It’s so wonderful having our family back together again.
The boys had some catching up to do. Owen changed so much while he was gone. We missed him in the short time he was gone but I now know just how much I am capable of as a mama. It’s so nice having him home again. As soon as we welcomed him home, he took Owen in his arms. I stood there awkwardly, suddenly not sure what to do with two free hands… 🙂
We celebrated the Viper Pilot’s first Father’s Day as soon as we got home by spoiling him with gifts…a hammock for the backyard, a new iPhone, and a sweet card selected by Owen.
Please note the Wild Weasel patch on Owen’s shirt. YGBSM. |
That evening, we celebrated our anniversary a few weeks late. The last time we were together on June 9, it was our wedding day. That’s military life.
Guess who has two thumbs and a new pair of gorgeous sparkly earrings? This girl!
He’s given me jewelry twice in our 9 years together, my wedding bands and these earrings, both of which he picked out himself. The stone is tanzanite, the birthstone for December (um, and there might be a little diamond or two around it…oh yeah). I’m obsessed with them. What an amazing man I get to spend the rest of my life with. I couldn’t imagine a world without my incredible husband (and Owen) in it.
We didn’t get too fancy for our celebratory dinner. The grillmeister made bbq chicken and I handled the sweet potato fries, my spicy fry dip, and steamed broccoli from our garden.
- mayo (I like the egg-free kind)
- Sriracha sauce
- honey
- garlic powder
- cayenne pepper
We really really like the wine. We remember very well that the bottle didn’t have a tag on it and we would love to thank the person who gifted it to us. I recall someone telling me it was from them the night before our wedding, but for the life of me I can’t remember who it was. I can even tell you exactly where the conversation was held and what I was doing. There was so much going on that weekend month that by the time we sat down to write the thank you notes, I drew a complete blank. It was a delicious red wine and a great way to celebrate our anniversary!
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here lately. Upper 60s and hasn’t been above 75 in weeks. The mornings are still cool enough that we can open the windows and air out the house. No complaints whatsoever.
Owen and I are morning people, well, I am most of the time. Sometimes I’m still sleepy, but he’s all happy and cute in the morning so it makes the 6 am wake up calls easier. Plus, the sun gets up before we do, so it’s gorgeous in our backyard. He loves to be outside and we spend a lot of time out there.
When everyone was up and about on a gorgeous sun-soaked Saturday, we ventured to a zoo we’d been informed of that was an easy 45 minute drive from home. Tucked into the lush hills of the Eifel region, we discovered the Eifel Zoo. Where the animals are friendly, and the ducks and geese roam freely. Very very freely.
It’s not a traditional zoo. The animals are very happy, and many of them were born there. This zoo is very old, I don’t know for sure when it dates back to.
I’m certain it would have long since been renovated or forced to close down in the states…visitors can get very close to the animals. Animals like lions, tigers, and bears (oh my). The grounds and habitats are very well kept and I don’t think there has ever been any trouble, except for the time a little girl climbed into the bear habitat. I mean, the bear looked friendly enough to me so I don’t see the problem here…
Anyway. As long as you keep a close eye on your kinder, you’ll have a grand old time at the Eifel Zoo.
In his usual happy zoo-loving mood, Owen crashed as we strolled back to the car. He didn’t want to miss a thing!
Little sir is 7 months old today!
And it only took me seven whole months to remember to put him in his hospital shirt for a photo…
“Where happiness is born!” |
Have a happy, healthy, and safe Fourth! God bless the USA! To all my non-American friends, have a happy and relaxing Friday!
See you later with a post about our holiday weekend. How will you be celebrating?
Keen wyu says
Very nice post… Love to seee all the pictures.