2009 highlights

There have been lots of great/big things about 2009--I thought I'd do a "letterman top ten" for the blog...however mine are in no particular order and may be changed as I reflect on this post in the next few days..

10. jeff deploys to iraq (ok this isn't great but is certainly memorable and big so it should make the list) and we learn to use skype and manage 1 minute phone calls
9. Thanksgiving to christmas holidays for the rest of the family in Ohio and Hilton Head--thanks to everyone who traveled to join us in this month of adventures!
8. making new friends in the azores and keeping in touch with previous friends through facebook and e-mail
7. watching the kids play t-ball and soccer as well as biking, tag, and climbing on the playground outside
6. experiencing a new culture and language
5. enjoying the rainbows that show up during the months and months of rain that we experience...
4. Firsts--heather lost her first tooth, charlie started portuguese school, cameron started crawling, eating, walking, birthday
3. enjoying time in the Azores--hiking, beaching, socializing
2. trip to crete
1. trip to Disney

I hope that 2010 can bring as much fun with family and friends as 2009.

last few Ohio days

What we thought was going to be a week with my parents turned into a much shorter time when we found out that the plane would leave on the 4th of Jan instead of the 7th. Ugh! Instead of relaxing I've been frantically packing up christmas gifts and contacting people to help us at both ends of the journey once again. Mom has been trying to spend some extra time with the kids while I pack to get us ready to get on the road.

christmas

Christmas Eve we left Jeff's mom's house and headed for my parents for Christmas Eve service at church. The kids were really well behaved and Heather read and sang the songs while Charlie followed along. We managed to not set the church on fire and enjoyed a quiet moment with the lit candles and Cameron on the floor eating raisins. We got home, the kids made a last minute note to Santa, left cookies, milk and carrots and tried to settle down for bed. That was quite a challenge and Santa wasn't able to come until after 10:30 pm. Heather was up at 7:30 hoping that the DS was under the tree. We got everyone up and headed off to see the surprises. Not wanting to be held up by the Santa note (which was the most exciting part last year) Heather ran upstairs crying that she just wanted to see what was under the tree. After calming her down we headed down to check out the gifts. The kids were delighted with the barbies, bakugon, books, socks, and more that santa left unwrapped by the tree. We dove into the presents and the kids were delighted with all their presents (even no mention of no DS!--santa just didn't think it was necessary). Cameron had no interest in the present opening so he just roamed the room looking at everyone else's gifts. Cameron was most interested in the bear that Jeff sent, only after he heard Jeffs voice coming from the box ;-) After all the presents were opened by the kids the adults started in on theirs as well as opening the kids toys to play with. Mom fixed a nice Christmas dinner and we all relaxed. We were able to skype chat with jeff and despite the distance it was good to have him join in the christmas day festivities. The rest of the time my sister and brother were here we spent doing some shopping, some football cheering and I even had a sibling lunch with Kelly, Bryan and Christopher (heather was not happy to be left behind!!). It was sad for all of us to say goodbye to Kelly, Bryan and Christopher but thanks so much to them for their help with the kids and the time they were able to spend with us!

cleveland fun

We had a great--albeit short--trip to Cleveland for Christmas with the Hughes family. Because of schedules and the unknown of leaving it was a very short--but packed trip. The kids had a great time playing with their aunt and uncle and enjoyed time with their cousins as well. Highlights for the trip included a trip to Chucky Cheese, playing the wii, puzzles, making a gingerbread house and of course opening presents at "early Christmas" as Heather dubbed it. It was pure present unwrapping chaos as two 6 year olds and 2 4 year olds dove into their presents with Cameron walking around supervising and choosing not to touch his. After present unwrapping and testing we had a great meal and enjoyed some time to relax while the kids tested out their gifts. Heather and Charlie and their cousins played really nicely together once again. They enjoyed some Mario cart with Ashley and Jeremy before bed.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

The kids were delighted to wake up to about an inch of snow on the ground. They made the most of it building the snowmen pictured as well as sledding (not pictured) down the hill behind my parents house. They did it together and individually and got along very well the whole sledding time. They also managed a small snowball fight which did not end badly. After that we went to another basketball game where santa greeted us at the door. Heather has become reluctant to "visit santa" but did choose to sit with him over stand next to. Cameron was very hesitant and forced me to be in a picture with him...tonight we watched for Jeff on the WWE special salute to the troops. My mom saw him more than I did but it was fun to try. We may have spotted him next to a flag--if not that guy has become my kids dad for the WWE event! yesterday the kids put peanut butter and sunflower seeds on pinecones that they rescued from hilton head and the lucky recepient was this squirrel.

