Hi Everyone,
We had a very nice holiday - hope all of you did too!
We flew into Milwaukee on Christmas Day, and that afternoon we were whisked off to a fun get-together on the Schubert side of the family. The rest of the time in town
was a blur... trying to visit with all of the family in Wisconsin in 4 days was crazy! Unfortunately we didn't get to see everyone, as we would've liked. But hopefully we can make up some of the time with them next time we visit!
My brother Eric and his wife Melissa are the proud owners of a brand spankin' new house in Madison! Congrats to my little bro and wonderful sister-in-law! They closed on December 28th and moved in quickly afterwards. Very exciting! :) We were blessed to have the opportunity to get together with Oma Schubert a few times and then left for Illinois to see Noah's family on the 29th. We had a very nice time celebrating Christmas one more time, and got to spend some time with Noah's grandma too! On the 2nd we drove back up with Milwaukee to fly back to Maryland on the 3rd. Whew!!! I have to say, even though we enjoyed our quick visit with family, it's good to be back to a regular schedule again! We had a lot of late nights, and it's tough to keep up with a running, jumping, talking, giggly 18-month-old little boy when you're pooped out! haha
Speaking of Judah, here are some pictures from the holidays...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2089277&id=1075628199&l=f136f91852..
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2086184&id=1075628199&l=eda0a9846e
We had Judah's 18-month appointment today, and the doc said he looks great, and is way ahead in his development! I had no idea, but I guess a 2-year-old's vocabulary should be around 40-50 words. But Judah says over 175! I thought I was crazy when I got curious and tried writing down all of the words he uses on a regular basis (without me saying them first), and the list just kept getting longer and longer! It makes me feel so blessed that I can be home with him and help him learn so much. We are working on learning numbers and the alphabet now to try to keep him challenged, and he knows all of his colors already. He is a little sponge!!!
We are also starting to potty train him... or rather, get him used to using the potty. I know he is only 18 months old, and that probably sounds nuts, but he has been telling us when he goes, and even tells us when he has to go sometimes. He is still in diapers, but we ask him periodically thoughout the day if he wants to use the potty, and he has been going on the potty at least once a day since we started about a week ago. He is doing great so far, and we are so proud of our little guy! He is just growing up too fast!!!
Other than Judah's explosion of developmental craziness (haha!), we are doing pretty well. We are starting to get to know more people here in Maryland, and have been going to a church out here. The people are very nice. I got together with another stay-at-home mom from church today and her little girl. It was great to get out of the house! I will probably be joining the church's stay-at-home mom group that meets on Thursdays... I'm pretty excited about that. It will be great for Judah (and me too).
Noah's job is going fine, although he isn't doing his real job yet. He is a Flight Test Engineer for the P-8 project at Boeing, and works at Pax River Naval Base here in Maryland. It's a very short drive to work for him, which is great - about 8 minutes from parking lot to parking lot. Noah recently passed his Flight Test Certification (yay!), which included jumping in a pool with full flight gear on, and passing various swimming and drown-proof tests. (When the plane he is working on begins flight tests in the next few months, he may get to ride along. The plane flies over the bay/ocean here, so it's required to be able to pass the test incase something happens and it needs to land in the water - not that that would ever happen.) So congrats to my hubby! Woohoo! He will also have to pass a high-altitude chamber test for his job. From what he understands, he will have to take a class, then be put into a chamber where they will reduce his oxygen percentage, and he will need to identify altitude sickness symptoms. He has been talking to some people who have gone through the test, and it sounds like sometimes people do some pretty silly things when their oxygen level goes down! :)
The area we live in is okay. It isn't bad, just very different than St. Louis, Missouri. Patuxent River, MD is built around the Naval Air Station (base). The population in the area is a majority of people who work or live on the base, and it has exploded within the past 10 years. With the population explosion, more stores and businesses have been built out here, but not nearly the number you would find in an established city. The housing and zoning around here is strange. There can be a business, then an old house that's been here for decades, then a brand spankin' new house, then a trailer or modular home... there aren't very many nice "neighborhoods" or subdivisions in the area. It has been a challenge to look for a house out here because of that. But that is ok. We are still unsure of how things will happen with Noah's job, and how long we will actually be here. Noah's first 6 months will be up in April, and we should know more as we get closer to that time. We will keep you updated.
