Happy Birthday Geoff and Uncle Matt!!

We had some homemade gifts to give, some homemade cake to eat, and some relaxing at home time (in the evening post-work anyway) today.

Here is W's gift (J's is almost done!):

Showing off their handprint cards:

And blowing out candles on Geoff's cake request: Chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. No box-stuff....all homemade and to all of you disbelievers out there...it was all quite easy to make.

Getting ready to blow out a lot of candles:

Happy Birthday!!!!

The "Jump Across the River to Avoid the Alligator" Game

Geoff encouraged the boys to jump from one chair to the couch while he pretended to be an alligator trying to bite their legs/feet. Here are some action shots....of Jan being the alligator...

Mark and Jan watched Katy and Bear for us for the past couple of months (THANK YOU!) and they flew them back to us the week before last...here are some pictures from their visit:

W in the bath, J on the back........

I had to get a picture of this because this is a pretty common thing to see in our house.

My, how potty training has changed........

This is not what we do routinely for potty training...but a couple of weeks ago when they were sitting on the potty chair for long stretches of time...Geoff gave W his ITOUCH to hold so he could watch "Dora the Explorer".....

PT Update

Potty training is moving along....the boys are getting the peeing on the potty down good...but do not want to poop on the potty. They wait until we put their pull-ups/diapers on for their nap or at bedtime and then they go. They are smart little cookies. But they are big fans of the "potty dance" that we do with them when they go on the potty.

We have passed the initial stage of just having them sit on the potty for hours on end hoping for them to go. Now if they don't go right away...we know they don't need to...bc if they need to go (and we get them to the potty at the right time), they pee right away.

It took me awhile to brave venturing out of the house with them sans diapers. I took them to their allergy/asthma doctor last week in pull-ups. After the appointment, we went to the pharmacy and then they ate lunch before I helped W on the potty and his pull-up was dry and he peed on the potty. Yay! So that gave me some confidence to take a short outing the next day with just one of them w/o pull-ups or diapers. So I made sure W peed in the potty before we left and headed out with his big boy underwear on for a short trip to the commissary. I had visions of them both peeing all over the store but was trying to block that out of my head. I must have asked W 20 times if he needed to go to the bathroom....and he did just fine! Stayed dry the whole time and peed on the potty when we arrived home. Another success!

So the next day we go to Target to meet our friends and on the way there I realize that J peed in the potty before we left...but W only pooped (in his underwear) so he was due to pee. I asked him and asked him if he needed to go....he said he didn't.....and when we were about done...he peed.....a BIG pee in his stroller seat. Luckily, I discovered that the seat just zips off and I can pop it in the washer.

I had to try so hard not to laugh when W had an accident at the beginning of the week....and he looked at his wet accident and said "I peed. It looks like an airplane." It really did look like an airplane. So when I had him off to change I snapped a quick picture bc it was just too funny.

So here it is (sorry I couldn't resist):

All Through The Night

Lullaby by Sir Harold Boulton

Sleep My Child and Peace Attend Thee

All Through the Night

Guardian Angels God Will Send Thee

All Through the Night

Soft the Drowsy Hours Are Creeping

Hill and vale in slumber sleeping

I my loved ones' watch am keeping

All through the night

I love (OK, am slightly obsessed) with taking pictures of J and W sleeping. Maybe because we are in such constant motion otherwise...and sleep doesn't happen much. Notice how there is not one picture of them sleeping in their bed. Many are from our visit to TN and W kept dragging his stuff to the hallway and sleeping there until I would move him back to his bed. And W is just a snuggler. I don't know if it is because he is a twin and used to having someone always around but sometimes I just need to put him into bed with me (I know...BAD mommy!) and he sacks out....for hours.

Splash Pad Fun

We are trying to make the most of the end of summer days...........the pictures say enough....oh how I love those smiling, laughing faces.

Choo Choo Whooo Whooo

Some serious decorating!

Since we have been living in our kitchen for the last two days due to full up potty training, we decided to make that train cake for the boys. We weren't sure the mix we had would fill the whole pan so we only filled six cars...well, they rose lots and then looked a little like boats! But they came right out of the pan (I was worried about that)...but we just cut off the extra parts and had fun decorating. They turned out better than we thought!

Making funny faces:

And yummy....even though it was egg-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, etc. And now my belly is upset from all the candy, cake, frosting, and chocolate...then all the milk to wash it down.....

W blowing out a candle-yes, he is wearing J's shirt just to confuse y'all):

J blowing out a candle:

And hey, you wanna blow out one together?

Whoooosh!!!

W with a cake batter mustache:

So Proud of You.

Geoff is home! It is so nice to be together as a family again. Thanks to everyone for the calls, e-mails and prayers while he was gone. And we are SO proud of you Geoff for completing another deployment!

As for the actual homecoming at the airport....it didn't go quite as I had pictured it in my mind.

I knew Geoff's plane was supposed to land at 11:15. I knew that we could meet him at the gate if I had a copy of his orders. The morning was going smoothly. I was getting some last minute cleaning done...the boys were playing well together. Then I started to get ready. I couldn't decide what to wear. I couldn't find matching shoes for the boys...as in one right shoe and one left shoe of the same kind not as in matching their outfit. And then I couldn't find the orders. I have known exactly where that piece of paper has been for the last 130-odd days...and I can't find them! I have been doing lots of paper organizing (filing, shredding, recycling) and I can't remember where I put it. Time is ticking...I am running SO late...and I say one last prayer and THINK about it and find the orders on top of a bookcase! I hurry the boys into the van and speed off to the airport. I arrive just after 11 (it is a small airport and we live only minutes away) and run to the security where they direct me to the check-in counter to get a pass for all of us. What?! I didn't know I had to get a pass. So we go over to the counters when I realize I don't know what airline he is flying on...find out from another agent that it is Delta....which of course is the only counter that is busy. I tried calling Geoff twice on his cell phone to tell him if he has landed just to come on down the escalator but he never received the message because he has no signal in the airport. I noticed that there wasn't anyone at the security area so I figured maybe I hadn't missed him....then my phone rings. It is Cortney calling to tell me that Geoff is at the baggage claim (which is literally around the corner....if I would have just kept walking 40 steps or so past security when I first arrived I probably would have found him)!

Geoff said that he went straight to the baggage claim when he knew the plane landed early. (Yes, his plane landed 15 minutes early...when does that happen?!!) Then he noticed people from the squadron starting to gather and he kind of just snuck up behind them. They jokingly told him that he needed to go up the escalator so they could welcome him officially. Our friends' kids even made signs that they didn't even get to hold up....I felt bad that we didn't get to meet him at the gate...but the the main outcome was achieved: Geoff home safe and healthy! Yay!

The boys saw Geoff coming...they smiled and immediately started pushing their Mater trucks on the floor. But they kept looking up at him and watching him. So they were aware, and happy, but just not sure what to do about it. It didn't take them long to warm up to him though.

Here is a video our friend Jason caught of our reunion:
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/218a4b239b276b9efd1eeea5d86d1142/video/6010820

Here is most of the crew who came out to welcome Geoff home:

The best signs ever! Thank you Lauren and Jacob!

The squadron left this amazing basket on our door with wine, sparkling cider, cheesecake, cheese and crackers and all kinds of goodies as a welcome home gift. We thought that was awesome.

And Geoff loved the welcome home sign. Thanks Cara for letting me borrow it! =)

To celebrate, we went to a restaurant on the beach for dinner than played in the sand afterward.

Perfect end to a perfect day.