*Surprises*

Can someone please tell me that I am not the only person in the world who hates surprises?? OK, let me rephrase that... If I know that I have a surprise coming, I hate it (the anticipation). HATE. I would rather not know that there is anything coming my way. Daniel has received birthday presents a week in advance just because I had already bought it and couldn't stand the wait any longer than it took me to get home from the store and wrap the gift. If we don't discuss that he has already bought me something for Christmas or whatever the occasion, it doesn't bother me. But if he tells me that he has something already or is thinking about it, I will drive him crazy with questions of yes or no nature, colors, sizes, shapes, brand, material... Usually he gets extremely irritated and tells me and I'm all happy knowing and he's pissed from the 20 million questions he's been bombarded with.

I hope that as Eli gets older I get better with surprises. I'm so excited about Christmas this year just because of him. I know he probably won't care for longer than 5 minutes about the toys we got him, but I can't wait! Thankfully for me, we are going home to Alabama for Christmas on the 19th so we will be doing our Christmas here before then. Maybe this weekend so he will have time to enjoy the new toys for a week? I can only hope! We'll see what the one who does love surprises thinks...

My little helper...

I have a little helper. He loves to help his mommy do all sorts of housework like unfolding folding laundry, unloading the dishwasher (sometimes he doesn't realize that I'm trying to load it), but his favorite thing to do is start the washing machine. He crawls into our laundry closet and pulls himself to stand on the washer and turns the dial. He would do this all day if I let him. Sometimes if I forget to shut the door he crawls in there (even in the dark) and just turns that little dial. I finally snapped him in the action.

That little finger is always pointing at something

Happiness...

Does happiness ever surprise anyone but me? Sometimes it just hits me, and I realize that I'm happy. For no reason. It's weird. Right now I'm just sitting at the table watching Eli eat his banana and some strawberry jam toast while listening to the Imagination Movers, but I feel like a little kid of Christmas morning. Eli makes most days like that... some, not so much.

Last Tuesday we sat in the hospital ER for 3 hours because we couldn't get an appointment with Peds and he was so good. I was so proud for all of the other sniffling, aching, nauseous patients to see how well behaved my sick little man was. He flirted and talked at everyone who would pay him any attention. He also put on a show for the Dr... A pitiful one. Apparently he wanted the good medication and he knew just how to get them. He turned on those big, sad, brown puppy dog eyes and just sat in my lap with his head on my chest. His work paid off pretty well, Eli got the yummy pink medicine that has to be refrigerated. That afternoon we went home and napped for a long enough time to get up the next morning for our Thanksgiving in Italy.

It's amazing how happiness can come from something someone so small and the little things they do... even if it is just being a sweet, sick baby.

Now I have to go change this babies' clothes. The mashed up bananas on his crotch just aren't going to work for us today.

Help...

Can I give a blogger friend my info and let you fix my blog? I want that see through crap that scrolls along with my blog gone and my title centered... Any takers?! :)

Ciao!

We are getting ready to spend our Thanksgiving in Italy and I am way beyond excited! We have been planning this trip for a loooong time. Or it seems that way... I really, REALLY hope it doesn't rain the whole time we are there. I just want at least one pretty day, but I will pray for five. We are meeting the Martins at the airport in Venice and we've rented an apartment that is supposedly right smack dab in the center of "everything."

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Oh, and guess what... Sunday night Eli came down with something. The lovely pediatrics office on base NEVER has any appointments available so if his fever comes back today after his Motrin wears off we'll be heading to the ER... Yeah! Isn't this what always seems to happen? You've got these awesome plans and someone comes down sick? I would be mad if it was Daniel or I, but since it's Eli all I want is for him to feel better. :( Poor baby

Schnitzel!!!

Veteran's Day weekend we took our first trip outside of the UK to Germany to visit our very best friends from Travis who are now stationed at Ramstein AFB. It was an awesome 4 day weekend!!! Here they are... the Martins!

Tamlyn and I were best, lonely, pregnant women friends while both Rick and Daniel were deployed during our pregnancies. We were both there for each other's deliveries and we hope that our boys can grow up best buddies! I'm not going to say much about Daniel and Rick's relationship other than it's a straight up bromance.

