Just Another Week

Well, as I look back on this past week, nothing unusual happened. It was a short week because of Memorial Day. There was lots of thunderstorms and rain during the first part of the week. However, leave it to the girls to make the normal anything but normal.

Tuesday will be remembered as a day of infamy. Emma and Sofi broke down and had major meltdowns. None of which we had ever seen before. It was so bad that Jaynee canceled Emma's therapy appointment for the day.

Wednesday began looking like it was going to be a repeat. Emma woke up really early in the morning and did not go to sleep until I left for work. (Thanks for allowing me to take a short nap during the night.) Jaynee then took the girls to the kickoff party for the summer reading program. What was truly amazing was that in less than 35 minutes, the girls got up, dressed, hair done, had breakfast, and traveled on post to the library. Jaynee no longer has an excuse for being late. After that I took the girls out to lunch to celebrate them having a better day than Tuesday.

Thursday, the girls had a play date with some friends. From what I hear they were good little girls. Friday, nothing much happened. Mom went out and had fun with some girl friends of hers and the girls went to bed while daddy worked on homework.

Saturday's plans were to get 1000 things down in a time span that normally 15-20 items should have been completed. Wake up, tear down the back fence, paint it, put it back together, get the girls ready for the day, go shopping on post, drive them to "Parents Day Out", go to Wal-mart, come home, clean out pantry, remove pantry shelves, install newer larger bigger better pantry shelves, clean up mess, take Jaynee out to lunch, go shopping for mechanic gloves, go back to Wal-mart and buy backpacks for the girls, pick girls up, play with girls, clean the house, get ready to drive to Atlanta, drive to Atlanta, pick up Jaynee's parent, drive to Apple store, drive home but stop at another Wal-mart (3 times in 1 day is enough to last an eternity), put Emma down, clean up, try to figure out how to get Sofi to go to bed, get her to bed, get ready for bed, stay up even longer to ensure Sofi is asleep before opening the girls door, and then finally go to bed.

Hope you like some of the pictures. I am still working on getting some videos ready to post, but in the priority of things I need to get done, it is very low at this time.

Mommy, can we go to school check out our new backpacks?


Look, I can run faster with this backpack on


Check me out with my new doggie backpack


Sofi enjoying her new doggie backpack


Sofi sitting contently near some books with her new hat


Emma with her new hat (took 40 tries before I got this photo)


Emma showing that she can sit still long enough to pose for the camera


Sofi enjoying eating the first watermelon of the season

Happy 7th Anniversary

This past week, Jaynee and I celebrated our 7th Anniversary (the girls came to dinner with us too). Looking back it has been a fun ride. Who would have thought 7 years ago I would be in the Army, we would have 2 nearly twin girls, I would have served 2 tours in Iraq, and we would be living in Georgia for all but one year of our marriage. We have lots of fun times to look back on. In fact for our anniversary I got off work early and we went out to dinner (to a buffet because of the speed in which the girls can get their food). After that I wanted to get Jaynee a nicer camera to take action photos of the girls with. Our current camera worked just great as long as the girls held still while the camera processed the picture. After that we came home and put the girls down. Jaynee and I stayed up and talked for a while about the past seven years. We would ask a general question and we would both have to answer the question. The questions were general in nature but required a specific answer. It was fun to talk about how much has change and in some instances the lack of change over our time as a couple.

This holiday weekend will be the last free one I have for a while. I begin work on another semester Tuesday towards completing my Master's in Telecommunications Management. I should be complete with my degree next April. It will be a wonderful celebration once I get to the point. But with this being my last full weekend to work on house projects, there is not enough time in the day to complete them all. Friday it began with lawn care. Mowing the lawn to all low as possible then trimming the edges. This was prep work for the project on Saturday. When that was done, I needed to finish work on a drain pipe from the house. I needed to install an on/off valve in case of any type of flood waters and to finish work on the drain area by clearing it out and placing rocks in the drain area. Saturday, I spent 9 hours painting our fence. I still have one gate to take the boards off and paint, but with the storms going through this weekend. I will have to do that later this week or next week. Today, I was supposed to install new shelves in Jaynee's pantry, but that will be held to next week so that Jaynee can help me. Next weekend we are putting the girls in day care so we can enjoy "Parent's Day Out". This is a program for the military that allows parents to drop kids off at day care for up to 5 hours so that the parents can have time to do things they need to. It should be a fun filled day of projects and then a trip to Atlanta to pick up Jaynee's parents who will be in the area for the next month. Until next week.

Family Pictures

Here are a couple more family pictures. The girls did not want to cooperate with taking pictures but we got a couple cute ones. I hope that you enjoy them.

Below is the cutest pictures of the girls that we got.




Sofi was not wanting to sit by herself to get her picture taken.


Emma just likes to ham it up for the camera.

A Very Busy Month

To begin with, I need to apologize for not keeping this blog current. It has been rather busy for us lately. Some of the latest adventures have included Jaynee's day as a Soldier, my parents spending 2 weeks with us and major work on the house, sealing Sofia to our family, the zoo, Sofia's 2nd birthday, and surgery for Emma. To quickly sum up some of the above listed events, I will quickly write short paragraphs to describe them, and when then post pictures showing those particular events.

