Much news to share

I know it has been quite awhile since the last post, and we have so much good news to share. Nate's about to burst with excitement!

First, Gina and I officially turned in the final versions of our dissertations this week. I know what you are thinking, "Didn't they already do that?" Well, getting from the dissertation defense to submitting the final version is a pretty lengthy and tedious process. At the defense, all the committee members make recommendations about the things they would like to be revised, and then the doc student has go back and make all those changes. It involves more meetings, more revisions and lots of reformatting the table of contents. Well, that process if finally over for both of us. I handed my final version in on Tuesday, and Gina turned hers in today. This is a huge relief, and I think we will finally be able to relax this weekend without this hanging over our heads.

The second item of news is that I recently won an award as the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant for my department in the Curry School of Education. Now, it's not really in my nature to brag about winning an award, but it is part of my prideful nature to feel the need to explain that just because my job title is that of Teaching Assistant, I want everyone to know I don't actually assist anyone with their teaching. I am the instructor for the course, though there have been some times recently when I wish I had an assistant to help with the grading. Pride aside, I am honored to have received this award, and I stand in the great company of those who received the award before me. Let me end this segment by saying, humbly, that if I don't win the University-wide teaching award, it's a sham and definitely rigged. Just kidding. :)

The final, and most exciting, piece of news is that I recently accepted a faculty position at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The job search process has been, by far, the most stressful and time-consuming thing for us this semester. Dissertation, smishertation. First, we had to search through countless job postings. Then we had to narrow it down to jobs I thought I might be a) qualified to perform and b) in a place to which I would want to move my family. The next step was filling out the application materials. This is not as simple as filling out a "job application" and attaching a resume. Each position, and I am being honest, has a completely different set of materials they want turned in. We continued this process for months. I got phone interviews with 5 schools, three of which brought me on campus for a "campus interview." Two of the schools offered the position to someone else, but UIS liked me and asked me to come on board. We are very grateful to have gotten a job offer and are looking forward to starting our next adventure in Illinois. Springfield, as you may know, is the capital city and was where Abraham Lincoln studied law. We will be moving from one president's city to that of another. 3 for 16. TJ for AL. Tall with red hair for tall with a funny beard. I think you get the point.

Thank you all for your prayers and support during this busy time. We still have one item left on our list, which is to sell our house. Just like everything else, we know that God has someone out there who needs a place to live and wants to buy a house near UVA. If you are planning on moving to Charlottesville anytime soon, have we got a deal for you. Sam and Nate have asked me to conclude by letting them give a shout out to their beloved UVA.

... and then there were two.

Last Thursday (as you can tell from the picture), Gina successfully defended her dissertation and is now Dr. Nurse. I have been telling her for 4 years that one simply cannot be both a doctor AND a nurse, but she has defied the odds and proven me wrong (once again). Sam, Nate and I are so very proud of her and know how much work she put into her manuscripts. Her advisor was quoted as saying, "Never in my years of doing this have I seen manuscripts this thorough and well put together." Yay, Mommy! Way to go!

Dr. Dad

Does he look like a PhD? Well, on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at approximately 3:00 pm, Curby was greeted by his advisor and Dissertation Chair, Dr. Bull, with these words: "Congratulations, Dr. Alexander!"

The defense was excellent and virtually flawless--everyone in attendance was very impressed with his research and the quality of his presentation. Dr. Bull said it was "textbook--the way you want all defenses to go...better than good."

Way to go, Dr. Dad! We love you! We praise God and give Him the glory for all that He has done in our lives. He gave you the desire, the ability, and the perseverance to achieve this dream. We know He's guiding us to our next step, too.

Thank you, Mom Gale, a.k.a GiGi, for coming to Charlottesville for two weeks so that we could focus on our writing while you played with Sam and Nate. Also, thank you, GiGi and PawPaw, for the beautiful birthday gift to Curby--a brand new, freshly tailored suit. Doesn't he look handsome?

