The Rest of the Story..

Alright, so Kathryn you're not the only person to ask me to tell them what Callen was doing and now that i've cooled down I can write about it. The thing that gets me is that it is such a silly thing to have caused such a big ordeal.

SO... I was at a friend's house chatting while Callen played. My friend's husband happened to be eating a banana. He asked callen if she wanted a bite, he broke about 1/3 of the banana off and held it towards her. Naturally, she tried to take it when he jerked it back and said "NO, you don't take it, you take a bite" quite firmly. She got scared ran to the other side of the room and looked at him almost ready to cry. He then told her she could have a "bite." He called his daughter over to demonstrate the proper way to bite the banana while he held it. He again asked if she wanted some, she of course didn't want anything to do with him, and he said "fine, it's my way or the highway, you don't get any." This is when his wife tried to stop him and explain that she's only 19 months and that he scared her. But he went off on a tangent telling her that Callen isn't disciplined and she doesn't listen to adults and she needs to learn who's boss. He said she thinks she can walk all over people and somebody needed to teach her respect etc. etc.

I was just too mad to say anything so I politely excused myself from their house and came home.

SO... there's the rest of my silly story. This individual has a very specific way that they discipline their children and I think he just can't see past his own ideas to realize that other ways of parenting are not wrong, they're just different. In his eyes if i'm not as strict with my child as he is....i'm wrong. It just really got to me because there was nothing wrong with what Callen did. I have trained her to hold her own banana when she eats one because I want her to become independent and I honestly don't want to sit there and feed her every bite when she could be doing it herself. She tried to do what she has been taught to do and got yelled at for it. I really should have defended her, I guess my own ego was just too bruised to do anything.

Anyway, it's over. And Kathryn, i really will have to work on that swearing thing.. I mean.. that just isn't going to work. haha

Thanks to all you wonderful mom's who have commented/emailed me. Your kind words are very appreciated. I learn so much from all of you, even if i don't get to see you anymore, I love getting your words of wisdom through blogging. Thank you!!

Parenting

ok..so I know I havn't posted in awhile, our computer crashed. We just got our data back but are still waiting on the computer so I have alot of catching up to do now that I have all my pictures back but I just needed to vent tonight. I'm sitting at home alone while Dan is at work and nothing better to do than fume over a little thing that happened tonight.

I don't need to go into detail about what it was or who but, a comment was made about Callen that really upset me. This person did something and when Callen didn't react the way they thought she should, they spoke really firmly to her and she got scared and ran away. Their spouse tried to intervene to tell them to back off but they just went off about how she needs to learn who's boss and that she thinks she can walk all over adults and etc. etc. Of course i'm sitting right there while they are basically saying that someone needed to teach her because her parents obviously weren't doing it right.

I didn't know what to say, this is a person that you just really can't argue with (believe me, i've tried). Usually I just let everything he says roll off my back and write it off to weird opinions that I just don't agree with. But this time, I just got really offended. It was implied that I'm not being a good mother. I'm not looking for a pep talk here, I just needed to vent a little and Dan isn't here.

With mothers day a few days ago i've really had some time to reflect on myself as a mother. I often find myself out of energy, with a short temper, and simply at a loss for things to do to keep Callen entertained. Often I do spend too much time on the computer or with the tv on and I know I have so much room to improve. I just wish that people could put theirselves in someone else's shoes before they criticize like that, they have beautiful children and I think they're doing a great job of parenting, but we definitely have different styles. You just can't compare one family to the next. No 2 children are the same, nor can you expect them to need the same parenting. This family hasn't known us too long and doesn't know anything that we've been through or what experiences our family has had, and they havn't even talked with us about why we do certain things the way they do, they havn't tried to understand our views, what makes them think they know what's best for my child??? Uggghhh

I'm hard enough on myself wondering what sort of things i'm doing wrong and how I might be messing Callen up. I just don't need someone else pointing things out like that, especially when there was nothing wrong with what Callen did, she's just used to how I do things and when he expected different she didn't know what to do or why she was getting in trouble.

I don't even know why I let this upset me so much, I know I could be better, but Im doing my best and I think Callen is turning out pretty good so far, she never stops amazing me. Everyday she is learning something new or listening a little better, she's my sweet little angel.

