Videos....

This is Austin making noises...you may have to listen hard

Austin in the sand

Austin laughin at logan jumping...and no don't worry he doesn't choke on that spoon...

Filling our time with lots of things!!!

We have been quite the busy family! Hanging out with friends, cleaning the house, craft projects, homecomings (not mikes...booo...), aquarium, and bowling! Mike is doing well as also, he is at a camp that is slower than the main one where the past couple of weeks has picked up work. So he was actually getting to do his job! My nerves were a little more on edge as I waited and waited to hear from him to make sure he was safe. We only have a little over 5 weeks left and I am starting to get a little excited. We have a long time friend coming to visit with her little boy whom I haven't been able to meet yet and then my sister is coming out one last time!

Logan is going to be starting his very own chore chart pretty soon...simple things like making bed (obviously with my help), brushing teeth, help feeding dogs, helping with laundry and dishes, and reading the bible. He is able to do more and more these days to help me around the house. I hope you don't think that I am working my child to death; he cheerfully and willfully wants to help me! Austin is doing this bear walk instead of crawling. Well, he goes back and forth between that and using his knees. It is quite funny to see him bear crawl really fast! He also is getting his first tooth! Poor guy has been really having a hard time with this tooth! He cries out sometimes and has a hard time being consoled, it has caused a diaper rash and that is only from one tooth! Logan had both bottom teeth come in at the same time, so hopefully Austin's next one is coming soon! I have a bunch of random pics and videos, so enjoy the update!

This is at the bowling alley...he decided to eat his pizza backwards!

Outside the aquarium!

I was trying to tickle logan to get him to smile...didn't work

This snapping turtle must have been 100 years old!

Logan and my friends little girl Maggie in a little "bubble"

Blowing razzes

On the trail and eating pretzels

pushing buttons and watching the sharks go by!

You may have seen a picture like this with mike before...sorry my eyes are so wide, it was dark and then FLASH!

The two of them having fun!

Enjoying the turtles!

Just shot a picture of Austin...he really doesn't look like Logan much anymore...still some similarities, but so different!

Mobile Austin...

yup, this sure happened way faster than I expected and it is still catching me off guard! I have to think about the things I leave on the floor now and we found a table and chairs for logan to do his puzzles on at a kid consignment store. I got a few videos, two of Austin's rendition of crawling and just one of the boys playing. What a great Saturday we had!

This is the "second" time Austin attempted crawling and yes he was frustrated. So sorry about him being upset.

I love watching him try to crawl! He goes sideways and up and down. So cute!

This is just of my boys playing, it was a relaxing day!

3 NEW POSTS!!!!

7 Months old!!!

Actually in 2 days Austin will be 7 months old! Just like with Logan, this month just snuck up on me! He is doing well, trying lots of new foods and desperately trying to crawl. It is funny to watch him get up on his knees and then his toes with his butt in the air. But still will be some time before he moves hopefully. Still not much hair growing on him, but just like me it will probably be after he turns one. Logan is hilarious with Austin. When Austin tries to go for Logan's toys, he goes and gets a ton of Austin's toys and puts them right in front of Austin or right under his head if he is on his belly. Logan makes sure that all the toys are right there in the pile for him. Quite humorous! He is taking better naps, which is nice and still sleeping through the night. I am so blessed! Here are a few pics of the little man!

This was the second day after trying to get up on his knees...I need to get more pics of it!

Smithsonian Zoo

This past weekend I was able to see a dear family and great friend of mine that I haven't seen since leaving FL. She was actually Logan's first sitter while I worked! She has two girls, 4 and 3 and a little boy on the way! They live in Washington DC which is only about 3.5 hours away (even though it actually took us 4.5 hours with the wonderful boys). They live on an Air force base and can really see the Washington Monument from their window! We had a great time watching the kiddos play and catching up. We went to the National Zoo which was an amazing Zoo and I totally want to go back! Logan enjoyed all the animals...he kept talking about the turtles and cow after we left...how funny because we got to see leopards, monkeys, lions, etc. He only had two bad meltdowns considering he didn't get a nap, but they didn't last long. Austin for some reason didn't want to be in the stroller and just wanted to be carried the whole time! Thank God her husband came and he was able to help with my kids too! So grateful! I only snapped a few photos, but enjoy!

The orangutan "walked "on the rope right above us! It was soo cool because she just looked down on us like..."what are you looking at?"

Lauren, Ashley, and Logan!

Was this a leopard or cheetah...well, I got the back end of course!
Austin looking cute and warm
Ready to see the animals!
Ashley playing with Austin...they loved on him so much!
Guess I really don't need the positioner anymore!

