Happy New Year

It's been a month but I'm finally updating the blog. Happy 2009 everyone!

Christmas in Iowa was a whirlwind 12 days. The celebrations themselves were great. Our family let us kick back and spoiled us with an abundance of incredible food (Prime Rib twice). We were able to spend Christmas on both sides of Iowa, and attended the Geraghty Christmas for the first time in 9 years. This year, they decided to forgo a gift exchange and donate gifts to a flood family instead. Very cool.

Caden always loves his Iowa visits because of all the new playmates and things to do. He spent hours exploring Grandpa Bob's new machine shed, full of farm vehicles, which we had fun driving too. And he adores his cousins. This video of Caden, Lawson, and Isabella jamming out to Ice Ice Baby is a must-see.

Lawson shows Cade some love


Um Bella, that's MY Cars sippy


Allie performed a private concert


The cousins




YES...my 500th truck!

Outside of the family gatherings, the travel itself left something to be desired. Here's the gist...Midwest Airlines lost our luggage for about 6 days. I did a poor job packing so I blame myself for the important items (especially the camera and my bridesmaid dress). We never did get our bags during our Cedar Rapids leg of the trip. We spent a lot of time on the phone and they told us something different daily. Brian's bag finally arrived the morning of the 23rd and they told me mine would be an additional day, because it was sitting at some lady's house in Grand Island, Nebraska. Huh?! I got her name and phone number, called her, and coordinated for my sister to pick it up on her holidays travels to Avoca. Jen was a lifesaver. But geez, what a mess.

At least we got everything before Christmas Eve and nothing was missing. Midwest gave us 3 round trip tickets to use in 2009. I guess things turned out okay, but we definitely learned from it. (Um, don't trust airlines.)

Another travel dilemma was Iowa snowstorms. This is nothing new to us, but every time we set out on I-80 for a new leg of our trip, we were greeted with a brand new storm. Luckily, Brian got us to our destinations safely, but not without some undue stress.

Goettsch Christmas

Knock knock...who's there?

He wanted to sleep with his Mack truck.


The fam, including Jeff's girlfriend Tina

The Mule

Brian plays with the loader

Dad and his pride and joy


Grandma shows off her skid loader skills

Haven't seen these lights in Red Oak since I was a kid


We fit in a wedding on top of all the holiday festivities. My friend Laurie got married Dec 27th. The wedding itself went well, but much like our travels, there were some setbacks. Their 11-month-old daughter Honor caught pneumonia the week of the wedding. She was miserable, and her parents, likewise. Luckily, Honor was doing much better the day of the wedding, which I think helped Laurie and Jason enjoy their day a little more. Of course, Honor could not attend and Laurie's family rotated watching her. Laurie and Jason also left the reception fairly early to spend the night with Honor at the hospital.

The wedding was in a gorgeous Catholic church in Laurie's tiny hometown ( about 400 people, which is smaller than Avoca). Brian came along so we had a whole night to hang out while Caden stayed with Grandma and Grandpa in Avoca. My friend Steph entertained us as always and we had a good time.

Beal does anything we tell her to.


The happy couple

Steph Sandwich

Our transition back to Quantico was rough because Caden was scared at night. We slept with him for several days out of guilt, but we soon realized that we were creating a destructive habit. After one rough night of tears, we got through it and we're back to normal. Our upcoming arrival in August will result in a lack of sleep...we don't need our toddler adding to that as well!

The pregnancy is going well. I'm at 12 weeks and we had our first ultrasound 2 weeks ago. The baby was moving all over and had a fast heartbeat of 180. I informed Brian that fast heartbeats tend to be girls. I'm nauseous and tired, but that's normal (unfortunately). The Hasley's found out that their fifth will be a boy. The whole family is excited, even Lawson, who's first response was, "But, I'm the boy."

