Life Keeps Ticking Away

This past week was full of our normal routine.  Saturday came along and offered a really nice break from the ordinary.  We all awoke with plans to head to a local Chick-Fil-A, Brent's most favorite place to be.  They were having a "Breakfast with Characters."  It was CRAZY busy.  They had their employees dressed as different cartoon and movie characters.  Brody didn't let Ben put him down but Brent kept on insisting on going to see someone.   The same thing happened each time.  "Spongebob" was followed by his clinging to my leg.  "Spiderman" was followed by him climbing me with his head buried.  The only person he was even a little willing to visit was "Minnie Mouse." 

We then headed home and decided it was too nice to not do something outside.  We went for a bike ride.  The boys really liked it and each took a nap at one point.  Ben did really good pulling them.  We ended up on a 3 hour bike ride.  We rode from our house to the "River Walk" and a little over half way to downtown Columbus.  It was so nice to be outside!! 

Last week Monday, January 24th, we lost our unborn baby.  Even though I was only 8 weeks along, Ben and I both felt a great loss.  This baby was wanted and loved even before it was conceived.  I thought it might be a little theraputic for me to write down all the details and my feelings on the event.  Seems I've turned to eating the past week to cope.  Ten pounds later, perhaps this was what I needed to do to end that!  I've put my story here.

We did receive many phone calls and cards offering love and support.  Thank you so much.  We also received beautiful flowers from the Hess family (Zac, Emmy, Piper and Calder) and an Edible Arrangement from the Johnson's (Nick, Jen and Logan).  (The picture of the fruit was taken after we already ate one round from it.)  Someone said to me that they just don't know what to say or do in this situation, knowing that they can't make it better.  I just wanted to put it out there that it was nice to have something said, something sent, a story shared or something.  Losing a baby so early makes it feel as if it almost didn't exist.  By people recognizing it and willing to discuss it made it REAL.  And I appreciated that so much.

THANK YOU!! 

Week in Review

Aunt Carol bought the boys these chairs last year.  They love to sit in them and "read" their books.  They know which chair is theirs and Brent has even pointed to his name, as if reading it, and announced that it says "BRENT JONES."  This is how I found them one evening after getting ready for bed.

There are certain things that I just don't let the boys eat on their own.  Oatmeal and Chocolate Pudding top the list.  Seems that more ends up on the carpet than in their mouths.  I decided that I need to let them do it.  How else will they learn right?  Turns out Brent is really good at it and hardly makes any mess at all.  Brody on the other hand... well, he really enjoyed his pudding.

We went to a Birthday Party this past Saturday at a local place called "Jumpin Jax."  The boys had a great time and didn't want to leave.  Brody tried to do everything that Brent was able to do.  They went to bed early after all their running around... wonderful!

We started watching a friends son, David, this week because his normal sitter is out of town for a couple of weeks.  David is 10 days older than Brody and is an only child for now.  He was such a good boy for us.  He loved following Brent around and copying whatever he did and Brent loved him doing it.  David's daddy has gone for training for the past 3 weeks and is soon scheduled to leave for Iraq.  His mom thought he must be missing his daddy when I told her how he kept climbing into Ben's lap all morning.  This was the first time they met!  I sure hope the next few days that we watch him go as easy as today did.

This past week was a whole new routine for us.  Ben has started school once again.  He has a very high expectation to complete his degree this year.  He's taking a full load and even had to get "special permission" from the school to take as many classes as he his.  Because he has straight A's so far from St. Leo, they granted him his request.  So, he is always busy reading, watching or writing these days.  It'll take some getting used to but will be worth it in the end.

Last week Sunday all schools and most businesses announced that they would be closed on Monday.  Atlanta got hit hard but I was expecting to wake up to more than this in the morning.

Because the temperatures were only in the 30's, they even cancelled school for Tuesday for fear of icing.  Monday our internet was out so we decided to go to McDonalds so Ben could "login" to school and the boys could play.  It was great.  Because everyone was too scared to drive, we had what seemed like the whole town to ourselves.  The only other people we ran into were Military people who were from Ohio and Michigan.  We all had our laughs.

It has been colder here than usual and really wet so we've spent a lot of time inside this past week.  The boys found new creative ways to spend their time.  A lot of card games were played.  New puzzles were put together and a lot of coloring was done.  This is what I found Brent up to one afternoon.

