Daddy's Home!!! What a week!

 We have had quite a week!!  Daddy finally made it home from Afghanistan and the kids and I could not be happier.  Friday night the kids and I made another sign in anticipation to hang on our garage.  The kids loved it this time.  It was messy but worth it.

Then Friday night Gunner had a little awards program for the end of Vacation Bible School.  It's not the best picture but you get the idea. :)

Friday night, I, of course, could not sleep a wink.  The anticipation was just too much.  Finally about 12:30am I got the call to head to base to pick up Nate.  I was lucky enough to have a friend from church offer to come watch the kids sleep so I didnt have to wake them.  Thank goodness because I still had to wait almost an hour before they were really ready.  But well worth the wait!!!  Nothing like being reunited after 7 long months!  I don't have any pictures, but it was amazing.  I was super anxious to see the kids' reactions in the morning, seen they had no idea daddy would be home already.  Gunner was first to wake up and I told him I had a surprise for him in the kitchen.  He was in shock at first.  Almost looks like "wait a second...is that really my daddy?!"

But it took mere minutes for him to warm up and start showing daddy all his toys and telling him all that he had missed.  Grace woke up shortly after and Nate went in to see her.  She was ecstatic!  She hugged him and wouldn't let go!  It was priceless.  For the first hour or so she did not want him to leave her sight.

Needless to say, the kids have been in their glory this week with daddy.  Although he had to work "tiny days" as Gunner called them, they have been enjoying every moment he's home. Here's the first morning, showing daddy his welcome home sign. 

I have been in my glory too, not only having my best friend back, but having some much needed help with the kids.  The kids have mostly wanted daddy to do everything (bath time, bed time stories, you name it...)  But I haven't minded. :)

The weather was great this past week and daddy even bought the kids a new swimming pool with a slide.  They have LOVED it!  And seen it's supposed to be about 100 degrees the next few days I foresee it getting well used.

Gunner has definitely missed tickle time and wrestling with daddy.

And Little Miss Snugglebug is making up for lost time.

This morning, daddy even took the kids for a quick run before the real HOT set in (hence the time to blog quick). :)  

One more noteworthy change before we end the blog for today.  Gunner and Grace are officially sharing a room now.  We made the transition a few nights ago and minus a few hiccups (like playing and keeping each other awake) it has gone very smooth.  Now we just need to get Grace's old room ready for the new baby (just over 5 weeks till our due date...scary!!).

. 
To say we're happy to be together as a family again is an understatement.  We are loving every minute of it!!

Count on One Hand

Hello Again faithful blog readers.  :)  Don't go getting used to all these updates.  haha.  I've been trying to keep up on it, but no promises once Nate gets back.  We can now count on one hand the number of days until his arrival...woohoo!!  I just got word from him tonight that he is officially out of Afghanistan (praise God!).  We are definitely in the homestretch, although I have to admit, this week is d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g by.  But I figured it would.  We're trying to stay busy and we've had some wonderful playdates to help pass the time.  Last Friday we went to a play date at a friend's house and Gunner and Grace LOVED playing in their blowup pool with a slide.  Gunner informed me that we need to get a pool with a slide and after seeing how much he enjoyed it, I have to admit I'm tempted.  Grace isn't too sure about the water, but she had fun nonetheless. 

On Saturday we had an extra special playdate with our friends and we made signs for homecoming!  Grace was LOVING it.  Gunner was not that interested.  But they made a super cute sign (I still need to take a picture of the finished product, but I'll save that for the homecoming blog post I guess).  Grace even managed to get paint in her hair!

After making signs the kids had fun playing in the backyard "catching monkeys" as they said.

We had another special surprise when we arrived home from our play date, some of Nate's things from Afghanistan.  What a beautiful sight that was!  Definitely means homecoming is on the horizon.

Then on Sunday we had Teagan and Jack over for pizza and a playdate, but when the kids ventured outside it turned into a water playdate (Gunner now knows how to turn the hose on).  But they had fun and that's all that matters.  Jack (the little boy) had the most evil laugh when he figured out how to manipulate the sprinkler to spray Gunner and his sister Teagan.  It was hilarious!!  They got soaked but were having so much fun. 

