Its a bird! Its a plane! No....its Airborne Ephraim! (and other news)

Ephraim spent the last 3 weeks learning how to fall without breaking his neck. He then put it into practice by jumping from a plane 5 times. Apparently the practice paid off. He graduated last weekend and gets to wear a new pin which his dad stabbed into his chest (Which of course put a smile on his Dad's face.)

As always, Max was glad to see his Grandparents. He already misses them.

For some unexplained reason Max has developed a passion for posing like the Statue of Liberty. We're patriotic and all but we think it's kind of strange.

And last but not least here's the still nameless Garner boy taking a nap. We hope he makes his debut soon since the doctors say he already weighs six pounds (with 6 weeks until his due date.)

Here's a good shot looking right up his little nose. Enjoy the view.

By the way, we're taking suggestions for a new blog name since it won't be just about Max anymore.

Beauty and the Belly

Due to frequent requests, here is a picture of pregnant Heather. We even included a picture from exactly 2 years ago for comparison. We can't decide which belly is bigger. Any opinions?

February Update

Max is making sure that everything is ready for his coming little brother. Here he is making sure that his old car seat still works. He decided that it does.

Max and his Dad at the Riverwalk way down yonder on the Chattahoochee River

And Max posing on the playground right behind our house.

Ranger School Graduation!!!

Ephraim graduated from Ranger School today. This was momentous for two reasons: (1) it proves how tough he is (I have to brag- only about half of the people who start the course actually graduate) and (2) now he's home with us again! Its a win-win situation. The ceremony was held outside (on what felt like the coldest day of the whole winter so we froze) but it was worth it to see Ephraim get his new Ranger tab.

Swim Diaper Day

This was all Max wanted to wear yesterday. Here he is posing with the new kitchen he got for Christmas. In other news, only 2 more weeks until Ranger School Graduation! It will be great to have a husband again.

Our Nation's Capitol...

One of me and Ephraim's favorite Christmas presents was a Max-free day of sightseeing in Washington, D.C. We think its hilarious that we look photo-shopped into a lot of these pictures. Rest assured, we're actually there.

Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument
I had no idea you could go to the top but it was really cool.

The beautiful new World War II Memorial

The National Christmas Tree
No offense to America but I thought the paper bows were a little disappointing.

Ephraim at the base of the Washington Monument looking down towards the WWII and Lincoln Memorials.

Here we are flanking the White House.

At the Smithsonian with Mr. Rogers' sweater and Seinfeld's puffy shirt.

Charles Lindburgh's Spirit of St. Louis at the National Air and Space Museum.

Looking towards the Capitol.

Christmas in Virginia

Ephraim had an 18-day Christmas break from Ranger School so we drove up to Virginia and had a great time with his family.

Here's Max wearing part of his Christmas jammies and opening the other part.

Modeling the jammies.

Max got some fun new toys like trucks and cars and puzzles for Christmas. After opening a few things though, he decided he needed a break. After laying down for a bit then having some M&M's, he was ready for more Christmas festivities.

Max with Aunt Hayley and Uncle Adam.

Max started saying, "Joe!" (as in, "Yo Joe!" from G.I. Joe).
Here he is demonstrating his new skill with Grandpa.

Max with Aunt Paula, Grandma, Cousin Izzie, and Uncle Jake.

Max's Favorite Things at Grandma and Grandpa's...

playing outside,

helping out around the house,

playing with the dogs (here he is with Tank),

and accompanying Dad on the drums
(Uncle Jake got the video game Rock Band and it was a hit).

The blogging hiatus has ended...

After nearly two months of traveling, we're back in Georgia and finally ready to recap the holiday season. While Ephraim endured the first 6 weeks of Ranger School (for those not familiar with this type of torture, click here) me and Max headed to Utah. With the exception of Max's vomiting on the flights, the trip was great. We had a delicious Thanksgiving, did lots of fun things, and enjoyed seeing so many family members and friends. Getting home to Fort Benning was a pretty terrible ordeal (this time it was me that did the vomiting) so I've vowed to never fly with kids by myself again.

Max with cousin Hannah eating Thanksgiving dinner.

Uncle Shawn posing with Heather's lime tarts.

Max and the Max-sized Santa.

Max and all of his boy cousins loved dressing up in knight costumes.

We got to celebrate cousins Kelsey and Calvin's birthdays!

Max got to play in snow (for the record, we're still enjoying temps in the 60's here!)

Max and Grandpa at Temple Square.

Max helping Grandma and Grandpa unwrap their presents...matching pajamas..hurray!

We also got to meet baby Asher and go to his blessing. Here we are posing with Corley and Asher.

7 Things

I loved reading Jamie's 7 things so here's my list:

1. I'm confident I could singlehandedly eat a loaf of garlic bread in one sitting.
2. My dream is to write children's books (and get published!)
3. I hate the 3 stooges. Hate is a strong word but it applies here.
4. I never in a million years thought I'd marry someone who likes Led Zepellin, AC/DC, and Metallica.
5. I love purses and bags. This was one reason I knew Ephraim was the right one. He gave me a great bag for my birthday and for Christmas when we were engaged. (If he'd given me a stuffed animal, that would have been a major red flag.)
6. When I was little I wanted my name to be Dorcas (like in 7 Brides for 7 Brothers)
7. I will soon be the mother of 2 boys. (HA! This is the reward for the people who actually read this list!)