A busy fall

It seems like we just moved yesterday, but we've lived in Jacksonville for 6 weeks now. The house is looking like HOME...everything is put away and has a home of some sort. Brian and I launched into projects to make the garage his "man cave." We finished organizing it and did some painting. More work to be done but it looks MUCH better and I'm not ashamed to open our garage door anymore. I was excited to park my car in there and then realized it doesn't fit. There is literally inches to spare on either side. So I guess it really will just be a man cave, and storage too.

Now we've been on a lazy hiatus from projects after all the initial hard work. But I did purchase some wallpaper removal supplies. Those fluorescent fish in the upstairs bathroom will soon meet their doom. Muhahahahaha.

Brian started work 2 weeks ago. He has already instated morning PT for his fellow SigInt Marines, and there's NOTHING Brian loves more than thrashing young Marines. He met the guys that will be on a team with him when he deploys and he is looking forward to the challenge.

Caden undoubtedly enjoys living here. He plays with his friend Connor down the street quite often. Connor is one year older than Caden and I would consider him his "Landen replacement." He asks to play with him constantly. Caden still prefers playing in the front yard but has recently showed more interest in the backyard now that he's learned how to catch the sneaky lizards that run around. I cringe when I hear him say, "Hey Mommy....look!" This generally results in him showing me his prize. Thanks, Cade. Bugs, spiders, lizards...why is everything bigger here? And why does Brian insist on showing me every National Geographic specimen he finds?!

His first catch


His favorite question..."Can I have a popsicle?"


Our trees drop A LOT of leaves


Caden didn't think Dad was doing a sufficient job


He likes to paint...that makes his Mom VERY happy


Caden and I attend an hour-long "Mommy and Me" class once a week on base. It's interactive and he enjoys it. I was hoping to meet some other Moms but we're so busy playing with our kids that I haven't been able to mingle with them. I do enjoy hanging out with Connor's Mom, Tamera, so that's the extent of my adult interaction thus far. Unless you count Brian.

Cole is a big boy now. At 16 weeks, he fits 6-9-month clothes perfectly, wears size 3 diapers, and looks HUGE. I checked Cade's calendar recently and he didn't wear size 3 diapers until he was 22 weeks old! Cole might be the smiliest baby I've ever met. He eats up attention and would prefer to be held 24 hours a day. He is sleeping through the night again, much to our relief. He started sleeping through the night in early October so we moved him to his crib. Then he decided he preferred his nightly bottle after all, much to our dismay. That lasted a couple weeks and now he's sleeping again...YAY! Unfortunately, he's also fussy off and on because he's teething. He has rolled over a couple times but I've never witnessed it, so let's pretend it hasn't happened yet.

He never rolls when I am watching


Digging the crib


Just got back from a run with Mom...those are some blue eyes


3-month photo


3-month photo...how can you not just love that face?!


Bed time


Halloween was chill this year. My little Van Gogh painted a wooden pumpkin and dug out pumpkins to carve jack-o-lanterns. However, he was anti Halloween otherwise. It didn't matter how much bribing we tried, he refused to touch his costume. After about 45 minutes of handing out candy to other kids, all of the sudden he decided he would go. Talk about a 360. This kid is all or nothing. He still refused his real costume so we quickly threw on his replacement costume: a John Deere hat and sweatshirt. This was my original costume idea, mostly because it was free and it matched my idea for Cole, an ear of corn. Yep...I dressed my infant as an Iowa vegetable. He makes cute produce.

The pumpkin patch at Mike's Farm


Feeding the goats his beloved Goldfish crackers


Hay ride to the pumpkins (and Brian couldn't believe I dressed them in matching shirts)


He's not very scary, but he is chubby


My attempt at holiday decorating


Open up, Dad


I love my Caden


Hello corn baby


Farm boys


The costume Cade was SUPPOSED to wear


You can see the sugar rush in his eyes


My mummy loves me


Two days after Halloween, I flew to Iowa with the boys to attend my college room mate's wedding. I have decided I will write a book entitled "What NOT To Do When Flying Across the Country With Two Little Kids." First on the list, don't take a 5:30 a.m. flight. With an hour drive to the airport, we were on the road by 3:40 a.m., kids in pajamas. We made our flight with minutes to spare and I have never felt so sheepish boarding a full plane. All eyes followed us as I dragged my numerous bags and 2 kids to the very last row. At that point, I was wondering how in the world I ever thought this was a good idea.

