Major-Select

Mason often gets labeled as the serious guy and quiet guy, but I'm so glad that I get to see the many sides of him.  Up until this point in Mason's career most of the rank promotions have been "automatic".  After two years in service he promoted from 2nd Lieutenant to 1st Lieutenant.  After two more years he promoted from 1st Lieutenant to Captain.  From Captain to Major there is more of a selection process.  A high number of people promote but it's not quite as "guaranteed" as the initial promotions.

Back in the Spring of 2016, Mason turned in his Promotion Recommendation Form (PRF) which gets reviewed by many, many people at different levels from as small as his squadron to Air Force wide.  Then comes the waiting.  We had an idea that the end of September/early October the promotion list should be released.  (Which could have really meant anytime the AF wanted).  We were pretty confident that Mason would promote to Major (since he had been successful in each position leading up to this point), but we were eager to see if he got a school slot.  A school slot with his promotion means that he will go to school for Majors in the next 3-4 years.  Not everyone goes to school, not everyone is selected, and a small percentage earns the slot with their promotion.

Mason was starting to get a little antsy (grumpy) as we started to see Facebook posts about friends who were finding out about promotions in early October.  We knew the official list would be posted by a certain date, but generally commanders like to tell their people in person first.  Mason really wanted to hear by the weekend, and since he was going to be out of town on a family day his commander told him to work a half-day.  We knew something was in the works, or at least hoped so...when he got a call asking if he'd be home around 4pm, we were super eager and hoping for good news...

So proud of my now Major-Select husband and IDE school-select!  This means that in the Spring of 2017 he'll officially promote to the rank of Major and he'll apply for schools and then in Fall/Winter 2017 we'll find out if he gets in on his first look which would mean he would go to school Spring/Summer 2018, otherwise we'll apply again the following Spring.  There's a couple dozen different schools that meet the criteria, so we're really not sure where we'll live next.  But either way, it's an awesome setup for the next few years of Air Force life.  This guy amazes me and continues to rock, even if he is the quiet and serious one.      

Theo's Character Parade

Instead of dressing up for Halloween at Theo's school, the kids had a character parade the Friday prior to celebrate the nursery rhymes they had been studying the month of October.  Theo was so excited for this event!  The whole month they had been learning nursery rhymes, doing accompanying projects, and learning songs to perform.  Theo gets shy, but he really likes to sing and dance.  I really enjoy hearing him singing in his room or teaching songs to Woodrow. 

For the character parade the kids could pick a nursery rhyme character or something from a nursery rhyme to dress as.  Theo was very clear from day one that he wanted to be "the wall" from Humpty Dumpty.  Not Humpty, but the wall.  I was a little surprised/embarassed by this at first, and thought I could gently persuade Theo to be something else.  So we looked through some of our books of nursery rhymes and his other suggestions included "the cake" from Pat-a-Cake or "the plum" from "Georgie Porgie".  Clearly he was going with the non-person theme, so we stuck with "the wall." 

Thankfully Mason was home on paternity leave and took on the project of making the costume.  I had a vision and had purchased supplies, but Mason's vision/execution was so much better than I could have ever helped Theo make.  Theo helped make his costume and had such a blast at his Character Day Parade. He was so excited that Woodrow got to come in to his school and that he got to show of Max, who was just one week old. 

Mom's Night Out-October

About once a month the squadron spouses get together for a fun social night out.  For quite awhile we had been doing Bunco nights, but in October we decided to switch it up and have a painting night.  These are so fun, even though I don't think I'm too artistic. 

Basically, lots of good food, wine for the drinkers, and a painting lesson with step-by-step instructions.  The woman who taught this course was lots of fun and made the evening really enjoyable. 

Fun in the Sun: Family Beach, Spanish Steps, and Gab Gab Beach

I'm going to spend the next several posts trying to catch up on events before 2017 arrives and then work on blogging more timely in 2017.

Family Beach: 
In early October before Mason went TDY to South Korea we took a beach outing to Family Beach which is about 45 minutes from our house.  These beach was more secluded and there weren't really many people at all.  There were some tourists that we saw taking advantage of some of the jet skis and inter tube rides in the area, but we mostly had the beach to ourselves.

The water had a shallow area before dropping down over the kids heads, and there was a pretty clear line where the change was so that was helpful for the adult watching the kids play, but also for the kids when they were playing in the water, so they knew not to go to deep.  Since we have to alternate who goes snorkeling, generally Mason goes out first and scopes things out and I go for round 2.  I'm still a bit hesitant to go in the super deep water or where I can't see the ground.  I love the water, but something about not being able to see the ground is a little too strange for me.

  

This was the first time that I went pretty far out from the beach, and then underwater views did not disappoint.  I did get to a few areas where I felt like I was in Finding Nemo when the boat disappeared and all you could see was blue.  I enjoyed being able to lift my head up and see land and gain my bearings.  I'm not sure I'll really get scuba certified ever since I'm really not a fan of that feeling, but we'll see.  At 37 weeks pregnant on this trip swimming feels pretty comfortable compared to some other activities these days. 

There was a grassy area near the parking where there was some jungle and then a breakwall, so Mason eventually climbed over there to check out the snorkeling, but he reported that the water was a little bit rougher and the snorkeling wasn't any more amazing than the spot we were in.

Mason and the boys brought some cheerios to try and feed the fish, but cheerios float and did not seem to attract any fish.  One of the funnier moments though was when I was just floating in the shallow water and found two Titlist golf balls.  The kids enjoyed playing with them, and I couldn't help but think of the Seinfeld episode where George pulled a golf ball from a whales blow hole.  

