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Hunter loves school. He loves his teacher and his classmates. There is not one person in his class that he doesn’t love and truly care about. He has such a kind and gentle spirit and that is one of my favorite things about him. So when I tell you that he has created this club, keep that in mind. Hunter’s club is called the Army Club and anyone can be in the club and the best part about the club is that you get to pick your own rank when you come in and work your way up. Now if he were Jordan he would have started everyone out as a Private and made them work upward but not Hunter. Hunter lets you decide where you want to take your lead from.

As Hunter was telling me about his club I asked him who was in it and he gladly named the members as if they were a part of an elite team. Each member is special to him and he went into great lengths about each person, their rank and duties. It was his comments on one of his friends that I will share with you. Hunter has this one friend who lets just say is a nice boy but he’s the kid in the class that doesn’t always make the wisest or best decisions. Well, when Hunter told me this kid is a Captain in his club, I was shocked. I said to him, WOW a Captain that’s pretty high up there buddy. Are you sure he is ready for that rank? Hunter just looked at me and said with his hands on his hips. “Look Mom…it’s the perfect rank for him.” Now I was really intrigued and I just couldn’t help myself so I asked him, “Why is it the perfect rank for him?” His reply was very simple, “Mom you know as well I as I do that Captains don’t always make the wisest decisions.” Let’s just say I had to walk out of the room to keep from laughing in front of him. I have had the benefit of working with a lot of different ranks and at times I would have to agree to that statement. Not every Captain, but there have been a few that fit his view.

I went on to ask him about the other friends and their ranks and I was enlightened again and again on his knowledge of rank structure. Actually I was kind of blown away and proud, that was until I realized that 90% of his information he got from playing Call of Duty when (Someone ….not me…was suppose to be watching him!!)

Now, after everyone’s rank was discussed and their assigned duties and trust me it was interesting, I had to ask him about his rank. In true Steward form, he looked at me with this look of ‘your kidding me right’ and said very proudly, “AHH, MOM, I am a five-star General!” Really, I responded. His only words were “Oh course I am Mom! I know the most. That’s why I the General!” Well, he got me there too...it makes sense to me.

After our rank conversation, I had to ask him more about his club, mainly because I wasn’t sure what he was hoping to get out of his club or what types of stuff they were talking about…turns out it's all innocent. However, I was surprised by the depth of wisdom in his years, especially as he explained some of the Army Club rules to me. I am going to list for you some of the rules of his Army Club. I think you might enjoy them:

The rules…(1) Anyone can join the Army Club. (2) You chose the rank you want to be and work your way up from there. (3) You have to know the Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America. (4) You can not fight with the people on your team and expect to win against the enemy. (5) Battles happen every day. (6) You can lose a battle but still win the War! (7) Rule number 6 is important to remember when your men are complaining. (Hunter noted that soldiers complain a lot!) (8) Everything isn’t fair in War. (9) You can quit and still come back later and be a soldier. (10) You can’t be afraid of Thunder and Lightning and Hail and be in the Army!


I asked Hunter in detail about each rule and most are pretty self explanatory. Rule number 9 has to do with getting mad and quitting the game but missing everyone so you end up coming back and its ok because your friends, as Hunter puts it. But rule number 10 I will explain in more detail to you. Here is his response to me: “Mom you just can’t always be afraid. Yeah sometimes the storms are scary but you have to be strong for your friends!” “Besides” he says, “soldiers fight in lighting sometimes. I told my friends my Daddy fought in War in a lighting storm and sometimes you just have to deal with the hail!” I sat there for a moment and began to ponder the wisdom in a six year old mind and you know he’s right. Soldiers often fight through many different types of storms (not all weather related) and many times they have gone through Hail / Hell! Out of the mouth of babes!!
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=608 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:44:49 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=606 In Honor of Memorial Day I would like to share the following poem as a reflection of what this day meanings to many of us. The poem was written in November of 1918 by Moina Michael. She wrote this poem as a personal pledge to Keep the Faith after reading the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae’s. From that day she vowed to wear a red poppy of Flanders Fields as a sign of remembrance.

We Shall Keep the Faith
by Moina Michael, November 1918
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

This Memorial Day, we remember not only those who have served but those who have no only served but have given their lives in service to our country. Remember their families that have also served in silence. May we all remember to honor them this weekend.
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=606 Tue, 27 May 2008 13:22:09 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=604 Precious Words to a Warrior’s Mother – Written April 23, 2008

Today as I sit here in my empty home the silence is deafening. The other boys left for school earlier and this is the time of day when I sit down and type away in my journal and for our blog. It is also the time of day when my oldest and I would touch base and chat. Today like everyday since January 3, there is no one here to chat with. No one to tell me about the grand plans for his life or to crack a joke that brings me to my knees with laughter and no one to tease me about my attire. No one to ask me for a favor or complain about the dinner selection, but most of all there is no one to tell me “I love you Big Mama” as he walks out the door. Unless you have ever placed your baby in harm’s way, you can never begin to understand the pain the surrounds a mother’s heart when you send your baby off to war.

War is ugly, painful and difficult for those directly affected by it. No soldier wants war. It was General Douglas MacArthur who said it best, "The Soldier above all others prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest scars of war." No Mother or Father wants war especially, for our children. We spend years protecting, guiding and loving our children with a desire for them to have a bright, loving and peaceful life. We (military parents) serve in silence with our children, standing quietly in the shadows of their world.

War is something that the human race has been dealing with for many years. I was a child during the Vietnam War but I still have memories of it. Memories of news footage roll through my mind. I remember watching the TV as the soldiers were being filmed riding on the back of a truck waving to the camera while they headed off to some remote area. I remember the words of a soldier waving and saying Hi Mom. As a child, I though nothing of the importance of those simple words, but as a Mother I cherish them.

Like any Mom, those childhood memories have stayed with me. As a Military Mom, at times those memories haunt me. Today, I find myself hanging on to my computer instead of the news channel. My computer is the first thing I look at when I roll out of bed and the last thing I view before I go to sleep. WHY??? I’m looking for the Hi Mom. I just want two little words to know that my baby is ok. No one will understand the importance of those two little words to a Military Mom. Sure we would love to get a full detail of the day’s events from our babies, but in reality there are days when it would be more than we as mothers could bear to hear. For now I am grateful for a “Hi Mom….I’m OK. I miss you and love you!! Love, Your Boy”.

Just precious words to any Military Mother!



]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=604 Sat, 10 May 2008 23:14:40 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=595
Where Have All My Forks Gone?

Well, as you Troy has posted he is now home and we are so very thankful. It has been wonderful to have him home. Our readjustment time is going well, not to many bumps in the road of adjustment. I still have to try hard to remember to change certain words like “my room” to “our room”. I also have been very mindful to gently remind the boys to ask Dad permission for something or to ask Dad to help them instead of always asking me. They have spent so much time asking me for permission and telling me goodbye and love you Mom that they sometimes forgot to ask their Dad or tell him they love him as they leave the house. The boys are getting better about including Dad and trying to give him his space as well and not stress him out to well. They have all been on their good behavior …including the Daddy.

As Troy posted, I have noticed that he does speak a little louder than he use to but after a year of having weapons discharging constantly your hearing adjust and I realize it may take a while for him to adjust back to normal hearing levels. He is not loud all the time and I really only notice it when we are in quiet places…like church or a restaurant. The only big adjust I have had to make is the additional effort of counting the silverware after each meal. It seems that after a year of living on paper plates and plastic ware that the concept of washing the real thing is new to him. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize what was happening until quite a few were missing in action. I could not figure out how a drawer full of silverware could disappear so very quickly. Little did I know that Troy was the evil doer…I had been blaming our lazy dishwasher (aka Jordan), thinking that they were always in the sink or dishwasher. Oh how I wish that had been true but if that’s the hardest item we have then it is not so bad. So for now I count each fork, knife and spoon after every meal and I double check the trash can just in case. It’s a small price to pay for having him home.

After all I can buy new silverware…I can’t buy a new husband!!
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=595 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:22:59 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=575 The Joys and Downfalls of a soon to be Teenage Driver!

Oh the joy that every teenager feels when he or she starts to approach that magical year before they can actually get a learner’s permit. There’s the debate on when they can get their permit. In our house just because the state says you can have a permit doesn’t mean you can actually get one.

Since Jordan is now approaching that magical age of learner permit he has taken a renewed interest in my driving ability and proud of the fact when he can challenge me on driving rules. Jordan is like most that yearn for the car keys and any reason to hold them in their hot little hand. Jordan’s latest reason is to warm the car for me so it will not be so cold when I get in. Now I know most of you are thinking..oooh how sweet is he! Well let me recap the event for you. Teenager starts car and turns heating blower on full blast well before car has warmed up; therefore blowing minus ten degree air into the ice cold car. Next teenager feels the need to change Mom’s radio station and while he is at it he turns it up so loud the elderly man next door can hear it without his hearing aid turned on and to top it off the man is inside his house and he can hear it. Teenager now sees Mom has sent little brother outside…he waits till little guy is exactly three inches from the front of the vehicle and hits the alarm sending the little guy running and screaming on a snow packed icy driveway. After the attempt on his brother’s hearing, he decided that he would move out of the driver’s seat and into the passenger seat. Of course this was done by an incredible act of gymnastics since we have bucket seats in the van. In moving from one seat to the other he failed to realize that his feet were still covered in snow and ice. As he moves, he ends up dragging his short legs across Mom’s seat leaving a nice trail of snow and slush on it. Teenager does not look back to see if the seat was dirty even though he felt the seat with his foot. His continual move required him to step on the carpet instead of the nice winter mats that Dad brought for Mom to address snow and wet weather. Unfortunately the place where Mr. Short Legs decided to step was the exact same spot that Mom uses to place her purse. Note to every teenager…Never Ever Mess with a Mom’s Purse especially if it is one that she has saved for a very long time to purchase. Now as the teenager notices his younger brother walking toward car he decides to tease him by pretending to hit the alarm. Younger Brother decides that he would rather lick the snow off the dirty car then get inside the car with older brother.

