Hug your babies...and their Daddies...

We were driving down the road today.

just outside of Pocatello, Idaho...

My oldest son was asleep

so were the other three from exhaustion from this move.

He just jerked awake

but in a horrendous full body convulsion

that took him out of his seat like an inch.

It scared the tar out of me.

I said... u ok!?

He looked at me and said he was having a dream,

a perfectly normal dream,

and then he crashed in an airplane

like he was in the cockpit.

Tonight, my cousin Norman Gunderson and his son oldest son Isaac were killed near a landing strip in Grace, Idaho

when their private air plane crashed.

Three dead. One unknown.

Hug your babies...and their Daddies.

amen.

Fathers...

Today is Father's Day, and I really don't have anything profound to say.

Happy Father's Day.  Your a big deal Dad's of the world...especially my Dad.

 These pics were taken Memorial Weekend 2005.  I always love getting around horses and my Dad because that is usually when he starts to talk about his Father and his character.  I have always marveled at the admiration my Dad feels for his Father, and that makes him a little dearer to me in turn.

Then there's this guy, the ol dh.  The father of my children, and in this pic we had three and it looked like that was going to be a complete brood for us.  We found out the next day we were pregnant with Livvy.  He was sooo shocked and stunned after all it wasn't in the cards seemingly.  After all our youngest was 7 years old ... it "obviously" wasn't going to happen if it hadn't happened yet.  He was super stressed about the idea of another baby.  Understandably as we had quit his relatively good job and started school.  The "plan" was that if we BOTH went to school, we could make it squeek by financially.  So the "plan" getting disrupted was a little distressing... but he was the one that got the freaky cravings during pregnancy.  He was the one who got nervous around her due date and threw a fit when our induction got pushed back.  He is also eternally wrapped around her little pinky finger.  A bad day at school or work just melts away when he looks into her little blue peepers ... she is magic.  And all his kids have been that way, just with Olivia being a "little" younger, it is a  little more pronounced as all the others had grown so much and she was just this tiny little pink helpless thing that neeeeded her Daddy... so so helpless.  So insecure.  Daddy's little girl. 

By the time this picture was taken the following July 4th there was just no going back.  Now here we are, it's Father's Day, and Daddy is far away at Fort Lewis-McChord and alone in a hotel room.  She just wanted to send him a picture that would cheer him up and she did just that... A picture of the "Idaho Gun Show".  What a love. And on this computer I cannot bring it up so her little face a five months old will have to do for now.

Goodbye..for now...

Well, all the "fun" of spring break is over, commissioning has come and gone...

I still don't have my Suburban back from the shop :(

The last few days have been stressful crazy days filled with lots of running around and trying to accomplish things, and more and more of getting nothing done.  We didn't get Chris' active duty card, or his tags for base because he isn't IN the system yet.  Ughhh.  Bet if we owed the Army money he'd be in the system pretty darn quick like... anyway...

We have just the rest of this week while the kids finish up school on Friday, and then we are off to SE Idaho to see my family, have Chris do a little work on the farm for some cash ola, and then off to see my  nephew get baptised in Hootah the following Saturday. 

Then we will be headed back to home, and the LT leaves for Fort Lewis on the 7th.  He will be leaving in his new ride though...he is pretty happy with it.  He is taking the laptop.  And all my pics on it. 

Maybe I will get bored (ROFLOL) and make some weird retro posts... maybe I will just go into dormant blogosphere and call it good until we move.  We will see.  Right now I am so tired....and I got nothing done today.  Again.

Commissioning Day... May 14, 2011

Commissioning day was CRAZY!

Roads were closed, parking was like swimming against the current, since graduation was letting out.

I learned that I CAN run if I have too, and that after running I get profusely sweaty. Nerves probably compounded that.  We got there, all of us, although apparently on Mormon Standard time, it honestly wasn't our fault.  I was so SO glad that Travis and Heath had showed up for Chris' commissioning and could give him a lift while I guided the caravan through Boise.  Oh boy.

 Major Harmon Charles Esplin, the officer in charge at Brigham Young University - Idaho swore him in. 



 The kids and I got to place his "butter" bars on his shoulder and hat.  Man we are a circus!

 Sargent First Class Charlie Jones gave Chris his first salute, even after Chris dropped the silver dollar.  We won't discuss the conversation in whispered tones that has those two in big grins.

Lieutenant Colonel Morrill presented Chris with his certificate of commission.  I was very relieved that the spelling was all correct. 

 New Lieutenant's , Mathews (Armor), Deal (ADA), and Anderson (Armor) being presented to the group.

 We had some great people show up that we are so glad came.  Janine Clifford who is the lady in charge of the ROTC program back at BYU-I and is just an amazing person showed up along with  Charlie Jones and his wife Amy, Jeb and Jenny Baker with the Baker posse.  Doc and Trav (wow, that was just amazing).
My parents, and entire family, with the exception of Duane's family all made it, but Duane got a "get out of jail free" pass since he had back surgery the week prior.  Wouldn't trade him on that one.

 Specialist (soon to put on Sergeant we are hoping) Baker and Chris.

 Three goof balls.  Heath (aka Doc, and I don't even know if he likes that nick name, maybe we should ask huh) and Travis both just made Chris' weekend by flying in and sharing the weekend with us.

 Probably the only picture that will ever be taken of these three...that is blog worthy.

 a rare pic of the hubs and me. 

