Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas from the Wahrmund's

For the past few years on Christmas we have had people to see, places to go and things to do.  But this year was different for us.  With the loss of my dad still so fresh, having moved across country and hardly getting settled in before the holidays came, all we wanted to do was take it easy and just be together with our little family.  Christmas eve we made a nice Thanksgiving-esque dinner with chicken, opened one gift and then read Christmas stories before bed.  Christmas morning came very early (5 AM!!) and it was Scotty who came in to wake us, he who sleeps til 9 AM most mornings.  I tried shooing him back to bed, but then remembered what it was like as a kid on Christmas morning just dying to see what Santa brought, so we gave in and headed down.  The boys were so surprised that Santa brought them both dirt bikes!  Scotty had his from before and Jay basically took that one and put all new plastics on it and made some changes to it so Scotty thinks its a "new" bike, but really its just updated.  Zacs is just a little thing and I definitely had my reservations about getting it for him, but I trusted Jay on this one and so far it has been great.  Jay took them out and let them ride around our yard that whole afternoon and they had a blast.  I can't get over how cute they are.  Zac is fearless and zips everywhere he goes and Scotty is slow, steady and very cautious.  I guess this means we will be looking for a bike for Trev by next Christmas....

Santa was here!

Excited boys

Trev and his Glow Worm

Trev got an ATV, but he'd rather push it than ride it

First Lesson

Dirt Biker #2

Heres some video of Zac on his first day riding....lessons from Dad AND lessons from Scotty...

Advent Activities

Have been so preoccupied with the move that I felt I was neglecting the magic of the holiday season and opportunities to share it with the boys.  They are all three at a fun age right now where everything is exciting.  So even before I had all the boxes unpacked and things on the walls, I made a point to decorate for Christmas.  Even talked Jay into getting up on the roof to hang the lights outside.  Had to make a nice impression on all our new neighbors :)

I also stole an awesome idea from my good friend, Monica Acosta, in an interesting twist to the advent calendar.  Every year we do the advent calendar where they open the little doors and get candy.  But this year, instead of candy, they got an activity...

So every morning the boys took turns opening the day's envelope to see what exciting new thing(s) we'd be doing that night once Scotty got home from school....they had a lot of fun with it and it gave us all something to look forward to each day. 

Some of the activities included decorating Christmas cookies...though mommy couldn't get the dough to form with the cookie cutters, so they got to decorate plain old round sugar cookies...but at least they were homemade!

even dad joined in...

They made little reindeer and snowman projects

And helped make Christmas rice krispie treats...

And decorate the tree...I am usually meticulous when it comes to the way the decorations go on the tree, ensuring adequate spacing between ornaments. But this year I got over myself and let the boys do it.  It wasn't perfect, there were a few ornament casualties, but they had fun.

Instead of heading into DC to the National Zoo for zoolights, I took the boys through a festival of lights parade at the Bull Run park.  They got a kick out of it but I have not mastered the night-time photo shooting trick, thus the pics didnt turn out, but you get the idea.  Next year definitely gonna do the real zoolights :)

First Trip to DC

For this year's Christmas card, which ended up being a New Years card, I was determined to get a pic of the boys in DC.  And the only place that I wanted to take this blessed picture was in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.  However, I had no idea where I was going, what it was going to be like when I got there and even if I'd find parking.  But I was determined, so I loaded the boys up and away we went.  I knew it wasn't going to be a full family shot because there was no way I was getting Jay to go downtown on his day off.  So for those of you planning to visit, just know that Jay will never accompany us downtown to see the sights.  Battlefields, yes.  Washington DC monuments, no.  It was a beautiful sunny day in DC and we really couldn't have picked a better day to go.  It was not crowded and the traffic was kind.  Thanks to my handy DC map, I found the place I wanted to go.  Just driving by it was breathtaking and surreal...was I really in this place I'd only ever read about?  Was that really the Washington Monument before us?  Problem was, I couldn't find parking.  Ended up getting caught in the roundabout and headed over to Arlington National Cemetary on accident.  BONUS!  Turns out there was a parking garage right at the cemetary and that is where we started out.  I can officially say we were at Arlington National Cemetary, but we hardly saw it.  We walked into it far enough to take a few pictures, but there is so much more I'd like to see there. 

