Time to celebrate...

Yes it is a good time to celebrate. First and most importantly, daddy is coming home in a few days. The other reason is because I did so well at my 18 month check-up yesterday. Here are my stats: Height is 33 inches. Weight is 30 pounds. My doctor said I was at the top of the charts for everything! She is so impressed with me.

Here I am helping to decorate for all the soldiers coming home. They started to come home at the beginning of the month, with most of them coming home this week. Daddy comes home this weekend!!!! I hope he notices the flags I took out of the ground....oops, I mean the flags I put in the ground. It was so much fun and now I need to help mommy with the banners at home. I can't wait to see my daddy again. I have missed him soooooo much. I love you daddy.

I just had this mud room piece delivered and showed Joey how his jackets will be hung in it and he couldn't hold out any longer, he had to crawl up into it to get a closer look. I don't know why I was surprised, he crawls and climbs up on everything!

If it has wheels.....

I had to order a car he can ride on since I found him riding my vacuum!! Believe it or not, he actually got around on the vacuum. Who says you need to spend a lot of money on kids toys?

Too cute

Mommy said something to me that I didn't like too much. Then mommy couldn't stop laughing at me when I looked at her like this. I am practicing my "mean" look but just like daddy, mommy just laughs at us when we do it! It just isn't in our personality.

Family Part II

Here I am with Grandpa and Grandma. They haven't seen me since I was a little guy so it was fun to show them what I can do now. I had a great time playing with Grandpa. They had LOTS of toys and they sure were cool. Grandma was very cuddly and gave me lots of yummy food.

Hmmm, is anyone paying attention?? Here I am next to the cookie container. I took one before anyone could grab me and boy was it good. No wonder it was the second thing I was able to sign. Mommy worked with me to learn sign language and I knew this sign was a really good thing and very important!! Yum! Grandma, could you make sure this container is always full of cookies when I come to visit??

Here I am helping Grandpa fix the chairs. Just ask mommy, I am a great helper! Can't wait to help Grandpa again.

This is Ben and me. He was playing with one of my favorite toys. The other favorite toy I had was the mop. Mommy hides them from me but Grandma and Grandpa's house was FULL of great things!

Family

Here I am with my cousins Katelyn and Luke. They were so much fun to hang out and play with. I hope I get to spend more time with them real soon! I miss you!

Here is cousin Bill. He came down from Bemidji Minnesota (don't ask!) just to see me. He was a lot of fun to wrestle with (I let him win just so he wouldn't get too upset!) Love you Bill.

Then we were off to Coon Rapids, Minnesota to see Great Aunt Catherine and Great Uncle Bill. They were too nice to allow me to make a mess of their house. Lunch was delicious! I miss you so much!

A guy could really get used to this....

Ah, international business class.......what a life. We came back to the US in May with Oma as our escort and we were able to get bumped up from cattle car. These seats are super roomy and the food is much better. This will be the only way I will fly from now on!

My hospital stay

The weekend before daddy left, we spent the day in Poland (mommy had to pick up more of that pretty pottery stuff). On the way home, I got pretty sick. After the second or third time of getting sick, I had to wear daddy's t-shirt the rest of the way home since my clothes were pretty icky. A couple of days later, I still had no appetite and at that point couldn't keep fluids down so mommy thought it would be a good idea to just bring me in to the hospital so I could be checked out. Wouldn't you know, my levels were pretty poor so they decided to keep me at least 48 hours. Daddy was scheduled to leave the next day so we all stayed the night in the hospital. Mommy said it was a little easier to say good bye since we really bonded over daddy's stay and especially the night in the hospital. (Can you just picture mommy, daddy and me all cuddled up in a hospital bed?). Crazy! Here I am the first day not looking too perky. The next day I rebounded pretty well and was back to my normal self. A HUGE thank you to my doctor and all the nurses. Don't worry, I wasn't in this "crib" for long. Maybe only a few hours in the whole 48 hours of my stay.

