JAG Holiday Party

The Watson family hosted the JAG Christmas party again this year and we made it this time around. Last year it was on the day we got back from the states. It was a fun evening of food and presents with the white elephant gift exchange.

Deb was the best hostess! She cleared out her son's room and had some kid toys for the boys, a drawing area downstairs, and a movie going with game options. The boys ate and ate and ate, then played and played, then crashed on the way home as it was past their bedtime.
This was Eli's first time drawing. Mrs. Linda was very patient and brave to hold a 1.5 year old with a marker dodging this way and that way.After all the presents were opened and we were cleaning up the trash, Eli played with Missy and April by hiding his pacifier in the box. Over and over and over and over again.

Thanksgiving 2011

This year for the office Thanksgiving, I made pumpkin soup. It's one of my favorites for many reasons: it's a yummy comfort food, it's easy to fix, and reminds of Kim Schatz (it's her recipe). She was my first encounter with a (now) General's wife in Little Rock. I was new to the Air Force and the Wing spouses used to meet at her house once a month for lunch and some sort of activity. She is so down-to-earth and kind. She made pumpkin soup for the October get-together and I took some to be nice, but I knew I wasn't going to like it. How wrong I was. It sounds cheesy but I think of this a lot in our adventures the past 5 years. I knew I wasn't going to like that soup, but I loved it and now make it a couple times each fall/winter. Just like I knew life in the Air Force was going to be different. Never in my life could I imagine that this is where I would be. I couldn't think of a better to be thankful on Thanksgiving than to share yummy pumpkin soup with everyone else.
Thanksgiving morning we were up bright and early to get on the road to Garmisch. We dressed Porter and Eli in their Aggie gear in honor of the "final" A&M-UT football game.
We did not stay at Edelweiss but we did eat Thanksgiving dinner there--along with about 500 other military members and their families! While we waited for our reservation, they had the entire downstairs area converted to a Kid's Zone for all ages. Porter and Eli loved the tunnel and see-saw the best. We finally made it back to Maria's guesthouse where we have stayed before. While we got the boy's beds ready and all the luggage inside, they hung out in the shower of all places.Dinner the following night: Schnitzel (mine) and Pork Knuckle (Evan's) aka: Heart Attack.
We went back to Edelweiss the next afternoon to play on their safe playground and we took advantage of their Fall display for some pictures.Porter and Eli with each of their vices: thumb and paci.One of the many quirks I will miss about living overseas. The honor system shopping. Would you like a bag of apples or apple jam? Great, take a jar and leave the money in the tin can. Don't mind if I do. Sidenote: I dropped the jar of apple jam putting it away when I got home. It smelled delicious but it's a terrible habit I have.
I hope I always remember the feeling of Garmisch. It is so inviting and friendly and charming. We were lucky enough to catch the Christmas markets this year.Flipping the lights on and off in our room. They were so proud!

Gig 'Em Aggies!

Happy Thanksgiving!

All my life Thanksgiving has centered around football. Either watching or attending a football game or games during the four-day Thanksgiving break. Either cheering for Gobbler football or traveling to watch the Aggies play the Longhorns in College Station and sometimes Austin. Today ends that rivalry. Evan and I are so torn that we can't be there to sit with his parents and watch the last--until further notice--true rivalry game, at Kyle Field surrounded by Aggies and Longhorns willing their team to claim the title.

My Dad went to the University of Texas, as well as a few of my friends, and a lot of Evan's best friends from high school. It's a friendly rivalry. And by friendly, I mean when it's all said and done, we're still friends. There is plenty of "friendly" trash talk and competition to go around until the last second of the game.

Since Evan's family lives in Austin and my Mom's extended family lives near College Station, Thanksgiving has always been easy for us. If the game is in Austin, Thanksgiving is with Evan's family. We don't go to the game usually but we try to attend some of the hooplah before or after. If the game is in College Station, Thanksgiving is with my family. We go to Thanksgiving, sleep off the food, go to bed, wake up and go to the game. We haven't been back since the game has actually been on Thanksgiving Day again recently. Since I was a freshman in college I haven't shopped the Black Friday sales. I was either consumed with attending the game in College Station or setting up appetizers and football watching food in Austin. What will we do next year when we're in the States? At the moment it just doesn't seem like this part of Thanksgiving will feel the same.

This year I am thankful for my husband. As I look back I see these two little babies who are now toddling around and I wonder how we got this far. Easy answer. Evan. God's grace has guided us on a journey as a family and I'm thankful for His direction.

I'm thankful for Porter and Elijah. Two pieces of my heart that toddle around this world, seeing everything new and fresh and clear.

I'm incredibly thankful for family and friends here and back home who support us, encourage us, listen to us, and visit us. The saying "it takes a village" comes to mind. We have a good Village.

Happy Halloween 2011

Through my friend Shannon, we were invited to a Halloween party this year. Porter and Eli wore their German lederhosen tees and enjoyed grabbing all the food and candy off the tables.
Exhibit A. Porter snatched an entire piece of pizza and is running with it.
Callum Bear was a true Bear for Halloween. I like this picture because Porter and Eli have mouths full of food.

Fall Fest

This year the base decided to have a Fall Fest. There was a costume parade, a hay bale maze, a pumpkin patch, pumpkin and face painting, a bouncy house, and loads of candy. Most of the squadrons had booths with activities for the kids and no matter what there was candy involved. We showed up for the end of the costume parade but there was a short line for our photo.

Porter and Eli were German men, although their hats only made the photo shoot for a second.
We saw the Robinson family: Ella was a cheerleader, Andrew a giraffe, and Henry was a parrot. This was Eli's first official "Trick or Treat". They both love to put things in and out of buckets. This was way fun for them that other people were participating in their favorite game! After some dinner with the Smiths and Tyler treating us to some deep fried oreos--state fair style--we made our way to the pumpkin patch. Porter and Eli liked toddling around and finding the pumpkins with long enough stems to pick up. They played with Callum while Laura (an Amish woman), Tyler (a German man), Evan, and I followed them around for photos.