For all of you mom's out there, keep up the good work and thanks for being such a great example to me, and all the other mom's around you. (and thanks for letting me get that out, I feel much better now)

KC-135 training

Hello all,
This is a rare treat for you, usually Crystal makes all the posts. Once in a while you are blessed to hear from me, to have your knowledge increased, and the mysteries of the world laid out plainly before you. Unfortunately, I uh...can't do any of that. At all.

Altus has been great, I'm really excited to be learning how to fly the KC-135. This phase of training is difficult. There is a lot to learn. The most challenging thing is that I am now the person in charge of my studies. There is no such thing as "formal release" or a convenient study flow for EPQ quizzes. It definitely is tough to make time for studying. Anyways, the sim is awesome! It's cool to be in a motion sim and feel the effects of your control inputs.

Crystal and Callen are doing great. We have found a new pasttime. Feeding the ducks!!! Actually the geese are very pushy, so we end up feeding them more, but the ducks look much more cute.

Anyways, it is very late and I bid you goodnight, until next time.

18 months

Ok, so I had a little photo shoot with Callen when she turned 18 months a couple weeks ago and I decided to get input on which one is the best (thanks for the idea Nicia!). Let me know which one you like!

Moving On

Currently Dan and Callen and I are living in Altus, Oklahoma. We moved up here last week from Del Rio. Dan will be in training learning how to fly the KC-135 and we will be here for the next 4 1/2 months. So far (other than the wind) I am really enjoying Altus, in fact I think I like it much better than Del Rio!! I have a group of friends that I already knew from Laughlin, so that is nice, and I one step closer to family so that is also nice! We are renting a little 2 bedroom furnished apartment while we are here, not quite the same as having a house, but it is also kinda nice to have much less clutter as we just brought the bare essentials. So far Dan's training is going well. He has had a few sims but won't actually fly the plane for quite awhile. Callen and I spend our days trying to not get blown away in the wind and... well.. doing what a toddler does best.... playing!! there is an awesome park here in Altus that we go to multiple times a week as well as a small playground here at our apartment complex. Callen adjusted just fine to the move, in fact she didn't seem upset at all! Pictures are soon to come, but life in Altus is so far so good!!

Hugs

Lately Callen has been testing my patience. She climbs on the couch and tries to get on a nearby table. She knows she's not suppose to do this and I tell her no every time. Finally, i've started trying time out and spanking... nothing... She continues to look at me, climb on and laugh. Only, today she seems to finally get that i'm upset at her, only instead of not climbing on the table she just gives me hugs after she gets in trouble. I guess she thinks that makes everything ok. It is so cute, I just can't help but not be mad anymore, she just wraps her little arms around me and squeezes. Hugs from your children have to be the best feeling in the world.

I'm a blog slacker...

Well, it is great to have my husband home again! Dan got home last weekend from SERE (survive, evade, resist, escape) training in Washington. It was definitely not the best time of his life but he did survive and he learned alot. It is however not something that he wants to EVER repeat.. poor guy. This is the picture he texted me after he returned from a week out in the woods "surviving." He looks so exhausted.. and he lost about 7 pounds through the 3 weeks of training... good diet plan I guess!

For a few days while Dan was gone Callen and I got to go to Utah to visit some family. Although it ended up being an awful trip for Callen and me, it was still really great to see family.

This is getting ready to take off on the plan from San Antonio, things were still good at this point.. and then callen started coughing mildly throughout our trip...

My brother picked us up from the airport and took me to visit the school I used to work it, that was really fun. I also hooked up with my roomate that I had all through college. I took her and her husband along with my brother and some of his roomates out to Brick Oven. It was lots of fun. It was great to see my old roomie and my brother Dusty has some great roomates as well. That night I stayed with my roomate and around midnight Callen woke up coughing, throwing up and having trouble breathing, so I woke Tami (my roomate) up and she drove us to the ER where they told me Callen had Croup... great. She got steroids, a respiratory treatment, x-rays at of course antibiotics just in case for her Neutropenia, which the dr. didn't believe me that she had and I had to argue with him for 5 minutes before he would believe me.. great.