After a 3-hour layover and TWO more flights, I was spent. Luckily, the kids were fantastic, but none-the-less, it's still stressful and I had one massive headache. From our doorstep to my parents, it was about 12 hours of travel time. Other favorite chapter topics in the book will be "Don't Do It Solo" and "Pack Drugs." Thank goodness I had the sense to take the double stroller. Yes, it has it's own zip code, but I'm fairly positive I would not have survived Chicago O'Hare without it.

The trip was worth it though to see the look on Cade's face when he arrived at the farm and saw the tractors and combine outside waiting. He spent the next couple days living out his farm boy dreams, riding for hours with my Dad, my Mom, and Uncle Jeff. He never complained and never wanted to come into the house either.

Papa, can I drive


On top of the world


Or a hay bale


A little relaxation time with Grandma


I'm glad Caden got his fill of fun on the farm because I knew the wedding weekend would not be his cup of tea. My amazing Mom agreed to be my date and I am beyond thankful. Because she saved the day and kept the boys happy (especially Cade), I managed to relax and have a great time. I haven't road tripped with my Mom in years and we had a blast. The hotel was of questionable quality (the Quality Inn was not so quality) but we didn't care...we laughed so much throughout the weekend. Brenda was one of the most fun and entertaining brides ever. Caden did agree to walk down the aisle and dragged the poor flower girl around like a puppy all weekend. He was not quite so agreeable with photos though.

Caden threw a HUGE tantrum when we put his wedding apparel on, but SpongeBob did the trick


His date Kendra (Brenda's sister's daughter)


He dragged her everywhere


My KU room mates were Erin (2nd from left) and the bride Brenda


Mr. & Mrs. Pozek


Caden would not take a photo with me...this is the best we got


I love my B-ski


One of our favorite poses, deer in the headlights


We ended the weekend with a quick trip to Lawrence to see my KU family, the Belcher's. Collin towers over me and Hailey is a young woman. How did this happen?! I started babysitting those kids when Hailey was Caden's age.

Lorrie wanted told hold Cole all night


Hailey could babysit my kids now!


Pretending to be a dog


Last but not least, I got some more use out of the bridesmaid dress at the Marine Corps Ball this past week. We felt very privileged to have the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Conway, as the guest of honor. He was a dynamic speaker and we got to take a photo with him. It was a plated meal and quite delicious, but we wanted seconds (I had the nerve to ask but was shot down). We didn't stick around for the dance because we had to get home to pick up the boys from our friends. The Schertz's are trusted friends that we met in Quantico. We couldn't have went to the ball without their help (THANKS JESSE AND MARIA!).

Posing with the USMC Commandant


I melted a hole in this dress hours before the ball...true story. I was trying to get rid of the little hanging strings. Pretty much the worst idea ever.


We're staying in North Carolina for the holidays (as long as we don't get flooded out!), so have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving! Looks like I'll have to buy a turkey this year because Brian hasn't signed up for a Turkey Trot. Aren't they expensive? I'd better sign him up for a race...

On the road

It's been a while since I've blogged, and for good reason...we are BUSY and seemingly always on the road!

Brian's 2009 triathlon season is officially over. He competed in the Nation's Triathlon in DC on September 13th. Unfortunately, not a great finish in his eyes. This year just didn't reap the results he hoped for. His accident really set him back as he couldn't swim at all for a couple weeks. I think he did incredible, considering the circumstances. He finished 12th out of the Amateur Elites and 22nd overall out of 2500 male competitors. He felt okay during the race but cramped at the very end of his run and had to walk a few steps. He won't compete with the Marine Corps Triathlon team the next couple years because he will be too busy with his new job and deployments. But of course he'll go back to it someday.

