Christmas

Well I am a little behind on blogging, but who isn't this time of year. We were very fortunate to have Ben home with us this Christmas and his Uncle Don joined us as well. We had a relaxing couple of days and our neighbor Mr. John joined us for dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas. It was fun to have people around and play some games. We have especially been enjoying our new wii fit!!!

Over the last few weeks we were able to make it snow (Thanks Miranda!) and decorate ginger bread houses.

It is so nice to have Ben home and the girls still want daddy to do everything. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

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Santa

So a couple of weeks ago the girls and I were in the Exchange (base department store) and they spotted the man himself and had to sit on his lap. Nora asked for a flute and Morgan a trumpet. Nora has since changed her mind to some real butterfly wings to help her fly. I'm guessing she will have better chances of getting the flute.

It doesn't really feel much like Christmas down here in the South, notice the girls are wearing sundresses.

Winter?

So not to irritate those of you that are buried in snow, but I think it is absolutely ridiculous that it is the 20th of December and I just turned on my air conditioner because my kids are too hot to sleep. They decided they wanted to sleep together tonight and it isn't going too well...

Visitors - Miss Jennifer

Shortly after we moved to GA my friend Jennifer came down to see us and we got to do some "sightseeing" (I'm not sure if a driving tour of the area and a trip to the airport count), shopping, and fun crafts with the girls. It is nice living so close to friends. Hopefully we will have visitors often!

Closet Shelves

So last night about midnight I went into the closet to pull some Christmas presents off the top shelf. I was reaching way up high for one last thing and it was brought down to a level I could reach it. The shelf came down and like dominoes brought the others with it. Of all things the Bible landed on the top of the heap. I think this helped in my decision of laughing instead of crying. I did utter a few expletives however. So here is a list of the things to be happy about in this situation:

1. No small children or animals were in the closet at the time of it's self destruction.
2. My numerous boxes of photos did not spill out.
3. Most everything stayed on hangers. A few broke, but nothing major.
4. It will motivate me to paint the closet the same color as the bedroom, however, I'm not sure what will motivate me to patch the 85 holes left in the wake. Oh wait the pile of clothes in my bathtub might help. If not that then the piles of crap on my dresser and dinning room table might do the trick.
5. My Mom and Sister both got a huge belly laugh out of it.
   
   

Ben's First Underway

A while back the girls and I went to the beach at Fort Clinch State Park to watch the USS Georgia head out to sea with my new friend Sunshine and her sweet kids. While I was amazed at how close the boat (submarine for non-navy folk) was to the shore and what a neat experience it was, I probably would have enjoyed it a little more if Ben had been home for more than a week before he had to leave. Here are a few photos from the day. Oh and for my cousin Todd...It really was cold and windy we weren't just being wimps. Okay, maybe I was. Yes, that is a towel around my neck.

Our best attempt at a group photo of the kids

Nora's Sand Angel

Family Photo

USS Georgia

We have had a few emails from Ben, but it is hard not being able to talk to him everyday. It is nice to know that while I don't need my husband for the everyday that I want him to be home with us. I know a lot of people were surprised by how quickly we got married, but I think we have done alright and I would marry him again today...even with the Navy.

I was a little sad that I wasn't in Utah when Miranda was pregnant or in SC when a dear friend was going through a rough time, but I have to remind myself that if it weren't for the Navy I wouldn't have met those wonderful people and many others and for that I am grateful. Wow, I don't think I meant to get that deep. I think I better get some sleep now. Hugs to all my friends!

Slacking...again

My Mom pointed out yesterday how behind I am on posting. Sorry to my 3 loyal readers. So since I have been out of touch we have had visitors, a husband that felt like he was visiting, a deployment, a visit to Santa, a trip to Charleston, silly girls, fishing, a baby, and a trip to the zoo.

