Oh how time flies!

So the last post was right at Thanksgiving...and now it is a couple days past Christmas...so this should tell ya how busy we truly are around here...
My parents were out for a visit--we saw NYC decked out for the holidays, we went to Hershey PA to the Hershey Fun Factory, went shopping, ate out and they also helped get our place decked out for Christmas (too bad that we really didn't get any snow besides the storm that they came in on and that the wind totally knocked everything over almost everyday).
J has had possible trips to go on, but all them so far have not panned out...we wish he would have gotten onto at least one and relieved that he was not on another trip. He is all done with his upgrades and now has been stuck with an office job for at least another month.
M has been home from school and said that he got everything he wanted for Christmas...thanks to all of you who sent us presents...the kids had a blast opening presents. Before school let out they had a Holiday party that I went in to help with...he is such a good little boy and I count my blessings that he has 2 wonderful teachers and that he isn't one of the "wild" ones in the class.
J has officially moved to a big boy bed. We spent a wonderful afternoon and a great store called IKEA...for those of you who have been to one know what I am talking about when I say it is an awesome shopping experience and everyone needs to go at least once...but we ended up walking out with a bunk bed for the boys...a low one that has J's bed literally on the floor and M's bed is maybe up only 4 feet. The boys were totally pumped at the idea of a bunk bed after visiting cousins this summer. They are definitely enjoying a larger footprint of play area.
So what did I get for Christmas you may be asking...well I got a van earlier this fall and a washing machine this summer that were pretty big ticket items, so J and I decided on spending a little less on Christmas presents this year. I got a new replacement chain for a pendant the boys got me for mothers day a few years back. I got him the Guitar Hero III for his Wii, and technically the Wii we got this summer was the family gift....thankfully we got it then when we a little extra money from his trips and when they were still easier to find! The boys got a ton of great toys, Star Wars themed are always a huge hit, and have been busy testing them all out.

We hope that you have had a great Holiday Season and hope that you have a great 2008!

Happy Pre-Thanksgiving!!

I hope that everyone has a great gobble day tomorrow. We will be playing it low key...saving up energy for the madness of Black Friday. Since we have to have things mailed out we have a lot of the extended family shopping already completed, but really need to get going on presents for the boys. So what is on the wish list of the boys this year...well they really aren't that vocal about it.
M did say he wanted the new Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board and he also said he wanted some Transformers, which are very popular with his friends even though he isn't allowed to watch the movie...good flick just not for kids IMO. We will also probably get him the Lego Star Wars II game for the xbox, he pretty much has the first one mastered.
J is a little harder...he pretty much goes with the flow and does everything that M does too, plus his birthday is the 28th of November so all the good ideas are usually used then. If anyone has any good ideas let me know I would sure love to hear some!
We are also looking forward to having my parents visit us in 2 weeks. It hasn't been that long since we have seen them, but the boys love having Grandma and Grandpa around to play with. I would really like to head out to NYC and see all the neat holiday decorations and store fronts, we rarely do any mini trips like this unless we have guests to go with. So cross your fingers that it isn't too cold or a Nor'Easterner come through causing us to get iced/snowed in!
Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend, and save some of the good deals for me!

Belated Happy Halloween!!

I don't know about you but it seems like some weeks go by as fast a a day around here sometimes. Halloween week being one of them. We had the office party, M's costume parade at school, and then the real deal of going out around the neighborhood...and by that time I think the whole family was a little Halloween'd out.

J was Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story movies and M was Dash from The Incredibles movie, both had a lot of fun with their characters. I think they set a record for the shortest trick or treating and were out for maybe 30 minutes before coming back with full baskets and wanting to "help" hand out candy.

We also have officially kicked off the Christmas shopping...more things are getting crossed off the list is seems everyday. We are excited to get as much done as possible earlier this year, partly since my folks are coming out in December and we can send some stuff back with them and also while they are here we don't have to worry about shopping for presents and enjoy adventuring to some of the sites.

Outdoor Decorations

Thought I would share a couple of pictures of what the front of our house looks like decorated for fall...not anything overly special. The houses here all pretty much look the same in the section we live in...so its what you put out that allows you to stand out a little more from your neighbors. Most of the time our yard is covered by the outdoor toys the boys think will be fun to play with for a the split second it takes them to drag it out...only to find something that entices them more.

Pictures of the new Ride

ETA: Got the photos up!! The color is a really pretty dark blue..not royal, but not navy either...

I have been trying to upload some pictures of the new van...but blogger isn't cooperating right now...so hopefully I will try later and have a little more success.

We received a letter today saying that we got yard of the month...for our section anyway and that we will receive a $25 gift card and are in the running for yard of the year. I will try to upload pictures of our yard later as well.