The first event that I forgot to cover was Jaynee's day as a Soldier. I started writing the blog the day after the event, but never finished it because of issues with the internet, and time. I even had a title which was called "G.I. Jaynee". In a nutshell, Jaynee got all dressed up and played Soldier until a thunderstorm arrived which caused the afternoon's activities to be canceled for safety. In the morning Jaynee learned about the communications equipment that a headquarters would have deployed, saw what living quarters look like when training in the field, practiced close quarters firing drills with blanks, and then practiced clearing rooms. She was on her lunch break when the announcement came that thunderstorms were approaching. She missed out on a simulation of a vehicle roll-over, paint ball shooting at pop up targets, and weapon qualification on the electronic version of a weapons range. Jaynee looked the Soldier by wearing a set of my combat uniform, and then she was issued as part of the activity a Kevlar helmet, an armor vest, knee and elbow pads, and a rubber mold version of an M-4 rifle.






My parents made their way from Missouri to spend 2 weeks with us. They were able to participate in some of the activities for both Sofia and Emma. While my dad was here Jaynee put the two of us to work. We were assigned to install a ceiling fan in our loft which required a complete rewiring of the upstairs electrical outlets for all the lights and to install a garbage disposal under her kitchen sink. As part of the kitchen sink we also installed a new faucet. Jaynee wanted us to do more, but I think my dad appreciated just having time to read and play with the girls.

After visiting with the judge, the next big step was have Sofia sealed to us in the temple. That occurred with my parents present in Columbia, South Carolina. Sofia is now ours for all time and eternity.




On the way home from the temple, Jaynee saw a sign for the Columbia Zoo, so for Sofia's 2nd birthday we returned to Columbia to visit the zoo. The girls loved the animals. The only negative thing was our timing. We happened to be at the zoo when lots of school age children were attending. It made it a little crowded. Besides the crowds, the girls loved all the animals, especially the elephants, tigers, and monkeys. Sofia loved the gorilla exhibit, but the gorillas were not out at the time we visited.

For Sofia's birthday party, we just had a simple party with my parents. We had tacos which recently is a favorite meal of Sofia. After dinner we had cake, rather an ice cream cake that we picked up after returning from the zoo. Sofia's gifts were a whole different story. How do you give gifts to a 2 year old, but not to her younger sister? So we picked up things that they could both play with but which Sofia would have more interest. She got some building blocks, a wagon, a flashlight, an old fashion wood game, a bike helmet, a sprinkler head to run through, Mr. Potato Head, and some clothes. It seemed like Sofia and Emma enjoyed this day.


Emma did have a day in the spotlight. Unfortunately for her, it required surgery for her to have 15 minutes of attention. We have tubes placed in her ears to help drain liquid that has been having problems draining. A few months ago as part of a hearing test she could not hear due to fluid in her ears. The surgery was a success, and the results are coming in. The afternoon of the surgery, Emma was able to actually say Sofia's name and it sounded like Sofia, not "Soso". Each day since her surgery she has been saying words clearer. Now all we got to do is get her to participate in speech therapy so she doesn't have to attend any more.

Well, I guess that is all from Georgia. I will do better over the next couple of weeks. Here are a couple of pics of the girls being themselves.

Sofia Lorenz is now officially our daughter

We were able to go to court yesterday and a total of maybe 5 minutes in front of the judge we were able to finalize. He already had the paperwork signed before we even got there. Finalization is just a formality, but needed so we can get her name changed and have everything official. This has been a long time coming but I am glad we finally have it done.
As you can see below the girls don't like to smile in front of the camera, they have the cutest smiles but for some reason you get the camera out and they get all serious.


Since Lee has been posting most of the blog updates I will fill you in with some added information on the workings of our crazy home.
Emma has speech every week and has been improving on her speech weekly, except this week she decided that she was going to do everything in her power to not say anything but "NO". She has a smile bracelet on that she got Saturday at the Military Child fair we went to and she was saying "Happy" all weekend. I thought that if she wore it she would tell the therapist "happy". But that was not going to happen. All the words she knew she wouldn't say. Once we walked outside and got into the truck she started talking. She definitely is a stubborn little 20 month old.
Sofi is doing great. She goes over to a friend’s house while Emma is a speech and does great. I trade babysitting with this friend every week so she can take her son to therapy. They have a little girl that is a year older than Sofi and they love to play together. Sofi is also improving on her speech. She is talking in full sentences now and is using please and thank you all the time, even when she does something she knows she is not supposed to she says "Thank You, Sofi." It is hard not to smile.
The girls love to play outside and love to be with each other. The older they get the more possessive they are of each other and look after one another.
Here are a few pictures from the last week or so.

Sofi is wondering where Emma is to push her in the little wagon.


Emma is wondering why her lawn mower keeps falling over as she is going up the hill.

I think this picture is cute because the girls are feeding each other cereal.






As for myself, I keep really busy taking care of the girls and always have housework to do. It is fun and I wouldn't trade it for anything, except some sleep once in a while.

