Tumbling

When we moved here we had hopes of getting Gavin started in a 2 morning a week "school" program. We signed him up and learned he was #17 on the wait list, and would probably never come up in the time we were stationed here.  They did let us know that they offer kids tumbling and Kindermusic classes on post though, so we signed him up for the tumbling.  He was #5 on the wait list, but we were called just a few days later to hear that he could be in the march class that met Thursdays from 4-4:45pm.  We took the slot!  He really enjoyed himself at his first class.  The worked on front and back rolls on a ramp, cartwheels, hand stands, jumping, walking on a balance beam, etc.  A great way for Gavin to release some of that energy!  At the end of each class they get to pick out a sticker and get a stamp on their hand.  It's so funny how hard a child will work to get a little sticker that is lost before they even reach the parking lot!

After his first class we came home and grilled out chicken and veggies on the porch.  Delicious!

Retreat

One of our favorite things about being right here on main post at Fort Benning is getting to watch Retreat each evening at 5:30pm (4:30pm on the weekends).  The below photos are taken from our front porch.  We enjoy getting to teach Gavin about the flag and respecting it.  He now knows when to stand quietly and watch the flag (though he usually isn't so quiet).  If we're inside, he runs out so he can watch.  He is fearful of the canon going off each evening, but is getting more and more used to it.  Now he salutes when he sees other people do it - so cute!   

We aren't morning people, so we've yet to see Reveille!  

Goodbyes and Getting Things Done

March 1st we had to say goodbye to Starla and Lindsey, as they both had to get back to their own lives!  We woke up at lodging and all headed to our house to have coffee together and say our goodbyes.  It was sad to see them go, but we were so thankful for the time they were able to come and help us!  We couldn't have done it without them!  We're glad they got to make special memories with the kids through our moving process.

Jason went to his first post op shoulder appointment that morning and had his sutures removed - officially allowing him to take his first real shower since February 17th!  While he was out doing that, we had our fence installed and our cable/internet hooked up!  It was nice to have a place to let Gavin and LT go play outside and to have tv and internet back!  

We didn't get much else accomplished that day as I was feeling really sick (like I had the flu, but no vomiting).  We all took much needed naps that afternoon.  Gavin was also getting over being sick himself.  

Thankfully, the Lovejoy's had brought us over lasagna for dinner so we didn't have to do any cooking and could just heat that up and continue to rest and prepare for the next day of continued unpacking!

Our for a little fresh air.

Watching the fence guy work on our back yard.

Feb 28: Move-In Day

Weekend Before Move-In

Buffalo Wild Wings

We woke up Thursday (Feb 24th) hoping to get a call from the moving company that they were on the way and would be delivering our stuff the following day.  We'd planned all along on it being a door to door move and should have taken a clue when no one could give us an answer that things weren't going to go great.  Unfortunately, no one could give us any answers and kept making someone else "responsible" for not knowing anything so we really had no idea what to expect on when our goods were being delivered.  By the end of the day (after many calls back and forth) they said our goods wouldn't be arriving until Monday.  It was frustrating (mostly because we only had Starla and Lindsey to help us until the morning of March 1st, so that meant we only had one day of move-in help instead of the whole 4-day weekend we had planned on), but at least that meant we had several days to just relax and enjoy the great weather, family, friends, and our new city we call home.  

Thursday late afternoon Lindsey arrived!  A little while later we met up with family friends, The Lovejoy's & The Miller's, at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  This is one of Jason's all time favorite restaurants and he so missed not having one near us while we were in Savannah.  It was only right that it was the first restaurant we went to in Columbus!    We had a great dinner outside on the patio full of catching up and laughter and oohing and ahhing over Stella!  Jason got his fill of wings (as did all of us) so everyone came home fat and happy.

All the ladies!

Carol Lovejoy and Austin Miller

Jessica is about 6 months pregnant with a little girl, I told her I'll have her fully trained for motherhood by her due date!!!

Getting a moment with my little buddy while Stella is passed around!

He loves giving her the "binky", though it's often upside down!

Moving, Goodbyes, and Preparing for a Renter

February 20-23rd

The time had finally come to close one chapter in our lives and move on to another.  As excited as I was to move on to a family oriented, non deployable, home by dinner, every weekend off time in our army career, it was really hard to see Savannah in my rear-view mirror.  I struggle with celebrating this happy time in my families lives, because so many others are getting ready to say goodbyes and begin another deployment.  

