Finishing up a fun week

Brandon's home and so I promised I'd only spend a little while blogging tonight.  I have a lot of pictures to show you so lets see how quickly we can get through them.  

The girls like to try to sleep in my bed when Brandon is gone.  They are pretty successful at letting me let them stay.  Usually I just read a book and ignore them until they fall asleep.  Then I'll move them back to their beds.  

I spent a little bit of time organising a few surfaces that have become clutter drops.  The TV was one of them.  Here is the before picture.

And here is the after.  I've decided to just accept the fact that the kids watch the same 20 movies every week and so they should just have a permanent home on top of the TV.

Derrick climbing the piano.

All three kids eating pancakes out of the fridge.

Mr Cute Derrick.  He had a belated one year checkup this week.  He's lost a pound and a half since his WIC appt 6 weeks ago.  All that weight came off once he learned to walk.

The girls napping in my bed.  (I had been asleep between them.)

Brandon came home on Friday evening.  We were all starving so we went out to eat at Burger King.

The girls were so excited to have Daddy home.

Then we went and did something that I have been promising the girls we would do when Daddy came home.  We went to "Donald's" and got "ows-cream."

On Sunday we did another thing that I've been promising the girls for a while. They've wanted to "make heart cookies" pretty much ever since we made them for Valentine's Day.  I'm not a huge fan of sugar cookies so I always put it off.  But I finally gave in.

The girls had lots of fun making the cookies.  We invited the LDS family that lives up the street from us to come over and help eat them.  It was fun to feel like we are being social again.

The girls created their own bunk beds in the office.

20 minutes later Brandon and I realized they were being suspiciously quiet.  We went in to check on them and I fully expected to find them trying to clean up some accidental mess.  Instead we found them putting each other to bed in the shelves.

A few weeks ago I told Charlotte we could go to the store and pick out a donut when Daddy got home.  So we did that on Memorial Day.  The only problem is Charlotte refused to take a nap all day and then fell asleep as soon as she got in her car seat.  She was fast asleep when we got to the store.  So we just laid a hoody down in the cart and she slept in there while the rest of us picked out donuts.

Then we took the donuts to an outdoor memorial/museum on post.

Here is a memorial dedicated to the victims of the shooting that happened at Fort Hood in 2009.  The trial for the shooter is set to start in the next month so expect to start hearing a lot about Fort Hood on the news in the next few weeks.

There were lots of helicopters so we went to look at those.  The girls always talk about when "Daddy fly fliercopters."  And Charlotte will say, "I fly fliercopter too." (That makes Daddy happy.)

The girls kept wanting to get into the helicopters, but that wasn't allowed.

Here is a big one that I would tell you the name of if Brandon was nearby to remind me of its name.  Basically it's huge and it's used to transport big containers and lower them to the ground.

There were two gazebos near all the equipment and the girls called them their "houses."  They spent a lot of time playing in them.

Thanks to the allure of "new" clothes the girls are wearing clothes again.  When I got them dressed on Memorial Day I was able to talk Lydia into wearing this flag shirt.  I had one for Charlotte too, but she didn't want to wear it.  Instead she picked out her "cwismas pajamas."  Oh well at least she was celebrating a holiday, even if it wasn't the one the rest of us were celebrating.

Here are a bunch of tanks. We didn't get close to these because the girls spent so much time with the gazebos.  Brandon joked that we should take them to a gazebo museum.

We were all pretty hot by the time we left so instead of going home we went to 7-11 and took advantage of their 49 cent Slurpee special.  (These are the splurges people.)  Then we went to the park and let the kids get the rest of their wiggles out.

Derrick enjoyed playing in the dirt.

And then later he figured out how to climb up on the play ground and he had lots of fun running around up there.

And finally here I am.  (This isn't a great picture of me, but it's the end of the day so whatever)  I think I'm 24 weeks along right now, but I don't want to take the time to check.  We still aren't 100% sure of the gender of our baby.  I thought I would find out tomorrow, but I guess it's just a regular appointment and not an ultrasound.  I'm fine waiting.  As long as I know what I'm having before the baby is born then I'm okay.

And that's it - sort of.  As always so much more goes on than what I capture in the pictures.  But Brandon's here and I don't want to take the time to remember/talk about it all.  See ya.

In Brandon's Words: JRTC Journal Entries

Happy Memorial Day everyone!  This is our first Memorial Day as an Army family.  I feel like I should feel differently about this day now, but I don't really.  Maybe in a few years I'll have some deep thoughts and feelings to tell you all about service and sacrifice for our country.  Right now all I can say is that there are a lot of people doing a lot of things to keep us all safe and free.  I hope you remember that.  

