The Herald

Mark OCS - Phases 0 & 1

2012-02-08T21:31:00.001-05:00

Twenty days ago, Mark departed to Fort McClellan, Alabama for Officer Candidate School (OCS). From conversations with Mark, I believe I am correct in relaying that their are a total of five phases (0-4) in OCS. Prior to his departure, Mark spent a week at Atterbury to complete Phase 0. In Phase 0 they got their gear squared away and prepped for their land navigation course. I'm sure Mark did more than this and I am just not aware, so he can add more details later.

On Day 14, Mark got his first phone call. A reward for completing Phase 1. We got about 10 minutes to catch-up. Here are some excerpts from letters I received during Phase 1, minus the personal stuff :)

January 24th ~ Letter #1

"What a crazy 5 days. No joke, we are up at 0400 every day, and don't go to bed until 11:00. We are doing stuff pretty much the entire time. Tonight is the first time I got 20 minutes or so of time.....

Right now there is a big emphasis on working at the squad level (8 to 10 guys). Another guy from IN ended up in my platoon, in the same bay, so that's cool....

I get a phone call after Phase 1, but not before. Have to run. Miss you guys like crazy, but in all honesty I couldn't even tell you what day it is."

January 29th ~ Letter #2

"I think by this time at basic I had written at least 15 letters; as you can tell, things here are A LOT different. It's tough up at 0400 or earlier everyday and lights out is 2300.....

The TAC's (Teach Assess Correct) are just merciless. We get dropped for every tiny infraction, everytime someone forgets some obscure D&C (drill and ceremony) motion, messes up a command, etc. They are trying to instill attention to detail and teamwork. In my platoon it is working out ok so far....

The first week a lot of classroom stuff, D&C practice and merciless smoke sessions. We failed, by design, the first two locker inspections and paid a mighty price....

During our first ruck march I got a blister that covered my entire heel. Bad day to say the least....

We are doing a lot of land nav in prep for our test on Wednesday. Walking in the woods (beautiful weather down here) for 3 hours with no TACs around is awesome. Yesterday I found all my points and just sat and relaxed for over an hour. Heaven.

I miss you guys like crazy. Not having a support system for something like this is tough. At basic, it was easy, and we got enough sleep. Here everyone is tried and it's an unbelievably stressful environment. I'm sure your letters are in the mail, but I haven't gotten them yet. Please tell folks like my mom, etc that I won't have much, if any, time to write until it wouldn't matter anymore. I'm probably just going to be writing you."

February 2nd ~ Letter #3

"What a looooong couple of days....the last week has been hardcore land navigation. Basically they put us out in the woods with a compass and a map and we have to find points on the course. I passed both portions of my test with no problems. Got 7/7 during the day and 4/5 during the night. It's a load off my mind, because land nav sends more soldiers home than anything else (it's a go or no-go event).

So we got back last night around 1030 and the TACs just went crazy on us. They smoked us on the muddy parade field in the cold rain for 30 minutes, and then we had to clean up before bed and get up early to finish...nothing like 2 hours of sleep.

On another good note, I got my first "S" on a leadership eval as a squad leader. Basically means I did OK, well enough that the TACs said I should do it again. In Phase 2 you need to get S's to go to Phase 3.

Mail is much more of a morale booster here than at basic. There is just no downtime --- up at 3, to bed at 11 is pretty normal. I've gotten two letters from you so far & one from you mom, so thats great! Keep'em coming.

Gotta run (literaly...we run to chow)..."

February 3 ~ Letter #4

"Just talked to you, but have a couple minutes as everyone else makes their phone calls, so thought I would write you some more details....

First, they split us up. All the land nav failures and people who decided to do traditional Phase 2 are no longer here. Now we are down to one company of 180 people. I'm in a new squad and new platoon. I have a guy from IN in my squad -- his name is Howell, he was my roommate at Phase 0 at Atterbury. That's great. My new platoon seems pretty squared away compared to the last one, but it is much more crowded. We have 48 people, whereas before it was only 37.

The new TACs seem a bit "better" than the old ones. Tomorrow starts hardcore briefings and classes for the next 4 weeks....

In 2 weeks they'll move us around again. All part of the game.

P.S. In your next letter can you put some current events? Just headlines are ok...."

Thats it so far.

39 DAYS & COUNTING

Dear Hubs #3

2012-02-08T16:49:00.002-05:00

Hey Hubs,

Looks like I should have waited a couple of hours to mail Dear Hubs #2. I hit the UPS Store at 8:30 this morning on our way to the Children's Museum. I checked the mail when we got back from Indy to find the letter you wrote last Friday. I was going to wait a couple of days to write again, but since you are in need of PT shorts and boxer briefs I figure the sooner, the better. LOL.

In response to your letter....sounds like they are shaking things up a bit. Down to one company, new squad, new platoon. So happy that your roommate from Phase Zero at Atterbury is now in your squad. Is he the one that you crawled through the blackberry bushes with during land nav prep? I remember you saying that you had a lot in common. Before you left you explained to me how unlikely it would be for you to be in a platoon, let alone a squad, with someone from Indiana....and add that it ends up being your prior bunkmate! A pretty awesome blessing if you ask me :)

Well, amazingly enough I have a ton to report even though I wrote you less than 24 hours ago. This morning started off a bit frustrating. I hit snooze at 5am (I allow myself to hit snooze 2x, then I'm up by 5:10). Before the second alarm could go off, Aubbie hollers, "Change me! Change me mommy! I peed." Strip the bed, clean her up, put her in my bed, get her settled and decide to head downstairs for some coffee and bible/quiet time. At roughly 6am, Joshua hollers from his gate, "Poopie! Poopie! Poopie!". Boy was he right! He has never had an explosion like this one. Poop was all over him. Thank God he had a one-piece sleeper on. It trapped all the poop, so it didn't get on anything but him. Needless to say that sleeper is no longer with us. Side note---- he had a big poo at CMO yesterday. He didn't want Miss Jodie to change him. Put his hands in it and rubbed it all over his shirt! Poor Miss Jodie! That shirt is also in the trash! So why all the poo? Well, I am pretty sure he has one molar that must be working its way through b/c he is a bit grumpy, has lots of poo, and he tried to bite my index finger off last night during Caillou. Side note complete ---No worries the morning got better. 7am brought us to breakfast of coffee, french toast sticks, mins (vitamins), and bakey...and an NSYNC dance party. By 8:30 we were out the door to mail your letter and to drive to the Children's Museum.

As we pulled up to the museum Joshua let out a huge ROAR! It was adorable. At first I thought he was crying but then realized he saw the giant dinosaurs. Aubbie started screaming, "Mr. Potato Head!" b/c there was a HUGE banner to promote the new exhibit. We met up with DD & Rachel in the skywalk. After some hugs and screams, we headed inside to get our membership. Your military discount knocked $17 off the membership cost! Woot woot! As DD and I were signing up for the membership, Aubbie was talking to the GINORMOUS (over 2 stories tall) Transformer in the lobby. She informed us that his name was Bumblebee. You would have been so proud. She said she can't wait to show you! I couldn't get a good picture b/c Bumblebee was soooo big!

We hit the Mr. Potato Head Exhibit first. Aubbie ran around with Aunt Rachel and I followed Joshua around. He was a bit overstimulated. They really didn't pay much attention to the stations where you could build a Mr. Potato Head, but they did like all of the play stations. Joshua's favorite was the Mr. Potato Head Space Station. He was so absorbed that other kids weren't getting a chance to look. So of course I picked him up to move on to something else so other kids could play. Well, that torked him off! He was in a foul mood for the next fifteen minutes. He even pushed a little boy! Little turd. Oh one more thing...the pic below in the right-hand corner is of Darth Tater, Spudtrooper, and Mashter Yoda! Bahahaha! I know, I am easily amused!

After the pushing fiasco we moved on to the dinosaurs. Aubbie was a bit scared of the fake dinosaur noises. Both kids were fascinated with the fossils and computer stations. Aubbie also enjoyed the dino-dig. J was too busy running around to get into the dig. He wouldn't wear the required goggles either.

After lunch we headed to the 4th floor to check out the carousel. Both kids loved it. With our membership we get free rides, so we rode twice!

Also in this area there is a mini-house, that according to Aubbie was "just her size", and a fun treehouse to climb around in. Our last stop was the water area. Aubbie floated a boat with Rachel while Joshua splashed around at the "build-a-dam" station. He was completely soaked by the time we left.

A really fun day! Aubbie is very excited to take you when you get back. An exhibit on the Science of Flight is opening at the end of February. I told her that you would love to go! The Barbie exhibit is open for a bit longer too. Maybe I will be a good wife and take her to that one before you get back :) LOL. Love you! ~ wifey

Dear Hubs #2

2012-02-07T21:41:00.001-05:00

Hey Hubs,

Ahh.....just put the kiddos to bed. Week 3 of Caillou and the Monsters book is a bit much, so I am pretty sure both will be MIA tomorrow night. Anyhow...I wore them out with an intense game of hide-n-seek, so I am sure they will be asleep in no time. I don't have a ton to tell you since our talk last Friday -- which was AWESOME! Good to hear your voice.....

Not sure if I mentioned it on the phone, but we are having CRAZY weather for this time of year. We have played outside twice this week. We even took Tiller on a walk. Aubbie rode her scooter, while J hung tight in the backpack. Tiller was a complete retard b/c he hasn't been on a walk since October. I'm sure the neighbors were amused. Especially when I was recording a short video of Aubbie on her scooter, as Josh pulled my hair and Tiller tried to get a bunny. Even after that we tried to go on a second walk, but J refused to go in the backpack. He wants to be big like Sis and ride his scooter. I knew there was no way I could manage Tiller and both kids on their scooters (plus J wouldn't have been able to do the scooter for the whole walk), so we rode the scooters in the driveway, played soccer, climbed trees, and played on the swingset instead. God was probably looking out for me LOL. So we have enjoyed the random warm weather. Its not sticking around. Yesterday it was 50 degrees, today it was 32, tomorrow they are calling for snow. Gotta love Indiana.

What else....the kids are really into games right now. I taught Aubbie how to play Old Maid. I told her she doesn't want to end the game with Ursala (The Old Maid of Disney Princesses) in her hand, so of course that is the one card she definitely wants. When did she get old enough to play card games with us?....We didn't want to leave Joshua out of the games, so we played with his Mickey Mouse shapes-n-colors cards too. His speech has really improved in the short time that you've been gone. He is saying more compound words and stringing words together to make short sentences.

Over the weekend we babysat Nate & Maddie, so Michael & Beckie could go out on a lunch date. The kids were great. We all wore hats for a bit. Nate was a cowboy, J a pirate, Aubbie a princess (surprise, surprise), Maddie a flower, and me a cowgirl.

Sunday we of course headed to church. What is church like at OCS? This weekend Ron preached on John 15:1-8 ~ The Vine & the Branches. Message hit home...talked about how "pruning" is often comes through hardships and trials. Made me think about all my health issues, transition into Army life, and our transition from a family of three to a family of four. Reflecting on these trials made me think of a devotion I read a while back from Malachi 3:3 where it talks about God being a "refiner and purifier of silver". Since you have a Masters in Material Science Engineering you already know that to be refined the silver must be held in the middle of the fire where the flames are the hottest so all impurities can burn away. Anyhow...the devotion is about a silversmith explaining that he not only had to sit in front of the blazing fire to hold the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire b/c if the silver were left for a moment too long it would be destroyed. The silversmith goes on to explain that he knows when the silver is fully refined b/c he can "see his image in it". The devotion wraps up with, "If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you." Pretty cool, huh? I thought this might suit your situation right now....

I guess the last thing to share is our Superbowl evening at The Bakers. The kids had a blast. Chuck and Jenny let them play with their phones. Aubbie is a huge fan of bowling, angry birds, and numerous other games that Chuck put on his phone just for her LOL. Jenny let Josh play the "doodlepad" on her phone. The kids literally sat on the couch for a half an hour as we ate and watched the game.

Well, its past my bedtime. 5am will be here before I'm ready for it, so I am going to wrap this up. Should have plenty to write you about in a couple of days as we are heading to the Children's Museum tomorrow morning and Rachel is coming down for the weekend! Talk to you soon. love ~ wifey

P.S. I taught J how to spit. He's a natural. LOL.

Keeping Busy

2012-02-01T22:31:00.002-05:00

So what does one do during 59 days of single parenthood (when your not accustom to it)? Make plans, lots of plans. Playdates, outing, crafts, games, etc. The day that Mark left for OCS we had planned a day at the Children's Museum; however incoming ice storms persuaded us to meet up for a short lunch with DD. Aubbie & DD then headed to Kokomo for the weekend. Pretty low-key weekend for all of us and a good distraction for Aubbie. Oh and I should note that this was our second botched attempt to go to the museum. Earlier in the month we showed up to find that the museum is closed on Mondays. The first failed attempt detoured us to Monkey Joe's and Build-a-Bear, which until now I have not had time to blog about.

After bouncing for a bit and some lunch, we enjoyed a stop by Build-a-Bear. The kids really got into making their bears. Aubbie picked out a hideous purple bear with pink & green peace signs all over it. She is still in love with the Little Mermaid, so we are now the proud owners of Ariel Bear. Note, that we have several baby Ariel's (mini-Disney princesses), Ariel, Mama Ariel, and now Ariel Bear. Joshua went straight for the camo bear. We named him Louie in honor off Mark's upcoming commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant.

On our way out of Build-a-Bear we walked past a mattress store. Aubbie was so tired she asked if we could go in and lay down!

Back to present day....while sis was in Kokomo playing mermaids, visiting Papaw Tay, and going out to dinner with the extended Smith Family, Josh & I enjoyed a pizza night at The Rikers. Nate & Josh bounced themselves weary.

On our way home from picking up Aubbie we stopped for a playdate with The Clevengers. It was a great morning of play and catching up. Jada and Aubbie enjoyed playing with make-up. Jada's smile cracks me up! Kandice & I agree that its a clown-serial-killer smile. Joshua's favorite was definitely the bounce house.

We have also had two group playdates this month. The first was prior to Mark's departure with our Super Mamas' group from church. We met at The Commons for climbing, sliding, and running around. Completely wore the kids out.

The second group playdate was at our house last week. Four mamas', three 4 year-olds, three 2 year-olds, & a baby. Homemade pizza, cake pops, and chaos! A ton of fun!

Last but not least, we have enjoyed making crafts & playing games. My friend Beckie gave me the idea of making a construction paper ring "Daddy's Home" countdown. Aubbie helped me cut the strips, link the chain, and number the chain. The kids look forward to taking a link of the chain every night after dinner. Joshua takes the link off, Aubbie cuts it up into confetti, and then we all dump it into the "Daddy's Home" bag. A positive end to our day!

46 days and counting!

Dear Hubs #1

2012-01-31T08:08:00.001-05:00

Hey Hubs,

Just a quick note to accompany the Qtips you requested. Not a whole lot to report since my last letter. Did absolutely nothing all weekend. We were so bored that I took the kids to Aldi & Walmart. We surprisingly survived with no meltdowns or embarrassing moments. On Sunday night we had the New Member Dinner at church. The kids were really well behaved. I on the other hand, some how managed to set a napkin on fire. My gracefulness at its finest. Thanks to The Harvey's (new members -- need to make sure they feel welcome, right?), it did not spread....stupid candles LOL. Make sure to thank Gavin Harvey when you get back.

What else...not a ton going on this week, CMO, Riker Playdate, and hopefully we will figure out a place to hang out to watch the Super Bowl. I hear downtown Indy is pretty cool. Lots of people posting pics on Facebook. I think my mom might have explored a bit with my Aunt Pam. Jay & Pam saw Tom Brady and Eli Manning at St. Elmo's! Ummmm, St. Elmo's. So good, can't wait to go when you get back. Anyhow...here are a couple cute stories about the kiddos.

