You Know You're In Texas If...

10. It takes longer to drive from the airport to the house than it does to fly across six states.

9. Your five year old asks, "Everyone talks so slow. Why don't we talk like that?"

8. Your seven year old says, "Mom, what happens when two people have different skin colors and they get married?" and you are afraid to answer the question because of what might happen when you give your liberal (I use that loosely and you must be reminded "liberal" through the eyes of a Texan) based response among much more conservative and biased people.

7. One of your niece's first words is "TOUCHDOWN!" and it is complete with the hands up in the air.

6. The preacher's Sunday morning sermon includes stories with parallels to pick up trucks, creek beds, and loyal dogs.

5. The A&M school song resonates through the house.

4. You have deer meat for dinner.

3. Your kids hunt for deer in the back yard so as to secure the next meal.

2. Your children disregard anyone speaking Spanish and don't think for a moment that it might be "strange" and instead cause a scene with their screeches of laughter when they hear Japanese spoken.

1. The kids receive camoflauge bibs and coveralls as Christmas gifts....and like it!

We are spending the week in Texas and lovin' every minute of it!

With Love, Evan and Keagan

You might recall that last year Evan purchased a flashing lights ring for me for Christmas from the school’s Holiday Gift Shop. It was the most precious gift! This year I fully expected something similar, and if not another ring, I assumed it would be the lipstick case proudly displayed at the entrance of the holiday shop.

Imagine my surprise when I opened this....

A test tube of gel with a furry spider included!

When I asked Evan what I was supposed to do with it, he replied, "Play tricks on people with it, Mom!" I started laughing so hard that he then said, "See, Mom? You already like it. You are going to have lots of fun with it!"

And Keagan? He was allowed to attend the Holiday Gift Shop this year and he bought gifts with his allowance as well. In addition to purchasing a gift for himself (the monster truck was calling his name!), he purchased a robotic reading lamp for me.

He was so proud of the gift because he knows that I read almost every night. He told me he bought it so that I could "read stories in bed." So very thoughtful!

Christmas Get-a-Way

Instead of going over the top with big name toys that the boys will spend a day (or a week if we are lucky) playing with, we try to take a short family vacation prior to the Christmas holiday. This year our family experience took place at Great Wolf Lodge. Two years ago we made the same trip, but it was an entirely new experience now that both boys can swim and feel so comfortable in the water.

While I sat under the heater with a book, Wes took the boys through the water park. Keagan tried to surf for the first time, and in true form, he was able to to stay on the board after only one try. The kid can do anything requiring any type of athletic ability. Evan entered the water park and went straight for the big slides. He was looking for the excitement of big falls and dark slides.

The morning we checked out of the resort and dropped by the arcade room to play a few games. It was like Chuck E Cheese in the dark, and because I do not like Chuck E Cheese, this was not my idea of fun. Without hesitation, Keagan ran to the car rides, and I was left monitoring him as he raced and crashed into everything. But it was all worth it for him when he saw the girls in bikinis cheering for him. Evan, on the other hand, played every sports related game he could find. If it had a ball, he was playing; he was looking to compete and win.

Remind me to never, ever play the Magic Quest game at GWL ever again because if I have to search for a pixie hidden in a tree, decipher clues in a rule book, or listen to the instructions of the old-man wizard, I might just come to blows with Evan. Keagan randomly hit every piece in the Magic game with his magic wand and somehow became a Junior Magi. I have no idea how he did this because he never captured one rune. Evan, however, wanted to battle the dragon without capturing any runes. When I tried to explain this to him, I was immediately dismissed because as a female, I must know nothing of the ways of make-believe wizards. At 9:00 last night, I thought that we would return with one-less child. However, after a good night's rest, I persuaded Evan he needed to capture a rune or two and we did that this morning before leaving the resort.

We left the resort with an experience or two, some better than others, but we are so very thankful to be together again this Christmas season.

Blizzard Day 3

The snowman, with eyes made of croutons and a pipe made of string cheese, is the most beautiful of all.

