Graduation Dinner

Here is the third and final post on graduation. We went to the big fancy dinner last night- it was great! The boys stayed home with Auntie Kiri & Kylie, and Ian. Here we are all dressed up, with our friends and classmates Ryan & Melissa Andreasen. We got to share a table, which was awesome. They will be moving to Clovis, NM which is actually not that far from Dyess!

Above is our pretty table- coincidentally this is exactly how I set my dinner table every night! Yeah, right.

Below is our dessert. Usually the dessert is a huge cake, but that was surprisingly expensive. Since the students had to foot the bill for the whole set-up, we had the cool idea to have cupcakes instead! No cutting or extra plates, and no $25 'cake-service' fee. It was great!

Here is a surprise- I got an award! Just for being a spouse and supporting Andrew through the last year. I got a beautiful rose and a certificate. It's hard to see, but that is Andrew and I standing up on the left.

Broken wings?? Yes, these are Andrew's brand new wings broken in two. It is Air Force tradition that to wear your first set of wings is bad luck. So they are broken in half, and the two halves are only reunited after the pilot's death. So I have one half and Andrew's parents have the other.

Graduation - Part 2

Here are some pictures from the 'Red Carpet Day'- it's actually the day before graduation, when the graduates get to show their families around the flight line! Above is from the control tower, on a typical windy Oklahoma day. Below are Kiri, Kylie, Ian, Janet and Susan trying on some of the flight gear!

Check out Kiri and Kylie in the Physiology lab- which is the technical term for 'spin-you-really-fast-in-the-chair'. The chair has basically no friction, so you can spin very fast for an indefinate amount of time! It is supposed to help pilots overcome motion sickness.

This is the T-6, the plane that pilots train on the first half of pilot training.

And here is the T-38, Andrew's training jet.

Andrew took everyone over to try out the flight simulators- believe me, flying these planes is tough! But Martin was actually able to land the T-38 in the sim, which is more than I can do. I crashed every time. I think I'll leave the flying to Andrew.

Oh Happy Day! Part 1

Andrew has finally graduated!! I can't believe this day has arrived. We got up early this morning, dressed up and went to the flight room for breakfast (which us wives put on, and it turned out great!). Leah, my wonderful friend and neighbor came over to our house to stay with the boys all morning! I am so grateful to her. Anyway, we had our breakfast and saw a short presentation by Andrew's flight commander. Then we went over to the auditorium for graduation. Here are a couple pictures in front of the auditorium:

We were lucky to have Andrew's parents here, as well as his sisters Kiri and Kylie and his Aunt Susan and cousin Ian all the way from Toronto! We are so appreciative of them making such a long trip to see this big event for Andrew.

The speaker at graduation was Colonel Eileen Collins- she did her pilot training in Enid also, and became an astronaut! She was the first female to command a shuttle mission! Now she works part time on the NASA Advisory Council. If I told you her whole resume, this post would be about 6 feet long. Oh, and she was a math major; so no surprise that she is totally AMAZING! And below is Andrew waiting with Col Troyer, just before walking across the stage. Here is Andrew receiving his wings from the base commander, Colonel Klumpp!And here is Andrew's parents and I pinning the wings on.

Ta-da! A shiny silver pair of wings! Way to go, Andrew! Note- his other pair of wings below is from the Army, when he flew helicopters. We are so proud of you; you really earned this.

On the right is all the graduates facing their friends and family for one last round of applause. And below is Andrew's dad Martin pinning on his real wings (the ones at the ceremony just have a magnet on the back instead of pins, so as to lessen the chance of us civilians messing things up!).



Above is Andrew's parents and the two of us with base commander Col Klumpp. And below is Andrew with Col Collins and Col Klumpp! I just have to add once more that Col Collins is incredible! Everyone wanted pictures with her, and she spent time talking to every single person. She even asked me about what I was doing now- I'd told her that I'd been a math major too, and am now staying home with my kids- and she said how important and wonderful that was. She said that when she had her kids, she decided to retire from the Air Force and stay with them too! It impressed me so much. Here is a lady with an unbelievable career, who decided to stay with her children. Even now, when they are a bit older she just works part-time so she can be with them. Anyway, this was an awesome day!

It's a Bird! It's a Plane!

