Melissa, Joe, Michael, Henry & Clare

2011-12-19T12:57:00.002-05:00

Marathon!

2011-11-14T19:19:00.008-05:00

FINSIH: 4:46:02

Here we go!

Mile 23. Hitting the WALL....

Almost there!

Carolyn and I. Oddly enough, she flew in from Houston just to run with my partner Jennifer. Jennifer ended up falling back due to dehydration, so Carolyn and I became fast friends! Nothing like the misery of 26 miles to bring two people together!

Jennifer, Me and Carolyn

BLOGAPALOOZA!

2011-11-06T12:27:00.003-05:00

These last few weeks have been the busiest I can remember in a long time! I'll start with Michael's Tball party, but be sure to keep scrolling down b/c there are tons of posts to read!

Michael's T-Ball season ended with a team party at Triple
Play. It's a bounce house place with party rooms. The team rented it out and ended with a pizza party. All of the players got a trophy and a medal. We were so so lucky to have ended up with this group. The coaches were so great and all the parents made it a good experience.

Dad and Wendy visit FL!

2011-11-06T12:26:00.001-05:00

Dad and Wendy came over Halloween weekend and shared in all the fun! Sunday we stayed home and fished out back. It was a nice break from all the craziness!

Halloween x 3!

2011-11-06T11:57:00.003-05:00

Halloween this year was the BUSIEST one we have ever had! We started our festivites on Saturday morning and weren't finished until Monday night! Mike was a pirate, Hank was a bullrider and Clare was a busy little bee!

Halloween with the Neighborhood

2011-11-06T11:56:00.001-05:00

My friend Lisa puts on quite a Halloween party for the kids in our neighborhood. Everyone dresses up and meets at her house. She makes food for everyone and then her father in law pulls everyone around the neighborhood on a hay ride. He stops along the way and all the kids jump off and run to all the houses, collecting all the candy they can get their little hands on! Clare got right into the spirt of things. She would run to each house yelling "yaaaaaay!" and then run from each house saying "nexxxxt hooouusse!" She was trying so hard to keep up with the big kids, she fell 3 times, ripping the knees out of her tights. Although she ended up with some bumps and bruises, it wasn't anything a little candy couldn't fix!

Halloween

2011-11-06T11:23:00.006-05:00

Sweet Seasons Farm is a place where the kids can go through a corn maze, go on a hay ride and play on their play ground. We went with my friends and we all had a good time. My dad and Wendy were in town for all of the Halloween festivites too:)

Marine Corps Ball!

2011-11-06T11:12:00.004-05:00

Finally, after 3 yrs, Joe and I got to go to a ball again! Although we don't know too many people here, we still had a good time. We had a great sitter that the kids really loved. So having a night out was really nice. The Commandant was the guest speaker but as far as I could tell, the pageant was exactly the same as it was when we went to this ball 5 yrs ago:)

The Tooth

2011-10-18T20:08:00.004-04:00

Last week I noticed that Hank's tooth had gotten a shade darker. After further inspection I found a "bump" on him gum. The dentist had been warning me all along to look for something like this, and bring him in asap if I ever saw one. So, we got him in with the pediatric dentist here. Her treatment plan was to strap him in the papoose, which is a flat board with velcro(sp?) straps, give him the shots in the gum and take the tooth. I was really worried about this. They weren't going to use any nitrous and he would be fully awake and aware of the whole thing. I stressed and stressed about what to do. I finally asked Mike's baseball coach (an orthodontist) what he thought. He said this particular dentist was great, but he thought it was odd that she wouldn't use the gas. So he called her himself. She still gave no real answer as to why she wouldn't use the gas. As it turns out, Mike's other Tball coach is also a dentist, fully experienced in treating kids, and had no problem using the gas. I can't tell you what a difference that made. Hank watched tv the whole time, used the gas as he was instructed, didn't even flintch when he was given the 3 shots and didn't care at all when they took the tooth. I was so happy we went another route. And how lucky are we to have ended up on a tball team stacked with dentists?!
5 stars for this experience!

Pre-K pics

2011-10-04T10:17:00.007-04:00

Center Time

The class with Father Michael

His teacher Ms. Grassman

Recess

Grandparent's Day

Because Michael's class has two teachers, they have the extra set of hands needed to take pictures of the kids during the day! They post them on the class website for all of the parents to see. I think they have a good time!

Put me in coach! I'm ready to Play!!

2011-09-26T21:37:00.006-04:00

Michael's first season of T-ball is in full swing now. He's doing great. He's already hitting the ball farther and fielding the ball better than when he started. Their team is the "Cubs". His favorite part of the practice/games is when the team puts their hands in and they shout "Cubs!" on the count of three. Hank really wants to be out there. He spends each practice/game hitting and playing catch with Joe. He's pretty good. I think he'll be giving the other guys a run for their money once he gets out there himself. We have another game tomorrow so we'll post the play by play!

HANK TURNS 3!!

2011-09-04T10:21:00.005-04:00

We had a fun birthday celebration for Henry yesterday. He's already 3 yrs old! Ironcially enough, we are smack in the middle of a big tropical storm just like the one the started the day we got home from the hospital with him! In fact, I remember we were released early so we could get home and beat the storm. We had a super fun dinosaur party with all of our friends. After the party all 3 kids enjoyed the loot he was sent from Indiana. He got TONS of presents from everyone. Thanks a bunch!

