Kumquats and such

In early January, Reagan was reunited with her best bud, and boyfriend, Sean Patrick! Maureen and Brian brought the kiddos up to see her parents (who live about 15 minutes from us). We were lucky enough to steal them for an afternoon/evening! We let the kids play in the backyard for a bit and then we enjoyed dinner and some great conversation. Plus, we all got to meet Cormac!! He's just as sweet as Sean and so adorable!  Love their coordinating jackets! Like two little snowboarders:) They didn't skip a beat...sharing hugs and kisses! After dinner, we gave them a bath together, something they've done a million times. They had a blast! And of course, there was more kissing:) Here's Moe and Cormac! Isn't he handsome?! So glad they could take some time to come see us. I actually went to Maureen's parents house a couple more times because I just miss her so darn much! She and I raised our first babies together, endured deployments, and...

 As I wrote earlier, Jason surprised Jessica and I with a trip to Raleigh to celebrate the new year. We were thrilled! We packed up the car, drove to Grandma & Papa's to drop Tommy off, and headed down to NC. We got there just after lunch time, and met the crew at one of their favorite spots to watch football...The Luxury Box. Sadly, Colleen wasn't one bit surprised:( The joke was on us, as Colleen had known since the beginning! Oh well, it was still great to be there!!! Our old friend, Leon, came out to Raleigh from Chapel Hill to hang out too! It was so good to see him. After eating, hanging out, and watching way more football than I ever like to in one sitting, the girls decided to go home. We let the kids open their Christmas gifts and they had fun playing with Reagan's makeup kit that Colleen got her! Even Auntie Tiffany got in on the action! Probably my favorite series of pictures to date. I love this kid!!! Here's little miss "sassy...

As you know, I had the best playgroup ever when we lived in NC! Reagan loves her playgroup friends, and I love their mommies! However, we're all tied to the military, and sadly, several of us have moved away. Luckily for us, the Marine Corps is a relatively small organization, so chances of us all crossing paths again is high! That brings me to today's post...last Friday morning, three of the original playgroup gals and their kiddos came to our new house in Mt Vernon for a playdate!!  We had such a great time. The toddlers fell back into their normal routine with each other...mainly parallel play, but more interaction than at previous meetings, and Declan just sat and took it all in: Here they are eating fruit and waiting for the pizza to come out of the oven: And post lunch play in Reagan's room! What's the fun of having a queen size bed if you and your three friends can't jump on it, right?! Got some individual shots of the "big" ...

On Saturday, November 3rd, our friends, Katie and Gray, brought their two adorable little girls to visit. Reagan and Chloe saw each other almost daily for the last 10 months of our time in NC and missed each other like crazy! That morning, we had gone over to a friend's house to watch them cut up a giant tree in the front yard (Jason was actually doing work). After watching for a bit, Reagan and I headed to the store to get some stuff for that evening's dinner. As we were slowly walking through the store, Katie called and said, "We're right around the corner!" We raced through the remaining aisles and checked out as quickly as possible. Luckily, the store is only about a mile away! As we drove up, Reagan saw Gray's truck and started screaming with excitement! The girls immediately hugged and kissed without skipping a beat! I really wish I had my video camera. As soon as the car was unloaded, Jason and four of the men he was chopping wood with arrived wit...

On Saturday, December 3rd, Colleen and Max came to spend the night in Jacksonville! We were so happy to have company and it was wonderful to see them both. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we spent a lot of time outside. Max has gotten so big and is doing great sitting up and playing with all his toys. He's got the cutest laugh I've ever heard and he's so much fun these days. Colleen is looking great and definitely kicking butt being a working mom and still breastfeeding! If you've seen Up All Night, I'm quite certain they based this show on Colleen, Keith, and Max. They really have figured out how to make life work. And they have fun doing it! After playtime, we took the kids in and Reagan went down for her nap. Max drank his bottle and then napped in Colleen's arms for a couple hours (it's always difficult trying to get babies to nap in a new place, Max was a champ!). That evening, Brian and Maureen dropped off Sean Patrick while they attended...