Preparing to see his family!

We'll be heading to SC in a couple of weeks and we're preparing for the trip on several fronts around here...what will we pack?, when will we pack?, how long should it take us to get there?, how long will it take us to get there?, etc. As we get closer to our departure date, we are trying to maximize Boo's exposure to pics of his family so he'll be familiar with them when we get home. I have photos on his wall and a little photo album we carry in our diaper bag (thanks to the Bradleys) and I even made a slide show on the computer, but I wanted them to be larger, more life like. So, I thought, I'll videotape the slide show as it plays on the computer and then play it on the TV (archaic techno mind that I have). But, to our delight, B discovered that our TV has a USB port, so all we had to do was put the pictures on a flash drive and add a little music to set the mood, and voila` a life size slide show appeared. We even found a pic of you Aunt P!!

So, here's a video of Boo looking at you!!

In my mind I'm going to Carolina...

That tickles, Dad!

Boo would like to give a BIG BIRTHDAY SHOUTOUT to his buddy (although, they've never met) Tanner! He turned one year old today!!! Happy Birthday!!!

Wine Thursday

All of you parents out there know how hard it is to connect with your spouse when you have other wonderful beings needing your attention. Well, taking a cue from our friend Elena who has been enjoying a "Margarita Wednesday" with her girlfriends while their husbands are deployed, B-man and I have decided to institute a "Wine Thursday" at our house ( I know, Wine Wednesday has a better ring to it, but B is in school on Wed nights).

We've been doing it for about a month now and it's been GREAT! We're committed to doing it every Thursday, so we know it's coming and it's something to look forward to. The rest of the week, I usually rush off to bed after G goes to sleep as I'm one who has always valued 8 hours of sleepy time but, on Thursdays, after G-Boo falls asleep for the night we pour a glass of wine and sit on the back patio in the rocking chairs and just talk for a while. It's a great chance to finish conversations started throughout the week, reconnect, and to talk about whatever we want. Murray and Sandy have enjoyed frolicking in the cooler nighttime temperatures and lying in the grass.

We've also enjoyed watching the lightning bugs and picking out constellations in the sky. Murray and Sandy have enjoyed chasing the lightning bugs. It's cute to watch...don't worry, they don't usually catch them :)

Perhaps this is something you all could start in your own homes, it's definitely been a great addition to our home! Thanks Elena for the idea.

BeBe...I got your comment...more pics soon to come!

What we've been up to lately...

We've been pretty busy having lots of fun here in Fayetteville this past weekend. It started out Friday afternoon with a trip to the pool. Boo was very curious at first, but quickly got into it kicking his feet and pumping his arms. It was so nice to get out in the sun! Don't worry, I smothered him with 50 sunblock (even his hair...yuck) and he wore a hat the whole time. What did we get for taking our boy to the pool you ask?? Well, he slept through the night from 9:15 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.! Woohoo! He followed that up with another full nights sleep Saturday night as well. Last night, however, we were back to him waking around 3 a.m. for his middle of the night feeding. But, there's hope....

Saturday morning Boo and I went to the local farmers market in town. We had such a wonderful time. There's something about buying produce grown locally that just makes you feel good. There were all kinds of festivities too, little bands on the street corners, singing groups, and I even saw a magician doing some tricks. I treated myself to some fresh squeezed lemonade, and when I say fresh, I mean they made it right before my eyes. It was so refreshing. I encourage you all to attend your local farmers market. Click here to find one. Once you get on the farmers market website, just click on your state on the left of the screen to find one near you. I'm sure you'll enjoy your experience.

We rounded off the weekend with a surprise for G Boo...an exersaucer. I've been eyeing them in the store, but they're so expensive. So, I looked on craigslist, and found one that a lady was selling. I went yesterday to check it out and, of course, came home with it! It was an experience though at the sellers home. She knew I was coming, yet when I got there, no one was home. They had run to wal-mart "real quick" and were late getting back. Then, she had to dig it out of the garage and forage through boxes to find the instructions and some accessory pieces. After that, off into the house she went to get some more toys that attached to it. Where were the toys?? Under the entertainment center of course! It was also less than spotless. I scrubbed it down good when I got home. I guess my point here, is that if I was selling something...first, I'd be home when I said I was going to be, and I'd have the items all together and CLEAN! But hey, that's just me. :) Anywho...it looks great now and I got it for half of the original price. So, not too shabby! And Boo seems to already be enjoying it. If you're not familiar with craigslist, check it out here. It's kind of like a garage sale online. Again, click on your state and then town and search away!

Here are some pics and videos. I know it's a lot...but we're just so proud of him, we can't stop sharing (my nice way of saying "bragging")!

My farmers market fare!

Banana peppers, blueberries, garlic, squash, cucumbers, and flowers!

Boo, in his new office! (Office is a term picked up from the Halls)

Hmmm...very interesting!

I think I can fix this!

Good morning! (I know it's black, but click on play...)

Playing with Daddy!