christmas is really coming

The kids got even more into the christmas gift spirit yesterday when I took them each to the store to pick out something for each other. I decided last year to let them each pick out a gift for each other and for cameron. They delighted in picking out the perfect gift for their siblings which was really nice. They took their time and despite Heather knowing exactly what she wanted to get for charlie and charlie picking out exactly what Heather told him she wanted they perused the aisles to make sure they got the best thing. Continuing the holiday spirit we were visited by Mrs. Claus--a friend of mom's--and her beautiful costume. In the afternoon we went by my elementary school so Heather could see the school that I went to and we could exchange books with my first grade teacher who gave some to us for Heather to read (she teaches second grade there now). We went by my first and second grade class and I got a glimpse of what it would be like for Heather to be in school there. I think she would have been Ok but I think that staying in the Azores and coming for an extended holiday was still the best decision in most respects. Back in the holiday spirit we went to my mom's friends house who has like 30 christmas trees of all sizes decorated in a variety of themes. Mrs. K also let them decorate healthy cookies which they enjoyed almost as much as picking out a candy cane and ornament off a special tree. We then went to see the christmas lights at a house nearby that goes all out and synchronizes their lights to music (like the old beer commercial) and it's awesome. The kids enjoyed it as did myself and my parents. Despite all this holiday fun Heather is doing pretty well keeping up with her schoolwork that her teacher sent as well as reading her first chapter book on her own--frog and toad...

At some point in the last few days we also decorated the christmas tree. The kids enjoyed looking at the ornaments and we did the not breakable set and sill managed to break some ;-(. Cameron liked to just carry them around but Charlie and Heather did a good job getting them onto the tree. We had cut the tree down with mom and dad before thanksgiving.

basketball game

We had a lot of fun going to a basketball game tonight. The kids watched the whole game and only asked once how much longer. The most fun was seeing the bobcat and watching charlie and cameron dance and show their enthusiasm for the ga.me

fun, fun, fun even in the lack of sun

So we didn't get a ton of sun during the rest of our hilton head trip but we did have a great time. We headed out to the beach Weds. morning for a short time before Kelly and I escaped with Cameron to the outlets. We didn't do so well shopping but did manage to spend some money and get away from the chaos of my kids. The kids were treated to a trip to the children's museum where they played in sand, did projects and had fun with grandma, grandpa, and their great grandma. After dinner we headed again to the indoor pool to let the kids work off some pent up energy. The next day we went with my sister and dad to play some tennis. Heather and Charlie have been very into playing tennis on this trip and enjoyed a trip to an actual court. The afternoon the kids waited eagerly for our friends to come and were not disappointed when they arrived. Despite Heather saying that she didn't remember them the kids fell right into step with one another just like before we left MS. We headed to the beach even though it was windy and were rewarded by dolpins swimming by. After the kids toes got numb we came back in and had dinner with my family and then at 8 (yes pm) we headed to the pool which was fun as always. I got a chance to visit with Heather and Scott after the kids went to bed which lasted waay too long into the morning...Friday we got off to a late start as the kids had been up so late and eventually went out to explore. We attempted to take pictures at the lighthouse but it was cold so we headed over to a park to let the kids run around. They had a great time and despite the cold lasted for quite a while. We then headed over to the "north pole" where the kids got to see Santa. It was pretty cute. Since my camera wasn't working I didn't get great pictures but may have some posted online soon. Heather and Charlie talked and posed with him and Cameron had a lot to say to him--from about 4 feet away. He was pretty funny and given his liking for guys (he loved scott and my brother) it's good santa is a guy. We finished the night with pizza and a movie and 4 kids trying to sleep in the same room. Saturday we headed out to Savannah to some holiday festivities there. The kids got to make some ornamants, saw Father Christmas, decorated a cookie, and got their faces painted. They had a good time with lots of treasures to bring home. That night the kids got one more dip in the pool, movie and sleepover before we all headed our separate ways the next morning. It was a great trip and I'm so glad so much of our family and our friends were able to come together! We really missed Jeff and Bryan but hopefully we'll all be together on the next family trip!

tuesday night already?

