Merry Christmas!

Every year, when December 1st rolls around, I have one mission in mind...complete everything by the 10th. Why? I have no idea. It's just this magical number that I shoot for. As insanely ambitious as it may be, it's always my goal. Well, if you'd asked me earlier this week, not a single item was checked off the list and I would have been irritated. But Brian went out of town for a few days and I stayed up late. Did I hit my mark?! Eh, we'll say yes, give or take a day or two. So, WOO HOO. Mission almost complete.

Decorating was the first item on my list


Aunt Cindy, do you spot Elf on a Shelf?! (Notice Cole's stocking is absent. Sigh. Still working on it...)


The nativity was my favorite...what a perfect spot.


I waited until Thanksgiving weekend to take the famed Christmas card photo so you could see a recent update on how big the boys are. We spent a grand total of 10 minutes shooting photos, and both boys cooperated simultaneously for about 15 seconds. Two smiles though, so we'll take it!



Cole had his 4-month appointment yesterday and he's still in the 90th percentile for height and weight. That explains why he is wearing 12-month clothing fairly comfortably. I witnessed him rolling over 2 days ago and was totally pumped. Now I BELIEVE Brian is telling the truth, and not just torturing me. He even tried to roll from back to front last night while I was giving Cade a bath. Given his athleticism, he's obviously going to be running marathons by age 5.

Look at him hold that head high


And over he goes


He could be an Old Navy commercial


Mini Brian, right?! (Well, minus the double chin...)


Caden will turn 3 in January and it's hard for me to believe. He speaks in full, fairly articulate sentences and comes up with some pretty interesting ideas. The other day, he disappeared upstairs and brought his construction outfit to me. He said, "Mommy, I'm a 'struction worker. Put on my vest." So I helped him into his outfit and then he said with a big smile, "Let's take a picture." Um, okay?! So I went and got the camera and I said, "Say cheese!" And he said, "No, by the tree." So he backed himself up by the tree and then took a hold of his hat and smiled. I was completely cracking up at this point.

The Halloween costume he REFUSED to wear


2 Fast 4 U (but not really, because he doesn't even pedal yet)


Like father, like son


This is Caden's favorite book, and he decided to share with Cole


Caden, don't even think about knocking that over until we move your brother


Our first North Carolina visitor, Nathan


Caden is pumped about Christmas. Well, presents, that is. Since I accomplished my Christmas duties, that means there's some presents under the tree. Our Quantico friends the Rakov's sent the boys a couple gifts in the mail and I made the mistake of letting him open them. Now he thinks the gifts under the tree are fair game. Every 15 minutes, I can count on him saying, "Mommy, can I open a present?" Oh geez. So if my calculations are correct, that's about another 624 requests to open presents prior to the 25th. Good job me. This is really no different than the Advent chocolate calendar countdown. He asks for a chocolate, oh, about every 10 minutes.

Caden was thrilled and even Cole seemed to enjoy it


I called my Mom the other day and informed her she has an illness...a Grandma Christmas spoiling illness. I've decided next year maybe we'll cancel Santa...she's got it covered! She has so much fun picking things out for them, and I know it will be a lot of fun to see Caden open the gifts. He's so appreciative of gifts and it's really sweet. We plan to rig up the Webcam so they can watch.

Wishing Grandma Bernitta a happy birthday via Webcam


On that note, no, we won't be in Iowa for Christmas. Sigh...it's a mixed bag. I feel guilty that the kids don't get to be with their extended family and vice versa. BUT, we do have our own little family now and it will be fun to start some traditions. And I will NOT miss the crazy holiday travel, or the airlines losing our bags for a week. I still shudder when I think about last year's fiasco.

However, I'm discovering that doing Christmas solo takes some work. For example, Brian has been talking about the Christmas Eve cookie selection my Mom assembles, and has been hounding me since Thanksgiving to get baking. "Make those cream cheese cookies, and what about the chocolate ones..."and on and on. Luckily, I participated in a cookie exchange this past week and there WILL be a variety of cookies Christmas Eve....but not necessarily cookies that I baked myself.

I've got to cut some corners though, with the little ones underfoot and another upcoming trip. Yep, you guessed it...we're not going to Iowa because we're going to Ohio for a WEDDING. That's what I do, really, is go to weddings. If it was a job, I'd be rich by now. Our dear friend Daryl (and Caden's godfather) is getting married December 20th in Cleveland. So remember my last posting when I talked about writing a book about flying with kids...well I'm going to add a new section about driving 12 hours across 4 states in December in under 4 days. It's going to be epic. Wish us luck. Caden is the ring bearer again...3rd time in 14 months. Maybe he'll actually be in photos this wedding (sorry Brenda!).

