March Be Gone--Spring is Here!!

It is hard to believe that the 15 months Lee was home flew by, but he left last week and the links are hanging around the window. We had an amazing year together, we went on great trips, had fun family outings, Lindsey was born, Jacob celebrated 2 birthdays, hockey, barbeques with friends, snowball fights, etc etc etc. I could go on and on and on. So it is kind of sad to see the end of March but really, I am super super excited for April!
To me, April means time to start springing forward...Easter, daffodils, tulips, green grass, grass stains on knees, bike rides, walks, balloon rockets, spring hats and sunglasses, spring cleaning, a visit from mom and dad, derby bingo, girls night out, swim class,---where do I stop?? One of the biggest things I look forward to is taking our first link off. Jacob and I made a chain link of construction paper, one link for each week Lee is gone. This Thursday we get to take off our first link, Jacob is soooo excited. He has been asking me almost daily if today is the day to take off a link!! I don't wish time to go by quick, I just wish to see Lee home soon! We love you Lee and miss you! Happy Spring!!

Great Friends, Great Food and Lots of Laughter!!

Tonight we had dinner and the Charltons, Laurie, Jacob, Lindsey and myself. We had a blast as usual! Jen made a delicious chicken parm and we stuffed ourselves! The boys played and danced while Lindsey and Leah played a bit on the floor. Leah is ready for Lindsey to start playing with her and wants to teach Lindsey the ropes! And we finally got a picture with all 4 kids!! Thanks to the Charltons for a great night! Stay tuned for the next dinner party night! We missed you Lee!!!!

Maple Days

Yesterday Aunt Laurie came to stay and visit for a few days. Jacob was up and ready by 8am and pacing and asking when she was going to get here. She got here about 1100 and after settling in, we headed to Fort Drum. It was a bit chilly but we braved the cold and even Lindsey came!! A few years ago when Jacob was 2 I took him to Maple Days in Crogan with the Sweet family. This year we decided to see what the Sugar Shack on Fort Drum was like. You can see in the pictures that there is a little Sugar Shack and our friend Travis was there to take us on a tour. Jacob wasn't as much interested in the tour as he was tasting the syrup. He said it was better than syrup he eats every day with his french toast sticks! We wanted to buy some but they were sold out. We will have to go on a hunt for real maple syrup!

Hanging in there!

We miss you Lee! Today we went to open play at Kidnastics. Then spent the rest of the day inside, it was really cold here! Jacob is doing really well, he asks about Lee and wonders when he will be back. I am not feeling lonely at all, I have my friends and family, and really, Jacob and Lindsey keep me going all day. I don't have too many moments to stop and think. Here are some pictures from Kidnastics today. Jacob had a blast, his friend Deven from school was there. Lindsey really wants to sit up and I had her sitting on the floor with me. You can see in the picture after playing with me she passed out in her car seat while Jacob continued to play.
Aunt Laurie comes tomorrow, we are super excited! Jacob even ran the vacuum in his room, he wanted to clean it for her!
2 days down....

A few more pictures with Daddy...

Wednesday night was our last night together with Lee. After putting Lindsey to bed, we spent the rest of the evening with Jacob. We didn't talk about Lee leaving, we just hung out and had fun. Here are a couple of pictures!

A few more pictures with Daddy and some news...

We got some great news today, Lee made the Major's list!! We should find out tomorrow when he will pin on. He was absolutely elated and on a serious high today! I couldn't be more excited and proud of him! I really hate to see him go tomorrow, but I just keep hoping that he will be sent home early. I know what that will mean for us, leaving here in the winter, but at the same time, I just want him home!! We are going to have a great dinner tonight and I went out today and got him 2 giant pieces of carrot cake, his favorite, for dessert! Tomorrow is approaching way too quickly! We love you Lee aka Daddy! We pray for your safety and quick return home! We are so proud of you and we will miss you tons!

One more dinner with friends!

Last night we had dinner with the Charltons. Jen requested enchiladas and I was more than happy to make them. I was so glad they came, they helped take our minds off of Lee leaving. The boys played together as usual and Leah and Lindsey are really starting to get to know each other. We had to get one more picture of Lee with the kids. Little Miss Leah is so busy it was hard to pin her down, but we tried!

It doesn't get better...

Lindsey is becoming much more interactive and she really gets excited whenever she sees Jacob. Yesterday Jacob laid on her playmat with her and she got such a kick out of it. She is grabbing everything, including our faces and hair! I love our kids! They really make any bad day better.