So let me start with the baby since that probably freaked a few people out. My dear friend Miranda and her wonderful husband Zach welcomed a new baby boy into the world on Tuesday. Anthony Jon weighing in at 7lbs 5oz. He is such a cutie! And she is a trooper! I have never met anyone as terrified of childbirth as Miranda and it sounds like she made it through beautifully. Check out Miranda's blog for details. Even if you don't know her, her blog is wonderful reading.

Here is a picture of the silly girls to tide you over until I can get my Christmas cards in the mail. Can you believe they were just chilling in the chair together and then both gave me a smile?

From Boxes to Beautiful

So as far as moves go this one was a piece of cake! Mostly due to my wonderful Mother and Aunt Carol keeping the girls for a couple of days while I got their rooms ready. The unpacking definitely went slower once they arrived, but Mom was still a huge help taking the girls out and working on projects with them so I could keep working. By the time she went home we had all the boxes unpacked, the pictures hung, and curtains on order. Now all we need is for Ben to come home!

So far Georgia is treating us well. Our neighborhood is quiet, the people are nice, we love feeding the black swans, and I have even played a little tennis.

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Computer Desk

So everyone has probably figured out it takes me a while to decide about big ticket items and even longer when Ben and I have to agree on a style of something. So I had been on the hunt for a computer desk for our new place...I looked online, craigslist, stores, and finally decided it would be worth the drive to Jax to see one I might be interested in. Between lunch and the store we got a little lost and luckily happened upon an Office Depot. They had a desk that was the same finish as the one we were going to see, but a little smaller...I still headed to the original store and liked the Office Depot desk better so after our excursion to the beach and dinner we picked up the desk and headed for home.

So of course it is assembly required and has a million parts so this would need to be a project attempted after the girls are in bed. So my Mom and I start out about 9ish bringing it in piece by piece from the car because there is no way we can lift it. Luckily all the pieces were in the box and it went together quite easily as long as you read the directions...Mom.

About 9:15 with all the pieces

Mom's fabulous parts chart

About half way

Enjoying our celebratory ice cream at about 11:30

Flashback Friday: DNA

So I was looking through some old photos that my Aunt Betty gave to me and found this one of me. Looks a lot like someone else I know.

Overheard: Modesty

Mommy - "How is your face today?"

Little Girl - "Pretty."

Nora's 4th Birthday Party

Nora had her 4 year check up and she was 41 inches tall and 41 pounds. We were lucky to have lots of friends and Grandma come share her birthday with us.

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Facebook

So I joined myspace a while back and much to my friend Denise's dismay I didn't do much with my page because I have this fun blog. But a few weeks back while I was trying to fill some time I decided to sign up for Facebook because a couple of people had sent me notifications. Turns out Facebook is very fun! And much, much easier to find people. So if you want to check it out please invite me to be your friend :o)

P.S. It might be easier to find me under Ciezadlo.

Trip to Jacksonville

I am behind on posting, but we had such a fun day today I wanted to share! We were in need of a computer desk for the new house and there isn't much shopping in this cute tiny little town we now call home so my Mom and I loaded the girls in the car and headed for Jacksonville. What I thought would be a few hour trip turned into and all day excursion. We started with lunch at Red Lobster then hit up some stores, took a wrong turn, found more stores, went to the beach, got soaked, had to find more stores to buy dry clothes for the girls, stopped for a late dinner at Micky D's, bought the desired computer desk and headed home. Whew!

Here are some photos from the beach.

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Update

Well I would love to be posting cute pictures of Nora's birthday party, but I have a lot to do before the movers come in the morning. So I hope you are all doing well and we will be back in touch sometime next week after we get internet back and I can see past some of the boxes.

Making Cupcakes

My cute friend Miranda sent the girls some very cute Halloween shirts and me some fun sprinkles. So of course Nora insisted that we make cupcakes. I'm not really one to pass up a cupcake so we had my friend Krystal and her kids, Miranda and Andrew over and all the girls helped make the cupcakes and then they got to frost their own and choose the sprinkles they wanted. It was very fun!

