Both of us tried to show our love in unique ways. Brian strategically placed roses throughout the house with special quotes attached. He also asked my Mom for the name of our wedding flowers and gave me a bouquet that would rival the ones we had by the alter. His letter was the best gift...it made me cry.
I wanted to give Brian a meaningful gift too. After wandering the aisles of Michaels, I purchased a wooden crate, stained it, and painted it. Here's why...when I attended the retreat a few weeks ago, the speaker talked about your heart as a keeping place for all the things dear to you. She also specified how we need to protect our keeping place and make sure outside distractions don't interfere. So, this sparked an idea of giving Brian a "Keeping Box" to hold special letters, cards, and photos. Yeah, I suppose this is a "girly" gift, but I tried to make it look masculine, and I sent him on a photo treasure hunt to find it, including one photo from every year we've been together. What a walk through time, and boy did we look young 9 years ago?! We finished the day with a dinner date in Fredericksburg (thanks again for watching Cade, Brandee).
Caden's gift (thanks to Angel)
About the retreat...wow...what a vacation. Of course I missed my boys, but would it be terrible to say I could have stayed a week? We stayed in an old lodge from the 1800's, went hiking, had home-cooked meals prepared for us (including dessert), and listened to one of the most inspiring women I've ever encountered.
Angel, Susan, Me, and Brandee
I think one highlight was randomly hiding ham in Angel's bag and calling her Hambone for the remainder of the weekend. Brandee and I laughed so hard our faces hurt.
Thumbs up to Hambone
It was my longest time away from Cade, and he did just fine with Brian. In fact, I was disappointed that he wasn't overly enthused to see me when I returned! Brian took him to Prince William Park for a 2-hour hike. Brian excitedly described to me how they waded out to an island and Cade was actually in the creek, WAIST DEEP, and he did really well even with the currents. My eyebrows shot up but what can I expect from my two mountain men.
Pat and Pam graced us with a 5-day visit this week. Brian took some time off and we enjoyed shopping and sight-seeing in Fredericksburg and DC. We toured the Museum of the American Indian and the National Cathedral.
Breathtaking
It rained but Cade loves being outside regardless and it wasn't terribly cold. The navigation and parking was flawless and Caden was an absolute angel. Perhaps it helped that (a.) we had a GPS, and (b.) I fed Cade snacks like they were going out of style. We had some pretty impressive meals too...I think Brian was trying to show off his cooking skills to his "chef" Mom.
The Capitol
Ew
Caden is talking in sentences constantly. Recently, after we finished supper, I said, "Now, what do you need to say to Daddy?" He walked over to Brian and said, "Nice meal." I expected the normal thanks, but nice meal? That's creative. He attempts 3-syllable words (important ones, like chocolate) and counts to ten, skipping five and eight. He's quite a lover and hugs and kisses constantly. He'll see birds fly by in the sky and spread his arms and gaze upward and say, "Hug." He sure loves his grandparents too. He was glued to Grandma and Grandpa the whole visit and needed to know where they were at all times.
Hug to the ducks
Boys and their toys
He adores his Dad
Dad taught him this
Supastar
He adores his Dad
Dad taught him this
Supastar
Mom and Dad proud of their Marine
Neighborhood lawnmower races (Good strategy, Thomas)
Junior G's arrival is fast approaching, so we're moving Caden into his big boy room tonite. We started another dresser sanding project and bought a double stroller 2 weeks ago. My 20-week ultrasound was uneventful, aside from the fact that they were unable to see everything because the baby was hiding. The nurse tried to push the baby to adjust to a better spot, but the only response was a sharp kick and zero sign of cooperation. The nurse joked and said, "No offense, but I think your baby has an attitude."
Junior G's arrival is fast approaching, so we're moving Caden into his big boy room tonite. We started another dresser sanding project and bought a double stroller 2 weeks ago. My 20-week ultrasound was uneventful, aside from the fact that they were unable to see everything because the baby was hiding. The nurse tried to push the baby to adjust to a better spot, but the only response was a sharp kick and zero sign of cooperation. The nurse joked and said, "No offense, but I think your baby has an attitude."
Brian competed in 10K here on base yesterday morning, his first race for the year. He's been battling low energy the past couple weeks but felt great yesterday and held 5:30 pace most of the way (until they had to run 2 miles on slick muddy trails!). He stayed with his running buddy Tyler the entire race. It's a strange dynamic as they're friends but also prime competition. They tend to trade off as to who wins the races, but Brian edged him this time by 1 second.
My Grandma Klindt had surgery on her colon 2 weeks ago. They removed 14 inches and a sizable polyp. Post-op, she told them her pain was at a zero and she didn't want to take pain meds. Her reasoning was, "Well, farm wives have to be tough." She was at home recovering but hasn't been feeling well the past few days and couldn't keep food down. So she's back in the hospital. They will begin therapy for the cancer as soon as she has healed enough. Thank you for your numerous emails and prayers. Your support is appreciated more than you know.
