Min & Chris' Life in Dirty Diapers

Owen's Birth

2012-01-25T14:41:00.017-05:00

Owen is now a week old and I am feeling so blessed! He is pure joy and I could just burst with love for all my boys.

Last time I updated, I was nearing the 40 week mark with Owen. I went to my doctor's appointment on my due date, and there was no indication labor was around the corner. She decided to set an induction date and the first available time was a week away. It looked like I was going to have another 41 weeker! Four days following my due date I went in for an ultrasound just to make sure the baby was doing ok and to check fluid levels. Everything looked great and the tech reassured me that this baby wasn't going to be big like my last. Phew!

(40 weeks preggo!)

All through my pregnancy, I tried to mentally prepare myself to try for a non-medicated birth. I've had two epidurals with my previous -one great epidural and one not-so-great epidural. Recovery after my last epidural was brutal and I have always heard that generally recovery after a non-medicated birth was easier. I'm not at all against epidurals and even though I was planning a non-medicated birth, I was open to one if my labor went long or if I had to be induced.

So, with my induction date only days away, I was mentally saying good-bye to giving birth with no pain meds and began to prepare myself for the cervidil, pitocin and epidural.

The morning before my induction, I awoke to some contractions. Could this really be it? For a few hours in the wee early hours, the contractions were pretty strong...but not consistent. I tried to time them, only to find them very irregular. I got up and moved around, ate some oatmeal and sat on my exercise ball. We decided to call Steve and Judy and ask them to come just in case this was the start of something. However, after the phone call was made, I laid down on the couch to get some more rest and the contractions became even more irregular...almost non-existent! I figured this was false labor. However, I was holding on to hope that at the very least, the contractions had started the dilation process so when I went in the next day for my induction, it would make it easier and quicker.

After resting more in the morning, we all just kind of waited for something more to happen. Steve and Judy worked from the house, Chris did school and played with the boys and I planned out the week of lessons for their homeschooling. The contractions would come and go...very inconsistent...very irregular.

Since the afternoon was warm, Chris and I decided to walk around the development. I've always read that walking helps, so off we went. While we walked, the contractions moved closer together. However, I could still walk and talk through them, so I figured they weren't doing much. Ugh. This was going to be a long day and night and I would still have to be induced in the end!

I was trying to measure the contraction pain to the ones I had with Luke. I was admitted at 4 cm with him and those contractions were awful! I knew the hospital here would not admit me until I was 5cm or my water had broken (which it hadn't) so I wasn't even considering going in for contractions I knew weren't progressing me very far.

We had a supper of pancakes and afterwards I decided to lay down for awhile longer to rest. Finally the contractions started to get really painful and low and behold, were becoming consistent! I still wasn't convinced I was in active labor yet, but it did feel more intense than before. I figured it was time to go get checked, but was fully expecting to be sent back home. I knew I'd be back for the induction the next day, so no harm done getting checked!

Once we got in the car, Judy started timing my contractions and we realized they were coming every two minutes. I could no longer talk through them and had to breath the best I could. Maybe something really was happening...I wanted to be checked though...I didn't want to get my hopes up and then be told I was only at a 2 or 3cm.

We got to the hospital and the contractions persisted. I had to stop every two minutes and lean on something while Chris rubbed my back. I got to L&D and found out I was at a 5-6cm! Whooohoooo!!!!! This REALLY WAS happening!!! I was admitted around 8pm. Judy called my good friend Jenny who was going to be my doula and help coach me through labor and she left for the hospital right away. I figured I had hours to labor and the pain was getting really intense. They asked about pain management and I said I'd like to think about it. The nurse told me that they wouldn't give me an epidural after 8cm, so if I wanted one, tell them now. After a few really strong, really painful contractions, I decided maybe I didn't want to go with a non-medicated birth after all...the epidural sounded really good at this point. So I said I wanted one. However, no one seemed in a hurry to get me one...all my blood work sat on the table in front of me (I knew they had to run that before anesthesia came) and they were already setting up for delivery. Could I really be going this fast?!

The contractions were coming hard and fast. The best way for me to deal with them was to moan through them while Chris rubbed my back with one hand and I squeezed the life out of his other hand. I thought the pain would never end. I asked for ice chips as I was parched. I'd munch on those between contractions. Then I started to feel pressure. OH.MY.WORD!!! I knew this was it...the baby was coming fast...no time for an epidural...we're just going to have to do this! At this point I was in a timeless fog. I vaguely realized the doctor had finally arrived. He broke my water and it was go time. Pushing was insane. There are no words to describe it. A lot of people describe it as intense, but even that word pales in comparison to what it felt like. Though I only pushed for a few minutes, it felt like an eternity. I even remember yelling, "GET HIM OUT!!"

And then it was over. I have never been more relieved in my life!! They held Owen up and there he was - our baby!! He was a little purple, but still perfect in every way. He was delivered a mere 51 minutes after we were admitted. It was so quick I just couldn't believe it! We all commented afterwards that it was a good thing we decided to go to the hospital to get checked when we did...otherwise, we may have had an unexpected homebirth...or side of the highway birth!

After he was born, Chris and I finally decided on a name - Owen Michael. He weighed in at 7lbs 13oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. His apgar was 8/9. He was so alert! Although I know they can't see well at first, it just seemed like he was looking around at everyone and everything taking it all in.

With the painful labor behind me, I was ready to scoop up Owen and go home. I knew we couldn't go home that night, but I wanted to go home as soon as possible. I felt great!

-Happy in Daddy's arms-

-He's finally here!!-

-Proud Meme! Grandchildren are the best!-

-Proud Auntie Jenny excited to be Owen's first visitor! Even though she rushed to the hospital the second we called her, Owen came so quickly he arrived before she could get there.-

The following morning, Guka brought the boys to meet their new little brother. It was the sweetest thing to witness. We have been talking about a new little baby for months and finally he had arrived! As they looked at him they kept saying how cute he was and how much they love him.

They finally relented and let us go home early after 25 hours in the hospital. So, at around 11pm that evening, we were dressing Owen for his trip home. It was so good to be home!

Recovery has been amazing - by far the easiest recovery I've ever had. Owen has been great! He eats well, sleeps well and is such a mellow baby. We are all smitten by him!

Thankfully, Steve and Judy stayed with us for the rest of the week which allowed me to get a ton of rest. It was so nice having so much help! This week we have been so blessed to have meals brought to us by so many loving friends! It has been so helpful and it has allowed us to adjust in such a smooth way.

The boys are doing great with Owen. I wondered if there would be jealousy, but so far they are doing pretty good. I think they were so used to me being out of commission throughout the last 9 months, that they're just happy I'm up and moving around more...and I'm not as grumpy! =)

The nausea was gone instantly and about the only thing (short of the extra pounds) that has stuck around from my long list of pregnancy woes is some carpel tunnel in my wrists. I'm assuming that will go away in due time as well. I am amazed at how much more energy I have and I just feel good!

Though Owen has only been here a week, we can't imagine life without him. He is precious beyond words. I cannot even begin to express how blessed I feel. As I sat on the couch yesterday holding Owen, with Luke and Will sitting next to me, I was overcome with joy. I am so thankful to God for sending us these precious souls.

Here are some more pictures of our first week!

-Owen's first doctor's appointment-

-Family of 5!-

Life is good!

It's a New Year!

2012-01-10T12:43:00.006-05:00

Wow...guess it's been awhile since I last updated the blog! Whoops.

I am two days away from my due date. As much as I would LOVE to go into labor this very second, I also know that chances are, I will go late again. I'm guessing if I go much past 40-41 weeks, an induction will be set. I really don't want to be induced, so pray this baby has better timing then Will did! =)

We still don't have a name for Baby Bee#3, but found out in October that we are having another little boy! A lot of people have wondered if I'm really sad that we're not having a girl. I'm actually ok. Of course I would LOVE to have a little girl, but I'm also perfectly satisfied with a little boy. In fact, after two boys, we're pretty comfortable with another boy...we know boys! I also get asked a lot if we'll try again for a girl. To which we generally answer..."even if we tried, we are fairly certain we'd have another boy (which would be fine too.)" However, we feel very much at peace with saying Baby Bee #3 will complete our family.

Pregnancy has progressed pretty much like my others. I've continued to be nauseous the entire time, but have been very thankful for the Zofran that keeps me sane. There are all the "fun" pregnancy symptoms to experience...sciatic nerve pain, round ligament pain, extreme fatigue, lots of extra weight and fluid retention, swollen hands to the point of dropping everything...and I mean everything.I.ever.try.to.pick.up.I.drop.on.the.floor. And through it all, I know every single part of pregnancy is worth the bundle of joy you get in the end. And I can't wait to meet this little guy!

The boys are very excited to meet their little brother. We have talked about a new little baby for so long though, I'm afraid they don't really believe me when I say he'll be here soon! I can't wait to see the first time they all meet each other though...I know Luke and Will are going to be phenomenal big brothers!

In other news, we are back to homeschooling after a nice winter break. I'm excited to see what this half of the year brings with schooling. We'll have a lot of hands on learning fun once spring comes...including learning about plants and planting a garden!

Will is turning 4 in two weeks. This is so hard for me to wrap my mind around! He has been our "baby" now for almost 4 years! Though we probably won't have a party this year (since it'll be so close to Baby Bee # 3's appearance) we know for sure that there will be a Star Wars cake made by Guka and a special meal or a visit to his favorite restaurant...and of course a few presents!

Luke is going through quite a growth spurt right now. He is eating like a teenager of late (just an example would be the 4 corn bread muffins he ate at supper last night!!!) and getting so tall! He is soaking up school (for the most part...we have our challenging days) and is really making progress. I love watching him learn!

Will also loves school! He keeps asking for more work even when he's completed his projects for the day. We still struggle a little with his picky eating...but I know he'll eventually come around. Someday he'll realized that food is good!

We had a wonderful Christmas and look forward to what this New Year brings. Hey, maybe I'll even blog more!!! (I know I've said this for the past 3 Januarys...so don't hold your breath!!)

39 weeks with Baby Bee #3

Love these boys!

Happy to be Halfway

2011-09-24T20:22:00.004-04:00

We are halfway through this pregnancy. 24 weeks...which puts me around 5 months along. Though I don't like to wish time away, I find myself longing for the next 4 months to go quickly. I'll be honest...I'm so weary of the nausea, constant stomach aches, fatigue, sciatic nerve pain and shortness of breath. I can't say enough, though, how very thankful I am for Zofran. This miracle drug really does make life functionable. Staying busy also helps...if you just keep going, it makes the time go by much faster.

Anyway, enough of my belly aching. The baby seems to be doing good if my belly growth and the amount of movement I feel has anything to do with it. This is one very active baby with strong kicks already!

We should know if Baby Bee is a boy or girl next week! My good friend Jenny is making cupcakes with either blue or pink filling. One bite and we'll know whether we can reuse all the boys clothes or have to go shopping for some pink! =) I am 99.9% sure it's a boy...it just feels like a boy. Chris feels the same, but the boys think it'll be a girl. We'll know in a few days!

We have tossed around a few names for either gender, but haven't settled on anything yet. It's really fun to hear the boys talk about what we should name the baby. First they went through all their cousins names as well as their own names. Then they started in on names like, "Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker or Chocolate Milk." Though I thoroughly enjoy their input, I think we'll stick to the list of names Daddy and Mommy have come up with. =)

We are in the process of rearranging some rooms to make way for baby. The nursery will take over Chris' office. Don't feel too bad for Chris though, he'll still get his man cave since we plan to convert the formal living room into his office.

The boys are beyond excited about the new baby. They talk to the baby a lot and want to feel for his/her little kicks. They have even offered to change diapers...YES!!!

We will have our anatomy scan in a few weeks, so hopefully I'll have some ultrasound pictures to share. Stay tuned for a gender update!

23 weeks preggo with baby bee #3

Back to Dirty Diapers

2011-08-02T10:22:00.004-04:00

Well, it looks like we’ll be back in dirty diapers sooner than we had anticipated...I mean changing dirty diapers that is…Chris and I aren’t quite ready for diapers ourselves.

Yes it’s true! Baby Bee #3 is on his/her way!

I am 16 weeks…aaaalmost halfway. In some ways I feel like I have been pregnant foooorever, and in other ways I can’t believe that we are almost half-way through this pregnancy. I think being sick makes pregnancy seem loooong. Unfortunately, extreme morning sickness hit around week 6 and thankfully I have Zofran…though it doesn’t help it completely, it makes it possible to function.

Luke and Will are beyond excited! They cannot wait to meet their little “newborn baby!” I think they are going to be phenomenal big brothers and super helpful when our new little baby bee is born.

I have been feeling the baby move for a week or so now – which is my favorite part of being pregnant. It makes it feel very real when you feel this tiny miracle kicking and turning.

My official due date is January 12^th, but I anticipate going late (since Will was so late.) I am already showing…I guess by your third pregnancy, your body is like, “yup, let’s get this show on the road and bring out the baby belly bump!”

(14 weeks)

(16 weeks)

One of the super exciting parts of this pregnancy is that I get to share it with my sister-in-law! We found out a few weeks ago that they are expecting too and I am so thrilled! We are only a few weeks apart, so these cousins will be super close in age!

I will blog with more later, but I wanted to get back to this blog and start posting again.

The garden is growing!