Wow--time flies when you're having fun--and boy are we having fun! Yesterday Heather enjoyed an early morning walk on the beach with kelly and grandma while the rest of us enjoyed some extra sleep. After making necklaces at the "kids craft" area the kids enjoyed some ping pong and were ready to hit the pool. We diverted to the beach and the kids had a blast jumping in the waves with christopher. they would run in, jump over a few and then run back out. Cameron preferred chasing the birds and making kelly chase him. The kids all enjoyed playing in the sand and building/destroying sandcastles. Before mom went to get my grandma we played some bingo. Today we had a bunch at the pool, won a towel and t-shirt for my mom and dad and got some free postcards for the kids. We went to the indoor pool and the kids showed off their diving for the bottom skills as well as swimming across the pool skills for GG. Once we got back Cameron was exhausted so he took a nap and charlie a break while the other two explored the beach with the family. After wearing GG out with some Bingo the kids ended the day watching a few christmas shows. Not a bad day at the beach!

life on another island

We're enjoying Hilton Head Island very much--wishing Jeff were here to play with us but enjoying time with my side of the family. Yesterday the kids excitedly woke Christopher up to go check out teh indoor pool. The kids really enjoyed the pool, showing off their swimming skills--Heather actually using strokes and Charlie doggie paddling as fast and well as he could. Both were putting their heads underwater and blowing bubbles like summer swimming had just ended! Cameron also loved the water. There was a step that he could walk on which was about 10 feet long. He enjoyed walking back and forth as well as looking at me and stepping off, going underwater and smiling when I pulled him up. He has no fear of the water and getting his face wet is no problem for him. After the pool and lunch Heather and grandma headed for the beach. Both are avid shellers and delighted in showing us their treasures. After warming up they headed back with Christopher and found starfish and sanddollars which were alive so they threw them back into the ocean. We met Kelly and then headed out to see some local christmas lights and get some barbeque. Today we did much of the same, swimming with the whole group in the morning (i even enjoyed a few minutes in the hot tub) then the kids went with grandma to the beach for shelling. After a good seafood dinner we came back to watch some football and play the bingo game that the kids picked out from the lobby. The kids love spending time with their grandparents and Aunt Kelly and Uncle Christopher. It's nice that despite the distance and infrequency of seeing them this year they still feel so comfortable together that the biggest problem we seem to have is who sits by who at dinner, in the car, and shares rooms at bedtime...

traveling to hilton head

our adventures continue as we traveled with my parents to Hilton Head for a week at their timeshare. We started off mid-morning on thursday and the kids did pretty well in the car on our drive to visit virginia tech. We drove through the campus and did a little traveling through the community and found some very nice people. The area is beautiful and the people were really nice--definitely a small college town which I can see us living in. It would be VERY different from the military community we will be leaving--then going back to--but seems like it could be quite fun for a few years. The trip from Blacksburg to Charlotte was a bit more tiresome as the kids were growing restless. A movie for the big kids and some hard work by me led to minimal crying before we pulled into the hotel. Cameron enjoyed exploring everything he could get his hands on in the hotel, his favorite a tissue dispenser located below the sink. We finally settled in and in the morning the kids made the most of the continental breakfast eating bagels, mini-waffles, mini-doughnuts, hard boiled eggs and more. Back in the car the kids picked at each other, "she smiled at me. He touched me. Don't say that. Don't sing..." ugh! We stopped just outside Hilton Head at an outlet where grandma let the kids each pick out a few school clothes and I found some cute shirts to take a picture of the kids in. Cameron enjoyed trying to pull clothes from the bottom of the stack...Finally we arrived at my parents BEAUTIFUL timeshare. It has a lovely lake in the middle and all the makings of a great week! We can see the ocean from our room and the kids had fun exploring the different rooms. We didn't get a chance to check out the indoor pool but did get to watch some football which Charlie really enjoys. He seems to understand first downs, touchdowns and interceptions. Cameron very cutely raises his hand over his head for touchdowns and is putting his hands over his face and saying his own version of peek-a-boo.

backpacks from dad

Before we left for our trip the kids got these backpacks from Jeff. They were REALLY excited and wanted to show everyone their new possessions. Heather's sports tinkerbelle, cinderella, and aurora (?), Charlie's has lightning mcqueen and maeter, and Camerons pooh, piglet and tigger--very cute! Thanks Dad!

fall leaves

While we were at Kelly's the kids enjoyed some fall leaf jumping. Kelly raked some nice piles for them. Cameron was not such a fan but did sit for some pictures.

fall

Since we're in Ohio the kids have been enjoying fall weather. While it's been a bit cool we've gotten outside to play almost every day. Yesterday the kids enjoyed some tree climbing in the same tree that my sister and I used to climb. It's a bit more of a challenge now without the ladder or the extra branches that used to be there but the kids seemed to have a good time. Sitting still as a group for pictures was a challenge though. Yesterday we also met up with a friend and the kids got to have McDonald's happy meals as a treat--those toys are even more exciting when you haven't seen them in almost a year!

Cameron has had so much fun discovering new things--the birds at the birdfeeder, the cat and dog--which he delights in squealing and pointing at when they come in the room--as long as they aren't too close, the stairs without a gate, the fireplace. He's started giving hugs to everyone and identifying them by name when told who to hug. Grandpa has been tracking him around the house to make sure he doesn't get in trouble and both seem to enjoy the extra attention.