Back home again.

Well the trip is over.  After a 16 hour marathon drive fueled by red bull and coffee we made it back today.  We spent the last two weeks in San Antonio for the CCC (non-important army acronym).  We had to bring the entire family with us or else do the course some other time in the future which could mean 3 months of separation instead of two weeks.  Thanks to Heather and Grammie Kris the kids both had fun down there while Mandy and I were in class.  It was strange putting on my uniform again for the first time in 18 months to remind me that I am in the Army still.  Even better was the PT test at 0420 in the frigid temperatures....
It was great reuniting with so many of our old friends from medical school and residency as well as making some new connections.  After all the stress and preparation for the trip I am glad I got to do it and no longer need to worry about it.


Jake and his new favorite helicopter the "Huey"



This was from a fe weeks ago but I just found it again and its too cute not to put it in.

Happy Birthday Jake

Yesterday was the official 3rd birthday for Jake even though we had a party for him last week.  It was a beautiful day outside so we took a trip to the zoo.  They have a nice kid zone with a petting zoo, Carousel, and train that runs around the whole area.  He got an unlimited pass and we spent 90% of the time just doing the rides.  Add a cheeseburger and cotton candy for lunch and you have a 3-year-old's dream day.  Sam was great the whole time and they both took a good nap once we came home.  Tom-Tom expect a binky coming in the mail, Jake will miss it but it had to be done.  In other news the little scooter that he got a few months ago is now one of favorite outside toys.  I figured it would be a while before he would develop the coordination to ride it but he is so far doing well.  I included the video to show grandma since he remembers who gave it to him.  Thank you to all who sent presents, we hope to get cards out soon.

Sam is close to rolling over from back to front, I expect the event to happen soon so stay tuned for video updates.

Who is this Kid?

Jake and I went for a haircut on Sunday and after I brought him home I couldn't help but noticec how different he suddenly looked. Kind of like after his first haircut when Mandy came home. I decided that I would not cut his hair while Mandy was in Afghanistan so she could be home for his first haircut. He immediately went from looking like a baby to a toddler. This one seemed almost as dramatic where he truly seems more like a little boy.

He also figured out how to take a picture with my blackberry without putting his finger over the camera lens or pointing the camera in the wrong direction. Yes the picture of me (taken by Jake) is a little blurry but blame the camera not the operator on this one.

Sam is 4 months old!

Sam is 4 months old this week, which is tough to believe! He's been so cute lately and reminds me of why I love the 4-6 month age. He does this cooing/talking/smiling/laughing thing that is so cute. He also grabs and rakes toys or your finger with his hands. We'll post a video sometime soon! He also is sleeping more and on a relatively good schedule. He's very portable and doesn't try to escape from anything. We are very thankful for him! Jake is just excited that he'll have someone to wrestle with! Happy 4th month, Baby Sam!

The Halloween Post

Jake and Sam had their first Halloween together and both were spooky bats.  Sam stayed home to hand out candy to the trick or treaters while Jake and I and a couple other neighbor kids went out for the halloween loot.

Actual quote from Jake:  "Look at me I'm a bat I'm really cute!"

Yes it definitely scored him some extra treats last night and he filled his bucket after only one street.





I couldn't decide whether to do the scary tree or bat this year so I put one of

each on either side







The tree on the back



Mommy is crabby

As this blog is intended to chronicle our kids' lives. I feel the need to blog them a warning. I am crabby. I have been told this by my mother growing up and now by Scott. Example from today. The boys awoke earlier than usual, which for them means 0745 instead of 0900. Scott and I are spoiled, yes, but by them getting up early it meant that I didn't go for a run or anything and I had had multiple wakenings through the night from Jake, Sam and the cats. At this time of our life, most crabbiness gets taken out on household individuals in this order: cats, Scott, Jake, and Sam. So Scott felt the brunt of my aggravation this morning. I do recognize when I am crabby; so when I knew that the morning was only going downhill because of my mood, I loaded up Jake and Sam into the P&T's stroller and we took to the neighborhood. We live in a beautiful neighborhood and this morning was extra beautiful with quiet, lots of fall colors, and cool but not cold weather (mood elevating). We walked about a mile and then landed at the park where Jake played with a boy his age, Sam chilled quietly, and I was able to drink my coffee and socialize with some nice neighbors (more mood elevation). When we had returned Scott had a delicious breakfast prepared for us (mood back to euthymic level). As an aside, Scott impresses me with his cooking abililty. This morning he made an omlet of turkey, cheese, asparagus, and red onion. Great mix of flavors as Jake would say!

Jake and Sam, here are recommendations for how to predict my level of crabbiness or how to "keep mommy happy" as Jake says right now: sleep at least 7 hours, exercise once a day, hang outside for at least 15 minutes, socialize with adults, drink coffee, and reduce hunger level. I think that about covers it, right Scott? Interestingly, my work is not consistently the cause of my crabbiness. It contributes, but all of the above, if applied on a bad day of work, can still equal out in the end to happy mommy. Sorry, boys, I wish I wasn't so crabby. I'll work on it, I promise.

Take your toddler to work day

Well today was a first for me.  Our nanny showed up sick today.  With Mandy already at work I had to make some quick decisions.  She was well enough to take care of Sam by himself for a few hours but clearly could not take care of them both.  Fortunately I had clinic today and nothing I could not reschedule for the afternoon.  I decided that he should come to clinic with me today and charm the office staff while I saw patients.  I know this probably makes me a bad parent but sometimes when I just need to keep him out of trouble I let him watch the ipod.  Mandy actually bought it for me last Christmas but if you ask Jake he thinks it is his.   We intially used it during his potty training but he recently dropped it in the toilet.....Mandy did however buy the special warranty from Best Buy and it was replaced without any questions.  I put a bunch of his cartoons and Pixar movies on the ipod and he watched them for almost the whole morning and never caused any problems.  In any case the ipod saved me today and I definitely will get another if this one breaks.  Now if I can just figure out a way for him to scrub on the days I have surgery.........

One of the last times the previous ipod was seen alive.