Until Keagan killed him with a karate chop to the head.

Evan continues to mourn the loss.

Blizzard day 2

We are loving all of this snow!

Let It Snow!

I am having a hard time envisioning twenty inches of snow. I saw one deep snow when we lived in Ansbach, but it was more like ten inches. I am not sure how anyone prepares for that much snow, and because no one here in the city really believed that the storm would be this big, not many people did much to prepare. So after work today I joined the millions of other people who were out in full force trying to take care of last minute errands, fully expecting to be snowed in for the next three days. And because the meteorologists add another inch or two of snow to the expected total about every three hours, I am now really worried that I didn't do enough to prepare. Here was our plan as of 7:25 this morning when I left for work:

- Purchase salt for the sidewalks and driveway. I am not really sure why we did this because a fine dusting of salt will not do much with twenty inches of snow sitting on top of it. At 7:00 this morning it seemed to make a lot more sense.

- Does anyone send Christmas cards anymore? After debating this for weeks, I decided to just skip it this year. I couldn't find a good picture of the boys to put on the card (really, Evan, can you just smile once???). It's just plain expensive at 44 cents a pop for postage. After deciding to just forget it, I found myself at the post office today buying two books of holiday stamps so the cards will arrive before Santa does.

- Purchase sleds. For the past two years, the boys have used the sled of our 19 year old neighbor. She is a girl. The sled is pink. Wes decided he wasn't going to spend the entire week photo-shopping the pink sled in our wonderful snow pictures (the picture that should probably be on our Christmas card), and he didn't want anyone to know his boys were sitting on anything dainty and feminine like a pink sled. Never mind it moves like a bullet down the golf course hills and offers hours of pure enjoyment for the boys. Our new sleds are red and blue - very manly choices.

- I made the late night run to Target to score a few supplies. You would assume this would include milk or eggs. Staples that any family would need during a major snowstorm. However, I was in dire need of marsh mellow creme and semi-sweet chocolate chips because with all the time I expect to have, I thought it would be nice to make a batch of fudge. Can you believe that Target does not sell marsh mellow creme? The horror. The bigger horror, though, was the parking lot of Shoppers on 234. There was no way I was entering that mayhem. I decided against fudge and decided to make sugar cookies instead. We will re-emerge from this storm with a few extra pounds because I have some grand baking plans.

- When I heard snow, I knew I wanted a fire. It was too late to call McGyver, the affectionate name we give the LADY that re-lights the antiquated gas stove every year in our house. That meant the job was left to Wes. He took the entire stove apart yesterday morning, and we now sit in front of a warm fire. I owe him big.

We are now armed with salt, sleds, sugar cookies, and a warm fire.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!!

Winter Wonderland

The first of the snow has arrived and it is absolutely beautiful! We spent an hour this morning sledding, throwing snowballs, and making snow angels in about fourteen inches of perfect, powder snow. 

I am assuming our Christmas vacation has been extended three days!

Parade of the Magi

Keagan's pre-school performed the annual Parade of the Magi Christmas program today. It was quite refreshing to hear songs with direct references to Jesus and the celebration of His birth as opposed to "winter themed holiday songs."

Santa Train

On the day that tickets went on sale for the local Santa train, I was convinced that I was the only person in NoVA who knew that they were available for the first time on-line. So I expected no problems purchasing the tickets. I timed my lesson plan on that Monday so my students would be in the middle of independent seat work while I made my secret purchase. I had no idea I was fighting thousands of other crazed moms for the twenty tickets available on-line. I was horrified when within five minutes of logging on the site, SOLD OUT flashed before my eyes in big bold Christmas colors.

Assuming that I would have to explain to my sweet boys that the holiday train ride planned with the Big Guy in Red was a no-go, I made one last ditch effort to find tickets. I was told I could get them if I drove to the Manassas train station. I did and I got them. Praise, Jesus! Because the look of relief on Evan's face when I finally held the precious things in my hands, told me that he wanted this more than I ever imagined.

