Look What I Got!

Look what Joella got for Christmas!

Just kidding... this was shortly after we got to El Paso. Just a long night in the ER and a night with a splint, but she was a champ. Too cute not to post... Joella swung her arm out of place jumping off a curb and got "nursemaid's elbow." The doc had to twist it around (looked horribly uncomfortable) and she was good to go in a couple days. We were thankful it wasn't anything more serious!

And a current one...

We hope you're all having a great Christmas. Love you and miss you!

Little Missy

Well, I guess we haven't posted pictures of our little missy for a long time! We sold our big camera and got a smaller point and shoot. Turns out I use it a lot more (still not a lot).

Helping with the black beans.

Silly face - YUP, our floor usually looks like that. Kaeda's at Joey's feet like always.

Hanging out with Papa and Nana.

Twirling hair - watch out, it's either hers or yours!

Peace, ya'll!

p.s. Did anyone notice the obnoxiously bright coral color in Joella's room? It's actually pretty sweet. Even better, we found it in the garage when we bought the house!

Holiday Ball

 Johnni and I hadn't been to a military ball since I was in ROTC, but tonight I had my Battalion holiday ball. We dropped Joella off with some of our friends and went on a date of sorts.

 

Since we had a military ball every year in ROTC, tonight sorta reminded us of being back in college. Good times. Here's a photo from the last ball we went to in 2007. A lot has changed since then. Things like, you know, I had more hair back then.

When we looked in the mirror tonight before going out the door we felt a lot older. I guess a kid, a deployment, and almost 5 years will do that to you.

No news is good news...

We are so far overdue for blogging...it just seems so overwhelming sometimes to think about all of the time we could put into keeping up this blog up to date. For today we're just going to do a quick post with a few photos -- hopefully we'll get back into blogging again pretty soon.


Here are a couple photos of our Thanksgiving. Johnni and I have really been enjoying our time here in El Paso. We feel like God is working on our hearts and changing our lives -- we are so thankful to have the friends that we have here and a family of believers in Christ who challenge and support us.

We had some of Joella's best friends over for lunch...it just so happens that their parents are some of our best friends here too! Here's Ittai, Joella, and Daniel before the feast.

 

We also got to catch up with Joella's grandparents back in Iowa. Sorry we didn't make the 24 hour drive back (ok, we're not that sorry!).

In other news....I've been working some really long hours lately at work, but hopefully that will slow down pretty soon. We bought a house down here, which is something Johnni and I thought would not happen for at least 10 years because of all of the moves we've had to do...but it felt right and we haven't regretted the decision yet -- ask us in a few years! We didn't realize how much we would appreciate the conveniences of a house after the 3 months of living in hotels.

That's all for now -- I don't want to get burned out after one post back!

Where in the world...?

Am I the only one that watched Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego growing up? Loved that show...

Anyway, we've been on the move for awhile now. It's been great, but we're getting ready to settle for a bit. Just a few more weeks hopefully!

After a few weeks at Ft. Hood the "can't believe he's home" thoughts transitioned into a "new normal" as a family of three again. Of course the new normal included mastering our sneaky ninja skills past 9pm when Joey went to sleep. Everything and everyone piled into 1 room is a bit cluttered, but it's "fun" and works for now. Not many pictures on this post (more to come) but this one pretty much sums it up. Life in a suitcase, the best toys being things like daddy's belt and anything within reach in the hotel room... Living  La Quinta style once again...
After catching up with friends from Alabama who were also at Ft. Hood this (Trisha and her girls), we loaded up for an awesome week in Canada with our great friends, Ben, Chelsa and their family (including Aubrey aka "Aubwee" of course). "mo aubwee, mo aubwee" first thing in the morning, right before/after naps, and before she went to sleep at night. Poor Sage got called Aubrey later on in our travels too! To say that Lyle & Deb (Chelsa's parents) were "welcoming" is a vast understatement. Deb watched the girls for us so we got some time to hang out, and by the end Joella was calling Lyle "bapa" (same word she uses for Grandpa or Papa).

This started off our round of amazing hosts. Some much needed time to get away and relax. We couldn't have asked for a better way to do it! Flights weren't the most fun, but Joey was super cute when she showed us how to yawn / fix her ears like Daddy taught her.

