I was so proud of Matt earlier this year when he made a tough and wise decision to sell his Ducati to tuck the proceeds away in case the massive medical bills actually panned out to be things we were going to have to face.
We had done the fundraising and had been saving for about two years ourselves and thus were prepared, but when the infection struck and we were looking at a second surgery, M sold his bike. Now that we've made it through the proverbial "woods" and Tricare actually pulled through on the second surgery, we owe nothing. And my man was able to re-gift a motorcycle to himself. I'm glad because he deserves it. 14+ deployments to combat zones should be sufficient for a little self indulgence. He found a steal of a deal from a guy in Fayetteville. So, today we enjoyed a Harley ride together. I was shocked when Matt started talking about buying a used Harley (as he had fully indoctrinated me to the Ducati allegiance) ;)
Today was a gorgeous February day- blue sky, puffy white clouds, bright sunshine, and a slight wind.



Today ranks as one of the best Sundays in recent history.
Corbin woke up at about 6:20 and I got up with him. We ate breakfast, drank coffee (he has chocolate milk in a mug), and then we tackled some laundry. I played Legos with him, and started slow cooking a chicken tortilla soup for lunch. Then when Matt woke up, we all three went outside to play with Corbin's high-bouncing bouncy ball. He thinks it's hilarious to chase after it into the cul de sac. We watered all our container plants outside, and Matt purged all sorts of junk from the garage. I LOVED it! His truck bed is full of junk to be hauled off. Josh and Sue came to our house for lunch. We ate on the placemats that I sewed with my new-found sewing skills. Ha ha. Okay, they aren't skills quite yet. I have fun though! I made a pillow today too with scraps. Next I am going to make curtains for the dining room. Josh and Sue were kind enough to watch Corbin for 45 minutes while we rode the motorcycle.
After the ride, I worked on lesson plans while everybody chatted and played Legos. After the grandparents left, the three of us went for a nice jaunt around the neighborhood. Matt and Corbo rode bikes and I walked. We traveled on the golf cart path along the golf course. SO nice not to contend with traffic. We stopped by Lisa and Todd's to see their adorable new baby. Corbin did a great job riding tonight. He still won't attempt it without training wheels though. He says, "when I'm an adult, I will get rid of my training wheels."
One totally cute thing C said tonight at the dinner table: "Mama, I have a song in my brain."
Me: "What song?"
Corbin: (in perfect tune) "Life is a highway....I wanna ride it all night long."
Then I said, "Oh. Mannnnn. How do we get it out of your brain?"
Corbin: "I don't know cause I have skin over my brain."
So cute and silly. I love him very much!!!

Typical day

Inspired by Jennifer Kirby's blog post, I am going to attempt recalling our play-by-play today.

6:55 a.m. Matt's obnoxious alarm (a fire horn or something ridiculous) jolts me awake.
We hold hands for a minute. I rub his arm. He looks like he's asleep again.

7:00 a.m. we both get up and get going.

7:05 I walk over to Corbin's side of the house. He is stalking the hall headed to his bathroom warning me that he needs privacy. ha ha

7:08 I talk C into removing his heavy pull up (too much agua last night) and discarding it into the trash

7:10 Matt heads out the door for work. I take my thyroid meds. Look at the clock. Have to wait thirty minutes before I can eat

7:15 Corbin, Chili Cat, and his blue blanket wait at the breakfast table for orange juice, toast, strawberries, and cereal (his usual)

7:40 I have some yogurt, fruit, coffee, and toast

7:55 Chase C around the house with various articles of clothing. He is pretending to be Darth Vader and is in NO hurry to go to preschool.

8:05 We're in the garage with my school bag, one lunch box, one backpack, one stuffed animal, one show-and-tell toy, and one purse in tow. I can't find the keys. Go back into the house. Find them in the bathroom (?). We load up and head to O'Neal.

8:25 Walk out of C's classroom and head to the upper school where I make photocopies, chat with colleagues, answer emails, text with my mother-in-law, make flash cards, and download an instructional video for the kids to make papel picado.

10:15 My first class starts. I forget to drink any water in the 45 minutes I teach. Feel parched.
Run to the water fountain between classes with a dixie cup.

12:45 classes end and I scarf down an orange, an apple, a power bar, and a small twix (bad girl)
Fire off a few emails, grade some quizzes and at 1:15 I'm walking over to pick up Corbin

1:30 we finally get buckled in our seats (we stop to look at flowers, rocks, mulch, and sand on the way to the car)

2:00 we're home. We read two stories, and I rub C's back til he falls asleep in my bed. At 2:30 Matt comes home (NOT typical!) and finds me dozing off in the bed next to Corbin.

I get up, go to the UPS store for an errand and the grocery store.
4:00 I'm back, I put all the groceries away. C is STILL sleeping!!!
Matt is doing Computer Science homework and I decide to squeeze in a run before dinner.
I slog through thirty minutes in the neighborhood (it was a sluggish thyroid day), but I'm SO happy to be stroller free.
5:05 our son is just having a little party in our bed under all the covers. So cute. I call him a sleepy head and then take a shower. First one of the day. I'm a dirty bird.

5:45 Matt proclaims he will go on a jog in the hood before dinner. He falls asleep instead.
C and I eat veggie burgers and sweet potato fries while Matt naps. It's be a loooong two weeks at work for him

7:00 Corbin and I are having a dance party to some Gwen Stefani and we decide to eat ice cream. He's as much a fan of Ben and Jerry ;) Matt wakes from his nap. We give him his birthday present because Corbin spoiled the surprise and told him.
It's a framed photo of a beautiful sunset, sailboats, and Caribbean water from our recent trip. We hang out for a bit.

8:00 Corbin and I are chasing each other around the house while Matt finishes his school work. Corbin is totally wired given the huge nap he took earlier. He has been sick and congested for about two weeks. We decided awhile ago he can nap whenever he darn well pleases.

8:20 Bath water starts. Corbin quickly builds some "boats" from Legos and drops them into the tub.

9:00 (about 1.5 hours later than usual!) C goes to bed after stories, songs, and prayers. His prayer tonight- "Dear God, thank you for my whole house and Chili, Mommy, Daddy, and Mema and Granddaddy. Keep giving us blessings. Amen."
Short and sweet.

10:40- I normally would be headed to bed, but because C went down so late, I'm now having wind-down time. Glass of red wine, some cheese and crackers and computer