I have 52 weeks to cover. Did you really think that I could go without repeating a song? Just so you know, this song will come up when we have, in my opinion, utterly amazing moments.
As I write, I am sitting with coffee in hand at the Great Wolf Lodge. All of the kids are still asleep at 8:30am, but that is not the amazing moment. We have now begun leg two of our vacation, but I would like to tell you about the first leg, also known as Don't Stop Believing Moment #4.
Laundry is finished. Bags are packed. All that is left to do is pack those things that we need first thing in the morning. I have talked to the kids about my expectations of them on the trip, not to mention the length of the drive. To say the least, we are prepared, and anyone that knows me personally knows that is how I do things.
The drive went well. Seven hours in the car with potty, food and gasoline stops, and, yes, I listed those in order of importance. The first thing that impressed me was that we didn't have to turn the videos on at all. With Radio Disney, hand-held video games and some riveting conversation, it was a great ride. "How far is it, Mommy?" "Well, sweet girl, if we have 250 miles to go and we are traveling at 75 miles per hour, how long should it take us to get there?" "MOM!"
The reason we went was to attend a change of command. If you have ever been to a change of command (or authority), you know that it can be fun to watch. I am a big fan of drill and ceremony. I haven’t been since my sweet soldier and I dated, and he worked in a training brigade. But this time around, I am outnumbered, and it is hot. And, that is not the worst part. The worst part was that the ceremony was held on a softball field next to a playground and I have a five year old on the autism spectrum. I was worried! This entire situation had the potential to go very badly. We passed the playground with little incident. Whew! We can do this!
As we made our way across the field to the seating area, I noticed that the band had set up a few of their instruments in preparation of the ceremony, but they were all standing in the shade. Well, I wasn't the only one that noticed the instruments. My youngest sweet boy screamed, "Drum!" He took off at a full sprint toward the drum with arms waving. And then? You guessed it. I took off after him –dress, heels and all. I scooped him up just before he got to the drum and heard laughing in the background. I turned, and the band members were laughing and smiling. I am sure that gave them something to talk about over lunch.
We found our seats. They had our names on them. Oh, the added pressure. We hugged and congratulated our friends and sat down. The oldest sweet boy and sweet girl were watching in awe as soldiers lined up, commands were called and the ceremony progressed. The youngest sweet boy sat in my lap. I was prepared. I was wearing a dress that you couldn't see all of the sweat through because I knew he would want to sit in my lap. I brought his weighted bear (a Build-A-Bear with two, one-pound weights inside), and as soon as he stared getting antsy, I put it in his lap. It works just as well as a lap mat, but it is not as conspicuous. It just happened to work out that when the weight of the bear would begin to not work, the band would begin to play and he was mesmerized. The speeches were fairly short because it was so hot, and we made it all the way through. As we sang the Army Song, I realized that we made it through the entire ceremony and I didn't have to get up and take him out of the area. He was as wiggly as any other five-year-old, and I am completely okay with that. He was (as were my other two) quiet and respectful. I could not have asked for better, but the day didn't end there.
We went to the reception that typically follows those ceremonies and I began to get nervous again. It is a new place with a jillion places to hide, and since this group doesn't know us, only that we are friends of the guest of honor, our behavior reflects on them. At least, that is what my southern brain tells me.
We had already gone into the reception, but the proper thing to do is go through the receiving line. I explained to the kids how to do that and we walked though with hugs, smiles and congratulations. I must admit that when the adjutant asked my name and when I gave it to her, she said, "Oh, I know who you are”, I thought, 'I'm in trouble.' Food went well and my children sat nicely at the table. They had small conversations with children and adults alike and I was fortunate to meet the 3D version of some ladies that I had only seen on Facebook. It was then that I realized that some children had taken over the ballroom and were running around like crazy. They were up on stage. They were between the tables. They were everywhere. What struck me about that was that my kids were not only not a part of it, but they didn't even ask! I walked out of there feeling great, but please don't get me wrong. My children are full of flaws, and I am the first one to admit that. But on this particular day, at this particular time, we had a great moment.
I am a proud mommy, but now the bar is set. I know they can do it. I expect a lot out of my kids, but we take the time to be prepared. I give them my expectations and we work together on how to meet those.
We are headed out for more vacation fun. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer! Don't forget to send your sweet solider some fun pictures of your adventures, but remind him that it is just not the same without him. I know ours is not the same!
Strength and Courage ... sby
Editor's Note: Photo is Sarah herself with her three sweet children.
