Keeping busy

Everyone, meet the newest member of the Geraghty family! (And this member doesn't require diaper changes or midnight feedings.)



"Black Beauty" is a 2008 Ford Edge Limited. I'm in awe of the leather interior, the biggest moon roof known to mankind, and all the bells and whistles. We got a solid deal since it's certified used and 23K miles. This is the third Edge for the Goettsch fam, so our gatherings will resemble a Ford dealership. Loyalty discount, please?!

Frankly, I want to sleep in it. I've owned it 24 hours and already washed it. I also gaze at it from the house. I'm not creepy...just in love. I hope Brian likes it too! And if he doesn't, we'll just re-negotiate this whole marriage thing.

Onto other subjects. Um, August, where did you go? You left me. Wait...crap...September slipped by too. It's not like these were boring months...not at all. Very UNboring. Very BUSY! GOOD busy!

So let's take a stroll back in time...

Where I last left off, we were heading to Cedar Rapids to attend Grandma's funeral. It was a whirlwind week. We arrived Sunday, attended the wake Monday, and the funeral Tuesday. Grandma was well loved so it was a sizable funeral, and absolutely beautiful. I will admit though, it all put me in a bit of a "funk" for several days. "What if" images swirled in my head, thinking about Brian...images I don't need. But every deployment has the particularly rough week.

The boys attended the funeral with me. We were Barnum and Bailey's Circus as usual, so I could not fully focus. Shannon sat quietly next to me and I kept thinking, what were those days like when I actually got to hear the entire homily. I don't even remember?! Before mass began, Caden noticed Grandma and asked me, "What is that?" I explained it to him and he hid his head in my neck for a second, then requested to get down and ran off. That's two funerals he's been to in just 6 months.

The Geraghty cousins


The week continued on an emotional high as we went straight from Geraghty gatherings for Grandma's passing to Tegler gatherings in honor of the annual family reunion. The turnout was spectacular...family drove in from several states. It was an entire weekend of festivities. Father Herb gave an amazing family mass Saturday night. Then the evening ended with a bang including REAL fireworks. The kids were going nuts. Ok, I was too. Real fireworks rock. And the guys didn't start any fires so that was bonus. (Chris almost lost an arm though.)

It was incredible to see all Brian's family, but it also pulled at my heart strings. I missed Brian, A LOT. But it's okay for those emotions to surface and I'm so glad the family was there for me. I had a fantastic time! Another bonus, Pat, Pam, and Uncle Gary got to see Brian on Webcam. Brian's hair was in rare form. Get a haircut, Grizzly Adams.

We headed back to Avoca Tuesday. Shannon gave up her time to drive us to and from. Road trip with sister-in-law = GOOD TIMES. The boys were fantastic and we even got in some shopping and Godiva cheesecake (to die for).

Stealing Caden's nose...I love this because Brian does it too!


Best friends, Cade and Bella


Uncle Dane is no match for Cade's catlike reflexes


Learning the concrete biz


He didn't stop grinning for about an hour


Strolling with Shannon


The Tegler cousins


Papa Pat helps Cade roast his first marshmallow


Matt knows how to buy big, illegal, post-4th fireworks with the best of 'em


LOOK AT THAT, MOM!


Cousin Sue and Aunt Cindy, 2 of the sweetest women EVER


Fr. Herb got a kick out of the kids


Matt snuck in at the end and looks like Goliath off to the side. HILARIOUS. He insisted I delete this. I listened (NOT).


Kristi's best (worst) idea ever


I love my family!


I like it that Sue is waving in this photo

Me and my beautiful niece "Alley Cat"


The kids put on a dance routine for us. "America's Got Talent," WHAT?! YES!

Fr. Herb gave a beautiful mass at the Hasley's


Shannon's idea of a beautiful (murky and smelly) pond


Poor Gabrielle is outnumbered


The little guys, Cole and Marcus (2 months apart)


Those smiles are worth a million bucks


A little downtime


Caden gets in touch with his feminine side playing dolls with Macy (don't tell Brian)


Cole's 1st time on Shadow!


