Well, it's official! I start back to work on Tuesday! I'll be an IT Specialist in the Computer Support Group in the Electronic Engineering and Computer Sciences Department at the Academy. I look forward to getting back to what I do! We hired a nanny/housekeeper - a first for us. There are lots of families with nannies in this area. I think it's going to work out very nicely. It'll be great to have the extra help that a nanny can provide that you just don't get with other day care options. We couldn't find the young Swedish babe for Ryan or the tall, dark Italian guy I was hoping for, but our choice will do just fine. ~:-)
Ryan is loving that we finally got our cable hooked up! He's not much of a TV watcher, but is in 2 Fantasy Football leagues, so the internet access and ESPN (in High-Def, of course) is key.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
What's New - Kids
Jake started Pre-K and is LOVING that he's going to the same school as big sister! His backpack is almost as big as he is - my little man! Ryan and I have enjoyed walking him to/from school this week.
Haley and I went to High Tea at American Girl Place in the Big Apple on Sunday! We went with 2 other mommy/daughter pairs and had a ball! Our first visit to the city. We did some shopping first and managed to visit all four floors before tea time. I, of course, caved in and bought her a doll. She wasn't interested in one of the character dolls, or one that necessarily looked like her. She
picked a blonde, blue-eyed one and named her "Crystal." We also picked up Crystal's dog, Coconut. High Tea was just precious! The girls had their dolls with them - they have little doll chairs there that attach to the table. There was a harpist playing music, mostly songs from musicals, and a wait staff bringing out the treats and drinks. The girls went home with the napkin rings/hair scrunchies and the flower from the pot holding the chocolate mousse that was dessert. AGP does lunch, brunch and dinner and I've heard there are great goody bags for birthday guests. Hmmmm.....
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Alive & Kickin'!
The Keating Krew is back online!! We have internet hooked up to our house - finally!!
Soooo...quick update....
We are almost completely settled in our new house. We got New Brick quarters on post. It's smaller than where we lived in Germany, but they are completely renovated and really nice. We worked our tails off painting over the weekend before our household goods arrived. We got 6 rooms done and love how it turned out. We were first-timers at painting, so it was quite the feat. I opened the last box the other day and now we are moving piles around, getting organized, hanging curtains and other last details (oh yea - like cleaning)!
Incredibly enough - we STILL have not been into the city!!! But Haley and I are headed in for High Tea and shopping at American Girl tomorrow. I believe it's near Times Square and FAO Schwartz, etc., so we're hoping to look around some.
Haley has started 2nd grade at West Point Elementary. Her teacher is really nice and seems very with-it. Haley is walking herself to and from school! Big girl! She also started soccer and will be doing Gymnastics as well. She did Horse Camp and swimming lessons this summer. I'm going to start teaching her piano soon.
Jake will be starting the Pre-K program at the Elementary School at the end of the month. It's just 2 1/2 hours Mon-Thur, but I've heard great things about it. He is enrolled in Ice Skating and Smart Start Baseball. He was too young for the swimming lessons, but has enjoyed many a day in the shallow part of Delafield Pond.
We broke Moody out of the kennel after her 80-day sentence at Morgan Farm. She is enjoying the back yard and loves to bark at all the hikers going up the trail behind our fence (and our neighbors love that, I'm sure)! Haley put her bed in her room and hates to go to bed without her.
Ryan has been working hard on his Master's. He has just finished off the summer term with a 25-page paper on top of a big test (of course all due right in the thick of unpacking). Now that I have most rooms in order, he has a week off before the fall semester begins. So, we'll spend a couple of days knocking out the rest of the move-in stuff and RELAX for a few. It has been quite the busy, exhausting couple of weeks for both of us. But we're all enjoying our new home. Love the Hudson Valley, love the neighborhood, love the people, love the house, love the family time....love it all!
I am probably starting back to work soon - waiting for the official job offer. I found a great position. More on that later.
I'll be uploading pictures to Ofoto and putting some in future blogs soon. Shoot an email if you want to be on the distro list for the pics. More soon......really!
Soooo...quick update....
We are almost completely settled in our new house. We got New Brick quarters on post. It's smaller than where we lived in Germany, but they are completely renovated and really nice. We worked our tails off painting over the weekend before our household goods arrived. We got 6 rooms done and love how it turned out. We were first-timers at painting, so it was quite the feat. I opened the last box the other day and now we are moving piles around, getting organized, hanging curtains and other last details (oh yea - like cleaning)!
