The Baker Family

Hit the Wall

2011-08-01T22:22:00.001-04:00

Usually a term reserved for runners....but I've hit the wall on my blog. I've got two long posts with lotsa pics and cannot post them. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears. I'm ready to start blogging again. So many changes, so much to update anybody who wants to read it! Feedback welcome.

'Bama Bound and Breaking In

2011-07-17T22:38:00.004-04:00

OK~we're here in Montgomery, AL. Yet another move, this one in record time. That's cause the kiddos were at their grandparents' house. Thank GOD. Seriously right now the sound of a box cutter razing through anything gives me the heebie jeebies.
It's definitely been eventful so far. We expected hot and humidty, but not these crazy ALL DAY cloudy thurnderstormy days we've had for the past week. You know, the kind that are barly shy of hurricanes with hail and wind damage, power outages everywhere and trees down (see pic). It's kind of a mojo killer in terms of the pool. I will attend my beach vacation as the pasty one.
So far, we've nearly entirely moved in, done some great eating and good shopping, seen a great friend from Charleston TWICE, found docs and hair cutters and all that good stuff, played once in our new special backyard inflatable pool (see weather comments), enjoyed the spectacular 'hood pool twice (once cut short to weather, again), VERY nearly avoided an ER trip when C went flying out of the grocery cart headfirst onto a vegetable can (see pic), lived with lots of bugs I'ver never evne seen before, including a black widow (that's not what is pictured but you get the idea), shopped on July 4th because we had to, and even already found two great babysitters and had a date night. Kaitlin and Carson have both met new friends, as you can see by the top pics where AG was teaching K "Yoga" and then they were doing their Yoga resting in bed. Whew! I think that's all in a week and a half. I might need to slow down. But it's been so much fun to catch up with "old" friends and meet new ones and anticipate more coming. Living here isn't entirely different than dorm life, which is fun in that many of your friends are very close by. Still, we miss our family and hope to get home soon!
But so far, so good. We love it here.
Cheers!
K&J and kiddos
PS. Don't make fun of my technological slowness (or do, I don't care). These pics are all from my iPhone and so you might have to turn your head 90 degrees. It's good for your flexibility.

Where do they learn this stuff?

2011-06-02T20:24:00.008-04:00

These pics are from a couple weeks ago and are from something I read about on one of my new fave blogs: The Frugal Girls (www.thefrugalgirls.com). It was National Gardens Day or something like that sponsored by BH&G. So all we had to do was fill out a form online and got into the Magnolia Plantation (complete, obviously, with a beautiful petting zoo and grounds) free. It's usually like $15/person. Love it. Carson LOVED seeing the animals and getting to touch them. He got nice and muddy and of course loved that, too.

Carson tonight at the table started naming his crayons by their CORRECT color. I haven't the faintest clue where he learned that. But I know I didn't teach it to him and again, it just makes me more convinced that it takes a (good) village to raise a kid! Seriously, he has about eight words in his little 20 month vocabulary and now half of them are colors. OK, cool. Now can someone teach him a few more words so this communication thing is a bit easier?!?! On a sweet note, he LOVES to pray. He will claps his little hands and ask to pray before dinner, other meals where it occurs to him, and of course at bedtime (my kids are masters at using this to delay the inevitable).

Cheers
K & Co

I Heart Shopping

2011-04-17T08:20:00.004-04:00

Jack Rogers Navajo = $98
Target Equivalent = $19.99 + ON SALE NOW = $14.99
I have to stare hard to tell the difference....Dave Ramsey would be so proud of me!
As I see it, I now have $83.01 to spend...
($98 - $14.99)
I love making money.

In the Event You Visit Charleston, SC

2011-04-12T22:45:00.004-04:00

I should have some fab-o pic to put here but I don't.

If you are ever in Charleston, don't listen to Old Man on the plane next to me giving advice to the inbound ladies group. Skip Hyman's unless you really really love fried Seafood. And if you do, go to the Wreck of Richard and Charlene or something like that in Mt Pleasant.

Here are my Top 5 after MUCH trial and error:

1. The Fat Hen on John's Island. Hands down. Our fave.
2. Magnolia's = awesome spot + designed for visitors = perfect!
3. Coast Restaurant (seafood). But don't order the whole trout. It comes as a whole trout (eyeball and all). But you have to sit outside and enjoy the VERY Charleston ivy/brick building/gate view. It's right behind Rue de Jean (and I think owned by the same people) which we found to be good but not outstanding. However, many consider it to be outstanding. Guess we ordered the wrong thing.
4. For brunch: 3 Little Birds behind the Windermere center in West Ashley. Small and quaint and I'd challenge you to find a better fresh omelet.
5. Red Drum Gastropub = for the 30-40-something bar crowd with excellent food (in Mt. Pleasant). It labels itself TexMex but nobody outside Texas really knows what Tex Mex is. That said, the food is great and there's fun live music and a hoppin' atmosphere.

Runner up: Visit the Old Village in Mt. Pleasant. Southern Living is always talking about Pitt St. and the Pharmacy, but you cannot go wrong with a girls' lunch at the Village Bakery on Pitt Street with a quick stop at the Out of Hand Boutique a few doors down. Great views as you walk around, great lunch stop. Part of the Dine with Sal (you can google it) chain, ALL of their restaurants are great.

So there's what I've learned. I still have a few more stops to check out, and of course, for the over 21 crowd: do not miss the experience of the roof top bars near the waterfront (i.e., Vendue Inn) for exceptional views and atmosphere. Who cares about the food.