Our Performers

So at the Museum on Saturday there were groups of kids putting on shows. They were performing in the middle of the museum so anyone could sit on the floor and watch. The first group performed a karate routine but the boys only watched them a few minutes. The second group was starting their performance as we were heading out so the boys wanted to watch. As we waited for the show to start, there were gymnastics mats on the floor. Jacob of course noticed those and the audience so what does he do? Yes he did...he marched right on to the mats and started to sing. Everyone clapped so then he proceeded to tumble and do cartwheels. Everyone clapped again and then Seth joined in on the action! Those 2 are trouble. Then the show finally started and the boys watched intently. Between the gymnastics routines was a ballerina. When she came out to do ballet, the boys rose to their feet and danced along with her! People (including us) were hysterical and the gymnastics instructor encouraged them to keep going! I missed their first dance routine because I was laughing and didn't find my camera in time. However, I caught them on tape when the ballerina did her second routine. I hope you enjoy it too! They crack us up!

More Pics...

Rochester + Friends + Museum= AWESOME!!

Lee and I took Jacob last summer to the Strong Museum in Rochester. So recently, when Lee and I were at a Silent Auction, I decided to bid on a Strong Museum package deal and I won it! At first I thought I won just 4 tickets but then realized I won 2family passes. We decided to make a trip to Rochester this past weekend and asked our good friends to come along, the Charltons! We decided to stay over night and make a weekend out of it. We left early Saturday morning and got to the museum at 1030am. We spent the entire day there, till 430pm! The boys didn't stop all day and the girls had a blast too! Leah explored and walked all over! Lindsey was either in the stroller or my arms, but she was such a good girl! (Oh yeah, Ro's sister and her friend joined us at the museum for a bit too!) After we left the museum, we headed to our hotel where we had a 2 bedroom suite so we could all be together! When we got there, all the boys and Jen and Leah went swimming and I put Lindsey to bed. We had Olive Garden for dinner and made our way to bed.
On Sunday, Jen and Ro took us the "scenic" way home through Oswego, we got to see where they went to collge and we stopped at an indoor farmer's market where we all got a giant cookie! This trip was an absolute blast, we are so glad they came!

Enjoy the pics!

One more date night...

On Thursday night we asked our sitter to come over so Lee and I could have one more date night. We decided to try a new restaurant in town, Maggies, and see a movie afterwards. We had such a great night. I will have to start planning another date night for October now. Lee should be coming home then for his 2 weeks of leave, hopefully in time for Lindsey's 1st Birthday! I will miss you babe!

Wiped Out!!

This past Thursday Lee came home early from work. He took Jacob to the park and they hit golf balls, had lunch together, and played in the park. They were gone for 3 hours of non-stop playing! When they got home, they both headed upstairs. I thought Lee was just putting Jacob down for a nap, but as you can see in the picture, they were both wiped out! too cute

Happy St Patty's Day!!

Jacob has been learning in school about Patty Leprechaun. Last night, Patty came to visit him in his room. He left a trail of stickers in his room leading to a pot of chocolate gold. He woke up and went downstairs though, totally missing the trail. I had to tell him I went in his room to pick out his clothes and saw stickers. He ran back up stairs and once he found the trail he was so excited! Then at daycare today, he made this cute St Patty's Day hat.
Lindsey and I attended an OSC luncheon where we were entertained by Irish Step Dancers and Cellists. It was great and the music put her right to sleep. When she woke up she was fascinated by the cellists.
Then to our surprise, Lee came home early. It was so beautiful out so we took our daily walk and played outside. Could it really be Spring?

Last Hockey Practice of the Season

Today was the last hockey practice of the season. It was kind of sad. I think I will try to make an effort to get him to the Ice Arena in Cicero this summer. At least a few times to keep him fresh on his skates! He didn't want to come off the ice today. They took a group picture and gave each kid a certificate. He was so proud--and so are we! We love you Jake!

Pretty in Blue

On Sunday we went to church. Lindsey is now fitting in 9 month clothes. So I couldn't wait to put this adorable blue dress on her--thanks Aunt Laurie! She looks so cute in it with her pretty blue eyes! Of course I took some pictures!

More Pics from Joe's

More Pictures!

Dinner with Awesome Friends

Lee and I couldn't have had more fun on Saturday night! We are so blessed to have such great friends here in Watertown. For me, they are people I know that I can always count on, when Lee is here or far away. For Lee, he just loves hanging out with genuine "normal" people and knowing I have friends (who are like a second family) here when he is not. We have been trying for the last year or so to have a couples night out about once every other month at least. So this past Saturday, we went to Ruby Tuesday's and then to Joe's Tavern. After Joe's , we went to a new place called Maggie's. It was so much fun!! Thanks to all our friends for coming out, it really meant a lot to Lee and I. Ro and Jen; Rod and Jen; Travis and Lindsey; and Lisa and Zeke!! We love you guys! Here are some pictures including some action shots from Joe's serious table shuffleboard competition. Ro seems to be the pro at it!