The taste of thumb

For dessert tonight I made chocolate mousse. As I was serving it Brendan asked if it was ice cream. I told him that it was kind of between ice cream and pudding. When he took a bite I asked him if he liked it. He said, "Yes, it tastes like sucking my thumb." No wonder he sucked his thumb until he was almost 4. Geez, if my thumb tasted like chocolate I might sample it too.

Brendan, age 2

The memo

Darby never got the memo that she is the third child. Or maybe I expected too much. I was spoiled by my other two children, who, despite their faults, are fabulous sleepers and had only a small bout of separation anxiety. Truthfully, neither one had one whit of trouble leaving me and going to nursery. They were like, "Bye Mom. See ya. This place has toys," and off they'd go. Both of them spent lots of time in other people's arms as babies and toddlers and never had any problem with being away from mama. Not so with Number 3. This one is wildly attached to me. As I walk around the house (either doing something or simply trying to dodge her and get a moment's peace) I hear the "slap, slap" of her little hands as she crawls along my trail, wailing and whining her wee heart out. Its truly pitiful. She wants to be held often but prefers to be held while I am standing. I just cannot do it. She's too heavy and I have too much to do. And she is entering the time of life when a child goes from two naps to one but can't make up their minds most days. This results in extreme crankiness. Its been rough.

But on the flip side, I love it that she adores me so. The other two are Daddy's and a small piece of me is triumphant that at least one of my children think I hung the moon and not their father (sorry Babe, but we all know you are the fun one). I am also grateful that she is still not walking because it means she is into less things, moves slower and falls less. I think her sensitive nature might be a wonderful trait as she grows up. I bet she'll be a fabulous and empathetic friend.

And so, darling Darbs, I love that you love me, but feel free to love me from afar sometimes.

My Annivalentine

I guess you could look at the bright side. Technically I get to have my anniversary for 34 hours instead of the normal 24. Why? Because the person I share that anniversary with is 10 hours ahead of me so I get to start when its HIS February 14th. That is about the only bright side I can find to spending an anniversary apart. Today was hard. I wanted to see him, hug him, hold his hand and talk about our life together. We settled for phone calls. It sure is nice to hear his voice. And he sent me a present that just happened to be delivered as we were talking.

I don't know that I can ever tell Jason how much he means to me but I hope that I can show it. I consider myself blessed to be married to such a man - brave, funny, humble, intelligent, and outgoing - who thinks that he "won the wife lottery". It makes me want to live up to all that he thinks I am.
Seven years and 3 kids later and he still holds my hand when he drives and falls asleep on my lap while watching a movie like he did when we were dating. He always says thank you when I cook a meal and he will not let me open the car door for myself if he is anywhere near. He can read me like a book, even from across the ocean - he knows if I am upset just by my word choice in an online chat. He strives to make me happy but most of all strives to be a man of God. He is always trying to be a little better and easily admits his faults. I admire him in so many ways.

And so, to my annivalentine, I love you dearly and cannot wait until I see you again. Seven years is nothing to what is to come. I look forward to it.

A new style

Jason normally cuts Brendan's hair and it is normally a buzz. Well, he took the clippers with him so it was an excuse to go to a real hair salon (well, a kiddie one) and get a style. Isn't he cute?

He Did It!!

I got a phone call from Brendan's school yesterday morning telling me that he had thrown up and to please come get him. Poor guy didn't want to leave school when I got there. :(
Anyway, when we got home I told him to change into his pajamas and rest. He asked if he could try to make the Star Wars Clone Turbo Tank again. He had previously given up on it, saying it was too hard. It is meant for ages 9 and above but I brought down the box and let him try again.
By the end of the day he had completed a Lego set comprised of over 1,00 parts with over 125 pages of instructions.


It is awesome!! It has springs for shocks, moving gun turrets, a control dashboard and compartments that open and close.



I am so impressed!

