Christmas

I'm gonna try to condense the last ten days the best I can, but there's been a lot of fun and excitement.  After we recooped from our trip to Wisconsin, "Aunt" Emily came to visit.  She brought the kids toys and we were even able to get a good picture of her with the kids. 

The kids enjoyed the first few days of just playing with all their new toys and relaxing with Grandma and Grandpa.  Christmas Eve we went to see my Uncle who just moved to Tennessee (unfortunately I have no pictures) and later that night we went to the candlelight service at mom and dad's church (the kids were surprisingly well behaved seen it was at 8:30!).  Christmas morning, Gunner woke up and was ready to open all those gifts he saw under the tree.  I told him he had to wait to Grace woke up to which he volunteered to go wake her up. :)  Such a nice big brother.  I did let him wake her up because I knew he couldn't contain his excitement.

Grace was semi-awake, but enjoying opening gifts nonetheless. 

It is a must that I show a picture of the elephant hat my parents got for me.  It even has mittens on the end.  LOL.  I love elephants and my dad gets me one every Christmas, but this one will be one of the most memorable. :)



After we were done opening Christmas presents, we got an even better gift, we got to skype with Nate!!! It was so great for the kids and me to see him. 



We then went to Christmas service at church and tried to snap a picture of me and the kids after we got back, although we all know how well two kids cooperate trying to take staged photos. :)  Although I kind of like this one because you can see our dog Baxter getting in on the picture.



The kids even sported their new aprons and helped Grandma get some of the Christmas dinner ready (they were mashing the sweet potatoes, I have a few cute pictures of that too, but didn't want to overload on the pictures).



They even got more presents when their Great Uncle Mark and Great Aunt Kelly came over.  Here they are playing with the new train. 

 

On Monday, my brother Dave, his wife and two kids came to visit.  The kids were in their glory to play with their cousins.  And the weather hasn't been too bad so we've been able to enjoy time outside. 



Here we all are, winding down to watch a movie. 



Then on Tuesday my other brother Mike and his wife and kids made the trip down from Wisconsin.  So we definitely had a full house.  Everyone was here but Nate. :(  But the kids had SO MUCH FUN!! We pulled gifts, we played a dice game to win prices, we played outside with the gator and Ezra's new motorcycle, too much fun to write about.  I don't have a ton of pictures, we were way to busy having fun.  But here are mom and dad with all their grandkids, minus the one brewing in my belly of course :)



Unfortunately, Natalie didn't feel well so she had to miss some of the fun.  The weather was gorgeous on Thursday so we ventured for a hike (Grace is asleep in the Ergo) before Dave and his family had to hit the road. 



And the most amazing thing was, I was able to get a good picture of Grace and Grandma (who is not very photogenic at all).  :)  So of course I had to blog it. 



Today we went to the museum in Clarksville.  Gunner was, of course, awed by the model trains.  Here is a picture of Haley, Grace, and me in the bubble. 



And Gunner and Natalie playing with the train table they had there. 

To say we've had fun the past ten days is an understatement.  It's hard to believe tomorrow is the last day of 2011.  This year sure has flown by.  But all in all, we have been so blessed!  We hope you and your family had a great Christmas and have a very Happy New Year!!  

Gypsies

I feel like we've been a bunch of gypsies the last week because we've been traveling so much.  Before our travels began, we enjoyed a few more nights with Grandpa and Grandma Oettel.  We ventured to Patti's to see the lights, have a delicious dinner, and then see Santa.  

 I really had to eat my words. We were standing in line and I commented, "Wow, I would think they would have a better Santa." Well, boy oh boy was I about to insert my foot in my mouth. Mrs. Claus was talking to the families while the kids went to Santa's lap. As we got closer, I realized she had a microphone in her glove, feeding Santa vital information. It was priceless as the girl in front of us was at the "I'm not sure I still believe in Santa phase." Her expressions were priceless. So when it was Gunner's turn they asked the typical (name, what he wants for Christmas, ect). Well, I mentioned that his daddy was in Afghanistan so Santa brings that up to him. It was adorable. The sweetest part was after he took pictures with Gunner, he came up to me and asked how I was and told me to thank Nate for allowing him the freedom he enjoys. It was so touching! 

A few days later, we hit the road again.  This time we headed to Indy to see Gunner's BFF from California, Memphis.  It was great to see them together again.  They spent so much time together when lived in Cali.  There was no shortage of fun there. Memphis took Gunner for a cruise in his new Harley jeep (he even took Gracey for a ride later on, it was adorable).

Then the boys enjoyed some time in the bounce house, with Grace joining in on the fun too.  I was shocked as Gunner was doing foward flips!!  What a maniac. 

I only got one picture of all four kids, but it shows you just a glimpse of how much fun they were having. 

After bath time the boys snuggled up with some popcorn to watch a movie.  How cute are they?! 

We had such a great visit with Andi, Memphis, and Maggie!  The next afternoon we finished our trip up to Wisconsin to see Nate's family.  We woke up Saturday morning to a surprise.... SNOW!!  Not too much but enough that the kids were excited.  We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with my friend Karen and her little cutie Sienna.  Unfortunately, I didn't snap a single photo. :(  But it was great to see her!!  Later in the afternoon, all of Nate's family (minus his sister, who was missed greatly) gathered together and we had a wonderful time!  The kids got so many presents!  Check out Gunner's new batman costume.

