The past couple of weeks since Daniel came home have been amazing! Both my sister Angel and Daniel's mom were here for his homecoming. Angel stayed a couple of days afterward and then headed home to Ellesworth AFB in SD, which is only 6 hours away! We are def. planning lots more trips this summer! Daniel's mom stayed for about a week after Daniel got home. It was really great having her be here and getting to see Daniel. It allowed us to be able to go on dates...among other things! It's so nice to be able to get dressed up more often and do fun things! Nothing like having the husband be back!
When Daniel was still in Iraq we walked about doing some hiking when we got back here. We have gone 2 separate times, once for about two miles (carrying the kiddos in packs) and the other time for 4 miles. The weather is almost always sunny here and it has been amazingly warm! We hope to do more hiking this weekend, there are probably hundreds of trails within miles of here!
We read about a place about an hour from here that we would like to go to. It is a 12 mile hike up a mountain. On the top of the mountain there is a beautiful lake where you can go camping! It sounds like so much fun! We are hoping to go there later this summer when its nice and warm and Angel (and anyone else) can come. Maybe even bring some fishing poles?! I would also like to visit the Manitou cliff dwellings and the natural hot springs this summer too!
When Daniel's mom was here she fitted me perfectly and altered the PERFECT dress for Daniel's Army ball coming up in April. I am soooo excited about it! A reason to dress up really nice and get my hair and nails done, lol! I am going to post pictures of the dress sometime soon... it is just so beautiful!
We are leaving in 2 weeks to go to Florida and go to Disney! I am getting pretty excited now! Daniel and I still have to get online and decide which rides we are going to go on! I am thinking the kids are really going to like it! Aiden has been maruting by leaps and bounds and I think he's ready for a real amusement park!
We celebrated our belated Christmas when Daniel came back. Daniel got me exactly what I wanted! I got the cricut expressions for my true Christmas and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! He also got me a heart rate monitor. Its not just a regular one though. it has GPS built into it so when we go hiking it maps out our trails so we don't get lost, it also tells me our pace and elevation (which I love knowing how many hundreds of feet we are up and down!), you name it and this machine can do it!
Daniel had requested tools for Christmas so he could start making stuff. He wants to make a toy box and shelves and so many other things! So I bought him and enormous 10-inch laser miter saw, a 19.2v cordless drill with the works, a bigger tool box, a power sander, a stud finder, and a nice big barbeque grill! We just went out yesterday and bought him a laser guided circular saw, which is the last thing he says he needs now. Its great now that he has nice tools. he has been fixing and installing everything! He put on the cupboard locks and installed the babygate and hung extra towel bars. Aiden loves helping him! They are like two peas in a pod!
Audrina really loves being with her daddy too. Its like she somehow knows that he is her daddy. When Daniel comes home both of their faces light up and Aiden says, Daddy!

Here are some pictures of our bedroom that Tina, Angel and I worked so hard on!

This one has the best view of the room!

These are picture of the living room and downstairs!

We made apple empanadas from scratch

We went hiking up in the mountains near our house. Here are the pictures from our second trip. The first trip we forgot our good camera, its a shame too because we hiked up to Helen Hunt waterfalls, which were really beautiful!

The only snow we could find!

That is Colorado springs in the valley!

Look how tiny the cars were. It made me feel a little sick looking down from such heights! It would be so fun to take these same trails with a mountain bike sometime!

Daniel and his momma!

Our new table!

This is the best shot of the dining room.

Going out for Vday!

Daniel using his new power tools! He's installing my baby locks for me!

Playing with his new firetruck!

We are safely here in Colorado after a VERY long drive. Thank heaven for my MIL driving with me, it made the trip a million times better! On the second day of our trip we drove directly through the huge ice storms in Kentucky and West Virginia that left thousands of people out of power. It was a bit slippery especially with my huge trailer on my car. The storm put ice on everything! It was so beautiful! Everything looked like it had been coated in crystal and it sparkled like nothing I had ever seen as the sun rose! I got some pictures and I am hoing (X cross my fingers X) that they turn out!

I thought there would be tons of snow as we drove further out west but the opposite happened. It got warmer and the snow disappeared. I am very thankful in retrospect because we didn't have to worry too much about tracking mud and snow into the house because of the snow. It was lmost 70 one day this past week! I was definitely not expecting this! It is going to be getting pretty cold real soon here.

I like the house, it has definitely grown on me quite a bit since we arrived. Tina, Angel, and I have been working double-time since we got here putting up pictures and organizing furniture and trying to get things organized. We still have an overwhelming amount of stuff to do. Our backyard faces out towards the mountains and we have a hill right outside of our fence in the back which is going to be perfect for sledding and it is sooo close!

A few days later...


Daniel's here! His homecoming ceremonywas at 2:45pm yesterday. It was all terribly exciting! Here are the pictures I've been promising.

Before we left VA

Getting fitted for his suit

On the way to CO, the town was COVERED in ice!


Beautiful...I took this as the sun was rising

Further west...no trees as far as the eyes can see!

Taking a break

Playing with his cars

Audrina didn't want to get back in the car

Auntie Angel and Drina

Painting...day 1

He's coming HOME!

In the parking lot before the ceremony! The car is all decked out!

Going to our seats!

Watching and waiting

Playing with her flag

Home of the BRAVE! He's almost here!

Daniel's in the front row!

In my arms again!!!!!!!!!!! <3

Out of focus yet amazing!

Aiden and daddy home, playing!

I have to take a ton more photos of the house and everything but I feel pretty accomplished to have finally put up some of these pictures. Hope you enjoyed.