Again, we hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and are starting out the New Year! Blessings to all of you and your families! Please keep in touch. We miss all of our family and friends in the Midwest (and the south, and the Pacific! ;)
Love,
Noah, Krista & Judah
Friday, January 07, 2011
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Big Move
Hi Everyone,
Our blog update is long overdue, so here goes! One of the reasons I haven't updated it is because we have been BUSY! (imagine that...) Another reason is that we have been in the middle of a big transition with Noah's job, so I didn't want to post anything too soon, for fear that things would change again. Seems they have been changing daily lately.
Several months ago, Boeing announced that it lost a big weapons contract. That contract was basically Noah's job for the next 5 years or so. Since they didn't get the contract, Noah has basically run out of work. So for the past several months, Noah has been looking for another job, because there were no guarantees he would still be at his current position once the work ran out. At first, prospects seemed bleak, but within about a week, he received 4 offers - one for Boeing in Seattle, another for St. Louis, and two for PAX River, Maryland. It was a huge blessing! But it also made things a lot more complicated. We were praying for some guidance - something to just pop out at us, screaming "pick me!". After considering all of the options, we chose the Boeing offer in Maryland. As of right now, the plan is for Noah to start his job out there the first week of November, and then he will fly back so we can celebrate Thanksgiving with family in Springfield. We will pack up any stuff that we left behind that we need, and then fly back out together at the end of November. There are so many unknowns with his move, but we know God will provide what we need and His timing is always best.
Other than the craziness with Noah's job and moving, we are doing well. We had a wonderful summer. Judah is pretty much running around the house and babbling constantly, trying to figure out how everything works. He absolutely loves to be outside. We have been watering the grass to make the yard look nicer, and he goes crazy when he sees the sprinkler. Even though it's not exactly hot outside anymore, he sticks his hands in the water and it doesn't seem to bother him one bit! Take a look:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2080201&id=1075628199&l=783e2fec37
In September, we went on our first family vacation. Our destination was Granby, Colorado, just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. We went with Noah's parents and Noah's cousin Madaline and her husband Gabe. The scenery was gorgeous, and so was the weather, with the exception of a few days. We enjoyed a bunch of hiking and did horseback riding one day too.
Here are some pictures of the trip:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078700&id=1075628199&l=2eb44b4c09
Judah loved hiking and riding. We drove a lot, and he actually did pretty well with it all.
Here are some more miscellaneous pictures of Judah too:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2080146&id=1075628199&l=71fbc34edf
We will keep all of you updated as much as we can through the move. We hope everyone is doing well. We love and will miss our friends (who have become our family) here in St. Louis, but we will do our very best to keep in touch. You have been such a blessing to us and changed our lives for the better. Thank you to everyone - friends and family - for your support and encouragement and prayers. They mean so much.
Love and blessings,
Noah, Krista & Judah
Our blog update is long overdue, so here goes! One of the reasons I haven't updated it is because we have been BUSY! (imagine that...) Another reason is that we have been in the middle of a big transition with Noah's job, so I didn't want to post anything too soon, for fear that things would change again. Seems they have been changing daily lately.
Several months ago, Boeing announced that it lost a big weapons contract. That contract was basically Noah's job for the next 5 years or so. Since they didn't get the contract, Noah has basically run out of work. So for the past several months, Noah has been looking for another job, because there were no guarantees he would still be at his current position once the work ran out. At first, prospects seemed bleak, but within about a week, he received 4 offers - one for Boeing in Seattle, another for St. Louis, and two for PAX River, Maryland. It was a huge blessing! But it also made things a lot more complicated. We were praying for some guidance - something to just pop out at us, screaming "pick me!". After considering all of the options, we chose the Boeing offer in Maryland. As of right now, the plan is for Noah to start his job out there the first week of November, and then he will fly back so we can celebrate Thanksgiving with family in Springfield. We will pack up any stuff that we left behind that we need, and then fly back out together at the end of November. There are so many unknowns with his move, but we know God will provide what we need and His timing is always best.
