Happy Halloween

This is Molly's new favorite place to sit because usually there are too many toys on the floor. However, it is also John Christian's chair and where Charlie likes to sit. This is causing quite a problem!

Despite a yucky stomach bug John Christian decided he felt well enough to trick or treat. After all how do the parents of a 3 year old explain that their child is sick and can't trick or treat in the costume he's been wearing around for a month? We took him around the neighborhood and I tried hard not to let him have anything other than a sucker, but he is a fast and sneaky little boy. We paid for this dearly much later in the night, but at least he had a good time for a little while!

He wore his race car pj's under his costume.
Halfway through the trick or treating he decided his dad should carry the costume for him.

This is Zach's very cool pumpkin. He really enjoys getting into the spirit of Halloween and carving pumpkins. We didn't get to carve all of them because there just wasn't enough time, but hopefully he will be home by the time Halloween rolls around next year. Then, he can carve as many as he wants. Zach says he wants to get a ton of little pumpkins and carve them all out with different faces and line them up the walkway like luminaries.

We left a little bowl of candy on our stoop for people to get while we were out trick or treating.

The wonderful costume that Zach and John Christian purchased together at the Disney Store.

Zach and John Christian walking up to the first house.

Charlie was not feeling very good. So, mostly he just hung out in the stroller.

Most of the people here just sat out on their front porches to give out candy. There were a ton of children. I was amazed at the turn out of little people and unlike at home 99% wore costumes.

John Christian told most people, "Have a nice day!" after he got his candy. Everyone thought he was adorable and also said he was the only car they'd seen.

Here we are at the "Scary Lights". For weeks John Christian has been fascinated and scared by this yard. Tonight he did great and went up to touch the lights. He also knocked on the door and nicely said, "Trick or Treat".

We did let Charlie have a sucker. He used it to point at things he was interested in.

Finally we came home and gave out lots of candy!
Even Molly helped!

Surprised Pumpkin

John Christian told Zach he wanted a cross pumpkin.

Big Hug

The Answer To My Question....

Yes, It is a stomach bug!!

As a mother you learn from past experiences on how to better deal with situations when they arrise. This morning I was prepared for John Christian to get sick just like his little brother. I fed him gatoraide & a popsicle for breakfast to prepare his body for what might come. It was a good choice! As luck would have it I put him in the booster seat with tray to finish the melting popsicle. This was pure genious on my part because it caught everything! The poor little guy is now sitting on a waterproof pad on the couch, using a beach towel as a blanket, & has a trash can on the floor beside him.

On another note the boys are both coughing again & John Christian is back to not sleeping. So, we have started using the nebulizer again.

Is it a stomach bug?

All I can say is that Charlie had a nasty diaper after his nap today. He didn't eat much dinner and spit up some in the bath tub. A few minutes after I laid him down for bed it happened.... He began to cry and Zach went into check on him. Sure enough what we were hoping to avoid happened. He puked everywhere. This was around 7:45. By 9PM he'd quit vomitting (or at least we hope he has) and went to sleep. We hope he just ate something that didn't agree with his digestive system.

Zach leaves to train for 10 days in Florida on Thursday. So, it would be typical that the boys get sick just before he goes. John Christian felt really bad for Charlie and was a good big brother. He kept bringing us his special bathroom wipes to use for cleaning off Charlie and the floor. Of course at one point when Charlie was getting all the attention he got in his bed with a trash can and pretended like he was throwing up. He said, "I don't feel very well. I'm going to hold this trashcan in my bed and throw up in it." What a funny boy!! Let's hope he doesn't catch this thing!!

School Halloween Party

Monday was John Christian's school Halloween Party. I was the substitute helper for the morning. I really enjoy being able to spend some special time with John Christian even if it is in the classroom with all of his friends.

Lightening McQueen aka John Christian with buddy Spider Man aka Ramon

Gracie, JC, Ramon, Barnes, & Ryan

Snow White (Kelly), A Musketeer (Barnes who flipped out if you called him a knight), Lightening, & Cinderella (Caroline)

Mr. Bones (Michael who is not one bit camera shy!)

Vroom...
The children decorated bags last week. They used them to trick or treat at school. Each class knocks on the other classes door to practice trick or treating and the teachers go over safety rules with the children.

Party Food

Rachel was Dora the Explorer. She had a little wig she wore earlier in the day and was just precious!!

Barnes' mom brought a cute kit with sugar cookies, icing, and sprinkles for the children to decorate their own cookies. Here is John Christian licking all the icing off. He took a bite of the cookie and threw it away, but asked for more icing!!