Incredibly enough - we STILL have not been into the city!!! But Haley and I are headed in for High Tea and shopping at American Girl tomorrow. I believe it's near Times Square and FAO Schwartz, etc., so we're hoping to look around some.
Haley has started 2nd grade at West Point Elementary. Her teacher is really nice and seems very with-it. Haley is walking herself to and from school! Big girl! She also started soccer and will be doing Gymnastics as well. She did Horse Camp and swimming lessons this summer. I'm going to start teaching her piano soon.
Jake will be starting the Pre-K program at the Elementary School at the end of the month. It's just 2 1/2 hours Mon-Thur, but I've heard great things about it. He is enrolled in Ice Skating and Smart Start Baseball. He was too young for the swimming lessons, but has enjoyed many a day in the shallow part of Delafield Pond.
We broke Moody out of the kennel after her 80-day sentence at Morgan Farm. She is enjoying the back yard and loves to bark at all the hikers going up the trail behind our fence (and our neighbors love that, I'm sure)! Haley put her bed in her room and hates to go to bed without her.
Ryan has been working hard on his Master's. He has just finished off the summer term with a 25-page paper on top of a big test (of course all due right in the thick of unpacking). Now that I have most rooms in order, he has a week off before the fall semester begins. So, we'll spend a couple of days knocking out the rest of the move-in stuff and RELAX for a few. It has been quite the busy, exhausting couple of weeks for both of us. But we're all enjoying our new home. Love the Hudson Valley, love the neighborhood, love the people, love the house, love the family time....love it all!
I am probably starting back to work soon - waiting for the official job offer. I found a great position. More on that later.
I'll be uploading pictures to Ofoto and putting some in future blogs soon. Shoot an email if you want to be on the distro list for the pics. More soon......really!
Friday, June 02, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
The Long Gray Line
We went to the graduation parade today (Class of '06 graduates tomorrow). It was cool to see all the cadets lined up and marching by to salute the graduating class. Ryan kept zooming in with the camera to get a closer look at something odd on the field. We were pretty far away, so if I didn't know any better, it looked like several cowpies scattered around. He talked to his sponsor tonight, who is a TAC and in charge of a company of cadets, and apparently, some of the seniors thought it'd be funny to leave their shoes on the field. Needless to say, precautions are being taken to avoid antics tomorrow at graduation! Pretty harmless, though, in the scheme of things. There was no mooning......yet!
I'll be adding pics when I can get to a computer for more than 10 minutes or so at a time....
I'll be adding pics when I can get to a computer for more than 10 minutes or so at a time....
Monday, May 22, 2006
USMA ROCKS!
We've done a little exploring of our surroundings here at West Point. It's just breathtaking! Ryan had some inprocessing to do this morning, so Haley and I went for a walk down to the Hudson. We raced each other on the track at Shea Stadium and jumped some hurdles (didn't even split my pants!) and blazed our own trail through some of the woods (what does poison ivy look like, again?). Ryan brought the latest housing list home and it looks like we stand a really good chance to get into a 3 bdrm in the New Brick housing area. There are a ton of brand new ones on the housing draw list this year and Old Man Keating is in a fairly good position on the list. We're going to try to peek in some windows later today. Most of the housing opens up sometime in July, so the kids and I should be back from our cross-country adventures before we move in. That'll be good timing for our household goods to be arriving, too.
Ryan seems to really be enjoying being at his alma mater NOT as a cadet! Haley is excited about her friend from the German kindergarten moving here soon, too. I have met some wives already, one of which just got out of the Army and was in Ryan's company at USMA. Everyone is really nice and excited to be here. We're making some progress adjusting to life in the States. We just had our first round of Mickey D's and it was sooooo much better than the European version, despite the absence of McBier on the menu.
Ryan seems to really be enjoying being at his alma mater NOT as a cadet! Haley is excited about her friend from the German kindergarten moving here soon, too. I have met some wives already, one of which just got out of the Army and was in Ryan's company at USMA. Everyone is really nice and excited to be here. We're making some progress adjusting to life in the States. We just had our first round of Mickey D's and it was sooooo much better than the European version, despite the absence of McBier on the menu.
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