MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas to all! Now the day is almost over and I still don't feel like it's Christmas time! It doesn't help that it was 60-70 degrees today and extremely muggy. The clouds looked like they should have been dropping snow, but they were merely holding moisture in the air. It does not help that Albert is at home (our house) and we are not. It just doesn't feel like Christmas.

Nonetheless, the hope of Christmas is alive and well. Christmas is the day that we celebrate the gift the creator of the universe gave us and the hope we have of eternity with Him. We have been reading the first part of Luke 2 in preparation for Christmas. I can not help but think of the individuals who were involved in that special nights. I think of Mary, the young girl was in labor and riding on a donkey. Now, I did ride in the car for an hour or so while in labor with Boaz, but I do not think it compares to riding on a donkey! I wonder what she was thinking. And Joseph, he probably delivered animal babies previous to this, but I have to wonder what was going through his mind! Was he a frantic first time father or was he calm and collected, confident in the adventure ahead? Mostly I have thought of the shepherds. It's no wonder the angel told them not to fear! I picture them sitting around a bonfire in the middle of a very dark field with only sheep around, then all of a sudden another being appears and talks to them. Yep, I would be fearful. Then, to receive such an amazing message. Their urgency in finding our Savior is the perfect response. 

I hope this Christmas has been special to you and you have reflected on the blessings and trials God has brought you through this year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Ducks.

Happy 1st Birthday Boaz!

I have been thinking about this post for a few days, but have not taken the time to write it. I can't believe my baby boy is 1 year old already. This year has truly flown by! On the evening of the 21st, I was reminiscing of labor starting, not having my bag packed, Albert just getting home from work, spending a little too long in the car, and our sweet baby boy's delivery. Even in the moment it seemed surreal, but it really doesn't seem like so much time could have passed already.

This past year has been full of fun adventures with our little man. Here's a little rundown of our roller coaster:

• bili lights
• blood draws
• cat scan
• steam roller
• 12 hour car rides
• flying on an air plane
• 15 hour car ride
• crawling
• furniture walking

It has been amazing to see Boaz and Canon becoming friends and starting to like each other. Each day seems to bring something new with our little boy. I can't believe our little guy is already on his way out of the "youngest child" spot and on to the "middle child." He is such a sweet little boy and each day is a treasure. He is still enjoying snuggling, being tickled and just being around family. What a special gift he has been!

(Pictures to come.)

Observations of the South

So, I have not been gone from Florida for that long, but I seem to have forgotten everything that has to do with the weather here! This has made me laugh on several occasions. When we left Oklahoma it was 15 degrees with very strong and cold wind. I wore a t-shirt with a sweater over and jeans. For our first couple of stops and the car ride, this outfit was just right. Then we stopped for gas in Louisiana. As soon as I opened the door my hair started growing and I started sweating. I knew we were in LA without even having to ask! I pushed my sleeves up, went to the restroom and thought, "These people probably think I'm crazy for wearing a sweater!" Once back in the car I took the sweater off and was more comfortable at our next few stops. The thing that keeps making me laugh is that that t-shirt is one of the two t-shirts that I packed for myself. Boaz arrived with two short sleeved shirts/outfits and some short-sleeved undershirts, Canon arrived with only short-sleeved undershirts. What was I thinking? I brought one pair of flip-flops and one pare of capris for myself and Canon has a couple of pairs of Crocs to keep his feet cool. Who travels to Florida without capris and flip-flops???? We'll just blame it on the pregnancy brain. Along with only having real winter clothes, it has been in the mid 70s all week. Every time I go to get dressed I just laugh..... which short sleeved shirts are we going to wear today? Well, I have had to do a little shopping and we are not melting any more. Of course it is only 55 degrees today with some cool wind. My family is freezing to death and I am thinking that the boys and I will wear all of our sweaters today, just to make sure we didn't pack them and never use them! HA! Oh, it's fun to be in the south!

Here are a couple of other things that are catching my attention: 

• These people drive like maniacs! I'm not sure where they are going, but they are in a hurry! After driving on base where the max speed is 35 mph, I'm just not used to going much faster. I'm sure I'll adjust. 
  
• I'm not sure how anyone has straight hair with this humidity. My hair is working beautifully! But I'm not sure how anyone has straight hair here. 
• You can always buy flip-flops in Florida.
• Sweaters go on sale at the beginning of winter.
• Winter last a couple of weeks and I'm hoping those weeks overlap with while we're here.

