Easton's 2nd birthday celebrations!

Easton is all smiles at his pre-school birthday celebration!

Surprised when he woke up from nap time with friends and family at his Fresh Beat Band birthday party!

At playgroup, getting a birthday call from his Pappy :-)

YUMMY cupcakes!

Cheesing when he sees his birthday gifts!

Blogging is hard :-)

Enough with the excuses.... but obviously I have fallen behind on blogging, again! We've had a BUSY month since Jason got home - wow, I can't believe it has been a month already! We had Easton's birthday celebration, have made a few trips to see family & friends in Virginia and in the Raleigh area, and then of course there is the usual preschool, playgroup and gym routine. On top of all of that, I taught 2 classes during the first winter session (I usually teach just one at a time) so that was quite time consuming as well.

Bare with me as I catch up on the past months worth of events - there will be a bunch of posts to follow! :-)

The big day is ALMOST here!!!

We've had a busy few days as we prep for Jason's arrival - I am still in a bit of shock that he'll be here in a few DAYS! I am so used to doing a month countdown, that to say days, or even the hours, is a bit surreal. Very exciting, but surreal.

My brother Bryce and good friend April came down for the weekend to help me with some household chores. We deep cleaned three bathrooms, power washed the house, organized the garage, and took off TONS of clothes that no longer fit or need to be donated. Easton got to spend some time with two of his favorite people, which is always a bonus as well. We are truly blessed to have family and friends that will do anything, even scrub a toilet, for us. That is nothing short of love!

Life so far this week is a lot of the normal routine - playgroup, preschool, the gym, grocery shopping - with a bit of prep here and there. Luckily I am a planner (shocker, right?) and scheduled some of the bigger projects to be taken care of early. So now we're just anxiously awaiting the big day to get here.

We plan to have Christmas once Jason gets home, so we'll bake Christmas cookies, Santa will come with Easton's gifts (he hasn't received anything from us yet) and we'll do the traditional ham/green beans/etc for dinner. It's a few weeks late but hey, Easton doesn't know the difference at this age and I am actually enjoying having the decorations up a bit longer. After we have Christmas, we'll focus on Easton's 2nd birthday. We have a small party at preschool on Wed Jan 18th, a playgroup on Easton's actual birthday, Jan 19th, then a big celebration on Saturday Jan 21st with family and a lot of friends, both local and out of town. It's going to be a busy, crazy time - but we'll enjoy every minute of it since we'll FINALLY be together as a complete family once again! :-)

A year in review from the world's WORST blogger :-)

Hello everyone!!! I am in a bit of shock that it has been 4 months since my last blog post. Wow, someone has been slacking off :-) In my defense, it has been a very busy year. But, this deployment will soon be behind us, so I have made it a personal goal to blog more regularly.

This is a promise to my family and friends to do better moving forward, and an apology to Easton for not doing a more consistent job of documenting his life and progress. Hopefully he'll one day understand that Mama was doing all she could just to keep things afloat! :-)

So, now that's outta the way....... onto an update & some highlights of 2011:

2011 was the longest year ever - we are coming to the end of Jason's deployment to Afghanistan (less than 2 weeks to go!!!) Easton and I are anxiously awaiting his arrival home, and Jason cannot wait to be here. Jason had a busy time, until recently when the new unit took over. So now, he's basically twiddling his thumbs waiting to head home - torture, right? We are so very proud of Jason, the sacrifices he has made and for his service to our country.

Easton is growing like a weed and learning something new each day. This age is truly amazing, I am so fortunate to be able to watch his development and growth. There seems to be a new word, phrase, expression, etc every minute! Easton attends preschool on Mondays and Wednesdays and LOVES it! We also still get together with our weekly playgroup, and he spends time at the gym daycare while I am working out. Easton is such a social little guy and makes friends wherever he goes. We of course have the typical "terrible" two tantrums from time to time, but all in all Easton is a smart, funny and HAPPY little boy. He'll be two in just a few weeks & we are looking forward to celebrating this milestone as a complete family!

I mentioned the gym .... that has been a huge focus for me in 2011 and moving into the new year. I never thought I would say this, but I now enjoy working out, crazy huh? I lost 42 lbs in 2011 and have 10 more pounds to reach my goal and healthy weight. I initially started this journey due to some health problems, and also because I wanted to be able to keep up with my fast and mobile son. I felt like both Easton and Jason deserved a mom/wife that they could be proud of, and I am very happy about my accomplishment. I am as proud of the weight loss as I am that I chose to make some positive out of this year. It would have been much easier to be depressed, but an inner drive and constant encouragement kept me from doing so. Now, let's muster up more motivation to get these last 10 lbs to leave me..... :-)

I am still teaching college math online and really enjoy it. I am very fortunate to have a job I like that allows me to be home with Easton. It can be difficult to find the time to work, and I still struggle each day to find the balance in being a stay at home/work at home mom. But with Jason's quickly approaching homecoming, I am hoping we'll settle into a routine and do just fine.

