Laundry soap

So I was domestic for a minute. My friend told me about wanting to try this recipe to make her own detergent. I looked it up and we decided to go in together to buy some of the ingredients, and gave it a shot. I have done more than 10 loads of laundry so far with it and it seems to work as well as any we have used, is way more environment friendly, and way way cheaper than commercial detergents. Click HERE for the recipe that I used if you are curious. I posted the video to show the consistency of it before the second dilution. From what I understand it is supposed to be gelled and chunky like that. You could wisk it, or Rebecca said she read you could use an electric mixer to smooth it, but it works fine this way also. This is how is stores in the 5 gallon bucket and then I mix it with half this, half water in a smaller container to use. That means I made 10 gallons of laundry soap for about $2. Crazy.

Favorite pastimes

This has been a favorite pastime of all kiddos in this house for the past couple of months. Maybe that's why he has taken a little longer to walk on his own. There is always someone wanting to cart Micah around.

So excited

I have just discovered that I like Craigs list. I had
no idea what it really was before we got here to
Virginia, but now we have found a futon and this
lovely piano. We have wanted a piano for forever
and started looking a couple of years ago. I hope that we don't get burned because it's not a main brand, and was much less expensive than it seemed it should be--but so far we are LOVING it. It's so nice to hear music from a piano as background noise, even if it's little hands that don't know how to play, but especially when Travis sits down to play. And it's digital, which we decided is good when you have to move often, and very nice that you can turn the volume up and down or have headphones if we need to. Now I just need to learn to play all over again
and get Noah taking some lessons.
He's very excited about it, so I'd
better do it while the excitement is still there...

And now we can suddenly really move into "the piano room". We have been here for 5 months and have 2 rooms that aren't set up at all! Pathetic. We just haven't known quite what to do with them and knew we wanted a piano to eventually to go in one. So much fun!

Joint Air Power Demo

I didn't really get any pictures except this one of our other adventure for the week. That's because I was holding a grumpy Micah and trying to video tape at the same time. Anway, Trav got to fly in something called the Joint Air Power Demo on Wednesday at 12:00 at the Va Beach boardwalk. It was an hour demo where Air Force, Navy, Marines, etc join together to put on a show... where they "rescue" guys stuck in enemy territory. It was very cool. The jets (F-22s, 15s, 18s) did fly bys, and then circled around while a C130 dropped a jetski with a parachute and some dudes in parachutes into the ocean. They came and got the guys flaring them on the beach and took them out to where a helicopter came and practically landed on the water and some guys jumped out and helped get these guys hooked up and taken up into the rescue helicopter. It was so very cool to see! And it's good I went because at the time Micah was a tad sick but yesterday we had to miss the air show on base because Kaden really was sicko. HERE is a little pre-article about it if you want to read the scenario. And it's always awesome when I know exactly which jet is Travis. It just amazes me every time. Someone asked us if that makes us nervous. This was just very fun for them. I would be much more nervous if he flew the helicopters. That made me very nervous and I didn't even know the pilots...

Tubes

Noah finally got his tubes in his ears on Thursday. Trav was able to stay home with the other boys and Noah and I showed up at the hospital on base at 6:30 a.m. Noah was a little sad to have to get up so early. Me too...Anyway, getting tubes in is a very simple and quick procedure. But the whole thought of your little boy getting general anasthesia is still a little nerve wracking. Everything went perfectly, though. Not a whole lot of waiting, and the actual time Noah was away from me was only about 15 minutes or so. They brought me back to him before he came out of anesthesia. That

a tad bit creepy to see him completely unconscious, but after a few minutes of the nurse holding oxygen to his nose and the other one taking vitals, he kind of jerked awake and was in a very silly mood. I think more often kids feel disoriented and scared or cranky. But he was disoriented and very silly and happy. ..."I just don't know what happened!....I feel like I am not me....yeah, I feel like an astronaut!....Maybe I feel like Ammon, No--I feel like Micah! giggle" Funny boy. The nurse said he was possibly the happiest case of coming out of anesthesia she has seen, at least for
a long time. We went back upstairs and relaxed and ate Popsicles and jello, got some medicine and went home. Hopefully these tubes will help a ton--I am counting on it. The day before the surgery Micah threw up a couple of times and the past 2 days poor Kaden has been very sick and not keeping anything down. My theory is that the flu must be contagious over facebook. I have been reading about everyone's kids throwing up and feeling lucky, and walla...here we go. I hope it doesn't cycle through anyone else. Trav has the whole next week off to spend time with us and get lots of things done before deploying. I hope we can get things done and make good memories instead of sitting home miserable and flu-ey...

Watch out!

The big ONE

I have no idea how the past year sped by me so quickly. This little guy has been such a fun addition to our family. I just can't imagine our lives before he joined us. A year ago yesterday, I was utterly miserable and impatient to meet this child. He finally came and was instantly full of surprises. Like a head full of dark hair--what in the world is that? And he was HUGE. I knew I sure FELT like he was growing a pound a day and I was about to burst into pieces, but it was nice to have it verified in the end. 9 lbs 10 oz, Micah made his entrance into the world and has brought us joy ever since. What are some interesting fact about Micah?...

--His awesome dark hair was just a cover. He had his first haircut at 4 months and all the dark was instantly gone. Very sad moment in time. Yet while I may have thought he wouldn't be cute anymore, I was dead wrong.--By his first birthday he had 3 haircuts, and that was with me stretching as long as I could hold his father off...

--He has killer eyes and a killer smile. Wins every heart around him.

--Loves his brothers and follows them around gleefully.

--Has been much more picky than his brothers when it comes to food. But he loves to be able to feed himself. Pancakes, he is in love with those.

--Crawled the earliest and will walk the latest. I need to take a little video of his cute walking. He is getting pretty brave and loves to walk back and forth between Travis and me.

--Adores his daddy. I love that. Whenever Trav walks in the door, he goes bonkers and all he wants is his dad.

--Love to play catch with the racquetball. Seemed to catch on to that early on.

One of Noah's first comments the first time he saw Micah, was "why is he so red?". And just before he left that night he kept saying he didn't want to leave him. "i need to take a picture in my head, he's just so cute. i can't believe he is here!"

He didn't stay too red for too long..

So yesterday was the big day. We let him take his morning nap and then began the festivities. We had our friends the Youngs over for cake. Micah wasn't all too chipper to begin with and had been really finnicky with lunch, not letting me even put anything in his mouth, so I wasn't sure how he would react to the take. He definitely wanted to check it out, and was puzzled as we all sang to him.

Puzzled still...

Finally gets to check it out and is not so sure he likes the feel of it.

Here's his turning away as I try to get him to taste it--He was not having any of that...

Offering a piece again...

Finally I had to sneak a piece in his mouth when he let down his guard.

Not too bad, says Micah. Maybe I'll try a little after all.

I was hoping to have good messy pictures without recquiring a bath afterwards. Forgot about the hair factor.

Maybe this look tells it all. He still is wondering what the big fuss is about.

Opening presents after his bath. We should have let his friend Grace open them. She was much more interested, while he just wanted her little snack cup to play with.

Noah's photography...he was excited to have caught a great smile.

Grace and Micah.

Micah walking to Emily.

Micah senses excitement in another world and wants out!

Afterwards we went to the Norfolk Zoo. I thought I had forgotten my camera and then found it towards the end. Ooops.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICAH! WE LOVE YOU!!!