1 MONTH

1 month!
31 days!

Oh My!!!!!!!

We CANNOT WAIT!

oh boy...:)
This is them right before he left...Can you imagine what they will look like in a month? How much this lil dude has changed since then???

Tagged...:)

My sweet friend...Jamie...tagged me...and since she is pregnant..I didn't want to let her down:) :)
I guess it did help that I was really bored too...which is why Im super pumped about flying home to Texas next week...
...On with the tagging.....

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. Holding Jon in my arms again
2. Being able to spend 15 days with Jon
3. Picking Jon up from the airport...after having gone 8 months without him...
4. Playing golf with Jon in August
5. Hanging out with Jon
6. Watching Jon and Noah play again for the first time in 8 months...
7. Watching Jon give his lil dude a haircut
8. Did I mention...JON?????

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. woke up...
2. fed Noah some yogurt
3. read another chapter in the book of Daniel
4. took a nap
5. made a PB&J for Noah
6. went on post to get my mail
7. opened a package Jon sent from Iraq...
8. enjoyed looking over all the mail Jon had gotten in Iraq, running out of room so he sent some home

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. See Jon right NOW
2. Run a half marathon..with JON
3. run and not grow weary...
4. sleep through the night
5. Live in Texas with my family..but somehow still get to travel in Europe at the same time..
6. potty train Noah overnight...
7. watch Shark Week now..Im getting excited...
8. did I mention see JON?

8 Shows I enjoy:

1. Iron Chef
2. Ultimate Recipe Showdown
3. America's Next Top Model (Jon will be disappointed..:( )
4. Project Runway
5. The Nanny..she makes me feel like a good Mom:)
6. Chopped
7. Peep and the Big Wide World (yes it's silly kid cartoon)
8. I honestly do not watch more than half of these....but if I am ever in the States...that is what I enjoy..

8 Friends I'm Tagging:

1. Crowe's Nest
2. The Feldt's
3. J&E's
4. Kendalling Love
5. Pettit Family
6. The Ballards
7. Palermo
8. Smith Haus

What happens at Nana's

My Mom, whom we affectionately call Nana, sent these pictures to me...they are a little late (from my visit to Texas in the Spring), but I thought I'd share a few cute pics ...this is what happens when Noah spends time with his Nana...

He get's Happy Meals....and obviously loves them... He's is such a Happy happy boy:)And this...
I think she was trying to tell me to cut the boy's hair!(notice the clip in his hair)And this is one reason why I miss home so much...the view from our driveway:)Oh Nana, we can't wait to come home and have fun again!

What a cutie!

A lot has been going on around here in regards to our lil dude.
He has been talking like crazy...mostly sounds that I can't quite make out, but he sure does like to have conversations with me. He has also been singing:)....




Thought you guys would like that...did you catch a glimpse of the lil guy's chipped tooth?

Shoes have now become a favorite thing around here...Every time we go into my bedroom, I can almost bet he will go right to my closet and sit inside and try to put my shoes on...here's a few pictures....it really cracks me up!Man, it seems like so many things have really taken off for him.
It seems like his lil chubby legs aren't chubby anymore...he's getting so tall. And, his face is really changing too!
We only have about 2 weeks left here in Germany...and Im liking that..because it's just now getting hot...and we don't have AC! UGH! So, although the temperatures will be much higher in San Antonio...they believe in AC:)
So...let the countdown begin!!!!
And more exciting news...we will be together with Jon in a month and a half!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our last day traveling..

On our last day, we drove through the town of Heidelberg...and it took us some ridiculous navigating to find parking for this monstrous castle, but in the end it was worth it.
But...before I get into the last day...I wanted to post some pictures of what we did after we came back from Luxembourg on Day 2 of our journeys.

Noah has inherited our love for ducks...he enjoyed chasing them around anyway...And now for the castle pictures..
These pictures don't capture the size at all...this place was huge!A lot of the castle was in ruins, not like most of the castles I've seen here. I thought the ruins gave it a really neat feel...and Im not kidding, this place was massive!

