The Loomis Family

CJ's May Milestones

2009-06-26T23:53:00.001-07:00

CJ moved...moves...all over the place...from his first official crawl on the last day in April to crawling at mach speed, pulling himself to stand, crawling up playground steps...and putting everything in his mouth...sticks, leaves, dirt, paper, shredded tire, rocks, coins, chalk...I'm a pro at the finger-sweep now.

Amelie in May

2009-06-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

Amelie became officially potty trained in May after switching to big girl undies on May 1st. She is totally independent now! There's not many things she requests help with anymore...where has the time gone? She's not a baby anymore! In fact, she is 2going on 20! See her nursing her baby while typing on the computer??? She runs a daycare for her animals complete with dressing, diaper changes, potty, hand-washing, snack-time at the table, story-time, nap-time, art, bath-time, time-outs for being naughty. She lectures me about being nice and tells me to say sorry when I snap or yell. Time outs are daily occurences, unfortunately, with her testiness. But she entertains me all day long with her make-believe play and the things she says. And I just love how she wakes up in the morning with such energy...running down the hall with her crazy mane of curls and says "Hi Mommy. May I watch Mickey's playhouse or Oso please? Ok, Yay! Wait, let me get dressed first. Oh, and may have toast and yogurt for breakfast please?" One thing hasn't changed...she is still obsessed with food. Asking about morning snack at breakfast, and about lunch at morning snack and about dinner at lunch!

More May Photos...

2009-06-26T23:10:00.001-07:00

Photos of:

May 22nd: Luau Picnic on the playground
May 29th: Chalk Art
May 30th: Hiking in the wildlife refuge (x3)

May in Review....

2009-06-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

We started attending church at Holy Cross Lutheran on 3 May. The kids didn't oppose hanging out with Ms. Ginger in the nursery, so we decided to return; however, the kids weren't so eager to go to the nursery the following weeks.

We started a Sunday routine of dropping recycling off, washing the car, going to church, and picking up lunch at Atlanta Bread Company (It's the closest thing to Panera in this area, but C is never completely satisfied with the lunch menu items--just the bagels) to eat at home. The kids usually fall asleep in the car on the 8 minute ride home, though, making nap time a bit tricky. When that happens, one of us stays in the car with the kids, while the other runs into the commissary for the week's groceries. There's nothing like good teamwork!

I set a goal not to buy any packaged sandwich/toast bread (this does not include pitas, tortillas & bagels) from the grocery store when we moved here. So, I've been making my own whole wheat bread every week or two. When the week's activities don't allow for it, though, I pick up a fresh baked loaf at the Atlanta Bread Company. My bread loaves turn out to be tiny, perfect for Amelie's mini sandwiches, but C wasn't too fond of having to make himself 4 little sandwiches to equal one normal-sized sandwich, and so the pursuit a breadmachine investment began. What a fresh and delicious difference!

May 1st: Safelite repaired the crack in the matrix's windshield, registered kids for child care and make my day program at the Tincher child development center, ordered BOB double jogger via REI, using 20% membership discount, ate at Tia Rosa's Tortilla Factory and loved it!

May 2nd: Spent the day at the Science Museum and purchased membership passes for the family. Had a horrible dining experience at Spaghetti Warehouse and reported it to management. We received free meal vouchers in the mail, but don't care to use them.

May 4th: We ordered cable! I guess we thought we could watch a little TV for 6 months...though it results in one of sleeping on the couch most nights...not healthy for intimacy! Evil cable! Took the kids to the library for 10 am playgroup.

May 5th: CJ's 9-month well baby appointment. (18 lbs, 5 oz; 27 in) Took the kids to the RecPlex for "Bike Day" with the Explorer's Club. CJ slept through it all, and Amelie was reluctant to participate with the new group. We hosted the Rhineharts for a Cinco de Mayo dinner of Fajita Stacks, chips and salsa, fresh mango, and icecream.

May 7th: Library playgroup with the kids.

May 8th: Kids' first day at the Tincher Child Development Center (CDC). Lots of tears shed... The BOB double jogger arrived! Art for All Festival at Shepler Park. Lots of fun wine tasting with the Fornes family.

May 9th: Mother/Daughter Tea Party at the library. Strawberry shortcake, juice, suckers, homemade salt scrub, feathery and sparkling tiaras. Uncle Chris visits and is treated with an applesauce cake decorated with whipped cream, blueberries, "3" and "0" candles, "Happy Birthday" singing, and an elated niece! Dinner at Meer's Steakhouse. Hiking atop Mount Scott.

May 10th: Mother's Day! Clarence and I began the "Love Dare" book. Each morning over a family breakfast we'd read the Daily Bread Scripture and the Dare for the day, excited to carry it out by the day's end.

May 11th: C begins Field Artillery Captain Career Course 4-09. It was a short first day: 8-11 am.

May 12th: 8:35-A begins her running training with the BOB double jogger. 35 mins in the chilly drizzle. 10-library playgroup. 11:30-Lunch buffet at the Patriot Club (former officer club) 2-"Kite Day" with the Explorer's Club. Am made her own kite, and then broke it trying to fly it...6:30 pm-Marine Detachment Spouse "Coffee" number 2. Bunko night and Sangria! No winnings...

May 13th: C ran a PFT. 5:30 pm-CCC 4-09 spouse orientation at Snow Hall. Evening tornados all around us!

May 14th: C had the day off. Unpacked more boxed while kids went to the CDC for a few hours in the morning. Explored the city of Duncan, 20 minutes east of Lawton. 6:30pm-continued an evening family walk to the playground routine.

May 15th: Popsicle Friday at the Old Calvary Neighborhood Office and playground fun with friends. "Movie in the Park" on Butner Field "Picnic Park/Playground" as Am calls it, directly behind our house. Mosquitos were awful! "Hotel for Dogs" didn't start until dusk...too late for a 2 yr old and 9 mo old!

May 16th: 10 am-Armed Forces Day Parade in the rain. The skies cleared for the festival at Elmer Thomas Park in the afternoon, but the wind never let up. Am met Pvt Baca in line for festival food. Played on the playground.

