Hard Not to Count

Tonight, Grace asked me how many more days until her dad came home. I told her that I wasn't exactly sure what day and because it can still change, I couldn't tell her. She looked at me and said "It's hard not to count." Boy, don't I know it!! Jasen knows it, too. We've been emailing and he's doing okay. It's just hard watching the clock tick away! If it's hard on me and Grace, I KNOW it's hard on Jasen.

I spent all afternoon yesterday filling goodie bags of snacks for our soldiers. Next Saturday, we'll go up and make up all the rooms. It's so exciting!!!

Grace went with her friend, Lena, today to a play place in Manhattan. Evidently, it's mostly an arcade. Grace had a great time, of course. I really like Lena and her mom, Michelle. They are from South Carolina, too, so Michelle and I have discussed getting the girls together whenever they are there visiting. They've invited Grace to spend the night next Friday. We'll see how she behaves this week. She had two green cards (the first step of discipline at her school) this week, which I think was mainly due to coming back from spring break. It's got to be hard to settle back into it all. She still had consequences here at home, though. Let's hope that doesn't happen this week!

Davis is doing well. We've got highs and lows. He's really into hugs and kisses these days. When he's in a loving mood, I can't get enough!! And neither can Grace. Anyway, then we have our downtimes, where he throws himself on the floor and kicks and screams. So special. I keep telling myself "Jasen is almost here, Jasen is almost here!" I hope it makes as big a difference as I think it will! More than anything, I just want Jasen here to observe how I am handling Davis and give me ideas and input. I don't want Jasen to come home and have to be the disciplinarian right away. There's plenty of time for that. But I need help with Davis and I know Jasen's going to be a huge help with him.

Oh, one other thing Davis was doing today. He loves to do something, get your attention, then act like he doesn't know you are watching. Lately, it's involved him closing his eyes. Today, he closed his eyes while he was walking out the kitchen and had a huge smile on his face, then bumped into right smack into the wall! He turned around to look at me, eyes still closed, and started to whine. But he wasn't going to open those eyes for anything!

Karnes Visit

While we were in Texas, we took a day and went to spend time with the Karnes' in Tolar. Landry, Braden, and Grace played so well together. I don't know that I checked on them almost the whole day! Davis was not on his best behavior. He was especially fussy when we got there. I took him into Jen and Jason's bedroom and told him he had to stay there until he was ready to be nice. Well, after a few minutes, he kicked the door or the wall...I can't remember which. So the physical punishment began. After a few more minutes, he did it again. I don't know how many spankings he got, but it was quite a few.

Finally, Jason had to go in their bedroom to get something. He took that opportunity to talk to Davis and reminded Davis that all he had to do was quit crying and he could come out. After that man-to-man talk, Davis decided to come out. He was pretty good the rest of the day. Oh, except for that time that he scratched Landry's arm on purpose while they were watching "Lion King." Ugh!!

We were also able to meet baby Tripp, the third Karnes baby. He is so precious and SKINNY!! Oh man, he was just so long and lean. He's precious and looks quite a bit like Braden.

As always, we had a great time visiting with them. They are so special to us. All of the Grahams are fond of all of the Karnes and I think the feelings are mutual. We're all friends and that's really neat.

Jasen is doing okay. We're getting so close to him coming home! He has moved out of his regular room, which means we can't webcam/IM with him. It's hard going from that back to only one email during the day. But we're surviving. Knowing it's not long until he comes home makes it all better!

Egg Decorating/Final Webcam

Here is a picture of the kids decorating their Easter eggs with Grandmama. They had a great time. Davis thought you were supposed to use your hands, so he ended up with a white egg "coloring" in water. He thought the water was colored because we put it in a pink cup and he couldn't tell. Then, he started using a spoon to drink that clear water. Let's hope he doesn't remember that next year when we color eggs!!

We went to see the movie today and the kids enjoyed it. By the end, Davis was done watching. He was tired of sitting still. Grace's favorite part was when it snowed in Whoville during the summer, then the snow all melted. It was a good movie.

