Veteran's Day Assembly

Griffin and his good buddy Caleb, waiting patiently for the assembly to start
 

Each year near Veteran's Day, Cam and Griff's elementary school has a Veteran's Day assembly, and it is just great. The principal speaks at the beginning, and then there are a bunch of music pieces. There is a great turnout for this, and there are lots of veterans in the audience. Griffin told me, "Mom, I almost cried at that assembly because those songs were so beautiful, and one girl in my class DID cry!" Love that little guy!

Bible School Drop-Outs

The boys missed Vacation Bible School at our church this year, because we were in Maine while it was being held. Luckily, our town has no shortage of churches, so we mosied on down to the Catholic church on Monday and signed up for VBS there. Keep in mind that Griffin Does Not Go Anywhere Without His Mother, so I was very proud when he willingly went (and stayed, without shedding a tear) on the first day. By the end of day two, however, he wasn't as happy, and by the third day, he cried hysterically when I announced it was time to get on over to "school". Camden, who was having a great time, was distracted by the knowledge that his grandparents are currently in town, and was afraid he was going to miss something if he was gone all morning, so by Wednesday, I had a couple of drop-outs on my hands. Cest la vie!

Some of you may have figured out (hi, Kate!) that I've had another blog for a few months now. I decided to keep a separate blog to chronicle Steve's upcoming deployment to Iraq, mostly so that I can have it printed in book form, once the deployment is over with. Also, I really wanted to keep this blog separate, because this is the space that I write about cooking, creativity, my boys, and my family. I don't tend to vent on this blog about the every-day stresses in life (because everyone has them, but who wants to read about them, really?), but I wanted a space where I could write honestly about going through a deployment. So, if you would like to read about that portion of our lives, then please feel free to stop by Way Out West: The Deployment Chronicles.

Did you see this article in the New Yorker? It really has my mind abuzz. Will try to organize my thoughts into a post in the next few days.

Memorial Day

Poor is the Nation that has no heroes, but beggared is the Nation that has and forgets them.

~author unknown

*Please remember to pause today at 3:00 p.m. local time for a minute of silence, in observance of the National Moment of Remembrance*

Change of Command

Steve reached a big milestone this past Saturday, when he rotated out of company command. He's been a commander for the past three years, and, in addition to his full-time job, it has been a huge time commitment for him, as well as a ton of responsibility, so we are both glad it is over with. Steve is away at annual training right now, so the boys and I loaded into the car and met him in Mountain Home for the ceremony. I enjoy seeing Steve "in action"in his Army role, because it isn't something I get to see too much of. If you know Steve at all, you know that he is the perfect type of person to be in the military. He makes me very proud, and I'm thankful for all that he does, so that I can stay home with the boys.

Proud

I'm sure you are well-aware that I am very proud of my husband. Not only is he a decent human being, but he loves me just as I am, he takes great care of me and our children, and he is truly my best friend. Today, I am thinking about all that he has sacrificed - - not just while he was deployed - - but also in his every-day job, and as a commander in the Idaho Army National Guard. He works so very hard, and doesn't get a great deal of "Steve" time, although I think he is getting a little better at making plans to recharge his batteries. He is a good man - - the absolute best, in my eyes. Today is the day that I remember how truly lucky we are to have him, safe--and at home with us. If you have the opportunity to thank a Veteran today, please do so. We will never really know what any of them have gone through, but we can give them our respect and our gratitude.

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On a slightly different, yet related note, I thought I would include a video that Steve recently shared with me. I found it very moving. The part I am referring to is really the second half of the video, so please be patient and watch it all the way through. I am not posting this to make any type of political statement - - I simply think Colin Powell's words speak volumes.

***Edited to add: After rereading this post, I wanted to point out that this is not a post about fishing for compliments for Steve (or for myself). It is a post about my personal experience, and my thoughts today. I originally closed the comments for this post, but then worried that readers may think I closed comments so as not to allow political opinions. Just wanted to make that clarification. Thanks for your compliments just the same!

