Our Army Life

Our Christmas

2012-01-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

With Josh coming home from Afghanistan on Christmas Eve, you know we had the BEST Christmas ever! Here are some pics from our holiday:

Ty found a "handy-dandy notebook (with crayons)" in his stocking

Caellum's favorite thing from his stocking was a "choo-choo"

All they really wanted from Santa was a "Tahoe Black" just like their daddy's...this is actually a Cadillac Esacalde, but to the boys it's called "Tahoe Black!"

We had a big feast on Christmas Day...including pumpkin pie that the boys decided to shove their faces in!

:-)

What a mess!

Taking "Tahoe Black" out for a spin

We went to Cincinnati for Christmas with our families....

and the boys had a blast with their cousins!

We tried to get a good family picture, but someone wasn't having it! :-)

The best gift we received was being together, that's for sure!

Josh's Homecoming!

2012-01-08T22:15:00.002-05:00

Sorry this took so long to post! We have been soaking up every minute of "togetherness," and computer time is very rare for me these days. Josh's homecoming ceremony was at 4:30 AM, the morning of Christmas Eve. I had to wake the boys around 2:15 AM, which made for an interesting and very early morning, but there were no complaints from me! How could you complain when you are going to pick up your soldier who has been gone for a very long year, and who has endured more sleepless nights than you could ever even imagine?! Josh's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and their girls came down for the ceremony as well. I got maybe an hour of sleep that night...I was so stinking excited, nervous, anxious, all rolled into one. It's hard to explain the emotions that are running through your body while you are at the ceremony, waiting to see your soldier and bring him home. You are so excited to see him again, but you are also feeling a strong sense of relief and joy that he is home safely, along with an overwhelming sense of sadness for those who aren't coming home into the welcoming, loving arms of family. It really is indescribable, and only those who have experienced a family member coming home from a war-torn country can understand. We arrived at the ceremony around 3:00 AM and waited for about an hour and a half for the soldiers to be "revealed." The soldiers lined up in formation behind a curtain, where we couldn't see them, and they started playing "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)" by Toby Keith. As the song played, the curtain rose very slowly to reveal the brave men and women who sacrificed so much for us...and you just cried and cheered for them until they were released to find their families. The entire ceremony only took about 10 minutes, but it felt like an eternity waiting to finally be reunited with your soldier! Josh found us (not sure how he could have missed us with our sparkly, light-up posters with his name on them, lol) and gave me the best hug and kiss that I had ever received in my life, then hugged everyone else who had come to welcome him home. It was an awesome, emotional moment that I will never forget! My awesome friend, Olivia, and her family, were nice enough to come and take pictures for me (despite it being 4:30 AM), so I got some good ones of us reuniting. Thanks, Olivia! Here they are:

My glittery poster, including light up stars, so Josh wouldn't miss us! :-)

The Fam

The soldiers were lining up at this point, and the curtain was about to rise.

Curtain all the way up...we were trying to find Josh, but he was in the very back...we couldn't see him, but knew he was in there somewhere!

The first hug

Together again! So happy! :-)

Caellum and Ty were such troopers despite being woken in the middle of a deep sleep! They were both so happy for Daddy to finally be home!

Back at home, cuddling with Daddy, about to crash!

We are so incredibly blessed to have him home. To God goes all the glory!!! It is definitely a time of transition, and readjustment for all of us, but we are doing very good so far. Josh has leave soon, and we have some exciting things planned that we are really looking forward to! I will try to keep you posted! :-)

Homecoming News Story Link

2011-12-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

I haven't gotten around to uploading our pictures from Josh's homecoming yet, but I promise to soon. We have just been holed up, trying to spend lots of family time together...transitioning back to being all together again. But, if you'd like to watch, we were on the local news:

Click here to watch!

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!
:-)

BEST.CHRISTMAS.PRESENT.EVER.

2011-12-24T06:28:00.001-05:00

HE IS HOME!!!!! Sorry about the image quality (took this with my phone). I promise to post more photos of his homecoming soon...it was awesome!!! Hope everyone has as good a Christmas as we will have!!!

:-) :-) :-)

Yummy, Yummy!

2011-12-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

When I was little, my mom always did fun, crafty things with us...especially during the holidays! Josh and I want our kids to have memories of us doing fun things with them too. So, this year, we are starting our annual gingerbread-house-making tradition. We had so much fun making these that the boys decided we would make more when daddy gets home!

Ty is ready to get started!

Caellum is too...although I think he is more ready to eat the candy than decorate the house! :-)

Proud of his gingerbread house

Is there more icing on the house, or on his mouth?

Their finished products!

Believe it or not, Caellum was more into this than Ty was. Ty kept running off to watch TV, or use the potty. But Caellum sat there the entire time putting candy on his house. Of course he enjoyed eating a lot of it too! Our little Chunk! One thing is for sure...we all had a messy blast and can't wait to do it again when daddy comes home! :-)

We are still here...

2011-12-06T18:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been a while. We have been very busy lately! Preparations have begun for our brigade's homecoming, and between that and getting ready for the holidays, things have been a little hectic! I will try to catch up a little on what has been going on with us. For Thanksgiving, we traveled back to Cincinnati to spend time with our families. We had a great trip, even though we didn't get to visit everyone we would have liked to. Here are some photos from our trip:

I ran a 10K on Thanksgiving morning, and when I got back this is how I found Caellum...fast asleep on the floor, passed out in the middle of playing with all Meemaw's toys!

The kiddos enjoying their Thanksgiving dessert...they all chose chocolate cake over pumpkin pie!

Ty driving Papaw's boat...he is a little obsessed with Papaw's garage and always loves to play in it when we're there!

The boys got some early Christmas presents from some of our family that we won't get to see at Christmas. Ty got a Lightening McQueen remote control car....

and Caellum got a Little People car set!

We put up our Christmas tree, and decorated the house for Christmas:

Caellum in his cowboy boots and diaper playing with Ty's car! :-)

Ty helping decorate our patriotic Christmas tree!

Caellum helped too...if you count throwing ornaments across the room as helping, lol!

And the most important thing that is to come....JOSH'S HOMECOMING! Yay!!!!

I can't divulge too much information, but we are in the home stretch of this deployment. That's all I will say for now. I haven't posted much about the deployment in fear of giving out too much information, but I am hoping to post a bit more about our year-long journey when everyone is safely home. For now, please say prayers that our brave men and women continue to stay focused while they are still "in country," and pray that they all have a safe trip home, whenever that may be.

A HUGE thank you goes out to Aunt Kathy for giving me a car full of donated items to help welcome our single soldiers home! Also, thank you to those who donated white towels for our soldiers! Thanks to all of you, these guys (and gals) are coming home to a room full of nice things to get them through a few days until they can get their own personal belongings and vehicles back.

So, that is what has been going on...a LOT of exciting things to look forward to! :-)

I Can't Believe....

2011-11-12T23:37:00.000-05:00

That I let Veterans Day pass without posting a thank you! Sorry for the delay, but I want to send out a huge thank you to all those brave men and women who serve so selflessly in the Armed Forces. Our great country wouldn't be what it is today without each and every one of you! I also want to thank the "silent ranks..." the spouses, children, and family members who love and support our brave service members.

Josh, your family is so incredibly proud of you this Veterans Day! A special thank you goes out to you from your wife and babies who love you more than you'll ever know! Fight the fight, and get home safely to us! We love you with all our hearts and souls, and miss you so much!

An Emotional Week...

2011-11-12T23:15:00.003-05:00

Well, I already posted the tragic news about Ali. Now I have two more prayer requests...

Please pray for my dear friend, Amy (Livingston) Fallis. Amy is a "cheerleading friend." I met her while cheering for an arena football team in Cincinnati, and even though we don't talk nearly as much as I would like, I still consider her a great, sweet friend. Amy lost her mom on Thursday, Nov.10. Please remember Amy's family in your prayers.

Last night (Friday, Nov. 11) our dear brother-in-law, Jay, lost his dad. Terry, Jay's dad, holds a special place in our heart. He not only married Josh and I, but was like a grandfather to Ty and Caellum. He even bought Ty a coon-skin hat when he was a born. We love the Williams' family so much, and pray the Lord comforts them during this time. Please remember them in your prayers as well.

I am praying this is the end of what has been a very sad week. Thank you for all your love, prayers, and support. Thank you for remembering to pray for these special families. They all need the Lord's loving arms wrapped around them right now.

These Two Are Gonna Be A Handful!

2011-11-09T23:51:00.000-05:00

I think we may be in for it when these two start tag-teaming in the near future......

Prayer Please

2011-11-04T14:39:00.001-04:00

The world lost a beautiful woman last night. You can read about Ali's passing here. Ali is leaving behind a devoted husband, a gorgeous baby girl who just turned one, two sisters (one of whom I went to high school with), her parents, and many other friends and family members who loved her so much! Please pray for Ali's family, that the Lord will comfort them during this time of pain and suffering. While my heart breaks for Ali's loved ones, at least she isn't in pain anymore, and I know she is in a far better place than we can imagine. Thank you for your prayers.

Our B-boys!

2011-10-19T21:44:00.000-04:00

I just thought this video was too funny not to post. Every time I ask Ty to dance, he break-dances.

:-) Then it's "monkey-see, monkey-do" for Caellum, who tries to do everything his big brother does. So, here are our b-boys in action!

Fall Fun

2011-10-17T22:59:00.002-04:00

We have already done some fun Fall activities, and can't wait to do more! So far we have:

Tried on our Halloween costumes to show Daddy (Transformers, Bumblebee (Ty) and Optimus Prime (Caellum))

Went to a local pumpkin patch (Roberts Family Farm...local readers can go to this website, you will find it listed under Meade County...I highly recommend this one, thought it was great!). The boys had a blast feeding the goats!

We went trick-or-treating at the "World's Largest Halloween Party" hosted by the Louisville Zoo:

Meemaw, Pawpaw, Aunt Michelle and cousins Maddie and Monrowe went with us to the Zoo!

We got to meet Buzz, Woody, and Jessie!

We went on a road trip with mommy's friend, Kircia, and Ty's "girlfriend," Kaylee to Huber Farms:

They love their pumpkins! Caellum calls his "baby pumpkin!"

We have had fun so far this October, but have missed Josh so much! Halloween is one of his favorite holidays, and he loves Fall! It just feels like something is missing without him here to be part of it all...especially since both boys are finally old enough to understand and get excited about everything. On the bright side, we still have pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating to look forward to! Yay! Happy Fall, everyone!

God is Great!

2011-10-13T18:26:00.000-04:00

On this rainy, dreary Thursday here in Fort Knox, I received some awesome news that immediately brightened my day! A family friend, Ali, has been battling a rare form of cancer. You can read about her story here. Ali is a young, new mother (her baby girl just turned 1 recently) and her story just touches my heart. We have been praying for her so much, and got an update today that she has had a 40-50% reduction in her tumors from her chemo treatment. This is huge news for the family, and we are elated! The main reason I am posting this today is to ask for prayers for Ali and her family. While this news is incredible, she still needs all the prayers she can get! So please, if you have time, read about Ali's story, and remember her in your prayers. Thank you all, and thank you, dear Lord, for answering our prayers for Ali thus far!

Afghan Josh

2011-10-06T13:29:00.001-04:00

So I woke up this morning to these photos emailed to me from Josh:

Afghan Josh

Josh with some of the other soldiers

Josh and 1SG Selph

Apparently the soldiers constructed a really nice outdoor deck that has a fire pit, flat screen TV, coffee shop, kabob grill, and tailor shop all rolled into one at their COP. To celebrate the "Grand Opening" of this area, the tailor handmade these Afghan outfits (the soldiers call them "Man Jams") for some of the guys. I think it's hilarious that Josh is wearing a purple scarf! Never would I have imagined him wearing the color purple or in a scarf! He's usually too tough for those kind of things...lol! So I got a good laugh out of these pics, and had to post them!