Here's a picture of our last webcam session with Jasen. Yes, he's losing his room, computer and Internet. Can you believe it's that close to time for him to come home??? They'll be moving into tents in the next week, giving their rooms to the unit that is replacing them. If you notice in the picture, Davis was passed out on the couch when we started talking to Jasen. Davis was just almost asleep when we got home from the movie, then fell asleep on my shoulder when we came inside. I laid him down on the couch when we got inside, then let Jasen see him from Iraq!

I'm Back!

Sorry it's been awhile!!! I didn't realize how long it had been until a couple of people told me it'd been since March 7th. Oops! Funny, I didn't think it'd been that long. Sorry!

We returned yesterday from our trip to Texas. It was a busy time, as usual. But it was great to get away from Fort Riley for just a little bit before Jasen returns. Woohoo!! He's coming home!!!

Anyway, we had a great time in TX. We got in a really good visit with our Thomas family, our Graham and Gee families, the Kilcoynes, Aunt Angie, and the Karnes'. The only ones missing were the Graves, who were busy enjoying themselves on a ski trip to Tahoe, and my grandma. We did have a great time. As always, we were burning up the road, going here and there. Oh, and there were illnesses, too, with Grace battling fever, Davis coming down with strep throat, and I had a funky tummy thing. But we got better and were able to enjoy our time.

My mom came home with us. It was nice to have extra hands on the trip up. Of course, I had to be reminded that she could help me! When you are used to doing it all by yourself, it's hard to remember that another adult is there to help! Anyway, we had an uneventful trip home, which is always good. We've got a full day today. We're going to see "Horton Hears a Who" today with my friend, Amber, and her son, Kyle. Then we're going to webcam with Jasen. We also need to decorate eggs at some point!!

I'll post pictures soon with more info on our visit!!

Less Than 7 Weeks

Yep, we are down to less than seven weeks until Jasen comes home. I can't believe it's almost time. Today, I went to Sam's Club on an FRG outing; we purchased over $600 worth of goodies for the single soldier's rooms. We filled one flat cart and one huge shopping cart with stuff. It was great! It was awesome to get all that stuff and know that our soldiers would come home to rooms with sheets on the beds and snacks to eat.

We also had our "redeployment" brief last night. They gave us things to be aware of when our soldiers come home. I would have really benefited from the information before Jasen's last redeployment, but it's always good to have a reminder. I just can't wait!

The kids are doing well. So much of what I could say about them would be repetitive. When Davis is good, he's really good. When Davis is bad, he's really bad. Today, he took off from me at Grace's school with me yelling for him to stop. He knew what he should have done and chose not to. So he suffered the consequence right there in front of God and everyone at the school. I was (and am) prepared to be confronted by someone who saw us, but no one said anything. He can't do that and I've got ingrain that in his mind like I did like with Grace.

Grace continues to do well with reading. Her class is preparing for their big music concert the first week of April. So everyday, she MUST practice her songs. It's too funny. She took some money that her Granny sent her and purchased a new Webkinz toy. She wanted the bulldog and insisted on naming it, wait for it....Jasen! Too funny!

We are all just anxious for the next few weeks to go by. We'll head to Texas next Friday morning and stay until the following Thursday or Friday. It's going to be a quick trip and we'll be exhausted by the end of it, but it will be all worth it if it provides a week's worth of distraction from our impending reunion with our soldier!

Yikes!

Yesterday, when Jasen and I were instant messaging, something came up about our move date. For some reason, I was under the impression that Jasen's report date to The Citadel was 1AUG. I was wrong! His report date is actually 1JUL!!! Talk about a shock. Of course, Jasen was surprised that I didn't know that. I know he's told me and I don't know what I was thinking.

The date change doesn't change anything for me, really, but it's just a real awakening that our Kansas experience is fast approaching it's end. I really can't believe it.

Book-Eating Child

Kind of like a flesh-eating bacteria, Davis has turned into a book-eating child. Oh, I am so mad at him. For the second time in a week, I've had to dispose of a board book that was perfectly good when I gave it to him at bed/nap time. For the second time in a week, he has EATEN the darn thing to the point the spine is destroyed. ugh!! Don't worry, I've learned my lesson and I promise not to give him anymore of them!

