Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!  

Love, The Ellis'

 

Soccer

Braden started playing soccer last month.  He absolutely loves it!

 Ready for his first practice!  

 Our soccer boy!

 Running laps.

 Grayson excited for soccer practice too!  

 Kicking the ball.  

 Braden kicking a goal!  

 Yeah!!!  

Halloween

We had a wonderful Halloween!

Hope you enjoy the pictures. 

Grayson in his skeleton and bat pj's.

  

 The boys before headed to their Halloween party.

 The Lizard

 The Monster

 Playing with balloons.  They had candy in them.

 Eating cookies.

 Braden and Finley

 The boys after a long day.  

Growing Up

The boys are getting so big!  Here are some fun pictures from this week.

Check out Braden in his favorite explorer vest and his cowboy boots.  

 Grayson climbs up anything he can looking for food.  

Pamela Scott

Today I was constantly reminded of God's love and His comfort.  We celebrated the life of Pamela, who is now with our Lord. She always had a smile on her face and a great southern accent.  :)  She will be missed greatly.  What a comfort and joy it is to know that we will see each other again.

Please continue to pray for her family, James, Grayson, Aden, Madalyn, and Duncan.

Grayson walking

Grayson has been walking for almost 2 weeks now.  Of course the times he chose to take his first and second steps were away from the house and we did not have our video camera.  

Here is a video we took at the house from early last week.  

Happy Grandparents Day!!!

God's Handiwork

We are so blessed to be in this country and be able to see God's handiwork.  Here are some pictures of islands in the Mediterranean Sea that we took while on a boat tour.

Thank You!

Thank you to all the men and women who serve our country!!

Thank you to the spouses who stand beside them and support them!!  

Thank you to the families who support from a distance!!

Lots of moving...

Moving...

Moving...

Moving far from home...

Moving two cars, 2 kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.

Moving sofas to basements because the won't go in THIS house;

Moving curtains that won't fit;

...Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.

Moving away from friends;

Moving toward new friends;

Moving her most important luggage:  her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her "Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;

Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
...all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, the Arctic, or the deep south.
And learns to call the all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
The leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
EPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
ABU
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long-distance link to keep them informed;
The glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long, hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his Military Wife.
And would have it no other way.

~Author Unknown~

Oh to be organized....

Well, I see that it has been months since I have last posted.  I am loving life with two boys and we keep busy.  I keep telling myself I need to get better at keeping you up to speed, and I promise to try a little harder.  One of the things I am really trying to do is keep organized.  Is it possible with two little ones?  Here is one blog that I love reading!  She gives so many helpful tips and wonderful ideas.  And guess what?! She has an amazing giveaway going on right now.  Check it out at http://bit.ly/QoOtpQ.    Until the next time (which I will do my best to make sure it is soon)!

Thursday Market

A good friend of ours took us to the Thursday market today and the bakery.  I am in love!  I will get pictures of the market soon, but here is one of Braden with some boys that walked through the market with us.

Braden

Well, I had a couple of videos to share with you of Braden, but my video camera's battery just died, so one video will have to do.  Here is a video of Braden singing his ABC's.  Enjoy!

Cirque Dreams

The Cirque Dreams World Tour was in town today.  It was a great show!  Here are some pictures of Grayson with the performers.  Braden was taking the pictures.

Mt. Erciyes

We went to Mt. Erciyes this weekend to play in the snow.  We had a blast!  I will post pictures soon, but here is a video of Braden rolling down a hill in the snow.  He loved it!