The Europeans Ruined it for Me

I have never seen so many Europeans outside of Europe in my life. I think the entire country of Spain was at Universal today. What happened to Spain's crumbling economy? 

Either two things were going to happen today. Either I was going to punch a rude Spaniard in the face or suffer from frostbite. I don't know how I possibly suffered through the day without either occurring.

We did play some basketball, though, because this is not something we can do for free at our house. We are real adventuresome like that. The fun really began,  however, when the boys attempted a brief trash talking episode with three Spanish boys who were Heat fans. When the language barrier got us stuck with the Spanish saying "het" for "heat", the episode quickly ended. I tried to intervene by actually translating the trash talk into Spanish and one of the boys looked at me and said, "I don't speak English!" So I said in Spanish, "I am speaking Spanish; not English." and he said, "I don't speak English!"

My self-esteem was permanently damaged with this brief encounter.

I realize I could never live in Europe ever again. Too many Europeans. 

I am ready to go home.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

There seems to be a pattern with our holiday vacation plans and the weather. It is either snowing, tornadoes are ripping up cities on our tour, or it is raining. Today it poured on us!

The rain couldn't stop us, though. We made it to Harry Potter and experienced a ride like no other! Best of all, we only had to wait in line 90 minutes! I had high hopes that the rain would keep out the hundreds of thousands of other guests who planned to visit the park today. Unfortunately, the butter beer and magic wands were so enticing that even rain couldn't keep them away. I have never seen so many people in once place...EVER!

Wes says that after a day spent at an amusement park he feels like he just endured the Bataan death march. Since we were in bed by 9:00, I think it means we are just old.

Holiday and History

The tour of the greater southeast continues. Today we drove half way to Orlando and made a stop in Mobile at the USS Alabama. We arrived two days after a tornado ripped through the mid-town area and in the middle of a fluke cold spell. Once again we weren't prepared for the cold. 

We climbed to the top of the ship, toured the living quarters, and pretended to shoot up the enemy.

On our way out of the park, I noticed a decorated WW2 vet sitting in the gift shop with a glazed look on his face as he sat in the corner ready to answer any questions guests might have. Not one person stopped to thank him for his service or ask a question. His story was not heard. It's truly a shame that so few people want to hear the stories of our veterans.

Next stop is the happiest place on Earth!

Winter Wonderland in Texas

We arrived to Texas with temperatures sitting at a very pleasant 72 degrees. It was perfect. I never dreamed that two days later we would experience a Christmas like none other.

We were awakened before the sun was up to thunder and lightning. By late afternoon the rain turned to sleet and then snow. When the snow started falling, we all ran to gather the kids to take a quick picture. We knew there was no way it would stick because this is Texas, after all, and it would be short lived, because well, this is Texas after all.

Caroline, Mallory, Keagan, Evan

Two hours later, though, we had a beautiful white Christmas. Texas has a reputation for unpredictable weather, but snow on Christmas is about as far fetched as they come.

The winter wonderland was beautiful until we lost electricity, heat and water. Then the snow quickly lost its appeal. We were in bed before ten wrapped in five layers of blankets praying we didn't freeze.

Today we awoke to 4 inches of snow and a true winter wonderland.

Of course we never packed clothes meant for two days in the snow. The boys are wearing Daddy's thick socks, four shirts, hoodies, Oma's gloves, and baseball caps that belong to Opa.

I am content to stay inside in front of the fire. My open toed shoes wouldn't do much for me in this weather anyway.

Santa requires a daily dose of fiber and may have a drinking problem

Santa arrived and brought Keystone Light and Raisin Bran, the breakfast of champions. 

Not really, but the boys got a kick out of opening Uncle Jamie's gifts and finding these boxes under the wrapping paper. 

My champions did, however, have a Christmas morning filled with sporting goods.

With the Nerf glow in the dark football, we will now be able to play football in the dark. Our neighbors' brief respite from the after-dark cheers is now over.

 Basketball jerseys - The fight over which player is better, Durant or Nowitski, has been on going. It is still a toss up.

A collection of over 500 football cards makes for one happy boy.

Soccer guys...hours of play design and commentary have already transpired. LOVE listening to this little guy pretend to play soccer almost as much as I love to watch him play soccer.

The best gift of all, though, was our holiday spent together.

Merry Christmas Eve

On our drive to Texas Keagan had one request. "Daddy, when we stop for gas, can you make sure that we not stop in the ghetto? When we stop at those places with bars on the windows and see people with their pants hanging low and caps turned backwards, I get really scared." 

Luckily we were able to time all of our stops ghetto free and we made it to Texas in record time, only 13.75 hours!