Able to climb tall tables in a single bound . . . it's Super Clayton! I got these pajamas at a garage sale, and I think he likes them! It may be the cutest thing I've ever seen. And check out his cheesy grin- he usually just has his goofy Clayton-smile, so the grin was pretty fun!

And I think the Super-ness runs in the family- here is a picture of Andrew at about the same age! Looks like Andrew is taking the super-powers a bit more seriously.

The S'more the Merrier!

Our family had so much fun at our campfire the other night that we went to the park again tonight. But this time our friends joined us, and that made it so much more fun. The Andreasen family, Call family, Kelly & Ava Brown and Krista were all there. It was so relaxing to hang out together around the campfire! It made me want to sing all those cheesy girl's camp songs. We didn't sing, but we did make s'more s'mores- Brian is a BIG fan.

Fun at the Park

We love our base park- it is very close to our house, big, clean, and fun! Today we went with Kelly, her mom and Ava, Leah, Adam and Owen. Above is Clayton driving the Jeep, and below is Owen and Ava.

Here is Brian on the merry-go-round and Clayton making a weird face.


Here is Adam and Owen on the space shuttle and Adam braving the bridge! We are sure going to miss our wonderful friends when we move to Texas.

Brian cannot resist a puddle to save his life. I can't think of many things that bring him more joy than playing in a puddle!

Like our Blog? Here's S'more!

Last night we all went to the park here on base, and made a fire and s'mores! It was so much fun. It got dark right after we got there so we couldn't get too many pictures, but we had a great time. Clayton snuggled with me and watched the fire, and Brian stuck to Andrew like a shadow, helping him pick up wood, roast marshmallows, fetch water and of course eat the s'mores.

As you can see from his pants, Brian did find some puddles to stomp in- if there is a puddle within 500 yards he will find it. Oh, and he really liked his Brian-sized camping chair from Mor Mor. And Clayton was a fan of the beef jerky. We had such a nice time that we might be contemplating a family camping trip someday? But for now, making s'mores at the park is plenty of fun!

B-1 Video

Since this is too large to via e-mail, here's a cool video of the B-1 in action.

These Boots are Made for Watchin' (Toy Story)

Here are the boys wearing cowboy boots- I just found Brian's today at a garage sale. They are a bit big, but he still likes them. Oh, and I found Brian's (reclining!) chair a couple weeks ago at a garage sale, for $2! My goal is to get some upholstery vinyl, and recover both chairs eventually. I've learned my lesson- kid's furniture needs to be made of durable, non-stainable fabric.

Assignment Night!!

Here are our three 'possibilities' on screen:

Drum roll please . . . and Andrew's assignment is:

Andrew is going to fly the B-1 bomber! We will be moving to Dyess AFB in Abilene, TX for training, probably by September or October. After about 6 months of training, we will either stay in Abilene for a three-year-tour, or move to South Dakota. We are so excited to fly such a cool plane, and live near our good friends the Thorup's and the Smith's!

Thank you everyone who came out tonight and supported us through this nerve-wracking evening! We are so grateful for our friends and family that are such a tremendous blessing to us.

Tickle-bug Updated

Here is a video (one of MANY) of Clayton laughing. His laugh is so sweet and infectious. Today while I was cooking lunch he was playing with a beach ball in the kitchen. When I would kick it, he would bust out laughing!


I have not posted anything on Clayton for a while! He is such a sweetheart, and never fails to make us all laugh.

Here is Clayton getting tickled by Daddy. What a cutie.

And here is Clayton's latest thing- Tent Rolling. Kinda like 'Atlasphere' from American Gladiators (I had to look that up). Clayton gets inside Brian's new birthday tent, and pushes against a wall til it rolls over. Here it is after he rolled it down the entryway:

And here he is rolling it back:
Go Clayton!!

Happy Birthday Brian!!

Today is Brian's 3rd birthday! I can't believe my little guy is a big three-year-old now. Notice the Toy Story card that Grandma & Grandpa Monks sent him- he carries it around and looks at it constantly . . . and Clayton has already chewed a hole in it (by Rex's face). Oh well, at least they're enjoying it!

I made Brian a Toy Story cake. Brian was SO excited about the cake that he could not sit still . . . or even sit down.

He finally sat down when it was time to actually eat the cake and ice cream. We had the missionaries over for a pizza dinner, and had a great time.

