The countdown is on

12 days down...2 million to go. Okay, 2 million is an exaggeration. But, pretty close.

Brian departed on his deployment this past month. I find that denial can be bliss, because it wasn't until very recently that the reality hit me.

Our biggest concern is the impact on the boys. Cole obviously does not understand, but we knew this would be very difficult for Caden. The night Brian left, we both layed with him and read him a book about Daddy going on deployment. He balked when we showed him the book (I mean, there's no trucks or helicopters so what is the point) but once we started reading it, he listened intently. When we got to the end, he climbed into my lap and said, "I love you Mommy." He had accepted it, and much like how I deal with these departure's, he pulled away from Brian. It was sad but at the same time, very empowering. It's amazing what a 3-year-old grasps, and how understanding and accepting he was.

Special play time with Daddy before he left


Get him, Luke!


Snuggle bug


Crashing the Mommy and Me party


On your marks...get set...


...GO! That's probably the first time I ever made it out of the blocks first.


However, appearances can be decieving and he has unconsciously internalized it. Ever since we first told him Brian was leaving, he has been waking up at night, having uncharacteristic potty accidents, and does not like it when I leave his sight. He actually had a meltdown when I left him with his best friend Connor last week, and he's NEVER done that.

Other than these small issues, he's happy-go-lucky Caden. He loves the countdown I made him. Every morning,he excitedly picks out a new sticker and count down 1 more day. (This also gave me an ideal excuse to buy a ton of awesome new stickers, and I love me some stickers. ;) He knows exactly where we live in relation to Daddy's location and likes to talk about how Daddy is flying on helicopters and "getting bad guys." Brian also helped by recording some songs and 6 of his favorites books on CD, so Caden can still have Daddy for bed time occasionally. What a fantastic Dad!

Our last couple weeks together got complicated with some illnesses. Caden and Cole caught pink eye, and then Cole followed that up with an ear infection. Now Caden has a runny nose this morning. What has happened to my healthy boys?! So instead of doing fun activities and making neat memories, we stuck around the house. Bummer.

It didn't slow them down too much though. Cole learned how to pull himself up and cruise along furniture while my Mom was here. He even discovered stairs and crawls over door frames. Oh my. I am so busy. He's 10 months old and weighs 23 1/2 pounds. This kid needs to learn how to walk soon because my arms hurt.

A new play toy...stairs.


Mom and I were chatting and then we realized Cole was standing!


Eggs?! Ew.


Nice face, Cade.


Grandma thought Cade could use a pet. Too bad I killed Archie in 6 days. We now have Archie #2.

Brian is doing great. It was a drawn-out process to get there and he had a few (avoidable) obstacles along the way. For example, somehow my genius husband left his laptop on an airplane in Philadelphia. He fell asleep and was disoriented when he woke up upon landing. Apparently he's the luckiest person on the planet though because a flight attendant secured it in lost and found. He had to make a 2-hour drive back to the airport but well worth it to have it back! We were so relieved, but I asked him to reattach his head because he might need it the next few months.

Deployments require them to work long hours, every day. So he's already swamped with work. I cannot divulge specific details, but they have been conducting gear turnover and are en route to their final destination. He's been phenomenal about calling me, and even writes me about once a day too. It makes my days complete.

When people tell Brian they are praying for him, he responds that he wants prayers for his team to do their job well, and that his teammates get home safely. Selfless as always...but if you want to pray for Brian's safety as well, I certainly won't mind!

How am I doing? Well, like I said above, I'm BUSY. As if worrying about Brian isn't enough, being a single parent is tough. We're slowly adjusting, although I have not figured out how to have energy at the end of the night to do "me" stuff. I think I need to take up coffee drinking. I did recently start reading again. That passion went by the wayside when the kids came along, but I'm bringing it back. I'm currently reading Born to Run and it's fantastic.

Let's be honest though...no revived hobby will truly fill the void. I'm miss him dearly, already. I wish I could get the denial stage back.

We made the most of our days before he left. Mom flew in to spend some time with us, but also to give me and Brian some QT to ourselves. We saw Ironman 2 and also went on a kayaking date and had a blast! More than one kind of blast, actually...we managed to use the kayak as a battering ram, right through the back window of the XTerra. Let's pretend that didn't happen though. (I will just note that it was a Stephanie "I told you so" moment. Oh Brian...I still love you.)

Picnic on shore


Our goal was to see alligators...but no luck. Maybe next time.


Date night


And while we're discussing holes, let's talk about the brand new hole I put in the Accord. Have any of you ever hit a parked car? Or better yet, your OWN parked car?!

I recently prepped the car and posted it for sale. I don't need 2 vehicles sitting around for months on end, and I need something bigger anyway. So, I parked it at the end of our driveway with a nifty "For Sale" sign. That's a strange spot to park it, but a pretty good idea in my mind. It's highly visible to the road. Therefore, free advertising!

