Day 50: Daddy dolls

Last week I received an excited voicemail message from our Fleet & Family Support rep that she had been able to find us a few "Daddy dolls" and had dropped them into the mail. Immediately I was asking myself the exact same question you're asking - what the hell is a Daddy doll? So, of course, I looked it up on Google and this is what I found -

Now. I am all for supporting our troops and helping my children cope but seeing this picture literally sent me into fits of hysterical laughter. Sue and I were joking that since we hadn't ordered these Daddy dolls ourselves, would they show up with the face of some other Daddy? Would that cause a lot of confusion when Dan comes home?!? Fortunately, our dolls arrived today and look like this -

Total truth, I still think they're kind of creepy. BUT - anything at all that makes M&P feel comforted is a blessing so we will now insert a funny picture of Dan and see what happens. Look for updated Daddy doll pictures soon! 

Day 49: The Disney dilemma

Pretty much from the moment we found out Dan was being deployed we decided we wanted to take the kids to Disney when he comes home. Originally we thought Disney World so we could go see Sue and Mario at the same time. Now we're talking about Disneyland because it's so close and honestly a lot more budget-friendly (not that Disney is really budget-friendly at all but you get the point.)

I went to the website last night, took a look and....total freakout. I mean...even trying to think about what we want to do is driving me into shutdown mode. I want to, of course, make sure everything is perfect but I'm so out of my element and am sure I'm going to mess up and not book all the cool things I was supposed to book. If anyone has any advice whatsoever please share. I am a Disneyland virgin with a whole lot to learn!

Day 48: A new 'do

Sue took both M&P to get their hair cut today, which is such a huge help to me. Especially for Miss P - she was in desperate need of a trim. M was so excited to show his Daddy his new haircut. He keeps telling me that now "it's short just like Daddy's hair!"

Day 47: The brick wall

 

It's only 9:30pm but I have officially hit a wall. Lately I've been bouncing between wanting to curl up and go to bed at 6:00 and not being able to sleep and staying up until 1am watching "Downton Abby." I think a lot of it has to do with my workout schedule (or lack thereof) as of late. Getting myself up to be on the treadmill before 6am or staying awake to go running after I get the kids in bed/ lay out clothes/pack lunches/clean up after dinner/check work emails/make something for myself is quite frankly just one more "to do." But I really, really miss running so am hoping to try and eek out a little time here and there to get back into a routine. And I'm definitely planning on getting back into running and the gym when Dan comes home. I even think we're going to do another 1/2 marathon together this fall. For now, I'm trying not to beat myself up too much and am just focusing on one day at a time!

Day 45 & 46: The gift of family

I truly am blessed to have such an amazing family. Sue and I went to dinner on Saturday to celebrate her birthday and had a wonderful time laughing, talking and sitting by the ocean. Sunday we were treated to a surprise visit by our favorite cousins and Aunt Caroline. As it so happens their Dad is on an extended military training assignment right now and is also not at home. Getting all the kids together is such fun and gives everyone a few hours of smiles and laughs without having to miss their Daddies so much.

Day 44: Friday night fun

We don't watch much TV in our house but we are definitely movie-lovers. Friday evening has turned into movie night at Chez Summa. Every week the kids get to pick what we're going to watch and eat a big batch of popcorn sprinkled with M&M's. Tonight's screening was "Brave" and we even had Merida there for a guest appearance! Such a simple new tradition but we love it!

Day 43: Decorating madness

One of the greatest things about having Sue in town is that she's a crazy-talented decorator. I've been telling her for years to open her own consulting business. Anyway, I came home today and she had gone out and bought tons of fun things for us to look at to decorate the house. I'm terribly indecisive so getting to look at so many options was not only fun but really helpful! I'm hoping to get a lot done before Dan comes home as a big "welcome home" surprise!