This past weekend went by way to quickly!  It was a nice long weekend since Geno had a four-day, well technically a 3 and a half day.  He had to go into work for a few hours on Friday because one of his soldiers was going before the E-5 board.  

We went to the farm again this weekend. This time, Tanya (our neighbor) took pictures of the boys for us.  I was pleasantly surprised that Derrick came along with virtually no protest!  He even warmed up to the camera after a little nudging. 

Saturday and Sunday Geno and I were practically bums!  We slept almost the day away on Sunday.  I was able to get a lot of laundry done but it’s now in piles in our closets…lol!  I told Geno that would happen.  Hopefully, we can put them away before they get dirty!

Yesterday was productive though.  After dropping Xavier off at preschool Geno and I headed over to the base gym only to find out it was closed for the training holiday.  So we decided to use our neighborhood and took a nice walk. After a little relaxing and eating breakfast we headed out on the missions for the day.  We had lunch at Beef “O” Brady’s. It was pretty good and they had a few items that looked really good. I had a hard time picking which one I wanted.  After the filling lunch we headed to the NAPA store.  It turns out that just because a Jeep is “Trail Rated” doesn’t mean it’s indestructible.  It turns out we did something to the “Idler Pulley” and it needed to be replaced. NAPA was the only place we could find that had the part in stock (since it is a new model) and it didn’t cost $50, which was the price the dealership wanted to charge us.  We headed Petsmart for name tags for the dog and cat, then Cold Stone for a small ice cream snack, AE to exchange a sweater of Derrick’s and to Laser Tag to find out prices for Derrick’s birthday.  We also ran into Linen N’ Things. They are going out of business and Geno and I wanted to see what we could find since we are in need of a few things.  We left there spending a little more then we had planned but we were able to get some good deals.  The main two things were new nonstick pots/pans and a new Spot-Bot.  The pots and pans are for when we move to Europe - they were just such a great deal I didn’t want to wait.  They will stay in their boxes until we get to Italy.  The Spot Bot was to replace the one we have. For some reason it broke and it only had a 1-year warrenty.  The one year was up last month, go figure.  We bought a few other “wants” but at 20-40% it wasn’t to bad.

Today I have a BioChem test that I will be studying for here in a bit.  I am feeling pretty good about the test though. 

Derrick and Xavier are off from school/preschool today for Veteran’s Day. Geno is at work, since he was off on Friday, and he’s in school for HazMat training.  Our neighbors, thankfully, will be watching Xavier so that I can go to class today. 

Well that is about all that’s going on for now.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures that Tanya took of the boys. The whole day is on Flickr if you would like to look at all of them.

It’s been a long joyful weekend…though it feels as though it went just a tad to fast. Friday Geno and Derrick took Lilly for a “Fun Run” with Geno’s Battalion. Derrick ran with Geno’s unit and Geno ran a little behind with Lilly. Geno said that Lilly did really well running and she was great during the sprints. After running (and the men took showers) it was off to the doctors to start the EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program) process. This process is used to help families with special needs and making sure the care they need follows them from station to station. The boys and I do not have any “special” needs, however, I do have exercise induced asthma so they may stick me on the program but I’m hoping not. First the boys had their EFMP physicals, mine isn’t until the 14thof this month. Derrick and Xavier are in great health. Derrick is getting a speciality referral for his tonsils/adnoids. We are trying to get his tonsils out before Italy because we don’t want to deal with the multiple strep throat problems we have had recently. Derrick was 5′7”!!! A few more inches and he will be taller than me. Xavier is also growing like a weed. He is 41in and 40lbs.

The next part of our fun filled day had to deal with changing the Army’s record of having Geno “single” with 1 adult and 2 children dependents. After multiple trips up and down three floors on different sides of the building we got it straightened up and were able to get our passports started. The Army only pays for the “Official” passport. We have to go get the “Tourist” passports ourselves Regardless our road to Italy has begun!