I typed up Brandon's journal entries for his time at the JRTC (Joint Readiness Training Center) located at Fort Polk, Louisiana.  His unit was there lending support to other units who were training for deployments.  Brandon's unit was assigned to pretend to be Afghan soldiers.  He also spent about a week in the Command Center.  His time in the Command Center reminds me of the book Ender's Game.  He was running a computer program the whole time and he still isn't sure if it was a simulation or something real. 

I feel kind of funny posting this on Memorial Day.  Brandon's time at the JRTC was so insignificant compared to what other soldiers have done or are currently doing.  I can't help think about my best friend Ashley who's husband is in Afghanistan today.  Or my friend Kim who's husband died in combat in 2007.  Posting about how Brandon missed his family for a month seems kind of whinny next to their experiences.   

On the other hand I feel like you should read this today.  It's nothing epic or glamorous, but hardly anything in life really is.  Little day to day actions are what make up who we are and what we do.  

So here are his journal entries for the past month.  I've taken out the most personal stuff.  I've also left out several discussions that he had with some battle buddies about religion.  I'm proud that Brandon shares the gospel, but I didn't want his buddies to read this and feel like their personal lives are on display on my blog.  

April 30, 2013
Well so far I like this a lot better than NTC.  We started out (on time) yesterday by leaving Ft Hood at about 7:30 am and a long while later showed up at Ft Polk Louisiana about 2:30-3:00 pm.  The ride was long and not very relaxing, but I did get some sleep and watch most of two movies than not.  We got there - it was muggy, but not dusty, freezing, or dark.  There are tons of trees - it is green and lush.  We got assigned a barracks and beds (not cots) etc.  Then we got our bags - we didn't have to wait forever to get them.  We each have a locker.  We get to eat at a DFAC (Dining Facility).  So far it is pretty chill.

Louisiana vegetation

May 1, 2013
Today we did some Land Nav.  Some passed some didn't.  I passed.  Many argued.
I like this place, so far, a lot better than NTC.  Warm showers and bathrooms.
Pt this morning was good too.  We worked out but it wasn't insane ranger workouts.  We had fun and I have had a pretty good day.  I am reading the second Mistborn book, "The Well of Ascention."  So far it is pretty good.  Although I would rather be at home I am getting used to this.  I am also used to the people here and they me.

Thursday May 2, 2013
Well the past two days have been kind of oddly similar.  Wake up, PT, Breakfast, Nap until 10:30, 11:30 class, 1:00 finish class, have test, 2:30 relax, 3:30 gym, 4:30 Dinner, 5:00 barracks and wait the rest of the night.
Yesterday we climbed the rope for PT - I almost got to the top.  My shoes were slippery.  It was hard PT.  My arms hurt like crazy.  Then we did dips and pushups.  That hurt too.  The rest of the day I spent reading the Well of Ascension.  I also passed the First Aid test too.

Friday May 3, 2013
We stood in the cold all morning waiting to get fake ID's made.  I talked to E____  all morning and got to know him a little more.  It was fun.  We pretty much didn't do anything the rest of the day.  I read and we went to the gym and that was pretty much it.

Saturday May 4, 2013
We got up and did Saturday PT. I got to call the exercises this morning and screwed up royally. I remembered the acronym BRHRSWFPBP [Don't ask what it stands for] But I couldn't remember the names of the exercises.
The rest of the morning we chilled.  I did weapons guard for afternoon PT then went and ate by myself.  It was nice. We came back and chilled the rest of the night.
I strung my weapon and tied my laser to it.  L____ told me he would help me - he looked at it and gave it back and said it was good.  Then he asked for my help to tie someone elses down.  I am popular.  Everyone is sitting on my bed now.  I think all the NCOs are sitting on their beds.

Sunday May 5, 2013
I had the opportunity to go to church today - if I could find a church, but apparently there is not an LDS service in close proximity to here.  So instead we just relaxed all day.  It was nice.
I miss Valerie a lot and wish I could see her and be with her, but I have 3 weeks left.  I hope it goes by fast.  We had two classes today on crossing a LDA (Linear Danger Area) and creating a quick halt, long halt, and an objective rally point.  Kind of cool, but every one's attitude to it was, as normal, negative.

Monday May 6, 2013
I think I am getting too much sleep.  When I get too much I feel the exact same as if I get too little.  I feel tired.  I wish I could do something else besides sit here.  And I want to be with Valerie.
We went to go get our badges and did our TOC stuff.  We found out we are going to have the day shift for what we are doing.  We got ID badges and kind of just hung around all morning.  L____ bought E____ and I lunch.  We have been hanging out and having fun all day.  I got to use the computer and read Val's and Hillary's blogs.  We did afternoon PT.  I talked to Val.  We almost had to play basketball, but I made sure everyone knew I wanted to go to the gym.  I got a group of about 6 guys to go.  It was nice.  I did lots of weights and basically 150 sit ups without stopping.  I was very proud of myself.

