I'm cute and I know it!


Peek a Boo!

Doggie bliss.




Sand is fun!



Loving the swings with Grampy.

The Eagle has Landed - Day 8

Thought I would fill you all in on the last 48 hours of travel madness. On Sunday AM I got up and finished up my massive to-do list before the taxi service came. We piled everything in the van and headed to the airport. Poor Shiloh was a nervous wreck, panting and drooling all over me. LSP did not nap as I had hoped on the way down, though she did shove a raisin up her nose, a fact I did not discover until this morning.

When we got there it was a comedy of errors getting inside. The taxi driver helped me, of course. We had 2 carts - one with luggage and one with the crate. I had LSP in the stroller and Shiloh on the leash. The airport has these extra large revolving doors that spin automatically, and here is an important fact to know. They do NOT stop it they hit something. Like a luggage cart with a dog crate. That gets inside the door without a person along. No, they don't stop, they just push the cart until it gets lodged and stops the door because it is stuck. Then some random stranger has to help you got everything out. Regular automatic doors would be SO much easier. It was a totally insane comedy of errors trying to get the blasted cart out of the door, get the other cart in, and get the stroller and the dog through without anyone or anything else getting stuck.

We had to go the bulky luggage counter where they checked me in, then I had to go to ANOTHER counter in a different spot to pay for the dog, then BACK to the bulky luggage counter to fill out the paperwork for Shiloh. Then they told me to come back in a half an hour, so we wandered around outside for awhile. There is a fancy expensive hotel at the airport. Well, Shiloh took a big CRAP on their front lawn. So I got to pick that up. Then she had poop stuck to her butt, so I go to pull poop on a dog's butt in front of the expensive hotel. With a baby in a stroller watching. I felt very classy.

Anyway, we came back to the bulky luggage counter and an airline official came down to check out the dog crate and asked, "No blanket for the dog?" Other times we have flown with a dog they have told us no blankets or toys in the crate. I told her that and she gave me a sour look and said, "Who told you that? It is not so nice for the dog." Then just started at me. I thought, holy moley, they are not going to take her! So I ran into a gift shop to look for a blanket. They had no blankets or towels or anything. The biggest thing they had was a tablecloth. A handmade Austrian tablecloth. "Highest quality," the clerk assured me. So Shiloh got to fly with a $40 tablecloth in her crate as a liner. Only the best for our dog!

We got through security (never a small feat with a toddler). LSP 's stuffed Curious George got randomly selected for an explosives residue test. They wiped it with a special cloth then you have to wait 2 minutes for the results. The world will be relived to know that Curious George is NOT a terrorist. We made it to the gate and LSP ran around a bit. Then they started boarding the plane with NO pre-boarding for kids! So it was total chaos. I had to ask them to let me into the elevator to get down to the plane and I asked them whey they did not do pre-boarding and the woman claimed they did. Well, I was sitting right there and I didn't hear it, I told her. She assured me they did. Well, not only did I not hear it, the woman next to me with a 3-year-old and a 5-year old didn't hear you either. Nor did the guy in the wheelchair stuck in the massive line. I call liar.

We got in and got settled, We were seated in the middle of a large group of high school students returning from Turkey. They were no problem during the flight, though. It was the two people in front of me (NOT the students) who reclined their seats ALL THE WAY about 30 seconds after take off (I am not kidding. The landing gear wasn't even up yet) that were the big problem. Seriously, LSP and I were squashed the whole flight. Why do I always get the inconsiderate jerks in front of me? In retaliation I was not super-vigilant about keeping her from kicking the tray table. Hey dude you don't like it, sit up and get your head out of my kid's lap. LSP did pretty well on the flight. There was lots of George watching and a good amount of running up and down the aisles. It was one of those planes with downstairs bathroom, so she went up and down the stairs a zillion times. She had a couple of fits, one huge one when I wouldn't let her pour water all over the place. Mean mommy.

About an hour before the flight was over she fell asleep, so when we got off I had to wake her up and she was NOT happy about that. We got our luggage and Shiloh, here they had a skycap to help us, thank goodness. The skycap was impressed with how good Shiloh was, she didn't make a peep. We piled into 2 cars and on the way to my parents' house LSP fell asleep again. The Shiloh-Sarah meeting went well, lots of sniffing and tail wagging all around. LSP woke up when I got her out of the car so she played for awhile. My parents got her a small play kitchen for her birthday and she LOVES it. Went right to and and has been playing with it like crazy. After and hour or so we both passed out and she slept until about quarter of 5 this morning. Not bad for jet lagged baby. She also took a nap this afternoon.