We spent Christmas Eve making cookies for Santa, making food for the reindeer, and

hunting for mountain lions at my sister-in-law's house. No trip to Texas would be complete without a gun and a good hunt.

Perfectionism is a Beast

Tis the season to make gingerbread houses. We used uneaten Halloween candy, homemade icing and graham crackers. The finished products looked just as good as any house from a kit!

Evan's House

However, the road to a finish product didn't go as smoothly as we had planned.

Evan started out all smiles but when Keagan's house had four walls and a door, and Evan's house had four walls that had collapsed on each other for a second time, Evan left the room in tears. Perfectionism is a beast! Poor guy just couldn't handle the awesome design of the K&K. It was only minutes later that Wes was found in the kitchen clearly wishing I had kept all of my creative, holiday ideas to myself.

Keagan offered his master builder skills and soon the house was upright again with a door and all of the candy trimmings.
We now add gingerbread houses to the list of banned family activities. It sits right under putt-putt.

Rock Flying Eagle

It's official. Last night we bid farewell to the home of the Dog Faced Soldiers.

Next stop is home of the Flying Eagles.

Packing...Again!

This can mean only one thing.

Move #I've-Forgotten-How-Many-Times-We-Have-Packed-and-Moved is just around the corner. Wes reports to the exotic and ever exciting Fort Campbell on 14-JAN.

I say exciting without a hint of sarcasm because we actually look forward to living in a town that has a mall, a Target, and a Five Guys. We know because we have googled it already several times. It was too good to be true to have all three, so we had to double check ourselves before our hopes got too high. In fact, I am googling it again just to be double sure.

We're ready for you, Tennessee! Ready for Titan football, country music, and summers on the lake. It would all be a bit more exciting if I could say summers on our boat on the lake, but everyone knows that if you are in the military and buy a boat, you are certain to be on orders to move in less than three months. I am hoping for a stay of at least two years before I bring out the packing paper again.

All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, My Two Front Teeth

For three weeks we have listened to the cute, sweet, hug him lisp caused from Keagan losing his first top tooth. I've secretly hoped that he would lose both top teeth before Christmas so that I could blog with such a season appropriate title. The credit goes to Evan, though, because he knocked it out. Evan is three for four with knocking out his little brother's teeth. Nothing says brotherly love or Christmas spirit like a mouth full of blood and tooth in hand!

This is Practice For When I Make It Big

A few months ago, Keagan entered a community photo contest. Tonight the Chamber of Commerce hosted a holiday reception to honor the participants.

Keagan was not thrilled about attending because I made him wear his corduroys and church shoes. However, I tried to explain that the event would be special because it was hosted by the mayor as a way to say thank you to him and to honor his participation in the contest.

When Wes and he arrived, Keagan was immediately drawn to the snack table and found the chicken wings, the jalapenos, and the assortment of cheese cubes "fancy." His photos were showcased on the big screen, and the combo of food and recognition made him feel like he was on the red carpet.

He was recognized at the event and had his picture taken with the mayor.

And because she is such a good sport, we also had this one taken.

As Keagan left the reception, he told Wes, "Thanks for being my escort tonight, Dad. This is good practice for the day when I make it big and get drafted and have to walk on the stage to get my NFL jersey."

I wonder if he knows that on that day he will be expected to wear church shoes AND a suit.

Weekend in Review

The wands received this week from Saint Nicholas have been put to good use. Keagan used a magical spell last night to turn Evan into a Hooter's Girl. And just so we are clear, Keagan feels strongly that those girls are nasty!

This was after we spent an ungodly amount of money at the Olde Pink House eating a dinner meant for  a king and after a vain attempt by well meaning parents to teach the boys appropriate table etiquette. I think we mastered one skill: no elbows on the table. Evan is still confused by the assortment of cutlery.

This was after Evan threw a fit when I told him he had to wear something other than jeans to one of the nicest restaurants in Savannah. He told me in a rather terse voice, "I would be much happier in jeans eating Five Guys!" He had no problem slammin' that crab cake down, though.

But after ALL  of that Friday night excitement, I was finally, after two weeks, able to finish my final paper of the semester. I know more about the overexcitabilities experienced by the gifted population than should be humanly possible. Six weeks of freedom and then it all starts again!

