Jacob Andrew and William Colin: May 17, 2014

I can't believe it's been so long since I have blogged but time flies when you are having fun!

We enjoyed a wonderful trip to visit Fort Leavenworth in February. We are excited about our upcoming move - there are so many fun kid friendly things to do around Kansas City and Leavenworth. The best part of the Army is the friends you make and reuniting with them is so sweet. We got to introduce Jake and Will to our dear friends the Chadwicks and the Soykas (both of whom have two boys each and Jake was in big boy heaven). We survived our first road trip as a family of 4 thanks to Jake's DVD player and love of the movie Toy Story 3. The funniest part of the trip was trying to get Jake to sleep. Jake is pretty restless before bed each night and reads, sings, and plays in bed for awhile before dozing off. Since that's difficult to do in a hotel room with your parents and baby brother, he had a rough time settling down. Matt finally discovered that if he read aloud from one of his fascinating books on China, Jake would go right to sleep. I've never appreciated Matt's love of nonfiction more than I did during bedtime those nights. The next morning I would ask Jake, "Did you enjoy Daddy's book last night?" To which he would reply, "Yes! It was just great!" Mission accomplished.

On April 4th, Matt was promoted to Major. We loved having friends and family there to celebrate with us at the Polo Club at Fort Sill. Jake was excited because he thought that the cake at "Daddy's party" was for his birthday and quickly lost interest in the ceremony when he found out it wasn't. Fortunately, his buddies Harm and Arlin, were in attendance and he was occupied and happy nonetheless. Will was loved and adored by all his family members there and there was no shortage of his sweet smile.

As Matt adjusted to answering his phone, "Major Bandi," I was busily preparing for the OKC Memorial Kids Marathon. This was my 9th year as the School Coordinator. We had a record breaking 3000 kids run despite a delay due to some scary Oklahoma weather. April is always a stressful month, but I so enjoy helping schools get their kids registered and trained to run while learning about making positive impacts in their community. I am happy to also take on a new role as the Athletic Director for Team Red White and Blue at Fort Leavenworth. As our friends, the Soykas, leave Leavenworth for their next Army adventure in Germany, I'll be taking over some of their role and continue to help grow the chapter. I will be responsible for planning weekly workouts and getting our team involved in local athletic events all with the goal of providing an athletic community for veterans while also establishing a positive relationship between our team and the community in which we live. It should be a fun new challenge.

Speaking of stressful, we spent a lot of April feverishly working to get our house ready to put on the market. This is pretty tricky with two busy kiddos and dogs destroying all we fix, but we did it! We aren't looking forward to the waiting game - hoping the house sells and hoping we get great housing in Kansas. It's all part of the fun of moving. We also survived croup, strep, flu and one doggy skin issue in April. It's a good thing we love our vet and pediatrician.

JAKE:

What a funny kid with a heart of gold and a strong spirit! "Mommy, I love your sweet heart" - gets me everytime. He is constantly on the go - brain and body. He had his first stage experience for his gymnastics recital. Jake loved the stage, the lights, the performance, and above all - the applause. Performing along side his best friend, Violet, was icing on the cake. He was so happy to have Oma and Opa and GM and GP in the audience with Daddy and Will. He even got a medal which he displayed proudly around his neck for his trip to "Old McDonald's" for celebratory milk shakes. I was on stage with him and he had me laughing so hard that I was crying. If you haven't seen the video and want to, let me know.

Our big boy is 31 pounds and 38 or so inches tall. He's strong and loves to eat as long as the meal is comprised of his favorites: Kind granola bars, meat, beans, cous cous, sweets, hummus, fruit, hot dogs, sun butter and jelly, curly noodles, and meatballs to name a few. He's slowing trying more vegetables too - kale, peas, green beans, and cauliflower.

