Keeping up with the Baker's

Laundry Basket Fun

2009-02-04T20:26:00.001-08:00

Who knew that a laundry basket and a daddy could be so much fun??

Playing with Ty

2009-02-04T20:19:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of Sean being silly with his good friend Ty. They are crazy boys when they get together, but we always love the naps that come after their visits.

Cutie Patootie

2009-02-04T20:13:00.001-08:00

Ruthie's just continues to get cuter and cuter by the day.

Our little angel, see her glow.

Silly Boy

2009-02-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

Sean being Sean....

Playing with trains

2009-02-04T19:57:00.002-08:00

Sean loves trains. Here are just a few instances of Sean enjoying himself with Thomas the tank engine.

Why do I do this to myself??

2009-02-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

Hi there all, here we go again letting months pass without any blog, not it is time for a big catch up...bear with me.

Here is Thanksgiving with the Dacunto's.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Here are the Babies. Sean was a fireman...of course, and Ruthie was a tigress.

By the end, Sean was really getting the hang of trick-or-treating thing.

Ruthie was wondering, 1) can daddy carry me everywhere from now on, and 2) why are we outside in the dark?

Another Day, Another Playground

2008-10-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

Just another day of fun....

Fireman Sean

2008-10-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is just a glimps of Sean's Halloween costum. He has warn it constantly since it arrived in the mail. I am sure he will wear it until it can no longer fit, as well.

Peek-a-boo!

2008-10-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

Just thought this was adorable...

Playing!!!

2008-10-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ruthie playing at her kitchen. She loves this rediculous little thing even though she constantly pulls it down on herself.

Sean loves his DADDY. The faster the better. So much fun.

Big smiles for the camera

Truely playing together for the first time. There is hope for the future!

Cutie....

2008-10-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

Ruthie was having a particularly photogenic day. She is currently into everything, as you can tell here. She is trouble. Pretty soon she is going to think that is her name. She take great pride at smiling and doing exactly the opposite when you tell her no. One of the caretakers at the on post day care that the kids go to said she is very determined...stubborn really, but you get the idea.

TRAIN!!!!

2008-10-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

Sean loves trains, trucks and anything to do with firefighting. For that reason this is a blog of all his favorites!

This is a train we happened accross when we went for a long walk a couple of weekend back. We decended after warnings of 10% + grades to a rail road track running along the sound. Mike and Jodi were joking that it would be a great day for Sean if he got to see a Train. Not more than 2 minutes later a train was flying past.

This is Sean using one of his favorite toys, his magna-doodle. Here is a fire truck he drew. Not bad for a two year old.

Playing at the park

2008-10-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

One of the families favorite activities is to go first to the dog park and then on the a nice play ground on post. Here are some pictures from one day's adventure.

The Dog Park

The Playground

Helping around the house

2008-10-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sean loves to help around the house. His favorite is watering the plants and cooking. Check out that gorgeous pie.

Baby Ruth's Christening

2008-10-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

While we were at home we were able to get our families together for Ruthie's Christening. It was really wonderful to see everyone together and share in such a joyous time. Here are just a few pictures.

Catching up....The Baker's

2008-10-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

While Mike was in Massachusetts, we spend a great deal of time in Needham with his family. Sean really enjoyed all of the attention paid to him from Papa, Aunt Teresa, Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim. Here are a few of the highlights.

Playing with Papa.

Ruthie with Aunt Catherine.

Cool Uncle Jim.

Catching up...The Forth of July

2008-10-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, here are some more pictures of our summer escapades. These are all taken at the Needham parade. It was a bit of wet day, but tons of fun for all. The highlight for Sean was seeing all of the fire trucks, police cars, and assorted other big trucks. He was simply mesmerized as they all passed. Ruthie....she fell asleep on Aunt Mary and Aunt Teresa. What could be better....

Catching up....Boston Sights

2008-10-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

This summer the whole family also made it to Walden Pond. It is always a nice place to visit for some fun, sun and a little picnic.

Additionally, Mike, Papa and Sean made the pilgrimage to Fenway Park for a tour and some photo ops. Sean's first park had to be Fenway, and it was made so much better by going with Daddy and Papa.