May 18th: Afternoon Play-doh fun on the picnic table with the neighbors.

May 19th: Found and walked the 5K track on the south end of the post with the kids.

May 20th: Started a weekly bike ride routine with the kids. 70 minutes of exploring.
Took the kids to the CDC in the afternoon for lunch and nap there...more tears at drop-off...

May 21st: Am and CJ were invited to splash in our neighbor's kiddie pool before and after dinner. What a refreshing and fun treat!

May 22nd: 11 am-Luau Hotdog Picnic Party. Amelie gotto put a hotdog in her tummy and a tattoo on her tummy! CJ got lei'd! 6 pm-First Baptist Church's monthly Kids' Night Out for only $3 per child for 4 hours! The CCC 4-09 Marines and wives went out to dinner at the Dry Beaver Supper Club. Not impressed with the food...

May 23rd: First day at the spray park! Lightening detector shut it down, though...
Walked to Medicine Creek and got caught in a down pour of rain on the way home. A sprinted barefoot through the street behind C running in flipflops with te kids screaming in the jogger. Fun times in crazy OK weather!

May 24th: Drove to Dallas. Ate middle-eastern food buffet at Ali Baba's in Irving, TX. A went to a bikram yoga class in Richardson, TX. C & kids looked for Galleria mall, but ended up lost and at a ghetto mall just long enough to use the potty and leave. Disappointing service at a Japanese restaurant for dinner in Las Colinas. Spent the night in La Quinta, Las Colinas.

May 25th: Found a nice playground with small splash pad in Grapevine, TX. A went to another bikram yoga class in Grapevine, TX. C & kids found Grapevine Mall to hang out at. Returned home full on quiznos and starbucks fraps. Walked through the Fort Sill cemetary to read names on grave-markers and say "thank you" in honor of Memorial Day.

May 26th: More playground fun with neighbors. First CCC Spouse "coffee" appetizer and dessert recipe swap and potluck. I made a Prevention magazine Almond "Blondie." Consumed a weeks worth of calories in one night! Yum! SO worth it!

May 27th: Library playgroup and story and craft time.

May 28th: Kids to the CDC in the morning...still tears. 10:30-took Am to spray park while CJ napped in stroller. 1 pm-CJ has a 102 degree fever! 4:30 pm-103 degrees. 5 pm-wasted trip to ER just for grape-flavored tylenol. (CJ's FIRST dose of tylenol in his lifetime)

May 29th: CJ's fever rises to 104 degrees! Hospital prescribes Penicilin for suspected step throat. (Throat culture results received Jun 1st were NEG! I gave my baby penicilin for 3 days for NO reason! He just caught a virus...that's all it was!) Am and neighbor Jack enjoyed an afternoon of chalk art on our front steps. 6 pm-Joined friends at the Fornes family house in Lawton for a "bring your own meat to grill" party! Fun times with awesome people!

May 30th: CJ's fever broke. 6 pm-attempted a hike with the kids on a trail near one of the dams in the wildlife refuge. We didn't get far with Am wanting to hike on her own instead of ride in the backpack, and then she needed to go potty out on the rocks.

May 31st: With the temps rising, we began a post-dinner spray park visit routine.

Armed Forces Day Parade (May 16, 2009)

2009-05-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

It seems to rain and get chilly every Saturday, after a Friday night thunderstorm with tornados, and so it was again this Saturday. The Armed Forces Day Parade and Festival wasn't canceled, though, so we ventured out so Amelie could see her first parade. Amelie and I watched the parade arrive at it's destination in the park, while the C's napped in the car. Amelie sat atop my shoulders, waving back at all the hands waving to her. I even let her retrieve some candy thrown on the ground meant for her. She saw lots of military vehicles, motorcycles, four-wheelers, tractors, old cars, and more. Later, at the festival, she wanted to take pictures with her daddy in front of "daddy's big guns" on display. While waiting in line to purchase dinner from a food stand, Amelie met a young soldier by the name of "Baca." (Baca is Amelie's imaginary friend since about 22 mos. Amelie knows all of his/her likes and dislikes. She makes appointments for him/her to go to the doctor and get shots. She tells us when she needs to pick Baca up from school. Baca is at school most of the time, though he/she is only 4 years old.) Before leaving the park, we played on another playground. Amelie names all the playgrounds. This one will likely be called "Festival playground."

Movies in the Park (May 15, 2009)

2009-05-17T16:36:00.002-07:00

Amelie went to her "first movie" in the park behind our house. What a great way to introduce movies on a big screen to her...it was free, and when she got tired, we just walked back in the house! The movie was "Hotel for Dogs." She lasted only about 30 minutes into it...it was fun while it lasted, though!

Popsicle Fridays

2009-05-17T16:36:00.001-07:00

Carter and Amelie enjoying their free popsicles given out by the neighborhood office every Friday afternoon.

Introducing BOB

2009-05-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

BOB, the kids and Anja went for their first run together on Tuesday, May 12th. The chilly air and light drizzle couldn't even stop us--we were determined to get in some PT and it was awesome! We've been out on jogs or walks every day, since!

Indoor playtime

2009-05-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

When the weather isn't playing nicely, we still have nice places to go play...the library has a playgroup that meets every morning at 10 am, the mall has a nice soft play area, and the family services building and rec plex have play areas and activities scheduled for the kids too.

Mother's Day (May 10, 2009)

2009-05-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

The rain and chilly breeze didn't get it the way of a Happy Mother's Day for me! Clarence got up with the kids and made breakfast, we went to church, went through the Starbucks drive-thru, picked up food to-go at Atlanta Bread Company, took a drive through Elmer Thomas Park, played on the playground, and we had a sushi feast for dinner on our dishes from Vietnam. Clarence and Chris wrote me very thoughtful and uplifting cards. Watching Amelie play with her baby doll, saying the same things and doing the same things that I do for Amelie and CJ when I hold them, change them, feed them, talk to them, play with them, discipline them, comfort them, read to them, and love them was the best gift of all. She is a fantastic mommy to her doll, so maybe that means I'm not so bad at the job myself... :-)
Amelie and CJ are such precious gifts from God. I am so blessed and so happy to be a mother.

