Our Joy

Irises

Some fresh irises at Swan Lake. It had just rained so they are a little droopy...yet still pretty all the same. Swan Lake has an "Iris Festival" this weekend for Memorial Day that we are hoping to be able to check out. But first, we plan to drive to NC tomorrow to visit Steve's cousin in Raleigh-Durham and also to take a mini-tour of Fayetteville and Fort Bragg where Steve spent last Memorial Day (and most of the summer.) Hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Bye Bye Pack n' Play

So long, you have been good to us!

Two weeks ago Christian slept in his crib for the very first time (at almost 8 months!) He did very well, and he definitely has more room now to move around. I cannot tell you how WONDERFUL it is to see furniture instead of a pack n' play, which just feels so temporary. It was exciting to pack up the portable crib and now it will be reserved for our trips and vacations.

Good Morning! (Camera flash this early in the morning?)

Nana, Papa, and Myrtle Beach

This past week Nana and Papa came to visit us (hence the absence of posts on the blog.) It was so nice to see them and spend time together. Not sure if Christian remembers living in their home for 3 months, but he was happy and took to them instantly, always greeting them with big smiles. :o) My mom helped me in the garden which needs a lot of weeding and pruning (what a difference a couple of hours makes though!) While we were slaving away doing yard work (haha) Steve and my dad played golf on base and at a golf course that lies on a historical battleground. We went to Columbia a couple of times for more variety (restaurants, shopping, etc.) AND one night Steve and I were able to go to dinner and a movie (Iron Man 2...aww remembering Edwards) while Nana and Papa watched Christian. Yay for a MUCH needed date night!

At Swan Lake before it began to pour...Nana and Papa brought the rain with them from Colorado.

Mid-week we took a little trip to Myrtle Beach which is less than 2 hours away and enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful golf courses. We stayed at the Breakers which is located right on the beach and is perfect for relaxing. They have several pools, hot tubs, and a lazy river. Even though I have been meaning to take Christian to the pool in our subdivision, it hadn't happened in the two weeks we had been living here, so Christian took his first dip in the pool at Myrtle Beach and really seemed to enjoy splashing in the water.

This was the view from our hotel room balcony!

Murrells Inlet marsh walk...they had the best restaurant: Dead Dog Saloon...amazing hush puppies!

It was so nice for my parents to be able to take a week-long vacation and stay with us a little longer. Thank you for coming to visit us! We miss you and enjoyed our time with you!Christian and Nana thought they could get away with it....

Christian is 8 Months

I feel like I just wrote the post about Christian being 7 months! This month was a busy one with moving and unpacking, so I guess in many ways it just flew by. C is growing before our very eyes and is as lovable as ever. His little personality is so sweet and he is always ready to offer a big smile. He now has 4 teeth- two on the bottom and two on the top, and the 5th is on its way. Christian is sitting up on his own, and I keep thinking that he will begin crawling any day now. Often times I catch a glimpse of a little boy instead of an infant. But then there are those moments when he is nursing or sleeping in my arms before I put him in his crib, and it almost feels like we just brought him home from the hospital. I am learning every step of the way to really cherish each and every moment with this little one.

Playing in his new "big boy" toy- an ExerSaucer!

Loving his new sitting skill!

Shaw Air Show 2010

Last Friday Shaw AFB welcomed military and their families for a pre-air show...basically a chance for the pilots to "practice." It worked out perfect for us so that we could avoid all the crowds during Shaw's open house.

The afternoon was SUPER hot and humid and we only stayed long enough to see the Thunderbirds, and even then I was the only one to see them because someone was not a big fan of the F-16 take-off and afterburners. Still, it was very cool to see a bit of the air show and the amazing manuevers of the Fighting Falcon. (Please excuse my pictures...it was difficult trying to capture even these shots with my point-and-shoot camera.)

Now happy after the airshow...cooling down with some agua.

Bye Bye Bouncy Seat

Fresh from the hospital, about 1 week old.

Almost 2 months old.

Almost 3 months old.

As we unpack (we are mostly finished) we are finding all sorts of goodies and things we kind of forgot about. It's almost like Christmas! Christian's stuff has probably been the most fun though, because it is all new things that he received as gifts or things that he wasn't old enough to play with at 3 months when we moved from Edwards. But some things he is just TOO big for now, including his beloved bouncy seat that seemed so big for him at the time. He did quite a great deal of napping in his bouncy seat...sometimes more than his own bed. We used to have to pull the toys for him so that they would make music and entertain him because he couldn't reach and obviously didn't quite have the coordination skills yet. Now he can pull all the toys on his own and is basically taking over the whole seat as he twists and turns...looks like it is time to retire the bouncy seat and move on to big boy toys. :)

"What do you mean I'm too big?" (7.5 months)

Water Lilies

Beautiful blooming water lilies from the pond in our backyard:

Mommy's Boy

I hope that you all you mommies had a spectacular Mother's Day! My little guy (with Daddy's help) gave me a beautiful hanging basket of new guinea impatiens and some delicious ground Starbucks coffee! After church we simply relaxed and Steve worked on Christian's baby furniture- a dresser and CRIB! It is almost finished and then C man will finally be able to sleep in his very own crib! Anyway, it was a wonderful Mother's Day, made special by my two favorite boys. I love you!

High Chair

Last week Christian finally got to use his high chair- a Christmas gift from Nana and Papa. We have improvised over the past few months by using:

A Bouncy Seat:

A Stroller:

A Bumbo:

And now at 7.5 months, almost 8 *tear* a Highchair:

Sweet, Sweet Dreams

After a couple of months of waking up 3-4 times a night with a crying baby, and some nights more than I could count, the past few nights have been bliss! Christian has been waking only 1 or 2 times in the night ever since we moved into our house. Last night he slept through the whole night, which I don't think he has done since February when we were living in Colorado. AMAZING! I think he loves having his very own room that doesn't include a kitchen. :o)

Keep it up little man! Hmmm, I could get used to this....

Here is a pic of C napping while we were in the TLF (Stripes as always):

Super Trooper

Things are beginning to really feel like home here. As we unpack and personalize our place it is starting to look more like us, and less like the previous owner- even though I still have a visual of how things looked before. Christian has been a good sport as always, letting me unpack some while he is awake and generally staying pretty content in his Bumbo or playing on the floor. I am so thankful for such a good little boy!

It's Official

The wait is over. After 4+ months of living out of hotels and feeling "in between" we are now officially homeowners! The house was not exactly "move in ready" as requested and we have been cleaning EVERYTHING before putting things away which has certainly made the process take a lot longer. But it has been exciting to unpack and see all of the things that have been sitting in storage since December. Some things we completely forgot about (opened box of cereal anyone?) and some I wish we had packed with us--like bigger baby clothes!

We are really looking forward to being able to settle down and relax in our new place. A little stability will be good for all of us! These past months have certainly been a journey as we traveled across the country and lived apart during much of that time. Like I always say, "It's an adventure" in the military.