Grace is enjoying her first ever sleepover! Her friend, Lena, is here to spend the night. Grace spent the night at Lena's a few weeks ago and it was time for us to return the favor. Lena has been here since before lunch and there have been NO problems. Yea!! Lena will be here until after lunch tomorrow.

We had pretty weather today. Despite the fact Davis has been a little sick (fever and cough) we went out and spent the better part of the afternoon outside. It was great. And tomorrow it's supposed to be over 60 degrees. Yippee!!

Graham Family Singers

Davis has turned into quite a singer. In the car, as I am singing at the top of my lungs, he has started doing it, too. He's just kind of mumbling, but with a tune and it's precious. Lately, at bedtime, he asks for "Bible" which would be "Jesus Loves Me" and then he requests "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" either by saying "BBB" which is "up above the world so high..." or doing his hands like a little twinkling star. Again, precious.

Today, I sang the offeratory at church. On those Sundays, Grace goes to Sunday school, then comes to big church with me so she can watch me sing. She sits in the pew with our friend, Robert, while I go up front. I always look at her while I sing and today, she was mouthing the words right along with me. I know she doesn't know all the words (the song is "In Christ Alone"), but she definitely knows the tune because she's heard me sing it a few hundred times! Anyway, she's my biggest fan and it's awesome to see her singing along to songs that have so much meaning.

Anyway, when I sat back down, Robert was in stitches. He said when I finished up, Grace looked at him very matter-of-factly and said "Now that's what I'm talking about!" That's my girl!!

Tonight at bedtime, during her prayer, Grace thanked God again that we were going to Charleston. She knows it's near the beach so she is quite excited about it. Then after she thanked Him she asked Him to please keep her head from popping because she was so excited to live there!

Jasen and I need to ask for that protection, too. I purchased a couple of books on Charleston and they got me all excited! We're making plans for our trip out there, without the kids, which for me is HUGE! I am so thrilled. I just wish we could afford to stay at one of the "cool" places for the whole 5 days we'll be there. But our pocketbook won't allow for that kind of extravagance!

Naked Boy!

When I went in to check on Davis last night, imagine my surprise to find him buck naked in bed!! I wish I had taken a picture. He was all curled up on his tummy, legs tucked in, hiney in the air. What a sight! Thankfully, he hadn't peed on anything yet! I talked to him and told him I was going to roll him over to get him dressed again. He nodded in agreement, then was asleep the rest of the time while I wrestled with his dead weight! I will say this for the boy: he's good with those one-piece, zippered pajamas! I think we'll be moving on from those!

Grace is at school. Today was crazy hat day and she wore her furry pink one that we purchased at the circus last year. She was all concerned about whether I thought it was crazy enough. Somehow, my telling her that I would never wear it didn't give her much hope for craziness at the kindergarten level. She continues to amaze me with her reading skills. And she's learned to tell time and is doing well with her addition homework. Our girl is nearly grown!

For the past two days, I have spent a lot of time on the internet, looking at rental houses in Charleston and checking into the schools there. Unless we hear something different from people at the Citadel, I have narrowed down where I would like to live to two places: West Ashley (still a part of Charleston) or Mount Pleasant. Both map at out at less than 30 minutes for Jasen to make it into work, which is a priority to him. If he agrees to a longer commute, I'll expand my school/house search a little further. As with anywhere, we can get more house for the money the further out we go. But Jasen and I have to discuss that first.

Oh, I have to tell you about the precious gift I received yesterday. Jasen is quite close to his chaplain, Greg Thogmartin. I have met him and his wife a couple of times and wished I could spend more time with her. Sadly, for me, she homeschools their seven children (!!) so she has little time for social activities! Anyway, her parent's church in McPherson, KS, wants to help us out with welcoming home our soldiers so Julie came by yesterday to talk with me about it. One of the ways her parent's church has helped during this deployment was to send pillows to Greg to distribute to the soldiers over there. I can't remember how many they have sent during the deployment, but it's around 300.

