November-Already?!

Not only is it November--we are a full week into it! Is it just me, or does the time between Halloween and Christmas just go by faster every year? I feel like we miss enjoying the build-up time to Christmas...I know in college I really enjoyed December because it was always a big de-stress time for me. I would go.go.go.go every minute up until final exams...then just pass out of exhaustion...and could thouroughly enjoy the 3-weeks of nothingness until Christmas.

When I last looked at my calendar it hit me that the boys and I will be leaving FL in about 18 days...and we have a small trip planned where we will be gone six days of that which = 12 days before moving! What?! We have so much to do before now and then that I don't even want to think about it.

Since Geoff and I got married in 2000 we have moved six times; five of those moves were over the holidays. We arrived to Japan at the end of November and spent Christmas with my new squadron commander's family. We moved three years later and flew through Hawaii and spent Christmas exploring Hawaii and taking a submarine ride on our way to Alabama for 6 weeks before moving to Idaho. We spent a year and a half at Idaho and moved during the summer to Vegas until Christmas (our only summertime move)....where we stopped at Texas to spend Christmas with family before driving to Florida the week after Christmas. Then we moved from our house in Florida to our current house immediately after Christmas and moved into our new home on 2 January. So moving during the holidays definitely adds to the busyiness. And makes it seem faster than ever. There are lots of benefits to this though. Everything we own is packed up and it is just us to worry about. Geoff has signed out of a squadron and in a sense can fully relax without worrying about work. So we are about to begin our next adventure in just 12 days...driving across the country and stopping to spend Thanksgiving in Texas, to visit Aunt JJ in OK, to visit friends in NM, and to celebrate with Matt and Amy in Las Vegas, and then continue on to our new home. We should arrive to OR mid-December and we may actually see snow! It will be a shock for sure. We have lived in a sub-tropical climate for 7 of the last 9 years! I may have blue lips and fingernails for awhile. We are so excited to move back to the northwest.

I think it is even harder to believe it is November when it is supposed to be almost 80 degrees today. We took advantage of the warm weather at a birthday party yesterday at a park by the water. Here are some pictures:

Happy November!

All Things October

October was a fun month...I just wish the weather would make up its mind. Is it 85 degrees - is it 40 degrees? We have been alternating between summer weather and winter weather but experiencing no fall weather for October. But Halloween night was perfect...cloudy with a full moon and COLD....I am sure all the kiddos out there wearing the thick fluffy winter-weather costumes were grateful. We added some mittens and scarves to our trains and we thought they looked even better. Really, don't scarves and mittens make everything better? =)

Here is the crew eating some dinner before trick-or-treating:

Costumes on...

And all ready to go:

Crew with Geoff and Jason:

It was fun to go trick or treating with them. J and W followed their almost 4-year-old twin friends (Gator and Kitty) to the houses and sometimes forgot to hold out their bag...they were so intrigued by the person at the door and what they were holding and/or dogs running around. W shed his costume about 3/4 of the way through but J made it almost the whole way. After he would leave a house he would say "next house".

Our little tricksters:

They were very excited about their full load of candy. They each had a bag of skittles and some dots when they were sorting through their loot. We just pulled out all the "nut" items this morning...J is still organizing his bag right now...and saying "what is this?" "what is this one?" "bubblegum?" "another bubblegum-2 BUBBLE GUMS!" And they are really into the family units. He just pointed out "a daddy, mama, and baby lollipop." If we read a book that shows a mama animal with her baby they are asking "where is the daddy elephant?" "where is the daddy whale?"

We made lots of pumpkin bread this month with an egg-replacer that worked fabulously (thanks again Jan-we have been baking up a storm)...I will post the recipe for this new pumpkin bread because it is healthy-(er) option and even with whole wheat, wheat germ, buttermilk, and an egg substitition it is moist and delicious. Now that is a good recipe! We made pumpkin bread trains twice as well. That pan works great.

We visited the pumpkin patch with our MOPS group and they set up four stations for the kids to rotate through. A story station, a pumpkin floating station, a build a pumpkin station, and a snack station.