The whole crew at the birthday party

It's T-ball Time!

2011-09-04T10:11:00.005-04:00

Mike started T-ball practice last week. His first game is on Tuesday. He plays for the Cubs! He's getting better every practice. Joe has been working with him at home, teaching him the "the alligator" for cathing grounders and the step and throw. Hank is paying close attention. Everytime we go to practice he gets a full hour of one on one catch time with Dad.
More pics to come after game 1!

He's in the grey shirt, #8

Big Day!

2011-08-22T11:10:00.005-04:00

Today was Michael's first day of school at St. Paul's. He was so excited. He woke up at the crack of dawn, ran to the car and sang the whole way there. A quick kiss and hug and he was off playing with the other kids. I hope everyday goes this well!

Fishing!

2011-08-18T16:02:00.005-04:00

Joe bought the boys their first fishing rods. They have been going out back everyday and catching quite a bit. Mike and Hank both got their first fish! Mike got his and reeled it in all on his own:)

Clare's Early Birthday Celebraion

2011-08-18T15:45:00.010-04:00

While my family was here, we had an early birthday celebration for Clare. My Mom and Roger put on a great party! They made a steak dinner that was fabulous! The kids got tons of gifts. The special favorite was the kitchen. They love it! They all got rain boots too, which they love. They wear them every time they go fishing now! It was a great party and lots of fun. Clare was head over heels! She changed from her birthday outfit into one of the dresses she was given. They all had a blast!

Family Visit to FL!

2011-08-18T15:34:00.005-04:00

My mom and the gang came to visit just before school started! We had so much fun. In fact, Mike and Clare were crying their little hearts out when it was time for them to leave! We went to the pool, the beach, shopping, out to dinner...it was a blast. It is always so sad when it's time to go:(

Moving

2011-07-16T22:18:00.004-04:00

Thursday the packers came and started packing up the house. By Friday they had finished. Now Monday the movers come to load it all up and take it down to Pensacola. We are really excited to see our new house and see our old friends. but of course, we are pretty sad to leave our friends and our house behind. We're still waiting on a buyer to come through on the house. So far, no luck in that department. Fingers crossed!

New Bikes!

2011-07-16T21:30:00.006-04:00

The boys needed new bikes in a BAD way! They had resorted to fighting over Clare's pink tricycle. So we broke down and got them both new bikes. They LOVE them! And now, they are part of the neighborhood bicycle gang that rides around the cul de sac harassing the neighbors:)

4th of July!

2011-07-08T12:30:00.007-04:00

To celebrate the 4th of July we went to New Bern to watch their fireworks. It's about an hour from us, but they had tons of entertainment and great fireworks, so it was worth the trip. The kids played on bounce houses, we ate and enjoyed the Marine Corps band before the show. It was on the river, which was really nice. The kids loved seeing all of the boats parked in the water to see the fireworks!

No one was really happy that I made them pose for a picture while they were trying to look at the water!

Henry had a good time, but never really wanted to leave my lap:)

Clare clawing her dad's eyes out to get a better view of the fireworks!

Mike's "before and after" with his cotton candy

Michael dominating his cotton candy

Trip to IN!

2011-06-27T19:29:00.008-04:00

We had a great trip to IN! The kids were great on both the car ride there and back. We were pretty busy most of the time, but we got to see everyone at least once!
The first weekend was our anniversary weekend, which we spent in Indy. Joe was in a wedding on Saturday and we had a great time with all of his friends. The week was filled with hanging out with family and friends. The following weekend was the big surprise get together in Brown County for Joe and Chris's birthday/anniversary. Of course the whole trip went way too fast and we never spent as much time with anyone as we would have liked. But now we are in moving mode, getting everything ready to hit the road to FL. Everyone is welcome anytime! And as a bonus, anytime large groups want to come visit, there is a lodge on the golf course to house anyone who can't fit in the house! We'll be ready for visitors after the middle of July!

Topsail #2

2011-06-07T21:22:00.008-04:00

Thank you everyone for coming down to visit us! I wish I had taken more pictures of the group, but you know how easy it is to tote a camera along with all the kids!

Topsail Beach!

2011-06-07T21:12:00.010-04:00

A picture is worth a thousand words........

2011-04-23T21:31:00.003-04:00

This is why I never get anything done. Ever. Because I can't leave them alone for one second!

Easter Round 1

2011-04-23T21:22:00.004-04:00

Today some of my lovely neighbors put together a block party. They had everyone pitch in some candy filled eggs and a side dish. The kids ran wild looking for eggs (who were hidden by the only husband left on the block:) but quickly tired out due to the outrageous heat. After the egg hunt we went across the street for a BBQ. Again, the only husband left did the grilling. This guy is doing triple duty for sure! The kids had a great time and were all ready for baths and bed by a reasonable hour.

Whoa-That was fast!

