Aaahhhh! I can breathe!

Comfort and warmth is settling in every nook and cranny of the Frandsen Fun House. Mark is home from training! We have him back for an undetermined amount of time before he is off again! After much squealing and hugging and kissing the above picture explains in great detail what a little girls world looks like when the missing piece of the puzzle is put back into place. If only I had my video camera when McKenna and I picked Mark up. McKenna was squealing, laughing, jumping so much that the Great Green Blaze was rocking crazily with a low hum that you hear when the bass is thumping but the windows are rolled up. Only it wasn't bass, it was a four year old with a high pitched squeal. One of the bandmen walked over to see if I needed assistance.

The video camera would have been nice to have as well when we picked Bailey up from the bus. Her face lit up like fireworks on New Year's Eve. She sprinted to her Dad's arms with the biggest smile a 10 year old can muster.

Here are a couple of conversations with McKenna during the past 24 hours:

McKenna "Mom, I think you should go downrange instead of Daddy"
Mom, "Why, is Daddy nicer?" Why do I even torture myself with these questions?
McKenna, without a hesitation, "YES" Whatever firecracker . . .

McKenna as I'm dropping her off at school today, "Mom, it is a good thing Dad is home, because you just can't do it"

DO WHAT?! Clean your clothes, room, dishes and behind?! What the h*?!! is "IT"? Have I not taken care of her exceptionally well while the man is gone? I even find time to do the "good mommy" stuff like read books before bedtime, make cookies, take her to playdates. Okay, so I almost lit the kitchen on fire (ALMOST is the key word here) but give me a freakin' break. I'm not bitter, not one bit. Maybe when Dad gets back, I'll leave for a bit, then let her see what life is like. Really though, if I think through this, that would be a bad idea. Ice cream before bed, movies on a school night, cold cereal for dinner, rock and roll in the morning, tickle time anytime. They would beg me not to return them to a house of order. I can not win this game of life . . .

So, back to the sunshine that is "Mark is home". I have a few questions.

1. What does it mean that I have been nauseated every single day that he has been gone but the minute he is in my line of sight, not only do I not feel nauseated, but I'm starving and feel I could eat the whole world of food? I was beginning to wonder if I needed an EPT, but really, you have to have a man around for that to be possible. Oh, and a drug store on the corner. We live in the gosh darn blazin' country where it takes weeks to find city life!

2. How is it that for almost 3 weeks I have been so sleep deprived that it physically hurts? This is a reoccurring phenomenon, when Mark leaves, I do not sleep. When Mark is home, I could sleep standing up in the middle of the day with the house on fire, fire alarms blaring . . . that would be me in the corner . . . sleeping.

3. This is not a question but a statement: My children simply adore their father. Because Dad is home the world is a safer, funnier, warmer; a more musical world. Why can't I have this affect on my children? (Okay, there is the question) I already know the answer: Because when Mark is home my world is safer, funnier, warmer, and musical. Case in point: He helped me hang curtains the day he got home! That is MY man, you can't have him, he is mine all mine!

Here is Mark's belated Valentine treat Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies:

They are so laded with richness they could kill a dog, but the Frandsen's do love a good indulgence after a period of separation torture. As McKenna is helping me frost she says, "More mommy, more" And like a good mommy I say, "You're absolutely right, it needs more!" Look at my new cake plate. A gift to myself from IKEA where I spent an entire afternoon turning in circles trying to find clarity in home decor. Why do German's insist on orange, pea green, and maroon purple to be the "in" colors?! I do not understand. Don't get me wrong, orange and I have a new relationship in the last few years, I'm learning to love her. And each of these colors by themselves serve some purpose, but together . . . not so much! So, I bought a cake plate, we can all use a little more cake in our lives. AND it is home decor!


Hey, family of mine, get away from those, I want to finish taking pictures and torture you . . . just a little.