It's Behind the Mustard

So remember when you were little and your older sister would make you go upstairs to get something they needed right that second. Then when you are up there searching for an eternity they threaten your life if you can't find it. You end up not finding it then they come in the room pick it right up off the shelf which they said it was on...you know right there behind the whatever. So things don't really change much as you grow up. I was at my friend Liz's house many years ago and she asked her husband to get something out of the fridge (which was nearly empty) and he said it wasn't there. She promptly walked to the fridge, moved the mustard and low and behold there it was. This often occurs around our house as well.

I have come to the conclusion that the reason the requester can always find the item is because the location is stored in their memory bank. They aren't actually searching for it. Not only that but they have the exact picture of it in their recent memory. I just wish my memory bank would update its self every time we move. So I guess the point is to be patient with your searcher.

Painting the new place

This past weekend Ben was able to take a long weekend from school so he met the girls and me in GA to close on our new house. After closing we got right to work painting. I can't believe we got everything we wanted to done! I am so excited about the new house! Now if I could just wiggle my nose and skip the next three weeks that would be great.

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Matching Dresses

So I always said I wouldn't dress my kids alike... When I was at Old Navy before Valentine's Day I was trying to pick the girls out some cute shirts, but didn't know which one of them would prefer a red one and I didn't want to get them both pink. I struck up a conversation with the lady next to me and she said "My girls like to match." I thought sure they do lady. Well it turns out mine do too. Nora will pick out a dress in the morning and tell me Morgan wants to wear the same one. And Morgan is at the stage where she copies everything Nora is doing. So when I was asking Nora what dresses she liked (since she grows like a weed) this is what she picked out for her and Morgan.

Mr. Mantis

The other day the girls and I were outside coloring with sidewalk chalk and running around in the yard when Nora brought Mr. Mantis to my attention. I have never seen a praying mantis up close and man are they cool! They are huge for starters and can actually move their little heads to stare at you. (You will note I think this bug is cool because it was outside of my house and therefore I did not have to round up my rubber gloves to help him escape.)

Pumpkins

On Saturday the girls and I were invited by my nice friend Krystal to go to a pumpkin patch on John's Island. The girls had a great time picking out pumpkins, feeding the animals, "riding" the horses, and playing on Mulch Mountain! I dressed them up all cute thinking I could get some cute pictures of them in the pumpkin patch, knowing full well they would get dirty...what I didn't account for was the 80 degree weather. Poor girls got so hot and sweaty digging in the dirt.

On Sunday the girls would not stop asking me if we could carve the pumpkins, so I finally gave in. Not that they had to twist my arm too much as carving pumpkins is one of my favorite things to do. The girls drew the faces on and I carved for them. I had to guess a little what Morgan wanted. I'm pretty sure now that the pumpkins are carved they should start stinking up the porch any day since it is still so hot here. Then after we carved the pumpkins we roasted the pumpkin seeds. This recipe is how I love them and remember them from being a kid http://www.landolakes.com/mealIdeas/ViewRecipe.cfm?RecipeID=12491.

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I know I always post the cute pictures and fun things that we do, so here is a little glimpse of my reality.

Time with my girls

So over the past few weeks the girls and I have been trying to stay busy to distract ourselves from the fact that Daddy is out of town. Here are a few photos from our recent activities.

Nora loves butterflies

Nora teaching Morgan the fine art of butterfly observation at Cypress Gardens

Seconds after this was taken Morgan poked Nora in the side
and she jumped about a foot off the ground

We went see Elmo at the Charleston Air Force Base and they handed
out these spinning light up Elmo toys...genius!

Craft time

Nora was very proud of her "girl" jelly fish (note the eye lashes)

My Wonderful Friend

So the one good thing about the Navy is that we get to meet wonderful people all around the country. Last time we lived in Charleston I met a wonderful girl named Jennifer. We met at Blackbaud and have managed to stay close over the years we were away.

Today she brought her friend Jason and his cute daughters Brittnay and Brooke over to help me cross some things off my "to do" list and man did we ever cross some things off! We painted the deck, cleaned out gutters, picked up branches, sprayed weeds, removed the birds nests from my chimney (Jason gets 100% credit for that one!), moved boxes down from the attic, and a bunch of other things I'm too tired to remember. And Jennifer even made yummy taco soup for lunch.

