HAPPY EASTER!

I Know It's a Few Days Late, But....

From our family to yours...Merry Christmas!

We hope you had a day filled with the love and laughter of family and friends.

Cupcakes For Jesus--The Video

Here we are singing Happy Birthday to Jesus...

Watch until the end. It's too cute!

Cupcakes For Jesus and A Present For Brady

While I'm waiting on my last pie to bake, I thought I'd do a quick post.

One tradition that I wanted to start with our kids was to bake a cake, or this year, cupcakes for Jesus on Christmas Eve. It's just one more way that we can incorporate the birth of Jesus into our Christmas story.

My mom sent an adorable Christmas cupcake kit for Brady and I, so it turned out the be just the perfect thing!

I baked and iced the cupcakes, then B got to help me decorate.

When we were all finished, we took one, lit a candle, and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus! (I'll post that video in a separate post.)

Brady was excited to start mixing the food coloring into the frosting.

And then he grabbed the bottle of "polka dots" we were using to decorate.

And ate a few of them, of course.

Placing our "polka dots".

He was all to eager to dish out the sprinkles.

And here we are with one of our finished cupcakes.

(B pretty much did all of the decorating by himself!)

Another tradition, that I'm carrying on, is that our kids get to open one present on Christmas Eve. For us, it was usually our Christmas p.j.'s, but since we have boys, I didn't think p.j.'s would be too exciting for them. Instead, I let B choose which one he wanted to open.

He was practically vibrating when I brought the two presents out for him to choose from.

He chose the "Imagination Movers" DVD that my dad sent and was excited to show it off. He wanted to open it right away, so we let him stay up a bit late and watch one episode.

The look of concentration on that sweet face says it all!

Gingerbread Fun House

For Christmas, Nana & Grandpa (Buck's mom and dad) sent a Gingerbread House Kit in our package.

For weeks now, I've been trying to find a good time to put it together. It's been hard between doctors appointments, surgerys, moving, putting up Christmas decorations, wrapping Christmas presents, Christmas grocery shopping, baking...and the list could go on.

Finally, today, we made time. It's been snowing here for over a week, but today, it warmed up just a bit, the snow turned to rain and Baumholder became a wind tunnel. It's pretty nasty out there, so I decided it would be the perfect day to stay in our jammies and decorate the gingerbread house.

Buck and I assembled it and a few hours later, Brady and I decorated it.

Of course we took tons of pictures...I think Buck took something like 60 or so for me to sort through. Here are a few of them.

B was excited to finally get so close to his house.

Then he discovered the bowls of candy on the table.

And he decided to eat it...

And eat some more...

And more....

And more...

And more!

Finally, he'd gotten his fill of candy and started paying attention to what Mama was doing.

And decided to give his hand a try!

I thought for a little guy, he did a pretty darn good job!

And here is our finished product!

A Little Christmas Cheer

Since they're getting ready to renovate our building in January, we are being forced to move to another house, which means that I haven't been able to do any decorating for Christmas. We move next Tuesday and I plan on immediately putting up our tree (maybe even before the furniture is in place!).

Since I can't put up our tree yet, I decided to wrap a few gifts. I sat down, put on my favorite Christmas CD, and drank a cup of hot cocoa. It was enough to put me in a holly, jolly mood...

And I hope it spreads a little holiday cheer to you!

Thanksgiving '09

Today was a wonderful, special day for our family!

Not only was Buck home to share this holiday with us, but we were able to spend it in the company of some very special friends.

Early in the afternoon, we went to the barracks and spent a while with Buck's company and some of our Black Jack families. So many people went to great lengths to make sure that those soldiers had a fantastic Thanksgiving meal...and the spread was fantastic!

It just did my heart good to see all of those single soldiers, who are so far away from family and home, laughing, and eating and having a wonderful time. It was a very special thing to see and I'm so thankful that we were able to be a part of it and spread a little holiday cheer.

Afterwards, we came back home and to our very dear friends, who have become family. We had A LOT of food and it was the perfect ending to the day! After dinner and dessert, (because what's Thanksgiving without a big piece of pecan pie?) we shared a few more minutes with the Andrews' before they headed off to their hotel room. (They're moving back to the states on Tuesday, so this was one of our last opportunities to share a special meal with them.)

