The past couple of days have been looming on me as I knew the time was coming that Marlon, Lisa and James would be moving.
Some may say, "you have only known them for 9 or 10 months"...but let me tell you, the friendship that was established and solidified is unexplainable. There is maybe a handful of people in the world that I have met and just fell in love with them immediately. I don't mean in the romantic way people associate falling in love with. I mean, just truly honest and no walls built at all. This is rare and most of you know, especially as you get older and find that instant 'click' with people harder to come by (or maybe you just have less time to allow that to happen?!).
Lisa, without a doubt is just phenomenal. She has a lot of heart and an infectious personality. The kind of person you just want to be around all the time. Then, Marlon, despite his cynicism (blame it on his British-ness), is just hysterical and kind and the type of person that would help anyone with anything...anytime. I recall a remark he made when we first moved in and to paraphrase he said that we (meaning himself and Chris) have a lot of work to do but it will be easy...then he just started telling us a list of stuff he wanted to do to help us.
Then, there is sweet James. A total clown with a great flair for making people smile. James is ace. Pure and simple.
As they drive on to their next chapter, they bequeathed us 'Nigel'. Their little fish who was just a little guy and is now a few bites in size. We will take the best care of him.
Oh, and Lizzy, their 20 yr old (well, in June) daughter (whom is also just a few bites in size...) whom I love like a sister...she is in good (but chaotic) hands. Lizzy is welcome to squat in the Egan household anytime.
And...they are off to Indy...a small piece of my heart goes along with them.
We love you guys. Good friends and amazing memories in the short time we have known you. Enjoy these steps together and just know we are always here (no matter where we all live)!!! See you soon! xoxo
Today was remarkable. The sun was shining, the kids and I were in excellent moods,...it was a perfect day in the Strathmore. Colin has this new found respect for runners which I adore. He says hello to every one that we see when out and about. He even challenged me to a few races today. So, our travels took us to the park where we raced together, picked flowers, sang songs and used a stick as the guitar: 
'Jessie's Girl' was the song we were singing as Colin stick-guitared a solo...nice.
Followng that, we threw stones (Colin refers to them as rocks) in the lake. Emma looked on as Colin and I acted like the children and she the mom. Kinda funny.
Then, we went to the playground part of the park where there was a plethora of bumblebees which I am NOT a fan of. We stayed long enough for all of us to ride the slide a few times and play on the swings but it just wasn't worth a ruined day is one of us was to potentially get stung; so we left.
We went home and made lunch. Marlon was sitting on his back deck and offered to hold Emma while I made Colin and I some food. She was asleep in less than 3 minutes apparently. Thanks Marlon! (Those Woolners know how to get a baby to sleep). Then, Colin rode his bike...(which he is getting very good at!) He commented that when Humma visited, she let him ride to the fire hydrant. I unfortunately could not let him since Emma was asleep in her room (the windows were open so I could hear her clearly) and I needed to be nearby. He understood thankfully but he got to practice more turning this way as opposed to a straight run back and forth.
Following that, Colin and I got artsy, and we wrote with side walk chalk on both our driveway (not pictured) and a little message to the Woolner's in their driveway...
They leave in like 2 days. We are going to miss them like mad. Best Neighbors EVER! The next neighbors they get: lucky lucky lucky!!
The day was just full of movement and outside shenanigans. I loved all of the one on one time I got with Colin today. What makes being with him so amazing is the energy he has and the hysterical comments he makes. Oh, and when around Colin, he remembers EVERYTHING! At bedtime, he mentioned quite a few things people did at school in great detail as well as a few things daddy did when he was home. He also commented that he wanted daddy to come home from work; almost made me cry. Look at this guy:
Purely adorable!
Oh and you Miss Emma...you are just growing so fast! She is beginning to stand on her own. My little 'happy spitter' (the GI doctor called her spitting up 'Happy Spitting'). Emma is toughening up so Colin, beware of your little nudges and pushes...she has no fear. 
Anyway, so a chapter is ending with my amazing neighbors. They are moving to a new life in Indiana. I will miss them every single day but thank god I had the opportunity to know them; even if it was for less than a year. They have made my life so much easier with Chris gone. Now, I need to actually socialize with other people...and quick! Just Kidding.
We love you guys so much! xoxox
I have seen this posted and many have definitly seen this before...but this is so fitting on a day like today:
Before I was a Mom
Before I was a Mom -I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.
Before I was a Mom -I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom -I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom -I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom -I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom -I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.
Before I was a Mom -I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.
Hey hey everybody. I know it's been a while since I've written a post for this. We've gotten really busy. Basically in the next few weeks, we're going to start running missions. We've gotten attachments from all over to get our numbers up and we've been working on getting them ready. We'll be doing this until about the 1-SEP. Which is fine by me. Should help the time fly by. Hopefully It'll be September before you know it. We're also going to be building a new base. That'll start around 1-June. So, after 1 June, unless it's really important, try not to e-mail me. All and all, I'm really looking forward to getting back out there. I have a squad again and I get to do my job. Not type. Very cool.
So, I'm going to finish my last few words of advice for Colin and Emma. I never finished doing this before leave. So, here we go:
Colin and Emma. I have both given you advice to help you along in life. You each got some that was different than the others. However there are a few things I still want to tell you.
No matter what you do, good or bad, accept responsibility for your actions. Right or wrong. There's a great saying: The true test of some ones character is there actions when they're wrong. That's very true.
Having a career is great. Life is so much easier when you enjoy going to work. But don't make it your life. Have time for you and your family. There's really nothing better.
That also being said, there's nothing wrong with hard work. By hard work I don't mean construction. I mean accept the challenges from work that may come and do it. If it means long days for a bit, so what.
Mean what you say. Always. If you tell some one something, you had better do it. You can be judged by your word. Plus, it's trust and confidence in you as a person.
This was something my Dad said to me. It really upset me at the time, but now I'm glad he did. If you get arrested, call some one else. Unless you're still a minor, you're on your own. Unless the police royally screwed up, and you are innocent, you will face the repercussions of your actions. Because you will be paying for your lawyer. Not us.
You must get an education. I work one of the last jobs that you can succeed at without going to college. But even that's changing. Your Mom had to bust her hump for years to prove she was as smart as anyone who went to school. In the long run, it will help you out. Oh, and you will be paying for it too. We'll cover room and board. Tuition is on you. So if you want to party for four years on our nickel, you got another thing coming.
Yes, I made the Military my career. I love what I do. I know you'll see serving as a family tradition with 2 of your Uncles, your Grandfather, Several Great Uncles, and so on and so forth. If either of you want to serve, great. But, you will go to college and get commissioned as an Officer.
Music can bring you so much joy. I hope you learn to love it like your Mom and I. If you want to learn to play an instrument, We're all for it.
Yes, I have plenty of tattoos. I'm not ashamed of any of them. If you want one, you will not get one until you're 18. Once you're 18, you can get whatever you want. But, get them in spots you cover them up. Your forearms and what not get harder and harder to cover. And yes, you will be judged for having them.
When your Mom and I met, I finally slowed down. I didn't think I was ever going to marry and I partied quite a bit. I thought that was just the best. But, after I met your Mom, I realized there was so much more. And after the 2 of you were born, everything really changed. Don't fill your life with empty thrills. There is nothing better than family. Nothing.
Ok. I love you two so much. I know you will both turn out to be awesome people. But, that may mean I will be hard on you at times to help make sure you're awesome. That doesn't mean that I love you any less. Because I don't. Everything I said here will help get you there. I will give you more as the years go on. Just know that no matter what, I love you. And always will.
Love you guys.
Anthair.
Dad.
