Happy Birthday Cole Isaiah!

Just a year ago, Brian rushed me to the hospital and Cole arrived 20 minutes later. Now our "baby" is ONE. In the past 12 months, we've managed to hit some of life's most pivotal events, including having a baby, moving, losing a loved one, and enduring a deployment. Can you think of anything else to add to our plate?!

Luckily, we LOVE having Cole on our plate. He's our little bundle of happiness, always smiling and always making US smile. (Well, except when he's teething. Then no one smiles.)

His birthday was quite an event. I planned our summer trip so we could celebrate the day here in Iowa, surrounded with love and support of family. Therefore, it only made sense to go with a farm theme because, well, we're on a farm and it saved me on decorations.

Cut me a break on the backwards 1, please.


Cole grinned from ear to ear from start to finish. Favorite moments include playing with wrapping paper, crawling up and down his new roller coaster ramp, devouring the graham crackers from his barn cake, and taking a nice long nap to recuperate. However, Daddy brought the biggest smile of the day. As soon as Cole saw Brian's face on the computer screen, he clapped and reached for him. What a memorable moment.

Hi Dad!


This is huge...is it a car?


Not a car...but a roller coaster will do.


He doesn't like it AT ALL.


Sporting the Marine bib from Dad


Check it out; Brian is in the pic too!


No more photos...let's eat.


Bewildered


He went straight for the graham cracker roof


Did any of the cake make it into his mouth?!


Grandma arrived!


Great Papa, red is your color.


His beautiful cousins, Gabrielle (13) and Allie (11)


I don't need a bath, Mom. I'm cool.


Post-party Gator rides with me at the wheel...hold on ladies...


Caden was not sure what to make of Cole's birthday. I thought I had aptly prepped him, but we still had some issues. He was pretty hyper with all the other kids around, not to mention he didn't understand why he couldn't eat cake and open presents on HIS terms. But, he's 3...what can you do. He did personally wrap a present for Cole. Oh, but wait...he unwrapped it also and threw it aside before Cole even saw it. Hmmm. Right idea, kinda.

Who needs the toy when we can play in the box.


This is the 2nd time Caden blew out his candle.


Apparently Cole did not receive the memo that he should walk by age 1. I suspect that he can, and just prefers to keep it under wraps. He loves to sit on the floor and out-stretch his arms with beckoning eyes, so we'll carry him. It's ridiculously cute, and manipulating. Nobody can resist his thick blond hair and blue eyes, and his sweet little waving and clapping. He recently started climbing on top of boxes, furniture, and chairs, so we really have to keep eyes on the monkey. He is a daredevil on his birthday roller coaster. He crawls up and down the ramp like it's his personal race track. He said his first real word, "hi" this past month.

I'm also proud to say that he's already a farm boy at heart. He wants to be outside 24/7. He stands at the backdoor glass wistfully when we're in the house. And if he sees Caden get a ride and he doesn't, a tantrum ensues. Earlier today, he screamed and literally tried to hit his head on the floor when Mom brought him inside from riding the John Deere Gator. Motorhead was MAD. He just loves anything with an engine, especially the Gator. He sits next to us, buckled in, and barely moves, content as can be. He tries to catch the wind with his hands.

This is the only hat he will wear. Go figure...it's John Deere.

Helping Grandma and Papa with a tree trimming job

He looks right at home


Mingling with the cattle.


Mom's ribbon for Brian


His first time baling hay


Uncle Jeff shows Cade how to excavate


Uncles Jeff's toys are pretty big.


I suppose I should touch on the events from earlier this month, like July 4th. Has it been that long since I blogged?! I mean, it's not like we're busy or anything. (Riiiiight.)

Fourth of July ended up being pretty good. This is one of Brian's favorite holidays, so of course he was in our thoughts a lot. In his honor, Caden and I wasted about 300 Pop Pop fireworks in our driveway. We also went swimming in the pool and sent Brian a pic of our festivities. I was hesitant to drag little Cole to the late night fireworks display but didn't want to deprive Caden. So Caden won. We drove to base and walked to the celebration with some other deployed families from Stroller Warriors. We enjoyed a yummy potluck and let the kiddos play until the fireworks began. Cole ended up loving the fireworks almost as much as Caden. Not only was he NOT scared, I think he would have watched them even longer.

At one point, he just dumped the bowl and stomped on them.


What a face.


Does this pool have a size limit? Don't answer that.


Cole, that isn't even our toy.


Getting tired but hanging in there


Getting comfy before the show


Wait...didn't I take that photo last year?! YEP...check it out!