Today was the big day and we were lucky enough to ride in a car with only one other family. It was a quiet ride and fairly relaxing. When Santa finally arrived, he was less than jolly and acted like it was a real nuisance to take a picture with two very well behaved and cooperating boys, but that didn't keep Evan and Keagan from whispering their wish lists to Mrs. Clause. Would you believe that they whispered the exact toys stowed away under my bed? 

We had much better luck later in the afternoon with the Santa at Party City. Just as last year, he gave the kids goodie bags and allowed the kids to sit on his lap for a full five minutes. Keagan couldn't have been happier.

St. Nicholas Day

St. Nicholas Day - We brought this holiday tradition with us from Germany, and although we haven't been in Germany for several years now, it is now a permanent fixture in our holiday routine. At school on Friday, Keagan's teacher presented a lesson on St. Nicholas, and he was the only kid in the class that could honestly say he celebrated "the boot holiday." This week Evan was responsible for producing a poster that outlined a family holiday tradition. He chose St. Nicholas Day. With all of this reinforcement, we definitely couldn't ignore the day.

On December 5, the boys place Wes's black Army boots by the door and St. Nicholas fills them with candy and sticks (reminders that you must be on your best behavior if you want Santa to visit on the 24th). This year was no exception. We were awakened at a very early hour to see what St. Nick left this year. Pop Rocks were a huge hit!

Camper of the Week

There is no debating that Evan and his first grade teacher got off to a rocky start this school year. It might have had something to do with his very pushy and assertive mother who questioned the teacher from the get-go, but that was only once.or twice. Anyway, after mornings of hiding behind the toilet, after countless pleas to be like Noah and to be home-schooled, and after screaming matches of "GET DRESSED ALREADY!!!", I didn't think that we would survive the first quarter. Here we are, though, in the middle of the second quarter, and things seem to be going a little better. Evan gets up and dressed with no more tears and the teacher has seemed to take a greater interest in Evan and my opinions of how Evan learns best.:)

On Friday he was chosen as Camper of the Week. Never mind that we are in week fourteen of the school year and half the class has already been chosen. Never mind that the only kids that have not been chosen are the kids with severe behavior problems. As I write this, I am only slightly worried with the above observations. More than anything I am thankful that he was not the last one to be chosen. It is still Evan's week in the spotlight and so we begin the week of celebration.

His first reward...Complete the Me Poster.

UGH!

Another artsy, fartsy, draw, sketch, and color project. Evan was thrilled, but not nearly as much as I.

When we put the last piece together on Sunday afternoon, Evan said, "I don't know, Mom. It doesn't look like any Me Poster that I have seen before!"

Let's hope the teacher gives points for being unique!

Snow Day

We got our first snow today. The boys took the sled down the hill on the golf course and then came in for mugs of hot chocolate. I was content in knowing I could enjoy it from my window. However, the excitement and anticipation of getting snow was not lost on me. I realize this could be the last time we will see snow for quite some time; as much as I look forward to year around warm weather and the beach, I will miss the occasional snow day.

Gettysburg

After my family left for the airport, Wes and I decided to pack up and take the kids to Gettysburg. The timing was perfect because with wind chills in the thirties it was extremely comfortable to be outside walking through a battlefield and climbing Little Round Top. However, when Wes reminded me that the crowds would have been over the top in August when I first suggested that we go, I decided zipping through the park on the coldest day of the year was maybe not that bad.

Evan and Keagan actually got a lot out of the experience. They now understand that the South was composed of "bad guys" and that the "good guys", The North, succeeded in winning the war. Considering our next move is to South Carolina, the heart of the Confederacy and the first state to succeed from the nation, I figure Evan's analysis of the Civil War will go over really well when discussions begin in history class in say two years. Keagan made the most important observation when he said he would fight for the Union because their uniforms looked the best. 

When Wes and I tried to explain the implications of the North winning the war, and the effect it has had on our society, Evan was able to simply say, "The brown guy wouldn't be president; he would just be a guy."

