Baby Tytus

Congrats to our friends, Justin and Angi, on the birth of their third baby boy! He was a big 'un -- 10lbs 5oz!

Dinner

I think someone liked his lasagna tonight.

Deployment Charm Bracelet

Remember the deployment charm bracelet Will's parents gave me back in November? Well here it is! I now have November's, December's, and January's charms!

November's Charm: This is the yellow ribbon. It is etched on the back with 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

December's Charm: This is the one in the middle - the Chaplain Corps Regimental Insignia. It is etched with Joshua 1:9.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

January's Charm: This is the little boy, honoring Owen's birth month! It is etched with James 1:17a.

Every good and perfect gift is from above...

Do you not LOVE it?! I do!!! Stay tuned because I plan on posting all other charms as well!!

12-Month Photo

I picked up Owen's 12-month photos today and just had to post one. Can't beat Wal-Mart's $6 portrait package! :)

Just for fun, here is Carlee Scott's 12-month photo.

Pics of Will

Will just sent me some more pictures! I just LOVE modern technology:) Even a few years ago when he was deployed, we didn't have digital cameras so I never saw pictures of him while he was gone. This is such a huge blessing because getting pictures of him - especially ones taken that same day - makes me feel like he's not so far away. Now if they could only figure out a way to get him set up to view the blog, we'd be in good shape. The Army has blocked Blogger - booo!!

Here is Will with a vehicle called the Buffalo. The arm on the left is what picks up suspicious things on the road and moves them aside. He got to ride on this last week and said it is a HUGE vehicle.

Here he is with George, a fellow VMI grad ('04, I believe -- Will is '01). They are celebrating the birth of George's son! Baby George was born just a few days ago.

Owen, Carlee Scott, and Jack

Check out my mom's latest creation for Owen. Is this not adorable?!

The next few pictures crack me up. Jack is still not very good around the children, simply because he gets overly excited and tramples them (he's only 10 months old). It's a big problem and I'm trying my hardest to get him to stop. So to get him more used to having the kids around, I take a long leash and hook him up to Will's chair in the living room. That way, he has a little bit of room to move around, he can watch the kids and become more comfortable, and I have the reassurance that he won't go wild. It also seems to calm him down to have the leash on. The pictures below were taken after lunch when Carlee Scott decided to give him some love.

Today

I used to love Saturdays but ever since Will left, they have been my least favorite day of the whole week. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think it's because most everyone is enjoying family time. I don't dread Saturdays (or any day, for that matter), but I do wish for it to pass quickly! :) We have had lots of fun today. We went to the gym bright and early so I could get another hour of Bodypump under my belt. Then we came home, danced around the house (which both kids found to be hysterical), played, had lunch, and now the kids are napping. The rest of the day should include things on my to-do list, visiting our neighbor's new baby, dinner, and bed! Nothing too exciting, but it should be a good day. Hope you all are enjoying your weekend so far!

Here is what Carlee Scott's hair looks like today. Hmmm, not so straight like it was yesterday, but this is an accurate picture of what her hair looks like everyday. I may try to leave it down for church tomorrow. We'll see.

Playing with purses in her princess skirt.

Owen is on the move!

Yay! Daddy called for Carlee Scott!

Haircut

When Carlee Scott was about one year old, I remember her hair started to really grow quickly and it began sprouting the most adorable little curls. I was so excited that she would have curly hair!! Well, it hasn't turned out quite the way I had hoped. I have struggled with her hair for a long time now. It's too wavy to be straight and fixed and it's too straight to be super curly...if that makes any sense. It's so thin that it usually ends up frizzy, straggly, and going every-which-way. So I've just been sticking her hair up in a pony-tail because it always looks straggly when it's down. Well today, I said, "Enough!" I took her to the salon I go to for a real haircut. They took off about three or four inches and it's made a big difference. It's soooo cute!!

Very excited!

Trying very hard to stay still.

Owen wanted in on the action, too.

Such a good girl!

This is fun.

This is the first time she has had her hair blown dry. She thought it was cool.

Ta-da!!

The Gym

This morning, we did something really fun! I had no idea that a local gymnastics facility offered open gym on Friday mornings, so we loaded up with friends and went to play! It was a blast. Carlee Scott was all over the place, climbing and jumping. Owen crawled around and loved all the fun toys. We'll have to do it again sometime!

It won't be long...

until this little guy is walking.

Coloring Pictures For Daddy

Bedtime Stories With Daddy

This was a HUGE hit!! I'm embarrassed to say I hadn't shown Carlee Scott the storytime videos Will made yet. With the madness of the bathtime/bedtime routine, I kept forgetting. Finally, I remembered and she absolutely loved it. She kept saying "That's my Daddy" and "I love my Daddy." Woohoo!

Growing Kids!

It's been a great Monday! The weather here is cool and breezy and I love it. I took Owen to his 12-month doctor's appointment after the gym and he is doing very well! He is healthy, strong, and right on track. He is in the 90th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight. Looks like we have a long and lean little boy. Carlee Scott was measured yesterday in her Sunday School class for an activity, and after checking out some growth charts online, it looks like she is in the 97th percentile for height and 85th for weight. Big, strong girl. Back to Owen - at the end of his checkup, he received 4 shots and was not pleased. Thankfully, he recovered quickly and was back to charming all the staff. I am so thankful for these healthy children!

Isaac

We had the wonderful opportunity to watch sweet baby, Isaac, for his mom today. She needed to head up to Waco for some testing (she is a teacher). He is a delightful boy! Isaac is the son of Justin and Emily. Justin (who is also deployed) is one of Will's good buddies from his summer in South Carolina. We are so glad they got stationed at Fort Hood, too!

Daddy Calls

We have set aside Saturdays at noon for Daddy to call and only talk to Carlee Scott. Here she is talking to him just a few minutes ago. Love that smile!!

Will's Adventures

Will is having THE best time! He sent more pictures today and I am so thankful. He's been traveling into the city quite a bit with his soldiers, but he assures me that he is as safe as possible. What an amazing experience for him! Here are two of the pictures he sent today. The first is with some children. They wouldn't get too close to him but this kind of picture warms my heart. He said they gave him high fives after the pic! The second one is Will and an Iraqi policeman who was on the patrol with his group.

Good Times

Tonight, we had a baby shower for our good friend, Julie, who is expecting her 4th baby in about 7-8 weeks! It was held at a restaurant and was so much fun!!

The whole gang.

The cookie cake.

Happy mom-to-be (again!).

Julie and the hostesses...
L to R: Kelly, Wendy, Stacie, Julie, Laura, me, Angi
(Fun factoid: There are 14 children between us with 2 in utero!)
(Another special factoid: These are some of the faces of friends who greatly helped me through the loss of our Campbell.)