Dancing With The Stars

2011-10-05T10:00:00.040-04:00

I have said before, I love to dance, and I love to watch dancing shows. So, of course, I am a "Dancing With The Stars" fan (although SYTYCD is my fave). My favorite contestant this season is J.R. Martinez. What a brave man, with an amazing story. His positive attitude and the way he persevered through his injuries is so inspiring. His dance on Monday night had me in tears, and I just had to post it on the blog. It had my heart breaking for those families who will never get to welcome their soldier home, and reminded me of how blessed I am, and how proud I am of my soldier, hero, husband, and best friend. Love you, Josh!

Well done, Karina and J.R.

Newport Aquarium

2011-10-04T22:32:00.000-04:00

My fellow Army wife, and good friend, Shannon, gave us free tickets to the Newport Aquarium (thank you girl!) in Cincinnati. So, while Josh was home, we made the drive up there to take the boys. We had so much fun looking at all the "fishies." While we were there, we got to eat lunch with one of Josh's best friends, and we spent some time with his family. We took the boys to see Cars 2, and to Chuck E. Cheese. We had so much fun!

Caellum would not hold still for a picture!

Ty is such an ornery, little thing!

Ty and Mommy posing with Nemo!

Caellum loved climbing on these froggies!

Daddy and his buckaroos

The Kinsel Family (Mamaw and Papaw, Brandi (Josh's sis), Chris (Brandi's hubby), their girls, Gabrielle, Ellie, Josh and the boys)

This is how Ty and Josh fell asleep every night while he was home. Ty is definitely Daddy's boy...he wouldn't even let Mommy get him out of his car seat while Daddy was home...Daddy had to do it! :-)

It was very difficult saying goodbye to him again after those two awesome weeks! On the bright side, he will be home for good soon...and it can't come soon enough! We were blessed to have a wonderful two weeks with him, and we will never forget them!

We Heart FL!

2011-09-29T23:37:00.001-04:00

First off, I'd like to apologize for all the photos in this post, but it was the beach...can you blame me?! We were fortunate enough to be able to take a FABULOUS vacation to Okaloosa Island, FL during R&R. The Lord blessed us with gorgeous weather, and a beautiful condo right on the beach! It was our third time to the beach as a family (you can read about our other beach vacations here and here), but only our second with Caellum. The boys loved the beach! Ty had a blast swimming in the ocean with Daddy, but Caellum was a little more reserved about going into the water. Caellum had more fun digging in the sand and chasing the sea gulls than anything! We saw dolphins every day, and on our last day, we even saw a shark (and jellyfish) swimming in shin-deep water...yikes! Good thing we didn't see that shark until our last day! Looking at these pictures make me wish we were still there!

Caellum playing in the sand

Trying to get a good pic of both boys together...it's nearly impossible!

Good pic of the four of us...even more difficult!

Ty buried in the sand

Tried to spell their names out in the sand...didn't do such a good job at that!

Daddy and his boys

Fishing off the pier with Daddy

Aunt Kathy (who lives near Orlando, FL) made the 7 hour drive up for one night just to see us! You can read about the amazing things she's doing for our military men and women here. She is awesome, and we love her!

Me and my man!

The four of us in the pool

I could wake up to this view every day of my life! This was taken from our balcony.

Eglin Air Force Base was right on our way, so we stopped there to do our grocery shopping at the commissary! And we also took the time to visit their museum.

Caellum was conked out during our museum visit.

They had a little jet simulator you could sit in . Ty was in heaven! He asked us where the keys go, and where he could put his snacks. :-) He had a blast pushing all the buttons and levers.

If you are looking for an affordable, two bed/bath condo to rent for vacation in Okaloosa Island, FL (about 10 min from Destin, FL) let me know! The owner of this condo is super sweet, gave us a great deal, and I would highly recommend her to anyone!

What Not To Say

2011-09-28T23:32:00.001-04:00

Josh actually sent me this email today, and I thought it was pretty funny. I know I have read this somewhere before, but it really hit home for me this time (perhaps because we are nearing the end of our deployment???). Now I don't really like to complain about the comments that people make to me about the deployment...after all, they aren't the ones who are experiencing it, so they just don't realize what they are saying or asking. But every once in a while, someone will say something, and I will just think... "Really?!" I know you fellow military wives out there understand this! ;-) So, with the exception of #9 (Josh IS on the ground, so this doesn't apply), #6 (we DO get to skype almost everyday, and he DOES hear about the kids getting sick or the car breaking down...not that I want to ruin his focus, he says he wants to know), and #3 (I love when people ask this because that means they care enough to send him something, and ANYTHING is a morale boost over there...even if it's things they don't need)...so besides all that, I totally agree with this list! And although she is being very sarcastic here, she definitely answers these questions honestly, and voices some of the things that we, as military spouses, deal with during deployments. Like I have said in previous posts, it is crucial to have a good support system surrounding you during a deployment, and we have been extremely blessed with an awesome support system, so thank you!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Ten Things Not to Say to the Spouse of a Deployed Soldier

Today's guest post comes from our pal Becky, who was one of the first people to read our blog that we were not actually related to. So we totally love her. Here's a little blurbitty blurb all about her:

Hi! My name is Becky and I’m a SAH Military Mom to 3 adorable monsters ages 6,4 and 2. My husband is currently deployed to Againistan and this is our third deployment although the other two were to Iraq. I live on a military installation so in general I am surrounded by people who understand what we are going through as a family. Unfortunately, on a very regular basis I am asked QUESTIONS. I try to attribute them to a perfect storm of curiosity and ignorance. In order to alleviate both I present: 10 things ~~that no one better say~~ ~~to me again or I will lose my ever loving mind~~ not to say to a military spouse. You can read more about our crazy fun life atcullinanfamily.blogspot.com

Ten Things ~~that no one better say to me again or I will lose my ever loving mind~~ not to say to a spouse of a deployed military person.

10. He’ll be back in no time – Keep busy, he’ll be back before you know it!

Are you freaking kidding me? No – he won’t be back before I know it. You know what happens before I know it? We run out of milk at 7 pm and there’s no one to stay with the kids while I run out - so we don’t have milk at breakfast. You know what else happens? Trash day comes and since he’s not here I have to take it out – and back in – again. It’s only been 5 months and it seems like 5 years.

9. At least he’s not on the ground!

True – he’s not on the ground. He’s IN THE AIR. Just a reminder about this funny thing we have called GRAVITY and these things that they have called rocket propelled grenades. Just sayin’...

8. How much longer does he have until he can get out?

And when I answer the response is, “Oh, so he’s CAREER???” Like there isn’t much worse in the world than that? Seriously people there are sooooo many worse things than being actively employed in a profession that he enjoys and feels like he’s contributing to the world and whatnot. It’s not a jail sentence. He’s certainly not a prisoner and we have made a choice for him to be in the Army. This one bugs me. It just drips with condescension because what you’re REALLY saying is, “When is he going to get serious and get a real job where he actually takes care of his family.”

7. I wish my husband would deploy.

Seriously – someone said this too me – MORE.THAN.ONCE. “My husband is being sooooo annoying. He just won’t leave me alone these days. I wish that he was in the Army and would deploy.” There.are.no.words.

6. It’s not that bad – you can talk everyday.

Yes, that’s true. We COULD talk everyday. I could tell him that the kids got up, ate Cheerios, went to school, I cleaned up the dishes and changed the baby, did laundry, got the mail, picked up at preschool, made lunch, cleaned up from lunch and so on. I could tell him this EVERYDAY but then he might die from boredom before the enemy got to him.

We do the same this deployment as we have the other ones. We talk once a week but now we get to add Skype – once a week with the kids. No boredom, no fighting, lots of I love you’s. So it IS still that bad. The dishwasher breaks – you don’t tell him. Flat tire – you don’t tell him. Kids are barfing all night and you have to change the sheets 5 times – you don’t tell him. He needs to stay in the game there. I want him to come home safe and he needs to focus on ONLY that.

5. The kids are young – they don’t even realize he’s gone.

In what world do small children not notice that a parent is suddenly gone? OK, it’s different for kids of different ages – heck it’s different for different kids. Some kids are more resilient and some are less – just like adults but it’s not fair to say that they don’t realize it! We listen to a recording of Daddy reading a book before bed and even the baby asks to hear the Daddy Book. She knows at 20 months and my son knew when he was 8 months old.

4. Come and visit us!

Thank you very much. But no thanks. Do you really want to help? If so then come and visit ME. Stay home at night while I go to Walmart so I don’t have to pay a sitter $10/hour to go frigging grocery shopping. Stay with the little ones in the morning so I don’t have to drag them all to school drop off in the stroller in the rain. Make dinner or clean the dishes while I give the kids a bath or pick up the toys so it’s not 9:30 pm before I even have a chance to sit down. Now THAT would be helpful.

3. What should I send him?

Honestly, I don’t know. What would you want if you lived in a plywood building and shared a shower with 25 of your closest friends? If I have to answer this question again I’m just going to answer PORN – actually I’m not. They aren’t allowed to have that – or alcohol. Now you can feel worse for them.

2. Are you scared something will happen to him?

No – I actually hadn’t thought about until just now when you said that – so thanks for that! How in the world could I not be worried about raising my 3 kids alone and losing the best friend I’ve ever had? I worry constantly about someone showing up at my door and if you know better you’ll text me that you’re coming over before you’d EVER ring the doorbell unannounced.

1. I don’t know how you do it. I don’t think I could.
What exactly do you mean by that? Would you divorce the father of your children because he’s going away? I’m actually not quite sure how we do it either but I know one thing – you’re right - not everyone could.

Back to the Zoo...with Daddy!!!

2011-09-27T13:52:00.000-04:00

While Josh was home, we took the boys to the Louisville Zoo. We had a blast! It didn't matter that it was an extremely hot day...we were with Daddy, and that's all that mattered!

Climbing on Mr. Turtle

Giving his boys some lovin'

Playing at the Splash Park

A nice way to cool off on a hot day!

Their favorite thing to do at the Zoo!

Can you tell they had fun?!

Tyson is "Free!"

2011-09-24T23:21:00.002-04:00

I have no idea how three years flew by so quickly, but our gorgeous, first born son turned three (or "free" according to Ty) on September 5. Josh made it home just in time for his birthday party, which made it even that much more special! Ty still loves Yo Gabba Gabba (although he doesn't watch it nearly as much), and I just couldn't convince him to have anything other than a "Muno cake" (which was the cake I made him last year for his 2nd birthday). I finally talked him into a "Brobee cake..." at least if we were going with the Yo Gabba Gabba theme again, we could choose a different character! So, I made him a Brobee cake this year:

This was Ty's birthday present from Mommy and Daddy...he loved it!

We had his party at Blazers....

Ty had no interest in opening his presents...Josh had to force him to! What kid doesn't want to open presents?! He was just having too much fun playing and didn't want to sit still....even if that meant new toys!

Little bro was all about the balloons! :-)

Happy 3rd birthday, Ty! We love you!

Homecoming!

2011-09-22T16:01:00.003-04:00

We went all out for Daddy coming home....it had been 8, going on 9 long months since we had seen him, and we were so excited! We made signs, cakes, pies, and cookies! We had fun decorating the house and counting down on our "daddy chain" until the big homecoming day arrived! When we saw him at the airport, my heart melted as I watched our little guys run up to him screaming "Daddy!" It was a long awaited reunion, and it felt perfect to have him home again...even temporarily. Here are some photos:

The boys having a blast painting on their welcome home sign. They had paint EVERYWHERE!