Bye Bye, Bah-bah

Eva calls her pacifier "bah-bah". She is the only one of my children who took a paci. She only uses it when she is napping or sleeping at night. I think its a habit to kick soon and so I haven't been purchasing new ones when the old wear out. I told myself that when we came to the last one, that was it. Well, we came to the last one yesterday.
I have been mulling over how I wanted to exit the bah-bah for a while. A lot of the methods, while cute (like the Binkie Fairy), seemed dishonest. I settled on a trade-in. We had been talking for a day or two about how she's a big girl now and big girls don't have bah-bahs. Today, I brought out a set of Backyardigans that I had purchased as enticements for potty training but that she hadn't seen yet. I told her that if she could say goodbye to her paci that she could pick one. I led her out to the big trash can and told her to throw it inside. She hesitated and cried a bit. It WAS hard for her. But she eventually did it and waved goodbye.


I scooped her up and hugged her and danced around telling her how proud I was and what a big girl she was. Then we came inside and she happily picked Austin the kangaroo.


I think naptime and bedtime will be really hard. I think it will be that way for a while. And part of me is sad to see her become that big girl. But I am so proud of her taking these steps. Next one is potty training. Now that she's seen the other Backyardigan toys, she has serious incentive. :)

Karate Kid

I signed Brendan up for karate at the local rec center recently. My goal was to keep us busy while Jason was gone and to help Brendan with his coordination and listening skills. Tonight was his first lesson. Things started out rocky. Prior to the instructor arriving, the kids were running around. He and another boy had a collision and he was crying. Then he hid under the table and refused to come out. I could tell he was a bit embarrassed.
I finally coaxed him out when the instructor, Mr. Garris, arrived. He is a large, slightly intimidating black man but was so kind and encouraging to Brendan when I introduced him. Upon class introductions, Mr. Garris asked them to tell their name, school, grade and why they wanted to learn karate. His answer to the last question was, "So that I can get more stronger." Phew. I wasn't sure what he'd say. If you know Brendan, you know you can never be sure what he'll say next.
Once the class got rolling and Bubbs started to feel comfortable, he did pretty well, at least for a five year old. He is the youngest in the class and it shows but he is eager to learn and picking things up quickly. He is still very much a preschooler in behavior but Mr. Garris is patient with him while still setting high expectations. They talked about respect and listening, proper technique and terms (they are expected to say "yes, Sir and "no, Sir" which will be new for him) and even learned the first part of a kata, which is a series of martial art moves. I know that no boy wants to hear that he is adorable in those fighting stances but he was. :)
When it was over Brendan whined because he "wanted to stay and exercise some more". I think this will be good for him. He has class again in two days and he is excited.

Fresh Air and Mountains

Jason here. The air here in Bagram is, as I noted before, dusty. Usually the haze blocks the view of the surrounding mountains. The past few days have been real rainy and it has made a mess of things. It has been muddy and vehicles have been sliding all over the place. This truck got stuck in the mud up to the axles just outside our shop.




Right after this happened, the Sergeant driving the vehicle says in frustration to the private with him, "Watch the truck" and the private says in reply, "I don't think its going anywhere." We all laughed and moved on.

Well, last night it snowed a bit here and I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked out of my room this morning. I was greeted with a beautiful sunny day and clear view of the mountains for the first time since I have been here. It was impressive.




This picture only captures a small portion of the landscape. Bagram has mountains on every side, wherever you look you see mountains just like these. Its really is pretty country.

Pretty little maids all in a row

For their birthdays Grandma sent the girls matching dresses. They looked adorable today at church. I had to take pictures.



Oh, and Eva informs me that they are very good twirling dresses.

Guess who's 3?

Dear Eva,
As you turn three I am reminded of your birth and the feelings I felt to have a little girl of my own. You are unexpected in so many ways. You look like me but you do not act like me. You make me smile with all your sassiness and fiesty disposition, yet lovable nature.

And you are fearless. You climb too high and take on things that are too big. Though you love dresses (and your boots) you are not a girly girl. When you play dress up you are a pirate or a superhero, never a princess. You love running and wrestling and generally being loud and boisterous. You are a tornado of destruction. You have a very short attention span for anything that doesn't include moving around.

Yet, you are a big-time cuddler and will sit in my lap or Daddy's for a while. Sometimes you let me stroke your hair and you give me kisses on the cheek whenever I ask. When you hurt someone, you say, "I kiss it better" and promptly do so. You love your stuffed animals and always sleep with at least three at bedtime. Since Daddy has been gone, your Daddy Doll always makes the cut. Your father and I still sneak in to watch you sleep. We can't help it.

