Thanksgiving 2011

We finally ate the last of our 20 pound turkey last night, just six days after Thanksgiving.  That's actually not entirely true.  We still have leftovers from the leftover turkey meals that I have made since.  It's the holiday that just keeps giving...

We had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday weekend here at home this year.  Without travel or house guests, it was the most relaxed turkey day that we've celebrated in years.  We started off our day with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and homemade cinnamon rolls, a tradition that I have so dearly loved since childhood.  Nick and Emmy played outside while I tackled my detailed cooking timeline.  We were able to Skype with our families back at home and to catch up with the wonderful Marin Humphrey over our sizeable meal.  On the menu this year was: Marin's yummy ham and cheese dip, roast turkey, slow-cooker stuffing, mashed potatoes, bacon and blue cheese green beans, sauteed carrots and dill, fruit and sour cream jello mold, cranberry sauce, homemade rolls, and, of course, pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream.  We were all stuffed to the gills by 6pm, except for Emmy, who declined dinner to play with her blocks instead.  In the spirit of the holiday, we kept the peace and didn't fight it, and relished the limited interruptions to our adult conversation.  It was just a fancy family dinner with wonderful company, I couldn't have asked for more!

In the days following, I was able to clean out and reorganize our closets, making us several steps closer to being ready for Hannah (it couldn't have been done without Nick taking over Emmy duty!)  We steered clear of the Black Friday madness (there's nothing appealing about hanging out with large crowds of aggressive shoppers,)  but we did venture out the the Green Hills Mall in Nashville on Saturday.  Emmy only had enough steam to take pictures with Santa, and even that was pushing it.  Nick got to experience his first massive mall meltdown with Emmy when she tried to break into Santa's workshop, uninvited.  I don't think I'd ever seen my husband blush until the moment he peeled her screaming, flailing little body off the floor in front of many a bystander.  How I appreciated the extra pair of hands to help diffuse the situation and to take some of the attention off of me.  We just have to remind ourselves how very hard it is to be almost two (and that it wont be this way forever.)  Needless to say, our picture with Santa (Emmy refused to go it alone once she was welcomed in to meet the big man,) reflects her bad mood and Nick and my exhaustion.  But, we were able to place a big check mark next to that particular Christmas tradition in our quest to soak up the most magical time of year!

Impromptu trip to Indy

About a week and a half ago, Emmy had the most forlorn look on her face while staring at a picture of "Annie and KK."  I happened to be on the phone with Kris and mentioned that we needed to figure out the next time we could get together because Emmy was going through withdrawls from her besties.  My hubby, who prefers spontaneity over my long term planning approach, walked into the room at just that moment, and commented that we should go the following weekend.  With Kris and JP's blessing, we were Indy-bound after Nick finished up work on Friday.

It was one of our quickest trips to date, but just long enough for a temporary fix to Emmy's "Annie and KK" blues.  We squeezed in the Children's Museum and lots of play time.  The sound of the three older kids giggling is the sweetest music to my ears (except for when it involves mischief, which they are very proficient at finding.)  Beyond quality time with the Sacksteders, we also appreciated the catch up time spent during the hours we logged in the car (due largely in part to our DVD player and 40th Anniversary Sesame Street DVD set!)  

Clairey navigating the ship-wreck exhibit at the museum.

Andy and Emmy holding down the Barbie reception desk.

Clairey getting cat-walk ready.

Workin' it on the catwalk.

Daddy playing Barbies for the first time ever.

Mommy and Emmy working at the fashion design table.

Add Bathtime pictures never get old. :)

Brothers.

What a couple of angels.

Potentially the last picture of just the four of them...Kris gets a Tony award for the "water bottle" song and dance she preformed on the fly in order to get them to sit still.

Baby Shower Surprises!

Nick and I are beyond blessed to have such wonderful friends!  Even though we absolutely didn't want for our friends to buy us anything for Hannah (we already have most everything we'll need), they didn't listen to us.  Two weekends ago, my girlfriends Lindsey, Marin, Molly, Kristy and Nicole and their husbands held a special dinner party in Hannah's honor.  We sprung for a sitter, and enjoyed one of the nicest evenings we've had in a long time, complete with a delicious meal and relaxed conversation around the dinner table!  They even spoiled us with some ADORABLE girly onesies and a gift card to enjoy a night on the town.  It was so thoughtful and meant so much to us.