I put Aubbie's hair in a ponytail tonight. She is so happy it is long enough. She admired herself in the mirror and then told me about 50x that she looks like "Sam Sparks" (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs).
I finally got Aubbie to drink my spinach-carrot-banana-greek yogurt shake. I told her that sweet-n-low is "magic sugar". She believed me b/c it is in a pink packet LOL. She drank the whole shake! Probably won't happen everyday, but still pretty cool!
Hide-n-seek is a new favorite activity for both kids. We play at least 2x a day for about 15 minutes. Aubbie is getting better about not hiding in the same place everytime. Joshua still kicks me everytime I say "ready or not hear I come". It is hilarious!
Josh is talking complete gibberish. He gets so frustrated when I don't understand...which is all the time. It is adorable.
We need to buy stock in turkey bacon (aka "bakey" as Josh calls it). The kids LOVE it. They have it everyday for breakfast. Aubbie asked for some for lunch yesterday!
Chuck taught Aubbie how to play Angry Birds on his phone....she is addicted.
The kids are obsessed with Caillou, instead of cool movies...BOO!
Kids picked out that delicious "Birthday Party" Blue Bunny ice cream that we had at Aubbie's birthday party. Be jealous! Lol, I know, I'm mean. I tease b/c I love!
Did I tell you I am officially a coffee drinker. 2 cups a day. I'm addicted LOL, just kidding. 1 cup in the AM and 1 cup at naptime. Its like crack --- total pick me up. Also, I have stopped drinking pop, except for one Coke Zero a week. So the 10,000 cases of pop we have will need to be distributed.
My Valentine's gift arrived early. Thank you for thinking of me. I have the cards put back for the kids to give them on the 14th. B/c you know me well, I appreciate that you to me to open mine whenever. I opened mine the day after you left LOL.

Well, my goal this week is to take some pics to send you. I am actually able to sleep (thanks to my sinus surgery) this time while you are gone, so not as many blogs this time. I don't think I have the creative juices to write from the perspective of a toddler, so you will probably just get "Dear Hubs" letters this time. Sorry! Here is a pic of the kids to hold you over! You are missed! Love ~ wifey

Aubbie Turns 4!

2012-01-27T21:06:00.003-05:00

Dear Aubbie,

It is hard to believe that I have been a parent for 4 years. Little lady, you CANNOT be 4 already! When did this happen! Sigh....New Years Eve 2007 will forever be one of the greatest days of Daddy & I's life. You were tiny (7lbs 2oz & 21inches) considering you were 2 weeks over due! But my how you have grown. Your 4-year stats measure you at 42lbs and 42.75 inches -- the size of an average 5 1/2 year-old. I knew you were tall, but geesh! DD says that you are just like me in that way. At your check-up, I was so sad to see that you are old enough to be required to wear the gown. You were less than thrilled until I told you it was a "princess" gown. At this check-up the nurse and Dr. Taylor ask you questions instead of me, which also made me a bit sad. You have grown up so much in the last year. I can only imagine what you will be like after you start Little Seeds next fall. (Oh, for those of you that don't know Miss Aubbie got into our first choice of pre-school. They don't have a ton of slots, so we weren't sure if it would work out. We are thrilled that she will continue on at CMO up into their Little Seeds program. Not only is it a wonderful program, but it will make life much easier for me b/c Joshua is still in CMO.) Sorry Aubs, had to add that tid bit. Back to the birthday business.....

Daddy & I felt that you are at the perfect age for your first dollhouse. After researching, we opted for the KidKraft dollhouse that we found online. We watched it on Amazon until the price was right. I think we actually bought it 3 months before your birthday! Well, your birthday finally came. When you excused yourself for a potty break Daddy & I completed OPERATION DOLLHOUSE by frantically moving it to your room. Daddy occupied you as I set up all the furniture and dolls. Your reaction was priceless. So happy we caught it on video.

The evening of your birthday we celebrated with Chuckie, Biffie, Michael, Beckie, Nate, and Maddie. Homemade pizza, Ariel cake, and cupcakes. Since we have three birthday celebrations, this cake was from Walmart. An adorable $5. one-person cake that had literally 2 inches of icing! You were in heaven! We ended the evening with opening a few gifts and watching tv. You absolutely LOVE your Vtech digital camera from Chuckie & Biffie. We take lots and lots of pictures everyday.

I love how you are sitting with your legs crossed. You weren't at first, so I asked you to please sit the way Miss Leah taught the girls at CMO to sit when they have skirts on. Too cute. This pic of the boys cracks me up. They are watching Gnomeo & Juliet. Joshua gets into the fight scene between Gnomeo & Tibilt.

Celebration #2 occurred on New Years Day. DD, Mx, Uncle Bubba, and Rachel came down for lunch, cake & ice cream and of course more gifts. DD brought a mermalicious J Edwards cake that we accompanied with your selections of "birthday party" and cookies-n-cream ice cream. You loved your mermaid cake and surprisingly the "birthday party" ice cream was great! All of us adults were raving about it LOL. While in sugar high mode, we moved the party downstairs to open presents. Uncle Bubba & Aunt Rachel got you a pretend-play nursery for "Baby Maddie" (doll she got for Christmas). You were very impressed with the crib, high chair, cabinets, bath, and sink! You play with it daily. DD & Mx got you a LeapPad and a mini-crystal bunny to add to the collection DD started for you. The LeapPad is AWESOME! To be honest, Daddy & I are pretty jealous. Makes us really want an IPad. Anyhow....you play games, practice writing letters, learn to read, etc everyday during your quiet time. It is a wonderful learning toy. I am amazed at how quickly you little people pick up on computer stuff. You don't even need my help most of the time!

Celebration #3 came the weekend after your birthday when JJ and Aunt Jen-Jen came for a visit. We used the ginormous cupcake pan, that Uncle Bubba got Mama for her birthday, to make a chocolate-chip, pink & purple Ariel cake for your & Aunt Jen's birthday cake. Luckily Aunt Jen-Jen likes Ariel almost as much as you do.It turned out great and you were so happy to have a pink & purple cake. Joshua enjoyed being our "Master Taster". He is such a little pig.

You. of course. got some more presents. JJ & Jen-Jen surprised you with the 7-doll Disney Princess Collection (Barbie doll size) -- Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella, Tiana, Jasmine, Rapunzel, and Belle. You were BEYOND excited. You also got a little baking kit and a cute sweatsuit :)

If all this wasn't enough, you also got a Target gift card from Aunt Sandy & Uncle Larry. You picked out a fuzzy pink bathrobe and slippers, which you also use everyday. Before you ask, it is what you wanted. I got a fuzzy blue robe for Christmas from Chuckie & Biffie. You loved it so much that you asked if we could get you one. The gift card was perfect for such an expenditure. Thanks Aunt Sandy & Uncle Larry!

Well kiddo, you made out like a bandit this birthday; however I do have to say that all gifts have been very useful in our transition from nap time to quiet time. Oh ya, thats one more big person thing you are doing. No more naps. You have quiet time everyday in your room while Bub is sleeping. You are a lot like your Daddy, so you look forward to this time everyday. You read books with you LeapFrog Tag, play on your Leap Pad, play dollhouse, and even rest occasionally in your bed. I believe I even caught you snoozing once :) We set your alarm to go off after an hour and a half. When the music comes on, you know you can come downstairs, or as you like to tell me, "When the music comes on mommy, the Barbies will dance." Bubby usually sleeps for at least 2 hours, so that gives us time to play a game, paint our nails, or do something else fun, just you and me.

Can't believe how big you are. As you can see you are LOVED and BLESSED beyond measure. Happy Birthday Aubbie! We love you! ~ mommy

Herter Christmas

2012-01-18T22:58:00.003-05:00

I know, I know....Christmas was a MONTH ago and I am still blogging about it. Well, this is my last Christmas post. With Mark leaving for OCS --- he will be gone for 2 months --- I should be caught up on blogging by this weekend. All I have left are SEVERAL Aubbie birthday celebration recaps. Back to Christmas....

After spending some time in Kokomo, we traveled north to Fort Wayne to celebrate with JJ & Jen-Jen. The kids enjoyed some good cuddles and playtime before naptime. Joshua went straight for the Elmo Bubbles Bubbles book that JJ reads to him every time we visit.

To prep for "Christmas" morning at JJ's the kids always hang their stockings and Aunt Jen-Jen reads Twas the Night Before Christmas. Both kids participated in the festivities!

After putting the kiddos to bed, the adults exchanged presents. This allows us to enjoy looking at our gifts and makes us readily available to put stuff together for the kids the next morning. As usually we were showered with gifts. A new apron, Springtime banner, fondant tools, soup bowls are just a few of the gifts that will certainly be put to good use. Mark got lots of music, an awesome single serve blender with two cups (we both use it everyday), coffee, Rheo Thompson Dark Mint Smoothies (delicious Canadian chocolate) and more. JJ and Jen-Jen also seemed pleased with their gifts.

So the Herter "Christmas" morning comes and the kids now know the drill! They are ready to go! Both kids got an exorbitant amount of toys and a bag of clothes. Both kids got books to go with their Leap Frog Tags. Aubbie also got a map to go with her Tag, which is awesome b/c she is learning her states at CMO.

Aubbie is at a really fun age for Christmas. She is able to tell us all about Jesus' birthday, get into the whole Santa element, and some of her gifts are not just "toys". For example, Aunt Jen-Jen got her a little princess box full of kiddie nail polish. Aubbie was so excited when she opened it. She is such a girlie, girl! Aubbie had the best time painting her nails. I was her first and last manicure client. LOL, luckily the polish peeled off easy.

Aubbie also got Candyland for Christmas. We all enjoyed playing MANY games of Candyland. Aunt Jen won the first game, so she got a prize. Aubbie asked if everyone got a prize.....(insert sigh)....bear with me fam, as you all know how I feel about the whole "everyone gets a prize", "everyone's a winner", "participant trophy" nonsense....so we had our first talk about winning and losing. I might have even had a little rant about the movie Rudy (if you don't know....don't ask LOL) and mediocrity. Anyhow....she loves to play Candyland, so we played several times. She won several games. Here is a collage of her first victory!

Joshua had a great Christmas too! He really got into unwrapping his gifts and dumping his stocking. With four Christmas celebrations under his belt -- Keck, ours, Bakers, Smith -- he knew just what to do! He loves his Dinosaur Train talking Rex & Buddy. Mama & Daddy love the little Cars rug for his room. Joshua's favorite toy would have to the lawnmower. He plays with it everyday. Pushes it around our circular floor plan like he's on a mission.

That evening we enjoyed a delicious glazed ham for dinner and of course some scrumptious desserts. After the kiddos went to bed we had a fun time playing Blockus and Apples-to-Apples. A little shout out to Jen, "birds got feathers, yo". Ahh....a very, very fun night!

AND THATS ALL FOR CHRISTMAS 2011!

Smith Christmas

2012-01-14T15:58:00.000-05:00

On the 26th we headed north to celebrate the Smith Christmas. Upon our arrival Aubbie & J were excited to find that Santa had left gifts for them at DD & Mx's too! Santa left Aubbie an American Girl Bitty Baby in a carrier, with a diaper bag full of essential baby care items. Aubbie proudly named her Baby Maddie after her favorite baby in the whole world, Maddie Riker.

Santa left Joshua a trampoline that plays music, counts, etc as he jumps. Joshua absolutely loves bouncing around, so Santa was right on the money! As you can see in the video below, Aubbie was a bit jealous of Joshua's bouncy at first. Her mood changed as soon as Bubby gave her a turn.

The kiddos (and us too) are always spoiled with very thoughtful gifts from DD, Mx, Uncle Bubba, & Rachel. Aubbie got an I Spy book and a fun Ariel bath set (even has a motorized boat!) from DD & Mx. While Joshua got the Batcave & a Santa book. Mark & I were thrilled that Joshua got the Batcave....Woody, Buzz, and Batman looked a little peculiar playing in Aubbie's mini-Disney princess castle LOL. The final part of their gifts from DD & Mx was a family pass +2 to the Children's Museum! We are sooo excited to use this gift! Its like 12 gifts b/c we will probably go about once a month! Thanks DD & Mx!

Uncle Bubba & Rachel also treated the kids to some special gifts. For Aubbie, the Ariel princess dress from Uncle Bubba and a Tinkerbell sleeping bag/aerobed from Rachel :) The Jman got the Batmobile -- to go with his Batcave -- from Uncle Bubba and a Buzz Lightyear sleeping/bag aerobed from Rachel. No good shots of the Ariel dress or the Batmobile, but I promise they are being put to good use. Love this pic of the kids on their aerobeds...Joshua's feet are crossed LOL. These beds have been a huge help in our traveling & when we have guests. Aubbie's room is the new guest room.

Other highlights from our K-town Christmas would be Lord Johns Taco's, Pizza King Pizza, and Louie's Coney Island. Louie's would have been better without a major Joshua meltdown. Oh well, still tasted good int he car :) Stay tuned for the next Christmas Recap....next stop Fort Wayne for the Herter Christmas.

Christmas Day

2012-01-13T23:57:00.004-05:00

The kids are still young enough that they don't get excited about Santa to the point that they wake up crazy early. Joshua woke up first, which meant we had to make some noise to rouse Aubbie. She was okay with it, since she was expecting "Squinkies" from Santa. It was just another morning to Joshua until he got downstairs. So, did Aubbie get her beloved Squinkies? Did she predict correctly that Bub would receive the Batcave? Lets find out....

As you can see, Josh was less than thrilled to participate at first. He warmed up shortly after we stopped the video. Aubbie was thrilled about her Squinkies and pumped that Santa put the Little Mermaid DVD in her stocking. Joshua was most excited about his stocking b/c it had candy and a Max Lucado DVD, entitled Webster ~ The Scaredy Spider. Both kiddos got two gifts to unwrap -- a game and a learning toy. Aubbie's princess fishing game was a big hit, even if she did make it stop turning so she could grab a princess crown. Joshua's stacking cups game will be a big help in our continual work on counting, colors, and sizes. The learning toy this year was the LeapFrog Tag for Aubbie and the Tag Jr. for Joshua. Should be a big help in teaching the kids to read. Aubbie got a Little Mermaid and Spiderman book to go with hers, while Joshua got a Curious George book.

As the kids played with their new toys, the adults took a turn at unwrapping. Mark got an American flag from me and a Shutterfly desk calendar from the kiddos. Uncle Chris got pictures of the kids from Aubbie & J. I found out later that Aubbie told Uncle Chris what they were giving him on Christmas Eve LOL (yes, Smith fam, I know...she's my daughter. Hans Solo in the black jacket...give it a rest already, geez) I got a new Miche shell for my Miche purse from Mark. All parties were excited about their new gifts :)

Christmas isn't complete without some yummy breakfast food, so after gifts I headed to the kitchen to pull the quiche and warmed fritters out of the oven. I made my first ever batch of chocolate gravy to go with the fritters. DELICIOUS! This will be another tradition to add to the list :)

After breakfast, we put on our Sunday best and headed to church. We typically attend Christmas Eve Service, but with Christmas falling on Sunday we got to enjoy celebrating Jesus' birthday in the House of the Lord! It was wonderful to see our church family on Christmas morning.

After church we headed home for the kiddos naps & to prep for Christmas Dinner with The Bakers. This year Mark made duck for the first time. It was scrumptious. We accompanied it with homemade buttermilk bread, oven fried potatoes, and spinach salad w/cranberries, blue cheese, and walnuts. It was delicious.

