Ok, we were tagged for this. We can’t really tag anyone else since we’re so tired and in a hotel in West Virginia and we don’t know too many with blogs. But, here goes. Candice’s wierd habits are first and Bryan’s (if we can get him to say his) are second.

Ground Rules: The first player of this game starts with the topic & 5 weird habits of yourself; and people who get tagged need to write a journal entry about their 5 weird habits as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next 5 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their journal and tell them to read yours. Tagged by Goodrick

Candice’s wierd habits:

I go crazy when I hear mouth noises. For example: scraping of fork on teeth, teeth knocking as you eat, smacking, etc. I am very strict about time. I would rather just not go somewhere if I know I’m going to be late. I will only eat a hot dog at a movie theatre. I am a penny pincher (to the extreme) unless I find something I really want (like a new purse, jewelry, etc). I can’t stand to wear shoes, but I will generally own over 50 pairs at any given time.

Bryan’s wierd habits: Written by Candice because Bryan says he doesn’t have any wierd habits..hence #1 on the list.

I don’t have any…I’m perfect I can put dishes in the sink, but can never seem to rinse them off….which makes the wifey very upset. I wear the same thing after work every day until my wife does laundry (this is a general wierd habit of military members that we’ve met). I can talk all day about anything, but can’t seem to keep in touch very well with my friends (Candice keeps in touch with all of them and that’s the only way they know what’s going on in our lives). I can’t just have one scoop of ice cream…I have to have like 4 or 5 scoops at a time, often putting chocolate sauce on top of chocolate chip cookie dough type ice creams (this grosses Candice out).

Hope you enjoy! We don’t have time to tag anyone.

As I write this, Bryan, Blair, myself, Ethan, Charlie and Bosco are all in a hotel in Evansville, Indiana. We left Kansas this morning and Blair is being wonderful and helping us drive my car (long story on the towing…). We will make it to WV tomorrow and VA on Thursday. Our holidays were all wonderful and we are all very spoiled (Ethan especially) from the wonderful time with family. We had a great 60th wedding celebration for my grandparents in Texas and Ethan got to meet lots of wonderful family and friends. One big person he got to meet was his one and only Great-Great Grandma. He got very spoiled with all the attention and love from the entire family. We are happy to beginning another chapter in our military career and are anxious to get to VA to see some wonderful friends that are there at Fort Lee and on the East Coast. I think that is about all on our end. Once we get to VA we will post more about our travels. I’ll try to get more pictures in the online photo album so you all can see our wonderful holidays!

We are still trying to get everything done. We still plan on leaving Monday. Just a few more things to do. A few set backs thus far: Candice’s winter coat got packed by accident; we couldn’t get our medical records today because the clinic was closed for a Christmas party, so we have to get those on Monday. Hopefully, nothing else will come up so we can get on the road. We’ll keep you up to date!

Well, we had Ethan’s 2 month checkup the other day. He was 12 lbs 4 oz, 22 1/2 inches (pretty close to 23, but they couldn’t give him the length if he wasn’t actually there yet) and overall just doing great. He has grown a lot since his 2 week checkup, so the pediatrician was very happy. For his length, he’s in the 50th percentile now (up from the 25th percentile at 2 weeks) and his weight is in the 75th percentile (up from the 40-50th percentile at 2 weeks). He also had to get his first round of shots. He did very well…if you can do well having to be stuck 3 different times when you’re still so little. But, he didn’t run a fever or anything. He’s been a little cranky, but who wouldn’t be with all the craziness going around in our house. As of yesterday around 2 p.m. pacific time, all of our stuff was completely loaded and on its way to VA. So, now we sit in an empty house with just the stuff we plan on taking. Our only entertainment is the computer (and that’s only until tomorrow). This weekend could be interesting with not having access to anything and just each other to look at. Wish us luck!

Well, we just went to the company’s Christmas party. Good times were had by all. It’s almost sad…it’s probably our last Christmas party here at Fort Irwin. After almost 4 years, we’re glad to leave, but sad to say goodbye to some wonderful people. But, the Army is pretty small, and I’m sure we’ll see many people again. Plus, if we didn’t move, someone else would. Ethan got his first Christmas stocking from Santa tonight. Funny thing is, he’s too small to ever remember what happened his first Christmas, but yet, we keep buying him gifts (we as in everyone…family, friends…and of course, his mom and dad). We went to a holiday market yesterday, and of course, I bought him more stuff. He got a desert camo onesie with the Army symbol and his name embroidered on the front. We also bought him his first personalized Christmas stocking. And of course, I bought him some books. I’m determined to have this kiddo be a reader and enjoy reading like Bryan and I do. Ethan changes more and more every day. Tonight, Bryan got a huge laugh out of him once we got home from the party. Everyone at the party just thought he’s such an adorable baby. He really is. He is a good natured little guy who loves attention and to just be talked to. He got passed around and smiled for everyone and we even got him to talk a little bit. Everyday I’m reminded of how lucky we are to have such a good baby that enjoys sleeping through the night and just a very happy go-lucky guy (of course, he does have his moments). Well, next week is going to be crazy. We’ve gotten lots done around the house, but I’m sure we’ll still be trying to get stuff done on Monday before the movers arrive. I keep packing more clothes for Ethan, and Bryan keeps getting more frustrated. I’m taking more clothes for him than I am for myself. But, he has so many cute things and he grows so fast. I want to make sure that all the cute stuff that’s been bought for him by wonderful people gets worn and not wasted. Ok, enough rambling for now.

I just think this little guy is the cutest! I think we did a pretty good job on this one.

Here’s a few pictures of Ethan with Santa. He’s asleep, so you can’t see his beautiful eyes, but at least his outfit is cute. Hope you enjoy!

Well, today we took Ethan and had his first picture taken with Santa. We will post pictures tomorrow after we get it scanned in. He slept the whole time, but he did well and looked very cute in his outfit.

Well, today is December 1st, and do you know what that means??? We move from California in 18 days! The movers will have come and gone and loaded us up in less than 2 weeks now. We are so very excited to move and get to go back to the east coast and seeing Fort Lee, Virginia for the first time. Not to mention that we are looking forward to visiting with friends and family over the holidays. It’s a big month for us and we still have so much to do. We really do hope to keep this blog up and going. For those of you that are plagued by our constant e-mailing of photos, we hope to post them on here and not crowd up your inbox. Check back regularly to see if I’ve had time to post anymore. But, don’t expect new stuff all the time. We do have a new baby in the house (he’s 7 weeks today, by the way). Ok, with the upcoming move, I do have a lot to get done. We have no more T.V. since we turned that off in hopes that we will get more stuff done around here. Ethan is sleeping, so I guess I should start on the housework and organizing so the move goes smoothly. We have our pre-inspection of the house on Monday. That’s when we’ll find out how much we have to pay to have the house cleaned. Yes, it stinks they won’t let us clean the house ourselves so we could save money, but oh well. So is the life in the Army. Have a good day everyone!

Well everyone, the Herkens are joining the blogging world so you can keep up with all that is going on with us. We’re hoping to be able to post pictures so we can stop filling up your in-boxes with all the pictures of our little guy that we send out. So, hope you enjoy and hopefully we can keep this blog up.