Keagan "What's the brown guy's name?"

Me "Obama"

Keagan "Yeah, yeah, I like him! He should be president!"

And because this conversation proves we have lived outside the Beltway for most of our our childrens' lives and indicates we now have Democrats in our midst, we will be even more popular in the state of Georgia. Instead of Icebergs, I can hear Keagan suggesting that his next soccer team be called the blue donkeys.

In all seriousness, though, I found the day trip highly educational, and I am really glad that we were able to make the trip before we PCS. I read an article a month ago that stated that every American should visit Gettysburg because the outcome of this battle had more implications for our country than any other. I couldn't agree more.

Trains, History, and God

Today we drove into the city to the Botanical Gardens for the Christmas train show. We have made it an annual visit because Keagan has always been a train enthusiast. However, it was Evan that was the most impressed this year. With his little digital camera, he took a picture of every single leaf, bush, and flower. This year's theme is Childhood Stories and it is more elaborate and detailed than any of the past. It was well worth the wait in the cold; even Wes agreed it was a good idea to visit again. 

We also made a stop at the National Archives to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. This has been on our to-do list for five years, and we couldn't believe our luck when we arrived and found such a short wait! When I asked the boys what they had learned during their visit to the vault, Keagan responded with the default answer, the answer that works for almost every situation except a visit to the National Archives. His answer: "God."

Thanksgiving

For the first time in a really long time, we celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. We ate some wonderful food, watched several games of football, and played lots of Uno.

Last year my mom sent me the idea of making cupcakes in the shape of a turkeys. After making fifteen of those things last year and almost losing my mind thumbing through stacks and stacks of sprinkles to produce thirty turkey feet, I vowed never again. This year my mom found the idea of making Pilgrim hats out of cookies and marsh mellows. After her experience, she promised to eliminate all holiday cooking crafts.

Vikki wanted Wes to take a few pictures of Mallory. She wouldn't pose for anything, but this one of her walking out the front door is the cutest thing!

A Day of Sharing

Today the students in Keagan's school presented the annual Day of Sharing program. 

Dressed as Pilgrims and Indians, the kids played instruments they had made in class, sang a few songs, and recited a few chants. Each student was required to create an authentic Indian name. Keagan's choice: Baseball Elephant.

Where's the Flag, Ref?

When Evan came up from making a tackle today spitting out grass, another mom of a player from our team yelled, "That's what I like to see. Tackling so hard you take a bite of the ground!" I knew instantly we were meant to be best friends. I wished I would have seen her more often on the sidelines because with this little comment, I felt an immediate connection. It's not every day I find another mother who follows the game as closely as I do, or who yells at the ref when bad calls are made. She didn't bring a magazine to read, and there was no collapsible chair on her shoulder when she arrived. She was pacing the sidelines with each play just like I was. However, today was the last game of the fall season, and beyond the introductions of "Hi, I am Jordan's mom" and "I am Evan's mom", we were so caught up with missed holding calls, we didn't make much conversation. Wes says I will meet plenty of moms just like me once we get to Georgia, but my experience tells me that today was a unique situation.

I have registered both boys to play in the spring. I think Keagan was persuaded to play by Evan because Evan wants so desperately to win next season. He believes that he and Keagan will play the roles of Romo and Witten (those are Cowboy greats for you non-Texans), and in the months ahead, they will perfect a couple of plays (ie Evan will pass the ball to Keagan and watch him run) that will take the other teams by surprise. No one will expect the small white boy to be any good. I am certain Evan is banking on this!

Thanks to this season's coaches who proved that Evan was ready to play the game of football and that God gave me boys because He knew how much I would enjoy bundling up in forty degree weather to yell, "Holding!" and "Where's the flag, ref?"