Army Perks

As most of you know, Steve is in the Army National Guard, which means he attends drill one weekend per month, and then every summer he goes away for two weeks of training (this summer, he has 4 weeks of training). In addition to that, his "regular" job is as a state employee for the Idaho Army National Guard. So, while he isn't on active duty, I still consider us a "military family" - - his job is extremely demanding, as is his commitment to the Guard - - basically for Steve, it is like having two very time-consuming, stressful, full-time jobs. I seriously don't know how he does it, and I probably don't tell him enough how much I appreciate how hard he works for us, so that I can stay home with the boys - - thanks honey, you are the best! Anyway, Steve's work commitments require sacrifice on both our parts, but I think we each do a pretty good job making it all work out. While it is hard at times, the military is good to us, and there are many perks that come with Army life. Yesterday, we went to Steve's armory to pick him up, and the boys got to enjoy one of the simpler perks.

When your dad is the commander, you get to crawl all over the army trucks. This alone is enough to send Camden right over the edge and love the Army forever.

When the boys were finished inspecting the vehicles, it was back to Daddy's office for another treat - - MRE's. Steve had a case of them in his office, and let the boys dig through them for a treat. Camden picked a bag of potato sticks, and Griffie chose some chow mien noodles. I think they thought they'd hit the jackpot. I'm still giggling at the fact that Steve had previously opened nearly all of the MRE's, in search of anything with sugar in it. He has a bit of a sugar problem. I'll tell you all about that some day.

A Wonderful Weekend

We had a very busy weekend here, and it was wonderful. Camden had his birthday party on Saturday, Steve and I attended an Army Ball Saturday evening, and all throughout the weekend, Steve was working on replacing part of the roof on our rental property. A special thanks to Terri for watching our boys so that we could enjoy a very rare evening out among adults!

Here is the crazy cake I made for Camden. I did a little research on the internet, looking for an idea, and then kind of came up with my own cake. I used an 11x13 sheet cake for the water, baked a little cake in a cereal bowl for the island, and then for the ship I used an 8x5 loaf pan for the large part of the ship, and then a mini loaf pan for the top section of the ship. Camden so excited when he saw his cake on Saturday morning, which was the best part of all. He had a great time with his friends and cousin at his party - - they all dressed like pirates, got pirate tatoos, and did lots of running and playing.

After the party was over with, I did some quick cleaning up and then got ready for the Army Ball. It was so much fun! The food was delicious, the company was great, and it was so nice to get all dressed up and get out for a bit. I even managed to get my husband (and my brother-in-law!) to dance with me...gasp!

I love seeing a man in uniform...this one in particular is my favorite though, because this is what Steve wore when we got married.

My lovely sister-in-law, Kasey, and my brother-in-law, Rex (Steve's brother, as if you weren't able to tell!). I like Rex's hat.

There's a bit of ceremony involved in these Army functions...some of it funny, like how all of the soldiers stand on their chairs during the toasts, and then some of it very sobering, like the ceremony remembering prisoners of war, and soldiers who have been lost in combat.

Here's Steve, toasting the non-commissioned officers

I think the absolute best part of the entire weekend, though, was this:

Steve took the training wheels off Camden's bike, and that was that!

Happy Monday, everyone!!

Home

As of this past Thursday, Steve has now been home from Iraq for the same amount of time that he was gone (he came home October 29, 2005). It is kind of odd to think about it like that, because so much has happened since he came back - - he's been promoted, started a new job, we bought a new house, I quit my job, was pregnant, had a baby (who is now 6 months old)...sometimes I forget just how long he was in Iraq. If any of you watched the Today show on Friday, you may have seen the clip of the six-year-old boy being surprised by his father in the middle of his kindergarten class - - his father had just gotten back from Iraq and the little boy didn't know he was coming - - his reaction was such a tear-jerker. At this point, Camden doesn't even remember that Steve was ever gone, and I am so thankful for that. Steve and I were talking recently about how his deployment happened just at the right time, because Camden had just turned one. If he were deployed now, I don't know how Camden would handle it - - Steve is everything to him. It bothers him when Steve isn't home (Steve has drill this weekend, and sure enough, Camden climbed in bed with me around 11:30 last night). He loves his Daddy so much, and with good reason. Steve is the most wonderfully loving and devoted father to his boys. There aren't words that can adequately convey what I am talking about - - suffice to say, the man loves his children, and even though he works ridiculous hours, he always has time for them. Steve and his boys, this past Friday, when we met him on base for lunch

The boys and I have a couple of tricks up our sleeves tomorrow, as it is Steve's 39th birthday (yes, Steve is an April Fool). We won't be picking him up from drill until late afternoon unfortunately, but we'll make sure to have plenty of fun tomorrow night.

