Brotherly Love

even though Grant often kicks, bites and pushes Carter away from him, sweet Carter still squeals with delight when he sees his big brother!

..on Memorial Day...

I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day. I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it. We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did. ~Benjamin Harrison

MY FIRST POST EVER!!

So, this is my (Geoff's) first ever blog post. I don't think Laura knows that I even know how to do this. But, there was something I just wanted everyone to see and thought why not just post it myself. Before I share my pictures I do want to say hello and thanks to everyone and their well wishes. I'll throw out a special congratulations...(you know who you are). And last but most certainly not least I want to send a special thanks to the Mudd's.

Now, with no further adieu my pictures...(after all the pictures I left untaken in Iraq, Germany, and Pesaro I bought myself a camera). I thought it would be fitting to document Napoli's most abundant resource with my first pictures.

The trash right outside our hotel (this is a fraction of what was there last week, apparently there is a local election coming up so the incumbent mayor brought in the Army to use bulldozers to haul the big piles out)

This guy just got done dumping his trash

Naples at its finest

Great Summer Salad

...and this summer's winner of the best leftovers goes to this guy right here!

Weight Watchers Orzo, Watermelon and Feta Salad

1 cup orzo, cooked to package directions

2 cups seedless watermelon diced

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup thinly cut basil if you have it

salt and pepper to taste

it's so crisp and so refreshing... go try it NOW

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=148321&tab=2&sort=1

Mother's Day Recap

Now that Mother's Day 2011 has come and gone I can finally share all of the crafty cuteness that helped us celebrate this year. The most impressive (in my eyes) was an idea I saw on Pintrest. [If you are into crafts/food/home decor/fashion or basically anything good looking you should be on Pintrest. its basically a digital inspiration board when you can "pin" ideas and pictures from all over the internet to rememberand into inspire you, then you can follow friends and all to see their inspiration. I am a huge fan. Let me know if you want an invite to join]

So here is Grant's Mother's Day craft for the Grandmas

a chopped off heart of celery + a little paint and some stamping = a fun flower print picture

Mom and I are both doing Nutrisystem but when I saw these posted on an Etsy cookie shop, I just could not resist. If you are having a party these ladies can do ANYTHING and they were so good! (http://www.etsy.com/shop/CookieMamas)

... and last but certainly not least, sweet not-so-little Grant and his class mates hosted a Mother's Day Tea for the classroom Mommas. We were serenaded, presented with stunning jewels (a layered puzzle piece broach that was bedazzled with glitter glue) and these adorable flower pots with paper flowers- the center of two flowers were pictures of him and the red finger prints around the pot were "ladybugs"

Certainly a day to remember how blessed I am with wonderful kids, an amazing mom, mother-in-law and mommy friends!

This Ones for the Girls

This past weekend was a special treat! Patty and Doug drove up from Georgia to watch the boys so that I could go to Virginia Beach for Kate's bachelorette girls weekend. I finally got to meet all of Kate's bridesmaids and we had a great couple of days hanging together. Mary Beth (Kate's sister and Maid of Honor... referred to as Pippa for the weekend) found a great Key West themed resort called Turtle Cay and was had an awesome suite. The rain stayed away, I got my fill of crabcakes- my seafood go to, danced to some live beach music and basically had a blast!

Here is a picture of some cookie pops that I made for the occasion, they are both just hearts iced to look like...well you can see! the bottoms just had the tip of the heart cut off before I baked them.

Funny story for you all of Patty and Doug's visit up here... Grant has been asking about IHOP (which he calls iPop) because he loves pancakes, correction: he loves maple syrup, and has been seeing the commercials on TV. So I jotted a little note that they would win Grandparents of the Year award in his eyes if they surprised him and took him to iPop. well unbeknownst to me on the commercials grant has seen the kids meal pancakes that is a pancake with a face. strawberries for the eyes, a banana cut in half for the smile and whipped cream swirls for hair. so they ordered this meal and Grant flipped his lid when it came time to eat! He was NOT going to cut up this face. so they had to order him 2 plain pancakes to eat while he sat and starred at his new found friend~

Disney Humor

by no means do I think the Fergie's daughters are the evil step-sisters... nor do I believe that Cinderella was a brunette... but this made me laugh out loud!

Our Frat-tastic Life

WHY LIFE AT OUR HOUSE IS LIKE BEING AT A FRAT PARTY

1. THERE ARE HALF-FULL, BRIGHTLY-COLORED PLASTIC CUPS ON THE FLOOR IN EVERY ROOM. THREE ARE IN THE BATHTUB.

2. THERE'S ALWAYS THAT ONE GIRL, BAWLING HER EYES OUT IN A CORNER.
3. IT'S BEST NOT TO ASSUME THAT THE PERSON CLOSEST TO YOU HAS ANY CONTROL OVER THEIR DIGESTIVE FUNCTION.
4. YOU SNEAK OFF TO THE BATHROOM KNOWING THAT AS SOON AS YOU SIT DOWN, SOMEONE'S GOING TO START BANGING ON THE DOOR.
5. PROBABLY 80% OF THE STAINS ON THE FURNITURE CONTAIN DNA.
6. YOU'VE GOT SOMEONE IN YOUR FACE AT 3 A.M. LOOKING FOR A DRINK.
7. THERE'S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A FIGHT.
8. YOU'RE NOT SURE WHETHER ANYTHING YOU'RE DOING IS RIGHT, YOU JUST HOPE IT WON'T GET YOU ARRESTED.
9. THERE ARE CRUMPLED-UP UNDERPANTS EVERYWHERE.
10. YOU WAKE UP WONDERING EXACTLY HOW AND WHEN THE PERSON IN BED WITH YOU GOT THERE.

