Man On the Move

My sweet boy will be 15 months old on Thursday. It is so hard to believe!

He is definitely a man on the move - the only time he's still is when he's asleep. You'd think he'd be still when he's eating, but he's usually dancing while he eats. (Ghetto!) (Love it!)

Here are some shots of what Dawson is up to these days:
Bonding with his cuz...
Helping Mommy clean...
Helping Mommy put his clothes away...
Reaching for a cold one...
Feeding his doll...


He cracks me up more and more every day with the funny things he does and tries to do.

Not pictured is the instance when he decided that the toilet was really a huge pot of soup and stirred it with one of my serving spoons.

That spoon is still sitting in a pool of bleach.

A Hero's Welcome

He's baa-aack!

Jason came home from Afghanistan yesterday - he arrived around 9 last night at Fort Campbell. We are so happy he's home!

Jason knew, of course, that Krystal and Zoey would be there to greet him, but he didn't know that the rest of the family would be there, too.

Even though it stormed and rained buckets, we had a great time waiting for him and being there to hug him when he arrived.

We drove to Clarksville and dropped off some very important items at Krystal and Jason's new house (balloons, German chocolate cake, Krispy Kreme doughnuts), and then followed Krystal onto the base where we waited to catch a shuttle to the hangar where J's plane would land.


It got pretty windy and a little chilly, so Zoey borrowed her mama's hat to keep her little head warm while we waited for the bus.

I think it could've been snowing and we would not have cared.

In addition to our family, Krystal's mom and step-dad were also there to welcome Jason home. We all loaded the bus together and headed to the airstrip.

The emblem of Jason's unit is the spade, so Zoey just had to have one of her own to hold!

In addition to the signs, there was a live musician and refreshments while we waited in the hangar. We were there for about two hours, so we had fun socializing and people-watching.

I think those signs say it all.

I hadn't realized how huge Fort Campbell was - it's a city unto itself. There were about 300 soldiers that returned with Jason for this tour alone.

Anxiously waiting....ok, so maybe Zoey wasn't that anxious. She was, however, quite the attention-grabber as a reporter from the Leaf-Chronicle took her picture with her Gran and asked who they were welcoming. She's such a little celeb!

As we were waiting, we were given updates as to how far out the plane was...one hour, 45 minutes, 30 minutes - and then we finally got permission to go out onto the airstrip to see this! You should have heard the cheers when the plane door opened.

It was so dark and wet that it was hard to see, but my dad and Brandon managed to spot J and yell at him as he was walking past us. He was surprised! All the soldiers dropped their gear outside and then got into formation and waited for us to get back into the hangar for the welcoming ceremony.

When those huge doors slid open and they marched into the hangar to a collective cheer, there was not a dry eye, quiet mouth or idle hand in the room.
After a very brief welcome speech, we were told to "go find your soldier."

We did.

There is no place like home...

...no place at all.
I have a feeling this will be happening a lot over the next few days.

Hugs all around...

...and even more smiles. It struck me how, for about 5 or 6 minutes, none of us said anything at all. We just stood there and smiled until our faces hurt.

It's the little things that make you realize how much you love someone.

Sheer joy.

"Yo...I know you. Come here and let me eat your nose."

We love you, J...WELCOME HOME!!!

Happiness is...

A family who loves each other and helps each other, no matter what...

...a much-needed nap during the big move into Krystal and Jason's new house in Clarksville...

...the simplicity of an empty box...

...a walk during a beautiful spring day...

...gorgeous spring flowers that make you smile when you look at them...

...white chocolate and orange Hershey's kisses snuggled in the middle of a sugar cookie...

...being tickled until you can't breathe and start drooling...

...discovering God's amazing world.


What makes you happy?

Workin' 9 to 5

We are very fortunate (especially in this day and time) that David's job is stable and also flexible. Every now and then, Dawson and I will make the quick trip to his office in Nashville to surprise him for lunch. Dawson loves visiting and has a blast playing!
"Ahh...yeah. I could get used to this. Where did that little girl go with the coffee?"
"Let's see...that spreadsheet looks good...you might need to work on the numbers a little bit more..."
"Hold on, I have to take this..."
"Um, Mom? Can't you see I'm trying to multi-task? This is a working lunch."

Walk a Mile in His Shoes

This? Is a rare sight in our house.

Dawson does not sit down at all - he is usually walking around, nearly running, from one thing to the next. He found his bouncy seat this weekend, though (I leave it out for Zoey to use), and it instantly became the Lay-Z-Boy of Toddlerdom. All he needs is a remote and a frosty cold one.

If he could, he would wear his daddy's shoes when he's walking. He is totally mesmerized by them and loves to wear them. He does need a little help putting them on, though.

It's hard to imagine that one day, his little feet will probably be just as big as these shoes.
And of course, I have to include pictures of our family beauty. Look at those eyelashes! I don't think she'll be needing mascara anytime soon. By the way, I found this headband at Target for a dollar! If you have a little girl, Target has really cute stuff for Easter out right now.

Jason will be home from Afghanistan in the next few weeks and we CANNOT WAIT. I can't wait for him to see how much Zoey has grown! Please pray for him and his fellow soldiers as they begin their journey home and start adjusting to being civilians again.

Hope your weekend was great!

What a Difference a Week Makes

Last weekend, this is what greeted us as we awoke:

Yuck.

Now, I know most of you are saying "Oooh! Pretty, pretty snow!"

Not. Me.

I hate winter, cold weather and yes, snow. Totally un-American, I know.

The first thing I did when I saw this? Made a beeline for my computer and went immediately to KINE-FM's website in Honolulu. Nothing counteracts the snow like the sound of the hula, baby.

This weekend, however, was beautiful - it was 74 degrees on Saturday! My familia came to visit. The Grands took The Grandkids on a walk outside and they loved it.

I have to brag for a minute on my baby brother, Brandon.

He's been accepted to two pretty cool programs this summer: one at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, and the other is the David M. Abshire Scholarship Fellows program in Washington, D.C. He'll get to meet different heads of state and spend time on Capitol Hill, the C.I.A, White House, and will do an internship at the Pentagon.

The closest I've ever been to any of these places was posing for a pic with Abe Lincoln in front of his monument.

I've asked Brandon to please remember me when he's elected Prez.


Zoey is getting so big - she is crawling and laughing out loud all the time.

Gran won the gold medal in the Olympic sport that is Putting Pants on Dawson.

The Cousins...they love each other!

The Grands and The Grandkids...do you think they have their hands full??

Hope you've had a great weekend, too!