The boys received new "Choo Choo Train" pajamas from Grandma G for Christmas.  They love them.  They are very soft and warm.  I think between Ben & I we took 20 pictures of them and these are the only ones that they are both looking in the same direction.

New Years Resolution

I regularly keep up with Emmy's Blog, Jessica's Blog and now Jeremy's Blog. I even recreated My Parents website in their very own Blog. I have often thought about blogging again since my one week challenge from Emmy and now I have made it my New Year's Resolution. It's a great way to keep family and friends a part of our lives even though we aren't close in distance. So... here it goes. Hopefully I can keep it going!! Here is what we've been up to the past week...



We bought the boys a John Deere Gator Power Wheels for Christmas. We gave it to them the day before we left on the cruise and they were so excited to see it again after we returned from Wisconsin for Christmas. Brent can drive it completely on his own but Brody needs Brent to hold down the "gas" pedal in order for him to drive. They love it!










The Witkiewicz Family gave Brent some "Toy Story" Bubble Bath as part of his gift exchange present. Now every night after dinner we hear "Bubble Bath!!" being chanted by the boys as we head upstairs. They also received "Thomas the Train" bath toys from Grandma G and "Toy Story" Bathtime Bubbles from Magda. Bath time has been revived as a favorite thing around here now. Brent loves to swim in the water and Brody likes to "Goonie GooGoo" by dipping his face into the water.




























Brody will be 18 months in a few weeks and it was time for him to get his first haircut. Brent has been needing one as well so we headed out to a new place in town. It used to be "Crewcuts and Pigtails," a really neat place for kids to get their hair cut but they have since changed it to "Haircutz" where everyone gets a haircut for $10. They did however keep 2 of the kids chairs and a few of the toys around. Brent sat like a champ and Brody did so much better than Brent did for his first haircut. Brody was so interested in the Firetruck he was sitting in, he didn't really pay much attention to the stylist except for when she shaved his neckline at the very end. This left him in tears for a few seconds but when it was all done, he was happy once again. Both the boys look so handsome.

Day #7 - "A Week In The Life" . . .

Happy Mother's Day!!

I awoke feeling so very lucky today. Before the boys & I even rolled out of bed, we were webcamming with Ben. He made it back to his "home" which means we can webcam & see him. It's been a long couple of weeks without seeing his face. Brent went crazy with excitement! We continued to talk for almost 2 hours. It was so nice!

I am such a lucky mother. Together with the plant that Ben sent, I was given such sweet things today. Tery, my sweetest, most cherished friend sent me a fun card with chocolate! PERFECT! Jen, my favorite sister-in-law, and my mom also sent cards with nice thoughts. Thanks to Jessica, I even had a card to open this morning that had the boys scribbles inside. Such a thoughtful thing to do while she was here. These things all started my day with a huge smile.






We had made plans to go to a fair in Macon, GA today with Aunt Carol & Chelsea (they must not be sick of us yet!). We decided to meet at Panera for a bite to eat before the trip. What sweet boys to take their momma out for breakfast!

The Macon "Georgia State Fair" was a bit disappointing. We unloaded the boys and headed in. Grabbed a little lunch, walked the Midway, went near the petting zoo, heard a little bit of a good band and then left. Brody loved sipping on the Lemonade while we walked around and Brent was busy pointing at the different rides and screaming at any animal we came near. While this was promoted as the "State Fair," from what the Walker's say, the "National State Fair" that is held in the fall in Perry, GA is really the one to go to. We look forward to it.

After spending only about an hour at the fair, we headed back to the car for some diaper changes and to figure out where else we should go since we made the drive to Macon. We decided on an outdoor mall. It was a nice afternoon of shopping. I was introduced to "Charming Charlie". A store with tons of gaudy junk jewelery. What a great place! We then ate dinner at "Five Guys". YUMMY!! And made our way home.

The boys both slept on the way home but by the time we pulled into the driveway, Brody was awake. I carried Brent in and put him into his bed, dirty clothes & dirty face. I thought I would just put Brody into his PJ's and into bed but he just wouldn't have it. So, he played very nice while I got ready for bed. Once I was done, I laid him in bed and he was sleeping within minutes. Such a good boy.