This evening the kids wanted to play in the pool again and it's been warm enough so I had no objections.  We dug out a bucket of toys we found (outside toys) and the kids were in love with all the "new" goodies they found (little do they remember they're from last summer).  :)  But it helped pass the evening.  

Aside from that, we've just been trying to pass the time until daddy gets home THIS WEEKEND!!!  WOOHOO!!! Hope everyone has been enjoying all the updates, hopefully next blog post will include pictures of daddy!!!  YAY!

Enjoyed Grandma

 It was a sad day today as we had to send Grandma on her way back to KY.  :(  We sure enjoyed having her around and to think it's been 3 1/2 weeks is unbelievable.  The past week has been just as great as the two before.  The kids loved playing with Grandma's special playdough.

And they were cracking us up when they came strutting down the hallway in my high heels.  Could they be any cuter?!  (Although daddy was less than thrilled that Gunner was walking around in high heels...haha).

We decided that since daddy's homecoming is right around the corner, we would make a paper chain to countdown how many more "sleeps" until he gets home.  The kids enjoyed painting their papers and I assembled them for them (just for simplicity).  Every night after our bedtime routine we rip one off (although Gunner, Mr. OCD, prefers to cut his with a pair of scissors).  :)

One of Grandma's last days we ventured to the aquarium.  Grace was in LOVE with the fishies!!  She would have stayed there for hours.  Gunner however, was always interested in what's next and basically ran through the aquarium.

The otters were extra playful that day and the kids were just soaking it up.  Grace was loving it, as long as she was sitting on Grandma's lap.  A few times she stood up but when one would come near the glass it always scared her and she would sit back down.  It was cute though!

We barely ever get a picture of me and the kids, so Grandma tried, although the kids definitely were not interested at all. :)

I tried to be as productive as I could while my mom was here to help, so I got a few things ready for when Nate gets home (the usual, cleaning closets, organizing things, ect).  Mom was nice enough to help me weed the front flower bed (it was out of control!).  So, the kids joined in on the fun.  Grandma had gardening gloves, so of course the kids wanted some too.  Unfortunately, I don't have any extras, so the kids used winter mittens (mind you, it was like 90 degrees outside). :)

Grace tried to be helpful, but...not so much. :)

This morning was Grandma's last morning with us. :(  But she got a good chuckle at the kids playing with their electronics.  :)

I did have to include one more picture.  We bought Gunner a new carseat (he outgrew his other one by weight and mommy is definitely not ready for him to be in a booster seat, even if he does meet the weight and height requirements).  But, he was super excited about his "new house" and played in it all morning.  Who needs toys when you have boxes?!

The best news is, we're getting closer to homecoming.  Daddy should "tentatively" be home next weekend...woohoo!!  I can not wait to blog about that.

Crazy, Busy, Fun

 We have had quite the past week or so...  The kids and I greatly enjoyed the rest of our visit in Kentucky before heading back to North Carolina.  The kids were loving the big swimming pool with Grandma and Grandpa.

The kids also enjoyed an early evening "camp out" with roasted hot dogs and giant marshmellows.

As you can tell Grace enjoyed the marshmellows. :)  We also enjoyed the wonderful weather while we were there.  Although we did have a day or so of chilly weather, it felt great!  The kids enjoyed riding their bikes in the road as well. We were able to get that nice trike for Grace from a yard sale for $10.  Can't beat it.  The handle even lets the parent steer until she learns how to do it on her own. 

Unfortunately, we had to get back to North Carolina for some doctor appointments and such.  But the good news is, we got to bring Grandma back with us.  So we've been greatly enjoying our time with her at our house.  My doctor appointment went well and baby is measuring great!  We go back again in three more weeks for another check up.  Hard to believe we have just over 8 weeks left.  Today we enjoyed a nice little shower put on by some wonderful ladies from our church.  It was at the park so Grace and Gunner enjoyed playing with all the other kids as well.

 

Gunner provided us a nice laugh when he decided it was time to go potty and just took matters into his own hands.  By the time we noticed, it only seemed appropriate to grab the camera.  I guess he just knew they didn't have a potty at this park.