The rest of the afternoon was spent between Geno’s battalion get together, getting Derrick and Xavier winter coats and hunting down light sticks for trick or treat for Xavier. I will have pictures loaded from trick or treating sometime this week. Our neighbor took some pictures and I’m going to wait until I get hers to load them all together. Trick or Treat went very well. There weren’t as many houses giving out goodies this year as last year but that is good and well, it’s not like Xavier eats a lot of candy anyway.

Saturday I had a speech on persuading the class to donate their organs. It went alright. Afterwards, Geno, Xavier and I headed over to the farm again with our neighbors and had a great time, riding horses, cooking hot dogs and making s’mores in the bonfire and just plain relaxing. We didn’t start to late since I had a paper to write for English and Geno wanted to watch the Texas vs. Texas Tech game. Texas lost but it was a great game!

Today, the boys had to get their hair cut since this is picture week. We had to get snacks for Geno since he’s going to the field this week. We also had to get spaghetti stuff. Derrick is doing a project on his family history and wants to bring Geno’s “famous” sauce for his classmates. We also met up with our friend so he can check to see what could be the problem with our Jeep. Luckily, it turns out nothing serious just a couple simple, inexpensive repairs do to a little over zealous offroading.

As you can see it was quite eventful but not near long enough. We also started making a list of things that we need to do, sell and buy before leaving for Italy. FUN STUFF!!!

This week there isn’t much planned other then Geno being in the field, I have a Micro test and Derrick’s last football game.

Check back in a few days and I should have the pictures from Halloween up.

Well, I am in the process of trying to figure the picture thing out. What it boils down to is if I want to post pictures in my blog then I am required to keep them open to the public. If I choose to not put pictures in the blog then I cam keep them in Flickr but you will have to be added as a contact for you to be able to view them. I’ve received quite a few requests back to be added as contacts but will hold off making them private until Geno and I decide what is best.

I will post picture of Xavier in his Rhino Ranger outfit later this evening.

Stay safe tonight!!!

Kiley Elise Lolli has arrived!  My niece was born on Friday, October 24th at 4:40pm. She weighed in at 6lbs 15oz and 20 inches long!  Congratulations to Frank, Karina and big brother Keegan.  Here are a couple pictures…

Well seeing that it has been just about a month and a half since I last updated this site I have a lot to write about.  I’ll save the best news for last (don’t you skip down to the end either…)!

Xavier

What can I say about a little boy that is nonstop talking and playing.  Yesterday at Derrick’s football game he almost fell off the benches and he laughs and says “Whoa, that was close! Did you see that?”  He started karate a couple months ago and he looks forward to Tuesdays when he has class. When Geno or I pick him up Tuesday afternoons he shows us his new moves.

He is, of course, looking forward to Christmas. EVERYTHING he sees on TV he wants.  I’ve quit making a mental not only because it’s EVERYTHING!  I keep having to explain to him that Christmas is in 2 months.  His response “It IS two months!”

Next week Derrick and Xavier have a doctors appointment.  I’m excited to see how much he has grown.  I recently found a paper from an old website I had and I had documented his growth since birth.  I still have a hard time believing that he was ever so small.

Last Sunday Geno, Xavier and I went to a friends farm. Xavier really wanted to ride, Reno, a beautiful horse. So our neighbor, Tanya, got him up there and he was a natural.

DERRICK

In a couple short weeks Derrick Alexander Schaefer will be a teenager! That’s right on November 12th he will turn 13 years old.  We haven’t decided what we are going to do for his birthday just yet - I suppose I should get cracking on it though.

Derrick is doing well in school.  Geno and I are able to look at his grades online anytime we want.  So far he’s getting two B’s and the rest A’s.  We have to work with him on making sure he turns in his homework but otherwise we are proud of him.