As I exited the house, you can only begin to image my state of mind as I saw the little guy picking at the ice on the car and his tongue stuck out complaining and asking if it was still there. Not really wanting to know where his tongue had been but realizing that I am the angel’s Mother…I ask the unbearable question…why does your tongue hurt? The answer was not exactly what I wanted to hear..which had something to do with eating ice off of the dirty car. As I was screaming inside of myself, I put the youngest angel in his car seat as I repeated the lecture of why we do not lick the car or eat the dirty snow and ice off of the car.

At this point, I am annoyed that the teenager had blown me off and thinking internally that God must have something really good in store for me. I never once thought to look at my seat before I sat down, just image my joy as I plop into my seat and place my purse in its usual spot. Keep in mind the car is still minus twelve with the subzero air blowing, as I place myself on the slush. As I jump up and proceed to brush the slush from my seat I realized my purse was in the way and not wanting it to get wet I moved it to the dash. As I reached for my purse I noticed the bottom was wet…this was not how I envisioned this errand to start. After a major discussion about the previous events we left the driveway at last on our way.

Our drive was suppose to be a short drive (approximately 14 minutes) but somehow it really didn’t seem that way since the younger child couldn’t not seem to stop talking much to the dismay of his older brother who also had a huge desire to share the events of his day. After several minutes of speaking over each other they turned on each other like a pack of wolves. Lucky for me there was a stop light where I could address the situation. I am sure that the vehicles beside and behind us were quite entertained as they watched me because as one of them passed me the driver was laughing his head off as he waved to me.

As we approached our final destination, the car started to warm up to a toasty 30 something degrees. Our teenager was excited to exit the car and rush in to his awaiting fan club of friends. This is when I finally got my revenge. See in a winter environment it is not always a good ideal to enter one door and the exit the other. Especially when that door has been frozen shut and blocked by ice on the outside. If he had even walked to that side of the car he would have noticed the ice surrounding his door but noooo he was too lazy or should I say too busy driving the Mother crazy. Image his surprise as he unlocks the door and pushes on it and the door doesn’t even crack open a little. He pushes again and again over and over till the mop of hair on his head begins to shake like a lead guitarist in a head banging fit. At this point, I can no longer control my laughter and I lose it…laughing so hard my sides hurt. As he pushed with his entire body for the seventh time the door finally pops open and almost disperses him on the icy ground. With his fan club looking on he simply re-adjusts his hat to the “Cool” position, yells out “I’m OK!” and enters the school. As I drove away I wore the largest smile inside and out, the earlier events all seems to disappear as the joys of Motherhood set in.
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=575 Mon, 3 Mar 2008 10:42:33 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=565
Finding Out the Second Deployment News (Jon’s Going Over..)

For the last eighteen months, I have walked around in silence waiting for the dreaded time when I would have to hug and kiss my baby goodbye and then send him off into combat. At times, it felt like a death sentence. As I waited in silence, I was already serving a deployment sentence. Troy was long gone and fully focused on his own Afghanistan Deployment. I counted down the months, looking forward to the day that I could hold my husband in my arms again but knowing full well that as time passed for my love to return my baby would be leaving shortly afterwards.

In January 2007, Jon was informed that he would be going overseas the following year. He was informed during his Deployment to Arizona (Border Patrol). He was excited to finally getting his chance to deploy. I, however, did not exactly share his same excitement. I tried not to show any true emotions when he told me. He looked me in the eyes and said, “Mom I know that this may not be a good time to tell you this with Dad being deployed and all…but you’re going to find out anyway so here goes….Mom, I’m deploying next year to Afghanistan.” I tried really hard to act like any parent would when their child gives them the awful D word. It only took a second for him to figure out that I already knew. Thankfully he had no clue how very long I had known but he knew I knew none the less. He asked me how long I had known and if his Dad knew yet. I told him yes his Dad knew which I am sure he already knew that. Then he asked me again “Mom exactly how long have you known?” Too long, way too long is all I could think of but instead I told him the truth that I found out by accident back in April 2006 that there was a strong chance of him going and then I got a definite in June 2006 but the one thing Army Life has taught me well is that things are constantly changing so nothing is a guarantee. So, I sat with my secret until I knew that they had told him. I did the same thing till Troy mentioned it to me a few months after I found out.

Most you do not know my background or the fact that I work for the Transportation Motor Pool on base years ago. I learned a lot back then and like everyone around the military I made connections that have looked out for me and my family, if nothing else but to give me a heads up. In our family it wasn’t unusual for me to know something and not tell my husband, it was just part of the job and clearance. Just like it was not unusual for Troy to know something and not tell me, part of his rank and clearance. I had been tested before and passed with flying colors, years ago when Troy’s unit was scheduled to return to the Gulf on less than an 8 hour notice yet because of my position I knew over two weeks out. He just thought that I was working a lot of overtime and we needed the money. What I was really doing was the ground work that is required for troop movements, it takes an enormous amount of man power to transport soldiers from a stateside location to an undisclosed overseas location especially when it entails a rapid deployment. In that position you knew the units and every soldiers name as well as the flight time usually weeks prior. None of these guys including my husband had a clue that they would get a one hour recall notice one day and I couldn’t tell him or I would lose my job and we couldn’t afford that. I will tell you that it was hard to kiss my husband goodbye the appointed morning. I remember forcing him to walk our son to the bus stop so that they could have some one on one time then I headed out for work. Luck would have it, my husband and his unit were spared from deploying within three hours of the go time. I was so glad I didn’t tell him. I learned then and there things change constantly and until you are on that plane nothing is for sure.

As the months rolled by during Troy’s deployment I did a pretty good job keeping my secret private. A few select people knew and for that I was thankful because it did give me an opportunity to vent as a mother and wife. There were times when someone would say something that would just set me off emotionally and I could make a call and the person on the other end would remind me that whoever set me off had no idea what pathway I was walking. I heard, “Well, at least they are not both gone at the same time or you don’t know what it’s like to have a son deployed and not know if he is going to be alright.” Well, I did know and I bit my tongue the entire time. I have had both my soldiers deployed at the same time before and for the record…the Army uses real live ammo so every time a soldier deploys whether Training or Homeland Security Missions or Combat, things can go wrong…nothing is a given and anyone who thinks otherwise is just clueless. For the Record, just because we are using National Guard Soldiers on Border Patrol does not mean there are not shot at!! Illegals and Drug Runners do not care who is in there way. National Guard, Border Patrol, Active Duty Soldiers all get shot at!! I learned during that time to just smile and bite my tongue and say nothing, but trust me I have done my share of stewing.

So for now I sit and I wait with a heavy heart, longing for Troy to return safely to my arms and dreading the departure of our baby into that same war-torn area. In the meantime, I ponder how in the world I will ever begin to prepare my other two boys for this next deployment so soon after our reunion.


]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=565 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:23:14 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=562
One night during one of our meetings, I was actually brave enough to share the following piece with these ladies. Their reaction would later bring me to my decision to share this piece with you. I realize that this piece is specific to me and my family, it is their words that ring in my mind, simply put every Military Mom can relate.

So here I am, starting an overseas deployment of my son and still I can go back to that very day when we sat in the Recruiter Office. Let’s just say I didn’t make the Recruiter’s job easy after all this was my baby...not his. As a First SGT wife, I had no problem stating my point of view. I didn’t want him to lie or miss lead my son and in reality I didn’t want him to sign up but like a wise military mother I just turned to my son and told him…”Honey, it’s your life your choice whatever you decide I will always be right here by your side. No matter what!!”

So to my military sisters…I love you guys!! To SSG Harrison (the Recruiter) thank you for being honest with my boy and most of all for understanding that I am a mother first and foremost. So here it is my true reflection of being a Military Mom.


The Reflections of a Military Mom

Dear America,

I have given you my son, my soldier, my hero to serve our country. I may not have given him freely. See he made up his mind along time ago to serve and I had little say in his decision except to stand beside him and accept his commitment to our country. I am a selfish woman. I love my son and really do not like to share him or see him in harm’s way. But I share him because I have to…he actually believes that he may someday make a difference in the lives of some other human beings so that they may not have to suffer injustices. He truly believes that he, one soldier, can make the difference in a life even if that means offering up his own. I will never begin to understand his commitment to follow in his Dad’s footsteps. He knows full well the sacrifice that he, as a soldier, will be asked to make and he know all too well the sacrifices he is asking us (his family) to make. He should remember the sleepless nights, the long deployments, the tours of duty away from the family. He should remember the many times he missed his Dad and wished that he was there for that special day at school or the playoff games. I know he remembers all those times but why is it that what he remembers most is the pride that he held in his eyes when he looked at his Dad in his uniform. I use to think it was so cute to see him salute his Dad and play Army with his buddies. I never knew that one day he would make the same decision that his Dad made.

Don’t get me wrong, I was ok with his Dad’s decision. After all, he is a Military Man…Proud to Serve. I knew when I married him that I married a Soldier’s soldier because that is exactly what the Sergeant Major told me I was doing. But I never dreamed that my baby would choose to become his father. After all, he saw the real deal so there was no way he would sign up. I am not sure if I was living in a dream world or that I really thought that I could protect him all his life.

Now I sit here and pray. Pray for his safety and the safety of his fellow soldiers…his new brothers and sisters. So America, I am asking you to pray for our soldiers, our sons and daughters, our husbands and wives, and our families, HONOR their sacrifices. Remember to pray for the Commanders, so that they are wise in their decisions and of course, pray for our President.

