Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! Brian's supposed to be working all weekend, but negotiated Christmas night off, HOORAY! So, there will be a lot of lounging and sleeping going on, and maybe just a little celebrating of my birthday ;).

7 years and counting (11/26)

Wow, I'm sooooo behind, but in my defense it's been a little crazy around here with starting a new job. Anyway, our anniversary landed on the day after Thanksgiving, and we were able to go celebrate thankfully due to family still being in town and watching the kids. It was wonderful! All we did was go out to dinner and get some Christmas shopping done, but it was nice to do it kid free. We tried out a new Italian restaurant (super yummy) called Pompeii Italian Grill. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. Everything just tasted so fresh! Anyway, I can't believe it's been 7 years! We've gone from this:

To this:

OK, more like this:

to this:

Sorry for the gross kissy pictures ;). Yeah, I've put on a few (OK a lot) of pounds, but I still love this man so much it makes me kinda teary just thinking about it! I couldn't have chosen a better life and eternal partner and amazing father for my children. I'm such a lucky girl!

Riverwalk Lights

So the day after Thanksgiving, we went downtown to the Riverwalk to see them turn on the lights and watch the parade on the the river. It was actually a very unique idea decorating their boats for different companies to "show off". I loved it! To actually get down right by the river, you had to buy a ticket for $20 (what a joke!), so we found a nice little spot uphill and watched it while Landen danced to all the music.

A view of the lights from a bridge.

One of the floats, I think that's Santa.

A better shot of the Santa float

Landen taking a breather from his dancing.

A quick little family picture (Abrie was sleeping)

Veteran's Day (11/11/11)

One of my favorite things about living in a "military town" is that there are so many things that people do for the service members. Veteran's Day weekend was jam-packed full of things to honor the veterans. It's still weird to think sometimes that Brian's a veteran, because he's so young, but there are so many younger than Brian that can claim the same title! Anyway, on Veteran's Day, we ventured down to Ft. Sam for a free concert. They also had tons of booths with yummy food and activities for the kiddos. Since the concert was a bunch of country music, and I'm not a fan, I took Landen to play at the activities while Brian and Abrie hung out with his buddies and watched the show. Here's a few of the things Landen did: (and sorry the pictures are taken at night)

Who can resist a bouncy house?

And of course there must be balloon animals and face painting!

Landen asked for a "monster". He wanted a monster balloon too, but the guy said it would take too much time (I think we got in the wrong balloon line because he was kind of a grump, and the girl making them in the other line was making much better quality ones!)

Landen also got to taste his first funnel cake....yum! He of course could care less about food! It was a fun evening, and very patriotic (even if I didn't like the kind of music ;). I'm very grateful for my veteran husband and brother, and the many other friends that have served our country by putting their lives on the line! I have so much because of them!

Halloween (finally)

So, on Halloween, we had the traditional chili and corn bread, then Brian and Landen went out trick or treating while I stayed at home with sleeping Abrie and to hand out candy. Yes, Abrie went to sleep at about 5:30 for the night, and I was a little sad that she didn't wake up, because I really wanted to put her costume on and have her go out trick or treating with her brother....but she had other plans! So, here's some pictures I took later with her costume on:

Our little Ladybug (yes, the poor girl is teething like crazy, for the last 2 months now with no signs of teeth!)

A close -up (blurry) shot

The loot! When Landen started complaining of his pumpkin being too heavy and didn't want to carry it anymore, they came home ;)

Me acting like an imbecellin (word courtesy of Brian Regan) while Landen shows his muscles (oh, and BJ had to get in on the action too). The parents of kids would just crack up when they saw my costume....a little trick and treat ;)

Landen and Daddy showing off their guns

There's my muscle man Buzz. He cracks me up when he's "showing off his muscles"

Air Show

We got to go to an air show on October 29th, and it was AWESOME! I've never been to one before (hence the 51 pictures I took, and no I won't bore you with them all). It was also "Navy Week", so they had set up a little bouncy area for the kids. Landen enjoyed going through one of the bouncy planes, although he couldn't get over one of the walls so he had to come back out the entrance! I loved walking around and checking out all the planes, like this sucker:

This cargo plane was HUGE! Big enough to carry other planes, tanks, vehicles, passengers, whatever they need!

