Feast of St. Nicholas

Happy Feast Day!!  


The boys were highly anticipating this day, and they reminded us multiple times to put our shoes out the night before.  We did, and St. Nick was able to find us in our new, temporary location.   The boys came running out of their room this morning to see the contents of their shoes....chocolate gold coins, a new toothbrushes and Jan Brett's The Night Before Christmas book for them to share.  Josh got honey roasted cashews, and I was excited to get Andrea Bocelli's Christmas CD.  I wonder if the entire hotel is tired of hearing it already....probably not!

Happy Advent!

Evening shopping with boys

Back in early November:  out of sheer desperation, we attempted an evening shopping trip AFTER Josh got home from work, and BEFORE dinner.  "Stupid," you are thinking, I know, but let me explain....
1.  We live in a hotel, and after a few days of bad weather that kept us cooped up inside the room, the boys and I were starting to go a little crazy.
2.  Henry told me that his heel hurt.  Upon inspection, I noticed a blister from shoes that were WAY too small.  Poor kid, but seriously, I think we had just bought him those shoes.  I have to quit feeding these kids:)
3.  #2 inspired me to inspect the other two boys' shoes.  Yup, too small. We do have a shoe bin full of various sizes and styles, but unfortunately, it is in storage and inaccessible for another 6 weeks(at the time).
4.  The rest of our week did not allow for shopping, but did require shoes for the boys.

So, out we went to the outlet mall excited to get out, and I was super excited for new shoes, even if they weren't for me:)  Nothing around here is within a convenient location, so 30 minutes later, we arrived at the mall.  For some unknown reason, William was furious at the idea of having his feet measured and trying on shoes, so he screamed and wrestled us through the process and for the duration of our outing.  The other two boys were so excited about their new "very fast" shoes, they ran, and ran, and ran around the store like a bunch of track stars.  We had no control over our children.

We justified another store stop to find William a new sweatshirt.  I left Josh behind to pay at the shoe store with a screaming 2 year old, and took my track stars to the next store down the sidewalk.  As I am desperately looking for the correct sized sweatshirt for Will, I hear him coming (still screaming) and I ignore Josh and Will like they don't belong to me.  Henry is next to me observing one of the store workers assembling a new shelf to display winter hats, gloves and scarves.  Sean is next to me jumping, "Okay, they are fine, "I think to myself.  Next thing I know, the worker has finished her task, and Henry, oh, so curious Henry, immediately disassembles the shelf, hats, scarves and gloves to tumbling all over.  "Don't worry Mom, I know how to do this" he reassures me.  I look away from this huge mess, to get a visual on Sean.  I don't see him at first, and then his head pops up from within a clothing rack that he has climbed- on top of.  As quickly as I can, I clean our mess, and bury my head as I grab my boys and officialyl declare our shopping trip over.  I join Josh, who left the store shortly after he arrived, and interrupt his wrestling match with William to inform him that we are done.

Once again, shopping, or going out in public period, is only a good idea with well-rested, well-fed and well-exercised boys, no matter how desperate the situation.  Lesson learned, again.  This shopping trip pretty much sums up the boys...
Henry- always figuring out how things work, and how to assemble/disassemble things (that is why the boy LOVES legos and such toys)
Sean- sees the world as some sort of physical sport or challenge to either win, climb or defeat
William- he has a mind of his own, and isn't shy about enforcing his opinion on all those around

Maybe nobody noticed that I am pregnant on top of the three monkeys we already have.  If anyone would have asked, I would have denied it, and claimed obesity (sorry babies).

Now for some success...
Henry is the proud new owner of his first pair of tie up shoes.  He was very eager to master the task of tying shoes, and after a quick lesson, he is an old pro.  This new skill has another benefit...tying my own shoes has become quite a task, and on the more uncomfortable days, Henry is happy to assist me and tie my shoes.  What a sweet boy.

William has also learned a new skill....potty training!  With the upcoming arrival of our twins, we felt the urgency to eliminate some diaper use in our home!  Back in mid November on a particular Saturday, the two older boys and I headed to a friends house for a few hours, while Josh (my hero) stayed back to train William.  Here is our big boy in training...

A few weeks later, and he is still using the bathroom like a champ.  Will had never eliminated on the toilet before "training day" and so after Josh set him on the toilet, he stepped out of the bathroom for a moment to hear Will exclaim, "Its WORKING"!!  Yes, son, it does work!  He continues to declare this every successful bathroom trip since....except, somehow he has developed a German accent, so it sounds more like, "ess voorking".  I really have to stop calling him Wilhelm...