2011-05-15T16:11:00.006-04:00

I'm actually quite shocked at how well the garden is doing! I've never tried to grow a garden of my own before, but I'm addicted to gardening now. My only "plant" experience has come from a few houseplants I've had, so I didn't really expect a whole lot of success to come from the garden. So I am pleasantly surprised to see actual plants growing and thriving!

Let me take you on a tour of my gardening journey thus far:

In March, I started some tomato and pepper plants inside. They finally started to sprout towards the end of March:

Chris built my raised beds and we slowly got them ready for planting through March and the first part of April...

(mixing all the soils and compost)

The first seeds were planted in April! I started off with spinach and lettuce and then a little later carrots and onions.

It didn't take long for sprouts to show up! And, as you can see below, I made the rookie mistake of planting WAY to many seeds in one hole. It broke my heart, but I had to pull up all the extra plants...otherwise they would smother one another and none of the plants would grow.

(lettuce)

(spinach)

A few weeks later, the little sprouts were making great progress!

(spinach)

After I was sure the last frost had come and gone, I proceeded to plant the strawberries (transplants), cucumbers, peas, beans and corn. Here is the garden as of May:

(spinach, lettuce, carrots, onions and green beans)

(strawberries, cucumbers, corn, peas)

My garden!

(please forgive all the tall grass...I promise we do mow our grass, we just haven't used the trimmer yet this summer...after seeing these pictures, I guess it's definitely time!)

Here are the tomato and pepper plants that I plan to transplant this week:

This week we will be able to taste the fruits of our labor as I can start harvesting some of the spinach leaves and strawberries! YAY!

Kids Workshop at Home Depot

2011-04-02T13:01:00.009-04:00

Did you know that Home Depot sponsors a kids workshop the first Saturday of every month? I didn't know it either! =) I learned this information from a helpful sales member while shopping there. She said it was for kids ages 2-12 starting at 9am and lasting until supplies last...and it was FREE! (I don't know if this is something offered at every Home Depot location or if the age range is the same at every location, but it's definitely worth asking your local store if they do the workshops.)

The kids, since it was their first time attending, got an orange apron with their names on it. They looked so cute it them! The project this month was making planter boxes. They had tables set up with wood glue and little hammers. They each got a little packet that contained the materials and instructions and we started building the planter right away. The boys LOVED using real tools and even got to paint their newly built planter boxes. After completing the project, they each received a certificate and a pin to put on their aprons. It was such a fun little workshop and we will definitely be going back again!I wish I had brought my camera, but thankfully Chris had his phone with him, so we got a few pictures.

After we left the workshop, we let the boys purchase a plant to put in their planter boxes and they both wanted strawberry plants. We bought them, but realized after we got home that strawberries would probably thrive a little better with more space to grow.

So, a few days later, I took them to a local garden center and let them pick out some flowers. They chose these orange marigolds. Once it gets warmer, they will brighten up our porch!

*This is just my personal opinion and experience with the Home Depot Workshop...I was not asked to review or write about it by anyone. I just wanted to share our experience and this information!*

Trying a Square Foot Garden...

2011-04-01T11:00:00.018-04:00

This summer, I am trying something I have never done before...gardening.

When I was a kid, my parents kept a huge garden for a couple years. At the time, I didn't know how much work went into it and how much to appreciate all the fresh vegetables that grew. Looking back, I wish I would have taken more notes on how to plant and grow a nice garden! My parents did a phenomenal job!

At our new house, we don't have the space to plant a large in-ground garden. So, I am trying something called Square Foot Gardening. If you haven't heard of it, you can find more info from this website or this book by Mel Bartholomew.

So, the goal is to grow vegetables in self-built planter boxes (we chose to go with the standard 4x4) that don't take up a lot of space. We are doing two boxes this year (hoping to do more next year if this year goes well) as well as some separate tomato plants and a little herb garden.

To say I am super excited is an understatement! With the price of produce so high in the stores (not to mention the questions about how the produce is grown and treated now-a-days) I am very excited to grow our own produce! I bought heirloom seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. It was hard narrowing down what we wanted to try this year...it can get really easy to get carried away with all the yummy looking veggies! So, I tried to stick with the basics...since this will be a learning experience for me.

Chris has been a big help. He helped me plan the planter boxes and built them for me.

It didn't cost much to do this. Just the cost of lumber and the weed cloth you tack on to the bottom of the wooden frames.

Thankfully, Chris had all the tools needed for this little project on hand.

Here is the completed box! See how easy that is!

Rinse, repeat and you have two!

I was a little late in getting my seed order in, so my starter plants

(tomatoes and peppers) may go out a little later then they should. However, I am excited about their progress as the little seedlings sprout through the soil!

So, the next order of business is getting the soil mixture in the boxes (a mixture of different composts, peat moss and vermiculite.) Once the weather clears up, I plan to get that mixture in the boxes and start planning out my seed map and planting seeds!

Fresh veggies, here we come!

Project Saturday

2011-02-06T09:34:00.013-05:00

I enjoy scrapbooking. I haven't done it as much as I'd like simply because I haven't really had the space or the set-up. Here's the thing with scrapbooking. Usually you need lots of room to spread your stuff out. So, if you're like me the last few years, this means...

pulling all the scrapbooking stuff out...

spreading it out...

scrapbooking for a little while...

gathering it all back together...

and then putting it all away....

Rinse and Repeat.

The set-up and take-down was such a long extensive process that I tended not to scrapbook because of it.

When we lived in Germany, I did attempt to set up my own space (pictured below)...but it was just to small and I found it hard to spread out.

Now, however, I have found my own little nook to set up a scrapbooking corner. And, because my nook is in the basement, I can even leave ongoing projects out instead of having to continually pull everything out and put it all back again. This is so exciting to me!!!

So, last Saturday I started setting up my nook. I still need to put some pictures on the wall, but at least I have the table, drawers and shelves setup. The only new purchase I made for this space was a large (6 foot) foldable table (about $35) to create lots of workspace.

Before: Here is all my scrapbooking things...organization is needed!

Before: Here is the nook I want to set up my scrapbooking things in.

During: Here are the boys playing the keyboard I found while working...motivational music never hurts! =)

After: Organization completed!

After: My new work space!

Now I just need to find the time to start a new scrapbooking project! =)

It feels like home.

2011-01-30T06:47:00.001-05:00

This may be the first time in our married lives that we have all our stuff under one roof. Well...actually, we are still waiting on the delivery of a few items from when we were stationed in Georgia...but it's only a few items...ya know like the piano, weight bench , two massive wall lockers, the lawn mower...just a few small things like that.

When we moved our items in from New Jersey, unpacking was a breeze. Knowing that we would only live in Jersey for a few months, we had only taken the essential items. When we moved our items in from the storage unit...well, let's just say, there are still boxes and bins I haven't even opened yet. I have found things I didn't even know we had! So, the unpacking process has been slow and I have tried to take the time to sort out the items we need, the items we should donate, and the items that are just wore out.

When I look at the calendar, I can't believe we've been in our new house for almost two months now. In so many ways, I still feel like we've just moved in! And yet, I feel like we are home. We may not be completely unpacked, we still have a list of furniture we need, and I am itching to paint the walls...but this house definitely feels like home. I am so thankful that God brought us here!

Chocolate Cupcakes!

2011-01-07T21:31:00.010-05:00

When we lived in New Jersey, our kitchen was a one-person-at-a-time-kitchen.

The boys would ask to help me bake, but there just wasn't enough room. I kept promising them that when we moved to our new house, there would be plenty of room for them to help me bake. Now that most of the boxes are unpacked and we are beginning to settle into our new house, I thought it was time to make good on my promise to them. So, Friday we decided to make chocolate cupcakes.

Though I knew it might be messy, I even let them try to crack the eggs...

...and messy it was! Both the eggs exploded and went everywhere (this is a very burry picture, but if you look closely, you can see the egg bouncing back out of the bowl!)

Will even had egg on his head!! (We had to take a break to clean up after that.)

Back from cleaning up all the egg and ready to finish up the cupcakes...

The boys were anxious for the cupcakes to bake...

After lunch, the cupcakes were cool enough for the icing.

Then, it was time to indulge!

Yummy!!

A New Year

2011-01-04T11:09:00.003-05:00

I generally make New Year's resolutions...and I generally don't keep them... I know this when I'm making the resolution, but I tend to continue making them anyway. This year I'm going to try something a little different. I am going to make a handful of 2011 Challenges.

1. 365 Photo Challenge: This is a challenge my family is doing this year. You post a picture of something on FB every day (or every day you're able.) As many of you know, I love taking pictures. I'm usually the one carrying my camera around taking picture after picture. This is something I started to do a lot when Chris was deployed. I wanted to capture as many moments for him as I could. Even if he couldn't see them at the time they happened, he could at least see them in a photograph. Lately, I haven't taken many pictures. Not because I don't want too, but mostly because things have been so busy with moving, unpacking and settling into our new home. This 365 Photo Challenge is making me itch to pick up my camera again and start snapping away. Now granted, I am already late on posting my first picture (but this deals with another area I want to work on in my life...just because I don't meet my challenge/goal every day, doesn't mean I have to give up right away) so I'll start posting today!

2. Recipe Challenge: I love cooking. I love trying new recipes. I love cookbooks. However, I seem to run to the Internet for a new recipe (which works great) instead of sifting through my cookbooks. I will still get new recipes online, but I also want to start using the wealth of recipes I have in my cookbooks. So, once a week, I want to find and cook/bake a recipe from my cookbooks.

3. Focus Challenge: This will be my "inner-self challenge." I had a very hard time with focus and motivation last year. There are a million reasons for this, but regardless of the reasons, it's a frustrating feeling to feel "unfocused" and "unmotivated." In college, if I had a million-and-one assignments due at the same time, I would have this moment of panic. What do I do first?? The only way I could squelch the panic was to focus on one assignment at a time until they were all complete and turned in. Last year I had a hard time focusing on the important things in life. If I found myself overwhelmed, I felt like shutting down instead of focusing on what was important, what needed to be done, and what could wait. This is something I know I need to work on -and by the Grace of God - I hope to make progress on this year.

4. Reality Blogging: I hope to be a better blogger this year. Last year, I really struggled with blogging because I felt so unfocused. This year, I hope to blog more...and to be a more vulnerable blogger. I want to show the good times in life, as well as the struggles. This is actually harder (for me) then it sounds. If I share a struggle, I feel guilty because I know that my struggles may seem small to someone who is going through something bigger...and I by no means want to come across as complaining about my life. I know I have a very blessed life. However, the reality of life is....there are struggles, hard times and frustrations...big and small. This is real. This is real life. So, I am attempting to find my voice and share more about what's really going on in my life. This was a resolution I made last year, but was unsuccessful at doing. So, it's time to try again!

Happy 2011 to one and all!!

What in the world is going on?!

2010-12-03T14:34:00.008-05:00

This is the question I have been meaning to answer for many of you for weeks now. I'll try to spare you the long list of details, but in short, we are moving again! The job Chris took in New Jersey a few months ago, transitioned into a full time position in Maryland. Chris has been at his new job for a little over a month now, and we are within days of closing on a home. So, we will be saying "goodbye" to our New Jersey apartment next week and saying "hello" to our new home in Maryland. Thankfully, this move should be more permanent.

As we wait for closing day, the boys and I have joined Chris...which means we've been living in a hotel for the last week. Before that we had an enjoyable extended visit with Chris' family. The time is near for this transition to finally be complete. After we close (praying for Wednesday) we will make a quick trip to New Jersey where we will load up a Uhaul and turn in our apartment keys. Once we unpack that load, we'll then make a trip to our storage unit and load up another Uhaul with the rest of our household goods. These will be the items we haven't seen since we lived in Germany! It'll be nice to finally get all of our stuff under one roof...of course that means we have to get our storage items delivered from Georgia...and I think we still have stuff stored at my parents house too. Life in the Army (even after you've gotten out) sometimes means having your belongings spread clear across the USA!

I cannot even begin to express to you how excited we are. For one, Chris has found a secure job. After struggling to find employment in this economy for months, it is a HUGE blessing to finally feel secure in a job again. The new job is basically the same work as he was doing in NJ, but instead of working as a contractor, he's now working for the government.

We are also very excited to be buying our own home. We have always lived on post or rented, so being able to have a house that is ours is a big deal. The restrictions of rental properties are gone! Yehawww! Of course, now we need to dig out the tools since we are solely responsible for our own repairs!

Though there has been plenty of stress and some hiccups in the whole house buying process, we love love love the house! I thank God that we found it! It was no easy feat to find a house with this much space in our price range, but God provided! It's move-in ready and is located in a nice little community. It's a bit of a drive to where Chris works, but it's a doable commute.

Here's a picture I snapped when we were at the house for the home inspection. I have more on facebook if you want to check out the inside.

There is so much more to share about this move, but my kiddo is having a meltdown so I'm going to have to sign off for now. More to come!

Poricy Park -September Catch-up

2010-10-05T13:48:00.002-04:00

We decided to take the boys to another park and chose Poricy Park. It was a perfect park day and we had a picnic and walked the trials with the boys. It was a great little nature outing. The trails were very easy and the boys enjoyed the adventure. Though Chris works long hours, his schedule is nice in that he generally gets a weekday off most weeks. We have found that visiting these places during the week means less crowds...which makes maneuvering around much easier. Here are some pictures of our Poricy Park Adventure!