In spite of Jason being gone, Easton and I kept very busy and had some fun times. We've had countless visitors, especially during the summer months. I guess it doesn't hurt that we live at the beach, right? :-) We kept the social calendar packed and did some traveling, including several trips to VA, an Oak Island beach trip with Martha and the entire Freeze clan, and even a trip to Germany to see Amy, Sophie and her mom Val! We regularly have friends at our house for playtime, cookouts and coupon night. No one can accuse us of not being social people, LOL!

The most exciting social event was in September when we had a Labor Day/Homecoming celebration for Jason! He had a 2 week break from Afghanistan, so we surprised him with several friends and family members & a cookout with 60+ people! His mom, grandma and good friend Randall were here, along with my parents, Bryce, Jacob, Ashley, April and Megan. And of course many of our local friends & neighbors were here as well. Thanks for making that a special day.

While talking about fun events, I would be amiss to not mention some special people that have helped us tremendously throughout 2011. Without them, we may not have come through this deployment with our sanity!

#1 My parents went above and beyond, with constant visits, support, completing household projects and spending time with Easton. I can't say I am surprised, but I am thankful and SO appreciative to have a mom and dad that love us so much.

#2 Easton has two uncles that adore him and love him like he's their own - Uncle Jake & Uncle Bryce, thanks for everything you did this year and for being wonderful influences on Easton.... more importantly, thanks for being an important, consistent part of his life.

#3 I have the best friends on the planet - some have been around for a while, some are new, but you are all important and mean the world to me. Some have traveled countless miles, some only had to walk a few doors down, but you were all there when we needed you most. You've cleaned and decorated my house, listened when I needed to cry or watched Easton so I could have a moment of freedom. You know who you are, and I hope you know how much I love you. Thank you for being there!

#4 Our playgroup friends are fabulous, and Easton and I look forward to the time we spend with them each week. Casey, Vaughn & Landon, Kate & Carter, Trinie & Em, Grace, Ruthie & Lainie, Jess & Aub, and Emily & Ryder (and little one on the way)..... We value your friendship and are so appreciative of your support and understanding.

So that is our year in summary - Jason will be coming home to two changed people, which is to be expected in a year's time. Easton can now walk, talk, run, help out around the house, and constantly entertain us with his laughs, dancing and funny expressions. I am much smaller, much wiser and an odd mix of mentally exhausted, but physically recharged. I am way more confident in my abilities to manage a home (I've put together more toys on my own than I ever thought possible) and can squash bugs, repair a broken garbage disposal, pick up 50lb bags of sand and take out trash while corralling a toddler with the best of 'em. ;-)

While a lot has changed, one thing has remained constant ---- Easton and I love Jason more than ever, and are anxiously awaiting our family being complete again. We will cherish each moment, spend time together and are all very excited for what's in store for us in 2012. That makes my heart feel full. And it makes me smile :-)

We love you all, thanks for everything and HAPPY 2012!!!!

Coffee Mate Party! 2-3-11

On Thursday, February 3rd, several of us got together for an Art Inspired Coffee Mate party/playgroup. I asked everyone to bring their favorite snack to have with coffee, and we enjoyed goodies such as breakfast casserole, fresh fruit, monkey bread and cream cheese danishes. We had an art contest and each guest was asked to create their best "Coffee Mate Art" - the prize was an extra coupon for FREE Coffee Mate! Below are some pics of our fun time together. Thanks Coffee Mate!!!

L to R: Grace, Ruthie, Mary and Mary Beth enjoying some coffee!

The two hosts :-)

The art contest submissions!

Diana wins - congrats...her winning pic is below:

Easton's playdate with Ruthie 1-22-11

My friend Grace was kind enough to watch Easton on Saturday while I attended a class and had a little "me time." Go here to check out her recap of the playdate that Easton had with Grace's sweet girl, Ruthie. They are too cute! Thanks again, Grace!!!

Holiday Open House 2010

We hosted our 4th annual Holiday party on Saturday December 4th, which was Easton's FIRST time being a host! :-) Many of our new friends in the area attended, along with several of our out-of-town friends and family. It was a great night & everyone enjoyed the food and had a good time hanging out. Here are some photos from the night:

The yummy food table

The beverage station

Easton & his uncle Jake - don't teach him any bad habits, Jacob :-)

Martha & Anne Rylee

Canaan aka Santa :-)

My couponing partner in crime, Sarah :-)

Easton chasing Sophie while in their matching pjs

Trying for that family pic ... but Easton's not cooperating :-)

Easton's 1st Thanksgiving!!!

