Consider This Our Christmas Card

Wise men still seek Him
(and some wise guys too)

the joys of living with Papa

My stepfather just drew a mustache on my daughter's face with permanent marker. Now he's calling her Speedy Gonzalez. Ughhhhhhh . . . .

The Wonder P

Okay, maybe I don't try to avoid this type of post after all. Here is another video of Little P. In this one she identifies a few basic shapes.

Proof

Not that I needed it, because you all trust me implicitly and know I would never lie. . . but I took this video of Paige this evening and thought that I'd post it because, well, it illustrates my previous post so well. Enjoy.

"I show you where Daddy is!"

That is what Paige said to me this morning when we walked past the globe in my parents' room.

Me: What?

Paige: I show you where Daddy is!

Me: Um, okay. . .

Paige squirms out of my arms, runs to the globe, and gives it a good spin. She even winds up as if she's spinning the wheel on the Price is Right. I watch as she stops the globe with both hands, backs it up a little, and then points her little finger right to Afghanistan.

Paige: See, Mama! Daddy right dere (there)!

My mouth hung open for a second before exclaiming, "You're exactly right! Daddy is in Afghanistan. Can you say Afghanistan?"

Paige: AssghanikSTAN!

Okay, I know every parent thinks their kid is exceptional, so I try to refrain from this type of post, but COME ON! That's crazy, right? I have shown her where Afghanistan is on the globe a couple of times, so I guess it's not THAT crazy. But I never expected her to find it all on her own. (And she's found it at least 7 or 8 times since, so I know it wasn't a fluke).

The kid never ceases to amaze me.

I love being her mother.

The One Where Ben Meets the President

When I called Bridget this morning I told her that I had met someone that I had never met before. She asked who, my reply--George W. Bush. Obviously she was surprised. In the military they don't actually tell you who is showing up; it's a VIP, that's all you know. So they told us when to show up where and what to be wearing. Unfortunately for us it was 3 AM on the other side of camp. Afghanistan is not like Iraq; winter is cold here. No snow yet, but it's very cold that early in the morning. So dutifully, we went and waited. It was quite a long wait, but you're used to that in the Army.

They had some military vehicles set up for a backdrop and some sandbags next to the podium; I guess to make it look more "in harm's way". It all looked nice. We cheered thunderously when he finally showed up. For as many times as I've heard "Hail to the Chief" it's quite surreal when it's for the actual President. There were probably only about 300 or so of us in the room when he arrived. He thanked us, wished us well, passed on regards from Laura, and thanked us again. I was less than 10 feet away from him as he spoke. It's also surreal to physically see the face of someone that you recognize so very well. I think it's a bit different for those of us in the military because to us he's not just the President, but our Commander in Chief. It's a whole different level of respect and admiration.

One interesting thing he asked us to do was to call our spouses and families and to thank them from him for their sacrifice in supporting us as we leave them to defend this nation. There was not the slightest hint of patronizing or disingenuousness. We all felt he was truly and deeply concerned for us and our families. He concluded his remarks and began shaking hands with everyone that was within reach. He didn't seem in any hurry to leave and it was obvious that he tried very hard to shake as many hands as he could. He was even giving some of our guys hugs. Which to me seemed a bit unusual, but I think that's just the kind of person he is. I think he understands because he served as well.

As we watched him leave everyone cheered, even the foreign soldiers that were standing next to us. As he left, I felt gratitude for having served under someone as honorable as him, and I wondered when or if America will see another President as dedicated and humble as he was. It was something I won't forget and a fitting way to conclude my time here in Afghanistan.

-Ben

And the WINNERS are . . .

Wow. Thirty-two comments. That IS a record (for me).

I don't think it's fair to pick winners based on comment content (that's WAY too subjective for me), so to choose my winners I used a random number generator. Here are the winning comment numbers:

18 11 9

So, the lucky winner of the half-dozen little birdie card set is:
Kurt and Jordan
Congratulations!!! Please email me with your address.

The adorable blingy binkie clippie goes to:
Jill Fellow
Yay! Now, aren't you glad you entered?! Please email me and let me know if you'd like a girly binkie holder or one for a boy. I can also personalize it with the baby's name, or a saying like 'oh boy' or 'sweet girl', etc. if you want. Have any other specific requests like colors, themes, etc? Just let me know!

And the super duper awesome interchangeable watch band with watch face goes to:
That Girl in Brazil
WoooWhooo! Here's what I need for you to email to me: your address, whether you'd like a square, oval, or rectangular watch face, your wrist measurement in inches (measure just up your arm from your wrist bone), and which watch band you'd like (or if you have a different color preference I'd be happy to accommodate that and make something totally different for you).

Winners, please get back to me within 48 hours so I can get these to you before Christmas.

Thanks for entering everyone!