I'll add more as I laugh at them!

A few more updates

I wrote previously about some of the big events coming up in our family. Here are a few updates:

• Becca has had her baby. She went in to be induced at midnight on December 10th. Everything went well and Kylar Cole was born at 5:37 p.m. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 7 oz. He was having trouble breathing at first and had to go to the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery. Once his breathing evened out he was given back to Becca. Then he started turning yellow and had to go under the lights for his billiruben. They were hoping to come home on Saturday, but were not able to come home until Monday. They got home about 30 min. after we arrived Monday evening. He is a little cutie and a good snuggler!
• Nan's heart cath had been postponed for a couple of weeks. The doctor has to bring her potassium level up before being able to perform the procedure. She also has a DNC on the horizon. I do not think this will be scheduled again until after the heart cath is performed and everything is going well again. Nan and her daughter came in town for Boaz's second 1st birthday party and we have really enjoyed visiting with them.
• Albert is on his deployment. It turns out that he will be at our house for two whole days over Christmas. We are really missing him and talk about him all the time. The boys and I have really enjoyed having our web cam and being able to see Daddy while we talk to him some. Though our connections are not great, that little bit of face time has been awesome!

I think that is all for the updates for now. Just know that things are a little tense and a little crazy here in the south!

We've arrived!

Nearly a week late, I am finally updating again. We arrived in Pensacola last Monday. My Dad flew in on Sunday, we packed and loaded up the van and headed out at 2:45 Monday morning. The boys were amazing travelers. I could not have asked for better behavior. They both stayed awake for an hour or so after being put in the car. Canon needed a potty break before he could go back to sleep, so our first stop was around 3:15 or so. After that they both drifted off and slept for a while. Dad woke up with a headache and was having trouble staying awake, so I took over just before 4:00 a.m. All of the boys slept until about 7:00 and I drove us through Dallas. I still can't believe I survived that! We stopped around 8:00 for breakfast and to stretch our legs and fill up the van. We rode on for a couple of hours and took another potty break or two. Traveling with a potty training toddler is quite an adventure! One of the highlights of our trip was stopping in Louisiana for lunch and meeting my Grandma, aunt and cousin. Canon and Boaz really enjoyed that stop! After lunch the boys drifted off for another nap (they both napped in the morning as well) and we continued to Pensacola. I knew we would start falling apart near the end of the trip and this was the case. When the boys woke up from their naps they were nearly done with their car seats. When it started getting dark again, we were all ready for change. We arrived in Pensacola at about 5:30 p.m. 15 hours worth of traveling with two toddlers, a dog, a pregnant woman and no DVD player was quite an experience. This is not a task that just anyone would volunteer to undertake and I am so thankful my Dad was willing to tackle the drive for us. 

So, we are here and adjusting to the weather and thankful to not have to turn around and head home any time too soon.

Boaz's first 1st Birthday party

These pictures are in reverse order, so scroll down and read up!

^ Here's our little guy with belly full of cake! What could be better?

^Canon really enjoyed the cake! He's always up for cake, but actually left some on the plate after the icing was gone.

^Boaz was a little hesitant about digging in, but after Albert pulled some apart with a fork, he was more than happy to dig in!

What is that? Do I get to play with it? Boaz was not sure what to do with the cake at first, but Canon gave him a good example to follow!

We had a fun time celebrating Boaz's birthday. We (Canon) opened his presents after opening our Christmas presents. Bo didn't really know what to think of everything, but really enjoyed the boxes and wrapping paper. After digging into the cake, he cried when I took it away. I think he would have eaten the whole thing if he were allowed! 

Happy first 1st birthday Boaz!

Pictures

Christmas 2008 

We had to celebrate early because we will be apart for the 25th. We had a fun time eating our Christmas pancakes made by Daddy, opening presents and attending a squadron Christmas party. Canon is still talking about popping the bubbles and playing at Daddy's work. I think that was the highlight of his day!

The boys got some fresh haircuts for the Christmas season. They were both looking pretty scrappy, but it is way too cold for head shaving!

Here is a very delayed Halloween picture. We bought the boy's costumes at Babies R Us and made Albert and my costume. 

Canon received a helmet for his birthday but he grew out of it pretty quickly, so this is his new helmet. He thinks it's pretty cool.