Other than the craziness with Noah's job and moving, we are doing well. We had a wonderful summer. Judah is pretty much running around the house and babbling constantly, trying to figure out how everything works. He absolutely loves to be outside. We have been watering the grass to make the yard look nicer, and he goes crazy when he sees the sprinkler. Even though it's not exactly hot outside anymore, he sticks his hands in the water and it doesn't seem to bother him one bit! Take a look:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2080201&id=1075628199&l=783e2fec37
In September, we went on our first family vacation. Our destination was Granby, Colorado, just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. We went with Noah's parents and Noah's cousin Madaline and her husband Gabe. The scenery was gorgeous, and so was the weather, with the exception of a few days. We enjoyed a bunch of hiking and did horseback riding one day too.
Here are some pictures of the trip:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078700&id=1075628199&l=2eb44b4c09
Judah loved hiking and riding. We drove a lot, and he actually did pretty well with it all.
Here are some more miscellaneous pictures of Judah too:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2080146&id=1075628199&l=71fbc34edf
We will keep all of you updated as much as we can through the move. We hope everyone is doing well. We love and will miss our friends (who have become our family) here in St. Louis, but we will do our very best to keep in touch. You have been such a blessing to us and changed our lives for the better. Thank you to everyone - friends and family - for your support and encouragement and prayers. They mean so much.
Love and blessings,
Noah, Krista & Judah
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Happy Birthday To Our Little Man!
Happy birthday Judah!!!
Can't believe it has been one year ago that our little Judah-bean came into the world. It seems like just a few months ago we brought him home, and he was so little and helpless. Now he is tearing up the rug... dancing, crawling, scooting and now almost walking! One thing that hasn't changed, though, is his love for music. From that very first little kick in my belly, he has gone crazy every time he hears a tune... whether we're in the store, at church or playing on the piano at home, that little smile never fades and his little wiggle keeps on wiggling!
Throughout the last year, there have been a lot of changes around our house... the yard has taken a hit (sorry to everyone that has seen our front yard), the house is never clean and we haven't really gotten out a lot. But it has been worth it! We have had so much fun and been so blessed to watch Judah grow, learn and laugh. In addition to loving music, he absolutely loves books! Reading with Daddy before bed has become a ritual, and it just touches my heart to see Noah's arm around Judah as he pays such close attention to the story. His favorite book is "On the Night You Were Born", and his new favorite word is "geese"! Whenever Noah reads the line, "the geese flew home"... Judah perks up, scrunches up his little nose and blurts out "chees!" He is still working on the "g" sound, but close enough, right?
We had a small birthday party for Judah on June 10th and combined it with his dedication so our parents could be there for both events. Our good friend Tony Ingrassia blessed us by officiating the dedication, which was beautiful and memorable. Afterwards, we had lunch and cake for everyone to celebrate Judah's birthday. Judah, being the little gentleman he is, just poked at his cake and looked at us like, "can I please have this?" After telling him it was okay, he poked at it a few more times and looked at us again and whined, like "can you please cut it up for me so I can eat it?" haha! Some kids rip into their cake or plunge their face into it.... Judah asks permission. That's my little man!
This past weekend was the 4th of July, and we decided to get Judah up to go watch fireworks. I'm so glad we did because he loved them!
Here are some pictures of his birthday and the fireworks:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058800&id=1075628199&l=2f1f82af15
...and some other miscellaneous pictures from the past month:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058784&id=1075628199&l=052eb673bf
This weekend we are going to have a stay-at-home-and-relax family weekend, head to Grant's Farm (http://www.grantsfarm.com/). It's owned by Anheuser-Busch, and is kind of a cross between a zoo, a park and a petting zoo. There is a tram that runs through the park so you can see the larger animals (Texas long-horn cows, zebras, camels, llamas, etc.) and there's also a petting zoo where kids can give bottles to the baby goats. After going through the park, the "big kids" can have a few samples of A-B products and take a breather. So it's fun for all!
