Good thing that's one cute face

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

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

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!

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

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

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

Heard over the monitor...

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