Super Bowl Birthday Bash

I can hardly believe I am writing this note. It was a year ago that we first got to meet the boys for the first time and began our adventure of adjusting to life with babies in the picture (actually, over 50GB of pictures and video!). We've had our highs (all the Firsts) and our lows (sleepless nights), but through it all we have come to love Sam and Nate more each day and can't imagine life before they came.

Last Sunday we were able to celebrate their birthdays with family and friends by hosting a Super Bowl Birthday Bash.

The event was complete with snacks, sodas and two special birthday cakes made to represent the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sam and Nate got to play with some of their best friends, and they ate cake with icing for the first time. Nate loved his cake, but Sam was a little skeptical and actually liked the Chex Mix better.

Overall, the party was a huge hit, but I can tell you with all honesty I am not looking ahead to the next birthday. We want to soak the next year in as much as we did this one.

Little Men

As you can see, Sam and Nate are becoming quite the little gentlemen. After a busy holiday season, we finally got to go back to church, and the boys continued to do great in the nursery. I have often wondered when they are going to start getting anxious when Gina and I leave them down there, but they did great this time. The only drama came when Gina went down to get them (I was close behind her but got caught up visiting with someone) and they both wanted her to pick them up at the same time. I can usually pull that one off, but with 50 lbs. of baby, it's a little much for Gina! Other than that, they were glad to show off their dapper threads to the folks at Christ Community.

'Tis the Season

Sam and Nate just experienced their first Christmas and New Year's celebrations. For the holidays, we traveled to Texas and Louisiana to visit family and friends. The first couple of days of the trip were spent in Alexandria, VA with GiGi, PaPa, Aunt Katie, Uncle Joe and Ella, then we got to fly on a plane to Dallas for two weeks of gifts, parties and lots of excitement.

At first, the boys didn't understand the whole gift thing. I think they were a bit confused that, in some cases, they were prevented from touching and tearing the gifts under the tree, then at different times were encouraged to touch and tear the gifts. Come on, Mom and Dad, make up your mind! One thing they did understand by the end of the trip was that every opened package revealed something new to play with and explore.

Another thing you may have noticed about this Christmas is that we definitely got some mileage out of the Santa suits Gina got for the boys. We were unsuccessful in getting them to wear the hats and boots for more than a few seconds, but that did little to lessen the cuteness factor derived from two chubby babies dressed like Santa Claus.

One of the best parts of the trip was traveling to Simpson, Louisiana to meet a whole bunch of new family members. Sam and Nate loved playing with their cousins, Briana and Shana, and they got passed around between many other cousins, uncles and aunts who they got to meet for the first time. After the day trip to Simpson, we headed back to Shreveport to spend a little more time with MaMa and GiGi and PaPa.

Overall, the Christmas trip was a lot of fun and very special for all of us. The only downer during the whole experience was the every one of us got sick with a cold. Until now, Sam and Nate had never been sick, and they didn't know how to make sense out of the stuffy noses and ears, as well as a cough. This did hinder the boys' sleep and appetite a little, but we are all healed and doing better now. The coming semester will be extremely busy (and quite unpredictable) for all of us, but we will carry the joy of our trip and the Christmas season with us for many months to come.

There are many more pictures from the trip in our photo album.

Roamin' Wyomin'

Sam and Nate got to make their first trip to Wyoming in November. They were hoping to experience some good ol' cold weather, but it was actually warmer there than in Virginia. The wind did blow pretty hard one day while we were out walking by the river, giving both boys rosy cheeks for the rest of the trip. The boys especially enjoyed getting to spend so much time with GiGi and PaPa. There was a small set of stairs between the living room and kitchen, and both Sam and Nate spent a lot of their time figuring out how to climb up and down. Sam got pretty good at going both ways, but Nate was a little hesitant to go down. Overall, we really enjoyed getting to see GiGi and PaPa, as well as some old friends. We are looking forward to the next visit, which will hopefully be in the summer.

All dressed up for their first visit to Boyd Avenue Baptist Church.

Walking with Mom, Dad and GiGi while PaPa went jogging along the Platte River.

Sam and Nate posing with GiGi and PaPa before the Christmas party on Sunday.

Sam and Nate checking out the back patio, and leaving plenty of finger prints on the window.