We will also be doing some yard work (as said previously, our front yard needs some help, which I think the neighbors would sincerely appreciate us doing!) and just spending some quality time together and relaxing. The weather is supposed to be a little nicer - humidity will let up and temps will only be in the mid- to high-80's (instead of the 90's like it's been).
We will be coming up to Wisconsin for my grandma's birthday on July 17-19th. We look forward to seeing a bunch of family, whom we've missed!
Love you all and blessings!
Noah, Krista & Judah
Can't believe it has been one year ago that our little Judah-bean came into the world. It seems like just a few months ago we brought him home, and he was so little and helpless. Now he is tearing up the rug... dancing, crawling, scooting and now almost walking! One thing that hasn't changed, though, is his love for music. From that very first little kick in my belly, he has gone crazy every time he hears a tune... whether we're in the store, at church or playing on the piano at home, that little smile never fades and his little wiggle keeps on wiggling!
Throughout the last year, there have been a lot of changes around our house... the yard has taken a hit (sorry to everyone that has seen our front yard), the house is never clean and we haven't really gotten out a lot. But it has been worth it! We have had so much fun and been so blessed to watch Judah grow, learn and laugh. In addition to loving music, he absolutely loves books! Reading with Daddy before bed has become a ritual, and it just touches my heart to see Noah's arm around Judah as he pays such close attention to the story. His favorite book is "On the Night You Were Born", and his new favorite word is "geese"! Whenever Noah reads the line, "the geese flew home"... Judah perks up, scrunches up his little nose and blurts out "chees!" He is still working on the "g" sound, but close enough, right?
We had a small birthday party for Judah on June 10th and combined it with his dedication so our parents could be there for both events. Our good friend Tony Ingrassia blessed us by officiating the dedication, which was beautiful and memorable. Afterwards, we had lunch and cake for everyone to celebrate Judah's birthday. Judah, being the little gentleman he is, just poked at his cake and looked at us like, "can I please have this?" After telling him it was okay, he poked at it a few more times and looked at us again and whined, like "can you please cut it up for me so I can eat it?" haha! Some kids rip into their cake or plunge their face into it.... Judah asks permission. That's my little man!
This past weekend was the 4th of July, and we decided to get Judah up to go watch fireworks. I'm so glad we did because he loved them!
Here are some pictures of his birthday and the fireworks:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058800&id=1075628199&l=2f1f82af15
...and some other miscellaneous pictures from the past month:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058784&id=1075628199&l=052eb673bf
This weekend we are going to have a stay-at-home-and-relax family weekend, head to Grant's Farm (http://www.grantsfarm.com/). It's owned by Anheuser-Busch, and is kind of a cross between a zoo, a park and a petting zoo. There is a tram that runs through the park so you can see the larger animals (Texas long-horn cows, zebras, camels, llamas, etc.) and there's also a petting zoo where kids can give bottles to the baby goats. After going through the park, the "big kids" can have a few samples of A-B products and take a breather. So it's fun for all!
We will also be doing some yard work (as said previously, our front yard needs some help, which I think the neighbors would sincerely appreciate us doing!) and just spending some quality time together and relaxing. The weather is supposed to be a little nicer - humidity will let up and temps will only be in the mid- to high-80's (instead of the 90's like it's been).
We will be coming up to Wisconsin for my grandma's birthday on July 17-19th. We look forward to seeing a bunch of family, whom we've missed!
Love you all and blessings!
Noah, Krista & Judah
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
This year is flying by...
Hi Everyone,
Is this year really flying by, or is it just me? I feel like it shouldn't be June already! However, the weather is saying otherwise... it's been hot and humid - typical St. Louis summer weather - for the past several weeks.
We hope all of you are doing well. Everything is going well here with us.
Noah is happy to be done with school and have his Masters in Aerospace Engineering. He has yet to see the actual degree, but he's happy nonetheless!