The following night was our regularly scheduled church group.  I hadn't been feeling well early in the day and decided to play church group by ear.  Luckily, I was feeling well enough to participate, because as soon as we walked in the door, we were greeted by a beautiful surprise baby shower!  I was in a fog the entire time, I just couldn't believe the lengths that everyone went to to make us feel so special!

Of course, I brought my camera to Lindsey's house for our dinner party and neglected to take any pictures at all (I was just having so much fun!)  I do have one photo to document our church group shower, though, courtesy of Dustin's i-phone!

Mel, Chelsea, me (had I any inkling of the party, I might've washed my hair and worn something other than my sweats), Lindsay, Natalie & Jill.  Love those girls!

23 months young

In lieu of a developmental run-down on the eve of Emmy's second birthday, I'd rather record some of her special Emmy-isms that we find to be so endearing and downright humorous:

Lately, she wont leave the house without her trick-or-treat bag filled with leftover mayonnaise and mustard packets from Nick's promotion reception.

She initiates the pre-meal (or pre-snack) grace "song" that she learned from Andy and Claire.  She always finishes up with a big, hearty "A-MEN!"  Sometimes she encourages us to say grace multiple times each meal.

Emmy is obsessed with water, especially pouring it into new and different containers, "painting" with it, "washing" her hair, and, of course, drinking it.  She bum rushes the dishwasher each time it's opened to retrieve a tall cup and then extends it to the water dispenser on the fridge to get some water to play with.  If that's not an option, she is not afraid to bogart Molly and Darla's water bowl.  She understands that when she spills it she needs to clean it up, so she runs to the sink to grab a dish towel to get the job done.  I go through multiple dish towels each day.

Emmy found a small flashlight that she uses as her microphone for the running musical soundtrack to her day.  Her songs are sweet and soft and then they often ramp up and get loud and passionate.  I am trying to sneak some videos to get an authentic documentation of what I like to call "Emmy's Pre-School Musical."

She has learned to take her clothes and diaper off, and would prefer to run around nude if given the choice (she never is.)

Darla is her "pet."  When playing outside, she will yell for Darla to come to her while firmly clapping her hands.  Darla, of course, has no interest in responding to Emmy's commands; which only causes Emmy to go chase her down in mock frustration.  There's no question where she gets that behavior from.

Emmy loves naptime.  The mere mention of going to take a nap and "see Bobby" (her pacifier) sends her running to her room.  It's incredible, and we marvel at it each and every day.  We dread the day that Bobby needs to go away for good, because we are certain naptime will be far less appealing to her.

In just the last two days, she's started asking me if she should go to time-out after throwing something or hitting in a fit or frustration.  Maybe she's starting to get it?

Second Renovation Project Down: Hannah's Room

With Hannah's birthday drawing nearer by the day, it was time for us to carve out some space in our little home for her.  Our third bedroom had served as the guest room up until August when it became Nick's study space.  The night before Nick's GMAT exam, he stayed in a hotel in Nashville to avoid an early morning drive to the testing center; meanwhile, I got to work clearing out the room, prepping it for paint and then painting all but the highest corners of the vaulted ceiling.  My intent was to surprise him when he arrived home, but, it didn't take me long to realize that it would be idiotic of me to climb to the highest step on the ladder just to paint the top corners of the room.  So, he came home to a short "honey-do" list.  Luckily, he took it well.

In the weeks since, the nursery furniture has arrived (I am a HUGE fan of internet shopping for large pieces now that I can avoid 9.5% Tennessee sales tax, shipping/delivery charges, in addition to the benefit of awesome coupon codes!)  I've also tackled the various sewing and craft projects that I had been inspired to include in the room design.  There are only a few details left to complete, but, otherwise, Hannah now has her own special place to lay her sweet head.

Before:

As our guest room...

...turned Nick's office.

After: Instead of having a "sunburst" window shade installed for a hefty pricetag, I decided to begin the curtains and blackout lining over the top of the window so that the room will get extra dark (and therefore maximize hours of sleep!)  Everything came together easily, except for the installation of the curtain rod.  It took two nights, one trip to Lowes and a sizable amount of spackle and touch-up paint to get everything where it needed to be neatly and securely.  I learned that I need to measure a few more times than twice before drilling. :-P

Yarn-wrapped letters.  I saw this idea on etsy.com and thought that it would be easy to recreate.  Boy did I overestimate my abilities!  They definitely took more hours than I'd anticipated (by a multiple of 5), but I am am pleased with the end result.  I am amazed by the good ideas other people come up with, and so grateful that they are willing to share them!

