Slip Sliding Away

It started out as a normal morning. We were pushing it on time, but nothing new. I should have known that things were bad when the girls stepped out of the house and both fell flat on their backs. No big deal, I thought. I will just help everyone to the car. The girls stood on the grass, and I carried them one by one to the car. Now, you may be thinking, if it is that bad, why would you get in the car? Looking back now, I am thinking the same thing. However, at the time, I pressed forward. I thought, it may be slick here, but usually it is not that bad once I get to the main road in my village.

I started down the hill and we basically just slid the first half of it. I knew that once we hit the bottom part, where it is driven on more, we would be ok. Sliding down the first half made me nervous, so I decided that we were just going to head home. So, I went to the bottom of the hill, turned around, got a good start, and made my way up the hill. We did fine until the last little leg of the hill, where we just stopped and started sliding backwards. Luckily, the van decided to do a 180degree turn, so I was facing down the hill. I slide all over the place again, but I was able to stop before the main crossroad. I turned around again, and we made it most of the way up the hill, and we just parked the car.

Here is where things got tricky. I had Zoe, Georgia and Lincoln with me. Lincoln needs to be carried, but the girls needed a lot of help, too. There was another guy who parked next to us, and he told me to follow him because he had salt, but he was so fast, we were only able to follow him for about 5 feet. I stood looking at the mountain (it is probably only 50 feet, but it felt like miles) and said a little prayer. I really was wondering how we were going to conquer it, but some German neighbors saved us. This little elderly couple loves us, and they came out to help. The man grabbed Zoe's hand, but I still was holding Georgia's hand and carrying Lincoln. What a nightmare! Georgia fell on her own about 10 times. At one point, Georgia and I were standing still on the hill, and we just started sliding backwards. We slid for about 5 feet and both fell down. I was holding Lincoln, so I went down hard, so as not to injure him! It was horrible. We ended up getting high enough on the hill to move into someone's grass, and then it was smooth sailing from there. Sort of.....We still had to cross some driveways, and once we made it to the top of the hill, we had to walk down the street for a little bit to get to our house. If it had not been for our German neighbors, I don't know what I would have done!

Well, we are now home, and I am not planning on going anywhere today. Hopefully it is better by the time Clayton gets off the bus!

December Fun

Alright, I have not been so good about putting things on here since Brad has gotten home, so I am just going to put pictures of all the fun things that have been going on. Brad got home at the beginning of December, which was great! Clayton, Zoe and Georgia all had Christmas parties at school. We went down to Garmisch right after Christmas, and we stayed there for a week. With all that, basketball has started up, and Brad is coaching Clayton's team. Also, Zoe is now doing cheer! I am not sure if I have basketball pictures, but I will post those later.














As a side note, Brad just got his orders, and it looks like it is official! We are headed to San Antonio, TX this summer! Yeah for warmth and sunshine and spending a whole lot of time outdoors!

He's home!

Enough said!

Let the Countdown Begin!

Well, it looks like it is actually going to happen. We have been hearing for months that Brad might be able to split the deployment with another attorney, but it looks like it is really going to happen! He is packing up his stuff and beginning to out-process. Yeah for us! It seems surreal. We should have him here in less than a week! I don't even remember what life is like with him around. I think that it is going to be an adjustment, but it is one that I am more than willing to make.

Life has been hard without him around, but we did much better than I had originally thought. We are all much stronger than we imagined. The kids were grumbling this morning because their dad had to deploy, but we are really very fortunate! Brad only had to go for 8 months instead of 15 months. That is basically unheard of in the Army. Also, this was his 1st deployment, and most people I know are on their 2nd, 3rd or 4th deployment!

Please be praying for the kids that the adjustment goes well. I will post pictures once he gets here.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Georgia bean!

This week our little Georgia turned 3 years old! I asked Georgia what she wanted to do, and she opted for the bowling alley because that is what we did for Zoe's birthday.

Everyone who meets Georgia, loves her! She is full of life and super spunky! She loves people and being the center of attention. At her birthday party, when she opened each present, she said "awesome", but she made it long and drawn out. It was so funny!

We love our Georgia bean and would not trade her for anything!

Bye, Erin and Beckett!

Today was a sad, but good day. Some good friends of ours, Erin Babb and her son Beckett, got on a plane to move back to the states. It was bittersweet. Erin's husband, Nate, is now downrange to replace Brad for the rest of the deployment. It is wonderful, because it means that Brad will be here really soon. However, they will be sorely missed. Erin and Nate have been a huge help to me during the deployment, but really, I am going to miss playing Rook with them! Hopefully we can plan a trip up to the New York (West Point) area to meet up with them in the next few years!

Texas, Here we come!

Warmth. Sun. Shopping. Family time. These are all the things that I am looking forward to. We had heard that we might be headed to Texas come summer, but now it has been confirmed! San Antonio, here we come. Yeah!!! That was our first choice on our wish list, and it looks like we got it! Although, I have to give this disclaimer: we are dealing with the Army, so it is not a sure thing until we actually live there!

During lunch today, with country music playing in the background (to get us in the mood) the girls and I were discussing Texas and our upcoming move. Zoe and I had a funny conversation. It went something like this:

Zoe: Mom, do they have cats in Texas?
Mom: Yes
Zoe: Mom, do they have horses in Texas?
Mom: Yes, they have lots of horses in Texas. There are ranches and cowboys and lots of horses.
Zoe: I think I will get a horse when we get there.
Mom: Sorry sweetie, we are not getting a horse. We do not have enough room for a horse.
Zoe: We can get a horse. It can stay in my room; I will make room for it.

What a funny girl! I guess she can dream.