Getting started on my "patriotic cake." It was a recipe I got from my sister Michelle, who found it on this blog. Michelle made it for her girls' birthday party as an adorable rainbow cake, and it was delicious! So I decided to use the recipe, but make it red, white, and blue. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who loves making cakes! It wasn't too difficult, and very, very yummy!

This is what it looked like when you cut into it! It was fun seeing the look on Josh's face when he saw the inside...he thought it was cool! :-)

Reunited with his babies at the airport!

Back at home...Daddy brought home presents for us!

Together at last...ready for two weeks of fun!

I didn't get a very good photo of the boys, and what they wore to the airport, but it was this shirt:

So looking forward to his permanent homecoming!!! :-)

Time Flies When Your Soldier Is Home For R&R.....

2011-09-21T16:22:00.002-04:00

Never have two weeks flown by more quickly than when Josh was home with us for R&R! We are so grateful for those two weeks, and had the most amazing time! Josh is safely back in Afghanistan now, and the boys and I sure do miss him! I think the second goodbye was more difficult than the first one. Maybe that was because we were away from him for so long, and when he finally came home we felt back to normal again, and then in a poof he was gone all over again. Or maybe it was because the boys are older now and understand a little bit better what's going on. The day Josh left Caellum walked around the house saying, "Da-ee, r you?" :-( I am trying to stay positive, and busy, and looking on the bright side, we only have a few more months to go before he'll be home for good! Besides that, I know we are so very blessed, as it breaks my heart to think of so many wives and families who have lost their brave soldier, and won't get to welcome him/her home. That thought humbles and grounds me, and makes me so incredibly thankful for my many, many blessings. We definitely took advantage of our two weeks, and spent every possible minute together. In my next few posts, I will be posting some photos from our time together. Josh, we love you so much, are so proud of you, and thank you for the amazing two weeks we had together! Stay safe, be careful, and we are all praying for you that these next few months fly by and that you get home safely and quickly to us...for good this time!

R&R!!!!

2011-09-01T15:14:00.001-04:00

HE IS HOME!!!! For two whole weeks, we get to be a family of four again! Yay! I won't be posting much, if at all, these next two weeks...we are gonna enjoy every second of our family time together! But I will have plenty to post about later this month. Gotta run...gotta go spend some time with my man and my babies!
:-)

The Zoo!

2011-08-24T01:11:00.002-04:00

We FINALLY made it to the Louisville Zoo this summer, and had so much fun! The boys loved it, and are both finally at an age where they actually enjoy looking at the animals! Thanks, Meemaw, for helping me take them! We are looking forward to going again when Josh gets home for R&R!!!!!!!!

Photos of our fun day:

Watching the monkeys

Ty's face = hilarious!

Those ~~hippos~~ oops, I meant rhinos (thanks honey, lol!), sure were stinky!!!

They loved the Carousel...rode it twice and....

this is what Caellum did each time we got off of it! Gotta love temper tantrums! :-)

He didn't mind posing because he got to slide down his back when we were done!

Meemaw and her grandsons

Every animal is "Puppy" according to Caellum

Ty's new favorite toy from the Zoo...thanks Meemaw! He has an obsession with cars that have doors which open and shut!

It's NOT All About Me!

2011-08-21T23:13:00.000-04:00

I am a firm believer that God puts things in your life to wake you up, open your eyes, or get you out of that daily rut you are in. This past week, God definitely opened my eyes. Lately I have been all about me, me, me. I have to get to the gym no matter what, I need to get this done, I need help with that, I need to get to the kids to bed on time so I can relax....and the list goes on and on! I never thought selfish would be a word that I would use to describe myself, especially during the middle of a deployment! I have just been so self-centered lately, only focusing on what I need to do and get done. Well, God taught me a lesson this week...It's NOT all about me, and never should be! I don't want to go into details about everything that happened in this situation, so all I will say is that I very unexpectedly took two more kiddos into my house this past week. From Tuesday-Saturday I was a mommy of four boys! It was crazy, it was stressful, it was such a blessing! Having those two adorable kids in my house and thinking about their situation made me realize just how blessed I am. It wasn't about me anymore (even though there were many times I wished it was), it was about those boys. Most of the week, I complained about it to Josh, who kept reminding me that it wasn't about me...gosh I hate it when he's right! :-) But he was so right, and I feel so bad for all the complaining I did. I am so glad the Lord chose me to be there for those boys. It was an honor to help them out, and such a blessing in disguise. I also have to thank my mom, who helped me out tremendously while the boys stayed with me. Having a good support system is CRUCIAL during a deployment, and we have been so incredibly blessed to have so many people supporting us. So thank you to all of you who have helped us, whether it has been praying for us, mailing Josh a card or package, watching the boys for me, coming to spend time with us, emailing Josh some words of encouragement...anything and everything that you have done for us, we appreciate. Seeing the situation that unfolded this past week with these kids showed me that not everyone has that kind of support, and I am so thankful that we do. We love you all, and thank you all for everything you continue to do in support of us! And please remember David, and his family, in your prayers. He is one of Josh's soldiers that is going through a very tough time right now. Thanks! Hopefully, when that selfish nature of mine starts creeping back in as I know it will, I will look back at this past week and remember that it isn't all about me!

It's Been Four Years...

2011-08-09T21:45:00.001-04:00

Since I married my best friend! Josh, you are truly my soul mate, and I love you more than words can describe! Just like the lyrics in one of our favorite Brad Paisley songs, "And I thought I loved you then..." My love for you only grows stronger with each passing day. Maybe next year we will actually get to celebrate this special day together, since we've only spent half of our anniversaries together! Happy Anniversary, Josh! I love you with all my heart and soul!

Bubby and Kelly!

2011-08-06T17:26:00.001-04:00

On July 2, 2011, my baby brother, Billy (Bubby as we affectionately call him), got married! The beautiful Kelly is now my newest sister, and official aunt to my boys! I had the privilege of being one of her bridesmaids, and Ty was the ring bearer! Their wedding was wonderful, and so much fun! We all had a blast! Sorry about all the photos, but it was such a fun "wedding weekend," from the rehearsal dinner at the Reds game to the awesome band they had at the reception, that I had to post lots of pics!

Ty and Maddie getting ready to practice walking up the aisle at the rehearsal.

The rehearsal dinner was at the Reds game, and was so much fun! They even had a beautiful fireworks display after the game to celebrate Independence Day, which went along perfectly with Billy and Kelly's fireworks theme! Ty couldn't have cared less about the game going on, but loved running up and down the stairs, and playing with the stadium seats!

The happy couple!

Good, ol' Uncle Bubby...always teasing the kiddos! :-)

Wedding Day! Up-dos and make-up are done, just gotta get our dresses on! My sister, Michelle, Maddie (Michelle's kiddo), and me!

At the church with my boys! They both looked so handsome all dressed up, the only thing missing was daddy...we missed him so incredibly much that day.

The beautiful bride, and her sweet, loving parents

Aunt Kelly with her nepews

We were "rolling on the river"...in short dresses...yikes! :-)

Handsome little man in his tux!

Maddie made the cutest flower girl with all her blonde curls

Billy sang his version of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" to Kelly, and then he sang "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" to her later that night. Too cute!

I was trying to get a good shot of them being sent off at the end of the night with sparklers...this was the best I could do!

I was so nervous about Ty walking down the aisle. Like any toddler, experiencing the "terrible two's," he can be sweet and obedient one minute, then in the blink of an eye, transform into a screaming, temper-tantrum throwing monster! So what Tyson were we going to get at that moment? I thought for sure he was going to throw a tantrum and refuse to walk up the aisle. But, to my surprise, he actually did it! It was the cutest thing! I'm not sure if you can see it, but when they got to the end of the aisle, Maddie gave Ty a kiss and a hug...adorable! I was so proud of him! The first video has no sound because I uploaded it from my video camera, which I have yet to really figure out...I have no idea why I can't get sound on it. Thanks to my uncle Greg for grabbing my camera last second and figuring out how to take a video at moments notice! I really, really wanted that moment captured for Josh since he was missing it, so thank you! The second video was captured by my Dad, and you should be able to hear the sound on it. Can you tell I'm one proud Mama?!

Congratulations, Bubby and Kelly! You pulled off an amazing wedding, and we were thrilled to be a part of it. Love you both!

Micki and John

2011-08-02T23:37:00.000-04:00

One of my best teacher friends, Micki, got married the last weekend of June. Micki used to be my "partner-in crime" back in the day! Good,old Struble Blue Jay teachers! The photo below was taken right before I started dating Josh, when Micki and I took a vacation on Spring Break to Destin, FL. The trip with her was a blast, and I will never forget it!

Micki and John got married at a beautiful estate in Aurora, IN. The wedding was so charming, and the reception was one of the best I have been to. Here is a picture of the adorable bed and breakfast where the wedding was held.

Micki looked breathtaking, and John so handsome! They make such an awesome couple! And I LOVED her dress...she looked so gorgeous!

This is the Micki I know...crazy girl climbed out on the roof looking for her groom!

Look at how happy they are!

These are my girls! Kristin (she teaches at Struble too...my other great friend!), Micki, and myself...I miss seeing their smiling faces everyday at school!

Micki and John, I wish you all the happiness in the world! You make a gorgeous couple, and will make the most beautiful babies...better be popping some out soon! Kristin, I hope you gave her the "fertility idol," or whatever it's called, lol! Love you, girl! Congratulations, and thank you for including me in your special day!

J.O.S.H.

2011-07-27T22:50:00.000-04:00

So I promised I would catch up on some things that happened this past month, and I will...but I actually didn't get our computer back until a couple days ago. It took FOREVER to get it fixed. Well, not actually forever, but when your hubby is deployed, and it is one of your primary means of communicating with him, it feels like FOREVER! Anyhow, I do have it back now, and I just have to make the time to sit down and download some pictures back onto it, and then I will catch up on posting. But for now, I just wanted to tell you all about J.O.S.H., a non-profit organization started by Josh's Aunt Kathy. Kathy is on a mission to mail care packages to our troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. She started focusing mostly on Josh's Troop, but now ships to as many of our Armed Forces as she can. She has shipped over 300 packages so far, since Josh deployed in December. Please take a moment to visit her blog, as she just wants to spread the word about J.O.S.H., and find as many supporters as she can so she can continue her mission of serving the men and women who are sacrificing so much for our great country. Thank you, Kathy, for all you are doing in support of our brave military men and women!

The Inevitable...

2011-07-18T16:12:00.002-04:00

I hate complaining because in all honesty, we have been and continue to be so incredibly blessed, and while this deployment has been tremendously difficult on Josh, myself, and the boys, the Lord has continued to show His faithfulness, and provide for us all. For that I am forever grateful. So, all I will say is that we have been having some computer (and car) problems. Just the inevitable things that I am no good at fixing, that are very costly, and that ALWAYS seem to happen when your husband is gone for a long period of time (you fellow Military wives know EXACTLY what I'm talking about). We now have our fixed (and hopefully no more problems with them until Josh gets home...knock on wood) computers (and car) back, and I am gonna try to catch up on some exciting things that happened this month! I will try to catch up on my infrequent blogging soon! :-)

Thank You!

2011-07-04T10:24:00.001-04:00

Happy Independence Day! Just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the brave men and women who serve in the Armed Forces to protect our wonderful country, and our freedom! We are so appreciative of your great sacrifice! Josh, we are so proud of you, and miss you so much! We love you! Thinking about you and praying for you constantly!

Also, Happy Birthday to my new sister, Kelly (wedding date 7-2-11)!!! Hope you have a fabulous day!