Uncle Chris's 30th Birthday Celebration

2009-05-13T20:58:00.001-07:00

Chris turned 30 on May 8th. Amelie had been looking forward to singing "Happy Birthday" to him and giving him a "blue" cake for over a month, so her Uncle Chris drove down to spend Saturday afternoon and evening with us. We welcomed him with a "blue" cake, candles, and singing. We all went out to the Meers' Restaurant for steaks, chicken, soup, salad, and enormous bowls of icecream and peach cobbler. We got some much-needed post-dinner exercise by climbing around on the rocks on top of Mount Scott. It was a fun day!

Mother/Daughter Tea Party (May 9, 2009)

2009-05-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

Mother/Daughter Tea Party at the library. Amelie and I shared a strawberry/blackberry shortcake (well, Amelie saved one bite for mommy) and some lemonade "tea" with frozen berries. Amelie made mommy a mother's day gift of scented bath salts by stirring together epsom salt, olive oil, a drop of food coloring, and lemon-flavored essential oil.

Art for All Festival (May, 2009)

2009-05-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 8th:

"Bob" arrived! He's my new companion during the day while C is at school. He holds the kids, keeping them safe, as we all cruise the streets and trails. He's my new Double Jogger! Expensive, but VERY worth it.

C & I dropped the kids off at the Child Development Center for 3 hours of FREE hourly care, thanks to the "Make My Day" Program I enrolled in. We enjoyed a cup of coffee together in the silence of the empty house and then caught up on chores and unpacking a few more boxes.

In the early evening, we checked out the Lawton Arts for All Festival-we joined some friends at a table in the Wine Garden, and sampled food and wine from local wineries, while the kids ran around and danced to the live music playing.

The new nap routine (May 8, 2009)

2009-05-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

So this is what 9-month old boys think of nap-time... And Amelie is definitely all girl...so sweetly reading her own book in bed.

CJ Shifts Into Four-Wheel-Drive

2009-05-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

CJ makes moving-in quite a challenge now that he's on the move...(May 7, 2009)

CJ's 9-month milestone (Cinco de Mayo)

2009-05-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

CJ is weighing in at 18 lbs, 5 oz (25th percentile) and is almost 27 inches long (TENTH percentile--he's taking after his mommy!) He has four teeth--bottom two appeared on Sunday, March 9th, top left front appeared on April 2nd, and the right appeared on April 14th. At the start of April, CJ demonstrated that he was ready to crawl at any time, and finally on April 30th, he took off on hands and knees, right, left, right, left...and then he was gone. He's crawling the racetrack through kitchen/dining/living room and down the hall...he's a man on a mission now. He is incredicbly active and assertive...and LOUD! He knows what he wants and he will persist until he gets it. Amelie's "gusto" has nothing on CJ's! We're in for it! He's pulling himself to a stand, clapping his hands on command (so, he understands words and commands too), and he is speaking his own language, using impressive tone inflection. He says "uh oh" when he knocks something off his tray onto the floor. He's been practicing his "C" sounds ("cuh") for a while now, and I'm certain I heard "Clarence" this evening. I've also heard what sounded remarkably like "Anja," but no "momma" or "mommy" yet...

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo tonight by making a chicken fajita stack (layerd tortilla, chicken, peppers, onions, chilis, tomatos and cheese) served with chips and salsa, and sliced mango for dinner that we shared with our friends from Quantico, and now our Fort Sill across-the-street neighbors, the Rhineharts. Amelie looked out the window and saw their boys, five and two, walking across the street to our house and she began jumping up and down, yelling their names, and then exclaimed "oh, I'm so excited!!!" I think it's safe to say that they had a pretty good time tonight, especially when it was time to serve the icecream for dessert!

A Family Bike Ride Adventure (May 3, 2009)

2009-05-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

It was only in the 50's today, but we were determined to get out and get some PT. Anja's triathlon was canceled yesterday due to the weather, and we had been banking on that opportunity to jump start our PT routine after such a long break. We announced to the kids that we would all take a bike ride after lunch. Amelie was so excited, she insisted on wearing her bike helmet at the table during lunch. After lunch, we pumped up our mountain bike tires and the Instep bike trailer to tow the kids, and took a family ride. Despite the overcast sky and chilly wind, the views were spectacular. We rode from our garage, through a few housing areas, over the Medicine Creek bridge (where a family was fishing), past the Wildlife Conservation, over a few "low-water crossings," chasing the Wichita Mountains all the way. Amelie and CJ loved it, until CJ grew sleepy and just wanted to snooze, but Amelie's shrieks of glee prevented him from ever fully nodding off, so he'd protest out of annoyance whenever Amelie squealed...sibling rivalry already??!! We decided to stop at the Wildlife Conservation so Amelie could see the Deer, Wild Turkey, Bobcats, White Wolf, and foxes. The bobcats were playful things, jumping and clinging on the cage wall in an attempt to bat at a wrapper Clarence had in his hand. Before strapping the kids back into the trailer, Amelie announced she had to pee. Since we're now trained to always be prepared for such an announcement, we had smartly packed Amelie's pottette in the bike trailer. Anja set the pottette (it's just a ring with foldable legs) up in the grass, but Amelie was a little hesitant, so Anja popped a squat, and demonstrated. Amelie said, "oh, ok, I can do that. It's my turn, now." Amelie shoo-ed Anja away and said she didn't need any help. "Give me some privacy, mommy." And then she peed! We forgot the toilet paper, though...so, I explained to Amelie to give a little shake and then pull up her pants--we'd bathe when we got home. We met up with the two C's checking out Medicine Creek up close, and announced Amelie's accomplishment. As we made our way back to our bikes, Amelie announced she had to poop! We asked her if she could hold it until we got home, she said "Nope" very matter-of-factly. So...we dumped our snacks out of the gallon ziploc bag, to use it to catch her poop, and throw it away...but what about the no toilet paper dilemna...so...Clarence agreed to sacrifice his socks. Amelie got set up, sat down, sang a song or two, and five minutes later, produced a poop! (Note: I chose to spare Clarence's socks, and gave Amelie a piece of the trail map instead.) So, I guess we can say that Amelie is officially potty-trained.

