Updated Jul 12th, 2008...

 Four months since the last update.  While it has been a long time, we've got a pretty good excuse.  Where do we begin?

 Shortly after the last update, Jeff left Laurel and the kids in Virginia and he headed down to the new house in North Carolina.  He checked into his new squadron, Marine Transport Squadron One (VMR-1), and was there for under a week before he headed down to Miami for flight training.  Training consisted of a 2-week course; the first week was ground school for the DC-9, and the second week was simulator training.  Since Jeff had flown the MD-80 some years ago, there were some similarities that he was able to pick up on quickly.  Even though he had not flown for nearly 4 and a half years, he felt comfortable getting back in the saddle again.

  Following his two weeks of training at Alteon, Jeff returned to NC for several days before heading up to VA to help with the move.  Laurel did a fine job taking care of the kids and getting ready to move, and the movers showed up on April 24th and 25th and packed us all up.  The evening of the 25th, we drove down to NC and got in realllly late.  Our household good were scheduled to arrive that next Tuesday.  Sure enough, they showed up on time and we began the dizzying dance of moving into our new home.

  Jeff was given some time off from work to take care of moving in and for that we're both grateful.  While we're still not 100% settled in as of this writing, that first week off really helped tremendously!

  While Jeff got settled into his new job (assigned to the Maintenance Division), Laurel took the bull by the horns and had all of her colors picked out for the rooms to be painted.  She chose a "portabella"  color for the living room and "bleached wheat" for the bathrooms and hallway.  Alexander's room was done exactly like it was in VA, and the kitchen was painted a vibrant cranberry.  The room off the kitchen (it's not really a dining room, but has the family computer in it) is a gold/mustard color and Laurel picked out some drapes that work very well with the color.

  Jeff started learning how to actually fly the C-9 and the flights came rapid-fire.  Within about three weeks, he was trained and qualified to fly as a copilot.  Needless to say, he is thrilled to be back in the cockpit.

  Our first big house project was the erection of a 6' privacy fence.  Jeff started it the last weekend of May and worked on it for three weekends.  Laurel helped clear the brush on the property line, and Jeff had help from his neighbor as they identified the property lines.  Jeff dug all of the post holes with a manual digger and set them all in concrete.  Next, he put 2x4's up on the posts and then he hung the fence boards up.  He left the gates for when his Dad and stepmother were to arrive so he could benefit from his Dad's experience in engineering the gates.  Before starting the project, we got a few quotes from local fence builders and they wanted something along the lines of $5800 for the job.  Without a doubt, we saved thousands of dollars by doing it ourselves!

  The biggest things we've been up to have been getting moved in and settled, but we cannot neglect to mention what the kids have been up to!

  Alexander took the move in stride.  He's only 3 and a half so he was not too fazed by the move.  He loves the big backyard, and we built him a playhouse...

  If you look closely enough, you'll see the swingset went up before the back fence line... Anyway he's in the swing every day and he is always asking to "be pushed" since he doesn't know how to swing by himself!  Laurel takes him out for walks every day and has met many of the neighbors.  She has also taken him to a few activities during the week and it's nice because he can play with children his own age.

  Caitlin is doing well also.  She recently learned how to crawl and she is literally plunking around the house.  Although she's only 19lbs, you can hear her coming the the next room over!  Her teeth are starting to come in.  As of today, she has her two bottom teeth in and one top tooth has started to show.  She continues to babble and is very vocal - and it sure helps that Alexander loves to talk, dance and sing.  She absolutely adores him and watches his every move!

  Jeff's father and stepmother just left - they were here for a week.  His Dad helped out with finishing the fence (photos to come soon) and Mary helped out with the kids and allowed for Laurel to have some time to do the things she had been putting off for a while (like get her haircut!).  As always, we thoroughly enjoyed their presence and Alexander was thrilled to see his Nana & Pop-Pop again!!

  Sorry it's been so long for the update... Hope you all enjoyed this one.

-Jeff, Laurel, Alexander & Caitlin

PS - In other news, we're happy to report that the house in VA is rented out (tenants moved in June 2nd) and the house in P-Cola is having new tenants move in on July 15th!

Updated March 23rd, 2008...

 Well - we lied.  We said the last update would not be until after we moved and were settled.  But with so many cute Easter photos, we decided that it might be prudent to have just one more update!

  Last Wednesday, the Separation and Retirement Branch threw Jeff a "Farewell" luncheon.  Everyone was in attendance and a few kind words were spoken about his service there for just under three years.  Jeff was presented with a wonderful framed photo of the Branch which was taken in front of the Marine Corps Museum.  In the photo, all the Marines were in their service Alphas (green uniform with jacket and tie - looked sharp!) and the civilians were there, too.   In addition to the photo, he was also presented with a sharp looking walking stick.  It's made out of wood with a chromed out handle that has a Marine Corps emblem on it.  It is definitely something that Jeff will display!  Jeff was also allowed a few minutes to speak and he said a few things to let the folks know just how much the past three years have meant to him.  While he looks forward to getting back into the cockpit, this has been a tremendous experience for him and he is filled with many great memories.

  In other news... We drove down to NC on Thursday morning and closed on the new house that afternoon. 

With the exception of all of us remaining terribly sick from the worst cold in US history, we faired rather well.  The closing went of without any major hitches and we were able to settle into our new house for a few nights.  Jeff went to work on a list for Lows supplies while Laurel slipped off into "Laurel's world" and came up with all of the color ideas on how we're going to paint and decorate.

Some neighbors stopped by to say hello and we learned that the neighborhood is chock full of kids!  Our current neighborhood does not really have any children Alexander's age, so he is often without playmates.  We look forward to him creating some new friendships in our new locale... 

