Dogs & Tomatoes

I love that every day when i go out back i can see new tomatoes forming for my summer salads!  Unfortunately my dogs like to pick the tomatoes as well....

Don't even think about it Jasper!!!



Umm, yeah, he's thinking about it!



Yep, i think i know whose tooth hole this is....open up Jasper, need to check out your chompers!

Unfortunately my lectures just go in one floppy ear and out the other....than they cover me in kisses!!!

Fort Bragg

The boys and i arrived a little early for my brothers graduation, so we had some time to kill before heading over to the Crown Arena.  Top of the agenda was to find a restroom.  It was about a 2 hour drive, which we got a chunk of the Hunger Games listened to!  As we were driving around base we saw the exit for the JFK Special Warfare Museum.  Perfect!  It was an interesting museum and we picked up a bunch of Army tid bits that we didn't know.  It was the perfect amount of time needed and than we were off to see Dallas's Special Forces graduation!



Steel Beam from World Trade Centers




I love that so many places have reminders of 9/11  Ty and Ryan were babies and i want them to know the significance of this date and how our world changed on that late summer day 



My Arabic Speaking Medic Little Brother

My little brother, who is actually not so little anymore, has finally done it!  It seems like yesterday that he was beginning the long road of becoming a Special Forces Soldier!  From his stories i doubt it seems like yesterday to him though!  It was an amazing experience to sit in the VIP seating for his graduation and see all 86 members of the graduation class from the Special Warfare Center and Schools march out of the smoke to the bagpipes playing, pass by us, and take their seats across from us.  What an incredible group of young men!  They truly looked like they were invincable and bullets would bounce off of them!  But, don't tell Ed i said that!!!  Dallas went the medic route with Arabic as his language.  It is interesting to learn about the Special Forces and how they operate.  Won't mention anything on here about it though as some things i know i can say and some i shouldn't say and my luck, i would get them confused and write about the things i shouldn't write about, sooooooooo......i will just say that we are all VERY proud of Dallas and excited that he is going to be doing just what he wants to be doing in life!  Way to go Dallas!!! 


Wearing the cute black thing on top of his head for the first time



It seems like yesterday i was changing his diapers!!!  But that was actually 26 years ago!  



Ryan, Dallas, and Ty, Dallas is their Super Hero!



Dad and Dallas

He was getting really irked about pictures and was mumbing beneath the grin to FINISH UP!!!



Dallas's new toys... his newest knife on the left was made special for him from the guy who makes all of Rambo's knives who happens to be a friend of my Dad's.  Ty and Ryan want a knife made by him now....




Aside from Ryan looking evil, there was a huge spread of food after the graduation and one of the Army dudes gave Ty and Ryan a whole platter of chicken wings......



Purple Air

There are fires burning all around us which has put our air quality at PURPLE.  I told the boys they needed to stay inside due to the PURPLE air.  They were quite bummed when they realized they couldn't be running and playing outside.  Ryan went running into his room saying he knew just what to do!  He came out with a gas mask and said he was going to go shoot some hoops....


No stopping this kid!!



Sneak Peak, Last Harry Potter

The base was showing a sneak peek of the last of the Harry Potter films 2 weeks early.  Ty and Ryan REALLY wanted to see it, so like the good Mom that i am, hahahahaha, I had Ed drop me off in the afternoon at the theater to get in line while he killed a few hours with the kids at the exchange and grabbing dinner before meeting me back at the theater at 6 for the 7 o'clock premier of the last Harry Potter movie.  I had my chair, my giant oki umbrella, (the forcast called for afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms), and a great book.  I was set for the long haul.  I was rained on, shook by thunder, saw lightning too close, than the sun came out and i was roasting in the humid heat of the South, than oddly enough heavy clouds came back with a cool breeze and i was actually cold!  Ed and the kids arrived at 6 and they galliantly put my chair and umbrella in the car for me.  I was their super hero.  Ty and Ry must have really wanted to see this movie because they asked if everyone in line behind me were there to see the sneak preview as well.  They said they were surprised that sooo many people would come wait in line to see a new sneak preview.  I explained that they were excited to see the movie like they were.  Ty and Ryan said that they understood it, but it was just a new preview, it wasn't like it was the actual movie.  I couldn't help but bust out laughing when i realized they thought all of us were out there just to see a new trailer of the movie to come out in 2 weeks!!!  The boys were beyond excited when they realized we were actually seeing the whole movie!!!  Gotta love them!  I had actually planned on watching all the movies prior to this date so i could be somewhat caught up on the who is who, but it didn't happen....Ty did a great job during the movie telling me who the evil and good peeps were.  I have seen enough parts of all the movies from ty and ryan watching them in marathons throughout the years that i wasn't toooo lost, but some of the peeps have traded alliances and that is where Ty kept me somewhat clued in.  It was a great movie and fabulous end to the story!  Down the road there just might be another series written to follow the next generation at Hog Warts!       

ZZZZZZZZZ.........

Toooo many nights in a row up waaaay past midnight are finally starting to take a toll on me.....BUT, the fun with friends is always worth the lack of sleep!  It is sooo hard to go to bed early in the summer when it is sooo easy to sit outside with good friends or have friends over for fun and games that never end before midnight!  Tonight i am determined to get to bed before tomorow starts!  It has been raining non stop all day today, when it finally let up i put the dogs out for a quick potty break.  Jasper came back in as blonde and beautiful as ever and Leah, well, lets just say it took quite a while to find her face underneath all the mud she had caked on her! What a mess, no picture because we were trying to get out the door to the movies!  Finally got her clean enough to lock in her kennel and than we zipped out to see the highly anticipated movie, Kung Fu Panda 2!  The boys were excited!  Funny to think that Ty was 8 and Ryan was 7 when we saw the first one on Okinawa in 2008.  Time sure does goes fast!  The movie was not a disappointment.  Especially when we can get in, buy popcorn, soda's, hot dogs, pretzels, whatever each family member wants and still stay under $20!  Gotta love the movies on base!  When we got home tonight Ty and Ryan were doing their normal teasing of each other and Ty said, "Someday you will laugh about this....., but i am going to laugh today!"  and proceeded to laugh his head off at whatever was going on between him and Ryan.  Too tired to ask what was sooo funny, but glad i am hitting the pillows before 10 tonight!  I am exhausted!!!  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....... 