We stopped at Whole Food Market on the way to the park and got some yummy panini's and bakery desserts...yum!

The Visitor's Center had some fun things for the kids inside.

Time to hit the trails!

Luke loves to read the map!

"This way to the Murray Farmhouse and barn..."

The Murray Barn...

The Murray Farmhouse

Checking out something in the garden...

...and here is the object of their curiosity!

More trails!

Heading home..."Daddy...turn right ahead!"

"Dino" Playground

2010-10-02T22:24:00.013-04:00

A few nights ago while walking Riley I glanced across the ball field that stands between our apartment and the kids' favorite little playground and noticed what appeared to be tape or fencing wrapped around the playground. It was getting dark, however, and I couldn't really be sure. I assumed that maybe they were doing some repairs to it. The next morning -when I was again walking Riley (definitely missing a fenced-in backyard!) - I once again investigated. There was indeed an orange fence around it...and something looked very different about the playground...it almost looked...burnt...and the big slide was gone. This called for closer investigation.

Later that day, we all headed across the field to see what was going on with the boys' beloved "dino" playground (which is what the boys call it because of a picture of a dinosaur fossil on the back of the climbing wall...and this of course always spurs them on to play like they're dinosaurs or running from dinosaurs and such when we're there.)
(Picture taken last month)

As we walked across the field, It didn't take long to see that it was indeed -very unfortunately -burnt. The slides and climbing wall were melted into little piles of mangled plastic on the ground and the metal frame was charred and rusted. It reeked of smoke and burnt materials.

What a huge disappointment it was for the boys.

I don't know what happened -if it was accidental or arson - but it really frustrated me. Who plays with fire at a playground?! Thankfully the fire didn't spread to the houses behind the playground.

I walked over the other day and snapped some pictures. I'm also posting pictures of the playground before the fire for comparison. Hopefully a new playground will be put up soon, but I don't know if it'll happen while we're still here.

Here is a picture of the playground taken last month...

And here it is now (same angle, just closer up) - all but one of the slides were completely burned off and the climbing wall was just a ball of melted plastic on the ground.

Here is a closer look at the climbing wall before...

And this is all that's left of it now...

Here is the big slide before...

And here it is...or I guess I should say, here it is *not* now...

Here is one of the side slides before...

And this is all that's left of it now...

This is the only slide to survive the fire, so I'm guessing the fire started on the climbing wall side...

charred stairs...

This little side slide that was a few steps farther then the main playground was not burned...so that's good I guess...

But this....

...this is just sad.

Michelle's Afternoon Tea Bridal Shower - September Catch Up

2010-09-26T13:02:00.010-04:00

We headed down to Maryland Labor Day weekend to be part of Michelle's Afternoon Tea Bridal Shower. The Shower was Sunday afternoon at Ron and Joyce's house and the location and weather were perfect and Joyce is always an amazing host! Judy, Jamie and I did some baking and setting up over the weekend after we researched a little about what an afternoon tea looks like. We were also privileged to use these beautiful tea cups that were borrowed from Joy (thanks so much Joy!) that were from England.

The afternoon was lovely and Michelle was radiant! Here are some pictures of the shower...

Playing catch-up! August Pictures

2010-09-24T10:18:00.012-04:00

It's a rainy morning today, so I'm hoping the boys will sleep a little longer and I'll have some time to post some pictures today!

I have so many pictures to post that I'll have to put up separate blog posts over the next few weeks. Uh-Oh...the boys are awake...guess rainy mornings don't have the same sleep-in effect on them as it does on most people.

I guess I'll have to make this quick and let the pictures do most of the talking! =)

The boys love riding their bikes! One morning while I was taking Riley out, the boys wanted to ride their bikes. It was a nice, warm, sunny morning, and though they were still in their PJ's -I just couldn't say no. =) We have some sidewalk behind our apt, unfortunately, it's a slight uphill slope and they need constant pushes to get going. Here is Will helping Luke out!

I got a stomach virus not long after moving here...which meant spending the day on the couch with a book. The boys must have thought a book on the couch looked pretty appealing, because they were happy to join me!

One morning I was doing some work on the computer and Luke was drawing on his doodle and asked me how to spell "cat." I told him and a few minutes later he said, "Look mommy, I spelled cat!" I turned around expecting to see a few disjointed letters, but instead he showed me this:

I was shocked! He did it all on his own without any help! I was so proud of him I had to snap some pictures!

Not sure why Will was sitting in a basket, but he was having fun!

We started homeschool towards the end of August and so far the boys seem to really enjoy doing school. I have some worksheet books for them to go through and I'm trying to go slow through the letters and numbers to give Luke a chance to practice writing them. Will can do most of the same worksheets, but with some tweaking. He's not quite to the point of writing letters and numbers yet. I'll try to write a more detailed blog about our homeschooling, but until then, here are a few pictures!

Yes, our kiddos are sitting on bins for chairs. =) We decided to wait on buying a table and chairs until we move to a place that will be a little more permanent...and hopefully that place will have a little more room! The boys needed a little height in their seats -and the folding chairs were a little short for them - so a few stacked up bins seemed to provide the best seating for them. It's like a plastic bench!

Will's school fashion statement!

Luke writing his letters! (Don't worry, he hasn't taken to coffee yet...that's my cup!)

Will looking through an alphabet magnet book.

Ok, now off to get school ready for today! I will try to put up a few more blogs soon!

Apple Orchard

2010-08-31T11:44:00.015-04:00

After noticing all the orchards on our trip to Monmouth Battlefield last week, I thought it would be a nice little outing to go pick some apples. Chris was probably least excited about the idea, but he humored me and off we went to the Battlefield Orchard on Sunday afternoon.

It was a hot day, but so worth it! We found that we LOVE Honey Crisp apples...just enough tart and sweet to make the perfect apple...in my book that is. =) We picked a whole bucket. We have all been gorging on apples since then cause they are sooooo good! I thought we'd have trouble eating a whole bucket full of apples, but that is just not the case.

Will and Luke trying to pick up the full bucket!

After we were done at the orchard, we stopped at a orchard/produce/bakery shop to buy some apple cider donuts....and they were SO.VERY.YUMMY!!!

We had a little picnic in the park, let the kids play on the playground for awhile, then headed home. It was a delightful afternoon and I know it won't be the last visit we make to the orchard! I can already hear the apples calling my name...=)

An afternoon at Monmouth Battlefield State Park

2010-08-30T14:27:00.000-04:00

One of the things we're trying to do while we're here is to see the local attractions. We have lived to many places where we haven't done this, and I regret it. So, last week, we decided to go to the Monmouth Battlefield State Park. Though we knew the kids were too young to appreciate seeing a historical landmark, we (Chris and I) wanted to see it for ourselves...and I knew the kids wouldn't mind because the weather was gorgeous!

We didn't get to see much of the battlefield (as the boys weren't quite up to walking that much) but we did walk across one of the open field areas. As we walked across the peaceful field, I couldn't help but wonder what it looked like and sounded like that June day of 1778....more than 200 years ago. I can't even begin to imagine the scene...and how drastically different it was compared to the peaceful, serene sight we saw.

It is humbling to walk the sacred grounds of a battlefield.

On that field, lives were lost.

Men were wounded.

Victory AND defeat were experienced.

You can't help but be THANKFUL to those who fought so hard for the freedom of our nation.

Here are the pictures from our afternoon there:

General Von Steuben

Luke standing in the battlefield

Luke and Will running through the battlefield

bridge across the battlefield

There are corn fields and orchards that grow there now.

Some views of the battlefield (it's hard to imagine a bloody battle here when it looks so peaceful.)

I had to put this picture in because Chris and Luke are walking exactly alike...these two guys are so much alike in SO many ways!!

The boys wanted to toss a few stones into one of the creeks on the field...

Will walking through the battlefield

Posing for a picture

I had the boys touch the ground. I told them they wouldn't understand it right now, but later they would see that they were touching history.

Luke took a picture of Chris and I...

Then, Will insisted on taking a picture of us too...the following pictures are his attempt...

Attempt 1: "Will, hold the camera higher..."

Attempt 2: "Will, the camera has to be a little higher..."

Attempt 3: Foiled by an attack from Luke...

Attempt 4: "Good try, buddy...now give the camera back to daddy and mommy, please."

Some more pictures from the day:

Some silly pictures of Luke in front of the cannon...

Checking out a pond near the park's playground

The boys and their shadows...

Luke loves bugs. He loves to collect them. We found this slightly crushed locust shell at the pond. After he played with it for awhile, I told him to leave it there...but he insisted on taking it home. Again I told him to just leave it there - we could find another one later...then he said, "but it's so beautiful!" So I figured, if he found this battered and bruised locust shell "beautiful" who was I to say he couldn't bring it home.

Playground!

New Jersey Move - Part 2

2010-08-28T16:44:00.007-04:00

Where did I leave off in this highly-detailed series? =) Oh yeah, we all fell in bed exhausted after a very long, vomit-filled day where everything seemed to go WRONG. =)

I can't say the following day was much better. But thankfully, only the morning hours involved a child vomiting.

I took on the task of cleaning Will's car seat (which was a mess from the "sickness" of the day before)...and it was D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G. It took about an hour to get it cleaned. But the task HAD to be done before we could go to the store to buy laundry detergent and get food for our empty cupboards. I desperately needed to do some laundry (cause you know when kids have the stomach flu laundry is essential...and though we don't have a washer/dryer in our unit, the laundry room is thankfully next door) and we were all longing for a home cooked meal.

So the boys and I ventured out to find a grocery or department store. We were completely unsuccessful. Not because there was a lack of stores, but mostly because it's really confusing to drive here...even with the GPS! Who would have guessed you had to turn right to turn left? And why can I see the stores, but the signs forbid me to turn at all...in any direction?! Eeeek!!

After a little bit of confused driving, I had to turn around and come home empty handed because the cable guy was coming to hook our cable and internet up. Plus Will was looking a little green...and I didn't want to clean up the car seat again.

We made it home and the cable guy got us set up. I made the boys a quick lunch and then decided to try to find a store again. This time I plugged the nearest Wal-Mart into the GPS...I figured it would be a one-stop-shop. It was about 20 minutes away...this may the farthest I have EVER lived from a Wal-Mart. And it's not like we're in the sticks here...this town is fairly congested and busy.

So off we go to Wal-Mart. We made it in one piece (though I did see some very interesting driving on the way.) Unfortunately once we got there, I realized it had the smallest food department I've ever seen in a Wal-Mart. I was able to find a few things (enough for supper) short of the meat I needed. So off we went to find another grocery store. After getting lost a few times, we came across a small store...but it didn't have what we needed either. By this point I was just ready to go home. Luke and Will had both fallen and hurt themselves in addition to a few tantrums...and the traffic and confusing directions were about all I could take for the day. So, I plug our apartment address in the GPS and for the life of me, I can't get in the right lane to get to the right road to get home. If you've never driven here, I can't even begin to tell you how confusing it can be. So, in my "lostness" I find a grocery store. We go in, get the meat we need for supper and then attempt to head home...go in circles for awhile...then finally we find the right road and journey back to our apartment. Phew!

After unloading the car, I head to the kitchen to start cooking our supper...only to find that the stove isn't working. I pull it out to make sure it's plugged in - which it is - but not one burner nor the oven will turn on.

It is then that I realize my entire afternoon of trying to make it to a grocery store was a waste...I couldn't cook without a stove. Greeeeaaaat. A cup of coffee was necessary at that point and I felt much better after drinking it. =)

Needless to say, I wasn't able to do any laundry that day (the laundry room closed at 8pm), and we had to eat out for supper.

(Chris reading to the boys on the only piece of living room furniture in the apartment)

The next morning, we started getting ready for our trip back to Maryland to load up the truck. As we were packing, there was a knock at the door. I guess our kitchen floor linoleum needed to be ripped out and replaced...and they were there to do it. In the process of moving all the appliances out of the kitchen (which they did) we found the problem with the stove was VERY fixable...just a fuse. (I hadn't even thought of a blown fuse...whoops!) We waited as they fixed the floor, which thankfully didn't take too long.

Once they were finished, we packed up the van (which was mostly laundry...which made me feel like I was in college again) and made our return trip to Maryland.

Only one more part left to this overly-detailed series! =)

The Jersey Move - Part 1

2010-08-23T07:33:00.008-04:00

Phew! I'm not even sure where to start! It has been an incredibly busy and exhausting two weeks. I'll try to sum up our move as briefly as possible (you know how hard that is for me!) since I know that most of you won't want to sit through a minute-by-minute description of the last couple weeks.

The Tuesday before last (the 10th), the boys and I planned to drive up to Jersey to turn in our lease, get our keys and clean the apartment before we went back to Maryland to get the truck and all of our furniture and boxes. The day before, Steve loaded up the van for us (Thank You, Steve!) and Jamie watched the boys for a few hours (Thank you, Jamie!) while I did some last minute errands.

The next morning (Tuesday the 10th), I woke up early to beat the boys up. The day seemed to start off on the wrong foot for Will though. He was fussy and started spitting up (which I was really really hoping was just due to some congestion.)

We got on the road around 8:30ish and the first few hours of our trip was pretty uneventful...some whining here and there, but mostly the boys were occupied by the DVD players (one of the BEST purchases we ever made for long car trips.) A little over halfway, we stop for a potty and snack break. The boys each picked out a special snack (courtesy of MeMe and Guka's treat money they slipped them before we left.)

