A Fairytale Wedding

I'm happy to report that I got up at 2:00 a.m. today to watch the Royal wedding. I had some local friends, as well as some East-coast friends who were up watching as well, and it was fun chatting about it all on Facebook as it happened. I thought the wedding was beautiful in every way, although it was strange how, 14 years later, it still seemed so bizarre that Princess Diana wasn't there. I bet she would be proud of her boys.

My favorite parts were seeing Prince William and Prince Harry leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey, the dress, the kiss(es) on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, and when Prince William and Princess Catherine left the wedding reception in Prince Charles's Astin Martin. I'm still trying to figure out what the heck that was on Princess Beatrice's head, but I suppose that is a whole other post!

My early-morning t.v. viewing required me to plop Griffin in front of a cartoon around 10:00 a.m. so that I could take a 30-minute power nap - - then I was ready to face the day.

Finally, because I am a Royal Family fanatic, and because my heart belongs in England, I made myself some currant scones and some devonshire cream to enjoy along with my tea and strawberry jam.

Random Things I Like to Watch on YouTube: #2

Okay - - there are so many things that are wrong with this video - - the lighting, the sound, the camera man, the futuristic microphones, and good God, Barbra's jumpsuit with sparkles, pleats, and pockets. That being said, this has to be one of the best videos ever.

Easter Weekend

The boys and I had a fun-filled Easter weekend, even if we were derailed slightly by a little fever. Luckily, Camden recovered enough to participate in all the festivities on Easter Sunday. We had fun decorating Easter eggs, drawing pictures for the Easter Bunny, and getting all decked out in our finery for dinner at Rod and Candy's house. Both boys were tuckered out and slept on the drive back from Weiser, which was proof to me that they'd eaten their weight in sugar (as it should be) and had a ton of fun. A wonderful weekend, indeed!

Random Things I Like to Watch On YouTube: #1

I could seriously sit for hours, watching random videos on YouTube. Pretty much anything you can think of that you might possibly want to watch, somebody has posted on YouTube. It's crazy! Luckily for me, I don't have a whole lot of spare time, so it isn't often that I get to sit and goof off with it. However, I do have a strange collection of videos that I watch over and over. This particular video is from the 2010 Grammy Awards, which I saw when it was on television, and I was fascinated by Pink's performance. I think part of my fascination comes from my secret burning desire to have an amazing singing voice (which I do not have!) and perform in front of an adoring crowd. Since that will never happen, I'll just watch Pink do it instead.

Please heed my warning: if you are the least bit offended by nearly-naked women who make more money, sing better, and have a better body than you or I can ever hope to have, then please, do not watch this video!

Hello, Spring? I Know You Are There...

Our weather has been kind of strange lately. I suppose it is our typical spring weather, but we keep getting a warm-weather tease (mid-to-high 60's) followed by a drastic drop in temperature. Just the other day, I got a little too much sun doing yard work, and just two days later, it was spitting snow. I'm more than ready to put this fickle weather behind me and move right into summer, frankly.

On one of our recent balmy days, the boys got right to work, burying each other in the sand box. This is something that Griff particularly enjoys, for whatever reason. I am really looking forward to days on the patio, watching the boys play. Come on, warm weather!

More Fire Station Fun

As if we didn't have enough fun this past Wednesday with Griff's field trip, our city fire station held its annual open house and chili feed yesterday, and of course we went, like we do every year. We missed having Steve with us though, and Camden mentioned he is glad that Daddy will get to come with us next year. The boys had fun climbing on all of the trucks and checking everything out. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

Finding His Voice

I'm on cloud nine because I finally got to see the movie, The King's Speech. Yes, I know that it is about to come out on DVD in a couple of days, but I had really hoped to see it on the big screen, and as luck would have it, it was playing at my local movie theater this weekend. It really is an amazing (and true) story about King George VI (the present Queen Elizabeth's father). It was so well done, and it is pretty clear as to why Colin Firth won the Oscar for Best Actor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and visit with my good friend Google about George VI - - one of my favorite nerdly pass times. Carry on!