Julie told me when she got here that she had something for me. She took out a quilt she made, along with their oldest daughter, Allison. It was made from the scraps from the pillows that her parents' church made. She said she made three of them and knew who she wanted to give two of them to, but wasn't sure about the third. I saw her and Greg when he was home on R&R at the commissary and she said that then, God told her that I needed the third one.

I cannot tell you how much this gift means to me. I cried and cried when she gave it to me, especially when she told me the squares were from the pillows that were given to the soldiers. She said she wanted me to think about this time "in the desert" when I look at it and to remember how much I did to support the soldiers and their families. I just cried because I told her I hadn't done enough to deserve such a precious gift. She told me that, at the very least, I had sent at least that many emails in the time our soldiers had been gone. I couldn't argue with that!

Obviously, Julie has a generous heart. I am blessed that she chose me to share something with! Again, I can't describe what this quilt means to me!

Runnin'

We're runnin' around here, always runnin'. Well, maybe we're not all runnin' but I am definitely runnin'. Today, I ran from the bed to the shower. Then from the bathroom to Davis' room. Then from Davis' room to Grace's room. Then ran from upstairs to the kitchen. Then from the kitchen to the various places in the house to get the kids ready. Then we ran from here to school. Then Davis and I ran from school to home. At that point, I sat for 10 minutes, while I waited for Jayme to come watch Davis.

Then I ran from home to the chapel for PWOC, toting two casseroles share with the ladies there. I won't document where I ran in the chapel! I had to leave PWOC in the middle, so I could run my computer to the "shop" before I ran to get a massage. Then I ran from my massage (no time for relaxation, I tell you!) back to the computer shop. Then I ran from the computer shop to the gas station, from the gas station to home, from home to Grace's school.

Then we ran from the house to the playground with Amber and Kyle. Then we ran home to eat dinner. We sat for 30 minutes for dinner, then it was time to pick up toys, and run upstairs for bath and bed! I ran downstairs about thirty minutes ago to SIT!!! I am tired of running.

Grace is doing so well with her reading. Really, I am amazed every night we read our bedtime stories. She still loves school, loves every part of it. She is also very fond of a little boy, Peyton, from her class. I don't like it, but try not to say too much about it!! He's just always been very special to her. When I told Grace's teacher about Grace's crush on Peyton, Mrs. Balaban/Katy (whose husband is in Jasen's unit) told me that Grace couldn't like Peyton, because Langston, the bona fide SWEETEST little boy in the world, loves her. Every one recognizes Langston's sweetness and his fondness for Grace. It's really sweet.

Davis is precious and awful, all at once. His tantrums come fast and furious, then he wants kisses on whatever part of his body I've had to spank because he won't listen to me. If anything happens to him, ANYTHING, he perceives as a hurtful thing, he cries until I kiss it. I am afraid that Jasen will come home and decide I've created a little wuss! This boy needs his dad!

Wake up call

I woke up to two surprises today, one funny, the other not quite so good. First, Davis woke up pretty early (6:30) and was quite unhappy. Because I usually let him lay in there for awhile, I didn't go in there until about 7. Imagine my surprise when I opened his door to find him completely naked in his crib!!!! He was especially unhappy about the two wet spots that almost completely covered the sleeping area of his crib. His diaper and pajamas were laying on the floor next to the rest of his crib inhabitants (he now sleeps with 4+ animals, one blanket, and at least one book) and he was none to happy about it. Too funny!

After I got him cleaned up, Grace woke up with a fever and badly sore throat. I could tell it was hurting her because she was talking funny and her breath stunk to high heaven. It ruined the fun day we had planned. Grace and I were going to Topeka alone today to have a date. Alas, I had to call that off. But now that she's feeling better, and the weather has cleared, I wish I hadn't cancelled the sitter. Truly, Grace seems much better. Isn't that the way it always works?

I woke up with an "iffy" stomach today, too. Fun times.

I did manage to take off the front part of Davis' crib, turning it into a toddler bed. The other day, he played in his crib alone for almost an hour. I figured if he wanted to play in it, he should have the option of just going to it and getting in. So I am sure his next few sleep periods will have to be monitored to make sure he stays in bed!