Do a carriage tour to get a quick overview of the important history (and there are PLENTY of landmarks if you are so interested) and if you are there between May and October on a Wednesday night, enjoy the Wine Strolls for phenomenal value out at Middleton Plantation. Uberesque Charleston views and atmosphere there.

That is what I learned in Charleston! Have a strange feeling you may not see such a list after our time in Mongtgomery, AL but that's OK. We will all be together for a year and that's so great for us right now as a family. Cheers :)

Life Back to Normal

2011-04-05T09:31:00.004-04:00

Jesse is back from 3 months in DC and thankfully, life is back to normal. My "treat" is that Kaitlin and I get to travel for a girls trip to Houston coming up. This is great but it's on Southwest and I will admit that I hate Jack-in-the-boxes to start with and I certainly don't want to become one lest part of the plane fly off like they are doing lately. I guess we should dress warm--30K feet is COLD.
In other big news, we're moving! So much for normal. Off to Montgomery, AL for one year starting sometime in July (our current house = the two story; our new one is the other one). You might roll your eyes (I did) at the idea of Montgomery, plus we will go crazy without half our family there, but we are super excited about our neighborhood--LOTS of people are also there for just a year so I have a feeling it's going to be the SAHM version of dorm life. Yay! Lots of great amenities within spitting distance which will be a nice change. Things in Charleston, though nothing is technically far by big city standards, tend to be spread out a bit more.
Kaitlin is wrapping up K4 and is full up reading. Slowly, still, but it was like a light just clicked on inside her head one day and off she went. She read the word 'Jerusalem' in an Easter book without missing a beat and I almost passed out. Do they whip them at this school to get them progressing so fast?! I was a fairly early reader--and that was mid-late K5/Kindergarten. It's crazy. Her Elementary school in Alabama where she will attend Kindergarten has the Aviators as their mascot. How appropriate and fun!
Carson is presently playing on his sit and spin and using it to climb on to reach things he shouldn't. He's at that age where he does a lot of things he shouldn't. Removing all the outlet safety plugs, pegging his sister in the head with a hard ball, climbing on everything, throwing food, name it. He is ready for swim season and it's going to take my full attention to keep him above water. Not so much like his sister in the fear department--he has none. But he loves his "La La" as he calls her. And he is my happy boy. We were listening to the Comedy Channel the other day on the radio--he was laughing and clapping with the audience. I love that. We are about to pack up and sell his baby bedding and move him (when we move) into a more "big boy" motif. Pastel lambs only cut it for so long. I can't believe that stage is already passing. TOO Fast.
So there is our update. We are madly eating our way around Charleston, (with the super fun help of my parents a couple weeks ago!), frustrated we did not appreciate this food when we first got here. Now we "get it" and LOVE all this lowcountry grub. So go enjoy some grits w/bacon and cheese!

Talking to Daddy While He's Away.

2011-04-05T09:29:00.001-04:00

Back in DC - LONG read. For a blog.

2011-02-11T20:43:00.003-05:00

So this past week the kids and I spent with Jesse back in DC--LOVE IT. I think I'm the only military wife I know that doesn't groan when their other half receives the 'dreaded' assignment to the Pentagon/greater-DC area. Too bad it's very temporary this time. My love for DC...maybe it's because J had it easy the first time around at the Pentagon with fabulous leadership and great co-workers, or maybe it's that I prefer the Pentagon-schedule-craziness to the flying-"schedule"-craziness. Or maybe it's that I now have an appreciation for more ethnic foods and now we drive past these hole-in-the-wall-Moroccan places and I think "STOP!!! I really want to try that place!" Or it could be as simple as Trader Joe's.
But being back here....there is a palpable energy, a sense that what you are doing really does matter to the rest of the nation and maybe even the rest of the world. Even as a Mom. WHAT?!? YES! Even as a stay-at-home, doing nothing-more-significant-than-laundry Mom. Laundry Mom who watches over Fairfax Street in bustling Arlington (Ballston/VA Square area) from her 6th story apartment window and sinisterly laughs at the pedestrian commuters who chance it, jaywalking, and darned near get pummeled by cars. On the ice. Really, I've seen a few close ones and as sick as this is, I laugh to myself as I imagine my frantic 9-1-1 call. "He went. He really thought he could do it. But not so much." Had I thought to bring a good camera, I'd take pictures so you'd believe me. I really would invite you over for a glass of wine and some Frogger.
The only downside is of course, the traffic. I read directions to somewhere I was going the otheday, and I quote: "Drive 0.8 miles and at the SEVENTH [emphasis mine] light turn right."
Ok, it's not a quote directly but it's at best a slight exaggerations and it made me shake my head and say "only in DC...."
Meanwhile, Kaitlin is reading some of Carson's books all by herself (WHO taught her to read?!? Don't they know that means I can't spell naughty stuff in front of her anymore?!?). And in the car yesterday, she busted out the word "exasperated." I'm not even sure I spelled it right, but she used it perfectly in context. When questioned, she admitted she heard it from Donald Duck. Don't you hippies try to guilt me out of letting my kids watch the Disney Channel (Disney Jr starts Monday! "Valemtine's Day!" Kaitlin has no idea what that means but I've been directed to Tivo EVERYTHING!!)
Last, we are off to Georgetown Cupcake tomorrow (of TLC's DC Cupcakes fame.) Wish we had time for the Baltimore commute to Charm City Cakes (if you don't know who Duff Goldman is, I'm not sure we can be friends) but since I don't have Jesse or the kids' interest on snapping a photo from the street after an hour's drive, I guess Georgetown will have to do. Bummer? Nah, I can still get a killer cupcake. Pics next blog.

