Home is where the Army sends us...

And in this case, the Army sent us to Fort Campbell on the Tennessee/Kentucky border where we purchased our first home.  

Our beautiful home...the one we fell in love with almost instantly.  It was probably the 3rd house we looked at and even though there was only subflooring down, no kitchen and no bathroom fixtures, we knew it was the perfect house for our family.  

So many things happened to our family in this house.  Many wonderful things but some bittersweet and downright sad things.  This is the first house that Kemper will ever remember and a house that Hudson probably never will.  This is the home that Kemper mastered climbing the stairs and left his pudgy little handprints up and down the wall.  This is the home that Kemper and I returned to the day we said goodbye to James for his second deployment and this is the home that we welcomed him home to after a long 12 months.  This is the home that we brought Hudson home to and where he quickly added his pudgy handprints to the walls and learned to climb the stairs.  Kemper stood on the front steps of this home on his first day of Kindergarten and ran down the sidewalk each day from the bus stop.  This home holds so many memories.

This is the home where we welcomed friends who turned into part of our Army family.  This is the home where we planned for holidays and parties.  In this home, we gathered around the table with part of our Army family and celebrated Thanksgiving with delicious food, but most importantly, lifelong friends.  

Many kitchen disasters happened in this kitchen (and Pinterest disasters that James swears were attempts to poison him), but there were far more delicious meals and treats.  These counters held Kemper as he helped me cook and held Hudson while we gave him doses of medicine.  The counters were almost always cluttered with papers and drawings and mail.  The table where Kemper and I looked over his daily folder and worked on homework together for the first time.  Many donut dates took place in this kitchen and many rounds of "high point/low point" as we ate dinner.  

We entertained and threw birthday parties in this house.  So many amazing Army women gathered in our home for coffees and Christmas parties.  So many wonderful, amazing, thoughtful friends gathered to celebrate 4 of Kemper's birthdays and Hudson's first birthday.  As hard as we tried not to let them, toys cluttered this room and Matchbox cars left tiny tracks on the tables.  Picture frames and baskets were rearranged.  Coasters stacked and restacked because they're way more fun than blocks.  I always thought that this room looked most beautiful at Christmas with the tree twinkling and stockings hung on the mantle.  It has definitely been a room we haven't often used but it's always been cozy and welcoming to family and friends.  

This house is where Kemper got his big boy bed and his big boy room.  I was so terrified to move him out of the crib but when we did, we decided to completely give him a different room that was decorated for him.  Many changes have been made over the last few years but I have always loved this room and how it turned out.  Our marriage was tested when we painted the room but I loved how it turned out.  Kemper's hosted his first sleepover in this room with Joey when her family came to visit from North Carolina.  Toys seemed to multiply in this room and it seemed like we were always trying to cram just one more thing in here to keep it out of Hudson's reach...Legos, markers, all of the toys that come with tiny (tiny, tiny) pieces.  Kemper's own little corner of the world where he stores (and sometimes hides) his most prized possessions.

Our room was often the catch all, throw it in there and shut the door because company's coming room in the house.  Many Matchbox cars and tiny toys have graced the floors and my feet have always found them in the middle of the night.  Kemper and I spent almost every morning cuddling in my bed watching cartoons while James was deployed.  Hudson spent his first few weeks at home in our room next to my side of the bed.  We moved a rocking chair in our room where we spent MANY hours rocking and nursing.  Precious mornings of both boys joining us to snuggle and watch cartoons.  

Hudson spent the majority of his life sharing his room with the guest room.  He routinely got kicked out when visitors game but when we removed the guest bed and gave him his own room, he seemed to really love all the new space and toys.  MANY hours were logged in the rocking chair nursing and rocking him to sleep.  Many nights pacing in front of the crib trying to lull him to sleep, or sitting just outside of his room willing him to sleep.  Now he loves sitting in his little chair and listening to us read every night before bed.  Always the same books, with very few changes in our repertoire.  Goodnight Moon, Snuggle Puppy, But Not the Hippopotamus, Horns to Toes and In Between, and Are You a Cow? rounded out the favorites.  He went from barely taking up any of the changing pad to barely fitting on it.  This room went from Kemper's when he was in a crib, to Hudson's.  