Tuesday May 7, 2013
I didn't think you could make a sentence with nothing but terrible swearwords - I stand corrected.
I had a lot of fun today.  We started our training for out TOC Duty.  It was really confusing.  We went into a big room and got a presentation on what we were doing.  I think everyone (including me) left that room 95% more confused than upon entering.
We were then divided into Day and Night shifts (I'm glad I'm day shift.)  We stayed for training and got split into groups.  I was about to go to my group when I was told to change.  I was sent to the aviation one instead because I am "into aviation."  I'm not complaining.
We spent the rest of the morning learning a computer program to move units and teams around. The guy I was with happened to be a retired pilot and we started swapping stories.  It was great.  I was tired and couldn't concentrate on much until then.  It was fun.
After chow we got our Afghan ID's and that was pretty interesting.  My new name is Sadeed Zakir Reza Alan.  It's my first false ID.

Thursday May 9, 2013
It was a good day in our computer training class.  I am figuring out how to use the program to send convoys and helicopters and shoot stuff.  Although I still don't know why.  I think I will find out tomorrow though.  Greg was really cool again.  He helped me learn the program better.  He also spent some time showing me some cool stuff on the computer.  He's trying to sell me on Ubuntu Computer OS - and I am pretty sold.  I think already was.

Friday May 10, 2013
I sat in front of a computer for 12 hours today waiting to do missions.  I think I did 5 all day, but it was pretty terrible at first until I got the hang of the program. I guess it was pretty good.
I also got to spent some time with a CW2 (Chief Warrant Officer 2) today.  He and I hung out and talked about helicopters and remote control planes.  He taught me a few tricks for flying a helicopter.  It was pretty cool.  We had a good time and Greg came back and talked to me again and said hi.

Saturday May 11, 2013
Today was another "unthrilling" but none the less, enjoyable day.  At the computer I didn't do much.  We flew from check point to check point and back again all day long.  I still don't quite understand what is going on, but I just do it anyway.
I did have a lot of free time to talk and draw airplanes and helicopters.  I think I finally figured out how I want my aircraft to look and have started trying to figure out how to build a model of it.
I was able to catch up on stuff on the regular computer.  I copied some French stuff to teach E___ about.  I had chow and taught E___ some french lessons.  I got to talk to Val who had adventures with Derrick having bloody noses and the girls in diapers all day long.  She's enjoying herself I guess.

Sunday May 12, 2013 (Mother's Day)
I am so sad that I have to miss Mother's Day and be away from Valerie and the kids.  I have missed her birthday, Mother's Day, and our anniversary this year.  Hopefully I will be able to get her a way cool present or something when I get home or spend some real good time with her.
After work and dinner I plugged my phone in and called everyone in my family.  I got all voicemail and finally mom called me back.  I think she was glad I called.  She told me she misses us boys and our families.  I also got to talk to Jana and her mom, Laurie.  They are both doing good.  I figured I needed to talk to them today.  I also talked to Valerie and found out the new stuff from the day.  Then I talked to Bryan and Kara and Owen.  Valerie's mom called back so I talked to her.  She sounded good. I then texted Valerie until I fell asleep.

Monday May 13, 2013
I had the last day of whatever it was that I have been doing for the past week.  Apparently there was a lot of aviation stuff going on, but I was not in charge of it.  I just sat and drew and drew and chilled.  It was kind of fun.  I finally got to do a mission toward the end of the day.  It was fun-ish.  Fun is kind of an interesting word for what I am doing.

Tuesday May 14, 2013
I have had a very productive day I go to sleep in yay.  I got to go to breakfast.  (Lieutenant B______ talked to me about the letter I need to write for my Warrant Officer Application.  I told him I didn't have it yet, but that I would get it together the moment I get home)
I gave myself a haircut, did some laundry, cleaned my locker, shaved, and organised my stuff.  It's been a pretty good day and it's only 10:00 am.  We went out and practiced a lane we are going to do this afternoon.  We'll see how that works.
Later at 2:30:
I didn't want to do our "sticks lane" last week and I was actually glad that I would miss it while working in my "office job." So yesterday was our last day and I found out my team hadn't done it yet and they were going to do it today.  "Great" I thought.  Anyway, reluctantly I went and realized the error of my ways.
If was fun! We were crawling through the brush, walking though the dense woods here in Louisiana.  We were crawling through raspberry thorns which didn't hurt as much or as often as you would think.  We were trying to be sneaky and we were setting up stops along the way - it was very cool.
I did have a lot of fun.  I got to the end and was told by one of the leaders that I needed to fall over unconscious.  I became a heat casualty victim at the end.  I got to relax and play dead and listen to what was going on around me.
The rest of the day was pretty boring.  Although I did get to talk to Valerie which wasn't boring.

