2011 Review

Last year we celebrated the holidays in Mexico. It was Jan Braxton's 1st Christmas and it was our first time since living in Tampa in 2007 that we were stable enough to get a Christmas tree. Joy was so happy to put out all our decorations. In January and February we continued traveling to local desert towns in southern Arizona and Mexico (Really enjoyed Bisbee, AZ). We also enjoyed the beaches that we were close; maybe you remember last’s years card-Thanks for all the great feedback). You might remember last year’s New Year card. But, mostly we stayed close and enjoyed every second of actually having a place to call home. Our year of moves started in March, when we returned to Tampa for 7 weeks. John completed his reserve duty and we were able to reconnect with friends in the area and visit with Joy's family. While there we celebrated Jan Braxton's 1st Birthday! When we returned to Mexico in mid-April we had to drive north to Arizona (@ 4 hrs) every other week-end for Joy to see her OB/GYN. Jan Braxton did great on the long drives and waiting to cross the US/Mexico border. We also visited with our wonderful friends in Mexico as much as possible. We loved our home there and had met so many amazing people. The Mexican people are so warm, friendly and open. We couldn't have asked for a better post! It was difficult to start packing…again but, it was time. Before departing we made one last trip to San Carlos (a beach 1 hour south of Hermosillo) and a weekend in one of our favorite places in the world, the Hacienda de los Santos in Alamos. The morning of our departure our beautiful friends Ethel and Don invited us for breakfast. Ethel made a delicious traditional Mexican breakfast - Yum Yum! As we pulled out of our driveway for the last time, Lupita (who helped us around the house and was Jan Braxton first love - he took his first steps to her), waved good-bye. Joy was 34 weeks pregnant.

It took us a week to travel cross-country stopping in Tubac and Tucson, AZ. We spent a lot of time in Tucson, AZ since it was only a 4 hour drive from Hermosillo. We caught many flights from Tucson and it served as a great weekend get-a-way. We loved the city nestled in the desert mountains. It had laid back feel similar to Tampa. We continued our cross-country trip to Cloudcroft, NM and Joy celebrated her 33rd birthday in Canyon, TX (S of Amarillo). We visited with John's Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Don in Ponca City, Oklahoma and it was so wonderful to be in Oklahoma and see green fields and trees again. We continued on to quaint Fayetteville and Little Rock, Arkansas. We finally arrived in northeast Alabama where some of Joy's family lives. John left Joy and Jan there, while he attended 3 weeks of State Department training in Washington, DC. Joy was very tired in her final weeks of pregnancy. Joy’s Dad, Lisa, younger sisters (Chloe and Addy) and sister Kimberly and her wonderful husband Keith really came through for us. They played with, changed diapers for, fed, and bathed Jan Braxton. We couldn't have done it without them!!! The baby held on until John returned to Alabama. In fact, the baby wanted to stay in secure and safe womb as long as possible. Joy was 5 centimeters when she had to be induced. She was induced at 10pm and our little baby arrived by 8am the next morning. That was when we found out that our baby was a BOY! Joy had an easy delivery, especially considering Ian weighed 10 pounds!!! Ian was welcomed into a delivery room filled with love as John, Grammy, Auntie Vonnie and Aunt Kimberly were all present. Ian was introduced to big brother a few days later when we came home to our temporary home in Huntsville, AL. Jan Braxton instantly reacted positively to his little brother. For many months Ian was the only person Jan would kiss---NO ONE else got any love. It was very sweet. Five days after Joy came home from the hospital she had complications (retained placenta). Although there were a few scary moments - everything has resolved and all are well! It was hard to leave Alabama but, it was time. "On the road again" we visited friends in Nashville, Indianapolis. We also stopped for brief visits in Cincinnati, OH, Versailles, KY, Lexington, VA, and Williamsburg, VA. We vacationed with John's brother and family for a week in the Outer Banks, NC. The beach vacation was cut a little short as we had to evacuate due to Hurricane Irene. So we continued our trip North to Burlington, Vermont. Unfortunately Irene followed us and our friend Laura, who is in the Vermont National Guard, was activated to help deal with the crisis. But, we were able to spend lots of time with Chris, Cal and Lilly. We flew back to Washington, DC and checked into our hotel apartment. It was SO WONDERFUL to finally have a home and be in one place for the next 9 months!!!!

We have been catching up with John's family who live only 2 1/2 hours north in Havertown, PA and have also been blessed with many visitors. We live next to Arlington Cemetery and the Iwa Jima Memorial and the National Mall is walking distance (less than 1.5 miles). John is studying hard to learn Slovak while Joy is enjoying every second being a Mommy. Jan Braxton is starting to say a few words; his first was "ball" and he just started saying "NO". And, although he doesn't say the names, he knows many different animal sounds. He loves playing with his trucks. Ian is growing quickly and is very strong for 5 months. He weighs over 20 pounds and is trying his hardest to start crawling. He is a happy baby and we simply love his smiles and giggles. We feel like the luckiest parents alive and are so grateful to be the parents of these two amazing boys. 2012 should be another busy year. We will be in Tampa mid-May until we depart for Bratislava, Slovakia mid-July. We will be posted in Slovakia for 2 years and John will work as an Economics Officer at the US Embassy. We have heard wonderful things about Bratislava, which is less than 1 hour drive to Vienna, 3 hrs to Prague, and 2 hrs to Budapest! We are very excited for the next adventure and hope you’ll please visit.

Love,
John, Joy, Jan Braxton and Ian Joaquin