Come, O Great Pumpkin....

Happy Fall Everyone! As you know from previous posts, this is definitely my favorite time of year. In following the traditions of last year and making some new ones (thank goodness the hubby is home!) we ended up where everyone goes around this time: to a pumpkin patch, on a mission to find the most beautiful and perfect pumpkins. When we arrived, we eagerly awaited a wheelbarrow or radio flyer wagon to collect our pumpkins. Little did we know that Ethan would through a huge fit because he, yes, you guessed it....he spotted a red wagon that looked exactly like his! It didn't even dawn on us to bring his :( It didn't bother him that others were using it, he wanted to help push the wagon to wherever they were going. After explaining to him (like you can explain anything to a determined 14 month old!) that the red wagon wasn't his, we got him interested in a wheelbarrow, but he really couldn't push it as well. That lasted only a few moments. As a mother and her kids were leaving they gave us the wagon that they were using. Ah, my hero! Another mother came to my rescue! Rule of thumb: Next year, we are bringing the wagon =)

After our dilemma with the wagon, it was awesome! We had such a great time and it was even a little chilly out =) Ethan could have cared less if we even bought a pumpkin, he just loved being able to push a wagon around and to be outside. It was definitely worth the fussing that Ethan did at the beginning! To be honest, I think Jeremiah and I had much more fun watching and taking pics of Ethan. After all, isn't that why you have children? To love on them and get to do stuff with them that you loved when you were little?! Our outing ended with lunch at none other than, Chick-Fil-A! It's the BEST!

Mr. Ethan McMuscles~loved pushing the wagon =)

Taking a time out to pose with Mommy! He's pretty much oblivious to the camera these days (that's probably why we only get a few with him actually looking at the camera!) Such a boy!

I wonder if this counts as child labor?!

Ethan, testing out the hay. Someone should have told him, that Hay is for Horses!

Our Little Pumpkin~2009

14 months

Our Little Pumpkin~2008

2 months

Good-bye Colorado.....

I can't say enough about Colorado. From the Rockies, to the changing of seasons, to the many precious people that have come along my way, I have found it a privilege to live here for 4 1/2 years. Totally being wrapped up in God's majestic nature has been humbling. I often thing to myself, 'How can someone look at these gorgeous mountains and see the seasons change and not believe in the God who created all this for us to enjoy??' I have lots of history here: I came to Colorado with one husband and am leaving with another husband and son, I came here only knowing a hand full of people and am leaving with prayer warriors and friends that I love.Even though I experienced my great tragedy here, I am overjoyed with the plans that the Lord has set forth for my family and the precious, precious women, sisters who I have met and will know and hold dear to for the rest of my life. Thank you, Jesus, for the everlasting love that you show us through friends that You draw near to us.

** Disclaimer: this next part might be sad for some, just warning you!**

One of the families that God has blessed my with is the Rue Family. Charlie and I met Keri and Micah 5 years ago at Fort Knox, while they were hosting OCF at their home. It seems like we were just little girls back then, biding the time while our husbands were at OBC, not sure how we were going to make it for 10 days while our husbands were in the field, and wondering how we could even fathom a year without them but trying to make the best of it. It was as if God was already drawing us together to be best friends....little did I know how much I would need her in the coming months. Then over night, things changed. Charlie had died....just like that. No warning, no knowledge about how to become a widow.....I was one. I had gotten shoved into a group that I did not want to belong to. Thank goodness I had a great group of girl friends there for me, one of them being Keri. From this moment on Keri has given me lots of funny laughs, lots of thought provoking questions, lots of great food and mojitos :), lots of good advice ( I love our conversations, girl!) and lots of love for me, Charlie, Jeremiah and Ethan. She stood right beside me when I married Jeremiah. She has seen me at my worst and at my best and everything in between. She is my Keri and I just love her and praise the Lord for giving my her as a best friend! Ok, so these are our 'See ya later' pictures because we are going to see each other again!

Pikes Peak

Our little munchkins- it took me three or four trys before this cute picture was achieved!