The long process of catching up...The Campbell's

2008-10-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

This summer the kids (Fenway included) and Jodi spent a bunch of time in MA. One of the things we most appreciated was the time we got to spend with our families. This first blog is all the Campbell side.

Justin and Sean, drinkin' and chillin' together.

Ellowyn with her favorite Uncle Mike!

The Campbell girls.

All the Campbell grand kids. SO CUTE!

Washington

2008-10-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

After our long trip of traveling we have arrived in Washington State. The kids, Fenway and Jodi logged about 5500 miles this summer between going back to MA from KS and then to WA. Mike got the honor of driving from KS to WA twice. Once alone and once with the family. It was certainly a summer of driving. But we all got here safe and sound, and even got to see a few things along the way. Now that we are here, life is certainly crazy. We are definitely back in the real Army again. Mike's days are LLLOOONNNGGG! He is at PT by 6:30 and usually doesn't make it home until about 6:00-7:00. Luckily we live near post and Mike is amazing at coming home for Breakfast almost every day. It is not a ton of time, but it has been consistent, and the kids really enjoy seeing him every morning. Also, I think Mike enjoys the "Daddy" coming from Sean and the huge smile on Ruthie's face as he walks through the door.

Since we have gotten here Sean has rekindled a friendship with a little boy whom we met in Kansas. Peter and Sean are the same age and have a ton of fun together. Additionally, Sean has a new friend Ty. Ty is four and Sean treats him like a rock star! Everything Ty does is cool. It is cute. The good news is that Ty likes the admiration.

Ruthie is adjusting to an actual nap and sleeping schedule here. She is more challenging as a baby than Sean ever was. When she is awake she is fun and active!!! I can't believe it, but she is not just crawling, but pulling herself to standing and walking if you hold her hands. You want the first child to walk early but not the second. I am a little nervous about chasing Sean and Ruthie in opposite directions.

I am settling in and I am still at home. I looked for some teaching jobs when I got here, but the certification issues just make it difficult. I have looked for some part time jobs but it seems that the pay just doesn't make it worth it. Day care for two is the cost of most part time jobs. So I keep looking. Plus with Mike deploying in the Spring, it may be good for me to spend more time at home with the kids.

Well, that's the good news for now. You are more than welcome to visit us if you get a chance. Keep in touch.

We're Back!!!

2008-10-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, finally we have gotten our laptop set up with the internet, and found the cord to download all of our pictures from June... and boy, do we have a few. In fact, it is going to take me a week to get caught up on this thing. However, just to keep your interest, I will post a couple recent pictures of the kids. Enjoy.

UPDATES!

2008-05-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Fenway deserves a place on the blog, too.

So during my short life being an army wife I have learned one thing...never make a plan....make ten. A couple of weeks ago, Mike got an email that sent our family and plans into a tail spin. In fact, the only thing that stayed the same was that we are going to Ft. Lewis (WA state). Other than that the time line got all mixed up. Now Mike has to report as of 7 July. What does that mean to the rest of the family....DRIVING....lots of driving. Luckily we are blessed with an amazing family. With the help of Mike's sister Mary, Jodi, the kids and the dog will all be heading East in early June. We will be there for a week, or so, without Mike. During this time he will attend a class in MO, then drive a car to WA, and fly to Boston. Then the evening of the July 6th he will fly back to WA. When Mike leaves, Jodi, et al., will spend a couple more weeks in MA before carivanning with her brother and sister-in-law to St. Louis. From there she will drive to Kansas City and wait for Mike to finish with an exercise. Once he is finished, we, as a family will race across this beautiful country and arrive in WA. If all goes as planned we will wait in a hotel for a week and finally move into a house the second week of Aug.

There you go....plane's, trains (never count anything out) and automobiles.

Sean and Ruthie

2008-05-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sean loves his little sister. In fact the first thing he says every morning is Babe Roof (translation...baby Ruth). These are just a few of the things they do together....

Sean helps with the Binky.Encourages her during tummy-time.

Reads her stories.Gives her kisses when she is sad.

Helps to feed her with the bottle.

