Sunday, November 30, 2008

Free for Fun






We have not had any more snow since the initial snowfall, although scraps of it are still around. AdventureDad, M and I have been spending as much time outside as possible, mostly biking or hiking (although hopefully there is some skiing and snowshoeing in our future), and generally enjoying his free time. Block leave, the chunk of "time off" following the RLBT has officially started, Yeah for us!

A Time for Thanks

Our family had a beautiful Thanksgiving with our friends and neighbors the Smiths. Joss cooked the Turkey, so I felt like I really had absolutely nothing to stress about this Thanksgiving. Thanks Joss! We gathered together over a feast of turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, cranberry, sweet potatoes, salad, green bean casserole, and pumpkin and pecan pies, not to mention the gluhwein (a mulled wine/schnapps mixture that is a holiday specialty in Germany), hot cider, and eggnog. Whew. It was enough for twice as many people, which of course means that we got to enjoy second and third Thanksgivings as we worked our way through the leftovers. Following dinner we played board games for hours, which was a wonderful way to spend the evening. I would really love to start a "game night" tradition in our neighborhood.

It has been a season of Thanks in so many ways, and the experiences of the last year and a half have served to remind me of how very blessed our family is. This is our first holiday season as a whole family, and every time we do something "special", like celebrating Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas, etc. it is extra-special because we can all share it together. I am also constantly reminded of our friends that helped M and I through this deployment... the ARG girls (my running group) as well as some other wonderful ladies from our neighborhood. Our dynamic has changed a bit since our families are back together again and we need each-other a little less (and have less time on our hands!), but I always know that when I need another strong woman to turn to for support, laughs, a good complaining session, or just some Indian take-out, any one of my Auerbachian friends will come through.

Monday, November 24, 2008

November is Almost Over

I can't believe how quickly time has passed since AdventureDad got home. It has been a wonderful blur of family bonding. AdventureDad has had a very light work load which has manifested itself as a lot of long weekends. A great recipe for family time! We just got our first snow storm, and took M out for a walk in the snow... she was beyond adorable. She figured out pretty quickly that she could scoop it up and throw it, and that she could leave foot prints by stomping her feet. After we find some longer mittens to solve the cold-wrist problems, I think she will be a true winter-lover just like her Mommy and Daddy. I will say the rest with pictures...enjoy!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Happy Halloween
























We had a wonderfully Happy Halloween in the Duncan household for a number of reasons. First of all, M was reunited with her Daddy last Sunday morning, and she is in heaven. How did she ever make it with only one big person to dote on her? This Halloween M was still a bit too young for Trick-or-Treating, but of course I couldn't resist dressing her up. We had the cutest little mousy on the planet in our house, and then another adorable mousy came over to play. Halloween is really for the parents at this age!