Halloween

Here are the boys getting ready to trick-or-treat.  Our hotel is right next to Commander's Row on base, so thats where we headed to collect candy.  This was the most generous neighborhood that we have ever visited on October 31st- we got MANY full sized candy bars and three very full bags of candy.  The boys had a blast, and once again, Josh and I enjoyed watching them.  Please don't notice that William is not in costume... and if you must, I would like to tell you that he refused to wear his costume just to make myself feel better, but that would be dishonest.  He had a blast anyway, and chances are, he would have refused a costume.

The boys have been extremely generous with sharing their treats with the twins.  They seem to be very sympathetic to their younger siblings' cravings for sweets.  Even though the babies have been more active than ever since Halloween, I am afraid the majority of the treat-aftermath has stuck with me.

We did our best to do our regular Fall/Halloween festivities without home and belongings, but unfortunately we didn't get too many photos (our camera is running out of battery, and the charger is in storage).  We did attend the Medical Group's Halloween party, and that was another opportunity for food, games, friends, costumes, CANDY, and lots of fun.  The boys are already plotting Halloween costumes and fun for next year!

Ready or not....

We were recently playing a game of hide-and-seek outside, and then Josh and I took a break while the boys continued to play the game.  Henry was counting, while Sean & William were hiding.  Now, prior to this particular turn, the boys had been pretty clever with finding places to hide, so Josh and I first assumed that Sean was being funny.  Nope, that kid held so still and was so proud of his great hiding spot, that we were left laughing, and at the same time, wondering what the heck??!!  He really never ceases to surprise us....

Notice the soccer ball, always at his side.

Birthday Boys

The boys' birthday celebrations didn't happen exactly how I had envisioned but the birthday boys were celebrated and loved (many times over), and that is all that matters, right?

The first celebration was in mid July with Josh's family.  The boys got to celebrate with Grandma, Papi, Aunt Molly, Uncle Brian, Penelope & Lucy.  The family spoiled them with gifts of the sporting type (perfect) and we all enjoyed some delicious chocolate cake & ice cream.

Due to my illness, I wasn't able to plan the party that I had hoped to do (or even bake a cake), so my wonderful friend and her family brought the party to us.  It was so kind of her to do this, and the boys loved it.  She brought a cake, gifts and all of the serve ware.  I was so humbled and feeling like a failure of a mom, but then I turned my focus to what a special blessing it is to have a dear friend who would do this for me in a time of need.  Thank you, Therese!

Gabe autographed a soccer ball for Sean.  Sean keeps that ball close to him, and still talks about Gabe every day.

On their individual birthdays (I was still sick and unable to make anything), Josh brought home a cake so we could official recognize the day of their births....

WILLIAM: turned 2 on July 27th.
Will has no idea he is two, for all he knows, he is four like is older brother.  He is a boy of extremes, and that is no lie.  He is either extremely- happy/angry, quiet/loud, shy/outgoing, etc/etc and in spite of this (or because of it) he is extremely loved!  He is following in his brothers' footsteps, and has aquired a love of sports.  He may not know all of his colors or animal sounds (I have kind of dropped the ball with #3), but he can count to 10 for hide & seek, and he is a darn good goalie in a soccer game, intimidated by no one.
Favorite color: red
Favorite toy: "stink," my old baby blanket
Favorite food: hot dogs
Favorite animal: cat
Favorite family activity: being held

SEAN: turned 4 on August 8th.
Although small in stature, this boy makes up for it in personality and physical prowess.  He can light up a room with his cute smile, and when sad, Sean can stick his bottom lip out about two inches while slumped over, walking at a 90 degree angle- it is adorably pathetic!  He still LOVES sports- watching them, playing them, and learning about them.  Sean has no problem walking up and inviting himself into a football game with a bunch of 10 year olds- he wants to play, so he steps right in and holds his own.  Sean is learning to read, and write his numbers and letters- and doing a great job!
Favorite Color: blue
Favorite Sport: "um, my favorite sport is all of sports"
Favorite food: peanut butter and honey sandwich
When I grow up, I want to be: a Knight
Favorite toy: soccer ball from Gabe
Favorite animal: orca whale
Favorite family activity: playing football

Speaking of birthdays, I also recently celebrated one.  Josh and the boys spoiled me with a much desired dutch oven!  It has really come in handy during this transition while we are very limited on kitchen supplies.  I wanted to share this card that the boys gave me.  Sean wanted to write what he likes to do with me on my birthday card, and he didn't want help writing it.  Josh said he would write a letter, then slowly say the word to sound out the next letter...very cute.  He wrote into Henry's note a little, but it says:  I Love go suwme (swimming) wif (with) mom.  He was very proud of himself, and so was I!

