Our Angel Boys

Michael's "pacifier"

2009-03-18T16:37:00.002-04:00

So, Michael has found a way to self soothe. Some kids suck their fingers, some suck their thumbs, others cling to a blankie or stuffed animal...Michael sucks his lower lip. I found him doing this one night after he had gone to sleep, then I noticed him doing it more and more throughout the day. I think its pretty cute, but sometimes I worry that it will be a habit we will have to break later on. Oh well, if it makes him happy, I'm fine with it. The really cute thing is when he runs his fingers through his hair and sucks his lip when he's starting to get really tired. Some day these baby things will be gone, so we might as well enjoy them while they are here.

Little voices in the monitor

2009-03-02T10:19:00.002-05:00

So I am sitting here downstairs taking care of a few things before we start school for the day and I am listening, via the baby monitor, to Gabriel and Michael playing upstairs in Michael's room. Gabriel is being quite sweet, playing so nicely with his baby brother and teaching him everything he knows. At one point he informs his little brother that "dinosaurs live in Africa!" He had explained this to the whole family in the car on the way to church yesterday, so his Daddy and I acted as though it was very interesting and that he was teaching us something new. (We did have the discussion that dinosaurs are no longer with us...and that its a good thing.)

I think its quite adorable to hear the chatter between little brothers. Especially when the older brother is trying so hard to teach his little brother everything he thinks he knows.

Jack Bauer and a Dinosaur

2009-02-12T10:45:00.003-05:00

So...

2009-01-24T13:12:00.001-05:00

I was messing with my template and erased a bunch of things off my blog in the process. For now I guess I'll just have to have a boring blog...oh well.

SNOW!

2009-01-22T16:27:00.005-05:00

So on Tuesday, contrary to usual weather patterns, North Carolina found itself buried in 3-7 inches of beautiful snow. We got about 5 or 6 inches here at our house. Of course we had to take the kids out to experience the snow in their own backyard. In NC this amount shuts down everything. There is no snow removal equipment, so the schools were closed for 2 days and Fort Bragg was closed. It was quite an interesting experience for all of us here in NC. Here's some pictures of our fun couple of days!

Family, family and more family!

2008-12-04T11:28:00.008-05:00

I can hardly believe that we are already in December. The house is decorated in Christmas decorations, the tree is up and most of the presents have been purchased. Where has the year gone!?!

In the past month we have welcomed both sets of Grandparents and my sister, Alli, into our home. We will have Brad's parents back right before Christmas along with their two miniature Schauzers, Oscar and Henry. That should be quite the adventure as we have our own mini Schnauzer, Ranger. We love having family over and we are always looking forward to the next time that we can be with them.

Brad's parents were here for the long Columbus weekend at the beginning of November. We did a "whole lotta nothing", which is always fun! Then, my family was here for the week of Thanksgiving. We had a great time preparing the dinner and spending the week playing games and watching football and movies on our new 42" flat-screen digital TV. (Can I just say how amazing the reception is with a digital antenna and an HDTV! I can't believe what we get off the free airwaves!) We also spent some time with Brad's unit and had a Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday afternoon at the Battalion Dining Facility (DFAC). All the officers and NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) were dressed in their Dress Blues and served the meal to all the soldiers and families that were there. It was quite good and fun for all. Then on Wednesday we went to watch the Turkey Bowl, which was a flag football game between the Officers and NCOs in our Battalion.
We had a little snack bar set up to make some money for our Family Readiness Group and the kids had a great time playing with the other kids their to watch their Daddies beat up on each other!
The next day was Thanksgiving Day so we spent the day cooking, baking, watching the parade, watching football, and of course eating!
So next we will have Christmas and New Years and many more pictures to share. Merry Christmas everyone!

I really need to stop procrastinating!

2008-11-01T21:21:00.012-04:00

I have to admit, I never thought it would take me so long to get back to blogging...but it has. I have posted some pictures of the past few months just to get you all caught up. I will try my best to keep this thing up now. I am finally starting to feel more like myself since Brad has been home. We all have been dealing with so much including health issues, surgeries, and Army stuff in the past few months which have kept my mind fairly busy. I think I'm starting to be able to handle everything better, so I can think about other things now. Enjoy the pictures and I hope to be able to keep up this blog now!

Post blog hiatus.

