Christmas 2012

This year we spent a week in Texas for Christmas. Before we left, we celebrated our little family Christmas in our home. We also did present opening at Abby's house before Christmas. We left Texas on the 26th and were home to celebrate New Years here. We had a great trip, although all four of us and our Texas family were sick over vacation. The kids were sick before we left, Jered got sick on the drive, and I got sick there in Texas. It was a really bad cold or the flu of some type. This is the first day I've felt "normal" for about 2 weeks. In Texas we were able to see all of my aunts and uncles, 3 of my cousins, our immediate family, and spend time with GG in the alzheimer's unit at the nursing home. She did not remember our names, but seemed happy to see us. We sang Christmas carols to her Christmas morning and Jered read her the Christmas story from the Bible. Christmas Eve we spend with our extended family at Aunt Dorothy's house, eating tamales, opening presents, and singing together. Christmas day my mom made a great meal after we went to see GG. It was a good last Christmas in the home I grew up in. We toured my parents' new home that is being built and will be finished sometime in February. It is beautiful, and so spacious. Throughout the week, Jered and I got to go out to some of our favorite haunts from when we were dating, and we saw The Hobbit twice in the theater.

The last week since we got home has been a blur since I was still sick, but we had some fun family time watching movies and playing Will's new Wii games. Over the last two days I've spent time cleaning out the children's toys; making room for the new ones, and cleaning out the babyish ones they don't play with anymore. Today I went through the drawers and closets finding any baby things we have left to give away. I also took down the baby gates. I can't believe Emma is older than Will was when we moved into this house. It's flying by. New Year's Day we watched movies, played board games, and enjoyed some yummy treats. Jered went back to work today and we miss him! Back to school work and cleaning for us, and thankfully back to feeling healthier. Will has independent study projects to complete, but doesn't go back to school until the 15th, so hopefully can do some more fun things before term starts again. Emma has been doing wonderfully with potty training. She stays completely dry most days. Some days she still has an accident or two, but she's so much younger than Will was when he potty trained, we're in shock it has gone so easily and early. She loves pull ups and actually uses them how they are meant to be used - like underwear! We had to use them with Will as diapers because he was so big normal diapers didn't fit him, lol. Emma has also been praying before meals with Will and wants to have "Emma's turn" to pray before bed. She says "Dear God, Mommy and Daddy and Will (babble babble)...princess and castles, sleepy good...Amen!" We're so proud of her, getting to be such a big girl. Next week when her stoplight alarm clock comes in we're going to try converting her crib to a toddler bed. She's not very good with colors yet, but we're sure going to be working on "red = stay in bed"!

October 2012

Another month (almost 2 - today is Thanksgiving!) come and gone. Things are so busy, I have a hard time blogging about everything we do. There is some activity almost every day of the week, and full weekends. So I'll just put up an October slide show. The highlights were: Abby's visit - which included Firefighter Open House, Sea World, girls' night out, a date night - and afterward: trips to the zoo, playdates, Will's new big boy booster seat, Great Pumpkin Express, Pumpkin Patch and carnival, Awana Sparkies Drive-In, Will's school costume parade, and Halloween.  I think the pictures are pretty much in order. Enjoy!

September

September was a busy month. Jered finished his third chief induction season, pinning, and we attended the 2012 Khaki Ball. Jered had his re-enlistment ceremony at the hangar. 16 years down, 4 more to go! He re-enlisted for 6 years, which will take him beyond his 20 year mark if he decides to stay in longer. i have had the blessng of being at all of Jered's re-enlistments, so i had bittersweet feelings, knowing that this might be the last one.

Will started his third year in Awanas. He is in the Sparkies K-2nd grade group this year, and i am a Sparkies Leader. Although it makes things busier, it is fun and rewarding to see our 30 Sparkies learning about the Bible and Jesus' love for them. We also started back up at MOPS this month. Since Will is in school every day now, Emma is doing the MOPPETS class by herself, but she hasn't seemed to mind at all. Emma and i go to a women's Bible Study Thursday morning, 10-12, and the family attends a couples' study Thursday night, 6:30-8. Thankfully both studies have childcare! We also have a regular playgroup that meets at a park every Tuesday. Jered and i are still singing with the church's worship team as his work schedule allows. Will has Christmas play practice every Sunday after church. Between homework, playdates, and all of our other activities, life is hectic sometimes, but at least Will has been on fall break the last week of September/first week of October. We had a chance to catch up on all of Emma's quarterly specialist appointments - ENT, GI, and Orthopedics - as well as get the dogs up to Miramar for their shots and heartworm tests. They both turned 9 recently. i can't believe it!

This past weekend on the one day Jered had off, after church, Will's play practice, and a young families ministry event at the lake, we cleared out and rearranged the office/playroom. Now that Emma is getting older, we don't have to have the computers gated off, so we spread out a little and reorganized. We also moved the changing table out of Emma's room since she's partially potty trained, and put one of the toy shelves from the playroom into her room. it was funny that Jered called home from work last week, with the idea that we should rearrange the office. I had been thinking the same thing, but never said anything because he so rarely gets time off from work. It was fun to work on together.

We are looking forward to October, beginning with Abby's visit this coming weekend! We are excited to see her, and my friends want to do a girl's night out while she's here. That will be a much needed break! We are also going to try to squeeze a Sea World visit in with Abby. This month we want to visit the pumpkin patch across the street from our house (it has rides and Will asks to go every single time we see it...which is obviously every day!), apple picking in Julian, and the Haunted Train, which runs 3 weekends before Halloween. Halloween is on Wednesday this year, so Will and i will be at Awanas. They are doing a Great Adventures dress up night so the kids can wear their costumes.

Long blog, but it's been a month since I wrote anything. Please excuse the uncapitalized "i"s - Jered hooked up my old ergonomic keyboard last night, and it only writes vowels intermittently, and capital i's rarely!

Will Reading!

A short video of Will reading from a primary reader that Meemaw gave him. He's been learning so many sight words at school, and also adding to his phonics knowledge. It's still uncanny to me when he reads over my shoulder, or tells me the name of a song on the radio - by reading the display screen in the van!

Will's 5th Birthday Party

Today we celebrated Will's 5th birthday with a few friends. The party was mostly outside with the splash pool and water toys. The theme was Spiderman and we had chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and sugar cookie pops. Will and his friends had a great time tearing around the yard and jumping into the pool. We found out this week that we have been selected for orders to Norfolk, Va, and will be leaving next June or July. So this was Will's last birthday party in California. We are so blessed to have such good friends. Most of his friends have grown up with him from birth or soon thereafter. God has given him a great start in life, and we are proud of him and thankful for him.