Dining Out

This past Friday, My Love and I were able to attend an official Dining Out with his squadron.

It was a  TON of fun!

The "Dining Out" is steeped in tradition - replete with rules on how to do, pretty much, everything.

My first experience with a dining out was in May 2007. I was 700 months pregnant with Jumping Bean, and My Love was in OCS in Pensacola, FL. The dining out was held at the Officer's club on NAS Pensacola (Which is GORGEOUS) and we had a great time.

May 2007

Except.

Except for when I had to rush out and exit the hall - without permission - to throw up.  Yep. Little Jumping Bean decided broccoli was not for me and needed to be ejected post haste.

That was a big deal.

Not so much that I threw up...but that I left without following protocol and tradition.

Protocol dictated permission must be requested, by the active duty service member, for their needs or those of their date. Unfortunately, when I told My Love I NEEDED to throw up; he suggested I "hold it."

When you are pregnant, you don't "hold" anything. 

Ever.

So, I was excited to attend a dining out not pregnant, and with a bit more knowledge of how it all worked.

First - it is a formal affair. The service members wear choker dress whites (Favorite!!), or service dress blues (Depends on time of year), or mess dress; and the civilian wears formal or cocktail attire.

A chance to get all dressed up is hard to come by  - and it was a blast to get to spend 2 hours getting myself ready for a date!

There are a bunch of rules about when you must sit, when you stand, whom you can speak to, the order of the toasts, and when you may go to the bathroom.  Which, actually, makes it a lot of fun. Because when there are that many rules....some are bound to broken.

And when they are broken, punishment is meted. Which is why there is a grog.

(The grog is a mix of drinks that is supposed to taste nasty. In Pensacola, the alcoholic mix was in a toilet, and the non-alcoholic combo was in a potty chair.)

Friday night found some people having to do cartwheels, sing Billy Joel, or having to do a somersault, in addition to drinking the grog.

The entertainment was a skit, roasting various members of the squadron. My Love was a part of it and got everyone laughing right away. (I should have taken pictures, but I was laughing to hard!) We also had live music from 3 members of squadron and it was a treat!

Overall, the night was a complete success.  It was fun and enjoyable. And it left us all with a feeling of camaraderie to build upon over the next year.

If you ever have the chance - you should go to a dining out (or military ball)....just be sure to go to the bathroom before dinner starts!

~Whitney

 Copyright 2012

Honeytrip 2012 part 2

So, while we didn't have any craziness happen on our honey trip (a la the last time we flew); I was reminded of My Love's job.

My Love is a Naval Aviator.

While the flying part of his job means he gets to wear green pajamas into work most days (and his schedule is written in jell-o) that is NOT the part of his job that got me laughing this past weekend.


Nope.

It was his ground job (the job he does when he's not flying). He is currently the ASO (Aviation Safety Officer) for his squadron.  Which is GREAT.

It is a job chock-full of the most technically-brain-melting-writing I have ever heard of. In fact, after learning more about his job, I became extremely thankful for getting to change poop. 

This all has a point. I promise.

Our flight out of Hampton Roads was on a Delta carrier.
We were seated in the exit row over the wings.
(Which I don't think I have ever gotten to sit in before....I've always been pregnant!)
He had the window seat and started looking out the window while we were waiting for the other passengers to shove and finagle their items into the overhead bins.

That is when he noticed corrosion. Or bolts. Or aviation stuff. 

And started explaining to me how the wing can snap *like this* with just a small amount of corrosion in the right spot.

Really? 

REALLY.

Thankfully, I am not scared-to-death of flying....however - having spots that could indicate a wing ripping off when we are at altitude pointed out to me - was not exactly a calming conversation.

Then on a flight home - I realized, in a very uncomfortable way - I now get a little airsick. Thankfully, I never actually threw up....but it was extremely close.

I was losing color, and losing clothing (The aviator said if I stayed cool it would help keep the nausea at bay), and trying anything to calm my stomach.

My Love was losing his composure, and trying desperately not to laugh at my expense. (Actually, he was very understanding and helpful in the moment....it was the after that had him cracking up.)

I decided the next time we fly - I'm taking the window seat! 

Thankfully, my stomach settled down and we were able to fully enjoy our welcome home party from the Beans.

Complete with balloons, brownies,  and a sign. :)

Home - what a wonderful place to be.

~Whitney


 Copyright 2012

Honeytrip 2012

This past Thursday-Monday My Love and I were able to go away - just the TWO of us!!! - and remember why on earth we married each other.

It. Was. AWESOME.

In the airport, waiting on Delta. Like normal.

We married each other because we like doing nothing, and everything, and everything-in-between, together.

Case in point:

We found a park in front of the New World Symphony and decided it was a perfect place to NOT act like grown-ups.

So I "owled".....

My Love "planked"....

and posed. :)  (He may not be entirely thrilled about this picture.)

I showed him up in my balancing abilities - I'm a mama of 4. I know how to balance!

He showed me up in his strength - He's a daddy of 4. He knows how to carry a lot of things on his shoulders!

We found an AH-MA-ZING South American bakery just 2 block from where we stayed...and managed to eat there everyday for breakfast.

 It was just that good.  Cafe con Leche. Homemade empanadas. From scratch pastries. Ham (Fresh shaved) and cheese croissants.  It was utterly delicious.

We did other stuff..like shopping...the beach...eating...and just overall having a grand time being spontaneous. :)

The rest will be tomorrow..... :)

~Whitney

Copyright 2012

departure....

