Trick or Treat

Katie had a wonderful night tonight... we went with her friend Gabrielle throughout the neighborhood to "trick or treat." The girls were so cute and pretty brave for the most part. Occasionally, they'd both hesitate and Robert (Gabrielle's dad) would say "That's so funny... or he's so silly" about the costume or house and the girls would run up and get their candy. Katie wasn't so sure about this one particular "monster" who was playing the keyboard outside his house and making spooky noises every so often. There was also a man with a funny clown mask, he took it off so the girls could see his face. That made Katie squeal with delight... she was so happy to see it was just a "neighbor" underneath it all. Some of the neighbors really go all out for Halloween. It's crazy. Here are some pictures from the day.
They were so cute and had a great time!

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake

Today a box arrived for the kids from Grammy Pam. Inside was the book: If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff and a little stuffed cat just like the one in book. Because today was a busy day with a potluck lunch and trick or treating I saved the surprise until bedtime story time. Katie was so excited. I have attached some clips for everyone and a special one for Grammy...Thanks for thinking of us. I'd recommend this book... it's adorable!

Fall fun

Well, we are back in CT. On Sunday, we attended a boat function at Alice Acres farm. It was a beautiful day with temperatures reaching the high 60's! Everyone had a great time. We had great fall food: caramel apples, pumpkin cake, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, hot cider, caramel corn, and more! Katie spent most of her time at the craft table- she loves making things. She painted an entire pumpkin purple! She also made some other adorable little projects. It was a wonderful day and a nice way to ease back into our life here in CT. Since then, it has rained and the temperature has really dropped. Now I am thinking I may need my winter coat out! Already?!!? Doesn't seem possible. See the picture above of my little sweethearts in their costumes! Aren't they cute?

Katie in her school uniform

Well, this is a long overdue picture of Katie wearing her cute little school uniform. We'll be heading back to CT on Saturday, so she only attends school one more time before heading home. I think she'll miss it for sure. She has learned so much in the past few weeks. It is just amazing... I just love the teachers at the school and she has made so many friends. We will miss school when we get back to CT, but I am sure we'll find something there to keep us busy! The picture below is just a sweet picture of my little angels... Katie is in her swimsuit while Marcus is still in his PJ's! Too cute!

Boating Day

On Sunday, we went out in the boat. It was a wonderful day. We went to eat at a restaurant across the bay, so it took about 15 minutes by boat to get there. This was Marcus first time on the boat, and I wasn't sure how he'd do. Let's just say, he loved it! As soon as we got on the boat, he went right to sleep. Katie sat with her Dora life vest on and enjoyed the ride. As we were getting closer to the restaurant, we saw dolphins! It was so amazing! The dolphins were feeding so they weren't as playful as they can be. I was able to snap a few pictures, and you can see a bit of the dolphin in them.. although not as much as I had hoped. After eating a wonderful lunch, we settled in for our ride back. Katie went down below deck and played the whole way home. She made herself a little bed and played with her Polly Pockets. Marcus went right back to sleep and I even put my head back and dozed off myself. On the way back, we took our time so we could get the most out of our nap! It was a really nice day. The nice day made up for the fact that Matt was in Port Canaveral for boat repair and we couldn't be with him, so we made the best of it here. I was able to talk to him on the phone this past week and he got to see his parents on Sunday so that was nice for him. I can't wait to see him again soon!


PS. We made Apple Puff Pancake also that day and I included a picture. My friend Crystal made one recently and got me thinking about it. We always make this on Christmas morning and it is so delicious! It's nice to have it throughout the year.

Marcus... my hungry little boy!

Well, last night Marcus tried sweet potatoes for dinner and boy did he love them! His first time trying them and he ate over half of the jar! Well, today, I gave him his rice cereal for breakfast and went about my normal routine with him. So far, I have been feeding him rice cereal for breakfast and just started with sweet potatoes for dinner. Well, this afternoon Marcus was not himself. He was so mad... I knew he was hungry but every time I tried to give him his bottle he flew into a fit of rage! Not something normal for my easygoing little guy. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Finally, he gave in and drank the bottle and went to sleep. Well, this evening he was getting all fussy again and I got his bottle ready for him... just as I have been doing for the past 4 months! Oh no, that was not what the little man had in mind. Finally, the light bulb goes off and I realize that maybe he is ready for his little jar of baby food. You would think by the second child I would have this all figured out, but let me tell you, it is amazing how much you forget about the baby stage after a few years! Anyway, I got out his sweet potatoes and he was elated. He ate the whole jar. Then, he wanted more so we moved on to a new taste- apples. He was so pleased with this new found delight as well. Now, I realize this afternoon he really just wanted to eat some "real" food! I guess we have entered into a new stage with Marcus... he now needs breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We are going to have to introduce some more new foods before he turns orange from all the sweet potatoes! Here is a clip of him tonight... sorry it's sideways I will take another one soon.