The bonus room is what sold us on this house.  We walked in and immediately knew that this house fit our needs perfectly.  How blessed we have been to have this amazing second living space.  We were able to keep almost all of the toys upstairs in the playroom.  It has been our family room and the boys' playroom.  We've had movie nights, we've set up tents and forts, it has looked like a bomb went off more times than not and it has hosted our families when we moved our guest mattress in after Hudson came along.  It has hosted MANY playdates, a few early Christmas mornings and Santa visits.  It is where our second Christmas tree has always gone because it just doesn't seem right not to be able to see a Christmas tree from the front of the house.  Babies have played on this floor and those babies have grown into big kids who have run around and wrestled on this floor.  

This house has been such a blessing and will always hold a piece of my heart.  We moved into this house as a family of 3 and are moving out as a family of 4.  We moved into this house without knowing a single soul and are moving out with hearts full of amazing friends who have visited and hung out in our house.  

Home is where the Army sends us and it sure knew what it was doing when it sent us here.  

Easter Egg Hunt 2014

One (sometimes) perk of being an Army family is that there are typically always family events put on by the FRG around holidays.  This year, James's Battalion hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for all of the families in 426BSB.  I volunteer with the FRG and was lucky enough to be able to work on this event with some amazing ladies.  One downside to this is that usually, by the time the events roll around, we are ready to pull our hair out and looking forward to the giant glass of wine that awaits us after it's over.  :)

Alivia and Kemper modeling in front of the Easter Egg 

We planned for approximately 200 kids and were going to limit it to 10 eggs per kids...it's never fun to be at an Easter Egg hunt and see that child that only got 2 or 3 eggs so we wanted to make sure we had PLENTY.  And we did!  We stuffed over 2600 Easter Eggs and didn't have to ask kids to limit themselves to 10.  

One downside of Mom being on the planning committee is that you always have to arrive super early and entertain yourself while she helps set up!

We had 4 age groups (0-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9+) and his one Golden Egg in each age group.  There was a slight snafu with the hiding of the golden eggs and we ended up losing track of one.  We stuck tickets in the other 3 (and ran one into the older age group after it was found in the youngest group) and hoped that nobody found the "lost" egg.  

The lovely and AMAZING ladies who worked so hard on this egg hunt.  So thankful for these wonderful women!

We had other events planned because we knew that once the actual egg hunts started, they would be over in 15 minutes!  Kids are fast!  We had a craft table, the egg & spoon race, face painting, pictures with the Easter Bunny, a cake walk and refreshments. 

My boys had a great time...Hudson was particularly smitten with the Easter Bunny.  He kept photo bombing other people's pictures.  Oops!  Kemper was off and running with Alivia...we barely saw him once the event got going.  

Kemper and Alivia doing the egg and spoon race.

Hudson looks scared but he was far from it!

Kemper with the bunny ears he made at Mrs. Kathy's craft table.

I am so, so, so thankful for this amazing man who, even though he may be rolling his eyes and huffing in his head, steps up and helps out when I need him to.  Due to some unusual circumstances, I had to ask (tell?) James to be the "announcer" for the event and he was amazing, as usual.  He helped to get each age group started (we did staggered start times for each age group) and gave instructions for the hunts.  Thankful for this man who will step up and take charge when needed.  

Hudson got the hang of it this year!

With his loot...he didn't really care that he didn't have a basket full of eggs.  

So, remember that "lost" golden egg that we were hoping nobody would find because it didn't have the prize ticket in it...thank goodness my kid was the one who found it!  In the middle of his age group's hunt, he starts yelling to me that he found a golden egg while he sprints by looking for more.  I had a sinking feeling that it was the one that had been misplaced and sure enough, there was no ticket inside.  Even though he was disappointed that he didn't get the prize, he was such a good sport and so understanding when I explained to him what had happened that I told him I would buy him a special prize for finding the golden egg.  I was so proud of how well he handled it and that he didn't get upset.