It will have to wait for another day because I knew time was limited with these little boys and had to stick to my task at hand.  We were already further away from the Lincoln Memorial than I wanted to be so we had a lot of walking to do.  I was very impressed with my boys, they walked what seemed like several miles and were such troopers!  We definitely saw the Lincoln Memorial, but sadly the reflecting pool was empty and under construction.  Talk about disappointment!! 

But I got my pictures anyway!

We walked around the pool over to the WW II memorial which was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  So much detail...I could've probably spent longer in there, but again, had little ones with me and was more concerned they were going to dive into the pool of water...

I loved these quotes they had displayed in the memorial 

The boys got a kick out of finding each state they had ever been to, even the recent ones we passed thru on our trek across country

The detail was really impressive

Just across the way from the WWII Memorial was the Washington Monument.  We didn't go over to it, but we got a pretty amazing view of it.  Something I'd like to see even closer up someday.

We ate lunch at a little corner hot dog stand and then headed back over the bridge that crosses the Potomac River to the parking garage. 

Lots of walking for little feet, but all in all a fun experience for a first time in DC...and what a beautiful day to be outside enjoying it.  I think next time I bring the boys, I will look into the double decker tour buses that you can hop on and off at any location.  Can't wait to go back for more!

Our New Digs

The house from the road, it sits on an acre lot.

Tomorrow is the big day, after a trip across the country and living in a trailer for the past four weeks, we finally get to move into the house we will call home for the next 3.5 years.  I looked at a lot of houses and some were practically brand new; some were more and some were less rent; some were closer to DC some were further.  For whatever reason, this 26 year old colonial in Virginia just had my heart right away and to think I almost called to cancel the viewing because I'd thought we'd found "the one" in Maryland.  Granted, we are just renting so why am I getting all excited about a house that isn't even ours?  I love to make the houses we are in "home" no matter where we are and this house has so much character, it will be easy to do.  Even though it is hardly "out in the country", I feel that way when we are there.  It is away from the hustle and bustle that is the DC area and I feel comfortable there and secure for my boys.  Yes, some of the light fixtures and window treatments could stand an update, but I'm not complaining.  There is a ton of room, more than we need, but plenty of room for Diane in the lower level.  In fact, its almost as if she has her own apartment down there, and still enough room for guests....so start planning your trip to our nation's capitol and come visit us :)  Will update with interior pics once we get settled...

This is a little shed...at first I thought it was a little one bedroom house (Diane...)

But, it houses the riding lawn mower that is included with the property.

Back of the house

Bull Run

Today we had nothing planned...no house hunting, no friends to visit, and no work.  The day was sunny and actually pretty warm, so we decided to venture out and explore a little place called Manassas, one of the nearest cities to our house.  It is a cute town that has all the shopping you could think to do, but it also has an "Old Town Manassas" that is petty quaint and I can't wait to walk around it at some point.  Manassas is where the Battle at Bull Run took place, it was the first land battle of the Civil War.  Our first official sightseeing of the area.  I will admit, I had to do some reading to find out what exactly marks this in history, I'm sure I learned it at some point in school, but couldn't have told you what it was before now.  The Confederates (South) called the battle First Manassas after the Manassas Junction, but the Union (North) named it the Battle of Bull Run after the Bull Run stream.  It was pretty surreal to think we were standing in a place where there once was a raging battle going on between the north and south...just 150 short years ago.  It was a great lesson and we look forward to exploring more of the area in the next 3.5 years...fortunately, we can choose to do these sights during times like these, in the "off season", so we don't have to deal with the tourists!

We visited Henry House Hill, named for the Henry family that lived in the house that sat on top of the hill where the battle took place.  The house served as a refuge for the wounded soldiers.

This statue was made in honor of Brig. Gen. Thomas Jonathon "Stonewall" Jackson, who, along with his "stonewall brigade" helped stop the Union assault on Henry Hill.  Guess who gravitated toward the big horse???  Zaaaaaac...my little horse whisperer just wanted to "pet it".

