SOS training part 1

Well, we are slowly adjusting to life here in Alabama. We are loving the south. The people are so nice and the weather and country side is beautiful here. I wouldn't mind if we got assigned to live in Alabama (it could happen since the Montgomery guard base just announced that they were switching from F-16s to F-35s in the next 5 years or so). Once the initial excitement wore off with the kids, we have done our best to create somewhat of a schedule with this very unstructured situation. We wake up, go do an activity or just get out of the house, then come back for nap time, and then usually hit up the park in the afternoon till Kyle comes home or we go and pick him up from base. We are getting really good at discovering new parks around the area. Our favorites are the Freedom park on base, and Vaughn road park. Both have lots of play structures for the kids to play on and plenty of field space for the kids to run around in. 

One of the first things we did was get a Costco card. Hallelujah, being back in the States mean COSTCO!!! And to make things even better is that there is a Costco right across the street from our apartment complex. I mean RIGHT across the street. On the days that Kyle takes the car to work the kids and I walk over to Costco, walk the aisle, eat the samples, play on their little play house that's on display, grab a hot dog for lunch and head back home. It is a favorite activity of ours. Connor is obsessed with the hotdog/drink, and Abby enjoys playing in the play house. Brayden, he just likes to do what his brother and sister do and thinks he is such a big boy. I can't believe how big he is getting and how good he is with walking and running. He can keep up with the other kids and really hates to be contained in a stroller or cart now. I am not ready for my baby to be a big boy just yet, and still force him to take naps and give him milk in a bottle. He has been so good with sleeping in a pack n' play these past several weeks that I reward him with a nice big bottle full of whole milk before his nap and bedtime. That's his reward for being such a good sport for having a horrible, uncomfortable bed. He is such a good boy and I just love my not so chubby anymore, boy.

I am worried because Connor's beloved blanket is getting really "used"and has holes all over it that keep getting bigger and bigger. This kid has loved his blanket so much he has almost killed it. The type of material makes it so I cannot repair the ever growing holes. I am afraid that one day (in the very near future) there will be nothing left of his beloved blanket that he CANNOT seem to sleep without! His lovie blanket is everything to that sweet boy, and I just hope I can try to slowly introduce a new blanket to him that he loves just as much before his current blanket completely unravels to nothing.

Our first Sunday we went to church it just happened to be Stake Conference. It was fine, but having 2 hours to watch the kids and keep them reverent and sitting somewhat still is hard! my kids need primary, they need to sing songs, and move around a bit. Let's just say the following Sunday was much more enjoyable with it being normal church meetings. The ward here is a wonderful ward full of very sweet and inviting people. Many people got my phone number and we have already been in touch planning play dates for our kids to get together. That's what I love about ward families, instant friends and a group of people that are there willing and wanting to help you out. Having friends for my kids to play with has been so wonderful for them, especially since they have just left all their friends back in Japan.

Speaking of friends, the other day we went to Chick Fil A for lunch and met a sweet lady who was there with her two daughters, and some other friends with their kids. She just came right up to me and started chatting my ear off in her adorable southern accent. She invited me to her Baptist church for an Easter egg hunt the following week, and we exchanged numbers to plan another get together. Literally the next day she invited us to come and join her and her friends at the park, so I thought why not. We all had a wonderful time and now we go to their weekly playgroup activities. I am so grateful that this sweet lady (Brittani) came up to me that day at Chick Fil A with her southern hospitality. It's amazing how people come into our lives and literally fill voids we might have, or help us out in times of need. The Lord directs us to be his assistants in answering prayers, and in this case Brittani and her two daughters were an answer to my prayers.

Montgomery has an amazing fine arts museum with a great children's section. Mornings here in Montgomery have been a bit chilly lately so we thought we would go and check it out when its a little too cold to be outside. We spent probably 2 hours there before lunch time, and the kids were begging to stay longer they had so much fun. Since then we have attended the art museum at least once a week. I love taking my kids to interactive museums. I feel it's educational, entertaining, and exciting for all of us.

We have also been enjoying picnics outside in the afternoons as much as possible. The other day we decided to check out the Shakespeare gardens for our picnic and afterwards went to the nearby pond to feed the ducks. I didn't think that feeding the ducks was going to be such a traumatizing event, but boy was I wrong. As soon as we started to get near the pond the ducks started walking over to us (obviously they are used to people feeding them). Abby and Connor immediately started screaming and running away. Amidst my laughter I corralled my screaming kids to give it another go, only to have them scream in circles around me while this one particular duck kept getting closer and closer. I thought Connor was going to pass out he was so scared and screaming so loudly. Once they saw me feed the ducks and that I wasn't dying, they seemed to calm down and even started to feed them as well. Drama, drama, drama! And the best part was when we were about to leave they asked if they could come back again to feed the ducks. HA! Oh they are funny I tell ya.

Montgomery is home to the first Confederacy White House. Me being a complete history nerd really wanted to go and check it out. The White House is located downtown in the old district of Montgomery, and was surprisingly a lot smaller than what I expected it to be. We parked the car and walked around downtown till we fell upon it. We even lucked out because when we arrived the building was closed except for a private tour in which we were invited to join. The tour guide was very sweet to let us tag along and he was even great with my kids showing them the nursery room and children's room that belonged to Jefferson Davis' children. It was really neat to see that little bit of history and to learn a little bit more about Montgomery's importance during the Civil War and their production of Cotton and latter on, Cattle.

