, the chaplain, public health, medical, and immunizations.  After the processing line, they met in an auditorium where they had a deployment pep rally led by the vice wing commander.  They were also briefed on their deployment mission. 

Receiving his processing check list

Then it was off to the buses to take them to the flight line where they boarded the E-3 that would "fly" them to Camp Courage.  Once they "arrived" they were taken to a hangar where there were several different activities for the kids, including a med tent where they could learn about basic first aid, a weapons display, and the opportunity to put on chem gear.  Ryan and Clayton also learned about flag folding and folded mini US flags for deployed troops.

Getting on board

Touring Daddy's plane



Oxygen mask

Operating the AWACS

Flying

Scary

After lunch there was a canine show and an inflatable slide.  Clayton also won a set of Legos in a raffle.  It was certainly a busy day, and Clayton was completely beat by the end.

This evening Brandy, one of our dearest Air Force friends, voluteered to keep all three of our kids so Ryan and I could enjoy an evening out alone.  She is so brave.  We took her up on her offer and indulged ourselves at The Cheesecake Factory... alone... where the only food I cut up was my own.  Brandy said everything went fine, but I have a feeling that after keeping our boys, she'll be sleeping well tonight.

Backyard Camping

Ryan and Clayton had a backyard campout earlier this week.  I had wanted them to do this for a while, and it's finally cool enough now.  Ryan put up the tent the day before, and the boys had thoroughly enjoyed playing in it.  We haven't done any camping with the boys, so when we started talking about sleeping out there, I'm not sure Clayton fully comprehended what we meant.  However, Tuesday night came, and Clayton was thrilled to haul all the stuff out.  He was even more excited when I popped some popcorn and brought out the portable DVD player.  They enjoyed watching some VeggieTales and both fell asleep during the movie.  At seven o'clock I woke up to a knock at the back door, and there was Clayton, happy as can be. 

 Getting all set up

Happy campers