You are beginning to like numbers and letters but never get your colors right, which is surprising since you love to color. You love to put socks on your hands and always take off your shoes, just because you can. You love going outside to splash in puddles or draw with chalk.

I adore your dancing and delight in hearing, "Dance wis me, Mama!" I can't wait until dance class starts for you. Your social nature serves you well in things like that.

You make the funniest faces too. Your "I'm pouting" face is to die for. You also have what we call, "smiter face" when you are about to strike. It gives us warning to move out of close range or to give you a stern look if it is directed at a sibling.


You are the antithesis of your brother in just about every way and you push his buttons like no one else can. It can be funny (and frustrating) to see.

Recently you have become very contrary and your favorite word is "No". I think you are trying to insert your independence. Its been hard on all of us.

You refuse to potty train and still love your "bah-bah" (pacifier). Sadly BabyGirl, this is the year to put those things away and become a big girl.
You choose broccoli over just about any other food (but sweets) and purple is your favorite color. Backyardigans, Winnie the Pooh and Kipper top your list of entertainment. You sing along to "I am a Child of God" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider". Butterflies and elephants are the animals of choice and your favorite topic of conversation is your family.

You are an imp. You are a ballerina. You are a fireball. You are pure sass. You make everyone fall in love with you. I am lucky to see you grow.

Love, Mom

A good explanation of what I am doing here in Afghanistan

I sent this to a buddy of mine on Facebook, and as I wrote it I figured it was a pretty good summation of why I am here:


"Right now I am safe here as I was back home. That may change in a while once I start making the rounds, but presently I don't have much to do other than read, work out, and goof off. I had to sign some non-disclosure thing about details, so I cannot get too specific about where and when I leave the base here (Charlie might be monitoring my Facebook traffic you know).

If you are interested I can give you the run down on what the heck I am doing here. I am in 3rd Special Forces Group as the dental advisor. My purpose in life here is to train the SF team medics on basic dental procedures. If ever there was a population that needed some basic dentistry, Afghanistan is it. That, by the way, is how the US gains influence out here in the wild wild west. They roll into the villages, meet with the Elders, and showcase the one thing the western world has that they want: medicine.

And they all need dentistry. If you have seen the movie Cast Away then you have a fair idea of the kind of dental care they get out here. Which is nothing until it is time to break a tooth off to relieve the pain and swelling. So, I go out and train the trainer. I train the SF medics (each team has one or two) on how to get people numb and take out teeth. Then they share that knowledge with the local dental/health care provider. While they are showcasing our medicine, winning hearts and minds, the other guys are talking to the Elders and getting information out of them about the Taliban and stuff. Then they try and convince them to set up a local police force which they train and tie them into the Afghan government army/police force.

The SF guys are actually pushing out to the villages now instead of rolling out of huge bases in tanks. So now I will traveling to those village sites and helping out with the dental/winning hearts bit.

The Taliban has been doing the same thing, as in moving into the villages, for years. Except that instead of offering medical care and self governance, they shoot people. So now we move in, offer something better, and let the people choose between the two. Instead of patrolling the mountains and caves, we are forcing the Taliban to come to us, and when they do, we have something for them.

Over time, key villages set up semi competent police and governance who can deliver some goods and services and prevent Taliban thugs from coming in and killing folks. When that happens we move on to another place.

Petreaus laid out his COIN (counter insurgency) strategy to the public years ago, so it is no secret what we are doing. I am just not at liberty to say when and where I go exactly (not that you are asking)."


I know most of this info is unsolicited narrative, but I think you would be interested in knowing why exactly I am here.

A hole in your mouth

Brendan came to me around 2am last night to tell me that his tooth had fallen out. I was indeed excited but I wish he had waited until morning. :) His tooth had been loose for the last couple of days. He was very concerned about it. I explained that it is something that everyone who grows up goes through, that it doesn't hurt and that a "big boy tooth" would come in its place. Brendan would not be soothed. I mean, a part of his body was falling out and his mom wasn't worried! Whats is up with that? In fact, I had to talk him into eating his breakfast because he said he couldn't eat without a tooth. Once he discovered that he could chew on the sides of his mouth, he was okay with it. He is such a funny kid. Here's picture of the holey grin.

I'm so proud. He's growing up!