Our Move to Oklahoma

2009-05-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

April:
16-Packed cars, farewelled Anja's mom at work, farewelled the Middendorf's, stopped for JoJo's icecream, weighed cars on Quantico, dinner in Fredericksburg, spent the night in La Quinta Inn & Suites in Salem, VA

17-Lunch break in Bristol, VA at a Target. Spent the night in La Quinta Inn in Nashville, TN.

18-Lunch break in Memphis, TN mall. Experienced horrific thunderstorm. Spent the night in brand new La Quinta Inn & Suites in Russellville, AR. Met Colonel and Lisa Holden, USMC, PCSing from CLNC to 29Palms.

19-Visited Chris's house in Midwest City, outside OKC. Spent the night in brand new La Quinta Inn & Suites in Lawton, OK. Ate at Olive Garden.

20-Explored Fort Sill & Lawton. Looked at/declined initial house on post. Morning play at playground. High of 98 dgrees.

21-Explored Fort Sill & Lawton. Looked at 2nd/accepted house on post. Morning play at playground. Ate at Olive Garden.

22-Morning play at playground. Visit Mount Scott. Shopping: Aafes, Walmart. Dinner at Hammitt's house.

23-Explored Lawton. Breakfast at Atlanta Bread Compant. Lunch at Gandolfo's deli. Swam in the hotel pool. Amelie was scared of the jacuzzi bubbles. Ate dinner at Los Tres Amigos. Evening play at Kid's Zone playground in Lawton. Braums icecream for dessert. Lightening storm.

24-Clarence checked in to the Marine det. Library play. Picnic lunch at the library with the Fornes's. Laura Numeroff book signing at the library. Dinner at G'Vanni's. Evening play at Kid's Zone playground.

25-Lunch with Chris, Aaron, & Nick at Toby Keith's I love this Bar & Grill. OKC Art Festival. Middle Eastern Dance Performance on outside stage. Anja took January out for dessert & wine at Olive Garden in celebration of January's 31st birthday.

26-Church at New Post Chapel. Anja spent most of the service outside with the kids. Picked up house keys. Old Fashioned Family Picnic at Butner field (behind our house). Pony rides, petting zoo, jumping house, playground, burgers. Olive Garden for dinner....again. Braum's icecream for dessert. HUGE thunderstorm! Twisters spotted in nearby towns.

27-Morning play at playground. Movers delivered household goods. Atlanta Bread Company for lunch. Commissary shopping. Marine Det Spouse "coffee" at Wichita Winery and Buffalo Bistro catering. (Discovered that the Thule roofrack was not waterproof, and the garbage bags didn't prevent the linens, clothes, etc from getting wet in the TN thunderstorm last week, so after baking in the OK sun for a week, everything was moldy...) Spent the final night in Rm 102, La Quinta Inn & Suites in Lawton.

28-Moved out of La Quinta. Bought a washer & dryer at the PXtra. Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Explore Lawton. Braum's for dessert.

29-Thunderstorm! Clarence went running in the early morning lightening. Anja went running in the torrential downpour of rain. Lucky to the vet for microchip insert. Kids to the library for morning story and craft. Dinner at Santa Fe Cattle Company.

30-Dropped Matrix off for $1300 service! Clarence completed check-in sheet. Kids played in play area in Harlee Hall--CJ started crawling. Shopping: Commissary, Walmart. Dinner at HOME finally! Chicken, asparagus & sweet potato!

May:
1-Registered kids for free childcare on post. Played in Harlee Hall play area with Carter & Wes. Afternoon walk with CJ to Neighborhood office to pick up a popsicle for Amelie. Humind. Rosa's Cafe Tortilla Factory for dinner. Strong winds. Late night icecream run for Friday night date/movie in the living room.

2-Rainy and chilly (50s/60s) OKC. Science Museum with GYmnastics International Hall of Fame Exhibit. Horrible dinner experience at Spaghetti Warehouse.

3-1030 service at Holy Cross Lutheran. The kids stayed in the nursery with Ms. Ginger the whole time! Atlanta Bread Co for lunch. Family bike ride.

Entry Written May 2 2009:
Clarence doesn't start the Field Arty Capt Career Crs until May 11th, so we're checking in & checking things out around Fort Sill and Lawton. We are living amongst boxes in our 1920s unit in a 4-plex, since we'll start preparing for our Nov move in August. We have everything we need right on post...ahh, the simple life...it's just like being deployed, complete with the regular sound of Arty rounds booming (I'm still diving for cover), PX, & fast food, but greater security & tons of MWR activities for the family. We don't even need our cars! We've got playgrounds galore, pools, spray parks, the library w/ daily playgroup meetings, recplex, theater, bowling, hiking trails, & "off-post": the wichita refuge (with free-roaming buffalo), lakes w/ waterslides, a winery (which I already visited with the other Marine det spouses, a great group of impressive, positive & optimistic ladies), & a few "mounts" to hike/bike/drive (we drove the kids up to the top of Mount Scott last weekend, & I nursed CJ while sitting on a rock & looking out over medicine park, the historic holy city, wichita refuge, fort sill & the city of lawton). I even registered for 120 hours of FREE child care for "stressed out stay-at-home-moms"...I'm not kidding! All I had to do was walk in drenched in spit up, & dragging a huge diaper bag, infant carrier, & both kids, one doing a pee-pee dance, & one screaming & covered in spit up into the Army Community Service office & they could see that I totally qualify for help due to "undergoing domestic stress." I totally plan to use the child care so I can sit down & read a few chapters in a good book for once. I also just ordered a Bob Double Jogger online, so that I can start PTing again. There's also two gymnastics gyms in Lawton, & one of them offered me a coaching job! The gym managers on post asked if I'd teach yoga & crossfit too, but I told them all I couldn't commit to anything yet, & I don't know if I ever will...trying to keep life as simple as possible, besides, I'd lose the free child care option if I start work. OKC is 80 mi NE, so a weekend day trip to visit my brother Chris, or take the kids to the science museum, zoo, or mall is always an option. Yes, I am totally happy in this little Army town in the middle of Tornado central (despite the 6 twisters the surrounding towns have already had in the week we've been here...the Wichita Mtns protect us from the twisters touching down on us, but the residual thunderstorms are insane!)