(wedding post coming soon)

SYTYCD

2011-06-24T01:03:00.000-04:00

So anyone who knows me well knows I LOVE to dance! And they know that my favorite show ever is So You Think You Can Dance! Last night one of the routines had me crying like a baby...and I am not normally an emotional type of girl. But this just reminded me of my wonderful, brave husband, and perfectly told the story of all the emotions you go through when your husband comes home from war. I cannot wait to be reunited and have the chance to reconnect with him again. I love you, Josh, and am so proud of you! Counting down the days until you are home safe!

Awesome choreography by Nappytabs...LOVE them!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

2011-06-10T00:33:00.000-04:00

Now that the weather here is finally sunny and hot the way we like it, the boys and I are having some fun in the sun! We have been spending lots of time playing outside in the water, and I took the boys to the Fort Knox "Water Park" a couple days ago. Ty is now obsessed, and asks to go back to the Water Park every day (it doesn't help that we live near it and drive past it every time we go anywhere)! We have been staying very busy, and time seems to be going by pretty quickly.

Josh is doing good too. We have been blessed to be able to skype quite often, and though he is overworked and tired, he is always in good spirits. It is weird to think we are about halfway through this deployment. It has gone by so quickly, yet so slow at the same time. I don't think anyone but fellow Army wives who have been there, done that will really understand what that means. We are so incredibly anxious to have Josh home safely, and are counting down the days until he will be! Some options are opening up for us as far as his Army career goes...I can't really divulge any details about that right now, just asking for your prayers that God will guide us in making these decisions so we may follow His will. Thanks to all of you that have been sending Josh letters, emails, care packages, and most importantly, prayers. He passes on his great appreciation for all your love and support!

The boys and I have plenty of things to look forward to (mainly weddings!) this summer, and the boys are just two bundles of energy, so there is never a dull moment here! We are gonna keep on enjoying our summer, and playing outside, and before we know it Josh will be home and we will feel like a family again! Here are some pics of the boys' new favorite place, doing their new favorite thing:

Ty laying in the water (I promise, I do feed the kid! His little ribs are all poking out!)

Caellum loving the water

This is a video of Ty "swimming," and Caellum, well, I have no idea what he is doing! :-) I guess he's squatting down in the water to get his Buddha-belly wet???

Hope everyone is having a great summer, and staying cool!

Kelly's Weekend!

2011-05-18T22:45:00.000-04:00

What a fun weekend I had! It was my sister-to-be's big weekend, and I was honored to be a part of it! It started on Saturday with Kelly (my brother's fiance) and I having fun playing with make-up! I am doing Kelly's make-up for her wedding day, and we had fun just playing with make-up and chatting. I was having so much fun, I lost track of time and almost made us late to the Reds game, which is where we started the night for her bachelorette party. When we got to the stadium, it was raining, but by the time we made it to our seats, the rain had stopped and it was actually sunny out! I hadn't been to a Reds game in years, and I loved every minute of it (it helped that they won, beat the St. Louis Cardinals, yay!). After the game, we walked over to Newport on the Levee, ate dinner at Dewey's Pizza, then danced the night away at Arnie's. On Sunday, was Kelly's bridal shower, and it was a blast too! Mamaw and Papaw Kinsel were nice enough to watch the boys for me overnight Saturday and all day Sunday, so I basically had a weekend away. It was a much-needed break for me, and the first time I have ever slept in since having Tyson almost three years ago! Leaving the boys just one night made me miss them so bad, and I was anxious to get back to them after the shower on Sunday! But the weekend was so fun, it just made me look forward to the wedding day that much more!! Kelly, I hope you had as much as I did! Love you!

Kelly (the bride) and Karianne (the matron of honor)

The whole group of gals after the Reds kicked some Cardinal booty!

The bride and her bridesmaids at Dewey's Pizza

Getting ready to shake our groove thangs at Arnie's

My sister, Mom, and Me

Kelly's mom made this picture (of her new last name). It's really cool!

Her shower was a "cooking/kitchen theme," and Karianne (her matron of honor) made this cute cake

Of course it wouldn't be a proper post without pics of the boys!

Caellum

Ty

On the way to Cincinnati, I stopped at Starbucks and got them each a cookie...had no idea they were going to be the size of their heads! Ty ate the entire cookie! And Caellum, well he wore the entire cookie! Geez! :-)

Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T23:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the awesome mommies out there!!!

Becoming a mom has been, by far, one of the greatest blessings in my life. It has definitely been the most life-changing experience of my life! Even though Josh wasn't here today, he definitely made me feel awfully special by sending me a beautiful Pandora bracelet, on it, a mom charm, and two adorable little boy charms representing our gorgeous little guys! Today at church I was overcome with emotion...a mix of missing Josh terribly, but also realizing how incredibly blessed I am to have an amazing, loving, caring husband, and two beautiful, healthy little boys who enrich our lives so much! Thank you, Lord, for fulffilling my dream of becoming a mommy, for giving me my best friend and soulmate to father our children, and for our precious baby boys who we love so much!

And none of this would have been possible for Josh and I without our own mamas...now known as Mamaw and Meemaw! We love you, Moms! Happy Mother's Day!!

Me and the boys

Mamaw (Josh's mom) with two of her four grandchildren

Meemaw (My mom) with all four of her grandkids

A Post of Mixed Emotions

2011-05-02T23:06:00.001-04:00

Well, I have a lot to post about today, and a variety of mixed emotions about this post. First off, I would like to ask for prayers for my dear friends, the Oblinger family. They are experiencing so much pain and suffering having lost two of their four children in the past six years. I cannot even fathom what it must be like to lose a child, let alone two children in 6 years. My dear childhood friend, Keith, passed away in 2005, and his younger brother, Kurt, (who had a heart transplant the same year Keith passed) just passed away last week, on Easter Sunday. The Oblingers are amazing people, some of the sweetest, most caring I have ever known, and I ask that you please remember them in your prayers. Thank you.

Sorry to start off this post with such depressing news, but the Oblingers need all the prayers they can get during this difficult time!

Moving on, I have to brag on my amazing husband! He got promoted today, and I am so incredibly proud of him! Josh is now a Captain! For those of you unfamiliar with the military, this is a big promotion for him. We knew he was going to get promoted while he was in Afghanistan, and I am so bummed to have missed such an important promotion ceremony. Josh being the thoughtful and loving husband he is, made sure to video it for the boys and I, so we could see it too! I cannot explain how proud I am of Josh. I am so incredibly blessed to have married not only my best friend and soulmate, but my hero. A man who is willing to sacrafice everything for his God, his family, and his country. He is an incredible soldier, and leader. He is so deserving, and will make a fantastic captain! Congratulations, Josh! We love you so much!!

I will end this post with some pics from Easter. We missed Josh badly, but were able to be surrounded by our families, which was good. Here are some pics:

The boys loved their gifts that Daddy sent them (Muno and Brobee pillows...perfect for the boys' Yo Gabba Gabba obsession!)

Mommy and her boys

Too much fun, too many Easter egg hunts!

Great Wolf Lodge!

2011-04-19T17:31:00.000-04:00

The Army Family Strong Bonds Program offered spouses of deployed soldiers a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Cincinnati, OH this past weekend. So I signed up, asked my mom to tag along, and we had a blast! While I attended my "sessions," my mom watched the boys. When I was finished for the day, we got to take to them into the indoor waterpark, and the boys loved it! Ty loved going down the water slides, and Caellum loved sticking his face in the fountains! Thanks, Army, for this awesome program, and for giving us a fun weekend!

Here are some pics:

Mammoth Cave!

2011-04-05T22:17:00.000-04:00

Aunt Peggy, Uncle Bob, and their sweet girls, Natalie and Molly, along with Meemaw and Pawpaw came down last week for a visit. We went to Mammoth Cave, and had a great time spending time together! Thank you, for coming down! We love you and had a fabulous time!

Meemaw, Papaw, me, and the boys

Aunt Peggy and the girls getting ready for their first cave tour!

Entering the cave

Natalie, Caellum, Molly, and Ty posing in front of a tank at the Patton Museum

Caellum's new favorite thing to do is pick dandelions! :-)

Mommy and Ty-Ty Day!

2011-04-05T22:02:00.000-04:00

I don't think I have had one-on-one time with Ty since Caellum has been born. So, when my friend asked if we wanted to go to the circus with her and her oldest daughter, I was so excited! She told me her mom would watch Caellum if I wanted her to so I could have some Mommy/Ty time...awesome! I felt guilty leaving my baby boy behind, but Caellum is at the age where he just doesn't want to sit anymore...he wants to get down and get into everything! And I knew it would be good for Ty to have some quality mommy time. So, Ty and I went to the circus! We had so much fun! Thanks to my friend, Kat and Kat's mom, for making Mommy/Ty-Ty time possible! :-)

Here are some pics:

Mommy and Ty at the circus!

He is mesmerized!

The Elephants were Ty's favorite! Unfortunately this happened before he got to really see them do their portion of the show:

We bought Caellum a gift since he didn't get to go with us. Ty gave it to him when we got into the car.

Loft(3)

2011-03-26T21:01:00.005-04:00

Hello All!

So I know it's been awhile (again) since I've posted, but I just can't seem to get into the swing of weekly posts. I am just keeping busy as ever with our growing little men! We are all doing well, including Josh! Nothing new to report, just plugging along day-to-day. I have been waiting to post this link, though:

Loft(3) Blog

Once there, click on "blog," and you'll find us under the title "lisa & her boys."

For Josh's upcoming birthday, I had professional photos taken of the boys and I. Since I couldn't wait until his actual B-day to show him (I was too excited about the photos), I gave him the link today while we were skyping, and got to watch his very touching reaction to seeing them. Our friend, Melanie, and her husband, Adam, take the most amazing photos, and Melanie hooked us up by squeezing us into her extremely booked schedule! If you have time, you should check out her blog...amazing photos to look at, and some very touching stories to read! I think the photos made the perfect birthday present, and I am hoping that Melanie and Adam will be able to take more photos of us next year, when Josh gets home! They are also the photographers for my brother's upcoming wedding in July!

Here are some recent pictures of the boys:

Enjoying one of the few warm days we had this month!

Ty painted his face! :-)

Brotherly Love!

Caellum has learned how to climb...he just doesn't know how to get down yet. He cries. Lol!

Two months down!

2011-03-02T20:24:00.005-05:00

Just checking in, letting everyone know we are still here and doing ok! February has flown by, and we now have 2 months of the deployment under our belts. We had some fun and some not-so-fun moments this month. The highlight of our month was going to see our family and friends in Cincinnati. It was Meemaw's birthday, so we got to celebrate with her. We also got to celebrate the birthdays of Morgan and Katie, the gorgeous daughters of our good friends, the Sunderman's. Our not-so-fun moments consisted of more sickness...ugh! Ty and I got the nasty stomach virus that's going around at the SAME time! So, I had a fun night of being up all night taking care of a puking Ty, while I was running to the bathroom every 5 minutes myself! That was definitely one of the roughest nights I have ever had. But thank the good Lord for my dear, sweet mom, who came down the next morning to help me take care of the boys and myself! We are just about back to normal now, and are hoping to stay healthy again for awhile! Josh is doing well too, and we have been blessed to be able to talk to him pretty often. He is tired, and working hard, but seems to be doing well. The boys are as ornery as ever! They are really starting to interact and play together, and it is fun watching them. Here are some recent pictures of our little boogers!

Ty loves wearing his daddy's boots and hat!

Caellum trying to feed himself applesauce

Little ornery Caellum pulled all those clothes out of his drawer!

Ty rocking out on his guitar!

Getting ready to go to church!

Meemaw and her four grandbabies...all in their jammies!

Over Illness!