Katie goes bowling

Katelyn has been bowling twice now. Both times she has loved it... and her top bowling score last time was 78! Pretty good for a 3 year old! She does have the bumpers on when she bowls and she usually needs someone to help her get the ball down the lane! She really enjoys the whole process though. She is so adorable when we play. Every time someone bowls, she yells and claps for them. Even if they miss! We had a great time watching her have fun. Watch the clip to see her reactions. By the end of the game, she was exhausted from all the running and jumping. She can't wait to go again!

What's a girl to do?

So, tonight I am thinking about how much I miss my sweetheart. Not that anyone wants to hear my sob story... however, this blog is kind of like a mini diary! I loved falling in love with Matt. It was exciting, wonderful, and one of the best times of my life. However, when the military first pulled him away this new feeling that I had never felt before came over me. This heart wrenching feeling of being away from the one you love. What makes it worse, most of the times he has been away we can't even communicate. Sometimes, just hearing his voice would help. (I have called his voice mail before!) I must check my e-mail over a dozen times a day just waiting to see if there is any word from him. But my newest dilemma is this: What's a girl to do when her love is gone? I feel like Matt is the other half of my heart, my true soul mate, the one who keeps my world in tact... How will this all work when we will be apart for deployment (the longest we have ever been apart from each other since we met!)? I know I'll get through the next 6 or 7 months (I will have to for my babies!) and someday look back on it all. However, this grip on my heart from loving someone is so strong and hurts so much when he is away. Sometimes, I would give anything when he is gone if I could just talk to him for 5 minutes... just to settle everything back into place so to speak. I know some of you other military wives will be able to relate and others may think I am plain crazy. But really, what's a girl to do?

Who needs sleep?

There is a BareNaked Ladies song "Who Needs Sleep" and the chorus goes:
Who needs sleep?
Well you're never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
Tell me what's that for
Who needs sleep?
Be happy with what you're getting
There's a guy who's been awake
Since the Second World War

I have decided that as a mother you never get any sleep! First, you have the baby and hardly anyone gets to sleep the first month except the new baby. Then, they grow out of that stage and things start looking up... In my case, my daughter was an excellent little sleeper around age 2. My friends would be jealous because she'd sleep in so late in the mornings, and I could get some extra rest. However, she slowly grew out of that stage. She still slept good, but awoke earlier. Then, I went and had a second child! So, I started over... now, I would expect the baby needing to wake up in the night or early morning and eat. After all, he is a very good baby and goes to sleep around 8pm and usually sleeps until 5am. Not bad... However, I don't know what has happened to my 3 year old. She awakens in the night and calls out for me... she'll need a drink, have to potty, or just be plain grumpy. When I finally get her back off to sleep, the baby usually wakes up. Or, if Katie sleeps well the baby will have some crazy night and wake up a 2, 5, and 6!! So, I am in a continuous cycle of hopping back into my warm bed, getting all cozy, just about to drift off to dreamland when another round of crying from one of my children pulls me back to reality. If you have kids, I am sure you can relate. Thankfully, Katie heads off to bed around 7pm. However, she is usually bright eyed around 7:15am! Occasionally, it all works out into my favor and I get a good night's sleep. However, for now I am wondering if baby monitors are really helpful and if tonight could be one of those nights when everything works out and I could sleep. But then again, who needs sleep?

Family Time and Matt &Jessica times 2

My brother's wedding was the reason my family headed to Florida in the first place. Matt was able to come with us and spend a little time before he had to head back out to sea. We had a great time together, just the four of us doing some special things. We took the kids to Osaka (Our favorite hibachi Japanese restaurant here), we went to the beach, the swimming pool, and horseback riding at the farm. It was nice to spend some much needed time together. The only disappointing part is that our time together ended too soon!

The wedding was a nice highlight of the trip. My brother Matt married Jessica... so now there is a new Jessica Bowling! Now, we are all having a blast with Matt&Jessica (Bowling) and Matt&Jessica (Geren)! Everyone keeps trying to come up with nicknames for us. However, we Jessicas don't find it that difficult to know who is talking to us. And neither of us want to budge on being called anything other then Jessica. Personally, I don't like to be called Jess or Jessie. In fact, I really only like it if my siblings or mom call me by one of those names. It is like nails on a chalk board when someone else calls me Jessie!! Jessica (Bowling) also feels the same. We like to stick with our full name, and we'll let everyone else be confused about who they are talking about! So far, we are doing pretty good with the whole thing. And we figure if Jessica (Bowling) is talking about Matt she is talking about her husband and if I am talking about Matt I am talking about my husband... unless we specify otherwise!
On to another note, Katie was the flower girl for the wedding and she was adorable. I have added a few pictures from the wedding for everyone to see. We had a great time together!