Wednesday May 15, 2013
Yesterday was a lot of info.  Today I had nothing to do and tomorrow we are going into "the box." I am actually not very excited for it at all.  It is my anniversary in two days and I am going to spend it away from my bride for the first time ever since we were married.  We usually have a way awesome trip planned, but we already went on that.  She is going to be at Lindsey's and I am going to be here.
All I did was go to breakfast and go get dinner and the rest of the day was spent drawing/sleeping/reading or talking on the phone.

Thursday May 16, 2013
Waiting in the Humvee to go to the box.  We got up early, had breakfast, and got ready to go.  Been sitting here for an hour.
We finally left and didn't drive too far down the road.  We are at a compound and have taken residence here.  We are at the back most room/building in a courtyard of about three other buildings.  As we got here we received instructions to build our little room to our liking.  We helped set up C-wire and we had some gun shots to us.
I pulled security in a tower  for 3 hours and the rest of the day I have been reading the Hero of Ages - it's the last Mistborn book.  We do have phone reception; however, I didn't bring my phone charger.  I got a cot and dinner and I told the guys here my opinion of pornography.

Brandon pretending to be an Afghan soldier - the beard is part of the costume.

Friday May 17, 2013
It's my and Valerie's anniversary.  6 years today.  I am so lucky to be married to her.  I was able to talk to her a couple of times on my dying phone (I forgot my charger).  The reception here isn't that great either.  I miss her and I am so glad I was able to talk to her and see how she and the kids are doing.  She got the flowers I sent to her and she liked them.
I pulled security on the check point for vehicles.  We blocked off traffic from four lanes to one lane for two way traffic on a real road.  We were checking ID's of vehicles "in play" and letting everyone else go through.  I felt like I was causing a serious safety violation.
The rest of the day I spent reading Mistborn - The Hero of Ages.  I loved these books.  I think that these books have changed something about me.  I have never thought about the end of a book in my life more than this one. I thought it was perfect.  Very well written.

Saturday May 18, 2013
Got to sleep in today - missed breakfast - thank goodness - it looked disgusting.  Hung out, drew some pictures, wrote some things down.  I hung out all morning.  This afternoon I pulled tower guard for an hour or so. I called Valerie for a minute or two.  I got to go away from here and get water and dinner.  That was nice to get away for a few minutes.  After dinner I actually hung out outside with everyone and talked and had some good time together with everyone here.

Sunday May 19, 2013
I spent most of the day sleeping because there was not much else to do.  I drew in my book a little.  I read the rest of Matthew and all of Mark in the new testament (I needed some religion in my life).  I also got to go and be a part of a traffic control point up the road a little way.  I was an Afghan soldier helping the Americans by inspecting vehicles for anything odd in them. ( All pretend of course)
It is so funny.  All the drivers and passengers were so mad (pretend mad) that we had to stop them.  One guy actually got out and was picking up the street markers and putting them in his trunk and the soldiers were so frustrated.
I thought to myself while doing this, "these people are great actors and actresses. This is exactly how foreign people act toward Americans - at least in my experience."
The American soldiers were funny.  I heard one say, "why is everyone so grumpy?  They should know that something like this is going to happen.  I'm sorry they are going to be late getting home, but I don't want to be here either."  He was all serious and confiding in his friends.  It made me laugh.  I was thinking to myself, "they are all faking it, and just trying to give you a real experience."  It was funny.
I stopped one lady and she reached into a cooler in the back of her truck.  The Americans didn't like it at all.  She pulled out a Monster Energy Drink and gave it to me.  That was so nice.  Then she gave me three Star Crunch snacks to share with my buddies.  She told me not to give it to any of the Americans.  I replied with, "okay."  It was funny - hilarious.
I got to talk to Valerie for about 3 minutes until my phone completely died.  I went to my cot and I made a new battery for my phone by taping 3 AA batteries together and running twist tires (as wires) from one to the other and taping those down too.  I got it to work and have texted and called Valerie.  So far it works okay.
Oh as an after thought - one of the older ladies I pulled over at the TCP commented that I have very striking blue eyes that were pretty.  We had a short conversation about where I was "really" from.  She was nice to me too.
      
May 20, 2013
I miss Valerie.  I want to go home.  I don't mind spending time away from home, but a month every 4 is wearing.  I don't like feeling like I'm starting to know others around me better than my own spouse.  Of course it would help if my phone worked.  The battery didn't work anymore today so I tried to fix it better and then it didn't work at all.  I gave up.  Twist ties and my battery connectors can only take so much stress.
I did guard duty this morning until 9:30 - ate breakfast, and then went back to sleep until noon.  I hate doing that because it makes me not sleepy at night.  Anyway I reread the climactic ending to Mistborn again - something I never do.  It is so good.  I feel like it is a dream when I read it.  It is good.  I teared up again as I reread it - also something I rarely do.
After dinner and finishing the book I went outside and hung out with everyone again.  I hope I can be a good example to them even though I am probably a little cocky.  Speaking of being cocky I was thrilled with my battery design today when someone called me Macgyver.  I don't know why but I love that.  And I feel like people actually had a little respect for me - instead of Dumb Illguth who can't shoot.