At least he likes TAKING photos


Too sweet


The Jacksonville Holiday Parade


That's something you don't see in every parade

Having a blast


I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. We had the pleasure of Doug, Brandee, and Landen Null joining us from Virginia. They were the easiest, most relaxed, fun guests, and Caden played so hard with Landen that his legs were sore and he lots his voice. The food turned out pretty good if I say so myself, and I put forth considerable effort decorating the table. As many of you know, I occasionally attempt to mimic Martha Stewart and I think she might have been proud with my table setting. I even made tiny name cards with Thanksgiving stickers attached (and I love me some good stickers). The day after, Brandee and I hit Black Friday shopping with a vengeance. I was up at 5 am, shopping online, and we were at the Marine Corps Exchange by 6:30. (This was part of why I hit my December 10th mark.) I seriously get a high off Black Friday.

It was so nice, we ate out on the porch

Garage races with Landen

Quantico reunion with Brandee and Maria

The kids were so excited to see each other

With it being the holiday season, it's always good to work out and counteract the extra calorie intake. Well, I WAS doing a good job, but as of late, my running and biking regime has dropped off considerably. Why? Well, A.) Brian has been working some crazy hours, B.) apparently North Carolina gets a lot of rain and an occasional cold snap, and last but not least C.) I seem to have consumed too much holiday food and cookies to fit my butt on the bike seat anymore. Hopefully I'll get back to it soon (and find a bigger seat). I was really enjoying exploring some good bike paths here in Jacksonville and did my first 2-hour ride a couple weeks ago. I also did a ride in pouring rain and Brian told me I could call myself a real biker now.

I've finally broken into some form of a social circle here in Jacksonville...so I'm officially unhermitizing myself. I met a woman named Molly through the Mommy and Me class and she was a treasure of a find. Not only do we have a lot in common, she also manages an area group for Mom's with young kids. The first event I participated in was the cookie exchange I mentioned above. And any group that focuses entire gatherings on sweets is A+ in my book. Every single woman I met that day was extremely nice and cool. Plus, they post a lot of area events to their calendar that I would not have known about otherwise. So things are looking up...maybe I'll actually have someone to chat with older than age 3. I'm also going to a girl's night out with some spouses in Brian's unit this evening. I'm not sure Andy's Burgers would have been my first choice of location for a fancy girls night out, but I'll take whatever social interaction I can get. On the upside, Andy's serves some mean ice cream dishes. That will not help my bike seat situation though.

Brian wants me to keep his job and such low-key on here, but he is loving it and is so much happier. He's in charge of a team and is already making a difference and molding his little Marines. He's finally going to be promoted officially to Gunny in February so we look forward to that.

So now I'll close with an early MERRY CHRISTMAS! My advice...don't let the holiday hustle and bustle get in the way of the really important stuff. I'm already receiving Christmas cards and the photos are all over our kitchen wall, and it makes me smile. We miss you all. Have a blessed holiday season.

A busy fall

It seems like we just moved yesterday, but we've lived in Jacksonville for 6 weeks now. The house is looking like HOME...everything is put away and has a home of some sort. Brian and I launched into projects to make the garage his "man cave." We finished organizing it and did some painting. More work to be done but it looks MUCH better and I'm not ashamed to open our garage door anymore. I was excited to park my car in there and then realized it doesn't fit. There is literally inches to spare on either side. So I guess it really will just be a man cave, and storage too.

Now we've been on a lazy hiatus from projects after all the initial hard work. But I did purchase some wallpaper removal supplies. Those fluorescent fish in the upstairs bathroom will soon meet their doom. Muhahahahaha.

Brian started work 2 weeks ago. He has already instated morning PT for his fellow SigInt Marines, and there's NOTHING Brian loves more than thrashing young Marines. He met the guys that will be on a team with him when he deploys and he is looking forward to the challenge.

Caden undoubtedly enjoys living here. He plays with his friend Connor down the street quite often. Connor is one year older than Caden and I would consider him his "Landen replacement." He asks to play with him constantly. Caden still prefers playing in the front yard but has recently showed more interest in the backyard now that he's learned how to catch the sneaky lizards that run around. I cringe when I hear him say, "Hey Mommy....look!" This generally results in him showing me his prize. Thanks, Cade. Bugs, spiders, lizards...why is everything bigger here? And why does Brian insist on showing me every National Geographic specimen he finds?!

His first catch


His favorite question..."Can I have a popsicle?"


Our trees drop A LOT of leaves


Caden didn't think Dad was doing a sufficient job


He likes to paint...that makes his Mom VERY happy


Caden and I attend an hour-long "Mommy and Me" class once a week on base. It's interactive and he enjoys it. I was hoping to meet some other Moms but we're so busy playing with our kids that I haven't been able to mingle with them. I do enjoy hanging out with Connor's Mom, Tamera, so that's the extent of my adult interaction thus far. Unless you count Brian.

Cole is a big boy now. At 16 weeks, he fits 6-9-month clothes perfectly, wears size 3 diapers, and looks HUGE. I checked Cade's calendar recently and he didn't wear size 3 diapers until he was 22 weeks old! Cole might be the smiliest baby I've ever met. He eats up attention and would prefer to be held 24 hours a day. He is sleeping through the night again, much to our relief. He started sleeping through the night in early October so we moved him to his crib. Then he decided he preferred his nightly bottle after all, much to our dismay. That lasted a couple weeks and now he's sleeping again...YAY! Unfortunately, he's also fussy off and on because he's teething. He has rolled over a couple times but I've never witnessed it, so let's pretend it hasn't happened yet.

