OH my... it's a blog entry!

There are so many times I've wanted to update the blog but for whatever reason, it just didn't happen.  Little noses needed to be wiped, little hands needed to be washed... little people needed me.  And with my cell phone near, texting photos and updates became so much more convenient.  But I look back at our blog and I miss that diary of our family's life.  I feel like all of Caroline's milestones are memorialized on the blog but when it comes to Harrison, I dropped the ball.  And I want to pick that ball up and get the blog game going again so that we continue to have a family scrapbook to look back on someday.

So what's changed since the last entry?  Well, we had a baby last November 26th for starters!  And by we, I mean me, because when you push out a 10+ pound baby, you earn the right to take full credit.  Anyway, his name is Holden Drew and he's perfect.  Even though he was basically the size of a toddler, he was my easiest, quickest delivery.  One of my favorite memories of his delivery was getting ready to push.  Benjamin stood by my side being the ever-enthusiastic (and in this case TOO enthusiastic) coach trying to cheer me on to the finish line.  "You can DO IT!" he said. It was so endearing but things change between delivering your first and your second and your third child.  I had to put my hand on his arm and say "Thanks! I know.  I've got this."  And then we became a family of 5.  Or "5 and done" depending which of us you asked.  (Which if you're asking, yes, our family is complete.  I mean, I don't want to see how much bigger our newborns can get.  I'm not shooting for a world record here.  The only missing family member is the million dollar pot of gold wherever that may be.  And Judge Judy.  She can join our family because I love her.)

Harrison and Caroline quickly took to Holden and 8.5 months later still adore him.  I'd say that the transition to three kids was the easiest of all.  We're so, so lucky.

Caroline has started the first grade and takes ballet, jazz, gymnastics and horseback riding lessons.  She's turned into such an amazing little girl.  She so spunky and such a good sport, even when sporting her very first shiner, courtesy of her little brother.  (To be fair, it was an accident on his part.)  She's enjoyed having a baby to dote on and when talking to him can make her voice go so high that her dad's eardrums practically rupture.  She's a natural born litigator.  Whip smart, doesn't forget a word and can argue for or against anything.

Harrison always keeps us laughing.  He is a natural comedian and absolutely hilarious.  I like to think he gets it from me (HA!) but it's his very own doing.  He's so much fun.  He's smart and sensitive and fond of calling things awesome, wonderful or SO COOL.  He's obsessed with watching rocket launch videos on youtube with me and wants to be an astronaut for Halloween.  He's decided to become a pilot and fly helicopters just like his dad.  Even though Benjamin flies a lot of night flights, Harrison refuses to go to bed without a hug from him, even if it means falling asleep on the couch until he gets home.  "Love you, miss you" and "You are THE BEST mom EVER" constantly come out of his mouth.  He's the best big brother ever.  When he's not accidentally giving out black eyes, that is.

Holden is completely responsible for me having such buff arms.  He is a total beefcake, large, sweet and happy.  He has by far been my cuddliest baby which is just what I needed as I hit this bittersweet stage of no longer having a newborn or infant.  Closing that chapter of my life was so much harder than I ever thought it would be but Holden's sweetness pulled me through it.  He's a mama's boy, so cuddly, so snuggly.  He has a ridiculously thick, long mop of curly brown hair and big brown eyes.  He's full of smiles and love.  And he pretty much already eats like he's a teenager.  I think he's only going to be the "little brother" in the ironic sense.

Benjamin recently moved to a new squadron here in San Diego, so we'll be remaining here for a couple of years.  He also hit a very big milestone in his career, finding out that he was selected to promote to Lieutenant Commander.  I'm so stinkin' proud of him and all of his hard work.  I'm so glad the Navy believes in him as much as I do.  Besides that, last year he graduated with his MBA!  He's basically Superman, to us at least.  We're so, so proud.

In 2 months, we'll be celebrating our tenth year of marriage.  I look at all of the things we've made in ten years -- a happy marriage, a strong friendship, three amazing kids, a life with stops around the world -- and I'm so very proud of us.  We've been incredibly fortunate.  So on that note... I'm going to try to document that amazing adventure again.  Welcome back to the Adventures of a Navy family!