Reason #1

There are so many reasons we love Fort Drum and don't want to think about leaving. Our family being fairly close is definitely tied for reason #1! However, the reason we don't want to leave is this:





If you haven' t guessed it by now, it is our FRIENDS!!!!

Shhhhhh.......It's a Surprise!

This past Saturday our friend Lisa planned the ultimate surprise birthday party for her husband Zeke and the best part, all our friends were there! She rented a party bus for the day! First stop, pick up Zeke for the surprise, next was lunch, followed by 3 wine tours! Then bar Olympics at Joe's with pizza! It was a great adult day out with our friends! We truly have a great group of friends here! We all get along so well, there are never arguments or gossip, we just have fun! Happy 40th Birthday Zeke! We are glad we could celebrate with you!

Phantom

I have seen the movie but never the Broadway show, however this past weekend not only did I have the chance to see Phantom but so did Jake. Our local high school Select Chorus decided that in just 6 weeks after Miss Saigon to put on Phantom. I have to say, I imagine that it is wonderful on Broadway and I still would love to see it, but their performance was truly amazing. During the show there were times I had to remind myself I was in a High School auditorium. The sets were perfectly done, Phantom played his role very well and Alex, the girl who played Christine, was amazing. She is going to school for opera so she has always wanted to do this musical. Now I know why, she gave me the goosebumps!!
It was another great experience for our boys and the cast and director had not forgotten them. They got royal VIP treatment, backstage passes, meeting with the cast, candy at intermission, and a trip to see the stage and how the magical chair worked afterwards. What a fabulous group of students they are and we wish them the best!

Sticky and Sweet...that could only mean one thing!!!

MAPLE DAYS!! We were so excited that we could go to Maple Days with our good friends the Sweets. I think because we aren't from here, we try to take advantage of all the cool opportunities there are while we live here. The last time we were able to do this with the Sweets, Jacob and Annabelle were 1 year old! With deployments and babies in between we were excited to hit the road together this past Sunday to Croghan NY!
First stop, the most delicious pancake and sausage breakfast at the Maple Museum. Then we hit up 2 sugar shacks and ended the morning at a park in Lowville! We all had a blast, the weather was beautiful (not so great for making syrup, and we bought maple syrup and more! Here are some pictures from the day! (yes, that is Lindsey pooping on the potty in the woods, the one picture she looked at the camera and smiled, go figure) lol

Ready...Set....RACE!

This past Saturday was the annual YMCA Shamrock Race. Last year I did the 2.2mi and this year I determined to run the 5mile race. I am by no means a "runner" and I wasn't striving for the gold, my goal was to start running and finish running. I am so glad I did the 5 miles and I am now striving for longer runs! What I love most about it is the fact that I can just run, for as most of you know it wasn't too long ago that I could barely walk. I am very grateful and determined to show my joints who's boss!

Trapped!!

When Jake went to school at St John Bosco's his teacher made a huge deal of trying to catch Patty the Leprechaun every year. This year, Jake wanted to make a trap at home. As most of you know, I am not very creative but give me some direction and I will get at it! I found an idea online and Jake and I got busy last night making our trap! The top is a trap door, so once Patty climbs up the stick ladder for the coin, he is sure to fall through the door and be stuck inside the hat! We are ready and waiting!

Pinch Me!

I am in total awe of this weather. It is hard to believe that for most of the last 7 years that we have lived here there was snow on the ground in March. Now we are playing outside, grilling, riding bikes, etc. This past Monday we had bike fever. We scrapped dinner, packed a picnic instead and headed to Sackets Harbor for a bike ride, picnic and some playground time! We had a blast and so did the kids!

Our Graduate

That is right, our graduate, from hockey that is. I remember the first time Jacob stepped out on the ice and how he cried because he couldn't stand up on his skates. Now, he is officially done with the Learn to Skate program. He is going to play on the Mites team next year and this spring is going to play in some 4 o 4 games in A-bay. He is amazing to watch and loves playing hockey! As long he loves it, we will keep on supporting him! Way to go Jake, #20!

Rev Your Engines!

This past Friday I took Jake with Jen and Seth for dinner with Jen's grandparents in Lowville followed by seeing Annie at the local high school. We had a great time together however I think he was ready for some testosterone! Saturday was boys night out. Lee and Jake, Roland and Seth, Matt and MJ went to Syracuse to see the Monster Truck show. They had a great time!

Back to the Stage

This past week Jake had his Kindergarten concert (videos to follow). It was super cute and perfect timing since Nana and Papa were in town! They performed about 10 songs with some dancing too! He did a great job and sung his heart out!

In Like a Lion

It is hard to believe it will be the middle of March this week, where has this month gone? It started with a bang for us and keeps on going! We celebrated Jake's birthday last weekend and like previous years, Nana and Papa made the trek up to take him to dinner. He picked The Roadhouse of course and opened presents afterwards.

Birth Days....6yrs-1month

4:11am

At 4:11am 6 years on March 5th my baby boy was born. Six years have gone by so fast, I almost want time to stand still for just a bit. I could probably write a book about the last 6 years with Jacob, all the adventures we have had, his most memorable moments, and all the silly times we have shared but one word to sum it up....AWESOME! That is what I think when I think of him. He is the best boy a mother could ask for. He is kind and considerate, caring and polite, rough but gentle, funny and focused, smart and daring, lovable and snuggly, and a joy in our life. He makes us smile everyday. He loves his family and friends, school, hockey, swimming, art, drinking smoothies, eating lasagna, being tickled, playing in the snow and sand, and is just a super fun kid! We are blessed to have you in our life and we wish you the BEST 6th Birthday ever!!! We love you!

A blurrrrr....

These past 2 weeks have been a blurrrr for me. We have been crazy busy and as usual the month of Feb seems to fly by! Here is a little recap. We celebrated Valentine's Day with a lunch for Lee and I and dinner at home with the kiddos, of course that included chocolate waffles with strawberries, and they turned out to be delish! Over winter break, the kids and I spent a weekend at my parents house and then Jake spent the rest of the week there, having some special time with Nana and Papa. Lee and I spend Tuesday skiing with the Charltons at Briston Mtn near Rochester, it was our first "real" mountain and it was a blast. Even the small black diamond we "accidentally" skied down! My parents took Jake back to NY on Friday and Lee and I went to Lake Placid to join our friends for an overnight trip. Lee and I decided to take advantage of the cheap lift tickets from WhiteFace for military families and ski for a few hours. I thought Bristol was a mountain, well, Bristol had nothing on Whiteface. We had a great time and spent the rest of the day with great friends. Now we are back to reality and getting ready to celebrate Jacob's 6th birthday! It is hard to believe he is 6 but I am really enjoying this age and watching him grow. More to come on the birthday fun! Here are some pics to recap the last couple weeks!