…and America when you pray, please remember to pray for me and my fellow military sisters as we learn to let go of our babies and trust God and their Commanders.

May God Bless our children as they serve our great nation!


With Deepest Respect,
Christine Steward
Proud Military Mother
And
Proud Military Wife


]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=562 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:45:01 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=561
While I have hear from several people that they had missed our family blogs, I was just not able to bring my self to share our roller coaster ride on-line for the world to see. The truth is that I intentionally made a decision to journal my private thoughts and wait to posts them after I reviewed them to ensure that I protected my children’s emotions and their privacy. Now after many months, I am in the place where I can once again be comfortable with sharing life on our blog. I will be posting some journal entries from my silent times very soon. I will reference them with the month and year. For now, I will start with this posting.

Take Care,
Christine
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=561 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:51:35 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=538
I would like to write more, but that kind of sums it up and I have stolen enough time away from the family today as I get the new website ready for publishing tomorrow. ]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=538 Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:14:00 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=529
I want to let anyone know who regularly visits this site or reads blogs from here that you will probably see some changes happening over the next couple of weeks. I am currently working on a major re-design of this website, with a lot of help from my good friend Matt. He has helped me with some coding issues I have had on the re-design.

Anyway, you may notice some colors changing, fonts looking different, or other changes between now and the end of the year. My plan is to have the new site go live on January 1st, 2008. I am really excites about how the new site looks and I would love to start it up sooner, but I don't think between everything I have going on in my life that I will be able to dedicate the time to the changeover and have it be 100% ready until the end of December.

So if you see some things looking different, don't worry it is not that you are getting old and your eyes failing (even though that could be happening), it is probably me and the changes I am making to some of the content in order to get it ready for the new website look. ]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=529 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:48:29 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=362
Our wait was short but enjoyable. I have never in my life since a waiting room so full of joy, giggles and play. There were about 10 children waiting to be seen, from a few months old to 10 years old. Most of children were calm and near their parent’s side then all of sudden someone asked Hunter to play with the trucks and well it just got silly in there. The boys were on their knees pushing trucks making noises the girls who started out cheering the boys on soon were on the floor as well. Laughter filled the room and a sense of relief came over the room as all the fear of illnesses and future surgeries were gone from our minds for that very brief moment. At one point the receptionist came out into the waiting to see what was going on. Never before had she experienced so much joy and noise. It made her day to hear the laughter instead of the screams of fear.

As we left the waiting room to be seen by the surgeon, four of the children called out to Hunter. “Hey Hunter, Good Luck Hunter Man. Bye Hunter nice playing with you.” Seconds later we were in the room and meeting with the surgeon. I liked her. She had an excellent bedside manner a special way of putting you at ease and not once did I feel rushed with her. She asked questions and talked not only to me but Hunter as well. When she first walked into the room Hunter made a bolt for the chair located in the corner to hide from her. The way she interacted with him made me realize that she was doing what she loved. She’s gentle, kind and knowledgeable in her field. Since we have walked this pathway before I know the drill and what she was going to tell me and she was detailed and open with all the issues. I explained my considers about our Children’s Hospital and she listened never once making excuses only offering her assurance that changes had been made and that she would be there each step of the way to address any concerns and issues that we may have.

The surgeon did her exam and confirmed to me that yes he did actually have a hernia on his right side but that he had a small one as well on left side that was just starting. She showed how to check him for hernias, which was nice because I knew the one way to check and but she showed me another way as well, now had two different ways to verify if he has a hernia. I explained to the doctor that Troy was deployed and that I would be on my own with this surgery but that the Red Cross may call her because I want them to be able to communicate to my husband that Hunter is fine after the surgery. So that he doesn’t have to wait till I returned home to email him.

I signed all the forms up front and even got the prescriptions for his meds and diet restrictions (for post surgery) that appointment. We walked out of there completely prepared with date in hand, all we had to do was wait for the day to arrive. I have to tell you having the diet restrictions and prescription early was a blessing no last minute running around to the grocery store for the liquid diet surprise or to the pharmacy for the pain meds and bandages. Everything could be done well before the day of the surgery.

Tonight we rest, before I head to bed I send Troy an email to call home when he gets up so I can tell him what is going on.
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=362 Fri, 9 Mar 2007 23:34:41 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=351
Chris knew when I called something was wrong, we’ve been family way to long. After a few minutes of explaining what was happening and asking him his advice he gave me the confirmation I needed. Chris never even hesitated, “You have to tell him! He would be so mad at you Christine.” “He can handle this…I know he can,” he said. I explained about the where the advice came from on not telling him. Chris just gentle said, “they don’t know him like we do…tell him…go with you heart on this one.” Since Chris has only been back from Iraq for two years, he had some great advice on when to tell him so his head stays in the game of war and he can deal with the news. The last thing we wanted was for him to not be focused on his task at hand and worried about this. Besides Chris already did the, “you will not be alone check on me”, making double sure that Jon would be home with me on the day of the surgery. I truly believe that if he thought for one minute I would have to do this alone one of them would have been here with me and the boys. I have no doubt on this, that’s the type of relationship we have, were family. I am so very thankful for Chris and Debbie.

I decide to follow Chris’s advice I was able to find out that Troy had a day off coming up and it would be the perfect time to tell him because it would be only hours after I met with the surgeon so I would have more information to share him them. So, I sit here and wait with a heavy heart wanting so much to tell him and knowing I need to wait. Thankfully, he only has a few minutes to IM today and he is heading to bed exhausted so it is easier to not tell him so he will sleep peacefully, besides I will tell him tomorrow.

Sleep Well My Love!

]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=351 Sun, 18 Feb 2007 21:06:00 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=350
Everything started last Sunday Night, when I gave Hunter a bath I noticed a bulge on his right side that didn’t look normal. It wasn’t huge or too abnormal. It just didn’t look normal to me. When I checked later in the night the bulge was gone. So Monday night when I gave him a bath I saw it again, I knew then what I was dealing with. It was acting just like Jordan’s hernias did. On Tuesday morning, I called our Pediatrician’s office and we were in before 2 the same day. Hunter wasn’t even undressed by the time the doctor came in chiming to Hunter with his hello. I explained what I saw and what I thought it was. He checked and that’s when I got the look and the “good call Mom”. We talked about it, what type it was and why it happens. Then we talked about Jordan’s and what happened with his surgeries for the same thing. He was only three months old when he had his first surgery and two and a half years old when he had his second surgery. Our doctor knew I was concerned because Jordan had coded on us during his second surgery (twice) but he had a third surgery only seven years ago and came through fine.

I am blessed to have such a wonderful Pediatrician who truly cares about his patients and their families. I am also blessed because he is prior military and totally understands the challenges of military live and the effects of a deployment on a child. He also knows what I am dealing with internally since I had to go home and explain everything to my husband long distance. Then I had to tell the other boys which was not going to be pleasant either. Maybe I can hold off till Jon gets home so I don’t have to tell him over the phone.

We left the doctor’s office with an appointment to meet the surgeon on Thursday, which was less than 48 hours from the time we first walked in to the doctors office. For Buffalo that is really quick, I know that because we had to wait almost a month to see the surgeon when Jordan had his third surgery.

I really like the surgeon our doctor’s office help get for us. She has a wonderful bedside manner and put Hunter at ease right away and best of all she didn’t even flinch when I told her I was not happy about having the surgery at our Children’s Hospital. I have had three really bad experiences there and was not happy to have to go there for a surgery but I knew that their Surgery Department is a lot better than their Emergency Room Department, which I tried to avoid at all costs.

I know the Red Cross procedures better than anyone in my unit because I teach them. I know full well that I will probably be alone for this surgery, surgeries are a hit and miss when it comes to Emergency Leave, it all boils down to the risks and the Commands needs. In the end you are at the mercy of someone who may not have all the details of the situation depending on who you speak to at the Red Cross and how medically knowledgeable they are and exactly what information your doctor shares with them. Let just say I was worried because the people that I normally deal with here at our local Red Cross are no longer there and I knew the person I was talking to was new.

I know that the chance of Troy coming home is small. After all when Jordan had his first surgery; he was only 3 months old and they deployed Troy for three months as soon as Jordan came out of ICU and I was left there to care for an infant that you could not let cry for fear of tearing the stitches and undoing all the work the flight surgeon had so very careful done. I was young then and very green to the coldness you can feel being alone in an emergency wanting your spouse but knowing that the nation comes first. I was angry back then, wanting him to be there with me and his son…I needed him. I remember hanging up on a few people…the Command Sgt Major, the Chaplin, my Mother and even Troy. I did the yah yah sisterhood phone slamming trick every time someone told me they knew how I felt. No they didn’t…they hadn’t given their tiny baby to a stranger and trusted that they would be OK. They were not the one working a full time job, going to college at night and trying to raise two children one of which was sickly all by their self. No, they didn’t know how I felt; I had no one to help me, no family nearby and very few friends. I was 22 hours by plane away from my family and because we hadn’t been in Alaska all that long so I had very few friends to help me out or even give me a break.

That was then…years ago…and this is now. I am older and wiser and a lot stronger for having walked that pathway years ago. I keep telling myself I can do this alone, I know I can without a doubt but it would be so nice to have him here beside me. I am not worried about the surgery itself. I am worried about telling Troy. How do I tell him and calm him all at once knowing full well he can’t do anything about it or even come home? I know full well that he is a different man than he was years ago. He has always been a good father but having Hunter so many years after Jordan well lets just say he’s a different man. He has Troy whipped and has since I was pregnant with him. Hunter has had everyone in this house wrapped around his fingers since the day he was born.