2011-04-23T21:14:00.005-04:00

Well we are skipping right from November allllllll the way to April:) I wish this deployment had gone that fast! But here we are. Back in North Carolina. As you all know Hank had an accident right when we got back. He's doing fine. We are getting ready to put the house on the market on Tuesday. I have spent every waking minute since we got here trying to get the house ready. These kiddos aren't really too concerned with cleanliness:) So I spend all my time cleaning and recleaning everything!
We did get to the beach. It was still kind of cold. I got really brave and took all 3 by myself. It went well. That was b/c Clare was very unsure of the sand. Toward the end, she was making a break for it running down the beach. I suspect that may be my last trip alone if she keeps that up!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!

2010-11-29T10:09:00.003-05:00

Today is Michael's 4th birthday! I can't believe it! My little guy isn't so little anymore! We had a party yesterday. It went very well. He got lots of really great gifts, but GG gave the best of all. Bet you'd never guess that this kid loves cheese balls more than anything!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T09:59:00.003-05:00

This year the kids and I just stayed at my mom's. She had Thanksgiving at her house. The kids had a blast with their cousins. Clare LOVED the food. She at non-stop and we were starting to think she might just pop the buttons right off her shirt. Hank was worn out. By about 7pm everyone was ready for bed!

New Family Pics!

2010-11-19T14:16:00.000-05:00

I had some new pictures taken so Joe could see just how much to kiddos have changed. My friend Lori took them. They are sooooo good!
To see the new photos visit her blog-
www.lorimargasonphotography.blogspot.com

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T13:33:00.005-04:00

For our Halloween festivites we went over to my grandma's house. My Dad and Wendy came over to see all the kids in their costumes. After that we went to Barbara and Joe's and that was about as much fun as they could handle:) Round 2 will be after naps when we go to Popo and Grandpa's.

What a Crazy Time!

2010-10-11T20:40:00.006-04:00

Since the last post, we moved back to Terre Haute, had a double birthday party for Hank and Clare and said bye to Joe. Mike started school, the younger kids started part time day care and have made new friends. I went to Oprah and ran a mini marathon. We walked in the HD walk, went to Lily's bday party and about a million other things in between. There is just too much to catch up on! So we will just start with the most recent and hopefully I won't get behind again!

Mike Cont..

2010-08-01T12:06:00.001-04:00

Today Mike tells me as I am walking down the stairs "Hey Mom! Did you know we can get a shark mop? It gets all the bacteria! With Steam!" Oh my. I have created a monster.

Aquarium

2010-07-31T21:39:00.007-04:00

Today we took the kids to the aquarium. It was shark week and Mike had been very excited to go. You'll notice he even wore his shark sunglasses inside where it's already very dark. The kids had a great time, but our trip took a turn for the worse. By the end, it was very apparent that Henry was not feeling well. By the time we got home, he had spiked a fever over 104. I tried to get it down with motrin, tylenol and cools baths, but nothing was bringing it down. So now, he is in the ER with Joe. They have been there for over 3 hours. They are running tests to find the problem. While they are waiting they have him on an IV and are trying to get the fever down. This is not the first time Hank has been in this exact situation. If history repeats itself he'll be home in another few hours, with a "virus" and no meds. Fantastic. I actually wouldn't have even sent him in but I couldn't get the fever down, so I didn't have a choice this time. I hope they find the problem fast!

Long time, No Blog

2010-07-31T21:20:00.010-04:00

We have been so busy between the kids, Joe being gone and just daily life that I have gotten way behind on the blog. So many things have happened since I updated it. I am just going to post some random pictures from the last two months:)

Randoms

Father's Day (he got a tent)

Home

Chicago

Mike is too funny!

2010-07-31T21:16:00.003-04:00

Lately Mike has been saying some pretty funny stuff. I wish I could remember it all. But the funniest was last week. Henry has been playing a new game with Clare. He roars at her like a lion and then she cries. He waits for her to stop crying and then does it again. It's very annoying for everyone involved! So the other day, Mike took matters into his own hands. He said " Henry, you stop acting like a big roaring beast!" Oh, I laughed.
Then he later told Joe that he wanted to go live at the circus.
Today in the car he said "Mom, I wish I could fly." He cracks me up.

Beach Day!

2010-05-16T20:56:00.008-04:00

Everyone has been sick for weeks. Joe has been working 12-15hr days, for weeks and some weeks he has been working those hours through the weekends. SOOOOOO today we decided we needed to have some fun! We drove down to the beach and played for most of the day! The kids lasted a record amount of time. Clare was an angel. She sat in her stroller, and played in the water. Mike and Henry spent their time digging in the sand. Towards the end Henry was getting a little crazy but they did so well.

Crazy Kids

2010-05-03T21:03:00.006-04:00

These kids are growing up so fast. Clare is standing up and eating regular food. Henry is getting taller by the day and talking more and more. And Mike-well he's hard to even keep up with. Today he asked me what a trapazoid was and he also wanted to know what a shape with 5 sides is called. Pretty soon I am going to run out of answers!

My baby Clare

2010-05-03T20:55:00.005-04:00

She has started pulling herself up to stand and is trying hard to figure out how to get up the stairs. I still just think of her as a three month old, but she's quickly approaching 1! Not possible.

She's really not a baby anymore:(

Mike's Big Camping Trip!