Boaz is standing all over the place these days. This picture was taken on his 11 month birthday.

Sorry for the overflow of pictures. I finally learned how to upload pictures on my new computer and can now update you on our changing family. I hope you enjoy them!

Please Pray

In regards to my Recovering and Jumping post, things are starting to unfold. We are on the eve of Albert's deployment and I am on the verge of tears. Some people say that you just get used to it, but I haven't yet. I so enjoy having my husband home and hate the hours and weeks and days we are apart. This time will really be hard. Canon has needed a lot of extra Daddy Time the last few days and is not happy when Daddy goes to work or anywhere else that Canon can not go. We will not be a whole family for Christmas or Boaz's first birthday. Albert will probably miss Boaz's first steps. Ugh, the list goes on...... 

Another topic on my mind is my sister's induction. She went to the hospital at mid-night to be induced. The started her on pitocin after getting checked in and there she waits. Last that I heard she was dilated to 3 cm. I am not sure what to think about all of this and have determined that holding my tongue is the least sinful approach at this pointe.

In addition to this medical situation, my dear Nan is having some issues with her heart. She is having a heart cath done on Wed. and has some other medical concerns to note. 

Please keep both of these women and our family in your prayers. The next couple of months will be a bumpy ride. I do know that God is working all of these things for His glory and honor and praise and I pray that we will praise HIM in this storm.

    

So Sweet

Albert has been doing a lot of research towards a new car. This has been a topic of conversation several times over the last couple of weeks. We have had only one car for about a year now and know that a second car will be useful upon our move. While talking about a new car the other night, Canon said he would give Daddy a new car. We asked if he had any money to help us pay for the car and he said "yes". We told him to go to his room and get his money, when he came out he had his remote control car. He told Albert that he could take this new car to work. A little while later he came out with a little box car that he calls a "police car" and told Albert that he could take this "new car". 

I just love having little boys!

Recovering and jumping

I think I have finally recovered from the grease fire. I am very thankful the fire was contained and did not cause any permanent damage to anything besides the turkey. Since last Thursday Albert and I have super cleaned the oven. Burned grease is not easy to remove! And, I have baked a few things while holding my breath. I am still not certain that pregnant women should be in the kitchen unsupervised, but I am trying out another turkey right now. We do still need to eat! Anyway, I was quite shaken up by the whole thing and very hesitant to turn the oven on again. I am glad it is working well and not smoking or smelly any more.

In other news, things have been quite crazy around here. I read several blogs of moms with several children, and they have some very crazy times. I do not have several children yet, but we seem to be creating our fair share of craziness. Yesterday morning Canon and I had BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). We had about 16 minutes to get there when I was heading towards the gate to leave the base. That's when I noticed two military police cars sitting right by the exit gate. Any military wife knows what this means....... random car search. I have had this done before when entering the base one morning, but leaving the base in the morning....... what do they think I will have on board? And, why do the care if I am headed OFF base? Anyway, with a deep breath I followed the officer as he directed me on where to park. I have been working on setting a better example for Canon and did not want him to dislike military police as I do...... I took my seat belt off and opened the door so that I could quickly open all of the doors, trunk, glove compartment, "anything that opens" is what they told me last time. *Keep in mind that I am driving a van* Then, the officer asks me if I have any children with me. "Yes" I say with a deep breath of relief.... is this my ticket out of a search? YES it was!!! I was so excited. The officer told me that I needed to get going then. It was 40 degrees and windy and I now had 10 minutes to make it to BSF. I was so relieved that he let me go! What a blessing our children are. 

Now looking ahead..... I feel like I am standing on a cliff just waiting for several things to happen. Maybe I am more feeling on "Pause" right before the climax of the movie. Either way, we have some BIG things coming up in the next few weeks and could really use your prayers. Thankfully I only had one tear fall while thinking and talking to a dear friend about all that is about to happen, so I'll try to give you just the facts. On Dec. 10th my sister is going in to be induced. On Dec. 12th Albert leaves for 2 months, but will be home on Christmas day. On Dec. 15th the boys and I leave for Pensacola for about a month, we will be there on Christmas day, thus we will be away from Albert even though he will be at home! On Dec. 22nd Boaz will turn 1 year old. I guess I feel the weight more because I am pregnant and more emotional than normal..... either way, I do not want to walk through the next month alone! Please keep our family in mind and feel free to contact us some over the next couple of months.