All is merry and bright!

This is our lovely and very bright christmas tree this year. I just love how warm and cheery it makes our home feel. I always put it up early and take it down late. That's the good thing about the fake ones. May all your trees be bendy and bright!

Here is Thanksgiving with the Abadians. It was the first time since Gary and I have been married that we got to spend it at my mom and step-dad's house. The food and company were fabulous!
It was so good having Gary back just in time for the holidays! It wouldn't have been the same without him and that is what we were most thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Family
Gary and Ryker played in the snow. Ryker is so happy to have his Dad back home to play with! The kids follow Gary around everywhere!
The homecoming was amazing! Ryker was on Fox 13 news with a sign we made that said welcome home Dad! Those homecomings are emotional. There weren't very many dry eyes in that place. I am so thankful for the families that serve in the military! I can't believe the strength it must take to have a member of your family gone for such a long time. Gary's deployment was a fairly short one (5 months) and it was hard not having him around!
The first night he came home he made me laugh until I cried! Man I have missed that. I am so glad to be together as a family again!

Nothing could ever make me happier than this...

Being a Mom. Nothing will ever be more important to me. Nothing can compare to the love and gratitude I feel for having Gary, Ryker, Violet, and in 8 more weeks Jonah in my life. Yes it can be hard, yes my kids throw tantrums in public and sometimes it can be embarrassing, and sometimes they can be little mischief makers, but I can tell you I would not trade them for anything in this world or the next one. They are my heart. They ground me and give me the strength I need to move forward in hard times. So here is just a little bit about the loves of my life:

Ryker

My five year old currently loves pirates, making crafts and forts, collecting rocks, leaves, and sticks and putting them into my purse. It's funny when I am at the store and pull out a bunch of dead crunchy leaves looking for my wallet. I really will miss when he doesn't do that anymore. He loves looking for bugs, he picks up spiders, dead worms and other dead critters when he sees them lying around. He wants a new pet everyday yesterday it was a shark, today it was an ostrich and tomorrow it will be something else. He wants to be a palentologist or a police officer when he grows up, and everytime he says that word palentologist I just wanna kiss his little cheeks off cause it's so darn cute. His favorite song is the one off of Forrest Gump. It goes "Stop children what's that sound everybody look what's goin down". I have it in my cd player and he always makes me turn it up full blast, my little hippie child. He is kindhearted and intellegent. He truly cares for others and loves to tell me when he did something nice for someone. I love my little bug! These are pictures from his last soccer game in the fall.

Violet
My soon to be 2 year old sure does have the attitude of one already! She is so sweet one minute and can turn into a little sass the next. She loves tinkerbell, princess stuff,babies, and cookie monster. She loves to sing! These are her favorites, ring around the rosies, jesus wants me for a sunbeam, the hello song, and twinkle twinkle little star. She loves to snuggle and she is not shy. She LOVES our dog ripley! She feeds him, tries to put diapers on him, and kisses and hugs him all of the time. She likes to color and read books. She talks alot and very clearly for her age people think she is older than she is. I love having a girl. I love dressing her up, watching girlie shows with her, and painting her nails. She has such a nurturing side. I love my little punkin pie. She is so sweet! Here she is at Granma Andi and Papa Bills feeding their chickens.


Sunday at Grandma Jens playing in the fall leaves.

I love my family!