Been Awhile

It's been so long since I last blogged that I had to look back at the last time I blogged to see what I had written. A lot has happened since then, but much of it has been of little or no real value or consequence, except for one or two things!

Jasen was promoted to major last week! It was very exciting and I will tell you that we both were anxious about it all week long! That week was very good for Jasen. He met Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn (country duo) and got to talk about Stephenville and when Brooks and Dunn came to play at Tarleton when Jasen was a student. Then Kix and the songwriter who was also on the tour played in the dining facility. Jasen said it was very emotional for him; the songs really took him back home to Texas, in his mind. I was glad to hear that Jasen is still in touch with his emotions even in a crazy environment such as war!

Anyway, that happened on a Monday, then Jasen had the long wait until his promotion on Friday, February 1. There is a DVD full of pictures and the actual ceremony itself on it's way to me and once I get it, I will find a way to post the majority of it. Evidently, COL Gibbs and CSM Champagne played a prank on Jasen at the beginning of the ceremony. That's notable because they aren't known as big kidders. Generally, they are known as mean guys who boss everyone around! But it shows their like for Jasen that they would have some fun with him. Jasen said there almost 100 people in attendance. Jasen said some really nice things about the people who have shaped his career and I am excited to see what all he said!

Since that time, Jasen and I have both been adjusting to the idea of him as a major. Jasen said he looks down at the rank on his chest and thinks "Am I really this respected, this old??" He's had an easy time calling some majors by their first name, a harder time with others, guys he really respects. He's even called himself CPT Graham! I remember when we were first married, major's wives seemed so mature and put together. The majority of them had three kids, with at least one in the upper levels of elementary school. They all seemed so seasoned. Now, I've joined their ranks. It's strange to think that there might be some lieutenants wives who look at me in that way! It makes me want to seem put together, even though I know I am not!

Last weekend was great. I went to a celebratory dinner with Nolly, who was celebrating learning that COL Gibbs will be the chief of staff for 1ID, which means they will stay here for their son to graduate and she'll be able to finish her master's. I was celebrating Jasen's promotion in the only way I know how: good food, good wine, and good company!! We had something else to celebrate: a lot of great press on Jasen's previous commander, LTC Greg Gadson.

As most of you know, he has been somewhat of an emotional leader for the New York Giants this year. He was invited to speak to them way back in week 3, when things weren't going so well for them, by a former West Point teammate of Greg's who is now a coach with the Giants. Since that time, the Giants have done very well and credited Greg's story with a lot of their success. Greg was named an honorary captain for their team the last two games, including the Super Bowl.

Due to the Super Bowl, Greg was on a lot of channels, including Fox News, CNN, ESPN, and was named ABCNews' person of the week on Feb. 1st. I was able to TiVO most of what he was on and cried a lot. It brought back a lot of anxiety, but a lot of faith. Greg is doing well and through his injuries and association with the Giants, he's been able to show the world his positive attitude. He is an amazing person with an amazing ability to motivate. We love him dearly and are so excited for him and the Giants. He's probably going to get a Super Bowl ring.

So I guess although I said not much of consequence has happened, the two things with consequence were big. I'll try not to wait so long between blogs!

He Might Be Sick....

...but Davis still knows what he likes! Last night, as I held him on my shoulder in the rocking chair while his fever was on the way up, I was reading to Grace out of one of her books. He was absolutely pitiful. However, at the mention of ice cream, he popped that little head up, smiled wide and said "ICE CREAM!" When he figured out we were just discussing the tasty treat, his head went back down to my shoulder!

Isn't it funny how little kids are when they are sick? My kids are like most, I suspect; they want so badly to be held, then discover it doesn't make them feel better and they get angry. Davis' fever got pretty high last night and I could hear his stomach churning. He never threw up, thankfully, but did continue to cough. He and I were up from about 2 until 3:30 this morning. Yep, naptime will come early today and for both of us!

When Davis wasn't feeling well before bed last night, Grace decided he'd probably be too sick to take her to school this morning. That meant she would get to ride with the cool, older girls who live two doors down. Kyla and Hailey are in the 5th and 3rd grade and their mom, Cheryl, has offered to take Grace to school for me anytime. Grace loves to go with them and it's so funny. Yesterday, we were outside for awhile and the older girls asked Grace if she'd like to come down and play hopscotch. Our girl was grinning from ear to ear as she ran off to play at their house.