Junior G's First Photo (Look for a hand and feet)

Caden continues to get taller AND louder as time goes on. He escaped under the pew at mass yesterday. A source of problems lately is sharing. Everything is "mine." He wants to snack constantly and thinks canned whipped cream is an hourly luxury. (Thanks, Brian.) He has started calling all his friends Bryce, which I guess is a compliment to our 5-year-old neighbor Bryce. Caden turns 2 on the 21st and Brian will be 29 on the 25th. My parents arrive tomorrow to help us celebrate. And yes, that means we're driving in DC on Inauguration Day. Crap. Wish us luck!

Brian will be here as well, although he's jumped right back into a busy TAD schedule. He participated in the All Marine Cross Country Championship 2 weeks ago in California and placed 7th. He finished first out of Quantico runners and their team placed 2nd. Not a bad start to 2009. He goes to his All Marine Triathlon Camp in Florida in another week. His buddy Ethan will be there so he's pumped.

Thanks for reading. I hope you had nice holidays and I'd love to hear from you. Maybe someone else has interesting travel nightmares to share...

Merry (early) Christmas!

The Geraghty family had a Christmas extravaganza weekend, including gifts, Santa, and a weekend trip.

After some negotiations with Santa, we decided it would be easier to do our gift opening here before we flew to Iowa for many more festivities.



Brian and I were plenty excited, and so was Caden...to an extent. He was grumpy and hesitant when he first awoke. He refused to let me take any photos in front of the tree and barely tolerated opening his first stocking stuffer. But he quickly changed his mind when he realized the gift was a set of 5 Matchbox emergency vehicles. He ripped into them and retreated to the living room, refusing to return to open more gifts. Apparently, he was done.

CARS...no need to go any further


After much persuasion, he came around. He absolutely flipped over his set of John Deere toys. He oooed and ahhhed like he was at a Bridal Shower.

OOOOOOOO...AHHHHHHH...


Destroying Dad's masterpiece


All all in all, a fun day. And a good weekend, for that matter. Brian returned from a business trip on Thursday. Within a few hours, we were back on the road heading to Colonial Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle.

What prompted the trip? Well, we got conned into one of those free timeshare weekends. I can see you rolling your eyes already. Yes, we had to put up with a corny salesman and a 3-hour tour that was ONLY supposed to be 90 minutes. Brian mouthed to me numerous times, "Will this ever end?!" After saying no repeatedly, our sales rep gave up and slinked away like we had just taken his puppy. We had remainder of the trip to ourselves, including 2 free nights in a 2-bedroom condo and a gift card for $125 of spending money. They also accidentally refunded our $75 deposit twice. Shhhh...don't tell.

It was a chilly weekend but we bundled Caden up in his beloved truck mittens and trekked through Colonial Williamsburg. Caden was enamored by the horse drawn buggies. (He is going to love seeing Shadow when we're home, Pam!)



Bye bye horse

The colonial architecture is absolutely beautiful. The city has done a phenomenal job preserving the history.



Saturday morning, we toured Jamestown. And as I'm sure you ALL know (think back to 5th grade history), Jamestown was the first permanent American settlement. We went through a museum, a recreated Indian village, and a replica of the fort.

The Powhatan Indian Village


Brian, don't give that to him!

A recreation of the fort and church


All three of us agreed that our favorite part was seeing the three ships that carried the first settlers. Maybe Caden will be a sailor instead of a Marine, judging from how much he loved the ships. Not for me...talk about cramped quarters. I think the colonial era would have been an interesting time to live, but I'm content living in the 21st century.

Ahoy, mateys


Dare me to shoot?


Brian, maybe this fancy ship could be our second honeymoon cruise


Caden made all kinds of friends in Williamsburg, generally during meals. He says hi and bye bye to everyone repeatedly and shares his trucks with waitresses. The only person he wasn't totally excited to befriend was Santa.

He's not sure about this white-haired dude


This penguin is safer


This boy loves his "nacks" (snacks)


He tolerated the traveling fairly well and only had meltdowns when he was exceedingly tired and/or hungry. Understandable. He had lots of adventures, including a nature trail near our condo where he threw leaves into a creek for about 30 minutes. He tried to jump in on more than one occasion. Um Caden, that water is like 40 degrees. Sigh...no fear.

The only other recent event was the annual neighborhood Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. My sweater was the cat's meow. (Thanks again, Lisa. Are you sure you want it back?! Hissss!)