2010-05-03T20:44:00.007-04:00

He wasn't interested in going in the port a potty:) He decided he would just go in the woods!

Heather and her boys Austin and Hayden

The Sunday school class at church planned a big camping trip for all the families. Unfortunately, Joe and my friend Heather's husband were out of town training. So she offered to take Mike with her and her boys. I took her littlest (who is 15 months) in exchange for Big Mike. He was so excited it was all he talked about the entire week. Everyday he woke up and ran into my room asking if it was time to go camping. They did all kinds of cool things. They went hiking, saw a snake, went fishing, caught a crab, slept in tents, and Mike's most favorite thing: making and eating smores. He loves that! He had gotten up so early that morning, by the time night hit, Heather said he was falling asleep at the camp fire. Poor kid. He was so exhausted. He had the best time. He came home the next day, took a bath and slept for the following four hours. Thanks to Ms. Heather. She's the best neighbor anyone could ask for!

Catch the Sun

2010-04-09T21:07:00.002-04:00

Chris is always telling me to write down the funny things that Mike says. I can't ever remember them by the time I get around to putting it on paper, but tonight was pretty good!
Mike rises with the sun and does not believe in sleeping unless it is dark. But even when it does turn to night and it's time to go to bed, he still wishes the sun were up so he wouldn't have to go to sleep. So tonight he says "Mom, where does the sun go?" Me: "It goes to the other side of the world." Mike: "Well we better go catch it! Lets go to outerspace and catch the sun mom!"

What a kid!

Fun at the Hotel

2010-04-09T21:03:00.006-04:00

Egg Hunt and Petting Zoo

2010-04-09T20:54:00.009-04:00

Biltmore

2010-04-09T20:43:00.011-04:00

Over Easter Weekend we met the whole Haley/Wong Clan in Asheville. We had the best time. These are pictures of our first day at the Biltmore Estate. These pictures do not do it justice. The mansion is only one of the many things to see. I also could not post all of the hilarious pictures of the kids. Gabriel was especially funny, wrangling chickens and stripping down to swim in the fountain!

You Stubborn ol Mare!

2010-03-22T09:06:00.002-04:00

This is Mike and Henry attmpting to share a sucker. It's not going so well!

Clare can really get around!

2010-03-22T08:58:00.002-04:00

First Trip to the Beach 2010

2010-03-22T08:45:00.006-04:00

Joe Cool The toddlers, Hank and Ethan The babies, Hunter and Clare All of the kids packed in the car! Heather and I decided that we would brave it and take all the kids to the beach. That is 6 kids in all. 2 infants, 2 toddlers and 2 preschoolers! What were we thinking! Just kidding. They did a great job. Off the shore was a Navy ship. It was making a lot of noise! This is Mike's account of what he saw!

Lunch at the Haley's

2010-03-22T08:38:00.004-04:00

Monkey Joe's

2010-03-22T08:35:00.004-04:00

Let it Snow!

2010-02-14T12:32:00.004-05:00

We got quite a bit of snow this weekend. I think the total was somewhere around 5-6 inches.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T12:24:00.011-05:00

Friday was our big Valentine Celebration. We has so much fun. The kids started out the day with a Valentin's Day party at our neighbors. They decorated treat boxes and got lots of goodies. Then Joe came home early from work! yay. We went on our Valentin's Day date! We had dinner and went to a movie. His special treats for me were sushi and roses! Mike was in the mood to make a pie, so he made a special cherry pie for his dad!

New Videos

2010-02-14T12:08:00.004-05:00

The Fun Starts when Dad gets home!

Sunday Morning

Church!

2010-02-05T14:55:00.002-05:00

We finally made it back to church last Sunday. The boys had a blast in their Sunday school classes. They wore their new church clothes that they got for Christmas too:)

Just one of the guys!

2010-02-05T14:51:00.001-05:00

Brownie Time!

2010-02-05T14:48:00.004-05:00

The boys insisted on helping me make the brownies this time. They did a great job! We managed to save enough batter to actually bake some!

Videos

2010-01-27T13:27:00.004-05:00

We got a very cool new Flip video camera for Christmas. Thanks Dad! So I am trying it out now to see if I can post these to blogger.

Clare

2010-01-27T11:11:00.004-05:00

Clare is getting so big. She is rolling over, cutting teeth, and hanging out with her big brothers!

Wilmington Train Museum

2010-01-27T11:02:00.006-05:00

Mike's favorite thing in the world is a train. He loves everything about them. He plays with his geo tracks all day, watches train movies or shows everyday and loves to see them. Joe found out about the train museum from a friend so we took them last week. They loved it!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T09:05:00.006-05:00

This year Mike went back and forth about what to be for Halloween. A bear, a pumpkin, Thomas....He finally decided to be a race car driver. #48, Jimmy Johnson in the Lowes Car. Henry was a dalmation. My mom had the costume left over from one of the kids. It fit him perfectly and despite the heat, he left it on. Mike kept telling people that Henry was his dog and his name was Jack. Then I heard him giving his "dog" commands in Spanish which cracked me up. "Abaho! Abaho!" I said "Mike, what are you telling him?" He looked at me in a "duh mom" kind of way and said "I'm telling him DOWN!"
We took the kids out with their cousins Caleb and Kennedy. Caleb was a football player. Fitting since he's a pretty beefy kid. Kennedy was a pirate princess.

