Today is a good day. It's 66 degrees and the sun is shining, the boys are feeling better, and the best part...my husband is out in the garage, working on a project. As in, HE IS HERE. :)
Life is finally settling into "normalcy" after Christmas festivities, our trip to Iowa, a visit from my parents, and two birthdays. People are always asking me if everything is wonderful and perfect. Well, of course it's fantastic being back together, but the fact is, it takes some adjusting too. That's where the normalcy comes in. What is normalcy again?! I guess I'm getting used to the normalcy of coffee cups littering the house, the "Brian pile" taking up half our bedroom, and his alarm going off repeatedly early in the morning. Even moreso, I LOVE the normalcy of getting antsy and excited mid-afternoon when I know he's coming home soon for supper. And also the normalcy of him kissing me every morning before he leaves for work, and hugging me every night when we go to bed. I love being able to answer Caden's inquiries with a positive, "Yes, Daddy WILL be home tonite!" It's amazing, and feels so RIGHT. I LOVE normal.
Brian revels in the easy every day life of America, and is genuinely relieved to be home. He's already launched into a busy work schedule, including 3 days a week learning French. This school will go on for another 3 months. He welcomes the new challenge and I love the fact it keeps him in this zip code. (If I had my choice, he'd just stay here and learn languages for the rest of his Marine Corps career. Honey, don't you need to learn Spanish next? Then Chinese? Then Arabic?)
Our first 10 days here together flew by too fast. We enjoyed a quiet Christmas Eve and Christmas day with just the four of us. The weather was favorable, and we were able try out Cade's new stomp rocket outside. The following day, we received some snow and that was fun too.
The Christmas Eve "snowman pancake" backfired BIG TIME. We thought he would gobble it down...instead he sobbed when I cut it up. Whoops.
One son working hard decorating, one son working hard eating the decorating
Yep, I'm "that" Mom. Matching argyle sweaters. Judging from their expressions, they already know I'm a dork.
Christmas morning is THE BEST.
He was totally enthralled with this piggy bank
"Cheese" and looking sideways, as usual.
Brian snowed me on this one...I had NO idea
This rocket is no joke...it goes HIGH
The kitchen cave, a popular happy hour hide-out
Assembling the wooden garbage truck from Santa
Now Brian, that's just unfair...
Our 18-day trip home was the longest period of time Brian has spent in Iowa in about a decade. It was exceedingly cold and snowy, and that's how we like it (kinda). Our friends and neighbors back in NC couldn't believe all the snow they got, which amounted to about 6 inches. HAAAAAAAAAAA. Living in the East is certainly different from the Midwest, where 6 inches of snow doesn't even cause the semi's to slow down on I-80. Seriously!
Now THIS is SNOW
Loves the snow outside, loves Papa's office inside
We flew in on Thursday the 30th and spent 1 night in Avoca with my parents first. We did our own little Christmas there first. Okay, let's be honest...more like BIG Christmas. Mom can't help but spoil her grandsons. Caden certainly got into it. Well, a little TOO into it. He'd rip open a gift and toss it aside with barely any acknowledgement, and then request another. Not our proudest moment, so we spent considerable time explaining the importance of generosity and appreciation. Cole, on the other hand, was not terribly interested in gift opening. He preferred riding the gifts. Yep, climbing on them, tackling them, sitting on them...pretty much anything EXCEPT opening them.
Mom always has a gorgeous arrangement
Thanks for the help, Papa!
Rip it open, Cade! Oh wait...be careful...that one is money...
Gift boogie boarding, a new Christmas sport we learned living out East
Seriously Mom, the X-Box game is always a bad idea
None of us actually know how that bow got there. But it's funny.
Grandpa Klindt
After our 24-hour stint in Avoca, we bid a temporary goodbye and got on the road for a 3-hour trip to Cedar Rapids, to spend New Years Eve with Pat, Pam, Shannon, and Dane. Upon arrival, Pat had a bottle of "Gunny Juice" sitting on the counter so we had our share of beverages before the night was over. Just for kicks, we even did a shot. (As in, that 1 shot kicked my butt.) Not many gals can say they have done a shot with their father-in-law. Well, now I can! You're pretty cool for being old, Pat. Wait, did I say old? I meant spring chicken. (I've gotta be careful about these old jokes since "my day" is fast approaching. It will be my first anniversary of the year I stopped celebrating birthdays.)
Our time with the Geraghty's flew by, as I knew it would. We did Christmas at the Hasley's on New Year's Day. Caden and Isabella were ecstatic to be together. I wish we lived closer because those two would be inseparable.
Cade & Bella, the dynamic duo
The fastest rowdiest "train" you'll ever see
Much love
Cade, that's a little TOO much love...
Cousin movie hour
Not even sure how to caption this one. Fill in the blank yourself.
