It's been a while since I...

...posted???
So much has happened since January!!
Naomi is walking holding one finger, crawling the stairs, saying "daddy", waving "hello" and "night night", drinking from a sippy cup most of the day, and is FINALLY off of formula and on to big girl milk!!! And just tonight, took two steps on her own!!!
Jonathan can sing "Old McDonald", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and other nursery songs. He can say his entire alphabet, is starting to recognize numbers and letters, loves helping mommy garden and water the flowers, and is pretty close to being fully potty-trained (give or take a few accidents).
I have read all of the Jane Austen (who wrote Pride and Predjudice) novels, rearranged our living room about a dozen times, watched close to every CSI episode, and volunteered until I am blue in the face! Needless to say, the kids have been busy and I have been trying to keep busy!

The best news of all...Christian comes home early!!!


Jonathan likes bagels and cream cheese most mornings...here he is sticking his finger through the center.

One of Jonathan and daddy's special things is to do push-ups on top of each other. Here, Jonathan is trying to initiate his sister into the routine...with her giggling the whole time.

Someone thinks she is so big...and no, that is not a telephone just yet!

Playing peek-a-boo under our kitchen table.

He likes to do anything that makes her laugh. He is tickling her with his "crazy" hair.

Our little Marine sniper setting up for a kill. Daddy be proud, he did this with little instruction!

Big smiles!

Jonathan and Naomi were playing guns. At one point, she was actually holding it the right way!

Jonathan playing in his rain gear on our back porch.

Our little girl in denim and barefoot....you would think she was the one born in Kentucky!

Playing boats in the two pool inflatables.

Who needs toys??? These kids play drums on bowls with my kitchen spatulas!

A big old cheesy smile.

A close-up. Look at those chubby cheeks!

Playing inside with the umbrella while it was raining outside....anything wrong with that?

We had carrots for lunch one day and this is Jonathan eating his and laughing.

And this is how Naomi "ate" hers!

Trying Raviolis for the first time...wow, I did not know she could get so messy!

My little chef. He loves to help me make banana bread/muffins.

Hiding out in his dinosaur tent with big monkey.

Peeking at sister through the tent opening. They had fun with this for quite a while.

What Jonathan wants to do with daddy when he returns...

Jonathan learned how to ride his bike!!! He is just a little too short to reach both pedals at the same time. I tried taping blocks to each pedal, but he learned to ride regardless! He gets a nice bottom workout either way!

Naomi taught herself how to climb the stairs...and eventually to climb back down them!

The kids like to dance....too cute.

Jonathan doing push-ups like his daddy...except the bottom in the air!

Oh how they grow...

One morning, we were getting ready to go to church, Jonathan sat on the counter and Naomi in the sink. She loved being able to play where there was a mirror in front of her and could see herself move...

Here we are....being silly and taking pics for daddy

Just the girls.

Grandpa Henry sent Jonathan a full-blown Marine set....he was pretending one of the little men was his favorite hero...Daddy.

Naomi LOVES bath time. She will wiggle her feet in excitement so much that she almost falls over into the water! She is giving brother that funny look. No doubt he was doing something strange...

" What's this strap connected to, Mom?"

Another picture of his big Marine set....Thanks, Grandpa! He loves it!

"Now what?"

He looks as if he is up to noooo good.

We had a little ice cream cake and presents here at our house with his friend, Richard, and his family....notice the redneck matches I used for candles!

The Three Muskateers!!! All watching a movie at Gigi and Papa's.

"Uh-oh.....she caught me! But I still look cute enough for a picture!"

Our little Christmas tree this year. I had to have it up on a table for Naomi's sake, but oh how she loved swatting at the bulbs on the very bottom!!!

NO, she isn't really sitting on his head, he scooted up to her as she turned and looked at me! He thought that was hilarious!

Richard and Jonathan at our little birthday party. I think Richard helped opening more presents than Jonathan did!!! Thanks, buddy.



The cutest laugh in the world....and yes, she did end up hitting her head on the floor...

Dada...her first word.


Ahh....the brother/ sister war is already beginning. She will be the antagonizer and he will be the screamer.



The cutest dancing ever. They are singing "I like to move it, move it", from the movie Madagascar 2.

A shout out to his Daddy.