Ode to Uncle Matt & Dad

2009-11-03T09:01:00.005-05:00

There is a rumor that back in the day Uncle Matt sported a rat tail and Ol'Dad wore leotards. The tradition continues.

New Pics

2009-10-19T07:50:00.006-04:00

Yesterday the kids got their pictures taken. They did a good job. Mike was a ham. Henry wasn't thrilled but they still managed to get a few good ones!

At the Park

2009-09-20T16:18:00.004-04:00

Today we wanted to do something fun with the kids so we took them to the Marina on base. Clare only lasted for about 10 minutes until it was time to eat again, so we missed the water and the boats. We did get to have a little fun at the playground first though!

Happy 1 Month B-day!

2009-09-18T17:19:00.004-04:00

Clare is a whole month old now! Where did the time go! She weighs 10lbs. 4oz. She's in the 80th percentile for weight and the 90th for height. NORMAL head circumference! Not off the charts this time:)

Mike Sleeping

2009-09-18T17:11:00.005-04:00

Mike does not want to sleep in his own bed. We have been finding him in random places around the house.

Under the Desk

Halfway under the guest bed.

Outside of our room

Henry's B-day Cont..

2009-09-18T17:07:00.003-04:00

He LOVED the cupcakes! He ate his, his brother's and any stray crumbs around.

Henry really loved his Pablo balloon from Ms. Jennifer

I have been so bad about taking pictures and posting! We have been so so busy. We are spinning around in circles I swear! Here are a few more pics of Henry's b-day at our house.

Happy Birthday!

2009-09-03T21:12:00.007-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday to Henry!!!!! I can't believe he's already 1! They threw a party for him at daycare today. Joe and I were both able to go and join in the fun. She went all out. His party was complete with balloons, sandwhiches cut out in characters, cupcakes, and goodie bags for all the kids. Not to mention she took great pictures of the whole thing!

I can walk!

2009-09-03T21:07:00.004-04:00

Henry started walking about a week ago, but now he's really moving! He starting to walk most of the time and only crawl when he needs to go very fast! Jennifer, who is our new daycare provider, took these pictures. She has been such a blessing for us. The kids love going to her house. It's right on base and Joe works with her husband, so our schedules are very similar. We can't thank her enough for everything! Because of her, Joe and I have been able to keep our sanity while have three kids under 3!

FUMBLE!

2009-08-29T20:12:00.003-04:00

Mike and Joe love to play "FUMBLE"! It's a version of football that has been modified so that it can be played by a three yr old and his dad while inside. It's rough, but they can't get enough of it.

We love our sister!

2009-08-27T20:51:00.007-04:00

Where's my sister???

The boys cannot get enough of their sister. Every time I come downstairs, Mike asks me "where's my baby sister." Henry loves to give her kisses, which is the only time he gets to have contact with her. He just wants to tackle her otherwise! We have to baracade her on the couch so he can't reach her. Mike always wants to hold her and tells his dad and brother to be sure they are quiet so they don't wake her up!

Clare Bear!

2009-08-27T20:44:00.008-04:00

Here are some new pictures of Clare. She is doing great!

5 Days Old

2009-08-22T12:46:00.003-04:00

Clare is doing really well. She is back up to 8lbs now. And for 2 nights in a row, she has slept 4 hours straight. She only gets up to eat for a about 20 minutes and then goes back to sleep for another 2 hours. The boys love her. Mike wants to hold her and Henry wants to maul her. He is so rough he never gets to be near her. I think they are wearing Joe out, although he has been happy to spend so much time with them. This is a first. Abbie and Tricia left today. We were all sad to see them go. They were so much fun to have around. Mike loves "Ms. Tricia." He begged her not to go back to school. But, we are happy that we can look forward to the big Haley visit in a couple of weeks!

The Boys v. Girls

2009-08-19T22:27:00.006-04:00

Hank and Mike are reacting very differently to the arrival of Clare. Michael is very interested and wants to hold her. Hank acts likes she isn't even here. When they came to the hospital, Hank was like a tornado. He pulled on all the tubes and lines feeding fluids and medicine to Mel. He somehow disabled her bed so that wouldn't go up and down. He tracked crumbs everywhere. He is a terror. It was really eye openning to see Hank only one year older than little Clare. He made her look so small. Here are some pictures of the boys with Clare and in the hospital room.