This morning I asked her if she wanted to go downstairs and she said, "OK!" then "Wake Nana?" Then "Grampy's house!" Very cute. She has had a blast today. She has played outside with Grampy three times today - on the swings, in the sandbox, exploring the yard like crazy. Grampy also wanted to take her out for ice cream so we took her to DQ where she scarfed down an entire kiddie sized vanilla and asked for more. Shiloh was all out of sorts this morning but is settling in well, My parents are spoiling her almost as much and LSP. She's had an entire chewy bone and a huge pig's ear so far today. And she ate her breakfast. And Sarah's. She is in doggie heaven. Pictures to follow.

The Traveling Circus Shide Show - Day 7

2 - 50 pound suitcase
1 - 40 pound bag
1 - very active toddler
1 - stroller
1 - extra large dog crate
1 - Golden Retriever

It has begun.

Party Girl, Again! - Day 6

Today was LSP's birthday party. Her birthday was actually earlier this month but this was the first chance we had to have a party for her. She and her friends had a great time playing in the backyard with the water table. Everyone was soaked to the bone. Shiloh had a grand time running around with the kids, too. At cake time, LSP at first was not so thrilled with the candle and singing ritual, but warmed up to it pretty fast when she got to eat the cake. After her bath tonight she told me "I saw candles!" So I think she liked it in the end.

It was also a day of chores and errands I have to accomplish before we go. I have had a huge multi--page to-do list on the fridge for a week and I have been hacking away at it. It is good to see so many things crossed off.

Soldier-Boy has been able to email so that is good, though he is in a location now where the email may be less frequent. It is good to get a little electronic hi from him everyday, let's home he can keep that up.

A very wet LSP is not so happy about the candles, the cake, the singing...something!

Enjoying some cake.

LSP and Shiloh sample the same puddle.


"Where did all the water go?"

The totally insane to-do list.

Surprise! - Day 5

What is that on her highchair tray? Why, it's a lake of pickle juice, of course.

Today I was supposed to go to lunch with my friend and neighbor. When we got to our favorite Greek restaurant I was surprised to see a bunch of my friends there, too. It was an early surprise birthday party for me! What a wonderful surprise. We had yummy Greek food, then a wonderful ooey, gooey chocolate cake my friend made. I am so glad to have such good friends.

Do Seals Have Teeth? - Day 4

Let's just start out telling you that there won't be any photos from today. I can't find the stupid camera. I know it is somewhere in the house. I just used it an hour ago. But for right now it is MIA. Anyway, I will find it soon THEN there will be pictures.

Not as busy a day today. Took Shiloh to the vet for her heath certificate, then worked at home. Had a great dinner of The Best Chinese Food in the World with a good friend and neighbor and our kids (4 total) got to rock and roll a bit.

LSP has been putting up a huge fight at night when it is bedtime. It wears me out. Today there was a tantrum when I would not let her bring her stuffed seal (which is bigger than her, by the way) to the bathroom to brush its teeth. "Seals don't have teeth," I told her. But I figure they must, right? Did I just lie to my child? This was the second big meltdown of the day, the first starting when she wanted to take Shiloh to the commissary with us. "Dogs can't go the the commissary," I informed her. Screaming followed. This time, however, I know I was telling the truth.

Monkey Business - Day 3

Can't tear her eyes off of George.


It was one of those days brought to you courtesy of the U.S. Army. Not in a good way. Started when I ran into some Change of Command on post that had the traffic screwed up. Well, more screwed up than normal here in the land of perpetual construction. It went downhill from there with unhelpful government employees, the usual multiple office hopping hoping to get some help, a scolding by a "customer service" representative and a wheelbarrow full of government red tape. Add pounding rain and a 2-year-old in need of exercise and you have a recipe for fun. On the way home from our day of "fun" LSP lost it, crying to "Watch George! Watch George right now!" over and over. She meant Curious George, a show she has developed a serious addiction to in recent weeks. I need to explore a Curious George detox program. She is enthralled with the vidoes, despite the fact she has seen them hundreds of times. She knows the names of George's friends (Hunley the dachshund, Gnocchi the cat, etc.) and asks to "Watch George" a zillion times a day. On the upside a dose of George will usually fix any minor bump or ailment.