Definitely appreciate the Stroller Warriors making the holiday special. We recently decided to be Kayak Warriors for a day, minus the kiddos. We rented boats on base and gave our legs a rest (and our Motherly instincts) while we enjoyed a quiet 3 hours on the water. None of us drowned, and we didn't see an alligator either. I was disappointed. (I mean, about not seeing alligators. Of course I don't want someone to drown. Sheesh.)



This is a brackish water channel that extends onto base


Stroller Warriors is still thriving and we have over 100 members now. I had to say goodbye to my first member and my assistant last month, and she was so good that I replaced her with 2. They are holding the fort down while I'm gone. I'm maintaining my marathon training in the meantime, although the Iowa humidity and steep hills are raising my heart rate, and hopefully my endurance.

Miss you Kim


What a group!


We left for Iowa on July 14th. How was the trip? Well, would you believe me if I said, FANTASTIC?! Yep, my boys are travel all-stars. For the first time ever, Caden did NOT freak out at security. At that point, I felt like I had already won. Cole was wound up for that first 45-minute leg, but it was manageable, and quiet (yes, you read correctly...QUIET) Caden played with his new Nascar race cars. Our layover was short in Charlotte and I sort of regretted leaving the BOB Duallie Stroller behind for the long terminal. But Caden's little legs can MOVE. We made it to our gate and even had time to get Cinnabon (the only reason I fly). Cole fought his nap for the 30 minutes of the second flight, but didn't cry...just fussed. He finally gave in and slept for over an hour. I couldn't feel my butt, but that's a fair price to pay. Caden watched the Penguins of Madagascar and chatted with the sweet Grandma beside us about going to Iowa.

My Mom picked us up in Kansas City so we still had a 3-hour journey home, but at least then I could truly breathe. No more flights, no more airports. Just a fun easy road trip with my Mom at my side and the sleeping kids in the backseat. We even got to have lunch with my good friend from KU, Jordan. It was probably the most hectic lunch she's ever had with Caden running circles around tables. Perhaps it made the waitress dizzy because she dropped an entire tray of food on Jordan's purse. Impressive. But Jordan claims that she still loves me and would do it again (but will probably leave the designer purse home).

A storm greeted us our first day home


Happy belated birthday, Jordan!


Both boys have adjusted splendidly to Iowa. They are sleeping through the night and playing hard by day. Caden snags rides from Mom and Dad whenever he can, be it the skid loader, the tractor, the lawnmower, or the Gator. He just loves farm vehicles. He loves them so much, he wants every toy replica. About a month ago, he started informing my parents via Webcam that they needed to get him a John Deere sprayer. We have no clue what prompted this, but Dad willingly abided. Well, apparently the dinky pull-behind wasn't good enough because Cade spotted the BIG tractor sprayer in his little John Deere toy catalogue. "I want THAT," he said. We told him that would have to be a Christmas present from Santa. Later that day, he said, "Mommy, I think it's Christmas tomorrow." Oh really Caden...Christmas in July?! He insisted it was. I told him there was no snow. He yelled for my Dad and said, "Papa, there's no snow. We need snow." Oh my. Such tall orders for Papa.



Now he just needs some real chemicals to play with.


Papa...you shorted me. I spy a BIGGER sprayer.

When Caden strays from riding the farm vehicles, he hangs in the house watching the movie Wall-E or wrestling with Cole. Aside from the birthday jealousy, he actually really likes Cole as of late. He's randomly hugs him. Well, it's more like a headlock, which is fitting since that's what they enjoy most together...wrestling. Yep, my 1-year-old is already taking on big bro. Cole is actually pretty strong for a little guy and his best move (and only move) is the dive. But Caden has a better move that involves smothering. Uh hem. I have to be on the ball.



Brotherly love


They wrestle the kitty too


Brian prefers to not wear a shirt...is it possible this is genetic?!


The kids had to scale back the wrestling while their younger cousins stayed over. My cousin Angie and her family participated in Ragbraii and needed somewhere for Bailey (2 1/2) and Colton (11 months) to stay. We volunteered, with a big gulp, to watch all 4 kids, under the age of 4, for 3 days. My Dad started looking for accommodations elsewhere. We actually managed quite well, as long as we didn't let Cole tackle Colton. Just glad we could help out and it was neat for Caden and Bailey to bond. The morning after they left, Caden asked "Where's Baywee? Where's my buddy?"



Buddies


I guess the only other major thing to speak of is the kitchen makeover. I'm not sure if you remember the green kitchen or not. The prior owners meant well but missed the mark. Actually, I think they missed the planet. Green must GO.




I will be excited to get back to Jacksonville and start decorating. I'm doing a wine/bike theme. If you have an old rusty bike, send it my way. I have plans...

But for now, we'll enjoy our long visit in Iowa. Much love and hope to see you.