All SEVEN
Caden scared away all the patrons...sorry Joe. :(
A toast with Pat and cousin Kevin
Ready to pounce
Mid-week, we took a trip to Pam's school. She arranged for a guest speaker for the 4th and 5th grade students. He just so happened to be a Marine that recently returned from Afghanistan. Yes of course, Brian grumbled a little at first, but fairly willingly, he compiled 60 photos and three videos to discuss his experiences in Afghanistan, and make comparisons to the United States.
The classroom was packed with students, yet every set of eyes was glued to Brian (including mine), and hands shot up constantly as they asked questions, most of which were very intelligent, but some were comical. One very sweet boy asked simply "Do you know Gary?"
His response: "Well, the Marine Corps is pretty big. I don't think I've met Gary..."
I loved finally seeing Pam's school, meeting her coworkers, and seeing the adoration in her students faces. I also think I fell in love with Brian even a little more. He was just so dynamic! I watched him with just as much awe as those students!
Pam's school
Later that night, the Geraghty's, Clark's and Hasley's embarked on the unknown...an activity in PUBLIC. Scary thought, right?! Nah...it went splendidly and we should do it more often. The food and service at Carlos O Kelly's was awesome and we all had a blast bowling. I ended up with the highest score at 152, closely followed by Shannon. Who bowled the worst? MATT. Holy cats, he's terrible. And he's good at everything, so I kinda enjoyed watching him throw gutter ball after gutter ball. He's a good sport and we had a great time. (Right Matt?!)
Shannon and I shared Cole watch between turns..and he loves his Aunt Shan!
Matt is recalculating his bowling strategy
Cole's first bowling experience
Lovin' it, of course
The other big outing was a "Welcome Home Open House" on Saturday, January 8th. Pat and Pam worked hard to prepare the house for a barage of visitors, including friends, family, and neighbors. Dane made some delicious turkeys to accompany all the snacks and cake. Brian showed more of his photos which once again, captivated the crowd. He even had some surprise visitors that came from afar, including his cousins from Chicago: Ryan, Dan, Ben, and Megan. I about fell over when Megan walked in. So cool!
Library story time...I mean, Brian story time
3rd cousins Trevor and Collin will welcome a baby brother soon! Congrats to the Denny family! More blue... :)
Papa is always good for a tease
This is the photo next to the word "mischevious" in the dictionary. Seriously, look it up...
Cousins
We have 40 pictures like this as Matt gives us photography lessons. I guess I could have posted all 40 and given you a lesson too.
Eight days went quickly though and it was time to get on the road so we could spend 1 week with the Goettsch's. Upon arrival, we did a couple more mini Christmas's. Cole finally opened his remaining pile of gifts with gentle coaxing. Jen was not able to attend our Christmas either, because of bad weather, so we finally got to see her.
I think we'll get Mom a tripod next year. The camera was teetering on a ladder for this shot. What a great photo though!
Love my little bro and sis :)
Cole is getting into gift opening now, and is no longer sitting on the gifts. Progress.
See, this is why Mom needs the tripod.
Cole adores his Godmother
Uncle Jeff learns what cuddling is all about
We arranged the trip so that we could celebrate Jen's 25th birthday with her in Omaha. We did lunch and shopping on her actual birthday. Then on Friday night, Brian and I stayed in Omaha and took her out for Mexican and a few drinks at her favorite "hangouts." I say that with the utmost saracasm, because frankly, the bars she picked were terrible. Of course she did not realize that when she picked them! Still fun to razz her, and we had a blast regardless of location.
Aside from that, we just kept busy with trips to the gym or Brian's new favorite coffee shop, "The Coffee Plant." The kids got in skidloader rides whenever possible. We also had a couple meals with Grandpa Klindt and helped him assemble a new puzzle. I remember putting together so many puzzles over the years at their house. On that note, the anniversary of Grandma's death was January 24th. Hard to believe it's been a year. I catch myself missing her a lot lately. Caden was snuggling with the puppy she gave her on the night he was really sick and it really made me miss her, for some reason. I think it's finally setting in that she'll never be there again when I visit home.
While we were in Avoca, we made a special trip up to Harlan to attend mass at Father Frost's new parish. Father Frost married me and Brian, and baptised both of our boys. He was surprised to see us and he joined us for a meal at Mickel's afterwards. We always get a kick out of his jovial responses and his "say it like it is" personality. The boys did not spill anything on him or do anything too disasterous, so that was bonus too. I think that's double demerits for throwing food at a priest, right?!
After 2 1/2 weeks, it was time to hop on the plane and venture back East. Hard to say goodbye, yet we knew we'd see Mom and Dad soon anyway. Literally, 2 days later they flew into Jacksonville for Cade's birthday. I promised them beautiful weather but that was a promise I couldn't keep. The weather in NC was gray, cold, and miserable! It did not help that our heat pump was malfunctioning and actually cooling the house. So his birthday activities were entirely indooors, including a trip to the Wilmington Railroad Museum and a "Jet" themed birthday party here at the house the day after.
