A mini abridgment of our holiday season away from Ft. Rucker:

After spending 5 extra hours in the exquisite Denver airport, we found my parents amid snow and wind in Billings, Montana. We dined and Roger had his first rib bone, celery stick, and whatever else my dad could get him to try. We then trekked to Powell, WY, my (Lorie) hometown. The rest is a blur. My parents sold their house, so we were blessed with the privilege of helping them move, and I do mean blessed in a sincere manner. Matt dug in frozen dog poo for a few days and helped my dad clear off the land. I tried to help my mom stay sane and Roger content. Roger seemed a little more fussy than usual and wasn't sleeping well, which later led to his Christmas present to us. He gave us his first tooth the day after Christmas. We took family pictures at the church, ate prime rib and crab on Christmas Eve, had a couples only New Years Eve party, Matt went pheasant hunting, we went on a date, and we were able to visit with my 3 siblings and their families, which include 3 in-laws and 11 children. Roger finally got toughened up a little; I was so proud. Amidst all this, we were supposed to travel to Utah but flights were canceled out of Wyoming the whole weekend we were to go. We were so disappointed and sad that we wouldn't get to see Matt's family and our Utah friends. From all the presents they sent, we definitely missed out! Overall, we had a great time, but we're glad to be back to what is our current refuge-warm, humid weather and helicopters.

Note: I apologize to those who got cutoff in the family and grandkid photos above; I'm working on it.