Shopping in Belgium

So this is how we start out trip. Lots of toys, snacks and lots of room to stretch out in the van. Then mom is off and running........

.....and this is how I must endure my 6 hour trip home! Not a lot of room to do much of anything, huh? But, mommy and daddy seem pretty happy with their new found treasures.

Is this really necessary??

So there I am, thinking today is just like any other day. But oh no....mommy and daddy were hugging and kissing on me at the very minute I was born one year ago. Seems like just yesterday I was a little guy but now it's official, I am a big boy.

Hmmmm, cake, just a little out of reach. My parents must know something.

So, this is cake huh? Pretty yummy if you ask me!

Watching tractors....

Here I am explaining the whole tractor thing to daddy. We were out watching them move sand around on our playground. Not really sure what they were doing but there was lots of activity and lots of tractors to watch.

Wow, they must have done something pretty amazing!!

Ok, now I am pooped!

Sneeky picture...

Mommy was snapping pictures of us without us knowing. Mommy says this is one of her favorite pictures she has of us. I don't understand why since you can't see our face but she says I will understand when I get older.

This was taken on the hill of our backyard while daddy was grilling some yummy food for us. Who knew he was such a great cook! Now I am able to eat just about anything and I would have much sooner if I had known what I was missing all this time!

My good looks.....

It is easy to see where I get my good looks from. =) Mommy tells me everyday and this picture really says it all. Mommy keeps hoping I keep my blue eyes which look just like daddy's. I get compliments all the time so I hope I keep them too. The ladies just love them!

Our time in the park

Here we are on the swings having such a great time.

I started this look a couple of months ago and mommy and daddy think it is just so funny. Maybe it is from all the kisses I am always getting!!

Daddy is really good at playing swings with me. We are going to have so much fun together. I love you daddy.

WELCOME HOME DADDY!!

So, it has been a little while since this has gotten updated since so much has been going on. In the next week or two I will be updating it with pictures and letting everyone know what has been going on with our family. Hope all is well with everyone!

Here is my daddy and I in the Nuremburg Airport. He definitely invaded my personal space when mommy was holding me and he came up to us giving us a huge hug and kisses. But then I figured he was ok since mommy seemed so happy. Daddy was so surprised at how big I had gotten. I was just a little guy when he left and know I was walking and talking up a storm. Only mommy knows what I say but daddy was a quick learn.

I decided to take him for a walk. Little did he know we would walk and walk and walk. I love it when I can get the big people to do what I want...... hee hee.

Here we are, all together again!! =)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!

Today is my daddy's birthday and we have already wished him a happy birthday early this morning. I can't wait to give him his birthday hug and kiss when he comes home in a couple of weeks. Maybe we can celebrate our birthday's together? Hmmmm, does that mean more birthday cake for me? =)

My best sleeping position...

Is this crazy or what??! I get my best sleep when I am sleeping like this. Mommy always put me back to a normal sleeping postion but I would eventually end up this way. Now she just leaves me like this and I nap a little bit longer for her.

Here I am just waking up. All that flashing from the camera going on, how can anyone sleep??

Hurricane Joseph

Yup, that's right. That is my new nickname my mommy gave me. Just look at the path of destruction I leave behind and now I am on my way to make another one. See my devilish grin? Hee hee hee. I keep mommy on her toes!

Mommy's new haircut

Here I am with mommy after she got her new haircut. She didn't like it at first but is getting used to it. People tell her it is a "mommy cut" and she is ok with that since she is so happy to be a mommy! Notice the drool on my shirt.....I have been cuting lots of teeth. I had about 3 or 4 come in around the same time. I now have 6 and one more on the way!

Valentine's Day

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Here we are at a Valentines Dinner. It was a fun night and mommy was the only one with a date. =) I got so much attention and everyone loved my t-shirt.

Mommy's friend took this picture (and the one above). Thank you Auntie Sharmen!