Pawpaw's Retirement Celebration

Daddy (Pawpaw) finally did it - he is retired after an impressive 31 year career in the Army Dental Corps! With Brian off the whole month of July (thankfully), I was able to travel solo to Ft Stewart, GA to celebrate this momentous event!

Unfortunately it's taken me over a month to finally get around to reviewing and editing these photos, and a lot has happened since then so the details of the trip aren't as crystal clear as I'd like.  But I do remember the main stuff, though, like how excited these two are about moving onto their next phase of life in Knoxville.  But I'm getting ahead of myself...
 

I flew down to Georgia and was the last of the celebrants to get there.  Already arrived were Aunt Karen and Uncle Mike (Daddy's siblings), Kathy Jo (Daddy's cousin) and my brother James.  All four of my out-of-town relatives came to the airport as my welcome party and boy did that make me feel like one special lady!  We drove back to my parent's house where we spent the afternoon visiting before getting ready for our first formal event - the retirement dinner/celebration for Daddy.

Lots of people were there with nice gifts and very kind words for and about Dad.  Many people who worked for Dad shared touching stores about how he helped or inspired them personally, and I was so glad to be there to hear these stories!  It made me so thankful that I have such a kind and generous man as a father!  Many of the officers that spoke also talked about Dad's talent for organization, though I thought they were remiss for not also noting his incredible attention to detail and that he is always very thorough in his work.  Then this happened...

...James stood up to say some words and all the family at the head table burst into tears!  (Plus another lady in the room that did the "ugly cry" because she was so touched by what James had to say about Dad.)  Unfortunately none of us thought to record James' remarks on our phones, though somehow I think that James might have preferred it that way.  The one thing that I remember clearly is James talking about how Dad taught and exemplified the importance of having a good work ethic - doing your best all the time no matter what the job. That is definitely something I learned from him as well!

Then Dad gave a great retirement speech and shared four great pearls of wisdom that I'll include since (honestly) I'm much more likely to come across them again in a blog post then in a document saved somewhere on my computer.  Plus, although Dad quipped that I might "remember much of [the talk]", my "mommy brain" means that I'm more likely to remember only a tiny bit of it!

1. Strive for excellence - you never can tell when nor where you will be evaluated on your performance, so ALWAYS do your best.
2. Focus on what you can control.
3. Try to catch people doing something good.  
4. You never know the impact you will have on people, so try and make it a positive one!

Then he mentioned something that we had never talked about, but really put into words a feeling I always have.  He said that "the greatest honor and privilege is, at each [military] ceremony, to stand and salute the flag during the National Anthem. Sometimes it was at the beginning, sometimes it was in the middle, and sometimes, it was at the end, but unfailingly, what it was, was a shiver would go up my spine, and that served to remind me of the great honor and privilege it is to serve in this great Army, and to represent the DENTAC soldiers and civilians as Commander." I thought this was so cool to learn this about Dad because I always get this tightening in my chest whenever the National Anthem is played, a mix of emotions of patriotism, pride, thankfulness in my being born an American and also thankfulness for those who sacrificed to make our country great and keep it safe!

And then it was time for cake!  A combination "Happy Retirement" and "Happy Birthday" cake, since it was just two days before Daddy's birthday.

The next morning James treated us to a delicious breakfast of homemade eggs benedict. I hadn't ever had eggs benedict before, but after one bite I knew I was a fan!  I think this should be a new tradition whenever James comes to visit (as long as he agrees, of course!).

Then it was off to the Change of Command ceremony in which Dad officially handed over command of the Dentac unit to his successor.  But first we got a few family pictures.  The siblings:

And the four McDonalds, together again!  (My fault the photo was blurry - I have to remember to change camera settings when I hand over my DSLR!)

Here Dad is holding the unit colors (flag) one last time before he hands it over to his commanding officer (boss), which is the moment he relinquishes command of the unit.  The commanding officer then hands the unit colors to the new unit commander as she takes responsibility for the unit.