Though we did miss our family back home, we were able to share this day with people who I can honestly say I love just as much as my family! Monica, Keith, Elizabeth Anne, Mary Catherine and Will...thank you for being with us today! We love you all! I hope this day was a special for you as it was for us!

And I hope that all of you had a very special time with family or friends, and that your Thanksgiving gave you as much to be thankful for as ours did for us!

2 in 1: 26 Weeks and Thanksgiving Eve

I'm now 26 weeks and 2 days! I can finally get by without the Zofran! I still suffer from occasional waves of nausea, but the horrible sickness is gone...

As is my waist!
As you can see, Noah is growing and thriving in his little home!

And Brady becomes more of a ham every day! He raided my jewlery box as I was getting dressed and was showing off his loot.

Today, the DFAC served the annual Thanksgiving meal. One Army tradition that I really think is cool is that all of the senior NCO's and officers wear their blues and go and serve the soldiers and their families dinner. Buck went before Brady and I and served dinner and then we all met and ate dinner together.

I was pleasantly surprised with dinner! The food was wonderful! Kudos to the cooks who worked so hard and prepared a special meal! I was expecting something like bad cafeteria food. Instead, we had a fantastic, home cooked tasting, Thanksgiving meal, complete with all the trimmings and then some!

As you can see B was pleased with the food too! We all ate more than we should have, but hey, Thanksgiving is only once a year, right?

It was a lovely evening and a tradition that we plan to continue as a family.

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Trick-Or-Treat (Or Shoud I Say, "Grrrrr"?)

This was one fun (and chilly) Halloween!

Although Brady didn't quite understand why we dressed him in a costume, or why we drug him around in the cold collecting candy, he had a great time!

And, I think he's about the most adorable tiger I've ever seen!

After getting him dressed we went outside to get a few pictures. I was worried that he might fuss and try to rip his head piece off, but he never touched it!
We even managed a decent family picture!
We walked over to the Rhinelander where they were having a "trunk or treat". (Think Halloween tailgate party.) People had their cars decorated with lights and had jack-o-lanterns lit and were passing candy out of their trunks.

The jack-o-lanterns were a hit with B! He just kept going up to them, pointing and saying "fires"! His little eyes just lit up!

Although he wouldn't say "trick-or-treat", he did muster some very good tiger growls. And, he made mama proud by saying thank you to every one who gave him candy!

The MP's were passing out chem lights, so B finally got a fire of his own! He held on to that darn thing for dear life! In fact, he didn't let it go until we put him to bed.

By the end of the night, he was tired and hungry, but he went to bed smiling!

Dionysus--My God of Wine

This just cracks me up!

In celebration of Halloween, Buck's battalion had a Halloween "fun run". (As if running is fun!) The battalion commander "strongly encouraged" the guys to dress up, and in the Army, that translates to, "you will dress up".

Buck went as Dionysus, The God of Wine. (It was the cheapest costume we could find at the PX.) The grapevine headpiece makes me chuckle every time I look at this picture!

Families were invited to attend, but it was about 35 degrees, and started at 6:30 in the morning! Needless to say, I did not drag my rounded self, or my sleeping child out of his crib before 6:00 in the morning to stand, for over an hour, in the freezing cold!

Fortunately for Buck, he's used to it. That's what he does every morning Monday-Friday. Just not usually in a flimsy robe!

Halloween Reading Fun

Zia sent Brady a special Halloween package complete with 2 pairs of Halloween p.j.'s, candy and a special Halloween book. B liked the candy, I loved his p.j.'s (Buck laughed and said it looked like he was wearing a scuba suit :)) , but B LOVED his book.

As I've posted before, he's obsessed with "fires" and this book has a lit candle or torch on every page! It's the first book I've found that B will let me actually read every word to him! He wakes up asking for it and cries when we take it away to put him to bed!

Here are a few pictures and video of the first night we opened the box...

Love Letter For A Father

How great is a father's love? So great that He laid down His life for you and I.

