Getting Settled :)

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I haven't explored nearly as much as I would like, but we are truly enjoying our new home. John is loving his new job, Kaleb has made many friends at school, and the high ceilings in our home are auditory bliss for the yellers known as Brooklyn and Aidan!
I have almost finished unpacking and decorating, though my new found love of pinterest has excited me about crafting again. So there are many projects on my to do list these days. The first of which I accomplished was a headboard for Aidan's room. I am loving this.

We've survived our first holiday with a wonderful Thanksgiving full of play!

Since dinner's almost done and I'm battling the timer I'm going to save the thousand words and head straight to the pictures!
-Loni

Big things a' brewin'!

We should practically be yogis now with the amount of flexibility that our family has learned in this past year! A lot of things are changing for the Newby household. As of October my husband is no longer active duty with the Air Force. We had our ups and downs, just like all military families. His fitness became a concern, while the ridiculous hours and demands were not. So there were no tears regarding his separation. John has since started a new job, basically doing the same thing only having normal set hours, no pending deployments and actually having weekends off! This is a completely foreign concept for us!

This change in career is also bringing on a new location. We will still be in New Mexico, simply farther south. I am so excited to have something to see other than miles of fields and tumbleweeds. We have spent so much time on the high plains that I really wouldn't mind if the wind swept us away. We will still be in the desert only there are mountains! As a Utah girl at heart, there are no words for how happy I am to have a mountain backdrop once again. My photographer spirit is bursting with excitement for the new scenery. It is a welcome change of pace.

We are still in the process of trying to sell our home, the market is not the best but we know that we have a beautiful home that will find the perfect family soon enough. Though, sooner would most certainly be better than later.

As I type John has already moved down to Alamogordo to begin his new job. We are still in Clovis temporarily, but will be joining him soon. We fell in love with a rental home, since we are a bit weary of any further real estate investments at the moment. Give it a year for us to settle in to the civilian world and we just may bite again. But for now, we are very happy with our choice.

I have a jetted garden tub and a walk-in closet. C'mon now. If that isn't nearing heaven I don't know what is.

The biggest transition will be for Kaleb as he'll be switching schools midyear. I remember my family did the same thing my kindergarten year. Sure, it was just across town for us then, but I got all sorts of attention for being the new kid and I loved it. Kaleb is a big fan of the spotlight as well, so I have a feeling he'll use this to his advantage!

We have a great group of friends that have already relocated to the same city, so it is a fabulous bonus to have built-in friends as we jumped off into a new endeavor in life.

I am so excited for the great things to come. I hope to expand my photography business and work much harder on managing my home. It's a challenge, but I'm up for it.

We are very blessed, and even in the times of uncertainty without a formal job offer I knew that everything would work out how it was supposed to in the end. I'm grateful for my faith, and optimism. I might not have survived the past few months without keeping that silver lining mentality. We are looking forward to the new adventures and I will most certainly focus on giving more than quarterly or semi-annual updates!

We have officially survived year one!

This time last year I was waddling my way to a prenatal appointment, trying not to slip on the ice. On the way out the door I had my mom snap a photo of me in all my glorious belly bliss. These will be treasured snapshots because: a) I had makeup on, and b) at that routine appointment I found out I was actually in labor. From a 10 a.m. check-up to two newborns before lunch, my whirlwind of a year began.

I have always heard that motherhood gets easier after the first, I’m pretty sure that is assuming that the second doesn’t also include a third bonus baby. Twins aren’t easy, but they’re not as hard as I feared. I’m sure there are many examples of moms who actually do this gracefully. Clumsy as it may have been, I survived the first year.

As a souvenir of my pregnancy I have maintained approximately half of the baby weight, and twice as many stretch marks. I figure that the babies are accustomed to the finer things in life, and so it is only appropriate that I maintain plush muffin tops for them to rest their booties on as they cling on each hip. The stretch marks, well, I’m not sure what purpose they serve. But if I ever decide to go as a tiger for Halloween I’ve got a sweet abdominal template.