2008-07-14T18:35:00.003-04:00

Obviously since "the Dad" has been home, I have been seriously lax in updating our blog. I realize that there are many of you that would kind of like to see what the little men are up to these days. I am going to try and update you on the past few months. Although I think it may take awhile. As I think back to all we have done and accomplished in the past few months, it is daunting to think about recounting it all in great detail. I will try my best, so please keep checking back...I promise to have something here again soon. I pray that you all are well!

He is here!

2008-05-03T21:32:00.002-04:00

Well everyone...the Daddy is finally home!!! He came home on Wednesday the 30th of April. We are all thoroughly enjoying having him home. The boys are starting to bond with Daddy and I am loving watching them interact. I will post pictures of all our fun and of Brad's homecoming...but for now...this is all I can do...just announce that he is here, safe with us, in North Carolina. Thank you all who have been keeping up with us during this long 15 months without Daddy!

It'll all be over soon!

2008-04-27T17:09:00.002-04:00

Despite what our countdown says, we are actually about 3 days away from having Daddy back! I haven't been very good about updating the blog since I have been SO BUSY with the FRG and helping our families figure out how they are going to get here and see their soldier get off the plane. Its a huge responsibility and I am trying my best to balance that with my motherly and wifely responsibilies, but right now I feel like the FRG wins out some of the time. It feels like a full time job sometimes! Anyway, we are just days away from the big arrival and so once life slows down again there will be many happy posts documenting the wonderful day and those that follow. Hope all is well with you all! We love you and thank you so much for supporting us through this long 15 month deployment!

Happy Birthday, Gabriel!

2008-04-19T22:17:00.002-04:00

Well, yesterday, my biggest little boy turned 4! I do have pictures from his special day, but I have been so busy that I haven't had time to upload them. I will try to do that soon.

We started off the day with a cinnamon roll for breakfast, complete with birthday candle and singing.

Later on in the day I gave him his present from Mommy and Daddy...a big boy t-ball set and Car movie race track.

We then went to Red Robin to have dinner with the Pelikan clan. Gabriel loves that restaurant! He got presents, ice cream and a round of 'happy birthday to you'. On the way home from dinner he tells me that it was the "best, best, best, best party ever!"

I have been so busy with my responsibilies with the Family Support Group of Brad's unit, that I barely had time to think about anything else. I think Gabriel had a special day even though we weren't able to have a true party.

On another note...the Angel Boys' Daddy will be home in about 2 weeks from Afghanistan! Right now this is our top-end estimate, so we are truly down to the last days of this marathon of a deployment! We will be able to party WITH Daddy soon! I will do my best to update the blog in the next 2 weeks, but I can't promise anything...just keep checking in to see our progress toward D-Day (Daddy-Day)!

Happy One

2008-04-03T21:46:00.008-04:00

Today the smallest McCoy boy turned 1!

Birthday waffles for the birthday boy.

Here are some pictures from Michael's birthday dinner and cake.

Mickey Mouse ears are great party hats!

Big boy cup for the big boy.

Pretty close...He seems to like this hand gesture.

Yummmmm....cheese pizza! Not bad for a first timer!

Brother with some cheese of his own.

Yay...birthday cake!

Gabriel was waiting all day for this.

Birthday present from Mommy and Daddy.

Mommy put this together in about 5 minutes...sadly, Michael's legs aren't long enough yet :-(

I have been thinking all day today about how quickly this last year has gone. One year ago, I had just had a c-section and was lying in the hospital bed with a sleeping Michael on my chest...that was the only thing he wanted to do that night...no eating...just sleeping on mommy. One year ago, Daddy had been gone for less than two months...now it has been almost 14 months...wow...where has the time gone?! So much has happened in the past 12 months, and I can't believe how fast our little baby has grown. Michael is a sweet, loving, and funny little guy. I cannot wait for this next 4 weeks to zoom by as quickly as the past year has, so that Daddy can come home and finally get to know his littlest boy.

Funny Gabriel Day...

2008-03-14T21:42:00.002-04:00

In and amongst my crazy day of painting, lots of emailing, house work, and taking care of the kiddos, Gabriel had a few quotes that were quite humorous.

#1 As we were eating breakfast this morning Gabriel informs me,

"Michael doesn't understand me. That's what babies do, they get bigger and understand people."

