2012 New Years Update

[singaporemom]

As we were struggling to stay awake past 9pm last night our youngest decided to chat....and chat and chat....... 2 hours later we wrapped up our conversation only because his older brother was ready to play xbox with him....

Yes, we had a great conversation
Yes, I love hearing my boys laughing upstairs

But why oh why do they have to be so nocturnal??!!!

After getting adjusted to the quiet empty nest, it sounds like racoons are in the attic when they are home!

Can't they chat and play during daylight? Are my boys secretly vampires?

 

[Ohio2015Parent]

As we were struggling to stay awake past 9pm last night our youngest decided to chat....and chat and chat....... 2 hours later we wrapped up our conversation only because his older brother was ready to play xbox with him....

Yes, we had a great conversation
Yes, I love hearing my boys laughing upstairs

But why oh why do they have to be so nocturnal??!!!

After getting adjusted to the quiet empty nest, it sounds like racoons are in the attic when they are home!

Can't they chat and play during daylight? Are my boys secretly vampires?

Have the same problem here -- love the racoons in the attic -- DS has always been a night owl, college has only made it worse. Typically I'm up too, but work demands have been more(holidays + retail = tired momma). The noise level here has been strange too, used to only one home and she's not here that much. Peace and quiet will return soon - then its all about facebook and texting them.

 

[Pima]

I know what you mean singapore, our kids believe that at 9-10 p.m. this is the perfect time to rile up our 2 dogs (black lab/great dane mix, and the other is a boxer (my avatar)) by running around the house and playing fetch or hide and seek.

They of course do the pout of "Fine, Mom, I won't play with the dogs " because I am the meanie since I don't want to hear the dogs barking and running around the house...our downstairs are all wood floors so noise really travels, esp with 2 very big dogs!

 

[singaporemom]

I love it when they are home, but this Saturday evening when everybody has left...even hubby who is driving back with AROTC DS....I am looking forward to some shut eye!
and no cooking
and no dishes to wash

 

[Ohio2015Parent]

Greetings, Ohio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DS is leaving for school tomorrow. :-(

Hope he gets there safely. I have wanted snow all holiday season -- nothing. The day DS leaves to drive back to school, wham -- there is snow. He made it fine, but with his driving record one never knows

Good to hear from you again Ohio. Glad things are going well for your DS. I have mine and Brother Rat for one more week. Brother Rat saw the first real snow this evening..funny. (doesn't snow in Taiwan) Mine are enjoying their last week of relaxation, yet they are sort of anxious to get back and get the next few weeks over with. They aren't counting on it but they think they have an idea of when they may Break out of the Rat Line and hopefully it will only be a few more weeks. They sleep 12 hours a day EVERY day and the rest of the time is spent on Skype with family or saving the universe on xbox. Glad everyone seems to have enjoyed the holiday break with their DD/DS.
Patent...sorry. Taking them back is not fun at all. I hope you have a safe trip.

bjkuds,

Have the same 12 hours sleep(2am to 2pm) schedule going here...hope DS was ready to go at 5am this morning for PT Hope the Rat Line phase is over soon, have heard its pretty intense. DS is gearing up for something about a German badge, I think I saw another thread about it too.

It has been an amazing holiday season here, but now back to the noraml low rumble of craziness.

 

[Ohio2015Parent]

I know what you mean singapore, our kids believe that at 9-10 p.m. this is the perfect time to rile up our 2 dogs (black lab/great dane mix, and the other is a boxer (my avatar)) by running around the house and playing fetch or hide and seek.

They of course do the pout of "Fine, Mom, I won't play with the dogs " because I am the meanie since I don't want to hear the dogs barking and running around the house...our downstairs are all wood floors so noise really travels, esp with 2 very big dogs!

I love it when they are home, but this Saturday evening when everybody has left...even hubby who is driving back with AROTC DS....I am looking forward to some shut eye!
and no cooking
and no dishes to wash

Have hardwood thruout house, 1 dog and the 10 cats -- the kids have the same idea around here, lets get a game of chase going or rough house. Love them all(yes, I said 10 cats) but just as singapore says, looking forward to no cooking, dishes and little R&R - older DD leaves for school Thursday, so will enjoy the two girls for a little longer. Can't wait to hear from DS - PT in 15 degrees at 5am should have been a great time Love telling him " I told you so..."

 

[Pima]

I am officially jealous now...I still have until the 23rd until DS leaves, so that means weeks of noise, and raiding fridges.

My mantra is PIMA walk pass him room, be SGT Shultz from Hogan's Heroes...I see nossing!

It is our last time with him home and come next summer I will want what I saw this morning...3 empty coke cans, a dirty plate and two mini-muffin wrappers.

OBTW, he knows only water glasses are allowed in the room, but he waits until we are asleep and than starts his food fest!

