It seems like so much has happened in the last couple months, but at the same time, not a lot has changed! We're getting more settled into our house, we've painted a few
walls, got some new furniture, and have most of our stuff unpacked.
The
kids are loving it here. We went to an
outdoor airplane museum here on base. The kids so badly wanted to touch everything, but of course, we didn't let them. It's so fun these days, they are actually enjoying playing together. The older 2 beg to get to play with Nick, and he's such a bully, he just joins right into the wrestling.
Charlie started pre-school in August. He LOVES his school. It's a Lutheran school, so not only does he learn basic school things, he learns bible stories, and prayers, they have worship every day. Kinzie begs to get to go, she will go next year, and Charlie will continue on there in Kindergarten, the school goes through the 1st grade.
Kinzie is talking up a storm, it's amazing how clear it is now! She's a very helpful big sister. Always letting us know when Nick is crying!
Nick is working on his 5th tooth, has learned how to climb onto the couch, and is in general doing all kinds of fun things! He's got some new words just this week alone, he says bye, thanks, more, eat, drink, hi. And also does the signs for more, and eat. Plus if you ask him if he wants to eat he RUNS to his chair, and if you tell him it's time to go night night he goes over to the hallway door and starts banging on it. Such a little boy genius! ha ha
Mike and I are both having our own separate health issues. He is potentially having surgery on his right shoulder, and right knee. Right now he's doing physical therapy for the shoulder, has been for a month, he saw an orthopedic surgeon Monday, who recommended another month of physical therapy, then they will determine if he needs surgery. He has an appointment for his knee today, to see if they will do pt, or just jump right into surgery.
I still don't have a lot to report on my thyroid issue. I went to a specialist in Helena back in August, but due to someone not doing their job, he never received my medical records, so I gave him MY basic information, and he decided he wanted to do a chest/neck scan to make sure the cancer isn't spreading all over. SO I had to get off my thyroid replacement hormone, and wait 3 weeks to see if my levels were high enough to do the scan, they weren't :( so now I have to wait 5 more weeks, and redo my lab work to see if it's high enough then.
This summer was one of the
best summer's we've had as a family. Moving from Germany was hard, as we had come to think of it as home...trying to readjust to life in the United States has been fun and difficult. Not knowing anyone here is strange, but it's so nice being back here so my family can call me whenever they want! Before we actually left Germany my sister made a last minute decision to come visit 1 more time. She literally got to Germany on Friday and left Monday, it was short but sweet and we had the best time! We went to one of my favorite places
Trier, and I even managed to get us a bus trip to
Metz, France, just her and I! It was the perfect ending to our 4 year tour in Europe!
When we 1st got to MT we spent just over a week in
lodging, Mike had to inprocess, but the kids managed to keep busy with the toys we got them before leaving Germany! We also had to buy a new
car when we got here, and after that we did manage a little
sightseeing before our BIG plans of the summer started!
We decided that since our furniture wasn't going to be to MT until July, we should go to KS and visit with
family. We were excited for our road trip across the country! We drove to my brother's house in SD the 1st night, then on to KS the next day. It was so nice to be able to see everyone, Mike got to spend all kinds of time with his family. We spent the 4th of July in the big town of Wamego, with Mike's family, and an old buddy of Mike's who is also in the military, it had been 5 years since us wives had seen each other, the boys actually ran into each other on a deployment once! We also got to celebrate
Kinzie's 3rd, and Nick's 1st birthday with family! (and actually my niece Mayah's 5th birthday too!) It was the 1st time, we got to celebrate an actual 1st birthday with family! After our long visit in KS, we drove back to SD and spent another night up there, then headed home, spending a night in Sheridan Wyoming.
Once we got home, we had to make a trip out to Tacoma WA, to pick up our car we had shipped over from Germany. It was again, another
beautiful drive! My friend Tracy, that I met in Germany, lives in Puyallup, WA, which is not far from Tacoma, so we got to spend a couple nights with them. It was so good to see her again. She left Germany in 2007, but did come to KS last year to see me, and the kids after Nick was born. We took a road trip to Arkansas to see her family, such a nice trip!
So now we are just
hanging out, learning the town, and looking forward to the next 3 years. Hope it's as blessed for our family as the last 4 years have been! I am also hoping I can keep more up-to-date with the blog! After reading my friend
Jenn W.'s blog (which by the way, was my inspiration to start this blog, AND my obsession of wishing we did more around Europe, I just lived vicariously through her travels) all the time and constantly trying to figure out how she created links in her blogs, I figured it out today! YAY! So, sorry that I completely covered this posts with so many links, but if you click on the blue words, each one will take you to a different photo album I have on facebook, that relates to the topic! (Except Jenn's which will take you to her most awesome blog!) I had so many pictures, that instead of uploading each one separately, you can just go to the album!