One of many helicopters that flew over while Brandon did guard duty.

May 21, 2013
We got up (L____ and I have been guard buddies for the past 5 days and we have also been bunk buddies for the month so we have gotten to know each other pretty well) Anyway, he and I had guard duty from 1:30 am to 3:00 am.  I read the New Testament again and wrote in my journal.  This month is almost over.  I am so glad.  I just want to go home - hopefully by Saturday - preferably Friday we will get to be there.  Maybe if we are lucky we will get next Tuesday off in addition to Memorial Day on Monday.
We spent the rest of the day waiting to go back.  I got all the way through John and some of the Acts in the New Testament.  Sometime around six we loaded up and went back.  We stopped at the PX then went home.  I charged my phone, straightened my crap, took a shower, and talked to Val.  She and the kids are doing great.  They had fun at Lindsey's.  We talked about the Mistborn books. She told me what the girls and Derrick were up to.  Char was in bed, so was Derrick.  Lydia was up playing.  I texted Valerie until I fell asleep.

May 22, 2013
This morning was the first time I have done rigorous PT for about 2 1/2 weeks, I think, and it was hard.  We did the norm and then crunches obliques and sit ups then push ups for an hour.  I was ready to be done.
When we were done I went to breakfast by myself.  It was nice.  I ate breakfast by myself and until everyone showed up.  Then I waited for them and we all left together.  We hung out all morning and I asked if I could go to the MWR and I was told I could.  I spent the rest of the afternoon on the computer reading Val's blog, Hillary's blog, facebook, and my e-mails.  I also got to chat with Valerie on facebook for about 2 hours.  It was fun looking at pictures on her blog and chatting with her.  It made me feel like I got to spend the afternoon with her.  It felt nice. I am leaving on Friday at 9:00.  I can't wait.  When all is said and done I am going to be done around 7:00 pm.  I am so excited.
I got to spend the evening talking with ____ about the church again and he said that he is likes it and feels like he is liking religion again.  I am so excited.  I ordered a Book of Mormon for him from the church website and I am guessing it should show up next week sometime.  ____ started asking a few questions too.  It was cool.  I really do feel like a missionary.
The last thing of the evening was when W____ asked me to come over to his bunk where he had some naked centerfold displayed and asked me, "come on doesn't she look good?"  I said something to the effect of "she is pretty because the human body is pretty, but I am trying to make myself into a better person and that is why I refrain from looking at stuff like that."  It felt awesome, I really do feel like a missionary.

May 24, 2013
We are going home tomorrow!!! I am so excited.  Today was the last full (boring) day here in Louisiana and Ft Polk.
I woke up and PT was running half way to get chow. I am so glad because my stomach is really sore from all the sit ups and crunches we did yesterday.  After chow we came back and chilled the rest of the day until dinner chow.  It was storming so we didn't go, but we had about 15 Pizza boxes delivered because LT B_____ got it for us.  It was pretty cool.  I really like him.  He is a pretty cool guy.
I got to talk to Valerie which I love to do.  She had a pretty rotten day with three crying kids, but I guess it turned out okay later.
The two biggest things that happened today was when H___ stopped by and just randomly asked about the Mormon church.  I basically gave him the first discussion without the Book of Mormon and he seemed really interested in it.  I told him I would get him one as soon as I got home (I have three coming).  And then P___, E___, L___ and myself quizzed each other on random facts like geography, state capitols, and other random stuff.  It was a very fun day today.  Nice and Relaxing.

Brandon made it home Friday night around 5:30.  The kids and I were all so excited to see him and he was so happy to be home.  He has a 4 day weekend off of work so we are all enjoying hanging out as a family again.  

Why we ain't buyin

Recently I felt a small temptation to buy a house.  It's kind of what is expected for this time in my life.  You know, get married, get a good job, have kids, buy a house, etc.  It seems like more and more of my friends are joining the home owners club.  And there is always that argument that we probably could get a house with a monthly payment that is smaller than what we "pay" for our house on post.  So I started thinking about the possibility.

Right away I came up with several reasons why we shouldn't buy a house right now.  I thought I'd put them on here in case any of you shouldn't have the house bug either.  That way you will know you're not alone.

Reason's we aren't buying a house

1. Student Loan Debt
Everyone acts like student loan debt is perfectly acceptable debt.  With it's relatively low interest rates and small-ish monthly payments it's easy to ignore.  And maybe it is easy to ignore when you "only" owe several thousand dollars.  But when you have close to $100,000 of outstanding student loan debt it's something you think about a lot.