Gunner even helped me open presents for the new baby.  We were so blessed to get so many cute gifts from everyone.  Baby #3 will be just as spoiled as the other two. :) 

The weather today was absolutely beautiful so Gunner took advantage with a nice run in the sprinkler in his undies.  He's my little nudest, what can I say?!  Lucky he at least kept his undies on. 

 Grace was less interested in the sprinkler, but was enjoying the sand and water table. 

One of the kids favorite things about Grandma is she makes THE BEST homemade playdough.  Here is Gunner helping her measure all the ingredients.  Mommy loves playdough cause it keeps the kids happy and content for more than five minutes so I was actually able to get a head start on getting the house situated for daddy.  Less than two weeks and we'll be welcoming him home!  Woohoo! 

After dinner, the kids enjoyed a leftover cupcake from the shower.  Only, Grandma and I were distracted trying to be productive and didn't realize that Grace got ahold of the whole container and was having a wonderful time playing with all the cupcakes.  But it was a great laugh.  

To say that we've enjoyed the past week is an understatement.  We have five more days with Grandma before she heads back to KY, so we're going to take advantage of her while we can.  Then hopefully we'll only have one more week till daddy makes his appearance. :)  We're getting close!

In The Home Stretch

Hello All!  Long time no see, sorry about that.  The past four months have just been so busy and between my camera breaking and everything else, I just never got around to blogging.  Now that we're in the home stretch of this deployment things have seemed to settle down a bit.  So much has happened in the past four months so I'll try to give you a quick run down and then see if I can get in the habit of keeping up with the blog again (no promises). :)  We have had a busy four months with lots of traveling.  In February we took a "big airplane" to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Kentucky.  The kids LOVED it! 

One of the coolest things about Nashville airport is they have a little tot playground inside, which is a parent's dream!  Great way to let the kids get out some energy before we hop back in the car.

In March, Gunner started "school" which is a three morning a week playground on base.  He loves it (as do Grace and I).  I didn't get the greatest picture the first day, but you get the idea.

They had a playdate one afternoon after the normal school day where parents and siblings could come join the fun.  Although the picture doesn't show him having fun, it does show one him with his friends Teagan and Gunner (yes there is another little boy named Gunner in his class, "the other Gunner" as Gunner calls him). 

In March we also had a huge transformation at our house...a new backyard!!  Woohoo.  I wish I was home now to take a picture of how green it's gotten (when it was laid the sod was dormant so it was a brownish color), but at least you can get the idea. 

BEFORE

Here is the sod all laid, but in it's dormant stage (still brown).

AND AFTER (with some green)

The end of March brought our first emergency visit (sort of).  Gunner was enjoying the new back yard and took quite the spill into the brick fire pit.  Talk about a bloody mess.  But he took it like a champ.  We had to make an emergency dental visit to assess the situation, but everything seems to be okay.  He has to keep going back to for checkups every few months to monitor it, but the only residual effect is the left front tooth is turning dark.

April brought another trip to Kentucky for Easter.  All their cousins came down to join the fun too.  It was so much fun! 

Grace LOVED dying Easter eggs too. I wish I had a video, but she was enjoying the most.

This past month we celebrated Gunner's 3rd birthday.  I can't believe our little boy turned 3 already.  He is getting so big!  He loved his batman cake and having a few different birthday parties. :) 

We had lots of leftover cake from our first party, so we just did a little reconstruction of the cake for the next party the following day. 

The past few months have been filled with lots of traveling and learning new things.  Gunner learned to ride his big boy bike (his normal bike still has training wheels, this was Grandpa's attempt at a balance bike, but he does great on it!)

Grace learned to love her baby dolls (let's hope she loves the new baby equally as much).

And baby #3 just keeps a growing (30 weeks and counting)....

The best news of all is that daddy will be home in about 3 weeks!  We can not wait for him to get home.  To make the time go faster, the kids and I and Grandma are on a little road trip.  We stopped in Indiana to see my brother Dave and his family and then headed to Grandma and Grandpa's for another visit.  We head back to NC early next week. Here's a picture of the kids the day we ventured to the Cincinnati zoo. 

We hope everyone is having a great start to summer.  It is sure to be a busy one for us!  We miss you all!  Here's one more cute picture to end this four month summary... It didn't really fit anywhere, but how cute are our little superheroes?!