It was a pretty day here yesterday. Temps were in the 50s, but the wind was chilly so you had to stay in the sun. But you better believe we were out there enjoying it!! Today is supposed to be even nicer, with highs in the 60s, but surprise, surprise, lots of wind! Tomorrow, we're supposed to be back to the 30s. Oh joy!

Mother/Daughter Date

Yesterday, Grace and I went on a little date. Her friend, Jake, had his birthday party at the Fort Leavenworth Bowling Center. We were going to go as a family, but sometime during the week, I thought about how hard it would be to control Davis at a bowling alley, during nap time. So I decided to take Grace by herself.

We had a great time on the drive up, with Grace reading to me and dancing to her Hannah Montana dance DVD. I was able to help her bowl, too, which was good. She was a little intimidated by all of Jake's friends from school, but still had a good time. On the way home, we stopped in Topeka at Steak'n'Shake and sat together on the same side of the booth. That was a special treat for Grace who is generally mad whenever we eat out because she can't sit with me because Davis has to. It was a really good day.

I felt guilty about leaving Davis, of course. I talked to Jasen about it on Friday and asked him what he thought about the situation. He asked me the last time Grace and I did anything fun, just the two of us. All I could think of was last February (yes, almost a year ago) when we had an FRG meeting at the bowling alley here on Fort Riley! That's too long. Then I remembered we did do something fun last June, when we were in Colorado. Yep, that's still too long ago!

Davis is running a fever today so we won't be going to church. He's developed a nasty cough and I am hoping he gets over it quick.

Jasen is doing well. We web-cammed with him on Friday, which was great. We hadn't done that in at least two weeks, but it felt like forever. He had been to the St. Barb's celebration with 2-32FA, his old unit, and said it was great to be with them. He' promote on Friday and I know we're all looking forward to it. Isn't it amazing to look back at where someone came from and see where they are? He's such a good husband, father, soldier, and officer. I am so proud of him!! They are supposed to be videoing his promotion and I'll try to figure out a way for you all to see it!

It's Cold Out There!

Really, it's freezing out there. I thought last week was cold, but the coldest wind chill we had last week was 3 below. This morning, I woke up to find the temperature at 5 below and the wind chill at 15 below. A lady today at our PWOC meeting said she was going to Fort Richardson, Alaska. We all gasped and she said "Don't worry; yesterday it was warmer there than it was here in Kansas!" Can you imagine??

We're all doing well. Grace is doing really well with reading. We've started her "Early Reader's Bible" and she's reading most of it. It's great!!

Davis is doing okay. We've got some discipline issues with him. I am trying to be firm, but it's hard. I'm tired! But I know I've got to get tough on him. I will say this, though, when he gets put on the "naughty stair" he does stay there, instead of following me away.

We've got a new toy here at the Graham house. Like Grace's favorite book heroine, Junie B., would say "It's called TiVO!" Oh man, it's great. Now, I don't have to worry about our DVD recorder not recording whatever I've programmed it to record!

We're less than four months away from Jasen coming home; less than 100 days!! I can't believe it! We're beginning to discuss redeployment ceremonies, fixing up barracks for single soldiers, etc. It's so exciting!!

Davis becomes a big boy

Okay, Davis has decided to be a big boy and send his pacifier to the moon tonight attached to the Mickey Mouse balloon that he had on his birthday. I have already snipped the end off of his favorite one, the one he sleeps with, so that we can say it's broken and needs to be sent to the moon. I've also found all of our backups and put them in the trash so there is no turning back for me! I know this sounds simple, but we're talking about a kid that cries in the middle of the night, even now, if he doesn't have his paci or can't find it in his bed. So we're going to have some tough bed/nap times in the next few days...

Well, we were going to wait for Grace this afternoon, but we got home and Davis kept talking about it so I thought, well, if he's ready....