April in Review

2009-05-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

April:
1-Packing/moving day, moved in with Anja's parents'
2-Amelie had a play date with Tyler. They painted Easter pictures with water color, played with play-doh and toys, and then Amelie ate both her and Tyler's lunch.
3-Farewell dinner with our Ardmore Loop Neighbors
4-Cleaning day! Anja's parents helped. Wegman's for dinner. We saw and said farewell to the Turcotte family from chuch
5-Final cleaning and Farewell BBQ dinner at the Middendorf's
6-Tenants moved in. Amelie played with the tenants daughters, Jack & Justin all afternoon.
7-Amelie, Jack, & Justin had a play date at Target and then lunch at Panera
8-Lunch at Tyson's Corner Maggiano's with "Auntie" Cara
9-The kids spent there last day at Mrs. Angie's house
10-Clarence received end of tour award (NMCCM) and gift from AIB Plt & CSS Co, Inst Bn, TBS. Anja took the kids on the metro into DC for the end of the Cherry Blosson Festival week.
11-The Quantico Easter Egg Hunt was canceled, so we had lunch with the Middendorf's one last time at Wegman's. We dined in DC for dinner with Anja's parents at "Founding Farmer's" restaurant.
12-Easter Service and Egg Hunt at church, followed by lunch at Panera with the Middendorf's
13-Farewell dinner with Shahateet's
14-Farewell lunch at Wegman's with Carrie, MB, & Michelle
15-Farewell visit to neighbors in Southbridge. Anja's last Bikram yoga class (with Candice)

March in Review

2009-05-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

March:
1-Clarence on duty.
2-Snow Day!
7-Middendorf's took Amelie to Tyson's Corner Mall while we prepared kids' items for consignment sale
9-Mom's Fondue Lunch/kid playdate at Helen's with Cerissa, Jenny, & MB
10-CK Consignment sale shopping. Final Couple's Course at Quantico Chapel Annex.
11-CKC shopping with Carrie.
12-First Day of teaching yoga at Semper Fit Gym
14-Macaroni Grill Lasagna Carry Out at the Middendorf's
15-Allergy testing
19-Dust/dog/cat Allery treatment
21-Weecycled consignment sale. Anja's parents' anniversary dinner celebration at Rhinegarten restaurant.
22-Weecycled sale with Carrie.
23-Kids to Gymboree with Jumana and Justin.
24-Quantico NPSP in-home nurse visit by Trish. Dairy allergy treatment.
25-Last day of volunteer yoga teaching at church. Date with Clarence: Bikram yoga and lunch at Wegman's
26-Kids to Chuck-e-cheese for Bradley's 4th b-day party
27-Int'l Wine & Food Festival at TCAQ with Carrie & Candice. Pat & Joe arrive.
28-Mall. Dinner at Montclair Family Restaurant with Pat & Joe.
29-Lunch at Wegman's with Pat & Joe
30-NPSP visit by Trish
31-Amelie peed in a cup at the clinic! Wegman's gelato for a treat.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-03-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

Saint Barbara's Day Celebration (January 30, 2009)

2009-02-10T06:13:00.000-08:00

Clarence and Anja celebrated the feast of Saint Barbara with a dining-in at the officer's club.

The Legend of Saint Barbara, the Patron Saint of Artillerymen:

According to legend, Saint Barbara was the extremely beautiful daughter of a wealthy heathen named Dioscorus, who lived near Nicomedia in Asia Minor. Because of her singular beauty and fearful that she be demanded in marriage and taken away from him, he jealously shut her up in a tower to protect her from the outside world.
Shortly before embarking on a journey, he commissioned a sumptuous bathhouse to be built for her, approving the design before he departed. Barbara had heard of the teachings of Christ, and while her father was gone spent much time in contemplation. From the windows of her tower she looked out upon the surrounding countryside and marveled at the growing things; the trees, the animals and the people. She decided that all these must be part of a master plan, and that the idols of wood and stone worshipped by her parents must be condemned as false. Gradually she came to accept the Christian faith.

As her belief became firm, she directed that the builders redesign the bathhouse her father had planned, adding another window so that the three windows might symbolize the Holy Trinity.

When her father returned, he was enraged at the changes and infuriated when Barbara acknowledged that she was a Christian. He dragged her before the perfect of the province, who decreed that she be tortured and put to death by beheading. Dioscorus himself carried out the death sentence. On his way home he was struck by lightening and his body consumed.

Saint Barbara lived and died about the year 300 A.D. She was venerated as early as the seventh century. The legend of the lightning bolt which struck down her persecutor caused her to be regarded as the patron saint in time of danger from thunderstorms, fires and sudden death.

When gunpowder made its appearance in the Western world, Saint Barbara was invoked for aid against accidents resulting from explosions--since some of the earlier artillery pieces often blew up instead of firing their projectile, Saint Barbara became the patroness of the artillerymen.

Saint Barbara is usually represented standing by a tower with three windows, carrying the palm of a martyr in her hand. Often, too, she holds a chalice and a sacramental wafer and sometimes cannon are displayed near her. The feast of Saint Barbara falls on December 4th and is traditionally recognized by a formal Dining-In or military dinner, often involving the presentation of the Order of Saint Barbara.

