Starting the Holidays at Home - Part I

While California feel less and less like "home" the longer we are away, it is still where both of our families live...so in that sense it still is.  And while the boys and I have been back several times,  Arthur hasn't been back in nearly two years.  So with flight school complete, and leave to burn, it was time for all four of us to make a visit.
The traveling part was certainly much easier with a husband.  I honestly don't think I could have done it alone this time now that James is so busy.

So instead of dramatic runs through the air port...we just got to play in between flights.

But is still makes for a LONG day...so in order to make the travel "worth it" and to give Arthur lots of quality duck hunting....I mean family time, we stayed for an entire month.

It was a long time, but for the boys it was great...even necessary!  They got to really reconnect, bond, and create memories with their family.  I want to make sure that even though we live far away, that we foster strong relationships with their grandparents and aunts and uncles...even if that means I have to share by boys more than I would like while we are there. :-)

The trip couldn't have been at a better time of the year because we even got to celebrate a couple of holidays while we were there!  In other words, I forced everyone to participate in my family traditions...like it our not. :-)

Liking it...or not at the pumpkin patch

Arriving just days before Halloween, our first stop was the pumpkin patch.  Jake is quite the animal lover, so found the petting zoo to be far more exciting the actual pumpkin picking.

James had a great time too...he just is not as gentle as his big brother yet.

Luckily there were plenty of other things for him to get into...

In the end we did go home with pumpkins...

And some very happy grandparents. :-)

Taking the Good Stuff

Leading up to our move, I didn't know how I would handle leaving Alabama.  Not that I was madly in love with the horribly hot and humid summers (that seem to last three seasons instead of one), the gnats and fire ants that made being outdoors nearly impossible, or being in the middle of...pretty much nowhere.  But all that aside, it was our first "real" home.

So I am pretty proud of myself that I only teared up once.  Something about that last walk through the empty rooms...my heart flooded with emotions as a million memories played out in front of me like I was watching a movie.  It is amazing how much life can be lived in such a short time.

But when the time finally came to drive away, I didn't cry.  I only looked back to check on my sleeping babies.  As a stared at their perfect little faces and felt my husband's hand holding mine, it hit me.  I wasn't sad because I get to take all the good stuff with me.

(Don't worry, that idyllic scenario didn't last too long.  Before we were even half way into our six hour drive, both boys had woken up disoriented and hysterical...so much for driving at night so the boys would sleep)

My home is wherever these crazy guys are....

Admiring one of the many "beautiful" cherubs we inherited with our new house

And of course this one too!

Enjoying his new front yard

Note: Pictures taken during our first day in our new home (Oct 2011)

Flight School Graduation...Finally

Visiting the Aviation Museum was one of Jake's favorite things to do while we lived at Rucker.  It didn't matter how many times we visited (sometimes multiple times a week), he still wandered (or should I say strutted?) around with excitement and wonder.  So I was a little nostalgic as we walked in on the day of Arthur's graduation, knowing that this would be the last time (for a while) that we would get to spend time there.

I couldn't help but flash to Arthur's WOCS graduation over a year and a half ago.  As I sat among the other families, many who would become dear friends, the flight school journey that lay head seemed like it would last forever.

WOCS Graduation February 2010

Flight School Graduation October 2011

But it didn't last forever.  Time did what it always does.  And somewhere between studying 5 and 9's, maps, flight plans, tests, check rides, and selection...it passed.

And now, as I look back, I realize that the wings on Arthur's uniform will always symbolize more than his completion of flight school.  For me, they will forever remind me of the beautiful life that was lived during our time in Rucker.   I will see Jacob turning two...and then three.  I will see our family growing in size and love when James became apart of it.  I will think back to the amazing friends we made and all  fun times we shared with them.  And I will remember how our love and appreciation for one another continued to grow.

However, my dreams of Arthur holding James while Jake and I pinned on the wings was just that...a beautiful (and extremely unrealistic) dream.  Here is what the day really looked like...

James was over sitting on my lap before the ceremony had even started.

Last few seconds of consciousness 

Jake was passed out minutes into the key note speech (although, in his defense I'm pretty sure everyone else felt the same way).  On the one hand, this was great because now he was still and quiet.  But on the other, this left Aunt Robyn unavailable to help with his crazy little brother.

Things went from inconvenient, to impossible just about the time names started to be called for the pinning ceremony.  This is when James decided he was completely over the event and began demanding that he be nursed and put to sleep...yep, perfect timing.  So I helplessly paced the back of the museum trying to calm my very frustrated and not very quiet baby.  All I could do was hope that he would either give up and fall asleep or someone would come to my rescue in time for me to snap a few photos and pin my husband.  Luckily, Arthur's cousin Benjamin did come to my rescue and my husband was not forced to pin himself (and apparently James fell asleep seconds after I handed him over).  What would we have done without family?!  Thank you Aunt Robyn and Cousin Benjamin!

I think this last picture sums it up, not just for the graduation...but for flight school in general.

And while the boys didn't get to help me pin...there is no doubt that we did get through it together.