2011-02-05T15:06:00.003-05:00

Puke, Fever, Ear Infections, Runny Noses, Coughing, Medicine, Doctor's Appointments, Rashes, Allergic Reactions!!! This is pretty much what the month of January, and the beginning of February has been like for us! UGH! I am so over illness! Once I get one boy healthy, the other one gets sick again. It is just a vicious, never-ending cycle! And just when I thought everyone was getting healthy again this happened:

Poor little Caellum had a very bad allergic reaction to something! What? We don't know. The poor, little guy had so much going on at one time, we aren't sure what made him react this way. He was on antibiotics for an ear infection, but the same day he started the antibiotics, he got his one year vaccinations (measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox). And he didn't start with this rash until about 11 days after the antibiotics and vaccinations (which means he had finished his 10 day antibiotic). Hmmmm...all I know is, I want my poor, little guys to be healthy again! But every time I start feeling sorry for myself, I am reminded that the good Lord is with me every step of the way, and I am so blessed that they are, for the most part, healthy little guys...these illnesses are very mild compared to what some poor, little kids are going through. So, I need to count my many, many blessings, and praise His name for always being there for us, no matter what!

Have You Ever Heard Of....

2011-01-26T16:52:00.002-05:00

someone having a competition to determine who will be the best man in his wedding? Only my brother!!! Here is a link to the website my brother, Billy, created for his "Best Man Olympics" in case you're interested:

Billy's Best Man Olympics

My the best man win!

Caellum Pics and Update on Us!

2011-01-26T13:54:00.003-05:00

Ok, so Caellum turned one on January 15th, and here is a pic of his actual birthday:

We met family at Chick-fil-a to have cake and let the kids play! This is a pic of Caellum after we sang to him. He LOVED eating his cake...he's definitely gonna have a sweet tooth like his mommy and daddy!

This is one of his professional pics that we had taken. The poor little guy had an ear infection (which I found out the day after this photo was taken)!

While we were in Cincinnati, Caellum started walking...about a week before his first birthday. He's getting good now, and mommy is in trouble!!! Pretty soon, he's gonna be running one way, and Ty will be running the other...yikes!!! Here are some pics of our trip back to Cincy:

Cousins Maddie and Caellum

Cousins Ellie, Gabby, Ty, and Caellum

Brotherly Love

So we have been back home for a couple weeks now, and are having lovely weather here! Snow, snow, snow! I bundled the boys up and took them outside for a short while to play. It was Caellum's first time in the snow, and he LOVED it! I have never seen a baby love the snow so much! He couldn't walk very well because he was so bundled up (like the kid in the Christmas Story movie, lol) so he would just crawl through the snow smiling and giggling...it was too cute!

The boys playing in the snow!

This week has been a bit rough. Both boys are sick, poor Caellum has an ear infection, and Ty has been randomly "puking"...sorry to be so graphic, but that's what he calls it, lol! Hopefully they'll start feeling better soon, and we can get "back to normal." Other than that, we are doing great! We have been able to talk to Josh pretty frequently, and I praise God for that! Josh's Aunt Kathy bought me an amazing book, called Faith Deployed, and it has been a tremendous comfort, and source of strength to me. Thank you, Kathy, for thinking of us, and being so supportive. And thank you for sending me such an awesome book...it will definitely help me get through this year! We love you! I am truly thankful to everyone for their love, support, well wishes, and prayers that have been sent our way. When Josh and I do get to talk, we talk about how blessed we are to have all this support when we need it the most. Thank you all, for everything, from the bottom of our hearts!

Here's a video of Caellum in the snow:

Here's a video of Caellum walking:

Caellum is ONE!!!

2011-01-16T21:07:00.003-05:00

I am a day late on this post, but our baby boy turned 1 yesterday! We can't believe he is already one!!! Where did the year go? It went fast with Ty, but my oh my, it flew by with Caellum! We celebrated his birthday back in December before Josh left, but we did have a small get together with our family yesterday as well. When we get home, I will post pics of his big day.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, CAELLUM! We love you!

Introducing.....

2011-01-13T22:07:00.004-05:00

I Do!
My brother, Billy (AKA Bubby, as Ty and I affectionately call him), and sister-to-be Kelly's wedding blog! Check it out...I added it to our blog list!

Update on Josh:
He made it to his new home for the next year. He is finally getting settled in and is doing really well. We have been able to talk a little bit, and he is in the process of getting personal internet set up. Once he gets that set up, we will be able to skype and email much more frequently. All is well with him so far!

As for me and the boys, we are visiting our family up in Cincinnati for a bit. I will post pictures from our visit when we get back home. Thanks for all your prayers, well wishes, and support!

Week one down...how many to go?!

2011-01-06T20:50:00.007-05:00

Well, we made it through a week and two days...yay! We are doing pretty good. Ty definitely knows what's going on, and if you ask him he says, "Daddy go bye-bye for awhile." Heartbreaking, but he is doing good despite missing his daddy. Both boys are a bit under the weather with fevers and congestion, which makes things a bit more trying for mommy, but we are doing really well despite it all. Josh has finally made it to his "home" for the next year, and seems to be doing well too. Thank God for modern day technology...we have been able to skype a few times, and he has emailed me quite a bit. I have no idea how people made it through deployments back in WWII when they were gone for multiple years and were lucky if written letters even made it to their destination! Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support...they mean the world to us!

So, let me catch you up on how we spent our Christmas before we had to say goodbye to Josh. We went to Cincinnati to celebrate Christmas early the weekend of the 10th. The boys got spoiled rotten by the family! We also celebrated Caellum's 1st birthday that weekend (a month early, since Josh wasn't going to be here for it). Here are some pics:

Best Buds!

Loving his new Bengals gear!

Caellum loving the doggie's bed?!

The girls posing in the tutus that Aunt Lisa made

Ty tearing into a gift!

Daddy and his boys!

Celebrating Caellum's first birthday:

Superman cake made by mommy

This kid LOVES cake!

Then on Christmas, we spent some good, quality time...just the four of us...at home, since we knew Josh would be leaving just a few days after Christmas. Here are some pics of our Christmas:

Ty and Caellum's favorite present from Santa!

Opening gifts with daddy

The four of us on Christmas Eve

We moved Ty into his very own big boy bed! A Lightening McQueen race car bed! He loves it, and has done so well in it so far!

Big Boy Bed!

He's Gone....

2010-12-29T21:30:00.003-05:00

D-day was yesterday. One of the worst days we have experienced! I cannot believe he is gone for a whole year! The boys and I are doing really well so far, they definitely keep me busy and I feel it is my job to stay strong for them. We have been blessed to have a HUGE support system of friends and family, all of whom have been checking in on us and making sure we are ok. We will survive just as many, many military families have done and are continuing to do each day! Please just pray that the Lord puts a protective shield around Josh, and brings him back home safely! Thank you all for your love and support, we wouldn't make it through without it!

If you would like Josh's address, just email me or reply back to this post, and I will send it to you. I cannot post it for obvious safety reasons.

Thanks!

My Hubby,The Handy Man

2010-12-08T12:30:00.003-05:00

Josh has become quite the Handy Man lately, and he made us a beautiful entertainment center for our TV! He also built me some shelves in the laundry room, and now it is so much more organized! Thanks, Josh, what an amazing man I am married to! Don't know what we'd do without you!

Before:

After:

Ben-Gals Alumni Game

2010-12-08T11:43:00.007-05:00

I had a pretty unique opportunity when we went home for Thanksgiving...I got to perform with 200+ women at a Bengals game! The Ben-Gals organized a Ben-Gal alumni performance, and more than 200 former Ben-Gals from the 70's, 80's, 90's, and 2000's danced on the field at half-time. Since I love to dance, and haven't really gotten to do so much since becoming a busy mommy of two, it was so much fun for me! I got to learn a couple new dances, and see some friends that I haven't seen in about 8 years (2002...the year I cheered). I was so grateful that my wonderful hubby, and family came to watch. It was a gorgeous day to be at a football game, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of it! Here are some pics:

Practice on the field

My friend, Amy and I practicing on the field

Josh and I

My brother, Billy and his wife-to-be, Kelly and myself

My sister, Michelle and hubby Jay with me

My friend, Allison and I getting ready to perform!

All the alumni plus current cheerleaders performing at half-time

Josh and I with the boys after the game

Thanksgiving

2010-12-08T11:25:00.005-05:00

We went home to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving, and got to spend some quality time with our friends and family. We had a great time, ate some delicious food, and enjoyed our visit.

Cousins Gabby and Ty

Cousins Caellum and Ellie

Poppy Stone holding his youngest great-grandchildren

Cousins Maddie and Ty

Pawpaw serenading Ty

Partners In Crime

2010-12-08T10:45:00.004-05:00

Of course we have to post nothing but recent pictures of our two gorgeous boys! These two have become partners in crime, and we are gonna be in for it with these ornery little fellas! :-)

Troop Night Out

2010-12-07T13:38:00.004-05:00

Josh and I enjoying our night out

Josh's troop (6-4 CAV) organized an awesome night out for the soldiers and spouses. We went out to a very nice Italian dinner at Vincenzo's in downtown Louisville. The owner of Vincenzo's gave us an amazing deal. They basically gave us a free 4-course meal, along with free drinks. The food was delicious and we had a fabulous time! The news was even there to cover the story. If you'd like to see the news coverage go here:

Vincenzo's closes to provide free meal to Afghanistan-bound soldiers

See if you can find Josh and I in the background pigging out! :-)

How Could I Forget???

2010-12-07T13:29:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness, I forgot one of the most important events that happened in the past few months! Our newest niece, Monrow Grace Helen Williams, was born on September 13th. I was able to drive back to Cincinnati to make it on time for Monrow's arrival into the world, and it was so exciting! She is adorable and we love her so much!

Welcome Baby Monrow!

Daddy holding his newest baby girl

The happy family

Infantry Ball

2010-12-07T13:15:00.003-05:00

Josh and I had a fun date night back in November. We went to Josh's brigade's (3-1) ball. It was an Infantry Ball (which Josh was a bit disappointed about because he is in a CAV unit) but we went with a few good friends and had a great time! Army Balls are always fun for us ladies because we get all fancy and dressed up! Here are some pics of our night:

Our professional pic from the night

Some of the ladies

Josh and I enjoying our dinner

Soldiers from 6-4 CAV

Yo Gabba Gabba Live

2010-12-07T13:03:00.004-05:00

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that Ty (and Caellum) have an obsession with Yo Gabba Gabba, a TV show on Nick Jr. They love the show, and Josh and I hate to admit it, but we love it too! We love singing and dancing to the music! So, when we found out that Yo Gabba Gabba Live was coming to Louisville in October, we had to get tickets and take the boys! Oh my gosh, both boys were mesmerized by the show. It was great, and we had so much fun! Even Biz Markie was there! :-)

Yo Gabba Gabba Live

Daddy and the boys enjoying the show!

Can you see that Ty can't take his eyes off the stage?

Ty sitting on the steps, not taking his eyes off the show!

Biz Markie

Vacation!

2010-12-06T16:04:00.004-05:00

Josh was able to take some leave in October, and we got to take a family vacation to Emerald Isle, NC. We had a fabulous time! Josh took surfing lessons (he was actually really good), and the boys absolutely loved the ocean and playing in the sand on the beach. Unfortunately, I don't have very many pics of our vacation because I dropped our camera in the ocean chasing after Caellum, who had no fear of the water and crawled right into it! Here are some pics I managed to get before dunking our camera in salt water!

Daddy and the boys enjoying the beach!

Mommy and the boys

Ty

Caellum

Halloween!

2010-12-06T15:29:00.004-05:00

We had so much fun this Fall, doing lots for Halloween. We went to a pumpkin patch, a Halloween party, and to the World's Largest Halloween Party at the Louisville Zoo not once but twice! We had fun trick-or-treating too! Ty was old enough to understand what was going on this year, and it was a blast hearing him say trick-or-treat as he got his candy. Of course he wanted to immediately eat each piece of candy he got, especially the suckers...he is obsessed with suckers! Here are some of our Halloween pics:

Ty is freezing at the pumpkin patch!