The Truth Hurts

2010-12-20T08:50:00.003-05:00

Me: Kaitlin, do you smell that? Did Carson poop?
Kaitlin: No, Mommy, I think it's your coffee breath.

Ouch.

Off to furiously scrub my teeth.

NOTE: And for the record, it WAS Carson ;)

Wise Words From a Friend Today

2010-12-07T20:49:00.003-05:00

Especially in this should-be-joyful season:

"We are not called human doings, we are human BEings."

Lord, help me to BE, to be present, with my family, my friends, and with You as we celebrate the birth of Christ, your provision, and this life you have given to us.

Learning is SO hard when you are in your 30's

2010-11-28T19:53:00.005-05:00

Therefore, I can't imagine what 10 more years of mommy brain and wine will do to me in my 40's. Ya'll talk to me while I still can.

I lost my "Cutest Blog on the Block" page set up for this blog and had to find a new one. Then nothing was working right and all my links were messed up. Hopefully I fixed them, but when you have three rears to wipe, time is of the essence.

Sooo....since August and the last pics were of Carson's First Birthday. Kaitlin started school at James Island Christian School, a private K-12 school. If you know anything about SC, you know to be weary of their public schools! I think they rank about 48th in the nation. I'd like her to read before 8th grade, so we decided on a private school where she could remain with the same friends as long as we remain here in SC. The less changes, sometimes, the better.

My parents drove all the way out from Texas in their cozy new car (NOT that I'm jealous...) in September and we enjoyed the second Charleston visit much better than the first. It's always great when you can not do all the "mandatory tourist stuff" and instead do whatever the heck you want to do and love. To that end, we shopped and ate at least 4 or 5 different places in search of Charleston's best crabcakes. So far Magnolia's is a fave all around. My kids just eat up the attention of grandparents and love any day that is different from the norm. Kaitlin had a hard time playing hookey from school, but she caught on and handled it well in the end ;)

The kids dressed up as Dorothy and the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz for Halloween--Carson did great! He is full up walking and loved eating his candy. Paper wrappers and all. Kaitlin is finally brave enough for big inflatable slides and such; she turned 5 on Nov 8th. Carson is, too. He turned 1 on August 5th. We definitely see two different personalities there. Kaitlin would be told "no" and just calmly adn respectfully obey. Carson gets his kicks out of playing the harmonica and disobeying and pulling all the outlet covers out. Nonetheless, he is a funny little guy and keeps us both on our toes and laughing. They are both healthy (well, minus little colds right now) and we are indeed blessed.

November we enjoyed celebrating Kaitln's Birthday with both school friends and old friends at the Little Gym and she loved it. She loves being five and with that has come the sillies. Full on, girlie giggling sillies. That I was not ready for but we laugh anyways. How can you not?!? We also enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving meal at our inlaws' home and loved being part of that big group and for the kids to see 3 of their 4 Baker aunties and also one of the auntie's fiancee and his family. Plus I had a friend join us so it was a huge group, lots of amazing food, and as always my inlaws are gracious hostesses and just love my kiddos (and us!) to death and are showing us that love all the time. Thanks guys :)

So we are ready to enter December with all of the joy and craziness it brings. I am long overdue for a trip back home and am looking forward to that. As Jesse ages in Air Force years (not much different than dog years), we know an assignment is possible anytime after the two year point, which for us, is this February. So we wait and imagine the possibilities of what could come next and still try to be thankful for where we are and the many, many, many blessings God has chosen to give us. May you, and may we, always see them as such. Happy beginnning-to-the-Holiday-season!!

Catching Up

2010-08-19T09:52:00.005-04:00

It's been a busy few months! I'd love to tell you I haven't blogged just because I've been lazy, but alas, the life of a stay-at-home Mom doesn't always offer thrilling fodder for the reading masses.
Carson: Turned one and has seven teeth and has taken as many as three steps at a time. He is into everything. I mean, everything. People aren't kidding when they tell you that's the difference between boys and girls. Kaitlin would not walk on grass or sand until she was about three. Seriously. Carson eats it, crawls all over it, the more the better!
Kaitlin: Started 4K at a new school and wears a little uniform every day. She (we) LOVE her school so far and I can't wait for her to start reading so we can read all those books I remember from that age.
Jesse: Now the wing exec here. For you non-military types, he's the executive assistant to the head guy on base. Just got selected for a three month internship in DC at DARPA, which you can google or wiki if you want to know more about it, but a good summary is that it's the organization of braniacs that came up with the Internet (no, it really wasn't Al Gore!) and do all kinds of cool science projects for DoD that we'll never hear about and therefore never attribute to them.
Me: I'm just minding my own business and trying to maintain the house and fam! I've started running with a friend from the neighborhood (of course, my definition of running is barely beyond most of your definitions of walking quickly) but we're training for a half marathon in October. I'm always happy to have a goal on the books; something to be working towards.
That's it for the moment; we had a great visit with family recently, hopefully have another visit coming up, and Jesse & I are taking a belated 10th anniversary trip to CO later this fall. The mountains are CALLING my name. It's been too long...

Kaitlin, What do you want to be when you grow up?

2010-04-14T10:14:00.002-04:00

Answer: A mommy like you! I want to have 10 girls and 10 boys so I want to have 20 babies (???????). But I want to name them after they come out of my tummy.

Whew. She aims high, what can I say! Watch out Duggars, your TV spot might only be good for another few years.

Carson, meanwhile, has cut his first tooth and is crawling proficiently.

Here's a pic from Easter Sunday morning at the beach. Fun!