The Order of Saint Barbara is an honorary military society of the United States Field Artillery. Both U.S. Marine and Army field artillery along with their military and civilian supporters are eligible for membership. The order is managed by the U.S. Field Artillery Association and two levels of recognition exist. The most distinguished level is the Ancient Order of Saint Barbara and those who are selected for this honor have achieved long-term, exceptional service to the field artillery surpassing even their brethren in the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara. The order links field artillerymen of the past and present in a brotherhood of professionalism, selfless service and sacrifice symbolized by Saint Barbara.

First Snowfall (January 27, 2009)

2009-02-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Amelie, Jack, and snowman.

St. Thomas Trip (January 4-8, 2009)

2009-02-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Anja, Amelie, CJ, and Granny B traveled to St. Thomas for Shantell and Kendall's wedding on January 6th. Anja was the matron of honor and Amelie was the cutest flower girl ever! The kids had a ton of fun in the sun....at the beach, the pool, the parties, and Coral World ...pictures/videos coming soon...

Snowboarding Family Fun! (December 26, 2008)

2009-02-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Anja's brother, Chris, treated the whole family (Baba, Granny B, Uncle Erik, Anja, Clarence, Amelie and CJ) to a day of snowboarding in Pennsylvania!

Christmas Day 2008!

2009-02-04T09:56:00.003-08:00

We celebrated at home and hosted dinner for Anja's parents and brothers (Erik came in from St. Petersburg, Russia and Chris came from Okinawa, Japan).

Mount Vernon (December 22, 2008)

2009-02-04T09:56:00.001-08:00

pictures coming soon....

Getting ready for Christmas...(Dec 7-18, 2008)

2009-02-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

Amelie won a trike at Clarence's work Christmas Party!
pictures coming soon....

Go Navy, Beat Army! (December 6, 2008)

2009-02-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

We stayed home and watched the game on TV while we still had cable. (Pictures/video coming soon!)

Black Friday Ice-skating (November 28, 2008)

2009-02-04T09:38:00.000-08:00

Pictures coming soon....

Happy Thanksgiving! (November 27, 2008)

2009-02-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

Anja started the day teaching an 8 am Bodypump class at the gym to over 30 participants. She videoed the 60 minute class to submit for instructor assessment to progress from qualified instructor to certified instructor. Around noon, we drove up to Anja's mom and dad's house (a whole 30 minutes away) for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and Barbara's 65th birthday celebration (a day late). Amelie filled up on pre-dinner snacks: hummus, cheese, fruit and veggies, and STILL cleaned her dinner plate at least three times!

(pictures coming soon...)

CJ's first flight on November 21st and 23rd

2009-01-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

Anja and CJ flew to MN for a weekend visit to Shantell and her friends and family in celebration of Shantell and Kendall's couples' shower and Shantell's bachelorette party on Nov 21st and 22nd.

CJ's Baptism at the United States Naval Academy Chapel on November 16, 2008

2008-12-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the weekend with CJ's godparents, Ben and Candice, and their kids, Katelyn and Michael, and with family: Judy, Pat, Joe, Barbara, Jim, Ellis, Rose Marie, and Ron, and with friends: Bruce and Cara, and with our neighbors: the Gurrister Family. We enjoyed watching Amelie feed the ducks at the city docks, an elegant dinner at Harry Browne's on Saturday night, a comfortable stay at the Annapolis Gateway Inn on the Naval Academy yard, Sunday breakfast with the Middendorfs at Aroma di Italia, the 11 am Protestant Service at the chapel, the baptism ceremony with two other families, and lunch at Drydock in Dahlgren Hall. Poor CJ had his first fever the day he was baptised and he was so congested and miserable. "Poor little guy.." as Amelie said.

Happy 233rd Birthday to the Marine Corps

2008-12-23T19:25:00.000-08:00

This is our first year that we were obligated to attend only one birthday ball. Instructor Battalion, The Basic School, hosted their ball at the Fredericksburg Expo Center on Saturday, November 8th. (We were not very impressed, in all honesty.) The best part of the night was getting dressed to go to the ball, Clarence in his handsome blues, and Anja in her poofy pink gown. The preceeding week, Amelie continuously asked mommy if she was going to put on a gown and go to the ball and sing happy birthday to the Marine Corps. When the big night came, Amelie wasn't sad to see us go, she actually told us to "go to ball now!" (She stayed up past 10 pm that night...poor Granny B...)

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

Amelie was seriously frightened at the TBS Halloween Party on October 24th, so she wrote off any more Halloween celebrating. "No wear costume. No trick-or-treat. Scary!" CJ fashioned all of his Halloween outfits and costumes. This is the first year we (or, Clarence, rather) carved pumpkins. They turned out great! We had Ben, Candice, Candice's mom, Katelyn & Michael over. Katelyn wore Amelie's monkey costume from last year. Candice, her mom, and Anja took Katelyn and Amelie to two houses and came straight home.

Clarence Completed the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon!

2008-11-06T21:22:00.000-08:00

Clarence was up at 3 am to head into DC and supervise his Marines in the set up of their howitzer, which was fired at 0800 to mark the start of the race. Anja, Amelie and CJ metro-hopped to catch Clarence at mile 17 at the Washington Monument and the finish line (mile 26.2) at the Iwo Jima Memorial. Amelie scans the sea of runners, looking for her daddy, and shouts "Go, runners, go!" Daddy gets congratulation hugs from his biggest fans after the race. We're so proud of his accomplishment! October 26, 2008.

USNA Homecoming, October 18, 2008

2008-11-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

We took CJ to see Bruce and Cara, shop at the Midstore, and watch the midshipmen march on to Navy and Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for the Homecoming game against Pittsburgh. Amelie spent the day with her Granny B hopping the metro and checking out the Smithsonian museums in DC.

Pumpkinville, October 12, 2008

2008-11-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

We joined Ben, Candice, Katelyn, & Michael at Pumpkinville on October 12th. Amelie was not a fan of the petting zoo, and clung tightly to her mommy and daddy as we introduced her to each animal. She enjoyed the slides, playtime with Katelyn, and the free apples most of all. CJ slept through it all. He finally woke as we were preparing to leave.