So profound for a nearly four-year-old.

#2 Then while we were deciding about what to have for dinner. Gabriel decides that he would like to have cinnamon waffles for dinner. I said that sounded very good and cheesy scrambled eggs and vanilla yogurt would go really well with that, and Gabriel completely agreed. He says with much enthusiasm,

"Oooo...this is going to be the best dinner ever!"

#3 Then tonight as I was tucking him into bed I leaned over and gave him a hug. He quickly pulled back and exclaimed,

"Oooo, Mommy, you stink! Go take a bath!"

I explained to him that I had some more painting to do, but I would do that right away as soon as I was done. I leaned in for one more hug and once again...

"Mommy, no! You stink!"

So I settled for a kiss instead. I completely agreed with the kid though...Its nice to know that he wouldn't let me get away with being stinky!

So, my son is 3 going on 14! How quickly they grow up and how fun it is to watch it happen.

We are so excited for Daddy to be coming home in about a month and a half! He can then, finally, experience his two precious sons.

We love you Daddy! Come home safe and soon!

Mommy's Rules, Lesson 2

2008-02-21T06:50:00.002-05:00

With Lesson 1 of Mommy's Rules underway...What not to touch in the house...I can begin Lesson 2...Let Mommy get her sleep.

So, I am awake before 7:00am, listening to the frustrated whines of Michael. I am teaching him that in this house...you stay in bed, preferrably asleep, until at least 7:00. That seems to be the magic number for me. I taught Gabriel the same thing around this age. It takes a few mornings of half awake whining, and then they seem to get the hint. With Gabriel I used to bring him in bed with me before that time and we would sleep for another couple of hours sometimes. But then, he would just call for me earlier and earlier in the night until it was 3:00am and he wanted me to come get him! I am not doing that this time...I don't function well with kids sleeping in my bed. It works for some people, but I am not one of those. Its okay on occasion, but if it happens too often then I start losing too much sleep. I'm too concerned about smothering them that I never get into a deep sleep, and then I am crabby. So, anyway, he's been at it now for about 30 min...but he still is so tired that his eyes are closed while he's crying. I sure hope he just gives it up and goes back to sleep!

Its 7:00 now and he's ramping up again...so maybe I'll go save him from his bed. Ah, the perils of having a pre-toddler.

Cool Big Boy Stuff, Lesson 1

2008-02-19T10:35:00.002-05:00

This morning I was here at my kitchen table enjoying a freshly made latte and listening to a podcast, when I noticed a lack of noise coming from the living room. Gabriel and Michael had been happily playing there with their mass of toys, and I no longer heard playing noises. I walk around to the stairs and there I find Michael 4 stairs up with Gabriel coaching him and praising him to climb higher!!! Gabriel says, "Mommy, look what I teached him! He can go up the stairs now!" I calmly, but quickly, removed Michael from the stairs and told Gabriel that he is such a good big brother and that I am proud of him for teaching Michael something...BUT, Michael CANNOT go up the stairs without me right there to help! It was quite a cute moment, actually. So begins Professor Gabriel's ongoing lessons in cool big boy stuff with Michael as the primary pupil! Lord, have mercy!

Post Vacation Wrap-Up

2008-02-10T17:39:00.000-05:00

So, what can I say about a nearly 3 month trip away from home? Wow...what a trip!!! We had so much fun visiting with family. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend so much time with the people that we love. We saw so many great things and the kids were able to experience some things that they may not have otherwise. We are very, very grateful to our family for taking us in and providing a refuge for us during this deployment. Being gone as long as we were and doing the things that we did really helped the time to just fly by! It was great to leave knowing that before we knew it 2 and a half months would be gone. And, man, has it felt that way! So, now we have been home for a little over a week and we are trying to get our lives put back together here at home. Michael is a full-fledged crawler and soon to be, cruiser. So I have had to quickly adapt our home to accomodate his new found skills. We are also in the thick of preparing for Daddy's return. He will be home in about 2 months! We have many things to do before he gets home, that this time, I am sure, will fly by as well. Hopefully now that we are safely home, I can update our blog more often. I'll keep my fingers crossed on that one! :) So, we are on to new adventures now and soon Daddy will be a permanent fixture back at home!!! We can hardly wait!!! Much love to all from Steph and the Boys.