As I sit here, I am running through the options in my mind. Do I tell him now or wait until the appointment with the surgeon? Do I worried him and then have no information to give him and he sits there and worries unable to focus on his mission? I would never forgive myself if something happened and he could not focus. Do I wait to tell him and pretend it was emergency surgery so he doesn’t worry to long? Do I tell him now so we can talk about everything up front? I have never hid anything from Troy like this. Oh sure, I have done the wife clothing trick…you know the “Oh no, Honey, I have had that dress for years really I can’t believe you don’t remember me in it before.” I have done the “everything is fine here lie when my world is falling apart because the kids warring or Mother Nature playing her hand.” But I have never misled him about our children’s health and I can’t start now!

I decide that maybe if I don’t catch him on-line tonight or tomorrow am then I won’t tell him till after I get back from the surgeons appointment. After all he didn’t ask me why I was taking Hunter to the doctor today so why not let him sleep peacefully tonight. At least one of us will.

]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=350 Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:50:00 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=329
For Hunter, this is not a simple deployment. All of our boys are close, but Jon and Hunter share a special bond that is different from the bond that Hunter or Jon for that part share with Jordan. Since Troy has been gone, Jon has stepped up to a disciplinary role in our family as he is my back-up and helps me when I need a little more support in keeping the other boys in-line. He rides Jordan about back-talking, being respectful and helping out with household chores (and on occasion has made numerous suggestions of military schools that are taking applications just in case I have had enough). As for Hunter, Jon has been his buddy and at times the mean one who puts him in time-out (which he needs from time to time). Jon usually picks Hunter up from pre-school one day a week for me and they have lunch together. Just the two of them, and unlike Mom, Jon takes him inside to sit down and eat. So for Hunter, it is something he looks forward too.

We tried to prepare Hunter as best we could about Jon’s deployment but he just seemed to think of it as a drill weekend not a long term thing. That was until Monday after school when he came in the door from pre-school yelling Jon’s name. He ran up to Jon’s room looking for him and then came back down and asked me “Where’s Jon?” I explained to him that Jon had to go play army for few weeks. He just looked at me and with glassy eyes said “like Daddy.” I said, “Yes but Jon will not be gone as long.” Oh course, a long conversation followed about how long and when Jon would come home. I reminded him that he had said goodbye to Jon that very morning at 530 AM at the Armory when we took Jon in his uniform and gear. I looked back at that morning’s event; I was tired from only a few hours sleep but I remembered Hunter’s reaction. We had said goodbye several times that morning mainly because things were so busy I think we kept forgetting if we had said it or not and since I have this rule that no one leaves the house without telling each other good-bye and telling each other how we feel about each other (I love You!!!). Jon had given Hunter a long hug and told him goodbye at the house and another hug and kiss goodbye at the Armory but there were no tears from Hunter like I had expected. Actually he had very little reaction out of the normal goodbye almost like he thought he would be seeing Jon later that day.

I knew they would both miss each other as I saw in Jon’s eyes. He calls Hunter his little buddy. Hunter is always under Jon’s feet and trying to constantly steal Jon’s girlfriend. Since Monday afternoon, he has been a sad little boy. Asking for Jon and telling me he misses Jon and Daddy often. He kept asking me if he could talk to them so I let him make a video for both of them. He really didn’t say much in the video but he introduced himself as if they may have forgotten who he was. He started off by saying, “Hi (Jon or Daddy)…it’s me Hunter.”

I often wonder what goes through his mind when he thinks about where they are. Usually, I have told him they are playing Army and they have to get the bad guys or keep America safe. This time I told him Jon had to go play Army. Hunter asked me if Jon had to go play Army because they needed a Medic in case the bad guys hurt someone. I told him yes, and then he said to me but who will make me better when I need a medic. See unlike normal children who, when they get hurt, ask their Mommy to make it better. Hunter yells for a Medic like he has been wounded in combat and the only one he wants dressing his wounds is Jon, his medic. Jon always makes it better and has an array of special band-aids that I have purchased. We have Spiderman, Nemo, Rescue Hero’s, Neon Colored ones and the plain Jane kind, but Spiderman is Hunter’s favorite and that is what Jon uses on him most of the time. So Hunter being Hunter disappeared and I saw him in the cabinet where I keep the band-aids. He came back and said to me “Mom, Jon didn’t take any Spiderman Band-aids with him. How is he going to make the guys better without the Spiderman Band-aids?” I had to try really hard not to laugh because he was so serious. After explaining that Jon has all kinds of special band-aids and that he probably has some Spiderman ones with him he was happy for the moment.

Oh, he really misses his soldiers…so do I!





]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=329 Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:00:00 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=328
We had a very quiet New Years Day here at our house. We just sat back and relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. We did have a little excitement at night around dinner time. Troy’s mom had made fried rice for dinner and I was going to grill fish on the grill outside. When I went out to start the grill, I raised the cover and a very fat beaded eye rat looked right at me as he sat on my grill rack. I freaked and screamed which was not what I needed to do because I already didn’t have a voice. I ran back inside doing my little “OMG rat dance” to explain what I saw and what happened. I don’t think I will be able to grill till I buy a new one in the spring. Ok I know it can be cleaned, after all my father-in-law said, “Turn on the grill and let it burn for a while and it will be alright.” My mother-in-law told me to do that then put the grill top in the dishwasher and run it through it a cycle or two. I am leaning toward buying a new grill or at least a new grill top. It is just too gross for me. The Animal Control Department told me that the rat population was out of control because of the warm winter and the storm damage giving them extra shelters in our neighbors and of course the creek. I don’t care where it came from, it needs to find a different home not in my yard or on my grill.

That night we had broiled fish (in the oven) and it really wasn’t that bad. Then we had an exciting game of dominoes, which Jon’s Christine won…even though someone didn’t play by the rules….Dad. We had a wonderful visit and enjoyed our time with Troy’s parents even though the visit was too short. Unfortunately they left around two the next day and by six in the evening I was sick sick sick and in bed. I spent the better part of the next week in bed sick. I finally went to the doctor and got a huge amount of drugs and I am now on the road to recovery. My voice is starting to come back and I actually think I am feeling better.


Here’s to a better year in 2007! Happy New Year!

]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=328 Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:00:00 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=327 Oh how I have dreaded this day! Christmas is one of Troy’s favorite times of year. I laugh when we I remember how crazy he gets this time of year. If I didn’t stop the man he would be Chevy Chase in National Lampoons Christmas Movie. The man loves his lights!! I won’t go into how many lights we have but let’s just say there are way too many 18 gal bins of lights and outdoor decorations.

I am so thankful that he came home for Thanksgiving and got to put up the lights for this year. So are my neighbors who got their yearly treat of neon madness. Every year he adds more lights and items. I had tried to warn our new neighbor but until he saw it he didn’t believe it. Maybe it was the run way lights on the roof that made him understand the depth of this mans meaning of lights. I am thankful that the runway light blew off the roof while Troy was home and that he put then in the front yard instead of on the roof because the thought of getting up there periodically with snow of the roof was not something I was cherishing. Our neighbors have joked about having a lighting contest but Troy would have to be the judge because he out does everyone.

While Troy was home we put up our fake tree in the living room. Usually I put a tree up in every room, but this year with the storm and Troy being gone we decided to limit our decorations to just one tree, a fake one I brought two years ago. It’s a nice looking tree and we decorated it in a soft blue theme with red, white, and blue ornaments…a God Bless America theme. It’s was an appropriate theme for this year.

I kept our holiday routines pretty much the same for all of our sake including Troy’s. I wanted him to be able to visualize what we would be doing. We do not have a lot of holiday traditions just a few. Our food is always the same…ham for Christmas because we have turkey for Thanksgiving. We have dressing (some people call it stuffing), potato casserole, cranberry sauce with oranges and coconut in it, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, rolls and gravy, topped off with Pumpkin pie and Peanut Butter Pie. It was a huge meal for only four people, so we had leftovers for days but that’s ok because in reality that is the best part.

Christmas Eve holds the majority of our family traditions. We usually go out for dinner around 4 PM and then it is off to church for candlelight service. After church we head home for some family time around the tree (all dressed up for photos). Everyone gets to open one present of their choice. Then everyone changes from their church clothes and into the comfy baking clothes for our annual Christmas cut-out baking and decorating activity. I almost said contest because even though it is not a real contest you would not know it by the boy’s reaction. My mom started this tradition many years ago when the boys were little (I think Jordan was 2 ½). In an attempt to entertain her grandbabies, Nannie (as the boys call her), gathered them around the kitchen island and decided that they would make Christmas cut out cookies for Santa this way the cookies would be fresh and almost warm. She taught them how to roll the dough and use the cut-out (and we have a ton of them) and then make the icing and decorate them. Even though, I make cookies for almost two weeks solid the evening of the 24th is our family cookie time. It is amazing how the boys are set in their ways. I could be on my deathbed and they would expect to make cookies on the 24th. God help their future wives!

The cookies are a huge part of our evening and the boys get really into it, each with their own tray and ideals of the perfect cookie. It is an activity to watch and one that I know Troy really missed even though the boy’s e-video their cookies to show him. We have the Al Roper of cookie makers, aka Jon, who it quite the decorator. Jordan and his creative yearly themes…this year was a German and Hunting theme…kind of spooky if you ask me. Then, there is Hunter with his every sprinkle, color, decorating item on one cookie theme. This year we had a visitor for our family traditions…Jon’s girlfriend, Christine joined us for the evening. She even got a chance to try her hand at cookie making/decorating and she made some wonderful looking cookies.