Marcus visits the doctor

Marcus went to the doctor today for his 4 month check up and shots. Our little man is growing so fast. Today, he weighed in at 15lbs 10 ounces and 27 inches long! I can't believe how quickly he is growing. So, as soon as I got back from the doctor I had to check Katie's baby book to see what her height and weight were at that age. She actually didn't visit the doctor right at 4 months, but rather at 5 months old. However, she was 16lbs6oz and 25.5inches at 5 months! So, Marcus is definitely taller and a bit leaner! It is so fun to watch how differently they grow. It is true when they say that each child is different. I love both of my children so much, and I enjoy their differences. Marcus is more mellow in a lot of ways. However, he is very vocal and loves to "talk" to me. He enjoys mimicking what sounds I make. He is very interested and tries very hard to make an "oooo" or "ahh" sound. The other day he was even trying to move his tongue and mimic my "lalalala." He amazes me in that aspect. He knows what he wants.... eat, burp, sleep, he loves watching TV, and being outside is a favorite.
I love my children... they are amazing!

Pumpkins, Discounts, and Cool Hair

Today was a good day... we had to go to Fort Walton Beach which is about 20 minutes from Destin. We went to the TJMaxx while we were there and they had some pretty amazing sales. All clearance items were an additional 25% off. Well, the clerk that checked my order out rang everything up and says under her breath, "Well, it took 25% off everything... that's the second time that has happened today and I did it like I was supposed to. Lucky for you!" So, I was so pleased for the extra $$ off my whole order. I bought a few special treats for Matt to take on deployment. I got this special bib for Marcus that says "I'm thankful for my daddy." I am going to take a picture of him in it for Matt for Thanksgiving! Well, on the way home we stopped at a pumpkin sale which Katie loved. She picked out 3 small pumpkins and said we should come back and get a big daddy sized pumpkin later. She is so sweet!
On another note, my little man's hair has this new thing for standing up! So, tonight after his bath we helped it along!! Here's a picture to show it off. He gets more adorable as the days go by!

The girl full of "I love this..."

Being in Florida is great for me because I get to spend some time with my sister. I haven't lived near her for most of my adult life, so it is really cool to be able to be around her. Well, this afternoon she met me at the gym and afterward we ran into Walmart for a few things. As we were shopping, my sis kept saying..." Oh, have you seen this (item of choice) I love this!" She pointed out several different products: Dove Energize Body Wash, Honey Butter Pringle's Stix, Star fruit, Tropicana Pure Premium PC Pomegranate & Blueberry, Bolthouse Green Goodness juice, and Baked Lays Cheddar Cheese chips. These are just a few of her "favorites." Anyway, it was so fun to shop with her and hear about all the things she loves. She bought some of the Honey Butter Pringle's Stix and let me tell you if you haven't tried them yet- they are yummy! As soon as she bought them she opened the pack and let us split them. I would definitely buy them for a fun snack. Every time I go shopping with my sister I just love finding out about all of the things she loves! She definitely has a long list of things she loves and I can't wait to learn some more of her favorites. You never know, I might just add a few of them to my favorites.

My 3 year old's memory verse

Well, Matt is off and away again. No surprise to most of you! So, we are visiting my family in Florida and while we are here Katie has been attending the Christian school here. She loves it! The first day I picked her up I asked, "How was school?" Her response: "Just Perfect!" Let me note next that this school is not just a playtime for kids, but an actual education for little minds. First off, she has elective classes such as art, Spanish, chapel, and even music class! Well, she has only been to school 3 times now and I amazed at how much she is learning. She informed me that she is learning the Pledge of Allegiance- she can say quite a bit of it already. (Her favorite song right now is the Star Spangled Banner but more on that in another blog). Well, the point of today's blog is that when I picked her up from school today the teacher says, "Katie got an award because she knew her memory verse today!" Now, I knew there was a memory verse for school for the past week, but I hadn't really worked on it with her at home. So, I am surprised that she was able to memorize the verse during the two times she has been at school. The verse is: Psalm 18:30 "As for God, His way is perfect.." It isn't lengthy, but still amazes me what kids can remember. It is actually quite scary what a sponge these little minds are and how quickly they can pick up on things. When her daddy found out he was so happy his daughter was already quoting scripture! I can't what to see what else she learns this week...