Chris got his first promotion on 17 June 2011! Yeah! We are so excited to be here long enough to have moved up in rank! I know it's not a big deal to everyone and the pay increase is not really that big a deal (unless you're us who are trying to get rid of debt and still hoping for another baby in the next year). I think we're most happy that it means we might actually get to stay awhile.
We worked (and yes, I mean 'we') to get into the military. Chris got his BA at WSU in Washington State while working part time and fulfilling all his ROTC responsibilities. It was a long haul. He didn't qualify for the scholarship program for ROTC so we are having to pay the whole thing. It's a large bill. Thank goodness his job is going to help us pay it off!
We have been so blessed by this choice. It has been a wonderful thing for our family. The military is so good to us and Chris really loves doing what he does. (Sorry, can't be more specific about what that is!) Anyway, he has good leaders who push him and encourage him to work hard and learn and he has great men and women to lead.
I know this because, as you see in the pix, we have been welcomed to his area of work by those working there. We often go to the picnics, parties, and ceremonies for those that work there. His co-workers even visited me in the hospital when we recently had our last little one! The amount of baby gifts they brought with them was very generous, to say the least. They take care of the whole family here, not just the one who goes to work every day.
I think that's what I like the most about the Air Force here. They don't just take care of my sweet husband, they take care of all of us in his family. They understand that to do good work at the office, he needs to know we're going strong at home. It's nice that way.
Anyway, so these are the pix that I was cleared to share with you from his promotion to First Lieutenant this last month!
She started smiling around 2 mos. Then this last month she began to giggle when she got tickled or when something particular would happen like dancing with mama.
Today she rolled from tummy to back! I know, it's not that exciting for most people, but for me it reminds me how fast little ones grow and develop. I'm always so surprised how quickly each kid meets the milestones. It felt like Evie was slow motion compared to JC. Lizzy was super quick and now Ally is lightening. We have another one and I'm afraid I'll miss it all by blinking!
Evie also did something really great today.
We were at the park today and after a long trek and some ball playing, daddy kindly ran to get the car while we sat down and took a break. Evie picked up some sticks (a constant activity when we're outside) and began counting them. So I borrowed them from her and we began playing a game. We practiced basic addition and subtraction. I never would've thought that she was ready at 5 yrs. old, but she did a great job. Then she practiced it for a while by herself after we got into the car. It makes me excited to start school again next week. Now I can include some mathematics as well as reading/word recognition, writing and art. It's been so fun to watch her grow. She's amazing.
Lizzy didn't do anything particularly amazing today except for the fact that during almost the entire 1 1/2 walk, she sat in the stroller for a total of 10 min! She did all the walking, running, almost falling into ponds, lakes, and was even challenged by a very large white swan. She totally backed down. Seriously, the swan was twice her size and did not look happy. Besides, he was honking at her. Even for my other kids it was a little scary. Lizzy didn't cry, but she certainly gave the bird a wide berth as did we all.
Joe is still working on potty training. He does well one moment and then not the next. We're working on it. It took Evie three months so that's the goal for Joe. Less than three months is great! He loves his big boy underpants and was so excited to see cars and trains on them. He's such a boy. Wish him luck and any prayers for patience you can pass mommy and daddy's way are honestly appreciated.
So it all started with a toy in a McDonald's happy meal. Joseph was wonderfully surprised with a Superman toy whose arms assumed the position for flight when you press a button on his back.
This little toy began what has become a sort of obsession of my kids with all things "super." After explaining who Superman is it wasn't long before Joe was running around pretending to save people and toys and Ally, and Lizzy, and yes, he even tried to save Evie, with the amazing Superman. Evie, of course, decided she didn't need to be saved.
Chris then found a Superman cartoon on Netflix. This cartoon included the indomitable Superman and his nemesis, Lex Luther, but also Evie's new favorite, Supergirl. So now Evie runs around helping Joe save people.
It didn't stop there, oh no, not with my resourceful husband! After several Netflix cartoons, Chris then found the Christopher Reeves, "Superman, the movie." The kids were glued to it! I was not around when that was shown, but thankfully Chris was ever the dad and skipped unsuitable parts with distraction and other wonderful daddy tools.
Well now Joseph flies thru the air with arms held aloft, Evie sings the theme song (quite accurately too), and Lizzy is constantly being chased around the room so everyone can "save" her.
Happy Memorial Day to all of you! I know it's late, but the sentiment is still there.
Memorial day has taken on a new meaning for us since joining the military. We've always been sensitive to the day as we have such a rich family history, but now it's not just our family history, with stories of wars and service long ago that we remember. Now we remember our friends that are still serving overseas, our friends who have served and left the service, and we who look forward to continuing our time in the service with all that that entails.
Chris did a wonderful thing and reminded me why I love him so much. He sat our kids down on the Sunday before Memorial day to teach them why we were getting the holiday. He showed them a Book of Mormon video about Capt. Moroni and the Title of Liberty. Then he told them that memorial day is to remember people like Capt. Moroni who protect our homes, keep us safe, and provide us the freedom to do things like go to church and play with who we would like. He also reminded them that like Capt. Moroni, he is a soldier and his job is to protect and fight if he is needed. Evie asked a few questions and Chris was very upfront and honest. She was really interested. I loved the teachable moment.