Ninja's Newest Member

Whereas Evan has been blessed with a wonderful soccer coach, Keagan has not been so lucky. I realize it is recreational soccer and that he is only five years old, but the Toole boys and the Toole boys' mama only know competitive soccer. As a result, we expect the coach do a little more than just pass out a snack schedule and wear a whistle. We want drills, laps, and called plays. We also expect any male coach to refrain from wearing any foundation or concealer make up, and because Wes is certain Keagan's coach did just that, we went into the season with a few doubts. After the coach didn't show for last week's game and Wes was out in his Sunday best running drills before the game, we decided we needed to begin the hard search for a real soccer coach. It's more difficult than you might think, and as much as you might be thinking this, it has nothing to do with the level of expectations that I might have. Luckily we think we have found him.

Next season, Keagan will play for Coach Bob, and because he has weekly practices that include drills with cones, wears tank tops (it seems like a realy manly, sporty thing to do), and doesn't wear any make-up, we feel certain he will be a good match for us. Even without the coach, the team has a lot to offer. Keagan will be playing with his best friend Mason, and although Keagan will attempt to create game winning plays with his BFF, Mason will be sure to keep him grounded with discussions of Star Wars and battle scenes. We don't stop there, though. The team also has a very fierce name. The Ninjas. 

On January 9 we begin the indoor winter season with the Ninjas. Here's to Coach Bob and the new team! 

Puppy Love

Keagan's take home folder was stuffed today with pieces of artwork that I instantly recognized as the handiwork of any child but my own. For one, it included pictures of things that I could easily identify. My own boys draw like me and that means they will be third graders before they can draw stick figures. Second, the color palette included purples and pinks. My boys only use black and blue with splotches of red to resemble fire because everything crashes and burns when you are five and a boy. And last, the artwork was completed on stationary. We are lucky to find some printer paper when the boys get the hankering to draw, which is so rare there is no need for us to keep any fancy paper with flowers and colored lines.

When I asked Keagan about the drawings, he told me he drew them for me. As much as I wanted to believe he made such a thoughtful gesture, I didn't believe him for a second. I knew he was hiding something. So I asked again about the artwork. This time he told me Riley, a little girl in his class, drew them at home and brought them to school today.

There are two Rileys in Keagan's class and so I had to clarify the identity of the little girl. Keagan replied that it was the "not cute Riley" that drew the pictures and then furthered revealed to Evan that this is the same Riley that told him in class on Monday that he was handsome. Later he said, "I don't know why she always wants to play dogs and chase me around the playground." Oh, for puppy love!

Riley's beautiful rainbow pictures have been put away for safe keeping. They now sit next to the wonderful pictures that Campbell drew Evan two years ago. I am hoping to meet the master rainbow artist very soon! 

Most Aggressive Player

Team United completed its fall season tonight with the bi-annual dinner at Fuddruckers. During trophy presentations, Evan was awarded the certificate for most aggressive player. Of all the titles passed out to the boys, I felt this one was the most prized.

No Turkey This Thanksgiving

This is Evan's turkey. 

His task for the week was to disguise his turkey so that it is not eaten for Thanksgiving dinner. Evan first planned to create a turkey soldier, but when he couldn't find camouflage in the house (yes, I realize Wes is in the Army and that camo should be found in every closet, but for some reason it was never spotted by Evan). His next plan was the pirate, and because we have left-over eye patches from last year's pirate birthday party, it seemed like a good idea to me. But do you know how hard it is for a seven year old to design a costume from a "variety of materials" that fits a paper turkey? Really absurd. And let me say again REALLY ABSURD.

Once we got the turkey dressed, we designed a background for the turkey. Evan drew a pier, cut out a little brown pirate ship, and designed the plan to use sand paper for the sand of the beach. After cutting strips, we decided that didn't look good. So at the afternoon hour of 5:45 when the sun should still be shining but it is as black as midnight I drove to Dolphin Beach to collect sand. I could see nothing and all I could do was pray that I didn't scoop up a cup of sand that included goose poop. Luckily I didn't or thought I didn't, but when I got it home, Keagan instantly asked, "What's that horrible smell?" Oh, let the halls of first grade reek of goose poop! Revenge is sweet.