After dinner came more presents. We all "got our sparkle on" with Aubbie as she played with her new scooter that sings an awesome (note sarcasm) song about "showing the world that you belong". Uncle Chris was especially good at getting his "sparkle on". So good in fact, that he taught Aubbie hand motions to go with the song. Joshua got a manly Harley Davidson scooter. Very cool. They were spoiled with several other toys, as were all of the adults. A fun night with our best friends.

Upon The Bakers departure and the kids going to bed, Mark, Chris & I enjoyed yet another B-level movie. Great ending to a fun day!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-13T14:53:00.004-05:00

A negative to getting behind on blogging, is that I cannot remember some of the cute little stories that go along with the day. So we might have more pictures and less words as I do our Christmas rundown LOL.

On Christmas Eve we did a ton of cooking and hanging out. Mark's brother, Chris, came down from Michigan so the kids felt spoiled to have an extra playmate! For dinner, Mark made the traditional Herter Family Christmas Eve dinner of homemade fritters and sausages. Chris was second in command to make sure the fritters were up-to-par. They did a fabulous job. The kids didn't take much to the fritters, but Joshua consumed mass quantities of sausage!

After a nice dinner and some playtime, Aubbie helped me get the table set up for Santa. Joshua was not interested. So what does one leave for Santa these days? Well, Aubbie put out cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer, a glass of milk, the recent issue of Taste of Home magazine (more on that later), a candle so he could see to read, a note, and paper with a pen, so Santa could write her back.

Next we headed up stairs to watch the most annoying Christmas movie of all time,Gotta Catch Santa Claus. I streamed it off our Netflix que for the kids mid-December. I have seen it literally a gagillion times, so maybe that is why I can't stand it. Or maybe it stinks b/c it is a Canadian film and William Shatner is the voice of Santa. Probably all three reasons contribute to its failure. Parents stay away from this movie or you will have the horribly catchy theme-song stuck in your head for weeks! I am humming it right now! Anyhow....before I forget, this is where the magazine for Santa comes into play. In this movie and also in Arthur Christmas (Aubbie's first theater movie), Santa reads a magazine or newspaper on his breaks. I know, dumb right? Like Santa has time to read as he delivers all those gifts. Moving on....I could not refuse Joshua as he chanted, "Claus, Claus, Claus!". This movie mysteriously disappeared off our Netflix que shortly after Christmas...hmm, I wonder if someone deleted it FOREVER. Oh and one more dumb part about this movie, the kids leave donuts for Santa! Seriously, who leaves donuts for Santa?!? Aubbie was so confused. She asked me if we could make donuts for Santa. I said, "Honey, Canadians leave donuts for Santa. The rest of the world leaves cookies." Comm'on Canada get your act together! P.S. Love to all of my very special Canadian friends. I tease b/c I love LOL.

Moving on....next was story time. We ended the night with reading Twas the Night Before Christmas (another Herter Family tradition) and of course the story of Jesus' birth.

After putting the kids to bed, we adults enjoyed watching B-level movies (apparently a favorite hobby that Chris & I share) and YouTubing ridiculous videos of William Shatner. A very fun night.

Aubbie's 1st Trip to the Movie Theater

2011-12-25T07:02:00.001-05:00

On Friday afternoon, we took Aubbie to the movie theater for the first time. Earlier in the week we told her that we were going and described what a movie theater was like. We told her that the screen was like a tv, but much, much bigger and that she could get popcorn and coke for a snack as we watched a movie about Santa Claus. With eyes as big as saucers and a sweet little voice, Aubbie said, "Mama can I have Sprite instead of Coke? I don't like popcorn." Of course I told her there was Sprite too and that she could pick out a candy treat instead of popcorn.

So the big day rolls around. I think I was more excited than she was...which is saying something. When Aunt Jen called on Friday morning, Aubbie told her that she was, "Going to see the biggest tv in the world and that she didn't want popcorn." LOL. Upon arriving at the theater, she asked us both to hold her hands as we walked in. I think she was excited to have us all to herself. She picked out Skittles and Sprite before heading in to see Arthur Christmas. The info before the previews was playing as we walked in. The volume was a bit much for her, so she covered her ears as we walked to our seats. As you can see in the pic below, she couldn't keep her eyes of the BIGGEST tv in the world. LOL. She wasn't a fan of the seats b/c she didn't weigh enough to keep them all the way down and she wasn't game on trying a booster seat. She sat on our laps most of the movie, which wasn't ideal b/c she is so long. I could tell she was uncomfortable and she kept asking us if she could stand up. She behaved very well. Of course we had to remind her several times that there was no talking. At one point in the movie an airbag deflates in Santa's face. Aubbie giggled and not-so-quielty said, "Santa tooted Mommy." It was hilarious. We were thrilled that she made it through the whole movie! She enjoyed the elves, Santa, & reindeer. Mark & I enjoyed it too. I would have liked to have watched her reactions more (hard to do when she is on your lap), but her initial expressions are surely ones I will never forget :)

P.S. To all of you that have ask Mark & I if you can take Aubbie to a movie, now you can b/c she has seen her first one with us :)

P.S.S. Thanks to Ma Baker for watching Joshua so that we could enjoy this experience with Aubbie!

CMO Christmas Program

2011-12-25T06:54:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas! It is early Christmas morning....no one else is awake, so I thought I might catch-up on some of our Christmas-time fun!

On Wednesday, Aubbie & J had their first Christmas Program. The CMO ladies put together an amazing program. The kids were adorable! I am in awe of the patience these ladies have with children -- not only can they get them to stand still, but also to stand together and singing all together at once as they do hand motions! When we dropped Aubbie off in the Purple Room, Miss Debbie was COMPLETELY surrounded (sitting in a little person chair with at least 10 children touching and talking to her). She patiently & happily put costumes on the children. I looked at DD and said, "Lets get out of here!". Just seeing it made me claustrophobic! I am pretty sure my head would explode if I had Miss Debbie's job. LOL, God has certainly given Miss Debbie and the other teachers at CMO a very special gift. Back to the program....the kiddos did great. Aubbie looked precious with her tinsel halo. Joshua made it on stage, rang his bell, and did what all the other kids his age were doing --- so, I consider that a success! Here we are before the show! Aubbie was very excited to find us in the audience. Joshua coming in with Miss Jessie. Miss Sarah was kind enough to let him sit on her lap until it was the Orange Room's turn to go on stage.

When Aubbie's class gathered on stage, she yelled, "Hi Mommy & Daddy!". Note, she was the only child that did this. Here she is with her buddy Daniel singing Rudoph the Red Nose Reindeer. Daniel was kind enough to fix her "appropriately" crooked halo :)

Joshua's class sang with one of the other classes. Like I said above, I am AMAZED by the patience these ladies possess. Joshua doesn't stand still for very long, so this is the best shot I could get! He rang his little bell like there was no tomorrow!

After the program, we headed to the Big Room for cookies. Aubbie insisted that her best bud Daniel (aka Prince Charming, aka who Aubbie is going to marry - at least that is what she told me last week!) meet DD. She would not take pictures with Mark & I, or Bubby, or DD; however is was totally into taking several pics with Daniel. Aren't they cute!

Our first of many Christmas programs! Here is a short video of Aubbie's group singing Rudolph.

Christmas Time 2011

2011-12-19T23:51:00.000-05:00

Christmas-time is such a magical time of year! We kick off the Christmas season the weekend before Thanksgiving by decorating the house, putting up the tree, and listening to Christmas music! The kids really enjoyed putting out their Nativity Advent Calendar and Nativity Scene (aka Jesus' House). Aubbie also helped with the tree. I decided to decorate only the top half this year.....doctor told me that I needed to rest as much as possible. Ornaments on the bottom of the tree would definitely discourage a speedy recovery!

Each year we make Christmas crafts. Last year, we made a foam Christmas tree with colorful ornaments and glitter. Aubbie displayed it proudly in the dining room. She beams every time she walks by it. This year, she made her first gingerbread house. She did great! She didn't eat any icing and only stole a few pieces of candy. After trying one of the candy hearts, she looks at me and says, "Mommy, I think this candy heart wants to go in my belly." After a good chuckle, I let her have a couple of pieces. How could I not!?! Joshua and I made tiny foam Christmas trees with stickers. I don't have a picture, b/c Joshua likes to run around with his crafts; therefore the craft no longer exists LOL.

On to the Christmas gatherings! We missed our first party with my ladies circle from church b/c I was still recovering from surgery. Really wished we could have made it. My Naomi Circle ladies are truly the best. Keeping my fingers crossed for next year!

The second weekend in December, we headed to my cousin Jason's house to celebrate the first Smith Cousins Thxmas (of hopefully many). The holiday gathering was long over due and we all had a wonderful time. Carrie was the "Hostess with the Mostest". I made my Ornament Chocolate Cream Cake for dessert (yummy yum DD LOL). Great food and conversation! We also caught the end of the IU vs. KY game as the kiddos played.

This past weekend, we got together for the Keck Family Christmas. Always a good time. Aubbie and Gavin played together all day, Hudson hugged and petted Joshua, Papaw got his annual Christmas calendar, and we ate a ton of goodies. We usually take a family photo, but the kiddos were not in the mood, so we opted for a Papaw & grandkids only photo.

Almost forgot...rewind to Friday night. On the way to DD & Mx's, we made a pit stop at Christmas at the Zoo. The lights were great. Aubbie's favorite was the crab & the giant present. Joshua pretty much liked them all. Aubbie & J made cookies with Mrs. Claus, but neither of them were willing to sit on Santa's lap. Aubbie would not go within 10 feet of him. Joshua gave me a solid, "No!", as Santa tried to give him a candy cane. No dice this year, but on our way out we got to see reindeer!

This holiday season we had one additional celebration. My baby sis graduated from Purdue! We all enjoyed an adults only celebratory dinner at St. Elmo's on Sunday. Good times. Congrats Rachel!

Can't believe 2011 is coming to an end. Looking forward to pizza night with The Rikers, Christmas church service, Christmas with Mark's brother, Christmas morning with kiddos (cannot wait to see Aubbie's face when she gets her Little Mermaid Squinkies from Santa), Christmas dinner with The Bakers, Christmas in Kokomo, and Christmas in Fort Wayne! Whew....back just in time to celebrate Aubbie's 4th birthday on New Year's Eve! Merry Christmas everyone! See you in 2012!

The States by Aubbie

2011-12-09T15:23:00.001-05:00

Aubbie has learned so much in the Purple Room this year. In the December newsletter, Miss Debbie informed us that the kiddos have learned 15 states since September! Aubbie told me a little bit about them. Check it out!

Let us not forget the great state of California!

2011 CMO Pictures

2011-12-09T15:05:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe how fast they grow! My little cuties....

Thanksgiving Blessings

2011-12-03T18:10:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving 2011 will certainly be one that I will never forget. Two days prior to Thanksgiving I underwent surgery for the first time -- adeno-tonsillectomy & septoplasty (aka sinus surgery). Obviously, I was not in any condition to to socialize or eat, so Mark & I stayed home for the holiday. Besides an allergic reaction to pain medication --- severe vomiting and basically no pain meds for the first three days b/c of the vomiting & then having to wait before I could try new pain meds -- recovery has gone quite well. Not as much pain as I thought there would be, but I am far more tired than I could have ever imagined. Apparently, I am not invincible. Who knew? Anyhow....God has given The Herters much to be thankful for. Here is just a glimpse of God's provision & love that we were shown during the week of Thanksgiving....we are truly blessed! Keeping this in chronological order so I don't forget anyone :)

My mom -- my Mama came down the night before the surgery, so that she could see me into operating room. While I wasn't really nervous about the surgery, it was still a nice comfort to have my mommy LOL.
CMO -- thankful we had a safe, warm, and loving place for our kiddos to be while we were busy at the surgery center.
Ron -- our minister was kind enough to come visit & pray with us right before they wheeled me off to the operating room.
DD & Mx (aka mom & dad) -- I didn't get to see my mom after surgery b/c it took me a while to come around. Mom had already changed into her next (and probably favorite) role of the beloved DD. She picked the kiddos up from CMO and took them to Kokomo for the next 4 days! The kiddos enjoyed lots of playtime with DD, Mx, Uncle Bubba, & Aunt Rachel. I know ice cream, happy meals, Christmas lights, and much more were a part of their fun filled week. The kiddos also got to visit with The Keck's (DD's side of the family). Playtime with Gavin & Hudson always brings a smile to their faces.
My Hubby -- I was a little worried going in b/c Mark tends to think I am Superwoman-- I mean that as a compliment. Let me just say WOW! I could write a whole blog post on how wonderful Mark was as a caregiver. Due to my allergic reaction to the pain meds, he pretty much had to care for me like a newborn baby for the first three days -- setting a timer to make sure to give me my meds, refills of ice chips, kleenex, water, pudding cups, ramen noodles...holding me when I got sick (this is huge -- for all of you that don't know Mark, seeing someone get sick almost makes Mark get sick himself), praying with me when I was scared & in pain, going to Walgreens at 4am on Thanksgiving morning to get me nausea meds & new pain meds, etc, etc, etc. Sometimes God gives us clarity and shows us his purpose for pain after the fact. Another blessing, coupled with this one, would be that God allowed me to recognize these three days of pain as a blessing as I was going through it. I saw a side of Mark I have never seen, that I needed to see and the experience definitely brought us closer together.
Beckie -- as we pulled in the drive-way to return home from surgery, I have a very foggy memory of Mark showing me a care basket that was left on the doorstep. My dear friend, Beckie had left a card & basket full of goodies -- soups, pudding, applesauce, crosswords, sodoku, etc. So glad you guys started coming to ECCC, as a wonderful friendship has truly blossomed.
Terri -- church mom #2 brought over some soup the day after surgery. While I could not eat it b/c of being so sick, Mark promised me it was delicious!
Tammy & Courtney -- church mom #3 & her teenage daughter brought over a care package of goodies. Courtney texted me a couple of times to check in on me too.
Biffie -- As busy as she is with retail mgmt this time of year, she still managed to check in on me. Brought me some beautiful flowers and a card to brighten up my bedroom.
The Youngs --- Kim was kind enough to make a plate & Greg was kind enough to bring the Thanksgiving plate of goodness to Mark on Thanksgiving day, so that he would be able to have some yummies! They brought me a bag full of magazines & DVDs. So nice, they were mainly chic flicks which were perfect! Kim also made me a delicious soup later in the week, that I enjoyed for several days. Miss Grace watched the kiddos for my one week post-op check-up this past Tuesday.
Cards & Prayers & Get well wishes -- I received numerous cards from church mom's 4,5,6, --- 100 LOL. Thanks you Donna, Dixie, Carolyn, Naomi Circle, etc for all of the cards! I also got several emails, texts, and Facebook notifications of happy thoughts & prayers being sent my way.
JJ & Jen-Jen -- Mark picked the kiddos up from my parents on Saturday morning. On Sunday, JJ & Jen-Jen came down to help out for a couple of days. I was just starting to talk a bit, so it was nice to have conversation. They watched the kiddos while Mark went to work on Monday. The kiddos enjoyed baking & decorating Christmas cookies. Jen-Jen brought me some more DVDs. Yeah! It might sound dumb to be so excited, but all I did for the first week & a half is watch tv b/c that is all I was allowed to do & it was all that I felt like doing. Couldn't read or do much on the computer b/c of the sinus headache. I have watched more tv in the last two weeks than I have in the last year! Take that back....last time I watched this much was the first couple of weeks of Mark's departure to basic training when I couldn't sleep!
Bob & Vivian -- oh how I love church lady food. church mom #1 (my nickname for Vivian is "Moms" and Bob is "Pops") out did herself. Moms & Pops not only made us enough food for a week, they also crafted a menu in which I could eat every item. A difficult task considering I had my tonsils & adenoids taken out. So for any of you that are looking to make a meal for a friend that has had this surgery, here is a sample menu --- meatloaf, baked carrots, homemade mac-n-cheese, 2 jello salads, sugar cream pie, soft baked cookies, and tomato soup. I think I listed everything! We received the meal a week after my surgery. It was the first meal I had eaten in 8 days! I don't count pudding cups or ramen noodles as a meal. I was stuffed as a tick! Wonderful meal. Thank you so much Moms & Pops!
Nita -- my dear friend Nita came over for visit and made me one of my favorites that she makes -- taco chilli :) Having it tonight for dinner!
Dr. Stevens -- last but definitely not least....Dr. Stevens. God has truly given this man a gift. He has helped two members of our family -- Joshua back in April and now me. I am 13 days post-op and can already tell a significant difference.