I am just busy with things at home, namely our little speed demon. He is not walking yet, but he can scoot around like no other! Look away for 2 seconds and he's gone in a flash, leaving you wondering where he went in a cloud of dust. Ok, not really, but pretty close! He points at EVERYTHING and says "dat!!! dat!!!", and also says "mama" and "dada" and "nana". He is always looking for something to grab and has a longer reach than Stretch Armstrong, so you always have to be one step ahead of him, even when you're holding him or he's strapped into his high chair. He is starting to figure out how to put big blocks together, and continues to love music (especially playing the piano). He loves to dance too... he'll point at the kitchen radio and yell "dat!" until you turn it on.
Most of the time, Judah doesn't crawl like he used to - he scoots. Take a look. It's a hoot.
Is this year really flying by, or is it just me? I feel like it shouldn't be June already! However, the weather is saying otherwise... it's been hot and humid - typical St. Louis summer weather - for the past several weeks.
We hope all of you are doing well. Everything is going well here with us.
Noah is happy to be done with school and have his Masters in Aerospace Engineering. He has yet to see the actual degree, but he's happy nonetheless!
I am just busy with things at home, namely our little speed demon. He is not walking yet, but he can scoot around like no other! Look away for 2 seconds and he's gone in a flash, leaving you wondering where he went in a cloud of dust. Ok, not really, but pretty close! He points at EVERYTHING and says "dat!!! dat!!!", and also says "mama" and "dada" and "nana". He is always looking for something to grab and has a longer reach than Stretch Armstrong, so you always have to be one step ahead of him, even when you're holding him or he's strapped into his high chair. He is starting to figure out how to put big blocks together, and continues to love music (especially playing the piano). He loves to dance too... he'll point at the kitchen radio and yell "dat!" until you turn it on.
Most of the time, Judah doesn't crawl like he used to - he scoots. Take a look. It's a hoot.
Judah is doing great - eating three square meals, plus at least one snack during the day (if not two), and drinking all 16-24oz of his milk. He is completely weaned now, so he's drinking whole "moo-moo" milk. And for those of you wondering, yes, it was mostly his choice to quit nursing, and mommy is doing well with it. :)
Here are some recent pictures for your viewing pleasure:
Judah 10-11 Months:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055137&id=1075628199&l=2c5dbd1cc0
Judah's First Swim:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055335&id=1075628199&l=9cb9a89bef
Alabama Trip & Misc.:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055426&id=1075628199&l=4121b7609b
We are looking forward to celebrating his birthday soon. We are planning to have a baby dedication, and a small lunch/celebration afterwards with just parents/grandparents and a few close friends who are local. I want to apologize to extended family who did not get invited. I should have sent out invitations to you, even through most of you could not drive all the way down here. That wasn't very nice of me. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. We just wanted to keep the gathering small and can't "house" very many people at our house. I'd feel terrible if people had to stay at a hotel.
We just recently went on a roadtrip over Memorial Day weekend to visit Noah's brother Paul and his girlfriend Maria in Huntsville, Alabama. It was about an 8-hour drive down, which was a little rough at times, but overall not too bad. Judah did pretty well in the car, except he decided to pick that weekend to get 3 new teeth... ugh. Poor guy! We did have a great time with Paul and Maria though. It rained most of the weekend, but we played games and talked and played with Maria's dog and with Judah. On the way back, we decided to break up the drive and stop just outside of Paducah, Kentucky. Judah absolutely went bonkers in the hotel room, and had to check EVERYTHING out, including the air conditioner controls. It was a riot. He was so excited that he wore himself out, and crashed half an hour after we got there. :)
This weekend we have decided to take on a DIY project... tiling our backsplash in the kitchen. It will look nice once it's done. I'm looking forward to having a finished look to our kitchen and that icky wallpaper gone (thanks Mom!).
That's about it from the Brown household though. June and July will be very busy months for us. But anyone who would like to come down for a visit, please let us know! We would love to find some time and block out a weekend for you!!!
Blessings and love to all,
Noah, Krista & Judah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