Baby Clare

2009-08-19T22:11:00.009-04:00

Baby Clare Marie was born on Monday at 0840. She weighed 8 lbs 7 oz and was 21 inches long! That's almost the exact same size as the boys were when they were born. Melissa is doing so much better with the recovery this time compared to last time. She is up walking around, going up and down stairs, and even rocking little Clare to sleep. Michael is very excited to have his new sister at home. Hank doesn't seem too interested. We are all relieved to be home now and we appreciate all the calls and well wishes. Special thanks goes to Abbie "Fat Bear" Haley and her friend Tricia for coming all the way to North Carolina to watch the boys while we were in the hospital. We can't wait for everyone back home to see young Clare. She is the sleepiest baby of all time! -Joe

Children's Museum

2009-08-13T20:26:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we took the kids to the Children's Museum in Wilmington. It is not even close to the size or as cool as the one in Indy. However, this did not matter at all. Mike found a train table ( a very worn and used train table) and parked himself there the entire time. He did not even want to go look around and see what else they had to do. He only wanted to play with the trains. So, I guess for our needs, the small and limited Children's Museum was just fine!
The only way we could get him to stop crying hysterically about leaving was to let him push Henry in the stroller. He had a blast, but as you can see, Henry did not appreciate his efforts!
Today ended my first round of pre-op visits before surgery on Monday. Tomorrow starts the second and far less exciting round. I will spend all day at the lab doing work ups. But then Abbie will be coming and then baby girl! And, actually, we do like the name Clare but have not settled on it 100% and haven't come close to a middle name yet. The room is done, although I am still waiting on the bumper that goes with the bedding. I ordered it 6 weeks ago!
Mike and Henry are oblivious to the fact that anything is going on at all. Henry only cares about eating, and since he's started eating table food, he's been eating us out of house and home. For instance, you would think a kid his age would eat a few carrots, some potatoes and maybe just a little something else for dinner. Henry ate a mountain of carrots, two bowls of pasta, two cups of mandarin oranges and an entire container of yogurt. It's like that at every meal. I don't even bother buying the toddler food anymore. I just buy adult size everything and he usually comes close to eating it all in one sitting. He's going to be huge and by my estimates, he is very close to the same weight as Mike. Mike doesn't eat anything and as soon as he figures it out, he'll be passing his food to Henry so he can get up from the table:)
That's all for now. Look back for pictures sometime Monday afternoon/evening!

World's Greatest Dad!

2009-08-03T20:42:00.003-04:00

Baby Girl, as we like to call her has a brand new room thanks to her dad. He gave up his "man room" so she could have a nicely decorated space of her own. Well, as if that wasn't enough, he jumped in to help finish the painting that needed to be done. He left for Africa with a cool room filled with Marine stuff and came back to a completely pink room. There was still one wall left, and he took the stencil head on. What a good dad! Brave too. This stencil is no joke. It takes forever! There are still things that need to be delivered in order to finish the whole room. We have a bit more to do, but soon enough it will be done!

HOMECOMING!

2009-07-29T08:24:00.008-04:00

Joe came home yesterday. It was so nice to see all the kids waiting for their Dads. They flew in right on time, and it was really something to see. The heat was unbearable. It was absolutely miserable and of course their is no air conditioning on the flight line! Mike was so excited, these picture just do not do the afternoon justice. Henry is very happy to see Joe too. Neither one of them would let Joe out of their sight once we got home. They followed him everywhere! We are so glad he's home!

Welcome Home Sign. Mike couldn't wait to show Joe his sign.

Mike and Henry waiting in the unbearable heat. Mike is sweating his rear end off!

The fly in

He hears them coming, and is sooo excited!

Mike says "I give my dad big kisses."

Mike asking Joe if he can fly:)

Mike was so excited he ran out on the flight line to see Joe!

At Home Again!

2009-07-18T17:22:00.005-04:00

The kids and are were lucky enough to be able to go back home for a while before Joe gets home. We have had so much fun with everyone. This week was fair week and Mike has had a blast. Madison and Cole each showed two pigs this year. They did such a great job. Maddie got 1st in her class and Cole got 3rd. The did very well at the auction too. Maddie got $900.00 for her pig and Cole got $1200.00!
Carey and the girls came down to visit as well. We went with them to look at the animals and ride a few rides. The kids were exhausted by the time it was over, but it was fun!

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-18T17:18:00.002-04:00

Well the 4th of July was a fun weekend. My mom came down to help with the boys. They had both been sick and to the hospital, so it was great to have her. Mike and I went to a little 4th of July party at the Shull's. Jen is a great hostess and the kids had so much fun! We spent the rest of the week doing some projects and starting the little girl's room.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-02T21:31:00.003-04:00

Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you all have a great holiday weekend! We wish we were home to celebrate with everyone!
Joe says they are having a little celebration on the deck of the ship. So I guess that will give him a little something to look forward to. He did say he saw birds yesterday for the first time in a while, so they are getting close to land! Good. The sooner they get there, the sooner they will come back!

Daycare

2009-06-27T11:34:00.004-04:00

Mike and Henry started daycare this week. They went Mon-Thursday for a few hours to get used to it. I needed at place to take them so I could go to my dr appts now that Joe is gone. The first few days Mike went right in and started playing. Then out of no where I took him and he started sobbing and saying "no, don't go. I berry love you." It was so sad. I felt like the worst parent on the planet. Henry on the other hand cries everyday I take him. His teacher said on Thursday that he finally was down on the floor playing with the other kids. He usually just wants to play in the crib. I think this is a direct result of his bother terrorizing him at home so he is afraid to be on the ground and prefers to be where he feels safe.
They are extremely professional. Each day they make a report card telling what the kids ate, what time, when they had their diaper changed etc. And for Henry they change his diaper every 1/2 hour. That seems a little excessive but I guess that's what they like to do. They even have internet access so I can go and check on them during the day.
The only down side is GERMS! They have only been for a week and Mike already has croup! We spent 4 hours in the emergency room last night. That was after I had already been at the dr that morning and they said they didn't hear anything wrong. Maybe I should get a new dr! :)
So, the first week without Joe has been kind of lonley. Everyday around 5 Mike starts asking where his dad is. So we go on the computer and look at picutres of the helicopter and the ship.
Joe seems like he's doing fine. He says life is a little boring, but I am thinking he could probably use a little of that. They are starting to plan for their mission now so things should be picking up. He flew last night but I haven't heard how it went yet.
That's it for now!