I hardly want to get a car loan for our new car.  The last thing I want to do right now is take out a mortgage.

I occasionally listen to Dave Ramsey and he once said that "buying a house while you are in debt is like inviting Murphy's Law and his three brothers, Dumb, Broke, and Unhappy, to come live with you."  I fully agree with that.

2. Lack of Stability
I've always heard don't buy a house unless you plan on living in the area for three or more years.  During the last 10 years I've hardly spent 2 years in the same place.  And I don't plan on settling down yet.

As much as I love Texas we probably wont be staying here very long.  Brandon and I are hoping to be transferring to flight school within a year.

One day I'm sure I will long for stability and a house that I own, but for now I'm perfectly content to roam around and live in a new house every few years.

3. Uncertain Market
Yes the housing market is picking up, blah blah blah.  But here in the Fort Hood area things are still pretty uncertain.  With all the budget cuts and such there is a chance that there will be less troops assigned here.  That means less civilian employees too.  Overall it means there will be more houses in the area than there are people to fill them.  Not exactly an idea situation for someone who needs to sell a house and move away quickly.

4. I don't want the responsibility
One of my favorite things about renting/living on post is that I'm not responsible for anything about my house.  Yes I still try to keep it nice, but think about it: If my fridge breaks I don't have to worry about buying a new one.  If a pipe backs up I can call maintenance.  I don't have to worry about unexpected expenses from the house.

5. Free utilities
This is one of those awesome perks about on post housing - I don't have to pay for utilities.   In fact, I actually get money back for using less electricity than expected.  (Minol does the billing in case any of my former co-workers are wondering.)  It's so nice to not have to worry about water, sewer, trash, gas, and electric bills - especially for a place this big.

6.  Short commute to work
Brandon has about a 6 mile drive to work every day.  It could be shorter if we lived on the main part of post, but I like living out in the boonies.  Even with living where we do we still live a lot closer than we would if we were off post.  All those saved miles add up to saved money.

7.  I don't want to be a landlord
A lot of military people will buy a house and then rent it out when they move away.  That's cool for them, but I don't want to have to worry about two houses.

8.  I don't want the house to own me.
When we finally do buy a house I would love to pay for it with cash.  (Can you tell I like Dave Ramsey?)  Even if that doesn't pan out I want to buy a house when we can really afford it.   And that ain't now.

Hangin' with fam

My brother in law, David, graduated with his master's degree in marriage and family therapy this last weekend.  My parents and my brother drove out to Fort Collins to be there for the graduation.  I thought about taking the kids and driving up there too so we could  hang out with the family while Brandon is away.  But a quick check of the travel time on mapquest convinced me of the craziness of that decision. Even if we had been able to survive the 15 hour drive I don't think I would have enjoyed staying in a hotel with three kids and no husband.  

So I planned the next best thing - A trip to Lindsey's house!

The kids were very excited to go visit Lindsey, John, Rocklond, Knoxx, and "Gwetta too."  When we packed up the jeep on Tuesday night Lydia climbed into her car seat and started buckling herself in.  She was heart broken that we had to sleep one more night at our house.  

 Soon enough morning came and we were on our way.  I had hoped to get the living room clean before we left, but it never happened. We were all just too excited to do something so mundane as clean the living room (or do the dishes, or make my bed, or clean up the hall.)

On previous trips to Houston we've always left early in the morning so the kids could sleep during most of the drive.  But that always makes me super tired during the rest of the day.  So this time we left around 9:45.  During the first 20 minutes of the drive I was seriously regretting my decision to leave so late.  The girls kept asking for things and I even had to mix up a bottle for Derrick while driving.  I told myself at least we weren't driving all the way to Colorado.  After a little while all the kids fell asleep and things were better..

Once we got to Lindsey's house we could focus on our jam packed weekend of doing nothing.  I told her I didn't want to do a lot this weekend.  Just hang out at her house and the splash pad.  And that's pretty much what we did.  Here is this week in pictures.

As usual Lindsey fed us lots of yummy food.  Here is Derrick enjoying some of it.

Charlotte remembered that she loves Gretta the dog.  She loved playing with the dog, but I think she liked playing in the kennel even more.  She'd go in there all the time.  Derrick learned how to unlock the kennel and let Gretta out.  

 Lindsey teaches preschool for Rocklond and 4 other kids.  Thursday was their last day for this year.  It was a bike day at the splash pad parking lot.  I went down there with my kids for the first half hour or so.  Then we went grocery shopping (at Kroger yay).  When we came back we joined in on the last half hour of preschool.

 Later that evening we went down to the splash pad for some fun.  Lydia has been looking forward to this forever.  She is the type of girl who would wear her swimming suit all day long.  When I told her we were going to go to the splash pad she yelled, "Swimming YAY! Get Wet!"