More Smiles

2008-11-06T05:34:00.001-08:00

CJ is one happy boy! He LOVES the bath, attention from girls, and strolls in the park. October 26 & 29, 2008.

All Smiles

2008-11-06T05:20:00.000-08:00

Smiles captured between September 23, 2008 and October 24, 2008.

Happy 32nd Birthday to Clarence!

2008-11-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

October 9, 2008

Southbridge Fall Fest

2008-11-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Amelie had more fun playing in the grass this year than checking out the rides, ponies, and balloons. October 4, 2008.

Jungle Gym Fun!

2008-11-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

Amelie is a busy bee taking care of her adopted babies at the jungle gym. She had so much fun playing on the slides, in the cars, on the trampoline, and even made some friends. September 27, 2008.

Proud Big Sis

2008-11-05T07:05:00.000-08:00

Amelie strolls with CJ during Anja's 5-mile race in Washington DC's Potomac Park on September 25, 2008.

Anja trains for the Sep 25th Navy 5 miler with Amelie & Katelyn in the Double Jogger

2008-11-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

Four days before her second post-partum race, Anja takes the girls for a training run. It was a long run for the girls...Anja made it, but Amelie and Katelyn fell out. September 21, 2008.

A Visit to the National Zoo on September 20th

2008-11-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Amelie check out monkeys, elephants, lions, tigers, & animals galore!
Anja is a super mommy, carrying both strollers on her Zoo expedition. September 20, 2008. Wahington DC National Zoo.

Sleeping Beauties

2008-11-05T05:22:00.001-08:00

Amelie's First Ponytail

2008-11-05T05:19:00.000-08:00

September 20, 2008

Amelie dressed for a Virginia Indian Summer Day in September

2008-11-05T05:10:00.000-08:00

September 17, 2008

Family Photos

2008-09-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Grandma Pat and Grandpa Joe Visit

2008-09-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

September 5-7, 2008. Grandma Pat and Grandpa Joe meet their newest grandson. We had a wonderful visit that flew by too quickly.

CJ attended his first wedding at 2 weeks old

2008-09-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

Is two weeks old enough to take CJ out for some party and celebration action? Sure....why not! We'll be up to the wee hours of the morning feeding and changing diapers anyway! (Granny B stayed home with Amelie, and they had their own late-night party.)

Our Little Prince (One Week Old on Aug 12th)

2008-08-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Amelie's Playtime

2008-08-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

Amelie enjoys folding clothes to exhaustion (she fell asleep on our bedroom floor in the middle of "folding clothes" she brought in from her room.) photo taken 3 Aug 08.
Amelie loves her foam stickers...and testing their stickiness on any and every surface
Amelie loves taking care of her dolls and stuffed animals-holding and rocking them, putting them to sleep and waking them up, putting them at her table for snack time, changing their diapers, playing ring-around-the-rosie with them, dancing with them while singing "popcorn on a train" song that she learned at school, and teaching them gymnastics--mostly how to "pop!"
Amelie loves to swing. She still prefers the baby swing, and has difficulty sharing it with her friends, and she still refers to it as "wee!"
Amelie loves playing with her baby brother!

August-a month of birthday celebrations!

2008-08-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Anja turned 28 on August 3rd and celebrated over panera bakery pastries and starbucks chai tea for breakfast and for dinner--Clarence's homemade California Sushi Rolls shared with mom, dad, the Middendorf family, Amelie and my beloved Clarence.
CJ was born on Aug 5th (we celebrated that evening in the hospital--see photos in CJ's birth announcement posting below).
Amelie turned 2 on August 19th and celebrated over Vocelli's Pizza delivery, cake from the Quantico commissary, and organic icecream from Wegman's shared with her neighbor friends Katelyn, Jack, and Justin. Granny B was there too!

Amelie's new leotard for gymnastics

2008-08-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Aug 16th--A proud day for Anja. Her daughter wore her new leotard to gymnastics for the very first time. And then, to further add to her mommy's pleasure, refused to take it off all day! What a girl!

Anja Farewelled from Marine Corps Active Duty on August 10th

2008-08-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

On August 10th, Colonel Michael J. Mulligan, Commanding Officer of Weapons Training Battalion, presented Anja with a Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Award Ribbon submitted to the Coast Guard Commandant by the Senior Military Mentor Officer to the 2008 Senate Youth Program, for her contributions as the Assistant Senior Military Mentor Officer to the 2008 Senate Youth Program's 15 Military Officers from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force and 104 high school student delegates, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for her contributionns as the Training Officer and Adjutant of Weapons Training Battalion, and her Honorable Discharge from Active Duty Certificate. Despite the pouring rain, it was a nice ceremony to bid Anja farewell, especially by a CO and XO (LtCol Colson) who she really took pride in working for. Clarence, Amelie, CJ, Anja's mom, and Anja's brother Chris were present at the ceremony. Anja's official resignation date is October 20th, and then she will become a member of the Marine Corps inactive Reserves.

Announcing the birth of CJ!

2008-08-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Clarence James "C.J." Loomis, is named after his daddy, Clarence E. Loomis, Jr. and both grandfathers: Clarence E. Loomis Sr., and James C. Easterly

Born at 1012 pm on August 5th, 2008

6 lbs 10.5 oz and 19.5 inches

He has Brown Hair, Blue/Gray Eyes, his grandfather Easterly's muscular, bony frame, and huge appetite, and his daddy's big feet with finger-like toes, and calm, chill personality.

He returned home on Thursday, August 7th, in time to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony on the 8th. Maybe CJ will be a future Olympic athlete with his strong physique!

Amelie helps with diaper changes and has already demanded to hold him (which lasted a whole second before she wanted him off.) Lucky welcomed him into the family by licking CJ's toes! He really thinks he's a dog!

Amelie Budgeting

2008-08-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of every month, Anja meticulously balances the budget at the kitchen table with the laptop, a calculator, a pad of paper, and a pen. Today, while Anja was performing such task, Amelie asked to be lifted up to sit in her lap and observe for a few minutes. After her observation period was complete, she set up her own budgeting table to perform the task just like mommy.

