Man in Uniform

It's my bro!! Officially a Naval Officer.



He & Auds & fam are settled in San Diego and oh how we miss them. Thank goodness for Skype.

Very proud of their hard work & sacrifice and can't WAIT to get to Cali to see them! On about a daily basis, Crosby gets out our big U.S. map, grabs our play mailbox, stuffs random things in a box (his train), and says, "Bye Mom I'm going to Utah San Diego to visit my cousins."

It was quite a whirlwind right before they moved... in about a week or two's time they went to Rhode Island for Cam's graduation and then hopped on the road to find a house in San Diego. D and I had the privilege of watching Brig & Claire (Grant stayed with his other cousins for part of the time) for about 5 days and we had a BLAST! It was like a last hurrah for Croz & his cousins - at least for the time being :) So glad to have logged all that time with them; wouldn't trade it for the world! I was looking through photos and had to post a mishmash of the memories that were made -

































And then that Sunday at Beth's the day before they left :(










We love you Cam, Auds, Grant, Claire, and Brig. Miss you and can't wait to see you (hopefully soon!)

One!

Happy 1st Birthday, Lennox!



It is unreal how quickly the time has passed, Jig! You came into this world very quickly. That tradition continues because you have grown quickly, you learn quickly, crawl quickly, think quickly... you have changed from this tiny one on our bed...



... to a happy grown-up-looking boy TOO quickly!



Here are a few things about your character...

You are one touchy-feely guy. It is just that way for you... you have to touch anything and everything, you just can't help yourself! If you are being held back from touching something, you will most certainly dive. That would explain why you have consistent bruises coming and going on your forehead :( But you're not afraid of a single thing.



You are incredibly tolerant and good-natured. I tote you and Croz around with me EVERYWHERE! Many days when we're at home I let you roam or play by yourself while I run in circles trying to get something done. Even when you are extremely tired you're usually still smiling.



You happen to adore your brother Crosby! And he adores you back. Days are getting harder for the two of you though because sharing all of the cool trucks and construction machines is really hard work for two boys. In fact the other day you started biting your good 'ol bro - guess it's your survival technique - wow hopefully you won't do that anymore, Jig! You love to stand right next to Croz at the couch playing trucks and going for walks in the wagon while I pull and Croz pushes.



Taking baths is another love of yours... you are still fascinated with water. It's fun to see how much you love watching water flow out of the faucet! You and Croz have lots of laughs in the tub when I let you both go in together.



Here's that touchy-feely side coming out again... any interesting-looking surface, ridge, shape. You're on it! It's neat to watch you learn this way.



When you're upset it is NO secret. You've got a set of pipes and let out a very frustrated yell when you are driven to it. When you're sad you sport the MOST sad lips/face I've ever seen. You're entire face turns into a squished lemon and so it's hard not to smile when you're sad because your sad face is downright adorable.



You have a very distinct mischievous side that rears its head from time to time. Maybe there's a good reason Crosby named you "Spider Man." When you crawl into the room he yells, "Mommy, look - here comes Spiderman!" You definitely have a mature sense of right vs. wrong for a 1-year-old... when you dropped and smashed all of these crackers in the wagon, I told you "No!" and you put your head down all shameful-like... awwww Jig!!



I love you so much, Lennox. You are a complete delight. Your morning smiles are the best reward every day. I love our songs that just you and me sing. You love the elephant picture in your room and singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as you look at it.



As much as I love you and you love me, a daddy's boy you'll be. (For now!) Dad LOVES to just hang out with you. Wrestle a little and chill out a lot. We are both in awe that you are growing up like this but it is such a joy to watch you learn... We love you with all of our hearts. HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!



Since your favorite thing is puppies, we were so excited to throw you a puppy 1st birthday! Nan made your pup cake.



And your job was to pet the pups...



The night before while you were sleeping Nan, Beth, and I had a fun time creating your puppy cupcakes-



A whole bunch of them.



Went a little overboard on Diet Coke and frosted Milanos, but you have to enjoy it while it lasts



You had many loved ones come to see you at your party! Your cousins Milo...



And Eden with her dog shirt!



Both Grandmas. And even your Great-Grandma Beck too.



Crosby had a few friends to play with



And your buddy Isaac gave you boots to match his! Awesome!



Tavi had fun chasing the pups and getting muddy... speaking of getting muddy, Aunt Alice gave you a book about a muddy puppy. And you got two other dog books too!!



Elese brought Dawson, you'll be running around like him pretty soon-



Your friend Callan with his mom and dad



Uncle Suman brought their dog Bird to play at your party; we followed him down the road to the dog park spot



Beth stayed warm by the fire.



This dog must have known you're the birthday boy because he came right to you and gave you a slurp.



We all watched the dogs run and play in the water



Roxy was just your size



Pat brought Snoop



After enjoying your time with the pups, it was time to enjoy your cake... you knew just what to do! You took it slow... didn't dive into your cake amazingly enough. You just kind of savored every crumb and frosting.



We are so happy you are part of our family, Jig! You make our days bright... we love love love you so much.

Love,
Mom & Dad

10.2.2011

As I sit here waiting for my hubby of nine years to come home from studying at the library, I've had a few quiet minutes to think about our history. There's lots to it and lots more to come, but each year of our time together feels like a new layer. It reminds me of growth rings on a tree. Some of the rings smooth and some squiggly. But as things stand today, I cannot picture growing into who I am or D growing into who he is with anyone else. I feel that we have transformed each other in our own ways. He surprised me for our anniversary this morning by dropping the boys off to my parents and whisking me away in our truck up to my uncle's property where we had a mountain to ourselves. I will never be able to clear the image from my mind! Hours of quiet conversation, his guitar, Autumn sun. It is so cliche but so true that I love him more than ever before.

Helpers

Every day I look at these guys and realize how incredibly lucky I am. My sweet, considerate Croz and my curious, four-wheeler of a Jig... gon' make us some gingersnaps.

Stupid Job

Crosby has claimed the little couch as his construction site/play area and now that Jig can roam wherever he pleases, Crosby's toys and playtime are jeopardized BIG time!

The other day I heard Croz say, "Ugh this is such a stupid job," as I peek around the corner and see him dragging Lennox by his baby legs as far away from his toys as possible. Not sure where he learned stupid, but the camera was right there and I said, "Wait Croz what did you just say?" And he repeated the scenario all over again, lucky me. Makes sense though. Don't you feel that way about all kinds of things? Say... washing the dishes? Laundry? Trimming your toenails? Having to physically drag your brother away from getting into your toys every 30 seconds? They are just stupid jobs. (You have to listen carefully to hear it!)

Potty Trained

It happened like everyone said it would... one day he decided it sounded good to use the toilet and wear underwear. He has been going 2 weeks strong and he's got a proud Mom and Dad. Even Lennox likes to crawl into the bathroom to sit there and watch the big event. Gooooo Croz!

He likes his Spiderman underwear the most (go figure), still calls them "Bobs" from time to time like his cousins, and hangs them on his dresser for the next day.