Walk for Autism

I have a few wonderful mommy friends who have kiddos with Autism. They have different versions of it, but none the less, they still have it. This past Saturday, Connor and I walked with my friend Debra in the Walk for Autism at Dell Diamond. It was awesome! We walked that day as Team G-Force for her son Garrett who is 8. It really made you realize how many wonderful kids there are out there who need help with funding. There are so many things I didn't realize until I started talking with people who work with autistic kids. I encourage all of you to at least read up on autism because the chances of you knowing someone who knows someone who has it, it very real.

Oh and here is a little video of my daredevil climbing a rockwall. He has NO FEAR!

Have a good week

Iraq or bust

I talk to Ray every other day due to the fact that when he calls from his cell phone, it's a whopping $2.49 a minute! So, we say what we need to say and then hang up. All is well, they are on track to go to Iraq in the next 10 days or so. They went to the range today and he said it was hillarious because they were shoulder to shoulder when shooting and all of Ray's casings were bouncing off if his friends Kevlar. He said he has taken tons of pictures, so when he gets to Iraq and the network is better, he will send them to me. He said that when they got done at the range this morning, they were greeted by a couple camels that felt the need to be friendly!

Only in Kuwait.....

Ray has landed!

Just a quick note to let you all know that Ray has left Ft Stewart and is in Kuwait. They went through Maine and Ireland. He has the next 48 hrs off so he said he's going to sleep while he can. His cell phone is working over there so he has been calling with quick updates. They are expected to be there no longer than 10 days. I will let you know more when I know. Here is a link that My Fox news station did on the 56th. If you look at all the pictures, there are some of Ray training. You have to look carefully! :)

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=7140492&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1

From coast to coast

Well, we are back from our fantastic vacation! I ended up with strep throat the day before we left for Califonia, so I spent that friday going to the dr, getting my medicine while my awesome friend Debra took Connor to Chuck E Cheese so he wouldn't get sick. I ended up taking him to the dr anyway so he could get started on an antibiotic asap so he wouldn't be sick in California. So, with all that out of the way, we were off. Connor did great on the airplane, minus the annoying 4 trips to the potty. He watched a movie and ate some lunch and then we were there!

We hung out with Brad most of Saturday, then woke up Sunday and went to Brad's graduation! WOOHOO!!! Connor loved watching Brad walk across the stage. After a reception showcasing all of the students pictures, we went back to Brad and Angelina's to have a surprise graduation party! I got to meet Angelina's parents and her brother and they really enjoyed meeting Connor. He played football with the big boys and loved every single minute of it. In fact Brad kept asking when Connor was going to sit down and rest. All I could do was laugh at him. He finally got it!

We went to the beach where Connor was the only one to brave the cold, cold ocean. Brad took some really great photos and Connor had a blast playing in the sand and ocean. We took a really nice trip to the Santa Barbara Zoo which was awesome because it wasn't too big. We saw all the animals, rode the little train they have there and Connor ended up with some fun stuff from there.

As most of you know, Ray ended up with a 4 day pass in the middle of all this, so I left Connor in California with my parents, boarded a plane at 5 am bound for Jacksonville, Florida. Ray has been at Ft Stewart in Savannah, Georgia so we decided to meet in Fl and enjoy the coast. That made it a really long day for me, but he greeted me at baggage claim with a smile and a vanilla latte from Starbucks! Could it get any better??? Off we went to Ponte Vedra right outside of Jacksonville. We did a whole lot of nothing and we enjoyed every minute of it. Ray caught up on some sleep and really enjoyed the fact that he got to sleep in a real bed and I enjoyed some uninterupted TV time. We went out to eat alot, sure beats those MRE'S according to Ray. We walked on the beach and found an Irish Pub that had 36 beers on tap. So we walk in the front door and this guy comes at Ray and gives him this huge hug. Um, ok, then we realize it's 3 guys from his section and they all ended up at the same bar! Guess all military minds think alike, pass=beer. :)