Thursday morning we landed in Germany at 9 am local time and Rick was there to pick us up. Off we were to their home. Now, I've not said anything about roads here in England, but they are absolutely horrible. When it rains the water just stands on them and there is a lot of hydroplaning and it scares me to death in my little KIA. I will never whine about them again. Roads in Germany are literally just wide enough for ONE car. Rick drives a big Ford truck. It doesn't work out so well when you meet another car on those tiny, windy roads!

That afternoon we just kind of hung out and let the boys get reacquainted. The last time they saw each other was in May!

Then:

And now:

They were absolutely hilarious in this car! When we were pushing them Jake was just hanging out eating a snack and Eli was taking car of both steering wheels!

Eli and Jake had such an awesome time playing together! I think that the only thing they fought over was a sock... boys... go figure...

Friday night we went out to a small little German restaurant that you never would have known was there. Jake's care takers are German and they went with us so it was nice having a translator with us. I wish I had taken my camera... If you have never tried schnitzel you really should, it is amazing. A lot of people thing of a hot dog or some type of wiener when they hear schnitzel, but it's actually a pork chop that has been pounded flat and fried. Ours came with spaghetti on top. Sounds healthy right?

So Saturday morning rolled around and we took a road trip to France. Check out the ride we took here... Be jealous. With two kids in car seats and four adults we had to rent something so we would all ride comfortably and safely. We went to the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial and it was truly and unbelievable experience. Buried there are 10,489 men who gave there lives for our freedom. There are men from every State in the Union, the District of Columbia, as well as Panama, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Mexico. There are 30 sets of brothers (26 lay side by side) and I believe about 151 unknowns.

No matter what way you turned, all of the crosses were in a perfect line. It was an awesome way to remember those who died for our freedom long before we were even here.

On our way home we were determined to eat some sort of French food... We stopped in a little town and found a bakery and ate all sorts of pastries and other baked goodies that weren't good for us but they tasted like heaven!

Outside of the bakery was a little carrousel that the boys really enjoyed. Even though they would have never known any different if they didn't get to ride it, it was so much fun for us to see them smiling and enjoying the fun!

Since Rick isn't a big fan of the sweets so we had to hit up his favorite restaurant on our way home. And to anyone who has ever watched Pulp Fiction, he did order a Royal with cheese!

It was a great weekend with wonderful friends who we miss so much! This Wednesday we are leaving for Venice and meeting them down there. Pray it doesn't rain the WHOLE time!

These past few days...

have probably been the saddest but most thankful I've ever had. My Dad's 2nd oldest sister, Kelly, who was only 46 passed away on Friday night. She was diagnosed with cancer and scleroderma a few months ago and was undergoing alternative treatments for the cancer as it had already spread throughout most of her body. I was fortunate enough to go home a month or so ago and see her and spend a little time with her. I knew that if things took a bad turn that I wouldn't be able to afford to go home last minute. I'm so thankful that I had her in my life and I know her husband and kids are going to miss her so much. Everyone always says kind things after someone passes away but, Kelly truly was one of the kindest people you could have ever met. She was so beautiful and unaware of it. She would do anything that you asked her to. She didn't want anyone to go out of there way for her but she was always willing to for you. I can't say enough to really let you know what kind of wonderful Christian woman she was.

Times like this are what make being in the military so hard. But every time I get sad, this amazing little face knows to come and cheer me up

And yes, he is wearing Christmas pajamas. His Daddy thinks I am a crazy person for putting them on him. I just love Christmas and want it to last as long as possible. If I could, I would already be decorating. I guess I will just have to stick with Eli's p.j.'s until the day after Thanksgiving when Daniel thinks it is "acceptable" to start decorating. :)

I think I already know what we are getting Eli for Christmas...

He has been playing with this water jug for about 2 weeks now... It's kind disappointing since he has about a million toys that cover the floor of our living room plus his play room.

And just now as I am typing this I realize that today my baby boy is 9 months old. Look at how much he has changed...

He was only 1 week old here :)

He was the fuzziest baby I had ever seen!!!

I never would have thought that my little baby with straight jet black hair would turn out to be a little curly haired blondie(ish).

At 9 months old Eli:

has 5 teeth; can say, "mama" and "bah bah"; can almost stand on his own; KNOWS what he does and does not want to do; feeds himself finger foods; holds his sippy cup and bottle; still loves bath time; dances anytime he hears music and just so much more. I always thought he would stay a tiny little baby. He still wants to be rocked to sleep and that is OK with me. I will rock him as long as he will let me!

Happy 9 months, Eli!