Then we got to celebrate the successful day of work with dinner at Andolini's!

Brittnay, Nora, Morgan, Brooke, Jennifer, & Jason

I am very grateful for my wonderful, sweet, caring friend! She is the kind of person that does a million things all the time and still makes time for little old me. I can't thank you both enough for all your help today!

Why I love Chick-fil-a

Today the girls and I went to Chick-fil-a for lunch. Before I had kids I was a big fan of the Chick-fil-a original sandwich sans pickles, waffle fries, Coke with the perfect syrup balance and would eat there anytime I was close to one. Since having children I have grown to love it in a new way.

Here are all the reasons I love it:

• The cows are funny
• The play area is clean and they provide sanitizing wipes and other moms to strike up a conversation with when you haven't seen another adult in days
• They have plastic place mats for babies
• Kids love the chicken nuggets (made with chicken that looks like chicken) and fruit
• The toys are educational and fun
• They give away free balloons
• They have bendy straws
• They offer to carry your tray for you when you are juggling two kids and a diaper bag
• One time I looked so stressed out the cashier even gave me free brownies, yummy brownies that make everything better

So I guess what I'm saying is that Chick-fil-a is my comfort food.

Morgan's Recent Mishaps

So everyone knows that Morgan is more accident prone than your normal child...here are a few of her latest feats. Okay I'm pretty sure Nora had a part in the first one, but the second she did all on her own. I'm glad she is interested in potty training, I just really wish she would learn what things are gross!

"Look Mom no arms! Aaarrgggh!" says the dragon while running full speed after her sister.

Yes, the seat was completely around her head. How do you explain that at the ER?

Five-Lined Skink

So about this time last year I posted on the blog about a lizard...so I didn't think another lizard story was blog worthy until I saw one again today. Luckily this time it was in captivity. So here's the story:

A few days back Nora says "Mom there is a bug under my chair!" I look for the bug and see nothing. A few minutes later Morgan comes out of the playroom "Mom there is a bug." still I see nothing. A few minutes after that they both come running out of the playroom "Mom the bug has stripes and a tail and big eyes!" I figure if they describe it this clearly there must be something, but it sounds like a scary bug. So I go into the playroom and there is a very large lizard (that gives me the creeps still just thinking about it!) and I run for my rubber gloves and long duster to try and shoo it outside.

I imagine it was quite a picture to see the girls sitting on the couch laughing hysterically while I'm screeching like a little girl every time the lizard goes back and from under the tv to under the couch. I even tried to grab it once with my gloved hand, but it was fast and big and creepy so I went back to the duster route. After about 15 minutes and working up a good sweat I got it out of the house...sort of. It crawled into the bottom of my screen door, but I'm sure it found it's way back home.

When I was putting Nora back in bed tonight I told her I was looking for a picture of the lizard and she said the lizard that was in the costumes that ran back and forth? I said yes...the costumes? So does anyone want to come and shake out my costumes to make sure they don't have any lizard eggs in them?

Since I didn't have time to stop and take live photos of the creepy lizard here is a link to the famous Five-Lined Skink!

Kingsland, GA

So we drove straight from the wedding in NC to Georgia to look for a new house and as luck would have it we fell in love with one. It was built in 2005 and is beautiful! It is a townhouse and is a little smaller than what we have now, but I think that will be easier to keep up with while Ben is at sea. Especially since they mow the yard!!! Yippee!!!! And there is a pool close by and tennis courts. So now I just have to close on the house, throw a birthday party, move and find a job. I think that should keep me busy until Ben comes home in November. But I'm still up for visitors if you are in the area!

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The girls have been absolute troopers through all of the road trips this summer! I think all the play places have helped make this possible! Thanks Ronald and the Cows!

