Home of the Free, Because of the Brave

This 4th of July felt just a little more special than other years. This year we were actually members of the Armed Forces and I was couldn't help but feel a bit more patriotic and a bit more grateful for the freedoms we have in the United States. Brydon has not deployed yet but we have spent a lot of time apart this year, and I have gotten a taste of what it will be like when he does deploy. It is a big sacrifice. Being in the Air Force also means that we know many people who are currently serving or have just served time in support of the war efforts. We recently said good bye to the Major in Brydon's office. He will be gone for 9 months as he journeys to Afghanistan to mentor government public health officials there. One of my primary counselors will be leaving in a month to travel to Korea for a year without her family. And I have friends who have had babies while their husbands were gone or cared for 4-5 children on their own for 6-9 months. Every day I meet some amazing people who make me so proud to be in the Air Force.

Right now our Uncle Sam is currently deployed for 6 months and has had to leave my sister-in-law and 2 children on their own in a foreign country. We love Uncle Sam and are so lucky to have him be a part of our family. We are so proud of him and all that he does. We are grateful for the sacrifice their family is making on behalf of our country.  We pray for him and wish him safe keeping!  We love you Uncle Sam!

Although we didn't plan on joining the Air Force, we are honored to be a part of such a great organization.  Brydon is an amazing officer and we are so proud of him.  It looks like next year, we will have the chance to send Brydon off to support the war efforts.  It will be a long 9 months and I don't look forward to the time apart, but I do know that he will do a lot of good while he is gone.  And I know it will be our turn to sacrifice, just like the families we are surrounded by. I also know that we will be taken care.  I have yet to mow the lawn or worry about anything while Brydon has been away.  Everyday I count my blessings that we were stationed at such an amazing base with great neighbors and a wonderful ward family.

Never forget that we are enjoy the freedoms we do, because of the Brave Families and Men and Women who sacrifice everyday.  I am so proud to be an American and an Air Force Wife!!

Unlocking the Inner Fish

There is something amazing that happens to you as a parent when you watch your child succeed at something and overcome something hard.  You just beam inside and can't control your happiness.  Well today we had one of those moments. 
Caleb is a water bug.  He loves water and always has, so in January we started swimming lessons.  He did like to go at first but eventually started to develop some real fears of the water.  He wouldn't put his head underwater and refused to learn the swim techniques.  We were a bit shocked and so after 3 months of trying we decided to take a break from swimming lessons.  The outdoor pools on base have opened for the summer.  So we now spend many of our hot Texas afternoons at the pool and Caleb has started to become more confident and comfortable in the water.  Well today was a miracle.....today I got this picture

Yep!!! That is Caleb underwater and then he spent two hours doing this!

It was so much fun!  I couldn't believe we went from finally putting his face in the water to swimming underwater like a fish.  We were so proud of him.  It was like we finally unlocked the inner fish we knew was always there.  There is just nothing like watching your kiddo succeed!

A Tribute to Fathers

So I am a couple weeks late but I live by the philosophy "Better Late than Never". What can I say?! During Father's Day I began to think about all the father figures I have had in my life, and really wanted to write about them. And I guess since my son is 4 1/2 years old, the influence of fathers has been on my mind more. I feel really lucky because I have been able to have influence of 5 amazing fathers in my life.
My Birth Father
To begin I will start at the beginning of my life. When I was born I did not have the opportunity to meet or know my birth father. I was raised by an amazing single mom until I was 4 1/2.  Well over time I did have an interest in my birth father and my biological history, but soon discovered that I would not be able to find him without a private investigator.  But when I was 26 years old, a miracle occurred and I was able to meet my biological father and his beautiful family.  How we met is an amazing story that I will save for another day.  But it is absolutely Oprah worthy, and I truly believe was meant to be.  Although I did not have his influence in my life growing up, I do know that he is an amazing father because his children are amazing, and I have come to love them very much.  It was an honor to get to travel to Utah in April to attend the funeral of my father's wife.  I watched his 4 children between the ages of 18-26; cry together, celebrate together, and pay tribute to their wonderful mother.  They truly emulate their family's motto of "If you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance".  I feel very blessed to have them in my life and to finally get the chance to get to know them. 

My Grandpa
Since I was raised by a single mother, I developed a strong relationship with my grandparents.  I love them dearly and have always been very close.  My grandparents were my biggest cheerleaders during college and I would have never made it through without them.  My grandpa and I are a lot alike and I am so lucky to have a grandpa like him.  I have always felt his love no matter what I have done or what has happened in life.  Everyone needs a cheerleader like that in their life!

My Dad
When I was 4 1/2, I was finally able to get a dad and we were able to be sealed together as a family for eternity.  I was so excited to finally get a dad.  Although like most father/daughter relationships, things were not always easy, but I feel so lucky to have gotten such a great dad.  He is a hard worker and truly loves the gospel.  And although I may not share his same genetics, I know that he loves me.  I have loved watching him be a grandpa and it is so fun to have a son that adores his grandpas and follows them around everywhere. 

My Father-in-Law
I have been blessed with an inspiring father-in-law.  He is an amazing dad and is my husband's best friend.  He loves his family so much and is very in tune with their needs, feelings, and what their future may hold.  I have been very lucky to have a father-in-law that is so loving and accepting and works hard to make me feel a part of the family.  He has been a huge blessing in our family's life.  My husband can't go wrong following in his father's footsteps and son sure thinks his grandpas walk on the moon.