Happy Mother's Day all.

Baby Ruth....

2008-05-11T19:00:00.001-07:00

We think she is beautiful, and could have posted so many more pictures. I hope you like this small sample.

Sean, Sean, Sean!

2008-05-11T18:48:00.001-07:00

Blowing you all a kiss!!!!

Notice the shirt...Mr Mischief...Do we need to say any more.

With mommy and daddy. So much fun.

Sean and the Fire Truck

2008-05-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

We recently got invited to a Birthday party, where the star was a Fire Truck. Sean was one of the first in, and the absolute last out. He loves all emergency vehicles now. Whooo--whoooo is a normal sound we hear around the house now.

Answering "What's Next?"

2008-03-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

Checking each other out.

Greetings all.

Many of you know that our family is preparing to leave Kansas for our next army assignment, but we have not shared the details on when and where we are going. Partially because the army keeps us in suspense as well, and partially because things keep changing in our orders. As of right now we are moving to Ft. Lewis in WA state. We were slated to leave in June, but now Mike's new unit has asked him to stay here and take another course before he leaves. Because we are already stationed here we will all stay as a family. Although we are not looking forward to being here for another sweltering summer, we are excited to stay close to some of our friends that are remaining here for their own reasons. Currently, it looks as though we will be back in MA for a couple of weeks this summer. Jodi and the kids will be home close to the 14th of June and Mike will come the following week. With luck we will all be able to stay through the 4th of July, but that end of the trip is still in question.

We should be arriving in WA around the first week of October, from there life will be very busy, especially for Mike in his new unit. Mike will be joining a Stryker Brigade once he is there. The good news is that Mike will not deploy until the Spring/summer of '09, but early spring will be punctuated with a lot of time away for training.

So there is the news. We will certainly have a place for people to sleep if anyone wants to come and visit.

Ruthie, getting cuter every day

2008-03-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Trying on her smiles....

Just being cute.

The serious look

SEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

Who needs carrots when you have fingers for the dip?!

Sean loves hats....he can make a hat out of anything.

Enjoying friends in Kansas

2008-03-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

Aunt Heather with Ruthie.

Sean with his girlfriend Heidi!

New Englander's Unite! All of our New England frineds here in Kansas. We simply seem to find one another.

Mike and Jodi chillin' with the kids

2008-03-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

We feel very blessed to have two beautiful children...I am sure you agree.

Ruthie with the Baker's

2008-03-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

Cuddles from all....she just loves being held...and spoiled.

Campbell's and Sean and Ruthie

2008-03-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

Ruthie spent much of Grammy and Grampy's visit sleeping in Grammy's arms. Lucky girl!

Sean enjoyed visiting with both Grammy and Grampy, but especially loved being silly with Grampa.

Baker's and Sean

2008-03-26T17:55:00.001-07:00

Uncle Jim and Aunt Teresa!!!! Lots of squeezes and tech savvy toys.

Papa and Aunt Mary's visit was punctuated with St Patrick's Day and picking teams for the NCAA tournament. (Sean is still doing well....)

Appologies.....

2008-03-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting in such a long time. Life here is crazy. Since Ruthie's birth we have had a ton of visitors and we found out we will be moving to Washington state in June/July, we most likely need to buy a new car, Jodi needs to find a job, and balancing two kids while in the midsts of flu season is giving us little time to keep up with blogging. I am, however, impoving my one handed typing technique. It is amazing to sum this all up in a sentence or two, when it feels so much larger than that. Anyway, here are some pictures.

Ruthie is here!

2008-01-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

Just a few minutes old.

Here is our beautiful baby girl. Born at midnight on the cusp between the 21st and 22nd. Believe it or not we were able to pick the birth date. Overall it was a quick, easy labor. And a wonderful result. Enjoy these pictures. I am sure there are many more to come.

Big Brother Sean gets his first look.

Our Beautiful Baby Ruth.

Christmas in Kansas

2008-01-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a bit different for our family this year. This was the first year that we were without any other family, Baker or Campbell. Although this could have made Christmas difficult, it was actually really relaxing and enjoyable. With the potential of having Mike deployed next year at Christmas this was a good year to ground our family, enjoy each others company, and explore and solidify our traditions as a family unit.

