Doing lots!

With Jeff being home we are staying busy with fun activities and enjoying what is left of our time here in Alaska! The most recent is that we went "hiking" on some trails at the local Creamers Field. The boys had a fun time looking for feathers of cranes and listening for birds that were still in the woods we wondered through. We looked at all the different leaves, and trees and explored the unknown. It was maybe a mile that we walked - good exercise and wore the boys out!! Please enjoy a few of our favorite pictures.

Boys on a Bridge

Exploring

Walking with Mom

The three boys

Checking out a bird house

Im a little late....

Few Hours Old!
Im 2 years old!

Blake turned 2 July 16th....Here is my baby!! We hare having his Birthday Party today!! More pictures to come!! Happy Late Birthday Blake!!

Funny Blake

Hope this Video of Blake works

Sleepy time more cozy thanks to Dad!

Jeff has been nice and sends the boys gifts every couple of months so they get something special just from him and it comes in the mail and its very exciting for the boys to get mail. A month ago Jeff sent them a stuffed tiger and lion. Next time we know to get them each the same thing becuase they fight over them because they are different! haha. Here are pictures of boys cuddled up to thier new stuffed animal!

Lots going on.

Long story short. Army sucks, Tricare sucks, getting approval for an MRI sucks! After much calling, and spoon feeding the idiots on the other end of the phone, and me about to hyperventilate - Ians MRI scheduled for the 22nd DID not happen. It will be happening on the 29th. I hope to have good news as I update you all on his results. We are hoping for no change/no growth. If there is any change at all we will be going to Seattle to talk to the Neurosurgeon to see what our options are at this point in time.

ON a happier note here are some silly pictures of the kids this week!

We have success standing up!! Woo Hoo! Only a accident here and there.

Brotherly love

Aren't they adorable?

Hmmm who am I going to call. Blake loves to wear his boots EVERYWHERE

Mom and her boys!

Crazy Hair Ian.

Ians New Trick. He did this while I was in the shower. He thinks hes part kangaroo!

Break out the Bikini!

Its +43 outside. Im dead serious. It was about 40 below on Sunday, now its positive 43!!! Great weather. No gloves, no snow pants, no heavy jackets! Its lovely. I actually shoveled my porch today because the snow as melting. The only bad thing about this nice temps - makes for some creative driving. Slushy roads makes for bad drivers, more wrecks so you have to be 10 times more careful. The dogs are loving it, I am loving it - we can get outside to breath and freeze our snot and play for a change in stead of play in the house!

Ive been lazy and haven't charged my battery to the camera I have - and cant find my iPhone charger to the computer to download the pictures Ive taken.

Ian has been great with potty training. He has been good for 2 weeks about with only maybe 3 accidents. Im so proud. I have been teaching him about standing up to pee pee because he saw one of his good boy friends at school do that. So we tried it out today...lets just say - Ian likes to get creative and "swirl it all around". Now the one time I wish I had some 'male parts' so I can show him not to spray his pee everywhere. haha. Maybe I can borrow one of my friends husband from work. How do I go about asking that!? That could make for an awkward question! haha. Totally kidding, you should know!

Blake is doing great. Repeating, or at least trying to say everything I say. He calls Ian something I can't quite repeat - its his own little word.I know hes trying to say Ian. We are working on - so very cute. I love the bond they have. They sit and play and get along so well - the otehr times he is pulling Ians hair and trying to bite him.

I will upload pictures too.

I Have a valentines craft to do - might not get done since its so warm out...

Jingle take two

Ok, so the first video ending not so well I thought we would try another one... Blake didn't want to stick around...prob a good thing b/c he would have knocked out his brother this time! :)

Christmas Video

Here is a little Christmas video of the boys. We are attempting to sing Jingle Bells. Blake got a little to 'jingley' with his bell....

Missing Daddy

Today I am feeling a little better - yesterday was the pits - Ian has the stomach bug. He is felling a little better...but not quite there yet. He is also missing Daddy big time today - took a picture of our fridge (full of daddy) and was walking around the house crying. So sad! Also, Blake has taken to love his "Blankie" he has his pacifier... but now he likes his blanket and his is pacifier. Heaven forbid if we take them away!

ps - I have found a new addiction: picnik.com (great for editing pictures!)

Happy Thanksgiving

Waving hi to Daddy. Happy Thanksgiving!
Better one - without the passy! My loves, my boys!

I am thankful for all of my friends and family! My good friend Dawn and her daughter Reagan met us at the DFAC on post to enjoy a Thanksgiving Dinner. It was so yummy and I didn't have to cook or clean up either! I think we are going to start doing this every year! :) Enjoy our pictures!