The next day we went to Lake Wateree with our friends, Mike and Emily Horn, and their twin boys, Malachi and Luke. We had sooooo much fun. It was the first time Lizzy had been to a beach as a toddler. Last summer we went to Myrtle beach, but she was an infant then. Ally even went in the water. We grilled out, laid out, had a blast, and all got burnt! So fun! Just take a look.
Recently Chris and I went on a fantastic date that I wanted to share. For those of you who don't know, date night is sacred in our house. It's not because of what you're thinking, I didn't start it. Chris did. He decided that it was important to date his wife every week. Yes, every week!! So, every Friday night we have a date. Sometimes it's video games we like, sometimes a new dessert recipe we want to try (his idea), sometimes it's a video rental or going out to a movie we want to see. We even do mundane things like go on walks, watch our favorite tv show, or work on a project like creating quiet books for our little ones (again, his idea). I really like the more elaborate date nights like when we find a sitter and go out to dinner or go to Columbia to hang out in the giant Barnes and Noble to find new books. Well Chris blew all those dates out of the water with help from our new friends the Horns.
Mike and Emily Horn
This last weekend we went camping with the Horns and the Heaps. It was just over night, but something we haven't done since Evie was born five years ago. We love to camp so it was a lot of fun. Then we went repelling. Originally we were going to rock climb too, but so many of us had never done the repelling before that we chose to stick with going down first.
Us at the top of the "mountain"- Mt. Pilot, NC
It was so much fun!!! We all slept in a giant tent together, except Mike Horn of course who slept in his super neat jungle hammock. Don't know what that is? Neither did I. It's like sleeping inside a mosquito net attached to a hammock that zips up with a poncho-type thing over it. Confused? Check it out online. It's quite cool.
Anyway, so we camped, ate tinfoil dinners (my first time making it), and ate s'mores. Yummy! The girls and I talked a lot and had a lot of fun. We sure enjoyed the sleeping under the stars thing. It was great. Not putting the kids to bed....even better! I love my kids, but I rarely leave them over night so this was special.
The next morning was beautiful! We ate breakfast and then packed up and drove up the mountain-like summit. I say it that way because after the Cascades from home this mountain was about the size of the "mountains" surrounding Spokane Valley. Basically, little mountains. Anyway, the cliffs were sheer enough and high enough to make repelling challenging and fun.
Colton and Venus Heaps (she's so little!)
I actually have repelled before this date. When I was a teen I dated a great guy that knew I enjoyed this kind of thing and took me out. I loved it then, and I loved it now. It was so fun. It was still a bit intimidating, but once over the edge, smooth and fun. The view is always amazing!
After Mike taught us about safety basics and set up the lines, Colton Heaps was the first one down. He decided to be the belayer. (I'm not sure if that's the right title, but he is the guy that stands at the bottom, holds the rope, and watches in case you need to be stopped. That way you don't go sailing into the ground and break something....like him!)
Anyway, after a little debating about who was gonna go first, I jumped up and decided to go! It was one of those things that I knew I wanted to do, was fun, and I was going to like. I also knew if I waited too long, I would've gotten scared for no reason and then it would've been impossible to go. So, off I went. Mike gave me some instruction (most of it was a reminder for me. Hey, 12 years is a long time) and checked my gear (you wear a harness and gloves) and then double and triple checked to make sure I understood how to do the repelling safely.
So Mike gave me some last instructions and then let me go, being super reassuring as I went. Of course, as I slipped and slid and did funny things he totally laughed at me, but I made it down and had a fantastic time doing it. I sure had missed doing things like that.
My trip over the edge!
Soon others in our group went, Chris and then Venus. It was amazing to see them dangling in mid air and then sweep down to the bottom. I love having friends who like to do things that I like to do. It makes all the activities we do together so much fun!
that tree was sooooo annoying!!!
So after going up and down, up the super long and steep trail and down the rock face, several times we packed up and headed to a great restaurant, PF Chang's, for dinner. The food was amazing. No wonder it's Mike's favorite place.
Of all the things we did that day, one of the most memorable was actually on the way home. We had several hours of driving to kill from NC to Sumter, SC.
In the last 10 yrs of marriage we've changed a lot, but our friendship continues to be one of the real strengths of our relationship. One of the things I like best about Chris is versatility. Our trip home from this amazing date just highlighted this quality for us both.
I had brought along my current reading material and he encouraged me to read some of it to him. So I read several chapters of "Last of the Mohicans" by James Fenimore Cooper out loud.
We later listened to and discussed a podcast on IGN about a video game that's coming out called "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" which we are both super excited to play. Yes, BOTH of us. The preview alone is fantastic! We watched E3 that week. (Gaming conference)
Then we caught up on our national political scene by listening to several of our favorite sources (Bill O'Reilly and John Batchelor just to name two). We discussed, debated, and basically really enjoyed each other's opinions. Don't laugh, I'm being serious! We actually do these things, just not usually all in the same circumstance. This was rare.