Not So Strong

Thanksgiving Day 2010

In the midst of a stressful move from West coast to East coast, living in cramped quarters, trying to take care of three little boys and be supportive of my husband's transition into his new job...my mind can't help but wander into sadness over the loss of my dad.  Been trying to hold it together for the sake of holding it together....fearful to let my guard down lest I start sobbing in the middle of Safeway.  And on most days, it is not a challenge to do so.  I just try to stay preoccupied and not think about it.  But sometimes I just can't be that strong.  Tonite, as everyone else sleeps I reluctantly looked back at posts from a year ago, fully knowing they would make me sad, but yet wanting to remember a happier time when we spent Thanksgiving with my dad...didn't think it would be my last Thanksgiving with him, but something told me then that I better make it memorable and special.  And here we are.  Not even a year later and my dad is gone.  I am thankful that I have my memories but so very sad that he is not here to talk to about this adventure to DC.  He was always our biggest supporter when it came to the military transitions.  Having been in this same boat before, he understood like no one else could and he encouraged like no one else could whenever I would get discouraged about being in a new environment.  I haven't let myself be this sad in awhile but with the impending holiday and being 3000 miles away from my brother, tears were inevitable.  My heart aches and tonite I will let it.

I miss my Pops

DC House Hunt

I started searching for homes to rent in the DC area as soon as we got word we were moving.  We have several friends in the area and all have been very helpful in providing info on schools, counties, commute, good areas, bad areas, etc.  Problem is, the surrounding area of DC is huge and there are many places to consider.  Its basically Maryland vs. Virginia...people in VA say stay away from MD and people in MD say stay away from VA.  Either way, the commute for Jay into DC is going to be hell no matter what direction he comes from.  We have to consider traffic at every hour, from every place.  I have never in my life heard so much talk about how terrible traffic is and how that pretty much dictates how you plan your day and where you should live.  The first words out of everyone's mouth when we've looked at areas is "the commute to DC is....(fill in the blank)" Our friends explained it this way, DC is full of people from all over the country (and then some) and there are millions of people here, and they all drive differently based on the part of the country they come from and you put them all into one big mix and its like a death race everytime you are out on the road.  I have never seen anything like it and I have to say, for the next three years I will try to avoid the highways around here as much as I can.  It is HORRIFIC and terrifying!  I thought traffic was bad around Tacoma, WA...but I had no idea.  This is like Tacoma on steroids at every hour of the day!
At any rate, we are here and have been living in the RV for a week now and though it has been cozy and definitely beats living in a hotel room where we would have to be sharing walls and floors with other people, as well as worrying about the dog, its been a challenge with three little boys all couped up.  Especially the one day it was pouring down rain and Trev needed a nap...Scotty, Zac and I had to head out into the rain because baby's nap was much more necessary!!  So, the boys played in the mud and I sat in my vehicle.  At some point, I know we will look back on this experience as a good one and for the most part it has been fun.  I can't say enough good things about the KOAs we've stayed in...it helps that at this time of year they are pretty vacant,  but the managers of each one we've stayed at have been wonderful people.  KOAs are the only way to go!
House hunting has been a challenge because we have several factors to consider and its not easy in this area because housing is very expensive and yet, Jay receives no cost of living allowance here.  So he basically makes what he made in WA, but we will be paying about $1000 more for rent.  Our circumstances require the need to be a little pickier than the average family as well because we have a dog, we have three boys who will all be in school at some point in the next 3.5 years so I have to consider the area, and we have a mother in law coming to live with us.  Yes, Diane is coming here in January to live because having her here vice the other side of the country was the lesser of the two headaches...at least, that's what I thought, but now I'm thinking we should've just left well enough alone.  Too late now.  In addition to all that, we also have to consider Jay's commute.  So, trying to satisfy every one of those criteria has been a challenge.  However, we've managed to narrow down the search to two houses, both equally as nice.  One a bit bigger than the other, both the same amount in rent, but one is in Maryland and the other is in Virginia.  One has an HOA and the other doesnt, thus allowing us to store the RV on the property vice having to pay for storage somewhere else.  One we're dealing with a property manager and the other we are dealing with the actual owner.  The big kicker is that one is available NOW and the other not for a few weeks.  I don't want to be in a trailer for several more weeks, especially since our household goods are waiting for us here in storage and Scotty is missing school. We have several sets of friends on the Virginia side but we hear the commute from the MD side will be much more pleasant for Jay.  We had pretty much decided on the Maryland house but I wanted to look at one more house on the Virginia side and I ended up loving it.  It is smaller, we have to deal with a property manager, and the elementary school is five miles away vice only two miles, but for whatever reason, that property said "Home" to me more than the other one.  There are alot of beautiful homes here, alot of newer homes in lovely neighborhoods, and some are HUGE with more space than we could ever need, but this older little country house on an acre of land in the middle of nowhere was the one I liked best.  Jay knows his commute is going to be hell no matter what, so it was up to me....so, if all goes well, here is where we will settle in for the next few years...come visit when you can :)