 Charlotte wasn't too sure about the water.  She spent most of the time sitting with me and Derrick on the bench.

 But she did go have some fun.

 Lydia couldn't get enough of the water.  She and Rocklond played and played and played in it.

 She called this her "house."

 Lindsey and I randomly decided that we wanted to take the kids to the beach at Galveston on Friday.  But Derrick came down with a high fever on Thursday afternoon.  After a rough night with him I wasn't up for any big adventures.  So instead we met up with some friends at a park.

The park had four baby swings.

 I had so much fun pushing all three kids in the swings.  Usually we are lucky to find a park with two swings so this was heaven.

 And the park had sand too.  It was just as good as the beach - and it had shade.

 After the park we went to the splash pad again and had some more fun.  Well at least Lydia did.  Derrick was back to not feeling so well and Char just didn't like the water.  So Lydia stayed with Lindsey and her kids and I took Char and Derrick home.

It's a good thing I did because not even 5 minutes after we got home someone rang the doorbell.  I looked through the peep hole and saw some lady holding flowers.  I thought, "She much have the wrong house.  No one here would be getting flowers - WAIT, it's MY anniversary!"  I opened the door and sure enough the flowers were for me.

 One of the reasons I came to Lindsey's this weekend was so I wouldn't be alone on my anniversary.  I should have known that Brandon would still find a way to make it special even if he wasn't home.

 Saturday we again planned to go to Galveston.  We had even told the kids about it.   Lindsey was telling me about the ferry that we could possibly take as part of the trip.  That reminded me of a story about a ferry that Brandon's parents rode on when Brandon's dad surprised his mom with a trip to Washington for their anniversary.  I told Lindsey the story.  Then Lindsey said, "OH NO, John's brother is surprising his wife for their anniversary and I promised to watch their kids TODAY."  She had completely forgotten until that moment.

So that nixed the trip to Galveston once again.

Within a few hours Rocklond's other cousins showed up.  We ate lunch and then went to a different splash pad to play.   I love how grown up Derrick looks in this picture.

One reason we kept going to so many splash pads is because John was picking up some extra shifts at work and needed to sleep during the day.  So we were trying to stay out of the house as much as possible.  

We had fun at the splash pad.  This one had a play ground right by it.  Charlotte spent a lot of time filling up a water bottle, running it over to one of the slides, and then dumping the water down the slide to create a water slide for the older kids.  

Everyone had a good time until Lydia slipped off a bench.  So I made another early exit with my kids.  We went back to the house and cooled off with graham crackers and milk.  

In the afternoon Lindsey sent me out for some personal time.  I'd watched all the kids for her on Thursday and Friday night so she could do stuff and she had promised that I would have some time on Saturday.  I felt bad leaving her with 8 kids, but she assured me that Rocklond's older cousins weren't that hard to handle.

I went out to do some much needed maternity/summer clothes shopping.  My belly totally popped this week and I couldn't fit into my jeans anymore.  Which was kind of okay because the weather heated up and I really didn't want to wear jeans anymore.  I did lots of window shopping at the outlet malls by Lindsey's house and then went to Ross and bought a cute maxi dress, a shirt, and two pairs of capri pants.

Later that night I went out again and watched Iron Man 3.  It was a very good movie.  I hope I'm not giving too much away when I say that the movie had some people who could heat their bodies up like fire.  I came home and discovered that I had two little fire people of my own.  Charlotte and Lydia had come down with Derrick's fever.  Knoxx had it too.

Since the fever was obviously contagious my kids and I stayed home from church on Sunday.  Rocklond came down with fever after church so most of the kids spent Sunday afternoon just laying around and sleeping.  Lindsey and I enjoyed talking and talking and talking.  Which is what we do anyway on Sunday afternoons, but it was nice to do it in person rather than on the phone.      

 By this morning everyone seemed to be doing better and it was time to go home.  I could tell the kids were ready to be back in their own space.  Once we got home the kids were so happy to see all their toys and other things again.  Derrick seemed especially happy to be home.  I think he was afraid we were moving again.

To celebrate being home he showed off that he can now climb up onto the counter from the ladder back chair.  

 He later climbed the piano to try to get to my flowers. (Sorry no picture of that one, I was saving the flowers)

 And he also can climb up the stool in the bathroom to see himself (and play with an empty toothpaste tube.)  This kid is turning into a hand full.

It was such a nice weekend.  I am so so so so so grateful that Brandon was assigned to a place that was close to family.  Especially family as awesome and accommodating as Lindsey.  I'm glad I get to see her often enough that we can spend 5 days together just chilling out.  I'm also glad that our kids are able to spend time together and get to know each other.

6 years

Today is our 6th wedding anniversary.  Seriously!  I really don't know where that time went.  Sometimes I feel like our first date was only yesterday.  And then I look around at the house, the kids, and my belly and obviously some time has passed.

