Change of Command Ceremony

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Ryan's Homecoming

I know it has been a month since Ryan has come home, but we have been extremely busy. It feels like the time is just flying by, but I guess that is how it should feel when your world is finally complete again. There was much anticipation in the days before Ryan stepped foot on U.S. soil. Many things needed to be accomplished, many banners hung, many flags forced into the ground, and many, many cameras charged.

I am sure over time, I will begin to forget my kids excitement as I told them Daddy would be coming home, but I hope I never do forget. Each day started with, "Is he coming home yet?!" Each evening ended with, "Why isn't Daddy here yet?" There were many heart-to-heart talks and discussions about what to expect. The truth is, I wasn't sure quite what to expect myself. Yes, I have been through this shindig before, but it still feels different each time. It was just comforting to know the kids and I could get through all the excitement together.

The sweetest sound I have ever known is a phone call from Ryan telling me he will be landing soon. The sheer jolt of excitement that ran through my body could light a thousand Christmas trees. Even when he was talking to me, I could not believe that I would see him again after one long, hard year of separation. My enthusiasm was building as I realized that I would get to hold him again, touch his hand or give him a kiss. I could finally watch a movie with him, fight over where to eat with him, and sleep in the same room again. All the little things we take for granted; things I did not truly appreciate until he would leave.

Ryan landed at Hood on June 9th, at approximately 2:30 p.m. Actually, I am not sure the exact time because I was so crazy, but I do know that we arrived at 1:30 p.m. My Mom, sisters Lisa and Nicole, Ryan's Mom, sister Amanda, brothers Eric, Brandon and Chris, along with sister-in-law Amy, the kids and I all made it on time. We were able to watch the jumbo plane carrying Ryan land and all the soldiers exit. At this point, I am beyond excited. I was so excited, that I think I left a kid in the dust racing over to the big jumbo screen the Army had set up. (Thank you Uncle Eric and Aunt Amy!) In my defense, my kid wasn't that far behind. ;) I watched each person get off the plane, and through some wicked luck, I was able to spot Ryan. So exciting!

After the big show, all the family members headed towards Cameron Field. This is where we would meet up with our soldiers. Everyone waited around in the hot sun with banners and flags. Some of us took LOTS of pictures, while others mingled idly. Ryan called me from his cell phone, which I had so cleverly hooked up for him a week prior. I told him where we were located so that he could find us easily. And then....we waited. After some time, the crowd began to roar and the fire fighters lined the streets with water spraying from their trucks. Music started to play and an MC mentioned the guys were on their way. Very exciting!

Several white buses pulled alongside the curb. Soldiers emerged from the buses and walked in formation up to the field. After some words of congratulations, or whatever they were saying--not really sure--they released everyone to find their families. Through a mass of soldiers, someone spotted Ryan. As he was walking up, I yelled for the kids to go get him. Boy, did they ever! They ran towards him with every ounce of energy they had left. It was the best thing I had seen in years. My eyes started watering at the very sight. Finally, it was my turn. Big hugs and kisses, and lots of staring going on. I cannot believe how happy I am to see my Ryan! He looks perfect in every way. All I could think was thank God for my family, thank God for my husband, thank God for my life, and thank GOD for the U.S. of A!

We are complete again. We are a family. It is only good times from here on out. Life is good...

I have a few pictures for you from that oh-so-memorable day. Some of the pictures were taken by a local photographer through Operation Love Reunited, an organization which provides free photography for families of deployed solders. Our photographer, Angela Breckenridge did a great job. I would like to thank Beth J. for recommending that organization to me. I was able to call Angela on short notice and she was able to provide her services to our family. For that, I will forever be thankful. You can check out her blog to view even more pictures from this wonderful day.

Here are three Angela allowed me to post:




And some pictures from my sister Lisa, better known as L-DUB!

End-of-the-Year School Party

When school ended, I wanted to do something special for Luke. So, I organized a swim party with his fellow classmates. I printed up 22 of the cutest flyers to send home with all the kids. Unfortunately, the school would not let me send home the flyers because they felt it looked as if the school was funding/promoting the swim party. (I also couldn't stand outside the door or on school premises to hand out the flyers either. Believe me, I already thought of that! ;) Bummer, total bummer.

I really wanted to do something for these kids, most of which were financially strapped. Does this stop me? No, it sure doesn't. I utilized my skills as a room mom to get the kids here. The only problem was that I had only 12 names of people who allowed me, as room mom, to be privy to their personal information such as phone numbers and email. There were 20 kids in the class. I asked each mom I contacted to please spread the word to any other children they knew in the class. It means that even though I tried my hardest, I could not reach each and every child.

