Graduation at Ft. Jackson

We spent two days at Ft. Jackson with Roman. The first day was Family Day, which was very relaxed. We spent time at the playground, the small lake, and just being together. It was glorious. It was also surprisingly hot. I think we all got just a bit sunburned.

After the long weeks of waiting, it was such a relief to see Roman.

The entrance to Ft. Jackson.

Despite arriving two hours early, we still had to face quite the crowd.

The kids patiently waiting in the stroller.

The bleachers were filled with anxious, excited family members. The noise was rather deafening when soldiers all came onto the field. Clapping, cheering, stomping, and whistling. It frightened the kids a little bit. Rather than cheering I was crying with relief. When they let the families go it was quite a rush to get onto the field. After maneuvering our large stroller onto the field, Rhonda stayed with the kids while I went to find Roman. All the soldiers had to stay in formation until a family member came to them. Roman said it was agony to watch me search for him. After all, it was a little hard to find him when everyone is in uniform, and there are large crowds. It was also one of the largest graduating classes of the year, over 1,000 privates.

Ethan cried when he saw Roman. I think he was shocked that we were finally seeing him again. When Saoirse's turn came she just rested her head on Roman's shoulder and stayed there, like she never wanted to leave. Carsten was his usual smiley self, just happy to be out of the stroller.

 

Children still need attention, even when parents just want to hug.

Her vocabulary shocked Roman, as it had grown during his absence. She loved talking to Daddy.

Ethan was so excited to see 'armies' (soldiers) everywhere.

Some target practice with Daddy.

I asked Ethan if I could take his picture by the tank. He told me to take it of him watching the tank.

 

Graduation Day was much cooler, and full of pomp and ceremony. There was a fine army band, and of course a field of men and women in dress blues.

Roman's cousin, Jeff Wagenius, is a lieutenant in the Air Force. It was lots of fun to have him attend the graduation. Roman has one other cousin in the Air Force and a cousin in the National Guard.

 

I hope to send a family picture around after New Years!

Life Without Daddy: Week 1

Well it has been one week since Roman left for bootcamp. 

After a week of goodbye parties we said our final farewells from Glacier Airport. 

This past week the kids have repeatedly asked me when we can go get Daddy. I tell them that he is at far away army work, but of course the concept of distance is hard to grasp as a toddler. 

We are slowly settling into this new normal, which includes ice pops in the sun and baths. There was an incident involving purple nail polish dumped into the bath. 

There is still a stain in the bottom of the tub. Most exciting this week was the airshow, with an appearance by the Thunderbirds. We live close enough to the airport we saw several rehearsals. On Sunday we went with Aunt Laurel to get up close and personal with some planes, including a big military plane. 

That about sums up the end of summer and our first week of Daddy being gone. 

As for Roman, he is adjusting to life on base. He has had some issues with the water, being accustomed to clear, mountain water. He has a hearing test this week, so pray all goes well for him. He has found some fellow Christians and is making friends well. He should have a mailing address soon. Whoever wants the address let me know. 

Boyish Fancy

Ethan really enjoys books. One of the most delightful moments of shopping came as we approached the book section of Costco and he yelled, "Boooooks!" and reached way over the side of the cart toward the glossy covers. But he can be rather specific about his story choices. So here are some of his favorites:

 

 

He is decidedly boy in his book tastes. Steam engines, trucks, rockets, fire trucks, and tractors make up the bulk of his reading. Animal noises and counting books are also considered fun reads.

And I am a fan of Little Golden Books. I think they look nice on the shelf and also hold appeal to young children. So I hope to accumulate a fair amount.

It is good to see my son enjoy books. He even enjoys a children's encyclopedia, the pages with airplane diagrams, rocket launches, and ships full sail are his favorite. All I have to do is make up a story about Captain Ethan (Cap'n Me) and he is very content.

 

Of course, his first choice is to play outside. Always.

 

Hightlights from Family Photo Shoot

Sending out pictures of our growing family is something that gives me great pleasure ( I love receiving family photos from others as well). But when narrowing down the options it can be so hard to choose just one. Sometimes the shoot brings rewards of the unexpected. Since I am so proud of my family I just have to share them.

Flathead Lake

Hurray!

Peekaboo

Almost perfect. I'm trying to find one with both kids behaving.

One of my favorites

Rock skipping break

Noses, noses

Kiss your sister, please!

Like Daddy and Mummy

No, don't kiss me!

Babbling away

Studying surrounding's

Adventure time

My dearest and best love on earth

In Six Months Time...

How to be Happy

Are you almost disgusted with life, little man?
I'll tell you a wonderful trick
That will bring some contentment, if anything can,
Do something for somebody, quick!

Are you awfully tired with play, little girl?
Wearied, discouraged, and sick -
I'll tell you the loveliest game in the world,
Do something for somebody, quick!

Though it rains, like the rain of the flood, little man,
And the clouds are forbidding and thick,
You can make the sun shine in your soul, little man,
Do something for somebody, quick!

Though the stars are like brass overhead, little girl,
And the walks like a well-heated brick,
And our earthly affairs in a terrible whirl,
Do something for somebody, quick!

~unknown

Sharing a tub of whipped cream!

My Hiding Place

Motherhood has many joys, moments like these:

Sidewalk chalk with my little boy and seeing my little girl smile about food. These are good moments, the ones I would prefer to remember.  

But there are lots of moments that I would like to take a break, escape from the chaos developing around me. When they cling to my legs, and pull on my clothes, find messes I was sure I had cleaned, deliberately get into something they know is naughty, all accompanied by the constant call, "Mum, Mum, Mum!"

But I can't run away. Five minutes unsupervised and the mess increase by 10 times! And they are little, so I certainly can't leave them home alone to get myself a treat. So I tell my son, "Mummy needs to use the bathroom."

Little does he know that I am not there to just use the toilet. That tiny room with tile floors, and basic fixtures, is my small escape from the calling of motherhood. I crack open the small window and take in as much fresh air as I can. I wash my hands in the lavender soap a little longer than truly necessary. And if no child is banging on the door I might run the brush through my ruffled hair, just to sooth my equally ruffled temper. And when before the sounds outside that door mount to distress or disaster I say a quick prayer and go out to face it all again.

Occasionally, I try to hide my son in there, soaking and splashing in the tub. It works nicely most of the time. Then there is the time it doesn't. Having stuck the little ones in a mild and shallow bath, I cleaned up the cereal that had been spread throughout the entire kitchen. Then, while I toweled and PJed the baby sister, big brother puddled the entire floor (which needed mopping anyway) and dumped a large box of matches (left from Mums tub retreat of the night before) into his bath water. (Thank goodness he can't light them yet.) 

Right now I am really looking forward to the day we have a master bathroom!