I am truly sorry if I left anyone out. These last 13 days have been a blur! Here are some pictures of the kiddos from their Thanksgiving visit with The Keck's & baking with JJ & Jen-Jen. Blessings to you all this Christmas Season! God is good :)

Baking cookies with JJ & Jen-Jen!

Reading with JJ

Playtime with cousin Gavin

Cuddles with Huddy

Playing on the stairs with Aunt Rachel

Too good of a pic not to put on the blog.

DD (my mom), Papaw Tay, & Aunt Sandy

Someone must have torked Jman off!

Aubbie telling one of her stories LOL

Chit Chat

2011-11-19T06:11:00.001-05:00

One of the best things about your kids growing up is the little conversations you get to have with them. In CMO this year Aubbie is learning about the 50 states. Yep, CMO is the coolest place on earth! On a side-note, Aubbie has perfected the Pledge of Allegiance. She now says the entire pledge, including the word "indivisible". The cutest part is still when America comes out "Damerica". Back to the states.....like most days, as we left CMO Aubbie was talking 90mph. As I put her in her booster seat we had the following conversation:

Aubbie: Mama, Georgia has the best oranges.

Mama: Really? Did you learn about Georgia today?

Aubbie: Yes, and about Massachusetts. Mama, Massachusetts a-choo.

Mama: LOL. That is very good Aubbie. Did Miss Debbie teach you to say a-choo to sound out MassACHOOsetts?

Aubbie: Yes Mama. MassACHOOsetts a-CHOO!

Mama: Do you remember Miss Debbie saying anything about peaches?

Aubbie: Ya, they are in Georgia.

Mama: I see. What color are the peaches in Georgia?

Aubbie: Hands raised and in an excited Aubbie voice, "Orange!".

Mama: So there are no oranges from Georgia?

Aubbie: No Mama. You are silly.

Aubbie's excitement for life is truly contagious! Such a fun-loving little girl. It cracks me up how kids can get so excited that their story gets altered -- example oranges from Georgia :)

Joshua is talking a ton more in the last couple of weeks. Also, doing cute stuff in general. Some of my favorites are:

When he hears my voice from another level in the house, he hollers, "Maaaamaaa!". Runs around the house until he finds me. Proceeds to grab my knee and kiss it! Then goes back to doing whatever he was doing.

Joshua gives thee best kisses in the world. Puckers up and makes them pop. If they don't pop, he will insist for another one.

At bed time, J gives us a "popper kiss", says "nite-nite", shuts his door, thumps over to his bed, climbs in and goes to sleep. This is for real. It is unreal how easy it is to put him to bed.

Aubbie and J have both become very attached to The Riker Family -- Michael, Beckie, Baby Nate, and Miss Maddie. Probably b/c Beckie & I hang out all the time. They interact with Nate & Maddie very much like they are cousins. Aubbie is just in love with Miss Maddie (3 months old). And I see Nate & J getting into some serious mischief when they get a bit older. They both love to jump, bouncy, and scream so I am going to go ahead and predict a future ER visit for both of them too :) Both kids are in love with Beckie. Whenever we are waiting for them to arrive or are on the way to their house, in his excited little voice Joshua says, "Beckie! Beckie! Beckie!"....this goes on until they arrive, so unless I am desperate I don't tell Joshua until about 5 minutes prior to contact. LOL

J helps himself when he is hungry....like the other night he carried an entire gallon of milk down the stairs (which amazes me b/c it was as big as him!), looked at me with a big smiles & says, "Milk!". Then he brought me his sippy cup to refill. He has broken every fridge lock we have tried. I find him randomly walking around with apples and he brings me gogurt (aka his drinkable yogurt) all the time. Luckily he cannot break the pantry lock!

One not so cute thing he is doing, is throwing a fit on our drive to CMO and as I drop him off. He is fine after I leave, but getting him there right now is difficult. We are talking screaming, arching back, big-ole tears. I felt bad the first 2 days it happened, but then I saw him turn it off like a light switch from the window...I got over it pretty quick after that.

Ahhh...well, I think I am caught up on my little cuties. I won't be posting any pics or stories for a couple of weeks b/c I am having surgery on Tuesday -- adeno-tonsilectomy & septoplasty. We are praying this helps to have a healthier 2012! No eating, talking, or doing much of anything besides watching tv for the next two weeks. Thankful that our church is hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday and our families, friends, and CMO for all of the help we have lined up to take care of the kiddos. We are truly blessed :)

J.A.M.: Dinner Prayers

2011-11-13T07:16:00.001-05:00

Every night as we sit down to eat, with a huge smile on his face, Joshua will reach out his hands to Mark &/or Aubbie and say, "pray". He gets very excited as we all grab hands....

Lately, Aubbie has ask to lead us in our dinner prayer. Hands held, head down, and eyes tightly closed Aubbie always says one of the following prayers in a very serious voice:

Prayer 1: "Dear Lord, I think you can help us. In Jesus name. Amen."

Prayer 2: "Dear Lord, we are thankful for you. In Jesus name. Amen."

I almost LOL everytime she says the first prayer. I finally figured out that she "thinks He can help us" b/c of the stories we have read about Jesus helping others. I wonder what she will come up with next! I'll enjoy these two as I wait. Blessings!

Wildman Doing Wildthings!

2011-11-10T15:49:00.001-05:00

Wildman is at it again....jumping, sliding, and more!
What shall we do with him!

Some videos for your viewing pleasure :)

Jumping

Sliding....head first!

Letters by Wildman

Last Bit of Fall

2011-11-10T15:41:00.001-05:00

We are taking in all of fall that we can! As we were putting up all of our outdoor toys and furniture our neighbor -- Mr. Tim -- had the kiddos come over to look at his fish pond. The kids love Mr. Tim b/c he has the coolest stuff -- a large trampoline, fish, a cool playhouse (which he says we can have -- so cool!). The kids were so excited! Mr. Tim even let them feed the fish.

Fall we will miss you!

Aubbie's 1st Trip to the Dentist

2011-11-10T15:09:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week Aubbie made her first trip to the dentist. The night before, we got her doctor kit out and used the small "play" mirror to look at our teeth. She looked at mine, then I looked at hers. I still wasn't sure how she would do. She did great!

Climbed right up in the chair like such a big girl! Always so good of her to share with Bubby!

Dr. Clock is awesome! He "tickled" her teeth with air and then they counted teeth together!

Finished up with a trip to the treasure chest for a prize :)

So proud of my big girl. Scheduled to have her first cleaning in January. We celebrated with a trip to Target, where she picked out a new Ariel toothbrush!

Bucketheads

2011-11-10T14:30:00.001-05:00

Last week we fell, one by one, to a nasty stomach bug. Needless to say we were all bored after a week at home. So what did we do after a week of being quarantined? Played "bucketheads" of course.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

Each year at Halloween I love to look back at how the kids have grown. Aubbie has gone from a cute lil lady bug, to a superhero, to a pretty princess, to a "bug-themed" superhero. For those of you that don't know, she has been obsessed with Spiderman for the last 6 months. Pretty sure, I will be making an Ariel-Spiderman cake for her birthday this year. Joshua's is still completely random, as he has no interest in picking out a costume. He matched sis for his first Halloween by wearing a Superman sleep sack. The following year he dressed up as San Diego Padres pitcher, Joe Thatcher. This year his costume suited him very well -- a dinosaur. His little growl is beyond cute and I assure you he stomps, trashes, & makes a mess of everything in his path. Lol, he is ALL BOY as his CMO teachers like to say.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We passed a stomach bug around over the weekend, so I didn't think we would make it out for trick-or-treating. Both kiddos napped well and were suffering from severe cabin fever, so we took a short outing in the neighborhood behind our house. We weren't sure how J would do or even if he would really get what was going on. Aubbie is so good with J. Loves him so much. Here she is leading him to the festivities....

Both costumes were a big hit. People were amused with a girl Spiderman and Dino-boy's enthusiasm was contagious. Lots of giggles and cute remarks as J went up to each door. Aubbie got into a groove quickly. Understood the process of saying "trick-or-treat" -- get candy -- say "thank you" -- on to next house. J on the other hand was a complete WILDMAN! He did really well, going house to house, but he was so excited about all of the candy. He kept trying to take a handful of candy, rather than one piece. Thankfully, all candy-givers thought it was adorable. He was also moving faster than his legs, so he kept tripping. End result, a ripped bag. It didn't help that he kept trying to take candy out of the bag as he was running.

30-minute outing and fresh air did the kiddos good. They came home excited to survey their booty! Aubbie looks so big in the picture below and J is mad b/c he can't get his candy open LOL. Little pig.

This is the first year we have actually gone trick-or-treating. The last couple of years we have had our church's annual fall family fest, J was sick, and/or Mark was out of town on business. Very fun night. Looking forward to next year!

Zoo Boo 2011

2011-10-30T15:33:00.003-04:00

Here we come!

Spider-girl & Dino-boy

Tricks & Treats!

All Done!

Fall Fam Fest, PU Homecoming, & Much More!

2011-10-25T22:08:00.000-04:00

Every October seems to just whiz by in the blink of an eye. So many fun fall activities, with so little time to recap. I am taking the easy way out again & posting pictures & collages as the majority of our recap.

Two weekends ago we enjoyed making Halloween cookies. Aubbie had fun cutting out shapes, icing, decorating, & eating the cookies. J had fun eating mass quantities of dough. He wasn't really interested in any of the other parts -- as I have said before, he is my "Master Taster". Dad even participated!

Two Sunday's ago, our church hosted their annual Fall Family Fest. Bouncers, hayrides, games, food, karaoke, & music all outdoors to enjoy the perfect fall weather. The kids loved the bouncers (surprise, surprise), but the games were a big hit too! Aubbie played putt-putt, duck pond, and Clinko. J was obsessed with the duck pond. J also really got down with his bad self while dancing...actually smacked his bum/hip at the end of the Macarena (sp?). This was after showing off some of his other rockin moves. Needless to say, it was hilarious! Both kids were also excited to see Dominick (Biffie's nephew), Nate, Baby Maddie, and several other friends from church!

At the beginning of last week Aubbie made birthday cards for JJ & Mx, as both had birthdays within the last week (10/22 & 10/25). HAPPY BIRTHDAY JJ & MX! Joshua was not in a "crafting" mood, so no cards from him this year. Below, Aubbie dressed to the nines as she prepares the birthday cards. I love asking Aubbie how old people are, b/c she has no concept of time or age. Apparently Mx is 10 and JJ is 8. LOL. Another cute Aubbie fact is that she finally understands that Mx & DD are my parents and that JJ is Mark's mom; however she does not understand that Uncle Bubba & Rachel & Jen are also their children and Mark or I's brother/sisters. Pretty sure she thinks people have just come to see her b/c she is sooo special LOL.

On Wednesday, we hosted the October playdate for our SuperMoms playgroup. The weather did not allow us to follow through on our scheduled trip to Appleworks to pick out pumpkins. Bummer, but we still had a blast. The girls dressed up like princesses and paraded around, while the boys just played with anything & everything.

On Thursday, we loaded up for a weekend up north. We arrived in Kokomo with the kids dressed to trick-or-treat at Mx & DD's house. Cute video below. Also find the pic of "Spider-ella". Aubbie was torn on who to be for Halloween, so I told her to try on both costumes. In the end, she picked Spiderman. Uncle Bubba & I also had fun dorking around with the costumes.

On to Friday....DD watched the kids so that I could support Mark for his Federal Recognition Board for the National Guard in Indianapolis. The FedRec Board decides whether a soldier gets to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS). Mark did great! He is officially an Officer Candidate. Looking sharp in his Class A's if I do say so myself! We enjoyed a nice lunch date at Jasmine Thai on 96th St to celebrate :)

On Saturday morning, DD & Mx were kind enough to watch the kiddos so that Mark & I could attend Purdue's Homecoming. It is the first time in six years that I have been back to Purdue for an entire day to relax & just have fun. Enjoyed tailgating with my brother & sister, as well as, visiting with some of our old Purdue Crew. Boilers actually won too! We ended the night by using our free hotel voucher. An entire day with friends, plus a good nights sleep!

The kiddos had a great time with DD & Mx while we were at Purdue. I know ice cream, happy meals, and a trip to the park were involved. The kids also really liked this box that they made into a bed.

Sunday morning, Aubbie helped Mx in the kitchen by serving as his official chilli taste-tester. She kept asking for more, but you could tell that the cayenne pepper was getting to her! Too cute.

We finished off the weekend with a small birthday celebration for Mx. The kids were a big help in blowing out the candles LOL. As usual, they enjoyed the cake immensely.

Tons of fun! Looking forward to a bit slower of a week -- playdates, Zoo Boo, CMO, Chuckie's birthday, and maybe a trip to the library. Until next time....

Malachi 3:3

2011-10-18T07:42:00.001-04:00

I am usually not big on email forwards, but my dear friend Kim sent me one that I know will be worth a re-read in the future....therefore it goes in the journal.

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says:
'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.

The man answered, "yes," he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver were left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'

He smiled at her and answered, ' Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

The Pledge of Allegiance ~ Aubbie Style

2011-10-14T17:17:00.001-04:00

Aubbie reciting The Pledge of Allegiance.

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Amazing! So proud of Aubbie! Little work to do...we will get "indivisible" in there soon. LOL

Thank you CMO for teaching Aubbie this pledge :)

Stonycreek Farms

2011-10-11T15:49:00.000-04:00

Looking to procrastinate for a few minutes....worn out from cleaning...so I will share pics from yesterday's trip to Stonycreek Farm in Noblesville. Aunt Rachel is on fall break and we were looking for an outing, so we met her & DD yesterday for some outdoor playtime. The weather was perfect. If you have never been to Stonycreek, I would highly recommend checking it out -- click header above & it will take you to their website. Tons of stuff for the kids to do! The kids played in hay, on tires, on the swingset, the giant bouncy pillow, took a hayride, had tasty treats, & picked out pumpkins. Stonycreek also had an inflatable "Kiddiepillar" and mini-haunted house that both of the kiddos were too scared to go in. It seemed like no kids under the age of 6 could get past the huge gust of air that came out of the inflatable door as it opened up. Oh well, maybe next time. They also have farm animals & a pumpkin train that we did not get to b/c the kids were so pooped after bouncing on the giant pillow --- we played from 10 - 1! Here is our day in pictures.....

Climbing & hiding in the giant pile of hay! Love this pic of J!

Playing on the swing set

Driving the tractor!

Crawling through tires

J didn't really get what these were all about LOL

The favorite -- GIANT pillow JUMPY....see video below

Pumpkins!

Both kids were exhausted by the end of our trip. Definitely plan to go back next year :)

Crazy, Busy, Fun

2011-10-09T23:11:00.000-04:00

This past week was crazy, busy, & fun. Best to summarize with pics!