As I stated in an earlier post about us moving his crap out form his off campus house because he has such a short report date, now you can understand my fears of what we may be entering when we do his move out!

Just imagine how many coke cans and wrappers I will find there after a semester? The only upshot is he has a GF who visits every month from OOS, so he does clean for her.

OHIO,

G bless you, we have 1 cat and I hate changing kitty litter, I couldn't imagine changing it for 10.

 

[patentesq]

I still have until the 23rd until DS leaves, so that means weeks of noise, and raiding fridges.

Now I'M officially jealous!

 

[kinnem]

The only upshot is he has a GF who visits every month from OOS, so he does clean for her.

Hi Pima. Sounds like the correct strategy would be to have her there a day ahead of your arrival. I'm sure he'll want to see her before he heads off anyway.

 

[NorwichDad]

I love reading these posts. I think you are all great parents. The refrigerator does get raided. My wife thought and still thinks that ROTC should have taught my son to do dishes. It will never happen. Over the holidays when we went out for dinner there would always be piles of those styro foam boxes on the kitchen counter the next morning. Always about two feet from the garbage. I never can understand that. It was great having all the kids home.
Son flew out to West Coast to see girlfriend. He comes home for a day then back to Norwich for the last semester. Bold Leader Challenge in Feb (1st Brigade) then Infantry in May. Son is writing the story of neighbor RP (2nd Marines 1942 to 1946) and his friendship with YY from Kagishima, Japan. They became friends in Nagasaki on October 6, 1945. RP just got a Chrstmas card from YY. 66 years they have been friends. My son sent YY a note to get his side of the friendship. Hopefully he will respond this week or next to my son. He needs to do this quick because RP is in failing health. Hopefully he can get in the paper. I will tell you this RP really lit up and smiled when he saw my son when we went over to his house last week. RP and my son have been good friends for a few years.

Best wishes of success, health and happiness for the new year.

 

[EDelahanty]

NorwichDad that would be a wonderful story. I hope your son follows through.

 

[patentesq]

I love reading these posts. I think you are all great parents. The refrigerator does get raided. My wife thought and still thinks that ROTC should have taught my son to do dishes. It will never happen. Over the holidays when we went out for dinner there would always be piles of those styro foam boxes on the kitchen counter the next morning. Always about two feet from the garbage. I never can understand that. It was great having all the kids home.
Son flew out to West Coast to see girlfriend. He comes home for a day then back to Norwich for the last semester. Bold Leader Challenge in Feb (1st Brigade) then Infantry in May. Son is writing the story of neighbor RP (2nd Marines 1942 to 1946) and his friendship with YY from Kagishima, Japan. They became friends in Nagasaki on October 6, 1945. RP just got a Chrstmas card from YY. 66 years they have been friends. My son sent YY a note to get his side of the friendship. Hopefully he will respond this week or next to my son. He needs to do this quick because RP is in failing health. Hopefully he can get in the paper. I will tell you this RP really lit up and smiled when he saw my son when we went over to his house last week. RP and my son have been good friends for a few years.

Best wishes of success, health and happiness for the new year.

NorwichDad, thank you for the update. The story of your neighbor is fascinating (I think you posted something about him about a year ago). Good luck to your son at Norwich. Best wishes to you in the new year as well.

 

[paradoxer]

10:15

I know what you mean singapore, our kids believe that at 9-10 p.m. this is the perfect time to rile up our 2 dogs (black lab/great dane mix, and the other is a boxer (my avatar)) by running around the house and playing fetch or hide and seek.

They of course do the pout of "Fine, Mom, I won't play with the dogs " because I am the meanie since I don't want to hear the dogs barking and running around the house...our downstairs are all wood floors so noise really travels, esp with 2 very big dogs!

Pima- read this post about 9:30 last night and all was quiet but by 10:15 we had baking project: hot fudge pudding cake which of course will not be ready to eat until 10:50; then we had the laundry baskets take over the family room - no one was doing laundry - but instead we had mini sticks going on, think hockey with a ball being shot as hard as possible into the baskets; next we had the spinning competition, this is where girlfriend is piggy back while DS spins around about 10 times, which DS insists is similar to ROTC training exercise and did I mention this is all happening while DH is yelling his head off about the Sugar Bowl on the TV? Wouldn't have it any other way cause in less than a week it will be one quiet, boring household and the only noise will be snoring at 8pm.

 

[NorwichDad]

NorwichDad that would be a wonderful story. I hope your son follows through.

He will. He has already written up Rp's life from the Civilian Conservartion Corp through his efforts with the Atomic Veterans in the 1980's. RP gets requests to speak but a stroke last year prevents him from speaking clearly. It upsets him but I told him he is clear in his mind and that is more important. My son is very lucky that he had talked to RP for many hours before the stroke.