Easton celebrating his first Thanksgiving on November 25, 2010. We decided not to travel to Virginia and instead opted to stay home, take care of some projects, decorate for Christmas and spend time together just the three of us .... as a side note, there are not many occasions that Jason has off from work, so sometimes it's nice to just relax and be at home.

We found out that some of our neighbors had similar plans, so our friends Natalie, Al and Canaan came over to join us for Thanksgiving dinner. I prepared the turkey (my 1st one!), stuffing, gravy, green beans, yeast rolls & sweet tea, and Nat brought the yam souffle, apples with cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. We had a delicious meal, then relaxed while the boys played. Later on, our friends Amy, Cory and Sophie stopped in and we all had a drink and watched the kids burn off more energy and play even more. Below are a few pictures from our Thanksgiving Day:

My FIRST Turkey ... everyone said it was tasty, and it didn't kill anyone, so it was a SUCCESS!

Easton sporting his "My First Thanksgiving" bib ... and READY to eat! :-)

Surrounded by good friends....

Posing w/ his Daddy

Showing off his Thanksgiving outfit before bedtime

It was a great day, and we are truly blessed and thankful for so many things this year. We are grateful for our wonderful neighbors who have quickly become some of our dearest friends. We are thankful for our beautiful new home and the delicious meal we were able to enjoy. We are thankful for our friends and family, both near and far away, who are all healthy, happy and mean the world to us. We are thankful for each other - I personally would not want to spend my life with anyone other than Jason as my husband and as a father to my child. But at the top of our "we are thankful" list is our sweet, adorable baby boy --- I cannot imagine life without Easton, and am thankful beyond words for every day that I am able to watch him grow. He is truly a blessing and I love everything about him, from his gorgeous blue eyes to that devilish grin. We are so very thankful that God brought Easton into our lives!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, we love each of you!

Fun Play Groups

In November, we hosted TWO different playgroups that were sponsored by baby companies - one was by Earth's Best & the other by Gerber.

The Earth's Best (EB) playgroup was Thursday November 4th - EB sent a package with bibs, rice cereal, wipes, vouchers for free jarred foods and several coupons for our guests. Below are two photos from our EB party:

Our next event was our Gerber House Party on Thursday November 18th - both my friend/neighbor Amy & I were chosen to do a House Party, so we decided to do a combo-party (since we'd invite the same people anyway). Boy - did we have a TON of stuff..... Gerber sent bibs, lunch bags, plates, cups, napkins, balloons and TONS of free 2nd foods, rice/oats cereal, formula, yogurt and smart sips. We had a house full and everyone was thrilled with the generous giveaways. The kids had a blast in the ball/balloon pit and the moms had a great time hanging out and chatting. And now, for the pics:


It's going to be hard to top all of the fun & excitement that we had at our November playgroups .... I wonder what other baby companies want to sponsor us??? :-)

October was a whirlwind!

Oh my goodness - I think this is the first time in years I went a complete month and did not update my blog. Shame on me! But in my defense, Jason has been gone for a 3 week training in Arizona so I've been flying solo here. Plus Easton & I went on a 10 day road trip, then we had a week's worth of guests, so things have been quite busy to say the least. All that, plus I still have to find time to coupon - we all know how much time that takes. And oh yeah, I have a job too! Whew, I am just exhausted thinking about it all! But it was a great month for us, we had tons of fun and spent a lot of time with our friends and family. Here are the highlights:

Gammy & Pappy Visit - my parents visited October 1st through 3rd. The highlight of the weekend was the construction of our pirate ship! Easton and his friend Sophie dressed as pirates so we decided to turn a wagon into a pirate ship :-) Here's a pic of my Dad and Easton hanging out:


Martha & Anne Rylee Visit - Martha & AR were in for a visit the weekend of October 8th through 10th. We spent time at the park, did a lot of "playing" (well, the kids did anyway) and just relaxed and caught up on things. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures .... oops!

Bathtime w/ Daddy (before he left for training) - Jason was in Arizona for training October 15th through November 2nd .... before Jason left I got some photos of Easton and him together at bathtime.

October Roadtrip (10/15 through 10/25) - Easton & I packed up the car and headed to Danville on Oct 15th. While in town Martha treated me to a pedicure (thanks!), we had a Bday lunch for my friend Steph, celebrated my Dad's birthday and spent a lot of time with friends and family. We also took Easton's 9 month photos with my friend Chrystal. You can check them out by visiting http://www.chrystalsimpson.smugmug.com/and clicking on the "Easton 9 month" album.

