Two Small Words

Thank you

to my grandfather,

my father,

my uncles,

my aunt,

my brothers,

my cousins,

my sons,

my nephews,

and to all the other veterans.

It seems like such a small thing to say in comparison to what they did, but it must be said.

Memorial Day

As we remember and honor our fallen, our thoughts and prayers are also with their loved ones.

Flags fly at half staff in honor of Cpl Nelson and Lance Cpl Opicka.

KIA 14 April 2008

Welcome Home Adam!

The yellow ribbon was hung . . .

The welcome sign was written on the drive . . .

Spider man was there and a Wubzy representative was in attendance . . .

Dexter and Cooper were there (after a long hard day at the zoo) . . .

The dogs had been trimmed and bathed . . .

. . .  and we waited for Adam.

We had had a sneek peak at him last weekend.  He called Saturday morning to say that he might be getting released that day.  We got ready to leave the house to pick him up while waiting for a call back.  20 minutes later he called and said he wasn't getting released but he was given a 3 day pass.  HURRAY!  We left ASAP and drove to get him.  It was soooooo good to see him and hug him.  We stopped for a quick bite to eat then started the long drive to his home.... lots of time for visiting in the car.  Justin met us in the city and took him the rest of the way.  After his pass Adam drove himself back to the base and finished up all the details and is now DONE!!  FINISHED!!  IT'S OVER!!!

I spent a good part of the week in between that first weekend when we picked him up for his pass and the weekend after he was released calling him... just because I could!  I love hearing his voice answer the phone... or seeing his name on the caller ID if he called us.

It was a nice long weekend with Adam, Sarah, John, Cooper, Dexter, Zak, Caycee, Scott and I.  We missed Justin (someone has to work!) and Dayna and Lynzee but they spent time with Adam that first weekend.  Bittersweet... Dayna's brother left the country the very day Justin's brother landed back in the U.S.

Adam said he hadn't seen any kids the entire time he was gone.  He made up for it this weekend. It seemed like he had a niece or nephew (or several!) around him nearly all the time.  We kept pictures up and talked about Adam with the kids while he was gone and it paid off.  They remembered him and weren't shy at all.  Just before I shot this picture he had the three olders ones - Zak, Caycee & Cooper - on his lap at once.  My camera wasn't fast enough to catch it  :(  or maybe it was the operator that wasn't fast enough.

I've been trying to think of a way to describe how it feels and I keep falling short. You know when you watch a toddler climb the monkey bars alone for the first time and you are holding your breath and then they make down in one piece and you finally breathe. Or when your 16 year old takes the car out for the first time and they come home safe and sound and you relax. Or, if you don't have kids as a reference, you're waiting for a grade on a really important test and you get a good one and your nerves are settled. You don't even realize how tense you have been... you think you are taking it all in stride but it's over and parts of you relax that you just didn't realize had been tensed. It's like all those things only 100 times over. One, big, giant sigh of relief, your shoulders drop, and your heart swells.

Thank you Lord.  And please continue to watch over all our military men and women who are still on active duty wherever they are.

HOME! ...sort of

Adam has landed on US soil! His phone call early this morning brought tears of joy and prayers of gratitude.

Still a few days to a week before we can actually see him and hug him so the anticipation continues!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM!!!

We're going to eat cake and think about you today. 

Hope you're having a good day!

We miss you!!

We love you!!!

Adam's Quilt . . . Finished & Mailed

I love knowing who a quilt is for when I am working on it.

I feel such a connection with the person.

That made this one extra special since Adam is so far away.

Here's a bit of a close up of the quilting . . . .

And a piece of the back, quilted . . .

He should have it soon.
Hopefully he'll feel a connection to home when he gets it.

I've Got Your Back

Quilt back that is . . .

Hate is a strong word so I won't use it.  But I really, really, dislike piecing quilt backs. If I want to do piecing I'll make a quilt top. I love quilts that have pieced backs and love the way they look but I'm too impatient to do it for my quilts.  When that top is finished I want to load it on the frame and quilt it. Now.

   The LQS sells extra wide fabric (108") so that's what I've been using since I discovered that section of the store.  But I couldn't find a back that would work for this quilt.  The only ones that would work color-wise had flowers all over them.  This quilt is for Adam so flowers won't do. 

So I had to stop whining and piece a back. Well, I didn't really stop whining, but I did do the piecing.  It was nice to use up the scraps and the oops pieces.  I had set them aside thinking they would come in handy for some project some day. And I like the way it turned out.

And here is the top . . .

Now I can get it all loaded on the frame.  Hopefully I can ship it to Adam this week so it will keep his back warm while he's got our backs.

Counting The Days

We had a few opportunities to get together with Adam in the past couple months and we made the most of it.  Dinner out just before he left for training will probably be the last get-together at a restuarant for a long while.  The kids were awesome but it's lots easier to enjoy each other when they can relax too and sitting around chatting is not their idea of relaxing.

