Amanda is moving AGAIN!!!

Looking back - it really was pretty funny.  I had no sooner made arrangements to share my flight benefits at the end of September and both Matt and Amanda called.  For Matt it was about the previously shared trip to Chicago and for Amanda - well she was moving AGAIN!  She had only been in Cheyenne for about 5 months but a house on the base had become available and they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.  So a "Help" was sent out -- and of course we responded to it.  Any opportunity for memories right?  Right.  So we flew up to Denver and picked up the car rental and drove to Cheyenne to help keep the grands out of the way so Amanda and Trent could work.  It was a great plan and didn't require a ton of heavy lifting on our part.  Woohoo.  As the movers were working, Ryan was taking advantage of an almost empty road to play in.  He and grandpa played for a long time while I entertained Caleb and Amanda went back and forth between houses.





Raef had been at school the day we arrived and so the next day, we took all three boys off to an event at the Laramie County Library.  The two older ones went to reading time and Caleb had some time to play with Gammy.











When we were finished at the library, we went downtown to the Cheyenne Depot Museum where they watched the trains on the tracks, saw a display of  great gingerbread train stations, and wandered the museum for awhile.  The boys found a great map on the floor and we told them to find Cheyenne by walking along the railroad tracks on it.  It didn't take them long and so a picture of the "boys" on the right spot shows their great orienteering skills.

A quick stop by the new house to drop off Caleb for a nap and we were off with Raef and Ryan again.

Our next stop was at a craft class at The Children's Village so the boys could make an advent calendar. There was a slight oops as it had to be signed up and paid for ahead of time and Amanda had not realized that.  Oh well, we took the boys outside to play for awhile, but it was getting pretty dang cold out and so it wasn't long before we bundled them back into the car and went back to the house.


Amanda had booked us a room at the hotel since they were between two homes when we arrived and it would be awhile before the new house was set.  It was a great place and we enjoyed it tremendously.  However ---- this is what we woke up to the next morning.  No wonder it had felt so cold.

Yep -- Snow and quite a bit of it actually.  We stopped to take a few pictures before heading back over to help out at the house.  It really was quite beautiful and the base is such a beautiful setting.  Amanda's home is rich with history and is easy to understand why she wanted to make the switch.

Antelope are everywhere here and they are not very skittish around people either.  It is major cool.




Here is Amanda's new home.  It is a duplex an she is on the side facing us.  The white area at the back is a mud room.  The house has 4 floors - yep 4.  It also has a grand staircase as you enter that accesses the 1st and 2nd floor.  There is also a hidden staircase that goes from basement to attic.  Fun.

This is the little circle they live on and the little signs in the front yard indicate who lives there.

One of the first areas to be set up was the toy room down in the basement.  I was able to grab a quick picture of Grandpa and Ryan as they were playing.  I LOVE this pic.

Raef had his first day of riding the schoolbus home to the new house so I was watching for him to arrive.  He had walked home with a neighbor girl and after saying goodbye came cruising up the stairs excited to play with us.

We had spent most of the afternoon helping unpack the main living quarters and getting things set up and believe it or not -- this house was livable.  It was great.  After a dinner out, it was time for bed and they boys knew we were leaving in the morning.  They were not at all happy that they were going to bed and after some very loud discussions with Mom and Dad, they were back downstairs to put up and decorate the Christmas tree.  Apparently, Raef had REALLY wanted Gammy and Grandpa to help.  Heart touching indeed and so his request was met with enthusiasm from all of us and soon we had a beautiful tree ready for the holidays and for us to leave the boys gifts under.  While here, we had purchased a new microwave and vacuum for Trent and Amanda and so they had already received their gifts.

This was such a good time.  It had been a LONG time since I had gotten to help decorate a tree with little ones.  Their excitement is infectious and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves watching how careful and thoughtful they were over the placement of each and every ornament.  It was really fun for them to find all the ornaments I had given over the years and place them as well.  Treasured memories.




When we return home and put our own tree up, it will be very quiet with just the two of us working on it.


We are very lucky grandparents!  That these boys want us to share moments like this means the world to us and we cannot wait until we have another chance to spend time with them.  Check out this absolutely cute shot of Raef and Ryan.  Adorable.

After making sure that the boys had completed all they could reach on their own and with our help, Mom made sure that everything was just so.  She had been working so hard the past couple of days and I am sure that decorating the tree was the last thing she wanted to do that night, but she is such a good mom that she gave the boys the opportunity to give us memories.  And that is the sign of an amazing daughter as well.

Soon it was time for us to say our good-byes and head back to the hotel.  This has been a very enriching stay.


The next morning we wake up to MORE SNOW!  Great - now we have to drive to Denver in it.  Life is always one surprise after another and so off we go but not without a few more beautiful pictures of the serene and calm air force base in winter.


This is our hotel and the little rental car that we got because we didn't see any reason we would need a 4-wheel drive.  Hahahaha.

And a snowy farewell.  Truly gorgeous!