Complete with 2 humongous..I mean huge casks of Im assuming...wine? Beer? Here's the smaller one!
And the bigger one..this one was about 2 times the size of the one above!!! It had a staircase you climbed up to go up and around it and back down again!...yeah this thing was enormous!
And the castle grounds were quite lovely.
We sure did enjoy our lil 3 day excursion. We listened to "The Dawn Treader" (one of the books from the Chronicles of Narnia) while we drove. It was great. Me and Mark loved it. Especially when the book would refer to the "poop"...which meant the poopdeck on the ship...but they just kept calling it the poop, and it made us giggle.
We really had a wonderful time with Mark, especially all the yummy food I got to make.:) We enjoyed our amazing buttermilk biscuits (recipe of my sweet friend Melody) so much, that I made them a second time before he left:) And of course my landlord, Peter sent him home with fun yummy goodies to eat too!

Day Two: Luxembourg (with Mark: ))

Yes, I did forget...I was in the middle of 3 day posting promise..and I forgot to post the last of the days...
I have been quite busy...and Noah has been such a joy, but unfortunately goofing around too much caused him to chip his poor lil tooth!!!! Don't worry, the tooth wasn't fractured so he won't have to get it taken out, and we see another dentist Monday to check what our options are as far as putting a filler on the end or filing it down. The poor dude. You would never know he did it, he is still his happy, cheery, and extremely babblin' self! This plus he bit his lip pretty bad yesterday too!
Daddy of course wants to see pictures of the lil dude's chipped tooth...but Im still working on it.

So, in the meantime, I will continue on with the post for Luxembourg:
We drove there with caution, because I didn't have my international drivers license, I know I know...but it ended up being just fine.
We started our journey at the tourist office where Mark obtained quite a few maps and suggestions on walks around the city. We picked one, and off we went, with Mark as the guide.
(as smart as Mark is...I was shocked at how many times we had to turn around because we went the wrong way...I kept thinking, Mark this really doesnt seem right....Maaaaarrrrrrrrrrk? :) heheheh!
We thought this was silly...looks like that person left their bike there for a loooong time:) hehe

I thought this sign was too funny!

This city was so amazing, built into and on cliffs...it was just neat. Im not quite sure how else to describe it except that you really just had to be there.
One of the best parts of the whole city was this amazing park, sunk down low into the "cliffs"..you didn't feel at all as if you were in the middle of the city...We ended our trip here:This is where General Patton is buried, and it was awesome, he is buried facing all of the soldiers.
Altogether, we enjoyed Luxembourg...even if we took a lot of wrong turns!

Oh Father's Day....

What a special day.

It's a bittersweet day for me.

My Dad has been gone for going on 6 years...and sometimes it feels like he just left us.
These are the days that I reflect back upon how amazing my Daddy was. These days, especially, I wish I could let him share in the joy that surrounds my life. With Jon, with Noah...with all my wonderful family. I sure do wish Noah could have met his Pappy...

I know this sounds silly, but it also makes me remember my Mom:) and...how wonderful my Mom and Dad were together. I miss him...and today I remember all the fun times we had preparing special treats for Dad!

I have a long list of Daddies to honor...so many amazing men in my life.
It really reminds me of what an Amazing AMAZING GOD we serve, that our Heavenly Father could bless us with such wonderful men.

Jon...you are the best. And I miss you dearly...as does Noah! I couldn't even imagine a better father for our son, Noah. Even though you are so far away...you are so close to us.

My Mom's Dad...Grandpa Hall...you always make me laugh and giggle, and have been a constant source of Spiritual steadfastness....it's such a blessing to see a man never waiver in his strides towards loving and knowing God more:)Sadly...I don't have pictures of Noah and me with my Dad's Dad or Stepdad...
Grandpa Burkholder...we hope to see you soon so you can meet Noah! I have the fondest memories of playing with my Grandpa B....and I do mean playing..rolling around and having such fun.
My Dad's Dad...there's nothing quite like his voice...it will always bring joy to my heart.

Jon's Grandparents...!
Over the last years, I have gotten to know each of you better, and have developed such admiration and esteem for you both....I know Jon loves you dearly and I can see it in the way he speaks so highly of you both, Grandpa Dan
and Grandpa T (Tio!)
We love you!

And of course...Greg/Paw/Pawpy....Im sure words will never fully express the gratitude I have for you...for you and Laura's love in raising up the man I love so dearly...for teaching him how to be a man...and most importantly, a man that loves God and his Family!
It brings pure joy to my soul to watch you, Pawpy,
play with Noah. Since you are the only Grandpa Noah will ever know...it just makes you so special!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY...TO THE BEST DADDIES EVER!