M is home sick form school today, he was running a low fever last night and complained that his head hurt and even took a nap and went to bed early...you know something is wrong when that happens! He is feeling better today, just has a headache..at least he says he does. He had a good day at school yesterday...his first field trip! They went to a local apple orchard and he got to bring home 3 apples and I guess he has a pumpkin at school they are going to paint up.

On Saturday afternoon the family meet up with J's coworkers at a pumpkin patch and went out picking pumpkins and going through a couple of corn mazes. We managed to come home with 3 standard size pumpkins and a giant 70 lb pumpkin that J got to carry. The boys enjoyed running around in the field and also in the maze trying to find their way out.

Home Again...

I have totally been a slacker to the blog...but we have had a really busy September with the mini vacation and getting back into the routine of being home once again. M is back at school and had school pictures yesterday, and once again lil' J is adjusting to having his afternoons all by himself.

We have been van shopping, as previously posted we were leaning towards getting something different for the little green machine (aka the Bravada). After a many long hours the past couple months researching on the Internet we were narrowing it down between the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey....more towards the Sienna due to the lower price....we spent another week tracking down the perfect van with all the features we wanted, price range we wanted to stay within and the miles that were acceptable. Well we had a breakthrough yesterday and found one and liked it....so we have a new addition to to the family...maybe I can get a picture of it soon to show everyone....it is a pretty blue!! So far we are enjoying all the van has to offer and the boys are so excited about it as well!

On the Road Again...

So we made the journey and are having a good time visiting with family. J called and said that he is leaving his "trip" to join us in a day or two...we were having doubts for a second since we hadn't heard how it was all playing out. Hope to see a lot of you while we are back in town.

First Day of School

So J was a little upset to say the least that he wasn't getting to go to school and ride the big yellow bus, but he still insisted in being in some pictures. M was quite excited as you probably noticed. His PreK program is half days everyday, he has the afternoon shift and to catch the bus he needs to be outside at the stop at 11:20...that means a really early lunch. Some of you might know this, but he is a REALLY slow eater, so slow I started him on his lunch at 10am...the usual snack break here at the house. It took him the full hour and he still didn't finish it!



J did get a little better before heading out of the house and fully participated in the mini photo shoot.


















The bus stop is across the street and down a couple of houses and quickly becomes the hang out for all the little kids in the neighborhood...not just those old enough to go to school. C down the street from us was the only other little kid getting picked up at this stop.









M and C posed outside the bus for a quick photo. They have played a couple times before when we have grilled out, they seem to be on pretty good terms today...no other little kids to play favorites with. C isn't in M's class, but will be riding the PM bus with him, so I think they will get a little bonding time being seat buddies.












All aboard! The boys couldn't climb the steps fast enough!! M and C were the first kids on the bus this afternoon and got to sit in the very first seat together.

First Day Of School Cont'd

M and C from down the street sat in the front seat together; they were the only ones on the bus at this point. I think this is one of the best pictures ever! Both of them were so excited to be going to school and jumped in and buckled their seat belts. They were good sports and even put up with all the pictures we were wanting to take.







M getting off the bus at the school. C's mom, lil' J and I walked over to the school quick to get some photos of them getting into the school and to see how their little bus ride was. It took them more time to get there then it did for us to make a pit stop at the house and walk over through the woods...it is so close! M kept telling me on Tuesday when we walked over for the Open House that he was going to walk to school by himself...and he was so serious about it too. Once he hits 1st grade ( assuming that we are still here) he will have to walk to school, but for the next 2 years he will have the bus to ride. But this morning he was all excited about getting to ride the bus.







M checking in with his teacher Mrs. Gibson. Notice all the PINK...I think Mrs. G said at the Open House that there are 11 girls and 5 boys in the session M is in. I think the little girl next to M with the white pony holder might become his first crush. They played together for awhile at the Open House and she was right there when he checked in today. However, M said that he didn't play with any girls today "They were too busy already".
I think that school is going to be great for lil' M, he is the typical oldest child...aka bossy and protective of possessions. He has also always had the desire to meet new kids. Last year if we would be outside when the kids were coming home from school he would chase them down asking them what their name was and telling them his, and getting some weird looks back.




So the bus he rides in the morning is not the same bus in the afternoon drop off...it doesn't even come from the same direction and has a different driver. I had to go on the bus and get him because the driver was about to drive off. Apparently she didn't read off everyone on the list...the lady in the orange shirt was also getting one of her girls....the twin was assisted off, but they neglected to get her other daughter for her. M was quite anxious to get off the bus, he didn't think he belonged on this one, he kept saying that his teacher must have made a mistake...the bus was a different color and number along with driver....I can see where he could get confused.