Our October

Wait!  Was October not the longest month ever?!  I think back to the first of the month, back to Auntie Robyn's 25th B-day and that seven layer S'more cake (thank you pinterest), and it feels like a million years ago.  

But maybe that is because a million things have happened since then.  Arthur finished flight school!  We got on accepted offer on a new house...we rented out our old house...we moved (and slept in our new house for one night before heading out to California for a much needed visit)...whew!  It has been crazy.  But now let's rewind back to the first part...the most important part.
Arthur finished flight school!  Yay!!!  He is now a blackhawk pilot for the United States Army!!  We are beyond proud of him.  Thank you Honey, for showing our boys that with hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance, dreams really can come true.
Five years ago you dreamed of flying helicopters...now you fly them everyday.  You have placed yourself in a position to learn and train from the best aviators in the world.  And soon you too will be one of the best. They say that anything worth doing is worth doing right, and that is exactly what you are doing.  You are living your dream, honorably serving your country, and somehow you still manage to always put me and the boys first.  You are our superman and our hero.  Congratulations!  We love you!

Pictures by yours truly. :-)

The end of flight school means lots of things...the biggest being that our time in Rucker is now over and it is time for our little family to start a new adventure.  But first we had to do a little celebrating.

Starting with the boys getting their much anticipated Blackhawk Family Day...

James' first family day was spent sleeping in a car seat, this time we can barely get him out of the helicopter for a picture.

There aren't many soldier's with children in this class so my boys didn't really have to share.

Not even a year old and he is already crazy about helicopters...must be genetic

Pushing Pause

"You're holding James aren't you?" my mother asks me as soon as I answer the phone.  I guess there is something in my voice ("gushing with love" are the words I think she used) that gives it away when I take this sweet baby in my arms.

It is true, James is like a little sunshine.  The room feels brighter and warmer when he is in it.  I can't get enough of his big open mouth smiles, and the way his eyes light up when he gets excited.  I love how he looks when he first wakes up, his baby hair sticking up on one side and his eyes still puffy with sleep, as he sits in the center of (our) bed waiting for someone to come pick him up.  And how he reaches for his Daddy when Arthur gets home from work and smothers his face into Arthur's uniform for a few seconds before resting his head on his chest.  You can almost hear him say, "Daddy, I missed you!"

I can hardly believe my Littlest Bubba has been here for more than Nine months.  I'm not sure if the time is flying or if babies just change so much in such a short amount of time...but since they haven't invented the Mommy Pause button yet, I will do the next best thing...blog it!


James is our dare devil.  I feel like he views the world (and our living room) as a series of challenges that need to be conquered.  I don't know how many times he has bumped his head trying to climb up (over, on or through) something.  You know you know he is up to something when you hear his chubby little hands smack the tile as he quickly makes a crawl for it.


Speaking of crawling...he does that with his own little style.  Arthur jokes that he crawls like a skate boarder.  He crawls on his left knee as he pushes with his right foot.  It is very entertaining to watch, but it is obviously efficient because he is fast.

When the bathroom door is closed and and he has enough of climbing up and over the kitchen chairs, you are likely to find him playing in Jake's room.  I love walking in there and watching him standing at the train table or running cars over the car mat.  He still looks like such a baby, but he is starting to play just like a big boy.  It is the most adorable site.  While he likes playing in there with Jake, I think he enjoys himself even more when he has free reign (and really, who can blame him?).

While his skater crawl has helped to reduce his frustration in his inability to walk, it certainly hasn't weakened his resolve.  If James can find willing hands, it is on.  He will grab on and happily march around the house until either his assistants back begins to hurts from leaning over for too long or something on the ground catches his attention.  He is also constantly working on his balance.  The other night he spent over an hour pulling himself up on things (or people), stabilizing, and letting go.  Each time he fell, he'd just do it again.  My favorite is when he gets so excited that he raises his hands over his head and beams or gives himself a big round of applause.  Where proud of you too, Baby Boy!

James said a new word this week.  Jake and Arthur were standing in the street talking to a neighbor and petting her black lab.  I came out with James to grab something from the car.  "Daw! Daw!"  He yelled.  I would have been oblivious of it being anything more than his usually baby babble, if he hadn't been lunging out of my arms.  After a second I realized what had caught his eye...the "Daw!"  Of course!  So we walked down the driveway.  I, of course, start gushing about his new word, and James of course was silent.  Luckily, after a few minutes (just about the time I'm sure everyone else was thinking I was full of it), James said it again.  Arthur was impressed, but the neighbor was in shock.  "How old is he?!?" Yep that's our boy.  And okay, he did call a horse a dog a few hours later, but at least he is grouping animals together. :-)

Like his older brother, James treats falling asleep like a battle he refuses to lose.  He wiggles and squirms, determined not to let his body relax and desperate not to give into to those heavy lashes.  But eventually he sleeps...like an angel.

I feel blessed every day for my amazing boys.  You wonder how, after the first, you will ever love anyone else so much.  And then the second one comes, and you understand.  A parents heart just gets bigger and more and more love exists.  They are life's greatest gift.  Thank you James for staying...I couldn't imagine our lives without you.