The party must go on, so I put everything together. We prepared hot dogs, chips, drinks and cookies for the kids. The students came over directly after school and hopped in the pool. I think Luke was so happy to see all his friends from school at his house. His little friends had a great time as well. All the moms enjoyed sitting around and chatting with each other. Overall, it was a success even though everyone couldn't be there to join us. About 8 kids joined us to celebrate the end of school with the Lukeman. I love you Luke!

Last Day of School

I know I am a little behind, but life has been hectic lately. Both Luke and Grace said goodbye to their school and their dear friends. It was very hard for them to do this because both Luke and Grace love school. They already miss their teachers a bunch. Thank you Mrs. Childers, Ms. Melanie and Ms. Dorothy for a great year!




Our last lunch together. We enjoyed Lenny's subs together. It's all very bittersweet. I still cannot believe that my son is done with pre-k.

GracieBYTES XIII

My little girl is growing up so fast. Too fast, in fact. She is a 3-year-old going on 15! I am constantly surprised by all the facts she pulls together in that amazing brain. Sometimes I wish I could bottle up her new words and keep them in my pocket forever. Then, I can pull them out to replay them whenever I choose. I love you Gracie girl!

• One of the students in her class is names Kort. One day, after school, I asked her if she had a good day, and if she played with any of her friends? She responded with, "Yeah, I played with the Kortman." Almost bust a gut, true story. (4/16/09)
• Grace was just having one of those days when a conversation quickly went out of control. Grace says something funny. I start laughing and she looks at me with a confused, bewildered face. Then, she says this: "Why is that funny?" "Why are you laughing?" "STOP LAUGHING!" Of course, all this just makes me laugh harder...
• Around her birthday, Grace was practicing for the grand finale of cake and the birthday song. So, for a couple of days leading up to the big day she was singing the birthday song everywhere she went. After a while, she took it a step further. She would say, "It's my birthday. Sing to me!" Of course, always in the sweetest of ways, which made me sing every time. I a such a sucker! Then, she took it even a step further. She would walk to the back door and yell, "First, you say, ready, set, go and then, you sing me Happy Birthday. Then, I will run to you!" Like a good monkey, I always do.
• "Why can't Daddy come out of the computer?"
• "Blue and green make green!" (4/16/09)

LukeISMS XVI

It's been a long time since I have written the ISMS and BYTES, but I felt I needed to add a few of the cute things my little bugs have been saying. I only wish I could remember more of them. I just love this age and I know I am going to miss it!

• Luke has learned so much over the past year. Here are some of the things I have taught him... (1) He can recite the months in order from January to December. (2) He can add 2 +2, 4+4, 8+8, and 16+16. (3) He knows the days of the week. (4) He knows each planet, the order and what each one looks like. I taught him a song that I learned in the 1st grade. It goes "Mercury, Venus, the Earth, and Mars, these are the planets that circle the stars. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus too. Neptune, Pluto, I know them all, do you?" Now, I know that Pluto is not considered a planet anymore, but that is what information we knew back then. (5) He knows the North Pole and the South Pole. He also knows that penguins live in the South Pole. (6) He can pick out the state of Texas and Iraq on the globe. (7) Luke can print his first and last name. (8) He can also count to 100! (9) He knows rhyming words. (10) He knows all the letters of the alphabet and what sound each makes, including vowels. (11)Oh, and I will save the best for last....HE CAN READ! I am so proud of him. I will give more details about the reading later.
• "Daddy is a hero. He fights for our country!"
• I taught him about lungs through our Children's Dictionary (Thank you Daddy for that book!) So, in class--around Easter--he came home with a picture of an Easter egg. Inside the egg, there was a tiny picture of lungs. When I asked him about it, he said..."This is the egg, and inside are the lungs. Yeah, they help it breathe." Awesome!
• "I like talking to Daddy. I like it when he takes me to the donut shop and we get the car washed."
  

Fleetwood Mac

For my parents Mother/Father's Day present, my sister purchased tickets to see Fleetwood Mac. This one was pretty awesome! They have been around for some time, but they played like they were 20-year-olds. I was exhausted from studying for finals and still had two more to complete, but it was a pleasant distraction. The arena was packed with people. The screams were loud and penetrating. This old band played for 2 and 1/2 hours straight. I could not believe it! Each and every song was a worthy sing-a-long. I was blessed to have attended. If they are ever in town, I will definitely see them again and you should too! It will be worth it.

There were no cameras allowed in the arena--something they sprung on us at the last second. So, we just captured these two because I was not sneaky enough to stash my camera.