Ohhhh Georgieeeee....

Naps are overlapping right now! Let me tell you some more about our little monkey. It blows my mind that he's 6 months old in just a few days! This morning I peeked at him in the play room and he was just holding onto the toy basket... standing. My mama heart is simultaneously proud and apprehensive and exhausted. He has no idea that he's a baby. He can already get anywhere he wants to go and he's getting faster by the minute. We gave him some banana last night and it went over well. I could almost hear him saying, "It's about time you let me eat dinner with you guys." Grandma brought him a johnny jump-up when she came to visit. He absolutely loves it! (Jack loves it too...) We also just got him a convertible carseat. He's able to see Jack and see out the window now which has helped some with the fussiness. Speaking of volume, he's babbling more and more as well. He loves to be talked to, especially by his big brother. My favorite thing is just staring into his beautiful blue eyes and chatting. He likes to grab my face with his strong little pinching hands and chatter away. It's the sweetest ever. I took the boys to story time at a local library yesterday. I was so surprised to see how much Georgie enjoyed it! He crawled over to the alphabet rug and sat with all the big kids then played with all the toys at the end. Georgie Cooper, we think you're pretty great! Happy 6 months!

Hey again! I have a quick second so I thought I'd post a few more pictures of life lately. About a month and a half ago we took a trip to Boone, NC. It was a great weekend away and we made lots of memories. Jack still talks about the Blue Ridge Parkway. "Yay hikin'!" he says. We walked along the ridge of Grandfather Mountain, hiked, saw bears, bald eagles, jumping fish, diggers, and drank lots of coffee (as always).

So........ Our sweet Georgie will be 6 months old in 10 days. It goes without saying that life has been crazy. Since the idea of starting where I left off seems daunting, I'll just start from where we are. The past couple of days he's been gaining confidence and can officially sit up on his own. Today he's mixing some legitimate crawling into his scootches. He can definitely get anywhere he wants to go. He's one happy baby most of the time. The carseat is his least favorite place. He makes all sorts of sweet noises and has the fluffiest, most delicious cheeks. He's a decent sleeper and a great eater. For now he's nursing well and I imagine there will be no stopping him once we introduce "real food."

The boys are crazy about each other. It's been so awesome to see them interact. Lots of kisses and wrestles and toy sharing and stealing! Jack's vocabulary has really taken off. He has started going to a PMO program twice a week. I cannot believe he's that big! He loves his teachers and just walks right in with his little raccoon backpack. (He even peed in the potty there today!) He's basically a teenager.

I finished up the boys' Halloween costumes today. We're going to have Curious George and the Daddy with the yellow hat and Jackosaurus Rex. There's going to be lots of cute over here.

Sarah-Kathryn was here for a visit recently. She took care of Jack so J and I could have a weekend away. I think Georgie loved having all our attention. Mom and Dad just left on Tuesday. We had a great time and both boys enjoyed all the Grandma and Grandpa cuddles.

                                     

Jack and Georgie at 5 months

"Georgie play harmonica."

Gotta hurry! He's napping.... It's nearly Christmas! Even if all he wants to do is play with wrapping paper and cardboard boxes, I'm so excited to experience this Christmas as a little family of 3 (almost 4!). I think I say it every time but Jack is getting more and more fun by the day. The way his eyes light up when J chases him around or scares him when he's coming around a corner is totally priceless. He loves loves loves reading. His current favorites are "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and what I'm pretty sure is a Chick-fil-a kid's meal prize book called "Wild Animals." He also went through a "Are you my Mother?" phase recently so that one is currently hiding under the couch. He's become very independent and wants to hold Walker's leash when we go outside. He's crazy about ducks and fish and will say his own version of "cockadoodledoo!!" when we do his farm animals puzzle. He loves playing ball and he's just started laying on his belly and pushing his cars around. I don't know where he learned that. Must be one of those innate "boy" things. I've been getting some pictures together for his first birthday party (rubber ducky themed, by the way) and I'm blown away... It's been almost an entire year with our precious boy! I know the pregnancy hormones are raging but seriously, guys.... He's such an incredible joy.