Morgan, Ronald & Nora

Announcing Matt & Kristen Trogdon

I first met Matt and Kristen this summer when they came for a visit over the 4th of July. Ben and Matt went to college together in NC and apparently spent one crazy summer living together in CO. So Ben was best man at the wedding and it was absolutely wonderful! They were very generous to ask us to join them at the bed and breakfast for the weekend and the girls loved it!

They were married at the Shady Wagon Farm in NC on Saturday, September 6th. Luckily for Hanna she made her way through on Friday night and the wedding was perfectly sunny and probably a little warm for those wearing nice dark tuxedos. The ceremony was very nice and the vows brought tears to many eyes. It is easy to see how in love they are!

Best wishes!

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Michigan

Okay so here I am making excuses again for why I haven't blogged in forever. Well we went on a 20 hour road trip to Michigan at the end of August to see Ben's family, my Dad and Stepmom and some friends. We really had a great time hanging out with everyone!

Due to the time lapse since the trip and the blog post my brain is struggling with all the details so here are a few highlights.

• It was great fun watching all the cousins run and play in the yard and watch all the brothers try to figure out how to get the arobie (fancy frisbee) off the roof.
• We got to let the girls fish a little off Grandpa's boat before it rained on us.
• We went to Holt to see Stuart and Kathleen Goodrich and were joined for breakfast by their son David. Then we hit up a farmer's market, got ice cream, and happened across a parade! Turns out Stuart and Kathleen are celebrities! Small towns are so fun!
• Ben got to spend some father-daughter time with Nora and the rest of the gang on the river.
• Went to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes and broke Ben's truck. Then had to stay in MI five days longer than expected. Oops!
• Decided to make lemonade and headed for Mackinac Island (one of my all time favorite places).

Thank you Justin and Laurie for opening your home to such a crazy and fun filled weekend!

Here are some pictures of our travels.

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Reasons to Root For Andy Roddick in the US Open

Now I have to admit I wasn't always his biggest fan, but I do find myself pulling for him now and here's why:

1. He needs to take advantage when poor Roger is slumping and it isn't a good surface for Nadal.
2. He's getting up there (you know as far as pro tennis players go) and deserves a few more slams under his belt before his career is over.
3. He's funny. Very, very funny. See the latest issue of Tennis magazine for a funny remark about a sweater Roger wore at Wimbledon.
4. He's American. This alone should be enough.

Memory Post

I am a little behind on the blog due to an unexpected extended stay in MI (expect details in a few days). So since my friend Layne posted this on his blog I thought I would give it a try.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you.

My Husband Rocks!

Ben has been working his tail off for several years now going from one school to the next and yesterday he completed his officer nuclear power training! This make me very proud! Now he is off to submarine school and then school should be behind him for some time.

Playing Possum

So a while back I wrote in my blog about how crazy our pets are...well Melvin did it again. So it was late and dark and Melvin was not wanting to come inside for the night. So I walked out into the yard to see what he was doing and there was a possum laying in the grass. Melvin gave it a nudge and nothing happened. Being as I don't do dead things I made Melvin come in and let Ben know it was waiting for him. So Ben went out and it was gone. Ben then reminded me of the movie Over the Hedge where the possums do this acting bit in several scenes. So Melvin and I were had...thank goodness!

P.S. Apparently there is some debate if it should be possum or opossum either way they are good actors.

Flashback Friday - Nora Baby

So I couldn't resit taking this picture of Nora last week because it reminded me of her as a sweet little baby.

Nora July 2008

Nora January 2004

Overheard: At a seafood Restaurant

Her: Oh my god. Oh my god, I just killed a crab.

Him: That's okay, I just ate like four.

The Replacement

This is what my friend Mary's husband, Mark, now refers to me as. He is a pilot in the US Air Force and therefore has a rather unpredictable schedule. This has definitely worked to my advantage. For example, back in June I got to attend a very awesome Toby Keith concert in his place. Mary and I had a girls night dinner at La Hacienda where a few waiters tried to buy the VW. Then we met our double date at the concert :o)

Mary, Meredith, & Tim (they drive a Mini!)

