James is 4!!

It is still hard for me to believe that James is FOUR years old! Hard to believe that 4 years ago I gave birth after 28 hours of labor (from start to finish) to the perfect little baby boy. I get a little misty eyed at the thought of how fast time seems to go. We spent the first 15 months of your life alone in North Carolina while Daddy was in Afghanistan. You were my world then and you are my world now. I am such a proud mommy.  It seems that time is going too fast and before I know it he will be in school :(. James has been the best baby and child so far. He has the most wonderful caring and loving heart I have ever seen on a child. Don't get me wrong, he is ALL boy but has a kind sould. He is very sensative to others which is so sweet. He is also a funny little squirt who is very animated. The things he says and how he says them will keep you entertained for hours! I must say that he is quite the athlete too. He has played two sports, tball and soccer, and has excelled at both of them. I am so proud of him and proud that he gives it his best each time despite if he they win or lose. James is also so smart and enjoys learning. He attends MMO 3 days a week and always is bright eyed ready to learn each morning. He can write his name and loves to draw his family. He enjoys doing crafts and playing outside. He learned to swim this past summer and would jump off and swim to the side. He amazes me how fast he picks up on things. He definitely is the child everyone dreams about :). James has adjusted so well to having a younger brother. He loves him so much and to see him give Ethan hugs and kisses makes my heart melt. I hope they continue the bond and are best friends throughout life.

James, you have brought more joy to our life than ever imagined. You have shown us what unconditional love is. I truly know that I would lay my life down for you and that I would do anything to keep you from hurting in any way. How God sent His Son to die for us is something that hits me hard often especially now being a mom.  Our hopes and desires are that you will continue to learn and explore God's word and accept Jesus into his heart one day. You are already asking questions and it thrills us. We hope you continue to enjoy learning and get excited at new things. We see such a bright future in you.

We are going to Polar Express in Chattanooga for your birthday present. Too many schedules to work around to have a big party. But Gran came to Florence to eat with us at Demo's. Aunt Andrea and Maw MAw joined us for dinner at our house on your birthday.

I just pray I can be the parent you deserve because you are more than I deserve for sure. I love you sweet boy!

Happy Halloween 2010

It's hard to believe that Halloween has come and gone! It seems that this year has flown by...could be because I have been sleep deprived because of Ethan so days just run together :). But overall this has been a great year being in Alabama.

Halloween fell on a Sunday so Lauderdale County deemed Saturday night Trick or Treat night. James was so excited this year. He picked out his costume at the first of October...of course Woody since he was Buzz Lightyear last year. :). He loves the Toy Story characters. Ethan was going to be a Monkey. He wore the costume that James wore for his FIRST Halloween. I loved the costume and because Ethan's bedroom and wardrobe are filled with Monkey's it was so perfect.

James had a soccer game that morning and being the slacker mom I am, we carved our pumpking that afternoon. James told me he wanted a happy jack o lantern with round eyes and nose. So I drew it on the pumpkin and he actually helped carve the face on it. He was so proud of his work.

Then we napped and got ready for the big night of fun. We visited Maw-maw at work to get her back of treats and then headed back home to get some goodies. James was really into it this year. He would look for porch lights that were on and then go running up to the door. Everytime he would say "trick or treat" and would tell them "thank you" or "have a happy halloween". I swear that kid is the sweetest thing ever!!! His manners amaze me and make me feel I am doing something right :). I took Ethan to a few doors (mainly for my chocolate pleasures) but he was content riding in the stroller so we just left him in there. He was enjoying the suckers and smarties he received. We walked a good bit of our neighborhood before we called it a night. Our neighborhood is one of the busiest neighborhoods in the area. Cars line the streets for the entire neighborhood length. It is crazy. James was thrilled with his loot and wanted to eat all of it but we put it up after a few pieces.

Seeing the excitement in James eyes as holidays approach is one of the best feelings ever! I can't wait for Ethan and him to share in the festivies together very soon!

This and That

Whew, it seems I never really have time to sit and update the blog like I would like. We are gearing up for the Holidays and it is so exciting with kids! We are doing some fun stuff at Christmas time especially while Shawn is here to share in the fun.

We have about 7-8 more months here and then it looks like we will be going to Kansas for Shawns ILE school (Major school). We are debating if I will go or stay but more than likely I will go because after he does his schooling and we PCS again he will most definitely deploy since he has been stateside since 2008. He is still planning on career Army which means we have about 12 more years of this thing called "Army Life". Living in Alabama has definitely had its ups and downs. I love having my friend, Courtney, nearby. She is a lifesaver in so many ways for me. I have also grown very close to Kristin, another Army Wife, which is great. She is so fun and just laid back, she balances me. The family involvement, however, isn't what I had hoped. It seems that when we are gone everyone is so anxious to see James or wonder what he is doing and wish they could be involved, yet while we have lived here we just haven't seen much company. This is really the only time that they will be able to see him play sports or just see his every day life. Despite the words of "we'll visit" when we move, we know traveling the distance we live when we move is difficult. Maybe my expectations were too high moving here. Families expand and get busy, schedules are hectic.