Superb Military Wife

It has been an odd few weeks. It feels as though I sort of lost my mojo after Steve came home on leave back in February. I don't really know why, but for whatever reason, my confidence slipped, weariness of mind and body took over, and above all else, the gloomy weather that plagues this state during the month of March really sucked the life right out of me. Mind you, I still had all of my gazillion responsibilities to uphold, and uphold them I did - - just not with a whole lot of joy and enthusiasm, unfortunately. I have to be honest here and tell you, plain and simple: deployment sucks. At this point, this time around, I'm tired of it. I want it to be over with. However, we've still got a good 5 months to slug through and I'll be damned if those five months are going to feel like the past two have. No thank you. Contentment is definitely a state of mind, so I know I am in control over how all of this plays out, ultimately. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I don't want Steve to think I can't handle things here, because one, I can, and two, everyone knows that the mark of a superb military wife is how she does it all (perfectly, mind you) while not upsetting/stressing/annoying/worrying, etc. her deployed spouse. A superb military wife does not complain, does not ask for help, and certainly does not require any sort of break from the grueling demands of her "job". I am finally realizing that I just am not a superb military wife, and I am really okay with that.

Soccer Season Has Started!

My boys officially started spring soccer season this week with their first games, and I officially started my first soccer season of having two children playing at the same time. I've seen lots of parents do it in seasons passed, and it isn't easy! Mostly, because I don't like leaving either of them during their games, but for now that is just how it is going to have to be! This means lots of running between soccer fields for me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. This is Camden's fourth soccer season, so he's an old pro by now. His favorite position is goalie, and he does a great job . Griffin has been very excited that he is finally old enough to play soccer now, although he was a little timid at his first couple of practices, but was fine once he warmed up a bit. His first game went well, although I'm not sure that he exactly grasps the concept of the game yet - - that will come in time I am sure. So, for the next few weeks, we will spend three nights per week at the soccer fields. Can't believe our next activity will be summer swimming lessons...coming right up!

A Trip to the Fire Station

I had the pleasure of being a chaperon on Griffin's school field trip to our local fire station today. The fire house was close enough to the preschool that we were all able to walk over. The Chief and one of the firefighters did a wonderful job with the children and everyone had a great time.

Griffin couldn't believe that Firefighter Todd let them sit in the fire truck. When we picked Camden up from school this afternoon, Griffin told him, "Cammy, I got to sit in the fire truck, I'm serious!"

The absolute highlight for Griff was having a turn with the fire hose. I'm pretty sure all of his classmates thought that was the best part, too.

Bunk Bed Boys

I finally bought some bunk beds for my boys today, after a long quest. I've been stalking Craigslist for months, but could never find quite what I was looking for. This afternoon, I took a random trip to my local thrift store, and these beauties were sitting there, seemingly waiting for me to walk in. They are brand new, can separate into two individual twin beds, have side rails, and a ladder - - all features I was looking for.

I must admit, I've hesitated a few times in buying bunk beds, for worry that someone would launch off the top bunk and break an arm. I'm glad I got over that, because life is just too short, and the boys were so incredibly excited to see their new beds - - they just love them! At first, there was a squabble as to who would get the top bunk, but that was settled after Griff climbed to the top bunk the first time, and decided that the bottom bunk suited him just fine.

I still need to buy an additional twin mattress for Griffin, so for now he is using his toddler mattress. He feels like such a big boy in his new bed, and I know that Camden loves having his own little private haven up above his brother.

As for the fire truck bed - - it has served its purpose. We've decided that we won't be getting rid of it, but instead it will take up residence in the storage shed until maybe someone has a little boy of their own someday.

The fire truck bed had to go somewhere, and I can tell you I had a heck of a time trying to move it to the basement, but I sure felt like a rock star when I managed to get it down there by myself, without incident!