I'm glad we got to watch him for his last race of the year. The boys and I were up and on the road by 6:15am, on a train to DC by 7, and at the race site in time to see him bike. (Impressive, huh?!) He was in the first wave, so that made it easy for me to find and follow him. Brian generally loathes DC, so he wasn't sure why he chose that race, but I thought it was pretty cool!

Memorial Bridge (Cade says, too early for pictures Mom)


Ringing the bell for Daddy


Biking into the transition area


Wow, that's a lot of bikes


Cole's first tri


Brian and his future triathletes


Another week later, we were on a plane to Iowa. We wanted Cole's baptism at my church, which gives us a "home base" where Brian and I were married and both boys were baptised. Of course this meant packing up a billion items and flying across the country. Both our boys are good flyers though because Caden was a trooper as usual and Cole slept the entire time. Flying will always be stressful, but they definitely make it easier on us.

Cole's plane


The baptism was nice...and noisy. Cole was quiet...our noisy one was Caden! While we were doing the ceremony, we had no choice but to leave Caden and his cousin Lawson ALONE, essentially unsupervised. We returned to John Deere tractors everywhere and crushed fruit loops throughout the pew. Oh boy. Father Frost didn't throw them out though so I guess even God understands noisy kids.



Godparents Jen and Dane


Wow...that's a lot of grandparents


Father Frost baptised Cole


After mass, my Mom threw one heck of a party and about 50 people attended, including the Goettsch's, Klindt's, and Geraghty's. Even my Grandma and Grandpa Goettsch were there because they had not moved back down to Texas for the winter yet. Jennifer and her boyfriend Kyle drove in from Denver and all Brian's immediate family came from Cedar Rapids. We felt blessed to have so many people want to take part. Plus, Aunt Virginia made the cake and those cakes are seriously WORTH flying across the country.



Cole meets the Greats


Grandma Klindt's hand and Cole's little foot


Great G&G Klindt


Caden carried that doll around all night. ?!?! Hmmm.


3rd cousins Cole and Colton, born a month apart...obviously budding football stars


Sunday morning after the baptism, we got up early and drove to Cedar Rapids. Grandma Geraghty celebrated her 100th birthday and we planned the trip so we could attend her party. Almost the entire Geraghty clan showed up and we got some great photos. Grandma was glowing and looked so nice in her new outfit. She's such a neat lady. I hope to be half as cool as her when I'm her age (if I ever make it to 100...what a feat).



The greats


Grandma with her children and spouses

The Geraghty's


Our Geraghty's with Grandma


We fit a lot in during our 2 days in C.R. In addition to Grandma's party, we enjoyed Matt's gourmet meals at the Hasleys for 2 nights and watched both Allie and Gabrielle play volleyball. Brian helped Pat do a lot of errands. All the activities resulted in LATE nights though. Cade was seeing the 11:00 hour...yikes.

Hey...he's not holding it by the neck like this summer. Yay!


Gotta get in a ride on Shadow, of course


Lawson and Cade, partners in crime


Aunt Stephanie shows the nieces and nephews some stunts with the Mule


Gabrielle's VB game


Wiped


So afterwards, we made an educated decision to extend our stay and spend one more night in Avoca. We were tired at that point and we didn't really want to drag the boys on a plane the same night we drove from Cedar Rapids. We relaxed and hung out on the farm and had a meal of steaks that night. It was a chance for Caden to get in his farm time and a good night's rest before we left again.

Very proud grandparents


Jeff is swinging?! You don't see this every day.