I love this photo of Skylar! Doesn't see look like Keri?!

The Kline and Rue Families! I just had to post this photo just to show you what taking photos with kids entails. Keri has the better copy :) I think Ethan did NOT want to move to Texas :)

My BFF :)

Skylar and Ethan <3>

(They are totally going to get married one day :)

We miss you guys already!! Ethan sends Skylar hugs and kisses! We love you!

Honoring Military Spouses Everywhere!

I got this email from a friend and thought it was good enough to post and so very true :) Enjoy! P.S. Even if you are not a military spouse, read it anyway. It's a good way of  trying to understand what the wives and husbands experience :) 

You might be a military spouse if...

...You live on your own, by yourself more after you're married than before you were married.

...You know all of your husband's coworkers by their last name, and rarely know their first name or even gender.

...Your husband's work and dress clothes cost more than yours do.

...You only write in pencil because EVERYTHING is subject to change.

...You know that a 2 month separation IS short, no matter what your civilian friends say.

...You have enough camouflage in your house to wallpaper the White House.

...You don't bat an eyelash at 22:45 and 0300 duty times.

...You are asked to stop talking in acronyms and translate it all to English.

...You've done more oil changes than your spouse, and even when your husband is home the mechanic asks to speak with you.

...You ask someone to hold on a second by saying, "Stand by."

...Military homecomings on TV bring tears to your eyes because you can relate so well.

...You've ever checked your email multiple times an hour in hopes your spouse has written you, and know how horrible email being "down" is.

...You wouldn't dream going anywhere without your cellphone, and all your other numbers forward to it.

...You've researched ways to surgically attach your cellphone to yourself.

...If you have a power of attorney, USE it, and freak out when it expires.

...If you know that not everyone accepts a power of attorney, despite the fact it gives you permission to practically BE your spouse.

...If you've ever argued that fact with someone in person or over the phone and gotten nowhere.

...Your husband spends more time getting ready for a formal function than you do, and on an average day spends way too much time ironing, polishing shoes, and shaping his beret.

...You can literally hold down the fort while your spouse is deployed or in the field.

...You know that 'dependant' means anything but.

…the floorboard of your car is littered with french fries, yellow foam earplugs and chem lights.

…you’ve shopped in the Class Six while being noticeably pregnant and explained to the unfazed clerk that you’re “just buying stuff for my husband.”

…you lean to the right while driving on post so the MP’s won’t see you talking on your cell phone.

…you’ve ever wished your husband would get the Medal of Honor so you could get front row parking.

…you know better than to shop the Commissary on the first or fifteenth day of the month.

…you have a “favorite gate guard.”

…you don’t feed your kids before FRG meetings but plan to let them fill up on brownies and Sprite once they get there.

…you watch “Army Wives” just to yell at the TV whenever something is unrealistic.

…you’ve ever stopped your husband on the way to work because of pair of your panties was stuck to his velcro.

…you plan a special day because of the words “Case Lot Sale.”

…you’ve ever had a nightmare that involved not knowing ”your sponsor’s last four.”

…you know all the words to “Blood on the Risers” but still cringe when you hear it.

…you save an especially stinky shirt to get you through a deployment

…you think the only thing sexier than ACU’s on a man are ACU’s off a man.

…your sentences start containing more [acronyms] and numbers than actual words.

…you refer to everyone not in the military or dating someone in the military as a Civilian, you can rattle off the time in perfect military time without having to think.

…you start referring to all girls & women as “females”

…you tell the timeline of your past through deployments.

…you think 6 months away from your husband is “not bad”

…you can’t remember the last four digits of your own social security #

…you constantly have to explain to businesses on the phone that your
husband can’t call to fix the problem because he’s in the middle of a desert somewhere.

Happy Anniversary!!

Jeremiah & Mary-Anne
September 22, 2007

~After our wedding vows and kiss~

~The best kiss from the most amazing man~

~This day I will marry my friend. The one I laugh with, live for, dream with and love.~

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, JEREMIAH! 

I LOVE YOU!