March Fun

2010-04-03T09:22:00.003-04:00

Whew, I cannot believe it's April already! Happy early Easter everyone--thank God for the hope we have in Him because He died for us and rose again. And Easter Egg hunts are real fun, too :)
March has been a growing month for our family. Jesse spent all but a few days away on trips, going all around the world. Some of his stops included Egypt, Nepal, Cyprus, Montenegro, and of course those countried we affectionately refer to as the "Stans"--Khazakstan, Kyrgzi- (sp?), Afgahni-, Paki-, etc. Then he came home for three days and was back out again, this time to Germany and back to Charleston several times. These times can be very trying for us as a family, but then the reward is in hearing my daughter's precious prayers upon his return--tagging on to the end of my bedtime prayer with "And thank you Lord that Daddy came home!"
Carson spent the month in and out of sleep (more out than in) probably because he was busy cutting his first tooth! He is crawling and laughing, sitting up and moving all around, and eating his solids, at long last, without spewing raspberries all over the kitchen. Thank God. The recycling zealots of the world would be thrown into convulsive fits if they knew the paper towels we went through.
When Jesse got tagged to go on his second trip of the month, I decided to up and head to Niceville, Florida with the kiddos to visit our great friends and Kaitlin's little BFF's (best friends forever, for you over-40 crowd). It was a looooong drive (10 hours for what should have been 8 hours each way because I had to stop and do all the feedings for little man!) but we got there and home safely and without a single traffic ticket so I guess that means we came out ahead. We had a BLAST letting the kiddos play and hanging out at the gorgeous Destin beaches. Kaitlin has been itching to fly kites, so she got to do that.
The best part of the whole gig is that Carson's sleeping patterns changed dramatically during the trip, and he has been consistently sleeping through the night (or really, really close to it) ever since Florida. I love that state. And the company. So, to some degree, I actually feel marginally sane again. Yahoo!
Enjoy some pics...thanks for dropping by to read!

In a Former Life

2010-03-01T19:53:00.005-05:00

Some of my girlfriends here asked me about the whole Air Force thing. That was seriously another lifetime ago...before kids, back when we could sleep when we wanted to, eat after 6PM, and take off on a dime. I wouldn't trade it for the world! But I did have some great times and wanted to share pics in case you don't believe me ;)
BTW, No, I was not a pilot. I had an awesome Colonel that I worked for that let me have a ride in the fighter trainer airplane. Do I not look ready to kick some tail!?!? Ha ha.
Oh yeah, and in that 'former life' before I donated all my brain cells to my children, I probably could have figured out how to blog and get the pics at the end of the post...oh well...enjoy anyways!

Good thing that's one cute face

2010-02-24T19:41:00.002-05:00

Oh, my Lord, it's a good thing this is one cute little face. If you happen to pass by our home and think you're hearing lambs being led to slaughter, never fear, it's just my daughter "going through a phase." And boy do I hope it's a short one.

Bad parental decision = letting your child have too much control for too long.
Consequence = having to set the boundaries straight in phases like this.
Complicating factors = recent sickness forced excessive indulgence. What? I like indulging her when she's sick.
Result = prayerfully, the result is a sweet, obedient child for life who knows she is loved deeply because she is disciplined.

YIKES!

Picnic Time

2010-02-22T10:24:00.002-05:00

So Kaitlin wakes up from her "nap" yesterday (which has turned into quiet time in her room since she rarely sleeps anymore) having concocted a plan. She comes out and says authoritatively "Mommy we should go on a picnic on a picnic blanket that's white and red!"
Well, the weather was gorgeous so we thought that was a pretty great idea! She was so excited and took charge immediately (imagine that!), finding a picnic 'basket' and filling it with what she decided everybody would eat. She was very disppointed in our blue blanket, but we had fun anyways. Here's some pics:

Happy 6 Months Carson

2010-02-06T08:28:00.002-05:00

Carson turned 6 months on Friday--weighing in at 15 lbs 7 oz (10th - 25th%) and measuring in the 75th percentile. Healthy, happy, and growing, just the way we like 'em. More on him later in the post.
I took Kaitlin to the dentist for the first time Thursday. She was freaking out about the appointment so bad that I finally pointed out to her that she's never even been to the dentist or seen a dentist so why is she so worried? And she tells me that the dentist on Finding Nemo is mean and I'm all like crap, I had no idea she'd even put that together with her own dentist, but she's never been so why wouldn't she?! Anyways, after convincing her that Australian dentists use archaic tools and our dentists have bigger and better tools that don't hurt, she agreed to go. Had the cutest little young gal doing her cleaning who, thank God, was awesome with my little 'fraidy cat. She left with a goody bag (complete with a new pink Sleeping Beauty toothbrush) and thought she'd been in Heaven. Add that to the fact that her goody bag had a tooth holder in it (you know, for under your pillow after you lose one) and I told her all about the tooth fairy bringing money and suddnely she really likes the dentist. So then last night I take her to her first class at The Little Gym because one finally opened on my side of town. She had a ball and was walking the balance beam, and you know Kaitlin, helping the other kids to do it correctly, too. She left and was all smiles and so I asked her in the car on the way home what her favorite part of the day was. I meant, what at the Little Gym was her favorite thing. What she said was she liked the Dentist the best. Hmph.
And then there's Carson. I tried really hard with Kaitlin not to be competitive or to stress out when someone else's kid was smiling, walking, crawling, sitting, etc. earlier than she was but no matter how hard I tried, I still compared. The beauty of him is that (a) he only gets compared to Kaitlin and (b) I could give a poop when he sits up. Someone was bugging me about that the other day asking me why he wasn't sitting up yet and I'm all like, why would I want him sitting up, it just means he's mobile sooner which means I'm gonna have to put up baby gates sooner. Duh. I suppose he won't be off at kindgergarten pooping himself and drooling everywhere still, so it'll be just fine.
On that note--just so YOU can compare (ha ha) here's where Carson is at. At 6 months he is rolling over easily in both directions, loves a good array of baby fruits and vegetables, smiles all the time, especially at Kaitlin and especially when she says "Bananas!" Don't ask, I have no idea. Apparently it's absolutely hysterical to the under 5 crowd. He can also push up on his tummy and has that look on his face that says he would like to crawl if I could just please just do him the favor of providing the right motivation. He sits up briefly alone and for long periods unassisted and loves to be outside. He no longer hates his car seat (car seat colic, as I called it, mercifully passed) but it is still not always his favorite place, and if he is in a dead sleep in that seat and you bring it inside he WILL wake up just about as soon as you set him down. Every time. He is not walking, babbling, sitting unassisted, crawling, smoking or drinking anything other than milk. All in all, a good little guy. We are addressing sleep issues, as he still gets up 2-3 times most nights. Not sure what is going on there. I'd tell you he's napping pretty well, but if I did then he'd stop, so I'll tell you that his naps are the pits.
Some pics from the aquarium, too, for your enjoyment.