 And I turned my camera over to the kids...oh joy!  And off to the military museum for some decompress time, before dinner at Joe's Crab Shack which was a riot!

 Sassy!  Nice shirt though!

 My husband is going to be a tank officer.  Weird. 

Note: the girls didn't exactly "love" the military museum.  Those boys did though!  Even when Doc tried to scare them by making bomb noises when they were playing with the guns...

Daddy's little tag a long...

Olivia likes going where ever her Daddy goes.  Her Father is completely wrapped around her little 5 year old finger.  However last Friday, she was a little baffled.  She was out playing in the sage brush and hunting for holes to find out if they were badger holes or whistle pig holes, and generally just to tromp around like Daddy and his friend.

She really liked the tromping part...

She gave up on her explorations at certain points though...

and ran for refuge in the Suburban to watch the goings on of two over grown boys who had loud toys. 

Who apparently drink too much ~*Rock Star*~,

and then shoot the cans...

and then go see if they hit them all and then start all over again...

And Olivia would join them, and get a piggy back ride.. or two, and all was well...

rinse and repeat...

..until Liv needed to use the bathroom,  NOT a  sage brush.

GAME OVER.

Because...

• because I am moving I cannot help but want to paint any and all worn furniture and have them shiny and new for my "new" house, and am fighting the urge for my guest bedroom to have dove grey furniture.
• because I am moving I planted flowers and veggies in pots, and when the time comes my sister will get some really odd things planted in hanging baskets.
• because I have to purge, I want to hoard.  I want to hoard silverware, and kitchen gadgets, fabric, cake pedestals, floral frogs, and my sister and take it all with me. 
• because I have no time, I chose to learn to make brioche today.
• because my daughter heard that "they" hate cheerleaders in the south (really?  remind me to thank whoever scared her with their misconception...it is a misconception right?!) I want to let my girls cheer here, even though there is no possible way, and I have to call the high school cheer coach and drop my darling daughter OFF THE squad she worked so hard to get onto.
• because I get stressed out and want to eat...I made brioche today.  It is now 11:34 and it has 23 min. left to bake.  HINT:  Brioche does NOT = instant gratification. 
• because I have a class reunion this summer, I will not be making brioche again anytime soon

Wow. It's done.

Commissioning weekend was a whirlwind of me wanting to be in 10 places at once, and needing to be in 5 other places at the same time.

Things went pretty wrong pretty quickly...

• I didn't get my kitchen and dining room sparkly
• I didn't mop.
• My cupboards were manky
• My dining room wall was covered in finger prints and splatters from spilt milk
• my pots didn't have flowers in them
• I failed to pull together outfits for the family to wear, including myself until the last min.
• I still am a bazillion pounds over weight and couldn't bring myself to look forward to pics no matter who it would be with.

But I was shocked.

Things started to come together, I had to think quick, and guess what!?  I just couldn't bring myself to CARE about the crap stuff because there were so many people around me that I love and adore that came to support my husband and our family in what Chris is doing.  It was amazing.  It was overwhelming.  I wouldn't trade it for a sparkling house.  It was a good thing. No it was better than that...

It was AWESOME!


And I am married to the oldest  Cadet Lieutenant in Idaho.  Yay us!

a note..

• Saddam Hussein capture on was reported on Braden's birthday (he was catpured on Dec 13, 2003)
• Osama BinLaden was killed on Chris and Colton's birthday.
• Osama BinLaden was killed on the two week mark before Chris commissions as an officer in the US Army
• Osama BinLaden's death was reported on May 1, 2011
• Hitler's death was reported on May 1, 1945, although his death also is on the same spot on the calender as Chris and Colton's birthday's.... April 30

I am afraid to say it...

...because it might jinx it.

We "set" our dates for moving today with the folks over at Mountain Home AFB.  So here it goes...
July 12th and 13th.

They wanted to know how many pounds of HHG (house hold goods) we had...
insert me laughing like a half mad woman....maybe 3/4 mad by now...hey just chalk me up as a certified loon.

12 months...

A year ago Savannah was on the B team for her middle school tennis team.  She was cool with that, but had aspirations for A Team.  This  year she is on the A Team, and her cute tennis skirt is too short and has been banned.  Personal growth.

 Last year I figured out my camera doesn't do well taking pictures of people on stage.  This is the best I got folks.

Last year Chris attended the commissioning ceremony of "his" cadets from BYU-Idaho.  This year, he is finishing up his time at Boise State University and is going to be commissioning.  In 15 days.  But who's counting.

Last year we were working on getting our family a little more fit and active....this year...still working on that.

This time last year we drove to Driggs, because the Army decided Chris couldn't drill with the National Guard Unit he was serving in, and we went to turn in his stuff.  That was hard.

But a cadet in their unit and holding up a E-6 slot makes him...well, how do I put this nicely?
About as useful as a football bat.

 So he cleaned out his locker.  And it was kind of weird.   Well a lot weird.  Maybe we should have kept the piece of tape that read "Old Man" to remember how much he was loved in the 937th?  Maybe it would just end up on the bottom of his boots and I would have to clean it up.

SSG "Skip" Thomas with the dh.

SPC Jeb Baker on the fence about something...har har (eye roll)

SSG Rob Parsons (retired last month)...Chris misses those guys.  I even miss those guys.  Firefighters are cool!

Maybe just because they toys are so much fun for my kids to play on...

What will this year bring? 
THAT is going to be a lonnnnng story I think...