Football is another story. His team has yet to win a game and has only scored 2 touchdowns out of the past 5 games!  It’s not the players though, it’s the coach.  I won’t get into it but his coach shouldn’t be coaching.  Derrick is playing on offensive and defense.  I can’t remember what his position is on defense but on offense he’s playing running back.

LILLY and CITRUS (aka Hoops)

Well, first let me explain the kitten’s name change. It turns out that our little orange kitten isn’t a “he” but a “she”.  We were told that orange female cats are rare and she is definately a sweetest there is.  Although, the 3am wake ups are quite annoying.  She will meow and claw at our door if she senses the slightest movement or notion that someone is finally awake.  She just had a vet appointment and she’s 2.8lbs!

Lilly is also doing well.  She is currently at the vets having some tests done. She has been drinking a ton of water constantly and the vet said it wasn’t exactly normal.  She weighs a whopping 52lbs (I think it’s slightly more because she didn’t sit still on the scale long enough).  She’s very good though and hopefully, nothing serious is wrong.

ME (that would be SARAH)

What can I say - SCHOOL!  I only have a little over a month left and I can’t wait.  This quarter has been very difficult - emotionally and mentaly challenging.  Right now I’m doing well in all my classes, even Micro and BioChem!  I haven’t decided if I will be taking classes next semester, if I do they will be online only. 

I’ve been running also. It’s been chilly here so I’ve had to go to the gym and use the treadmills.  For some reason time seems to go at a snail pace on a treadmill. The best part is afterwards I sometime reward myself for a job well done with a banana/peanutbutter smoothie afterward. YUMMY!

GENO

Geno is doing well. A few weeks ago Geno and I went offroading with a Jeep group from his unit.  I made a video of our adventure.  I’ve put it at the end of this update. 

For the big news… I can’t remember if I mentioned it last post but Geno switched units.  This new unit isn’t supposed to deploy to Afghanistan until sometime early fall (September/October).  The good news and the BIG news . . . Geno will NOT be going with them.  He has received orders for a NEW duty station.  That’s right - the Lolli Family is moving! To where you ask?… ITALY!  That’s right, Vicenza, Italy is our next duty station.  For those that may or maynot remember we were supposed to go in January 2007 but didn’t.  This time we are going!  We are to leave in May (can’t give the exact date due to OPSEC).  This is going to be a GREAT opportunity and we are so excited!  I will be making a new page on here dedicated to Italy sometime soon.  The boys are also excited. Derrick was nervous at first because he thought that he would be going to an Italian school but he will be going on post.  Since he will be in 8th grade and close to high school we need to make sure that he gets the correct classes to ensure he graduates on time.  Xavier on the other hand will be attending the Italian schools.  I’ve started trying to teach him a little Italian, about as much as I know.  We will be getting the Rosetta Stone - Italian free from the Army so hopefully when we arrive we can hold a decent conversation.

So that’s about it.  I just got a call that Lilly is ready to be picked up so hopefully the news is good.

Offroading - Jeep fun!

So has anyone missed me? I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated the site. School is doing fine. I’m doing pretty good so far. I got a 95% on my BioChem test and a 90% on the MicroBio test so that’s pretty good. The lab quizzes are a little more difficult for each class but luckily we can drop the two lowest grades. My three online classes are doing pretty well also. They are a little more difficult then last semester but I nothing I can’t handle, of course.

Geno and I also welcomed the addition of a new family member, Hoops. He’s about 7 weeks old and such a sweetheart. He loves to lay on you to nap. Lilly is still adjusting to Hoops. She wants to play with the kitten but doesn’t realize how little he is compared to her.

Derrick made the Albritton football team which is great since he is a 7th grader. He is a defensive end and a wide receiver. His first game is a week from this coming Thursday. We are very proud of him. School seems to be going very well, as well. Granted it’s only been a few weeks.