James will be 4 in just a few days. James attends MMO 3 days a week and is doing so great. Mrs. Emily is a wonderful teacher and I can see James learning so much this year. He is taking gymnastics Tuesdays after school which he loves. I peek in on him and he is so good at it. James is a natural at most things he does which is awesome. He has his two final soccer games and then we get a break until Tball season begins in April. (I will update more on James after his 4th birthday)

Ethan is 15 months now. He still looks so much like me as a baby...sheesh he is cute :) Although he finally has his sleeping habits regulated he is still an awful traveler! He screams almost the entire ride just going to Huntsville. He also is developing his personality and it is so funny because he grasps so much more than what he can verbalize. I bet it must be so frustrating to have all this stuff going through your head that you want to communicate but just can't! He is doing a lot of pointing of what he wants with a little "eh" as he points. We have taught him sign language for "more" and "all done" for meal times. However, often times he would just rather dump his food in my floor to tell me he is done. Oh the tantrums this little boy can throw! He lays down, kicking his feet while screaming. Then if James has a toy and won't give it to him he just screams...tenses his entire body up and screeches as to say "I want that now give it to me".  Yes he gets time outs and little pops on the hands but I really don't see them working too much. Ethan is completely opposite in every aspect of James as a baby. I know people say don't compare your children but we all do. Ethan is so much smaller than James which is so odd b/c I look at Ethan and think he is a chunk..so James must have been a massive baby :). Ethan loves brushing his teeth, likes his vegetables, LOVES yogurt raisins and peanut butter.

Having two boys definitely keeps me on my toes. They provide numerous challenges but also plentiful and abundant love for me and Shawn. I love watching them interact. My favorite part of each day is in the morning when the boys wake up, James always gives Ethan a hug and kiss. Ethan will then wrap his short, chubby arms around James too and smile. It is the sweetest thing ever!! I always said I only wanted one baby after James was born but I am SO thankful that God knew my plans and didn't hold back. I can honestly say our family is complete with Ethan and I can't imagine life without him. I am thankful for two healthy boys that I would lay my life down for at any given time. You never know love until you have kids of your own.

Upward Soccer

James is playing his first year of Upward Soccer at Crosspoint Church of Christ in Florence.  Initially he was to be coached by Courtney and another girl but because they needed more coaches Courtney asked me if I would be her assistant coach. Yes I know....I am clueless about any sports so this was quite a task for me :). Our team is the Dragons and it consists of 2 boys and 4 girls. James and Rorie are the two boys. Bonnie, Barklee, Ava and Olivia are the girls. Rorie has proven to be quite a challenge for us but we know that he will get it soon. The first week I was asking what did I get myself into with this? Kids were hot, tired and not getting it not to mention James meltdowns when he didn't score or get the ball...seriously?? But now that we are further into the season things are going great!! The kids are learning TEAMWORK which is the key to any sport. It is so great! In this age league we don't keep score, don't have goalies and play 4 on 4..although we prefer 3 on 3 so whenever possible we use that theory.

We scrimmage diffferent teams during practice and on one of the teams is a really big girl who is kind of a bully...she pushes and is super aggressive which our kids aren't use to. James told Shawn about it and Shawn told him to just push her bag and that he can use his elbows to get her out of his way. The entire time I am wanting to push Shawn down b/c James doesn't need to start off being a bully but learning what is allowed and what is good sportsmanship. Well next practice the girl is all over them again. James bends his arm and chases her with his elbow bent...SOOOOOOOOO funny!!!! he didn't knock her down but it was SOO obvious he was trying to do what Shawn said. So when James got in the car we had to talk to him....without cracking up.  Then next game James got the whistle blown for pushing :(. I understand he needs to be aggressive but he doesnt' understand the happy medium of being fair and aggressive together. I know he will learn.

James is an excellent player and has great potential.I love that Courtney and I have this opportunity because once we move we won't be back for a while. I love that two of my dearest friends in AL kids play on our team and we have fun. This has been well worth the experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. However, James has told me he will be playing tball again in the spring...I prefer soccer though b/c it is more involvement than just hitting the ball off a tee. But he can do whatever he chooses right now :)

Break Time for Mommy!!

Another year of Mother's Morning Out has began and I am so happy!! Yes I miss my little boogers while they are gone but it allows me to get stuff done without neglecting them or dragging them with me to do errands. It's amazing what you can get done when you don't have kids to drag around with you. James and Ethan are both attending Woodmont Baptist Church (King's Kids). It is so nice because it is literally 5 minutes down the road unlike in GA.