11. YOU HAVE A TV THEME SONG STUCK IN YOUR HEAD, AND WHEN YOU START SINGING IT EVERYONE JOINS IN.
12. SOMETIME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT SOMEONE SLURS, "I WANT MY MOMMY."
13. YOU ARE SUBJECTED TO THE SAME STORY 20 TIMES.

14. YOU REALIZE YOU ARE THE ONE TELLING THE SAME STORY 20 TIMES.

15. YOU LIE TO YOUR PARENTS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AT YOUR PLACE.

16. AT LEAST ONE PERSON IS LYING ON THE FLOOR, EITHER FACE UP OR FACE DOWN, SINGING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS

17. OFTEN, FOR NO REASON, SOMEONE LAUGHS UNCONTROLLABLY FOR MINUTES ON END.

18. PEOPLE CAN'T CLIMB THE STAIRS WITHOUT USING THEIR HANDS.

19. NO ONE WALKS IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND THEY RANDOMLY FALL DOWN.
20. THERE ARE ALWAYS FIGHTS THAT NEED TO BE BROKEN UP. AND ARE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY "I LOVE YOU, BRO."

21. TRY AS YOU MIGHT, YOU CANNOT GET PEOPLE TO STOP DANCING ON THE FURNITURE.

22. SPINNING AROUND AND FLAPPING YOUR ARMS COUNTS AS DANCING.

23. AT LEAST ONE PERSON WILL BE DANCING AROUND TO IMAGINARY MUSIC.

24. AT ANY TIME THERE IS A CHANCE OF SOMEONE RUNNING NUDE THROUGH THE HOUSE.

25. WHEN THE INSIDE GETS TOO BAD, JUST HEAD OUTSIDE!

Strawberry Delight

Mom came to town for Mother's Day and we decided it was high time to check out the local produce and pick-your-own strawberry place right up the road. GRANT LOVED IT. heck, we all loved. What a great random afternoon treat... and they will make for great desserts for the next week. yum yum yum. now off to look for strawberry jam recipes...

Gimme The Run Around

(this post is just a random rant about dealing with the Army)

If there is one thing I have come to accept urg... expect with the Army, its that you're going to be put through the wringer every once in a while. You are going to be put on a while goose chase for something trivial and it will frustrate the living daylight out of you

Take when I had Carter for example. They discharge you from the hospital saying that the next thing is his 2 week appointment. Well, in order to make an appointment, you have to be entered into the DEERSystem (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System) since thats what puts you in the "system" and prove that you qualify for military health benefits. In order to be entered in DEERS you have to have a birth certificate. To get a birth certificate the hospital submits its records (since its federal property) to DC and then DC sends the info to the closest county's vital records office. I was told to expect that to take 7-10 business days. A week and a half after Carter was born, we drove to the courthouse, picked up his birth certificate and went to wait in line for 2 hours to get into DEERS. Got in DEERS, called the clinic to make the appointment and the earliest they have an opening is in 2 and a half weeks. That'd be 4 weeks. You raise hell, you talk to 5 different people and some how get squeezed in. This happens to every.single.born at the base hospital... (and they average 275 a month)

So today we got a letter saying that in order to deal with over crowded base clinic they are opening Community Based Medical Homes... GREAT IDEA, basically neighborhood clinics that are satellite campuses of the on-base clinics (they are starting by opening up 15 across the country, Fort Bragg area gets 3 and Fort Hood gets 3... Hood girls you KNOW that is long overdue) The letter says that they are open for voluntary enrollment but each of the three has assigned zip codes that qualify. My zipcode is assigned to the Hope Mills clinic opening up right down the street so I call to switch... beats the heck out of driving 25 minutes to base. So I call up TRICARE, the health insurance company, to the number listed in the letter. After finally get to a human, he types in the info to find my clinic. He was in PA and didn't really sound like he knew about this new program. He says based on the street address I gave him that the clinic doesn't exist, I gave him the address listed in the letter... nothing. So he connects me to the enrollment people. Another 15 minute hold. A woman asks for all my info, she has atleast heard of the program. (is anyone still following?) She asks which clinic I'm interested in and I say Hope Mills. She tells me I'm not qualified to go there. I told her that based on the letter I am. She puts me on hold to talk to her boss... comes back and asks me if they could see the letter. so tomorrow, I have to fax them the letter that says my zipcode is assigned to that clinic because according to their memo my zipcode doesn't apply. Heres the real kicker... my zipcode is the same as the clinic's!

A Daily Dose of Normal

nothing remarkable happening around here, both kids had a little bout of pink eye but luckily took the eye drops like champs and it cleared up really quick. we heard from Geoff that he moved to a new country and got there safely (I was a little on edge given the state of things)

Aunt Terry sent a message that said "Dear Bloggers...I spend many nights awake in the middle of the night...your lack of blog entries is seriously disrupting my routine! Love to all my bloggers...now how 'bout getting busy!" So to appease her this video shows the state of things around here... you know, laundry that needs to be folded, Grant running around like a superman-maniac and little Carter crawling EVERYWHERE. our daily dose of normal in all its unglamorous glory!

Laundry Pile Fun from Laura on Vimeo.

In Case You Were Stressed...

It has been a long time since a single photo moved me this much...

maybe its because it has been so long since I was last at Duke

or that I missed elonthon this year

or that I have two healthy kids sleeping soundly in their beds

or that recently I have been day dreaming of the material things that I want

or that I have been really down about my own post-baby, muffin top

but yea, this photo got me

I want to squeeze the boys

I want to forget any insecurity I ever thought I had

I want to change the world on her behalf