Alas, a New Year!

2010-01-25T18:47:00.003-05:00

I love new beginnings. Even more, I love that the past few months are behind us. Jesse got home on January 3rd after 4 months in Qatar (the middle East). His stories and experiences are coming out slowly, but suffice it to say that your prayers and mine DID matter and we are very blessed and thankful to have him back home now safely. One of the pics you will see is of Kailtin cutting off the LAST piece of paper on her paper chain with Jesse when he first got home. If you know Kaitlin, you know I mean right when he got home, walked in the front door, to her room, and she made him cut it off with her. She cut off one piece every day for 120+ days. It was the longest darned strand of paper you've ever seen. (but cute, thanks Amy!)
We celebrated a second Christmas here in Charleston (Dec 25th was in Houston with just me & the kids) and had a great morning catching up on everything we didn't do on "normal" Christmas day. Enjoy the pics!

And a little food for thought: I heard this quote watching Criminal Minds this week. It's from C.S. Lewis and it sums up my 2009 well:

“Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.”

Annual Christmas Letter

2009-12-11T13:48:00.002-05:00

Wow…it’s December already! I love a day like today—cool, rainy, a cup of coffee, and a little writing assignment. I missed my calling as a professional student, I think. So until I get back to that, let me update you with our family’s happenings.
Last September (‘08), we packed up and left the Washington, D.C. area after three wonderful years there. Kaitlin and I headed to Houston to spend the fall with my parents (read: elated grandparents who usually have no nearby grandkids) while Jesse headed to Altus, Oklahoma to retrain in the C-17 so he could be a functional pilot again after a couple of years doing Pentagon staff work. Jesse came down to Houston lots of weekends and then after spending Christmas in Texas, we moved to our new duty station in Charleston, South Carolina. We bought a house and have thoroughly enjoyed the creature comforts of our own home again—things like a garage, main floor laundry room, plenty of space, and a good-sized backyard are among what we missed most during our D.C. years.
In April we took our first family trip to Disney World and it was, well, magical. Our first morning there, we had breakfast with Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Daisy Duck at the Animal Kingdom. We arrived right as the park opened, when all the characters are out to count down to the big opening and usher in all the excited park goers. I cried. Getting to Disney World brought out my inner SuperMom. There is nothing in the world like seeing your kid so happy.
The other highlight of the year, of course, was August 5th—Carson Matthew’s birthday! We thoroughly enjoy our new status as a family of four, and Jesse’s side of the family is still in shock over seeing another baby boy (he’s got four younger sisters). Unfortunately, our family time has been a bit interrupted by the Air Force, as Jesse deployed to Qatar on August 29th and is due back in early January. It’s been a challenging few months with a newborn and a preschooler, and I’ve come to realize how true it is that it’s not just the military member who serves their country. It’s their families, too. But even more, it’s the host of people—and we are beyond blessed, there have been plenty of them—who serve their nation by taking care of the families left behind. I cannot thank you all enough for the encouragement, meals, lawn care, child care, listening ears, tear-stained shoulders, and prayers!
As for Kaitlin, she has weathered all of these changes beautifully. Being a big sister suits her perfectly. She started preschool in September and loves “meeting” a new letter each week, show-and-tell, and all of her friends. She is very detail-oriented and organized—every pair of her shoes has an assigned stair in our house where they reside and are rarely out of place. She loves to scramble eggs in the mornings, sing herself to sleep, and count to 100 on walks. At long last she has overcome her fear of slides and is finally keeping up with the two-year-olds on the playground. She just turned four. But she can do 75-piece puzzles with ease, write her name legibly and say the word supercalifragilisticexpalidocious so while I may not have a world class circus tightrope walker on my hands, I have a sweet, caring, adorable, highly-intelligent baby girl who is the apple of her mommy and daddy’s eyes. Carson busies himself by keeping a watchful eye on her and taking notes, and he is no doubt beginning to think of ways to keep up with her. He’s a sweet-spirited little guy who smiles all the time, laughs easily, and sleeps some.
That’s our year (plus a little, since I didn’t write a letter last Christmas) in big nutshell. We love hearing from everybody at Christmastime, and pray you all have a warm and wonderful Christmas and a blessed beginning to 2010!