You knew this day was coming

And in my opinion, it was long overdue. Sam and Nate got their first haircuts today at Staples Barber Shop from Jason, the coolest barber in Charlottesville. Not only that, but he is a twin, too! Both boys were great sports and sat very still for Jason. They got certificates and a special envelope for their hair clippings. What they really wanted was a sucker, but that will have to wait. They both look more handsome than ever, and Nathaniel was surprised to actually see his parents and brother clearly for the first time in over a month!

Best Buddies

One of the best things about watching Sam and Nate grow up is to see them enjoy each other more and more. This is their new game while in their high chairs ... no, the parents didn't stage this one! :)

If you want something bad enough ...

"Nathaniel, did you go around your brother?"

"No ..."

"Did you scoot next to your brother?"

"No..."

"Did you wait your turn behind your brother?"

"No..."

"Then, how did you get to that toy you wanted?"

First Leaf Pile

Sam and Nathaniel experienced their first leaf pile this afternoon. Sam was quite amused from the start, but Nathaniel was very cautious and even downright upset about the whole thing. We'll have many more opportunities for playing in the leaves before winter comes!

At their 9 month appointment, the boys were measured, and here are the latest stats:

Sam = 28.75 in (75%), 21 lb, 13.8 oz (75%)
Nathaniel = 29.75 in (90%), 24 lb, 12.4 oz (95%)

They're growing in leaps and bounds, but now that they're mobile, we'll probably see their growth begin to slow down or plateau. That would mean relief for our joints, as we tote them up and down the stairs!

A lot can happen in 276 days

Sam and Nate have waited patiently, they've watched the calendar, and the big day has finally arrived. While everyone around them was buzzing with anticipation over the election of a new president, they quietly turned 9 months old. So what has happened in the last 276 days? Let's hear from Sam and Nate:

"Well, we now prefer feeding ourselves to being fed. If we see something we want, we just go over and get it. We sleep through the night. We are more entertained by each other than by anyone else (except Dad). We can hold our own bottles (when we feel like it). Collectively, we weigh almost 50 pounds. We barely fit in 12 month clothes. We wear big boy shoes. We have teeth. We talk to each other using a language only we can interpret."

Thanks guys, that's a pretty impressive list. Gina and I are continually thankful that God put Sam and Nate in our family. They are more of a joy to us each day, and we can't wait to see what they can do in the coming months and years.

Grease is the word

Gina and I got to spend our first Halloween with the boys today. We went to the Lawn, where there were many, many kids, parents and Wahoos showing off their costumes and eating candy. Sam and Nate didn't get any candy this time, but they got lots of compliments for being the coolest kids on the Lawn. The stroller has been renamed Greased Lightnin' until further notice.

Dedicating Sam and Nathaniel to the Lord

On Sunday, October 26th, we publicly dedicated Samuel and Nathaniel to the Lord, as part of our congregation's worship service. Joe, Katie, and Ella were able to join us, as was our good friend Flo.

At the end of the service, the church welcomed new members, and then Elder Don Brubaker called us to the front. He invited our home group and family members to stand with us. Curby shared a few words (and made everyone laugh, of course!), and I also spoke briefly. The boys desperately wanted the microphone, as you can see...

We were encouraged by Don's words, and our home group gathered around to pray over us as a family--thank you, Dawn, for leading us in prayer. Afterward, Don shared Scriptures that the Holy Spirit brought to mind for us: Psalm 112 and Psalm 113.

Orange and Blue, through and through

Thanks Mom, for putting us in these AWESOME outfits! We can't read yet, but if Dad likes it then we like it!

Eight months and more dapper than ever

Sam and Nate turned 8 months old yesterday, and as you can seen from the picture, they decided to change up the usual arrangement of the bears, blocks and balls. Our informal measurements (me holding them while on the bathroom scale) show that Sam is about 21.4 pounds, and Nate is a whopping 23.2. Gina and I have the sore back to prove it. Earlier this week, Same and Nate were practicing their best Rebel Without a Cause impersonations. 

"You ever been in a chickie-run?"

"I don't want any trouble."