Dad's Wing Quarterly Award

(Dad with Colonel Buckley)

Congratulations Dad on your second Wing Quarterly Award.  Your family is so proud of all that you have done.  Dad's supervisor submitted him for the Squadron Quarterly Award several months ago.  He (of course) won that title and then became eligible for the Group Quarterly Award.  Again (of course) he won that title and became eligible for the Wing Quarterly Award.  Clearly that title also became his.  In order to be nominated (and win) these awards first you have to have a supervisor who thinks you are doing a great job.  You and your supervisor have to put all of your accomplishments on paper.  Your file is reviewed and (if you pass the review) you are presented to a board of individuals who ask you questions.  Questions can be political, militaristic, about local policies, etc.  Depending on how you conduct yourself in manners, speech, etc. determines your success.  The process is repeated for each squadron, group, and wing awards. 

Jonathan, I know it took me a few weeks to post your accomplishments but I am truly proud of you.  You are a great provider for our family and I'm thankful for all you do.  The kids and I miss you like crazy.  Be safe and try not to freeze.  I love you the MOST!

Pierced!

Jordynn got her ears pierced!  She's asked for several months.  But every time I explained the process of ear piercings she would change her mind.  I found some cute sticker earrings that Santa gave Jordynn for Christmas.  I thought it would make her happy.  It fueled her desire to get her ears pierced.  So we were at Wal-Mart one day and were walking pass the jewelry counter and I asked the attendant to show Jordynn the ear-piercing guns.  I figured she would get scared and not keep asking.  I explained that it hurt to have your ears pierced.  She looked worried.  We walked away.  As we left the store she exclaimed, "Okay Mom, let's do it.  It'll only hurt for a little while."  What?  I told her she could get them pierced the following day if she still wanted too.  She had to wait until after dinner the following day.  But was oh so excited.  The women in the jewelry department were very sweet.  Jordynn got sillier and sillier as the women told her how cute she was.  She picked out her birthstone earrings with a matching necklace.  There was one lady who was slightly annoying.  She kept telling Jordynn to come back and get a second earring and at one point just before the actual piercing she tried telling Jordynn not to worry cause it only felt like a "fingernail tapping your hand."  Wait, what?  I'm sorry but it hurts.  I wanted Jordynn to know what to expect.  I won't lie to her.  Jordynn didn't look at all nervous.  UNTIL they stuck the guns to her ears.  But she asked me to hold her hand and that was all she needed.  I told her it was okay to cry just don't scream.  She cried for about two minutes and then was fine.  They even gave her a certificate of bravery.  She LOVES showing them off to everyone!

Trampoline Fun!

They all wanted to show off their tricks.  Jordynn's is a forward roll.  Classic.

Kade is working on a forward flip.  He obviously uses his hands still but most of the time he lands on his feet.  He is by far our best jumper.  But I'm predicting he will be our first trampoline induced E.R. trip.  He has no sense of fear.

Trayton is much more cautious but getting braver every day.

They like to wrestle on the tramp.  It provides a nice, semi-safe place to do so.  They laugh so hard.  It makes me smile.  Even though it's January and cold they always end up taking their coats off.  I insist they wear them outside but they don't last.  They play so hard they get 'hot' and 'must' take them off.

Christmas Day!

Braelynn saw this at the store and immediately fell in love.  How could I deny her this one pleasure?  She loves it just as much today as she did last month in the store!

Santa got all three big kids with this coloring easel.  My kids love to color.  They spend hours at the table doing crafts.  It usually ends in a fight over who gets what paper or marker.  This is my attempt to end those disputes.  So far...success.

This picture makes me laugh.  Notice the cotton ball hanging out of Trayton's mouth.  Dad had just forced helped him pull his tooth.  It was really loose.  It didn't bleed much.  But it took a lot of persuasion to get him to remove the cotton ball.

Kade wasted no time in busting out his color easel and markers and crayons and stickers and ohh he loved the mess.

We had church at 9am so we made the kids wait until after church to open gifts.  I actually fed them breakfast in their bedroom and blind folded them as they walked through the living room on their way to church.  Haha.  Hence the reason dad's still in his Sunday shirt.

Jordynn was surprisingly excited about getting a new pair of tights.

Kade really wanted slippers so he could slide down the hallway.  (Did I mention he already put a hole in my door doing that very thing? Yeah.)

I love the looks on their faces.  So focused.  So serious.

Braelynn LOVED opening gifts. 

The big gift this year was a trampoline.  Only we hadn't set it up yet so it was still in the box.  Their reaction was anticlimatical.  Bummer.  But once they saw the tramp going up they got excited.  It's 40* outside and they are out jumping.

We got lots of games this year.  Yea me.  I love games and so do my kids.  We have had TONS of fun playing games as a family.  Twister cracked me up.  Jordynn has no clue and even if she did she can't reach from one side to the other.  So she just bounces around making it more difficult on everybody else.  Kade gets silly and normally falls after 2-3 rounds.  Trayton is quite the competitor though.  He and Dad got all twisted up and I laughed the whole time.

Christmas Eve

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.  (Trayton as the Donkey.  Braelynn as Mary.)

And she brought forth her firstborn son...and laid him in a manger.  (Dad as Joseph.  Braelynn as Mary.  Baby as Jesus.)

And there were shepherds...keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them...and they were sore afraid.  (Shepherd as Kade.  Angel as Jordynn.)

Fear not:  for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

Behold, there came Wise Men from the east, to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him.  ... And when they were come into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him...(Wise Man as Trayton).

 (Taken from Luke 2 and Matthew 2)

I love sharing my testimony of the birth of Christ with my children.  Last night we were reading 3 Nephi.  Christ descended from heaven and the prophet Nephi knelt and kissed his feet.  Kade couldn't stop giggling.  Why would Nephi kiss his feet?  In the mind of a 6 year old it simply didn't make sense.  So I laid down beside him as he was going to bed and we discussed it.  When Christ died for us he was hung on a cross.  Nails were driven into his hands, wrists, and feet.  When He stood before Nephi, Nephi was so overcome with love and respect that he fell to his knees and humbly kissed the feet of Christ.  Kade's eyes softened and his giggles subsided.  I know he understood.  Then we talked about the return of Christ.  Just as the shepherds left their flocks to find Him.  Just as the wisemen traveled great distances and rejoiced at the opportunity to worship Him.  Just as Nephi fell and kissed His feet.  We too will have the opportunity to greet our Savior.  I know as assuredly as he was born in a stable, died on a cross, and returned to the Nephites in America He will come again.