Another first

Guess whose 18 months old now?


And so Darby went to Nursery for the first time today. I have so been looking forward to the time when she would be old enough. I didn't know how she would do. I figured she would cry initially and then get over it quickly as always. They have baby dolls, snacks and even Eva (who thinks Nursery is THE bomb) in there. What more could you want?
I took her in, found her a baby doll and she proceeded to love on it while I slipped out. No tears. Yes!
However, she AND Eva were both brought to me to be changed (guess these McDaniel sisters are really in sync) and that's when she lost it. She wept and wailed and would not be consoled. I left her though and had to get back to my Primary class. I could still hear her crying as we went to sharing time. :(
When I went to pick them up, I was told that she fell asleep on the floor and napped the last hour. Poor girl. She was cranky at home and fell asleep on me after dinner. She must not be feeling well. And that's the first nursery experience for Darbs. Perhaps if she feels better next week will not be so hard on her.

The Big Gripe

I am warning you ahead of time, this post is going to be one big gripe session. Feel free to skip it if you don't want to hear my whining. I wanted to write it all down so I can be reminded of just how grateful I am for all Jason does when he's home.

Murphy's Law is a companion to any wife going through a hubby's deployment. If anything can go wrong, it will when he's gone and you have to deal with it alone. In the months Jason has been gone we have had:
- a child's surgery
- car break down (both cars)
- computer go kaput
- pet death
- paperwork issues (Army, bills, loans)
- fridge break
- first stitch (staple) on a child, not to mention a copiously bleeding head wound
- tornadoes
- child induced hole in a door
- rebuilding furniture and painting wall
And I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
Also, he has missed so much.
- the birthday of every one of us plus our anniversary
- Darby's first word and first steps
- Brendan learning to swim
- Eva's progress in speech
- might miss Brendan's first day of Kindergarten
And various other fun and touching moments with the kids and me.
I have always loved and appreciated my husband but I had never truly understood just how much he does and means to us until this prolonged separation. I also never really knew the depth of strength and patience within myself that this deployment has brought out. I can admire previous generations and their sacrifice with my whole heart. I can better empathize with single mothers and be forever grateful for those women who have selflessly given to me during this time. So, in a way, deployment has been good for me. I am, however, glad it is coming to a close.

Brotherly/Sisterly Love

If you look closely you can see Eva's arm around her brother and his around her. Photographic proof that they did, at one time, like each other. I may need this when they are teenagers. :)

Grandma's visit

My mom came to visit this week. The older kids were so excited! Grandma spent a lot of time reading books, playing peek-a-boo and being shown Lego creations. The kids each got a gift (purple fuzzy crown and twirly skirt for Eva, Legos for Bubbs and a book for Darby). My kitchen has never been cleaner for multiple days in a row.


She was here for my birthday. We were able to go as a family to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie. It was very cute. Then we went out to eat but were too stuffed for ice cream afterwards. So my birthday was extended a day and we got frozen yogurt the next day. Mom also kept Darby for church, which was so nice.
It was great to have my mom come and see where I live and help me out. It was sad to see her go but I think she had a good time. We'll have to fly family in more often. :)

First Sentence

My mother says that my first sentence was, "Read a book?" and that I would follow her around the house, book in hand, repeating it incessantly. Well, I guess payback was in order. Darby's first sentence is, "Read it, peese?" Any time I sit down she hands me a book and asks her question. It's pretty cute and I usually appease her, even though I have the books memorized by now.

10 DREAM Vacations

I saw a friend of mine do this and liked it. These are in no particular order.

1. Greece

2. Ireland

3. Germany

4. Scotland

5. Machu Picchu in Peru

6. Bora Bora

7. Tuscany, Italy (really anywhere in Italy)


8. The French Countryside

9. Japan (when the cherry blossoms are in bloom)

10. Palmyra, NY

Eva's eye

One morning I turned around and noticed that Eva's eye was really red. She wasn't itching it and said it didn't hurt. I thought maybe she poked it or scratched it. But it continued to the next day. So we took her in to the pediatrician's office. No pinkeye, thank goodness. She has eye drops for the next 5 days. The kids are so familiar with the doctor's office that they know all their favorite books and even where the room is that they like best. They just make themselves at home.

Hopefully someday I will frequent it less than we seem to now.

Why there's so much laundry

Every meal. Thank goodness for stain remover and my own washer.