We had just a few days in Iowa. So nice to see the people we did, but we felt a bit rushed and didn't get to spend as much time with everyone as we would have liked to. We picked up Kaeda, a trailer full of stuff, packed Jane & Jerry's truck FULL, and started the journey south again. Matt got some golfing in, and we stopped by my family reunion where I learned that my cousins think I'm a "cool adult." Not sure where they get that idea, but a shout out to them regardless.

We got smart and stayed with friends both nights on our trip back to TX this time which made a WORLD of difference. I tease Amber that we owe them about a month's worth of rent by now, as many times as we've crashed at their place...

Seeya later, Iowa. How's it going, Oklahoma? I guess we're "home," Texas... We couldn't believe that Kyle and Kayle hosted us just one weekend after moving into their house. We were impressed! There house is now dog and baby proof - I guess we had the pleasure of breaking it in for them.

We were at Ft. Hood again for about a week and got to catch up with Rich and Ruthe and their kids. They are an amazing family that took us in the day they met us last year and did the same thing when we were back in town this time around. They are up to some awesome things! They are preparing to move to Papua New Guinea as missionaries where Rich will serve as a helicopter pilot flying Bible translators into different areas. We are praying that they raise the rest of their monthly support needed to send them before their deadline in the next few months.

We didn't get to see everyone we wanted at Ft. Hood. Before we knew it, everything we owned was once again packed up in the moving truck (most of which has been in boxes since we moved from AL a year and a half ago), then on the move again for El Paso.Thanks to that same cousin that agrees I'm kind of cool (Amanda), we met a pretty great church family right away. Within the past week week we have already joined a small group, been invited over for lots of dinners, gone camping in New Mexico, and gotten hooked up with a place to live. We have driven around the city a LOT. Even as direction-challenged as I am, I have a clue where we are most of the time if that tells you anything... Joella has been a trooper, but we are all ready for some down time and "normalcy" to our days. Just a few weeks and we'll be out of here I think. Until then I guess we'll enjoy the pool outside our room :)

So, we're not exactly world family travelers like B&C or B&K, but that's what we've been up to.

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego...? I don't know, but we're in El Paso.

Hot Days

Not much new to update really. Still here at Ft. Hood. Matt gets off at a decent time each day and Joella and I keep ourselves plenty busy until then. Everything takes a little longer since we walk outside and around the building every time we want to use the community kitchen or check on a load of laundry. Keep in mind we walk Joella pace, so it really does take awhile... :) Plus we oftentimes get sidetracked by the park on the way back.

There are lots of people in transition here and it seems like we came relatively prepared. Eating out every night would get old, so I'm thankful we planned ahead with simple things like a pan, cooking utensils, etc. so we can make dinner instead when we want. I felt a little guilty last night for any innocent laundry-doer that got a whiff of our homemade brownies. We keep that place smelling good...

Joella is getting her fair share of the pool too. We walk there a couple times a week (1 car for now so we don't go far). She's not a huge fan of swimming yet but really likes going "uP, dewnn, uP, dewnn" on the steps leading into the water.

We get to catch up with some friends this week which is exciting. Crazy that we haven't seen them for a year - it will be fun to see how much their kids have changed too.

Joella being Joella...

He's Home!

Home as in - he's with us again! Matt traveled 26 hours or so on his way back. The update that made me laugh was his e-mail saying that he was finally out of the "stan" countries (he spent a LONG time in Kyrgyzstan after leaving Afghanistan). His flight got pushed out a day so we were here a little earlier than needed. It was nice to have all the packing and driving out of the way though so no bid deal. Bad news is that he already has to go back into work tomorrow. Weird, I know - right! Oh well. That's how it goes around here! Good thing for a long weekend :)

Below are a few shots from yesterday. There were about 150 soldiers returning and LOTS of little kids. The part that hit me was how many parents had to be away from their kids for the entire year. Bummer! The ceremony was short and sweet though and I'm glad we got to be there for it. If you can't tell, it's HOT...!