Here's Landen and Brian with one of the planes. I just realized that it looks like they're posing with the racy lady on the side of the plane...oops!

Here's me and the kids on the huge cargo plane. You can see my sunburn already forming on my face. Apparently I thought it would be smart to not wear sunscreen while staring into the sun all day watching planes, parachuters, etc.

But, my favorite of the day were the:

BLUE ANGELS! They were AMAZING!!!! Looking at the picture above, their normal "diamond" formation, it was CRAZY the insane things they did! If anything went wrong with even 1 of the planes....yeah, I'm kinda morbid that way.

It was an awesome day and it pooped out the kids! I was so surprised that Abrie was able to sleep through the constant noise! If we go again next year, we're definitely packing cotton balls for ear plugs for the kids!

Jack-o-lanterns

Holy crap, I'm still 2 weeks behind in posting!!! Anyway, 2 WEEKS AGO for family night we carved our pumpkins. Landen still won't touch the pumpkin guts, but he definitely knew that he wanted his white pumpkin to look like a ghost, so Landen and I worked on his while Brian carved out the BIG one (I swear it was like 40 lbs). Landen also colored all over Abrie's, so we had to draw a face on it to make it look like it was on purpose (hers was too small to carve). Here's the finished product:

Trunk or Treat

I was so excited that our ward (church) decided to have a trunk or treat! We hadn't been to one in FOREVER! For some reason they didn't do it in our last ward in Rexburg (seriously, I thought that was part of the church handbook!), so it was fun to introduce it to Landen. The young women in the ward had set up little booths for the kids to play in and get prizes. There was "fishing", a "kissing booth" (you threw a bean bag at someone's kisser through a lip shaped opening---quite funny!), bean bag toss, and a cupcake walk! Landen was in heaven! Also, there were a couple of other boys that were having the time of their lives just chasing Landen around and picking him up. I'm pretty sure his energy lasted longer than theirs.

We also had a chili cook-off, and I made a yummy black bean and sweet potato chili I got from my friend Holly (go here if you want the recipe). I STILL have tons left over and need to find some way to get it eaten (it freezes really well though).

Here's Buzz himself waiting to do the cake walk. After dinner, all the kids had a blast running around the parking lot going from car to car getting candy. Landen had a lot of fun going around with his buddies. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Abrie in her costume, so you'll have to wait until I catch up on the posts ;)

illness

It really doesn't seem fair that there's still nasty flu bugs going around when the weather is still warm here, but I guess they don't care what the temperature is outside...tis the season! And, we've all been hit with it! Brian of course only got a little sniffle for about a day, but poor Landen and Abrie have had the nasty drainage for about 2 weeks! We took Abrie into the doctor last week because her poor right eye was draining so much (she had a blocked tear duct) that it looked like this:

She was also having having some pain in her right ear, and there was some nasty crusties that I was cleaning out of her ears everyday...worse in her right ear. Come to find out, she had and OUTER ear infection! Supposedly uncommon for babies, but of course, one of my children would get it. Because it's not common for her age, there was no medication for it (it would require some kind of ear drop), so we ended up clearing it up with a good old hydrogen peroxide mixture and a cotton ball! She'as STILL draining! But, my little chubster's gained a whole pound in a month! (which can only take me a day ;).

Landen's had his share of it too. Along with the drainage, he always gets a cough. It's always been that way, but he started to get a low grade fever on Halloween, so we took him to the doctor the next day, and they found NOTHING wrong with him, and just thought it was a virus. Well last night (the day after we took him to the doctor), he spiked a temp. of 102 degrees! After phoning the "nurse line", we took him to an urgent care where they found a left ear infection and white patches in the back of his throat which tested negative for strep, but they're sending it out for a culture to be sure. He had strep a year ago with scarlet fever, so they wanted to be sure. Again, strep is not common in children Landen's age either. I'm telling you, if it's rare, my kids will get it! They're also sending a urine sample out to have it cultured because he had elevated protein in his urine. But, thank goodness for antibiotics because he's already feeling better!

I've also had some of the congestion, but it's mostly gone now! Thank goodness! I guess once we all get better, we should go get a flu shot!

