Christmas in Illinois Part II

Here are the pictures from the second half of our Christmas trip back to Illinois. On Christmas morning we opened presents with Heather's side of the family.

Heather watches Lauren, Debbie, Henry and Wyatt open presents.

Lauren watches as Olivia gets ready to open a present...

... and Heather is "suprised" by what's inside.

Christmas in Illinois Part I

Hi everyone. Sorry for the lazy posting again. We are currently in Illinois visiting family and have been very slow to update the blog. We hope everyone enjoyed Christmas as much as we did. O, of course, got a ton of great toys, clothes and books from her family. We really enjoyed the days leading up to Christmas and the annual Christmas Eve celebration at Justin's parent's home. Below are some pictures from our time in Bloomington. Another post to follow from Christmas day at my sister's in northern Illinois.


O is mesmerized by the Backyardigans. Highly recommend this show to ANYONE with small children.
Enjoying a good read by the tree.

All bundled up for the Arctic weather in Illinois.


Opening presents on Christmas Eve.

Random Sampling of Pictures

Here are a few pictures of Olivia from recent weeks. She has been lucky to have both sets of grandparents here recently. Olivia is excited about Christmas and can't wait to get back to Illinois to celebrate with the family.

O and Papa watch her favorite show the Backyardigans... who goes there?

O back at her favorite park running wild.

Checking out the signage with Papa.

O is amazed by the Christmas tree.

O with three of her favorite things: blocks, books and Mama.

O reading her book.

Hola Espana!

Ok. Now it is official. Justin received his orders yesterday and it's a done deal. Our next duty station is Rota, Spain. He is expected there in January-yes a month from now. We are in the process of contacting the JAG office there to make arrangements for our official start date. Justin will most likely leave before O and I and he will arrive there by the end of January. O and I will wait for available housing and our stuff to arrive which takes longer. We expect to go there in February at the latest.
It is absolutely amazing how our lives have changed over the last 3-4 years. We are really excited to go to Spain. We plan to travel around Europe as much as we can in the 3 years we will be stationed there. Everyone tells us how lucky we are for getting this particular duty station. I hope they're right.
Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving and is busy preparing for a fantastic christmas season! We will be home for christmas for about two weeks and hope to see as many people as we can. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Seat at the Big Kids Table

Olivia decided she wanted to fully participate in breakfast this morning. After her usual oatmeal and banana, Mommy helped her into the chair. She calmly flipped through a periodical providing insightful commentary.


Olivia says... "Mom, you have to read Cal Thomas this morning..."


"... Can I have the sports section when you're finished with it?..."


"... I'm not sure why people have such a hard time understanding that the auto industry needs a bridge to span the financial crisis"

Sunday in the Park

Heather had a lot of homework to do this weekend, so to give her some quiet time, Olivia and I spent Sunday morning at the park. The Virginia Beach Aquarium has a wonderful series of nature trials that we took advantage of. First, we checked out some of the aquatic life and then we hit the trails.


Olivia had a hard time deciding which way to go, so she walked down all possible routes.


Olivia shows us how she feels about a Sunday morning in the park.


Liv the Explorer ventures into the woods...


... and discovers some pine needles.

In the end, all the exploring really wore her out.

A Letter to My Dad

Dear Daddy,

Today is Veteran's Day and I just wanted to write you a letter about what you mean to me as a daddy and a veteran. Mommy and I were sad when you left us back in January for Iraq. We knew it was important for you to go to protect everyone from those bad guys over there. We know that you, and many others, have answered the call to serve this great nation with honor and courage. We too had courage while you were gone. Don't get me wrong; there were some days when Mommy and I missed you terribly and wanted you home. (Don't worry-I took care of Mommy on those days by making her smile and laugh) Mostly I just kept her busy with daily routines so she would not think of you gone as much. I think it worked. Anyways, I know there are many kids like me over there that are much better off thanks to you.

Mommy told me how you helped families whose lives had been disrupted by the war. You were always nice to them and helped them out any way you could. I know they think of you now, as we did then, with many good thoughts about what a kind, fair and gentle person you are. And how you would never purposely hurt anyone. That is what Mommy and I love most about you.

You are the best daddy in the whole world because you sacrifice so much, not just for me and mommy, but for our country. You feel such a sense of pride in serving this country. I just feel safe and secure knowing that there are many mommies and daddies who feel the way you do and are protecting us as well.

So, daddy, I just wanted to thank you for being a great dad. You take such good care of me and I love when you walk through the door every night from work. I know play time can begin and bedtime will be nice and relaxing. I really missed you when you were gone but I think we have really made up for lost time since you have been back:)

Happy Veteran's Daddy. You deserve it.

Olivia


P.S. To all the veteran's out there who have served our country...Thanks.