Kemper with his eggs...one of the few times he was still and without Alivia.

Showing off his face painting...Cavman of course!

Overall, it was a successful event and everyone that attended seemed to have a great time.  It has been so nice to have events like these the last 4 years at Fort Campbell.  We've made lots of fun, happy memories at egg hunts, fall festivals/trunk or treats, and Christmas parties!  Who knows what the next year will hold since we won't be in a unit setting and will be at an Air Force base!  

Where a kid can be a kid!

For Kemper's birthday this year, we had a Chuck E Cheese party...and it was by far the easiest and least stressful party we've ever thrown!  Kemper has wanted to have a turn in the Ticket Blaster ever since he set foot in Chuck E Cheese for the first time around age 3.  You used to be able to buy a turn in the blaster but they did away with that option and now the only way to try it out is to book a birthday party.  Darn you Chuck E Cheese.  

Kemper posing with the treat bags he helped me make.  Still a Ninja Turtles party even if it is at Chuck E Cheese.  

We booked a party for 8 kids and then all of their parents.  When we arrived, they had everything all set up for us and tokens separated out for the kids.  They were off and running and completely, 100% entertained and happy until the pizzas came out.  

Kemper riding Hudson's favorite "game" with him.

Once the pizzas came out, the kids were all called back to the table and it was time to eat.  While they were finishing up, our individual party assistant came over and told us that Chuck E Cheese would be out in just a few minutes.  The party theme at Chuck E Cheese is Rock Star.  There was an entire "sketch" that went along with the mouse coming out to mingle.  

Kemper with his friend, Alivia.  I think of everyone at the party, he was most excited that Alivia came. :)

After Chuck E Cheese visited our table, it was time for cake.  Our party assistant cut the cake for us and then boxed it back up so we could take the leftovers home.  It was pretty great to not have to worry about the little things and to just be able to enjoy his party!  

Happy Birthday boy!

Finally, it was time to wait for his turn in the Ticket Blaster!  He was so excited and not nervous at all.  They let him wear his birthday crown in which helped because there were quite a few tickets tucked in there when he came out.  Our party assistant threw some vouchers in there for 100, 200 and 1000 tickets.  When it was over, he kept shoveling tickets to Kemper and he ended up with well over 1500 tickets at the end of the day.  He was so pleased with the blaster experience!

Kemper and Gavin...the big 6 year olds!

The friends Kemper invited this year were Gavin, Trenton, Alivia, Ava, Devon and Briley.  Briley is his little friend from the bus that he has been begging to invite since earlier in the year.  Luckily the invitation I sent along with him made it to Briley's mom who contacted me and was able to make it!  Navigating the school friends has been an adjustment and I'm thankful for friends with older kids who have offered some guidance on that topic!

Kemper doing his guitar solo with Chuck E Cheese

Kemper and I made the goodie bags to look like the different Ninja Turtles and we filled them with random little things that Kemper likes.  Everyone got a little notepad and a small pack of markers because Kemper loves to draw and write notes.  We also included some jelly beans (because Kemper loves sweets), Ninja Turtles temporary tattoos (because what 6 year old boy doesn't love those), some Ninja Turtles stickers (and some other stickers for the girls), and Ninja Turtle pencils.  

Modeling his Rock Star medal.  

Overall, he was super pleased with his party and everyone seemed to have a great time!  I know it was certainly a plus not to have to clean the house, make all the food, and then clean up after everyone left!  We simply rounded up the boys and left!  

Kemper with his Donatello cake...it sure was yummy!

Mom and Dad with the new 6-year old

From the left: Ava, Alivia, Devon, Gavin, Kemper, Trenton, Briley...and poor Hudson was still in the high chair and we completely forgot to get him out for the picture.

Taking his turn in the Ticket Blaster

Gathering up his tickets!