I attach the paci to the balloon. Davis goes to put it in his mouth and realizes it's "broken." He starts bawling, throws himself on the ground. I point out we are sending the paci to the moon with Mickey because it's broken. He doesn't stop crying until I ask him if he's ready to go outside to send paci off. He says yes. We get out there and the wind is blowing, so I think "Great, this balloon will take off and be GONE!" Davis has other ideas as to why we are outside and runs to the playhouse next door. Keep in mind, neither of us has coats on, it's 40 degrees and the wind is blowing like 30 mph. He refuses to hold the balloon, so I say I'll just release it after he supplies the countdown.

Countdown ends, I let go of the balloon, it blows straight across the GROUND and into the little tree next door. Yikes!! Not a part of the plan. I grab the paci, try to throw it up in the air. It stays airborne for about 5 seconds, long enough to barely go over the fence two houses down and disappear around the corner of the house (still on the ground, mind you!) and onto their porch. I just go with it and say "Paci's gone to the moon with Mickey!" and force Davis inside the house.

Birthday bonanza

Whew. We had the party...and thank heaven, it's over! We had a nice time. 5 little boys, all under the age of three, and four little girls over the age of 4. Yes it was crazy, but the kids had fun. We had Mickey Mouse ears (no one wanted to wear them!), a Mickey and Minnie cake, snacks, and lots of balloons! Really low maintenance party: I just put toys in the middle of the living room floor and let them go after it!

Everyone was here at 4:30 and gone by 6. My kids were in bed by 7. It's been a long busy day.

I still can't believe Davis is 2.

Birthday Boy!

It's hard to believe that two years ago today, our little man, Davis Henry, was born! He was born late at night, after an all day induction, and didn't make too much noise when he was born. They worked to get him breathing right for a few minutes, while I was blissfully unaware, just pleased to have our guy on this earth! Jasen later told me that it was a little tense.

From that day, Davis has been the sweetest boy. Not to say he doesn't have his moments (and they are getting closer together!), but I do not believe there is a sweeter kid. Davis loves his mommy, his daddy, and his sister with all his heart, as evidenced by the kisses and hugs we receive. Much to his momma's delight, Davis is quite affectionate and we love it!!

We've already celebrated as a partial family, with Grace leading the way on opening gifts. Davis was a sleepy-head this morning, so Grace was quite anxious! Davis loves his Mickey Mouse stuffed animal, his musical guitar from the Graves', and his wooden-type toys from Grandmama. But I am pretty sure his favorite toy is the train/car table. He hasn't even asked to watch Mickey this morning because he's been so busy playing.

This afternoon, we'll have a small-ish party for Davis with some of our closest friends. It's a Mickey party, so it should be fun. I'll post pics soon of the party. Until then, here are some from our celebration this morning!

Few Pics

As promised, here are some pictures of the kids from Christmas. Oh, and I snuck one of myself in, too!

One more thing, Grace is really getting the hang of reading! It is so exciting and night before last, she read almost all of her Bible story before bed. We were both kind of bouncing on her bed, thrilled with her progress. We were high-fiving and Grace said "I have to tell Balaban!" meaning her teacher, Mrs. Balaban. I got tickled at the way she said it. Grace is eagerly anticipating a visit from Mrs. Balaban's husband, who just happens to work for Jasen downrange. He's on his R&R and told Jasen (and Mrs. Balaban!) that he'd go to school with her while he was home.

Home Sweet Home

That title applies to Texas and the house we occupy here at Fort Riley, Kansas! We have returned to our house here on the prairie after a fabulous trip to Texas. It was as fast and furious as any trip we've taken down there, but we had a great time. Truly, it was one of the best trips I've taken home.

We made both of the trips in one day. The night before we left Kansas, Grace came in at 1:30 and 5:15. AM to see when we would be leaving. She was SO ready to go! We left here about 6:30 AM that morning and made it to Texas by 3:30 PM. When we left Texas, we left about 7:15 AM and arrived at our house, after a stop at Wal-Mart (won't do that again!!) at 4:30. Not bad! We got behind some rabbits both ways!