We had plans to hit the beach and it's always quite an ordeal to get everything packed. Running late as usual, I hastily hopped into the XTerra and backed out...right into my lovely, clean Accord. So my savvy free advertising just cost me a NOT FREE new bumper.

I jumped out in a daze and gazed at the hole for 30 seconds, debating what to do and spouting cuss words under my breath. And then I got back in the XTerra and drove off. Okay, there was some crying and phone calls in there, but really, what can you do? Sh*t happens. We're human and we make mistakes. That was a pretty dumb mistake that will cost me several hundred dollars...but still. As my wise parents advised, it could have been worse. So if any of you have done a bonehead move like this, I'd love to hear it. Partially for the humor of it, but also to make me feel better!

Enough about holes...let's talk about something happier! We celebrated Mother's Day and Father's Day in one month. I received a front yard makeover! Brian and I used some of his block leave to finish this project. We make a good team and it was a vast improvement. No more Mondo Grass! We celebrated Father's Day a couple weeks later and we gave Brian received a silver St. Michael cross to wear around his neck. We blessed it with Holy Water before he left and offered up Brian's deployment to St. Michael's protection. Brian loves it, and so do I. It's a sign of our faith that things will be okay.

The before photo


And after...I feel like I'm on HGTV!


Mother's Day


Early Father's Day


There's no question about it, the last 24 hours is awkward and painful. The day is filled with dread and part of you just wants it over with so you can move on. But another part of you wants to hold on and make the most of every last second, painting images in your mind and trying to make it last forever.

So, here we go. The countdown begins, one sticker at a time!

I wish we had been able to do more with Mom while she was here but a lot of time was spent at the house and hanging with Brian. We did take her to the beach twice and she absolutely loves the water and picking up shells. We also went shopping a lot, which is one of our favorite past times. And she couldn't get enough of the boys and is so efficient with the housework too. Every time I'm with her, I am humbled by how awesome she is. I tell myself, I want to be a Mom like that! She just laughs when I tell her that and says that I am. Thanks for being there for us Mom, and Dad, thanks for letting her. We wish you could have been there too.

Cade ran for her at the airport...what a greeting!


Down at the dock


There's no ice cream truck in Iowa!


Mom almost crashed more than Cade.


Grandma always brings presents!


Beach picnic


He is trying to steal her sunglasses


Cole looks thrilled.


Mom got to see me do my half marathon while she was in town. How did it go? Eh. It went. I totally missed my goal time and didn't feel well. I over-trained and had to take 2 recovery weeks right before the race. I woke up race day with one eye sealed shut...perhaps a lingering case of pink eye from the boys?! Great. The weather was blistering hot and humid. And it's hard to be competitive when there's only 200 of you out there running 13.1.

But excuses and whining aside, my family was there to cheer me on, and so were my Stroller Warriors! Four of them jumped on the track and made me sprint the last 200 to the finish. It warmed my heart, figuratively and literally! Mom drove to 6 locations to cheer me on. I finished in a mediocre 1:57, which just incites me train better and smarter next time. Lesson learned; always follow a training plan. But all in all, I actually still enjoyed the race quite a bit, thanks to my adoring fans!

This is mile 6, before I realized my body wasn't in the mood to run.


No, that's not a fanny pack...it's a water belt.


13 members competed...go Stroller Warriors!


I also ran a 5K this past weekend pushing the double. It was an even smaller race of 60 people. We finished 2nd out of the girls and my friends overheard some guys arguing that I had an unfair advantage. Apparently the 90 pound stroller was pulling me along. WHAT?! I got a good laugh out of that one. I ran 8:11 splits and felt fabulous. Maybe my legs are back!



My mother-in-law Pam celebrated her 60th birthday on May 25th. Shannon coordinated a fun surprise and Pam's sisters visited for the weekend. Can't wait to see some photos of the look on her face!

Speaking of 60, Grandma and Grandpa Goettsch are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary soon. Unfortunately, Grandpa has not been feeling well. He recently had surgery to fix some hernia's and he's fighting off infection right now at the hospital. This is the first major medical problem Grandpa has ever had. Please pray for him.

Happy Memorial Day! We have spent some time at the beach and enjoyed the nice weather.

Sugar cookie with a beard


Flying his first kite


But in between all the holiday weekend festivities, be sure to extend thank yous and prayers for all the brave men and women that gave all for our country. They have more than earned our time and respect. Love you too Brian...you're our hero.

The boys are on the move!

So, I began this blog a month ago, shortly after Easter. I began it with a very nice Easter greeting and an inquiry about how your holiday was.

Now I'm looking at my calendar. Um, it's MAY. Way to be, Steph.



