Yikes, it's almost 2015

So nice to live right next to a pumpkin patch.

This family loves Fall.

This was his bed for awhile, then he tried the top drawer and broke it to pieces.

Plenty has happened since August and I thought I should try to get another blog post in before it's the New Year. We leave in two days for a nice long Christmas vacation to Wyoming to see family and we are more than excited for this trip. Koen is delighted he gets to stay in a "hotail". Just mention a hotel and he gets quite excited; he often brings ups random lodging experiences that are clearly etched in his memory. Ko is now 3 1/2 and cracks us up daily. He is happy go lucky and thinks just about everything is funny. He dotes on every baby he sees and he loves, I mean loves his friends... to the point that some of them come to me and ask for some space. I'll take all of that love I can get, so as long as he lets me, I will cuddle him til he cries. Wait, maybe that's where he gets it. He's an odd sleeper. He only sleeps in his bed for a little while at night, then he tries different places, like his clothes drawer, the couch, and our floor. Sometimes he snacks at 2 in the morning and we wake up to find bread and fruit shrapnel sprayed all over our living room. At this age Ko particularly adores Curious George, garbage trucks, seaweed snacks, babies, riding bikes, mud, grocery stores, the Ants go marching song, eggs and bacon, "hamburbers", hotails, playgroups, the list goes forever. He clearly dislikes tomatoes, cheese, loud noises, and dad going to work. I'm sure that list will grow once he gets into high school.

Justin and I are doing well, and it's been nice having him home a little more often now that it's winter. We enjoy talking about our future, trips we'll take, investments we'll make and what our family will look like in the next five years. One thing for certain is we are so blessed to be living where we are and to have such important friends and family in our lives. One major blessing we can't dismiss is that he was home with his family this year and not serving in Afghanistan. We're looking forward to what 2015 has in store for us and we hope the blessings continue.