I found this place that makes chocolate and begged Ray to take me. He did and for those of you who know Ray, you know he doesn't do sweets, until now. He loved it and we ended up with quite alot of chocolate after it was all said and done. We went to Best Buy and probably gave them their biggest sale of the day with video games, adapters, dvd's, blah blah blah. I gave up after awhile and just smiled as I wrote the check. It was sad to say goodbye AGAIN, but this deployment is going to go by pretty quick. He should be home for mid-tour around April/May. In case you were wondering, we choose not to bring Connor to Florida because the deployment, long training times and all the other long months Ray is gone have really taken a toll on him. It's very hard for me to help him readjust all the time and he doesn't understand how long a year is and just keeps assuming that daddy will be home in a matter of days. So instead of putting him through all of this, we just decided to make it an adult only weekend.

Here are a few pictures of all the fun we had. I hope you enjoy them and you can look at the rest at here http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=247621582/a=74738824_74738824/fromupload=true/imagecount=238/videocount=0/t_=74738824

Have a good week!

Laundry anyone?

I have to say, I have the greatest yet weirdest child on the planet! Most people dread having to do the laundry. However, Connor, my darling 5 year old, LOVES LOVES LOVES doing the "washing and drying". And when I say he loves to do it, he really actually does the laundry. He gathers all the dirty clothes, (sometimes clean ones too just so he can have a full load), sorts them, put's them in the washing machine, puts the soap in and turns it on. If that's not strange enough for you, he then pulls up his chair and watches the clothes go round and round! My washer and dryer quit working so I had to get a new set. So I ended up with front loaders which are great unless you have a child like mine. He literally sits there with his snack, or lunch and watches it. He will occassionally leave to use the restroom, but only if it's an absolute emergency! He yells, "mom, 37 more minutes until the washing is done!" He counts down and then when it finishes, he moves it to the dryer, put's in the dryer sheets and turns it on.

This is actually probably borderline obsessive now. We were at Target 3 days ago and he had put a load of clothes in the washing machine before we left. So we get to Target and about 10 minutes into shopping, he looks at me and says, "mom, I think the dryer is almost done, it's time to go home." Now, what child gives up a trip to Target to go home and finish the laundry??? Ans yes, I'm sure there is some child labor law against this, but they have to find me first!!! :)

Flying with a 5 year old!?

So we are headed to California! We are headed to see my brother Brad graduate from the Brooks Institute of Photography. I am beyond excited to see him and his girlfriend Angelina (that's right, Brad and Angelina!) and he is thrilled to be able to see his "favorite nephew"! However, to get there, we have to get on the allmighty plane. Now, Connor is a good kid, but when it comes to being on a plane, it sems like he needs to pee every 30 seconds. I know all of you LOVE using the latrine on an airplane, you don't have to hide it! :) But taking a child to the potty on an airlplane should earn you a medal. There is no room, the flushing of the potty scares the crap out of him and that's only if I can convince him that peeing in that potty will not suck him down and out if the plane!

So, I will get on this plane with a full bottle of Prozac and a prayer.

On a side note, I am flying to Jacksonville, Florida to see Ray at the end of October from California. He is getting a 4 day pass and we are going to spend some time together before he deploys in early November. We are both so excited to have some peace and quiet! After all, I haven't had a nap in about 5 years!

Halloween or just for fun?

Connor got 2 Spiderman costumes for his birthday. Man, he is so excited. I tried telling him that one was for dress up and the other was for Halloween. Well, when your 5 years old, the rules apparantly don't apply to you, or so he thinks! I just didn't want him to ruin both of them before the big day. So, here we are, in the one we have picked for Halloween. I bargained with him (sad, I know) and he's wearing it as jammies until he goes trick or treating.

Ah, I can't wait for daddy to come back so I will at least have somebody on my side! :)