On Friday 10/22 we loaded up the car, headed to Burlington and spent the night w/ Mayhan. The next morning we packed up again and drove to Asheboro where my college friend Kat was getting married. On Sunday we dropped off Mayhan at home and drove to Durham where we saw Bryce, Jake, Ashley and Prul. Monday it was time to load up (yet again - are you getting tired yet?) and we headed home to get ready for a week's worth of guests! Here are some pics of our Roadtrip adventures.

Celebrating Pappy's Birthday!

At the wedding .... what a face!

My handsome little man in the suit Gammy got him!

Dancing w/ the bride

Getting smooches from "Aunt" Mayhan

Hanging out w/ Uncle Jake & Auntie AshPlaying "Spin, Spin a Letter!" w/ Uncle Bryce

Easton loves his "Aunt" Prul!

Taking a nap w/ Uncle Bryce before we head home ...

Steph & Brayden visit - My friend Stephenie and her son Brayden visited us 10/26 through 10/28. We had a few playdates and the kids even had a chance to get in the kiddie pool because it was so warm! On Thursday, we had a Halloween playdate @ my friend Amy's house & the kids all wore their Halloween costumes. Here is a pic of Steph & Brayden in his adorable Mickey Mouse costume:

Gammy & Pappy visit again, this time w/ Vickie & Keith - On Halloween weekend my parents headed back to our house ... they brought their friends Vickie & Keith as well. The guys tried to have a fishing trip on Saturday; however, the boat was not cooperating so they ended up hanging out and watching TV instead. The girls headed out for lunch and shopping. On Saturday night we had a yummy crab leg dinner. Sunday was Halloween and I thought everyone had to head home to work the next day .... but my parents surprised us and stayed an extra night. This was really special, especially since Jason could not be here for Easton's 1st Halloween. I'll do a separate post with Halloween pics - there are just so many cute ones to share of Easton's 1st Halloween!!!!

Playgroup @ our house 9/30/10

Easton & I hosted playgroup at our house today - "we" prepared sausage wontons, mini quiches, a fruit tray and monkey bread. We also set up a "ball pit" - aka a blow-up pool filled with 400 plastic balls. :-) It was quite a hit with the kids, they seemed to really enjoy it!

Here are a few photos of the babies that attended playgroup:

Sophie & Easton, w/ a cheesy grin!

Sophie, Easton & Canaan

Ryder joins the party!

Canaan, looking a bit worn out after all that playing! :-)

And here are a couple of pictures of Easton playing alone after all of his friends left ..... he really likes that ball pit!

Check out those teeth!

Such a happy boy!

Easton's week in review 9/20 through 9/26

To only be 8 months old, Easton sure has a busy schedule! :-) Here's a recap of some of the highlights last week:

On Tuesday, Easton, my friend Amy, her daughter Sophie, and I headed down to Harris Teeter for some Super Double Coupon shopping. On the way, we stopped at Sawmill Grill for some lunch, which made this Easton and Sophie's first official lunch date!

Wednesday, Amy, Sophie, our neighbors Natalie and her son Canaan, Easton and I all headed to story time at the library. We begin with welcoming the kids with a song, then a library employee and a volunteer read a book to everyone. Last week's book was called "The Green Sheep." Easton really seems to enjoy storytime and actually paid attention for a change! After story time, Amy, Sophie, Easton & I met our friends Chanda and Van at the Farmer's Market. We pulled the kids around in a wagon and they received TONS of compliments on how cute they were. :-) We checked out the produce and also went to take a peek at the chickens.

Sophie & Easton, staring intently at Sophie's sippy cup :-)

Cute babies in a wagon - they were a hit with all of the Farmer's Market folks!

Relaxing with a tasty beverage!

Van checking out the chickens

On Thursday, we had playgroup at Amy's house - we really enjoy getting the babies together each week, and it's also fun for the Mom's to spend some time chatting and "compare notes" on what's going on with our kids. It's our turn to host this week, so I'll be sure to take some photos of the event.

Easton has been taking swim classes on Wednesdays and Fridays from 5pm to 6pm. He loves to splash and is quite good at kicking his feet and paddling his arms. Below are a couple of pictures from our class on Friday, Sept 24th.

Working on floating...

Such a happy boy - Easton loves to splash and kick!

Saturday was packed full with running errands and doing a few projects around the house. On Sunday, I made plans to have lunch and go shopping with my friend, Sarah. Easton spent the day with Jason - when I returned home from my afternoon out, apparently Dad thought it would be fun to let Easton feed himself some sweet potato. Here's what I saw when I walked in the house:

Easton had sweet potatoes EVERYWHERE!!! Good thing it was almost bathtime :-)