Emerald Isle
The diver gave Caden bunny ears
Caden kept growling. Do sharks growl?!
Papa and Grandma sure did make Cade's birthday a special one.
27 birthday party attendees, including 15 children, taught me that A.) we need a bigger house, and B.) military children are very well-behaved. Despite the crowd, it was actually totally manageable and the kids behaved beautifully. I had some special activities planned that helped keep them busy, including a parachute drop into a bowl of candy, styrofoam jets to fly, jet tattoos, and jet-themed activity placemats to color. Caden had a blast and that's really what matters. He was truly excited and appreciative (a vast turnaround from his greedy Christmas behavior) and has been telling anyone and everyone about his jet party ever since. He also added many more toys to his collection. I'm thinking we need another toy box. No wait, let's go back to that "bigger" house topic. Ahhh maybe someday.
Birthday cupcakes at preschool
He's dressed as a doctor...in the Old West?!
Check out the suspended airplanes. I rock.
Birthday boy wakes up and suddenly notices the rockin' suspended airplanes. Ooooooo...
He's totally into Transformers. There should be a college elective for assembling those things.
Birthday breakfast muffins
Papa patiently waits for his turn to throw parachute man...
Cole and Grandma at the train museum
The Caboose was really cool. I want one in our backyard.
Seriously Mom...is that TIE DYE?! (She blamed an ordering mistake. I think she was just reviving the 60s.)
This reminded me of all the years Jeff got RC stuff. Cade loves it so much he has already managed to break off an arm.
Look at that effort!
Time to EAT
Now for his birthday party...and I didn't melt the cake this year. YAY!
These kids were seriously the most well-behaved children EVER. Good job parents.
Cole is reliving his 1st birthday cake disaster!
An admirable pile of gifts
From this angle, it looks like there's 1 child per square foot of carpet.
Cade's best bud, Jackson
One last gift from Grandma Pam...he LOVED his horses!
So, I thought I could finally take a breath after Caden's birthday prep, but Brian's birthday so closely follows that we couldn't rest for long. I just absolutely love birthdays and go way overboard...but that's what makes it fun. Brian awoke to special breakfast treats from his favorite bakery. That night, we had dinner at the Marina Cafe, almost lost a finger to a crazed parrot (true story), and reveled in an amazing Cold Stone Creamery cake. Perhaps his favorite gift was the presence of his best friend Zach. Zach is also a Marine and is completing training here at Lejeune the next few weeks. He's an automatic dinner guest on a nightly basis and we love having him around. Caden adores Zach and even told our pediatrician about him yesterday. He also informed that her that his apple was still under the couch and that he had a jet birthday party that Connor and Jackson attended. She nodded and smiled politely at all this exciting news.
Caden excitedly wrapped Daddy's gift, and made him a card. So sweet. :)
Brian's best gifts
Be honest...is it really ghetto to re-use a 30 candle from last year, and add 1 candle, to make 31? Brian said he's re-using it for my birthday too, just to be extra ridiculously ghetto. It will be the most loved candle of all time.
Zach, the pillow cave, and the prisoner
Brian's beloved Zach
I guess that's it. Whew. Busy, eh. The busyness might have caught up to the boys. They recently had their wellness appointments, which was ironic because apparently they aren't that well. Caden had an earache and they both have head colds. We're starting to get over the hump though. We also have another appointment soon for Cole to be evaluated by NC Children's Developmental Services Agency. This organization exists to help children develop and learn. Our Cole is a very intelligent and active child. He adores music, speaks several words, and communicates exactly what he wants. His dexterity is amazing and he can throw a ball straighter and harder than kids twice his age.
The concerning issue is he's 18 months old and still does not walk unassisted. He lacks confidence and as a result, he uses his arms to do virtually everything, while his legs remain weak. I will admit that I struggle with this subject because I blame myself. I didn't push him enough in this category while Brian was gone. It was easier for me to scoop him up or push him in the stroller than to force him to walk. It's definitely partially my fault. But it's not permanent and we're taking action, so that's what is important.
He loves wrestling
Monkey climber (This photo reveals that we need to wield down the clothing collection)
What a mouthful of teeth! He just got some more this month.
Reading his top request, "Peek A Who," twice a day, every day. Peek a Moo! Peek a Boo! Peek a Zoo! Peek a YOU! Peek a we need a new fregin favorite.
Thanks for spending time reading this! I hope 2011 is off to a great start for you. It will definitely be an easier, calmer year for us. 2012 will bring another deployment, but for now I'm going to relish in these moments and worry about the other stuff later. On that note, I'm going to go enjoy the weather and my boys.
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