On Monday, The Johnsons came over for a playdate. Aubbie & Daniel's friendship started 2 years ago in the Orange Room at CMO. They have graduated from Orange to Yellow and are now in the Purple Room together! Daniel conveniently has a brother, Noah, who is about 6 months older than Joshua. Their mom, Kim, & I have quite a bit in common as well. It has been nice getting to know them better during the last few months.

On to Tuesday....DD drove down for a visit. We enjoyed browsing toys at Big Lots and lunch out before coming home for some outdoor playtime.

On Wednesday, I dropped the kiddos at CMO, ran a couple of errands, and then met up with two of my favorite ladies -- my mentors, friends, blessings, & small group partners -- Nita & Kim. All of our birthdays are during the month of August, so each year we have a birthday lunch date. This year it was slightly belated, but soooo worth the wait. We drove to Nashville, IN (about 15 minutes from Columbus) for lunch & to browse the stores. We ate at a wonderful little restaurant called Muddy Boots. We all tried different things -- salad, wrap, & sandwich -- and gave all three items a big thumbs up. We enjoyed the warm weather as we visited the sock shop & candy store.

On to Thursday....dropped Aubbie at CMO, but kept Jman for his 6 month ENT check-up. Appt was quick & painless and he passed with flying colors. Getting tubes for J is the best thing we have ever done for wee man! We celebrated with a Mama-Son Date Day. Started our date at Target with his favorite treat -- an icee & pretzel. Picked up a couple of items, including a bean bag chair for his corner in the book-nook & some Crayola Model Magic. For those of you that have been shopping with J, he NEVER wants to play with toys in the cart or really even hold them. He just wants to look. If you try to give him a toy to keep him occupied while shopping, he gives it right back to you or tosses it out of the cart. Well, he felt differently about the Model Magic in the art aisle. The bold primary colors that at first glimpse appear to be Play-doh were simply irresistible to wee man. We enjoyed playing with it later in the day.

After Target, we headed to Donner Park. It was far to lovely of a day to stay cooped up inside. Joshua loves, loves, loves to climb. He is such a little monkey! He seems happiest when he is outside bouncing around and getting dirty! I enjoyed my alone time with Joshua....being the second child and never truly having me to himself, I can tell he thoroughly enjoys when we do get some one-on-one time together too!

On Friday, we dropped Jman off at CMO so that Aubbie & I could have some time together. Aubbie had told me the night before she wanted to go to the library to get books about dinosaurs, rainbows, cakes, planes, elephants, & trains. I did my best to get books that matched her interest. It is peculiar that her list of books is much like George's in Curious George Goes to the Library (which we have read every night for the last month at bedtime LOL). While at the library we also played computer games and the train table.

The rest of our day included a quick stop at Menards to pick up a mop that Mama needed. Aubbie enjoyed looking at all of the Christmas decorations! She loved all the Christmas trees and lawn decor.

Aubbie selected McDonald's as her lunch date location. We rarely eat inside at restaurants, so she was excited to order, fill her drink, and sit at the high-counter w/swivel chairs.

After lunch we had a bit of time to kill before we could pick up Bub, so where better to burn some time than WallyWorld. Aubbie spotted the arcade area as soon as we walked in. She was completely obsessed with the motorcycle game.

A very fun day with my little lady. Its amazing how easy it is to take her places now. Don't get me wrong, she still has the occasional fit in public, but for the most part we just go -- no diaper bag, no sippy cups, just running around town with my big girl! Bittersweet.

I forgot to mention that Mark was on a business trip for most of the week. He got home a bit earlier than I expected and greeted me with flowers :) Two reasons to smile!

On Saturday while Bubby was napping, Aubbie & I headed to Greenwood for Hudson's 1st Birthday Party! I cannot wait to hear what this kid's 1 year stats are! He is a TANK :) A cute one at that! Chris did a great job on his party & Mickey Mouse cake. Aubbie was the only girl at the party, but seemed to fit right in (surprise, surprise). She looked quite stylish if I do say so myself!

Quite a week! Already gearing up for another one! This week we are making a trip to the pumpkin patch with DD & Rachel, have CMO two days, & a couple of playdates. Life is good ;)

Fort Fun - October Visit

2011-10-03T15:09:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we enjoyed a visit up north with Grama JJ & Aunt Jen-Jen. As always, much fun was had by all. Aunt Jen-Jen took Aubbie to see a Princess Parade. She met some "real-life" princesses and collected her first round of Halloween candy. Jen said she was confused b/c they didn't have princess dresses on LOL. She had a good time anyway :)

After naps, we explored Jorgeson Park. Very cool park -- kids & adults had a blast. Great way to burn off some energy and give JJ some time to make dinner without the kiddos in the house.

After the kiddos went to bed, Jen, Mark, & I met up with some friends at Trion in New Haven. It was a nice night out; however I felt really really old on the way home b/c we are never out after dark LOL.

For whatever reason we did not take a ton of pictures, so I have no pics with Grama JJ! I did however get this super cute one of the kids & Mark :)

YUMMY High Protein Granola

2011-09-22T22:49:00.000-04:00

We are healthy eaters, but it seems lately we have taken it up a notch. Soy nuts, veggie smoothies (on a regular basis), protein shakes (for Mark), and the incorporation of higher protein foods in general. This homemade-high protein granola recipe is delicious. I have not calculated the nutritional info, but want to post anyway b/c a couple of friends mentioned they would like to have it. I am not sure where Mark got the recipe, but it is delicious! Note, I add a dried fruit at each serving, rather than the whole batch so that the granola will stay fresh for as long as possible. As you can see in the picture, this recipe makes a TON of granola -- to be exact 2 gallon size freezer bags. Worked out great for us -- froze one, until we were done with the other. Another perk is that making homemade granola is far more cost effective than buying a granola cereal at the store. Plus it tastes way better & has a ton more protein. Mark likes to eat it like cereal, which is a little too dense for my liking. I prefer to eat a 1/3-1/2 c. mixed with low-fat vanilla yogurt. Delicious and Aubbie enjoyed helping Daddy making it! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

P.S.... any ingredient that looks kind of odd can be found at your local health foods store.

Ingredients:

6-7 cups rolled oats

1-2 cups rye flakes (we used flax flakes)

2 cups salted peanuts

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 -1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or any other nuts you'd like

3/4 c. sunflower seeds

1 1/2c. powdered milk

1 (or more) cups shredded coconut, unsweetened

1c. wheat germ

1/2 c. TVP (textured vegetable protein)

1c. bran

1 n 2/3 c. peanut butter (natural -- 1, 1lb jar)

3/4 c. vegetable oil

1 c. honey

2 TBSP vanilla extract

1/2 c. water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil very large turkey roasting pan. Mix all dry ingredients in it.

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix peanut butter, oil, honey, vanilla, and water until it is a smooth goo.

Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until everything is just moistened. A few extra sprinkles of water may be needed.

Bake until it is golden brown, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes so that the sides and bottom don't stick and burn (it burns easily). When done, open oven door and let cool in pan. Mixture forms small chunks as it dries. Store in air tight container (it freezes well, too). Makes approximately 25 cups.

Fall Fun -- Appleworks & Outdoor Playtime

2011-09-22T12:45:00.002-04:00

We sure are loving that fall is here! We have all enjoyed additional outdoor playtime, after dinner walks, and a trip to Appleworks. Most of this post will be told by pictures, b/c I have so many to share.

Last weekend we met the Rikers at Appleworks. The weather was perfect. The kids enjoyed looking at all the animals. Aubbie was most intrigued by the turkey and J was especially fond of the black ram -- which kept trying to headbutt him. All went pretty well, until we got through the animals. J had a "terrible 2s" morning from that point on. After some additional exploring, a pony ride, and hay bale climbing we headed home.

Now for some pics from our backyard play....

Joshua loves hitting everything with a stick, climbing, jumping, etc. He is a happy camper during outdoor playtime.

Looking like Mx in my ball cap!

Aubbie likes to mimic everything I do. On our evening walks, Joshua is always in the backpack on my back (b/c he throws a fit if Mark wears the backpack, plus I don't want to be in charge of Tiller). Aubbie decided Ziggie (a stuffed Zebra) needed to be in her backpack & go on a walk with us too. Mark made sure Ziggie could breathe LOL

Aubbie is also obsessed with drains. Tries to look down every single one. It is an unusual fascination, but we go with it. Mark told her to see if Pennywise (the scary clown from Stephen King's IT for those of you that don't know) was down there. Not funny!

Aubbie enjoys her outdoor time as well. The other day she told me she needed a fork. I was amused by her request, so I told her to go get one. She came back out & told me she needed to garden. She sat down in our garden (aka weeds) and got to work.

Aubbie likes to take care of J. Always helping him do stuff and taking him for wagon rides.

Tassy Tuesday: Caramel Apple Crisp

2011-09-20T14:06:00.007-04:00

Aubbie and I made this delicious dessert just yesterday! The whole house smelled wonderful & fall-like. Very easy, if you don't mind peeling apples. One modification...I added one cup of Kraft Premium Caramel Bits (found next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle), to make this a caramel-apple crisp b/c everything is better with caramel, right?

Of course the recipe is found on Taste of Home's website. Click here for print friendly version -- HERE. Don't forget to add the caramel bits!

Caramel - Apple Crisp

Servings - 8

Prep Time - 20 minutes

Cook Time - 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups chopped peeled apples -- I used Macintosh

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half into a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish or a 9-in. square baking pan. Cover with apples.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, water and vanilla. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick and clear. Pour over apples. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake at 350° for about 1 hour or until apples are tender. Serve warm, with ice cream if desired.

wee little WILDMAN - 2 year stats

2011-09-15T15:01:00.001-04:00

Wildman,

You are little, but mighty! At two years of age you weigh 26lbs 9oz (31st percentile) and measure in at 33.25 inches (20th percentile). Your growth curve is pretty steady, so unless something changes looks like you might be short & stocky. You gained 2lbs and grew 1 inch in the last 6 months. I'm thinking the height might be a little off b/c you were pretty squirmy. In comparison to Sis, you are a tad shorter and weigh a bit less. At 2 years, Aubbie weighed 28lbs and measured in at 35 inches. I don't think you guys look a whole lot alike at this age either. The shape of your face and all of your features are different. I can tell you are siblings, but don't really think you "look alike". We shall see what everyone else thinks.

Developmentally you are doing great -- eating well with a spoon, talking a ton, recognize many letters & sounds of letters in the alphabet, recognizing some colors and numbers too! You are right on track with temper tantrums too. When you don't get what you want, you certainly know how to thrash your body around, turn red, make big crocodile tears, & scream at the top of your lungs. When you get really mad, you will holler, "Hey!" at me. Oh, and you are hitting & biting some too. You are non-discriminatory with your hitting, but have chosen to save biting for Sis. Note, the biting phase ended as quickly as it began and in your defense the only times you bit Aubbie (3 total) were b/c she was messing with you in some way -- grabbing your arm, sitting on you, stealing your toy. Aubbie was pretty shocked that you retaliated and has actually stopped messing with you as much LOL. Glad she has stopped harassing you as much, but still unacceptable behavior. After a couple of stern talks, timeouts, and one good spanking you got the point.

What else about being two....my friend Beckie ask me if your 2nd birthday was hard for me, b/c if things go according to Dad & I's plan you are our last baby. I am not sad. At first it bothered me that I wasn't sad, so I put some thought into why I am not sad. From the day you were born until about 20 months of age, you were pretty much sick all the time. Praise God it was nothing serious, but it was hard to see you not feel well for so long and if I am completely honest it was exhausting. These last 4 months (since getting your tubes) you have really come into your own. I'm happy b/c I can tell you feel good. It also doesn't hurt that you are still a complete Mama's boy, love to cuddle, give me tons of kisses, and still carry Rory around like he is a third arm. I don't think birthdays are what will bother me (at least for now), but rather when you stop doing wee-man stuff. Like with Sis, moving up to the little girls section for clothes and her not "needing cuddles" at naptime are the tear jerkers for me. So, b/c your a Mama's boy you'll spare me right? LOL. Just kidding Wildman....love you bunches.

xoxo ~ Mama

Joshua's Birthday

2011-09-07T15:36:00.000-04:00

On Labor Day, our little guy turned 2! I wonder if he actually understands that Monday was his birthday. I am even confused, b/c of all of the celebrating LOL -- 5 total (Herter side, Smith side, Bakers, immediate family, & CMO!) Wildman is surely loved :)
Mark & I worked hard all weekend getting different things ready for J's birthday. I made a Super Why cake that involved homemade buttercream icing, 6 colors of icing for decorating , 4 batches of fondant (b/c of the need for different colors), and my first attempt at a frozen buttercream transfer. Mark & the kiddos made homemade vanilla chocolate chunk ice cream to go with it.

After all the kitchen work, we headed to the basement to finish setting up Joshua's gift -- a train/car activity table. Mark found an awesome deal on the internet that we just couldn't pass up! We had a blast setting it up! We were so excited to see his (& Aubbie's) reaction the next morning....

Thankfully, both kiddos got up at the same time. After singing Happy Birthday in his bedroom we made our way downstairs to the basement. Both kiddos immediately ran to the table. Joshua shared so nicely & Aubbie told him several times, "Happy Birthday Dosh." For whatever reason, Josh comes out Dosh. Just as we had hoped, the kiddos played for at least an hour together before they took a break for breakfast!

Around 10 o'clock, Aunt Rachel arrived. Both kids were thrilled to see her! After playing with his new toy and sneaking some cuddles, we took the kids to the Commons to run off some energy. Note, J is sporting his super cool Boilermaker athletic suit that Aunt Rachel got him for his birthday. Looking sharp Wildman!

After dinner, we had cake & ice cream. I was excited to see if Joshua would recognize Super Why on his cake. After dinner we asked J if he wanted some cake. He replied, "CAKE! CAKE! CAKE!" The boy loves cake & definitely gets that it is part of a birthday celebration! When I brought out the cake he instantly said, "Why! Why!" , which is what he says when Super Why comes on the tv. Mission accomplished!

Joshua was surprisingly clean after eating the cake, so no disgusting cake photo to share this year. I was a bit disappointed LOL. He is usually such a messy eater. I guess he just really liked it!

As we were winding down for the night I realized we had not given Joshua his other gift. Not really a gift, but just something he needs. It gave him something to unwrap from us. He saw the bag & immediately knew what was up. J is now the proud owner of 6 pairs of Super Hero Under-roos and a Lightning McQueen Potty Seat. Aubbie tried to steal the Spiderman pair, but I convinced her to let me put them on J. He is officially ready to potty train......or at least I hope he is! All in all, I would say Joshua had a fabulous birthday! Smooshie post with 2 year stats coming soon!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

2011-09-05T05:00:00.000-04:00

"For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him"

1 Samuel 1:27 NASB

Wildman,

The Lord has blessed me beyond measure with the gift he has given me in you. Happy Birthday to my sweet, little wildman :)

xoxo,

Mama

Collections

2011-09-03T22:57:00.001-04:00

There is one special gift given to J that I did not include in the last post. I decided it would fit better in this post, b/c a background explanation is needed. So here we go....anyone who knows me well, would be able to tell you that I am a extremely sentimental. For our first wedding anniversary, I made Mark a scrapbook of all of our firsts -- first date (including a menu from Bruno's and Spy Game movie ticket stub), first valentines day, first vacation, etc. Another example would be my Mamaw's Japanese China that her brother, Billy, brought home after World War II -- it is beautiful, has a story, and is extra special b/c it was my Mamaw's. Yet one more example would be, that on my wedding day, I believe the most special things to me were my "something borrowed" (Mamaw Betty Keck's bracelet) and "something old" (one of Great-Granny Shupe's handkerchiefs). Heck! The only reason I registered for wedding china was so I could pass it down to my daughter one-day! Granted, I have gotten a couple good uses out of it & it is beautiful, but what makes it special to me, is that someday I will give it to Aubbie.....So I guess y'all get it now. I'm that girl that keeps all kinds of weird little things b/c they have a special meaning to me. I love pass-me down gifts that come with a story and journaling about our little family, so that one day our kids will have treasures & stories to share with their kiddos -- hence this blog, keeping track of recipes, the kiddos favorite childrens books, etc. I am positive I get this sentimental trait from DD. Since DD knows me so well, she started a special collection for each of the kiddos. At each birthday, Aubbie receives a mini-Swarvoski crystal. Aubbie loves them and we display in a little case with a couple of crystal pieces I have collected over the years. I know she will love them when she is all grown up!