Brooklyn was born first, older by an entire minute, she has definitely taken the ‘big sister’ role pretty seriously. She loves to show Aidan who’s boss. Aidan is a little more shy, but has a devious sparkle in his eyes and his adorable smirk. When they say “double trouble” they mean it. Between the two of them, they have twenty toes, twenty fingers, twelve teeth and two personalities that fill every room they enter.

I am so grateful for all of the challenges I have experienced and the blessings I’ve gained. I try to make these columns relate-able, but I also know that many of you are parents and understand my need to gush. These two additions have enhanced my life in ways I will never be able to express.

I get a little misty eyed when I see expecting mommies with that glow, no matter how uncomfortable they appear to be at the moment. There is something beautiful about a pregnant mom, and I am in such awe every time I see a new baby welcomed into the world. It amazes me how all of the fingers, toes, bones and organs manage to wind up in the right places at the right size. I will never grasp how all of these systems function properly. Because of that I am reminded just how perfect and exceptional each and every child is, even the naughty ones.

Ten Months and Growing!

My sweet little monkeys are getting so big! Aidan is standing on his own on a regular basis. Brooklyn is still clinging to the couches or mommy's hands. She has mastered the art of crumbling when she realizes that she's no longer being supported--got to love the jelly legs! They both have truly found their voices and love yelling at each other and also using 'mama' and 'dada' to get our attention. They are working the table foods like champs and act insulted when we try to spoon baby food into their mouths.

I have truly enjoyed watching their personalities really grow. they are no doubt the same sweet souls from birth, their personalities have just magnified to much more recognizable levels.
Brooklyn is a daddy's girl, through and through. She has him wrapped around her little finger! I can see his heart melt every time she grins. Even when she is sleeping, she smiles when she hears Daddy's voice.
Aidan is a mama's boy in the best and worst ways! I adore the way he looks at me like I am truly the best thing since ice cream. But as soon as I venture even around the corner into a different room, the wails are definitely on the dramatic side. He is a strong willed little dude. We definitely have to keep our eye on him because he can pull a houdini act and disappear in a matter of seconds!

We are getting so excited to celebrate their first Christmas!
Kaleb is truly a big helper. He loves how much they look up to him and he most certainly keeps him entertained. I love watching their faces light up when Kaleb wants to play and dance with the babies. It is so sweet to see!

We have had a very good time recently with a small trip to Albuquerque and a trip to the Children's museum there. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from that trip and a few more recent photos. Enjoy!

Military mama: Mommies must learn to face fears | forced, face, fears - Columns - Cannon Connections: News

Military mama: Mommies must learn to face fears | forced, face, fears - Columns - Cannon Connections: News

Military mama: Twins keeping me on my toes | twins, keeping, toes - Columns - Cannon Connections: News

Military mama: Twins keeping me on my toes | twins, keeping, toes - Columns - Cannon Connections: News

I may not be the most fabulous blogger, but I am on time for my weekly columns and I'm pretty sure there's been at least one reference to my munchkins in each and every one of them!!

Here is a link to the online archive:
http://www.cannonconnections.com/search/?q=military+mama&fistype=site&x=0&y=0

FAST FORWARD Catch up!

It has been established. I suck at updating this thing. Truly. No excuses.

On the positive side, you'll get to see the wee ones grow in fast motion here. They are now almost eight months old. Busy little bumblebees. Brooklyn and Aidan are both attempting to crawl, they have the army crawl and roll away down pat. They hold their own bottles, they arch their backs like super gymnasts to try to maneuver their way out of any place they don't want to be. They are still obsessed with their feet and are frequently found sucking on their own toes, or their siblings...
Brooklyn finally got her ears pierced so that hopefully she'll stop getting called a boy.
Aidan is still as bald as a cue ball.
No teeth have erupted yet, but they're hiding just below the surface creating all sorts of crankiness.
Brooklyn made her daddy's lifetime by saying "Dada" first. I'm still rooting that Aidan might pull through for me and give me a well deserved "Mama" but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one! Here are some of my favorite more recent pictures of the munchkins!