R&R is a magically two weeks soldiers have to come home and spend time with their family during a deployment. I have been waiting and waiting as my friends' husbands came home and FINALLY it was our turn. We had so much fun! Dallas was originally supposed to fly in at 6:00 and his flight got delayed...and delayed...and delayed. At least it seemed like forever to me! It had been nine months since the girls had seen him and seven months since we had seen each other. He finally got in at 11:00 p.m.
*a big thanks to my sister Hailey for taking most of the pictures here. Even in the worst lighitng ever at the Idaho Falls Airport, she got some great ones!*
Waiting...
Watching for dad
I was so worried if Amaya would recognize Dallas or not. She saw him coming around the corner, yelled, "DAD!", ran, and launched herself into his arms.
My dad captured this awesome picture. I was so relieved to just get to kiss him again!
Our nephew is the funniest kid. He ran up and grabbed Dallas' leg right after he came through the gate.
Mom and Dad. It's definately an improvement over the last time we were at the airport together.
Abrams
Clarks
We're so grateful everyone from both sides of our family was able to be there!
One of the things I love about living in Rexburg is being so close to Porter Park. We love it! We've been a couple times this summer and two of my sister-in-laws came up one day and we had a lot of fun.
I'm such a dork, I missed any pictures of Meagan's kiddos. I did get this awesome video of Amaya and cousin Lincoln on the slide though.
Wow I am sooo behind! Here's lots of pictures of what we have been up to.
My brother Nathan graduated high school last month and my grandparents came up from Texas. I somehow only got one picture, of Oaklie and Great-Grandpa Breedlove.
The ceremony got very long.
I finally broke down and cut Amaya's mullet. This is "The Before". I straightened her hair to show it off in its full glory.
"The After."
My little Miss Oaklie is almost TEN months old! Her birthday will be here before I know it. She is such a sweet and happy little girl who always brightens my day.
Don't get me started about putting Amaya to bed. I think this picture speaks for itself.
As Amaya would say, "BAAA-nana!"
Amaya loves to rock Oaklie before her nap. These two are such good little friends.
Snuggle-bunny
Occasionally Oaklie fights back.
Like I said, Amaya's bedtimes are a nightmare.
And this crazy little girl turns TWO next month! Although she is definately a mischevious toddler, she is also a very sweet little girl. She is a great little buddy to me who can always make me laugh and she is a wonderful sister to Oaklie.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but it was probably like three years ago before I realized what memorial day was--a day to honor our soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Here's a few more facts about memorial day. (All information was taken from http://www.usmemorialday.org/ )
-Memorial Day originally began after the Civil War. Called "Decoration Day" it was a day for everyone to decorate the graves--Union and Confederate--of those who died in the war and was celebrated on May 30.
-After World War I, Memorial Day was changed to honor American soldiers who died in any war.
-Moina Michael wrote the following poem about Memorial Day: We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies, That blood of heroes never dies.
-In 1971 it was changed to the last Monday in May, ensuring a 3-day weekend. Many critics argue that it detracts from the spirit of Memorial Day and encourages people to forget the real purpose of Memorial Day and instead go camping and barbecue.
-"Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected." --memorialday.org
-A variety of organization, including the Boy Scouts of America, decorate the graves of all of the fallen. To read more about this practice, click here.
-In 2000, a resolution was passed through Congress that on Memorial Day at 3:00 pm local time a moment of silence is observed to honor our fallen soldiers.
-All flags should fly at half mast until 12:00 pm
Here are some pictures, courtesy of the Boots in the Sand facebook page, of what Dallas and other soldiers, have been up to today.
Another 5K! The Memorial Day Remembrance Run.
Flag raising ceremony.
I am so thankful for those who have fought and died for our freedoms. It's so easy to forget what a blessing it is to be able to go to church with my children in peace, to know that in a few years, I can send them to school and they can learn to read. We are so blessed to live in this wonderful country with so many freedoms, and there are hundreds of thousands of men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us. We may not know their names and we may not recognize their faces, but I hope that they know that they are not forgotten.
More reading about Memorial Day:
Remember this post from last year about pottytraining? Well, we are now onto the SECOND step of pottytraining.
What's the second step of pottytraining?
Practice, practice, practice!
Amaya thinks that she is pottytrained. About every two hours, she comes up to me and says, "Potty, momma. Amaya pee-pee, mommy. Is poopy." Sounds great, right? The kid who potty trains herself? So far Amaya hasn't gone in the toilet once. Not a single time. She just sits there for about 20 seconds then says, "All done."
I just hope that practice really does make perfect.