Because Will had started acting really tired and a little off - I took my time at the rest stop as they ate their snacks just to make sure it set well on his stomach. He didn't eat much (a red flag...especially when the snack he picked out was donuts!) and was close to falling asleep as we left (another red flag.) But I had to press on and hope that if he got some rest, he'd feel better.

About 30 minutes from our apartment, Will started getting REALLY fussy...then, like an unstoppable force, he threw up everywhere....all over himself and the car seat (thankfully I had put towels around him at the rest stop because of my suspicions so it didn't get all over the van.) We rush to the apartment complex. We get there without getting lost (a plus since the last time I tried to find the complex, I got completely turned around.) As I'm getting him out, he throws up again. Ugh. So I clean him up the best I can (in the parking lot), put new clothes on him (thankfully the suitcase was within arms reach) and try to comfort him. I grab the lease, my purse, the boys and head up to the apartment office only to find...it's locked. And I think, "Are.You.Kidding.Me?!" I just wanted to get our keys and get into the apartment so I could give Will a bath.

Thinking that maybe they were out to lunch, I let the kids play on the playground across the street. Thankfully Will seemed to be doing a bit better at this point. After awhile, the kids were tired and we were just waiting outside and watching the office...hoping someone would open the door and turn the lights on.

Not too long into this waiting game, Luke started to complain that his throat was hurting. I asked if it was his stomach, but he was sure it was his throat...but then he threw up all over too...so I'm pretty sure it was his stomach!

So here I am...two stomach-sick kids clinging to me as we wait outside on a hot day for the office to open. I finally got a blanket out of the van, laid it on the ground and we waited there. Luke fell asleep right away and Will wasn't too far behind.

We got to the apartment complex at around 1pm...by the time I had Will cleaned up and went to the door it was about 1:30pm. Chris got off work and came to find the boys and I still out on the blanket waiting for the office to open at 3:00pm. I was SO THANKFUL to see him. It was like seeing a knight in shining armor riding up on a white stallion...ok...maybe that's going a little too far...but I was thankful he was there. He was finally able to talk with a maintenance man who was able to get someone to come to the office. Finally at around 5ish (I think...I lost track of time by then) we got our keys and got into the apartment.

By this time the boys (and I) are thirsty and starving (we didn't eat lunch.) I give the boys some juice and crackers (just to see how their stomachs are doing) and of course, Will threw up all over himself again. So it was clean up time again - and this time I could put him in the bath. Thankfully!

Chris unloaded the van and helped with the boys and then went to get us some supper. Thankfully Will and Luke managed to hold down their food and when we finally tucked them into bed they fell asleep in no time.

I spent a little time cleaning (thankfully the apartment was pretty clean to start with) but it wasn't long until we crashed too...and believe me, an air mattress never felt so good! The next thing I knew, it was morning again!

Ok...so my goal of not making you endure minute-to-minute descriptions failed...so, I guess I'll post this as Part 1 in the Jersey Move series...and for the next post I will try to be more brief in all my ramblings! =)

Packing is hard work!

2010-08-08T08:46:00.002-04:00

Since this is considered a temporary move – and since our apartment is tiny - we have opted to only take the bare basics and leave the rest in storage. We’ll be taking some clothes, kitchen items, office supplies, toys and books for the boys, some furniture and a few miscellaneous items.

Though it’ll be nice to only plop a few boxes and a couple pieces of furniture on a small Uhaul – it’s been a little more difficult to sort and organize all of our stuff to find the bare basics. We have 95% of our household items in a storage unit. It is top to bottom – front to back – boxes and furniture. We knew that somewhere in all those boxes was our kitchen items, mattresses, dresser and couch…we just had to find them. Chris had a few days off last week, so he made the drive back from Jersey and we headed to the storage unit where we pulled out the majority of our boxes and furniture (lining the storage facilities walls with all of our units contents and hoping no one would come in during the process to get into their units) and started sorting, organizing, repacking and locating the needed items. It took us all day (and thankfully Steve watched the boys…not sure we would have been able to do all that work with two little boys running around) but we found what we needed – and even found things to give away or throw away in the process!

I have been doing the same sorting/organizing process on the home front as well. The boys are taking a little less than half their toys and books – so the rest will go to the storage unit. Chris and I are only taking what is necessary, so the rest of our things will head to the storage unit as well. This whole process is much more challenging with two energetic boys running around – and thankfully Steve and Judy and Jamie and Randy have helped by watching the boys here and there so I can have a few kid-free hours to pack without distraction. (Thanks guys!)

We are hoping the next move will finally be a more permanent move and we can just move everything! I’ll tell you one thing – I sure do miss the Army doing our moves for us!

Counting today, we have two days left here before a crazy week of driving and moving will begin. It will be hard to move away from our family, friends and church, but we will only be 4 hours away and can make the drive to come back for visits.

I’ll try to post pictures of our new apartment next week. Stay tuned for more of our Jersey adventure!

New Jersey or Bust?

2010-08-05T14:32:00.002-04:00

Who would have ever guessed it would be this hard and take this long to find a job. Whatever the case, it took us 10 months for something to finally pan out (and believe me, it wasn't for lack of trying!) Last week Chris was offered a position through a Contractor as an Analyst at an Operations Center on an Army post in New Jersey. We are excited about this opportunity but there is a bit of uncertainty in terms of job security that comes along with this job. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining (because Praise the Lord it's a job!!!) But let me explain in a bit more detail:

Like I said earlier, the job is through a contractor that works on an Army post. Unfortunately, this Army post is closing in the next few months and the jobs are dissolving or moving elsewhere. (Gulp!!) All we know as of now is that the job Chris currently has though this contracting agency will be dissolving in about 3 months or so. (Double Gulp!!) This particular job will reopen as a government job at a different Army post, but there is no guarantee that Chris will be offered the job once it reopens and moves (though we are certainly praying that it will be offered to him!) So, we find ourselves in yet another very temporary job/living situation.

It's already been a journey trying to find a place to live. The cost of living and housing in the area is more than I had anticipated (I had sticker shock when I saw the prices of apartments!) But we have stepped out on faith and signed a 4 month apartment lease. The town is a bit iffy and the apartment is small, but livable. However, I am THANKFUL that we found this apartment because it allowed us to lease short-term and it's close to Chris's job. The benefits far outweighed its size and location when we made our final decision. We have decided to take only what we need for the next few months - basic furniture, kitchen items, clothes and of course -toys for the boys - and leave the rest in our storage unit here. We move next week! I have been going store-to-store to find boxes, organizing, sorting, packing, making lists, packing, cleaning, packing, packing and packing.

Chris left last week and has already been hard at work. The job requires shift work, so it'll be long hours for him. Since Chris already has plenty of experience working in an Operations Center (which is what he did while deployed) the job and its duties are nothing new. Right now he's staying with a friend until our apartment opens up. The boys and I drove up to NJ yesterday to get the lease and check out the apartment and now we're back in MD to finish things on this end.

Though this whole situation is VERY overwhelming and even a bit scary, I have faith that God has a plan for us. He has never EVER failed us and I know that even though this is a very uncertain circumstance, HE IS FAITHFUL.

I have decided not to dwell on the fear part (i.e. what happens when the Post closes and the job ends?!) and instead to look at the next few months as a journey and adventure. I leave the uncertainty in God's hands knowing He will take care of us.

So, here we go - on our next adventure!

Stay tuned and I will share this adventure with you via this blog!

Summer Update

2010-07-13T15:26:00.012-04:00

Is it really mid-July already? My how this summer has flown by! I thought it was high time for another update...since it's been awhile again...so here goes!

Luke: Luke is at such a fun age. I told Chris the other day, that I want to keep Luke at this age forever. His personality is all his own...he's funny, smart, witty - and has so much confidence in himself (I love that about little kids! Their confidence hasn't been shaken by the world yet.) He is very loving and affectionate and loves to do things that make us proud. I love seeing his compassion as I really want my children to grow up feeling compassion towards others. He loves to learn and still has the memory of an elephant. This kids forgets NOTHING. Right now he's really into dinosaurs - I'm pretty sure he could talk about them all day long. He even loves to watch dinosaur documentaries.

Of course, there are always challenges: Luke has started fighting naptime...which makes it hard when bedtime comes because he's overtired. I know he's 4 and at this age many little ones have started giving up naptime...but I just don't know if he's really ready yet. He's so overtired by evening that I still think he needs a short afternoon nap...or at least some time to rest. So at this point I continue to put him down for naptime...whether he sleeps during that time is another story!

Our other big challenge is motivating him to move faster than a snail at times. Don't get me wrong, Luke can move...he can run and have tons of fun...but when it comes to clean up time...or time to get ready to go somewhere...then he moves as slow as a snail. It can take him 5 minutes to put on his shoes (and that's flip flops!)...and don't even get me started on how long it takes him to clean up his room!

Moving on...=)

I love hearing Luke and Will's prayers. Will is still praying "Now I lay me down to sleep" at nights, but hearing his list of, bless this person and that person and this toy and this stuffed animal (and the list goes on) is so endearing! Luke has started praying his own prayers (though they are often the same prayer every night) and has started praying specifically for other people (and even animals!) A few nights ago, while I was sick in bed, he came in and said, "Mommy I want to say a prayer for you." So he did. He prayed that I would feel better soon. It was sweet and it touched me deeply. It was also touching to hear him pray for one of his friends from playgroup that was sick a few weeks ago. He even prayed for a baby blue jay that we found on the ground a few days ago. It makes my heart smile to hear my boys pray - and I know that heaven hears each word sent up by their tender voices.

Will: It has been so much fun to watch Will grow and develop. From day one, he has had a big personality. He is full of life, fun, charm and wit. He knows the power of his charm and will make no hesitations to use his big smile to try to get what he wants. He has a sweet little voice - and though at times he's still hard to understand - he can definitely hold his own in a conversation. I love his hugs and kisses. He is so affectionate and loves to cuddle. His squeeze-you-tight-hugs are the best!

Though he very much has a mind of his own and will do what he wants when he wants too, he also follows Luke around and copycats him a lot. It's pretty funny - one second Luke is running out to tell me something and a second later, Will is running out to tell me the same thing.

Will, too, loves learning. He is counting well (at least I think!) for a 2 year old and can memorize songs fairly easily. He loves playing with his Toy Story toys and pretty much anything else that Luke is playing with. It has been so much fun to watch their playtime together. With them being so close in years, they can now play with each other - which I LOVE to see! (Of course, they are brothers and they do fight like brothers...but I think that comes with the territory of being brothers!)

One of our biggest challenges with Will of late, has been getting him to listen and do as we say. I suppose that's a challenge with every child. I'm fairly certain Will understands us when we tell him to stop doing something or when we say, "no," but he has a hard time obeying if he doesn't want too. There are times I think he may just be oblivious...but most of the time I think he knows what we're saying and just wants to get his way.

He also seems to be going through a separation anxiety stage again. Leaving him in the nursery or his Sunday School class can be such an ordeal lately. He used to go right in (especially if Luke was with him) but now he cries and screams. I'm really hoping it's just a stage.

Both the boys have really enjoyed swimming this summer. Luke has taken to it like a pro. He loves to stick his head under water and could spend hours playing in the pool. Will has been a bit more cautious, but the more we swim, the more comfortable he is in the water. He does well swimming around the pool with his life jacket on, but doesn't like to get his head under water yet.

Our Summer: We've been able to do quite a bit of fun stuff this summer. In May we were able to go see my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. We had been wanting to go for some time, but we just couldn't afford the trip. Then God provided (via our tax refund) and we started planning the trip right away. While we were there, we were also able to see Ben, Amber, Gracelynn and Shelby - which was such an amazing treat. We also visited a university where Chris is planning to get his master's degree from. On the way home we stopped in Tennessee for a few days of vacation and thoroughly enjoyed watching the boys have fun. We did a lot of driving, but the boys were very well behaved and the trip was so much fun. On the home front, we've enjoyed being with family and friends. We've even been to the beach a few times and gone camping.

The job front: It's actually really hard for me to blog about this because it has been so incredibly frustrating. We never knew it would take this long or be this hard to find a job. Chris has done temporary jobs here and there, but so far nothing permanent. We are looking for jobs near and far and continue to pray, pray, pray that something will open up for us. If you think of it, please pray for us as well...we could use lots of prayers on this matter.

In other news, Chris and I will be celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary next week. It is amazing to look back over the years and see where we've been: Bradly, IL - Fort Gordon, GA - Fort Riley, KS - Chris deployed a year from there - then we went back to Fort Gordon, GA - then on to Baumholder, Germany - Chris deployed 15 months from there - and now we're in Maryland. In the midst of all that we've had two wonderful boys, two cats and one dog. We've made amazing friends and enjoyed our families. We've had ups and downs - good memories and hard times. Through it all though, every single day has been a blessing. I love my husband so much and couldn't imagine life without him. Because of the Army, we've only been able to spend a few of our anniversaries together. So I'm not sure what our anniversary plans are, but all that really matters is that this year we'll be together.

Well, this update turned out to be longer than I had planned, but I hope it's caught you up on our happenings! I'll post some pictures from the last month - and then try to get some picture blogs up of our May vacation a little later.

Brothers!

Luke, Will and Julianne

Luke loves playing outside!

As does Will!

I'll give you one guess at which movie we're at here...