Have a happy holiday season!

With Every End of Life, There is a Beginning of Another

Life is precious. Sometimes we lose sight of that in the every day hustle and bustle. But that's the beauty of Thanksgiving...it's a day set aside to remember all our wonderful blessings that God has given us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last week, we lost someone very dear to us. Grandma Tegler passed away. Grandma Teresa was a beautiful soul who loved her family. She was 89 and has been suffering for a long time so it is a blessing that she is out of pain. She was surrounded by her children throughout her last weeks. She managed to open her eyes before she died, to smile at her daughters one last time. Then she let go, and the wrinkles on her face smoothed, almost as if her troubles had faded away. Pam said she looked at peace.

I'm thankful that our last memories with her were happy. Dane and Shannon's wedding brought the whole family back to Iowa, and to see Grandma at the nursing home. She was bombarded with visitors. She was absolutely glowing.

Brian has a lot on his plate with work right now, but was fortunate to squeeze in a trip home for the funeral. He left Friday morning so we were able to spend Thanksgiving together. Daryl flew in from Cleveland. Brian was disappointed to get very little time with his best friend. Daryl was more than understanding and they still managed to get a few hours of video games, OF COURSE. He also celebrated his 29th birthday.

Life truly is a celebration. I think there are reasons for everything, and I have no doubt that the good news we received a few days after Grandma's passing was not accidental.

And what is that news?!...

A BABY!!!

Brian and I decided after Shannon's wedding that we would leave it in God's hands, and apparently he works quickly. I will likely be due in early August and am feeling awesome so far (knock on wood). I shared the news with Brian, Caden, and Daryl at the end of our Thanksgiving meal prayer. I closed with, "Lord, open our hearts to Your Love, and especially to the precious new baby that you have graced us with."

Brian looked at me with a small smile and stated, "You're pregnant." Um, yes, Captain Obvious. He's happy but also hesitant...perhaps overwhelmed? My friends tell me it's a normal guy reaction for the second child. No turning back now! I am completely elated and can't wait to meet the little one. I doubt we'll find out the sex, but I do have an inkling that it's a girl.

Yay baby!

We told my family on Webcam and Brian told his family during his trip home. My Mom told the Klindt's after the Thanksgiving meal prayer. I've called some people but there's so many to tell, so I apologize if I haven't touched base with you yet.

Caden's already sporting the gear

Wait a minute...what does that say?!

Brian's sister Heather is pregnant with their fifth and due sometime early summer, so just as Caden and Isabella are close in age, the next set will be as well. Those cousins are guaranteed to be trouble!

Wow...that was a lot of news, huh. We've had our share of ups and downs lately. Caden was sicker than he's ever been 2 weeks ago with a cough and a fever for 5 days. Brian was out of town, and we didn't leave the house much, so I felt alone and drained. It hurts to see your child so miserable. He's better now! Well, with the exception of getting some molars. Ouch.

On a happy note, it's the Christmas season...I LOVE this time of year. I listen to Christmas music 24/7 starting the day after Thanksgiving. YESSSSSS. Caden was fascinated with the decorations I dug out today, especially my "O Holy Night" snow globe which he insisted that I shake and wind up a billion times. He helped me decorate (and undecorate) the tree. He also hoarded the candy canes. Something tells me those won't stay on the tree.

Caden, please put that back for the 80th time


Thank you for all your support the past couple weeks. We are thankful for each and every one of you. God bless you all, and especially Grandma and for the new baby, "Junior G"!!!

Marine Corps Ball

Every November, we look forward to the Marine Corps Ball. It's the one night out of the year where we're guaranteed a date to ourselves. And that means a lot once you have a kid!

This year, we decided to forgo Brian's Ball with Systems Command (BORING). Instead we went as guests to the HMX Ball (NOT BORING). HMX stands for Marine Helicopter Squadron and they are responsible for transporting the President. Everyone we know works for HMX, so we figured it made sense to ditch our ball and crash theirs. Our friend Rob organized it so that we got to sit at his table with him and Angel.