After the cookies were done and a plate for Santa was set out as well as a glass of milk and some carrots, we all gathered in the living room to listen to Troy read The Night before Christmas on the phone to us. A few months ago, I found this wonderful illustrated copy of this book and purchased two copies, one for us and one for Troy and the guys overseas. I thought it would be a nice gift for a father to give his children a memory of a story from so far away. We had planned for him to video it and send it via email just in case he couldn’t get through but thankfully the phone was working well tonight. Usually he reads from a different copy but I could not find one exactly like the one we had and I wanted them to be the same book that way Troy could make comments about the pictures on the page to Hunter and it would feel like he was almost here with us. I have to say as a mother it was wonderful to sit and watch our children listen as their Dad read the story even Jon. Jon found a lot of joy in watching Hunter’s reaction to the story and his little comments. Then when Troy was done with that book, I read a book to him and the boys called A Soldier’s Night before Christmas what a wonderful book. (If you have a soldier who will be deployed over the Christmas Holiday this book is a must read. I only wish that I had given him a copy of that one too. After our stories, Hunter and Jordan and I headed upstairs to get ready for bed and the little ones dosed off to sleep. Then while Jon and Christine finished up his Christmas wrapping, I worked on mine. See I am never completely done wrapping it seems I spend way to much time wrapping on Christmas Eve.

As our evening came to a close, I laid there in bed wondering what Troy was doing. Was he getting up to a cold room with no presents under the tree (my box still had not made it yet)? Was he sad and lonely? Did they get a nice dinner over there? Would he be able to call like he has planned or would some idiot in this crazy war mess that up too? I hate being away from Troy especially on holidays. My mind often wonders to my friends who are already widows. I try to tell myself that I am lucky he is only gone for a little while…not forever. It could be a lot worst and I know that. So I am thankful! It’s almost 4 AM as I drift off to sleep in a little less than three hours Hitler (aka Jordan) will be up and playing the baby (Hunter) to wake the house.

I was right! Jordan was up before the sun and his mind was fast to create situations to get Hunter going and raising us from our beds. After about 30 minutes I finally gave in, I would never make a good soldier. I am terrible at getting up especially if I am being made to rise when I do not want too. We had a nice quite Christmas morning and while I was going to attempt to video and take pictures I found that doing both was way too hard so I decided that videoing was best so Troy can view it when he comes home.

While it was a quite morning and we missed Troy we were happy to have each other and a call from him. Actually he called twice once in the morning and then later in the day which was nice. My folks called as well as Charlotte and her family and Chris and Deb. I made sure that the boys and I called Troy’s parents because Christmas is my Mother-in-law’s Birthday and we wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday as well. We had dinner around 3:40 PM and Jon headed to Christine’s house right after his Dad’s second call to spend sometime with her and her family. So the younger boys and I just relaxed here at the house. Jordan and Hunter played with their new toys and I settled in for a nap and watched my new movie that Jon got for me “Invincible”. I love it!

So it was a quite night for us…no visitors, no calls, just the boys and I wishing Troy was here with us and so very thankful that he’s safe! Merry Christmas My Love, we miss you!

Merry Christmas!
Love, Christine
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=327 Tue, 23 Jan 2007 08:00:00 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=330 I have to tell this story because this is so Hunter…..

The other day I picked Hunter up from school and it was snowing. I had to run some errands and so we headed into town and as we exited the highway onto the exit ramp a middle-aged man in a white car came up on my bumper really fast and almost hit me. As I looked in the rear-view mirror I made a comment, “Just go ahead and get on my butt why don’t you!” Now I know it was a stupid comment and there are worst things I could have said but Hunter was with me and I am trying to set an example. Hunter says to me, “Mommy I am behind your butt he can’t sit here too. Why did you say that?” So I, in my motherly wisdom, decided to explain what I meant. I said to Hunter, “No Hunter…that’s not what Mommy really meant to say see Mommy was mad at the guy behind her because he was being a jerk.” Hunter then asked me “What’s a jerk?” So I explain to him that a jerk is someone who is not being very nice. He was quite for a few seconds then he said to me…”I am going to have to tell Mrs. Perrello (his teacher).” Now the parent panic has set in and I am thinking oh no what did I say that is going to get me in trouble with the teacher, after all Hunter goes to a Christian Pre-school. In a considerate voice I ask Hunter, “What are you going to tell Mrs. Perrello?” He calmly looks at me and says…”I am going to have to tell Mrs. Perrello that I think I have found the person who took our number 4.” Now I am trying not to laugh because the disappearance of the number 4 has been a topic in our house numerous times because someone took it and the entire disappearance and it's mismatched replacement has really bothered Hunter and his classmates. Trying to speak as normal as possible I asked Hunter why he thought that person took the number 4 and he told me, “because Mrs. Perrello said that whoever took the number 4 was not being nice and mommy you just said that guy was not being nice.”

Well, I couldn’t hold the laughter in any more and I chuckled. After being interrogated by a five year old as to why I was laughing, I decided we had solved enough crimes today and stopped for lunch. I have to say he made my day…I really a needed a laugh.


]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=330 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:38:26 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=322 General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=322 Thu, 18 Jan 2007 23:05:11 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=319 Well, it has been over two months since the storm hit here and I am still digging out of the damage. I know for some people they may find that hard to believe but my FEMA guy told me that it normally takes months to get through everything and then there is the insurance to deal with and finalize everything. According to the FEMA guy assigned to our case, the two block area of our neighborhood was one of the hardest hit by the storm damage. I kind of figured that since it took so long to get our power back. It seems that the beautiful trees that once graced our neighborhood did a huge amount of the damage and then there were the flooding issues that everyone on our block was having. After all, the creek is located across the street from our property in my neighbor’s back yard.

At this point, I only have boxes in our Great Room and the Master Bedroom. Immediately after the storm, I spent seven days around the clock clearing items out of the basement and started the process of tossing or trying to safe. It’s an emotional process to do especially when you are doing it by yourself. I didn’t have a problem getting rid of the furniture even through it was fairly new. What I did have issues with was the realization that all (but a few) of Jordan’s baby pictures and years of pictures from the boys growing up were all damaged. Someone moved the boxes that were stacked on the dresser (which the pictures were in) and placed them on the floor. I had no ideal the boxes were even on the floor. I had made sure that they were on the dresser but I guess that someone needed in the box that was located under them marked “Army Stuff”. I was crushed and angry even though I knew that it was an error probably made in hast due to an unexpected and fast deployment. It doesn’t matter at this point how they got on the floor it just matters that their gone or damaged. The morning I found the pictures, I sat on the wet floor and held them in my hands and cried. As I was trying to get myself together, my sister called, she wanted to know if I could use some help with the clean up. I tried really hard to act like I was OK and had not been crying. The fifteen days of limited sleep, (I had only sleep 14 hours in the past seven days.) and my emotional state due to the loss of those precious pictures, well lets just say I was overwhelmed and her call had perfect timing.

See even though we had insurance and really good insurance, I wasn’t having the best experience. The initial person I spoke to at the insurance company was great she told me when I finally got power back on to call her and she would get a crew out there ASAP. Then when I got power I called and got another agent, one who reigns from hell, who was too lazy to click on the second page and see that I had coverage for everything. Not only was she rude when I asked questions but she basically told me to read my policy (which I could not because the freakin’ thing was wet and the pages were stuck together.) She had told me I had to remove everything out of my basement before the Crew could come in. I even asked her to double check which made her even more pleasant but hey we were talking a lot of stuff. I had about 1300 square feet of junk stacked in 600 square feet. Mostly from our Alaska move due to our house being so much larger up there and just moving into our permanent house here in Western New York.

Anyway, after seven days of non-stop moving boxes and carrying boxes that were heavier than my first born I was at the end of my rope. It was my Birthday and I had two hours sleep in three days. So I called the agent who gave me the quote when we first changed to this insurance company. I asked her what was covered and explained what I was told and what has happened. When I found out that we had coverage all along and that I didn’t have to move anything I was furious. I placed my formal complaint and asked that the other agent be removed from my case. I wanted her fired…I wanted her head on a platter because on the very first screen that anyone in this company sees when they pull up our account is that Troy is in Afghanistan and to put me through even more after everything I had been through was …well we won’t go there. Lets just say I was not happy and I am not a nice person when I get angry just ask anyone who has ever worked for me why they call me Attila the Hun or Harry Truman.

The poor agent who had to give me the news was wonderful and she let me vent and made sure I was treated like royalty after my experience. I have to say the insurance company has been wonderful since then. The Emergency Disaster Crew was at my house within twelve hours of talking to the third agent. The crew was great and worked really hard and since I had already unloaded the majority of the basement the seven member crew only had to work one day. They had to completely remove all the walls, cabinets, shelves, books, boxes and carpet from the basement by the end of the day I had boxes in every room but the boy’s bedrooms and bathroom and they were only spared because I put my foot down and made them stack the boxes up instead of spreading boxes all over the house. Unfortunately, it was too late for most of the rooms and my cream color carpet.

The only of issues we had with our clean up efforts was the fact that the clean-up company tried to kill us with carbon monoxide poisoning. When they set up the machines to dry out the basement they counter acted the natural flow of the exhaust on the water heater and furnace which almost killed us. Thankfully I am a safety nut and have carbon monoxide detectors as well as smoke detectors on every level of my home. I am very good about checking my detectors periodically especially if new items are installed or something does seem right. Twice during this ordeal, we had to call the Fire Department for high carbon monoxide reading and alarms going off. Thankfully, we had alarms and they were working properly! We could have died! I am thankful that I knew the warning signs and called as soon as we started feeling bad. As the Fire Department Chief stated, we are a very lucky family.

I am at the hard part now, sifting through what remains of the final room of boxes. Logging and photographing, the damages stuff before I toss it. It’s emotional at times, but I will survive it just another down hill drop in the roller coaster of life. Out of all the storm comes memories and I got some great memories with my sister, building some awesome cabinets for my basement. We are a handy two-some thanks to the skills our Dad taught us. Ask anyone who has seen my new cabinets and they will tell you they are awesome, each cabinets weighed over 250 lbs and holds a tons of crap. Just ask the boys who had to help us moved them into place these cabinets are built to last.