1 More Week

What a week! I am nearing the end of this current semester. I had two 15-20 page research papers to write and three exams to take before I can take a month break. All this past week was spent writing papers. Saturday morning, I submitted them. I couldn't have done them without the help of Jaynee proofreading, and the girls playing nice all week long so I could focus on the papers. This week I have three tests, two of which I just started. It is going to be another long week.

Other events from last week were.... I don't know because once I got home I was banned to the office to write and could only come out for a bathroom break, food, and sleep. With my boss gone I was also able to work half days so I could live in the office. I know the girls played, but again all I can remember is sitting in front of a computer screen and writing and reading.

But really, Saturday was a big day for the girls. Saturday was a celebration for "Month of the Military Child". The installation had a small carnival and lots of booths handing out free stuff. We were able to spend about 2 hours there before the girls got tired and before there were too many people. Of course we forgot our camera, so we have nothing but loot to prove we attended. The best part was that Emma wanted to ride the 15 foot Farris wheel. Sofia did not want to ride but once Emma was up and soaring, Sofia wanted to ride. So Jaynee took her on a swing ride. They sat in the same seat and Sofia loved it. There was another one just like the first swing ride, but enabled us to be next to the girls in our own swing. Emma started to yell out in excitement because she was having fun. Sofia was scared because mommy was not there holding her. It was a great morning because they were so tired that they both took naps that lasted 2 hours.

Later that evening Jaynee signed us up for "Parents Night Out". It is a program where the installation child services will watch the kids from 6 to 11 while the parents go out and have a date. The cost is $15 per child and they even feed the kids. We think it was a lot of fun for the girls, but we were not there to know for sure. As for Jaynee and I, we spent the entire evening looking for stuff for our girls. I think the next time we do this; I am banning any shopping or buying an item for the girls. This is supposed to be our time.

Well, I will check to see if there are any pictures when I get home and post some. If not, I hope to do better next week after I am done with school for this semester.

Master's Week

It comes every year, regardless of the rain, sun, and for this year pollen; Master's Week. (A side note about the pollen. This is the worse year in the last 30 for the amount of pollen in the air. It looks like dust storms as you drive around town. Also, there is so much that the roads, parking lots, and even the roofs are turned green because of the volume of pollen that has fallen to the ground). It is the first major golf tournament as part of the PGA Tour. This year we are even hosting Tiger Woods in his first tournament after he dominated the headlines last year. But enough of him, you all want to know about us. Last week I was supposed to update the blog, but because of conference I didn't get around to it. So let the two week update begin. I have been working on research papers; one down and one to go. Besides that nothing else. Jaynee has been watching her garden grow, keeping the kids out of it, and spending a lot of time with the girls both inside and outside. The girls are as cute as ever. They love to spend time outside, and playing. They love to read, and I think that combined they have read every book they have at least 10 times in the last couple of weeks. They have a lot of book, three book shelves worth and growing.







Easter has also come and gone, and we learned a little more about the differences between our girls. Just before Easter, Jaynee took them to an Easter egg hunt at the library. The Easter bunny was there, and Emma was ecstatic with joy and happiness, while Sofia was the complete opposite. She was scared and very afraid of the big white bunny. Once the egg hunt started, it took the girls a while to understand what they were supposed to do, and then Emma went crazy. She got so excited and fixated that should would run past several eggs just to get the one she first saw. Sofia was a little more calm and reserved. She would slowly pick up each egg in beginning with the closest to her and working out to wherever Emma was at. On Easter Sunday we set up a little Easter egg hunt in the house and the exact same thing happened, except that the big white bunny wasn't here in person. Since that day, the girls have loved to play with their Easter buckets and the little plastic eggs that they picked up.







This morning Emma and I are staying home from church. Emma's mouth is in so much pain from her teeth trying to break through that she has not slept the last two nights. We think her mouth is swollen so when she lies down and rolls on that part of her face she wakes up in pain. Because of the pain she does not want to sleep unless she is 100% completely tired. With Sofia going to church, she got to wear the first Easter dress of the season for us. She looks rather cute and adorable.





Our outlook for the next couple of weeks include completing two of my classes, then lots more family time outside and inside depending upon the weather. For Jaynee, she will be watching the girls and working on getting ready to attend a spouse’s day that is being held in a couple of weeks. She is so excited that I need to find her some of my outfits that she can tear up when she plays Soldier for a day. Also, this upcoming weekend we are going out without the kids. Ft. Gordon offers "Parents Night Out" to enable people like us to go out from time to time. We drop the kids off at 6 and pick them up before 11. We are debating on if we want to go have dinner and a movie or return home for a nap. I think it will have to be a last minute decision.

The girls are progressing greatly. They are speaking all the time and are now beginning to put two, three, and even four and five words together when they speak. This morning Sofia helped me count up to eight. I said One, she said Two, Three, I said Four, she said Five, Six, I said Seven, and she said Eight. Emma can help us sing some of the songs we sing with the girls. Her favorite songs to sing include ABC's and Wheels on the Bus. They are so cute when they act out the parts of the song or attempt to sign the ABC's we are singing them. Emma's favorite letter is "Z". Well, more to follow in the next posting or two.