Grandpa went garage saling and found a treasure for his grandson


We flew back to Quantico on Wednesday the 23rd and life sped up even more after that. We had lots to do, and lots of people to see and say goodbye too before the big move to North Carolina on the 30th. My to-do list was a mile long. It sort of made me ill to even look at it the first couple days. With 2 little ones underfoot, I knew we would need help so I hired a house cleaner to help get the place ready for inspection. Brandee watched Caden the day the packers came so he would not get upset seeing the house packed up. We also purchased him some new toys to give to him at stategic times when we needed him to be distracted.

Thanks for the surprise going away bowling party, Caryn!

He dropped the ball numerous times...whoops

Goodbye to Landen, his idol


Last day at the house...and yes, Caden is having crescent rolls for breakfast


Goodbye house


After our stuff was gone, we worked right up until the last minute getting the empty house ready for the move-out inspection on Thursday. They tried to get us for some stains on the linoleum but Brian pointed out the water damage we had documented from a year ago to evade the $200 fee. WOO HOO! Brian gets a gold star for that one.

Finally, we got on the road. Whew. We both breathed easier. Caden was excited and kept telling strangers when we stopped, "I go to new house!" Only 315 miles and it was a quick trip. Not much time to breathe though because the movers showed up the next morning. Box after box after box, and we began to wonder where everything would fit. The nursery and the garage are still overflowing with stuff, but the rest of the house is coming together.

Now that our belongings are here, I LOVE the house more than ever. We have plans for projects, but we both agree the house is awesome. I really like some of the paint colors and will likely leave them as is. We've gotten out a little just to shop and eat out, but aside from that, unpacking is priority. I just want it to be done so we can get back to some normalcy!

Hey, look what we found in the boxes...A BABY!


Yay new house!

Our new welcome mat...yes, only me and Brian would buy a finish line welcome mat


Big master BR

More of the MB

And MORE...it really is big

Hallway to master closet (left), diaper changing area (right), and bath

Living room

High ceilings, which is an advantage for tall people like us

Toward the back


The dining area (and Grandma Teresa's china cabinet)

I'm still not sure what to paint the kitchen?!

We got this awesome wooden table/bench for $100...we're going to fix it up!

So that's the scoop. I've been out of touch with EVERYONE, so nobody should feel neglected. Moving is just such a time-consuming task, especially moving between states, especially moving 2 trailer loads ourselves, and ESPECIALLY moving with two little kids! Now I'm here on my own the next few weeks. Brian is back in Quantico and will officially move here for good on the 15th. He checks in the 20th and will get the remainder of the month off.

Right before we left, Cole had his 2-month appointment. He weighed in at 13 pounds, 10 ounces. That puts him in the 98th perecentile for weight and 92 percentile for height. Aka, this kid is huge. His head is still pea size though...25 percentile. He's been sleeping through the night from about 10 until 7! Love that.



Tina, the giraffe outfit is awesome


Caden has been sleeping well too. The boys have seriously been cooperative for the most part. Caden did have one extremely whiney day this past weekend, but I guess he's allowed that after all he's been through. He's also had a couple nights where he was "scared" and woke up a few times but other than that the transition has been painfree.

I have to share one humorous story about Cade sleeping. He's never been one to nap much in the carseat, but due to the hectic lifestyle we've been leading, he's occasionally dozed off in the car recently. Brian returned from Lowes on Saturday and let Caden stay in the truck because he was still sleeping. Brian was working in the garage anyway and just rolled down the windows and kept an eye on him. At one point, he commented that Caden might still be holding a "treasure" in his hand...a chocolate covered strawberry. Oh crap. Great idea, Brian....THAT will be a fun mess to clean up. Yeah, that ended up being the understatement of the century. Caden woke up and was a bit startled to be in the truck. Brian immediately went to him but he was already too late. Caden had managed to rub that elusive chocolate strawberry ALL OVER HIS FACE. One of his eyebrows looked like a brown caterpillar. The poor little guy was freaked out for a good 45 minutes. So, we noted that perhaps letting him nap in the truck was not a good idea, and certainly not with a chocolate covered strawberry in his hand.

The chocolate kid...poor Cade!

Let's end with a happy pic from the County Fair last night