Father's Day

2009-06-23T21:35:00.003-04:00

Father's Day this year was an interesting one! Since Joe got orders on Saturday to leave on Monday, we were busy getting things done for his trip. But we did manage to squeeze in a nice lunch at the beach. He actually left today. I hope he comes home soon! We love you!!!!

Home to Indiana!

2009-06-23T21:21:00.011-04:00

Allie's B-day Party

Spencer's Mini B-day Party

Darren's Wedding

The Trip

Our trip to Indiana was packed full of activities. We went to a wedding, celebrated three birthdays, visited with everyone and left way too soon. As usual!

8 Months and Counting!

2009-06-16T12:39:00.003-04:00

This week we have hit the 8th month mark. While we were at home visiting we were stocked with girl stuff thanks to my mom and Carey. It's so fun to have girl clothes in the house! Now we are busy trying to get the house ready. A surprise baby means lots of rearranging for us! Joe, being the super dad that he is, offered to give up his "Hooray for Joe Room" so we could decorate a room for a girl. Thursday they might schedule the C-section. We are hoping for the first week of August. I will be posting pics of our visit home soon. We had such a great time but as usual we didn't spend as much time with everyone as we would have liked. We are taking suggestions for names. This time we are having trouble!
Top Picks are:

Clair
Margaret(Maggie)
Lola (mostly to torture Joe)
Elizabeth
Grace

It's a Girl!

2009-06-01T20:02:00.002-04:00

Finally! We found out today that we are having a girl. So the next visit we will be scheduling the C-section and will be able to tell you exactly when she will be here!We will keep you posted!

Taxi

2009-05-25T21:53:00.005-04:00

Mike has learned a new song that they play on Noggin. He surprises me b/c out of nowhere he will sing songs or say things that he has picked up and I had no idea he knew them.

These are the words just in case he's not quite clear-

Taxi, Taxi
Riding in the backseat
Roll the window up
Roll the window down
Put the money through the slot
See ya later
Thanks a lot
Sure beats walkin' cross town

The month of May

2009-05-25T21:51:00.003-04:00

I have been so bad about posting anything. So here are the happenings from most of this month! I can't believe it's gone by so fast. We are going to the dr on Wednesday, so hopefully I will be posting news soon. The boys have just moved into a room together tonight for the first time. This should be very interesting! We will see what kind of funny stories come from this!

Mother's Day!

2009-05-25T21:46:00.002-04:00

Our picture from the Melting Pot

This year I got a huge surprise for Mother's Day. First, Joe and the kids got me a watch to wear when I work out. Now that I am pregnant, I have to check my heart rate all the time and it's hard to do without a watch! The best part was that Mike was so excited that he and "dad" had gotten me a present. He was clapping and jumping up and down. He notices every time I wear it.
Secondly, Joe had secretly arranged for our neighbor to watch the kids while we went out to dinner in Wilmington. He made plans for a mother's day dinner at the Melting Pot. It came with flowers and a framed picture of the two of us at dinner. It was so nice and he did such a great job keeping the surprise!

Memorial Day Weekend!

2009-05-25T21:37:00.005-04:00

The pool is open! Hooray! We went to the pool on base Saturday. Mike had a blast. He played with some other kids and had lots of fun pretending he was a submarine. Henry had fun, but after about an hour we had to leave b/c even with SPF 70, he was getting burned. Only my kids can get a sunburn with SPF 70. Must be that Irish blood. Just not made for sun. Joe has the worst burn I think I have ever seen. He thought going to the beach for the first time without any sunscreen would be ok. He's hurting now! The kids had a great time at the beach on Sunday too. The actual ocean was really cold, but there were puddles left from high tide that were really warm. They both played forever. Henry was a challenge b/c he wanted so badly to eat the sand. We stayed for a record 2 1/2 hours!

Goofing Around

2009-05-25T21:31:00.005-04:00

Joe has been off work due to the holiday. As these boys get a little older, the rough housing seems to become more and more constant. Henry, even as small as he is, has been finding his way into the craziness. Sometimes on purpose, and sometimes because he is just caught in the crossfire!

I love these guys!

2009-04-29T20:43:00.005-04:00

These two keep me so busy some days I think my head might spin right off! But, I love em!!

Bath Time!

2009-04-29T20:39:00.002-04:00

Well, it has started. These two are going to get into more trouble than I ever imagined. I can see it already. Tonight in the bath, Mike was splashing like a maniac. I of course told him to stop, and right after that Henry started laughing. Well then Mike just started putting on a show and Henry kept right on laughing. And that was it. I was out numbered. A small introduction to what the future holds no doubt.