I know of two father's who's love for their children is so great. They love deeply and passionately and would give their own life for that of their children. I am honored today to call them my husband, and my father. They are two men that I so greatly respect and so greatly love.

These past few weeks have been more than amazing. I have been able to watch my husband, Brady's father actually get to be a dad. And what an amazing father he is! He's patient, fun, caring, loving...everything a father should be to a little boy. He has the heart of The Father. I once read that, "Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice." I know that Buck has taken that to heart. I hope that one day, our precious baby boy is exactly like his father.

Brady absolutely adores his daddy! His little face just lights up when Buck comes in the room. I see them together and feel so incredibly blessed.

This Father's Day, I honor you, my beloved husband. Because I don't often enough tell you what a wonderful father and example you are to our little man. Thank you for loving us so very much!

One of the most vivid memories I have of being a child is that of my father's hands. Rough with callouses, yet a soft and gentle touch. Every cut, scrape and bruise a visible symbol of the the love he had for us. I can remember seeing those hands bleed. I can remember seeing him come home hot, weary and with every fiber of his being exhausted after a 15 hour day at work. I can remember him waking up at 4:30 in the morning after that 15 hour day to have breakfast ready for my sister and I before he headed off again. I cherished those few quiet, stolen moments we had toghther every morning.

My father is a simple man of few words, but you can know that what he speaks he speaks with honesty, dignity and love. He is a man my sister and I can be proud to call father; a man with whom we can be proud to share his name. He is the man who taught me everything I need to know about love, dedication, faith and hard work by the simple elequoence of his example.

Today, I take this chance to honor you, Daddy. To say thank you for being the wonderful father you are, because I don't say it often enough.

I believe that a man best leaves his mark on the world with the love he gives his children. What a legacy these two men will leave behind!

Happy Father's Day!

A Mother's Love

" A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts." ~Washington Irving

The love of a mother. Is there anything so true, so pure? I think not. I didn't completely understand this until the first time I held my baby boy. I wasn't alive until that moment in time. I existed, yes, but as a woman, not as a mother. And you haven't really lived until you've lived and loved as a mother. When I looked into that beautiful little face I realized what I was on this earth to do. I knew the reason I was born. Life came full circle.

I think that's why God gives us mothers; so that we can understand Christ's love for us. Though we can never know the fullness of His love, we better understand it through glimpses of a mother's love. Just as we are the image of our mothers, we were made to be the image of Christ. We are His. His child, His creation, His love. When we cry, He weeps with us. When we hurt, His heart breaks with us. When we laugh, He rejoices with us. He is with us every minute of every day. Time nor space can separate us from Him. He loved us so much that He gave His life for us. Is that not like the love of a mother? Would you not give your last breath so that your child might know the beauty of life?

I have never known true honor, true love, true fear, until I knew it through the eyes of a mother. It is my hope that one day when my children are grown, with little ones of their own, that I will still be the one they call, the place they run to. I hope that they draw strength from the lessons I've taught them. I hope that they draw patience and kindness from the legacy I've left them. I hope that they draw comfort from the love I've given them. I hope that they find peace in the assurance I've given them. I hope that they find laughter in the memories we've made. If they remember nothing else, I hope that they remember laughter. I hope that I can teach them to find the joy in everyday. I hope that I can teach them to live life fearlessly. I hope that I am their hero. I hope that I can prepare them for those times when the cold winds of life blow and that when I am no longer close enough to dry their tears, I'm the voice that gets them through...their reason to carry on.

I find that as a mother there are many times when I don't know quite what to do, when I think I can't carry on, and in those times I think of my mother, a beautiful, loving, caring woman with a big heart. I remember all of the things she has taught me...dedication, perseverance, loyalty, honesty, trustworthiness, the value of knowing Christ, how to face adversity with grace, how to laugh and to laugh often, how to be a friend, how to love, how to be a mother, how to be a hero...and I find the answer. And I rest secure, knowing that even if I can't, I'm never too far for her love to find me. That's the beauty of a mother's love. It transcends time, space and all understanding. It crosses all barriers, reaches out into the darkness and finds you wherever you are.

So, today I honor you, my mother, and those of you who have been and who are yet to be.

Happy Mother's Day!