After we arrived in Texas, we hit the ground running, of course! We had people to see! The first few days, we spent a lot of time at my dad's, because Amy and her family and Katie and her hubby were there. My dad hosted a gathering with his brothers and their families, too, so we saw a lot of Thomases. My dad's cousin also hosted an "Old Time Christmas" my great-grandparents house the night before Christmas Eve. It was awesome because I was able to take my kids to the house that I spent many a Christmas Eve at when I was little. Lots of food, lots of family, lots of memories!

Christmas Eve day, we headed to Breckenridge. We stopped to see the Grahams first. Jasen's grandmother was in the hospital then fighting cellulitis. She was sitting up when we went to see her. We were able to give them their calendar and show them video of Jasen on Regis and Kelly. We always enjoy our time with them.

Then we headed to the Gees house. The kids had a great time, riding on Papaw's chair, in the motor home and going up in the tree house. Their house has a lot of fun things to do. I got to meet Jasen's cousin's fiancee. Dustin, Jasen's cousin, will always be 12 to me so it's hard to imagine he's getting married!!! Where does the time go?? We had our big Christmas celebration at their house, where Grace got "Black/Orange" a stuffed tiger from Isaac and Kelly that she LOVES! I couldn't look at it the same, however, after the tiger attack at the San Fran. zoo!

We came back to the 'ville after that to stay at my dad's house. My sister, Angie, met us there and it was good to visit with her. The kids went to sleep and were anxious about Santa. Grace was up at 5 AM, but I made her go back to sleep! Finally, at 7, I agreed we could get up!

The kids were thrilled that Santa had found us at Grandad's house! Grace got her much asked for Leapster video game and Moon Sand. Davis didn't seem that interested in anything he got this Christmas. It might be because he was sick almost the whole time we were down there. I ended up having to take him to the doctor and discovered he had bronchitis. After one day of antibiotics, he was like a different baby! Davis did get a Cowboys outfit, complete with helmet from his daddy. That gets my vote for favorite present!

About lunch time, we went to my mom's where my grandma met us there. At that celebration, we received a lot of gift cards. Yea! Oh, and some really noisy presents that are really annoying! Won't say who did that to us! Then we had a fabulous dinner (pork tenderloin) and just relaxed for the next couple of days. It was good to have some down time with my mom and grandma. My friend, Emily, also came by to visit with her mom. It was great to talk to her, just to chill out together.

Grace went with her grandad out to his land near Proctor to ride in the golf cart and play around. Both the kids love to go see their male family members. They play a special role in the kids' lives. Not that the women aren't important, both those men sure do give the kids some good attention. And they need that.

On the 29th, my mom kept the kids for me so I could go to the A&M basketball game in College Station. I went with our friends, Jennifer and Jason Karnes. We had a great time on the way down and back. I wish we could spend more time together, even if it's just in the car! We went and took my baby sister, Angie, to lunch, too. It was neat and weird to see Angie in her college atmosphere. Her apartment is nice, but none of her roomies were there to meet. Angie's gotten herself a job and seems to be doing well.

The last day in S'ville, we spent some time with our cousins, Tab and Debbie Thompson, and their kids, Daniel, Kayla, Patrick and Reagan. THAT was a great time! The Thompsons have always been special to me; they were family right there in town with us. Then their kids, who just happened to be quadruplets, were born and that was awesome. I was related to the local celebrities! I can remember being thrilled whenever Debbie would call our house to see if we'd like to come help one day with the kids. It was a blast! Then I got to babysit them, when we were all a little older, and that was awesome, too. I never felt right about taking their money!

As if that weren't enough, I worked for Tab and Debbie at their oil change for almost 2 years. And they hosted mine and Jasen's wedding reception at their house. So to say they are family, is an understatement. They are just special, special people. Their kids are sophomores now at Texas A&M, just like Angie, and doing really well. I don't think there are six nicer people on this earth.

Anyway, I went over for them to see the kids for an hour or so and ended up staying more than 3 hours. That's how it is when I am with them! I could just sit and visit with them all day long. It also helped that the Thompsons were very impressed with Grace and Davis. That always helps!

I'll be posting pictures very soon, let's hope. Again, it was great trip. It's good to be home, though.