Earlier this evening, my sister-in-law Kasey and nephew Banzer came for a visit. Banzer will be turning one soon, and I won't be surprised if he is walking before then. He has great balance and is cruising the furniture like nobody's business. Must get to bed! I'll close with a couple more pictures:

Griffin, showing off his sippy-cup-holding and sipping skills
Sweet Banzer

Freedom Salute

On Saturday, the boys and I went to the armory with Steve for an award ceremony for his company. In the picture to the right, Steve is presenting three of his soldiers with Army Commendation medals, which they earned while in Iraq. Another part of the ceremony was the Freedom Salute, which is one of the largest recognition programs in Army National Guard history. The Freedom Salute acknowledges Army Guard Soldiers and those who supported them during the President's call to duty for Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. The campaign began in December 2003 and has thus far recognized over 100,000 soldiers, family members, friends, and employers for their service and support. Each soldier is presented with an American flag in a wooden display case. The ceremony was really nice, and the Commanding General of the Idaho National Guard (Major General Lafrenz) spoke with each family and thanked them for their sacrifices, which I thought was particularly nice.

Here's Camden at the whiteboard in Steve's office

Trying out Steve's beret

Griffin, almost 6 weeks old

Time to feed Griffin and head off to bed. One more week of Army school for Steve, and then hopefully, life will begin to return to normal for all of us.

More pictures...

This is a continuation of the post below. Blogger is a bit fussy when it comes to posting photos, so I had to open a new post to squeeze in some more pictures.

Here is Steve this past Saturday, at his Change of Command/Stand Up ceremony (he is on the far right, at the head of the group). The ceremony was to recognize the formation of a new National Guard unit, and to recognize Steve as its new commander.

The ceremony was very nice, and Steve did a great job with his speech.

Our nephew, Banzer, at the ceremony

Camden and Papa, horsing around

Memorial Day

I'm suffering from a case of pregnancy-induced insomnia this morning, so I've been up since about 4:00 a.m., when Camden appeared at our bedside, exclaiming, "I didn't pee my bed!" He's now fast asleep next to Steve, and I'm actually about to do some ironing - - something I have a hard time doing with a nearly three-year-old cyclone at my feet most waking moments.

Today I am thankful that my husband is alive and well - - that he survived a year in Iraq, and that he came home mentally and emotionally intact. Now that he is home, I find myself "forgetting" sometimes that he was gone for 17 months - - we kind of picked up where we left off when he came back, and got on with our lives. Then again, I often find myself wondering what it was like for him over there, day after day - - what did he think about, what did he worry about? When he went out on a mission, did he worry each time that he might die, or did he just go about his business? Knowing Steve, I'm guessing the latter. I actually think about these questions (and many others) quite a bit, but I don't ask him, mostly because I'm guessing he won't want to rehash all of that, and partly because I just don't want to know. It scares me to think about what he must have seen, felt, thought, and experienced. Maybe a bit selfish on my part, but I'm just happy that he is home and that I don't have to spend every day wondering what may or may not be happening to him, every waking minute.

No matter what your political views are, keep in mind that the majority of the soldiers who serve are extremely proud to do so. When I read about or see protests, with people demanding that our soldiers be "sent home" immediately, I find it almost irritating. Don't get me wrong - - I wouldn't wish a deployment to a war zone on anyone - - it is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. I guess what I am trying to say is that when someone joins the military, nobody is forcing them to do so. They do it because they are proud, strong, brave, and there is something within them that sets them apart from the rest of the population, whether they consciously know this themselves, as they are signing on the dotted line. I know my husband is one of those people - - he loves the Army and he is proud of what he accomplished while he was in Iraq. When someone joins the military, they don't do it with the stipulation that if they don't agree with the particular war, or their president, that they can opt out. They give of themselves unconditionally.

So, while you are enjoying friends and family today, and hopefully cooking out, please take a moment, whether publicly, or just in your head, to remember and thank the thousands and thousands of men and women who have given so much, to protect our freedom. Thank you, Steve and Rex, you are my heroes.