On the move

I am trying to be better about updating the blog on a more regular basis now, so here ya go. Over the last week, we have been "on the move"... here is why...
Naomi can officially pull up to stand on anything she so desires! Kitchen chairs, her dresser, the stairs, etc...

Also, we will be heading to the Midwest this next week for about 3 weeks. So, here go the plane rides! Pray for no snow in Minneapolis, as we have a layover there! Haha, when is that possible?

Uncle John and Aunt Pepper came out to see us, as well as cousin Jen. We have been busy spending quality time with each of them. Jonathan was so excited to hang out with a male! And Aunt Pepper helped us pack for our upcoming trips. Jen's doggie, Lady, and Jen herself were adored by both of our little ones.

Here we are packing. Aunt Pepper got to witness Naomi pulling up for the first time. We were both busy packing clothes, when we looked down and both realized Naomi was standing! Naturally, we pulled her down and made her try it again, of which I got a video (see below).

Here is just a picture of her doing it, the video is at the bottom of the post.

Ahh! The cutest cheesy smile in the world.

Jonathan helped me find all of the letters to make this extra special message for his daddy. He is getting better and better at his alphabet. We love you, darling!

This is the, "Oh no! Do not take my picture" face.

Thanks GiGi and Grandma Henry! He loves the big monkey and his rocking horse...he was so proud of being able to rid the horse AND hold his monkey!

Before Christian left, we all made a trip to Petco to buy Jonathan a fish, so that while Daddy was gone, he could learn a little responsibility by feeding and taking care of it. When Daddy calls, he checks up on how he is doing with it- as accountability. So, here is a picture of him taking care of his fishie, which, by the way, he named Sophocles.....(I know, here is the story in short- It was suggested in a line of names by Daddy and that is what he chose!)

The first video is Naomi pulling up for the first time, the second is her attempting to climb the stairs as brother does...thankfully, she is not quite there yet.

We love you all! Hopefully we get to see y'all soon!

October

Well, one month has passed and we are doing well. As most of you know, we have had some trying times with things breaking. My friend, who also happens to be a USMC wife, and I were joking yesterday about all that breaks while the husbands go away. Well, funny as it may be, my garage doors (electronic) would not open yesterday and it is not the breaker this time- as it was with the washer and dryer. Oh Well, at least they come and fix everything for us!

Regardless, we have been having a good time and persevering through the emotional days when Jonathan is very clingy. So, without further adieu, here are some pictures and videos from October...

This is my friend, Mindy, who is also a USMC wife and has two sons, Richard and Everette.
Their whole family is a blessing to us! The world gets smaller, they live right down the road from us and Clark, Mindy's husband, went through TBS (The Basic School) with Christian's cousin, Nathan. She is holding Naomi at a Fall Festival that we all went to.


Here we are after trick-or-treating. We only went down our road and one other...got enough candy to satisfy everyone! Naomi was a pumpkin and Jonathan was a cow.

We spent a day at a nearby outdoor mall (which most are in CA) with Mindy and her two boys. Here we are riding on a carosel. Jonathan was too scared to ride the ponies...so, we rode on the bench.

Jonathan saying "Moo".

Jonathan and his friend, Richard, were helping Richard's daddy, Clark, wash his truck. They assisted by being squirted! Someone has to check the temperature of the water, right?

Richard and Jonathan after trick-or-treating.

This is Richard, Jonathan, and Everette.

Again, the three boys dipping their hands into a fountain at the shopping center.

Jonathan and Naomi crawling on the kitchen floor. Yes, I have to keep it very clean now, as Naomi is able to crawl (by crawl, I mean inchworm) anywhere she wants...

Here is the both of best worlds.... I think she is saying, 'Oh no! Why do I have to hold this rattle?' Haha.

Now, tell me they do not look alike!

The sunset view from our back porch.

Naomi's first time eating cereal. Under pediatrician guidnace, she is already into veggies, fruits, and meats!! She is growing so fast. Yesterday, I saw her trying to pull up on her highchair from the floor!! She is also very close to having her bottom 2 teeth poke through!

Jonathan saying his ABCs...

Corn husking....he ate 3 whole cobs that night!

Just a few more pictures for now....

Jonathan dancing to Dave Matthews


Naomi talking and smiling...

The two watching a movie....don't they look alike!

Rolling over from back to front...

How cute am I?

Jonathan saying hi and telling stories...