For J, DD started a knife collection. Little did she know that our friend Michael Haas had given Joshua his first knife right after he was born! A very special gift, from a special friend.

For his first birthday, Joshua received his first family pass-me down knife with the following note:

Joshua,

I decided a pocket knife collection would be a fine thing for a boy. Pocket knife collections are somewhat of a tradition on the Keck side of your family. You great grandfather, Papaw Tay, collected pocket knives most of his life.

The first knife I am giving you is very special. It is over 70 years old and belonged to your great-great grandfather, Papaw Clyde Keck. It is a Saber brand knife and has what is called a "hawkbill" blade, due to its shape. Your Papaw Clyde used it to "top" tobacco. When Papaw Tay was about 12 years of age, he also began using it for this purpose. Prior to Papaw Clyde's death he gifted this knife to his son, your great Papaw Tay. I now give it to you with much love.

Love You to Infinity,

Grama DD

For J's second birthday, Papaw Tay helped DD select another family knife for J's collection. See picture & note below:

Joshua (aka Wildman),

For your 2nd birthday I am gifting you a pocket knife from the Williams side of our family. Papaw Tay's mother, Piney Keck's (your great, great grandmother) maiden name was Williams. She came from a family of 7 children (4 boys & 3 girls). Their names were: Piney, Basel, Eupal, Newel, Willard, Quilla, & Cloud ( I know, funny names!). None of the brothers ever married & they lived together their entire lives. All the uncles collected pocket knives & loved to whittle like most southern men of that generation. This knife is from their common collection. Jman, you would have loved your great, great, great uncles!! They were "Wildmen", just like you!

Love,

So these are the kiddos collections that DD & Mx have started for the kids. Seems like they are just as much gifts to me!

J's Birthday Celebrations - Round #2

2011-09-03T15:14:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we traveled to Kokomo to visit and celebrate J's birthday with my side of the family. The weekend went by too quick, but much fun was had. Lots of cuddles with DD, playtime with Uncle Bubba, and candy (M&Ms for Aubbie & Skittles for J) with Mx.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, Joshua loves, loves, loves the PBS Show Super Why, so DD got a special cake from J Edwards. It was so cute & Joshua loved it! We were pleased that the icing did not stain our hands or teeth.

Of course gifts followed. Super Why toys to accompany a Super Why cake! A talking-plush Super Why (aka Wyatt) from DD & Mx and mini-Super Why & Alpha Pig cars, board book & DVD from Uncle Bubba. Aunt Rachel gifted a new Purdue athletic suit to make sure J will be stylin-n-profilin during football season. DD & Mx also got J a big-boy tool bench. Both kids are enjoying all the new toys!

J's Birthday Celebration - Round #1

2011-09-03T14:49:00.000-04:00

Joshua's 2nd birthday is right around the corner (September 5th). Round #1 of celebrating occurred 2 weeks ago with Grama JJ & Aunt Jen-Jen. Instead of birthday cake, we enjoyed some Zaharako's ice cream and some playtime at The Commons.

Joshua was showered with gifts as well. Some new jammies & clothes, puzzles, books, and cars. Joshua's favorites have to be his Lightning McQueen book and Toy Story Floor puzzle. The Clifford books are also a new bed time favorite.

Zoo Trip

2011-09-01T22:24:00.003-04:00

Last Friday we made our first family trip to the zoo in 2011. The kids love the zoo and are already looking forward to Boo Zoo & Christmas at the Zoo. Knowing that we will definitely attend these events, we went ahead and renewed our membership.

Our trip was successful. The backpack-carrier was a huge help with Joshua. He likes the view, but gets a little restless watching Sis run around. Our adventure began in the Oceans Exhibit. Note to self, ALWAYS finish with this exhibit. Kids are wore out, but contained and it is always cool in the Oceans Exhibit. Anyhow, we started here b/c Aubbie insisted and I forgot my zoo routine LOL. Aubbie really enjoyed watching the penguins splash around. She kept telling me they were "silly".

We wrapped up the Oceans Area with a trip to see Brutus the Walrus. Always a favorite b/c he is such a ham! He did not disappoint. Came right up to the window several times -- just not in the picture I took LOL.

We made our way through the Forests and Plains areas. Mark & I were impressed with the tigers. It was our first time to see the exhibit. It was really nice with lots of good angles for viewing. Both kids were fascinated with the monkeys. The baby monkey kept harassing the older monkeys by trying to wrestle with them. He also played along the fence as we moved around the exhibit. Aubbie was sure he wanted to come with us!

We were bummed that timing did not work out for us to watch the elephant baths b/c that is when the new baby elephant is brought out. Oh well, there is always next time.

One of the highlights was feeding the giraffes. Mama almost became a client of Aunt Jen-Jen's (note to anyone who doesn't know -- Aunt Jen is a social worker) when Aubbie would not refrain from petting the giraffes. A quick pow-wow & tantrum later we were good to go. Here is a short video.

We ended the trip with a ride on the carousel. Of all the animals to choose, Aubbie selected a horse LOL. Joshua was tired and hungry, so he had a complete meltdown & refused to ride an animal. He & Daddy enjoyed the ride on one of the bench seats.

Beautiful weather and overall a really fun day! Picnic lunch in the car & mini-naps on the way to DD's followed!

J's Journey: Wildman

2011-08-24T22:01:00.000-04:00

This will be old news to most people who follow the blog, but I need to put it in a post for family journal purposes. About a month ago, Mark & I attempted to give Joshua a haircut. His hair grows so fast & his alfalfa was out of control. A little trim, how hard could it be? Well, it looked so bad we had to give him a buzz cut. He looks adorable!

My new do!

The new look suits his "wildman" personality. J is always into something. I imagined that raising a little boy would be much different than a little girl, but I would never have guessed it would be this different! Lots more jumping, climbing, bouncing, running, eating, bumps-n-bruises & overall loudness has come with our little wildman! The house is locked up like Fort Knox -- fridge locks, oven locks, bathroom locks, etc. Jumping from the ottoman to the couch or standing on the arms of chairs are among some of his favorite daredevil activities.

This picture captures the "wildman" side of J's personality very well!

A few days after his hair cut we stopped by Mr. Dave & Miss Nita's house for a visit. As J was monkeying around, he leaned back on a window screen. Next thing I know he was laying flat-backed, with his legs & arms up in the air in a shrub! Kinda of looked like Austin Powers "This is me, in a nutshell" LOL. Thankfully the bush was there to catch his fall. Nice battle scar to go with it -- didn't bleed, but sure looked rough. Mark & I joked that it looked like his buzz cut was b/c he had surgery on the back of his head.

Moving on....Joshua has always loved to eat. For breakfast, he often eats waffles or french toast sticks, but more recently he has liked cereal with a spoon. He also had homemade buttermilk pancakes for the first time. To say he loved them would be an understatement.

Nummy, num, num! I love pancakes!

Just like Aubbie, Joshua is sure growing up. He seems tiny for his age (we will find out soon at his 2 year check up), but developmentally I think he is talking more than Aubbie did at this age. He seems much more willing to participate in the "can you say _____?" game. He also is more interested in interactive cartoons. His favorite show is Super Why. J actually runs around in circles when I tell him its about to come on. He really gets into saying the letters and attempting to sound out the words. We didn't realize how much he was learning until the other day when he correctly identified several letters from the alphabet floor foam puzzle & the magnetic letters on the fridge. His speech is cute too -- "kan ku" (thank u), "wel com" (your welcome), "Bree" (Aubrey), "Why" (Super Why) and more that I can't think of at the moment. I also taught J to make a kiss noise. He puckers right up -- it is ADORABLE!

I'll wrap up with a photo from Jman's first day back to CMO. As you can see, he was not nearly as excited as Aubbie. Still pretty much a Mama's boy. He was not a happy camper when I left on the first day. I am happy to report that day two went much better!

1st Day in the Orange Room

Aubbie's Alley: BIG little Girl

2011-08-23T22:19:00.000-04:00

Aubbie has grown up in the blink of an eye. Last night, I went through pictures from a year ago. She seemed so tiny and even had a couple of pics with her baby poc at bedtime. Well, those days are gone. Earlier this month, I accepted -- with a little kicking & screaming -- that Aubbie is not much of a toddler anymore. Such a BIG, little girl. It all started when I looked in the toddler area at Walmart for some 5T panties. Duh, no such thing! I sadly pushed my cart to the little girls section (sizes 4 - 12). I was quite traumatized to find that her panties were right next to bras for elementary aged girls! Also note, she was ready for a size 6 panty -- she is 43 inches tall & weighs 41 lbs! My shopping continued last week, b/c she has outgrown everything. I went to Kohl's to score some deals on fall clothing. Geez, moving up from toddler to girls is pretty pricey -- $26 generic pair of jeans, $18 for a pair of leggins, $15-$18 long sleeved t-shirts! THANK GOD I got everything at 75% off (sale, plus coupons thank you very much!). While everything was more expensive, it sure was cute!

Aubbie's personality is also flourishing. So many random funny stories...I don't even know where to start.

When she gets up in the morning or from her nap Aubbie stands at the top of the stairs and whispers, "I took a good sleep Mama. I come downstairs now?" It is adorable. Note, when Aubbie was gated in her room I would always go get her when she woke up. I always gave her a hug-n-kiss and then would ask her if "she had a good sleep."
Last week on our family trip to the Commissary, Mark & I were talking in the front seat. Aubbie interrupted us, so I of course told her she needed to wait b/c it is not polite to interrupt (we are hitting this lesson hard right now!) . She obeyed! When Mark & I finished talking, Aubbie starts to talk to me, but I didn't turn around to look at her. Mid-sentence Aubbie stops and says, "Mama you need to turn your face. Look at my face when I am talking." It was hilarious! Note, whenever I have to discipline Aubbie she tends to look away from me, so I tell her to "look at my face". Mark & I were both cracking up!
Along the same lines as "turn your face" is Aubbie's constant instruction to, "listen to me..." "Mama you need to listen to what I am saying." So, so, so hard not to laugh and to keep a straight face. She totally knows when she doesn't have my undivided attention.
At bedtime Aubbie sleeps with at least 10 stuffed animals. I don't know how she fits in the bed, but she manages to look very cozy in the mess that surrounds her. Aubbie refers to the dolls and stuffed animals as her "children". On many occasions, she has lined them up on her dresser to "teach" and/or "discipline" them. One night over the baby monitor, I heard her singing Violet (her Leap Frog Dog) to sleep. Poor Woofie (the stuffed tiger Aubbie stole from Bubby's room) got a scolding for disobeying. LOL.
One of our favorite quotes, "I get to go outside b/c I misbehaved." We hear this nightly and try to explain that we don't get to go outside if she misbehaves. She's not getting it.

On to some cute photos, b/c DD & JJ will hurt me if I do a post without photos!

One of our cooking activities -- homemade pizza -- Aubbie cooked the sausage.

Aubbie has an intense love for shoes! Making a fashion statement in Daddy's combat boots!

Cuddles with Aunt Jen-Jen this past weekend!


1st day of CMO -- moved up to the PURPLE ROOM! BIG STUFF! She will learn about the weather, calendar, the 50 Sates this year and more! How cool is that!!

Mill Race Park

2011-08-17T13:01:00.000-04:00

Last week we took the kids to Mill Race Park to explore & play. It was nice to enjoy the weather and the night out as a family -- Tiller came too!

Best Buds

Getting dirty!

Aubbie hates getting her hands dirty LOL

Hanging out with Mama!


Tiller is such a weirdo! He liked the cold sand.

Daddy's girl


5 minutes later I pee'd in my panties!!

Our little monkey!

Tassy Tuesday: Ice Cream Cake

2011-08-16T00:00:00.023-04:00

I have had this recipe forever. I made it for the first time in 2004 & knew immediately that it was a keeper. Of course it is from Taste of Home. I refer to it as ice cream cake, but the actual recipe title is Chocolate Peanut Freeze

I love this recipe for so many reasons. First, it is easy. Second, it is tasty. Third, it is versatile b/c you can switch the type of ice cream you use each time. My favorite is with black-raspberry chocolate chip ice cream. Delicious! Fourth, it is way cheaper than purchasing an actually ice cream cake (& it tastes a lot better too!).

Couple of notes:

Unless we are having a big gathering, I make a 9x9 pan rather than a 13x9.
Even if I half the size of the cake (amount of ice cream and crumbs to make crust), I still make a whole amount of the chocolate topping. Its just a little thicker, which is okay by me! Its chocolate!

The recipe says to mix your peanuts in with the chocolate mixture. I don't do this. I spread the chocolate topping, then sprinkle peanuts on top. I think it looks prettier. Plus you can do half & half that way if there are some in your party that don't like peanuts.

Prep Time: 25 minutes + freezing
Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup butter, divided
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 package (14 ounces) cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
1-1/2 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk, 1/2 cup butter and chocolate chips. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 8 minutes or until slightly thickened. Refrigerate until cool.
Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, cover and process cookies until finely crushed. In a large bowl, melt remaining butter; stir in crushed cookies. Press into a 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Refrigerate until firm.
Spread ice cream over crust; freeze. Stir peanuts into chilled chocolate mixture. Spread over ice cream. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm. remove from the freezer 5 minutes before serving.

J.A.M.: Childlike Faith

2011-08-14T21:56:00.000-04:00

Earlier this summer Aubbie had problems winding down for bed. One night a thunderstorm woke her up multiple times. First, I went in to soothe her. I told her it would be okay and it was just a storm. Second time in, we talked about how God made the storms. Assured her again that I was in the other room and that she had nothing to be afraid of. Third time in, Aubbie told me she was scared and that she didn't want to be by herself. After sitting with her for a couple minutes, I asked her, "Aubbie, who lives in your heart?" With a big smile on her face, she immediately replied, "Jesus lives in my heart Mama." I told her to remember that she is never alone b/c Jesus is always with her, in her heart. She replied, "Jesus & I go to sleep now Mama."

Moved by Aubbie's innocence and overjoyed by her faith, tears came to my eyes and God's word came to my mind.....

"He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:2-3

"Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the

kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 19:14

The Commons - New & Improved!

2011-08-11T15:43:00.000-04:00

The weekend after we got home from South Carolina we took our first trip downtown to visit the new & improved Commons indoor playground. I must say, that when Columbus (& Cummins) decides to do something, they do it right! It was amazing. With the intense heat, Mark being gone, the backyard not being fenced in and a little man that loves to jail-break, we have not played outside this summer as much as we would have liked to. Running around at The Commons was just what the doctor ordered -- now that I have another set of hands & eyes to keep track of the kiddos!

Aubbie's favorite part was the floor to ceiling climbing center. In the far left part of the collage you can see just how tall it is. We were curious to see if Aubbie would go all the way to the top. As she climbed, she looked down at me a couple of times. She also sat a couple of times and let bigger kids go around her. This part of the playground is for older kids (probably 4 or 5 to 12). Adults are not really "supposed" to be on it, so we were stoked that she went all the way to the top & came back down all on her own. I could tell she was intimidated, but she worked through it. Pretty cool. She is one determined little chica!