My Son's Father
It is an amazing thing to watch your husband become a father.  I have loved it and was blessed with a husband who loves coming home to his family everyday.  We are so lucky to have an amazing father in our home everyday.  Caleb loves his daddy so much and wants to be like him so much.  I can't believe the difference in Caleb when his daddy is home and not away on a TDY.  When Brydon is around daily, my son is so happy and much less moody.  It has been hard on him to have daddy gone so much.  I have felt so blessed to watch the two of them together and to see them building that special bond that fathers and sons do.  They play together, work together, and are just the best of buddies!

I hope that all the fathers out there realize how important they are and how much they mean to their children. I am so grateful to the men who have supported and loved me.  Fatherhood is truly a blessing!

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home!

After being away for 10 weeks, we were so excited to get to visit daddy in Ohio. It was a beautiful drive and Caleb was such a trooper. We were so excited to see dad and when we got there, I barely had the car parked before Caleb flew out to give his daddy a hug. He was so excited and the pictures below don't do it justice. But it was a great moment. It has been such a fun month with daddy. We spent a week in Ohio and got to visit the Columbus Zoo, the Air Force Museum, and see where daddy grew up. Then we spent 2 days in Nauvoo, IL with my parents, and then just enjoyed being together as a family. We got a lot of fun projects done. Today we put daddy back on the plane and sent him to Alabama for 7 weeks. It was sad to see him go again. But I know Caleb will be ready with a super warm welcome when he gets back!





Best of Buddies! They have so much fun together!

Living in Paradise---Summer in April!

Our roses just recently bloomed and they are so beautiful!! I want to get 2 more bushes just like them for the side of the porch.


The one catastrophe so far. I have never used a weed eater before but I decided it was time to learn. Well I learned a valuable lesson. Weed eaters pretty much eat anything. Including your house! Really don't like using the weed eater.


The sand and water table that is pretty much a "mush and muck" table now. Has been a huge hit and Caleb has most definitely made it his own.


The new "Breakfast Nook". Since we don't have patio furniture we improvised. We spend so much time outside and I love that we can eat outside too.


Is that not the face of summer!! Caleb loves being outside all the time and he is so cute! As you can see, we were having a clothing is optional day.

I love the heat and rarely like air conditioning. Texas has had some gorgeous weather and it has been so fun to see the roses bloom and green trees in April. I actually have a tan already and I never tan. So now that you are all jealous, you have to come check out our little paradise here in Texas!

The "Green Thumb" Experiment

If you know me at all, then you know that plants and I really don't get along very well. I pretty much kill plants. So any gardening and plant care has fallen on Brydon, who enjoys it and does not kill plants. But here I am in Texas and it is 90 degrees outside with a beautiful yard and no husband for pretty much the whole spring/summer. So for entertainment and sanity and for fun, I have decided to see if I can indeed plant a garden and flowers and actually keep them alive. So for so good!!!
I am trying my hand at "Suburban Gardening" or whatever you want to call it. We are allowed to dig up our yard to plant a garden if we want to, but when we move it must be restored to its orginal condition. So I am opting to not tear up my lawn so I have to replace it in a year or so. Instead I am using 5 gallon buckets, planters, and a great garden stand I found at Wal-mart. So far things are growing really well. I have 2 tomato plants, 3 pepper plants (they are struggling the most), radishes, green and regular onions, romaine, beans, and peas. Caleb also really wanted to grow giant sunflowers so I am planting a patch of them right under our kitchen window. I was also told about growing corn in 5 gallon bucks and so tomorrow we will be planting sweet corn in buckets. It has been so much fun to do together. Caleb is facinated by the growing seeds and we have our nightly "watering the plants" ritual. Which if you know Caleb then this is the most exciting part of the day. It will be intersting to see how it all works out but so far it was a pretty cheap project and has been well worth it!

Caleb's Flower Pots


I thought they looked really nice on the front porch


Our Garden Stand has 2 upside down tomato plants and then the top is a 5x5 garden patch with 3 pepper plants and I stuck some romaine seeds in there but we will see how they do. The Flower Planter has radishes and onions.


Caleb was so excited to find these radish sprouts today. It was so cute!


I started the beans, peas, and sunflowers in these seed starters. I have never done that before and it is wild. I hope I can actually transplant them ok.

We will keep you posted on how we do with our new experiment!

Team Bradshaw---Autism Speaks

One of Caleb's amazing friends in Abilene has autism. Ethan is the sweetest boy and Caleb loves him to death. A couple Saturdays ago, we had the opportunity to be a part of an Autism Speaks Walk at the zoo with the Bradshaw family. Autism Speaks is a great oganization that offers support to families with autism and continues to support autism research. It was a super fun day and we were so happy we could be a part of such a great cause. We are so grateful for the Bradshaw family and the wonderful friends they have been to us here.

Two Handsome Boys and Best Buddies!


Not Sure Who the Animal Is?


Darth Vader!!


Caleb Was Terrified of Elvis (well actually all the characters but particularly Elvis)


Go Team Bradshaw!!!