The latest...

Everyone is doing great over here in Massbach. Jack is getting so big, I can't believe it. He's about 14 pounds now and almost 24 inches long. He's becoming more and more aware of what's going on around him. He started reaching for things and his grip is really strong. He loves looking at himself in the mirror, Meagan can back me up on that one. He's getting close to rolling over. He teeter totters on his Buddha belly, gets soooo close then the temper hits and it's all over. He definitely has a temper too. Not sure where he got that from....hahaha. If he's hungry he lets us know for sure. Those cute little whimpers have now turned into a full out shrieking scream. Once he sees the bottle coming, he's back to his happy self. My new favorite Jack thing is how he has conversations with us. If you talk to him, he talks right back. I love it! Tom can even get a good giggle out of him by tickling his feet. That is the best sound in the world. He is definitely a wiggle worm. When he plays with his Kickin' Gym he's all over the place. When he's getting a bath, he pushes himself off the end of his tub and comes pretty close to launching himself right out of the water. He loves to stand on our lap and bounce up and down. It's amazing how strong his little chubby legs are getting. He's a great sleeper and a great eater. I am so blessed he's such a great baby. I am totally spoiled with him.

As for the latest with Tom and I.....we're patiently or impatiently waiting to hear from the retention board. For those of you who haven't heard yet....we're staying in the army. I know, I know...who wouldda thought? The army put out a retention bonus for captains with 5 options. We chose to take the option that lets us change our branch. If everything goes as planned, we'll no longer be armor, we'll be ORSA. Tom is really excited about it and if he's happy, I'm happy. There's a lot of great opportunities in ORSA and I think the jobs Tom will have in the future will better fit him. So anyway, we should hear what our future will be like by the end of this week. Cross your fingers for us. If everything works out like we planned Tom will be in Ft. Lee, Va. for the ORSA career course in March and Jack and I will be hanging out in Pottsville. (I can't wait to be around family again!) The ORSA course is just for Tom, he goes unaccompanied. Jack and I will then move on to where ever Tom will be next, then he'll join us in July. It's exciting and good to know...strike that... almost know what's in store for us. We've loved living in Germany and traveling, but we're ready to be in the states again. Anywhere in the states. :-)

Tom is staying busy with work. Most of our soldiers from 1-77 are returning home this month. It's so great to see everyone with smiles on their faces again. 15 months is just way too long to be away from the ones we love. I went to a welcome home ceremony yesterday. It was for about 200+ guys and I was completely overwhelmed. I had tears in my eyes. It was a crazy wave of emotion. As for me....I start a few more classes next week. That should keep me busy, or busier. Otherwise I'll be trying to get ahead of our move back to the states. I have a feeling it's not going to be so much fun. Well, Jack is now hungry so duty calls.... until next time...