Regardless, Happy (ridiculously belated) Easter! We spent our Easter here in NC. Brian got some time off and decided he couldn't possibly just relax and hang out (God forbid), so he tackled a house project...staining the deck. In his mind, this was a 2-hour project. Ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha HA. I will admit, the cedar stain makes the deck look incredibly fresh and nice. Too bad it took NINE hours and resulted in the worst sunburn I've ever seen.

The boys are fantastic, although Easter ended up being "one of those days." My great idea to beat the crowd and go to early 8:00 mass was really not so great. Early sermon = circus. Apparently 8:00 mass attracts the older crowd and we were getting some rather disapproving stares. I wanted to say, um, have you ever been around kids?! Not to mention, we're in CHURCH...should you really be glaring at me or maybe you should be listening a little more closely to Father Ernie's homily!

And I digress...anyway, when we got home, Cole got in a much needed nap and Caden had a blast hunting eggs in our backyard. The EB brought him a soccer net but he was much more interested in the egg hunt. He actually made Brian re-hide them.

Do not touch me, Cade.


It's a miracle that he didn't break a single one.


That's not food, Cole.


EB brought baskets while they were at church


More interested in the plastic carrot than the gift

Shortly after the holiday weekend, Brian left for a trip to California for some mountain warfare training. He had a very good time (which probably would NOT be a normal person's definition of a good time). He was not thrilled with the cold temps and they ran into some gear problems, but it was really good training for them overall. He met my cousin Rob and his wife Dorota for the first time in Reno. How ironic that we've been married 6 years and still haven't met each other's entire family.

At the summit


"Hey Steph, we don't have to mow the lawn anymore..."

After he returned, we decided to do a last-minute fun family activity...the Cole Bros Circus! I figured Cade was at perfect age for it. I also figured that Cole would be a maniac with all the stimulation. Oh well. We're going!

Well, Caden was far more interested in his disgusting cotton candy than anything else. It wasn't a total loss...he DID watch the tigers. Then he informed me that we were done and it was time to go. Um, that was ONE act...there's like 12 more to go. ?!?!

Cole was indeed a maniac. It surprised...actually, make that "alarmed," Brian. He hasn't went many places with him recently and didn't expect all the flailing and whining. He just doesn't like to be contained.

Regardless, I don't regret going. Brian bought me a ticket to ride the elephant...and Cade one too just so I didn't look stupid.

A real tent and everything...out of a storybook!


Cole enjoyed the trapeze artists


Tickets to the circus: $33
900 grams of sugar in this enormous cotton candy: $5
Years of corrective dentistry work: Priceless

He dug the tigers, kind of.


Look at me!


Caden never fails to amaze us lately. He's a trip. For example, I had some time to myself over Easter weekend and Brian and Caden had a dance party while I was gone. When Brian finally told Caden that the party was over and it was time for bed, "No bed Daddy...I JUST WANT TO DANCE." This did not reassure Brian about Caden's future career choice, but it's still funny.

Every kid needs exposure to water balloons.


Cade, Cole will eat that caterpillar if you are not careful.


Digger man


He does much more analytical thinking and starts up conversations. The other night, we were Webcamming with my parents and all of the sudden he started telling her a story about a brown monkey in a tree. He even demonstrated the sounds it made. We were absolutely cracking up. He says some really sweet things too. I absolutely melt every time he says, "Mommy, I love you. You're my best friend." Of course, his best friend changes to Daddy and his Froggy, depending on the day! His favorite activities lately are swinging and riding his gator until the battery dies.

Free landscaping labor


He recently learned how to pedal his bike, which we were SUPER pumped about! We've been working on playing baseball and he's catching on, although he still runs with the bat. He also recently pointed out the letter D to Brian on the cover of a book. WOW. Smarty pants.

St. Patty's Day cookie dough...and he wanted to EAT IT ALL.


Green donuts with Kathleen on St. Patty's Day

Click below to play a video of our future cyclist


Our little "Coltrain" (as Brian calls him) is 9 months old. He can sit steady by himself and recently started crawling. YAY (I think?!). He has 2 teeth and enjoys feeding himself. I let him have his first real food earlier this month...french fries. (A nice healthy choice, I know.) He still craves attention and boy does he let us know it if we do something he isn't a fan of. He pretty much launches into an instant meltdown when he disagrees. He is not a big fan of his highchair and he acts like he's swatting flies (aka, me) the entire time I try to feed him. So as you can imagine, he gets plenty dirty and receives baths frequently. His current favorite activities include eating puffs, playing with cords (to my disdain), and swinging. Oh, and waking up in the middle of the night to have a bottle and hang out with Mommy. Fun fun.

Puffs are my best friend


He always giggles


What's up Grandma


He slept through his first bike ride yesterday


Crawling practice


And here's the REAL thing! Click the video below to see Cole crawl.


