Seven Months Down

Okay, so we've passed the hurdle.  We're more than halfway through Billy's year-long hiatus.  We have seven months down and five to go.  Luckily he has a class in San Antonio next month where me and the little boys will meet him and get to hang out with him for a week.  Then he'll fly back to Charleston with us.  We'll get to hang out for another week before he's back to work leaving us with only four months to go.  And boy will those four months fly by.  We should be getting some information about his new assignment any day, and by any day I mean they have to tell us by March 31st, so I'm wondering why in the world it's taking them so long to tell us patiently waiting to find out what the Air Force has in store for our future.  There will be SO MANY things to take care of before he gets back.  One of the most important things will be getting the house ready to show/sell/rent, which includes some MAJOR cleaning (which by the way means lots of money because I simply don't have the time to do the necessary cleaning), tidying up all the holes in the wall (can't do that either), touch up painting, fixing the yard, pressure washing the exterior, cleaning the garage, etc..  Then we'll actually have to decide whether we'll sell or rent and I have no idea how to even figure out what would be best.  I'll also have to do plenty of research to find somewhere for us to live in the as of yet undisclosed location.  I'll have to figure out if I'll be able to transfer, which will take some work, or if I have to start looking for a new job, which would also mean a lot of research, resume updating, application filling out... you get the picture.  I'm sure there are many more things that will need to be done, but I'm only looking at big picture things right now.  Everything else is one day at a time.  SO, if anybody has any suggestions for good cleaning people, a handyman, a realtor, info on whether to sell or rent, I'm all ears!!!

And just so you know that as busy, and crazy, and anxiety provoking as this life is, I wouldn't trade it for anything because they make it all worthwhile.

February 12 on the 12th

1. Our house as it began to snow

2. Noah's slide covered in the white stuff

3. Talking to Billy on the computer using Skype

4. Just got through feeding Asher and it's time to start the day

5. Footprints in the snow

6. Noah didn't want to be in the picture so he had Ruffy pose instead

7. The first time we've seen snow

8. Gammy and Asher

9. Noah's eating chocolate chip banana bread for breakfast

10. Our mailbox with snow on it

11. Noah had some hot chocolate after spending a few minutes outside in the cold (someone needs to get that boy a haircut)

12. Asher watching us eat Mexican food for dinner... he wanted some

Let it Snow

We are supposed to get snow tonight.  And not just snow flurries, but actual snow...3-5" of it.  That sounds pretty pitiful compared to what's going on in other parts of the country where more than 50" of snow has fallen throughout the winter, but for someone living in Charleston, SC who moved from the border of Mexico, TX, this is a pretty big deal.  I've seen snow flurries once, and that was last year.  Even though they were there, they were barely there.  You can take a look and see what I mean here.  So today, we're forecasted to get some snow.  I've got my camera and my hot chocolate ready!

Amazing

Kids are really amazing.  I mean truly amazing.  Noah might be a little more amazing than most, but of course I'm just slightly biased. ; )

On almost a daily basis he says or does something that just knocks my socks off and I think to myself, "when did you learn to do that?" or "how did you know that?" or "oh my gosh, how did you remember that?". 

We have a storybook about a mom and her little boy.  The mom sings to her son "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living, My baby you'll be."  The book makes it through our nighttime rotation occasionally, but it's not consistent.  At the dinner table and out of the blue, Noah sang the song... completely.  Several weeks ago he started singing the ABCs.  We'd sing it to him, but without any participation on his part and then all of a sudden he can sing the whole song?  Yesterday he counted to fourteen on the way home from school.  He says words like "ambulance" and "quesadilla" out of nowhere and says them very clearly.  I have to ask him to repeat himself not because I don't understand what he's saying, but because I didn't know he knew that word, much less how to pronounce it so well.  His memory often surprises me.  He is an excellent observer even when he's pretending to be occupied elsewhere.  He was playing with his trains in the living room and I was in the kitchen talking about how he sang his ABCs that day.  Without looking up or even a pause in playing, he starts singing his ABCs.  Normally, when we visit the doctor, he would get upset the second they call his name.  He wouldn't stand on the scale, wouldn't let them take his temp, and would be very tentative with the doc as she examined him from my lap.  This week we went to the doc and when they called his name, he got up, walked in the door, and didn't even so much as look back to make sure I was behind him.  He stepped up on the scale (27lbs) all by himself.  He was sitting in his own chair in the exam room and when the doc walked in, he opened his mouth so she could look in without her even asking.  It was a complete 180. 

Noah is changing so much and I had to write these stories down while they're fresh on my mind.  All of this just makes me realize that he's turning into a kid right before my eyes, and a smart kid at that.  I am SO proud of my amazing boy! 

Our Family Pictures

I just realized that we had these awesome pictures taken, and I didn't share them with everybody.  They were taken back in the middle of November and things have been so hectic that I guess I just plain forgot.  So here they are.  Go to Westhart Photography, go to client login, and type in Asher as the password.  I don't know how long she keeps the photos, but they were there as of today.  Amanda did a fantastic job and was kind enough to travel from upstate South Carolina to take our pictures.  We really appreciate what she did and the end product is great!  We are soooo pleased!  And just in case you don't have the time to go through all the pictures, here are a few just to give you a taste!