We spent 2 years, 9 months stationed at Hunter Army Airfield.  That was the longest we'd been at any place before in our time as a married couple.  We bought our first home in Savannah and made so many memories there... moving in May 2008 as a family of two (five months pregnant with Gavin) and moving out February 2011 as a family of four.  I still remember our first night in the house.  Our goods hadn't been delivered yet, so we went to Walmart and purchased a small twin sized blow up mattress.  We blew it up in what would be the master bedroom and snuggled close (remember I was 5 months pregnant) on that small twin bed together, smiling ear to ear so proud of our first home purchase.  We didn't care that we probably could have found a hotel room for the same price as that blow up mattress, we were excited.  The next morning our goods were delivered and the process started of turning that house into our home.  And what a home it was...

Over the next  33 months we met so many wonderful people/families.  Jason was part of such an amazing group of men, the 1st Ranger Battalion.  With that, I got the honor of being among some of the best, strongest army wives in the world.  We laughed together, we cried together, we became mothers, we said good bye to our husbands time and time again, we worked out and got in the best shape of our lives, we shared news of injured Rangers, we gave one another parenting and relationship advice, we made one another meals, we ran races,  we celebrated birthdays & anniversaries in the absence of our husbands, we attended funerals of loved ones lost,  we questioned, we encouraged, we prayed, we supported, we failed, we tried again, and we succeeded... together.  The life of a Ranger wife isn't an easy one, but together we made it work.  I take with me all these memories and friendships made, knowing the army is a small world and hoping, praying, that one day I'll have the joy of again being stationed near some of these woman (and men).                 

The night of the 20th, Starla and I stayed up until the morning hours preparing our house for the packers.  (I had the benefit of having a professional military mover helping me out this move!  She knew all the tricks and trades of moving, what to expect, etc!)  She picked up some jumbo ziploc bags so we could put each kitchen drawer of stuff in a bag, making it so that nothing had to be individually wrapped by the packers or washed once we moved.  We just had to unpack the ziploc bags and dump them into a drawer at the new house - saving much time!!!  We made a "do not pack" room (hall bathroom) and stuffed all our suitcases, laptop, jewelry, purses, jason's guns, important paperwork, etc. into the room.  (Military movers will pack anything and everything, trash and dirty laundry included, so I always suggest having a "do not pack" room!  I don't think any of us got much sleep that night, but we were officially ready for the packers the morning of the 21st when they showed up at 8:30am.  Three people came and they were ready to work!  This was our 4th military move and we'd never had a team pack us so fast.  At 1:30pm they were done and out of there.   They left the beds and tv's up (leaving us a few boxes to pack our own linens the next morning) so that we could sleep in our own house that night and avoid paying for a hotel.    The next morning the loading team was there and they were just as motivated as the team the day prior.  They were done with everything by 3pm or so.  We stayed busy that afternoon patching holes in the wall, painting over scratches, and fixing any little things that needed done before the cleaning team came in the following day.  As we pulled out of the driveway that night to say goodbyes and go to the hotel, the song "Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney came on the radio.  I had to bite my lip and fight back the tears.  I feel like I blinked and our time in Savannah was done.

Next it was to the Mangum's for a sad goodbye.  I remember meeting Neelee at a B Co FRG meeting a couple months after moving to Savannah, we were both pregnant with our firsts and had talked about how we were both teachers previously.  I left the meeting hoping we'd get to know each other more, but not really sure if we would or not... a few months later we became the best of friends, as did Max and Gavin.  It was hard watching them say good-byes, knowing they really had no idea what that meant.  

Finally, it was off to the hotel (but not before picking up dinner at Arbys).  We watched Biggest Loser (one of my favorite shows that I now have Starla hooked on, but Jason hates), got cleaned up, and crashed.  

The next day was moving day, but not before getting a long list of things done.  Merry Maids came to do a full cleaning of our house to prepare it for our renter, we returned our cable supplies to Comcast, had the electricity shut off, turned in our keys and garage door openers to the property manager, had lunch, got paperwork completed for the Ad Valorum tax exemption for my Yukon (what a headache that was), got a few last things in the mail, had the truck weighed for our DITY move, took photos of the house for documentation, and were finally off to Fort Benning.  I got the lucky end of the driving deal, just me and Stella in the Yukon.  Somehow Starla ended up with the truck, Jason, Gavin, and LT!  (Sorry!)  The four hour drive ended up taking about five with our stops and my being over confident that my way was faster and then getting us lost.  We arrived at Benning just after dark, picked up dinner at a drive through, and checked into post lodging.  I'm not sure we'd ever been more excited to lay our heads on pillows then we were that evening!

Gavin's room, ready to be loaded on the truck... 

Makeshift nap spot!

We met as preggo's and said goodbye as moms of 2!

Best Buddies

Ace gives goodbye kisses :)

All clean and ready for the renter

I'll sure miss our master closet!

Last photo before pulling out of Savannah...