One of his new tricks, blowing bubbles.

Still sucking on his papeyer, when it's no longer there. So cute!

Mom, you're so funny!

Love those hammies!

THE END! Thanks for taking the time to view our Boo!

Have a great day!

Fire Rips Through Cypress Campground...Again.

I'm so sad to report that another fire has ravaged tents at Cypress Campground. If you remember, back in April, there was a fire that destroyed several tents. That fire was ruled suspicious, but as far as I know, the culprit was never found. And early yesterday morning, fire raged again, destroying 9 more tents. The last tent that was destroyed had a cement brick wall that slowed the fire enough to allow the firefighters to put out the blaze.

Fire has ripped through the campground before, but never 2 fires so close together. I can only imagine how sad the site appears in person. We will get our firsthand look in July when we go home to visit.

I'm a little at a loss for words. It's quite devastating for all involved. There are so many wonderful memories at the campground...

Here are some photos taken from http://www.charleston.net/.

Birthday Wishes!!

Happy Birthday Sandy Girl!!!!

Our Sandy Girl turns the big EIGHT years old today.

She's not a big fan of her party hat...

We also would like to say Happy Birthday to Bub, Sandy's brother, back in South Carolina!

Sitter Social

Yesterday, I attended an event called a Sitter Social. "What is that?" you ask. Well, it's kind of like speed dating but instead of looking for a date, it's all about finding a babysitter. We've found that because we live so far away from family and because we don't know that many people in town, it's been hard to get out of the house for a date night.

So, this company in town, Life Made Simple, offers nanny services, babysitting services, housekeeping/organizing services and so on. They also do these sitter social events once/month. They gather babysitters from the area and compile their resumes, photos, availability schedules, and references in a binder for each Mom to have. When you arrive, you get your binder and find a seat. Then, all of the mothers take turns getting up and introducing themselves and tell a little about their families and what their babysitting needs are. After that, you're paired up with a potential sitter and you get to interview them for the next 5 minutes or so. After the 5 minutes is up, the babysitters move on to the next mother until you've met all of the sitters. So, in a matter of 2 hours, I met about 10 potential babysitters!!!!!!

I know what you're thinking...a little scary, huh? Well, I agree and was skeptical at first, but intrigued enough to attend the event at a quarter of the price because of the MOMS group I belong to (thanks again Rachel for suggesting it). I left the event, however, feeling very optimistic about having a date with my husband in the near future. Out of the 10 young ladies, I felt there were about 4 0r 5 that I really felt comfortable with in the interview process. Some just didn't have a lot of "baby" experience and some flat out said they weren't that crazy about dogs. And, if you know us, you know dogs are definitely part of the deal. Which reminds me, some gals even listed pet sitting as a service that they would provide.

As part of the fee that you pay to attend, you can also get a background check on any of the girls that you are interested in having babysit for you. So, I'm currently waiting on that information now. As it turns out, all of the girls that I am interested in are regular babysitters employed through Life Made Simple . This means that they have all been through 2 long application processes, an interview, have had their references checked, are CPR certified, and have had a background check done on them. Apparently, any babysitter can attend the sitter social event as long as the register through Life Made Simple. These girls have not been interviewed, etc. Is this making any sense??? I feel like I'm rambling...

Anyway, I hope this turns out to be a GOOD thing and I though to myself, what a GREAT service this lady is providing and it's something I've never heard of before (maybe because I'm new at this motherhood thing).

Now....How do I get to the point where I'm willing to let someone other than family or friend take care of my little guy??????? That's the million dollar question!

Happy Father's Day and Fun With Friends!

Happy Father's Day to all of you fathers out there and we'd like to especially thank those fathers in our lives who have gently, yet firmly guided us over the years...PawPaw and Grandpa! We are who we are because of you!

Lil Boo and I would like to thank B-man for being an awesome Dad! Honey, I couldn't do it without you! We're so grateful to have you with us!

One more shout out, to Boo's Uncle A, serving in Iraq right now. Happy Father's Day to you too!

We have had a great weekend thus far in Fayetteville. Our dear friends, the Bradleys came down from The Lou to visit us. I'm sure they'll soon have pics up on their blog too. So, click on the link to check them out. We were neighbors and best buds in Colorado while stationed at Ft Carson. It was so great to reconnect with them and let the boys play together. They have 2 sons; J is 3 and M is 3 mos.

Here are some pics from their visit.

Just a swingin' with Dad at the park.

D and J get in some pool time!

Of course, the only pic S and I took together was in the pool!
G and M enjoyed the water.

It was a little cold at first, but then he really got into it and was even kicking his feet!
Mommy was a little nervous initially, but relaxed with the help of S and B-man.

A family of water babies!
B-man and I were in the water at an early age and although I was nervous, I was eager to get Lil Boo exposed to the water. Granny and Grandpa, get the pool ready so I can show you how well I can swim this summer!

So excited to make new friends!

Life long friends...holding hands!