Birdfeeder project!

Blueberry picking

and eating...

getting as many yummy blueberries as possbile!

and eating more too!

Our little family!

Summer is grand!

Fun boat rides!

More later!

Assateague Beach

2010-06-15T14:20:00.007-04:00

Luke turns 4!

2010-06-13T21:42:00.007-04:00

Luke turned 4 this week...4 years old! Where did my little baby Luke go?! He's such a big boy now!

The night before his birthday, Luke prayed, "Bless 3-year old Luke and bless 4-year old Luke..." He was so proud that he was going to be such a big boy.

We had (for some time) excitedly talked to him about how big of a boy he was going to be...and he couldn't wait. Later that night, however, he had trouble falling asleep...finally I asked him what was wrong and he wailed, "I WANT TO STAY 3!!!" It didn't take long to realize that in his mind, turning 4 meant he was going to "grow up" in his sleep and he wasn't ready to "grow up" yet. As he cried in my arms telling me he wanted to stay 3, a part of me wanted to cry right along with him as I, TOO, wanted him to stay 3. It feels like he's growing up to fast (Will too.) But we reassured him that his body would not grow up while he was sleeping - that everything would be the same...he would still be Luke...just 4 years old.

And though he was comforted by the fact that he didn't have to become a grownup overnight, he still didn't want to be left alone...so he slept in our bed that night. And, when morning came, his previous excitement about turning 4 returned and he had a grand day!

Guka had, by request from Luke, made him a Gronckle cake. Gronckle is a dragon from the DreamWorks movie, "How to Train Your Dragon." The cake turned out AWESOME and Guka still remains the king of birthday cakes!

We had a small party with Guka, Meme, Uncle Randy, Aunt Jamie and Julianne. Luke had so much fun! He requested cheese pizza for supper, excitedly ripped open all of his presents and wolfed down his Gronckle cake.

He was happy but very exhausted at the end of the day. And that night we tucked in our 4-year old boy.

Meme, Will and Luke are ready to party!

The Gronckle cake!

Meme, Will and Luke looking at baby pictures

After supper, Luke tore into his presents...

Then it was time to eat some Gronckle!

Luke and Guka admiring the cake...

It was yummy!

Our 4-year old Luke...

4 going on 16! Eeeeek!

I Miss Blogging...

2010-06-09T19:50:00.000-04:00

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged since March! At this point, I just don’t know where to start…do I play catch up…do I start with where we’re at now? Playing catch up seems overwhelming, so maybe I’ll just start with the now.

My goal is to attempt to write one blog a week…so we’ll see if I can get back into the swing of blogging.

This week I plan to put up a birthday blog – Luke turned 4 yesterday! It’s hard to believe we started this blog a few months before he was born…and now he’s 4!! They grow up WAY to fast!

So, be on the lookout for a birthday blog and pictures!

Cats can drink coffee too...right?

2010-03-13T14:27:00.010-05:00

Ok, not really, but Will thinks his little stuffed cat can! Will's favorite stuffed animal is his cat named Sammy. This is the stuffed animal that will come out with him in the morning all tucked up under his arm.

Sometimes in the morning, Sammy will "share" mommy's coffee. This is done by Will holding his little cat up to the edge of my coffee cup while making slurping noises as he pretends his Sammy is drinking my coffee - "Sammy dink mommy cofffy!"

One morning a few weeks ago, Sammy nuzzled his nose a little too far into the cup and soaked up a little more than the "pretend coffee" he's accustomed to having in the morning. His nose was sopping wet with hot coffee.

Will was not thrilled.

I couldn't help but laugh...Sammy's nose was dripping with coffee and Will was adorably worried about his precious Sammy.

After snapping a picture (of course) I comforted Will by saying that we would get Sammy all washed up. And that we did. Sammy was washed and dried by the time Will went to bed. I brought him in and said, "Look Will, Sammy's all clean!" Will grabbed him and thoroughly checked over his nose (thankfully the coffee didn't stain!) and with happy relief proclaimed, "Sammmy Keeeen!" (Sammy clean.)

Interestingly enough, Will no longer puts Sammy up to my morning cup of coffee for a pretend sip anymore...

Potty Trained and Potty Party!

2010-02-24T14:07:00.008-05:00

I am now ready to say that Luke is officially potty trained. YEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHAWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!

I was looking for two specific things to be consistent before I was ready to officially deem him potty trained: (Ready for this – I know you’ll be shocked at my potty training criteria!) =)

1. Consistently* going #1 in the potty

2. Consistently* going #2 in the potty

*(By “consistently” I mean doing this for 7 days straight without regression. Accidents are accidents, and they didn’t really count in this. However, if he knowingly went potty in his pants or diaper, I started my day count over.)

Now, Luke has had minimal accidents. In fact, I can count that number of accidents on one hand (and believe me, I know how lucky I am to be able to say that.) After the first few days of training in January, he pretty much had the #1 part down. He quickly progressed to the big potty and all was good.

Our biggest problem was him going #2 in his diaper in the morning (or sometimes in bed at night) before he was changed into his big boy pants. (We still put Luke in a diaper right before bed at night – his bladder isn’t quite ready to go all night long yet.) So though he’s been doing fantastic going #1 in the potty for quite some time now – and he had been doing moderate going #2, I still wanted to see the habit of going #2 in the potty consistently formed before calling him potty trained. I am pleased to say he has now been going #2 in the potty for almost 2 weeks straight now – without any dirty diapers! YEEHAWW!!!

We had told Luke from the beginning that when he was potty trained, we would give him a potty party and a toy. In the middle of the whole process, we also threw in Chuck E. Cheese for additional motivation.

Yesterday he finally earned the end goal! He was super excited to be going to Chucky Cheese for the first time. Later that day he got a few toys and a book (thank you Uncle Randy and Aunt Jamie for the cute book!) and cupcakes for dessert. We were very very proud of him!

On the way to Chuck E. Cheese!

They were a little overwhelmed at first, but it didn't take long until they were all over the place.

Way to go Luke!

Will peeking out of the play area.

They loved these little games, this was their favorite.

Down the slide!

Taking a ride with Chuck E.

Luke loves air hockey!

Yehawww!

Will attempting a shooting game.

Weeeeee!

Fun times!

This is as close as Will would get to this huge mechanical rat, er mouse...is it a rat or a mouse?

Luke wanted these very specific space toys...he picked them out a LONG time ago...and we bought them a long time ago, it was nice to finally be able to give them to him.

Yummy cupcakes!

Julianne enjoying the fun too!

Learning Time

2010-02-24T13:47:00.007-05:00

I’m not as consistent and organized as I’d like to be for our Learning Time, but I am always amazed and proud of the boys’ progress when we do get a chance to sit down and focus on learning. Luke is doing an amazing job learning his letters and numbers. Will is beginning to learn them as well! It’s so much fun to see them blossom.

I hope to implement a more scheduled Learning Time for both of them in the very near future.

I love these little write and wipe books. (If you live in the area, you can get these REAL cheap at Ollie’s) It's so nice to let them practice and draw to their hearts content - then clean up is a breeze...just wipe it all off and you're done!

Luke drew a person the other day! I was so proud of him!

Here is Will's person drawing (I think!)

Learning numbers and letters...

Happy Valentine’s Day!

2010-02-24T13:42:00.003-05:00

The boys enjoyed putting together valentines this year (well, Luke more than Will.) I can’t believe this is the only picture of Valentine’s Day we have, but I guess it is!

The boys each got a special little bag of goodies for Valentine’s Day and Chris and I exchanged a small gift and card and then enjoyed a movie and dinner the following night (thanks to Steve and Judy for babysitting the kids for that!)

Here are the boys making out their valentines!

Finding Nemo

2010-02-24T13:09:00.008-05:00

Earlier this month, we were able to go to Disney’s Nemo on Ice show and it was fantastic! The boys were mesmerized! I thought they did a great job telling the story and the costumes and set were phenomenal. It was a great show and a great experience for the boys!

The set was fantastic!

The boys were mesmerized...

Chris was amazed! =)

Julianne loved it too!

Bruce the shark!

"Dude!"

"Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine."

If you ever get a chance to see Nemo on ice, it's worth it!

Random Thoughts while Sick in Bed

2010-01-28T22:04:00.006-05:00

Last night a spontaneous high fever hit out of the blue. The fever broke sometime last night, but it left a horrid headache and extreme fatigue in its wake. Thankfully Chris was home today and took care of the kids while I allowed my body to get the rest it demanded. Though I am feeling much better, I’m still a bit sluggish and weak – so here I am…in bed blogging =)

I thought I would blog some random thoughts…I can’t remember the last time I did that – and my goal for this year was to do a more variety of blogging.

Random Thought 1 - Recovery Service:

The other night, as I was walking through the house to check on the boys, I saw a sad looking dog sitting outside the dining room window….staring in with big sad eyes. I noticed immediately that it had a collar on – and hoped it had a number or some sort of identification attached. It was cold outside, and the poor dog looked quite pathetic. I took the dog and put it in the fenced in backyard and noticed it had a recovery tag, phone number and ID number. PHEW! I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with a stray dog otherwise! So, I called the recovery number who patched me through to the owner (which was a relief, but I felt bad that it was midnight…but I just kept telling myself – “I would want to know where Riley was at ANY time if she were missing.”) The owner was really nice and we were able to meet her and give her back her dog. So, why am I blogging about this? Just to encourage any pet owners out there to register your pets with a recovery service if you can. Though we never like to think of our pet going missing, you never know when they might get away from the house. This isn’t the first stray dog we have come across but it was BY FAR the easiest one to get back home.

Random Thought 2 - Donuts:

Earlier this week, I took Will to his 2 yr well baby check up. I always dread these when I know it’ll end with a vaccination. Will did great! His growth was on track and he checked out healthy (short of a small ear infection which the Dr. prescribed some antibiotics for.) Of course, Will was not excited when they gave him his shots – it’s always hard to see your unsuspecting child get a shot…and they look at you with those tear filled eyes that are screaming, “HOW COULD YOU?!” I promised him a donut after it was all over, and that seemed to smooth it over. Phew! =)

Random Thought 3 - Strangers: To trust or not to trust…

While Will and I were at the store waiting for his prescription and picking up a few groceries – the skies continued to pour out rain. It was miserable yucky weather. The store was practically deserted because no one wanted to be out in such a mess. In fact, the “less than 20 items” check out lady asked me to go down her lane because no one else was there! Anyway, after checking out, Will and I plunged out into the nasty rainstorm. To my surprise, just as I pushed the cart up next to the car, the young man who was gathering up all the carts outside offered to load my trunk for me. (Of course the first thing that comes to mind is “Trust no one…” and it’s unfortunate that has to be a woman’s thought in today’s world…but sadly it’s just not a safe world.) However, I was able to quickly assess the situation. I had seen this young man a million times working at the store and knew in my gut that he sincerely just wanted to help, and there were people walking in and out of the store very close by. So I accepted his help. By the time I had Will buckled in, he had loaded my trunk and taken my cart and was off to gather up more carts in the parking lot. As I drove away, I was thankful for his kindness. But it grieves me greatly that we can’t trust strangers in today’s world. It saddens me that –for a woman- going on a walk alone is dangerous. It scares me that a child can be abducted from the park – or even worse, from their own house. I am humbled that a complete stranger was willing to stand in the rain and load my groceries so I could buckle my little boy in - and that he meant no harm. If only we could trust all such strangers. Unfortunately, crime has proven time and time again that we can't trust just anyone. It's a shame.

Random Thought 4 - The Job Situation:

Ugh. It is a really tough time to be looking for a job...really tough time. So far nothing has panned out. This, of course, is frustrating. We have lived in limbo for such a long time now; it would be nice to be able to settle down. We are eternally grateful to Steve and Judy who continue to open their home to us. I know that God has a plan for us – a path for us to journey. So, as we continue to wait – and to hope – I continue to pray for God’s guidance.

Random Thought 5 - Coffee:

I love Coffee! =)

Random Thought 6 - LOST:

I am SO excited for the final season of LOST! It is, however, bittersweet. Chris and I got into LOST way back in KS. We have enjoyed trying to figure out where everything is going. Now that the final season is upon us, it’s kinda sad to know there won’t be another season. Oh well, I guess all good things must come to an end sometime.

Well, if you’ve made it this far in my Random Thoughts blog, I applaud you! =) Thank You for perusing my random thoughts.

Happy Birthday Will!

2010-01-24T21:02:00.000-05:00

Our precious baby boy has turned two! Two years ago we were holding our newborn baby in our arms - and now he is running, jumping, talking and growing! It really does go too fast.

Will is such a joy. I can't even begin to express how much this little guy means to us. He is truly a gift from God - an incredible blessing (as is Luke too!) Will has such a fun outgoing personality. He is charming and sweet but can be a firecracker too! When he looks up at you with his big blue eyes, your heart can't help but melt. I wish I could slow down time so I could savor each and every moment - it's hard to believe that two years ago...we were just meeting our little boy.

(Will's 1st Birthday)

Happy 2nd Birthday Will! We love you and are SO proud of you!!

Puppy

2010-01-14T21:52:00.008-05:00

Puppy is Luke's favorite stuffed animal.

When we lived in Germany, a good friend of mine let Luke keep this cute stuffed dog after he took a liking to it while playing at their house (Thank you Monica!) Ever since that day, Puppy has had a very very special place in Luke's heart.