I am working hard to get through everything before Troy comes home for good…the last thing I want him to do when he comes home is to have to deal with this mess. I want him to be able to relax, kick back and enjoy being home. So if that is going to happen I need to get to work…

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]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=319 Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:24:04 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=314
On my last post in October, I mentioned that it was a cold rainy day, well we had several cold and rainy days that week then it cleared up for a couple of days. At least enough for the old sump pump to get a rest. See we like many New Yorker’s in our neighborhood have a sump pump in our basement. I am not sure who the genius was who invented them and I know I do not want to meet him or the person who installed mine in the basement, which was my storage area.

Everyone by now has heard about the “Big October Storm” and I can’t pretend to remember the exact dates of when the storm hit. WHY? Because we got hammered by it from the time the lake effect snow started to fall. In a little less than 2 hours we got over two feet of snow at my house, then we lost power. It was Thursday, October 12 at 4:01 PM when the power went out and it just so happens that I was watching the clock because my son was preparing to leave to drive to his girlfriends house over 25 minutes away in the South Towns and I was getting concerned about the depth of snow. As a matter of fact, I was on the phone with Mama P, who I consider a dear friend, older wiser sister, and at times a mothering influence in my life. I met Mama P when I started the Family Support Group for our unit because her son is one of Troy’s soldiers. Anyway, Mama P lives a distance from me and she was getting hammered as well. Mama P is my gauge as to how bad the roads maybe in the other parts of Buffalo. After being disconnected from Mama P due to the loss of power, Jon and I took a good look at the conditions outside and decided that he would not go out in the storm but stay home. It was just way too bad out there.

Boy am I ever thankful! While the towns south of Buffalo did not get hit that badly we in the north towns got slammed. In less than 20 minutes after the power failing, the lovely sump pump alarm started to sing letting us know that it was about to overflow. So with prayers of a quick power recovery I started to bail, fifty two hours later we were still bailing. That is right, everyone in this house bailed, carried, and dumped ground water, even Hunter. See we bailed with the largest cups we could get inside the pump area (note large icee cups work real well) and then we dumped the water into 18 gallon Rubbermaid tubs, then two people carry the tub upstairs and dump it in the sink in the laundry room. Eventually we had to switch to a small and lighter container because it was flowing too quick and we were getting so tired. The boys were wonderful and everyone helped out even the little guy. We took turns sleeping in hour to two hours long shifts, both Jon and I. Jordan helped with Hunter and when Hunter needed to go to bed I sent both of them. Their little bodies were so very tired and Jon and I were exhausted. In the words of Jon, “Being without power is not a big deal to us, it was the Freakin’ Sump Pump and all the bailing that was the pain.” Close to the fortieth hour I said to Jordan (while trying to motivate him)…”Son just image we are in the 1800’s and the farm is burning and we are trying to get the water from the creek to the barn, to put the fire out.” With the most serious face I have ever seen on Jordan he looked at me and said, “Mom, just let the flippin’ barn burn, the animals are all out.” He was right but I just couldn’t give up…the power had to come on soon so I thought but that was not the case.

At the fifty-second hour with exhausted bodies, we had reached the point where bailing was not making a difference and the water was capping. With all hope gone of saving the basement I turned to the boys and said “I know we have been praying through out this entire ordeal but I need you to pray with me right now. We can’t keep this up we are losing the battle.” Without hesitation, my boys joined hands in our great room and with muddy carpet and filthy, exhausted bodies we stood there and asked to God for a miracle; we needed him to send us an angel. In less than a few minutes of ending our prayer my new neighbor came over to check on us and to help us bail. When PJ knocked on the door Jon looked at me and said “Mom there’s our angel!” He was right! Then within a few minutes of being here PJ sent Jordan across the street to Rich’s house to see if he had any ideals. Rich came within a minute, and with his generator he began the process of emptying the sump pump and the drain tiles. It took a while but it looked like the water would hold back till the morning, or so every thought.

The guys kept telling me go to bed Christine and get some sleep…you have to get some rest, it should hold. So after keeping a close eye on it until 2 AM I decided that maybe they were right and I could actually get a few hours of sleep. When I finally laid down I crashed and at 7 AM I heard this very faint high pitch beeping which kind of sounded like the sump pump alarm. I head down the stairs and into the basement only to step ankle deep in water while I was still standing on the stairs. With loud screams to the boys everyone jumped up and took their positions. Jordan and Jon went to get Rich and the generator and I started saving what I could that wasn’t already wet. Hunter bless his heart open doors and cleared areas for me to stack items.

After we got it pumped out, I began the search again for a generator and at this point I would have paid anything I was at my end of my rope. I had been out a couple of times (against the driving ban) the days before searching for a generator or any type of contraption that could run the pump. I was even looking at hot wiring the car battery to run the pump and I would have if I could have gotten all the pieces I needed to do it (yes I can hot wire and do not ask why). I have a lot of skills my inter-city (Recreation Center) kids taught me when I ran the center. It was a very young blood member who showed me how easy it was to hot wire, so I took notice and remembered. The only problem I was having was that I actually needed some electrical wiring to make everything work and I could not get my hands on any because apparently anyone who knew how to hot wire had been out and purchased everything available or the shops where I could get what I needed were not open.

So, in desperation I turned to a man who I knew understood sump pumps and electrical items for advice. I called Grampie and Grammie, which happens to be my best friend’s parents and like a sweet dream and true blessing from God there was my miracle. As upset and exhausted as I was, Grammie with her soothing words warmed my soul and calmed me. She gave me to Grampie who like an angel took very good care of me. Grammie and Grampie live on the opposite side of the state, many hours away from us. Grampie not only got me a generator but also the piggy tail to hot wire the furnace so we would have heat. He also got me a five gallon gas can and he filled the generator and the can full of gas and sent extra extension cords. (anyone who has ever been in a natural disaster know gas lines are long and often you are limited to how much you can purchase at a time…which was the case here in Buffalo). Their son, we call him Cousin Ray Ray (who lives in Buffalo and was visiting them during the storm), drove the generator and stuff to me and wired us up. I can not even begin to tell everyone how much their support and love mean to me. Grammie and Grampie have always treated our boys, and Troy and I like family. But this time was different, I felt like I was their daughter and they took care of me just like I was one of theirs. Even calling back numerous times to check on us and walk me through some things I would not have thought of if Grampie hadn’t called to make sure I knew. I do not know what I would have done with them. Thanks to them, the boys and I could finally get some rest and sleep in a warm house. After four days with out electricity and heat it was so very nice to have heat and not be bailing. At this point, I felt blessed, very blessed! I will be forever grateful to God for Grammie and Grampie, and of course Ray.

See, what I left out earlier was that while we were bailing, we really didn’t realize how cold the house was, that was until we laid down to rest. It was 39 degrees inside my house; at times it was colder inside than outside. But with no power there was nothing I or anyone else in my neighborhood could do. On my second day out against the driving ban, I was able to purchase a propane heater for $100 and four propane cans (because they were being rationed). The heater actually warmed one room of the house for about five hours with each bottle of propane. So I rationed it to tried to use it so the boys could at least get to sleep without shaking to death and to cook with as well. We still slept in shifts because I was not comfortable sleeping with a propane heater going. So the boys sleep then when Jon or Jordan would get up I would sleep for a few hours. The good thing is the heater did keep the temperature in the house at approximately 39 to 42 degrees. After we got our generator the heater went to visit a neighbor so they would have a little warmth.

It was four days after the storm before we got our generator. The days were filled with way too many unending tasks. Our streets were in passable, covered in snow and damaged trees. The snow melted to create water and flooding problems for everyone but the tree issues were bad. No one could come in or out, including rescue vehicles. We, my neighbors and I worked together as a team, helping each other. My neighbor’s are city people and while I coexist nicely here and I do love the city, I am a country girl and outdoorsman at heart. My Dad didn’t have any sons, I was his boy or as he would put it his #1 son! So I learned to do all the things that young boys are taught by their fathers at a time when girls didn’t even pump gas.

Living in Alaska and years of scouting taught me to always be prepared and I was prepared food wise, cooking, and survival wise. It was the water and storm issues I wasn’t really prepared for. After all, we live in NY and the weather is not near as bad as the storms in Alaska. I have experienced just about everything, Hurricane, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Floods, Volcanoes erupting, High Wind Storms (125 mph plus), white outs, you name it. I really expected the power to be on within hours or within a few days not a week later. After all we had been through we had never been without power for eight days.

As it turned out, I am the only person in my neighborhood with a chainsaw, which I gladly lent to my neighbor, Dave, who handled the tree issues. PJ was able to get to his sisters house (couple hours away) to barrow her generator, so Jordan and him worked the generator moving it from house to house to drain the sump pumps. Since I was the only person on the block with a camp stove and camp coffee pot, I cooked. I can’t thank my Daddy enough for teaching me how to make hobo coffee (there is a technic to it if you want a grounds free cup). We ate very well on our block anytime something started to thaw we cooked it. People who have seen my pantry and freezer always tell me when we have an emergency they are coming to my house because I am always stocked up for an emergency, guess it is all the wintering in Alaska that taught me well.

Everyone pitched in and helped each other out. My girlfriend lives around the corner from me and we checked on each other twice a day. The houses around me with the exception of one, worked together and looked out for each other. We all had damage of some kind, we may not have been very close before the storm, just a casual hello now and then, but afterwards we became friends almost family. We shoveled and snow plowed driveways, we hauled limbs, shared food and cell phones, and helped each other like we were family and had known each other all our lives.