Chirstmas Morning

Sean Enjoying his presents

Sean Being Goofy

The After Christmas Explosion

Happy 2008 everyone!

Fenway loves SNOW!

2008-01-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

Fenway loves fetch, Mike likes snowballs. When you put the two together, you get Fenway trying to catch snowballs and the snowballs exploding in mid-air. Mike and Fenway had tons of fun for hours.....Here is just a sampling of the pictures that were taken.

Winter in Kansas

2008-01-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

The snow here hasn't been nearly as deep or continuous as back home in Massachusetts, but it has been enough for Sean and Mike (and in the next blog Fenway) to have tons of fun.

Sorry for the long delay!

2008-01-14T12:32:00.001-08:00

Sorry everyone for the long delay in Blogs. Over Christmas break our computer decided not to start. After a week of TLC, we have our computer back and our pictures retrieved from the hard drive. YEAH! So, over the next couple days we will update you on Winter here in Kansas, Fenway playing in the snow, Christmas and a fabulous trip to the Kansas City Children's Museum. Hopefully we will get this all done before baby Baker #2 shows his/her beautiful face and we have to update again. Speaking of the baby.....well, Jodi is certainly ready to get this child to see the world. The due date...21 Jan, but who really knows????

Decorating for Christmas

2007-12-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

It's Beginning to Look a Like Christmas....

As you all know, Jodi loves Christmas. It definitely seems to be rubbing off onto Sean. This year we got him his own tree so he could decorate it. He loves his tree and his basket of decorations just for him. These pictures are of Sean's first glance of his Christmas tree.

After we decorated the tree on Saturday night, Sean went to bed and the real test of Christmas pulsing through his veins occurred. This first thing he did on Sunday morning was to point to his Advent Calendar and say please, indicating he wanted the Goldfish hiding inside. Next, he pointed to the tree and said please, indicating we should turn the lights on. Once they were on, he got very excited and started dancing. That's Jodi's Boy!

Play group

2007-12-06T11:25:00.001-08:00

One of Sean's favorite activities here in Leavenworth is play group. Here are a few pictures of Sean and his group. It is a bit difficult getting all of them to stay still for one picture.

Ms. Maxine reads new fun books every week. YEAH!

More Thanksgiving Fun with the Baker's

2007-12-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

An innocent smile for a boy discovering big trouble.

Thanksgiving weekend was also spent with the Baker side of the family. Although there are no other kids technically, all of the adults seem to turn into little children. Just see what I mean with these pictures.

Blocks with Uncle Jim and Papa. Of course Sean got a very important phone call.

Papa saved this big pile of leaves for he and Sean to enjoy together.

Fun reading books with Auntie T.

Thanksgiving with the Campbell's

2007-12-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving with my Grandpa! Ready to eat all that Pie?

Well it has been a while since we last posted, but hopefully we can get all caught up today. First is Thanksgiving at the Campbell House. It was great to get the whole family together. Mom and Dad, Jayde, Kerry and their two kids Rowan and Ellowyn, Justin, Brenda, and their two kids Corey and Jessica, the Baker Clan of course and Brenda's parents were all present and ready to have fun. Here are just a few pictures from Thanksgiving day.

Ellowyn with Kerry.

Rowan being a giggling up a storm.

Jessica with her most precious smile and pretty dress.

Happy Halloween.

2007-11-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

Halloween was relatively uneventful this year, Jodi took Sean to a few houses while Mike and Fenway held down the fort. We had a lot of kids, but it sounds like we had nothing compared to other housing areas on Post. That is fine with us, we just aren't sure what to do with all of the candy.....

Boo at the Zoo

2007-11-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Halloween we decided to go to an event at the Kansas City Zoo called "Boo at the Zoo" Throughout the Zoo, different employees are dressed up and ready to pass out Candy to all the kids in costume. In addition, we still get to see all of the animals. To make our time even more fun, we went along with two other families. In total there were 5 kids, 6 parents and two more babies on the way. We had a great time, but the highlight for Sean was definitely hanging out with the older kids. The dragons are twins Jackson and Ryan. They are three and in Sean's eyes the best thing since slice bread. Here are some cute pictures from that great day out.