Change: The only thing that is Constant

A cute picture of my little architects. They love building with Legos and are busy building boats, airplanes, cars and all sorts of buildings. They will spend hours building when they get in the mood and are usually pretty good with little fighting. This picture was taken one mourning when they got up and went straight to building...apparently they dreamt about it all night and weren't hungry right away. They share a bedroom and it is also large enough to house the majority of their toys.

So our plans have changed a bit for our trip coming home once again. J had leave and now he went on a short notice "trip", so we will be staying here a little longer so that M can start pre-K, which he would have missed the first day, but now we will just leave in a week. J "should" be home in a couple of weeks and will fly in separately to join us on our vacation. He did get the weekend of the wedding off to compensate for the "trip" he had to go on, so it almost works out better...I just get to drive...again. I really enjoy driving though, the portable DVD player keeps the boys entertained and I LOVE driving the truck, I don't have to worry about being packed to the gills with the truck and everyone has more room, including the dogs.

My Bravada is getting a little run down and is starting to show its age, and has had some hard miles loaded down along the way. I am starting to research my replacement vehicle, and boy they are expensive! I do like all the nice things though....leather, dual climate, dual power adjust, plenty of space for the dogs and boys...and extra seating for any future wee-one or for visiting friends and family. I might as well buy a bus! Hopefully nothing big happens for a little while and we can hold out till at least next summer, the Bravada will get paid off and a nice little bonus at work for J will ease the cost of a newish vehicle for me.

A Mini Vacation

Friday J finally got back from his "trip", he got in just in time for a late supper. The boys were bouncing off the walls glad to have daddy back home again, as was I. We got the boys to bed and watched John Tucker Must Die, J even thought it was a pretty funny movie.

On Saturday after much debate we decided to go down to Baltimore to take in some of the sights and to use some of our Hilton Points. The traffic was pretty heavy getting there, but we made it there in time for a quick bite and get to the Ride the Duck slot we had arranged. Unfortunately, we got caught in the storm that blew through and ended up having to redo the ride on Sunday, but the boys had a blast with those quackers and thought that it was pretty neat to go straight from road to water and back to the road again. Along with redoing the Ride the Ducks, we toured the US Submarine Torsk, the Lightship Chesapeake, and the USS Constellation. It ended up being a beautiful, but hot day filled with a lot of adventuring. We ended the day eating at the Hard Rock Cafe, I had a wonderful drink...yum!

I asked the boys what the best part of the trip and both of them loved staying the hotel. They are use to staying in hotels because of all the traveling we do between here and the grandparents, but instead of the nice Embassy Suites we have to stay in Motel 6's because we have the dogs with us..and they leave the light on just for us! At the Embassy they slept together in the pull out sofa bed, I don't think they went to bed until 10:30...they kept getting into each other's space. The Embassy also had interior elevators that the sides where giant windows and they enjoyed being able to look out over the veranda while we climbed up to the 7th floor.

I hope to get more weekends together exploring the area in the future.

I'll try to upload some photos if I can get them to work on J's PC...some of the functions have been corrupted and I usually use the Laptop to post.

ETA: Got the photos up now....

Crazy Rain

It seems to have been raining here for what seems like forever. Fortunately we don't need to worry about any flooding problems like what has been hitting the rest of the country, but it does make for a pretty long week of only indoor activities with the boys. I did make the mistake of having to get groceries on Monday when it wasn't raining and got soaked loading and unloading them later...my bags were no longer bags when I was done.

However, I have been battling a horrible cold and cough that keeps me up at night so keeping it low key hasn't been so bad. J has been on a little "trip" this week and will get to spend a little time at the beach...not much, but at least a break from the weather we have been having.

The boys got to go out a splash in the puddles yesterday for a little bit when our friend down the street came over with her 2. They had a good time and were soaking wet when all was said and done and it really wasn't raining more like water was just hanging in the air. Today we might venture out, it isn't suppose to rain until this afternoon. Pretty boring blog, for a pretty boring week!

Welcome Darth Vador, Dirts Worst Enemy!

After J came home from his "trip" we decided to upgrade to a washer that I don't have to run only on Gentle cycle...which in the old one if you let it spin on any faster speeds I thought it was going to break through the wall. Along with the noise, I felt like I was washing all the time to keep up with the piles in the laundry room. So after ordering one and canceling it (after I did a little bargain shopping) we brought home the Darth Vador of washing machines. I got a REALLY good deal at the AAFES on this one since it was a floor model (10%) off, a coupon (10%) that could be used with any special going on, no tax since it was AAFES and AAFES prices are lower to begin with. I love getting a good deal!