The name of the street is RAMROD....really? 

Such an ugly name for such a sweet house

Our Nebraska Family

A view from the house...saw the most amazing sunsets while we were there

The house and one of the out buildings (where we set up camp)

When Jay and I met 12.5 years ago, he was living in a town called Kearney, Nebraska and going to school at the University.  Hence his Husker pride.  He would occasionally go to his cousin Dave's place in McCook, where he originally lived and started his schooling.  He would help Dave and his wife Darla with things around the farm.  So it was no question when we learned of our orders to the east coast that we would stop along the way to visit this family that I'd heard so much about but had only exchanged Christmas cards, baby shower and graduation gifts.  We arrived Monday and planned on staying the following day because snow was expected, but turns out the snow missed us and the day was sunny and beautiful...a perfect crisp fall day in the country...and our stay extended two extra days.  We could barely tear ourselves away from the farm.  Dave and Darla and their son, Dylan, were so gracious and welcoming....we felt right at home.  We parked the RV in their large barn and camped out there.  The boys had so much fun doing "farm" stuff and chasing the barn kittens and petting horses and feeding cows....and driving four wheelers.  They were always busy at "Aunt" Darla and "Uncle" Dave's.  The first evening we were there, we got to accompany them in the back of the pick up while they brought bales of hay to the cows via tractor.  The boys thought that was the coolest thing and I knew they were hooked.  One day I decided to ride with Darla in the Polaris Ranger and white-knuckled it the entire time.  She was so cool and calm and I was totally freaking out internally as she would navigate over ridges and hills to herd the cattle into the other field.  I was such a rookie and my inexperience showed!  Embarrassing....

Dave hard at work

Zac could not leave those poor kittens alone!

Scotty driving Darla around in the Ranger

Zac taking dad for a spin

One of the highlights for sure was when Dave and Darla shared their own harvested beef with us.  They fired up the smoker and we had the best steaks we'd had in a long time!  Potatoes from the garden, too.  I could get used to that kind of eating :)

Trev took to Darla immediately

Zac wanting to pet these hungry cows

We headed into the town of McCook, which is about a 30 minute drive from their property and met Donna, Dave's mom (and cousin to Jay's mom Diane) for lunch.  I had only just exchanged letters and Christmas cards with Donna, so it was wonderful to finally meet her as well.  She accompanied us home that night for dinner.

Donna and Jay

The last night we were there, we took the Rupperts out to dinner to thank them and then headed home, put the boys down and curled up in the living room to watch the CMA awards.  Odd to think something so simple would be so fun, but it was.  It was just comfortable and easy going....

Dave and Darla

I fell in love with McCook, Nebraska within those few days and immediately loved the Rupperts, too.  We can't wait to go back and visit again.  Hoping they will pay us a visit in DC and I will show them the big city life for a change :)  Thanks Dave, Darla and Dylan for making memories with us that will last a lifetime! We love you!

Dylan, Jay and Dave like old times

The gang