Right now we're hanging out hotel style and won't be settled for another couple of months at least. We're in the Ft. Hood / Killeen area in between some travel plans and our next move to Ft. Bliss / El Paso. Details details. What's important is that Matt's here!

Countdown Begins

Well the countdown begins... or does it? Matt gets back (to Texas) in roughly two weeks but we don't have a definite date, so we can't actually count down :) We will be transitioning a lot over the rest of the summer. Two moves within a couple months and a LOT of driving... Blogging might take a back burner for now, but check back to see what we're up to. We have had a good year but can't wait to be our little family again!

This is really old, but I just found a picture of one of the few times we got to Skype with Matt. Christmas day and he had to go outside to use internet. You can tell it's freezing by the hat, and I remember seeing his breath the hold time. Poor guy!
My mom told me that today Joella saw a guy in ACU's in the grocery store and said "dada." I'll give her some credit though because I get confused myself sometimes. I have a hard time picking Matt out when I see a group of soldiers in their uniforms too, especially from a distance. Looking forward to having that "problem" soon!


In the meantime, some of Joella's favorite ways to help in the kitchen these days...

Pinching the skins off almonds


The newest favorite - washing dishes. She LOVES it.

Rainy Days

Lately Joella's days consist of playing at the park, going on walks, sliding, or swinging (probably her favorite). Pretty much anything outside!

Good thing Grandma Debbie is willing to play outside in the rain!

Next rainy day that you need a good book to read, check out one of my new favorites, Half the Sky. It should be at most public libraries (returning my copy today in CF) and it's also available at World's Window.

p.s. Joella got to hear Matt's voice yesterday when he called. You can tell she gets excited about it. I can't wait for her to get to hang out with him again! It's going to be an entirely different family dynamic than we've known so far but it's going to be so much fun. Oh, and Matt's a captain now - woo hoo! It's pretty much based on time in service, but I can still be proud :) Sounds like he's learned a lot during his deployment and has really improved with his flying. Also, I wouldn't recommend sending any more boxes (he's moved again) & he'll be headed this way before you know it (not soon enough - still about a month out)! Hmm - long p.s. I guess!

Fair Trade Gnome!

Yikes, I live with a colorful little gnome...

who loves her fair trade jacket from World's Window (awesome Christmas present -- THANKS!)

and also likes to play with her fair trade soccer ball (close call though - Kaeda might like it more)

doesn't get much cuter than that...

Although functionality wise I'd give it a 7/10.

Darn hood doesn't stay up very well.

But she loves it anyway because that means she gets to play outside!

Happy Fair Trade Day tomorrow, everyone!!!

Fair Trade means that the people who make what we buy are treated fairly. Fair Trade promotes environmentally-friendly production and organic farming.

If you want to see some more neat fair trade items and have never been to World’s Window in Cedar Falls, find me. I have a 15% off 1 item coupon just for you (limited supply)!

Plus, if you are free Saturday, check out The World's Window Facebook page for more details of what's going on including fair trade coffee & food samples and a drawing for a $25 gift certificate.

p.s. Hopefully you don't take this post as fair trade snobbish. I just recently learned about it and am doing what I can to make simple changes in my purchases going forward. Joella just happened to be showing 2 of them off at once :)

Gotta Love It

She gets glasses

Well, 3D glasses at least but now we know if she ever does need real glasses they'll look cuter than ever!

And a couple just for fun...

Yup - still has the "Joella factor" if she gets mad about something.

...a new creation: the OLD has GONE, the NEW has COME!

~2 Corinthians 5:17 ~
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Pretty self-explanatory... Initially I thought I'd trim a few inches off since my hair was getting TOO LONG. Almost hazardous when it came to changing dirty diapers. No, it's not the "mom cut" - I figured I might as well donate most of it instead of letting half of it go to waste. Just hair - it'll grow! Even better, turns out I really like it!

Ok, not trying to turn a verse into something that it wasn't meant to be but God has totally flipped me around this year and showed how how blessed I am. I feel like a different person than the girl who started this deployment. Good changes I think -- Hopefully Matt recognizes this wifey when he gets home in a couple months!

p.s. for those of you who are wondering, I DID run this by Matt prior to the cut. Good news - he likes it too!