Obviously, Jman is way too small to play on the climbing center. He enjoyed some of the big kid stuff and the special area for itty bitties.

The Commons of course had some cool science stuff. Aubbie & Jman both thought this hurricane-maker (I guess thats what you would call it) was cool.

Below is my favorite photo of the day. I love how you can see the kid in the top, left corner looking out of the window, how you can see the city in the background, and of course the little-man on top of the slide is pretty cute too!

Daydate with Nate

2011-08-10T04:00:00.000-04:00

A week or so ago, we had a daydate with Baby Nate while his Mommy & Daddy went to the hospital to welcome his new baby sis -- Miss Maddie -- into the world. Since Nate has a little sister now, I guess I will have to call him Nate instead of "Baby Nate"...sigh.

Nate is such a good little boy. We really enjoyed having him for the day! As you can see from the pics below, we had a fun-filled day.

Hanging in the hallway

Eating breakfast

Chasing bubbles! Big hit :)

Monkeys on the bed!

Exercising

Making a card for the newest addition to the Riker Family


Welcome Miss Maddie!

Tassy Tuesday: Crispy Buffalo Chicken Roll-ups

2011-08-09T04:00:00.001-04:00

I am thrilled that Mark is home for so many reasons. One of those reasons is b/c I get to cook again! For thee most part I had to keep things really simply while Mark was at BCT b/c it was just a waste of time and food to cook something unique -- kids just want kiddo food. I think I have cooked more in the first week that Mark was home than I did in the 10 weeks that he was gone!

So another great recipe to share from Taste of Home -- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Roll-ups. A grand prize winner in their most recent issue. Chicken coated in buffalo hot sauce and panko bread crumbs, rolled with blue cheese crumbles = DELICIOUS! Click here to view a printable version of the recipe from their website. I have sighted some modifications I made below. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients: Crispy Buffalo Chicken Roll-ups Recipe

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each) -- I used chicken tenderloin strips (they were already cut and the perfect thickness )
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce -- I used Frank's Red Hot Sauce (found in sauce section at grocery store, not Latino section)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup crushed cornflakes -- I used Panko bread crumbs

Directions

I used chicken tenderloin strips, so I didn't have to cut of flatten. If you choose to use breasts -- flatten chicken breasts to 1/4-in. thickness.

Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with blue cheese. Roll up each from a short side and secure with toothpicks.

In a shallow bowl, combine pepper sauce and mayonnaise. Place cornflakes (I used panko) in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken in pepper sauce mixture, then coat with cornflakes. Place seam side down in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Discard toothpicks. Yield: 4 servings.

Cooking for 2: Crispy Buffalo Chicken Roll-ups for Two

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 270 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 101 mg cholesterol, 764 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 37 g protein.

A Minute for Mom: Life is good

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Life is good....the Hubs is home :)

Daddy is a way better horsey than Mommy

Story time before bed.

Crazies

Not the best pic, but the only one we have so far :) Birthday date night!

J.A.M.: Joseph "in the hole"

2011-08-07T21:41:00.000-04:00

This week we focused on the story of Joseph. We talked about his cool coat, his jealous brothers, and how God was with Joseph always. Aubbie was most alarmed that the brothers put Joseph in a HOLE! Joshua thought his coat was pretty spiffy. See the video below for Aubbie's short recap.

For our craft, we made colorful coats out of construction paper. Joshua loves craft time! It is amazing how fast he has grown up -- attention span is longer and coordination so much better. So fun to watch them work!

Along with our craft and Bible readings, I used the Read & Share DVD Bible. It was a great addition to our weekly lesson. Just a short video designed specifically for toddlers. The kids loved it! The DVD has 52 short bible story recaps, so I plan to use it in future lesson planning.

REUNITED! Family Day & Graduation

2011-07-23T09:08:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, JJ, Jen-Jen, the kiddos, & I loaded up in our rental van for our 9.5 hour drive to Fort Jackson, SC. Before you ask, I am not crazy -- we did not drive straight through. Our first stop in Knoxville proved to be interesting -- 1) thought we would need to swap our rental car due to battery problems, 2) discovered Joshua can climb out of the pack-n-play, and 3) Joshua poo'd in the bathtub. Day 2 of our road-trip went smoothly. We got to Fort Jackson early enough to drive around a bit & get our pass for the following morning. Tuesday morning could not get here fast enough....

After 70 days (yes, I was counting -- see below), Family Day was finally here!

The soldiers made an exciting entrance through colored smoke & load booms! All of the sudden they came running through. Aubbie was very impressed! Joshua loved the noises too.

Family Day Entrance

Bravo Company

After a quick briefing, families were instructed to go find their soldiers. The kiddos & I bolted down the stairs and started circling Bravo Company -- hollering, "Specialist (SPC) Herter". Didn't take too long to find him!

REUNITED AFTER 10 WEEKS!


Aubbie was very excited to see her Daddy!

Family Day rules required that soldiers be back to their barracks by 9pm. I was hoping the kids would make it through dinner, but was not sure they could do it; especially in 104 degree SC heat. We were thrilled that the kids managed so well -- we got to see Mark from 9:30am - 6pm. A couple of nice AC catnaps in the car while we chatted and toured Fort Jackson worked out perfectly! We also enjoyed a picnic, playground, touring the barracks, meeting other soldiers & their families, and bouncing off some energy in the moonwalk.

Joshua warmed up to Daddy very quickly!


Playground Buddies!

Graduation Gifts -- bookmark from Aubbie, dog-tag w/Joshua 1:9 from Joshua, and a small cross w/the National Guard emblem, his initials, & graduation date engraved on the back from Mama

Kisses!

After a fun & exhausting day, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for Graduation Day. Again, the next morning could not come fast enough, as we knew Daddy would get to come home with us.

We arrived at Hilton Field bright and early. We had special seats with a great view b/c Mark was named Bravo Company's Outstanding Soldier Leader of the Cycle. Little background on awards... 12 of 600 soldiers received awards -- 4 awards per company - Outstanding Soldier Leader of the Cycle, Outstanding Soldier of the Cycle, High Rifle Marksmanship, & High Physical Fitness Score.

The ceremony was intense & very moving.....hard to express with words. Joshua enjoyed the Military Band and all the clapping. Aubbie was extremely excited when she saw Daddy. She even yelled, "Daddy, I'm over here." at a couple of inappropriate times LOL -- it was sweet b/c she is 3 and she was not loud enough to distract more than a 3 row radius. She quieted down, after I told her "Daddy was working for just a bit longer." Okay onto the pics & one video. Enjoy! It is surely a day we will never forget :)

Mark is in the 2nd row, 2nd from the left


Salute -- again, 2nd row - 2nd from left

The above video is of Mark receiving his award. If you listen closely, you can hear his name announced.

Mark in his detachment with the rest of the award winners

Pass & Review

One proud Mama Herter

The sweaty couple LOL - it was soooo hot

Mark & sister, Jen :)

Graduation Day Family Photo

BCT/Household 6: Victory Forge & Letter Excerpts

2011-07-13T16:20:00.001-04:00

Hi all! Sorry I have not provided an update in a while. Life has been busy as we prepare to have Mark back with us! We leave this Sunday (7/17) to Fort Jackson for Family Day & Graduation. We are BEYOND excited to see Mark. So here is a short update and a couple of letter excerpts. Next post will be pictures from graduation! Woooo-whooo. So proud of him!

So what happens during the final week of boot camp? The answer, Victory Forge. Note, this week's weather at Fort Jackson is in the high 90s, low 100s -- heat index put it up to 114 degrees yesterday! Here is a brief rundown provided from an online Army Study Guide:

DAY 01 - Drill and Ceremony Competition -- Mark said this has a lot to do with marching

DAY 02 - Victory Forge: 10 km Foot March -- 6 miles in all their gear

DAY 03 - Victory Forge: Night Infiltration Course

DAY 04 - Victory Forge: 15 km Foot March

DAY 05 - Personal Time and Recovery -- they will need it after all that marching!

DAY 06 - Personal Time and Recovery

DAY 07 - Personal Time, Foot March and Chapel Services

The video below, is a brief glimpse of Victory Forge activities. Note, this is NOT Bravo Company -- just an older video to show us newbies.

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Onto some letter excerpts:

June 18th -- letter #16

"This may end up being a long, rambling letter....I am kinda down b/c tomorrow is Father's Day and we haven't gotten mail all week (lots of night shooting, we've been getting back around 2300) and probably won't get any tonight either."

"Here is some randomness: Google the quote, "In war there is no substitute for victory" and let me know who said it. This goes back to the Student First Sargent stuff. I was in the company bldg on duty and the Captain saw me and started grilling me about bunch of stuff in our study books. I'm sure I got them all right except for who said that quote. It's a moot point right now, but it's bugging me."

June 21st -- letter #17

"This will be really short, but I wanted to let you know that yesterday I got 15 pieces of mail! Really lifted my spirits and I loved the card from the kids. I can just see J-man squirming as you traced his hand. Your prayer card with smellies was a nice touch too." (Wifey insert -- "smellies" = my perfume. Also Mark has to do 5-10 push-ups for every piece of mail he receives. Looks like he got some extra PT in today!)

June 24th -- letter #18

"We rucked 7.5 miles on Wed morning to the bivouac site (aka bivy site or "campground"). We got there around 0800 and did squad combat drills all morning -- reacting to mortars, reacting to enemy fire, etc. The afternoon we didn't do much b/c it was so hot. I got a fantastic nights sleep in the woods -- it even rained, which was perfect (thankfully, a buddy closed my rain shield for me as I slept.)"

"We got to do urban combat ops (clearing bldgs, etc). Super cool. I love that kind of stuff. Other people in our PLTbldgs. At night we did NIC (Night Infiltration Course). Lots of crawling -- 100 yards around barbed wire, while they shoot live rounds over your head. Seeing the tracers come out of the machine gun as you crawled towards it was pretty cool."

June 24th -- letter #19

"I sent a real letter the same day as this one -- am sending this one b/c i need you to get a NIV study Bible for me and bring it to graduation. If you have time can you get the Ark to engrave "Anthony Powell" on it? (Guess who its for?) One just like the one you got me should be just right. Thanks for doing all this crazy stuff for me -- Powell said he didn't have a Bible, so I felt compelled to get him one!"

"P.S. you asked about my bunk mate -- yes, we get along well. You have spoken with his wife on FaceBook -- Grommesh is her last name. He is actually in a different PLT, but we talk a lot b/c his MOS is 15P (airfield ops) and he has his pilot's license and other credentials. Some other people in my bay who are cool & probably have spouse on there are Barnhart, Akkerman, Walter, and Santiago. Just so you have some points of reference. Love you!"

June 28th -- letter #20

"Home stretch! Tomorrow will officially be 2 weeks and change until I get to see you! I am trying really hard not to let the anticipation factor slow the days down. It hasn't so far, but I could see how the closer it gets, the further away it will seem."

"Your comment about us both teaching Bible Study made me do a double-take -- I'd never thought of it like that before. Mine is definitely more hit-or-miss than yours, but its been valuable."

July 2nd -- letter 21

"Today was a little unusual. They took us to the base fireworks for the 4th of July. Had me some Skittles and a PaPa John's pizza. Nice change from DFAC, but we didn't get to bed until after midnight and here I am on a 0100-0200 fire guard shift. The bay was on a sugar high earlier. We get whacked out when we eat candy (sounds strange, but its true!)."

"Tossing grenades was stressful b/c of the ultra-safeness that goes into training. If you didn't do everything right you would get a safety violation, get kicked off the range, and possibly not graduate b/c you would not have completed the training."

"Today was fun -- we did movement drills (get up, get down, cover your buddy) with pop-up targets. A DS followed you down the course to make sure you didn't do anything stupid. The First Sgt (head of all the DSs') followed me, and he turned out to be really encouraging. I was hitting all the targets and he kept telling me "double-tap!", "kill his a**" and other things too colorful to write down LOL. Jumping, diving, etc in your Kevlar and ceramic plates is exhausting, so getting some encouragement was nice. He even said we did a good job at the end -- not expected."

"The end is coming we can all feel it. 17 days until I get to see you guys! Next week should be cool -- machine guns and courses where we try to recognize & defeat IEDs."

July 3rd -- letter 22

""Lots of stuff centers around church, believe it or not. First off some good news: my friend Powell decided to get baptized! He and another guy in my bay named Cox talked to the volunteer pastor at the off-company church we go to. They are actually going to bring a spare ACU and get baptized in an ACU instead of communion robe -- kinda funny, but pretty cool at the same time. I;m going to try hard in the next few weeks to have some conversations with them both about what it means and all that. The same guy who volunteer pastors closed today with "The Full Armor of God" portion of Ephesians 6, and used some the same illustrations I did when I used it in Bay Bible Study. Glad I'm not the only one who sees the parallel to the Army and all that. Oh, and great minds think alike -- I went through your lesson on love and the same part of Hosea you used (11:1-4) is a section I'm going to use in my Bible study tonight -- weird! I found it just by chance. I have been reading random books of the Bible to pass the time."

"I got referred to as a "father figure" today by someone in my PLT. It was meant as a compliment, but still, way to make a guy feel OLD. I joked about it with the guy who said it and he asked me why hadn't I joined sooner? For some reason that has hung with me all day. The Soldier's Creed has a line in it that says, "I am physically and mentally tough." 10 or even 5 years ago, I don't think either of those descriptors applied to me. Physical is easy, but I think my outlook on life has changed a lot since we met (b/c you're a good influence on me) and especially since we started going to church. I would have just flipped out and lost my temper if I were here at 20 or 25. Just something that occurred to me."

July 6th -- letter #23

"The letters from the kids were great, I love that pic of Aubrey. It surprises me that she hates to be dirty. I don't think she was doing that when I left. It sounds like she had a busy, fun week at VBS. Love her craft stick she sent me. And hallelujah, she's going on the potty! I knew you could get it done while I was gone. One thing -- at graduation there are ONLY porta-Johns. LOL, be prepared and have fun with that."

"So I had to take a break from writing to go down & get smoked as a company b/c of two girls that would never stop talking. That took up most of my writing time..."

"Earlier this week was a range course called "US Weapons. I got to shoot 2 different machine guns, which was awesome! They only gave us 50 rounds, which wasn't nearly enough for me. Also got to fire a simulated grenade launcher and AT4 anti-tank rocket. The guys who shot high on rife qual for the company got to fire real AT4s at an old tank on the range. HUGE BOOM! About knocked me out of the bleachers."

"We did our final PT test yesterday -- I missed the PT badge by 2 push-ups. About 10 people went ahead of me, and each of them got a "10...9...8..." countdown, as their time ticked down. I had enough energy to do about 4 more, but was resting until that countdown...which never came, the timer just said "stop." I was upset about it for a little while but I prayed about it and got over it. I think something like that was supposed to happen here. When I think back on my life in general, usually things work out well -- high school & college, I got good grades, landed a good job & a smokin' hot wife :) and I generally get rewarded for stuff I do wat work. I don't have many experiences where I've worked really hard for something and haven't gotten it. Usually losing or whatever hangs with me, but this hasn't. The only reason I can think that I have peace with it is that God wanted me to see what it was like. So I will leave BCT without any pins on my uniform, but again, I feel okay about it."

"Squeeze Aubrey & Josh for me. Time here is drawing to a close (we can feel it). Pray that the days go by fast for both of us. Hopefully we will talk this weekend. . Love you, miss you soooo much. Can't wait to be home. Love~ Mark."

I hope you have all enjoyed a look through Mark's perspective of BCT. There is a good chance that this is the last letter I will receive before seeing him on 7/19 :)

Blessings & Scouts Out!

~ Herter Household 6

Whats Up Dad?!? -- Independence Day

2011-07-06T22:45:00.000-04:00

What up Dad?