The Pumpkin Patch

So we took the kids to a pumpkin patch a week and a half ago (I seriously don't know what the heck I've been doing lately to be so busy! Maybe it's the five books I've read or applying for jobs like a mad woman), and let's be honest...they didn't care too much about the pumpkins. Both had started getting sick earlier that week and were draining A LOT, so we spent about 5 seconds getting this picture:

They both refused to look at the camera! Then Landen picked out his white pumpkin and spent the rest of the time doing this:

I did try to get some pictures with Abrie and the pumpkins, but she was more interested in just looking at them. Even people passing by thought she was adorable and tried to get her to look...no such luck!

(That is some random person's hand trying to get her attention)

BJ's snack *warning may gross out*

That my friends is a baby squirrel BJ decided to eat for lunch one day. I'm honestly not sure if he actually ate it, because I didn't see him do it, but I haven't seen it since then. Of course he had to show me what he caught first. He's seriously one of my children! (sorry Amy if you're reading this, I know how much this kinda stuff does not set well with you)

Dress Blues

By far, this is probably my FAVORITE thing about Brian being in the military!

(Ignore my cluttered bedroom)
So sad that it turned out blurry, but you get the idea! He was doing so good at not shoving me out of the room while I was trying to get pictures of him while he was talking on the phone.

Tumbling Class

We were finally able to get into a "trial" tumbling class at Randolph AFB. We first went to a "Mommy n Me" class, and then he stayed for the regular pre-school class afterwards, and he loved it, but was also exhausted! Finally something to channel his endless amounts of energy while helping him gain confidence (not that he's really shy, but he's definitely more sure of himself physically than he was before). His "coach" decided he would do better in the pre-school class (full of boys), and he's doing awesome. He's really strong for such a little guy! He gets so excited too! He literally jumps up and down and doesn't even look back, which is refreshing for such a mommas boy. Maybe next we'll get him in a karate class since he's always doing his ninja moves around the house anyway ;)

Off To The Races

Last Saturday (15th) at Retama Park (horse race track), they had 50 cent night. That meant free admission, free activities for the kids and 50 cent drinks and $1 hot dogs! Landen had a blast! With amazing luck, our friends Morgan and Jamie Hillman also went to Landen's delight. I swear he's got a little "bro-mance" going on with their son Carter (at least on his side), because he can't get enough of him! It's quite cute!!! Anyway, most of the night was spent with us standing in lines while Landen literally ran around in circles with the boys. First up we went to see all the little animals (goats, bunnies, etc.), then they had some ponies for the children to ride. Landen loved it!!! I always forget my camera, but thank goodness for whoever invented the camera phone. The pictures aren't awesome, but you get the idea of what's going on.

Landen getting ready to ride. He wasn't too sure about this at first.
He's so tiny on that pony!!
Again, sorry so blurry!
As soon as he got off the horse he said "Dad, I want a pony". Guess that's what he'll be asking Santa for this Christmas ;)
They also had some other activities for the kids. He LOVED getting a snake painted on his face and was sad when we had to wash it off for church the next day. He also got a balloon sword, and was in awe of the guy making it!

We only actually watched one horse race, and it started on the other side of the track so it was hard for Landen to even focus on what was going on...plus it was bedtime, so we just headed home afterwards. It was so fun, and I'm pretty sure we'll be doing this again!

Sanity...

....it's fading quickly! As a military spouse, you come to expect to be alone A LOT, which sounds bad, but it's doable. I've been able to hang on to a lot of my stubborn independence, but that sometimes gets in the way when Brian IS home and I have to remember that he can help out too, and I don't NEED to do EVERYTHING.

But, Brian's been out in field training for the last 2 weeks and home on weekends. Again, bearable...until the car broke down on Monday, and the tension's been building! I'm trying not to get too annoyed with the stupid guy at the shop that won't give me any answers as to what's going on with my car and seems annoyed when I ask, because he so graciously arranged for me to get a ride home with the kiddos in an Acadia (dream car). I'm trying not to get annoyed with being stuck in the house since the wheel on our stroller was blown out at Sea World (by them), but I finally got the replacement wheel in the mail!!! I'm trying not to go insane with an active, bored, potty-training 3 year-old, because he really does say and do some of the funniest things (just not when he decides to empty a salt shaker all over the house including BJ's food). It's still sticky hot here, but again, bearable, so we actually were able to venture out to the park yesterday. Landen complained it was too hot, so we didn't stay long. Abrie also shared her frustration that she was tired and was so over being out in the heat.