I feel certain that this activity will be listed on Evan's differentiated instruction plan, and I am sure it is found under the sub-heading "creativity and ingenuity". However, I feel CRAP would be the better title. Just because it is cute doesn't mean that it has any academic merit. This is what I wanted to scream when I supervised Evan cutting boots from black plastic flags, when I searched the house high and low for red material for the pirate shirt, when I persuaded Evan that euro coins (because Lord knows we have no use for them now) would work for treasure as well as pennies that can actually be spent in the United States, when I scrubbed the sand permanently glued to the kitchen island, when we promised Keagan his blue knight's spear would return in about one week, and when I argued that no one will tell that the navy pirate hair isn't really black.

But alas it is done. Evan says his is the best, and I guess that is a good thing. God, forbid, we send a turkey to school that is not fully outfitted with a treasure chest, ship, pier, and buried gold coins.

Swimming for the Gold

My little fish! Keagan loves the water and while Evan sometimes whines about making the trip to swim lessons on Tuesday afternoons, Keagan always looks forward to it. If we could afford it, I would send him multiple times a week. That's how much he enjoys it! Today he was promoted to swim tots six after he mastered the skills kick and catch and see saw. While the soccer and t-ball seasons are coming to an end, he is excited that we will continue to swim throughout the winter.

Evan is Seven!

Fourteen little boys + two games of laser tag + six pizzas + one big GI Joe Cake = Evan's 7th Birthday Party

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy!

Peach Orchards and Low Country Cookin'

We are trading opera for country music,
We are swapping vineyards for peach orchards,
We are, with some hesitation, saying good-bye to European history and hello to the home of the Confederacy, and
We are giving up wine (well, Venetian wine) and home-made pasta for sweet tea and low country cookin'.

Yes, we chose Georgia. I know you're shocked because I know most people assumed we would go with Germany. However, neither of us looked forward to downsizing our house to fit into a 1200 square foot apartment, ordering internet service with Duetch Telecom (my whole body convulses with just the thought of the service), or living thousands of miles from a Target.

I was in complete support of the move to Fort Stewart, Georgia because it provides year around warm weather, quick access to the beach, a housing market that we can afford, and a short term stint living in the deep South. That was until I went to the bank today. I ran into a woman, an Army spouse, that I had never met before. The inevitable PCS move was broached and when I said, with a smile on my face I might add, that we were moving to Hinesville, Georgia, she said without any hesitation, "Oh I hated that place! You won't get out of there fast enough."

And I said in a very polite way, "Please don't tell me that. I really want to make this move a good one." And she proceeded to say, "No, I am telling you. It is that bad. Did you know the town doesn't even have a Target?"

It was at this point that I was wondering if I should serve Shock Top or a bottle of port when I broke the news to Wes that I wanted to change my mind...again.

However, I am convinced that I can be happy anywhere; I will be happier if there is a Target within a five minute drive and if we find a house with a pool. Did I mention the humidity is really uncomfortable there?

Well, look at me all worked up about a Target and a pool when we are still dependent on the Army to get us there. I need to remember what happened to us just last week and know that it can all change again next week. Until then I will welcome the thought of peach orchards and low country cookin'.

Happy Birthday, Evan!

Seven years ago today Evan surprised us with his early arrival. What a great day that was! This morning he awoke to clues that led him on a search through the house to the new bike that awaited him in the garage. Mr. Fennelson, our next door neighbor, will be the happiest with this gift because I think he had all he could take of bike repairs.

Even if he does require 20 inch bike, he is still a little boy. It's highly probable that we will leave his birthday party on Friday with crumbs of chocolate cake and clumps of icing on his mouth just as he did at his first birthday party.

This Life of Ours

Thanks for the calls of concern, the emails, the messages, and just the general questions all of you have had this past week as we have struggled to come to terms with our disappointments. The Army deleted our original orders to Vicenza, Italy for reasons that we wish to not elaborate upon because it makes Wes's blood pressure rise and tears to come to my eyes. After several therapy sessions involving Reece's peanut butter assorted two pound bags of candy (I didn't even know this assortment of fine chocolate even existed until I went to Target last week wishing to buy my way to happiness), I think I have recovered. Wes went to assignments on Thursday, and after profuse apologies and statements like "it is out of our hands" and other statements that went something like "blah, blah, blah" we were promised any duty station of our choice. I feel the conversation went something like this.