Grace was a professional gift opener by the time it was over. :)

We had such a wonderful time (although we missed daddy very much!).  The food was delicious and the company was even better!  The next morning we loaded up the van again and headed back to Kentucky.  Needless to say, the kids and I were zonked by the time we made it back.  Here's a cute picture of the kids relaxing with Grandpa watching some Monster Trucks. 

The last couple days, we've just been trying to recoup from all the excitement.  The weather has been decent so we bundled up a little bit and headed out for a walk. 

Later that night, Santa was at the local sherriff's office, so we took Gunner to see him before we headed to see the lights in the park.  We got a semi-decent picture of the three of us, which is rare. 

Yesterday morning, Gunner spotted two wrapped presents under Grandma's tree.  I knew what they were so I grabbed my new video camera to record their reactions for Nate.  Unfortunately, after I video taped the adorableness of their reactions, I realized I wasn't recording at all.  :(  But, the kids received their daddy dolls (for those that don't know a daddy doll is a full size picture of Nate on one side and then cammie print on the other side).  Sorry, the picture doesn't do it justice.  As soon as Gunner opened it up he shouted with excitement "Daddy!" and Grace gave it kisses as soon as she opened hers.  It was priceless!!

Today, Gunner even brought daddy along with us to the store.  He was talking to him while I was getting Grace ready ("daddy in afghanistan for lots of days").  Tonight he bumped his head and had a little ice pack on it and then a little later was putting the ice pack on daddy's head.  So cute!  It's a great way for "daddy" to be with us all the time. 

Survived our first week

Well, we've survived our first week.  :)  Woohoo!  It was a great week as far as communication with Nate, which made it alot easier to get adjusted.  Not sure how the communication is going to be now that he's done traveling, but hopefully we'll to skype once in awhile.  I wish I had a video of the kids when they got to skype Nate.  It was priceless.  Grace just kept kissing the camera!  But we've had a pretty good week.  One of the first nights Nate was gone, we cuddled on the couch and watched my favorite Christmas movie "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". 

Gunner loved it!  Grace was bored after about 5 minutes, but that's normal for her.  :)  One day I found Grace being awfully quiet, and that can only mean one thing...trouble!  But it was adorable trouble. 

We had to run to Target one day and I always buy Gunner a matchbox car if he behaves in the store.  Well, this particular day I decided Grace deserves something too, so I found this cute little baby doll.  After I get her buckled in the car and Gunner buckled in, I realize she had found one of her pacificiers (she just plays with them she doesn't actually take one) and was giving it to the baby.  It was so cute!  The picture really doesn't do it justice. 

Then I had to chuckle at our dinners the first few nights.  It's really hard to find the motivation to cook for just me and the kids (mostly because Gunner is becoming more picky) so I just had to take a picture this night.  Gunner is eating edamame (or eda'mommy' as he calls it) and crackers with easy cheese.  What can I say?!

We decided on Saturday to venture to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Kentucky.  I don't have any pictures from the drive, it's just 13 hours of the kids buckled in, not much excitement.  I did have a picture of one time I stopped for gas and only paid $2.98...woohoo!  Since we've been at Grandma and Grandpa's, the kids have been having a ball.  Here Grace is modeling her new boots and hair band. 

Grandma was even able to get a GREAT picture of Mr. Notsophotogenic.  :)

There's never a short supply of books and cuddle time.

And yesterday while Grandma and Grandpa were at work, Gunner was playing "boat" with a laundry basket.

We ventured outside later in the afternoon, which the kids really needed some fresh air.  Here Grace is all bundled up...what a cutie?!

And Gunner loves his big wheel!

Especially when he went into Grandpa's garage to "fix it".

After dinner, we attempted to make a gingerbread house.  I think the kids ate more than they put on the house, but they had fun doing it. 

It turned out pretty darn cute!

Then more books and time for bed. 

We definitely miss daddy, but we've survived the first week pretty well.  Now if only I could get the kids to sleep past 6am....hmmm....

The Countdown Begins

So we tried to capitalize on our final day together before Nate had to deploy for the next 7 months, so Saturday night we ventured to Mike's Farm (about 45 minutes away) because we heard they had a spectacular lighted hayride.  Well, to our amazement the line was over an hour and half long!  So we forewent the hayride and just saw Santa. :)

 

 As you can see, Grace was less than thrilled...

But the best part of the trip was someone was nice enough to take  family picture for us by the Christmas tree.  Family pictures are rare for us, so I was ecstatic. 

Sunday was a somber day because we knew it was going to be sad.  But the kids had fun before daddy had to leave.  Playing with daddy's gear was an adventure for Gunner. 

And in between having to do stuff, daddy had time to play with the kids which was nice.

We were there all day, but there was a beautiful sunset we saw while we were hanging out, and we got a cute shot of us as a couple (which again rarely happens). 

Getting the kids to cooperate...different story.

Gracey fell asleep before we said goodbye to daddy, but I got one last picture of Gunner and daddy.  Gunner was exhausted and was pretty upset that daddy was going bye bye with us. :(  He just breaks my heart sometimes. 

Today has been okay so far, except for when we came back from running errands and Gunner was so excited to see daddy's truck in the driveway (thinking he was home) and I had to explain that daddy's truck is home buut daddy is gone for "lots of days" as we try to tell him.  He was so upset, but it was very heartwarming because he loves his daddy so much.  So one day down (and everyday is one day closer).  :)  I'll try to take lots of pictures as we adjust to our new "normal".  :)