Goodbye Pappy

I've been working hard trying to get John Christian to use the pappy less. Last spring he went for 2 weeks without it and only got it back because of that stinkin' rotavirus. Zach will be going to Florida for 10 days and then in February - March he'll leave for months in Afghanistan. My hopes are to get rid of at least John Christian's pacifier before then because I feel like if I wait until Zach is gone, he'll be so attached we'll never get rid of it. Now I know that I sucked my thumb until I was in the 2nd grade, but that was attached and didn't get lost!

On Sunday afternoon I asked John Christian if he wanted to take a special trip with me. I offered to take him to the Disney store where he could pick out a new friend to sleep with instead of his pappy. He thought this was a great idea. He has multiple pappies all over the house. We could only find 4, but it's a start! He wanted to carry them into the store in his pockets in case he changed his mind. On the way there he asked me, "Mom, will it be ok if I borrow Charlie's sometime?" I told him no. "Aww, why?", he said. It took a little convincing and way too much money, but he did it.

We went up to the counter and he handed the lady a box of cars from the movie "Cars", the stuffed puppy dog "Lady" from Lady and the Tramp, (He wanted the Fox from the Fox and The Hound, but they didn't have it.)a dalmation puppy for Charlie, and the movie "Lady and the Tramp". The sales lady put her trashcan on the counter for him and he threw away the 4 pacifiers. Hooray!!

When we got home and it was bedtime he decided we should go back to the store to get the pappies, but I explained that they were closed. I'm sure he will keep asking for a few days, but hopefully he and the Lady Dog will become best friends and he won't need pappy anymore. He is becoming such a big boy. Potty trained & no more pappy! I'm glad he still loves his blanky. The day he gives up the blanky will be quite an emotional one for all of us, but I think we've got a few years before that happens! :)

John Christian's Worm & Friday Night Ladies' Night

Here Is the Treasure John Christian Found in the Backyard!

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Ladies' Night

My post are out of order which drives me crazy, but I wanted to post a few photos from the little Ladies' Night Out that I helped give at my friend Emily's house. Once a month the wives from our Battalion get together to hang out. I must say that this was the most fun I have ever had at one of these things!

The Festive Table

The Graveyard Brownies

Yavonne

Ladies who wore costumes.

Chili Champ!

Saturday, October 28, 2006

The housing offices for several of the neighborhoods here on post held a wonderful fall festival for the children on Saturday. Last week when I stopped by the office our favorite housing manager asked me if I would bring some chili for the Chili Cook Off. I told her I would try, but that it was going to be a busy week for us.
The chili had to be submitted by noon. At 9:30AM I headed for the grocery store to find something to make chili with. I was so thankful that my brother answered his cell phone and told me what to buy. He also gave me some pretty specific instructions on what to do. I wouldn't have long to cook the chili, but hoped it would turn out ok anyway.
Zach and I each kept coming behind each other and adding spices. It was a lot of fun for us to do this together.

I dropped the chili off right on time. The judging started about 30 minutes after we arrived. I watched the judges faces as they tried the chili. There were only 4 entries and the judges were the maintenance men. Our chili was first which made me nervous because I thought they might forget about it. I was wrong. They said hands down ours was the best chili!! They gave me a little apron to wear around and a crown. We also won a $50 gift card to Chili's Restaurant.

The boys had a great time at the festival jumping in the jump castle, playing at the park, getting goodies, and the list goes on. I am so glad that we moved onto post so that we can take advantage of these fun free family events.

I just wish I'd taken my camera!! :)

Card Games

Zach and John Christian were looking at a deck of cards. John Christian wanted Zach to teach him how to play poker. John Christian knew what the diamonds and hearts were. He called the spades hearts because he didn't know what they were. Zach showed him the clubs and he said confidently, "I know what those are. Those are broccolis."

Near Accident

Friday, October 27, 2006

Have you ever had one of those moments where you know that God really does have special angels watching over you. Years ago a few weeks before my 14th birthday I was in a horrible car accident with a teenage driver and 2 other friends. The girl sitting beside me spent the summer in a body cast and the rescue people on the scene were amazed that there were less injuries. Supposedly if we'd hit the bridge at any other angle we would have flipped over it and all been killed. It was at that moment I knew that God had a real purpose for my life. I can't say that I know what it is yet, but I will never doubt that I matter and have a purpose for being on this earth.

Friday was one of those little moments when I was reminded again of how precious life is and how it can all be gone in a few seconds. It was raining and, I sat in my driveway and attempted to back out into the road. Charlie and I were going to pick up John Christian from school and I didn't want to be late. There seemed to be more traffic than usual and I could not get out of the driveway. Instead of getting frustrated I pulled back under the carport, took a deep breath, and waited. In my mind I wondered if there was a reason for the traffic. I thought, "Maybe even in this there is a reason. This little bit of traffic could be preventing me from being in an accident."