Rob and Brian with the Guest of Honor, Lt General Flynn (Brian's boss's boss's boss, or something like that...?!)

Those HMXers know how to throw a good party. We were pleasantly surprised by the incredible accommodations. We stayed on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton in Tyson's Corner of Washington D.C.

Awesome view of the fall colors

The food was good and Brandee even gave me her slice of cake, because she obviously loves me. I taught Brian how to two-step and we danced the night away. My knees were killing me by the end but it was soooo worth it.

Angel, Brandee, Lyndsey, and Me

Air guitar always seems like a good idea until you see the photos

We stayed up late and then the guys decided it was a good idea to grappel in our hotel room. That didn't go over well with hotel personnel and that promptly ended. Silly (make that, STUPID) Marines.

Get him, Doug! (Rob, wake up.)

Caden stayed overnight with the Rivera's. He played hard with John Paul and slept 12 1/2 hours as a result! He didn't seem bothered in the least when we dropped him off but he definitely acted like he missed us when we picked him up...that made us feel good. Thanks again Angela!

In other news, Brian got 2nd in the Turkey Trot. He was bummed but sort of anticipated a sub-par performance. He still won a turkey...woo hoo! I ran too, but didn't feel well. Okay, to put it bluntly, I felt like crap. But that's okay...I was happy to finish. I was super proud of Angel, Brandee, and Lyndsey because it was their first 10K race. 13.1 is next on their list (right girls?!) I'm glad they've caught the running disease. I like spreading it.

Brian got 2nd! First loser! YEAH! (He is thrilled.)


Brian is in Cali all week so me and little man are on our own. Caden's vocab continues to grow and he's recently started stringing words together in phrases. For example, a couple nights ago, we asked him if he wanted his pacifier right before bed time and he said, "No bah please." He's sly...he knew if he said yes, that meant bed time! He also says "No want" whenever he's opposed to my ideas. Hopefully his sentences will be related to more positive things soon, and not just "no." It's a fun stage. Well, minus all that toddler "no" business!

Donald Trump's prodigy


Let's see how many leaves I can get in my diaper...
click to see the video.

Stop, Drop and Roll

Caden loves fire trucks and goes nuts when he sees them, so we thought it was fitting for him to be a fireman for Halloween. Brian was envious because the costume was so realistic with real buckles and everything. Next year, honey.



We had a few incidents before we left the house, including Caden tripping over his own boots and flailing head first into a bar stool. Sigh. The dent in his head made me think, ER, here we come. But as always, a bump popped out and he was ok (after a few pieces of chocolate, of course).

The rest of the evening went well. Caden was generally cooperative and wore his hat willingly. We walked around the neighborhood with our friends Paige, Garrett, and Gabe (cutest bumble bee EVER). I pulled Caden around in his wagon. If I had been "Mom of the Year" I would have decorated the wagon to resemble a fire truck. Eh, I'm okay with being just "Mom."



Quantico housing is crazy because practically everyone sits outside and hands out candy. It's a child's paradise, and the gorgeous weather made it even better. Caden figured out the drill quickly and made no waste of time digging his sticky hands into the bowls of sugar-infested treats. He had 3 suckers before we even made it back to the house, some chocolates, and also the Sixlets I was so adoringly eyeing.

He thinks he's an Altizer boy and makes himself right at home. (Angie, do you want a fifth?!)

Brian evaluates the situation (aka, steals candy)


Brian had fun handing out candy and playing XBox, which apparently is an annual event now. We trick or treated at our own house as the end. Caden walked right up to Dad, took a piece of candy, waved "Bye Bye," and marched back down the stairs, ready to get more candy. It was hilarious. We watched Cars when we settled down for the night, which is now Caden's favorite show.

The holiday as a whole was a lot of fun. We did the Pumpkin Patch with the MOMS Group and Caden spent the majority of the time hanging out with (torturing?!) the animals.

Click here to see Caden, star of "The Cow Whisperer"

Mine.


Ride 'em cowboy


Mom, EW.


Stay tuned for another update soon including Marine Corps Ball pics...