As the saying goes, "Home is Where the Army Sends You"! And please note that it doesn't say "Home is where the orders say you are going to be sent" or "Home is where your Company promises that you will be able to go" or "Home is where you think the Army is going to send you next month". It can only be stated for the present situation. So, after back and forth, and up and down all year, here we are in.... El Paso! Who woulda thunk?
But we sure did find a perfect spot for our little growing family! I must say that almost daily both Joe and I comment on how we are so glad we are where we are. Our little place suits us well and, well, is just plain old wonderful!
Here are the kids enjoying Joe's favorite piece among the furnishings: The rocking chair!
...and then David and Therese got the camera...
And I know I took WAY too many pictures of this, but it was so much fun after stressful days of moving, cleaning, and Daddy trying to in-process. Joe was finally home for his Permissive TDY and we celebrated with a good, old-fashioned, sword and bat fight in the play room!
David got the camera once more as a means to distracting him from touching everything in the doctor's office as the kids and I waited to "officially" find out that Baby Librandi #4 was on the way. And... Yes... either Patrick Joseph or Magdalene Rosemarie (or both according to both my dream and Nancy's) has joined the family!
Well, good thing our kids are only 3 1/2 and just under 2, because we had a pretty lame Halloween, once again! Therese ended up dressing up as a "mommy" - which included a baby carrier, baby doll, and her most "grown-up" top and skirt. She enjoyed it, but she pretty much did look like she does every day! The kids and I did enjoy sitting on our porch handing out candy, though. Due to the location of our house, much of the conversation we had with the Trick-or-Treaters' families took place in Spanish. I survived fairly well, and it helped Therese not get a big head, because she didn't understand what "bonita" meant.
We finally started a new set of water colors! And, man, I made them squeeze every last ounce of color out of the last set! Oh... and for some reason we are REALLY in to wearing aprons here in El Paso!
Playtime in the back yard!
I don't think the kids even realize that this pool could be even more fun with water in it!
And Therese wanted to document mom in the pool.
Our first real weekend here we decided to drive around and see the sights. We found the "TransMountain" road and went up to see the sights. Unfortunately, it was so windy that it wasn't enjoyable for more than a few moments.
Dad had the camera one evening, and in the midst of getting a random shot of each family member, he chanced to get the first shot of both David and Therese' hair cuts!
Well, after finding the perfect car and home for our little family, we now were on a mission to find the perfect exercise equipment that would allow Daddy to work out at home and, therefore, eat many more meals with us and spend many more hours having tickle-torture with the kids in the living room! The kids were a great help in the stores at trying out all of the new-fangled stuff.
But then David reached for the camera...
And this is all we have to show for the rest of our day.
Well, you have hopefully already seen a live-action version of this, but here is a still-life of our little Army family marching around the kitchen island after supper. This has become a common evening event for us.
And in case you were wondering... Yes, David is still be served exquisitely prepared teas by his wonderful hostess, the Cheerleader, Therese whenever he feels like getting off his feet for a moment or two. His life continues to be quite pampered here in Texas.
And I know this is becoming a common theme, but, what can I say, David REALLY loves taking pictures! Here are a few more of his creative masterpieces:
I thought these two were great for telling a story... in the first picture you have a little girl helping her mom cook... as can be seen by the apron.
And in the second picture... you see how little the girl really is!
And since David's photography is giving me the opportunity to share, something that I have really gotten "in to" here is cooking! Actually, for 2 weeks now I have done a new recipe every night, and I've even attempted baking my own bread! I'm really enjoying the feeling of permanency and the kitchen is great! So... send me your favorite recipes! The kids and I are having a lot of fun... and I think Joe is enjoying being my guinea pig!
Speaking of, Joe had to get some pictures of the kids and I mixing up banana bread last weekend.
And after helping mom in the kitchen, the kids had to cook up their own play-dough masterpieces!
David got the up-close and personal shots for me of their creations.
So... I know that EVERYONE is going to think that we are crazy for doing this, but kids are kids and they just wouldn't be OK until they had a swim in the pool! Those up north are sitting by their fire places and can't even imagine this picture taking place in mid-November, and those here in Texas are also sitting by their heaters not believing that I don't have my children's winter jackets on in the bone-chilling 60 degree weather!
But... we did it! Therese didn't last long, and was pretty much immediately "freezing", but David must have my warm blood and acted as though it was 20 degrees warmer than it was!
With only 6-12 inches of water, depending on which side they were on, it was a great depth for jumping off the ledge and good-old splashing around.
Therese did bite the bullet for a moment and went for a tummy swim.
But then is was too cold to continue...
And she fled to the warm sunshine on the deck. However, the wind, which is always present here, was too much, so she resorted to being mummified by a towel as she sun-bathed.
The sun was so bright she couldn't open her eyes.
As I said, David lasted quite a while without complaint, just once in a while getting out to crouch down on the ground for a bit of warmth on the tile.
But he ultimately had a double-realization. First, that the towel was a great aid in fighting off the chilly wind. And second, that it was much easier to warm up when one's wet drawers were removed!
And that catches you up to yesterday via pictures.
This morning we attended our first play group, which was nice. We will probably attend again. And, we have once again started to have some school time every morning. Both David and Therese are really enjoying it, and we are keeping it super low-key.
Joe has heard officially that he has a 4-day weekend for Thanksgiving, so we are getting super-pumped for the time we will have with my parents!
Well, I think I need a nap sometimes even more than the kids do these days, so I'm going to call it for today.
Love, Us.