Trying to keep Caellum warm at the patch!

Getting ready to trick-or-treat!

Ty as Wolverine, and Caellum as the Incredible Hulk...our super-hero boys!

Ty and Gabrielle at the Zoo

Mama and Caellum at the zoo

Daddy with Ty and Gabrielle

The boys at the zoo

Ty saying trick-or-treat for us.

Ty's Tubes

2010-12-06T14:51:00.003-05:00

So this next post is funny, but breaks our hearts at the same time! Ty had been having terrible ear infections. They started last April, and from April-August, he had about 7-8 ear infections, some of which would not go away with a regular 10-day dose of antibiotics. Our poor, little guy was miserable when he had them, and was an absolute bear for mommy and daddy to deal with. We spent most of our summer going to the doctor, putting him on antibiotics, and wrestling with a fussy, little guy. Not fun! Finally, we got referred to ENT. We decided that it would be best for Ty to go ahead and get the surgery for tubes. We were nervous, but felt it would be the best thing for him. We took him to Kosair's Children's Hospital in Louisville. The hospital staff was great, the surgery went well, and Ty did a fantastic job! But it was heartbreaking to see Ty is his little hospital gown, and I cried when they wheeled him away to take him back for surgery! It definitely made Josh and I realize how blessed we are to have two healthy boys! To ease the kids' anxiety, and make it easier for them to be wheeled away from their parents for surgey, the nurses give the kids some kind of medicine that makes them really loopy and relaxed. Josh and I said it made Ty look like a drunk baby! It was heartbreaking to see our little man like that, but it was funny too! So we had to record our little drunk baby and share it with you all! Here is a video of poor, drunk Ty right before they took him back for his surgery:

Oh, and since the surgery (which was in October), Ty has had zero ear infections...knock on wood! Yay!!

Catch-up post, Ty's B-day

2010-12-06T13:45:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I am finally working on our catch-up posts. Ty's second b-day, which was all the way back in September, was a blast! We had his party at an inflatable fun zone. Everyone had a great time, and Ty got spoiled rotten with all his gifts! Here are some pics from his special day!

Mommy-made Muno cake and Brobee cupcakes (Ty LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba!)

Ty eating pizza in the birthday boy chair

The kiddos eating their pizza before terrorizing the inflatables!

Caellum worn out by all the fun and excitement! Aunt Kelly has the magic touch to get him to sleep!

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T09:38:00.004-05:00

Thank you Veterans for all you have done and continue to do for our country! You are such brave men and women and we appreciate your great sacrafice! We are especially proud of our own solider, and love him so very much!

Where Oh Where Have the Kinsel's Gone?

2010-11-10T17:44:00.005-05:00

So I know it has been FOREVER since we have posted anything, and most of our friends and family who used to check our blog probably don't even bother anymore, but we wanted to make a better effort at posting again...especially since Josh will be leaving soon. The problem is, we are so overwhelmed with so many things that have happened over the past few months, that we don't know where to begin! So, instead of doing a big, huge, mega-post, we will just update bits at a time. It will be more effective since it would take hours to try to catch up on posting. My goal is to sit down and write small posts as often as I can to try to catch up on everything that has happened in the past few months.

So here is our first catch-up post!

First off, we have to say a big congrats to my brother Billy and our new sister-to-be Kelly! They got engaged in August, and we couldn't be happier for them! They are planning for a wedding in July, and I will be a bridesmaid...how exciting! The only bummer is that Josh will miss it :-( One of the many important things he will miss due to deployment. But we are happy for them and want to wish them all the happiness in the world! Congrats, Billy and Kelly!

A picture of the happy couple. Notice the bling on her ring finger! Billy actually designed her ring, and it's gorgeous! Way to go, Billy! :-)

Ok, on my next itty bitty post, I will post more on Ty's 2nd B-day, since I never really finished that post! Here's to hoping I can get back to regular posts! :-)

Happy Birthday, Ty!

2010-09-05T22:11:00.004-04:00

My oh my how time flies! How can it be that our baby is already two years old?! Before we became parents, we never really realized how fast our babies would grow, and how we need to cherish these moments because our boys will be grown and gone all too soon! Tyson, we wish you a Happy 2nd Birthday, buddy! Mommy and Daddy love you with all their hearts and having you was one of the happiest days of our lives!

Ty had an awesome birthday party, and we will post more about his big day soon!

He's Home!

2010-08-25T19:56:00.002-04:00

Josh got home from NTC last night around 11:15 PM! We are so excited he is home! I will post more when I get a chance...right now we are enjoying our time together and catching up from the past month. :-)

2010-07-25T15:41:00.007-04:00

So I know I am WAY overdue for an update! I'm sorry...I just don't know where this month has gone! Josh leaves bright and early in the morning for NTC (California). He'll be leaving us for a month to train for his upcoming deployment. We are trying to enjoy our last weekend together, and I am trying not to think about how this deployment is sneaking up on us faster and faster!

The month of July has been full of busy work nights for Josh, but we've also had our share of fun! We went to Cincinnati for a short visit on the July 4th holiday. We had fun spending time with our families.
Fourth of July:

Cousin Maddie and Ty getting ready for a swim

Ty knocked out on the 4th of July

July 4th Family pic

An attempt at getting a picture of all 4 grandkids (Gabrielle holding Caellum, baby Ellie in the swing, and Ty)

Josh's troop (B-troop) had a family BBQ, and our FRG (Family Readiness Group) organized a "pie-in-the-face" fundraiser. The soldiers and family members bid on throwing pies in the faces of those soldiers that hold leadership positions, and Josh was one of them! Someone bid $65 to throw a pie in Josh's face (and no, it wasn't me...although I would have loved too)! We had a great time! Here are some pics:

Ty at the BBQ

Josh getting a pie in the face!

SSG Partlow, Josh, and Ty after the pie smashing!

Josh and I had a date night this month, and actually left the boys overnight for the first time since they've been born (Josh has been away from them overnight many times, of course, but I have only left Ty overnight when I was in the hospital having Caellum, and have never left Caellum!). We were nervous to leave them, but they were fine...had a blast with Meemaw and Pawpaw, and Josh and I had so much fun! We went to the Belterra Casino where Josh's friend was hosting the MMA Big Show (Mixed Martial Arts fights). Josh actually did the commentating for the fights on live TV. We got to hang out with many of our friends that we hadn't seen in a while, and had a great night! Here is a pic of us on date night:

At Belterra

We took the boys to Kart Kountry so Josh could take Ty on a go-cart for the first time, and Ty loved it! He is all boy, and such a little maniac! He is a little dare devil and isn't scared of very many things (which scares mommy!). He loved riding in the go-cart with Josh, and laughed every time they went around a curve! Josh thinks we have a future race car driver on our hands! :-)

Daddy taking Ty on his first go-cart ride!

Race car driver #1

Race car driver #2

So those are some things that have been happening for us lately! I will be a very busy mommy these next four weeks with Josh gone, and I will be going back home to Cincinnati for some time with family (and help with the boys) while he is away. I will try to update again soon, and not let another month go by, but no promises!
:-)

Here are a couple more pics of the boys:

Our new fave pic of the boys!

Ty and a sleeping Caellum (he fell asleep like that on the floor, bless his little heart!)

So I'm a day late, but....

2010-06-21T16:21:00.004-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all those amazing daddy's out there!

<

And to the most wonderful, unbelievable Daddy of all...my very own hubby, Josh...we love you more than you'll ever know and hope you had a fantastic day!

Check out their stickers! (click on pic to enlarge it)

And here is a video that Josh and I never tire of watching:

Hot, Hot, Hot!

2010-06-18T14:23:00.004-04:00

Yes it is hot, hot, hot here in KY! And we have been having lots of fun this summer despite the illnesses that we have been dealing with. Poor Ty has now had 3 ear infections in a month. If we can't get them under control the next step is tubes. We don't want the poor, little guy to end up with tubes, so please pray for him! This is really the first week he seems to be back to his old self since the end of May, and we hope he stays healthy for a while! We have also definitely hit a rough patch of "terrible twos" with Ty. Man does he know how to throw a tantrum when he doesn't get what he wants! Poor kid has a bad combo of mommy's stubbornness and daddy's temper. He has been a trying little dude lately, and we will be happy when this rotten stage is over!

Caellum is doing great, and growing faster by the minute. He is eating solids really good now, and we're having fun introducing him to new fruits and veggies. He is such a happy baby, and just loves to be talked to and tickled! Now if only we could get him to nap well! He sleeps great at night, but just doesn't sleep well during the day (unless he's being held that is!).

Josh is doing good, and his unit is gearing up for NTC in August. That means lots of field time and ranges. We are trying to enjoy every minute we have with him before he leaves for NTC in late July.

I am doing good too. I am healing up from a little bout of a sore throat, and loss of my voice, and have been enjoying taking the boys outside for some playground/water time since it has been so hot and humid here!

Here are some recent pics:

Family of 4!

Mommy with her baby boys

Ty knocked out after a trip to the playground

Our absolute favorite pic of Caellum!

Mommy and Daddy's superheros!

Oh, and on a side note, Happy B-day (yesterday), Bubby! Hope it was a great one! :-)

Ranger School, Illness, and More

2010-06-04T22:47:00.011-04:00

So, so sorry that we haven't updated in a while...it has been a crazy couple of weeks! I am finally posting thanks to Robin's encouragement (thanks for thinking about us, Robin!). So, for those of you that don't know, Josh is home. We have had such mixed emotions about him being home. Of course we are ecstatically happy to have him home, but we hate to see how disappointed he is about not making it through Ranger School this time. He has absolutely no reason to be disappointed in himself because he actually did fantastic down there! It was his body that failed him. He actually got "medically dropped" for a heat injury. Basically his body over-heated, and his entire body cramped up on him. Once they got his core temperature down, he thought maybe they would send him back to his class since he had passed everything during the first week, but since he was a heat-related injury, they wouldn't let him join back in and risk it happening again, as it will only get hotter down in the GA sun. They gave him a "golden ticket" so he can go back to any class he wants, the only restriction being he has to wait until the winter months (October-April). So now we're not sure if Josh will get to go back and try again or not, since his brigade is set to deploy in the November-January time frame. Since he has to wait until October, that would mean an added 2 months to an already 12-month-long deployment, and we don't want to make that separation time any longer than it already is....so, we'll see! We prayed the Lord's Will be done, and we know that we don't always understand His perfect plan for us, but this obviously happened for a reason! We just trust in Him, and know that this was part of His plan for us.

So, since Josh has been home, he was able to take some leave and we went back to Cincinnati for a bit to visit our families. While we were home our brand new niece, Ellie Grace, made her debut into the world! Congratulations Brandi, Chris, and Gabrielle! She is a beautiful addition to their wonderful family!

And speaking of babies, our friends, Teresa and Matt, also welcomed a baby (#4) into their family! The beautiful Emma Michelle entered the world on Saturday, May 29th! Congratulations! We can't wait to meet her!

While we were in Cincy, poor Ty got sick with a double ear infection and a chest infection! When we got back home he also somehow ended up with pink eye, in both eyes, on top of it all! He has been miserable for about a week and a half now, and we are ready for the little guy to be healthy again! Poor Caellum somehow caught pink eye from his brother too! So, it has been a crazy couple of weeks full of doctors visits and lots of medicine! Thankfully Josh was home to help me through all the illness...don't know how I would have dealt with it all without him!

Despite Ty getting sick, we had a great visit in Cincy. Now we are trying to get back into the swing of things at home. We are glad to have Josh home with us, and will cherish our time together until he has to leave again (most likely in August for NTC...National Training Center, to gear up for their upcoming deployment).