The No-Nap Experiment - Day 2

I don't know what Shiloh thinks, but this crate seems comfortable to me!

LSP demonstrates what we do NOT do with crayons. Unless Mommy isn't looking.

Those containers of bungee cords make excellent drums.

Running amok in ATU.

LSP usually take a 1-hour nap in the middle of the day, but then she doesn't go to bed until 9:00. So today I was really busy all day so I thought we'd try life with no nap. We went to playgroup, ate lunch, went to Obi (the German Home Depot), went to ATU to buy tires (the German Auto Zone), registered the car, washed the car and came home to have dinner. She was OK through her bath, but shortly after that she found an old sliver of Dial soap on the sink and ate it. Yup, lots of crying followed as she realized what a bad idea that was. When she finally calmed down she said to me, "Ate the soap." But that was pretty much it. She was worn out. Toothbrushing and diaper changing before bed were accompanied by much crying and screaming. She was totally exhausted. She's not a big fan of the no-nap experiment, I think.

Deployment - Day 1 Photos

After our walk. I'm a sweaty mess here.

Yellow flowers! On the way to the car to go the commissary LSP plopped down in the grass for awhile. We should all remember to slow down so well.

She's holding the buttercup under her chin and saying "Do you like butter?"

Walking and Washing

This morning I was getting ready to work out when LSP requested "Take a walk! Take a walk in backpack!" Then, looking around the room she said, "Where's Daddy?" So, 11 hours after we left him on post, she asked the question for the first time. I know it's not the last. I nearly started to cry. He has been home a lot this past week and he has been getting her in the mornings and after her naps and making her breakfast, so I know she was really wondering where we went. Anyway, I decided to strap on the baby backpack and took a long hard walk. It was a beautiful day to be outside, and Shiloh appreciated it too.

This afternoon we went to the PX and commissary, someplace we spend entirely too much time. After getting home I was giving LSP her dinner, a kiddie meal of pasta in red sauce, when I hear her say "Washing the hair!" and see her rubbing her sauce-covered hands all over her head. Yup, washing the hair is what we're going to do next.

Photos from The Last Day at Home

Way past bedtime for everyone.

Looking at the moon with Daddy.

This one would be great if only LSP was looking at the camera.

A very cool chick and her Daddy go for a walk.

Last Day at Home.

Well, it's done.LSP and I took Soldier-Boy in last night to post. As he pointed out this was the third time I have left him at that very same building for a deployment. (For the Iraq deployment we were living in elsewhere.)

We had a nice last day at home. The weather was picture-postcard-Bavarian perfect and we look a long walk through the fields near our house. Then a nap for everyone and pizza for dinner. We watched LSP play outside for awhile and color with her crayons in her room while we ate pizza. She ate a bunch of my pizza too - she especially loved the roasted red peppers. Daddy gave her a Build-A-Bear with a message from him in it, and I took some video of him reading her a book so she can watch it over and over.

We took him in hung around while he did a final clean out of his office, drew his weapon and took care of paperwork. It was waaaaaaay past LSP's bedtime but she did very well. She had a good time dancing on a manhole cover (Why? Who knows.) and listening to the sounds in the night - peeper frogs especially. Daddy showed her the moon and the stars and she wanted to lie on her back and look up at the sky. Finally she started to melt down from exhaustion so we knew it was time to go. We said our good byes and she waved at Bill, "Bye-Bye!" I am sure it is a blessing that she does not really understand right now, but it made me so sad. As I pulled away I was crying (of course) and she kept saying "Hi, Mommy! Hi, Mommy!" over and over. I think she was checking on me. She was asleep before we even got off post.

My goal with this blog is to document this next year. I am giong to try to blog everyday, keeping everyone updated to what is happening with Soldier-Boy and LSP and me. (And Shiloh, too!) Hope you like it.

A Year Apart

Hello all. I am going to use this blog to record the goings-on of our family during this year apart. Hope you enjoy looking!