More fun in Nebraska

2008-02-10T17:38:00.001-05:00

This slide show brings us to the end of our trip. Go to the website below. Enjoy!

http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery2.php?instanceid=102089059

The rest of our fun in California.

2008-02-10T17:24:00.002-05:00

We are finally home!!! I will have to apologize for not keeping up on the commentary part of documenting our trip. I'm resorting to the good 'ol photo slide show to tell about the rest of our time away. I will follow up with another of the rest of our time in Nebraska. Go to the website below. Enjoy!

http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery2.php?instanceid=102084811

Still gone...

2008-01-22T19:25:00.000-05:00

So, its been almost two and a half months that we have been away from good 'ol North Carolina. The time has gone extremely fast...but that was the plan. We are just that much closer to Daddy coming home! When we get home we will have under 3 months left of this deployment--which as we have just proven, can go by in the blink of an eye!

I have been lax in posting about all the fun we had in California and I will probably not be able to post any more pictures until we get home at the end of the month.

I am starting to get very tired of being away from my home and am very excited to return home soon. Before we know it, Daddy will be here and we have things to do to prepare for his arrival. We should be able to keep ourselves busy. Keep checking in...I will, hopefully, post and catch everyone up on our trip when we get home!

California Love

2007-12-19T18:36:00.000-05:00

So we have been here now for almost a week and we are all finally getting rested again. It seems that with all the fun and excitement coupled with the traveling, we all get very worn out! I am wondering how we are going to handle the trip home! We may just have to crash for a couple of weeks to recuperate.

On Friday we went out to pick up the Christmas tree. Gabriel had never gotten to do that before so we all, kind of, let him pick it out himself. He walked all over the lot searching for the perfect tree. Of course, he liked the biggest ones so we had to direct him to the section that was more in the price range that Mow Mow and Popeye were looking for. I just can't see spending over $100 for a tree that is going to die in a few weeks!

Other than that, we have done a whole lot of nothing. Mow Mow and Popeye were given a ton of Thomas the Tank Engine toys and a play table so many hours have been spent working on that.

Of course, Ah-Ah had to make a smoothie for Gabriel.

Michael has been having a great time as well. He and Ah-Ah are buddies.

Also, Michael pulled up to standing all by himself! Once he got up he looked pretty proud of himself, but then it was like he couldn't hang on much longer and needed someone to rescue him!

We are looking forward to Christmas and New Years and our trips to see family and friends. Also, of course, our trip to Disneyland! We miss our home and friends there, but we are fully enjoying our time with family.

More snow...and ice!!!

2007-12-11T23:34:00.000-05:00

So, we've been having many relaxing days inside lately because of temperatures in the teens, snow and ice making going outside pretty difficult for us warm-weather folk. Finally, we had a few good days where we could go out and play for a bit. Today Michael got to be outside for a few minutes and take a quick sled ride with brother Gabriel.

He didn't like the cold too much and a car coming up the road scared him, so his little adventure only lasted a few minutes!

He was much happier in the warmth of the house...poor little guy!

Brother stayed outside for quite a while and got many sled rides from Mow Mow and Dad Dad. The pavement was so icy that they could pull him up and down the driveway and sidewalk without scraping! So much fun! We have had a great time here in Nebraska and will soon be making our next trip to California. We're going to get to thaw out a bit and have some winter and Christmas fun, California style! Stay tuned for more updates from the Golden State.

Gettin' in the spirit!

2007-12-03T00:47:00.001-05:00

Fun in Nebraska!

2007-12-01T18:32:00.001-05:00

Here's a slideshow of all the fun that we have had so far on our trip. Go the website below. Enjoy!

http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery2.php?instanceid=93539486

SNOW!!!

2007-11-22T00:47:00.000-05:00

So today we woke up to snow here in Omaha! I was so excited that I actually went and got Gabriel out of bed to come see! It was actually 8:45 in the morning, and he is usually up more than an hour before that, so I thought it was safe to wake him :) We had a great day just watching in amazement through the windows from the warmth of the house. Gabriel got bundled up and went out to play with Grandma, Grandad and Ranger for a few minutes, too, while I captured some moments on the camera. We then came inside to warm up with coffee and hot chocolate. We truly enjoyed the first snow day of the season!

I love you so.....

2007-11-20T01:03:00.000-05:00

....much!

