In lieu of doing a Christmas Letter this year, I’ll do this post on the blog! We try to be mindful of our blessings all year long! We have two smart, happy, healthy boys and we have each other. We have a loving family and extended family and we have wonderful friends.
We were very blessed that Nick came through his hypospadias repair surgery very well and with flying colors. We haven’t looked back at that. You’d never even know that he was down for about a minute!
We left Little Rock and moved to Fort Leavenworth, KS and have made some wonderful friends. Somewhere along the line, this year has been billed as the “best year of your Army career.” We were told tales of all the family time to be had. It has been nice that we all go to sleep in the same house at night, but the tales haven’t been entirely accurate for us, at least. Matt found a Masters Program to work in conjunction with his Army schooling to complete his Masters in International Relations while we are here. That added 2 nights per week of school and untold hours of reading and homework. We have worked out a system where he just stays at the library later and then comes home to play with the boys before and after dinner and then at their bedtime he goes back to work. Where it IS the best year is we’ve made friends faster than ever and they all have kids around the same ages. We are so spoiled. AND we met up with some of our great friends from along the way – they are also here for this course.
Jake & Nick have adjusted very well to life on an Army base. This summer and fall we were outside at least once almost every day. I was good for taking them outside in the rain as long as it wasn’t thundering or lightning. Cabin fever is not so great in a house with old wood floors and 12 ft ceilings – all the noise of trapped boys echoes thru the halls like crazy. Since it’s gotten colder, we’ve had a harder time. I’m trying to make more of an effort. We have a whole room dedicated to their toys – so that helps.
Jake turned 3 in May and is in preschool 2 mornings a week. He enjoys it immensely, I’m kind of sorry that I didn’t make it for three days. Jake is a master of colors – can name them all and was teaching his class in Little Rock before we left. He can count to 10 for sure and is working on 15 +. Sometimes he gets confused. He can say his ABCs almost always without issue. He LOVES all his Disney shows, PBS and Nick Jr. Right now, Daddy has been introducing him to the seasonal favorites – especially those with the Peanuts characters. Jake is really well-spoken especially when he wants to be. When his imagination takes over, he can weave a tale… He loves trucks and trains and can identify a lot of different types of work trucks and tractors. We had the pleasure (?) of some work being done across the street near “our” park…the boys were completely fascinated by all the workers and their trucks.
Nick turned 2 in October and stays home with me except for the occasional stay at hourly care when I need to do something childless. He has a hard time with separation when we do that but is fine when he’s there. The screaming meltdown at departure tends to be a show for my benefit. I keep trying to explain I don’t need such dramatics at departure…I will come back. We’re getting better on that. He, too, is very smart. We are working on our colors and numbers – I think he can count to 5 and one night when he should have been sleeping, I’m almost certain he counted to 10. He is still the antagonist and knows what to do to push Jake’s buttons at any given moment. His current pleasure with me is to not walk down any stairs – this is a challenge because we have stairs at both exits of our dwelling and I’m usually not walking empty-handed. I realized he knew exactly what he was doing when I tried to coax him down the steps recently, he cried and got upset and I walked up the steps to get him and he giggled a very satisfied giggle. It was that moment I realized for certain that he had me wrapped and I was in deep trouble. He & I have a battle of wills and if he keeps his stubborn ways, it will be a LONG battle of wills.
They are both good kids. They get along pretty well given the proximity of their ages. Sometimes they fight like crazy. They are the best of friends and the worst of enemies at times. The best moments are when one has completely enraptured the other in his imagination. I LOVE watching them take bits of a story we’ve watched 8 million times and turn it into a game for the both of them. They share a room because of the layout we have here. I still haven’t decided if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. We’ll probably leave it – we’ll only be here for another 6 mos or a little more. My favorite times are when they get each other giggling. Their laughter can fill our house…
And no, to answer the obvious question…as of today, we do not know where we are going. Even before the President announced the troop surge, the Army had a hard time committing soldiers more than 120 days out. I would imagine with that surge it only further complicated things. I would love to know, but I talk myself down off that particular ledge at least once a day and focus on something else – like the friends we’re near today that we may not be near next time.
Matt was selected for an exchange program of sorts in Germany. He spent 2 weeks there right after Thanksgiving. The boys missed him but powered thru as only good Army Brats would or could. We had 6 inches of snow about mid-way thru that adventure just to further shake things up. We had a couple of playdates in our house to help pass the time.
We headed to Indy and Ohio for the holidays. We were lucky enough to meet our newest cousins at Baby CJ’s Baptism. Jake thought he should hold CJ during the ceremony…it was a hardsell to convince him that may not be the best idea. They were EXCELLENT during the whole process that lasted well past their normal bedtimes. We were very proud!
Tonight we start the Great Present Opening of 2009 and the boys can hardly contain their excitement. They have run trucks and toys into the presents – sometimes I’m not so sure it’s an “accident” as they claim but maybe a calculated plot to get to open some. Be sure to watch for pics on the blog – I’m sure they’ll be plentiful!
Soon it will be time to bid farewell to 2009 and welcome 2010. How time flies!
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New year!
Love
Matt, Chris, Jake & Nick
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