Snugglies


Me and my handsome boys at Jill Krohn's wedding


Love my Dad


My best friends


Nice moves, Caden


We're buds, right, Uncle Jeff?


Teaching Papa about job site safety


Now Grandma teaches Cole about hair design


There's no question where Cole's blue eyes came from


He couldn't stop smiling on his first roller coaster ride

Living it up at the County Fair

Happy 4th of July

I'm happy to say that the month of June is entirely covered with stickers on our countdown. Who's more excited, me or Caden?! Time is actually passing quickly, and before we know it, we'll be in Iowa. We arrive July 14th and stay through Aug 25th, so mark your calendar.

This past month, my Stroller Warriors Running Club did some unique activities. We conducted a Marine Corps PFT just for kicks, to not only gauge our level of fitness, but also so we could tell our husbands we could be Marines. (Ha...yeah right.) The test consisted of a 3-mile run, flexed-arm hang, and crunches for 2 minutes. I rated first class (even with the stroller) at 267/300, but want to improve. Ironically, I was more nervous about calling out Cadence on the warm up than the actual test itself. I'm a terrible singer, so the girls were cracking up. I made them repeat motivating stuff like "Stephanie is cool" and "Air Force is not."

We decorated green shirts and enjoyed being Marine-esque for an hour. And that was plenty!


This is hard. Whose dumb idea was this PFT? (Oh wait...it was mine.)


I also invited the club to my house for a water fun filled playgroup. Sixteen women and 24 children...wow. But our house is set up well for entertaining and they played hard. Very few squabbles, just a few falls due to slippery floors. I've never seen such a spread of food either. Moms that run can put down some food, that's for sure.



My kitchen floor was a water-soaked danger zone.


I've been gearing up my running again because official marathon training starts on the 12th. It will be so helpful to be in Iowa so I can get up early and beat the heat. It's been a struggle to fit workouts in around sweltering North Carolina summer. We hibernate a lot of afternoons with heat index at 100+.

Ran 6 miles on Topsail Beach on Father's Day. Running in sand is no joke. Gotta give 'em credit...those Baywatch lifeguards were actually working pretty hard.


Caden keeps me hopping as usual. He loves playing in the master bedroom and pretends the bed is a boat. He likes to go fishing from his boat. He often informs me of what we are doing for the day, such as going to the train station, flying on an airplane to see Grandma, calling Daddy, etc. Typical (un)feasible activities.

My bedroom is the new party zone


We've been working through some typical 3-year-old issues. Usually any argument relates to snacks or Cole. He's taken to just scaling the pantry shelves and snatching treats. One day, I caught him in his room, in the dark, eating Oreos. He hid them behind his back and said, "I love you Mommy." That sly little sneak. At the time I was furious but it's humorous looking back.

His antics crack me up. Naked in the rain, umbrella and all.


And Cole's antics are just as humorous. This is reminiscent of a Marine at the Birthday Ball, enjoying a nice cigar.


Caden adores the beach and I'm getting more relaxed and adept at making it a stress free experience. I used to get really nervous...just something about that open water and riptides. But he never goes in far. He really enjoys the water, but generally only shallow water. He has anxiety about deep water (hmmm, sounds like his mother). Last month, we drove an hour to Kinston so the boys could play at the Pepsi Splashpad. What a fantastic idea...every town needs one of these. The padded floor, shaded picnic tables, and fun water features makes this activity a parents' dream. And it only cost us ONE DOLLAR. Bonus. Caden ran and ran for 3 hours with his buddy Ethan, and Cole enjoyed exploring as well. Cole was sort of fearless, actually. He'd crawl right into the water and sit there.

Fireman Cade


Fearless

This rocks

He couldn't get enough


Wait...he could. I'm tired Mommy.

He looks like he's trying to imitate a gremlin or something.

My eyes!


Ethan and Cade, best buds

Snuggle time

Those are mine

I think we've held up well the past 6 weeks, but regardless, I need occasional downtime. So, I've been taking the boys to an in-home daycare once a week. I'm granted 16 free childcare hours a month while Brian is gone and the one morning a week is a welcome break. Unfortunately, Caden is scarred from the drop-off daycare at Hadnot Point. Every time I change clothes, either into running gear or something casual, he assumes he's going to daycare. I have no idea why, since I have only taken him TWICE in 8 months. It's not like this is a regular occurrence! And half the time, it's the first thing he asks me when he wakes up in morning. "I go run for you? I'm not going to daycare?" He literally breaks into a frenzy any time we're even remotely near the daycare on base. He has always had anxiety over me leaving him, but this has taken it to a new level.