Toby

Pretty nice huh? Well it gets better. In July he got called away on a very special and important mission and was unable to go on their Palm Beach vacation. I felt a little bad taking his place this time until I heard he got to go skiing in New Zealand! Wow! Still it was very sweet of Mary and Hannah to share their vacation (including their beds) with us. It was so relaxing and just what I needed.

We had a fantastic daily schedule, it went something like this; eat, pool, eat, nap, beach, eat, sleep. Except one day we went to see the sea turtle rescue and the PlayMobile play place, but the girls kept asking to go back and go to the pool...so we did.

Here are some photos from the trip.

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Nora and Morgan significantly increased their comfort in the water. Nora is diving with goggles and Morgan...well see for yourself.

Thank you so much Mary and Hannah for letting us join you! It was a wonderful vacation we will remember always!

Orders

I know everyone has been wondering...looks like we are headed to Kings Bay, GA. This was our first choice and I think we are excited, but is also starting to sink in that this will really be what Navy life is like. However, it will be nice to not have to move all the way across the country this time. We will probably make the move at the end of November. Ben will be away at submarine training from September 15th until the end of November, so feel free to make a visit to keep us company :o)

Morgan Turned Two!

Here are some photos from Morgan's big day. Thank you to everyone who came and helped us celebrate. It was a very fun party!

Morgan & Tweety

Morgan & Hannah

Morgan...the last time she had possession of Miffy

Brooke, Brittany, & Morgan

Visitors, visitors

So in the month that I wasn't blogging it was also in part to all the wonderful visitors we had. Normally they would all receive a post detailing everything we did while they were here...due to the circumstances here are the highlights.

Sometime back in June my friend Sharon came into town for a quick get away from Pennsylvania. She used to live in Charleston and we used to work together at Blackbaud. While she was here we ate some yummy food, hung out with friends, and hit up the beach with the girls (which is much more crowded in the summer!) It was too short a visit and I hope she comes to see us at our new home.

Sharon and the girls at IOP

The next guests to arrive were my Aunt Betty and Uncle Jim. The were just passing through on their way home from NC. We were able to celebrate the 4th of July with them out at my Uncle Rick and Aunt Carol's lake house. It was a short but sweet visit and the girls always ask for them when the leave.

Aunt Betty and Nora

Uncle Jim, Uncle Rick, & Ben

Arriving just a few hours after Aunt Betty and Uncle Jim was Ben's friend from college Matt and his fiancee Kristen. They were in town to see the Dave Mathews Band on the 4th. It was great getting to know them and thanks to our next guest we were able go out to dinner with just the grown ups! I can't decide if my favorite part of Matt and Kristen's visit was Matt nearly crying when he had breakfast, the Smithfield's BBQ they brought from NC, or that they found my highly sought after Wii to replace the one the lightning got. No, I'm sure it was the Wii!!!!!! I was a pro golfer again in no time and wii, I mean we have been playing it quite a bit. Thank you soooooo much!! Hopefully we will be able to see them again this fall when they tie the knot.

Matt & Kristen at Bowen's Island

The day that my Aunt and Uncle left, my Aunt Pat (who was in town helping my Aunt Carol recover from hip surgery) came to spend a few nights with us. It was a special time getting to know her better. And I think she had fun spending time with the girls. Especially reading and painting watercolors. I know the girls had fun! Also, while she was here Ben and I were able to go out on a few dates. Thanks for all the help!

Aunt Pat

Next, my Mom came to visit to help with the girls so I could get some pre-moving stuff done and to celebrate Morgan's birthday. I'm sure she also enjoyed getting to spend some time with her sisters. We also got to have some girl time together!

Aunt Carol, my Mom (Katie), & Aunt Pat

Lastly, my cousin Lynne and her boyfriend Chris came to town. I don't know if they count as our visitors because they really only spent time in my car. In fact, I didn't even hang out with them enough to get a photo. But I know the girls had a good time swimming with them out at the lake.

Thank you all for sharing part of your summer with us!