Last of the pix from graduation

I guess that I could really divide up this posts into about three different posts...but it's late and I don't have the energy to do all that. Anyway, I came across this lot of photos and knew that I needed to post them. Onto the explanations...

Right after graduation, there's something called a pinning ceremony. OK, it's not really a ceremony, but it's an important part of becoming an officer. The new officer has someone important/special in their life place the officer's pin onto their dress uniform (it's the symbol that anyone in the military recognizes as rank of officer. Each rank has their own individual badge/pin). Anyway, so Ryan honored me by having me do this for him. I stood on the bank of this monument behind us (height was a bit of a problem since the pins go on his shoulders) so that I could get them just right. The military (and Ryan) are very anal about positioning just so. :) We had a few laughs with it.





Here we have a little reunion from Ryan's basic training. One of his drill sergeants, captain, and 1st LT had come by for the graduation ceremony and came over to congratulate Ryan. Julia is being introduced to his drill sergeant here. Ryan was so honored that these men, whom he has come to highly respect, came to see him and others graduate. He joked saying that it was very hard not to scare himself into attention when the drill sergeant approached. LOL. Old habits die hard, huh? He said it was even more odd having his drill sergeant salute him. It was an awesome thing to watch.


The proudest parents in the world.



Sooooooo glad that Granny Mac was able to come on this trip and witness this important milestone in our lives. A big thanks to Mom and Dad for bringing her along. :)


Well, the graduation is over, the pinning has taken place....time to go home!


Well, not really home. But definitely time to celebrate and have some fun! So we went over to Mom and Dad's hotel to go swimming (The heat outside was intense that day and no amount of sunblock would prevent a sunburn. Our hotel's pool was outside.). So here we are hanging out with the pool to ourselves.

Last time at SDC

Every year we have bought season tickets to Silver Dollar City. Since we don't plan on being here much longer, we didn't buy passes this year. However, while Ryan had a break before snow birding, we headed down just one last time.....



This really would have been a great picture if some kid's head (and it's not Marcus's) didn't pass in front of the camera at that unlucky moment!







Here's Julia trying her hand again at taking pictures. I like it!

Lazy, lazy, lazy....well, maybe not

But I feel like I've been lazy for not posting more often. In actuality, I've been quite busy (being a single mom of four during each week is no easy feat). :) This past week was especially stressful because of the whole car situation, my house not selling, and it was my week to teach in Relief Society (that's enough to stress me out no matter what other things I have going on!). But I tell you what, I have truly been blessed.

I think it began three days ago when Ryan checked craigslist and found a car that was 1k below our limit for a vehicle. I took it to friend of ours to see how it checks out (make sure that there wasn't anything secretly wrong with it). Nope, squeaky clean. It's a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. Captains seats for the middle row and stow and go seating too. Much more room than the regular caravan that I was squishing our family into. Oh, I'm in heaven! I actually will pick up the van later this week. I couldn't thank Heavenly Father enough for helping us out there.

Well, now that we'll have a new and working van, we needed to get rid of the old one. But really, who on earth would buy a vehicle that needs a new engine?! Ryan decided to post it on craigslist for the heck of it. He specifically stated exactly what was wrong with it. Um, would anyone believe that 3 hours later it was sold??? Holy cow. Funny thing--so, I haven't driven the van in over a week (I've been driving Mom and Dad's van--thank you sooooo much!!!!). Well, I kinda forgot that it kills the battery when you don't run the car. Soooooo, the guy gets here and wants to hear what the engine sounds like. I put the key in the ignition and....nothing. OH my gosh, I was mortified. He told me he'd talk it over with his wife and get back to me in an hour. Secretly I was thinking "yeah right!!!!". I mean, granted, all it took was the jumper cables and a few minutes being hooked up to Ryan's car to get the van started. But still...it couldn't have been a good omen. Well, sure enough, less than an hour later this guy calls and wants to come by and pay cash for it. !!! All Ryan and I could do is give lots of thanks to the Lord. It's crazy how things have just been working out this week.

And it doesn't end there. This past week I've reallllly been struggling with my lesson for RS. It just wasn't coming together for me and it simply wasn't sticking in my head. Of course, I'm still used to 15 minute lessons that also consist of songs and activities. Now I'm working with an 8 page lesson that is supposed to last 35 minutes. And instead of being with children, I'm with ladies my age and older. I've struggled with being shy all my life--it's always been extremely intimidating for me to get up in front of large groups. When Ryan and I first gave our "couple" talks together in sacrament, I had written every single word of my talk (he only had a note card that had a few words scribbled on it). Slowly over the years I've climbed the latter to the point of only needing an outline--but the entire time I'm up there I'm shaking like a leaf. Cold and sweaty palms and everything. So of course last night I was tossing and turning (even had a real nightmare of how it all went wrong). Well, I got up in front of the ladies and just began from the beginning. A great story about Joseph and Emma. I did blank on a couple words halfway through, which was extremely embarrassing, but from there....it was amazing. I really only had about 5 quotes that I was going to share and then trust on class participation. I've attended some wards where it's like pulling teeth to get anyone to speak up. Today was different though. It flowed so well, the sisters were eager to share their thoughts and experiences. It occured to me afterwards that I actually was enjoying myself up there at the podium. I didn't have a set speech/outline. I had notecards for a "just in case I completely blank or forget to ask these questions". But I didn't even need to use them. This has NEVER happened to me before. Me? Me at ease being the teacher? Any other time it would seem laughable to me, even downright perposterous. But I don't know. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Well, and the lesson just so happened to be "Obedience: when the Lord commands, do it". I've been called to teach. So I studied to the best of my ability and taught with the spirit--and the Lord took care of the rest. Here is proof that through our trials we grow. When we are pushed out of our comfort zones, we are given the chance to become better people and are blessed for it.