Darby's new 'do

This girl has crazy hair, and a lot of it. The front is finally long enough to go into a ponytail and not stick up at a weird angle. I tried this hairdo for the first time for church this past Sunday. Keeps the hair out of her eyes and its just so darn cute. I think its a keeper.

I love this little girl. Even when she gives me the stink eye.

Miscellaneous from Afghanistan

Sunset in Bagram, Afghanistan.

Jason here. I have been out circulating around Afghanistan for a few weeks and now I am back at my home base of Bagram Air Field (BAF). Right now things are pretty slow since we are going to be packing up our gear and heading home in the next little while. I may or may not be going back out again. Lately I have been walking down the street to the hospital dental clinic and working with those guys. It is a good way to keep busy and keep my skills up. Plus its nice to get together with fellow dental professionals. Anyways, I really miss the Christine and the children and it will be nice to see them again in the near future. He are some pictures from my travels:

This is somewhere in South East Afghanistan. It reminded me a lot Arizona.

This is a military ATV. It has two machine guns and a bazooka on it.

This is typical sleeping quarters when I travel. High class living.

This Sean Arnold, my dental tech and right hand man. He is sitting on our treatment table and the gray thing on the black box is our 10 grand treatment unit.

Being with an SF unit is pretty cool sometimes. I was with a team when they had to get rid of some sensitive equipment. They couldn't burn it or bury it or take it with them. What to do? Blow it up. Here is a box of trash with 6 rather large artillery shells around it.

Add 20 pounds of C4 explosives some detonation cord on a five minute fuse and...

This is what was left (i.e. not much).

I have some more pictures that I will post later.

Independence Day

Brendan woke up and was totally confused as to why he wasn't going to camp. "Is it Saturday?" he asked, "Another Sunday?" And so I explained the concept of a holiday to him. When I told the kids we were going to a parade, they were pretty excited. Well, Brendan was excited, and Eva was because he was, but really, she had no clue what a parade was.
We went early, parked a ways away and walked in because I didn't want to hassle with traffic getting out. We found a primo spot and settled down to watch.




About 5 minutes after the parade was to start (we were at the ending point) a man in a golf cart came around and told us that the parade has not coming down that far anymore. Just great. So we packed it in, along with about 50 other surrounding families and moved down the block trying to find a new spot. We squeezed in between a VERY large truck with wheels as tall as Eva, and a shiny silver Camaro. I live in such an interesting place.
The parade started off with some soldiers from Fort Bragg marching with the flag.

I'll admit that I got teary eyed. This 4th of July patriotism is a little more close to my heart than in other years. I thought of Jason and how he was in a country so far away where July 4 is another summer day. I wondered if they celebrated it at all among the men.
Once the parade got going, and the kids realized some of the people threw candy, they were into it full force. Eva loved to wave, especially at the "princesses". There were horses, which she loved as well. Brendan liked the men who came by in tiny cars and gave the kids high fives. Darby looked amused by it all.


The funniest thing about this whole thing was the number of Confederate flags in the parade. There must have been almost as many as the stars and stripes. It cracked me up.

Oh, and the Nascar bus with bikini-clad ladies on top was further proof that I live in the South.

When we got home, Brendan didn't look well. In fact, he put himself to bed for a nap. I knew then that any plans of visiting the Fort Bragg festivities (which are supposed to be AWESOME!) were shot. Oh well. I wasn't all that wrapped up in the idea of all three at a carnival by myself at night.
If the fireworks in my neighborhood are any indication of what the firework show was like on post, then it must have been spectacular. My neighbors had "shake-the-house, light-up-the-sky-like-its-day" type fireworks going off. Woke the kids up, but I expected that. That's what happens when your neighbors are Delta Force.
And last night, I got to chat with Jason for a good long while. We have only a short time left in this deployment. I can't believe we have been apart for over 150 days. It has been hard but we have been blessed.
So Happy Birthday, America! Land that I love, or I wouldn't give so much to you. :)

Oh Blessed Nursery

I have a countdown going on until Darby goes to nursery. She is 17 months old now. 4 more Sundays! Thank you to all the people who tend to her while I teach Primary! Its a good thing she's so adorable.

We love the library!

One of the best places to beat the heat and have some fun is the local library. We love story time. They have puzzles and playthings too.



My kids all love books. Chips off the ol' blocks!