Together Forever

Sunday, October 5, 2008

5K Autumnfest

Southern Pines had the annual Autumnfest celebration and Shan and I ran in the 5K with our friends, Julie and Dave Kimsey and their cute boys.

Miss Madeline got a flower crown since she was too small for the bounce houses.

Ryan and Emma have been fighting a lot lately, so we thought they should just go at it.

My Southern friends will think this post is lame, but seriously folks, this is COTTON! I think it is so cool. I made Shan pull over from the highway just so I could take a picture. I mean, it's just cotton!!!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

What are the Odds?

Now I know that the random odds of a child getting their shoes on the right feet has to be 50/50, but Ms. Madeline has defied all statistics. Nomatter how many times I teach her which shoe belongs on which foot, she puts them on the wrong feet 90% of the time. It's one of her little quirks that I love.

The other day she had so much energy. We went outside and she ran in circles for a very long time until I finally got her to hold still for a picture. It's amazing how simply running in circles brings so much joy. Ha. The bliss of being a toddler.

Army Guy

In case you missed it, I have to share the story of the Army Guy with you. When Shan left for Iraq, Ryan brought along one of his plastic army guys to the airport and gave it to Shan to keep with him while he was gone. So, Shan kept it on his desk and would show it to Ryan when we Skyped (chatted online) and he took pictures of Army Guy over in Iraq. So when Shan got home, he pulled out Mr. Army Guy and gave it back and Ryan was all smiles. "This is my favorite one, mom!" He's been keeping it on his dresser on top of the last letter Shan wrote to him. Having our real Army Guy back is pretty great, and I think it is one of the sweetest stories ever.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Heartfelt Thanks

The other day, as I watched Shan make paper airplanes with the kids, I was totally overwhelmed with gratitude to have him back in our home. This is a heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported our family over the past 15 months. While it wasn't easy, it was defninitely character building. Our family was blessed, our marriage was strengthened, and our children have grown in so many ways. Shan can't believe how much they have each matured. I certainly don't take the credit. That belongs to the Lord above for providing answers to my prayers, and to all of you who provided love and support along the way. We have been touched by a continual outpouring of phone calls, emails, and kind words. Shan feels honored to have served our country, and all of you can feel an ownership of sorts by helping our family get through it. We are so grateful to have him home, but we will continue to pray for our world leaders, and our soldiers in harms way. Please don't forget about the rest of them.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Homecoming

OK, I'm so upset about this picture. I am sacrificing my self dignity for your viewing pleasure. Unfortunately this is the ONLY picture of our whole family. Let me just say that it was 3 a.m. Yikes.