Xavier started taking karate lessons through preschool last Tuesday. We were relieved that his preschool offered it since Sports & Youth Services starting age is 4. He has also developed a love of running. For the last few days he’s been waking up wanting to go running. In fact, last night he was set on running to the wing place while we drove. After our explanation that it was to far and he would have to cross many busy streets he told us we would have to come with him. I just gave him another option of just taking the Jeep. To our surprise, he said OK and hopped in.

Xavier also had his first dentist appointment. His teeth are doing great - no cavities and he handled it like a champ. Here is a video of his appointment..

We also went OUR verison of offroading a few times. Here is the video I made along with some pictures…

Well, here are a few pictures from the last few weeks.

Hoops

Xavier - our future track star. I think it’s hilarious that he insists on wearing his SpiderMan headband!

Today was Derrick’s first day of 7th grade… as tradition here is a picture taken just before he left.

Of course Xavier wanted a picture of his “1st day” of school… gotta love his double cow licks…Geno calls them his “horns”

Things have been hectic here. I’ve been in class for a week and have only ONE request… HELP! It is going to be a very hard semester. I have the same teacher for both my biology classes - and that’s not a good thing. He has a “different” way of explaining things so Geno was a sweetheart and got me a digital recorder. For Microbiology the professor informed us that we need to study 2 hours a day/7 days a week to get a “C”! I think the chemistry portion is what is going to get me. We are starting some study groups and it’s good to know I’m not the only one feeling a little out of sorts.

Derrick got his braces off (I couldn’t remember if I’ve already mentioned that). This past Friday Derrick and I went to the dentist. Derrick has NO cavities and was told a beautiful smile. I on the other hand had one cavity (which I’ve known about) and I also have an infection where my root canal was done. I have to go in for a re-eval this Thursday with the dentist who worked on my mouth for the crown. Chances are he will recommend me to see a specialist to get it taken care of

Other then that everything is going well. I will give you guys another update here in a couple weeks - if not sooner. I will add photos as we take them - including Xavier’s first densist appointment this Friday!

Take care everyone…

I can’t believe it either, two posts in less then 4 days!  I’m trying to do better, especially since I know school is coming up fast and who knows if/when I will find the time to update this.

Thursday evening we had a HUGE storm. We had quarter size hail, strong winds and crazy lighting.  I am so bummed though, Geno bought me a new SD card that is supposed to improve shutter speed, which it does but out of ALL the pictures I took of the storm not ONE of them caught the lightning.  Luckily, no cars were damaged. Pictures are on Flickr

 Friday I did a lot of running around - including stopping by housing to check on a work order we have for the house.  It turns out that there is a leak in the garage.  We have an alcove in the garage where Geno keeps all his Army gear. Well we have been trying to clean out and organize the garage and when we went to sort through his Army stuff we were greeted by moldy gear and a TON of creepy crawly things.  It had been almost over a year and a half since we looked at that stuff…  You can even see on our roof where the shingles are bowed.  Anyway, I checked with them and it was like they were accusing me - asking why we didn’t notice the water going down the wall - because there isn’t any! They are coming tomorrow to take a look at it. Plus, the gear that was ruined has to be replaced.

Saturday we went to Myrtle Beach to do some shopping.  We wanted to hit the outlet malls, Broadway at the Beach and soak our toes in some water. I also was on the look out for a new pair of shoes my neighbor has been telling me about.  They are the Nike Free’s.  I found them at the outlet mall on 501 and believe it or not they had my size!  Derrick got some play clothes, Geno and Derrick both got new running shoes, and Xavier got new sandals - SIZE 12!!!  On our way back to Fayetteville we stopped at a farmers market and we bought cherries, green/black seedless grapes, peaches and homemade ginger ale!

Today we did a good portion of the garage.  I planned on putting toys and stuff on eBay but have decided just to sell them at the garage sale we are having on Saturday.  Less trouble organizing it and packaging it up… Other then that we just relaxed and enjoyed a movie.

So there you have it… have a great week!!!