Proud of his crawling achievement


He can push that walker anywhere in the house, which is good and bad. Good because he LOVES the freedom. Bad because he gets into everything. I ran out to the garage to change over laundry and he pulled a plant down on him. I suddenly heard "change" hitting the floor and ran in the house thinking Caden scaled the bookshelf to get the can of change. Instead, I found a very upset Cole with an entire potted plant of soil, leaves, and river rocks spilling all over him. I got Mommy of the Year award that day. (NOT.)

Playing in his beloved fruit drawer

Both boys had their milestone appointments last month and they're both in the 90 percentiles for height and weight. I think they weighed Caden incorrectly, but that would not be hard to do since he was SCREAMING the entire time. Cole just watched him quietly, wondering what the heck the commotion was all about. I thought Cade would outgrow this, but apparently I have a "Jeff" on my hands.

I'm probably soaked at this point


We had some very special visitors recently. Pat and Pam made a VERY long trek all the way across the states in their truck to spend a long weekend with us before Brian deploys. I told them at some point they'll have to take a REAL vacation on their spring break instead of visiting or boring crew! We seem to always make them bring us a large piece of furniture too. This time they brought us a gorgeous granite table top that Matt customized for our damaged table. Oh my gosh...it's amazing. Thank you a million times over, Matt, and thank you Pat and Pam for bringing it.

Cole using Papa as furniture


We ate out on the screen porch every night and LOVE our new table top

Pat was only here about an hour before he was showing an itch to work on something. So I started going through my mental list but didn't expect him to cover it all?! He fixed EVERYTHING. And then when he was done fixing things, he went to work improving things. He scrubbed our deck, power-washed the house, raked the yard, cleaned the garage, washed Brian's truck...the list goes on. I kept telling him he could vacation if he wanted, but he said it's his therapy. I paid him in Blue Moon and good food and we called it even.

Meanwhile, Pam enjoyed catching up on her prayers and some sleep. She cooked us her spectacular spaghetti one night. She enjoyed spending time reading to the kids and holding Cole. You can tell how much she misses being around them.

So all in all, it was a quiet trip. We mostly hung out at the house, aside from a date that Brian and I escaped on! We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on March 20.

Where did 6 years go?! Love you more than ever, Brian!

The boys


One last hug before saying goodbye to Brian

So proud of their Gunny


Daryl and Bobbi visited recently also. These newlyweds got married in December, and if you remember, that's the famed trip to nowhere...we tried to attend but never made it because of the snowstorms. What a fun and relaxing weekend we had. Bobbi is a sweetheart and we would not pick anyone else for our DJA! Daryl and Brian were 2 peas in a pod as usual. For once there was no massive grappeling match so my furniture remains intact....BONUS. We had a BBQ and invited over some old friends from RRT. I think Bobbi got an eye-opening to Daryl's years in the Marine Corps!

Frolicking at the beach


It took 2 shampoos to get all the sand out of his hair that night!


Reminiscing about the good ole days with the RRT clan


I think the best part of the weekend however was that they announced that they're PREGNANT! The baby will be due 4 days before Daryl's birthday in November. They are beyond excited, and they are definitely ready to be parents. Daryl even practiced on Cole, feeding him and holding him.

Bobbi judges the future Dad...pass or fail, Bobbi?!

The other main thing that went on recently Brian and I went on a race date! The neighbors watched the boys while we participated in a 4-Mile Mud Run on base. It was a blast!!!!! It was far muddier, steeper, and wetter than we expected. The first 2 miles were nothing but obstacles. We even low-crawled through a creek. The last couple miles were mostly straight-aways, and that's when my pace slowed way down. I realize now that hills are my strength because I feel like a feather when I don't have the stroller. I just got bored and tired on the straight-aways.

Some of the members of my Stroller Warriors Running Club

No big shocker, but Brian won. He did not expect to but he built a big lead right from the start and I knew he'd have it in the bag. We also won the husband/wife team event, and I managed to place 3rd in my age group. So we brought home several medals, and some extremely nasty muddy shoes! Races are "home" to us and we are so lucky to share that passion.

Husband/wife champs


Brian, you smell. Or is that me?


We planned to get in a half marathon date before he leaves, but that isn't going to work out anymore. I will be running that one solo. Mom booked a ticket and will be visiting that weekend so at least I won't be pushing the stroller.

I also went ahead and signed up for my first full marathon to keep me busy while Brian is gone. I'm going to do the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. Since we still have friends in the area, I'll have a place to stay and babysitters too (so excited, Lisa!!!). I'm nervous just thinking about it, but it's time for a new challenge. Some of my running club is going to run it as well so I will have company.

I hope you are all doing well, and enjoying the nice weather! I am SO MUCH HAPPIER now that it's warm and sunny. We spend a lot of time outside, with Caden riding his beloved alliGATOR, playing in the pool, or swinging on the swingset. Beach weather is just around the corner!