Crib and family photo wall.  

Hannah's great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins from both sides will be represented.  Still waiting on some pictures!

Crib skirt!  It came together much more quickly this time around.

The dresser still needs the legs screwed in (another project for my hubs) and a few additional accessories, but it's otherwise ready to be loaded with Hannah's newborn wardrobe! :)

First Renovation Project Down: Master Bathroom

Midnight bathroom runs just got a whole lot easier for this prego!  Our master bathroom renovation was completed last week, and we couldn't be more pleased with the end result!  Somehow, we are complaining far less about our continued one-bathroom status because our one functional bathroom looks like it does.

The following pictures were taken in August before the demolition was completed.  (The painters tape on the floor is where they tore it up to determine that there was indeed mold under the water stain.)

After the new tile, vanity, medicine cabinet mirrors, light fixtures, brushed nickel hardware, shower door, linen closet (outside the frame to the left) and paint were finally installed:

Strange as it sounds, we spend way more time in our bathroom now!  We enjoy it that much. :-P

We were able to save a very significant amount of money by purchasing everything ourselves and then just paying for labor.  It was an interesting logistical undertaking, but so worth it! (Praise the Lord for Mom's Day Out and Emmy's afternoon naps!)  We are so thankful for the generous military discounts offered by both Lowes and Home Depot, it made a big difference!

I found the vanity online at www.directtoyoufurniture.com because both Home Depot and Lowes don't carry double sink vanities beyond a certain size.  As if internet shopping from the comfort of my home during nap time wasn't great enough, I was overjoyed to learn that shipping this mammoth was free and we didn't have to pay sales tax!  

Just Three Words...

MAJOR NICK HORN!

The Regimental Commanding Officer, Colonel (COL) Thompson sharing some kind remarks about Nick before his promotion orders were read aloud.  Then, COL Thompson and I pinned on his new shoulder boards.  Just after that, he shook, I kissed, per his crystal clear instructions. ;)

Nick along with the amazing Major Miguel "Miggy" Gastellum & Major Cole Spitzack.

Nick and Cole chuckling at COL Thompson's analogy of the three of them being like triplets separated at birth.

Giving his very gracious acceptance speech.

The four of us!  Emmy benefited from Dada's promotion as well; she got some special new "quiet" toys to play with during the ceremony.  We got through the 20 minute formal portion with only a few Emmy interjections, and none of them involved whining, crying or screaming.  Thank you, Lord!  I nearly gave myself an ulcer from nerves over Emmy's behavior at a military function, as it's not the place for your child to have a meltdown.  She did leave her mark, though.  I do believe there were a couple of stray butterfly stickers that might not have been peeled off the folding chairs, but I'll gladly take it.  In other news, I thought black was supposed to be slimming?

So proud of the man of our house!!

Nick's promotion to Major hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday morning as I saw him off to work.  He was frantically rushing out the door as he usually does (he hates mornings), and was quickly tearing his new uniform rank out of the packaging.  After nine and a half years of service, and 12 years of sharing our lives together, I know all too well how tremendous a milestone this is.  He's gone from "Cadet Horn," to "Second Lieutenant (2LT) Horn," to "First Lieutenant (1LT) Horn," to "Captain (CPT) Horn," and now "Major (MAJ) Horn" (that has a special ring to it!)  He has needed to prove himself to earn each new rank, and with each promotion, his responsibility load has swelled.  From daily de-briefings over the past decade (plus,) I've had a front row seat to watching him grow as a leader through the experiences and challenges he's faced.  

Nick has a slightly different, perhaps more pessimistic look at the new rank on his uniform. Last night in his sleepy stupor, he informed me: "I'm old now, all Majors are old."  I countered that, at 31, he's not old.  Besides, he's a new Major, old Majors might be old, but that's a benefit of being new to the job.  Hopefully he appreciated my point, but I wouldn't know, because he was already asleep when I finally stepped off my soapbox.  Long day.

Because of his aversion to attention, Nick opted to celebrate his promotion with his good buddies, Miguel and Cole.  It was fitting, considering they all graduated from West Point and flight school together.  Nick and Cole have worked side-by-side for the better part of the last seven years (they even shared tight living quarters during their 2005-2006 Iraq deployment.)  After a time in Fort Hood, Miguel joined back up with Nick and Cole in the 160th in 2007, and the three of them comprised the Platoon leadership for their company.  Needless to say, it was so good to see them pin their new rank together after the intersecting paths they've traveled.