A Texas Christmas

We made the road trip to Texas again this year. As usual we had a great time and ate way too much food. The boys had a great time playing with cousins and I loved visiting with everyone :)

The whole gang. And yep Katie is screaming her cute lil head off.
My grandmother is seated on the couch and the back row is her grand children and all of the lil ones are her great grandkids :)

Katie in her Christmas dress.......oh melt my heart.
The boys found a quiet place and a cousin to play with.

Joe was so worn out...notice the blackened face from playing outside...he tool a Christmas snooze on Dad and later on an uncle...hehehe.

A week at home

First time holding Katie.

Sitting with Daddy...he's been officially baptized with spit up :)

Lizzzz....I need HELP!!

Wrestling with the dogs and boys.

Well Joe has been here a little over a week. It has been so nice. We have both had to do some adjusting though. Joe got used to not having kids around and definately being able to sleep in peace. Well as you others know when you have small children it is rare when you can sleep in peace.....and all night. And I had gotten into a routine and it is difficult for me to let him do things around here when they aren't exactrly done the way I do them :). We also had some added drama of a VERY sick donkey. Arthur (the donkey) went into full blown colic. I didn't sleep for 4 days because I was attending to him or worrying over him. But finally yesterday he has turned a corner and we think he will make it.

Anyway Joe and I have done some Christmas shopping, had a date night, and just lots of time at home with the kiddos. Lil Joe is thrilled that he is here. Garrett took a couple of days to get used to him and Katie....well let's just say she still wants her Mama. Joe has changed her diaper a couple of times. The first attempt was hilarious. About 20 seconds into it just as I grabbed my camera I hear "I need HELP!" It was quite funny, but he has gotten much better over the past few days. I had several friends meet me at the airport to pick Joe up and I had my camera but my hands were shaking so badly that I didn't take many pics. A friend took a ton and said he would give me a CD. When I get those I will be sure to post more.

Wanna see what I did today?

Joe and I have been so emotional lately. In the wake of Rob's death Joe is coming home for R&R. We are very excited but it is tough when you think about families like Rob's and the others who won't be here for the holidays. So while we celebrate these familes are in our prayers.

God has a new angel

A friend and colleague of Joe's while we were in Ft. Riley was injured in October in Afghanistan. Sadly, after putting up a brave battle, he was called home yesterday. His wife has been by his side for weeks and has shown amazing strength and conviction.

Joe and I are deeply saddened by the loss of a great leader, husband, and father. He served his country with honor and dignity. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and beautiful girls. My God hold them close during this time.

I got one!!

Katie has been gracing us with her smile for about a week. I finally caught half of one on camera this morning. She was grinning all over the place and I was so excited they came out a bit blurry. LOL. So my best pic is half of her precious smile but I still think she is adorable. Can't wait to see her grin at her Dad :)

Getting close!!!

Big Joe's R&R begins this week!!!! In 6 days!!! Wooohooooo!!!! So very excited. He is too. And very happy to get some Subway on the way home ;). I can't wait to see the look on the boys' faces and to see Big Joe when he holds Katie for the first time. We plan on doing lots of family outings as well as just some date nights to ourselves. And we will head to Texas for Christmas :). It will be a fun four weeks that I won't want to let go. I hate telling him goodbye but I will cherish every moment we have together starting......in 6 DAYS!!! YYaaaaahhhooooo!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

Today is my Dad's 65th birthday! It is hard to believe. One he looks nowhere near 65 and two it just doesn't seem like he should be that old. Bless his heart he is taking such good care of me and the kidlets while Joe is gone. He is over here nearly everyday (20 min drive for him) helping me feed the horses, doing odd jobs around the house, and sometimes bringing supper :). He is a wonderful man and definitely in my top three favorite people :) (God, Big Joe, and then Dad). He is also one of the strongest people I know. He is a Vietnam vet, an optometrist, a great Dad and Papa, and there ANYTIME I need him. While my mother was ill he took care of everything because he knew she wouldn't have wanted to be in a nursing home. So he had all the equipment and care brought to his home and set her up in front of the beautiful view they have out of the formal living room. He didn't get much sleep during that time because he cared for her at night and still worked full time. He has a bit of a tough exterior but really he is a soft place to land for me. I love him dearly. And I hope he has a wonderful birthday!!!