Daddy's HOME!

After 4 weeks away, Daddy finally made it HOME again! Both boys were freshly bathed and ready to greet Daddy with big hugs, pizza and chocolate chip cookies when he got home! And of course the very first words out of Wyatt's mouth were, "Let's wrestle, Daddy!" Isaac just grinned from ear to ear all night long and had to get in on the wrestling match too!

The second thing Wyatt asked Daddy was, "Are you just coming home to play with me for a little bit then getting back on the hairplane for Carolina?" Luckily, Joe was able to tell him that he is home for good this time! And Wyatt's response was, "Then where's Mommy going?". I guess Wy guy forgot that we BOTH live here together after all of the coming and going the past few months! :)

I LOVE how much our boys adore their daddy! : ) There's nothing in the world that could fill my heart with more joy than watching the three of them wrestle and tackle and play together! I guess one good thing about Joe going away is the excitement of him coming home! ; )

Here's a photo of Wyatt and Daddy snuggling up on the couch while watching Toy Story 3 for the very first time!

We've had way too many LONG stretches apart over the past 8 years and are so THANKFUL that this trip should be the very last one! We are now able to really appreciate what it means to be together, commit to serving in our church, and even make plans without them having to be so tentative! ; ) We're so grateful for this new position with the FDA and the quality of life it brings for our family! But we have fond memories of the years with the SS and all of the craziness that went along with it, which makes us realize how good we really have it now! Sometimes the grass truly is greener and we won't take it for granted! ; )

Fall Fun with Daddy!

Joe has now been away for 3 of 4 weeks overseeing the move in MD, followed by training in SC for his new job. I went and picked him up at the airport LATE last night (luckily Mimi was able to come babysit the boys so we didn't start our weekend being too off schedule!) for a little surprise weekend visit. The boys were SO EXCITED when they woke up on Saturday morning and Daddy was HOME!!!!!! It was a priceless memory! The first thing Wyatt wanted to do was try on his costume for Daddy, so that's just what we did...

The boys enjoyed breakfast consiting of orange rolls on orange plates in their costumes!

Wyatt was one PROUD and LIVELY clown! I think my lil cub was a bit HOT in his lion ensamble! We headed out to the cider mill for some cider and donuts! It was a perfect day to be outdoors. Everything goes in the mouth these days...even PUMPKINS!

After the cider mill we headed to Wyatt's favorite 'Space Ship' park for some more outdoor fun! Ikey bear loves to swing!

It was a FULL and FUN day! In the evening we headed to Mid America Nazarine College with the cousins for all of their fall harvest festivities. The kids had a blast and filled up on way too much sugar! : )

Sunday evening we had to take Daddy back to the airport : ( but made it to Mimi and Poppy's church afterward for an hour of fun before bedtime! Here's my crazy clown climbing a very high wall (He lost his britches the first time up! :)...

He wanted to go again and again and again on the moon bounce/wall slide, but started to finally wear out towards the end of the night!

My half-lion hung out with Mimi and watched big bro climb and jump and play.

This was one of my favorite weekends and one I definitely won't forget. Absence certainly does make the heart grow fonder! Our time apart always makes us appreciate our time together all the more! Only one more week til we're together again! So thankful for the GIFT of my hubby and handsome lil fellas. God is SO GOOD! : )