He never rolls when I am watching


Digging the crib


Just got back from a run with Mom...those are some blue eyes


3-month photo


3-month photo...how can you not just love that face?!


Bed time


Halloween was chill this year. My little Van Gogh painted a wooden pumpkin and dug out pumpkins to carve jack-o-lanterns. However, he was anti Halloween otherwise. It didn't matter how much bribing we tried, he refused to touch his costume. After about 45 minutes of handing out candy to other kids, all of the sudden he decided he would go. Talk about a 360. This kid is all or nothing. He still refused his real costume so we quickly threw on his replacement costume: a John Deere hat and sweatshirt. This was my original costume idea, mostly because it was free and it matched my idea for Cole, an ear of corn. Yep...I dressed my infant as an Iowa vegetable. He makes cute produce.

The pumpkin patch at Mike's Farm


Feeding the goats his beloved Goldfish crackers


Hay ride to the pumpkins (and Brian couldn't believe I dressed them in matching shirts)


He's not very scary, but he is chubby


My attempt at holiday decorating


Open up, Dad


I love my Caden


Hello corn baby


Farm boys


The costume Cade was SUPPOSED to wear


You can see the sugar rush in his eyes


My mummy loves me


Two days after Halloween, I flew to Iowa with the boys to attend my college room mate's wedding. I have decided I will write a book entitled "What NOT To Do When Flying Across the Country With Two Little Kids." First on the list, don't take a 5:30 a.m. flight. With an hour drive to the airport, we were on the road by 3:40 a.m., kids in pajamas. We made our flight with minutes to spare and I have never felt so sheepish boarding a full plane. All eyes followed us as I dragged my numerous bags and 2 kids to the very last row. At that point, I was wondering how in the world I ever thought this was a good idea.

After a 3-hour layover and TWO more flights, I was spent. Luckily, the kids were fantastic, but none-the-less, it's still stressful and I had one massive headache. From our doorstep to my parents, it was about 12 hours of travel time. Other favorite chapter topics in the book will be "Don't Do It Solo" and "Pack Drugs." Thank goodness I had the sense to take the double stroller. Yes, it has it's own zip code, but I'm fairly positive I would not have survived Chicago O'Hare without it.

The trip was worth it though to see the look on Cade's face when he arrived at the farm and saw the tractors and combine outside waiting. He spent the next couple days living out his farm boy dreams, riding for hours with my Dad, my Mom, and Uncle Jeff. He never complained and never wanted to come into the house either.

Papa, can I drive


On top of the world


Or a hay bale


A little relaxation time with Grandma


I'm glad Caden got his fill of fun on the farm because I knew the wedding weekend would not be his cup of tea. My amazing Mom agreed to be my date and I am beyond thankful. Because she saved the day and kept the boys happy (especially Cade), I managed to relax and have a great time. I haven't road tripped with my Mom in years and we had a blast. The hotel was of questionable quality (the Quality Inn was not so quality) but we didn't care...we laughed so much throughout the weekend. Brenda was one of the most fun and entertaining brides ever. Caden did agree to walk down the aisle and dragged the poor flower girl around like a puppy all weekend. He was not quite so agreeable with photos though.

Caden threw a HUGE tantrum when we put his wedding apparel on, but SpongeBob did the trick


His date Kendra (Brenda's sister's daughter)


He dragged her everywhere


My KU room mates were Erin (2nd from left) and the bride Brenda


Mr. & Mrs. Pozek


Caden would not take a photo with me...this is the best we got


I love my B-ski


One of our favorite poses, deer in the headlights


We ended the weekend with a quick trip to Lawrence to see my KU family, the Belcher's. Collin towers over me and Hailey is a young woman. How did this happen?! I started babysitting those kids when Hailey was Caden's age.

Lorrie wanted told hold Cole all night


Hailey could babysit my kids now!


Pretending to be a dog


Last but not least, I got some more use out of the bridesmaid dress at the Marine Corps Ball this past week. We felt very privileged to have the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Conway, as the guest of honor. He was a dynamic speaker and we got to take a photo with him. It was a plated meal and quite delicious, but we wanted seconds (I had the nerve to ask but was shot down). We didn't stick around for the dance because we had to get home to pick up the boys from our friends. The Schertz's are trusted friends that we met in Quantico. We couldn't have went to the ball without their help (THANKS JESSE AND MARIA!).

Posing with the USMC Commandant


I melted a hole in this dress hours before the ball...true story. I was trying to get rid of the little hanging strings. Pretty much the worst idea ever.


We're staying in North Carolina for the holidays (as long as we don't get flooded out!), so have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving! Looks like I'll have to buy a turkey this year because Brian hasn't signed up for a Turkey Trot. Aren't they expensive? I'd better sign him up for a race...