Because James initial teacher was offered a full time job the day before Open House we knew that she would not be his teacher but didn't know who would be at that time. I was very anxious because I always like to meet the teacher and get a feel for them before sending my kids to them. So going in today I kept a very positive attitude for James and knew that God would provide a good teacher for him. Mrs. Emily is a recent grad of UNA and has 2 kids of her own. James settled in with his friend from last year Anna Kate and they colored together. He was fine so I kissed him and I left. He is so big now and I am so blessed that he adapts to new places and routines so easily...a HUGE bonus since he is an Army Brat :).

Ethan has two teachers, older ladies so that is so nice. They adore the kids and spoil them as any good grandmother would do :). I was worried about him since he is SO clingy to me but he did great. He went to his teacher and I waited a few minutes and left once I saw he was playing and not upset. Shawn went with me to pick them up from school and Ethan kinda snubbed me and went to his daddy, as if to say he was upset with me. When we got home he kept saying "bye-bye" really loud as if he was telling me I left him bye bye today! I know maybe i"m interpreting things totally wrong but it was SO funny!

James filled us on his day and was so excited about it. I think he was getting bored at home as well. He loves to learn and play with friends. James was so excited when he told us about seeing Ethan being strolled around outside while he was at playtime. He said he waved to Ethan and Ethan waved to him. I love it!! Ethan is just at the age that we can do stuff like play outside but i still have to be right there with him which is so hard on James because he wants my attention too. Again, wondering if Mother's Guilt ever goes away from not spending equal time with each child. James said he saw Mrs. Cassie, his teacher last year, and that she was so glad to see him and gave him a big hug. That kids is so funny.

It is going to be a good year I do believe.

Destin 2010

We just got back from one of the best vacations I can remember in a very long time. I love that Shawn has a flexible schedule and more importantly is HOME. We know his time to deploy will be here before we know it so we are taking advantage of having both parents home and traveling. Buying the camper affords us the opportunity to travel more and spend more time. We spent the same amount on the 5 days at the campsite as we would for 1 night in a hotel plus making most of our meals at the campsite is a huge money saver. Shawn and I honeymooned in Destin almost 8 1/2 years ago so it is very dear to us. We haven't been back since so to go back as a completed family was so amazing.

We spent 4 nights/5 days in Destin, Florida at the MWR Campground/Resort. It was so nice! Although it wasn't directly on the beach it has breathtaking views of the Bay and a pier you could walk out on to view the Ocean. It also had a pool (crappy hours and rules..but only negative of the entire trip), playground, workout facility, nice running trail, and  nice areas for kids to release energy for sure. The beach was 5 minutes away and we were so close to everything. It was truly AWESOME!

While we were there James and Shawn kayaked, we rented a pontoon boat, James held an alligator, Ethan said MaMa for the first time, we shopped, we ate, we built sandcastles and most importantly we enjoyed time as FAMILY. We ate at Fudpuckers one afternoon where James got to hold a live alligator (the mouth was taped shut) but he was thrilled. Ethan even was excited to touch it. Me, not so much. The other restaurant of choice was McGuire's Pub where we ate so much we all needed naps. I love that place and it is a place we ate when we were newlyweds. James got to Build-A-Bear...of course he chose the outfit for him to be Buzz Lightyear. It was so sweet how he'd kiss the bear at night and cuddle with him. Ethan enjoyed the peaches and watermelon we got in Clanton, AL. He is a fruit baby for sure.

Our family truly enjoyed every minute and did so much while we were there. James loved boogie boarding in the clear water. I was amazed at how clear and beautiful the beaches were. The sand was as white as sugar. I was worried because of the oil spill but we saw no signs of it. The weather was awesome every day. It was a refreshing trip after the meltdown I had during our first camping experience in Myrtle Beach :).

When we took the pontoon boat out we saw Manna-rays which James referred to as Mr. Ray's from "Finding Nemo".  Hearing his squeals of excitement was so sweet. We also got to go to the sandbar in the ocean and it was amazing.  Shawn said while they were kayaking that they saw a dolphin too. There is so much to do there that even after 5 days we hadn't really done 1/2 of what we'd like to do...but that is more incentive to go back.

The mullet is gone :)

Yesterday we took Ethan for his first haircut. His hair has a mind of its own so I was nervous that cutting it might create a bigger disaster. However, he was starting to look like he was sporting a mullet (business in the front, party in the back) and it was driving me crazy. So I decided to take both boys to the girl who does my hair. I sat in the chair with Ethan while Nikkole cut his hair. He did really good and only got squirmy when she went towards his neck. But she did a great job and he looks so handsome and mature now. After he was done he got a sucker from Miss Nikkole which he loved, as was evident by his soggy shirt ;). James did great too and looked handsome as ever!!