We love you all and hope you enjoy!!!

Trip to the Sequioa Nat'l Forest...our last family trip before our first deployment.

Believe it or not, the time is almost here for Christian to depart for the happy hunting ground. These pictures are from our most recent family trip to the Sequioas...

This was taken on top of the mountain....although you can't see much scenery because of our big smiles!
So, in this picture, Amanda was scared out of her mind...we were at 8500 feet, climbing up rickety stairs only supported by little metal beams. The end of the glorious journey was a small house atop a precarious rock where a Ranger lives in order to spot forest fires at the earliest detection. That job would NOT be high in my wish list of jobs, especially if that means I had to come down those stairs! Needless to say, we didn't go any farther up than this. And the whole way back down the rickety stairs, Jonathan was crying, because he wanted to go all the way the top. What a daredevil!
The two ladies of the family.
And the two men...
Here is a sunset as we were leaving. Gorgeous. About 6500 ft here.

This picture followed an insanely bumpy off-road, but was worth it for the view.
This is called Lake Hume and is within the Sequoia National Forest. There is a Christian Campground there for retreats and summer camps. We went wading in the lake (most of it is knee-high) and the sand in the lake looked as if it was fool's gold, so it sparkled the whole time....just one of God's awesome creations.

Christian and Jonathan looking at the view from atop a mountain. We had driven about 3 hrs on bumpy dirt roads looking for black bears. We never found any, but found lots of "evidence" from them.

The four of us at our campsite. We didn't bring a tent, but Christian and I slept under the stars while Jonathan and Naomi slept inside the car. We had MRE's for breakfast. They actually weren't that bad tasting.

This is one of the larger Sequoia trees, which you can see how it dwarfs Jonathan and I.
Now you have seen the second larget living tree in the world....called the General Grant. And no, the largest is not called the General Lee, as much as we would like it to be. It is actually called the General Sherman.
This is a tree that had fallen over before America had became a nation. It has been used as Park Ranger quarters, US Calvary barracks, Indian trading posts and more. It is the height of a normal tree, just horizontal on the ground. You can see how big the root structures are by comparing them to Christian. They have made it part of the trail now and is like a tunnel.

Jonathan, Malachi, and Naomi in a fun safari hat.
Mom, this is just for you. This is the blow up pool you got Jonathan. After I blew it up, Christian and Jonathan and I just laughed and laughed.
Our little Marine in the making. (That is his salute)

Pre-deployment leave!!!

Due to Christian heading off soon to deployment, we were given about a month of leave in which to "bond" as a family...here are some pics of that time in the Midwest...

Jonathan being goofy as normal at Gigi and Papa Ensign's...

Malachi and Jonathan wearing their pants on top of their heads....so funny when they get together! They are truly partners in crime!
Malachi was so excited to hold Naomi...he kept loving on her the whole time we were there. Even to the point of me finding both Jonathan and he inside Naomi's crib and her being suspended in the air by both of them!! And then dropped, of course, but not far.
Playing piano with Gigi...they both have a natural talent and love for music, I would dare to say.
Great Grandma Hill...a treasure to the Ensign household.
Yes, Christian broke his 5th metacarpal during leave. Boxing another Marine. But, still going overseas to do his job. He now has a brace and was not required to get a cast, but thought it would be good to give it time to heal in the meantime.

Fishing with Grandpa Henry. He actually caught 3 fish and almost outfished Grandma Henry.
Here is one of his fishies...
My sister, Chessie, with Naomi and Jonathan, and I. We had a family barbeque at Great Grandma and Grandpa Henry's house in Ohio.
Here we are with Grandpa, Aunt Chess, and Uncle Zach...
Grandma and Grandpa holding the two littles.

This is about a small fraction of the Marines that Christian leads...
Jonathan and Naomi in an IKEA toy bucket

I love close pictures of hands/ feet up against mirrors, so I tried it in Jonathan and Naomi's room.
Here is Josh, Jon, and Christian. Christian, Josh and their father, Todd, went to visit Jon in the Marine Corps' Officers Candidate School in Quantico, VA one weekend. Jon will officially be a Marine on August 9th. He will return to Asbury for his Senior year and then continue into The Basic School after that as a 2nd Lieutenant. It seems hard to believe that was in 2007 for us....just over a year ago...time flies.