Because Cattle was and is so important to Montgomery, we even went to a "Mooseum." They had a whole museum dedicated to the progression of cattle importance to the city and state, and once again had a great children's section. The kids loved to play around dressing up as cowboys, milking a pretend cow, and playing in a play kitchen making different meat dishes to eat. Perhaps the one who had the most fun was Brayden. He loved to sit on the saddles and got a kick out of the fake cow they had on display. Way to go Montgomery with your awesome museums and children sections!

Well, my attempt to keep the kids on a somewhat schedule has failed miserably. Usually Connor and Abby don't take naps, but lately they have been driving me insane during the day that I make them have "quiet time" which always results in them falling asleep. I just need a break from them during the day because they get super whiney and grumpy. Again, they normally don't take naps, so I don't know where this behavior has come from all of a sudden. So now that they have been taking naps, they don't go to bed till about 8:30/9:00 at night. It has been a struggle at night time because now Kyle and I don't have any downtime or kid free time before we have to go to bed as well. I don't know what to do and just hope that once we get to Arizona we can get back on a schedule and get things back in order once again.

Spring is starting to hit the south and it's absolutely beautiful here. Kyle has been getting done with work lately around 4:00, so once we pick him up we swing by the park to enjoy the great outdoors. I love how much my kids enjoy being outside. Brayden loves it the most. If he could that kid would live outdoors, and nothing seems to bother him while outside either. He falls, rolls, gets bumped, and even trips all over the place but never once does he cry when he is outside when those things happen. Inside he will cry over the smallest things, but outside he is the toughest kid I have ever seen. He just loves it, and if you let him run around a big open field with a ball to kick you have just made his dreams come true. He is pretty easy to please. Just another reason why I love that little boy.

We busted out the little Vietnamese outfits Kyle and I got for the kids when we were in Vietnam. I wanted to see how they looked on the kids, and was really missing life in Asia so I thought, why not. Oh my goodness, they were more adorable on then I thought they would be. The kids loved them and I loved how light weight the material was. Brayden's outfit had me laughing so hard. His porky belly was literally busting his buttons I could barely get it over his round belly. He definitely has a different body build from Abby and Connor. I think he has more of the burly Macdonald genes in him and Abby and Connor definitely have Kyle's skinny Benham genes. We got some stares as we ran to the grocery store that day because it's not very typical to see white kids, dressed in Asian outfits, in the south.

Our friends introduced us to Rockin' Jump. Tucky, Stephanie and their daughter, Charlie are friends from Misawa that are here as well for SOS and they also happen to live in the same apartment complex as us which has been so nice for car pooling and for hanging out with friends. Lets just say my kids didn't have a great time at this trampoline park, they had an amazing time! They loved it and were so sweaty by the end of our 2 hours that we were there. We will be back that's for sure. I am just so glad I found a place that literally bounces out all the enrage from my very active kids. Mom win!

On the first day of spring Dairy Queen was giving out free ice cream cones. I couldn't think of a better thing to do on the first day of spring than to go get ice cream, and the kids thought I was a pretty cool mom as well. Thanks Dairy Queen form making my kid's day, they are still talking about how much they enjoyed their ice cream cones.

After almost 4 years, Kyle and I decided it was time to go to Texas Road House. Everything we would come back to the States for a visit these past couple of years we always wanted to eat there but never seemed to have the time. With the restaurant being 5 minutes away from our apartment we were excited to FINALLY hit up one of our favorite places to eat out at. We ate 5 baskets of rolls alone! Abby and Connor were obsessed with them and were just downing them. The steak was delicious too. Man, I don't know if it's because it's been so long since we have eaten there, but it was probably the most delicious meal we have had in a very long time. I love Texas Road House! I have a feeling we will be back again during out stay here, especially with it being so close and convenient.

Back at the art museum we attended the children's story time and craft. We read a book about different flowers and colors, then looked at some painting of flowers and their arrangements. Finally the kids got the chance to make their own flower arrangements and pictures. Abby and Connor had a blast, Brayden did not. His attention span is not quite long enough for an activity like this just yet, so while the older two kids listened and participated, I walked the hallways with Brayden checking out the other fine art paintings in the museum. Oh how I long for the day that all three of them sit and I don't have to chase after anyone! Will that day ever come?

Kyle had an activity at SOS that spouses were able to attend and watch. It was a nice break to get out and to see Kyle during the day. The kids had a blast, and I just tried to not laugh as I watched all these Air Force captains play this game. It almost looked like grown ups playing a game of Harry Potter quidditch. They had different teams with different missions of trying to score or hit the target of the other groups. There were dodge balls being thrown everywhere, people we "tagged" and had to leave, and there was a guarded target. The rules didn't really make sense and apparently it is a team building exercise/game, but boy was it funny to watch as a side liner.

We are in the Tiger squadron during our SOS time. This is the "family squadron" filled with all the different guys who are married and have their wives, husbands, and kids present during the TDY. It's nice that they put us all together so we can all be present at our specific activities and to assist us in making friends. So far the kids and I have attend just about every activity we can and have met a lot of people and made a lot of friends. Something else we do is that a local Baptist church here offers free daycare for kids while the SOS spouses attend a marriage/parenting seminar. I thought I would go and check it out and it turned out to be a lot of fun and quite interesting, and the kids had a great time as well. So I now go every Tuesday to these marriage/parenting classes where we SOS spouses learn how to deal with challenges that the military life posses on our marriages and our families, all while getting in some adult time that is kid free! My kids also get to play with other kids, sing songs and learn about Jesus (I love to hear the little southern songs about how Jesus loves them on our drives home), make crafts, and get to play outside and have snack time. We all have a great time, and Tuesday mornings are now turning into one of our favorite days of the week because of it.