Late posting Halloween!

Us playing on Halloween
Spiderman Blake

Super Hero Harmon's

How Red Power Ranger Ian gets his engery: lolypops!

Boys will be Boys

A few pictures so you know how my days goes!!

Blake thinks this is funny!

He wouldn't let go!

Riding on his pony!

Not happy this day!

Measure twice, cut once!!

Gotta get thru the bad days to have a good one!

So since White Water Rafting lots has happened. I have been super busy and super sad, and super loved and super happy. A roller coaster of emotions! This is what we have been up to.

I worked the day after rafting. I pre-pack everything the night before so the morning will go smoothly right?! WRONG. I packed everything for the boys - load them up in the car, load up all the bags that go with them. Then I hop in the car. One major thing is missing - my KEYS! Long story short - never found them that morning. Had a friend take me to work and showed up 50 min late. Very mad at myslef, crying -cursing the Army b/c if Jeff was here he would drive me, or at least give me his keys. (Now I am getting TONS of my car key copied to have at the house just in case) I felt great after having gone swimming in the Nenana; however, I thought I had swimmers ear - big fat negative. I had one of the peds Drs look in my ears (Perk of working at a hospital - have the Drs you work for see you on the floor!) well I have two ear infections - no wonder why I have been feeling so crappy. So on an antibiotic I go, oral and one for my ears. (Still feel crappy today and its been what, 6 days?)

Ok so then I work Saturday... which the boys didn't sleep very well at all on Friday night. When oh when will they BOTH sleep thru the night? At this rate, never! Work went well. Nothing really to exciting Saturday night except that the boys slept GREAT. I think I slept from 9-3 straight! WOO HOO. I felt super rested. BUT then I couldn't find my name badge and this lets me in the locked doors in the morning. Took me a while to find a door that wasn't locked. UGH.



Sunday I met up with a couple to eat breakfast and all hell broke loose after that. The boys were not happy. Ian wanted his daddy and he wanted him now. Crying for Jeff, asking me when daddy was going to come home to play with him - telling me he wanted to go on a plane to see daddy. This all broke my heart. It is just something that is going to happen again and again when Jeff deploys to Iraq. This was really hard for me to see Ian so upset and wanting to see Jeff. So we just cuddled and said it was ok to miss Daddy and that we should make Daddy a picture to come to. Ian gave me a hug and said Thanks and off to color we went! That moment was so cute when he said "Thanks (more like tanks) Mommy" I felt super loved!

Monday came and I put the boys in daycare to go to a scrapbooking class. Very Fun! I needed the time away from the kids to talk to other women and be creative. I will post a picture of what I made in another post. Its a picture album called "heros handbook". Turned out really neat.

They slept great Monday night. Finally some sleep ... Im getting good at running on 4 hours.

Then today is Blakes First birthday. We had an awesome day. We all woke up, took a little walk. Everyone was happy! Went to Lowes to buy some flowers, off to the commissary to pick up some food, and back home to plant the flowers and to have a little photo shoot with Blake - Ian wouldn't really let me take any pictures of him. He kept running around saying smile and I could only get a good one of him. Then we took another walk - this time with the two dogs. YIKES- that was hard! They about pulled out my arms! And Ian is passed out on the couch while Blake is playing. Ian fell asleep while I was changing Blake and I can't get him up to save my life. So it will be a late night for me and I have to work in the morning. Woe is me...

Daddy Time

We have a nightly routine that we try to stick to daily.

• Dinner at 6pm



• Bath at 7pm



• Pick out books



• Then read books with Mommy & Daddy



• Bedtime at 8pm

We have been trying to stick with this routine. With Jeff leaving for NTC soon, and then deploying...we really have to stick to normal - and then me continue with this routine after he goes. So here is Jeff reading a book to Ian, and Jeff & Blake time. Very cute! (Also great pictures that are going into each of their Daddy & Me Books that I will give them when Jeff deploys.)

Blake

Let me tell you what Blake has been up to. He is now chasing everyone around the house! He is 9 1/2 months old and about 22 lbs. You would have never known he was a preemie! His one year birthday is coming right around the corner. Blake loves to babble away. He is able to say "dada, mama (sometimes) yea yea." He loves playing with his brother and loves to climb all over the dogs and pull up on about anything he can get his hands on. Hes still teethless, but those bottom 2 teeth are working awfully hard to pop on thru. Blake can't wait to see everyone and visit with everyone soon!