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David found out yesterday where we are going to be stationed. We weren't expecting to find out until the end of the month. I was so excited and nervous! Once David finishes his training at Ft. Sill and graduates on Feb. 6th, we are assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado. It is near Colorado Springs. I've only done a little research so far, but am super excited. A huge highlight is that is a great place for those who suffer from allergies and asthma! Both have been kicking my butt while living here in Iowa. It seems like a great place to be stationed, right between both of our families. On the downside, there is a rumor that he may be deployed immediately- at the end of February! You know, three weeks before my baby comes! I really hope that it is just a rumor. As David points out, there is no use worrying about it until we know for sure. Guess we will just see. Nonetheless, isn't Colorado beautiful?

Terry Christmas

 

We held Christmas with my mom's family on New Year's Day. It got rescheduled because of... you guessed it... inclement weather (good, old Iowa!). We held it at the church building by my grandma and grandpa's in Cedar Falls. My grandma had just gotten out of the hospital a few days earlier and we were so grateful to have her there. It was nice being at the church, the kids even got to enjoy shooting some hoops. As always, the food was delicious and it was great to see everyone. David had to leave early the next morning so we didn't stay too long. He flew out Friday, Jan. 2nd- right before my birthday! Oh, well. Do we "celebrate" turning 30 anyway?

Christmas Celebrations

It was so exciting to have all of my family home for Christmas. One of my favorite highlights is having Christmas Eve dinner at my aunt Deanne's. They make an awesome prime rib dinner, complete with sauteed shrimp and stuffed mushrooms- my favorite! Unfortunately, Malia got sick Christmas Eve morning- 104 degree temperature and puking! The Hayes were nice enough to box up food for us and my little family sat at home dodging the well aiming Malia. She was still sick the next morning. We all gathered at the house for presents and my mom's yummy brunch. We wanted to head over to my dad's that night to see extended family, but didn't want to risk Malia getting sick again or sharing her illness. Needless to say, no pictures from actual Christmas. Although it was so sad to see my little girl so sick, I was so grateful to have David with me. It is so much easier deal with a sick baby when you can share it!

Papa Time!

Malia loved, loved, loved having her papa home! They were best of buds. He was great at hooking her up with the candy her mean mommy denies her. They also enjoyed napping, shopping, and watching movies together. I loved seeing them together and enjoyed some much needed "me time"!

Christmas at My Dad's

 

We almost didn't get to have David come in on the Friday that he was supposed to. There was a huge storm and the airline cancelled his flight. They told me that he wouldn't even be able to fly out until Sunday. I was SO sad! The Army went ahead and sent them on the buses to Oklahoma City and said they would do there best to get them on a flight and they did! He only came in six hours later than he was supposed to, way better than 3 days! My brother and his little family were trying to drive to Iowa from Utah and were also slowed down by the weather. Barring the inclement weather, we were still able to get together at my Dad's the Friday before Christmas. It was so great to have my husband and both my siblings and their families together. We did presents that night. Malia got some great, fun presents from Grandma and Grandpa. David and I got a beautiful portrait of Malia. The next morning Grandpa got up and made pancakes. It was lots of fun. Too bad I didn't notice until later that I had a smudge on my camera lens, thus the blurriness at the bottom of each picture. It was great being together as a family.

Sweet Homecoming!

Yipee!! David got to come home for two weeks at Christmas. This was at the airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Malia was super excited to see her papa. She was a bit shy at first and then remembered that her papa was her best advocate for getting her what she wants! I just bawled when I saw him. I would love to blame it entirely on the pregnancy hormones, but I just missed my man! It was so good to have him home. It surprised me how great people were to a man in uniform. Random strangers would just come up to him and thank him for his service. One man even bought our meal! It reaffirmed my faith in the American people and made me extremely proud to have my husband serving. It was so good to have him home.

Thanksgiving 2008

 

This was our Thanksgiving. Better late than never, right? We got together with my mom's side of the family and met at the church building in Dubuque. In attendance: Yount Family (mom and Chris), Hanselmann Family (Britt's Family), my Grandpa and Grandma Terry, Terry Family (my uncle Rex and his family from Omaha), Pieper Family (Aunt Susanne), Frisbie Family (Aunt Lorianne), Hayes Family (Aunt Deanne minus my cousin Alyssa), and the Russell Family (my grandma's cousin, including her Aunt Leola). There were about 50+ people. Glad we were at the church, plenty of room. Food was great and it was good to spend time with everyone. Especially since it was my first Thanksgiving without David. I only got to talk to him for a little bit that day. He was still at Basic Traning at the time and they were keeping them busy. It was a good Thanksgiving. We all had so much to be grateful for!