The kids are getting much more comfortable in the water and with using their goggles, but I'd still like to get them actually swimming their strokes.  We had a really fun day at Family Beach as one of our last before baby adventures.

Spanish Steps & Gab Gab Beach:

After Maximus was born and Mason was on full parent duty taking care of all of us, he took the opportunity to go snorkeling early one morning at Spanish Steps.  This location is on the Navy Base and is frequently closed, so to find it open on the weekend before he headed back to work from paternity leave was great.  He left the house around 5am because the hike to the water would take awhile.  He reported that there were some steep parts of the trail that required him to hold on to ropes and such, and that once he got to the beach, there wasn't much sandy beach area, so it's not going to be the best option with all the kiddos, but we'll get there one day.  Mason spent an hour at Spanish Steps enjoying the snorkeling, but after that the currents were picking up so he headed over to one of our favorite spots, Gab Gab, and did another hour of snorkeling.  He even saw a sea turtle!!!

Maximus: 1 month old

What a sweet baby boy!  The first month of life is just so huge.  This little tiny human is born, which is an amazing miracle.  Everything is new to them, and even to us, even though this isn't our first baby.  Three years between children is enough time to forget so many of the small details. 

So the first two weeks were a bit of a blur.  I am beyond thankful Mason was able to take his full 10 days of paternity leave because I could not have done this without him.  I pretty much remember being totally sore in my incision, sore chest (why doesn't it feel better after you've nursed before?), exhausted.  I'm pretty sure I felt like I nursed and fell asleep in the recliner constantly and occasionally chugged some water Mason threw at me, grabbed showers at some point, and ate occasionally.  Lots of peanut butter crackers-but that helped me drop all the weight immediately.  After two weeks I was sort of thrown back into things as Mason went back to work and I had to get back into life with three.  Driving to take Theo to school, lifting (which was the most uncomfortable still), etc...and starting the milk storage for the future.

Anyways, you're here for Max news!  At his one month checkup he weighted 9.45lbs and was 21/22 inches long.  The doctor was impressed with his growth.  Yay baby!  He's wearing newborn and 0-3 month clothes mostly, and in newborn diapers.  Max loves to eat!  He does not want to miss a meal.  Eating almost to the minute every 2-3 hours and sometimes taking 4-5 hour rests we'll keep him.  We try really hard to not wake our babies to feed them.  Sweet little guy snorts and roots around when he wants to eat.  It's so cute and reminded me of Theo, because Theo was a snorter too. 

Max also does not like to have a dirty diaper.  He lets us know right away that he wants to be changed.  I didn't think we'd be able to have a college fund for him because he pretty much went through 1000s of diapers in the first month.  He was constantly pooping!!!  We swaddle Max at night and during the day he sleeps mostly on one of us or in his swing.  Figuring out naps with three is nearly impossible, sadly!

Mighty Maximus, in efforts to not be left behind rolled from his stomach to his back at NINE days old.  We even have video to prove it.  He continues to roll, and doesn't mind tummy time.  Mason's super about doing his exercises, stretches, tummy time, and music enrichment.  

At just 10 days old we took Max trick-or-treating with the big kids, but Max just hung out in the stroller in his little Halloween outfit. 

Max also got to take his first beach trip.  We hung out on the sand while the big boys played in the water.  I'll post more about that trip later, but Max was good to travel with.  He doesn't mind his car seat and seems to enjoy being out in the fresh air. 

He also got his first baby photo session with Mason.  I think the pictures came out so sweet!  He's a great baby and the big brothers adore him!  Woodrow mostly comes up and takes a quick glance, and says "hey Max" but Theo wants to hold him, be 1mm away from his face, and all around him.  Theo has told EVERYONE he knows that we had a new baby named Maximus.  His teacher even sent a card and book from the whole class. 

We love our little Maximus, and I know he's just got lots more to show us!

Fun in the Sun: Tarague, Haputo, and Apat Point

In October we tried to soak up beach time before the Max's arrival.  There were a few times that Mason took one or both boys adventuring which allowed me to relax in quiet, or go to a spouse event.  I love that we have proximity to beaches all the time.  Even though I don't love the mess that comes along with sand and trips to the beach, there's no denying that we usually have a great time.

Tarague Beach:
We are able to frequent Tarague Beach since it's right here on base.  10-15 minutes away it's the closest beach to our house.  Mason took Theo and Woodrow for an evening adventure to the beach and explored the beach at low tide.  I'm sure the crabs were plentiful. 

Haputo Beach:
This beach is not to far from our base, and it's located on a division of the Navy base that is on the Northern part of the island.  This beach has a "moderately difficult" hike to get to and is closed at various times of the month, so you have to pay attention to when it might be open.  Mason took Theo one afternoon for the hike and a quick swim.  They ended up hiking back a little later than they were planning (now that it's getting darker earlier) and Mason recommended that hiking through the jungle trail wasn't perhaps the most enjoyable in the dark. 

Apat Point:
So, we were totally slacking on getting our maternity photos done...guess that's how things go with baby #3.  We drove down toward the Southern part of the island once evening and got a quick swim and some photos at sunset at Apat Point.  This was a nice little spot.  We were the only ones there and I think we could have spent more time there if the sun hadn't set and if the bugs weren't so horrible at that time of day.  There were lots of pillboxes along the rocks, and the water wasn't too deep, and the sunset view was amazing!