That is the new inside joke that Gabriel and his Grandma have come up with. One of them will say the first part, then the other is supposed to answer with "much". They've been doing it since a few days ago so now he likes to say it to me and Grandad too. He's such a loving little boy and he is starting to become so clever. Sometimes he's so clever that it almost makes you wonder how old he really is...13, 15, 18??? He is definitely very big for his britches!

We've Arrived!

2007-11-15T19:46:00.000-05:00

After two tiring plane rides and traveling all day, we finally made it here to Grandma and Grandad's house in Nebraska. I just wanted to report that I am back online now and will continue to post to the blog while we are here. Keep checking back for the next couple of months for updates on our gallavanting across the country.

Motor Skill Update

2007-11-12T09:45:00.000-05:00

So, Michael had his follow-up with the physical therapist at the end of last week. She was amazed at his progress...as am I! He is sitting independently now and is rolling around like a little steamroller. He also tries very hard to get toys that are around him and will do whatever he can to get them in his mouth. In three weeks he has transformed into a mover and shaker! We have one more follow-up when we return home, just to make sure that he is still on track. I really think that he just does things a few weeks later than most babies his age, but once he gets around to doing those things he is a very determined little guy!

The Creativity of a Three-Year-Old

2007-11-07T21:53:00.000-05:00

Here's a little video of Gabriel and Ranger playing together...well its really Gabriel teasing Ranger, but any attention is good attention for Ranger!
I also thought that I would share Gabriel's incredible ability to clean up his things. Now these pictures look like I was the one who put everything away...but, I promise it was Gabriel! Notice how the folded up table and chairs are lined up so perfectly? He also lined up all his big toys that don't fit in the toy box in a neat little row. I think he possibly got his perfectionism from one of his parents...hmmm maybe both? Ha ha!

What a beautiful sunset.

2007-10-27T20:52:00.000-04:00

After two days of rain, this is what God gave us to look at tonight...absolutely amazing!

HALLELUJAH!

2007-10-26T13:05:00.000-04:00

IT'S RAINING!!!
Check out how much water is in Gabriel's play table!

Our fountain runneth over.

Here in North Carolina we have been in an exceptional drought all summer. We have had serious water restrictions and have been praying for rain. Yesterday we got about 2 inches and today its been pouring buckets and they were expecting to get 2 more inches before the rain storm is over. This has definitely been a God-send! Praise the Lord!

Another accomplishment!

2007-10-19T11:36:00.000-04:00

I still can't believe that Gabriel, our first born, is well on his way to becoming a 4 year old. Although his next birthday is still 6 months away, the things that he is doing now constantly remind me that he is growing up so fast.

What, you say, is the accomplishment that I am speaking of? Gabriel can now give himself a bath! Of course, I am there directing every scrub of the Tow Mater poof and making sure that he is adequately removing the day's grime from his hair, fingernails and such...but, that's still a big accomplishment for a 3 1/2 year old! Since I am able to bathe both kiddos at the same time now, it really helps that while I am cleaning little brother, big brother can kind of take care of himself. He takes so much pride in these little things that he can do for himself. I love to facilitate and sometimes just observe these little victories of my big boy.

Graduated!

2007-10-14T16:58:00.000-04:00

Michael has now graduated to the sitting up bathtub! He and brother Gabriel are loving all these things they can do together.

Just thought I would also capture the amazing blue-ness of the little one's eyes. Gabriel also has some very amazing eyes, really dark and a rich brown. I have to admit that I think we have some very handsome little men!

Michael, 6 months

2007-10-11T20:59:00.000-04:00

So, we had Michael's 6 month well-baby check the other day. He is now in the 15th percentile in weight and the 70th percentile height! I couldn't believe it...but I knew that after he grew out of his 3-6 month jammies in about 3 weeks, something was going on :)The doctor was a bit concerned about his motor skills. He is borderline on his gross motor skills because he was not really rolling over and couldn't lift his chest off the ground by straightening his arms. He is just a bit better on his fine motor skills, but I think that's just because I keep really small things away from him and don't know whether he would try to pick something like that up. I think he is just more interested in figuring things out by looking, listening and feeling things...not so much on trying to get up and move around. He has always done things a few weeks later than his peers anyway, and just today he did much more rolling around and trying to work for things. So, I have a feeling everything is just fine.

