Sunshine On A Cloudy, Rainy Day

We awoke this morning to a downpour of rain (the picture is of our back yard). Not a good thing to wake up to on a morning I know I have to drive 25 miles North to Woodbridge on I-95. For those of you who are not from the area, I-95 would be more appropriately named Parking Lot 95! But I headed out anyway and made it to my destination without too much trouble. Where was I headed you ask? I went to catch the first glimpses of Baby Bean #2! Yes, you read correctly, I am pregnant AGAIN! Yes, if you do the math Jackson and Baby Bean #2 will only be 18 months apart! Crazy? Probably, but that is how it worked out and we are excited to welcome another little one into our family! So far the official due date is June 6th, but that may change with the next ultra sound, we shall see.

Baby Bean #2, 9.8 mm, 7 wk, 0 days

A Beautiful Fall Day

It was recommended to us by my Aunt Trellis to visit Harper's Ferry, WV in the fall. So we figured since she lived the the area for over a decade she knew what she was talking about so we took her advice and headed over. What a neat place indeed. Richard and Melanie Sala (good friends of ours from CU who are also at TBS) joined us in this little fall adventure. We decided we would walk through the little town and take a little hike around the area. Although the leaves were not at their peak the weather was GORGEOUS! We walked by a little church on the hill that was built in 1890, took in the view from the Harper's Ferry cemetery, wandered through the woods, took in the crisp air on the banks of the Shenandoah river. It was truly an enjoyable day.

Richard and Melanie on the chapel steps.

Family photo at Jefferson Rock

View from the cemetery. The picture does not due it justice.

Dan and Jackson on the Shenandoah River

DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!

Dan read an article in Time Magazine about the book The Dangerous Book for Boys by Hal Iggulden and had to have it. The book is chalk full of fun things boys love to do and fun facts to learn. Some of the subjects included are the 50 state capitals, building your own go cart, Rugby rules (Dan especially appreciated the inclusion of this subject), famous battles, great adventure stories, and SO much more. I love the list he has at the back of the book, Books Every Boy Should Read. GREAT! Needless to say Dan didn't waste any time before sharing this book with his little boy. Every father of a boy must have this book!

Up To No Good

Jackson has become very good at low crawling to get himself around. He is a quick little bugger and it doesn't take him long to get into something. For example, this package of Kleenexes. Honestly, I turned away for all of a minute and this is what I find. Our lives have really changed since entering the mobile child phase! It's a good thing he is cute!

Arlington Cemetery

We are quickly realizing our time here in the Washington D.C. area is possibly drawing to a close and we have yet to go into the city and do any of the tourist things. SO, we hopped on the Metro on a Saturday morning and headed into DC. We decided to spend the afternoon at Arlington Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial. It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day. The humidity and heat have subsided for the most part so being outdoors has FINALLY become tolerable. We visitied the tomb of the Unknown Solider, where I could not help but tear up as I read the inscription.

We then headed over to the Marine Memorial or the Iwo Jima Memorial. I was not prepared for how HUGE the monument actually was. What an amazing site! A must see if you are ever in the DC area! Here are the pictures! ENJOY!

I am sure there will be many more trips into DC before the year is over, stay tuned for our future adventures!

Pumpkin Patch

Dan had a three day weekend for Columbus Day, so we took advantage of Military Appreciation Day at the local Pumpkin Patch. I have fond memories of going to the Venetucci Farm on a cool crisp fall day to pick out a pumpkin. Needless to say searching for a pumpkin in 90 degree heat was not too reminiscent of my childhood experiences.

The heat aside, we had a good time getting lost in the HUGE Maize Maze. Jackson was not sure what to make of the maze, but seemed to enjoy his ride on Dad's back.

We headed out on the hay ride to the pumpkin patch to find Jackson a pumpkin. We found one just his size. Of course I couldn't help snapping a couple of pictures while we were out there.

All in all it was a good day despite the blazing heat. Good News! Cooler weather is headed in this week! IT IS ABOUT TIME IT STARTED TO FEEL LIKE FALL!

A Lot Of Catching Up To Do

So I have failed miserably at updating this blog. Things have really picked up here in VA and we have become really busy. Here is a little of what has been going on...

Dan went to the field for a week about two weeks ago. They will go to the field about 4 more times before the end of TBS. During their time in the field the 2nd Lt all take turns executing an attack order they wrote. Dan was first up out of all the 2nd Lt and he did great. His scores came back stating he was above average and executed well. It was a big ego booster for him. It is coming down to the time for to choose his MOS (Military Operational Specialty) or in civilian terms, job. The order changes everyday, but here was the top five as of last I knew: Ground Intelligence, Infantry, Tracks, Tanks, Combat Engineers. Each different possibility could take us to a number of places at the end of TBS. It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

I have joined two different Bible studies, one through Women of the Chapel (a base organization) and one through the church we have been attending. Jackson loves spending time with the other kids while I am in class. But along with other kids comes other germs. We have both been fighting off a little cold the past week.

Other than the cold Jackson is growing like a weed. It is fun to watch him learn new things every day. His favorite word is "Yah". In fact, he says it so much the girls in childcare thought he should be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Halloween. Here are a few pictures I took this morning. He still isn't crawling, however he can get himself where he wants to go by rolling and doing a modified Marine crawl. No teeth yet either.

We have a new addition to our extended family. My cousin Ted and his wife Lara had a little girl on Saturday. Her name is Ellery Trellis Moore. She weighed 8 lbs 9 oz! She has experienced some seizure activity and has been transferred to another hospital in Chicago. After an MRI they discovered she has a small brain bleed. It is unknown at this time what permanent affects this will have on her. Please pray for her! Lara is still at the hospital where she delivered and has been unable to see Ellery in two days. My heart hurts with them as I remember what it is like to have a little one in the NICU.

I know this probably doesn't go into as much depth as you would like about our life here. I am rededicating myself to updating this more often.