He's Home!!!

I'm sorry that I'm so late in posting these - there have been extenuating circumstances. New camera, new computer, new file format and one very tired me. So at last here are the pictures from Brendan's homecoming!

The day he returned was a nice warm sunny day and we had to wait ALL DAY LONG for the ceremony. It was going to be at 10:45 pm and we were supposed to be there an hour and a half or so early so I actually put the girls to bed and then got them up at 9 to leave. They were so tired that I actually got Aoife changed into her dress without even waking her up!! We got to the hangar around 9:30 and sat with some friends who had saved us seats. Aoife promptly slipped and smashed her lip open on the bleachers - thankfully we were surrounded by moms so I had more than enough tissues to mop up the blood and somehow I managed not to get any on my dress or Aoife's dress! The plane was a little early and we headed outside to watch it land and to see if we could see Brendan get off the plane. It was dark and rainy but not that cold. The kids barely even complained - they were so excited to see Brendan! After the plane landed it took a few minutes for the stairs to be rolled over and for everyone to start deplaning. Brendan was one of the first ones to march by and we barely got to see him. We went back inside and waited at our seats for the soldiers to march in. The hangar doors opened and Brendan was in front! Aidan and Emmy saw him right off the bat and started jumping up and down and screaming but Aoife had a hard time finding him in all that camouflage! Once she did see him, she wanted to run down to him in the middle of the ceremony! After they marched in a few people spoke - honestly I couldn't tell you who spoke or what they said - and then they released the soldiers for 15 minutes of family time. After we got to see each other for a bit they had to get on buses and go turn in their weapons and get their bags. This took 1 1/2 hours and by the time we got home it was almost 2 am. The kids went right to bed and slept in a bit in the morning. Thankfully Brendan didn't have to go to reintegration since he had gotten in so late so we kept the kids home from school and spent a whole day together!!! It was perfect!


Waiting out in the rain for the plane:
There it is!!Brendan's right in the middle:Opening the hangar doors!
There they are!!!Together again!!

Have I Told You How Amazing My Husband Is?

It's been a long month or so since Brendan left after R&R. I'm not quite sure WHY the time has gone so slowly but MAN are we looking forward to having him back very soon! This FABULOUS camera showed up for me today. My husband is just THE BEST!! I must have been very good in a previous life to deserve him! I love you Brendan!!

Rain, Rain Go AWAY!

It's been a really mild winter here - I guess everywhere! So instead of snow we have gotten RAIN. So much rain. Everyone has been up to their ears in playing princesses. Poor Aidan - he's such a good sport but gets roped into playing with the girls and it usually ends up being house or princesses or something equally girly. He usually ends up bailing out and playing Plants vs. Zombies on the iPad. Poor kiddo - he'll be so happy when Brendan is home! Not long now!!!

LONG Weekend

This weekend is a holiday weekend but it got turned into a 4 day because of the snow day that we had on Friday. It has seemed LONG. We were housebound on Friday and then we went to the Customs House Museum in downtown Clarksville today. We met up with my friend, Steph, and her daughter. The kids all started out having a good time but we only lasted an hour - not quite sure what went wrong but when everyone is crying at once there is only one thing to do (OK 2 things) - laugh - and then leave.
Here are a few pictures - I feel like I have been VERY bad about keeping the blog up although there really isn't much going on!!
Starting off at the museum - happy in the beginning:Aoife carrying around her "muffins" (golf balls) - this was the source of tears when other children decided they wanted some of the golf balls.Trains:Emmy at the end - watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on my phone - not asleep - just sulking.

Aidan LOVES Legos

Aidan's LEGO skills have developed so much this year! He got a few big sets for Christmas and has really enjoyed putting them together! This was the last one to do from his Christmas gifts and he spent an entire afternoon showing Emmy how to follow the directions and put the castle together. He has used up all of the horizontal surfaces in his room so I moved in an old coffee table. It's great to get it out of MY room and give him some more room to play!

Charlee's Birthday

Emmy's friend, Charlee, from last year's preschool class had her birthday party today and turned 5!! She had it at a local salon and the girls got their nails painted, played games and ate lots of sugar!
Here's Emmy with the birthday girlI made the cake - pink sparkly ruffles:decor:They've grown up so much since last year!

January??

It was so warm yesterday that we went to the park without jackets - OK maybe we should have brought them but it's JANUARY! Who would think that it would be in the 60's on January 7th? It was great to get out of the house and get some fresh air and exercise!! Aoife has conquered her fear of slides!Superman!Playing Power Rangers - Aoife is just about to get kicked in the face...and there it is - I didn't even realize I had caught it on film until I downloaded the camera! Plenty of hugs and kisses followed.More Power Rangers - after the drama died down