A Different Kind of Christmas Poem

2009-12-05T17:03:00.003-05:00

Maybe you've seen this from an e-mail forward. I didn't write it, and it's not about Jesse--it's about all of our men and women overseas this Christmas. It's oh, so appropriate for my little family this year. We love you, Jesse, and we miss you! (that is Jesse in the picture on the right on the ground in Afghanistan with a picture that Kaitlin's preschool class sent to him.)

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,

Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said "It’s really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Joy to the World

2009-12-02T18:55:00.003-05:00

Heard over the monitor...

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive Can-dy!"

Sooo, what's up?

2009-11-18T18:59:00.005-05:00

Well, we just got back from Houston about a week ago. Carson got to meet Sue Sue and Papa Dick. Well, playing with Papa Dick was delayed a bit since he had unplanned emergency surgery the day after we arrived. Thankfully everything is fine now, just a few minor tweaks and he's all better.
Went trick or treating w/my high school buddy and her little boy--what fun it is to pop back into my hometown here and there and get to re-live those relationships as though we never left. I am so blessed. Our kiddos were funny. Kaitlin was all business marching house to house and carrying out her little trick or treat mission. Grier, on the other hand, was afraid the fun would end and after every house would say "One more house?" That went on for about 30 houses! Too cute. I hope she marries Grier one day (he's the little guy in the pic w/her).
Kaitlin was The Little Mermaid this year. Actually she wanted to be a sunshine initially--like the one on the Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage commercials where it's morning and the planets haven't eaten breakfast so they quit revolving around the sun. Yeah. So I searched high and low for a sunshine costume and couldn't find one. Fortunately as time closed in on us, we were at Costco and she fell for the Disney costumes and decided on Ariel instead.
The funny thing is, about a week ago, I was reading through one of the five million Parenting magazines that I've received. Seriously my living room rivals a doctor's waiting room. And what did they have on page 34, low and behold, but an "easy to make" costume of a sunshine! Trouble is this magazine said easy and sew in the same set of directions. Phhhts.
Carson did great on the airplane both ways. I will swear by traveling with kiddos under 6 months because my goodness, they are light and they sleep a lot. Not so sure as you get to be closer to one. By the time they are almost 2 and still free, it's almost worth it to buy their ticket because hey, the way we're headed, Carson's plane ticket will cost less than checking my luggage. Next time I'm in Houston I might just have to go naked.
I digress. Probably due to lack of sanity. Since we left for Houston, Carson's endured 3 time changes, a complete change of schedule and daytime routine, thrush (again), a growth spurt, weaning, a new nipple for his bottles. He has let me know he's not very excited about this change. I let him know that he's supposed to getting easier at three months, not harder. Hmph.
So at three months, he is still not talking, walking, crawling, or even sitting up. But he smiles and he laughs and thinks it's pretty funny whenever I kiss his feet on the changing table. And boy does he have abnormally sweaty feet; let me just apologize now to my future daughter in law. It's not my fault. What he does do that is too sweet...I will rock him to sleep at night briefly after he takes his last bottle and is ready. He'll be all burritoed-up (Swaddled) with his pacifier in. Almost invariably (or, until I write this) I will curl him up to my face, kiss him sweetly on the forehead, and that's when his eyes close and he lets go to sleep. It is the most heartwarming thing. And then a couple seconds later his pacifier will pop out of his mouth to indicate it's bed time. I love it.
Last thing--maybe you don't care but this might be as close to writing stuff in a baby book as I get so I wanted to note it here. Took him to the doc yesterday for said thrush, and he now weighs 13 lbs 11 oz with clothes on. Not bad!

really? you liked Seattle?

2009-11-18T18:57:00.003-05:00

Yes. Really. Really really really really!

Birthday Party!!

2009-10-27T08:57:00.006-04:00

Katilin had her 4th Birthday Party on Friday. It was a Minnie Mouse party and lots of fun, in spite of the poopy weather that forced us inside. With about 25 people floating around. Many of them under three. And I did not have a break down. Whew!
My own 4th Birthday party was, I believe, at Peppermint Park back in Houston. We rode little toddler sized rides and probably all drove over there together (maybe 6 kids?) in my parents' station wagon. That probably had seats for 5--and my older brother probably went, too, which means all in all we would have crammed about 10 people into that vehicle. My, my how times have changed. Unless you are Jon & Kate plus 8 or happen to own a school bus equipped for car seats, there is no carpooling the whole birthday party gang to the party location, huh?
Speaking of driving, Kaitlin got her first bicycle for her birthday! She is Little-Miss-Tentative as always and watching her go down the "hill" on the sidewalk and nearly kill herself plowing into the nearby tree as she panicked and let go of both the pedals and the handlebars made me realize just how scary it is to be the parents of the 15 year old driving student. And poor Kaitlin has zero survival instinct whatsoever, so Jesse and I have already begun to fight about which of us will risk life and limb to get her driving. You know, it's only 11 years away now. EEK!

LONG 2 Month Update

2009-10-09T14:11:00.004-04:00

Didn't I just write this post? No, wait, that was the TWO WEEK update. Thankfully, time is flying. One day when I'm old and gray I'll wish it weren't, but for this moment and season, it's a great thing.

Carson went for his 2 month check up today. Height 23.something--75th percentile. That's amusing to me, that Jesse and I would have a child well into the 75th percentile for height at any point in his life! Weight 12.2 lbs. 50th percentile. Head circumference--who cares.

Kaitlin went for her 4 yr old appointment (a bit early) and now weighs a whopping 29.5 pounds and is I think 39 and a half inches tall. She's back down in the 3rd percentile for weight (almost the 10th, though) and 50th for height. So I guess she thought that means she and Carson could share pants (see pic). Not yet, his are a bit short on her, but the sad thing is, he will outweigh her probably around his 2nd birthday. At least the situation isn't reversed, though, huh?