Throughout the next 5 days that i was there with family Callen was still sick, coughing/throwing up and NOT sleeping. I averaged about 2 hours of sleep each night which is what made the trip not so nice. However.. I have awesome family that didn't mind being woken up all throughout the night to a crying hacking baby.

I also have great in-laws who watched Callen for awhile one day so I could go skiing, so fun! I'm not any good but it was great to get out there and try! Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Although Callen saw snow in Iowa over Christmas it was just too cold to go play in it, so this is her first experience touching snow, maybe someday she'll like it!! haha

this is Callen and her Cousin Hannah, so cute. On the right is my sister-in-law Pam, it was so fun to see her and her adorable little girl!

Callen likes to feed people, here she is feeding my brother grapes.

Here are the pictures from Brick Oven (the best Pizza ever) for some reason my blog wouldn't let me move them up to where I talked about them.

I loved seeing everyone and I also loved coming home to my own bed and a quiet house! It actually wasn't that bad to be home by ourselves for a couple of weeks, Callen and I got to hang out and play! She is changing so much, she's starting to talk and learning new words and signs ever day, I love it! Once Daddy came home she wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with him but after a couple of hours she was giving him hugs and kisses, so all is well in the Leininger house!

Our New Assignment

Well even though many of you already know this, since we found out we could not go to Kadena we have been trying to figure out where we are going. It's been a bit of a roller coaster trying to get a new assignment we have finally found out that we are going to be stationed at Scott AFB in Illinois. The base is right next to St. Louis, MO. The assignment was a surprise as we didn't even have a chance to fill out a new dream sheet when someone just decided to send out medical packet here, but it should be fun. It is fairly close to my family... at least closer than we are now! So that will be nice to be able to visit for long weekends etc. Dan will be one of the few active duty KC-135 pilots there as the 135 unit at Scott is a Guard unit. Hopefully that will be a good experience for him though. St. Louis is close so there should be good medical care for Callen, and hey... we've made it almost 2 years in Del Rio, so anywhere should be a pleasant chanage right?!

It is easy to get annoyed with the Air Force sometimes.. ok alot of the time, but i'm starting to realize that each assignment will be what I want it to be. I mean, life is what you make it right? So I am ready to head off to a new adventure in Illinois and it will be great because I will have Dan and Callen with me and we will make it great. It really is just nice to know where we're going.

I've had alot going on lately, so hopefully i'll get some more posts up here soon about what i've been up to. I've been so bad about blogging lately! I hope everyone is doing well.

Kadena Denied

SO.. we've been so busy trying to get everything done with orders and etc. so that we can get the Air Force to move our things and I could go to Altus with Dan for his training. He was suppose to leave this weekend but we didn't have orders yet or approval from Kadena so I was going to stick around and figure all that out and then go join him in Altus. Well, this morning we got word that Kadena actually denied us because of Callen's medical condition. While we weren't completely surprised because we knew it was a possibility we are still a little bummed. I was really getting excited to go to Japan we had even gotten Rosetta Stone and were trying to learn some Japanese. I even organized my house getting ready for the movers with things separated for long term storage etc. At least i'm glad we didn't sell our car yet!

So basically right now we have no idea what we're doing and where we're going. All we know is that it's not Japan.


Yay for unexpected hiccups, life is full of them!

Leininger Update

Ok... so I know it's been awhile, we have been so busy! Just as a super quick update... We had a great Christmas break! We went to Iowa to visit my family for a couple weeks and had a great time!

Callen got this turtle from Grandma and Grandpa leininger and she LOVES it!

she was very interested in the new baby calves at Great Grandma and Grandpa's Farm

We visited some friends from high school and their little boy Jobe, what a cutie!

Even cosmo got into the Christmas spirit.. well kinda

Cruise!!

After christmas Dan and I left Callen with my parents and went on a carribbean cruise for a week! It was amazing! We had such a good time, we went down to Progresso and Cozumel Mexico. At progresso we went to the Mayan ruins and to salt flats and a private beach and then to the flea market in town. Then at Cozumel we went clear water kayaking (the kayak is clear so you can see through to the water and see all the fish). And we also went snorkeling which was probably my favorite part, the water was so beautiful! I couldn't believe how nice it was! We ate Way too much but it was so worth it!

when I went back to Iowa to get Callen there was no one sitting next to us so she sat in her own seat and played, she was so good!