My sweet little baby is growing up :)

Blogs anyone?

2007-09-26T15:10:00.000-04:00

So in this day and age I know that many of you out there probably have blogs of your own...If any of you know of any of our friends that have blogs (or if you yourself have a blog), please give us the address. We would love to keep in touch with all the friends that we can!

Random Stuff

2007-09-26T11:23:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to catch ya'll up on some things that we've been doing for the past few weeks.

1. Gabriel's obsession: He has a box of cars that he uses to make parking lots on the carpet (parking lots are just a long line of cars all facing the same direction like a row of cars in a parking lot). This is his newest invention...he calls it a "Gabba Gabba". For all of you familiar with the show "Yo, Gabba Gabba" on Nick Jr., please give me your input on why you think he calls it that...I'm perplexed :P

2. More sweetness.

3. Learning to sit! Michael can now sit up all by himself for a few seconds without falling over. If he is a bit supported he can sit for quite awhile and play with toys.

4. Happy Mommy! Gabriel took this picture of me...not bad for a 3 year old :)

5. Mmmmm....coffee!

6. Our new bathing technique...this seems to work really well right now, at least until Michael can sit up by himself in the bath with Gabriel.

We've been well (all except for Mommy's back going out a few weeks ago...we had a lot of help from Auntie Rondi and Mimi Pelikan to help us around the house and get Mommy to the doctor...I'm all better now...just needed to take it really easy for a few weeks). We are planning our future trip to Nebraska and California for the holidays and are very excited to be with family again. Although, we haven't been too lonely lately as we have spent a lot of time with Uncle John's family over at Mimi and Papa Pelikan's house while Uncle John has been home for his R&R from Afghanistan. I just know Aunt Rondi will post a great blog about their time together...wink, wink ;) We pray that all of our friends and family are happy and well!

Some serious cuteness!

2007-09-06T11:12:00.000-04:00

So, this looks staged...but, Gabriel actually started singing on his own, so I told him to start over so I could capture it. I'm so proud of my big boy :)

Another milestone!

2007-08-29T12:24:00.000-04:00

Guess who slept 10 hours straight last night???

Michael did!!! Yay for Mommy!!!

Ah-Ah was here!!!

2007-08-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since we posted last, but I thought I might catch you all up on our goings on around here.

My "little" sister was here for a week at the beginning of the month! She had so much fun spending time with her nephews...reinstating her as the greatest Ah-Ah in the world!

Lot's of fun at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens

Hunting lizards...look closely...see!?!

Pretty butterflies!

Michael was enjoying the ride.

We also celebrated her 21st birthday while she was here! Happy Birthday Ah-Ah!!!

She tried a margarita...

...It made her have funny faces, so she opted for a non-alcoholic beverage :)

There's so much more that I could share, but this is a good picture of the fun that we had with Ah-Ah. We hope that she'll make her way back here some day ;) We always love when family comes to visit.

Something new!

2007-08-01T23:06:00.001-04:00

Check out the new lists on our blog...Mommy's Corner and Daddy's Corner...Just some things that catch our eye from time to time. Enjoy!

Where have we been!?!

2007-07-26T17:58:00.000-04:00

A lot has happened in the past few weeks and I just didn't have time to update you all on our lives until now. First of all, Brad came home for R&R! He was home for 15 days and we just had a blast. We had to keep it all a secret though, because we had a surprise 60th birthday party for Brad's mom and we didn't tell his parents we were coming or that Brad was even home from Afghanistan! We flew to Omaha in the middle of our 2 weeks together and had so much fun with the family. We all (Brad's brother and family, his parents, and all of us) went to the zoo while we were in Omaha and the boys (mostly Gabriel) just loved it. Our time there went far too fast, but we were so happy that we were able to spend some of our vacation with Brad's family. After we got home last Tuesday we continued working on some little projects that we started during the first few days of Brad being home and also relaxing and trying to recouperate from our travels. On Sunday we went to church in Wilmington because Michael was to be baptized and Brad was to give the sermon. It was such a wonderful and blessed day for us. Brad left again on Monday morning. We are sad that he had to leave again, but we know that this will be the last time he will have to leave us for so long again. It was such a blessing for me to see my husband with his children. It was especially joyful to see him with our new little one and see him effortlessly fall into the role of the Dad of 2 kids. I didn't know what it was going to feel like with him home again, but once he was here it was so gratifying and we finally got a glimpse of what life will be like when he is home again...for good. Here are a few pictures of our time together. Enjoy!