Adam had a pass a few weeks after training started and we all (except John - he had one of those pesty things called a work day - we missed him) spent a day at Justin and Dayna's.

Now this is the kids idea of relaxing!

And the boys idea of relaxing . . .

Recently Adam had a last pass before deployment and we all got together at his place.  I think we thought it would be easy for him that way - he wouldn't have to go anywhere.  He has a nice place that's perfect for him.  And he has it furnished / decorated really nice. It suits him. 

Insert 6 more adults, three active little ones and two babies . . . . . let's say it got interesting.  But it turned out great. The kids didn't have their usual "playground full of toys" but found ways to entertain themselves.  Pretend naps in Adam's bed were a laughing hit for a while. Adam's gazillion magnets of words on his fridge turned into art. And the empty box from the Chinese food . . . well you know kids and boxes.

The babies played "switch-the-moms" . . .

Zak took pictures . . .

Scott and I thought it was kind of amazing to sit back and watch what has become of our three little kids . . . the noisy, chaotic, full of love, family. 

Adam had quieter visits with each of us while he was home and had time with his friends.  Scott and I had lunch with him and visited some more while he folded his laundry and packed.  We said our goodbyes and got our last hugs.

We love you Adam.  We're proud of you.  We're going to miss you (already do).  Be safe.
And we'll be counting the days until we can see you again.

All Dressed Up AND With Somewhere To Go

Scott and I recently traveled a bit to spend time with Adam as his new unit had a Farewell Ceremony.

When we first arrived at the fort we met Adam in the parking lot. As we entered the actual fort the Patriot Guard Riders had formed a line on either side of the walk. They greeted the soldiers as they passed and thanked them for their service. They then formed a semi-circle around the parade grounds for the ceremony which consisted mainly of speeches from the commanders, Governor and Senators.

I'm not sure how this Rider was able to see where he was going.

We were able to visit with Adam for a couple hours on the parade grounds prior to the ceremony. Then afterwards the soldiers were released for the remainder of the day. We went out for a late lunch/early dinner and spent a few more hours hanging out and buying books. Finally we had to drop him off at his hotel and say goodbye. :(
He will probably get a long weekend pass before he ships out, so should get to see him at least once more. :)

Dinner with Adam

We all went out to dinner with Adam one last time.

(fun but GRRR, whine, whine)

Scott says he has changed his mind and he doesn't want him to go. I don't think there has been any mind changing there - that's pretty much been the case all along. When I pointed that out, Scott's reply was "Now I forbid it." I'm pretty sure those days are over.

Considering the number of little ones at dinner it went pretty well. I wanted a picture of Adam with all his nieces and nephews to help the kids remember him while he is gone . . . . so he won't be a stranger to them when he gets back. It seems not everyone was focused on the task at hand . . .


There were several cameras in attendance so I'm hoping someone else got a better shot!

Getting Ready

These packages arrived. They contain necessary (to us) items to help us during Adam's "trip". They contain a map of the country he will call "home" for several months, a National Geographic video about the country, and a personalized blue star flag for the window.

We're "arming" ourselves!

Here we go again . . .

Justin and Dayna had us over for Caycee's birthday. All the grandparents and Justin's sibs. Dayna's sibs are: one, out of town; another, out of state; a third, out of the country.

The party girl

Caycee's in Grandma Nettie's arms as we sing and she blows out the candle. She was so proud of herself and LOVED everyone singing to her.

Cooper is waiting patiently for his cake. Looks like his mouth is watering.

And, while we were there, we found out that Adam, who is in the Army Reserves, is being activated and will be deployed. It's like knowing your children are going to drive. You know it's going to happen but watching them drive away is so hard. We knew he could be deployed but it's still a kick in the gut when you get the news.

Godspeed Marine Kenny

Nephew Kenny is leaving the country in a few days. Be careful, Kenny, and please come home safely and quickly.

WELCOME HOME JUSTIN

We arrived at the Allstate Arena this morning to wait for the Marines.

We waited

... and waited
...and waited
and then finally they marched in!!!! WOW!!
They stood there as their commander gave a very short speech. As it happened Justin was almost directly in front of us. He didn't realize it at first and you could see his eyes roaming the arena looking and looking. You could tell when he finally spotted Dayna... his face just lit up! And then the command was given... DISMISSED.



First Embrace

Let me look at you.

Together again.

Zak and Caycee didn't go with us; they stayed at home with Nana. When we got there everyone went inside before Justin came in. Dayna was holding Zak, Justin opened the door and the look on Zak's face was priceless. (Sarah has an awesome picture on her blog that captures the moment perfectly.) Dayna said "who's that?" and he softly said "Dada." She set him down and he ran right to Justin. They embraced and then Zak backed up a bit and just looked.
What a day! It was soooo good to see him, to hug him, and to see his family all together again. Thank you Lord for bringing my boy home safe.