On the third day all the kids in the neighbor were bored and in need of kid-like entertainment while everyone had board games it was the night time when they needed something. So, in the middle of a clean up afternoon I sent Jordan and a few neighborhood boys to my back yard for our fire ring, which is actually a copper fire bowl in a stand. The boys gathered the aged wood that I had in the back yard and I announced to the kids that everyone was invited to our house at 7PM for smore’s and a fire. Jordan and the kids put the word out and at 7 PM neighbors came carrying wood, paper, lawn chairs and wine glasses. We sat and visited and roasted marshmallows’ and bonded. A good time was had by all and we continued our nightly fire until everyone had power, each and every night at 7 PM. Every once in a while someone would come by from an adjacent block and stop to talk or comment about our fire. Since it is winter most people up here try to keep people off of their grass so it is not damaged. My lawn well it looks bad, actually it looks like a large herd of horses were kept on it because of the amount of people and fires but I don’t care. We made memories and good ones during a time when things were really bad. Hopefully our children can look back on those cold evenings and remember the laughter and good times we shared. Hopefully if they ever have to walk through a crisis they will be able to recall those good times and use it to make their own. My Mom always said when God gives you lemons you can always make lemon-aid. I figured if you don’t make lemon-aid and only suck on the lemons (dwell on the bad) you become bitter. It is so much better to make lemon-aid and share with your friends because sometimes they bring cookies to go with it.

So out of the storm, we gained friendship, strength, family and a bond with each other and gratefulness to those who helped us. I am thankful for my boys and the way they stepped up to the challenges, for Grampie and Grammie who loved me like their own, for my neighbors who became my friends, and for my dear friends (Chris and Debbie) who looked out for me so far away (calling me to check on us, as well as my folks (Nannie and Papal) and Grammie and Grampie calling). I believe that sometimes God puts rocks in our pathway to make us walk around and take the long way and sometimes he puts boulders to make us climb over and reach out to him as we climb. We did some climbing and took some long pathways but we were never alone.

The storm brought us one other thing, our monthly neighbor fire nights. A time to bond, share and celebrate. So if you drive by and see a yard full of people gathered around a fire pit with lawn chairs having a good time stop and join us, you might have the time of your life.


]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=314 Tue, 9 Jan 2007 03:45:23 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=306 The smart aleck one was walking around
He was complaining, “It’s hot, it’s hot, it’s so hot in here
its 48 degree and I have no cheer!”

It doesn’t feel like Christmas there is no snow on the ground
just the wetness from the rain that continually falls down.

The cat walked around with tape on tail.
The kid walked around swinging a bell.
Mom busied herself with the cookies and snacks.
Jon slept away the morning as it past.

The boys waited by the computer so anxious to see
if their Dear Daddy had emailed them from over seas,
for Christmas was happening a world away
and Daddy was stuck there playing Army today.

Then finally it came
the IM rang so clear
we all jumped up and gave a big cheer.

To the computer we ran with smiles on our faces
We wanted to read what was typed on that the page
For Christmas without Daddy is hard to endure
but an email from him could just be the cured….

No hot water for showers
the snow it was too deep
the cooks had been cooking the dinner to eat
lots of fixings to enjoy it was really a treat.

And life was real good
There was no fighting today
Maybe they can relax
and play video games so they say.

Then all of a sudden we couldn’t believe
what printed there on the screen to read...
Did he say he was callin’
He’s calling today
We all ran around with excitement to say..

Where’s the phone
Where’s the phone
We searched and searched
and we looked all around then finally we founded it
stuck in the chair with the crayons!

Then finally it rang and we all gave a cheer
it was Daddy Sweet Daddy “Yes we all are right here!
We talked all at once all over each other.
We laughed and we cried and hugged one another.

He read us a story of a Christmas Eve Night
and we said a prayer for to our savior tonight.
A thank you for keeping our Dear Daddy safe,
for blessing us with all of his grace.

At the end of call, with tears in our eyes
we all yelled Dear Daddy we love you goodbye!

Then Mommy sat down with the children to pray
to ask for endures to get through this day,
with joy and tears and heart far away
"We Thank You Dear Jesus for the gifts of today.”

Written December 24, 2006
By Christine Steward
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=306 Sat, 30 Dec 2006 15:03:41 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=305
Until then, here is a little poem I wrote about our Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas to All!
Love, Christine
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=305 Sat, 30 Dec 2006 15:02:20 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=236 General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=236 Fri, 6 Oct 2006 00:16:44 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=233
As the school nurse calls him her "bubble boy". He spent an entire 6th grade year at the school before she actually got to meet him. But since then he has made up for the limited time. Most kids go to the school nurse and they get sent back to class. Jordan has made such great advances in the nurses office that when he walks in the nurses just smile at him get the story and say to him call your Mom she is going to love this one!! It seems that things seem to happen in threes here. If he gets hurt playing hockey on Sunday, then I can pretty much bet I will have to picking him at least twice that week from school and usually it is unbelievable stuff never I have a stomach ache or fever thing. My only normal communication with the school nurse is...I think he needs to see the doctor or your going to need x-rays this time. The kid has had so many x-rays since Troy left that he would probably glow if you they tested him at the airport. So he is busy keeping life exciting for us. We love him but he may be getting a big bubble to live in for Christmas.

]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=233 Thu, 5 Oct 2006 13:45:32 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=226
There are only ten children in Hunter class which is one of the reasons why I love this school. The other reason is because it is a good Christian school that teaches God and Country as well as the normal educational requirements. Hunter loves his new friends and while Hunter has adjusted to school with no tears not every child has faired as well. There is one little guy in Hunter’s class that has had such a hard time being away from his parents that he cries or as Hunter puts it whines. Hunter will cry do not get me wrong but not because we left him at school or someone’s house.. usually only because he either really hurt or he is missing his Daddy.

Here is a story about what happened the other day in class. As I picked him up he announced to me: “Mom you know I don’t cry in class like that other boy does. I am bigger inside.” Seeing that we had just left the door by the teacher and other parents were picking their children up as well, I said to him, “Really, and then tried to change the subject. I really didn't want anyone to hear him especially the little boy." As we walked toward to the car I said to him, “You know Hunter some kids have a hard time being away from their parents. It’s just makes them sad.” He said, “I know that Mom. So I told that boy…that I miss my Daddy more (he’s not here) and you don’t see me crying like a baby.” I was thinking oh dear God please don’t let that be so…that he called the other kid a baby. I explained to him that it is not nice to call someone a baby because they are having a difficult time and that he just misses his Mommy and Daddy. He just looked at me and said, “Listen Mom, he just needs to grow up. Life isn’t fair all the time.” I tried again to explain to him that he needed to be nice and thoughtful and be careful not to hurt their feelings because it is scary for some kids because they have never been away from their parents. He then tells me, “Mom I was nice. I just told that kid. Hey your Mom has to come back and get you….It’s the law!” I almost fell out trying not to laugh. It was all I could do not to fall down laughing. Of course, Hunter noticed and said to me, “Mommy why are you smiling. Are you thinking about breaking the law and leaving me here.” I just looked at him and told him, “I would never leave you my love.” Then those sweet words came out of his mouth...“Thanks Mommy...I love you!”

Oh my boy!! How I love you!

]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=226 Thu, 28 Sep 2006 17:59:59 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=223 Today, I faced the orange demon in our backyard. Actually it is kind of orangey-pink. Over nine years ago, we invested in a wooden play/swing set for Jordan. When we purchased it and brought it home our special child was thrilled with the swing set but had no problem communicating to us that it was the wrong color. Now wooden swing sets do not come in an array of colors, normally its natural wood color, brown or green. For Jordan who had always had a flare for the unique, those normal colors were not going to work for him. He wanted orange so orange it was. Now you are thinking orange…oh my God!! But what I should have said was not only orange but safety orange. Yes, it is loud and no, our subdivision (Thank God) does not have any rules about having bright colors items in your yard. I know a lot of people are thinking…I would never have anything so loud and ugly in backyard. However, once you have taken several days to paint all the pieces you really do not care what it looks like as long as you do not have to paint it again. After nine years of weathering in the sun and snow the paint has begun to show signs of age. So, when we moved into this house we decided that we would repaint the swing set. Another lengthy conversation was had about paint colors and a family vote was taken and again the color orange won out again. (This happened because someone decided no to be present during the appointed voting time which actually took place prior to this deployment.)

In actuality, the orange is not bad. It kind of grows on you and in the gloomy winter days it is bright and cheery looking in the back year. We have got out money out of this play set and gallon of paint. Now that it is time to paint again and I am here addressing the orange beast alone. Since, I knew that it would go faster if everyone helped I tried to no avail to get the boys to help me. Jon is busy with his life and Jordan didn’t want to be bother so the only help I could round up for the project was Hunter who by the way would be the main benefactor of this paint job. So on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the two us in our official painting clothes hung out in the back yard painting the swing set. I started on the top pieces since I am the tallest and Hunter was suppose to start on the lower spindles just perfect for his height. Hunter was so excited to help me paint and I figured what the heck the worst thing that can happen is I have to repaint the area that he painted and if paint got on the ground it was no problem we could mow it away. Besides it was worth everything to watch him smile as he helped me! Since I love to paint (it’s almost therapy to me), I showed Hunter the proper way to load his brush and told him what to look out for, how to hold the brush and movement. He paid close attention while I explained the process and at one point I actually thought (woo who!!) one of the boys will be handy but he only pretended to listen he actually got so excited painting that he forgot the tip of the brush loading method and use instead his entire hand painting measure. What that means is that as he loaded his brush he also loaded his hand which required that the entire brush being submerged inside the paint can. Oh how proud he was of his painting and there was a beautiful pattern on the ground between the paint can and the swing set!