We had the cable guy show up and get us hooked up with TV and internet, and we also had the local pest control folks swing by for a pre-treatment.  Surprisingly, both guys showed up at their appointed time.  That's something we're not used to in VA as you have to sit at home from 8am to 5pm and if the guy does show up, it's without a call at 4:50pm.  Most times, the guy doesn't even show.  So - it's refreshing to experience timeliness!

 We drove back on Saturday and had a small Easter celebration at home today.  Nothing too exciting - just colored eggs and hid some in the living room.  Next year, we're sure the Easter Bunny will hide everything out in the back yard... Happy Easter!

-Jeff & Laurel 

Updated March 15th, 2008...

  It has been a few months since our last update.  We purchased a few new computers and were without the proper software to do a web update, so Jeff finally was able to purchase Microsoft Expression Web and we're able to get this update out.  Where to begin??

  We went down to North Carolina in January to look at homes.  We went through about 20 homes but did not see anything we liked.  So, we drove back to Virginia without making an offer.

  On January 21st, we got our family portrait taken.  This was the date Caitlin turned 3 months old.  The last time we had our portrait taken was when Alexander turned 3 months old so we thought it would only be fitting to get a new one taken.  We suppose another one will be taken when baby #3 turns 3 months old, and no - that doesn't mean that Laurel is pregnant!

    Alexander turned 3 on January 27th and we threw a little birthday party for him.  We had Laurel's friend Stephanie and her daughters come over.  Alexander's "girlfriend" is Paige and they had a terrific time playing with his toys and his train set.  Photos are on Alexander's page. 

   February was a busy month for Jeff - he is getting towards the tail end of his tour in Quantico so the tasks were piling up.  It probably has to do with just trying to get every last drop of work out of him before we move.  Towards the end of February, Jeff got two weeks off... One week was for house-hunting, the other was so Laurel could go down to Pensacola and do some Army Training.

  So, we traveled back down to North Carolina and this time we were lucky enough to find a nice house that we both liked.  It's on just over a half-acre in a nice subdivision and we will be driving down again on March 20th to close on it.  We drove back up to Virginia for a few days and took care of some errands before loading up the SUV and heading back down to Florida.  We drove there by way of Georgia and stopped at Joe's place for a few nights.  Joe was nice enough to dog-sit for us for we were down south.  This was also an opportunity for Laurel's Dad to come up from Orlando for a night.  We had a great time catching up with her Dad (also named Joe, but he goes by "Sandy") and this was the first time he was able to meet Caitlin.  As always, a great photo opportunity.

  After we left Joe's place, we went down to Pensacola.  We spent an evening with Granny and Papa in Fairhope before turning in for the night in the Pensacola BOQ.  We also got to spent some time with Laurel's mother and this was all their first time to meet Caitlin!

  Jeff watched the kids Monday through Wednesday while Laurel worked at her unit.  On Thursday and Friday, the kids were placed in daycare and Jeff went to work on the rental property.  We've been lucky to have tenants who have not really minded not having a dishwasher.  But with us getting ready to move, and their lease expiring in July, we figured it wouldn't hurt to give them a little incentive to renew their lease.  So, in addition to all of the items you'd normally need while away from home for over a week, we also brought all of Jeff's tools.  You can see the before and after pictures below.  Definitely not the most professional looking job, but the dishwasher works and there are no leaks.  We'll let you know what the tenants do come July!!

  Jeff flew home on Saturday and got to work painting the house in VA as we prepare to rent it out.  Laurel finished her military work a week later and drove home by way of Georgia after picking up the dogs at Joe's (Thanks again Joe!). 

  Now - we're in the mad dash to get everything done.  Next week we close on the house in NC.  Then, Jeff's last day is the 27th.  He drives down to NC to check into his new unit on April 1st.  He'll be gone for 2 weeks in April down in Miami flying the simulator and then we're planning on having the house in VA packed up the last week of April.  With any luck, when the rest of family joins Jeff in NC we'll have renters getting ready to move in on our heels!

  This will be the last update until we get settled in our new house - sometime in May.  Best to all...

-Jeff & Laurel 

Updated Jan 11th, 2007...

  2007 was another banner year for the family... In case you missed our updates during the year, here are the highlights:

1. On January 27th, Alexander turned 2 years old.  We had another small birthday celebration with cake, ice cream and presents.  He was still a little too young to really understand it all, but we got some good photos.
2. Our Rottweiler Emily joined the family in on January 28th.  She's ALL PUPPY, and has a terrific personality.  Alexander loves rough-housing with her.
3. In late April, we drove down to Tennessee for some vacation at Jeff's parents house and then down to Pensacola to work on the rental property.  The tenants left with short notice and we spent a week fixing it up from ceiling to floorboard.  On our way back we spent some time in TN again and got to enjoy the Tennessee Zoo.
4. Also in April, we let the news out that Laurel was pregnant with number two.
5. Most of July was spent with Laurel away doing military work with the Army.  She also was promoted to the rank of Major.
6. In August we spent a weekend at Massunutten Resort in Virginia and had an absolute blast at the water park.
7. September's highlight was the purchase of Jeff's new daily commute car.  He went from a 1995 Toyota Paseo with 273,000 miles to a new 2007 Toyota Yaris with 20 miles!
8. 0n October 21st, we welcomed out lovely daughter Caitlin into the world.
9. November and December were a whirlwind of family visiting and holidays.  We barely got a breath in and the new year was upon us!
10. And lastly, Jeff received his orders to report to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in April to join his next squadron.

Now, we've got to get the house ready for rent and find ourselves a new house to buy down south.  The next several months are going to go by in a blur and we'll be there before we know it!

- Jeff, Laurel, Alexander, Caitlin, Churchill, Emily  & Penny the cat.

  Also, be sure to check out Alexander's or Caitlin's Page from time to time to see their latest photos!