Fathers Day Photo

Photo of the kids I took for a Fathers Day project we did for Tom!  I framed this and on the matting put the quote, "Some men wear suits...Our Dad wears boots."  Tom was quite suprised because I did this while he was at work, and just used his old pair of boots and a set of his uniform pants and stuffed them with newspaper :).  

Feeding Geese

Chasing us down...
Tom trying to shoo them away

Attack!

Julia helping :)

Our family was going through a particularly stressful time about the beginning of December, so we decided we needed a little joy in our lives. We went to the next town over to feed the geese, but didn't realize how aggressive they are! They were literally following our car through the parking lot, and then ran us down as soon as we got out of the car. Since I had the camera, and Tom had all the bread, they left me alone, but surrounded Tom and Julia. Tom was focused on getting rid of the bread as fast as he could, Julia was panicking, and I was cracking up laughing! It's a miracle any of the photos turned out, since I was laughing so hard, but we all needed just those few minutes of fun. We've been back once since then, but just threw bread out the car window so Julia wouldn't get as upset.

Thanksgiving

Tom carving the deep fried turkey
Julia having fun with Gramps!

Visiting the St. Louis Arch

At the top of the Arch

Saying goodbye to Patrick and Jordan at the airport

For Thanksgiving, Tom's family was able to come out and spend a few days with us. We mostly relaxed at home, watched the civil war game (unfortunately the Beavers lost!!), and were able to tour the St. Louis Arch.

Halloween

Going through the loot!
Trick-or-treating pros!

Ready to go out!

I'm again, trying to catch up with everything, so here are some photos from Halloween! Tom actually had to work that night, so Julia and I had dinner with our neighbors and then went out for some trick-or-treating. I got Julia a strawberry costume, but couldn't convince her to put it on. She had no problem dressing up as a princess though! Her and her friend had lots of fun, and she is actually still talking about the time she got candy in her basket and "ate it all". She really only had a couple pieces and then Mommy and Daddy helped get rid of the rest.

Knitting

My first complete knitting projects! I started knitting these before we found out we're having a baby boy, and I have one purple baby bootie knitted, but I'll complete the pair in case we find out we know anyone expecting a baby girl. Once I got the basic stitiches down, I felt it was actually pretty easy. I've really taken a break from sewing for some reason, but I'll probably get back into it at least after the holidays. I have a few things I want to make:

• Baby doll quilt for Julia (part of her "big sister" gift)


• Pants, maybe 2 pairs for baby boy


• Minky blanket for baby boy (like the one I did for Julia)


• Crib skirt for baby boy (with, hopefully, leftover fabric from the quilt my mom is making him!)


• Simple burp cloths


• Knit another hat and another pair of booties (probably to match what I already made...)

Catch Up

I've decided to continue blogging (after taking a rest for quite a few months), not just to keep everyone up to date, but I also really enjoy looking back and seeing how much our family is growing and changing. Here are some highlights from the summer and fall...

• Took a family mini-vacation to Branson, MO

• Gramma and Papa came out for a visit!

• We found out we're expecting a baby boy around March 20th of next year!


• We celebrated Tom's 27th birthday!

• We've decided that I'll separate from the Air Force right after the baby is born, so I can be a stay at home mom. This has been something Tom and I have been discussing over the last couple of years, and it feels like the right time now. The only reason for me to stay in is money, which we've decided is not important enough to sacrifice the quality of family life that we truly desire. We have many family goals that are just not possible with both of us being in the military. I'm looking forward to being able to stay home and enjoy our children, and am so thankful for Tom being so supportive of this for us!!

Helping Daddy Make a Bean Bag Toss (or "Corn Hole" if you're from the midwest...)