I put together this little slide show of pictures of us together from the past 6 years.  It's an anniversary present for Brandon, but unfortunately he wont get to see it for a few days.  He's currently "in the box" at Fort Polk and doesn't have access to a computer.  So you guys all get to enjoy it first :)

The hardest part about making that movie was selecting only 60 pictures for it.  (The second hardest part was getting the song into wma format - but that's another story.)  I wanted to take a minute and tell you about some of the pictures.  They uploaded to blogger in a random order, and I don't feel like fixing them, so here is a non-linear rendition of the last six years.

This is from Halloween 2010. Brandon was a mountain man and I was an Indian.  I'm VERY pregnant with the twins in this picture.  I made the costume pattern by tracing some of my maternity shirts.

And here is one year later: Halloween 2011.  Brandon and I were both pirates.  Charlotte was our Parrot and Lydia was our Monkey.  Incidentally, I'm a few months pregnant with Derrick in this picture.

This is from the night Brandon proposed to me, March 2, 2007.  He surprised me with a dinner at the Bluebird to celebrate the 6 month anniversary of when we met.  We were supposed to drive directly to Salt Lake for the weekend right after the dinner, but Brandon "forgot" his laptop.  When we went back to get it at his apartment I walked into a room full of candles.  Then Brandon got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes right away.  Then we drove down to Salt Lake and told our families.

This should look familiar.  This is at the Salt Lake Airport the night Brandon made it home from basic training.  We were so happy to be all together as a family again.

In December of 2006 Brandon and I went on an all day date to the Ogden Area.  We'd spent every day that week together and this was kind of an unofficial test to see if we could still stand each other after spending all day together on top of that.  Brandon took me to the train museum where we both discovered my love of model trains.  I was like a 10 year old kid running around and following the little model train as it moved between display windows.  This picture is on the full size train outside the museum.  (And yes we could still stand each other by the end of the day.)

This is from the girls' blessing day, February 6, 2011.  I'd looked forward to this day for years.  I was so happy to finally hear my husband bless my babies.  I'd made the girls' dresses, and they looked so cute in them.  The day was everything I hoped it would be.

This is our most recent family picture.  I'm not a fan of how I look in it, but I am happy that we are all together (and looking in the direction of the camera.)  Plus through some hand-me-down magic the girls had matching dresses.

Brandon and I used to live right across the street from the A&W in Logan.  On the rare occasions we went out to eat we usually went there.  This picture is from when we went back to visit Logan in the spring of 2011.  Of course we had to go eat at A&W.  I crave rootbeer every time I see this picture.

This is from the second camping trip we took the girls on.  We were at Deer Creek Res as part of our Northern Utah Stay-cation in 2011.  Our tent was snowed on during the night.  The girls slept beside us all night long, but we brought them into bed with us in the morning.

One of the happiest days of my life was when Brandon graduated from USU.  We were finally able to cut all ties to the flight department - and still escape with a degree.

I love this picture of all of us at a Special Care Nursery Reunion.  I remember seeing Charlotte and Lydia each in one of these beds when I saw them for the first time.  In those early days it was hard to imagine that one day they would be healthy, running around, and talking.  But that's just what happened.

Here we all are on top of Mt Evens in 2012.  I can't believe we took Derrick along on this vacation when he was only 3 months old.  He was so big he seemed older.

For our second anniversary in 2009 we went to Southern California.  One of the main things we wanted to do was spend a day at Magic Mountain.  Here we are in front of the gate for the park.

We also went to the beach as part of that vacation.  We slept in our tent in a campsite that was right on the edge of a cliff over looking the ocean.  It is one of my top 10 favorite things we've ever done together.

This is Halloween 2009.  We were Robin Hood and Maid Marian.  We had so much fun making these costumes.  This was the first year that Brandon sported the shirt that he wore as part of his costume every subsequent year.

Soon after we were engaged my dad took us on a photo shoot at Murray Park.  This is my favorite picture from that shoot.  I printed it out and glued it to the cover of the book that I kept all my wedding notes in.

For our first anniversary we went to Yellowstone.  That's what kicked off the annual road trip tradition. Here we are in front of the Grand Prismatic Spring.

This is from our wedding announcement photo shoot.  We made it pretty clear from the beginning that aviation was a big part of our marriage.  The plane is the first one I flew in with Brandon as the pilot.  

And here is a picture from our reception, which was 6 years ago tomorrow.  I loved that we were married on one day and had the reception on another.  Everything about our reception was wonderful.  Brandon and I planned it together.  It's when I first realized how well we work together.

Six years ago I thought I loved Brandon a lot.  But that was nothing compared to how much I love him now. I'm so glad we go married.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

PS: I'm at my sister's house and flowers from Brandon were just delivered to the door.  I love that guy.