Here are some pics of our time in Cincy and more:

Gabrielle and Caellum (she just can't get enough of holding him!)

Ty riding the John Deere with Papaw

Josh pulling Ty and Gabrielle

This hat describes Ty perfectly!

Mommy taking Caellum swimming for the first time! He didn't like the freezing cold water much, can you tell?

Look at those baby blues!

"Mr. Hollywood" in his shades!

Caellum napping with Pawpaw

Gabrielle and her new baby sister, Ellie!

Welcome to the world, Ellie! Isn't she gorgeous?

Ty and Gabrielle singing

Caellum rolling over

Ranger School here he comes!

2010-05-15T14:09:00.007-04:00

We took Josh to the airport this morning for Ranger School. :-( Ranger School is one of the most difficult schools that the military offers. It is 61+ days of intense training. The school has a 45% attrition rate, and that is in the first week of training alone (which means 45% of the class will fail out during the first week). The total attrition rate is 68%, so more than half the class will have failed before graduation day. Yikes! During this school, Josh and I will only be able to correspond by letters with an occasional phone call here and there. So, weird as it sounds, I am hoping NOT to hear from him...no news usually means good news during this training. Here is a description of what Josh will be doing for the next two months according to Wikipedia:

The purpose of the course is learning to soldier as a combat leader while enduring the great mental and psychological stresses and physical fatigue of combat; the Ranger Instructors (RI) create and cultivate such a physical and mental environment. Field craft instruction comprises most of the coursework; students plan and execute daily patrolling, perform reconnaissance, ambushes, and raids against dispersed targets, followed by stealthy movement to a new patrol base to plan the next mission. Ranger students conduct about 20 hours of training per day, while consuming two or fewer meals daily totaling about 2,200 Calories (9,200 kJ), with an average of 3.5 hours of sleep a day. Students sleep more before a parachute jump for safety considerations. Ranger students typically wear and carry some 65–90 pounds (29–41 kg) of weapons, equipment, and training ammunition while patrolling more than 200 miles (320 km) throughout the course.[2]

Please say lots of prayers for Josh. He is going to need the good Lord by his side every step of the way during this school. I will post updates as I hear from him. If you'd like to send him a message of encouragement, his address is:**

1st LT Joshua Kinsel

4th Ranger Training Battalion

ATTN: Class 07-10, Company B

10850 Schneider Road

Fort Benning, GA 31905

**This will only be his address for the first phase of Ranger School. His address will change as he progresses to each new phase, and I will update you each time that happens.

If you do send him anything, please keep in mind that he cannot have anything other than letters and pictures. And you may not hear back from him as he will be kept very busy, and sleep deprived. But if you get a chance to write to him, your letters will mean a lot to him, and will help keep him motivated! If all goes as planned, he should graduate in mid-July. Thanks in advance for your love, support, and prayers! God bless!

GO JOSH!!!

Early Mother's Day....

2010-05-05T22:10:00.003-04:00

I got an early Mother's Day present! Josh and the boys got this gorgeous necklace for me from the Vintage Pearl. I love it! They gave it to me early because Josh wanted to see me wear it before he left for Ranger School (he leaves in less than 2 weeks...yikes!). I am one lucky mommy! :-) I love my boys to bits...all three of them!

Happy early Mother's Day to all the awesome mommies out there!

The Cutest Advertisement Ever

2010-05-01T22:03:00.005-04:00

Wouldn't this make such a cute advertisement for Sundy's Pub? Sundy's Pub is an awesome bar in Cincinnati, OH owned by our good friends Matt and Teresa. Ty has been obsessed with wearing this hat everywhere we go. He loves it! He also loves Sundy's Pub and thinks you should go there if you ever visit Cincinnati (or if you live in Cincy like a lot of our blog followers do)! :-)

Our boys

2010-05-01T20:55:00.002-04:00

We thought this was too funny not to share:

April Mega-Post!

2010-04-22T21:15:00.003-04:00

We have had a lot going on this month, and I am once again way behind on posting, so this is our April Mega-Post to catch up with what's been going on.

We went home to Cincinnati on Easter weekend, and had a great time with our friends and families. Ty and Caellum had a couple of Easter Egg hunts, and met the Easter Bunny too! They had fun playing with their cousins, Maddie and Gabrielle. Of course we came home with a Tahoe full of new clothes, toys, and candy from the Easter Bunny (the grandparents went overboard as usual). We are so blessed! Here are some pictures from Easter:

Ty and Caellum with the scariest-looking Easter Bunny I've ever seen! :-) If you look closely (click on the pic to enlarge it) Caellum is actually smiling at Ty...it was too cute!

Ty, Caellum, and Cousin Maddie

Look at our little chunky monkey!

Mommy and her two boys!

Daddy and the boys!

Gabrielle and Ty in her Barbie Jeep...those two had a blast just driving in circles...it was pretty funny to watch them!

Ty and his Easter Bunny ears!

We had two awesome visits with our good friends, the Hupp's and the Sunderman's! This is a pic of the Hupp and Kinsel kiddos. Unfortunately I didn't get a pic of the Sunderman's cuties...I don't know what I was thinking not getting a pic of them!

I did post that it was Josh's 30th b-day on April 8th, but I didn't post anything about the surprise party we held for him on April 10th! I took Josh and the boys to the Zoo, and while we were gone, Josh's family came down and set up for the party (thanks, Kinsel's!). A good bunch of our friends came to celebrate with us, and made his 30th a special day for him. I didn't take many pictures though :-( Here is a pic of his cake.

And here are some pics from the Zoo that same day:

Daddy and Ty taking a break from all that walking!

Ty in the petting zoo.

It was Caellum's first trip to the zoo, but he stayed in the stroller the whole time! He was happy though!

We also went to "Thunder Over Louisville" last weekend. That's Louisville's big fireworks show to kick off the Derby festivities. It was so incredibly crowded, and we obviously couldn't stay for the fireworks (the boys wouldn't have made it that long) but it was a beautiful day, and we went up just to see the air show they do before lighting off the fireworks. Here is a pic:

In family news, Caellum has started rolling over to his belly. Here's a pic of him mid-roll.

He rolls to his belly, gets stuck, then screams. He is quite the little mover despite his chunkiness! :-) He weighs 12 lbs 10 oz now. He is doing well, cooing up a storm, and is such a happy, little guy!

Ty just continues to amaze us each day. He is learning new words by the minute, and trying to repeat everything we say. We can't believe how fast he's growing! He loves his little brother, and does really well with him. He even tried to feed him a Dorito the other day when I had my back turned! :-)

Josh is gearing up to go to Ranger School...yikes! His report date is mid-May. We knew before Caellum was born that he'd be going in May, but May has gotten here way too quickly, and I'm not ready for my husband to leave for 2 months! Not only will he be gone for 2 months, but we will have little to no contact with him...we will only be able to correspond through letters! And Ranger school is one of the toughest schools in the military. Josh is going to be starved, sleep deprived, physically tested and challenged in a way that most people never will be. It is going to be very difficult for him to leave us, and we are going to desperately miss him! We are trying to enjoy these last few weeks with him by spending every minute together as a family.

So, we definitely had a lot to update you on. And we have a lot of things coming up in our future! Please keep us in your prayers...especially Josh, with Ranger School quickly approaching. Thanks!

Oh, and here is one last picture of our boys to end our April Mega-Post!

Ty and Caellum enjoying a warm day!

Guess who's 30???

2010-04-08T21:14:00.003-04:00

30 years ago today my gorgeous hubby was born. Yep, that's right, Josh turned the big 3-0 today! Welcome to the thirties, Josh! You are an amazing man, an unbelievable father, my best friend and soul mate. Happy 30th birthday, babe! We love you!

Waterfront Park

2010-03-29T14:24:00.009-04:00

We went to Waterfront Park in downtown Louisville on this past gorgeous Saturday. Our friend Michelle, and her daughter Eva joined us, and we had so much fun! Waterfront Park is a beautiful park that runs along the Ohio River (very much like Sawyer Point to all our Cincy readers) and has all kinds of playgrounds for kiddos...even a splash park in the summer! We will definitely be heading back there many more times!

Josh's nose is healing well, and he is starting to feel better. The babies are doing great too! We are heading to Cincinnati for the Easter holiday, and many of our friends and family will finally get to meet Caellum for the first time! We are looking forward to spending some time with our friends and families! Hope everyone else has a great holiday this weekend!

Can you tell Ty isn't happy about being held? He wants down to play!!

Eva and Ty

Ty in action!

And there's Caellum!

Nose job

2010-03-23T11:30:00.004-04:00

Josh made it through surgery ok! Thanks to all those who said some prayers for him. He is in a lot of pain right now, but hopefully his nose will heal up quickly and he'll be back to his old self again! We have to say a huge thanks to Mamaw and Papaw Kinsel, who came down to help us with the boys! We love you and appreciate all you do for us!

Trying on Papaw's shoes!

Papaw and Ty having fun in the tent!

Our little bundle of destruction got hold of mommy's sunglasses!

Bath time fun!

2010-03-17T23:07:00.002-04:00

Mommies will do anything to get their kids to laugh, right? Ty and I were having some bath time fun tonight! :-)

And he did that to his hair all by himself...no lie!

Doctor Visits and Mickey Mouse too!

2010-03-15T15:06:00.007-04:00

We can't believe how different our lives are now than when we started this blog back in April of 2008. It's been almost two years...I was 4 months pregnant with Ty when we started this thing, and now look at us! We have an 18 month-old and a 2 month-old! Two amazing boys that we love with all our hearts! We would never have imagined how two gorgeous boys could make our lives so much better! We had no idea the blessings the Good Lord had in store for us back then! We love our little guys so much, and are so thankful for them!

We had doctors visits for both boys today...what fun! The are both healthy and strong, and doing awesome! Praise God! Ty is only 21 pounds, and in the 2nd percentile for weight. His doctor is a little concerned because he has fallen off his growth chart just a bit, so we have to try to add some extra calories to his meals to get some weight on him. He eats pretty good already(knock on wood), but with all that energy he has, he runs it all off! We have to take him back in a couple months for a weight check just to make sure he isn't losing any weight, and is still following his growth chart.

Caellum is doing great too! He is still our little chunk, weighing in at 11 lbs 4 oz today. He is in the 63rd percentile for weight (as opposed to Ty's 2%). Please pray for him as we are having a few issues with his poo (I'll spare you the details), and they will be doing some tests on it. We're sure he's fine as he is gaining weight, and is pretty content most of the time, but we want to make sure there is nothing else going on. Our littlest kiddo also had to get his first round of shots today :-( poor guy! Those are never fun, but he took it like a champ!

We took the boys to Playhouse Disney Live in Louisville this past weekend (Ty loves Mickey Mouse), and it was a blast! Ty had fun, and we loved watching his reactions to the show. We didn't get very many good pics, but I'll post the ones we have.

Josh's surgery on his nose will be on Monday, March 22. Please pray for him! Oh, and pray for me as well! Josh will be going to the field, and things are always a bit more stressful when he's gone! Thanks for all your prayers and support!

View of the stage from our seats

Donald, Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie!

Ty, sitting on Daddy's lap, getting ready for the show to start!

Caellum, sitting on mommy's lap, getting ready for the show to start!

Our little fireman!

Blog Neglect

2010-03-08T15:21:00.007-05:00

Hey, at least it's the blog we're neglecting, and not our two beautiful boys...right?!