2008

    

4th of July Weekend Fun

We had an awesome 4th of July weekend with all of our friends.  Each day held a different location for celebrating due to work schedules.  We had fun swimming, eating, and of course watching the fire works show on Camp Lejeune.  This is my favorite picture from the whole weekend...

Ty after being thrown in by his Dad

Guess Who?

The boys had some money saved up that they wanted to spend.....soooo, off to the toy section of Walmart we went.  They had fun looking at everything and deciding what they could get with their combined money while i had fun trying on different masks of super heroes.  The boys VERY unwillingly took pictures of me with my phone so i could send the photos to Ed in our fun "guess who i am" game we play with our phones.  Yes, the boys were embarressed....but oh well....

Finally Watched It!

I have rented the Amelia Erhart movie more times than i can remember.  Tonight i finally got to watch it.  It was a wonderful feeling to return a movie I actually got to see!!!

Slowly Loosing Our Toothless Wonder.....



First summer as our Toothless Wonder, 2007

 Ryan lost his 2 front teeth during Christmas Vacation in Okinawa in 2006.  He learned real quick what happens when you tickle your big brothers feet when he is sleeping and your mouth is in line with his feet!  Both teeth kicked out, Ryan in tears, blood everywhere, Jorden felt horrible, and of course it was a Sunday night with no dental open in a foreighn country!  We called the emergency number on the answering machine for the dental office and a dentist (from our branch that we knew) happened to be on call and took great care of Ryan.  We have referred to Ryan as our "Toothless Wonder" (much to his dismay) for the last 4 1/2 years.  He now has a chicklet comming thru and we will have to come up with a new nickname for him.....sigh.....


This summer as our Toothless Wonder no more.... 



I Can Already Fly Those

Jorden 1995

Out of the blue Ryan tells us that he is going to join the Navy.  Ed says, "NOOOOOOO!!!"  I say, "Ok, but only if you go in as an officer and fly one of their super cool fighter jets. Jorden used to want to be a Blue Angel Pilot"  Ryan pauses with that look on his face where you know he is thinking it all through and replies, "Ohhhhhh yeah, I will do that, I can already fly those kind of planes."  I didn't even bother to ask how he knew how to fly those, another thing about Ryan I probably do NOT want to know....

Medal of Honor

I was at a ceremony this summer where there were several Medal of Honor recipients from wars long ago.  We heard their brave stories and why they had received this special award.  They all had stories of bravery and heroism as well as they all thought that what they did was no big deal, it was just being an American and doing what any other Service member would have done in their shoes.  We had VIP seating so we were directly behind these great men.  Later I introduced the boys to several of them and this guy was their absolute favorite...Major Drew D. Dix.  He was the first Special Forces Enlisted Man to receive the Medal of Honor.   

Star Gazing

Ty and Ryan have been having fun this summer waiting for the sun to go down and the stars to come out.  We live out in the country and it is dark where we are so it is very easy to see the stars!  They have been having fun with their friends searching for all the constellations out there, and i have been having fun listening to their excited voices as they search together with fingers pointed at the sky....

My Teeth Are Angry At Me Mom

Ty, Ryan, and i all had our teeth cleaned today.  Ryan and I had no cavities and Ty had one on a baby tooth that should be coming out in the near future. When we got home I said something about thanking them for not having to make any appointments for fillings and to continue to take good care of their teeth.   Ryan said, "Mom, I hate going to the dentist, I hate getting my teeth cleaned!  My teeth are now angry at me and they are not joyous at all right now!"  I love the words this kid uses!  Have no idea where he comes up with his lines, but he always keeps my suppressing giggles in his serious rants!   

   

Long Lost Friend

Julia & Charlotte in front of the Viet Nam memorial



Charlotte met her husband while she was stationed in Italy with her family and he was active duty in the AF




Me, a Marine Corps Brat & a Marine Corps Wife

 My long lost friend form Fort Huachuca was going to be in Kinston, about 45 minutes away, for her husbands job and called to see if we could get together for lunch.  We found each other on Facebook about 2 years ago but haven't seen each other since summer of 1985!!!  It was sooo fun to see Charlotte!!!  We had a yummy lunch at Red robbin and caught up on a couple of decades and still have sooo much in common!  Later we walked the Viet Nam Wall, Beruit Wall, and the World Trade Center Beam.  We ended the day with a delicious ice cream treat from cold Stone!  YUM! 

That Is Just Creepy!

I really love the conversations i have with my kids and listening to their chatter.  One of my favorite things about summer is being able to hear more of what goes on inside their crazy lil heads by what they say out loud!  Today Ryan and Ty were talking about sharks.....all kinds of things, from atacks to different types, everything......and than somehow it shifted to the little "cleaner fish" that follow sharks around and this is what Ryan had to say, "yeah, those fish just go right inside the sharks gills and that is just like really creepy!! Like, when you pull a rabbit out of a hat!!!"   
I couldn't help but laugh!  I had no idea Ryan thought a rabbit comming out of a hat was creepy!  Than of course the conversation quickly switched over to magic tricks....