I was so right. I got to a busy part of town where there are probably 6 lanes of traffic. I looked up and right in front of me was a car that had pulled out of a gas station through cars waiting at a stoplight and directly in front of me. I slammed on brakes and blew the horn. My heart raced. I could hear the crash of the cars and see the horrible mess all over the wet road. Then, I realized the car sped off and we were ok. There was no accident. Only my imagination. It took a little while for my heart to slow back to a normal pace and for me to realize the magnituded of what had really happened. I somehow did not hit that car when it pulled out. The only explanation is that my special guardian angels were once again with me. If I had been seconds earlier that car would have slammed right into the driver's side door and no telling what would have been in the other lane to hit Charlie's side.

All I can say about this is Thank You God for looking out for me and especially Charlie. Besides that I'm speechless.

Bedtime Stories!

Here are the boys in matching pjs.
Charlie is starting to look at books.
I can't wait until they will both sit still through an entire story!

Drinking Out Of A Cup

Tuesday Night October, 25, 2006
Charlie is becoming quite a little boy and less baby. He loves to drink from a straw or out of our cups. Zach decided to give him his own little cup this week. He spills a little, but for the most part does ok! He is very happy about this new accomplishment!

The Shrimp Harvest (Sat, October 21)

For well over 20 years my dad has grown fresh water shrimp in his pond. It has become a fall family tradition and according to my dad is a "command performance" by every family member.

My dad begins to drain the pond several days (I think) before the actual harvest. We must get the shrimp out before the weather gets too cold because we don't want them to freeze to death. Of course if you ask me I think it would be easier if they were frozen because then we wouldn't need to put them on ice, but apparently that doesn't make the shrimp safe to eat! ;)
The pond is usually near empty of water and only full of mud by Saturday morning. Everyone gets in the pond wearing rubber boots if they are smart and picks up the shrimp by hand.

The shrimp are then brought up by the barn where they are washed and put on ice. Later we take the heads off and bag them up for storage in the freezer. We are usually finished by the early afternoon just in time for lunch. Everyone changes out of their muddy clothes and heads up to the house where my mom has cooked a huge pot of spaghetti for everyone. Years ago they use to buy from the local favorite Dukes BBQ, but the crowd has grown too large for that.

Every year since Stephen has been in college the number of helpers has grown tremendously. It's fun to see some of the city college boys getting into the pond for the first time. They must enjoy it though because they come back every year and bring more new guys wanting to try it out.

It's been a lot of fun for me because I no longer get in the pond. (Dad, pretend you didn't read that!) My job is to run around and chase the little ones all over! It is so much fun to watch the boys at the farm because they are doing totally different things. Charlie is at the age where he is happy to run free without boundaries much like his big brother used to do. John Christian is now into everything from independently riding his gator all over the farm to helping my dad do work down at the barn. We are so fortunate to have families that live out in the country so that our boys can experience life the way their parent's did. Living in the city is nice, but there's nothing like the stillness of the outdoors and being able to see all those beautiful stars at night.

It was a wonderful weekend to say the least! Not being able to go home all the time sure makes me appreciate it so much more!

John Christian enjoyed grits, doves, and quail for breakfast!
He ate his dad's entire quail. Zach was happy that the boy liked quail, but a little sad because he didn't share any of it!

Yum, what a treat!

Aunt Beth and Cousin Elizabeth (Lizzie Lou to John Christian)
came from Greensboro, NC with Uncle Mark and Michael!

Mom, there is something in that bucket over there. I'm not really sure about it!

Ok, Will, I know Mom wants a picture, but I am too close to that bucket!

This is Will Conner. He dad and mine have been friends for years. It's hard for me to believe that "Uncle Steve" has a little boy just a year older than John Christian. He also has a daughter a year older than Charlie, but she didn't make it this trip. John Christian was so happy that he had a friend his age to talk to and play with! We wish Charlotte was a little closer because I think these boys could become the best of friends. Will needs to come back to the country more often. He wasn't too sure about John Christian's Camouflage Overalls which came as quite the shock to me because his dad was quite the fisherman back in the day (according to the G rated stories I've heard). I promise if you come back I won't torture you with those again.

Cousin Thomas
Look at this handsome little boy! We can't wait to meet your sister!

Aunt Amy and Thomas

Will had a great time holding this shrimp and torturing John Christian with it! I don't know what's worse - Will being afraid of camouflage or John Christian - grandson of Johnny Roland being afraid of shrimp?

Will showing John Christian that he could put on a glove and then touch the shrimp.

John Christian decided he would stay behind the chair. "No thank you Will! Keep that shrimp away from me! I don't like it! I'll just watch from here!"

Lizzie Lou and Thomas

City boys on the run!

Playing in Colonel's Boat

Our friend Scott captured a lizard and hooked it onto Will's shirt.

Look at that lizard hanging on for dear life.
The farm is like little boy heaven!

Uncle Steve putting on Will's mud stompin' boots!