St. Nicholas Day

I don't know any German boys who wake up on St.Nicholas day to find Addidas outfits or Harry Potter wands in their dad's combat boots. I think they probably find things like nuts, sticks, and oranges; I can't even imagine what would happen if I left a container of Planters mixed nuts for my boys. Probably a mini-coup. After Evan's fit last year when he did not find what he wanted in the boot, I was super proud to have the perfect gift this year. The wands have been hiding in my closet for months. Would you know Keagan was the one upset this year? All because he didn't have a set of football trading cards? Really? It just so happens that a friend of Wes's cleaned out his closet this weekend and found a Troy Aikman football card. Wes, assuming this would totally appease Keagan, brought it home today to show the boys. Keagan took one look, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Yeah? Well, what's so special about it?"

St. Nicholas might just retire from visiting the Toole house next year. Either that, or I'm sticking to the more traditional gift of nuts and dried fruit.

By the way, the Harry Potter wands might be a BIG clue to this year's Christmas trip.

Thanksgiving in Texas

This year we traveled to Texas for the holiday. It was a marked improvement from last year's holiday where we were saying good-bye to Wes in moldy Army barracks and eating Cracker Barrel hundreds of miles away from home.

This year we are thankful for cousins and all the fun we can have teaching them to play soccer and playing hide-and-go-seek. There might be new word or two that these sweet little ones now know as a result of our visit. 

Evan, Abbigail, Hunter, and Keagan - Toole Cousins

Evan, Keagan, Mallory, and Caroline - Farragh Cousins

We are thankful for our Texas roots and our families that provide "home" when we are constantly on the go. A special thanks to my sister-in-law that introduced me to the specialty drink Lime-a-Rita. I've popped the top to a can already today.

TOOLE family

FARRAGH family

 We are thankful for our two smart, athletic, and healthy boys.

Most of all, though, we are thankful to just be together this holiday season!

Card Carrying Dependent

When you reach the all important milestone of double digits, you must carry your own military ID card. Evan is now a card carrying dependent and more than ready for that first MP to ask to see it.

Weekend in the Mountains

Wes completed his two weeks of reintegration training last week, so we are spending our long weekend in a cabin in the mountains of north Georgia surrounded by water falls and hiking trails.

This morning we hiked a trail to see Anna Ruby Falls. Keagan was not impressed with the idea of hiking to the top of a mountain once he learned that we were using a trail and not "using our fingers" to scale the side of the mountain. We have had some pretty adventuresome vacation trips, but I don't know how he ever believed I would let him repel.

Then we hiked a path around Unicoi Lake. This was more to Evan's liking because without a marked trail he was free to roam and explore. I think he secretly hoped he would encounter a black bear.

We ended our nature hike on the Chattahoochee River. Thankfully we never encountered that bear. 

I would be lying if I told you the weekend trip was planned around a quest to reconnect with nature. I really wanted to see the Alpine Village of Helen, designed to look like a small Bavarian village, and reconnect with my love of all things German. 

After eating spaetzle suppen for lunch and sharing apple fritters for desert, Evan wistfully commented,
 "Germany must be a wonderful place." This clearly means that I must do my best to ensure Evan has the opportunity to see for himself how wonderful Germany can be. Obviously, I must plan a trip to the boys' homeland in the very near future...the sacrifices we make as parents.

Just Call Me an Old Timer

Another school play. I found myself yawning multiple times wondering if the next state we live in will have a fine arts initiative.
Please say it ain't so.

This year's musical was America Rocks and it took the audience through important events in America's history. Evan's class represented the Wild West; they danced the cotton eyed joe and put on a really great performance. It was so good that I felt a little guilty for hoping we were attending our last school musical.

Of course he had to dress the part of a cowboy so I pulled out the duster Evan wore when he was a cowboy for Halloween seven years ago. Seven years ago! Today it fit him more like a vest.

 Look at those chubby cheeks!

At the end of the play, I checked him out of school early and walked him to the classroom to gather his things. Four kids stopped him and asked, "Hey, Evan! Is THAT your mom?" They looked me up and down and then nodded and mumbled, "OOOHHHH."

Evan later told me, "Don't worry about all of that, Mom. They just can't believe I have a mom that's not 23."

Clash of the Titans

In order to prepare for our big tournament, Keagan's team played Evan's team today.

They both played mid-field. When one came off the field, the other did, too.

When Evan beat Keagan to the ball, I cheered. When Keagan stole the ball from Evan, I cheered.

 

I think the parents sitting next to me thought I had a personality disorder because I cheered for both blue and white. They had no idea I had a player on each team. 

At one point they were both chasing the ball down the sideline, I jumped out of my seat to see who would win the ball. In all of my excitement, I didn't realize that I had run onto the middle of the field.

 In the end, Evan's team took the win 6 - 1. Surprisingly, the game was never mentioned again. The boys walked off the field and didn't speak of it.

The next game began, and just like that, the Class of the Titans was over.