Around the House.

2007-11-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

This first picture is of Sean's favorite spot. His new chair. Check out trouble!

Look at how great a helper Sean can be. He really enjoys raking. Where was he last year when we had a yard 10 times as big?

Sean doesn't just help with the grunt work around the house. He also enjoys giving Dad a hand with his school work.

Pictures for Uncle Jim.

2007-11-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

These pictures are to put a smile on Uncle Jim's face. Love ya!

Rooting for the home team

2007-11-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks we in the Baker house had been getting very little sleep. While in Kansas we have certainly not given up on rooting for the Red Sox and the Patriots. We often have friends over to watch games because we are one of the crazy few that paid for satellite TV. But, it has been fun. Here are a few pictures of us dressed in our home team garb.

Pats hat!

Taking a walk and showing off our Red Sox team spirit.

The morning after a late night game.

Sean and Fenway

2007-11-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Greetings all. One of the many reasons we have been so amiss at blogging, has been the illnesses running through the house. Within one week Sean, Mike, Jodi and Fenway all got sick. To add to that Fenway hurt her knee. At the time the doctor thought that it was a partial tear in her ACL, but it turned out to be a sprain. Thank goodness! Keeping her still has proven to be quite a trip. This blog is full of pictures of Sean and Fenway playing, watching dad outside, and just plain loving each other. Enjoy.

This amazing picture was actually taken by Mary when she came to visit. Check out the ball in mid air!!!

Watching Dad outside.... Sean was helping Fenway with the curtin.

Doggie Kisses!!!!!!!!!!!

Papa Baker and Aunt Mary come to visit.

2007-10-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

Over the Columbus Day holiday weekend we received our first visit from family here in Kansas. It was certainly a treat to have Papa Baker and Mary come and share some time with all of us, the one who enjoyed it most of all was certainly Sean. Sean loved all of the undivided attention he got from four adoring adults. He certainly put on the charm, and we have the pictures to prove it.

While Papa and Mary were here we were able to go and visit a local farm. It has animals, a corn maze, tractor/hay rides and pumpkin picking. All in all a great place to go for both kids and kids at heart. Sean really enjoyed picking out pumpkins and loved the tractor ride. He even waved good-bye to the tractor driver. It was very cute.

Besides the farm, we all just spent some quality time visiting and enjoying the company of all. It was wonderful to catch up face-to-face, watch college football games, "bet" on horses, and just play at the play ground.

I hope you all enjoy these pictures. There were so many great ones. It is always hard to chose what gets published on this blog, but this week was particularly difficult.

Playing!

2007-09-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

It certainly seems as though most of Sean's waking moments with mom and dad are filled with playing. There are just so many fun things to do!

This picture is of Mike and Sean in the "Great Escape" 10 K here on post. Jodi convinced Mike to do this race the evening before so she could get a bit of sleep and rest. That plan didn't work, but we all had fun anyway. Sean and Mike had to get up extra early for registration. They actually had to be there by 7:00, and Sean had to eat breakfast before that. Geesh! Then, Jodi decided it would be a good idea to take Fenway for a walk and take pictures of the grand event. So off they went to meet up with a friend. Our friend decided getting one set of pictures wasn't enough, but instead we had to meet our husbands and kids at the finish line. So off we went. Needless to say, Jodi got plenty of exercise, but very little sleep. All in all, we all got some exercise, and it was a fun morning.

Sean's newest favorite activity is going to the playground and sliding. It is fun for all but gives Jodi a bit of a heart attack. Mike helps out though, but going to the top of the slide, and well turning into a kid himself.

Finally, this last picture is of Sean and his closest little friend here, Heidi, in a box of balls. We all went to an evening open gym at a local elementary school. The kids had a blast.

As for next week, we probably won't post until after the weekend. Our family is very excited because we are getting our first visitors. Papa Baker and Aunt Mary are coming. I am sure we will have some award winning pictures to share afterward. Until then.

