Long time no nothin'

This one is exorbitantly long due to the lack of notes the last 2-3 months. Other should not be this long. I hope all enjoy, Beth

Beautiful!!

Holy Moley (molee?)(moly?) hmm...
Well you get my meaning, I have really missed keeping everyone posted on our family and the changes in Lochlan and our lives. Yes I have missed it. I have heard from some of you and it would seem that you have too. What great news.

I'll get into the small details later, but here are some of the major things that have happened since last we "spoke": Lochlan went to Papa and Grandma Ferber's (Leigh and Steve) house. He was there for two weeks without Mama or Daddy. John and I were in Ft. Drum, NY for our annual military training. We had a great time, but ohh so sad to have been away from our little man. Anita, Jesse, and Mateo (still en utero (our cousins)) came to visit us in Fargo, ND. They were with us for a few days and we had a wonderful time visiting. John had to take National Registry EMT-P Practical and Written exams. More detail there later. We went to John's mother's house to harvest corn, and Lochlan got his first ride on a 4- wheeler. What crazy fun. Then we moved our humble abode form the glorious Fargo, ND to quiet Aberdeen, SD. Lochlan received his 6 month shots and had quite the fever to accompany the thigh pain. I received my walking papers from the Army. Bitter sweet. John still drills in Fargo for his monthly weekend. The assumption of command for the 7247th IMSU (John's unit) happened in September so that was exciting. We took a trip to St. Louis for a week to visit my family and talk to my lawyer who is handling my lawsuit from a car accident that happened in 2002. Hopefully it will be ending soon.

We are now back in Aberdeen for a day or two to recharge and then we head up to West Fargo so John can take his NR EMT-P written exam. This is his second go at this test, (which is very common) He has been studying like crazy and I am so proud of him!! It has been a very fast paced year and he did so well in school. Which I have no doubt was an answer to your prayers.

When Lochlan was at Papa and Ferber's house it was really difficult for me. I had never been away from him for more than an hour or two. So to say, "Adios." for two weeks was quite nerve wracking. I was so worried that he wouldn't remember me when I came back. John was the NCOIC of the Ft. Drum mission, which means he was the
enlisted in charge. He had to leave a few days before from fargo and fly to NY. I drove down to St. Louis and flew from there. I was in St. Louis for about a week before I flew out to get Little Man settled in. Papa, Ferber, and Beckers took excellent care of Lochlan. He is sweet, but alot of work. I called quite frequently and had my Dad thinking I was "checking up on him". Of course not, I just wanted to make sure all was well. Lochlan didn't really remember me too much when I got back. I took about a week for him to have the glowing smile for Mama again. Getting him back to nursing was a challenge as well, but in the end I triumphed and he is back to nursing quite contentedly. He also eats solid foods 2-3 times a day.

j

She's not really choking me

Me and my Papa

Just a tad bit chilly

Oh, there is a little smile

Anita and Jesse coming to visit in Fargo was wonderful. Seeing Anita so round with Mateo had me thinking about babies and our to come. How amazing and wonderful that babies come from to small nothings to one beautiful squalling baby!! Our bodies are truly wonderful. Back to Anita and Jesse. They stayed for two nights and we were mostly inside due to the heat. Believe it or not, Fargo is a scorcher in the summer. They were here the end of July and summer was still in full swing. We did go to a small art museum and 'sight seeing' for what it was worth. I had a good time and I think they did too. It is so wonderful that Lochlan has a cousin that is close to his age. It will make extended family gathering more fun for them, I hope.

Going up to Brenda's for corn harvesting was really quite fun. Lochlan LOVED munching on the corn!!! It wasn't even cooked and he just had the time of his life. On the way to Grandma Brenda's Lochlan decided to sit up without any support!!! One day nothing and the next 'I can do it, Mom!!" He is now sitting marvelously on his own. Occasionally he will get to excited about something and ends up falling over.

Is this flirty enough, Mom?

Boy, I love being outside!!!

What a good family photo!!

Moving to Aberdeen was quite the ordeal. I don't even want to think about moving again for quite some time. We were able to "rent" some help on the Aberdeen side of the move. Wow, God is so merciful. If we hadn't been able find them I would have been helping John drag up huge pieces of furniture to the second level!! Around corners and everything. I am sure someone would have lost a finger or two. Pops (John's Dad) was able to come and watch Lochlan for me) Thank you again, Pops for your help. He has a bad back, which is why it would have been John and I wrestling with the furniture. We still have things in boxes, but the apartment is passable for living in the meantime. John is starting to get itchy fingers and if I don't hurry up things will be shoved into draws all pelmel. So here is my admonishment to Hurry!!!

I love my duckies!

First time wearing the hat Papa gave me last Christmas

Ohhhh!!! It was so, so good to see Dad, Mom and Beckers this last week!!!! I miss them so much. Woe to us that we live so far from those we love (everyone, it would seem ;). We were with Mom and Dad only for a few nights in St. Louis, then we all went up to Bloomington, IL to visit Rebekah. She is no longer is in a dorm, but an actual living space that she shares with 3 other girls (in the room) and other in her 'Adams House'. Mom and Dad were on their motorcycles to Blomington and back. We continued on to Aberdeen the next day from Bloomington. How fun to see them on their bikes!! They seem to really enjoy riding. I think I'll stick with a car... Ohh how I loved our visit!!!!! And they loved seeing their grandbaby so much. Lochlan loves playing with both Papa's and Pops' goatees.

Share???

Vroom-Vroom

Oh, so serious...

Steve and Elizabeth

John had to take 12 practical exams the end of July. He passed 9 of them and retook the remaining 3 the 8th of September. So the practical exams are passed and out of the way!!! Hooray!! He initially took the written exam in August. He is retaking his written exam tomorrow in West Fargo at 2 pm. I am so nervous for him I have butterflies in my stomach. I am trusting him and God for a good passing result. He knows the material so well, he just has a hard time with written exams. We knew from the get go that this would be his biggest hurdle!! So,"Go John, you can do it!!!"

We will be able to stay in Fargo at our friend Jen's house for a couple of nights. We stay for free and make her good home cooking. That is our trade off. It is so nice to be able to cook a good meal for someone who's meal status includes canned soup and mac and cheese. My wonderful friend, Crystal lives in Fargo and ohh how I dearly miss her!! I will be visiting her and her little boy Hunter. She was listening to a country song about friends and felt a tug to call me. That touched me!! Makes me cry thinking about that now! Oh what a bosom buddy I have found in her!! A kindred spirit... We were able to attend her wedding in August. I was her personal attendant. It was such fun. I actually went to a styling salon school and got my hair all done up.

Hunter and Lochlan

Bath Buddies

Lochlan, Look at the camera...

Oh, so handsome

Hi, Daddy

Lochlan has had a cold for a week and a half now and is having some trouble kicking it. May be due to the fact that he is teething (we had our first screaming night 2 night ago) or the fact that it is now fall and the temperature severely fluctuates from the need to wear shorts to a jacket and scarf. So please pray for a sweet little man who will be 8 months old in two days. My, my time really does pass quickly...

I also wanted to mention how beautiful little Mateo is, Anita and Jesse!! You did good!! May God bless him and keep him for all the days of his life!! Enjoy!

So this was the first attempt at a blog ( at Jesse's suggestion) so I hope that this will help those that have trouble with size of the emails and the speed of their computers to be able to wnjoys these "little" notes to their full extent. God bless...