Sleeping--Carson--yes, many nights 6-8 hours between feedings. Sometimes just 3-4, but at least he knows what night time is and is ready to go to bed every night by 8ish. That is, until this week when got some blasted medicine that makes him extremely gassy. So we've reverted to the 4 week old sleep habits but I know it's only temporary. Different medicine on order as I type, thank GOD.

And maybe I should erase that last paragraph because (can I get an "AMEN" here?) every time. Every single time. EVERY SINGLE TIME I brag on him for doing something good ("Oh, he's hardly crying now!" "He's warming up to his car seat" "He slept through the night last night!") he stops doing it. So I find myself superstitious and I am so NOT superstitious, but you would be, too, if it meant another hour of sleep and the trade off is you have to keep your mouth shut about how well he did last night. And if I do talk, now I feel like I have to preface it with "Well, this might all change tonight, but he just...XYZ..." Otherwise we'll have an awful morning or something to make up for the fact that I forgot to throw in the little superstitious disclaimer. Ridiculous, I know.

Smiling and cooing. Yes! All the time. Especially at 4 AM, as though to say "I'm sorry for waking you up, but I'll be irresistable to make it worth your while." The only reason we moms keep our newborns around and some degree of sanity for ourselves. Although, sane becomes a very relative term during this season of life.

Couple questions about the pediatrician's office. First of all, when did they all get to be younger than me? What the heck can these young men think they know about babies? Ha ha. Second, why is the pediatrician the ONLY doctor where you consistently wait an hour for your appointment to start, even when you show up on time? You'd think in the 30+ years since I've been visiting a pediatrician, somebody would have solved this problem. Because I definitely remember some marathon waits back in Dr. Regan's office growing up. But it's even worse now... now they make you keep the door shut ("privacy laws") when you get back to the room where the actual exam takes place--so you can't even shoot the docs and nurses dirty looks as they pass your room and wash their hands 300 times. Rivals the DMV, except thankfully I don't need a new driver's licence every 2 months. Although if they catch me driving with half my body contorted into the back seat to keep the pacifier in my baby's mouth they just may sentence me to repeated visits. Come to think of it, let's do that for drunk drivers.

In other news, I shouldn't complain about my job as the mom of the household because I might get outsourced soon by Kaitlin. She is already Carson's pacificer-replacer, diaper-fetcher, burp-cloth monitor, cry-radar, smile-getter, and outfit-chooser. I have to pull up a chair every time I bathe him so she can watch. (oddly, no questions about the male/female difference yet. Look for that post soon!). She totally digs being Mommy Jr. Only now she's really making a run for my head-of-the-house-female position, as she decided to fold laundry yesterday. See pic above...I think she did a pretty good job! I feel like the doctors on Grey's Anatomy, competing for a surgery so they don't lose their jobs in the hospital merger--I'm competing with my 3 yr old for housework!

Her little memory is incredible. It's taken her all of about 15 tries to memorize the entire Pledge of Allegiance. She still says ...and to the "weplublic" with an extra "L" which is super adorable, but she's got it other than that. Indivisible = no problem for her!

Thanks for reading my loooooong update. This is what you get when you combine a stay at home Mommy with a computer that has no minute-limit and an audience of ANY size, animate or inanimate. Cheers!

Kiddos Update

2009-09-25T14:25:00.003-04:00

I'm sensing the beginnings of some sibling rivalry. I keep trying to snap pics of Carson when he's smiling and so today, Kaitlin cuts in and demands I take pics of her smiling, too. You know, since that's new and all...
She's been in preschool about 4 days now and already her handwriting is better! Okay, so it's not the school, but still, it's getting pretty darned good and what's cute is that she loves to go out to the back porch and write "our family" as she calls it--and she writes out "kaitlin" first (of course) then "mommy," "daddy," and "carson". It's so sweet! Right up until she gets defiant about me trying to take her picture. I'll let you figure out which photo that is, ha ha!

Fun With Friends

2009-09-20T19:32:00.003-04:00

At the risk of serious trouble, I'll post this pic because to me, it's priceless. Kaitlin had a visit from her two bestest friends, who are twins. They came all the way up from Florida (8 and a half hours in the car) to visit and the kiddos had a great time. So did the Mommies! Thanks B&R for a wonderful time!

Just Sayin'

2009-09-13T17:42:00.001-04:00

A thought struck me today. As someone who has done both, child rearing is, in fact, much harder than rocket science.

Amazed

2009-09-12T14:02:00.002-04:00

I have been completely blown away the past couple weeks by the kindness and love of my friends and family. I can't go into a lot of detail at the moment, but I have to write about what God is teaching me through it all. Two specific lessons stand out:

(1) I read early on in Kailin's little life that "sleep begets sleep." You don't exhaust your child to get them to sleep well; instead, you nap them as needed and put them to bed at a reasonable hour and sleeping will come much easier to them.
So it is in our lives with serving others. My Bible Study group has extended their arms to us and loved us so much lately, in such tangible and practical ways, that I can't help but to want to give it back away. To them, to anybody. It's the exact reaction that Jesus expected from His followers, when He told us to love Him and our neighbors above all other commandments. He loved us so much, and that kind of love begets more love. His kindness led us to repentence--and our kindness will lead others to Him. And sometimes when we see somebody not serving or not loving very well, it's our very natural inclination to not want to serve them or to love them, either. (like trying to keep the kid up late to get them to sleep in). But it doesn't work if you really want things to change. The very people that are least kind or least giving...well, that might just be what they are needing from others to jump start their hearts in the same direction. I am humbled after watching my small group to realize just how poor I can be at serving others in my own life.

