He's Home!

Our hero is home.  A sweet, sweet reunion for us all.  The Homecoming in photos (in reverse order, because the best happened last!):

DADDY!

Millie and Christopher wore matching necklaces...two halves of a heart with scripture engraved on it.  Here they are, putting the heart back together again.

Christopher's best friend Nat rode the last few days of deployment with him, called a "Tiger Cruise".  So we got a bonus visit with Uncle Nat, too!

It happened slowly, but eventually Hannah warmed up and snuggled right in.

Oh my dear boy.

Four generations, including Christopher's Grumpa, a WWII Navy veteran.

Waiting, waiting for that ship to get secured.

Hannah's hanging with her Uncle Joshua, watching the Enterprise make her final turn into port.

The almost whole family, with Christopher somewhere on board that ship behind us.  We did it!

Dear God,

I found this a few weeks ago on Millie's desk in the playroom.  Absolutely took my breath away.  She's five years old!  This is a special girl.

Dear God, I'm going to a new class at church and I'm scared.  Can you help me?

'Tis the Season...

...for a little pumpkin patching with friends.  We hit the road to rural Surrey, Virginia and LOVED clipping our own pumpkins from the vine!



We used a map to locate and identify the unique varieties of pumpkins found in this awesome plot of farmland.


After a break for pumpkin ice cream, the gang hit the CORN MAZE!  How awesome is that?  Kids took off running and screaming and loving every wrong turn and dead end.  I was just Type A enough to keep track of us on a handy dandy map.  I WAS NOT spending the night in the corn field!

First Day, Take Two

A week after Millie started Kindergarten, Simon went back to school.  He headed back to his same preschool, so spirits and confidence were high this year.  Even better, he's in Millie's old classroom with her beloved teacher from last year.

He's pretty fired up for Pre-K!


Crazy photo by Si.
Si and Aunt JuJu headed in to school.
Ready to roll!

Outward Bound

A look at our epic westward odyssey.  Virginia to Colorado...Twelve Days of Awesome Adventure! The cuties getting loaded up on our first day.  Don't panic.  Hannah rode in her rear-facing car seat directly in front of Millie.  
First night in our hotel in Ohio.  The key part of this photo are the gorgeous flowers.  My unbelievable husband sent them for my milestone birthday that we were celebrating on the road.  Yes, he ordered flowers from the aircraft carrier and had them delivered to the middle of nowhere Ohio.  Astounding.
First stop: the dear Baker Family in Chicago.  They also showered me with birthday luxuries.  This was a great, relaxing visit with these friends that mean so much to me.  

Annika, Kamea, Mihaela, Hannah, Mils, Simon
From the Bakers we headed to my Aunt Pat and Uncle Darrel's house (you know how I love to be with my Aunt and Uncle!) and then on to my cousin Courtney's.  Courtney and I are the same age and spent so much time together as kids.  Reconnecting as adults and moms is the coolest.  It's easy, comfortable, encouraging and just so fun.  Here's our crew.  Maeve and twins Ella and Finn.  Those are some good, happy kids!
AMES, IOWA!  THE WADES!  
My sweet Libbey with baby Hannah.  So so good to be together again.
There was lots and lots of dancing to some questionable pop tunes (Usher, Kelly Clarkson, FUN).  Hysterical.  Oh I hope the kids remember this time together.

A little fountain-hopping in downtown Des Moines.  Quite the urban oasis.


Help and fun arrived in the form of my sister Julie.  She met us in Des Moines and we hit the road for Wichita.  I haven't been back to Derby, Kansas (scene of my high school years) since college.



The last stop 'til Louisville, Colorado was in Lindsborg, Kansas -- a fun Swedish village with lots of places to run and roam.  

Carousel of Happiness

I'm not kidding.  That's the name of this magical carousel in Nederland.  It was so awesome we made a repeat visit before we left!  

The animals are hand carved wood on a restored 1910 carousel that spins to a restored band organ.  

Tickets are just $1 a ride.  And the whole thing is housed in a building made especially for this carousel.

First Day

"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children.

One is roots, the other is wings."

-- Hodding Carter, Jr.

Millie painted the "K" for kindergarten.

Our walk together to school.  I will NEVER forget these ten minutes.  Holding hands, chatting about the day, telling her again and again how very proud I am.  How honored I am to be her mom.  

Millie and Katie are friends from preschool and in the same class this year!
And it begins.
Si's having his own kind of day.  He created this complicated and impressive train system all on his own.  So far, he's ok without Mils.  Although he told me he prefers it when she's home with him because "I like her.  She has good ideas."  Hannah, you better step up your game.

Nature's Playground

One of my favorite things about spending our summer in Louisville was the unending natural beauty.  Everywhere we went, looked...stunning.  Here's a little trail along a creek just outside of Boulder.  It has been Casey and my Dad's favorite walking spot this spring, and the kids and I took an awesome walk there one morning.  

Mils handled the dog.

Si ran and jumped and explored.

And on the way back the kids hopped in the creek and played -- waded through it, climbed these boulders along side it, gained confidence trying new tricks on their own.  

As I watched them play and explore I thought about this land as the most natural of playgrounds.  We love a good plastic side and climbing structure, but somehow, this just felt so right.  Just as it should be.  I was re-energized to try to find this type of play back at home.