This is J raising his arms when anything "floated" in the water:

We had a fun squadron Halloween party complete with a trick-or-treat table, a sugar decorating table, a coloring table, a craft table, a parade and a pinata.

W taking a whack at the pinata:

J trying one-hand and with tootsie roll pop in his mouth:

W at the trick-or-treat table:

Squadron kid group-shot:

And of course, trick-or-treating last night.

I need to learn how to use my night-time setting and no-flash settings on our camera for night shots...because the sky was so amazing last night but I was having some trouble getting any clear shots. Here is the only one I could get with a bit of the sky:

J still holding out as Thomas.

W and I were behind getting to this door. So the owner had went back in but left the door open. So there is W just standing there. He stood awhile just looking in and waiting. Then said "trick or treat?" Then waited and waited. Finally the man came back and said "oh! You're back for seconds huh?" I had to explain that this was his twin brother and he just got to the door late!

And we are thankful for the extra hour today to start November...we need it!

Happy Halloween!

Hope you all have a wonderful spooooooky Halloween. We are excited to take the boys Trick-or-Treating again tonight at the same place we went last year with the same friends. They have a great loop - just the right amount of houses for them to do in a really safe neighborhood. Here is the reveal of Little Toby (W) and Thomas (J). The costumes were fun and pretty easy to make. They really like Thomas' smoke stack and Toby's light (a flash light we taped inside). The overalls from my mom saved make their outfits so authentic! They look like real train conductor overalls. I think they were my brother's which is why one is really short and one pair is really long!

Couple of more pre-costume pictures.....

Halloween Costume Clue #2

Any guesses now?

The guys before our kid's Halloween party at the squadron...

Time to get a new TV

W is just imitating Geoff and I...the dreaded white line appears (with no picture) and we have to bang the TV to get the picture to return. If you know us, we have NO luck with electronics. We have been married almost nine years and are on our third (almost fourth) TV. We bought this one used for $40 bucks when our last one broke after only a couple of years and we thought it would last us forever. Guess not...we don't want to buy a new one before moving so we will just keep smacking the TV until we leave...

Life Changing.......

Have you ever read or heard of a story that just changes your life? Read something that you just can't stop thinking about? And not just for a day or a week, but one that stays with you...for months or years. One that you recall in times when you need strength in your life. I can think of a couple of those stories for me. One that I draw from when I need to.

I read about the Hoyt family a few years ago and it has stayed with me. Their story helped me get through the grueling last six miles of the AF Marathon last month when I really wanted to stop.

Here is an excerpt from their website:
"Rick was born in 1962 to Dick and Judy Hoyt. As a result of oxygen deprivation to Rick's brain at the time of his birth, Rick was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Dick and Judy were advised to institutionalize Rick because there was no chance of him recovering, and little hope for Rick to live a "normal" life. This was just the beginning of Dick and Judy's quest for Rick's inclusion in community, sports, education and one day, the workplace."

Fast forward to:

"In the spring of 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Far from being a long-distance runner, Dick agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they finished all 5 miles, coming in next to last. That night, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped." To see how far they have come and what they have done...you have to go to their website, read their story, and watch the unbelievable video:
http://www.teamhoyt.com/

My friend Kate posted on her blog of three Air Force families in the fighter world community who need prayers right now. And one story in particular stunned me. Imagine finding a lump in your breast....then discovering you are pregnant days later, then having a mammogram and discovering cancer. And undergoing chemo while pregnant with your first child. And ppassing away after only being home with the baby for two days. You can read about this amazing family in the blog they began shortly after discovering the cancer. I just can't stop thinking about it. The most powerful part of the story is that they powered through the treatments with such optimism and strength. They never wavered in their faith and drew strength from God throughout the journey.

The Sullivan Family (http://bandssullivan.blogspot.com): On September 22, 16 days after delivering a healthy baby girl, Sara Sullivan lost her battle with cancer. Brady and baby Chloe are adjusting to life without his wife and her mom. Here's a news story, too: Breast Cancer Claims Young Mom

I am not meaning to depress you all....although I cried my eyes out reading their entire blog...I can't stop thinking about it...these families inspire me to be so much more than I am.