Christmas Cards

I am sorry to say I will not be sending out Christmas cards this year. So if you sent us one, thank you, and you will receive one next year! After getting back from the Georgia trip on December 11th, spending every minute we can with Micah, Christmas shopping, visiting Micah's family and friends, and preparing to have a baby any day/week, I am not able to do Christmas cards!

Thank you all for sending us Christmas cards! They are a great treat to get and I am logging all your addresses for next year, if I didn't already have them!

The Second-Half of the Georgia Trip

So after Micah was an "official and FREE soldier" we left Fort Benning to go back to our hotel. We went out for lunch, and just spent time together as a family. Malachi kept asking where Daddy went, if Micah left the room, and was pleased to see him always come back! The kids were exhausted after making the drive, and missing most of their naps. They got some good rest after Micah's ceremonies were through. We stayed a day or two more in Georgia before leaving.

We then headed to Memphis Tennessee to visit Micah's grandma (Me-maw), aunts, uncles, and cousins. Thank you Uncle James and Aunt Anita for letting us stay in your home! We had some serious southern hospitality shown to us throughout our entire stay in Memphis. We are blessed to have such great family!

After a few days in Memphis, we headed to Illinois where we met Uncle Hank and Aunt Gail. They treated us to dinner and came back to the hotel with us to watch the kids swim. Gail got to hold little Ruby the whole time which I think she enjoyed! It was a great but short visit with them. The next day we made it to Minnesota-home sweet home! It was a fun trip, most of the time!, but it was great to be back...even with all the snow and cold weather! 

Here's a summary:

Total days on trip: 12

Total States: 9 (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois)

Total people in a van: 9 (including baby Anna)

Total bathroom breaks: Endless

Total french fries eaten: Endless

Thank you Jesus for a safe trip, a reliable van, the money to make the trip, great help and company on the trip, a great reunion with our Daddy, and a month long Leave for Micah!

My Favorite Family Pictures From The Graduation

Malachi, Micah, Zach, Baby Anna (in belly) and Missy.

The Harpel Soldiers!

Micah talking to Baby Anna after the Turning Blue ceremony.

The happy Harpel family!

Graduation Pictures

This is a picture of the "Turning Blue" Ceremony the first day of graduation.  It was nearly impossible to find Micah in the sea of soldiers! But thankfully, as we were walking by trying to find his face, we saw us and waved! 

This is Micah's long-time friend David Boutcher, who came from Tennessee to watch the graduation and presentation on the second day.

JP, Audra, Israel, Ruby, and Micah. Thanks for making the trip guys! I couldn't have done it without you! Micah was really thankful that you made the trip!

Micah is the middle soldier, looking right at you!

Micah is the far right soldier.

Harpel Soldiers and Graduation

The first reunion we had with Micah, was his "turning blue" ceremony, where he became an official infantry soldier (the blue cord on his shoulder symbolizes that. See previous post pictures).  After the brief ceremony, we left to eat lunch in the area, the kids took naps, then we went to the nearby mall to walk around. We had to bring Micah back to his barracks at 8pm, then we went back to the hotel to sleep.

The next day was another graduation ceremony, along with an awesome demonstration! Micah was chosen to participate in the demonstration, which entitled him to ride in a Striker, throw flash-bang grenades, throw smoke bombs, and display weapons to the audience.  It was very cool! Malachi loved it and did this "I am 100% male and love things that shoot or blow-up" laugh almost the entire demonstration.  Zach enjoyed it but was a bit expressionless-that is Zach for ya! He didn't cry but he didn't laugh either. He just took it in. Micah was positioned right in front of us only yards away when displaying his weapon to the audience! Then we also got to visit with him afterward with all his gear on. Zach cried a little at this point because of all the gear. I think he was a bit overwhelmed. Oh, before the ceremony Malachi and I went to the bathroom and meet up with Micah by the Striker he was to ride in, and Malachi got to sit in it! It was neat! It was such a great two days of graduation ceremonies. VERY memorable. I will never forget it!

Pictures of our Georgia Trip

Since it's late and I'm tired, I'm going to be brief. We went on a trip down to Georgia to watch Micah graduate from basic training. It was many miles and hours and many states, but we made it.  The reunion with the boys was perfect-they recognized him and gave him hugs right away. I was so happy too! My brother-in-law JP, sister-in-law Audra, and their two kids made the trip too. We took JP's van; thanks for doing that JP and driving and paying for the gas! It was a memorable trip. It was difficult at times with kids, and being pregnant and just tired of doing it all without Micah, but it was a successful trip! Audra has a great video of the reunion with us and Micah. I'll post it when I get a copy of it from her. Thank you all for your prayers!

Malachi and Play-Doh

This is Malachi's first play-doh. He really liked it at his friend Ethan's house. So when he got it for his birthday from Grandma and Grandpa, he was pretty happy. He was thankful for all the things he got; from the big things, to the clothes, to the cards. That makes me happy!

Malachi and Presents

Here's some video of Malachi opening up presents at my parent's house.  He got a lot of money for his birthday because he wanted to pick out and buy his own train set. Enjoy!

Excited!

This is a video of the church singing Happy Birthday to Malachi. I couldn't figure out if he was just being silly to get attention or if he was really that excited. I have come to the conclusion that he was just that excited. I have NEVER seen him like that before!

Mall of America Birthday Pictures

A special thanks to Uncle Joe and his girlfriend Becky for riding all the kiddie rides with Malachi and Zach. Being pregnant, they wouldn't let me on most of the rides!  Malachi's cousins and Grandparents came too. He loved riding the rides with them all! I wish I could post all the pictures!

 

Malachi's Birthday

I do need to back up and report about Malachi's 3rd birthday that was on November 23rd. He had a great birthday. He got presents that he really liked and we went to the Mall of America and rode on some rides. He had a blast! He got a soldier uniform from Micah sent to him in the mail, and Micah was on the phone when Malachi opened it. Malachi was very excited to look like a real soldier! Zach got a uniform as well but that was on a later day. Here are some pictures from all the festivities! Malachi had a birthday party at my parent's house and then at Micah's parent's house.

Georgia Roadtrip Adventure #1

Sorry all for not posting in a while. It has been hectic with Thanksgiving, then packing and leaving to bring Micah back from Georgia. We took a roadtrip down to Georgia and are just getting back into Minnesota now. We are currently 1 1/2 hours from home. The reunion with Micah was awesome as well as the graduation ceremonies. I will fill you all in when we get back home and are unpacked. I will also post some pictures and videos. The boys were so happy to see their daddy! I was happy to see my Hubby!