Bonding time.
The big surprise! That's Brad in the forefront.

Daddy's sweet little boy.

Dressed and ready for the zoo!
Gabriel loved the elephants.

But, I think riding the train was the highlight of the day!

Grandma McCoy with all her grandkids.

Playing with Daddy's old doctor kit.

Michael sitting in the pew before his baptism.

Daddy and his boys at the airport the morning that he left.

Happy 4th of July?

2007-07-05T18:35:00.001-04:00

Well, yesterday was the Fourth of July. Mimi and Papa Pelikan bought a ton of fireworks for the kids. We all hung out and ate and played and had a good time until it was dark.

Phil (Papa) started up the festivities out on the street with a few small fireworks that whistled and popped. We thought the kids would like them, but boy were we wrong! Karis and Gabriel both were so freaked out that they ended up watching from an upstairs bedroom window!

They didn't like that for long though, it was still a bit too much for them. So Mimi put on Blue's Clues for them.

Oh well, we tried :) I guess we'll have to see how they do next year.

Our Beach Trip!

2007-07-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

Hey, I haven't gotten around to making a post with pictures from our beach trip to Wrightsville Beach last weekend so I thought I would direct you to my best friend, Rondi's blog. Check out her blog at JohnnysGirls

We had a blast!

We love the Bumbo!

2007-06-16T12:16:00.000-04:00

Michael at less than 2 1/2 months is already holding his head up enough to try out the Bumbo seat. He sat in in for about 15 minutes before getting a bit tired. We love this thing so far!

Happy Birthday to you, Daddy!

2007-06-15T22:44:00.000-04:00

Brad (Daddy) turns 31 tomorrow the 16th. We so wish that we could be with him on his birthday, but for now we just have to wait to celebrate when he can be home again. We love you, Daddy! Come home safe! Happy Birthday!

What do you think?

2007-06-11T22:31:00.000-04:00

Mimi and Papa (Tami and Fr. Phil Pelikan) think that we may have a little Joe Cocker on our hands. He's holding back a bit on this clip, but you should see him when he's not being put on the spot...its hilarious!

On a side note...

2007-06-11T21:19:00.000-04:00

With my new little one to attend to, I am also finding that I have another passion...gardening! Since I have a home with a fairly sizeable yard, I am finding all sorts of fun stuff to do outside. Here are some pictures of my little projects in the yard.
Here is my new fountain. This is our anniversary present from Brad's parents.

Here are some of my roses. They were a birthday gift from my parents.

Gabriel loves to check out our Elephant Ear plant. We have another,but its growing a bit crazy...I think its a mutant! See! It's bigger and looks better now...but this was starting to confuse me...the two were the same kind of bulb!

Here is my veggie garden. I just transplanted my tomatoes in there today.

See...I'm having some success!

So, that's your tour around my garden. I am in just the beginning stages, but I am getting so much enjoyment out of tending to these little projects.

He's growin' like a weed!

2007-05-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

Here's little Michael in his big boy clothes! He is eating like a horse and I swear that he gets visibly bigger each time he sleeps!

Uh-oh...here comes the sad face!

Easter Pictures

2007-04-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

This year, due to a certain little someone coming a bit early, we were unable to go to church for Easter Sunday. We were a bit disappointed that we could not go to church to celebrate our Risen Lord, so we just had to celebrate at home. Because of that, Gabriel wasn't able to wear his Easter outfit, so we had to postpone picture taking until this Monday! My Mom, Rondi, Karis, Gabriel, Michael and I went to the Botanical Gardens here in Fayetteville and we had a lovely time walking around in the 80 degree weather and perusing the beautiful plants and flowers.

How quickly they grow up.

Some geese at the park.

Gazing at the pond.

My big boy, dressed in his shirt and tie...the pants were too big, thus the untucked shirt. I thought that Daddy would appreciate his California-casual look.

Happy Birthday Gabriel!!!

2007-04-21T14:20:00.000-04:00

Although Michael's arrival somewhat overshadowed Gabriel's birthday on April 18th, we still held a party for him at the house on the 13th and invited some neighbor families.