 

[singaporemom]

Norwich: I hope someday we can read the RP/YY story....

paradoxer....isn't it funny how the activities can change from moment to moment? We all went out for dinner and then the boys insisted we play Catch Phrase. Hysterical game...done by 930... and no, USNA DS has not packed for his trip (heading to NC for a wedding - USNA grad). and no the thank you notes did not get finished....and no the laundry was not brought down.... etc etc etc

GF scheduled to pick him up in 1 hour and whites needed to be hemmed, shoes polished, bags packed, and yes the thank you notes were written... all in one hour.

When I went upstairs to survey the damage after he left, there was a letter on his desk for us. Thanking us for a great vacation and reminiscing about all of the fun family times we have had. He told his big brother how proud he was of his Army career coming up.

Yes, the house is 50% quieter and I am a a bit tearful. But then I go downstairs and see the box on the counter. His older brother's Army uniform just arrived from Marlow White.

I am now a crying fool. Doubt I'll sleep tonight...It's just too quiet.

 

[Pima]

GF scheduled to pick him up in 1 hour and whites needed to be hemmed,

1st thought that went through my mind, was hasn't he heard of safety pins?

It reminded me of our "adopted" AFA DS and he came to visit us for the AF V Navy football game. LMAO when I saw him dressed for the game.

He forgot a white tee, so he borrowed one from us, but it was a crew neck..He pulls out his safety pin and makes it into a v-neck. Than I look at his jacket as he is putting it on and I see lots of silver inside. 3/4 of his buttons were being fastened by safety pins. Never looked at the hem, but I would bet that if not that pair he had a pair that had pins on his hem.

I have to say I am jealous that he wrote you a note, all I get left with is change that fell out of his jeans and was left on the floor as he scurried out!

 

[Ohio2015Parent]

Well, our oldest leaves today for school. DS is settled back into the dorm - thinks anthropology and geology may be the most boring courses of all time(yep-he's an Arts & Sciences Political Sciene major).

The quiet will return - the dishes washed, garbage and laundry put away and the phone will ring more often(magic jacks are great by the way, worth the $20 a year for unlimited long distance) my email will fill and facebook will become a running joke between the kiddos, their friends and myself. Yeah, I'll miss them too - but for just tonight I'm gonna relish the quiet and recharge a little.

Oh, Pima - I buy 40-80lbs of kitty sand a week, 20lbs of dry food and yeah, the scooping of litter box is a daily chore but I do love my fur babies

and I'm jealous too, I'd love to find a note after they left - what a sweet kid!

 

[kinnem]

I've loved reading everyone's stories and its nice to know I'm not the only person who will miss his DS/DD so. It's time for him to get back to school though. He's made a pretty good effort to work out almost every day but I know he misses his PT/NROTC buddies back at school. He'll be looking for an apartment this spring that he plans to share with two of them for next year. Ah, another new adventure. From the looks of his room and how he handles the dishes in the house I expect they'll toss him out before 30 days are up.

Favorite moment over the break: DS got a new, large, garnet (school color) mag flashlight from an aunt for Christmas. We were doing something to his Jeep in the dark one evening and I asked him to pull out the flashlight. As he did so, he said the damned thing didn't work. I asked if he had put batteries in it. He said, "Yeah, see!" as he shook the light. You could hear the batteries rattling around inside. I immediately said "Son, you have the wrong batteries in it". He insisted he had D cells but I knew better. Of course when we opened it he had C cells in there.

Sometimes I wonder how he makes it through school and NROTC... but I'm sure he's a different person down there.

God Luck and Safe Travels to all!

 

[kinnem]

DS got a pleasant surprise when he returned to school. He got a phone call Sat. evening (day before his 19th birthday) informing him that he had been selected as a squad leader. He was disappointed not to be on the list of names that was posted before break; so, unfortunately, something must have happened to someone (we assume). He also has one of the largest squads which includes the battalion's problem child. He has his "work" cut out for him but he's very excited and will take his leadership opportunites where he finds them.

Classes start today and PT starts back up Wednesday. Mom and I miss him terribly already.

 

[Ohio2015Parent]

DS got a pleasant surprise when he returned to school. He got a phone call Sat. evening (day before his 19th birthday) informing him that he had been selected as a squad leader. He was disappointed not to be on the list of names that was posted before break; so, unfortunately, something must have happened to someone (we assume). He also has one of the largest squads which includes the battalion's problem child. He has his "work" cut out for him but he's very excited and will take his leadership opportunites where he finds them.

Classes start today and PT starts back up Wednesday. Mom and I miss him terribly already.

Great news and an awesome B-day present for your DS

Miss DS & DD too, but still enjoying some peace and quiet...for now.