like father, like son

Kevin was listening to a sermon online, amidst everything else that was going on in the living room, when the speaker said something that really got his attention.  He rushed to grab his Bible and opened it up to the account of Noah in Genesis.  

Davis was only moments behind him, picking up his Bible and sitting on the couch right next to Daddy with as much anticipation as Kevin had.  Davis sat there just as enthralled, as if he were soaking in the teaching too right along with his Daddy.

an end (of the Army) is coming

Some days we are thrilled to be in the process of separating from the Army, but days like today make me think they do everything they can to keep you in.  While today was primarily frustrating, we had two huge trunks full of blessings.

Kevin picked up two trunks (and I do mean trunks, they are about 5x2x3 ft.) today full of the things people had sent him during his fifteen months in Iraq.  Cards from people that are close to us who had encouraged him, pictures from his parents and from me, and some unused gift cards because the internet connection was so sparse in his last months.  

If it wasn't enough for the trunks to be full of great memories, books, and pictures, the boys loved playing on them.  

meeting Dave Cullen

Flushed cheeks gave away my nervousness.  You might say he's just a writer, but a published, best-selling author is not just a writer.  The written word seems to be decreasing in value, and the internet is taking the place of all publications.

Cullen is a success.  He wrote Columbine, and the success is not that he managed to get it published, but that the book is connecting with people, engaging people in a traumatic event years later, and answering questions so many have wondered.

I had the wonderful opportunity of sitting face to face with him, while he signed copies of his book, and listen intently as he answered my questions about the writing process.  I left encouraged, educated, and inspired to press on in writing my book. 

Thank you, Dave.

handsome boys

Since it was snowing on Easter, the boys didn't get to wear their new Easter clothes until yesterday.  Here they are looking incredibly handsome. 

more cookies, please

Tonight after the boys had finished their dinner, I gave them some cookies.  Davis finished first, so he was motivation for Ronin to eat quickly.

I gave Ronin his cookies, but had to hide some of them because he was eating them so fast.  He ate them with such delight and speed, he promptly asked for more when they were gone, "Mommy, more cookies?"

I looked at him and said, "The cookies are all gone."  Kevin was sitting at least twenty feet away when Ronin asked (with no regard for my response to him), "Daddy, more cookies?"

 

our mid-April snow day

Yes, it's the middle of April and yes, winter is technically over.  But in Colorado, I'm not sure winter is ever officially over.  Today is proof:

Three hours later I took a picture of our snowman, and the snow was already melting.

napping in strange places

Did you ever want to do something silly as a kid, but it seemed amazing to you at the time?  When I was in fourth grade, I had this notion that it would be so cool to sleep in my closet.  I convinced my mom to let me make my bed in there for one night.  And it was everything I had dreamed.

A couple days ago, Davis needed to take a nap (if you remember, he's a non-napper now), and he asked if he could take a nap behind the chair, a cozy little place where he and Ronin play often.  At first, I thought it was pretty ridiculous, but then I remembered my own silly ideas and said yes.  

ACAP-ing

For those of you who haven't heard, here's a news flash:  we are getting out of the Army.  I can say with sincerity it has been an adventure, I am different now than I was before, and the Army has taught us valuable lessons.  

That said, I am looking forward to non-Army life.  It officially began today with Kevin's appointment with the ACAP (Army Career and Alumni Program, I know 90% of you were wondering).  

It should be pretty crazy around our house for the next month, so we would love your thoughts and prayers as we make this transition.  

we eat hot dogs too

A dear friend called me today during her drive-time because her other time is pretty well occupied.  She asked what I was doing, I told her I was fixing dinner, she asked what, I told her: teriyaki chicken, zucchini, red peppers, and onions.  

To which she responded, "We're having hot dogs, you just put me to shame."  

Sometimes, it's a hot dog kind of day.  

Ronin's squats

Since potty training time is coming soon, I thought I would see if Ronin could take off his own pants when we were changing into pj's.  The result ended in him doing some pretty decent squats. We might have been a little too encouraging; now, you can just ask him to do squats and he starts right away.  Sorry you have to tilt your head to watch it. 

food just tastes better

When someone else makes it.  Why is that?  Think about for a minute, even if you make yourself the same thing that someone else makes for you, it just tastes better when someone else does it.  

You can take it a step further: it tastes even better when it's free.  Possibly the best combination is free food that someone made for you.  This is always true when I visit my parents' house: when my mom makes me breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it tastes so good.  

On Monday morning Kevin made me breakfast, and it was de-lic-ous.

yessir!

In the past week, if you ask Ronin to do something he responds with an excited, "Yessir!"  Sometimes it comes out a bit more serious than that, but always, the slurred together, yes and sir, as if they were one word.  It makes us smile every time.   

the little cowboy

Grandma and Grandpa blessed us last weekend by taking care of the boys while we went to Lubbock and visited some friends.  We met up with them in Amarillo at the Big Texan.  They gave cowboy hats to the boys, and Davis was thrilled!  He's giving his best serious cowboy face here, pretty convincing if you ask me.

in the garden...er, mom and dad's room

Ronin is officially a big boy, the crib has been taken down.  He has been successfully sleeping in the bottom bunk for three nights now.  However, last night, was a little challenging.  

Davis was playing watchdog and came down to tell us that Ronin was no longer under his covers.  The problem is obvious: to know this, he had to be out of bed himself.  Moments later, I went upstairs to check on the boys.  As I reached the landing upstairs, I saw Davis run into our room and hide.  

Thousands of years later and essentially nothing has changed.  The moment Adam and Eve knew they had done wrong, they hid themselves.  Our son did the same thing.  He even hid in our room!  How silly, and how silly were Adam and Eve to hide in "God's room" as if He would not find them.

When we hide the discipline or the sacrifice is going to be worse.  Because the truth is, you can't hide.