Following that portion of the ceremony, Mom was honored with a certificate of appreciation of her contributions to the Dentac over the course of Dad's career.  

One of the big awards that Dad was given - the Legion of Merit.  It's a military award for "exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements." (Thanks Wikipedia!)  I think this was the third (?) time he's been given this award!

Usually after an "outgoing" change of command such as this, Dad and Mom would hop in the car and drive straight to the new military post where they were stationed.  But since this was the end of the road for Dad's army career, he had the rest of the day off and we all enjoyed a trip to downtown Savannah.  We ate some great food at The Shrimp Factory, then strolled and shopped on River Street along the Savannah River. 

We enjoyed seeing a little of Savannah from the river while taking a ride on the ferry boat.

We made it back to post in time for one more special event - welcoming troops returning from Afghanistan!  The soldiers had flown in that day to the Savannah airport and were about to see their families and friends for the first time in 9 months (if I remember correctly how long they were deployed).  It was so moving to see all the families waiting to greet their returning soldiers -  most were dressed up or were wearing patriotic colors, there were lots of signs and (most moving to me) quite a number of infants about to meet their daddies for the first time in their lives!  Here are the soldiers marching into the gym in formation amid the screams and cheers of everyone in the room.  (I'm getting all teary-eyed just remembering!)  The ranking officer on the post gave a quick (1 minute) speech, a little slideshow was shown, then the soldiers were dismissed to find their loved ones.  In the foreground of this first picture you can see one of the little babies all decked out in a patriotic tulle tutu and matching headband, who was almost certainly still in her mama's belly when her daddy was deployed.

Once the soldiers were dismissed, there was immediate chaos!  The couple in the left foreground of the picture below held onto each other for at least 5 minutes before letting go!  This whole event just made me remember how grateful I am to those who serve in the military, who give up being with their family for months and years on end, and their families who also sacrifice so much.  It also helps my perspective when Brian is working long days or lots of call shifts - at least he gets to see the kids most days and almost always is able to sleep in the same bed as I do.

After we got home, we realized that we still needed to take a family picture!

And a few with Kathy Jo too!

I flew out early the next morning, but not before getting to wish Dad a "Happy Birthday" in person for the first time in years and facilitating a video call so that the grandkids could wish him a "Happy Birthday" as well!  It was a quick trip, but such a wonderful time to spend with family and so special to be there to celebrate a huge milestone in Daddy's life!

A Boston Common Festival

One of the first Saturdays we were in Boston I somehow found out that there was going to be a festival in the Boston Common, the large downtown park (right next to the Public Garden where the "Make Way for Ducklings" statues and Swan Boats are).  So we hopped on the T with the kids, eager to start experiencing all that a big city has to offer.

We were not disappointed!  We started off by watching a "court jester" put on a goofy kids show, complete with a puppet, juggling and "tricks".  Next on my itinerary was a performance by a group called "Strange Fruit".  When we got to the area where they were supposed to perform, they were just posting a sign that the show was going to be delayed a half an hour.  That gave us enough time to experience a classic Boston kid's activity - playing in the Frog Pond!  A wading pool by summer and an ice skating rink by winter, the Frog Pond is tons of fun!  And thankfully I brought a change of clothes for both kids and a towel, so they were able to just have a blast!

The kids started by jumping in an out at the pool's edge.

Then they headed farther and farther out in the pool.  (There were way more people congregated at the other end of the Frog Pond near the fountain, so we decided to save that experience for another day.)

This particular day, Nathan's special toy was an old green eraser of Brian's.  He had a blast throwing it into the middle of the pond and then wading out to retrieve it. 

By the end of it all, Nathan was "falling down" and rolling around in the water, Sarah was almost as soaked, and I was thankful I was wearing black shorts to hide the wet!

Then it was on to the "Strange Fruit" performance.  These people from Australia climb onto 15 foot high flexible poles and do a choreographed performance to music.  I overheard someone remarking that it was one of the most unique type of performance art he had ever seen and I heartily agree!  (Google "Strange Fruit Australia Youtube" if you're interested!)