Just chillin here. Layin low. Havin some gummy worms. Did Mama tell you those are my new favorite food? They feel awesome on my gums. Sure wish those molars would cut through. Anywho...Sis always fills you in on most of our adventures, but I will give you the man rundown -- you know, short & sweet.

Well, I have grown quite a bit from last year. Remember last year I was only 10 months old, so I wasn't even walking. I'm running around like a little crazy dude this year! Check it out.

So Sis told you about the Nerf Wars. I LOVE NERF GUNS. For about an hour, I just sat there -- load, shoot, laugh -- load, shoot, laugh. I completely dominated. You would have been proud. Check out my "game-face".

Lets see...what else...

GOL...ya, I like to scratch my butt. Completely grosses Mama out. I always start with my left, but sometimes need my right hand too.

While I can be super gross, I can really lay on the charm too. See, I really like to give kisses. I randomly decided to give Sis one when we were feeding Pete. Oh, and Sis thought the cat was cool. I could have cared less.

While I didn't get to go to the Haynes Apperson Festival, Uncle Bubba & Aunt Rachel still played with me quite a bit. They even got in this itty-bitty tent with Sis & I. Look, they let me run around with licorice too!

So thats about it Dad. This week is pretty low-key. Hung out with my bro-ski Nate today. We are going swimming on Friday. Should be fun. Mama said we are coming to get you soon. I am stoked for the roadtrip. I am sure there will be plenty of snacks. Love you Dad. xxx ~ Josh

Dear Daddy -- 4th of July

2011-07-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

Hi Daddy,

Mama told me this morning that we get to see you in less than 2 weeks! I sure wish I had a concept of time. This will be my last letter, b/c Mama said you will be home real soon (mama insert -- we were advised not to send Mark mail after 7/10). Since this is my last letter, Mama said I should include a lot of pictures. So where should I start....oh, ya....Last Friday, we headed to Kokomo to celebrate Independence Day. As always, we had a ton of fun. Due to all the rain, we did not get to see fireworks this year. I'm okay with that, b/c I'd rather watch them with you. Remember last year? If you don't here is a picture to remind you. Do you remember that my favorite firework was the big green one?

So in case you haven't noticed I have grown up quite a bit since last year too. Look how little I was :) I am such a big girl now! Do you like my ponytail? My hair has grown since you left. I wear ponytails all the time b/c I like to wear my hair like a princess.

As you can see in the above picture, I went to the park. Aunt Rachel, Mama, Bubby & I went to play for a bit. I decided to pick some dandelions. It was really hot, so we didn't stay long. Speaking of hot....

Uncle Bubba & Aunt Rachel took me to the Haynes Apperson Festival. I rode a ton of rides and ate some yummy treats -- cotton candy & an elephant ear. My favorite was the big slide. I went down it twice. Once with Aunt Rachel and then with Uncle Bubba.

I have grown since you left too! I was only 39 inches when you left. Now I am almost 42 inches! I am HUGE! Check it out -- here is proof.

Did I tell you Aunt Rachel got a new kitty? Mama told me that the old kitty -- his name was actually Spanky, but DD always called him the dirty kitty -- went to be with Jesus. I told Mama I bet Spanky is happy. Back to the new kitty. His name is Pete. Mama said she liked the name b/c Aunt Rachel kept with the Purdue-theme pet names (mama insert -- for those of you that don't know our dog is named Tiller and DD & Mx's dog is named Mackey, both of which relate to Purdue). He is really cute. He liked me, even though I almost strangled him. Rachel helped me give Pete some milk. Don't worry, Mama told me I couldn't have one b/c we are "dog people". What does that mean?

A couple of other cool things....DD bought us Nerf guns. We had trouble shooting them at first, but caught on pretty quick. Mama, Uncle Bubba, and Aunt Rachel kept taking them from us, so that they could play. They were crazy! Mama told me that I am an awesome dart collector. Maybe you can bring the Nerf gun we got you for Christmas to DD's and we can all play next time. Mx slept through our whole Nerf war, so Mama helped me shoot him at the very end GOL. Here is a picture of DD helping me load our ball launcher. Hooah!

After all that playing, I needed to relax. Mackey & I are best buds. He will actually sit when I tell him to. Then I get to give him a treat :)

I hope I included enough pictures. Mama said that you miss me a bunch, so I thought pictures might help you to not be sad. Love you Daddy! xoxo ~ Aubbie

Whats Up Dad?!?! - Warrior Call & Trash-Diggity Goodness

2011-06-29T23:16:00.000-04:00

What up Dad,

Dude, I so hope you are coming home soon. When your not home, things like the pic below happen....as you can see, I am less than thrilled to be posing. I usually like to hold Sis's hand, but I just wasn't in the mood on Sunday morning. I do have to say that my outfit is pretty much a chic-magnet. The collared, button-down onesie is totally in. Add a pair of khaki's and you are pretty much irresistible. My hair on the other hand, needs some work. Mom can't get the front to spike and the back won't lay down -- like my alfalfa?

Also, did you see Sis's knees. For as prissy as she is, she can sure take a tumble & get right back up for more. Its odd, she likes to rough house and doesn't mind falling down, but if she gets dirty she is a complete lunatic. I am having fun with this new found info. I like to lick my hand and rub it on her, then run away. It really torks her off! GOL.

So, Sis already told you about Miss Shanna's wedding. As you can imagine, I was not interested so Maw Baker was kind enough to take me to the nursery to play. I enjoyed some cake with Sis. Then we went to The Bakers to play. I found the perfect hiding place -- in a huge evergreen tree. Mama kept telling me to come out, something about her not wanting me to get lice. She said that would be the last thing she needed! What are lice?

What else....I have enjoyed alone time with Mama while Sis is at VBS. On Monday, we bought me a potty seat b/c I keep trying to sit on the potty. Last night we went to the park and tonight we had a dinner date at Arni's. I bet you are jealous I got to have so many dates with Mama -- GOL, I guess I will share her when you get back. I'll wrestle you for her? I have a fierce "warrior call" that I practice all the time -- at dinner, while playing, at Walmart, etc. What is my "warrior call" you ask? Well, I basically yell at the top of my lungs. If I am not confined, I usually charge Mama :) At Walmart the other night, I did it the entire time we were shopping. Mama was not amused, but we needed food so what could she do :) GOL

I hear you are having a pizza party on the 4th. That sounds pretty cool. Piece of advice, don't eat to much or you might blow chunks the next day during PT. I love food so much. Mama put a piece of my waffle in the trash yesterday morning b/c I was full. Well, about a half hour later I decided I was still hungry. You guys have that dumb lock on the pantry door, so I pulled my waffle scrap out of the trash...trash-diggity-goodness, if Mama wouldn't have caught me.

Well, Daddy-O I am tuckered out. Need to get some rest b/c we are visiting Kokomo over the weekend! I hope we get a letter from you tomorrow b/c we are leaving Friday morning :) xxx ~ Jman

Dear Daddy -- Miss Priss

2011-06-29T22:15:00.000-04:00

Dear Daddy,

Hi! Did you know that I get to see you in 20 days! I am so excited! Mama & I are shopping next week for a graduation dress. When I get sad, Mama reminds me that I get a new dress for when we get to see you & I get happy again...you know how I love to shop :) GOL (giggle out loud)

So whats new with you? Mama said you didn't get to shower for three days b/c you were in the field. I didn't understand, so she told me it was kinda like when I got to campout in the backyard, but that you had a lot more friends at your campout. I bet you were really stinky dad. I hate being dirty, so I don't think I would like your "camp-out". I got chocolate on my hand from my cookie today and completely flipped out. Mama said, that I am turning out to be quite a "priss" whatever that means....

We had a busy weekend. On Saturday we went to Miss Shanna's wedding. I was so excited. I had never been to a wedding before (well, except when I was in Mama's tum-tum for Ash & Aaron's & Ben & Lin's). I was a bit tired b/c of the time of day. I decided to test Mama a little too much, so we had a Come to Jesus Meeting in the bathroom. It ended with a spanking -- ouch! Now that I am in panties all the time it stings pretty good when Mama gives me a spank! Especially when in silky, ruffle butt, dress panties. Well, I wised up long enough to get some cake. Miss Diana took this picture of me for you. Do you like my hat?

After cake, we played at The Bakers for a bit and then stopped by The Maurey's housewarming party. Mikki has the coolest fish tank, you will have to see it when you get home! Mama was completely spent when we got home. Both Bub & I went to bed by 7:15 and were asleep by 7:30, then slept until 8 the next morning :) Sunday we went to church and then stayed for a pitch-in lunch. I got to play ball with Nick and the rest of the boys. It was fun!

So this week, I have gone to VBS every night at Asbury. It is a blast! We sing, dance, make crafts, learn about Jesus, play games, and eat yummy snacks. Mama drops me off at 6:00 and Miss Leanne (you remember her from CMO, right?) brings me home around 8:30. I made you a craft. Did you find it in the envelope? Its a little girlie, b/c its pink, but I put a football on it just for you :) I hope you like it.

Let me see....I can't think of anything else, except that I got a big girl seat for the car. I am tall enough and weigh enough to sit in a booster seat. It is way more comfortable and I feel like such a big girl. Also, did Mama tell you I am finally doing the "big job" in the potty! I like getting prizes so much, that I actually do 2-3 "big jobs" a day. I got a really cool Spiderman toothbrush, mini-gel pens, and a Tiana mini-coloring book today! (Mama Insert --- seriously, it is like her new hobby...trying to see how many times she can go in one day so she can get as many prizes as possible. LOL)

Well, thats about it. I took the below pic of Mama. I told her we should send a picture of her, so you don't forget what she looks like either :) I love you Daddy. Can't wait for you to be home. xoxo ~ Aubbie

Dear Daddy -- Whats Up Dad?!? - Books, BK, & Bedtime

2011-06-23T22:51:00.004-04:00

Hey Dad!

We thought we would write you together again, since we just wrote you a couple days ago. This week has gone by quick. We stayed busy with our normal activities -- one day of CMO, playtime with Miss Grace, and our weekly playdate with Cole & Nate. We also helped Mama host a surprise wedding shower for Miss Shanna, so we got lots of love from some of our favorite church ladies. Other than that the week has been pretty low-key. Just what we need after being so busy last week. Here are some pics from our week.....

As you know, we love to read books. Bubby goes around saying, "book, book, book" all the time! Really, all the time -- first thing in the morning, anytime we go upstairs, before bed LOL. Thank goodness Sis and Mom read to me often!

Today was pretty awesome. Miss Grace came over this morning for a bit. We all took good naps (including Mama), we went to the park, and then Mama took us to Burger King for dinner. We were just going to get frozen cokes, but then we saw that the kids meals had Transformers toys. We got Prime & Megatron! If your nice maybe we will let you play with them when you get home -- you know you have to follow the rules, right? (Mommy insert -- Aubbie tells me that all the time right now! LOL) Mama said we ate and behaved so well. A nice evening out of the house.

We also like to play Monkeys Jumpin on the Bed. We usually play right before bed, but we decided to get silly after bathtime last night. Mama walked in to find some buck naked monkeys jumping on the bed :)

All that naked jumping tuckered us out. Time for some Super Why! Love & miss you tons Daddy!

xoxo ~ Aubbie & J

BCT/Household 6: Phasing, Letter Excerpts, & Phone Calls

2011-06-21T00:46:00.002-04:00

Its been a bit since I have updated on correspondence that I received from Mark. Life has been so busy. It is very important to me to encourage and support Mark. Since we have limited contact the best way for me to do this is via letters. My weekly routine is to write 4 or 5 letters -- Sundays I write a scripture card, by Thursday I have written a letter/blog from each kid (have to send to the UPS store to print in color b/c of the pics -- way better than doing it all separate!), and then I try to write him personally once or twice. Anyhow...with all of the writing and my normal SAHM duties I have little time to keep everyone else in the loop.

So since my last BCT Mark has completed Red Phase. Pretty sure he is finishing up White Phase this week and will be in Blue Phase through graduation (note this last part is an assumption not confirmed). Here are some details on White Phase that I took from the Fort Jackson website:

White Phase: This phase is sometimes referred to the rifleman phase, qualification phase, shoot phase, and some other names. Whatever the term, the training focus is the same...how to identify, track, target, and effectively engage targets with a rifle. In a word, Soldiers learn "Marksmanship". The training is progressive and becomes more difficult as the training progresses:

Fundamentals of Rifle Marksmanship are reinforced
Zero a rifle (align the rifle sites to hit targets at different distances)
Engage targets at various distances
Engage targets at various distances using three different positions
- Prone supported (laying down with a brace to hold the weapon steady)
- Prone unsupported (laying down using only your hands to hold the weapon steady)
- Kneeling unsupported (one knee on the ground, resting the weapon on the other knee)
Engage targets at various distances with limited time
Prioritize and engage multiple simultaneous targets at various distances with limited time
Engage targets at various distances, with limited and variable amounts of time, with a changing number of simultaneous targets available at any particular time...passing this requirement is also known as Rifle Qualification.

Letter excerpts:

June 4th (letter #13)

"Last thing, I'm starting a 10-minute Bible study in the bay. We will take turns leading it right before lights out. I hope it will bring us together more....I am starting with the Armor of God out of Ephesians 6...think it might resonate with some non-church goers b/c of the military feel."

June 7th (letter #14)

"On Monday morning their was a phasing ceremony and the Captain denied us. To make it worse, the DS's had to do push-ups and sit-ups as punishment for us sucking in front of us. Talk about ashamed..." -- note: Mark's company stayed a week longer than anticipated in Red Phase

June 10th (letter #15)

"Today was a good day! Qualified with my rifle, so they will let me out of here!....wish I would have had a higher score, but I was a first-time qualifier which is really good..."

"The next best thing is I get a phone call b/c I passed!"

On Tuesday, after 32 days, we received our first phone call from Mark! We got to talk for about 35 minutes. On Sunday, we were thrilled to get a Father's Day phone call. One cool & interesting piece of info he told me...Cool piece first. Mark was selected as the Student 1st Sergeant for Bravo Company (for those new to the military like myself -- each company is made up of platoons. The company Mark is in (B Co.) has 4 platoons with about 50 soldiers -- so approximately 200 soldiers) after they switched to White Phase. Per Mark, he and 7 others were looked at, then took a test, and he was then told he got it! He seemed excited, but a little skeptical on Tuesday b/c he said the DS's were sure to let him know he could easily be fired. Moving on to our Sunday phone call....interesting (b/c he called it) part...he told me he was "fired' from the position. Apparently he was not, and I quote, "up the guys rears enough". He did not seem to distressed about it. Per instructions, he found a replacement for himself and headed back to his bay. He seems in good spirits. We are on the downward count -- 28 days as of this minute! He did say that he won't have a lot of time to write b/c they will be in the field a ton -- bummer.

So that about catches everybody up. If I understood Mark correctly, they should be starting Blue Phase soon. Details are as follows:

Blue Phase: The culminating phase of BCT, Soldiers combine the skills they learned in earlier phases of training to complete advanced combat tasks.

Advanced Rifle Marksmanship (close combat and use of aiming tools such as lasers)
Patrol and attack as a squad
Maneuver and engage targets as part of a team
Employ "crew-served" and more powerful weapons
- M240B Machine Gun
- AT4 Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher
- M203 40mm Grenade Launcher
Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT - Fighting in a city)
Convoy Defense
Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Defeat
Long-distance Road Marching with combat load
Foward Operating Base (FOB) operations
Control Point operations

Hope this is helpful to all of you that are following along with our journey! Thank you for supporting Mark with letters and our family with prayers. They are sooo appreciated.

Blessings & Scouts Out! ~ Herter Household 6