Last Summer Bouquet!

These flowers are just so beautiful and so is the vase! There are two gerber daisies in the mist of the other colorful flowers and I like to think of them as Mike and I. Cheesy I know. But they are still alive and going strong! Thank you my dear husband!

September so far!

So everyone it is september, and I wish it was the end of the month already! We are 5 months down and 2 to go. I remember when I posted on facebook that there was 2 months down and 5 to go...I think it was Lindsey that said just wait till its the other way around! Well, it is and honestly I feel better about it now than I did when we were only done with 2 months. Probably for obvious reason. Logan is now 2 1/2 and is doing great. He still asks for Daddy every once and awhile, but I think he understands more that he will be coming home soon. We get to see Daddy still on Skype so that is nice! I joined a MOPS group and will start that next week so I am excited for that. Logan's talking skills are still growing and lately he talks in the form as if I were talking to him. Like if he falls down he goes "are you ok?" and things like "are you running?" because that is what I would say. He asks all the time "are you laughing" to make sure I am happy...so cute! My mom got him a GoFish preschool song CD and he loves...LOVES the 5 little monkey song and EVERYTIME we get in the car he asks to listen to it. Potty training is still not quite happening. Here and there it does, but nothing concret yet. He is back in his big boy bed and doing great with it!!

Austin is now 6 months old and will actually be 7 months old next week! Time sure does fly! He was about 17lbs and 8oz and 26.5 inches at his check up. He has been enjoying new foods, from pears to avocado! I bought a hand held mixer so making food this time around is sooooo much easier! Yesterday I would have said that there was no sign of him crawling, but late last night he got up on his knees and he did today several times! Now, I know that crawling is still probably a month away or so, which is fine because I think he will be a terror (i love him!) He is so different than Logan, he grabs everything and anything in his radius. He doesn't want his own toys but only logans, especially the puzzles! He will get into everything when he does crawl! Austin is sleeping through the night which is awesome and he did that all by himself, but he barely sleeps during the day, which is really hard for me. Logan was so different! Nursing him was great in the beginning but something happened in August and he had a major nursing strike...like only eating 2 times a day!!! It lasted for almost a week so I took him in to the doc and of course he was fine. But with all that stress and him still not nursing right for another week, my milk dropped (despite all the things I was doing to help my milk stay up!) and I had a really hard time with all that. After some major praying and support from many people close to me, we became ok with the idea of changing to a bottle if he continued this way. Well, things got better with time and he started nursing again real good. Now again of course he is nursing funny, so with Mike's guidance, if things get to stressed out and frustrating we will switch to bottle. Both ways of feeding have great benefits and they both can fit our lifestyles. It just took some time for me to be ok with it all! He is just wanting to be a boy and be himself perhaps!!!

Enjoy the slideshow! We just had my sister Kelly visit and it was a great, relaxing and fun weekend! I wish she didn't have to go and I know that Logan didn't want her to go either! He was asking for her the day after she left!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Lord Provides

I found this at a local Christian bookstore and it speaks to me every morning. I have learned that being a parent and then having to be a military wife, has been more challenging than ever. Well, I have to say, its not just being a military wife, but being a wife in general. I have been blessed with discovering an encouraging source for parenting/disciplining/guiding from a good friend of mine. It is called Keepers of the Home. I know there are many groups out there called that, but their style of teaching doesn't start with changing your child's attitude, but changing my own first. It may be seen as a very different style of parenting, but it is completely biblical and in the end teaches the child how to love Christ and be a Godly adult. As most of you parents know, it is a long process, but has to start in the beginning. This little plaque starts my day as I am able to have my quiet time and since it is right in front of my sink, I read it a lot and it reminds me to pray and calm down during those frustrating times, or reminds me to step it up a notch in teaching Godly attributes to my children.

Another thing that has been amazing lately is this bible study that mike and I have been doing through the internet. It was suggested by some very Godly and wonderful women. It is a Song of Songs study by Mark Driscoll. I believe he is a pastor on the west coast. The video series goes through the SOS and teaches very biblically how a marriage should work. Even after 5 years of marriage (which isn't very long), Mike and I are learning new things and are excited of the changes that will come of it. Obviously it has more to do with intimacy in marriage, but it stems out to so much more than that. Any married couples out there should definitely check it out!

The website for it is www.peasantprincess.com. Also, if anyone wants to know more about the Keepers of the Home there is a blogsite for it http://lorigammon.blogspot.com/ and I get monthly emails about it. The Lord has blessed me greatly lately with learning new ways of being a Godly woman, wife, and mom. I am so excited for what the future holds and so humbled that the Lord chooses me!!!