(2) God provides. How many times in the past few weeks have I cringed and been unable to see how to get through something. It's like being in a video game trying to get through a castle maze thingy. The animated electronic guy just needs the next treasure to keep going or else his little life is over. If he gets it, he has enough to go find the next part of the maze. That's sort of how I've felt; I just need the next little bit to keep going. But every time I peek my head around the next corner, I can't see a thing--no little treasure. There is NOTHING there. I panic. I'm human. My confidence and perseverance is in critical condition. It's not until I actually walk around that corner and I'm in the room that what I need the most suddenly falls from the sky or materializes where it wasn't before. I thank God for that, knowing He is the giver of all good things. And that treasure has come in a hundred forms--friends visiting, my mother in law, a pick-me-up phone call, meals, an encouraging e-mail, something fun to do, a smile from my kiddos, a couple hours alone, an uninterrupted cup of coffee--always just enough to get to the next room but never lacking. So, thank you small group. Thank you friends. Most of all--thank you GOD.

Priorities

2009-09-09T10:34:00.008-04:00

Okay, I'm skipping shower time in order to write this!
Today is Kaitlin's first day of preschool. She was sooo excited and ready to go. And if you know me, you will be most impressed to know that I got her there on time. Poor Carson paid the price. He got halfway through his feeding and I had to cut him off and leave. Ah, the fun of being second-born. But we learned our lesson and will time it better next go round. Kaitlin was so disappointed that Mommy drove her and she didn't get to ride a yellow (fave color) school bus. Whoops, forgot to go over that part with her. Truth be told, Mommy's a little disappointed there's no school bus, too. :)
On the bright side, Carson 'complained' so much on the way home about still being hungry that he has slept the whole time Kaitlin's been at school and oh boy! That means I've had free hands the ability to get some stuff done!
I finally managed to get a semi-smiling picture out of Carson--see the one with the newspaper in the background. He is smiling at the headline over his right shoulder--too bad for OU!
Off to shower; enjoy some pics of Kaitlin on her first day and also just some random updated pics of Carson. 10 lbs 13 oz as of Sept 8th. He weighs at 5 weeks probably what Kaitlin weighed at 5 months. I wonder if I'll ever stop comparing my kids. Makes me awfully glad that God saw fit to make this one a boy. :)

2 Week Check up

2009-08-22T15:51:00.003-04:00

In typical Kelly fashion, I'm late on Carson's 2 week check up. But only by two days. At any rate, he weighs 9 lbs (75th %), is 21 inches long (up from 20 inches at birth, between 50-75th %), and his noggin is 14" around (25th %). He's doing great by all accounts and sleeping peacefully as I type. Ah, bliss.

Some Pics

2009-08-14T15:06:00.002-04:00

P.S.

2009-08-13T09:12:00.003-04:00

P.S. As I look at the blog, I realize you might be thinking I have a red headed little child. I would love that, but I'll set the record straight and tell you his hair is brown, that was just the lighting.

37 weeks and a lot on my mind.

2009-07-19T22:32:00.006-04:00

Naming Baby

2009-04-06T10:59:00.003-04:00

So we're in the funnest part of pregnancy besides breaking the news to people. And that is...naming baby! We've found naming a boy is considerably more difficult than naming a girl! Especially when your family is like mine--Southern on one half with some, well, interesting names (Virgil anyone?!) and then HUGE on the other half which means little second and third and barely-related cousins already took a big chunk of the current names. THEN, of course, there is the dilemma of finding a name you both agree on, only to remember your brother's friend who threw you in the trash can at your freshman dance. Can't go there with his name. I don't know how teachers ever name their children.
As Christians, we of course considered Bible names, but really, people blow it big and Biblical figures are no different! I can't see naming my baby Adam (and I do love the name Adam) but then he comes to find out that Adam is the way back root of all man's sin. I hate to begin Baby's life on that foot! But then, you hate to go to the other extreme and name him Jesus or something. No pressure. I don't know, maybe we're just too picky and overthinking this. But you know, you read People magazine and other such highly reliable psychiatric sources that talk about how Baby's name really can affect his future so you know, you just gotta get it right.
We're down to three names that we like best, and truly I have no idea which one will win. One week it's name A, another week it's name B "for sure!" and then today pregnancy brain won out and I couldn't even remember name C for a while. Yup, I'm losing it.
So if you're waiting for name hints, sit tight. It might be a while...

Is she really my daughter?

2009-02-27T15:35:00.003-05:00

So Kaitlin fell down on Tuesday and got an "owie" on her knee. She was sad for a bit, managed to get to the dinner table, and 20 minutes later was still fussing about it. So we decided we had better take a look. BAD idea, Moms and Dads. She saw it bleeding a little bit and it was all over. She cried about it off and on until bed time, wouldn't walk on her leg, and screamed when we put a bandaid on it.
Did I mention the owie was the size and rough severity of a paper cut?!?
The next morning, she wouldn't walk on it, so we didn't get her out of bed (to force her to walk on it). She has been limping ever since and is FINALLY better today. Friday. But we still have to take "little baths" as she calls them (i.e., don't get the bandaid wet).
So I wonder...can this possibly be my daughter?? If you know me, you know a small cut does not phase me and never really has. I guess in part I was toughened by an older sibling, a brother at that (thanks Jeff!) but seriously? For a teeny cut, all that drama??
That and she doesn't like banana pudding.