Puppy sleeps in bed with Luke every night. He fits just right in the nook of Luke's arms.

Most days, Puppy comes out to play with Luke - sometimes he even shows up to a meal or two!

Puppy has gone on every trip we've made - tucked safely in Luke's backpack or in his arms.

Puppy is truly irreplaceable! He is Luke's security blanket and can bring instant comfort.

Luke even prays for Puppy, telling Jesus just how much he loves his Puppy.

And believe me, there is no denying how much Luke really does love his Puppy.

Snow Days

2010-01-14T21:16:00.010-05:00

There is nothing quite like waking up and seeing a fresh coat of bright white snow covering the ground and trees! Last week we got a beautiful snowfall and the boys were itching to get out and play in it. So we all bundled up and headed out for some snow fun!

Off we go on our boogie board...er, I mean sled!

What you can't see in this picture is that Luke is getting ready to pound me with a snowball...

Sweet Will

Even Riley got in on the fun!

Uncle Joe and Luke playing snow baseball!

Snow covered docks

Potty Training Continues:

2010-01-11T11:23:00.002-05:00

Potty training has remained about the same. Luke had an accident while napping yesterday, but has continued to do well with going in the potty. He still has to be encouraged to go sometimes, and other times he tells us he has to go. He is alternating potties now…which is good. Sometimes he’ll go in the little froggy potty, and other times in the “big boy” potty. I think our biggest challenge is getting him to go #2 (using the number system on this for those squeamish about the word poop…whoops, I just said it…) in the potty. We’ve told him that in order to earn his Potty Party (the party we offered him after he had done a full week of really good potty training) he just needs to start going #2 in the potty…once he starts doing that, the party is his!

Also, I thought I would link to this site that contains lots of great potty charts for both boys and girls. We’ve printed and used quite a few of them.

Potty Training Day 5:

2010-01-08T19:57:00.001-05:00

I am so pleased with how smoothly potty training is going at this point. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m so incredibly relieved that we’re progressing. We had one incident today where he didn’t want to go. I put him on the potty because he was doing the I-gotta-go-potty dance and he went and was fine from then out. Even this morning, we put a diaper on him while he played in the snow (I didn’t want to chance an accident out in the snow…with all the layers and the cold) and he managed to keep his diaper dry. YEEEEHAAAAW!!!!

This evening, I forgot to have him go sit on the potty, and he came and told me he had to go potty. I was so proud of him! He’s doing such a good job! I even allowed him to start wearing his dinosaur big boy underwear today instead of the white training pants. He was really excited about that.

I promised Luke a “Potty Party” when he had done a full week of good-try-really-hard potty training. I think he’ll have it earned by next week! We’ll make him a cake and give him a space shuttle toy I promised him the very first time he started potty training. He’s pretty excited and working towards earning the party.

I’m almost giddy with glee when I think we’ll soon have one child out of diapers! WHOHOOO!

Potty Training Day 4:

2010-01-07T21:45:00.002-05:00

Today I have seen lots of progression in our potty training journey! I am so proud of Luke I could burst!

I was nervous this morning as he fought me once again to put on his training pants. However, that proved to be his only fuss about it today. He went every time I took him to the potty, we were out of the house at playgroup for a few hours with no accidents, he even went poopy on the potty (this is huge because as of today, he's been waiting until I put his diaper back on at night or before he I change him in the morning to do this), and three times tonight he told me he needed to go on the potty...and he did! Two of those times he even had his diaper on (ready for bed) and chose to go on the potty instead. Can I just say YYYYYEEEEEHAWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm hoping this is a sign that we're moving in the right direction quickly!

I hope that tomorrow brings as much success as today did!

Potty Training Day 3:

2010-01-06T21:32:00.002-05:00

I’m almost afraid to say it out loud (er... I mean write it down,) but today has been pretty good!

Luke fought me this morning when I put his training pants on, and later in the day there was one instance where he fought me a little on getting on the potty – but all in all, he’s done very very good! What a relief after the struggles we had yesterday. I even took him to his classes at the church tonight and he made it all the way through without any issues. I was a little nervous about taking him out for 2 ½ hours since it’s only been a few days and I’m not sure he’d be willing to go on a different potty yet. I took an extra set of clothes just in case and told him to tell his teachers if he had to go. He didn’t go there, but he didn’t have an accident either, so all is well!

We are doing diapers at night, but other than that, he’s in his training pants all day long…even through nap time!

So, here’s hoping tomorrow goes as well as today did!

Thank you all for your encouragement!

Potty Training Day 2:

2010-01-05T22:19:00.002-05:00

I wouldn't say today was exactly a success, but we made it through.

Luke, as I expected, provided quite a bit of opposition. This morning was ok, but it just went downhill from there...with a literal kicking and screaming tantrum after nap time when we put him on the potty...from Luke that is...though I think Chris and I both were ready to throw our own tantrums of frustration. It took awhile to get Luke calmed down and I eventually allowed him to get off the potty even though he didn't even try to go. And it was blatantly obvious he had to go. He was doing the twisty-hold-the-legs-together-gotta-go-potty dance. After a few minutes of him walking around in this manner, I asked if he would like to use his little Winnie the Pooh potty (we had been trying to teach him how to use the "big boy" potty)...he considered this and said, "What about my froggy potty?" (Yes, we have two little potties...both I bought awhile back hoping it would entice him to want to go.) Anyway, I was eager to comply to his request - especially after such a long and strenuous tantrum. I was so relieved he was willing to try again.

So, I got out his little froggy potty and within minutes he excitedly ran out to tell us, "I did it!"
Yehawww for accomplishments!

So, we've had some issues, but also some progress as well. Tomorrow is a new day!

Potty Training

2010-01-05T11:38:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we started potty training Luke...again...for the 3rd time. Third times a charm right? Well, that's what they say...

The first attempt this summer was a complete disaster. He was not ready, he was not cooperative and it was more frustrating than it was worth.

The second time I didn't push it too much as I was just excited he was willing to get on the potty and go. However, his willingness dwindled and we were back in diapers.

This time there's no going back. Though he prefers the security of his diapers, it's time that he's potty trained. This time I'm trying to be more relaxed about it...but also more consistent. I've come to learn that potty training take a great amount of motivation and consistency from the parent.

I will admit that I was secretly hoping that since Luke is on the older side for this process, that he'd take to it right away and Poof! he would be potty trained. A mom can dream right?! =) Well, it clear that this secret hope will not be a reality. He did do well yesterday with only one accident. This morning though, he didn't want to put the training pants back on...but he did. We'll see what the rest of the day brings. I have a feeling we'll get more opposition from him today. Oh well, it's all part of the process.

Something that has been very helpful is a Cars sticker chart a friend of mine sent me. Luke likes picking out stickers to mark his accomplishments.

Here's for hoping today will bring great progress in this potty training journey!

Fhins Fans

2010-01-03T22:52:00.003-05:00

This afternoon we watched the last game of the season for The Miami Dolphins. We thought it appropriate to take a picture of the boys in their jersey with daddy before the game ended.

This brought back memories of when we were unpacking all of our things in Germany (Sept 2007) and found Luke's Dolphins jersey and had to take a picture of him in it. We had boxes EVERYWHERE and the only decent place to take a picture was in the corner of the guest room...and even then, you can see (below) it was stacked up with piles all around. Anyway, I thought I'd post the pictures. It's amazing how much Luke has changed over this time. I was 20 or so weeks pregnant with Will then, so today's is the first picture we have of Will sporting his and Luke's jersey.

(Sept 2007 - Luke would have been about 15 months here)

Reality Blogging

2010-01-02T22:14:00.001-05:00

I have definitely struggled with being a consistent blogger the last few months. I always have good intentions, but somehow the "good intentioned blog" just never gets accomplished.

This year I have quite a few goals to aim for.

One of them being blogging.

I hope to tweak my blogging style a little bit by being more...me. I have found that I've somewhat shyed away from blogging about the frustrations of life. And yet, I am always grateful to those who share their struggles and thoughts...it always makes me feel like I'm not alone. So, one of my goals is not only to share updates and pictures, but to also share the real life moments and thoughts that aren't as frilly and pretty...but are just as real.

I hope that you'll stick with me and still be inclined to read our blog! =)

Shepherd Story

2009-12-04T08:21:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I took the boys over to see our neighbor’s nativity scene. I was quizzing Luke on the different figures in the scene. He was going through and naming them, but when he got to the shepherd holding the staff, I could see a moment of confusion. Then he said matter-of-factly, “He’s the one who cooks the marshmallows.” I guess that shepherds staff does look like a pretty good marshmallow roaster!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-28T23:38:00.006-05:00

Wow, where has this week gone? Where has this month gone for that matter?

This weekend has been packed full of fun events.

Wednesday started the food prep for Thanksgiving...lots of cooking and cleaning.

Thursday was a nice day. Steve and Judy hosted about 20 family members for a Thanksgiving feast and fellowship. I realized at the end of the day that I hadn't taken a single picture while all the family was here. Whoops! I managed to snap a few shots of the food prep, but after that, I forgot to pick up the camera and capture some Thanksgiving memories. At the end of the day, we were also able to webcam with my family too, so that was very nice as well.

After the kiddos had been snuggly tucked into bed, I set about making out Black Friday Shopping lists. Chris, though not excited, was willing to help me brave the Black Friday frenzy. We had decided to hit the midnight Toys R Us sale, come home get a few hours of sleep then head back out for the 5am sales. It sounded like a great plan in theory...but we realized the sleeping part just wasn't going to happen when the line stretched well beyond the store as we pulled up to our local Toys R Us store. We managed to snag most of what we were looking for...(many of the items being the last ones on the shelf!) and saved about $100.00 and only spent $50.00. Of course we stood in shoulder to shoulder crowds - spent 3 hours standing in line...but we did save a ton of money...and the kids will be getting some things they wouldn't have gotten otherwise. So, in the end it was worth it.

After we left Toys R Us at about 3am, we decided to head on over to Wal-Mart and get in line for the items we wanted most. Chris went to one line and I went to the other. The wait was long and tiring, but we got everything we wanted. When the lady came on the loud speaker to "start the shopping" insanity ensued and people started ripping pallets open and grabbing items like it was life or death. It was a bit...frightening! =) We got what we needed and hit the checkout line. We had to wait longer at the beginning, but we got out of there QUICK! After that we made quite a few more stops getting most of what we had on our list...though some of it was gone by the time we got to the other stores. We finally drug our tired old bodies into the house at about 8am Friday morning. We could pull all nighters in college, but now that we're a bit older...it's much harder to rebound! Thankfully Steve and Judy took the kids out shopping and for lunch so Chris and I could grab some ZZZ's.

It was a crazy experience (our first doing any Black Friday sales) but we really did save a ton of money. So, though we're still exhausted from the whole experience - I'd do it all over again. I can't wait to see the look on the kids' faces when they get their gifts!

And finally, today we hit the road early to help with the church float, play/watch the annual Turkey Bowl at church (Chris played, the kids and I watched if anyone wants to know) and then we got bundled up again to watch the boat parade on the river.

So, to sum up this Thanksgiving: We had a nice holiday weekend with so very much to be thankful for. It was so very nice to have Chris home this year!

Here are the few pictures I did manage to take of the Thanksgiving fun.

Wednesday night Judy started making pies. The boys were more than happy to help!

Luke and Will even got to make their own pie of sorts...

The finished product!

Thanksgiving morning, Chris helped the boys with a little food project. He did most of the work...ok, he did ALL the work, but the boys enjoyed eating the finished product. I think Chris made about 15 of these cookie/candy gobblers.

A closer look!

I had to take a picture of the homemade banana pudding...Yum!! It's a super easy recipe and so rich and tasty!

I'm posting these next two pictures for my family. My mom makes these great butterhorn rolls. We have them every Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I thought I would try my hand at them this year since I was miles away from my mom's butterhorn rolls! These weren't as good as hers, but they were pretty good!

And this is the point I should have a lot of family photos to share of the whole family enjoying Thanksgiving day. But, like I said earlier...I didn't manage to get any of these pictures. =)

So, here's the next picture in the line. A very tired Meme and Will ready for bed!

I hope you all had a very nice Thanksgiving!

Warm Day at the Beach

2009-11-09T22:15:00.008-05:00

We are trying to take advantage of any warm day that God sends our way. Today was a beautiful day! We decided to spend the day outside basking in the sun. This lead us to…the beach! The boys LOVE the beach! It’s the biggest, best sandbox ever! The water is mesmerizing and the boardwalk is always fun to meander.

This little baby sea turtle washed up on the beach. We kept trying to put him back in the water, but the tide kept bringing him in. I had to take a few pictures of him - he was so cute! After we had tried a few times to get him back into the water, a nice couple walking by took him out on one of the piers and put him in the water there. Hopefully he was able to swim out to the ocean after being put further in the water!

Chris and I attempted to build a sandcastle. The boys kept trying to destroy every attempt, but we managed to get this one done before...

...they got past the moat and conquered the castle!

even Chris got into the destruction!

There is nothing like falling face first into the sand!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T21:23:00.006-05:00

I promise I have an update in the works. I even have it all written...it's the uploading pictures that's slowing me down. In the meantime, here is a more recent post...Halloween!