I knew I would enjoy the show and thankfully the kids were entranced as well!

Sarah kept thinking that this lady was waving to her, so of course she was waving energetically back!

When the show was over, Nathan REALLY wanted to talk to the performers, but unfortunately they left from the opposite side of the performance area and didn't hang around to chat with anyone.  But we found another 100% kid approved performer to salve our disappointment - the bubble man!

Our last "activity" of the day was getting the kids balloon sculptures.  We had first seen them when we visited Faniuel Hall and then again at the Aquarium, but put the kids off both times.  This time they were all over the park, so we gave in and bought Sarah this purple flower...

And then waited in line forever since Nathan had his heart set on this blue fish.  Unfortunately by the time Nathan's was finished, Sarah's green balloon had popped, leaving her with a purple flower with a little green "handle".  Then before the night was out, Nathan's white fishing pole had bit the dust, but the blue fish made it for a few days before being trashed.

We ended the evening with a funnel cake (yum, dessert first!) and two giant slices of pizza. 

It was a super fun day and a great way to experience the fun of city life for the first time!

This and That, Around the House

Sarah just keeps growing and her one (yes, one!) size 18M footie sleeper just kept getting smaller and smaller. I always meant to buy her another one in the current size so I didn't have to strategically plan my laundry schedule, but then I realized our new pressing issue wasn't that she only had one set of pjs but that she had almost outgrown what she had. So on a Target run last month I bit the bullet and bought her some full price new pjs. Oh how it pained me to pay full price but I just don't have a good source for second-hand clothing here in the city. Then, to add insult to injury, Nathan had been asking to wear footie pjs like Sarah but all we had for him was fleece, which would have been unbearable for our hot-natured boy. So when we bought a new sleeper for Sarah (doggy print), Nathan also picked some out for himself (robot print). We got home and in the middle of the day both of them wanted to wear their new "jommies".  They were pretty pleased with our new purchases!

Sarah loves building with blocks, though I think they doesn't always present enough of a challenge for her.  Then she discovered the pantry!  Stacking randomly shaped objects is much more challenging... and stressful for Mama trying to keep the glass jars away from her - usually unsuccessfully.  On the flip side, it does keep her entertained while I fix dinner!

This is one of the kid's current favorite games to play with Brian - get the noodle (or "noo-newl" as Sarah says). 

Another favorite game (which I didn't get a picture of) is "hide the ball" where Brian runs to the back of the house and hides the two giant balls the kids love to play with.  Amazingly he continues to find new hiding places that stump the kids.

What else special does Daddy do with the kids?  Doughnuts!  Along with many other super-convenient places around our apartment (restaurants, T stop, church, library, post office, bank), there's a Dunkin' Doughnuts about a two minute walk away.  And sometimes after dinner Daddy offers to take the kids and buy them a doughnut for a special treat.

Sarah likes to eat all the icing and sprinkles off the doughnut first...

...then in goes the rest of it.

Nathan told me he didn't want me to take a picture of him, so I tried to take one of his half-eaten doughnut.  He quickly realized what I was trying to do and snatched the doughnut off his plate and shoved it in his mouth.  This was the picture I ended up catching thanks to that quick little boy!

The Real Apartment Tour

Hilariously, I thought that the apartment would be unpacked/organized/clean enough for me to want to film and share an update only two weeks after move-in.  Actually, I knew at the time that my goal was a bit ambitious, but I was sure that by the end of July I would be ready.  Well, at the six week mark I finally decided I would do my best to whip the apartment into shape and give you a tour.  This also may or may not have included hiding items in cupboards and closets.  I thought if I could get the main living areas, master bedroom and kitchen (oh, that kitchen!) presentable, it would be a win.  The closets?  I shared just to keep it very real.  Enjoy!

