Father's Day

I must admit that I am very proud of myself this year. The boys and I did Father's Day up right for once. Since we have early morning church (and I'm not much of a morning person) we prepared overnight french toast and fruit kabobs so all we would have to do is put the french toast in the oven in the morning. We didn't even hijack him in bed but let him eat at the table like a normal person. (A very thoughtful thing in Doug's case.) We also didn't overload him with all our cards and gifts before his eyes were truly open which only makes him have to pretend that he really can see them and is enjoying them.

After church the boys and I attempted to put together Doug's "big present". Unfortunately, the manufacture had not included the S hooks we needed to attach the hammock to the stand. As you can see a quick stop at Walmart (no, not on Sunday) and we had it up. Now this is my biggest triumph as Doug's personality is not one that you would think "relax" as one of his main character traits. He is more of a go, go, go type of guy. But as you can tell by the goofy grin on his face that he is really enjoying this. We even got him a clip on insect repellent and with the fans on the porch it really is a nice place to sit after the sun has gone down.

After realizing the the hammock was not going to be in functioning order on Sunday, the boys and I set out to make lasagna. I am the first to admit that this is not one of my speciality dishes. In fact my lasagna usually turns out dry and well, bad. But this is what he asked for and I was going to do my best to deliver. I had made the sauce earlier in the week so it had all that nice time for the sauce to marinate. And then we went at it with cheese, cheese, and more cheese. Needless to say, it turned out WONDERFUL!!!! YEA!!! I was so worried especially since I had invited a friend over whose family was on vacation without him. (I hate serving guest yucky food)

Doug also received a Father's Day craft that the boys and I made along with a empty picture frame. He thought the tie key chain was a cute way to get his "ugly tie" for Father's Day. And hopefully sometime this week I will get to filling the picture frame for him.

It was a great day to spoil Dad!!

Saying Goodbye to a Fallen Airman

Today the boys and I had the opportunity to be part of the men and women who lined the roadway to pay our respects to SSgt Michael Flores as he was brought home from Afghanistan. The mood was somber as we watched the limos with family and friends come down the roadway. As the cars approached all those in uniform saluted including my three boys in their Boy Scout uniforms. I saw the eyes of the fallen airman's loved ones. The sorrow but also the pride and almost disbelief that so many would show up to stand shoulder to shoulder by the side of the road to pay their respects to their son, brother, husband, father, and friend. My prayers will be with his family and all those serving our country.

Proud to be Surrounded

A couple of weeks ago I attended a pre-deployment family picnic for the medical wing. Since the boys were still in school this was an event for just Doug and me. As we arrived the first thing I noticed was how young everyone attending was. There were very few NCO (non commissioned officers) and officers. Those who were there seem to be attending to support their soon to be deployed. It hit me that these young men and women, who are college age, were the ones that would be providing the necessary health care in Afghanistan and Iraq. That these airman were saving lives. As the wing commander reiterated that once a injured person arrived at a medical facility that the survival rate was 98%. A thunderous cheer went up when that was announced.

As would be expected at any social function, there was a lot of fun and teasing being exchanged. If everyone was not in uniform you would think it was a school cookout. Then at the stroke of noon the speaker began to play the official songs of each branch of the military. At once silence fell as everyone stood at attention facing the speaker. I looked around at hands clasped at sides, straight backs, and direct eyes while I listened to each branch of the military represented through music. Although, the temperature and humidity made it less than comfortable no one moved. Respect was paid and even a feeling of reverence was felt as these men and women, some who would be leaving their families the next day, stood. I stood also, proud to be surrounded by these airmen.

When Life Gives You Rain

This last week had a few storms move through the area. (Thankfully!!!! I couldn't take the humidity any more.) The boys were bummed when we couldn't go to the pool, but soon brightened up when I told them to put on their swim suits and go play in the rain.

Red Shirt Friday

I have tossed this idea around in my head for a while now and finally decided to do it. I have always admitted to being very patriotic (I blame my parents and my grandparents). I love this country. I know it is not perfect and there are many issues, but I love the ideals that this country was founded on. But my favorite cause is the men and women in the military (again, thanks to Mom, Dad, Grampy, and Granny). I am constantly amazed at what it takes to be "the line" that stands for the freedom of others.

I now find myself in the unique situation of associating with these men and women almost daily. I am honored to do so. Years ago I received an e-mail encouraging me to be part of the silent majority that support our troops and wear red on Fridays. I would like to take this a step further and share experiences every Friday that I have that make me proud of the men and women in the military. Of course most of my contact is with the Air Force and the airmen, but I will try to report on all branches as I come in contact with them.

I hope that by doing this, I may pass down to my boys an appreciation for this country and those that serve it. I also hope to give those "civilians" that occasionally read an insight into some of the things that a military wife gets to see and experience.

School is Out

This year I am especially excited for school to be out. This is the first year in three that we are not moving and we can actually enjoy some "down time". Now in a week I will probably be asking when school starts again, but for now I'm enjoying not having to wake up at 5:45 am, make lunches before six in the morning, and doing two hours of homework a night. (This school thing is hard on a parent.)

With the end of school comes the award ceremonies and for Matt another promotion ceremony. (The boy has now promoted from 3rd grade and 5th grade with a ceremony. By the time we actually make it to his high school graduation we will be old hands at this.) Nate was recognized for having perfect attendance and he made A-B Honor Roll which has been his goal this year.



At Matt's promotion ceremony he received his certificate of promotion and a Gold Presidential Award. This award is earned by receiving a commended score on the math and reading portion of the Texas Achievement Test and having a 90% average in both subjects for the year. (Or being a mister smarty pants.)



It has been a harder year for Danny. Since he was in kindergarten I have been trying to get him help with his speech. I have hit numerous walls and have had quite a few battles, so I was so happy when we moved into this school district and help was so willingly offered. Danny qualified for speech and reading help. Although, his teachers were very diligent and helpful Danny was still not progressing as hoped. At that point we choose to have him tested for any learning disabilities. We found that through testing that although Danny has many great skills that help in his education that his brain has difficulty organizing itself for instant recall. (A great example is like when you are doing so many thing that you have to stop and ask yourself what you are doing in that particular room. Danny's brain is always asking what it is doing.) Armed with this new information we are confident that we will be able to help him more next year in 3rd grade.



For all the successes of the year we celebrated with our traditional ice cream. This year the boys choice was Dairy Queen Blizzards. I am so proud of all their hard work.

When it Touches Your Heart

I think with Memorial Day and Doug just starting to go through pre-deployment steps my heart has been especially soft. I am always a soft touch when it comes to our men and women serving anyway. So when my mom sent this to me, I couldn't help but share. It combines two of my favorite things....kids and honoring our military. I hope you enjoy.