Jake loves to sing, play basketball, baseball and soccer, read books, and play with his toys. Favorite movies include: Frozen, Toy Story, and Nemo. He looks forward to trying sports out in the Smart Start sports program at Leavenworth. He will also start preschool on post two days a week in the fall. His pretend play is a joy to watch. Like most boys - he loves cars and loves making cars crash more than anything. Trucks and motorcycles are favorites too. Lately he's been very into superheroes - Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. I've done a lot of Google research to educate myself on the Justice League to answer his questions. He's a math man and loves learning from Team Umizoomi. More than anything - Jake loves Will. He adores baby brother and is so helpful. One day Jake was on the floor playing with Will. Will spit up. Jake said, "Oh mommy, he spit up. Can you get me the burp cloth?" I gave it to him and he cleaned Will up and then said, "Thanks so much for being a good helper." No problem, Jake. I know how swamped you are with parental duties.

Another first for Jake - he went to the dentist! Once I got him to quit telling the hygienist, "I'll do it myself" and "oh no thank you" each time she wanted to do something, it went smoothly. Video games in the waiting room and the well timed mention of the treasure box also helped. Good job to the dental hygienist!

I cannot believe Jake is about to turn three. I know so much more fun is in store and I am especially excited about new opportunities for him this year.

On Tuesday, Jake is having hernia surgery at Children's Hospital, so please think good thoughts for him! He will also be saying "so long" to his sweet friend Violet this week as they move to Pittsburgh. Welcome to the Army life, kiddo. He has already announced that he's going with them because he wants to meet the Steelers! I think we'll keep him though.

WILL:

Our Will has such a sweetness about him. Chubby cheeks, arms, and legs that are irresistible and must be smooched. He squeals, belly laughs, and lights up when he sees Jake. What a connection they have. Will always reaches out and holds Jake's hand - especially when I read them books. Little brother thinks everything Jake does is hilarious which works out well because so does Jake.

Will is 6 months old and weighs in around 17 pounds. He's a big, solid boy! Will loves to eat and has already tried rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, squash and pears. He's definitely partial to the pears. He hums and giggles while he eats and then grunts and cries when the food is taken away (which Oma says is just like his Daddy). When Will sits on our laps while we eat he is constantly grabbing for our food and drinks. He still nurses 6 times a day - one session is still in the middle of the night after sleeping 7-8 hours. We might need to end that little habit soon, but for now it works. Will goes to bed around 7 or 7:30, and sleeps until about 6 or 6:30 with one quick snack after a long stretch of sleep. Little brother is not the best napper, but he gets his naps in either several short naps or 3 reasonable naps. He snuggles up with is passy and lovey and gets loved on until he's pretty drowsy and then we put him in bed to fall asleep on his own when his little eyelids flutter. I'm also hoping he can put himself to sleep better soon too. It's a bit difficult not to cuddle him to sleep when he's so cute.

Will can sit up for a few minutes on his own and longer with the support of the Boppy pillow behind him. This is a skill he's getting better and better at. He can roll front to back, back to front, and all over the floor to reach the object of his desire (usually a dog bone, Matt's socks, or something of Jake's that he's had his eye on). Little man is a big fan of his bouncer and he jumps happily for long periods of time while watching big brother play and be silly. Will's new trick is to shake his head "no, no, no." Thanks, Jake, for that one!

Will, like his brother, loves books! It's so sweet to hear Jake "read" to him and to watch them share the love of a good story. Bright pictures and sound buttons bring Will a great deal of delight!

Our baby boy has become increasingly interested in his hands and what they can do - grabbing, grasping, clasping, shaking, petting, tapping, and the occasional suck of the thumb, etc. He uses his hands (and mouth) to explore toys and his puppies.

Will has a smile that lights up the room and our hearts. He is precious and he and his brother together are just sunshine.

That's all for now! I hope to update again around Jake's third birthday or at least after the big move. I still have lots of pictures from May to add.

Love,
Shanda, Matt, Jake, and Will (Tank and Bella too!)