The Toy Box Years: 2009-10-18

The Creators of the Toy Box Years

The creators of the Toy Box Years are my two beautiful daughters and wonderful, handsome soldier husband.

"Nani" (our oldest) is a 11 year old 6th grader who loves Taylor Swift, ballet, books, fashion designing and sewing. Ask her what she wants to be when she grows up and it changes daily to anything from "an artist" to "a teacher" to "a singer/dancer". Nani is also currently fighting a battle against brain cancer -- recently diagnosed in June 2016.

"Nudgie" (our youngest) is a very smiley, very happy, very giggly, very spirited 8 year old 3rd Grader who's favorite toys are anything that gives mommy an anxiety attack - ladders, stepstools, the climbing wall at the playground. Like her sister, she has a love of reading and coloring, loves gymnastics and still provides mommy lots of snuggle time!

"My Marine" is my high school sweetheart. We've been married over 20 years and met when we were 17. (You do the math....) His favorite toys are Blackhawk helicopters, the lawnmower, our steam cleaner, and microbrew beer bottles. My husband is also my hero in that he proudly serves his country as a Blackhawk crew chief (hence his favorite toy!). And need I say that there is nothing hotter than my man in uniform!

All About Me......

Once upon a time I had a career and worked in the corporate world. Once upon a time, I dreamed about leaving that all behind to follow my true calling -- being a wife and mommy.

The first part of my calling was fulfilled in 1995 when I married my Marine (now soldier) and my love. Little did I know that being a military wife would change me in so many ways and that because of that, I would have an extended family all over the world from Japan, to California, to North Carolina.

The second part of my calling took a little doing, but I finally achieved that dream in 2004 with the birth of our first child, followed 4 years later by her baby sister.

So now, when someone asks me what I do for a living - I simply smile and say proudly that I'm following my calling - I'm a mommy and a wife -- and I couldn't be HAPPIER -- I'm living in the Toy Box Years!!

So, I've missed a week of blogging thanks to the sickies that have invaded the Toy Box Household. It never fails....My Marine goes away and we all get sick. It's like clockwork.

First I started with the cough & sniffles....then Nudgie...and not to be left out, Nani hopped on board outdoing us all with a fever. Thankfully, I'm happy to announce though that we've all tested negative for H1N1! Just your common cold that just doesn't understand that he's definitely worn out his welcome!

So, anyway....

Let me say that my doctor's office is very respectable....in a good part of town....has no criminal ties whatsoever.......or so I thought........

I'm sitting in the doctor's office with Nudgie waiting for our appointment (the third in a week). It's quiet and there's only one other patient in the waiting room besides me & Nudge. She proceeds to take out her cell phone, make a call, and have the following conversation (which I have paraphrased some):

"So, yeah.....I checked in and they are arresting him on a federal warrant"

Pause

"Well, it's a federal charge now because there were guns involved"

Pause

"I don't think so....but they did find one gun in the house when they arrested him."

Pause

"Well, I think they found the gun that may have the body attached to it."

(Now, I'm no CSI, but I know enough to know that whatever gun they found may be linked to a murder or attempted murder. I'm now moving closer to Nudgie and to the door of the doctor's office.....)

"I don't know what they're going to do because they're not telling me anything and they won't let me talk to him."

Pause

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm going to have to change my status on Facebook to single"

(At that point, the nurse called her back. While she continued to talk, I was tempted to follow her with the ruse of going to the bathroom so I could continue to hear this conversation!)

If you could have seen the look on my face after overhearing this conversation. I looked up and the nurse at the desk had the same dumbfounded look as I did. The other nurse leaned out the window and whispered...."She has a thing for bad boys".

Uh....ya think???? Makes me kinda curious now to check out her Facebook page!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did NOT allow my 15-month old to play with chopsticks in PF Changs just to keep her quiet so that I could have a few minutes to ~~gulp~~ eat my lunch in peace.

The next morning, I did NOT panic and think that Nudgie had worms when I changed her diaper and saw stringy things in her diaper. I did NOT remember that she ate all the bamboo shoots from my lunch at PF Changs the day before -- therefore turning them into a quasi-worm filled diaper.

I did NOT suppress my laughter when I heard Nani declare that she was "going to the doctor to get a baby like mommy did". She has NOT been dragging around a ratty toy dog and calling it her "baby".

I was NOT incredibly disappointed that I had to miss a dear friend's Pampered Chef launch on Saturday due to two little girls having the sniffles and slight fevers. Nani did NOT milk that one for all it was worth.

I did NOT have an anxiety attack in the middle of Safeway when it hit me that my mother was coming for a visit and that I really needed to get home and get my house in order. I'm really still NOT that little girl who desperately seeks her mother's approval.

I did NOT cry my eyes out when I had to take My Marine to the airport. It did NOT break my heart to hear Nani say to My Marine, I'll miss you daddy and pray for you every night. And afterwards, I did NOT look like a dermatological nightmare with swollen eyes and red splotches all over my face and neck. I am ALWAYS the model wife - composing myself and holding in my emotions when it comes to saying goodbye to My Marine.