This was Gabriel's first real party with many other kids. He had so much fun and met many new friends.

Here's the big boy with some of his birthday gifts. He couldn't wait to open them all!

Gabriel got this awesome playhouse for his birthday from his Mom and Dad and from Mow Mow and Popeye Wright. All the kids LOVED this new toy!

Gabriel's new friends...Holly, Elijah and Robby...and of course Karis Lei.

Michael even got in on the action!

The birthday boy blowing out his candles. Gabriel loved his Diego party!

First Baths

2007-04-21T14:01:00.000-04:00

We only got one good picture of Michael's first bath. He really squeals while he is in the bath, but when he is out and dry and in his clothes he is really happy and mellow.

Gabriel was there to help with the bath. Big brother really is a good helper!

I am REALLY not happy!

Ahhh...much better!

The New Brothers

2007-04-21T13:47:00.000-04:00

Gabriel and Michael getting to know one another.

Proud Papa

2007-04-15T10:11:00.000-04:00

Brad smoking his "It's a Boy" cigars with some buddies in Afghanistan the day that Michael was born.

Michael Leslie McCoy is here!!!

2007-04-10T18:00:00.000-04:00

On April 3rd I went to my doctor to report the findings of my ultrasound the day before. My doctor said that if Michael was not over 5 lbs. 14. oz. at the time of the ultrasound (38 weeks gestation) we would have to do some tests to see if there was anything wrong. The ultrasound showed that Michael was only 5 lbs. 4 oz. and had turned to a breech presentation. At that weight he was only in the third percentile for all babies at that gestational age. They decided that I needed to deliver him just in case there was anything wrong and because he was breech, they would have to do a Cesarean. I had been preparing myself for the possibility that this might happen so I was not shocked about the manner in which I would give birth, but the timing about knocked me on my rear! I had to drive back home before going to be admitted to the hospital to make sure that I could get my mom on post with me so she could be with me during surgery and stay with the baby when I was in recovery. My best friend, Rondi, was in charge of watching Gabriel until my mom would be free to take him back home after Michael was born. Rondi is definitely a lifesaver...thanks Rondikins!

I went into surgery at about 2pm on April 3rd. After being hooked up to monitors, getting a spinal and being tied to the operating table it was finally time for my mom to join me and for the surgery to begin. Michael Leslie McCoy was born at precisely 1440 (2:40pm for you civilians out there).

Michael weighed 5lbs. 6oz. and was 19 1/2 in. long at birth. The good news is that he had high Apgar scores and is in perfect health. It turns out that the early C-Section was all for precautionary reasons and that nothing was wrong with him.

Gabriel is an amazing big brother. He is so gentle with Michael and loves to sing to him and give him hugs and kisses. I am so proud that he is so good with his new baby brother.

We are now back at home, working on our new routine. My mom, dad and sister are here now helping out with housework and taking care of Gabriel until I can get back on my feet again. I am feeling better every day, but I know that I would not be able to function right now if they weren't here with me. It is such a blessing that they are here at this time and that I had the baby when I did. The Lord really orchestrated this quite perfectly!

Look everyone!!!

2007-04-02T08:43:00.000-04:00

It's little Brad!!!

Another serenade

2007-04-02T08:37:00.000-04:00

Another song from Gabriel...he learned it from his nursery school teacher at church, Miss Doris...Do Lord, o do Lord, o do remember me...

Gabriel's serenade

2007-04-02T08:30:00.000-04:00

Here's a song for every one! If you couldn't tell, its Michael W. Smith's Agnus Dei.

We're taking the next step!!!

2007-04-01T23:38:00.000-04:00

Gabriel had his first full day in big boy underpants today! He started at 7:20 this morning and after a 2 hour trip to church, 2 hours at church, lunch at Ruby Tuesdays, a 2 hour drive home with a short nap, dinner and a movie, he stayed completely clean and dry until I put him to bed!!! I am such a happy mama!!! I think he is going to do very well with this next big step in our lives. We are well on our way to having a potty trained kid!!!

Gabriel at his best!

2007-03-30T17:27:00.000-04:00

Here is Gabriel showing off his newly found soccer skills! I think we have a soccer player on our hands. He also shows off his singing abilities.

2007-03-30T15:18:00.000-04:00

A boy and his dog...lazy bums!