Sean's Running

2007-09-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hello again. As the weeks past Sean is proving to me more efficient with his walking skills. It certainly feels like he is running, especially when we are at a store, and he does not want to go in the same direction as you. Oh well.

This week has been good. Sean and Jodi started many new things, including playgroups. He simply loves being around other kids and watching them. What he doesn't like is when one of them steals his toys, but even that he gets over quickly because he knows there is always something else to play with.

This week Sean is also showing more success with using a fork. He still needs help with little things, but he is able to stab and eat some of his food all by himself. The bonus for us is he will try anything on a fork, yeah!

The pictures this week are mostly of Sean and Mike. Sean's eyes light up every afternoon when Daddy gets home because he knows there will be wrestling, climbing, swinging, chasing, and playing fetch with Fenway as soon as Dad changes into his play clothes.

Also, there is a picture of Sean with Mommy at the Farm. (Ignore the big belly, baby Baker 2 has really decided to grow this month) We really enjoyed the farm, and will be making more visits there soon, this time with Daddy.

Miss you all. Hope all is well.

Some pictures from this summer...just a bit late.

2007-09-09T16:04:00.001-07:00

Before going on the trip, at Grammy and Grampy's. Sean loves the piano, and is surprisingly gentle. Maybe we have a little musician on our hands.

Sean on his first bike ride on the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

West Dennis Beach was where Sean first dipped his toes into the great Atlantic Ocean. This year we stayed and played for hours. After the initial fear of the "giant bathtub" wore off, Sean had a grand time for himself.

Back in Needham at Papa's house. Sean got to enjoy Spaghetti with red sauce and some beets. Then he got a very nice bath. Making messes have a consequence. But they sure are fun!

A Holy Moment

2007-09-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

As many of you who were at Sean's Christening can attest, Sean loves to speak to God while in Church. We would like to believe that is because he is so saintly. Yesterday at Mass proved to be no exception. As the Priest began his Homily, he posed the question, "Does anyone remember what the fourth Commandment was?" The Church was dead silent, so our little angel decided he would share is thoughts with the entire congregation. Sean stated."Blah, Baa, Daa Gaa!" with great exuberance so all could hear. When Sean had finished the Father continued his homily and stated that in fact the fourth Commandment was "Honor your mother and father." We would like to think that our little angel knew the answer, and simply wanted to share. :) Keep well.

Sean's WALKING!!!!

2007-09-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

Just thought we would update the blog with some new pictures of Sean. He is doing great. At his 1 year doctors appointment Sean was 31 3/4 inches long and 25.5 pounds. Luckily, since he started walking, he seems to have stopped adding weight, but continues to grow.

His 1,000,000 dollar smile!
Sean loves to walk Fenway.

Our small investment in a sandbox has given Sean hours of fun.
Sean loves to throw and chase any ball, but Mike is particularly proud of his love of the football. (Jodi's a bit nervous).

Enjoy the pictures. Keep in touch.

Arriving in Kansas

2007-08-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

As most of you have probably already assumed, we have made it to Kansas safe and sound. After visiting friends all over the Northeast, we took off from Pittsburgh, PA on the morning of 26 July at about 4:30 am. Much to our surprise Sean was a prize winning passenger and we arrived in St. Louis, MO that same evening. Knowing we were so close to Kansas City, and our new home we woke up very early the next morning and continued to drive to Ft. Leavenworth.

Finding housing on Base was a new experience for both of us. We looked at only two houses and took the second one, primarily because we were all tired, and at least this one didn't appear to be growing its own special breed of mold. We have certainly learned our lesson. Our house has much to be desired, but will certainly get us through this year, especially with all the work we have already required on it. For the first three weeks here at Leavenworth, Jodi certainly met more of the maintenance personnel than anyone else around post. The worst seems to be behind us now and we are all much happier for it.

Since then, Mike has rekindled some of his old friendships with people he knew in Germany, Korea, and many other location, and Jodi and Sean have made many nice new friends. Even Fenway has made a good friend with the Lab mix next door, Laney. They play as often as we can get them together.

Well, that is about it for now. I will be sure to add more postings soon and they will include pictures. Hope all is well.