This is NOT a "what's growing Wednesday" post.

Aren't you bummed?

I can't focus on how things are growing right now because I am too excited!

I am NOT pregnant.

(Just wanted to make that crystal clear, since a bit of a rumor had been going around that I was. 

It was not a big deal...but it was completely incorrect!)

I'm jumping out of my skin - counting the hours - grinning like a fool - all because of a trip.

With My Love.

ONLY.

For 5 days!!

We have some serious time apart staring us in the face for the next year (or so), and we are taking some time to invest in our marriage. Woohoo!

This trip has been my motivator to lose my last bit of baby weight (3 more pounds to go!).

This trip has been the very tasty carrot at the end of the crazy-two-year-old-meltdowns and 4-months-straight-teething and over-emotional-outbursts that tend to keep my days full. 

(In addition to home schooling, laundry, dishes, and parenting)

We are off to the Sunshine State to enjoy slow wake-ups, spontaneity, and late dinners.

Probably nobody else really cares about our little "Honey trip"....but I can't think of anything else, so that is what you get to hear about! 

See you when I get back. With a TAN!  :)

~Whitney

Copyright 2011

Cocoa Bean Moment....

Recently, I was educating my beans on Spelling bees. Well, sort of. I had them watch this video because it made me laugh out loud and they wanted in on the fun.

Once the video (which they didn't find nearly as funny as I did) was over, Jumping Bean had a starry look in her eye.

She looked at the ceiling and started picking letters for her own spelling bee....

"S....

 E...

X...

"That is the Chinese word for fun!"

Seriously.  I almost died from inhaling my drink and trying NOT to laugh.

I don't know where she gets these things....but that moment was DEFINITELY sweet. :)

~Whitney

Copyright 2011

What's growing Wednesday....

Since (as I always say), Hampton Roads is like living in a woman; the weather has been extremely indecisive lately.

My little sprouts are still hibernating in my laundry room most of the time.

Which is probably good, because between the weather and the curious 15 month old, I don't think they would have survived. While they haven't grown much - at least they haven't totally died.

The other little beans in the house, however, have been growing quite a lot.

String Bean is growing like a weed.

We had to go shopping this week just to keep her from being naked.

Here are her new church shoes - she was extremely excited about them.

She is also growing in other ways....she now understands sarcasm. OR, as she calls it "a joke that isn't funny."

She's a smart one.

Jumping Bean is also growing like crazy.

Her sense of humor is developing.
Because of her flair for funny, we call her "The Queen of Non-Sequitor."

Case in point - "Mommy, why did the bird cross the road?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Because it wanted to die."

She's all about some dark humor.

Bitty Bean. Well, you know how she's been. (See yesterday's post)

 Her sense of humor is....ummm....here's a snippet:

"Knock knock"
"Who's there?"
"Dog"
"Dog who?"
"Dog climbed up a tree to poop all over the place. MOMMY! LAUGH! That is funny!"

Her sense of potty humor is as inappropriate as it is funny.

Boy Bean is getting taller..ish.

He sees no point in speaking.

But give him a ball and he's good for hours.  We are unsure of his sense of humor...but he may tend toward the physical. Recently, he's taken to tackling his sisters and then laughing maniacally.

There you go! That's what is growing this Wednesday.

~Whitney


Copyright 2011

Parenting - Survivor style

Outwit - outplay - outlast

I know that is the tag line for the Survivor reality show....

but I'm pretty sure it was stolen from a parent.

Today (and yesterday) I've gotten to outlast my 2 1/2 year old ball of delightful/psychotic/insane/cuteness. My little Bitty Bean is just soooo cute with those big brown eyes and super long eyelashes.....I'm sure she could make it pretty far on an island.

At least until she didn't get her way 100%.

Then her head starts swiveling 360 degrees and she emits snot and tears and glass-shattering-screams at a shocking rate.

She would either be voted off immediately; or she would win, purely because everyone else would be to frightened to take the chance of angering her.

Unfortunately, I don't have the freedom to run away and hide from her fits.

So yesterday, I lost HOURS - literally - of my life, battling out her fits. And today, at Wal-mart,  we were also treated to a short fit...it was only 30 minutes.

When I say "fit" I mean what every parent hopes and prays to never experience. 

What every person (parent or not) is horrified to observe or imagine. 

The type of fit that is demonstrated only by the children of people who have no manners and are terribly rude and (most likely) have either done time in juvey or are un-charged miscreants. 

I have never done time.
I used to have a serious lead foot so I do have a license suspension that has (finally!) dropped off my record.
I say please and thank you.
I try very hard to not talk about poop excessively. 

 But somewhere along the way, my angelic little Bitty Bean turned to the dark side.

During these feats of extreme volume, effort, and stamina, I calmly look at her little face and tell her, "I will win. I am more stubborn than you can imagine being."

Screaming, flailing, snotting, and sobbing in public?  Fine. She can outwit me.

Calling for Daddy - at the top of her lungs - because (DEAD serious) "Daddy! DADDY! DADDY LOVES ME MORE!!"  Fine. She can outplay me.

Choosing nasty behavior with an obscene lack of self-control - involving yelling, kicking, wailing, and head swiveling for 1 hour?  Not on your life. I will not cave.

I will outlast you, child. 

Because you came by your stubborn nature quite honestly.

~Whitney

Copyright 2011