The boys were cowboys for Halloween. I have to admit I wanted them to be cowboys so we could buy them cowboy boots.=) Since Luke seemed to be on board with being a cowboy…and Will didn’t care either way, we went ahead and deemed them cowboys for Halloween.

The boys were excited to get in their costumes and get candy! We participated in the Trunk-or-Treat event at our church (this is where you decorate the trunk of your car and pass out candy in the parking lot.) Since the boys were cowboys, we had planned to make our mini-van into a covered wagon. We had a fake fire in front with a pot of candy “cooking” over the fire. Out of the “wagon”, we were serving chili. Well, it all worked except for the covered wagon decorations…the wind was too strong for the cover of our covered wagon…but we still served the chili (and candy of course) and people seemed ok with that. =)

The boys enjoyed going around to all the other cars in the parking lot and filling their little pumpkin buckets with candy. They also got to enjoy hot dogs and a hay ride. All in all, it was a fun Halloween!

Will insisted on putting on his Nemo swim trunks...it's all the rage in cowboy fashions!

Here is his completed costume...

We went to Uncle Joe and Aunt Marge's house as well as our good friends Mr. Ron and Ms. Joyce's house before we headed over to the church for Trunk-or-Treat. The boys were excited to get candy! They had to sit down and eat the very first piece right away!

Cowboy Luke with Cowboy Uncle Joe!

These are some serious cowboys!

Howdy partner!

A cowboy and his horse...

"Home, home on the Range..."

I'll take any excuse to dress up. I went along with the theme and dressed up as a cowgirl!

Yehaaaaww!

Chris didn't really dress up (he was the "cook" of our chuck wagon and served up the chili to those who visited our campfire...) However, I do have an evil expression that seems appropriate to post for a Halloween post…

Chris and Randy posing at Trunk-or-Treat...

We are ready to pass out some candy!

Cook and Cowgirl...

I forgot to get a picture of our little campfire with the candy pot. Whoops!

The boys had a great time on the hayride!

Posing in front of the BIG frog!

Eating some grub...

More pictures in front of the frog...

Luke wanted to try on my wig after we got home. I think we'll keep his hair short!

Update coming soon!

2009-10-28T21:39:00.004-04:00

If anyone out there is still reading our blog - I promise I will be updating soon! This month has been beyond crazy. I will work hard to get a blog up in the next few days...we're still here...I promise!

Brothers

2009-09-10T23:55:00.001-04:00

The Weekend Review

2009-09-07T21:06:00.007-04:00

The big project for this weekend was sanding down the floor and waxing them. Of course, the boys had to try it…don’t worry, the sanders weren’t really on when I snapped these photos. They didn’t want to be too close to them when they were on…so loud! Anyway, Guka did most of the work, but I attempted to help and used the less aggressive sander. The floor looked great after the whole process…though I noticed I didn’t get a picture of the finished project. Oh well, you can just take my word for it! =)

Sunday afternoon we had a nice visit with cousin Michelle and Landon. Luke and Landon hadn’t seen each other all summer, so they were really excited to play together. Here they are doing back somersaults off the couch!

Hugs all around!

I love it when Luke and Will hold hands! It’s just so sweet!

Clean-up = Clean-out

2009-09-03T00:08:00.002-04:00

We've had a bit of a clean-up problem brewing for awhile. Luke can do an exceptional job cleaning up his room...when he wants to. I've noticed however, that lately he has been doing less, and I have been doing more. He's learned that the slower he goes, the less he has to do. It's been a subtle thing that has just recently made itself evident. He's a sneaky little fellow! =) So, upon learning his little trick, I began to push him a bit harder to do more of the cleaning...he wasn't a fan of mommy's new plan.

The whole issue has now escalated to a whole new playing field. Ugh! I have finally had to lay down the law...and lay it down hard. I give him an allotted time to clean his room, set the timer, help him get started by picking up some things - then giving him the responsibility of cleaning up the rest. After the timer goes off, anything left on the floor or that hasn't been put away goes into a box and into my room where he is not allowed to play with it anymore.

The "lost" toys don't have to stay in my room forever though. If he cleans his room before the timer dings, I bring in a box of the "lost" toys and allow him to put away whatever he can before the timer goes off.

It seemed like a really good plan in my head.

I thought this would really put the fire under his feet...especially when he lost toys he really enjoys playing with. I thought it might take a few days, but once he saw his toys dwindling, he'd get the idea.

It's been 5 days now.

He has lost 75% of his toys.

My room is now overcrowded with boxes of "lost" toys.

He drags his feet more and more each day it seems! He'll cry when he sees one of his favorite toys go in the box, but by the time the next night rolls around, even the thought of earning it back doesn't seem to motivate him to clean his room.

I guess the thing that frustrates me the most (and I know this will be an ongoing battle because this is a part of his personality) is that he knows exactly what he needs to do. But knowing and doing are two different things. He's smart. He is really really smart. He knows exactly what I'm asking of him and what I expect of him. He knows what the rules are. He knows what he's supposed to do. He just doesn't want to do it. Ugh.

I plan to follow through with my plan even if it means taking every single toy in the end. I feel like he's old enough to clean up his toys. And it's by no means a new concept for him either -he's been picking up his toys since he was a wee little one! I don't know why he's chosen now to resist it so much. But I've told him that if he wants toys to play with, he is old enough to show some responsibility for them. Part of that responsibility is putting them away when he gets them out.

So, welcome to the world of a 3 year old I guess! Oh the joys of the battles!=)

Evening Refreshment

2009-09-01T10:13:00.008-04:00

The weather was beautiful last night! The boys' moods were not. Just getting through supper was a HUGE ordeal. So, even though it was bath time, cleanup time and bedtime, I opted for some evening playtime outside instead. This was not only for the kids to run off some energy and have fun, but I also knew some fresh air would do my nerves good...since I was just about on my last one with the boys last night.

The weather was perfect. I let the boys take their footballs out to the field next to our house and I sat down to do something that always calms my nerves and took pictures. Then we played a game of tag that ran off a ton of energy for the boys and myself included! =)

After we were worn out from running around the yard, we headed down to the river to throw some rocks in and play in the sand. They were filthy, but happy! I snapped a few more shots and as the sun set, we headed in for quick baths, cleanup and bedtime for the boys. Their moods (as well as mine) were much improved by the end of the night.

Times like this always make me realize that I don't get out and play with my kids enough. I always intend to, but busyness seems to take over even when I am consciously trying to not let it...if that makes any sense at all.

Anyway, it ended up being a refreshing evening despite the rocky start! =)

Learning Links

2009-08-31T13:37:00.006-04:00

I've been working on this post for awhile now, but just haven't had time to finish it. But as the boys were playing the "letter game" (link below) on the computer today, I got the motivation I needed to finish this post (not that it's that long! haha). Especially as I watched how much they enjoyed playing the game...and that just so happened to be what this post is about!

The boys really enjoy playing on the computer (with proper time restrictions and monitoring of course.) =) It is absolutely amazing what’s out there! Luke really enjoys the Leapfrog software, but we’ve also found some really great things online…free! I thought I would share a few of our favorite links:

Starfall is an EXCELLENT resource. It offers a lot for a wide range of ages. The boys LOVE the ABC’s link . Luke can pretty much maneuver his way around it on his own. He picks a letter and just follows the "sparkles" to the end. Will pronounces the letter sounds and tries out the words – it’s a really great teaching tool! You’ll also find under the ABC’s link another link for ABC Printouts , this is also a phenomenal resources for teaching letters and writing them. I haven’t been able to explore this entire site, but have been impressed with everything I’ve seen in it so far.

Mooneleaf Flashcards - Luke loves flashcards, and this site has a variety of flashcards…including different languages!

Fisher-Price – of course Fisher-Price always has a great variety of good little games and tools!

We also really like Zoo webcams. I’ll have to post the different webcams we visit in another post as all those links are on my desktop. =)

Well there's a lot more to blog about in the near future! More to come! =)

A twist to football...

2009-08-28T21:43:00.004-04:00

Tonight the boys were playing with their footballs in the living room. They would run, laugh and put the ball down on the floor and we'd all yell, "Touchdown!"

After doing this for awhile, Luke, the logical child he is, lifted his football high in the air and confidently proclaimed, "Touch-up!"

I love my funny boy!

Monitoring...

2009-08-21T23:25:00.000-04:00

As some of you may know, I had to wear a Cardiac Heart Monitor for a 30 day period. It wasn't so bad really. Only 2 wires on my chest and the monitoring devise fit right on my waistband. If I felt a symptom, I would press the huge red button and the monitor would record 30 seconds before the symptom and 30 seconds after. It made a very high pitched noise when it recorded, so recording in a public place was quite a challenge. After I had 3 recordings, I would call in to the monitoring center, press the huge red button again and put the devise up to the phone so that my readings could be transmitted to the center. After they received the readings, I'd press the huge red button again to erase them, clip the thing back on my waistband and start over. I probably sent in about 30 recordings.

So why did I have to wear this thing for 30 days? Well, the symptoms I have been experiencing for quite some time are heart palpitations (mild to take-your-breath-away-super-uncomfortable), chest pain, and a racing heartbeat...and they all came at completely random times. Though the symptoms never seemed to lead to anything serious, I thought it would be wise to at least get it checked out...just to be on the safe side. So my doctor ordered a complete echocardiogram and was given this monitor to wear for a month.

Earlier this week I went in for my results. Much to my immense relief, my condition is neither life OR health threatening. Though the symptoms can be scary, painful and very uncomfortable it seems that I'm only experiencing Premature Ventricular Contractions, in short, PVCs. It's basically an early heartbeat. Of course then your heart has to "right" itself again, so that's where the palpitation comes into play....or something like that. =) There are triggers that can set it off - certain cold medicines, stress, caffeine, and a HUGE possibility is my enlarged thyroid.

My doctor said I could treat it medicinally if I wanted to - go on a low dose of blood pressure medicine - but I ultimately decided not to. I'd rather not be on medication if I don't have to be - not to mention my blood pressure is on the low side anyway and I'd rather not do anything to mess it up. I'll endure the symptoms as long as I know they aren't health threatening.

So, I am praising God for such a good follow-up! Now I know what's going on in my heart, and knowing brings so much peace!

Farm and Home Show

2009-08-14T22:07:00.006-04:00

Tonight we went to the Farm and Home Show. The boys LOVED it! It was so relaxing - fresh air, farm animals, tractors, GREAT BBQ, music and 4-H projects. The weather was perfect and since tomorrow is usually the big day for this event, the crowds were minimal tonight. It was such an enjoyable event to attend!

Tractor Fun!

The boys enjoyed looking at all the farm animals!

Carriage Ride- the boys had such a good time riding in the carriage!

Fun with Guka!

Happy Boys!

Uphill Battle

2009-08-12T12:00:00.002-04:00

Potty Training. Ugh. Right now I feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle. I’m going to try to push through the rest of this week and see where we’re at – but a break may be necessary next week. We are having about a 50% success rate right now – but to get that is like pulling teeth. Having read some on potty training and taking many people’s wonderful advice to heart – I am trying (not always succeeding, but trying very very hard) to remain calm, cool and collected with him – even though I feel like I’m losing my mind on the inside. =) I really believe once he gets it, he’ll have it down – it’s just getting past his resistance to doing something new (which I knew we’d have to work through even before starting this.)

I’m trying to figure out which technique works best for Luke. Yesterday I tried the “sit on the potty until you go” technique. That resulted in him sitting on the potty all morning…over 2 ½ hours before he finally went…and I knew he had to go when I asked him to sit on the potty…so he held it for 2 ½ hours before he grew weary of resisting. Hmmmm…not sure this is the technique for Luke.

So, now I’m trying to have him sit on the potty for 5-10 minutes every hour or so throughout the day. We’ll see how he does with this technique today. I’m also treating him to a few M&M’s every time he goes on the potty.

Any specific techniques that worked for you? Tips or advice? I’m all ears! =)

Potty Training and Big Boy Beds!

2009-08-10T20:34:00.008-04:00

Phew! What a day! Today was a day of a few first's for the kids.

Luke started potty training in earnest today. I've tried here and there to see if he was interested. He has shown faint sparks of interest here and there that fade quicker then they start. But I thought we'd give it a go this week.

Luke is the type of person that is leery of new things - until he tries it and sees that it's really not that bad. That was my hope with potty training. He was leery of using the potty - so maybe if he would try it and realize it's not so bad - he'd be ok with it.

Big boy underwear!

It was a day mixed with struggle and excitement. There were moments where I wondered if we would ever get anywhere - and moments of pure relief that we were indeed getting somewhere!

There was screaming, "I WANT MY DIAPER!!! I don't want to go on the potty!!" and there was squeals of joy and happiness when "going" on the potty was successful.

It was exhausting, but I think that it was a pretty good day all in all. We had three successes (one was a poopy!! Sorry if that's TMI!) and two accidents. I put him in a Pull Up for his nap (which was dry when he woke up) - and a diaper for bed time. Tomorrow we keep at it! I am so proud of Luke's accomplishments today!!

checking out the potty this morning

I had bought a toy "Sarge" from Wal-Mart awhile back and promised Luke that the first time he went potty on the potty, he could have Sarge. He knew that he had to earn him though, so that helped motivate him.