Os, so the last post was really short…it had been a long day.  So now I’m sitting here, relaxing and thought this would be a great time to catch everyone up on the crazy life of the Fort Bragg (for now) Lolli’s…

I will start with me this time.  My good news… I received a letter stating that I qualified for Pell Grant’s for school.  This is WONDERFUL news and it took a TON of red tape to get it.  I had to turn in our tax returns and a few other papers THREE times!  Luckily, though it paid off and we got a little extra money to help us out - which as everyone knows is always nice!

School starts in a little over a week now and I’m really getting nervous. It’s going to be a VERY hard semester but I have great men at home to help!!

Well, last Friday started the beginning of “Tax Free” weekend here in NC.  I’m not really sure how many other states do this but NC has 3 days that all school supply stuff, clothes, computers and computer accessories are all sales tax free.  Which is awesome when you go to buy college text books and they cost over $550 BEFORE taxes!  Derrick spent the day with me on last Friday and it was great to have mom/son time together.  We started the day at Bojangles - Derrick LOVES the steak biscuits and I’ve NEVER tasted a better bacon, egg & cheese biscuit. We then went to my school and got books and parking passes (which reminds me I need to put those on the cars).  Then we headed to Edward McKay’s which is a used book store and found out they had 3 books that I needed - so I got those and returned the ones from the book store - for a savings over $100!  Now it was school supply shopping time.  We decided Staples would be the place of choice since I had some Staples rewards and they have a pretty good selection along with decent prices.  I’m sure Walmart might have been a tad cheaper but the crowds would have done me in.  Afterwards it was time for the fun stuff shopping! Geno and I had spent all of Thursday night comparison shopping for a new TV.  Our old TV works great but because there are so many big windows in our livingroom the glare is really bad.  We never realized how many choices there were when it came to LCD tv’s - besides the obvious sizes there is also pixels & Hz.  We thought we found the perfect one and ALMOST bought it but after sleeping on it Geno and I decided that it was more then we wanted to spend.  So Friday after Derrick got all his school supplies we headed over to Circuit City. After doing a little more leg work we brought our information over to Best Buy.  We really wanted to buy the TV from Best Buy since their warranty plan is better.  Turns out that they didn’t have the TV we saw at Circuit City but for $10 more we could have one that was by the same manufacturer but 2” bigger!  AND if we used our Best Buy card we could have it for tax free as well! Since the TV isn’t considered a “back to school” item it would have been taxed if we used any other method of payment.  Next on our shopping agenda was Target for school uniforms.  We picked up enough uniforms to hopefully last until the winter but with the rate he’s growing I might be able to squeeze him in to them through September - he’s just about as tall as my 5′9”(OR 5′10” frame).  Afterwards we stopped back to Best Buy and picked the TV up…then we headed home since Geno was just about to get off work (the 1st Friday of each month is a short day since it’s the first payday of the month).  Derrick had gotten into trouble a day or so earlier and was grounded, however, a friend of his that is only here at Fort Bragg until the end of this month.  So he headed over to Tyler’s house and it was just Geno, Xavier and I for the weekend.  We tried unsuccessfully 3 times to hang a wall mount for the TV, however because the house was built with a metal frame it was impossible.  When it was said and done we were glad to leave it on the stand (though it did waste 6 hours trying to hang it). We ended up rearranging the livingroom Saturday evening and it’s amazing how open it seems now. I will post pictures so you can see for yourself.

Saturday morning we did some grocery shopping at the commissary. Believe it or not it was the first time since before Geno left for Iraq that we did down and dirty grocery shopping.  After a down right rude checkout lady we headed home.  Derrick stayed the night again at Tyler’s house and we just relaxed.

Sunday morning Geno made bacon and I made eggs. Geno, for the first time, tried the Southwestern Egg Beaters - they taste so good! Then we headed to church and to do a little bit more school shopping.  I needed a new flash drive for school (Derrick got my old one) and we needed a backup hard drive since our other one was full.  I needed new sandals but Kohl’s didn’t have any so I talked Geno into possibly going to the beach in a few weeks to get a new pair…take the new Jeep for a drive!