So Darth is a Whirlpool Cabrio which has an enormous top loading 4.5 cubic capacity (partly due to the mini agitator on the bottom) which makes it big enough to fit a king size comforter in...which I have tried a couple times already...and I can get about 3 of the old loads into one washing. It has the same external size as my old washer so it fits nicely in the same tight spot we have in our utility room.

It has a countdown time which is super nice and a bunch of really neat features that I am sure will all be used. The boys really like to stand on their benches and watch it clean our clothes, thanks to the the glass window top that it has...it is kinda neat to see what it is doing to our clothes. Luckily our old dryer can handle the larger loads as it was a better dryer, rated good enough for commercial use. The best part....one load a day and NO PILES on the laundry room floor!!

Don't hurt the sidewalk!

So yesterday in the morning I watched our friends little girl and when she came to pick her up we made plans to go to the pool. The kids had a blast and were having a good time splashing and "swimming". Unfortunately, when we were drying off and getting ready to leave little J decided to face plant it on the cement around the tot pool! Blood was everywhere and boy did he scream! I called J to come home from the office to watch little M while I took little J to the after hour care at the clinic.

After waiting 2.5 hours they told us we should go to the ER for a CT or x-ray just to be certain there wasn't any major damage done. So I went back home and we dropped little M off at our friends and headed into the ER--45 minutes away is as close as they get. After another 3 hours and a CT scan we were heading home with a very bruised, swollen and sleeping little boy with nothing too major (just a pretty good split lip). This morning he is certainly still a little sore, but back to smiles and his usual antics.

Summer Reloaded...

So this summer the boys and I came back to see family and friends while J was on a "trip". We had a good time at visiting both Grandparents and playing with the cousins.

Some of the highlights: driving gators (J finally decided he could do it), riding 6 wheeler and visiting the ponies, lighting off fireworks, going to the waterpark in Watertown, helping mom make a rock garden for Grandma G, and going fishing with Aunt L, Grandpa G, mom and cousin D. The boys are asking when we can go back to visit, so I am glad they forget about the LONG ride back to see you all. J got some time off next month so we are coming back and I can be in my friend Jessica's wedding and he can spend some time with his family as well.

Brotherly Love

With being so close in age the boys truly don't know what it is like to be without each other. I believe that little J is going to have a hard time when little M goes off to Pre-K half days everyday this fall. I am also looking into sending little J to the CDC for a preschool program (assuming he starts to like the potty chair) so that he doesn't feel left out of something new and so that he isn't in the shadow of big brother all the time. Hopefully it will do wonders for his momma-boy ways as well ;)

Little M is looking forward to going to school and has already picked out his book bag, folder and Notebook---Spiderman all the way! He will get picked up and dropped up by the bus so he will have some new adventures this fall!

So you might ask..."And what are you going to do with you new found freedom?" Well if the stars are aligned just right and the boys are gone at the same time, I guess I can go to the gym here (something I am actually looking forward) and also go to the grocery store without having to take the car carts down the aisle and having little boys fight over who is really stearing the car.

Kids Day Out

The Boys at Sesame Place with the Count. They had a blast despite the long wait in line for getting on rides. They love the water so we did a ton of water rides. Since it is owned by Busch Gardens we are able to get free tickets once a year, maybe next time we will try to go during the week to avoid the crowds.

So you might say...so what exactly are you going to be blogging about. Well, I think that for the most part the adventures we are having as a family with a sprinkle of personal stories and pictures. Hopefully this will help keep us from repeating so many stories and save you from hearing the same stories more then once.

So here are the boys, this was the picture we used for our '06 Christmas card, so a little dated, but it is one of my favorite pictures. I can't wait for fall!

Yesterday we had a fun day playing with with some friends at the nice air conditioned Passenger Terminal, think of an indoor McDonald's play tube slide. It was such a relief from the heat and humidity we have been having here this week. Afterwards we stopped by J's new office so the boys have an idea of were daddy is going when we tell him daddy has to go into the office. J just moved to a new office and has been busy trying to get all the computers and phone lines up and working. After lunch we headed down with the same friends to the pool...the boys had a blast in the kiddie pool. I will definitely need to take them down there more often since the price is great....FREE!

J got news this week that he will be upgraded to an IP this fall. So that means for at least a good month and a half this fall he won't be going on any "trips".

Keeping In Touch

So here I am starting a blog...duh right! I finally concede that this will be the easiest way to keep our family and friends updated. I hope you enjoy our adventures as a family and the ramblings that may go on here. I will try to post a couple times a week, or as soon as there are stories to be shared. If you like to stay updated please leave us comments and make sure to subscribe to be notified of updates via email.