Welcome Home, You Are Loved

While we were in Maryland last month, Erik's family hosted a welcome home soiree that was on the same scale of a small backyard wedding. The devil is in the details, as they say, and there so many little details that made it special. It was a beautiful summer evening leading into the Fourth of July weekend and it was wonderful to see so many faces.

Ironically, as with most soirees, we didn't get to catch up with everyone one-on-one, but it was enough to hug close friends and family that we sadly don't get to see very often. I didn't even get a picture of the man of the hour that night - woooooopsieeeees. I took most of the pics in the "calm before the storm" moment. Also known as the "before my hands are busy holding a beer" moment.

Thank you to Marian, Ingrid, Lloyd and everyone who helped plan for such a fantastic evening. I think we can officially say Erik has been welcomed home. 

Pennsylvania Treasure Hunting

I kick myself every time I leave Pennsylvania that I didn't take more pictures. I just think it is one of the most scenic places to come home to, especially in the spring and summer. The rolling hills, the lush farms, the wildflowers ... and it's all just so spread out. Nothing is piled on top of each other, save for the hay bales and manure. I sat on my dad's back porch and listened to an assortment of birds while I sipped my tea in the mornings. A cardinal would pop up now and then - surely a sign that my mom is there in spirit. 

I did take some pics on the day Uncle James came into town and went geocaching with us. I kind of dominated the geocaches early in the day (*brushing shoulder off), so I had to let the boys win some towards the end. Wink.

Taking a break to eat some ice cream and taunt roosters.

Happy to check off another found treasure on our geocache phone app.

Happy to have consumed ice cream (with a little to spare on the forehead, apparently).

Ice cream hug. Kids looooove when you get them ice cream.

James finds his first 'cache in the fence post!

More chicken taunting.

When did my little babies grow into little guys?

Love.

Let's Go O's!

While visiting the East Coast last month, we were wonderfully gifted with four club level tickets to an Orioles game by some dear family friends. It really was a great opportunity and Erik was so excited to share the Camden Yards experience with the boys. My mommy radar was on red alert ("The day after we get home from a beach vacation?! The game starts at 1:30, right at our normal quiet time?! It's an hour drive into the city?! We were just in the car 8 hours yesterday!"), but I told that voice to stuff it and get its panties out of a bunch. Once in a while I can do that and it pays off: we had a great time.

Sure, the boys were kinda funky and punchy at times, but it's nothing that some peanuts couldn't address. We owe at least four hours of innings due to peanuts. Kids love to shell peanuts. Anders wasn't even eating them, but we still let him do it because it bought us time. That, and a lollipops, hot dogs, french fries, soft pretzels... all the typical ballpark fare.

We also stopped by the visitor's center on Eutaw Street to pick up the "My First Orioles Game" certificates and absorb the excitement of a Sunday afternoon ball game. I'm used to my boys being the only ones in Orioles hats where we live, so there were some "Where's Waldo" moments in a sea of orange and black. Good news: we didn't lose the kids. 

Looking a bit dubious as we enter the stadium.

Turns out an 8 foot bird can cause fear in children.

Well, lookie here! Somebody got his name on the board! Thanking higher powers that the camera didn't pan to us - half of us would be picking boogers, the other half of us wiping at beers spills. 'Murica!

The O's did win and it also happened to be one of the quickest games in O's recent history - the power of positive thinking!

Peanuts.

Peanuts.

Charge!

Getting into the spirit.

High five with Dad!

The face of a peanuts and lollipop overdose.

Trying to keep it together to make a commemorative penny.

High five with the bird! The painted one, of course, after the other bird incident.

Going in.

Coming out.

...And Summer Begins!

September 2014

June 2015

Home is the sailor, home from the sea

Hi.

The End of an Era

Well, Anders, considering the precedent your big brother set, you lasted a lot longer in your crib than I would have thought. Congratulations. Imagine my surprise when I was mowing the lawn during "naptime" only to see you standing outside with a pleased-as-punch expression as I rounded the corner. Your brother was not far behind you with a wide smile on face, flapping his arms in excitement: "Guess what I taught Anders to do!" 

And like that, the front rail is gone. 

Happy to help Mommy dismantle a piece of the crib. 

The Last Deployment Video

Throughout this deployment, I wasn't that great about sending boxes to Erik filled with snacks and love notes with cute themes and such, but I always did try to mail a little USB drive which housed a video compilation of two month chunks of time. The collective snippets of things like Landon learning to ride a bike without training wheels, Anders enjoying an afternoon with bubbles, the boys enjoying hikes, etc. You know, the everyday stuff that just happens when it happens, with no agenda. Those are the things I wanted to capture most for Erik this past year. I guess, in a way, the videos were my love notes.

I'm happy to say I've made the last video for this deployment. My iMac has just about hit the end of its lifespan in terms of ability to pull together videos, so it is good timing. [PS: Honey, I need a new computer.]

For comparison's sake, below is the first video I put together for Erik at the end of last summer. Landon has grown 2.5 inches and Anders has grown almost 4 inches! I feed and water them daily.

Quotes

[Scene: Driving in the car this morning.]

Landon: Hey Anders, do you wanna' play "booger catch" again?

Me: Wait, what?! What is that game? And what do you mean "AGAIN?!"

[Just so you know, it's a game where one brother picks a booger and (yes, you guessed it) throws it at the other brother.]

Mother's Day 2015

Dear Boys,

We made it another year. This one was a little bit of a solo ride with Daddy gone and I didn't know how it was going to go, but you made it simple, fun and humbling. 

Landon, your obsession with Legos this past year could have been predicted by your founding passion of jigsaw puzzles. Your "creations" and imagination have been an absolute joy to watch. And the fact that you let your little brother play with those creations demonstrates what a special big brother heart you have. Whenever I am laying down for a moment with my eyes closed, you come up to steal a light kiss on my cheek; you make me feel so very loved. 

Anders, your confidence and personality came out of left field this year, especially after Christmastime. For someone who wasn't a particularly smiley baby, you certainly are a funny guy and your laugh just lights up my world. You smile with your whole face - I love it. At the time of this writing, you are delighted by anything Rescue Bots or Transformers or Super Heroes. You love wearing a cape and slipping into your "Super Anders" persona; it involves a lot of running around and yelling "Pshooo!" with your arm extended. You give grade A hugs with your whole body and it reminds me of my mom's genuine hugs; thank you for continuing the legacy.

Together, you guys are one big, goofy energy ball. Whether its playing "goo" (in which you pretend to be stuck in blankets - aka goo - and let the other super hero brother rescue you) or "fight dome" (rough housing under the geo dome in the backyard - not mommy's favorite, but surprisingly a game that hasn't resulted in any injuries...yet), I see brothers. As your daddy likes to say, "Thick as thieves." 

I became more confident as a mom this year, for sure. I finally see the hard work starting to pay off when you stop and hug each other while reading a book (just because), when you express your feelings with words, when you demonstrate good table manners or when you utter "Thank you, Earth and animals, for this lovely food" before you dig into a snack. These snippets are a delight to see and rather incongruent to the constant feeling that no one is listening to me at all on most days. Thanks for planting some seeds of hope this year.

Love you with all my heart,

Mom

Mother's Day 2015