Monday Xavier went on his first field trip with school.  They were headed to Gillis Farms. I was going to go with them but decided that he needed to go alone with his teachers, since they are relatively new.  That way it enabled him to learn to listen to them rather then have his mom tagging along.

I also started on the back part of the garage on Monday. The sad part is I hadn’t been able to get back in there to do more cleaning.  I’ve asked Geno to help me today for an hour or so. I’m really hoping to have a garage sale a week from this Saturday.

I also started a new running plan Monday. I’m starting from the very beginning of a running plan and my goal is to get into shape to run the Army 10-Miler next June.  I’m trying to get two of my neighbors to also join me. 

The rest of this week has been doing miscellaneous errands.  Geno had CQ last night so he was off yesterday and today but had to work from 4pm last night until 9am this morning. The boys and I brought him dinner last night and Xavier and I stopped by this morning before I took Xavier to preschool to see his daddy.

This weekend we don’t have much planned. I need to find some new sandals, new pillows for the couches - something with color and a few other odds and ends.

Derrick has decided to forgo soccer this season and try to make the football team at his school.  There is a chance he won’t make it and he won’t play a sport until basketball but that’s a risk he’s willing to take for his chance at football.

Ok, well that’s about it for now…I know I’ve written a book. I will get pictures of the new livingroom design this weekend.. Also, take a look at the cool storm shot’s I’ve been able to get. We live at the top of a hill and can see some really crazy storms brewing!

Well we are back in North Carolina.  It was a great trip to Ohio with only a few downers so overall it was a GREAT trip!  We left on the 21st for Columbus.  It only took us about 10 hours or so with a few stops. We stayed at Grandpa Jeff’s (THANK YOU GRANDPA JEFF!). On Tuesday we went to COSI for the day - courtesy of Gramps - it’s awesome having a father who works for one of the coolest science museums in Ohio - maybe the nation!  Xavier had a blast (as you can tell from the pictures on Flickr). We had dinner with an old friend (she’s also Xavier’s Godmother). Wednesday we went over to Gramps/Susan’s house to visit before heading to Cleveland to pick up Derrick.  I’m a bad daughter because I forgot to bring th camera into my mom’s work to get pictures - I’m sorry mommy.  Looking back we should have stayed with my mom for a night before heading down to Middletown.  Next time we will… We headed down to Middletown to end our 6 hour journey for the day (2.5 hours from Columbus to Cleveland and 3.5 hours from Cleveland to Middletown). We eneded it at Geno’s brother’s house.  They just bought a new house at the beginning of the year. It’s a really nice house in a nice neighborhood.  Thursday we took Xavier and Derrick over to see Matt (Uncle Matt) who is also Xavier’s Godfather, at the firehouse he works at. They had a blast!!! Friday we went out to dinner with Geno’s mom, Karina’s mom, Felicity, Frank and his family & Geno the boys and I. It was pretty good food, my salmon was great!  Saturday was the family reunion…again we had a blast!  Sunday we did laundry, went to brunch with the whole Lolli Clan, and packed up the car for our long drive home. Monday we left late in the morning and we arrived here at Fort Bragg a little after 8pm.

Geno returned to work today after having Tuesday off.  He was supposed to have today off also but due to the Army needs he had to go back.  Today Lilly gets groomed and I have to list some more items on eBay.  I listed 10 yesterday - yay me!  I have Derrick’s clothes and Xavier’s toys still.  I think I might do a garage sale the weekend after this one, unless I can somehow get the garage cleaned out by this weekend.  We will see. I migth just put all this stuff on Craig’s List and see where it goes from there…

School starts in a few weeks and I’m REALLY hoping to get everything done…

I will post pictures after they all get loaded onto Flickr….

Have a great week!