Thanks Bradleys for coming to visit! We thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Come again!

We're Prego!!

One year ago today is the day we found out we were pregnant with Lil Boo!

Gotcha!! ;) (for a second there, I bet you thought we were really prego again!)

New Vocabulary

Since the arrival of our Lil Boo, a new vernacular has emerged in our home. And after my last post where I used our term for pacifier (papeyer), I thought it would be interesting to share other new terms and phrases with you (you might think, TMI, when you read some of them, but if you have babies, I know you know what we're talking about!!!)

1. papeyer-pacifier
2. cheese-the white "stuff" we find hiding in the folds of Boo's neck and under his arms
3. under rooskies or rooskies or roos- his diaper- ex. "Do you have on dirty roos?"
4. 'filling his shorts'- self explanatory
5. 'dirty drawers' -see #4 ;)
6. jammers-pajamas. I think I got this one from the Bradleys?
7. jet seat-This is G's car seat. He hates to get in it, so I tell him it's time to get in his jet seat and go on an important mission. What does he fly you ask? Well, the A-10 Warthog of course!
8. tummy time-play time on his tummy
9. full body smile-this is when he smiles soo big that his arms and legs flex and scrunch up. Mamas and Daddies love full body smiles. They're the best.
10. sugar-these are the kisses Mama and Daddy steal from him. BeBe got us started on this term.
11. wrap-his swaddle wrap that we snuggle him in for naps and bedtime
12. boob sleep-when he falls asleep nursing
13. Hollah!-what we say after he toots!
14. our sugar dumpling, our dismount (army inside joke), our photogenic one, our Hershey squirt (if he has 'filled his shorts' prior to waking...you can almost always hear it over the monitor...hehehe), Mr. Squeakers, Mr. Crankers, our Lil Boo, etc... these are the affectionate nick names that B-man calls G when he has to wake me at 2 or 3 a.m. to feed the little guy

What are some terms that have worked their way into your homes now that you have children?

Oh yeah, I decided to enrich our "regular" vocabulary by adding a word of the day link in the sidebar (to the left of screen) of our blog. Check it out.

The Shot Heard Round the World!

Those of you with little ones and pap-eye-ers (that's what we call them) or nuks or binkys or the like will know what I mean by the title of this blog...When we put Boo down for his naps or bedtime, he always has his papeyer in tow. We snuggle him, settle him down, make sure the papeyer is in place, leave the room, and then we wait...

...for the "shot heard round the world". It is the moment we hear, over the monitor, that the papeyer has left his mouth! The papeyer drops out on to his mattress or hits the side of the crib with a seemingly LOUD crack and B-man and I hold our breath as we rush to the video monitor to see if our Lil Boo will stay asleep now that the coveted papeyer is awry, or if the shot heard round the world was loud enough to rouse him out of his slumber and send him over the edge!!! If he doesn't move for about 30 seconds or so, we're usually safe and he will sleep for a little while longer. If he immediately starts moving, especially if he tries to get his fingers in his mouth, we're in for multiple trips to his room to get him back to sleep. Does this sound familiar to anyone??


Where did we come up with the "shot heard round the world" line?

One day we were in the car and Boo was "fussy". I reached back to appease him with said papeyer and...it worked. Only to be followed by a quiet "click" sound as it dropped out of his mouth onto the carseat. I looked at B-man and said, "Did you hear his papeyer fall out of his mouth?". B-man replied with... "Of course I did, everybody did...it was the 'shot heard round the world'!! I thought the line to be quite funny and appropriate!

Birthday wishes and more videos

Happy Birthday Grandpa!(B-man's Dad)

G needed a little help singing Happy Bday...

This little piggy...

He's learning to use his hands!!

3 Months!

Our Lil Boo is 3 months old today!!

I can't believe he's been here with us for three months already.

We just love him so much!!!

Boo, in a one year onesie.

Awesome Prayer

I was reading the blog of a friend of mine and a group of gals she went to college with (B-mama and friends over at Building Cathedrals) and came across this prayer that one of the ladies posted. It was a prayer she prayed on a summer retreat as part of her morning quiet time. I thought it to be a great prayer to start your day in the right frame of mind, remembering to offer your day to the Lord. I hope you find it as comforting as I do.

God my Father, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. I adore You and love You with all my heart. I thank you for counting me worthy to stand in your presence and serve you.

I offer you on this day my prayer, my work and effort, my suffering and joy. I ask that I can do all of this out of love for you and according to your will.

Grant me perseverance in living my Christian vocation, patience in suffering, courage in proclaiming my faith, wisdom in my life journey, and charity in my dealings with others.

Free me from all sin and from all evil. May your grace always remain with me and with all those who are dear to me.

Amen.

Of course, a blog post of this proud mama wouldn't be complete without a Lil Boo update so, here is your dose of a happy little boy!

He's starting to figure out how to use his hands to bring things to his mouth.

He loves to "gum" on this blankie.

Daddy, you're so funny when you make that sound!!