Brian comes home tonight for a nice 3 day weekend. I might run away to Corpus Christi and spend the weekend on the beach...probably not, but one can dream ;). Moments like these keep me SANE:

Jayden's Funeral

Abrie and I were lucky enough to fly out to Utah for Jayden's funeral, thanks to the military allowing Brian a day off from training to stay home with Landen. We flew out Thursday September, 22nd in the afternoon after Brian got home. It was so nice going out at 9:00 p.m. in Utah! The weather was heavenly!!!

While Katie and Cory were still in the hospital, they took Jayden and made little molds of his hands and feet. I put the block next to them to try and give you a scale. That's about a 1 inch block. (Sorry about the blurry picture, taken from my phone)

His feet were so long for how tiny he was!

Here's a couple of views of the his flowers at the graveside service. His casket is so tiny!

I'm a complete jerk and help up the service by about 20 minutes! I dropped Abrie off at her Nana's house so that I wouldn't have to worry about her during the service, but it took me an HOUR to get down there!!! But, it only took me 30 minutes to get back (when in Utah, drive like Utards). Utah construction is ridiculous....it seriously doesn't make sense what they do sometimes!

Anyway, the service was sweet and simple. There were quite a few people who came in town for the funeral. Katie and Cory wrote a letter to Jayden that was read at his graveside that was so touching. I was crying from the opening song but finally got myself together for the closing song. This whole experience just makes me grateful for the knowledge and ability to have eternal families. This has been an incredibly huge trial for my sister and her husband, but they've been amazing at how well they've handled it. They attest it to all the prayers that have been and are being offered up in their behalf. They're also using their good sense of humor to work through it too. Cory was so sweet, he insisted on helping actually burying him. I know they still have a long road of healing ahead of them, but the progress they've made already is astounding. I'm so proud of them and their strength!

Abrie's 4 month stats

This little girl is growing up way too fast! I haven't written a single thing in her baby book, and I don't feel like she gets enough attention. She has a little bald spot on the back of her head from being on her back side so much...but she doesn't complain! Thank goodness, because her brother sure is a demanding boy! Abrie is so social! She just loves being around people, so much that it makes daytime naps a little difficult. She's getting it though, and she sleeps for 12 hours at night, so that helps! She's a little chatter box too. It's so cute! I love waking up in the morning hearing her coos! (And thankfully, Landen and Abrie wake up at the same time now!)

Abrie LOVES her brother! Her favorite past time is to just sit and watch him run around the room like a lunatic. She just smiles and lights up when he comes over to spend some time with her, and he's so sweet and tender with her...most of the time ;). He's not ever intentionally mean, he just has his spurts of energy that are a bit much for her. She's rolling from front to back and back to front, but not all the time. I have to strap her in her swing now (pictured above), because she will roll over on her tummy, and I'll look over and her legs are hanging over the swing! Yeah, that's enough of a panic attack to strap her in!

(chillin' in the swing)

After her well baby check-up, we decided to start her on rice cereal. Our new NP's suggestion wasn't to start her until 6 months, but because I have completely run out of breast milk, we decided to go ahead. And she loves it! She's definitely started the teething process too, because she wants to chew on everything (lets just say I'm glad we're not breastfeeding anymore!). She is such a happy baby. She only fusses when she's hungry or tired, but she will get full on pissed if she stays in a poopy diaper too long for her standards (like 5 seconds ;). Really hoping this one will be a lot easier to potty train.

(Yummy rice cereal)

The numbers:

Weight: 13.23 lbs (about the 28th percentile)

Height: 24.61 in (about the 52nd percentile)

Head circ.: 40.4 cm (about the 30th percentile)

Military health care is a new adjustment. We don't really pick our providers (we can, but I didn't know any of them), so we were assigned some. Abrie, because she's less than a year has to go down to base at the pediatric clinic, and Landen and I go to a different clinic up closer to us. Kind of weird, but I really can't complain too much for free health care!