And one last photo...did I mention that a few weeks before we left Florida, Sean got stung by a jelly fish?  Well, he did.   Yikes!

The DOUBLE BIG news...

we are expecting, twins!  Due date: March 12, 2012.  here they are...

5 weeks:

12 weeks:

I am 17 weeks now, and so far the babies are looking and growing very well.  Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us, and please continue to keep us all in your prayers!

So, since have received A LOT of questions/comments, I will just try to answer a few for you all here-

1. Where you surprised?  duh.

2.  Are you excited?  duh.

3.  Identical or Fraternal?  fraternal...they said identical at first, but now think fraternal

4.  Are you hoping for a girl(s)?  i would really love to have a daughter and share that mother/daughter relationship with someone again, but after three boys, it is difficult to picture a baby girl, and it is also a bit intimidating (for some of us more than others).  oh, and if i do have a girl, i will be going on a huge shopping spree, but i am not sure i could afford two at one time after suppressing this urge of mine for so many years!

5.  What was Josh's reaction?  had i not been in such shock, i would have video taped some sort of clever way to tell him, but i was in shock and on a mission to find him somewhere on Eglin AFB to share the news.  Anyway, i showed him the ultrasound picture, and he said,
"Nuh, uh.  Are you kidding me?"
me: no
him: (with a huge grin) wow.
me: um, are you happy?
him: yes, i am really excited.
and then i literally saw beads of sweat form on his face!!  I really feel blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive and baby-loving husband:)

6.  Are the boys excited?  super excited.  they tell EVERYONE, which has lead to a lot of comments/questions, which has inspired me to answer some of them here.  Henry is sure we are having a boy and a girl, but wants to name them "Jacob" and "Jake" because those names sound alike.  Sean would probably name them "Soccer" and "Football".

7.  Are you finding out genders?  yes, we have to be as prepared as possible for their arrival.  however, we aren't telling anyone until they are born...it will be a big surprise for you all!!

8.  Are you "done" having kids after this?  so personal, but i would rather answer this now versus during my first trimester, or shortly after i deliver so i can honestly answer it-  as far as children go, we take the approach that we will just take them one at a time, or in this case, two at once!  when the time comes, we pray and evaluate what we are called to do.

9.  Do twins run in your families?  didn't think so, but apparently my paternal great, great-grandfather had four sets of fraternal twins. there have since been a few more on that side of the family, but no close relations.

10.  Are you nervous?  duh.

I hope that covers it!  Oh, and we are open to suggestions for names... even naming two children at one time seems overwhelming!

Hello from New Jersey!

We have arrived, and are now living in "The Garden State."  It really is beautiful here, and we are excited to live in an area with four seasons again (although, I know sometime around February we will be missing the beach).
To sum up our last few months in Florida:
(this might be the longest post ever)

May- to celebrate Josh's birthday, we took a final trip to Sea World over Memorial Day weekend.  Two other resident families went as well, and the boys loved having their friends there with them.  Toward the end of the day, the kids rode the rides/roller coasters together while the parents got to sit with the babies & rest, take pictures &, drink water (it was blazing hot that day).  Then, after a huge rainstorm that cleared out the park, the adults took turns watching the kiddos while we rode The Manta roller coaster.  I left the ride with a migraine, but Josh was so excited have me join him on the roller coaster, it was totally worth it! I have to admit, I was a bit nervous...it has been years since I rode a roller coaster, and this one was pretty extreme.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

The day after we got back, my sister Chrissy and her family came for a visit.  We all had a blast together-  the cousins all had so much fun together, Josh enjoyed having another adult male around, and there is nothing like sister-time!  This get-together was extra special, because it was our first time meeting Abe and Tim, the newest members of their family.  We made great memories, and the time went by too quickly.

Random pictures from May

Yes, that is Josh in the tree with Henry.  This is the moment that I learned that it is hopeless for me to hope that my boys will stop climbing on everything any time soon, because apparently they will still be climbing in their 30's.  See William at the base of the tree?  This reminds me of one of my favorite books: The Giving Tree.

on the days that permitted, this is how I took my walks.  I had no choice but to pile them on the stroller, and tell Sean to hang on!  He was a good little monkey.

and they start young, too.