All the things I can do!

2009-04-29T20:33:00.004-04:00

Henry has taken off! All of a sudden he can sit up, crawl, and hold his own bottle. He also says "mama" and "dada" discriminately. He's moving right along! In a few days he will be 8 months old. That is really unbelieveable to me!

Videos

2009-04-13T09:54:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T21:35:00.006-04:00

Today we had a very relaxed Easter. We got up, hunted for eggs and went to church. The church was filled with more kids than I think I have ever seen there before. We got there just in time to get seats in the quiet room. Ironically enough, the quiet room is anything but quiet! I don't think anyone in there heard a word that the priest said. After church we went to McDonalds. Joe gave up fast food for lent and was super excited to eat a big mac!
Mike thought the Easter baskets were great. He looked for eggs for a couple minutes. He thought the Peep's that Joe got in his basket looked yummy, but after he tried them he thought differently and spit them out. Henry got some goodies in his basket too, but he was interested in getting ahold of the wrappers on the floor. We missed being at home with everyone, but it was a great day.

SOD!

2009-04-12T21:14:00.004-04:00

Our yard has been the thorn in our new home buying experience. We put seed down last fall only to have it washed away by a tropical storm. Since then it has been a big sandbox. So now that spring has come we decided to put sod in. This has been such a huge job. Joe and two others have been working around the clock to get it all laid by the end of their Easter 96. So far they have logged a solid 20 hours and they aren't done yet. They are working their tail ends off, but the yard is looking great. Mike is having a blast too. He has been hanging out with the guys "helping dad" and in the process getting to have a ton of fun!

What a Week!

2009-04-12T21:03:00.006-04:00

The whole clan came down to visit us over their spring break. It was so great. Everyone helped with the kids, mom cooked for us and mom and Roger gave us a lot of help and advice with our yard! I was so sad to see them go, but I think Mike was even more sad than I was. He kept saying he wanted to go with them to their house! We had so much fun. We went to the beach and out to Mike's Farm. The kids played with Mike the whole time. It was such a great time, I can't wait until they come back again.
The icing on the cake was our visit from Matt. He was able to come and eat dinner with us one evening. Mike thought he was the coolest! It was so nice to see him and what better way to show it than to put him to work! Joe roped him into helping us put in a shelf under the tv. As you can see, it was a group effort!

The Guys

2009-04-11T12:23:00.002-04:00

Baby News

2009-03-31T21:16:00.002-04:00

Today we went to the doctor to find out what we are going to have. Unfortunately the results were inconclusive. The baby was moving like crazy and the cord was in the way. The tech said she thinks it's a girl, but she couldn't be 100%. So we have to wait until the next appt. to try again. That is scheduled for April 28th. We will keep you posted!

Potty Training

2009-03-14T13:23:00.001-04:00

Michael has been begging to get some "cars" pullups. So today while we were shopping we bought some. He loved them so much he tried to put two of them on at once. Then he wanted each of us to wear some too:)Hopefully this will help motivate him!

Henry Man

2009-03-14T13:18:00.004-04:00

Henry is getting to be a big guy. Just after he got his tooth, he said mama. This did not make Mike happy at all! Mike promptly replied "THAT'S MY MOM!" Soon after that he started to say dada. Now Joe rubs it in that Henry says dad way more than he says mom. Here he is with a couple of other babies. They are all the same age, but as you can see, he clearly wins the size competition.

Mega Update

2009-03-05T19:02:00.003-05:00

I have so many things to post, but I am so behind. So here's what's been going on. Joe has been very sick since last Friday. He felt so bad yesterday he came home from work early. Then, he went in to work to find that the whole squadron was going on a run with the new CO. So, he went, and puked, and feel very bad for him. Nothing sounds worse than running when you have the flu.
On a very bittersweet note, my baby, my "newborn", my little Henry has a tooth! I can't believe it. I seriously feel like he was just born yesterday. I can't believe he is 6 months old and is getting teeth. Anyway, I found it today when he was jabbering.
Attention Haley's with big head syndrome: You are smarter than the average person!
Good news huh! Henry went to the neurologist. The took one look at Joe and said "well if you take a look at the size of your head, you'll find that this is probably where Henry got his from." Yes, we already knew that, but the Dr's wanted to check it out anyway. They even strapped Henry to the cat scan table and took pictures of his brain. He's fine and according to the Dr, people who have big heads(as in this instance)have them because they have bigger brains. And there is a scientific correlation between the bigger brain size and being smarter. So hooray!
Going on the Michael, he has been watching Nick Jr. during the day. There is a commercial for "Cars" (the movie) pull ups. He keeps asking for them and I keep telling him that he has to go to the bathroom on the big potty if he wants to get them. So today he finally asked if he could try. Unfortunately nothing happened, but this is a big step for him. He usually runs away in the other direction if we mention the potty chair.
He saw the physical therapist today and she said he was making such great progress that he didn't need to come back for a month. We usually go once a week, so that is good news too.
I haven't been to the Dr lately. My next appt is next week. I am 16 weeks now so we should be finding out what this one is going to be. I'll keep you posted.
Bye!