Assignments: We are so sorry about this situation. We will be happy to send you anywhere you would like. Name your place.
Wes: Fort Sam Houston, Texas please.
Assignments: Well, any place but there. That locale is at max capacity.
Wes: Okay well you tell me what you have open and we will go from there.
Assignments: How about Fort Drum, NY?
Wes: I can feel the frost bite on my toes already. Next option.
Assignments: Fort Dix, NJ. It is only a couple of hours drive from Philadelphia.
Wes: Philly? I went there once. That was enough for me. Next.
Assignments: Fort Campbell, KY
Wes: Yeah, I really don't think my wife would fit in with the rolling hills of Kentucky.
Assignments: Korea is always open.
Wes: I have been there before. It's a country filled with little people who eat kimchi for every meal.
Assignments: Fort Bliss, Texas is really struggling for agents.
Wes: That's in the middle of the Juarez drug cartel where people are kidnapped and murdered daily. I might as well go to Afghanistan.
Assignments: Fort Hood - they really need some new agents this spring and it's home for you.
Wes: Have you been to Texas? It can take two days to drive from one end to the other. I might as well be in Kansas because it is just as close.
Assignments (By now the humor of the one-liners is weighing heavy on the lady in the cubicle behind the computer screen): I can send you to Vicenza working in a different capacity.
Wes: Okay. This is better. What else?
Assignments: Germany has an opening in Schweinfurt. I can give you Fort Stewart outside of Savannah, or I can send you to Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia.

So there you have it. We have some possible answers to the move we will make in six weeks! We still have to make the decision and make it quickly. I feel like another bag of peanut butter cups may be in order.

Fall Festival

Keagan's school sponsored a fall festival on Friday. The kids wore costumes, played a few carnival games, and shared Halloween treats.

Halloween

The boys love Halloween almost as much as Christmas! They have been anxiously awaiting tonight for weeks!

Snake Eyes and Indiana Jones

We first took the boys trick or treating on our old street in Montclair. We stopped at a friends' house on our way back home. Keagan and Josh are in the same class this year; Evan and Caleb were in the same class last year.

 When our neighbor, Mr. Fennelson, saw Keagan in his Indiana Jones hat, he had to put his on, too. We have been blessed with wonderful neighbors while living in Montclair. The boys look forward to Mr. Fennelson's arrival from work every afternoon and they would spend every Saturday afternoon "piddlin'" with him in the garage if I would let them.

When we returned home, the boys dumped their baskets to take a closer look at their loot. As they tore into boxes of drops and pieces of laffy taffy, I heard Evan say, "This was the best Halloween ever!" 

Weekend Sports Update #6

Patriots Football
It would have been great if we could have won this game. The coaches for the other team play dirty and a win would have been sweet revenge. Not that I am a vengeful person or anything.... 

Rockies T-Ball Last game of the fall season
I asked if the coaches planned to take a team again in the spring, but they didn't seem too interested. Since all four of their boys play in the dirt and try to skip playing as much as possible, I feel certain that is a negative. If we are here in March, then I need to start shopping for a new coach. Keagan asked if Italians play baseball, and I told him no. I didn't have the heart to tell him that it appears the Army has yet another plan for our lives and we won't be living in Italy next summer, but since I have no idea where we will be living, I said nothing. It wouldn't matter anyway because just as soon as we were actually told, it would change all over again. As you can clearly read, I have no hard feelings over the situation at all. I am completely fine with the idea of living in the midst of Confederate flags and humidity higher than any human should have to endure.

United Soccer
What's so say that hasn't been blogged in the last three years? Evan scored and we won! 

Icebergs Soccer

Keagan scored again and again; our team won.