Ben's picture was posted on Facebook by his Brigade. I am so proud of him for finishing up yet another round of training. He's not going to be doing the job he was hoping for but we both know that things happen for a reason and God has a great plan for him. Today was a rough day for me missing Ben. I feel like I've been doing really, really well but today, I just wasn't "strong." Lots of tears later and I still miss him terribly but I have never been so proud of my man. I owe so much to him and I'd like to say a special "Thank You" to the man who made all my dreams come true. Especially my most desired dream, to be a mom. A role that I knew I was born to fulfill. Thank you for our boys Babe!! I love you!

Day #6 - Out & About . . .

Seems we've been living life like we are on a vacation. With Aunt Carol as my partner for the weekend, we decided to do something out of Columbus. We drove up to the Georgia Renaissance Festival in Fairburn. Chelsea joined us for the drive and Chucky & his girlfriend, Heather, met us there.
Brent & I went to the the Faire in Bristol, WI just 2 summers ago and this was much of the same thing. The Walkers had never been to one before so it was fun to walk around and take it all in with them. Between all of us there were Beef Sticks, Monkey Tails, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, a Porkchop on a stick, Potato Skins & Cheese Sticks eaten. We took in a comedy show of Acrobats and then headed back to Columbus because Chelsea had a date with her boyfriend to go see a movie that she had to get back for. I hope to go again next spring with Ben and the boys and spend a little more time there.


The boys were very good today. Here is a picture of Brent sharing his drink with Brody. While there are moments that Brent is mean to Brody, for the most part, he is always concerned for him. Always making sure he's coming along with us. Always making sure he gets a bite or a drink. I hope it forever stays that way.

We met up with Chelsea & Brandon after their date at a movie for dinner at a local restaurant, BMerrells. Brent helped Brandon color a bit while we waited to eat. Aunt Carol took this picture on her phone.

The boys and I then finally made our way back home. We stopped to fill up with gas and when we pulled into our driveway, Brent did his usual "There it is!". Unpacked the car and put the boys into the tub for a much needed bath. They didn't get the chance to play very long because it was already late and past their bedtimes. Read 2 new "Toy Story" books to them and they were on their way to sleeping. They've been so easy the past 3 nights to put to bed. Could I really have done it?? Can it be like this every evening?? I sure hope the streak continues!!


I then headed downstairs to begin my nightly ritual for bottle cleaning, diaper bag refilling and picking up whatever needs to be put away. I noticed there were messages on the phone so I listened and found that there was a "gift" left on my front porch. At 10:00 at night I opened my front door to find a surprise Mother's Day gift from my loving husband! What a great way to end my day. I have it sitting on the kitchen counter so it greets me first thing tomorrow morning. Thanks Ben for taking the time to send me something while you are busy taking care of business so far from home. I love you & miss you so much!!

Day #5 - Friday is here. . .

Friday has arrived. One more week closer to seeing "Daddy!"

Last night both boys made it through staying in their own beds. This is how I found Brody this morning. He is always happy in the morning. Brent on the other hand is a lot more like me, it takes us awhile to wake up. I thought I would catch him first thing to go peepee on the potty. Doesn't he looked thrilled?

We had a busy morning. I managed to get a load of laundry done and we all made it through breakfast without any drama. Got dressed and headed to "My Gym" for some "Free Play." Aunt Carol was nice enough to meet me there and watch the boys while I had a little "me" time to get my nails done.


After playtime, we went out to lunch with Aunt Carol & Chucky to "Cheddars." Aunt Carol entertained us by giving Brody her lemons. Ha, Ha on us . . . he likes them. After lunch we went to JC Penny's to look around and then headed home.




We were able to get our walk in even though it was hot, hot, hot. So much so that dinner was Pancakes for the boys. I wasn't hungry. After I showered up, we headed back out on the town to meet up again with Aunt Carol. (Uncle Chuck is in Florida on a fishing trip so I have a partner for the weekend.) We ate a good dinner at "Jason's Deli" and then hit up "Old Navy" to see what they had. After that, we stopped at Walmart for a few items and by then, it was way past the boys bedtime.

We came home, walked into the house, went upstairs and Brent begged to go to bed. Ahhh, if only it was like that every night. Bottles washed, Diaper Bag refilled and I am ready for another day.

Have a great Mother's Day Weekend!!