We are the Kornrumpfs: The Double Stroller Project

Before we came to Boston, one of my wonderful playgroup friends got me in contact with one of her friends who was living in Boston with husband and two kids.  They were here for the year (last year), with the husband in a one year fellowship and two children, ages 3 and 1 (almost exactly the same age Nathan and Sarah are now).  How perfect was that?!  Needless to say, it was such a blessing to be able to be able to hear from someone in almost my same situation to get advice and tips and answer the hundreds of questions I had leading up to our move.

One of the things I asked her about was getting around the city with two young children.  She told me that although lots of people take their strollers on the T, she found it easier not to and just have her kids walk.  Now I was excited about the no-stroller idea but just slightly unsure if my kids were really going to be able to make that work, especially early on in the year, while Sarah was younger and neither child was used to doing lots of walking.  Although I loved the side-by-side double stroller we already owned, I knew it was going to be just too big and bulky for city living.  So when we got a single stroller that was light weight and easily collapsable (ie. T friendly) for FREE, I was pumped!

Once we got to Boston, though, I wasn't quite thrilled with our situation.  I don't know if my friend's kids were faster walkers or more cooperative, or if she's more patient the I am, but I quickly realized that if I wanted to get anywhere in a timely manner I would need to take the stroller (Bus! Bike! Dog! T! Something on the sidewalk! Crosswalk button! Random person! Convertible car! Siren!). Also we had one or two instances early in July when Nathan started to get really REALLY tired on an outing and acted like he would collapse with exhaustion if we didn't let him ride in the stroller.  Since Brian and I were both there, we could just take turns carrying Sarah and let Nathan ride in the stroller.  But that of course was not going to be an option once Brian started working.

When Brian and I were in the city in April, I saw some people pushing strollers with cool roller boards attached to the back, where the big kid could ride when they wanted or easily hop off and walk.  However none were compatible with our smallest-of-the-line single stroller.  Brian gave serious thought to designing and building a custom board for our stroller while we were still in NC, however there were some design problems that he just couldn't see a way around.  Another option was just to buy a new double stroller, but the nice ones that city folk usually buy are in the $600 - $800 price range.  AACK!  Definitely an investment that's worth it if we had had our babies here and planned to live here long term, but certainly not for one year!

Then, while I was on my trip to Ft Stewart in mid-July, Brian brainstormed a way to convert our single stroller into a double while still retaining the easy folding function. He texted me a picture of a mock-up and when I got home and saw it in person, I gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.  So that week he headed to the hardware store to pick up some supplies and the modifications began.

Here's the stroller before construction started:

We had two camp chairs that we bought when Brian and I were first married to take on our CYP retreats (our church's long-disbanded college & young professionals group).  One underwent significant modifications to become the rear seat on our stroller, but Sarah is showing off the other in its original form.

Daddy consulted with Nathan on exactly how to modify the frame.

Then Nathan "helping hold" for Daddy.

And I'm pretty sure this is just showing off!

As we prepared to move to Boston, we were warned that many people who move here end up loving it and staying for much longer then they originally intended.  I had wondered if that would be a temptation for us.  Then Brian set up his "work bench" in our living room and from the (good natured) muttering under his breath about the work bench and bemoaning the tools that he had left in storage, I decided that this was one sure sign we would NOT fall into that trap!

Brian was able to scavenge some metal tubing from the ironing board frame. 

Sarah showing off Brian's resourcefulness!

A little more construction, some duct tape, some sewing and voila - the kids posing in the finished stroller!  As you can tell, Nathan was NOT trilled about being in this picture.

One month later, I could not imagine life in Boston without my wonderful double stroller.  It goes everywhere with us and keeps me and the kids MUCH more cheerful then we would be without it.  Nathan usually requests to ride in the "front" seat, which works out great because Sarah prefers to climb into the "back" seat (bonus - it's less likely to tip backwards with that seating configuration).

So, spend hundreds of dollars on a new double stroller?  Give up on outings with the kids because they're just too difficult?  No way - we are the Kornrumpfs!  We spend less then $20 on supplies, scavenge materials from around the house, and build a double stroller ourselves!