Announcing Anja's ACE Certification as a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor

2008-07-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to announce that I am now a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor! I passed my tests yesterday! See...everything happens for a reason--I went into pre-term labor in June, which resulted in the doctor directing me to work only half days, so then I had more time to study and prepare for my exams! Now that that is out of the way, I can keep my job at Dale City Sport and Health after I give birth, and while I am on terminal leave from the Marine Corps before I resign on 20 Oct 08. I am also going to pursue my yogafit instructor certification, increase my crossfit cert levels, and submit my bodypump instructor video. Still lots to do, but I have two years to complete it all to keep my certs current. Just wanted to keep you in the loop! Clarence is doing well. He is training for the Marine Corps Marathon in October. He went for a 13 mile run early this morning. He is still crossfitting for workouts too. (If you don't know what crossfit is, check it out at www.crossfit.com.) Amelie is doing well too. Repeating EVERYthing we say. She communicates SO well for not even 2 yet! Today at gymnastics, she climbed up on the low beam all by herself, she held her grip on the rings for SEVEN swings in a row before falling off, she watched herself in the mirror as she ran in circles on the 10-ft diameter trampoline, and she did a lot of climbing around in the foam pit, chasing after a green block (clarence didn't see any green blocks). She also said goodbye to gymnastics ("nastics" in amelie tongue) when we left. CJ is doing well, I assume. He doesn't move as much as Amelie did, so that makes me get paranoid that something might be wrong at times, but my weekly appointments show he is well. On Thurs, I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced.

Alexandria's 259th Anniversary Artillery Performance by Clarence's Artillery Platoon from The Basic School

2008-07-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

Click on this link to view photo, or cut and paste the link into your browser.

http://flickr.com/photos/polytropos/2663984003/

Overview of the event:
Each year on the weekend after the 4th of July holiday, the City of Alexandria celebrates their anniversary on the shores of Oronoco Bay near Old Town Alexandria. Artillery Instructor Battery has been participating in this for the past eleven year. The celebration consists of games and food for the families in the early afternoon, followed by the Mayor’s welcome in the early evening, then ended with music by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra. Artillery Instructor Battery’s salute unit fires in conjunction with the Symphony’s rendition of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. The 1812 Overture is the final song and AIB’s fires are shot in conjunction with a fireworks display.

Photos of CJ and Amelie

2008-07-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Family,

We wanted to pass along some pictures of Anja about 36 weeks pregnant with CJ, on July 4th. Personally, I think she is somehow smuggling a basketball! I have also attached a picture of Amelie holding a flower.

Amelie's Vocabulary

2008-07-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Amelie's vocabulary bank is rapidly expanding....here are some of our favorites:
7 Jul: She called daddy, "Clarence"
12 Jul: After watching daddy's Marines' rehearsal involving firing their howitzers, she said: "Daddy's big guns-BOOM!"
21 Jul: "Me cut hair soon." She said this at the dinner table while pulling on strands of her curls. We asked her if her teachers said that to her, and she said: "Yes."
6 Aug: "My goodness!"

Here are are her favorite things to do right now:
-"Pool" "Yayyyy!"
-"Ride cart...Costco..Wegman" (new grocery store)
-"Fold clothes" (I'm not kidding...she has spent two hours laying her clothes out, folding them, putting them back in the bin, and then starting over again...and again...)
-"Weeee" (for swing)
-"Slide"
-"Baby Room" (where she tells her different dolls and stuffed animals: "No, baby's turn....no, bear's turn..." as she trades them out of the baby swing and pushes them (very violently, I might add)
-"Change diapers" (she lays out the changing pad, and wipes her baby's or stuffed bear's or stuffed dog's bottom with about 15 wipes, running each one to the toilet to flush down--much to mom's chagrin for fear of clogging the toilet and wasting precious water...)
-"Read Couch" (she pulls every single book in the living room out, and throws them on the couch one by one, then demands for mommy to stop what I am doing.."mommy, no, stop, read couch" as she pats the couch. If I don't come right away, she runs over and grabs my hand, and she is actually strong enough to pull or push me to lose my balance!)
-"Blow Bubbles!"
-"JoJo Icecream" (we've taken her there only once last month and she STILL remembers it!)
-"Walk" (when she wants out of her stroller or the cart)
-"Bibs" (when she wants to organize the bib drawer...not kidding...)
-"Bebe's house" (when she wants to go to her Granny B's house)
-"Call Bebe" (when she wants to talk to her Granny B on the phone)
-"Jesus book, Baby book, Big Sis book" (these are the 3 books she demands to be read every night at bed time, or at nap time on the weekends)
-"Night Night" (when she is ready to go up to bed)
-"I love you mommy" "I love you daddy" (she repeats this over and over until she falls asleep--it's the sweetest thing ever--makes my heart melt)
-"Sorry, daddy, sorry." (She usually has to apologize to Clarence more often--she knows not to mess with mommy! :-) She says it in such a sincere, sweet, tone, too...so adorable.)
-"Eat, Woah" or "Night Night, Woah" (Woah is Lucky cat, because his meow sounds like "Woah")
-"Not, not nice" (She says this while furrowing her brow and with a stern tone of voice--hilarious!)

Amelie feeding lucky

2008-07-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Amelie is a big help around the house. I attached a video of her feeding lucky in his box. What room service!

rolling stone collects no moss

2008-06-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

Amelie is a running machine. Her little belly doesn't show it, but this girl hardly takes the time to walk. The video is from last week's gymnastics class. She is on the tumble track and generally really enjoys running on it. She is also brave, with her jump into the foam pit.

Daddy and Amelie at gymnastics

2008-06-16T16:15:00.001-07:00

Amelie really enjoys gymnastics and we try to keep her challenged. Look at the grip strength on this little lady!

Initial blog

2008-06-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Family,
We have just started blogging and will attempt to update this on a regular basis with pictures and videos.