There's just no reason to stress him out further than he already is with Brian gone. So we tried the in-home daycare on base and he's really enjoying it. Every so often he still tears up when I leave, but he's fine otherwise. Kristi is fantastic and I feel totally fine leaving them with her. Plus, he has fun with her older children. Cole has started showing glimpses of separation anxiety but does okay also once I'm out the door.

I've been using my time to go on 30-mile bike rides with my new cycling partner Jenn. We're a good match in every way...she's a blast. I look forward to the rides and the trips to the Commissary solo. It's rejuvenating. The only part I don't like is that my BBFF (Biking Best Friend Forever) is "Medusa" and whenever I'm with her, I see snakes. Thanks a lot, Jenn. I LOATHE SNAKES.

Almost as much as I loathe dogs. Okay, I don't loathe dogs. But these aren't mine! They're the neighbors', and Caden loves them.


Those silly neighbor dogs...and silly Caden.


Tupperware party, anyone?

Caden, leave that poor lizard alone.

Mom, I'm going to drop him off on the corner. See ya, Cole.

Never mind...I will just leave. Anyone wanna give me a ride?

Brown eyes, blue eyes

Caden and Ethan on the prowl

Father's Day was actually quite pleasant, even despite Brian's absence. We Webcammed that morning and Caden got to show Brian his gift...a helicopter picture. Brian typically tries to call us once a day on Webcam, usually between 3 and 4 in the afternoon before he heads to bed. We also saw Dad while he opened his gift. Over the years, technology has really helped our family feel closer despite the miles that separate us.

Happy Father's Day!


Happy Father's Day to you too, Papa!

We mailed this photo to Brian and both Papa's

As you can see from the photo above, little Cole is really growing up FAST. He can stand by himself for about 10 seconds but then gets a huge grin on his face and plops down on the ground. He crawls a million miles an hour and pulls himself up everywhere. He ends up whining a lot because he hits his head on things frequently...toys, walls, ledges, etc. I wonder how many brain cells we've already compromised.

I'm thrilled that he might be walking before 1, but Caden is not particularly amused by Cole's new found freedom. As I mentioned earlier, arguments generally relate to snacks or COLE. I'm dismayed to see the sibling rivalry develop early. Caden is just annoyed that Cole is always up in his business. He pushes Cole away, slaps his bottom, bumps him with toys, or tells me to take him away. Cole adores Caden so it's hard to avoid these encounters. Cole also adores Caden's toys, especially whatever Caden has in his hand at any given second. That's the main source of our problems. New challenges.

Standing solo before 11 months...way to go bud!


He thinks standing is funny rather than functional. So no steps yet.

Let's do it again!

TWO monkeys


Cole really enjoys wrestling. He likes to throw himself onto me, or throw himself down onto pillows or matresses. He drags a remote control around the house a lot. Strange favorite toy. He hasn't really had a first word yet...he just babbles ma ma, sometimes da da, and ba. I'm not sure what ba is. Caden used to call his pacifier "ba." And boy does Cole love his paci too. He also loves Caden's frog...so I recently bought him his own version, bear. He has 5 teeth, almost 7, and will celebrate his first birthday in 3 weeks. WOW. Where did time go, seriously...?!?!

One of his wrestling moves


His favorite play area, the entertainment center.

Our neighborhood dock, a favorite past time

Caden loves our 10-minute walks to do the dock. He fishes with a reed.

A "Monsters Inc" movie date for neighbor Connor and Caden


Glass...a new concept


Heading out on the town


We recently had some friends visit from Quantico. Caryn and her son Brayden stayed with us for 2 nights before her family moves next week. We hit up the beach and the aquarium, and got in some coveted girl time after the kids went to bed. Nothing beats a glass of wine and a good movie with a best friend! We broke up frequent toy arguments between Caden and Brayden but other than that, no lasting damage. Maybe the next time, they'll be buds again. Caryn and I, on the other hand, are closer than ever. We sure do miss having them around, and wish them all the best on their new adventure at Stewart AFB in NY.

Five busy boys


Me and my sand bug


Look at him standing!


Both my sand bugs


Me, Caryn, and Joelle (Jo just PCSed here from Quantico...thrilled to have her!!!)

Caden LOVED the Aquarium. "Mommy, the sharks have sharp teeth. Take a picture!"


So do alligators. Yikes.


A little garage play time with Brayden and his cousins

Caryn was his new best friend

We hope you have a wonderful holiday. We will be spending ours here at Lejeune, attending a potluck with fellow deployed families and fireworks aftewards. I'm a broken record, but keep our military in mind (and our policemen, firefighters, teachers, etc) as you celebrate this holiday that epitomizes our freedom, and what they stand for. Love ya and miss ya, Brian. Happy 4th.