In other news, I'm halfway through pregnancy #2! Our anatomy scan is scheduled for Monday morning and that baby had better cooperate! I'm dying to know if Jack will have a little sister or brother. Also, we officially have orders! We found out that we're headed to Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC in March. It keeps hitting me that we'll leave our little island soon and I just have to warn J... There will be tears.

Okay! I have some dishes to do before the peace is disrupted... Love you!

Good morning! It's nap time for the babe so I thought I'd take the opportunity to update y'all. Mom is here and we're loving it! Jack jumped right into her arms at the airport and has been thoroughly enjoying his grandma's attention ever since. He's also officially 10 months old! Our monthly pictures are getting more and more difficult. We've resorted to bribery and several of the pictures show a mouthful of cheesy puffs.

Jack decided to start walking on October 23rd! We thought he was all over the place before but this really is a whole new ballgame. He toddles around everywhere and is so proud of himself. He's a pretty great eater and enjoys sharing nearly everything that J and I have. He's so over jarred purees but will suck down one of those baby food pouches like it's his job. He still loves yogurt and yogurt melts the best. It's been amazing to watch him imitate us when we play with his toys. Last night he pushed a ball around with a stick. I know his daddy can't wait to have a little golfing buddy! He has two bottom teeth and has started drooling like crazy again so we're on the lookout for more. For his first Halloween we went as Jack and the beanstalk. 

A couple of days ago we celebrated the 240th birthday of the Marine Corps. It's always fun to get all fancy and date the Mr. in his dress blues. I'm one lucky lady...

That's all for now! Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy October! Lots has been happening over here. We recently got back from a holiday in Bali! It was a wonderfully relaxing getaway. We spent a few days exploring then opted for the pool, family naps and some room service. Jack was a great little traveler. He made all sorts of friends with his waves, claps and smiles. He loved splashing in the pool and eating lots of solid foods (except for watermelon, which he threw on the ground). Thanks to the Pattersons we met a new Balinese friend and tour guide. Wayan drove us all over the place. We saw ornate temples, a traditional play, the monkey forest in Ubud, a gorgeous coffee plantation and rice paddy (my favorite!), the Bali zoo, and finally his own home to join his family for a traditional dessert drink. Another one of the highlights was renting a scooter and getting out on our own one day. Between the CRAZY drivers (and I mean nuts!) and the fact that we left Jack with the nannies at the resort, I had a heart attack the whole time... but I'm so glad we did it! Now we'll never forget bribing the police on two separate occasions to get out of a ticket or jail or whatever happens to scooter-ers without a proper license (thanks to the language barrier and some extremely laid back renters). We had a lot of fun and I'm so thankful for another opportunity to see another piece of the world.

In other news, we're still waiting to find out what's next for us. For now we're soaking up our little island. Our 3rd anniversary, my birthday (#28onthe28th), and the USMC birthday ball are around the corner. Also, Mom is coming to visit!!! We're so excited! Jack has lots of kisses and high fives to give.

Now for some pictures...

The Bali zoo was a lot of fun. It was the perfect size to wander for a couple hours. We had the opportunity to hold a baby crocodile, a monkey, and a bearcat.

Jack was so excited to ride Adele the elephant!

The excitement was so exhausting that he fell asleep.

The next few are from the coffee plantation/rice paddy. Like I mentioned earlier, this was one of my favorite parts of our trip. The people were so kind, it was seriously gorgeous, and it was fun trying all the different teas and coffees. This is where we tasted kopi luwak... the kind where the critter eats then poops a coffee bean. Don't worry, they clean it!

The Ubud monkey forest was so much fun! J particularly loved trying to feed them bananas (although one big grumpy monkey stole both bunches). Jack was pretty fascinated by them as well.

Jack loved some fresh coconut water!

We saw so much of this. It's a huge part of the Balinese culture and religion (primarily Hindu) to prepare and place offerings everywhere.

The next few are from our driver's village

Last but not least, a gorgeous batik store in Ubud.