Unfortunately, I had gotten busy while standing on the fort area of the set to notice that he had a lot of paint in his brush and him. When I did notice it was because he had accidentally painted my legs with the extra paint as he addressed the spindles. Now, I didn’t want to yell or be upset with him because we all have to learn how to paint, so I stated to him that “Wow that’s a lot of paint Hunter.” In which he replied with a smile, “YEAH!! Isn’t it cool! Hey Mom it goes so much faster if you put more paint on your brush!” At this point, I am smiling because I now have paint where no paint was needed including on a large portion of my legs and his body. I agreed with him that it does go faster but faster is not always better and with that I convinced him to take a break and let me get some of the paint off his brush. As I took his paint brush to get some of the paint off of it, he stood there talking away to me. Exhausted from his labors he used his orange hands to brush his hair away from his face. In doing so he managed to get paint all over his face and his hair. I tried to stop him but when Hunter talks he uses his hands and everywhere his little hands went there the paint went also. He was covered head to toe. As he stood there chatting away, he started to noticed that he was covered in paint from head to toe. He cracked me up when he said, “Hey Mom, I think the swing set has been painting us!” I looked at him and said, “Yes, Hunter I think the swing set has been painting us!”

We haven’t finished painting the swing set yet. It got late and we had to quit before we really wanted to because Jordan had to be at the ice rink for hockey try-outs. So, with only minutes to spare Hunter and I climbed in the van (paint clothes and all…two walking orange people) to drive Jordan to the rink. We dropped him off which I almost never do but considering the way that we looked I think Jordan would have been embarrassed if Hunt and I had accompanied him inside. Instead we came home and bathed then returned to the ice rink clean to watch the last part of the try-outs and retrieve Jordan. A busy orange day!!
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=223 Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:22:33 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=218
Now I am off to the bathroom project and as I go through the process without my mate I find that making the simple decisions are not as fun as they are with him. (No one to argue with or bounce things off.) We now have a tub, toilet and sink ordered. The tile and counter top is picked out. I just need to figure out the lighting then I am on the fast track to success because I actually have a plumber who I think will actually complete our renovation. He did my neighbors bathrooms and they were both beautiful so I am hoping that by the time Troy is home the bathroom will be done. I am hopeful that Troy will be happy with the finished room at the very least the butterfly wallpaper is gone.

After my week of driving everyone where they need to be…hockey try-outs, school, ice skating, friends house, music lessons, etc….I needed a break and preferably with another adult for intelligent conversation. Now since I have no family here and all of my friends are married with their own families, I decided to make plans with one of the wife’s who husband is deployed with Troy. We were going to go to dinner and a movie. Unfortunately, the best laid plans fail at times and while things were a go on my end it didn’t work out for her. With no one else to call on such short notice, I decided that life is way to short and I really needed a break. So, I braved the night alone, a movie and dinner by myself. I know must of my friends would have just canceled or skipped the dinner and maybe went to the movies. But if I had changed my mind I would never get a break and eating alone well it is a skill that everyone should learn to do. After all there comes a time in everyone’s life were you ended up alone, it is then when you have to decide to hide or celebrate life and face the world. So, with no husband, no friends, no books or newspaper, no dining alone tools, just me by myself, I had dinner at the Mexican restaurant that Troy likes and much to my dismay I ended up at a table for four in the center of the dining room. I have to admit that there was a little strain in my throat when I answered for the fourth time, “Yes only one tonight!” Dinner was nice but quite. After dinner I was off to the movie to see Invincible, which I really wanted to see before it left the theaters. Most people do not know this about me but I am a huge football fan. I prefer College Football but I love any kind of football as well as basketball and hockey. Troy and the boys do not let me watch any sports at home at all. Why? There is one big reason, as Troy puts it…I yell at the players and get too excited about the game. I have only watched two football games in front of Troy, one of which I watched at the car dealership when we were trying to buy a vehicle. He was so mad at me. I believe the words he said was could you please keep your excitement down and could you please come in here and listen to the salesman. But my Gators were playing and there was little hope I would leave the game till they were off the field or at least half time. So, now you know why Invincible was a good pick for me. I really enjoyed the movie it offered me over an hour to not think about anything at all. I just needed to relax and have some down time. I don’t get a lot of time to myself. Usually, I get my time between 2 AM and 6:30 AM when I am sleeping to relax. Every Wednesday, I take the time around 9 PM to relax and watch Bones but other than that there just isn’t anytime for me…not till Troy and the guys get home.

Well, that was the weekend run, run, run and a little relaxation.

]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=218 Sun, 24 Sep 2006 23:46:48 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=211
Here is the skinny on my Monday evening (9/11/06)…

I picked Hunter up from Mima’s and had to make a real quick stop at the grocery store for one more can of spaghetti sauce to complete our dinner tonight. While at Mima’s Hunter fell down on her steps and skinned his knee, no blood just a small scrap. As we were driving along he was complaining in his car seat “Oh my leg hurts…Oh my Leg”. Finally being the mother that I am, I said to him, “Hunter is it really that bad.” He assures me that yes it is that bad. His leg is killing him. I explained to him there was no blood it couldn’t be that bad. He again assures me that it is in fact that bad. Our conversation about his leg continued all the way to the grocery store. As we arrive at our destination, I open my door and unlock his as I was waiting for him to exit I gather up my purse. When his little body did not appear instantly, I try to move him along by telling him we had to hurry but he told me he just couldn’t…his leg. It was then that I looked down at him sitting in his car seat and noticed that he in fact could not move. Why you may ask?...because he had handcuffed his right leg to the back of my drivers seat. I kid you not!! I stood there not knowing how to react. As I tried to hold my laughter in I figured I could get these off after all they came from Chuck E Cheese no thanks to Jordan. After several minutes and numerous wandering eyes from around the parking lot, I decided to head home and get the keys after all they came with keys. I asked Hunter where his keys were as we drove home but of course he didn’t know. He states that he thinks he lost them. Of course I couldn’t resist the ultimate question which why did you handcuff yourself if you didn’t have a key. He in turn tells me that “Well…Jordan has a key.” As I pulled into the driveway, I find one child play outside with the neighborhood kids and one on the Xbox 360, which would explain why no one answered the phone when I called for the past 25 minutes. After sounding like the true southern mother, which I am, the neighborhood kids ran for shelter and mine cautiously ran toward me. When he got close enough to see my face he inquired as to what was wrong, I then stepped aside and he had full view of his brother. It took a few minutes before he could control his laughter and ask exactly what I wanted him to do. I sent him looking for his keys as I stood there with Hunter trying to get the handcuffs off of his leg or the seat. It took a while but Jordan did return...with no keys, apparently they were not where he had put them. This insight did not lighten my mood because all I could envision was another $75 fee to a locksmith again. Last time it was Jordan who was handcuffed to the staircase, left to hang by his wrist exactly two feet off the ground by his older brothers who found it very funny. Now I am standing there trying not to cause Hunter any pain because the cuffs are so tight so I try working on the end connected to the seat. I left Jordan in charge of Hunter as I went looking for the keys because when Jordan reappeared without the keys Hunter said to him…”Couldn’t find them huh? That’s because I hide them real well.” No, this kid knew very well the entire time that Jordan was gone that he would not be able to find the keys because he had hide them. One look from me and Hunter is now fussing up to where he has hidden the keys and I set off to uncover the keys leaveing them together. After 20 minutes searching, I heard Hunter and Jordan coming up the stairs. Jordan had manage to get the cuff attached to the seat undone the set was hanging from Hunter’s leg. Unbelievably in only a few seconds of Hunter looking and the little guy puts his grubby little hands on them. Unfortunately the keys did not work right away and I was almost ready to make the call to the locksmith when all of a sudden the handcuffs open and he is free. An hour and a half later we actually arrived at the grocery store to get what we needed for dinner. Just a normal day with the boys!

Man I love my Boys! Christine
]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=211 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:20:38 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=210
This is just a short note to all our family members and friends that have been praying for Troy while he is on his current mission. I heard from Troy on yesterday and he was doing fine. He sounded really good and it was wonderful to hear from him. Stay safe my Love! We love you and miss you to the highest Afghan mountain and back!

Love, Christine]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=210 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:25:27 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=209
We did all the normal preparation the night before the first day of school: dinner, bath, clothes laid out, backpack ready, story read, song sung and into bed early. Jordan helped by picking out the books that we read to him. We were careful to pick ones that dealt with going to school and of course his favorite book (Henry and Mudge). In the morning it was the healthy first day breakfast and one special book The Kissing Hand, which is a story about a raccoon going to school and how his mother prepares him for being away from her by kissing his hand so that he will feel her with him as he goes. As we drove to school I asked Hunter, “Are you excited? You’re not scared are you?” His sweet little voice spoke up and said, “I’m a little scared but it will be alright … right mom….It’s ok to be a little scared right.” As I stared in the rear view mirror at him, I assured him that yes it is perfectly alright to be a little scared. We parked and walked hand in hand my little man and I. I introduced him to his teacher and helped him get his things settled. As I started to leave him, I bent down to give him one last kiss and tell him goodbye. I took his hand in mine and gave him a kiss in the center of his hand, smile and whispered to him, “I’ll always be with you.” I was so proud of him and myself no tears. As I looked around many parents and children had tears in their eyes. I was thinking it’s only Preschool but deep inside I was thinking my baby has become a little man. We could have easily cried, first day of school and no daddy here to share it with but I was not having it. We were celebrating this milestone with joy and documenting it to share with daddy. As I turned for the door, he whispered, “Mom, …Mom give me your hand.” As I gave him my hand he bent down and kissed it right in the center of my palm. As he looked up he said to me, “I will be with you too Mom.” With that we parted ways with glassy eyes I told him to “have fun my love” and with a huge smile he simply stated “Ok Mom see ya!”

Oh my precious little boy, how you have grown! I am so proud of you!!


]]> General http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=209 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:11:44 -0400 http://bouhammer.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=208
My heart is thankful today and saddened. I am so very thankful that our God protected Troy. He is the