Mom, they're so soft

My last week in Iowa flew. Too many people to see. In fact, too many people I didn't see at all. How does this happen in a 6-week trip? I know too many people.

Miniature steam engine in Denison


I felt like a Shriner


Either I need to lift weights, or Cole needs to lose a few pounds. Jen, help push.

We call Cole "swatty"...he's always smackin'.


Hey goat, I've got treats.


Hey goat, I've got sharp fingernails.


The Henry Doorly Zoo never gets old


I don't recall water rides being a part of the zoo, however.


Hanging with Cody and the Klindt fam


I wish he would learn to close his mouth


While I was in Iowa, I spent a day with my Denver peeps, Steph and Laurie. Beal had to drive all the way from Colorado, so you know I must be cool if someone would do that just to see me for a day. Those crazy cats keep life interesting.

Photo Hunt + Beers + Steph Sandwich = GOOD TIMES


Before I flew out, I also got some more time in with my parents, Jen, and the Goettsch family. My cousin Tony got married so we spent a weekend in Des Moines celebrating.

Is this a showdown?


Me and My Stephanie Ann


Goettsch cousins, keeping White House Black Market in business


Marine Corps Ball dress, possibly?!


Maybe we can Photoshop in Brian for the Christmas photo


Grandma and Grandpa Goettsch looked so nice

The happy couple, Tony and Nicole

The Goettsch cousins, plotting something, likely

Me and Colebug


Jeff is not sure how to handle a hug from a baby

Before we left Des Moines, we squeezed in a quick trip to Adventureland. Caden mustered enough courage to do big water slides all by himself. He was tall enough to go down the larger rides too, like the Raging River. "Mommy, let's do it AGAIN."

All in all, the 6 weeks was the "deployment medecine" I needed. Family is the number one force for surviving deployments!

A combine ride was a must


And a mule ride...


And a tractor ride!


The kids adjusted well the entire trip, to and from. Every spot we hit, it took them a night or two before they slept, but other than that, smooth sailing.

Cole recently gave up his bottle, and dislikes milk. HUH? I keep pushing the milk on him in a sippy cup, and even tried Ovaltine flavoring. However, he generally makes a face and refuses it until I give him his favorite beverage, water. This is quite a change from a month ago when he required a night-time bottle!

Another strange thing is he WAS a really solid eater, trying tons of meat, yogurt, and bread. Once again, he point-blank decided as of late, food is optional. Well, it's optional to eat. He does enjoy playing with it and throwing it on my clean kitchen floor. All I can conclude...TEETHING. He does still eat yogurt, and loves cheese. He ate most of Caden's Chik-Fil-A nuggest tonite. Overall, meals are a challenge with BOTH boys. I don't understand. I fregin love food. Who doesn't?!

One of Cole's favorite activities is dancing (he moves one arm back and forth like he's doing an Irish drinking song). He loves playing with Caden's train set and all the big boy toys. He tries to climb up the stairs constantly and slides back down backwards on his belly. He adores Patty Cake and peek-a-boo. He and Caden play some games together, like throwing a ball or pushing cars back and forth. He loves his blue receiving blanket with teddy bears, which Grandma Klindt made. He chews on the edge and cuddles up with it during naps. Cole has 8 teeth total. He says Mom, yes, and hi. He has taken 1 step. Yep, 1. And it was weeks ago. Along with eating, apparently walking is optional also. Strong-willed, this one.

1-year photo at the dock in our hood


Those blue eyes amaze me


One of his last bottle pics


We turned his carseat around


Eating (or wearing?)


HI!


Mullets...business in the front...


...party in the back.

No more party...just STYLE.


Caden has officially begun preschool! I debated for months, excitement and dread combined. On one hand, it's only 2 mornings for 3 hours, and I knew he would enjoy the interaction, coloring, and playing. But on the other hand, he tends to be petrified I'll leave him. And really, can we blame him?

Despite apprehensive, we forged ahead. The night before, we bought all his supplies and I let him load them into his bag. The Target personnel were glaring at me for my shady practices, but regardless, it helped Cade! We called Grandma Pam and he excitedly shared his news. Then we read Curious George Goes to School. At one point, he commented, "I go to school too!" But that was promptly followed with, "I don't want to go to school." Mixed bag.