Here is Brian taking some time to ponder the heavy responsibilities of being three years old. Potty training, Sunbeams, pretty serious stuff!

Brian got a camping set from Mor Mor and Grandpa Trunnell- tent, sleeping bag, camping chair, flashlight. He LOVES it. He has been hanging out in there with his blankets today. Clayton loves it too! Brian also got a play stove from Mommy and Daddy, and Color Wonders and a 'shaving' set from Grandma and Grandpa Monks. We love you so much Brian! Happy Birthday!!

Mommy's Night Out!

Last weekend Krista & I drove to OKC and met up with Hillarie who is currently at Altus. We stayed in this awesome HUGE room, ate lots of great food and shopped til we dropped! It was sooo much fun!! No highchairs. No car seats. No diapers. It is only the second time I have ever spent a night away from the boys . . . I missed them, but it was just the break I needed. Mommies do better when they 'refill the tank' once in a while. Andrew had a great time with the boys too!
Yep, that's me waaay over there across our huge room! Thank you ladies for an awesome weekend! And most of all, THANK YOU Andrew for making it possible.

Playgroup

Okay, it is high time I wrote about playgroup- we have been doing this every Wednesday for over a year, and it is great! There are about a dozen of us who take turns hosting, and we all bring our kids and a potluck dish. So today it was at my house, and we had a great time. I actually cleaned up the patio (NO MORE SAND) so the kids played outside with the water, and inside with the toys. Actually, Brian got so wet that I had to take his shorts off as you can see. Good times!

The above picture from left to right is Brian, Laura with her daughter Kaylee on her lap, Emmy, Emmy's mom Shaina, Krista and Leah.

Here is Clayton with buddies Owen (Krista's son) and Adam (Leah's son). I got this little card table and chairs at a garage sale, and it is perfect for playgroup!

This is Sandra and her daughter Miranda, and Kelly with Ava. Kelly is expecting twin girls in just a few weeks!!

Here is Melissa and her girl Kiera. Kiera also got soaked at the water table, so she is wearing some of Brian's clothes. But she is so beautiful that she makes it work!

Anyway, playgroup is a blast- if you are a stay-at-home mom, I recommend starting one up. If you have food with it, so much the better!

Tag

4 things you were doing 1o years ago:

1. I was 18, working at Lin's bakery
2. Going to Dixie College and the college ward
3. Trying to decide if I should go to SUU or BYU (BYU won out)
4. Enjoying time with all of my friends


4 things you were doing 5 years ago:

1. Andrew and I had been married 11 months
2. Finishing up my second year teaching and juggling 3 callings
3. Living in American Fork- commuting to SLC
4. Learning to cook


4 things I did yesterday:

1. Had a BLAST with Krista and Hillarie in OKC
2. Drove home and was so happy to see my guys!
3. Talked to my Mom
4. Hung out with Kelly


4 shows I like:

1. Office
2. What Not to Wear
3. American Idol
4. Law & Order


My 4 biggest joys of the moment:

1. My family
2. Air conditioning
3. Friends
4. Andrew is graduating!


4 things you might not know about me:

1. I twirled baton in high school
2. I was also voted 'Most Shy' in high school
3. I am a HUGE Bob Dylan fan
4. I am addicted to advice columns- Dear Abby, Miss Manners, etc.

Not today, Zurg!

Brian is still loving Toy Story . . . he plays with his $0.25 Woody doll all the time. We also had a Buzz Lightyear doll that is supposed to hang from the ceiling, so it does not move or anything. But last week at the thrift store I had another amazing find! A GEN-U-INE Buzz Lightyear- fully poseable, bubble helmet, laser light, wings that pop out- even working batteries! And it cost $0.67 at the thrift store. WOW! I mean seriously?? I checked, and they sell on Ebay for $10-$20. You should have seen Brian's face when I pointed it out to him- his eyes got enormous, and he pointed and yelled "Buzz Lightyear!". He absolutely loves it. And now we have 2 Buzz's, so the boys don't fight over it (as much). And every so often Brian will blurt out "Not today, Zurg!" That is what Buzz Lightyear says to his arch enemy just before he foils his evil scheme. Oh, and I got Brian some Buzz Lightyear pajamas at Ross. I swear, Disney should pay me a comission. My kid is a walking billboard.