All of the Boys from PC bent over trying to get a shrimp.

Front View

Zach, Molly, & I'm not sure who else.

We had some problems with the Gator at first. It didn't want to run, but once we got it started we didn't think the boys would ever get off! Lucky for me the battery finally ran out of juice! This gator is the best thrift store find ever. The wheels will soon fall off and we will probably have to invest in a new one with all of these boys!!

Will wasn't impressed at first since it wouldn't start, but once it got going he had a ton of fun!

Going,

Going,

Gone!

Dad, do I really have to look at that?

Ok, I touched it!

Seriously, take that thing away. I'm tired of looking at it!

Big Shrimp

Uncle Mark & Zach with a big basket full of shrimp.

The boys decided to try walking into the pond.

They made it to the bottom of the ramp.

Then, each of them got a boot stuck.

Uncle Stephen, the professional shrimper.

Here is Uncle Steve helping Will get unstuck first.

They tried to go a little further into the pond.

John Christian got stuck and the boys decided they'd had enough.

Thanks to Uncle Steve for getting John Christian out because his mom's boots were up at the house.

We were so happy because Meg, Miss Christy, & our long distant cousin Fowler came to see us.

Miss Meg is so adorable! We just love her!

Looking at the interesting things in the tank. There were shrimp, 2 freshwater eels (a new rare find), and a half frog - half tadpole! Fun Stuff!!!

John Christian tried to kiss Meg for the first time today because she was feeling a little sad. It did not make her feel better & John Christian didn't get his usual kiss!

Someone found a turtle in the pond. The children really wanted it to come out of its shell.

Come on turtle quit hiding!

Meg's daddy Wayne even came out for the harvest.

Steve and Cousin Bonnie (She came from Columbia & is Dad's first cousin.)

Thomas, Amy, Bonnie, & Elizabeth Redmond (I can't remember a harvest without her parents. They've been friends with Mom and Dad for years.)

Washing off the shrimp.

Cousin Carol and her husband (John Roland) came down from Pennsylvania for the event! Dad had no idea they were coming. I thought he was going to fall out on the floor when they walked in late Friday night!

John Christian was thrilled that Meg was able to ride with him in the gator. She has one of her own and he wanted to show off his new driving skills. The last time we were all together he could only ride with Meg because he didn't know how to steer. That was not the case today. He drove like a professional. We were all very impressed!

He finally stole a kiss or 2 or 3!!!

It really is cool to watch my little boy play with Christy's daughter. I can't remember a time when we didn't know each other and my mom grew up with her mom and dad. I am so blessed with wonderful relationships and being close enough for my children to benefit from them. No matter where we go in the Army they will always know there is a special place with friends waiting to see them.

See, more kisses! I see a pattern here!

Zach with nephew Thomas and son Charlie! People that didn't know us asked if the boys were twins. These 2 boys will be trouble when they are older. They are 7 weeks apart to the day.

Look closely to see the sweet little tears on Thomas' face. They say he can turn them on like magic.

Ok, if anyone reading this sees puddle stompers in a small size (4-5? toddler) let me know. I bought these off Ebay last year for John Christian. Charlie loves, loves, loves his brother's cool boots. He did a pretty good job trying to put them on all by himself too. ;)

Uh Oh, on fell off. Let me try to put my foot back in it.

Elizabeth decided to help him out a little.

He decided one boot was plenty.

Cousin John Roland.

Brother John Roland
Do you think there are enough John Rolands around here?

Molly is pretty much a city dog and doesn't like to be outside alone. However, on Saturday there were tons of people outside, mud to play in, & cousin Grady came to visit! All of my children were happy and each had their own friend to play with.

Such a beautiful beast!

Charlie enjoyed digging in the dirt.

Charlie and Molly are best friends.

Freedom to run & play without streets, sidewalks, and traffic. Hooray!!

Molly always knows how to make Charlie laugh.

We had another special visitor. This is Pop. He lived across the street from us in Cameron until we moved to the country. His entire family has always supported mine and they always looked out for us growing up. It was nice that he and some of the others from the Summers family came out to the harvest so that we could catch up.

John Christian was a Big helper pushing Thomas around.

Charlie is quite the animal lover.

This is Christine. She is Elizabeth Redmond's sister.

Charlie really wanted to ride in the gator like the big boys. I wasn't sure about it at first, but John Christian did a really good job driving slow and watching out for his brother.

I thought the battery was out of juice and so I let Charlie sit in the gator. John Christian decided to climb in beside him and push the gas pedal. The gator had just enough power to head towards the field and scare me to death before I could yell for John Christian to stop. Charlie obviously can't steer yet and that could have ended up as quite a disaster!!

Charlie back in the passanger seat.

Stephen and Dad

Aunt Beth and Uncle Mark