So, I prepared myself for "Armageddon." Melodramatic? Nah. I was being realistic. He woke up crying and begged me to stay home. He balked at wearing his new outfit. He informed me that his tummy hurt and he needed to go to the doctor. Yep, pulling out all the stops.

Finally, he conceeded and cooperated. He even picked the spot to pose for a picture. Then he hopped into the truck and we chatted cheerfully about stoplights the entire 20-minute drive. Upon arrival, he shed a few tears, but once inside, he was GREAT. I took advantage and snapped a few more photos but he quickly demanded, "Mommy, no more pictures." That's my exit cue.

We are proud of our mature little preschooler


Stretching before school helps with learning.

Mom, no more photos.

His classroom is adorable (his teacher is in the peach shirt)

St. Anne's Parish Day School

So who cried most? Well, it wasn't Caden. It's hard to let your "baby" go. It sure is fun picking him up though. We have legitimate conversations. He tells me he loves me and asks me how my run was. LOL. He's so sweet.

What will I do with this newfound time with just Cole? Tuesday preschool falls during Stroller Warriors. This is ideal because Caden is starting to resist stroller runs. On Thursdays, I either run with Cole and run errands, or we come home so Cole can nap and I can complete projects. Last week, I did a mailbox makeover. This week...who knows. Maybe solve world peace. It's do-able.

Speaking of running, I ran a half marathon this month. Me and two other Stroller Warriors traveled to Virginia Beach to compete in the Rock N Roll Half. Leading up to race day, I first caught the flu (MISERABLE), and then experienced major anxiety over doing a race weekend with the kids solo.

Luckily, everything about it ROCKED, literally. My friends and I chatted on walky talkies the entire drive there. Call signs of "Squirrel" and "Nuts" fueled many jokes! Upon arrival, we enjoyed the BIGGEST expo ever, checked into our surprisngly stellar hotel on Naval Base Oceana, and enjoyed some crappy Dominos takeout. We went for a quick shake-out run in the dark and felt fantastic. I thought, if only I can only feel like this tomorrow.

Race day included a sluggish start. I slept terrible and we dragged the kids out of bed at 4:30 am. Yeow. After winding through heavy traffic, yelling at a cop (don't ask), and parking amongst a billion cars, we had to wait in a line a mile long to board the shuttle. My heart was pumping because we were LATE. We pulled up to the race start at about 6:55. I squeezed my way through all the people to my #6 race corrall and fell into step with all the other runners.

Despite the haphazard morning, I felt adrenaline and confidence. I was ready! Throughout the race, I ran smart and kept a consistent pace. The bands and the spectators kept my mind busy. With15,000 runners, there's ALWAYS someone to run with. The result was a personal record of 1:50:58 at 8:28 per mile. Age group, 126/1738, and all women, 502/8380. I was pumped!

Meanwhile, the kids played on the beach with Kelly's parents. I simply could not have done the race without their help. The boys took to them like grandparents. And as a result, I honestly didn't worry. RELIEF. Now, only 5 more weeks until the BIG ONE, the marathon in DC. EEK!

Finishing on the beach is not a bad gig...and we even dove into the ocean just to check that off the "bucket list"


Look, Cade and Cole like to race too

To be in our biking gang, you have to buy this sweet jersey


The next item on the schedule included a visit from my college roomies! They flew in from KC for one weekend. We had a blast, but it's official...we're old. Back in the college, we could have hung out at a bar until 2 am, and ate pizza afterwards. Now, not-so-much. We went to the beach, laid around, watched movies, looked at old photos, and were lucky to stay up to midnight. And you know what, we had just as much fun as always!

Hello ox.

Miss you, Erin and Brenda!


I'm generally furniture


The boys are going to be beach bums, I think. They dig it.

I'm glad you have not disowned me for being MIA. I appreciate all the continued prayers. We're over halfway! Just keep chugging...and a deployment countdown never hurt anyone either.

Sticker mania for Daddy!