I knew he had to go potty pretty early on in the morning, but he held it even though I encouraged him to sit on the potty. (Though I do have to say, I kept feeling these very very tiny tiny little wet spots on the carpet that I couldn't figure out if it was him or a leaky sippy?) But finally at about 11:30am, he went a tiny bit in the potty. We had a huge celebration! Lots of hugs, lots of praise and then he got Sarge and immediately took off to find Filmore (in the movie CARS Sarge and Filmore are buds.) That's when he had his first accident (I guess he didn't completely empty his bladder in the potty.) It was all good though, because the most important thing is that he went on his potty! Accidents are inevitable.

Before his nap, he had a HUGE fit about wanting his diaper, but finally calmed down and was willing to give the potty a chance. This lead to great success! I realized this time that he really likes his privacy (which he mispronounced a few times today...hilarious! "I want my proybacy.")

Anyway, I promise I won't go into detail about my child's potty habits as a norm, but I just had to share a little about today - at least for memory's sake!

Froggy Potty!

I was very very proud of how great Luke did today! I know this is a process, but it's a relief to have started it. I've been dreading potty training for quite sometime now. The thought of being down to one in diapers is pretty exciting!

Will checking out Luke's potty

Two other first's happened today. Will is now officially in a big boy bed!!! This picture explains why it was finally absolutely necessary to make the change.

He hasn't climbed out - or fallen out yet - but we were moments away from one of those happening, so the change was made today.

bu-bye crib!

Luke moved up to a twin size bed (another first for him) and Will got Luke's toddler bed. Since Will's new bed was Luke's old bed, he was very familiar with it. In fact, he had even napped on it once awhile back when there was some work being done in my/his room. So I was hopeful that the transition would go smoothly.

Nap time was his first experience sleeping in it as his own bed. It took him a lot longer to fall asleep but he only got up a few times and had a few crying spells. Then he read his books (something he did in his crib too) for awhile and eventually fell asleep.

He did fantastic tonight - I'm sure he got up a few times because I found a few extra books in his bed when I went to check on him after he had fallen asleep, but for the most part, he stayed in bed reading his books before he finally drifted off to sleep. Once again it took him longer than usual, but I think he's just trying to get used to a new bed - and a new location for his bed.

I am so proud of my little boy! I can't believe he's old enough to be in a toddler bed! Unbelievable! He's growing up so fast!

Luke and Will would kiss goodnight through the crib - it was so cute!

Will sleeping in his big boy bed!

Luke is in a temporary twin bed right now - we're looking to get him a car bed, but finding one is a challenge. The cool thing about his bed right now is it used to be his daddy and Uncle Randy's bed! He loves being in a bigger bed and feels like such a big boy in it. Once again, I can't believe my children are growing up SO fast!

My Learning Experience of the Day

2009-08-07T23:34:00.002-04:00

This week I caught some sort of flu bug that left me with a porcupine sore throat, earache, sore crampy muscles and a fever. Never a good thing when you have two little guys to keep up with! Thankfully my in-laws were a huge help and I was able to recovery relatively quickly...except for my ear. I have always been prone to ear infections and generally lose hearing for about a month in the infected ear - no joke. So when I woke up this morning, I knew I had to get to the doctor as soon as possible to hopefully nip this ear infection in the bud before I lost my hearing. Thankfully my doctor was able to get me in this morning and prescribed some strong ear drops to get the infection under control. Phew! He even prescribed me some pain meds - earaches hurt!

Hang with me here, I promise I'm going somewhere with this. =)

I was able to go pick up my prescription this afternoon. The bag had my name on it -as to be expected - and I paid my co-pay then picked up a few other items at the store. As I was paying for those items, I decided to check my prescription bag because I could only feel one bottle of meds - and I knew the doctor had prescribed me ear drops AND pain meds. So, I open the bag and see only a bottle of pills. Assuming they just gave me the pain meds and forgot the drops, I head back to the pharmacy.

I asked them to check and see if there was another bag for me as I didn't receive the ear drops I needed. The girl checked the computer, asked to see the bag I had, pulled another bag from the shelf and took off to the back of the pharmacy. Turns out they had given me someone else's prescription! The bag had my name on it - but the bottle belonged to someone else. Gulp! I doubt I would have even checked for my name on the label as I just assumed the pills were the pain meds the doctor had prescribed.

We got it all straightened out, but here is what I learned: ALWAYS check the label of your prescriptions! Even if the bag and receipt are labeled correctly, check the label too! Maybe I'm the only person who hasn't always been careful about checking the label for my name (though I check it for dosage and directions of course,) but I will always check from this day forward. I know that however this mishap happened, it wasn't intentional - it was just a mistake. We all make mistakes. But I guess that's why it's important that we are our own line of defense - just in case! I'm just so relieved it all worked out before I took pills not meant for me!

So, just thought I'd share my learning experience of the day. =) I have much more to blog about in the near future! And pictures too!

Will's First Haircut

2009-07-30T20:35:00.008-04:00

Will got his first haircut this evening! Though his hair is still...uh...limited - it was at the same time long and wispy. So it had to go. =) I saved his baby curl, but the rest was buzzed off. Maybe this will jumpstart some sort of hair growth?

Will was FANTASTIC during the whole process! I was very proud of my little boy! I didn't think to get a "before" picture, so I found this one that kinda gives you an idea of his hair before. He had random wisps and curls here and there.

Cutting the baby curls!

Time for the clippers...

The finished product...short and sweet!

"Look mom, I'm still bald!!"

It was time for Luke to get his cut again - so of course I had to take a few pictures of him too!

Itchy back!!

Luke loves getting his hair cut this short - he thinks it looks just like daddy's haircut!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-07-20T00:00:00.002-04:00

Today is our 7th Wedding Anniversary. Seven years ago, we were standing in the presence of God, family and friends vowing our love and devotion to one another. It was one of the happiest days of my life! I was just so elated to marry the love of my life! Seven years later I can tell you that my love has only grown stronger and deeper for my wonderful husband!

I decided to make a short video slideshow for Chris (as we are geographically separated once again on our anniversary) so that we could in some way relive this joyful day in our hearts. As I was making the video, I thought of the personal vows we shared with one another (we shared traditional vows as well, but decided we wanted to write something to each other as well.)

As we stand here today on our wedding day,
I vow to love you with my whole heart;
To stand beside you in good times and bad,
To cherish you even in times apart.
Our love for each other will only grow stronger from this day forward.
I thank God for bringing us together
and know He will bless our marriage as we are faithful to Him.

After seven years of marriage, we now look at these vows through the eyes of experience. I am amazed at how much more meaningful they are to me today (though don't get me wrong, they were extremely meaningful to me on our wedding day as well.)

So, I thought I would post the video (which includes the personal vows) since I'm feeling a bit sentimental this anniversary!

(the video may need a few minutes to buffer)

Happy Anniversary Chris! I love you more than words can express. You are a truly amazing man, husband and father. I feel incredibly blessed to be your wife!

Cuteness!

2009-07-17T22:34:00.004-04:00

The boys think it's so fun to get in the same bed. I could never let them sleep together though - they would never fall asleep! Not to mention they would probably end up bickering and beating each other up. =) But they still like trying to convince me otherwise!

Food time fun!

Luke and Will enjoy playing kid friendly games on the computer. I'm amazed at how easily Luke can maneuver his way around the computer! Will is right behind him too. I'm not sure I had even seen a computer until I was like 6!

Luke the Photographer

2009-07-17T22:03:00.003-04:00

Luke wanted to take pictures a few days ago. He has a play camera that he was playing with, but he really wanted to try out Mommy's camera. I decided to let him try it out. He was taking pictures of everything! He was so excited to see the pictures he was taking, that he often times brought the camera down before it flashed. Thus...a lot of floor or low pictures. It was fun to watch him! The really funny thing about how he was taking pictures, was that he was putting the camera right up to his eyes - so he could look through the viewfinder. Though this doesn't sound unusual, I had to wonder how he knew how to do that...because in this age of digital cameras, he generally sees us taking pictures by just looking at the screen. I wonder how he learned to look through the viewfinder? Anyway it was very cute...and I wish I could have got a picture of him taking pictures! Maybe next time. =)

In the mean time, here are some of Luke's photos!

Vacation Chronicles: Animal Kingdom

2009-07-17T20:14:00.010-04:00

On our third day of travel, we finally made it to Disney World! We thought we'd stop at Animal Kingdom for the afternoon. The day was sweltering. The boys were exhausted. There were definitely perks to the day, but I think it was hard for any of us to enjoy it to its fullest. Chris and I were dealing with constant fits and bickering from the boys - and we were pretty tired ourselves. We enjoyed what we could, but decided to head to the condo after a few hours. We got the boys in the bath, let them run around the cool condo for awhile and then met up with Merritt and Joey for a very enjoyable dinner. Later that evening Steve, Judy and Randy, Jamie and Julianne got to the condo. By the end of the night, we all fell into bed. I think we may have even been asleep before our heads hit the pillow!

Disney World!!! I excitedly turned to tell Luke we were finally at Disney World...

and this is what I saw! I tried and tried to wake him up, but he was out!

Will was excited though!

Animal Kingdom!

Luke thought the Tram-Trolley things were lots of fun!

Will must have been having a "stomach ache" here...after we got through the gates of the park, we realized he "stomach ached" through his shorts. I, of course, hadn't thought to bring an extra outfit for him, so we had to feverishly clean his clothes so we could proceed (thankfully, it wasn't to terrible.)

Finally here!

The Tree of Life...

Will checking out a dinosaur...

This pretty much sums up how our time at the park went...=) Here the boys are waiting for lunch. Luke is crying and whining because his eyes hurt - Will is hot and hungry - and they were not happy. After lunch, they perked up a bit - but this was generally their mood.

The Lion King Show! This was awesome! It was inside, cool and very entertaining! The boys enjoyed it - as did Chris and I. They offered to take Luke up to dance at the end, but he refused. Oh well, it was still a very fun part of the day!

It was SO hot! The boys chugged water all day long.

Another high point was the Mickey Jungle Parade. Luke was finally able to see some of the characters, so that was very satisfying to him. He sat on my shoulders and Will sat on Chris'. I had been working out diligently for weeks, but his 30-40 some pounds on my shoulders for 15 minutes made me realize I need to work out harder! LOL!

Back on the Tram-Trolley thing to head out...

Will was so tired, he could barely hold his eyes open!

Family picture while we ate at Don Pablo's with Merritt and Joey.

Vacation Chronicles: The Drive

2009-07-11T22:13:00.011-04:00

There were many reasons I thought driving to Orlando would be a fun adventure. I thought it would be cheaper than 4 airline tickets, baggage costs then renting a car at the other end. I thought it would give us a chance to catch up and spend time together as a family. I thought it would be fun to take our time and find fun things to do along the way. And while the boys were decently well behaved on the trip (considering their ages)...I'm not sure we'd ever make that drive again when we could fly! =) Long car trips are nothing new to Chris and I - and we made quite a few of them even after Luke was born...but it is definitely a different story traveling with a 3 year old and a 17 month old.

We had the portable DVD player with us - which is really what made the trip bearable. The kids were just enthralled with the ability to watch CARS, Dora, Diego, etc. in the car. I had purchased travel trays that strap over their laps in the car seat, which I thought would really be a big hit...but they ended up being a disaster. So much for coloring and a play surface for the car ride! I don't know what it was about that little soft table over their laps - but it only took 2 minutes for both of them to decide that they didn't want to use it. And within that two minutes they had both scattered crayons all over MeMe's new car (Steve and Judy offered to let us take their car instead of the van...that way we didn't have to worry about it breaking down in the middle of our trip!) It wasn't a big deal until we stopped in the stifling heat and realized that any unfound crayons would melt...NOT GOOD! It shouldn't be hard to find a few crayons right? Well the car was PACKED full to the brim...so yes, it was hard to find a few scattered crayons. During one of our stops, I was able to locate all the crayons but one. Needless to say I was a bit stressed about that one crayon forming a huge blob of wax in some hidden corner of the new car. Thankfully the next day I found the crayon still intact with no leftover stains or wax blobs. Phew! =)

Our first evening of travel we only got 4 hours under our belt. We traveled the entire next day and managed to get within 2 hours of Disney World. Our third day of travels brought us right to the gates of Animal Kingdom. Whew! We thought we'd never get there! Here are a few pictures from our road trip!

Will is ready to get on the road!

The start of our trip at 8pm on Father's Day. Calm-happy-and excited to be watching CARS in the car!

Chris had 14 months of driving to make up for...but I'm not sure he wanted to do it all in a few days! =) Don't worry, I helped drive.

Luke and Will captivated by their DVD player...

The first night (these pictures were taken the following morning) we stayed at this very nice Hampton Inn. We took the chance that we could afford a room there - and with the military discount, it ended up being very reasonable.

Luke and Will loved the room - and loved being able to stetch their legs when they woke up in the morning. Here Luke is having a pillow fight with Chris.

Will was already tired even before we left that morning!

Luke loved the breakfast there. He was very excited to bring back fruit to enjoy as well. Here he's devouring a whole orange - after eating a full breakfast I might add - before we left.

The elevators had mirrors in the ceilings - which the boys loved looking at. Take a close look at Will in this picture...he's pressing the emergency button while we're snapping the pic!

A stop at Cracker Barrel was a must!

This was far and few between...

This was more frequent!!

We finally made it to Flordia!

Luke was SO excited! It's a good thing he didn't know we still had a looong way yet to go!

Orlando!!

Our first stop (Animal Kingdom.) More to come in the next blog!