It's been a while!

I guess you could say a lot has happened since my last post. I'm going to do my best to fill in all the details, but it sure has been a whirlwind.

I'm VERY happy to say that Matt made it home late on January 22nd. We spend several days leading up to his homecoming not knowing when exactly we'd see him. Every time we would talk, the times and dates would change again. Of course, the more things changed, the less we were able to communicate. Needless to say, this left me pretty stressed and constantly wondering. Luckily, I had my good girlfriend Megan here to keep me grounded and remind me that "it will be what it will be".

During this time of stress, Madilyn and I were both battling sinus infections and ear infections. We were really hoping to be better by the time Matt got back. For the most part Madi was doing much better. I however, still sounded like a chain smoker :)

Since Matt arrived back, we've been enjoying our days spending time as a family. He spent most of Monday in-processing again, followed by a welcome home party at his squadron. I know he is happy to be back and I think they're pretty thankful to have him home too. Now that all the paperwork is taken care of, we're loving the two weeks of leave that follow a deployment. Our days are all spent together and we're having a great time! It is so wonderful and such a blessing to all be in the same place again.

Supposedly, we are going to have some ice storms and snow blowing into town tomorrow through mid-day Friday. Because of this, we made sure to take advantage of the almost 70-degree day today and went to play at the park. On our way home we ran into our good friends Natalie and Isabella.

Here are some photos from our fun afternoon!

Who do I look like?

This week I thought it would be kind of fun to compare pictures of Madilyn to pictures of Matthew and I around the same age. Here is a photo of me and one of Matt:

And here is Madilyn just a few days ago:

I don't have a copy of Matt at the same age yet, but hopefully will soon. So, what do you think???

Mom's Day Out / Preschool !

Our little girl had her first day of school today!

She did awesome! We started the day with a big breakfast. Then we got dressed and did our hair. Before we knew it, it was time to go! Here is Madilyn modeling her new backpack (which she was happy to carry on her own!).

Once we arrived to her classroom, Madi was more than ready to jump on in. She saw some new friends in the room and lots of new toys. I got a quick "bye mommie" in before she ran off squealing "wheeee!" at the assortment of new fun things to play with!

When I arrived to pick her up, her teachers said she did wonderful! She even laid out on her new nap mat and slept! I must admit, I wasn't sure if she would take to napping sans crib in a room with other kids, but SHE DID IT!!!! Go Madilyn!  Here is a brown bear she painted today!

After we got home we had a little snack, and decided to go to the park. It was in the upper 50"s and sunny here in Altus today. We had to take advantage of the sunshine and play!

After the park it was time for dinner. Madi sure was happy about a dinner of homemade chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese and fresh kiwi. Yum!

After dinner she took a nice long lavender and vanilla bubble bath (she has it oh-so-rough.. don't you agree?). Once she was finished in the tub she promptly asked if we could watch a little Barney. After a long and busy day, I thought that sounded like a great idea. Here's out princess relaxing with a cup of milk and a movie before bedtime :)

A Vagt Family Visit

This week, among many visitors, Shelley, Taylor, and Jordan came to stay with us for a few days. They also brought Duke back to us!

The original plan was to meet them down in Albuquerque, but when Madilyn came down with croup and ended up needing breathing treatments again, we decided it would be better if she and the girls came here instead.

Jordan's 12th birthday is coming up soon so we decided to have a mini surprise party for her on Friday night. She had no idea we had been planning her favorite dinner followed by yummy birthday cake!

Shelley, Taylor, and Jordan... Thanks for making the trip. I know you all took wonderful care of Duke and he is missing you.

Shiloh and Duke were great buddies. I wish we could have kept them together!

On The Move

We're baaaaaack! Back in Altus that is. What a whirlwind of adventures we have had while Matt has been away. We're still a few weeks out yet from his return, but Madi and I are getting settled and preparing for him to get back. We can't wait!

My sister Brianna and I left Phoenix on Sunday, December 27th to start the journey. We stayed the night in Albuquerque  and arrived in Altus on the 28th. On the 29th we signed the lease to our new house on base. Madilyn was staying with my parents and she and my mom arrived here on New Year's Day. Since then it's been pretty insane here unpacking and trying to set up house.

Don and Sandy arrived here in the wee hours on January 3rd. They kindly offered to haul our trailer full of goodies from Phoenix back for us. Don got right to work setting up our new washer and dryer (which proved to be quite the project!).

Don and Sandy left on Tuesday, and my mom and Brianna left yesterday.

We were supposed to be meeting Shelley and the girls in Albuquerque yesterday to pick up Duke, but Madi came down with croup. So, Shelley and the girls made the trip out here too and arrived last night around 1030. (Look for a new post in a few days with pictures from their visit too!).