Christmas With The Mertz's And So Long 2009!

Christmas morning was so much fun! Just Josh, Ty, and myself at home in Fort Knox! Ty woke up on Christmas morning to find that Santa Claus brought him presents! He was very happy, and he loves his new "Encore Elmo" that Santa brought him!

Christmas morning

We got to celebrate Christmas with our Mertz side of the family the Saturday after Christmas. Meemaw, Pawpaw, Aunt Michelle, Uncle Jay, Cousin Maddie, Uncle Billy, and Aunt Kelly made the trip to Fort Knox. Again, there were way too many presents...especially for Ty! He is so spoiled! Unfortunately, I didn't take very many pics. :-( I guess I was just too preoccupied playing hostess, and Josh playing host. Here are some I did get:

Taking a picture of Maddie, who is taking one of me with her new camera!

Ty playing with his new Thomas

Maddie and Ty-Ty shooting hoops with Ty's new toy

Ty got some cute jammies from Meemaw and Pawpaw that have the button-down flap on the butt with his name embroidered on it. We think they're too cute! :-)

We wanted to say thanks to both sides of our families for coming to us this year for Christmas. It meant the world to us that you came down! We love you!

So, the week after Christmas has been a busy one for us. Josh is still off work this whole week (he took leave for 2 weeks...thank goodness!), and we have been trying to get some last minute projects done before Bib Dos gets here. One thing we accomplished was finally getting his room set up! Here it is:

Thanks to Mamaw and Papaw Kinsel for the new crib set! It is adorable, and we love it!

Josh and Ty have both been sick this week (Josh with a bacterial infection and Ty with an ear infection), so we have been trying to rest as much as we can to get healthy! The last thing we need is for our new, little guy to enter the world while Josh and Ty are sick! Definitely bad timing for sickness, but I guess it's good that it's happening now. Hopefully we'll kick these infections before Bib Dos makes his grand entrance!

I am now 38 weeks pregnant, and ready for this little man to get here! He, however, must have different plans. At my doctor's appointment this week, my doctor checked me and said I am no where near dilated yet. So Bib Dos will be hanging out in there for a bit longer. I guess he's comfortable! :-) So, I am anxiously and nervously awaiting to go into labor. If he waits too much past my due date (Jan. 12), then they will take him by C-section. It is all in the Good Lord's hands now, and we know this baby will arrive in His perfect timing for us!

So, Bib Dos will definitely be born in 2010! We look forward to what this new year brings...the excitement of adding another baby to our family, and watching Ty and his new brother continue to grow! We want to wish you all a Happy New Year as well! May the Good Lord bless you as you say goodbye to 2009 and ring in a brand, new year! Happy New Year!!

Christmas with the Kinsel's!

Since we can't travel home for Christmas this year, our awesome families have decided to bring Christmas to us! We celebrated Christmas with the Kinsel side this past Saturday. Mamaw and Papaw Kinsel loaded up all the presents in their car, and brought them from Cincinnati to Fort Knox! We are still not sure how they fit everything into their car...you should have seen the presents piled up and around our tree! We had a big, yummy Christmas dinner, and opened all the gifts. Mamaw and Papaw spoiled us...Ty and Gabrielle got a ton of clothes and toys, and Brandi, Chris, Josh, and I got way too much as well! We love you with all our hearts, Kinsel's and Miller's! Thanks for coming down to celebrate with us...it means the world to us, and we thank the Good Lord for you all! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family in our lives!

Gabrielle loves to hold Ty!

Ty and Daddy

Gabrielle, Brandi, and Chris

Ty was surrounded with a huge pile of presents...all for him!

Gabrielle models one of her gifts for Mamaw and her Daddy.

What a Stinker!

We put up our Christmas decorations last weekend, and boy has it been fun trying to keep our ornery 15-month-old out of everything! Josh used fishing line to secure the Christmas tree to the wall to keep it from falling when Ty pulls on it, so at least our little stink pot won't pull it down on himself! He knows he isn't allowed to touch the tree, but of course he tries anyway! I caught him in action this morning: :-)

And here's how he tried to make it right so he wouldn't get in too much trouble:

Thanksgiving, Pregnancy, and More!

We went home to Cincinnati for the last time as a family of 3 at Thanksgiving. Since I am now 34 weeks pregnant, we cannot travel out of the Fort Knox area without the risk of me going into labor. If we are too far away from the Army hospital, our insurance won't cover us if we happen to have the baby. Yikes! We can't risk that, so, unfortunately, we won't be able to go home for Christmas. :-( So, Thanksgiving was our last trip home for a while, and we had such a great time! Ty got to ride in his new "big boy car seat" for the first time (yes, he finally weighs 20 lbs. now!) We ate lots of yummy food, and Ty had a blast exploring his new surroundings (getting into everything in sight) and playing with his cousins Maddie and Gabrielle. Below are some pics from our trip.

I can't believe it, but it is almost time for Bib Dos's arrival into this world! I only have 39 days to go until my due date! I have no idea where the time went! This pregnancy has gone so much faster than my first one! I guess that's what happens when you have a little guy to chase around all day. Physically, I am ready for this baby to get here (I want my body back!). Mentally, I'm not so sure. Am I really ready to be a mommy times 2? We are anxious, but so excited to meet the precious, new addition to our family! Josh and I wonder if he'll look just like Ty or totally different? What will his little personality be like? Will we have as much fun watching him grow and learn as we have with Ty? We can't imagine having another gorgeous little guy to love so much! How exciting it is! This pregnancy has gone great so far, and we are now in the home stretch! Please pray for us as we get closer to having this new little one!

Ty has been so cute lately. He learns or does something new everyday. He gives and blows kisses. He says, "Yeah" when you ask him a question. He even knows some sign language now (it's about time since we've been signing to him since he was about 6 months old)! He knows the sign for sleep, all done, and daddy (of course he doesn't do the mommy sign...go figure). He is waving hi and bye-bye (with both hands and backwards) pretty consistently now. He loves to climb on anything he can, and is the most curious little thing ever! He knows where his baby brother is (when you ask him he runs over to my big belly, lifts my shirt, and gives his baby brother a kiss), but we don't think he quite understands that there will be another little person here soon. We don't think he'll be jealous at all, only because he will be too young to truly understand what's going on. It's going to be very interesting to see how Ty reacts to Bib Dos!

Josh has been working hard. His unit put him into a new school this week (a course that teaches him how to be a Cav Scout Leader), and he has been working his tail off. Wednesday was a night of no sleep for him because he had an "Op Order" to work on. Poor guy! This course is only 3 weeks long, but it is intense. Please pray for him that he stays healthy, gets enough rest, and passes this course with flying colors! Thanks for all your prayers and support! We continue to count our blessings, and the Good Lord has truly been so awesome to us!


Ty in his "big boy car seat"

Cousin Maddie and Ty-Ty

Mamaw, Cousin Gabrielle, and Ty

Gabrielle kept telling us she wanted to "hold her"...meaning Ty! :-)

Gabrielle, Papaw, and Ty

Video of Maddie and Ty trying to pull apart the wishbone!