Something that was mentioned in my lesson today--when we obey the lord's commandments, we are blessed. Now, we don't get to choose what those blessings are or even the time frame for which we receive them. That really hit home. We've been praying daily for our house to sell, praying to be a complete family. In the midst of this, we try to remain strong and keep the commandments. Well, we've been blessed with a vehicle to replace the broken one--and the new one is actually better suited to fit our needs. I'm becoming more comfortable in my calling. Now, I didn't pray for either of these things. But the Lord knows our needs and desires. He also knows what is best for us--and when. I'm not sure why the house hasn't sold yet--and who am I to question the Lord? But I know that He's looking out for us and taking care of us.

Where much is given, much is required...

Yeah, we all know that lovely little saying. In sacrament meeting this Sunday, a sister turned it around a bit and said "Where much is required, much is given". Something to keep in mind...and boy, has the original verse been on my mind. I can't ever remember a more stressful time in my life (and there have been many times!). There were the years Ryan was in school while working full time and I was basically a single mom. Evelyn and Marcus were born in the midst of that. Then spending the past six months completely on my own with a whole house full of sick kiddos (and sick mommy). Well, trying to sell my house is the absolute topper I think. Trying to do it basically on my own. It's insane! Between the yard work and trying to keep my house absolutely spotless (did I mention that I have 4 young, rambunctious kids?), I'm kinda at my limit. But no, then there's trying to get Marcus adjusted to going into nursery each Sunday, trying to put together my lesson which I'm supposed to teach in RS this Sunday, trying to find housing in _________, trying to keep my family together, ect. Just when I thought it couldn't get any harder, the Lord showed just how much it really could. :) *sigh* Well, my car started making funny noises and so I took it into the shop so that a good friend of ours (who is an amazing mechanic--and very honest and trustworthy) could check it out and see what's up. Turns out that it's the engine and that it has to be replaced. Uh, dude, my van is a '99 with about 140,000. It's not even worth the cost of a new engine (or an old one for that matter, believe me, we checked). This isn't something that can be ignored either. We had planned on getting a bigger sized van in a couple of years, but it looks like we'll be trying to get one much sooner than that! But before we can do that, our house has to sell.

Where much is given, much is required. Or where much is required, much is given. It's required that our family survive the separation from Ryan. It's required to continue to rear the children up in righteousness while on my own. It's required to have a house of order. It's required to have the faith that the Lord will guide someone who is in need of this house to find it. It's required to know that the Lord won't give us more than we can handle--in every aspect. It's required to have the faith that the Lord will take care of our family, that He's mindful of our needs and desires. It's required to keep his commandments. Well, at least it's required to do all this to receive blessings. Perhaps not the exact ones we hope/wish/pray for, but the Lord knows what is best for each of us. I've been praying for my house to sell--I just got a call from a realtor who wants to come tomorrow afternoon--at the exact time which Marcus has a check up with the doctor while my other kiddos were going to home with the babysitter. The Lord knows what's best for us--a quick call to the babysitter handled the location of the babysitting (to be at her house now). And now I won't have to reschedule with the realtor and pack up my kids and disappear some other time. I am thankful. I know that as we are faithful, we will be blessed. I know that it's not easy. But would it really be called a trial if it wasn't? I know that we are all growing from these experiences--and for the better. I know that someday our family will be reunited. I know that we are an eternal family. I know that as we keep the commandments, we truly will be blessed.

Which character are you?

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?

You are part Harry. You're a loyal and courageous friend. You'd do anything to protect the people you love, especially if it'll get you a break from class for a little while.

You are part Dumbledore. You're the wise sage in any group. With your guidance, any situation can be resolved in the fairest way possible.

Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

From the mouth of Evelyn

A small questionaire that originally came from Callie which she did with Isaac. I just asked Evelyn these questions and had a good laugh from the answers she gave me.

What does Mommy always say to you?
"To come here and listen to me."

What makes Mommy happy?
"When I give you a hug."

What makes Mommy sad?
"When I am in trouble"

How does Mommy make you laugh?
"When you tickle me"

What was Mommy like when she was little?
"You liked toys"

How old is Mommy?
"I don't know....28?" (that was with some help from Jacob)

How tall is Mommy?
"Uh, that tall?" (she held her hands out a few inches above her own head)

What does Mommy like to do?
"To give me some dinner"

What doesn't Mommy like to do?
"Wrestle"

What does Mommy do for a job?
"Uh, clean the dishes?"

What is Mommy's favorite food?
"Rice, chicken, and corn" --mind you, Jacob whispered this in her ear and it's more like HIS favorite meal. :)

What do Mommy and Evelyn like doing together?
"Kiss and hug"

How do you know that Mommy loves you?
"Because I love you and you love me"

More random pics of the trip

Here's a couple pix of the kiddos playing at the playground on the campground. We didn't stay too long...it was soooooo HOT!!!



We attended an officer's ball before graduation. I was quite excited to see what it was all about. Joycelyn and Roya have attended balls with their hubbies and enjoyed the opportunity to dress up and see their soldiers looking so handsome. Well, I was no different. Of course it's impossible to find a modest dress these days and so a close friend of mine who is an amazing seamstress made my dress. We picked out the style, fabric, ect and she worked her magic. It turned out beautiful! It actually didn't clash with Ryan's green suit either. I loved seeing all the soldiers dressed up and with their black bow ties!




Warning! Major tears going on here! Ryan gave his mom and dad special coins as gifts. Here is Mom all teared up as she's trying to read what it says. This coin is specifically for moms of soldiers. I forget the exact wording on the coins...mom and dad will have to tell everyone.



Oh gosh...yes, that's my son sticking his head in the end of a cannon. :) Well, he was quite interested to see if anything was in it!