June- June was a pretty low-key month for us.  Henry did Vacation Bible School, and the two older boys took swimming lessons.  Aside from that, we knew our time in Florida was winding down, so we tried to enjoy every last minute, and spend as much time as possible with friends.

Just like Daddy!

 The boys LOVE to play golf.  When we do allow them to play, it takes some serious parental (usually both of us) supervision- flying golf balls, and swinging clubs can be very dangerous!  Actually, the boys seem to be pretty good.  And, they all enjoying watching golf tournaments on TV (BOOORRRING)!  Our home was surrounded by a golf course, so here are photos of one evening when we took them to the course after hours to practice some putting.

William is more of a sand trap kind of guy

This is evidence that they have watched too much golf: every time they make a put, they "thank the crowd" although I am not sure that they even know what they are doing, they just see the pros do it, and they think it is just part of the game.

I love that Josh and the boys have this common interest, and I hope it continues.  I am sure there will be many hours of quality, man-bonding for my boys on the course (I hope to take golf lessons some day and join them, but incase that never happens, I will be home reading a book while all of that is going on)!

July- One of our biggest events (I'll save the other for another post) this month was spending a vacation with Josh's whole family.  His parents, Molly & Brian and girls drove to Florida and we all spent a week together at an amazing beach house.  We have really missed seeing them all on a regular basis, so we were really looking forward to their visit, and it didn't disappoint!  We all had so much fun, and we are still talking about the memories made that week.  And, at the end of the week, before they even made it all the way out of the driveway, we missed them.  (unfortunately, during their visit i had the wrong lens on my camera, and most of my photos didn't turn out)

We went on a dolphin sight seeing cruise, and the Captain let all the children on the boat take a turn driving- my boys were thrilled

During the week of their visit, we all attended Josh's graduation from the AEGD program.  It was a really nice ceremony and picnic to honor Josh and his fellow residents for all of their hard work this past year.  Not only that, but it was nice to have one last get-together with our friends before we all parted ways.

I had so much fun getting to know the fellow wives, they are all great women.  Thanks to Christine, we had regular outings together, too!

Other random moments from July:

Celebrating July 4th with our wonderful friends, The Cofer Family

Josh's cousin, Tiffany, and her husband, Clay, visit Destin each year with his family.  We had the fortunate opportunity to see them three times while we lived in Florida (they made one extra trip that year).  We love Tiffany & Clay, and Clay's family is so welcoming and fun!  They spent their last night in town with us at Baytown Wharf eating dinner and gelato.  

Henry's feast day- I took the boys the see the Blue Angels practice and then we headed to the Naval Museum.   Later in the evening the boys took part in an archeology dig, searching for gems.  Henry went to bed a happy boy that night.

the boys were covering William's ears from the loud jet noise- always looking out for little bro

Following an afternoon monsoon:

August- At the last minute, our orders to Cannon AFB were cancelled, and so we were held in Florida until we got orders for a new assignment.  Unfortunately, we still had to be out of our rental house, so all of our belongings were packed up and we suffered through the month in a condo on the beach on Okaloosa Island...I know, it was rough!  We feel very blessed to have finished our time in Florida without experiencing a hurricane, but just before we left, we did get some excitement with Tropical Storm Lee.  We were right on the beach, so we had a great view of the waves and blowing sand.  We both have a new found respect for such natural disasters, it was pretty powerful (these pictures and video don't do it justice- the worst of the storm was during the night)

One set of neighbors, "Nana & Grandpa" played the role of adoptive grandparents.  They were so helpful, and they loved the boys so much (the feelings were mutual).

Our last night- on the beach with the Cofers

Henry and his best friend, the ocean

 Sean and his best friend, Gabe Cofer

Goodbye Florida!

September- We made our exodus from Florida and headed North.  We stopped in Ohio to visit the Schmiesing's for a few days.  What a rare blessing to see them twice in a matter of months!  My sister spoiled us with fantastic food and a house full of toys and playmates (her children:)
We took a walk and played in a beautiful park near their home

We had a wonderful year in Florida, for which we are very grateful.  It was an interesting year, with a few ups and downs and a lot of adjusting, but overall we feel we left as a more seasoned, and stronger family!  This isn't always the case, but we can really see why God lead us here, and how this move/change in our lives was needed.  And, I can't say enough about our wonderful neighbors and the great friends that we made who were all so loving and helpful- we miss them all so much already.

After a safe and fun journey, here we are, ready for the next chapter....

I still have more catching up to do, but that will come at some time in the (hopefully) near future!