Since Caellum has been born, the blog has definitely taken a backseat. It has to for now. There are just too many things going on during our day now, and not enough time to get everything done! We are hoping that as Caellum gets older, we will have more time to devote to the blog, but we doubt it! So to all our faithful blog readers...we apologize for the blog neglect, and will do our best to update more often...if we find the time! :-)

We have had a lot going on these past few weeks. Josh has been doing a lot of training with his platoon for their upcoming deployment, and he has had to spend some time out in the field (many of these are overnight stays...yuck!). About two or three weeks ago he broke his nose during his combatitives training (the Army's version of full-contact fighting). He will be getting surgery to repair it, so please pray for him that the surgery goes well and he has a quick and painless recovery.

I am doing well. Just keeping busy with a newborn and a very energetic 18 month-old! Every day is a new adventure with these two little guys!

Here is our new favorite picture of our little men! They are both growing so fast...it's amazing! I can't believe Caellum is almost 2 months old! Where does the time go? It went fast with one kiddo, but is going incredibly fast with two kiddos! Can you tell how ornery Ty is just by looking at this pic? He is a busy, little dude, that's for sure!

Here is a picture of Caellum, and his buddy Noah. Noah is two weeks younger than Caellum, and we are good friends and neighbors with his mommy and daddy. Isn't this picture so sweet?

This is a video of Caellum (Ty's in it too...throwing a tantrum in the background because he wants to play with our camera and I won't let him have it) for our friends and family that haven't met him yet, and for the grandparents that love and miss him so much!

So, there is a short update for our neglected blog. Hopefully it won't be another month before we update it again!

Oh, and please pray for our Mertz side of the family. We lost grandma Dot (Lisa's grandmother) on Feb. 26. Thanks for your prayers!

We also want to say Happy Birthday to Aunt Shell! We hope you have a great birthday!

Birthday girl holding newborn Caellum!

An update...finally!

2010-02-01T15:14:00.009-05:00

We apologize for not posting sooner, but this parent of two thing is a lot more time-consuming than we thought! Especially when one little guy is 16 months old, and the other is only 2 weeks old! Well, today is mommy's first day on her own with her two little guys. We were blessed enough to have help for the first 2 weeks after Caellum's birth, and believe me, I took advantage of it! I slept at any opportunity possible, which is why the blog has been left neglected! My in-laws were here for week 1, and my mom and dad were here for week 2. Thank you so much for your help, moms and dads! We don't know what we'd have done without you!

So, here it has been two weeks already, and we haven't even posted the story about Caellum's arrival into this world. We went into the hospital for a scheduled C-section at 5:30 AM on Friday, January 15 (Since Ty was born by C-section, they wouldn't allow me to go past my due date, and they wouldn't induce me due to increased risk of uterine rupture. Caellum just wasn't showing any signs of wanting to come out, and I went past my due date, so they had to take him by C-section). I was on the operating table by 8 AM, and Caellum was pulled out at 8:23 AM. He was peeing when they pulled him out :-) which tends to be a trend every time someone changes his diaper! He came out screaming like mad, and was big, which we weren't expecting because Ty only weighed 6 lbs. 6oz. Caellum tipped the scales at 8 lbs., but was only 19 inches long. He is a short, stout little guy, and reminded us of a little bulldog because he has no neck! :-) He has been a great baby so far, and we just love him to bits! We are in awe of how the Lord has blessed us! A lot of people ask about his name. We actually found it in our baby name book. It is Celtic, and means "brave warrior," which we both love. We also like it because it's not such a common name. We pronounce it "Kay-llum," or just like the name Caleb, but with an "M" at the end instead of the "B." Arden (his middle name) is a family name. It is my father-in-law's middle name, so he was named after his Papaw Kinsel. Poor Caellum will probably spend his life explaining his name, or at least how to pronounce it, but we love it! It fits him well, too.

Ty has been adjusting so much better than we ever would have imagined! He can get a little rough sometimes with Caellum, simply because he doesn't fully understand yet, but for the most part, he loves to give his baby brother kisses, and "soft touches" on the head. He has learned the "baby" sign, and signs "baby" whenever he sees us holding Caellum. It's too cute! Ty seems to have had a growth-explosion these past two weeks! Either that or he just seems so big to us now that we have a newborn to compare him to! He continues to amaze us with the new things he has learned everyday!

Well, gotta sign off for now...Caellum is calling for me, and Ty needs me too! Will try to get better about posting! Will leave you with some more pictures, and a video!

Caellum in his monkey outfit

Trying to get a good pic of big brother/little brother...it's nearly impossible!

Ty somehow snagged mommy's nursing cover, and put it on...thought that was hilarious!

Caellum's first sponge bath at home

All clean and wrapped up in his monkey towel!

Ty and Caellum :-)

Video of Ty kissing his baby bro:

So sorry for the delay, but.....

2010-01-20T14:09:00.004-05:00

Caellum Arden Kinsel is here!!! He was born on January 15, at 8:23 AM, and weighed in at a whooping 8 lbs. even, and 19 inches long! We came home from the hospital on Sunday, and everyone is doing fine. Once we get settled and caught up on rest (yeah, right!) we will post more. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers! We are so blessed!

Baby Caellum!

Our little chunky monkey weighs 8 lbs!

Ty meets his little brother

Proud Papa!

Mommy and her second beautiful boy!

First pic as a family of four!

Bringing Caellum home

Daddy and his boys!

Ty and Caellum...our pride and joy!

Caellum relaxing at home

Video of Caellum in the hospital, 45 minutes old:

Bib Dos will be here.....

2010-01-13T21:06:00.004-05:00

either tomorrow (Thurs.) or Friday. Since I am past my due date (it was yesterday), and my body is still not ready for labor and delivery :-(, our doctor decided we needed to go ahead and schedule a c-section. Now I am totally bummed to be having another c-section, but Josh and I prayed about this throughout our whole pregnancy, and we are at peace that this is all part of the Good Lord's perfect plan for us. So, if the doctor can squeeze us in, Bib Dos will be here as early as tomorrow! If not, we will be scheduled to have him first thing Friday morning. We will post pics of our new addition as soon as we can! Please pray for us! Thanks so much in advance for your prayers and support!

Snow!

2010-01-08T16:00:00.004-05:00

We got our first good snow of the winter yesterday, and since Ty was only 4 months old at this time last year, he has never really been out in the snow! So, we all bundled up and took him outside to see what he thought of the white stuff. Poor Ty-Ty was so bundled up (plus his snow boots are still too big) that he couldn't even walk! He was not having it! I think it was also just way too cold for him. We lasted about 10 minutes, and then went back inside, but not before mommy got a picture!

You can tell by the look on his face that he isn't enjoying this cold stuff very much!

We are ready...he still isn't!

2010-01-07T09:51:00.005-05:00

Bib Dos is just not ready to make an appearance into the world just yet. I guess he just loves his little home inside my belly...even though there is definitely no room for him in there anymore! So, there is no news to report from my doctor's appointment yesterday. We will continue our waiting game, and keep hoping that we will get to meet our new baby boy soon! :-)

We did get an awesome package in the mail yesterday, though! Our new double stroller! Given to us at Christmas by Meemaw and Pawpaw! Thank you!!! Josh set it up for us last night and we are so excited to use it!

Bib Dos in back, and Ty-Ty in front

He loves the new stroller!

Ty got his first "real" big boy haircut (in a barber shop, with clippers and all) yesterday. He screamed the entire time, and it took two of us to hold him still while the lady clipped his hair, but he looks so cute....like such a little man!

Not Yet!!!

2010-01-05T15:34:00.002-05:00

One week until my due date, and no baby...yet! I go to my weekly doctor visit tomorrow, so we will let you know if there are any updates! Back to waiting...........

:-)

Christmas With The Mertz's And So Long 2009!

2009-12-31T19:20:00.005-05:00

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!

2009-12-21T14:48:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-12-05T13:20:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-12-04T08:42:00.004-05:00

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!

Happy Veterans Day!

2009-11-11T11:12:00.003-05:00

We just want to say Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served or are currently serving our country in the United States Military! We are so thankful for your bravery and dedication! Happy Veterans Day!

Gatlinburg!

2009-11-11T10:41:00.008-05:00

This past weekend, we traveled to Gatlinburg with Meemaw and Pawpaw Mertz. We met the rest of our family and some friends there. There were 6 couples and 3 kiddos all in one chalet in the gorgeous Smoky Mountains! The weather was so beautiful, and we had a great time! We went on a short hike to Laurel Falls, and did some shopping on Saturday. We went to the Applebarn restaurant on Sunday before traveling back home. It was fun to spend time with family in an awesome Chalet! Here are some pictures of our trip:

Beautiful view from our balcony!

Family pic in front of Laurel Falls

Ty, Maddie, and Jackson in their jammies...aren't they cute?!

Another family pic on the balcony

Pic of the whole group in the driveway of our chalet

Back at home, I was putting something away in the fridge, and when I turned my back look at what our little stinker was doing:

He climbed into the fridge, trying to get his milk down from the top shelf! What a stink pot!

Better Late Than Never, Right?

2009-11-11T10:04:00.003-05:00

I just realized that I never did post our pictures from Halloween, so here they are! After all the Halloween costumes we had for Ty, we decided to use none of them! He went as a Cowboy/Cav Scout. Ty had a trick-or-treating buddy, Parker, who went as a dinosaur. Ty had fun, and got lots of candy!

Ty loves his stetson!

Ty and Parker getting ready for their first trick-or-treat!

Ty and Charlotte, the lady bug...one of the day care kiddos I used to watch

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:05:00.007-04:00

Happy Halloween from the Kinsel Family! Click here to watch our Halloween video (thanks, Hupps)!

Pumpkin decorating party!

2009-10-28T14:58:00.004-04:00

This morning the FCC (Family Child Care) had a pumpkin decorating party for the day care kids and providers. Since I am technically still a day care provider (I occasionally watch the provider's kiddos in their own homes), Ty and I were invited! It was so much fun! Ty got to play with all the other kids (which he loved), play in the gym with all the toys, listen to a story, and even decorate a pumpkin! What fun we had! We are definitely ready for Halloween!

Crawling through the tunnel

Ty loved these cones!

Ty with the pumpkin we decorated!

Patriotic Peacock's Giveaway!

2009-10-26T16:25:00.002-04:00

My friend, Kathlyn, at The Patriotic Peacock is hosting a great giveaway! Also, check out CSNStores.com for all your children’s needs from nursery furniture to toys!

Pumpkin Patch Kid!

2009-10-19T14:05:00.003-04:00

We took Ty to a couple of local pumpkin patches this past weekend, and boy did we have fun! It was a bit cold, but we bundled Ty up in his big winter coat and Bengals hat. He got to see some animals, go through a corn maze, jump in the bouncy house, and pick out a pumpkin! Here are some pictures of our adventures:

Ty loves the bouncy house!

Look at all those pumpkins!

He had fun in this huge pumpkin!

Riding in the cart of mums!

Our pretty mums, and family of pumpkins...Daddy, Mommy, Ty, and even Bib Dos!

Fall is so beautiful here!

Daddy called the pigs over for us, and Ty thought his pig call was hilarious!

3-1 IBCT Activation Ceremony

2009-10-17T22:47:00.002-04:00

Josh's brigade (3-1 IBCT) held an Activation Ceremony yesterday. 3-1 was de-activated back at Ft. Hood, TX after it's re-deployment from Afghanistan this past summer in order to prepare for their move to Ft. Knox, KY. This past Friday, there was a ceremony held that re-activated the brigade at it's new home in Ft. Knox. Ty and I attended the ceremony despite the cold, dreary day. I am so glad we went! It was awesome to see Josh's whole brigade come together to unite as they prepare to do their part to defend our great country! It made me so proud to be the wife of such a brave man who is fighting for our freedom! And I know it made Ty proud of his daddy too!

Here are a couple pics of the ceremony:

Josh's Unit, 6-4 CAV, is to the left of the horses.

Josh is the second soldier from the right in the first row of soldiers facing front.