Just like me!

I've been trying to teach Zachary good health habits. This includes, among other things, washing his hands before dinner or after he comes in from outside playing. When we got home tonight, I told him he needed to go wash his hands while I started his dinner. After he washed them, he came running in the kitchen yelling "It's just like me!" I said "What is just like you?" He showed me his Spongebob bottle of soap. I asked him if he wanted to take a picture for Daddy. He said yes and smiled big for the camera.

Born to do this!

Zachary was bored this afternoon and asked to go outside and play in the pool. It's a kiddie pool and I needed to dump the current water and re-fill it. When I dumped the water, I put some holes in the side of the pool. I told Zachary that he couldn't play in the pool because it wouldn't hold water. So I asked him if he wanted to play in the sprinklers. He said yes. We hooked it up and away he went. He had been playing for about 10 minutes when he comes to me and says with a serious face, well as serious as a 4 year old can be soaking wet and with Spider-Man goggles on, "Mom, I was born to do this!" I said "Are you having fun, baby?" He said "Oh yeah!!" Isn't summertime great??

The Perfect Plan

On our way home from daycare today, Zachary told me that he had the perfect plan for when he turned 5. I asked him what it was. He said that when he turned 5, he was going to marry a girl. I asked him who he was going to marry. He said Averie, who is a girl in his class. He said he and Declan, a boy in his class and his dad is deployed with Nick, had talked about it over lunch today. I asked him if Averie knew about this and he told me no. I told him he should probably tell Averie since she was going to be a part of it. He's growing up so fast.

Rules

One of the things I have struggled with since Nick left is getting comfortable with being the only parent that is disclipling Zachary. I have been trying to figure out what works best for us. Zachary argues with me, on everything. So I have started telling him that I am the Mom and I make the rules which seems to be doing the trick. Before Nick left, we started having Family Movie Nights on Friday nights. It was a time for the 3 of us to spend together before Nick left. I decided to keep the tradition up after Nick left. I want routine and as much normalcy as possible for Zachary during this deployment. So since we are going to be going out of town and won't be here on Friday night, I asked Zachary if he wanted to have movie night on Thursday this week. He said yes. He went to see "UP" with his daycare today, as part of the summer camp program as his daycare. He saw the popcorn and candy display at the theater. He asked me if we could have popcorn with the movie tomorrow. I told him yes but only after we ate dinner. He agreed. Before he went to bed, he said he was excited about having popcorn for dinner tomorrow night. I told him that we were not having popcorn for dinner. He said, and I quote "Well Mom, you make the rules so we could have popcorn for dinner. You make the rules." While I'm glad he understands how I want it to work, should I be worried too??

Yellow Lights

This afternoon when I picked Zachary up from daycare, I went through the light that was yellow. Zachary said "Mom, yellow lights mean you have to be careful. You just drove through that light." I said "Yes but I made sure there weren't any cars coming." He said "Ok but you need to be careful." My little traffic guard.

Summer Time

Zachary loves to be in the pool or any type of water when it's summertime. We were at my parents place this past weekend and Zachary spent all last week there as well. I brought him a pool to use while he was there. He played in it every afternoon and had a blast. He loves the water!

Loving a Soldier

This poem, which I have had for a while, is for all my friends who are military wives. This poem is meant for wives but there are husbands who are going through this too. It's one of the hardest jobs you will ever have and I admire all the men and women who are going through it.

I did not write this poem but feel like it says what it needs to.


LOVING A SOLDIER


Loving a soldier is a high price to pay,
loving him truly is hard when he's away.

It's being alone with nothing to hold;
it's being young, but feeling old;
it's having him whisper his love for you;
it's whispering back that you love him too.

There comes a kiss and a promise for more,
as his plane slowly rises to soar;
reluctantly, painfully, letting him go,
while your insides are dying from wanting him so,
watching him leave with eyes full of tears,
standing alone with your hopes, dreams and fears.

It's sending a letter with the stamp upside down,
to a far away love in a far away town.

It's going to church to kneel and pray,
and really meaning the things that you say.

Being in love will foster your dreams,
of that far away soldier your mind fairly beams.

Days go by, no mail for a spell,
you wait for some word to hear that he's well.

Then a letter arrives, and you've given in,
to open his letter and read it with a grin,
yes, he is well and misses you so,
it's filled with the love you wanted to know.

Weeks are like months, and months are like years,
you wait for the day when you'll have no more fears.

Days go by slowly, how many have passed?

Yes, loving a soldier brings bitterness and fears,
loneliness, sadness and despondent years.

Loving a soldier isn't much fun,
but it's worth the price when the battle is won;
and remember he is thinking of you everyday,
he's sad and he's lonely while so far away;
so love him and miss him and hold your head high,
be strong and have faith, wipe that tear from your eye.

It's the high price you pay for loving a soldier…