Father's Day

Sunday, June 17

I'm so used to attending church on Sunday mornings instead of Saturday evenings that Father's Day seemed to start off so differently this year!  But it WAS nice to have a leisurely morning at home, particularly since we had some kid issues in the night.  Later in the morning we packed some snacks to take to a park that had a small water play area as well as a sand pit and playground equipment.  We stayed as long as we could without melting and then went back to the house for lunch.  The grown-ups had Chipotle for lunch (yum!), and then the little boys and I got a good nap while the others had some chill time at the condo during Joel's afternoon softball game.

A very sleepy Zaden!

Munching chips in one of the few shady spots left on the playground equipment!

(Notice Kenna's Cheeto Smile?!)

Lucan does some "driving."

In the evening Ted and I went out to eat while everyone else had Papa Murphy's pizza and a movie night.  Then, we came back to the condo to collect Zaden and an overnight bag and went to the Magnolia in downtown Denver to spend the night, my Father's Day/15th anniversary gift to Ted.  (Our actual anniversary date is the 28th of June, but we'll be in the middle of Commission Week then!)  We got a deal on a fireplace suite and enjoyed getting to have some uninterrupted time together, as Zaden took the change of scenery all in stride and promptly fell asleep when we put him down.  (Hey, one closet looks the same as another when you're inside in the dark, right?!)

Ted surprised me with an early anniversary gift as well, an amethyst necklace and earring set from Kandahar.  It's gorgeous!  I don't have a picture of it yet, and I'm not sure a photograph would do it justice, since it changes color in different kinds of light.  When he gave it to me, Ted said something about how I shine in the various roles I fill...I'm not exactly sure of the wording, but I know it turned me to mush and pretty much made me a puddle. :-)  I love him!

I wonder what the next 15 years will bring us?!  All we know is, God has been so faithful, and life is certainly an adventure when you follow Him!

Happy Birthday, Ted!

Yesterday Ted turned 33! We hadn't been too sure whether we should really plan anything for his actual birthday or not, given the troubles Baby J has caused lately. In fact, I was up again for nearly 2 hours Saturday night with more painful contractions than I've had to date...seems like each false labor session gets more and more intense before things subside. Though the contractions were coming 5-6 minutes apart and lasting at least a minute each time, I was so reluctant to make another trip to the hospital...so I took a couple of Tylenol PMs and decided if I couldn't get back to sleep I would wake Ted up. I did go back to sleep and woke 3 hours later, and the contractions were back to "normal," meaning a few more or less painless ones each hour.

So, it was Ted's birthday, and we were determined to celebrate after all! We usually try to go out and enjoy an unusual experience, but again, this baby has made planning difficult, so any outing will have to wait until later. However, we did make plans for the T family to come over for dinner and games and fellowship. Ted's not a big party person, so I wasn't too surprised when he answered my "What do you want to do for your birthday" question with a fairly normal activity! Thankfully the T family was available (we didn't give them much notice!), and as it turned out, I was grateful for more than one reason that they could share our evening with us.

During Charis's and my shopping spree on Saturday, I found a foosball table at the homeschool garage sale. Those who know Ted know he LOVES foosball, so of course I asked how much the table was. Walt told me $50 and then quickly changed that, saying, "Actually, if you can haul it away, you can have it for 20 bucks." SOLD!! WE GOT A FOOSBALL TABLE FOR $20!! There weren't any balls with it, so Charis and I traveled to 3 different stores before we found any. I called the Ts to ask if they would be able to pick up the table with their truck and bring it over on Sunday afternoon, and Adam was happy to help. Charis and I were hard-pressed to keep our surprise a secret, but we managed. :-)

As soon as the T family arrived, we decided to have Ted open his presents. First he opened the Spiderman 3 DVD I had found before I realized I'd be buying a foosball table, LOL. Then he opened a package of table soccer balls, and it dawned on him why he wasn't supposed to go outside to see Adam's truck!! We traipsed outside, and Ted and Adam hauled the table in and put it in our school room, which was conveniently cleared of the school table since we had loaned all my tables to EAGLES for the garage sale. That is really the only place we have to put it anyway, so I'm assuming it will stay there until we move! Now I'll just need to figure out what to do when my stamp club meets, ha!

So, now we have a new diversion in the house, and it has already caused much trauma, but I suspect it will be useful for teaching good skills like self-control and sportsmanship, LOL! The boys had a great time playing last night while the girls played in Charis's room and the grown-ups played Phase 10 and Bananagrams. We ordered pizza and had carrot cake and ice cream for dessert, and all in all, it was a fun way to spend the afternoon and evening. We're thankful for such good friends, not only the ones who were with us yesterday, but all those who called and/or sent Facebook wishes for a happy birthday for Ted! He had a great day, and so did the rest of the family! Oh yes, and he finally did get to play on his foosball table, as you can see by the intense competition shown here between him and Adam!!

Looks Like First Choice Ain't Happenin'

While we don't know anything definitive about our next assignment, we now know that it won't be at the U.S. Air Force Academy, unfortunately. I'm so bummed for Ted, since teaching there has been his dream for years. But his career field isn't going to release him for an unrelated four-year assignment.

Sigh.

More waiting...

Some News...Sort of...

Well, we do know something! This morning Ted called to say he is NOT on the Leadership Board list, which means he was not selected for any of the 2-year Leadership positions that were posted. The fact that he made the list to begin with is a good thing, especially since he is currently in a boarded position at Creech AFB, meaning he did well twice for a competitive post.

So...the good news is that he is "free" (sort of) to pursue the teaching position at the Air Force Academy, which is what we really want anyway. However, there is still the matter of his career field possibly not wanting to release him, which is what we were running into at the beginning of this process. However, knowing that USAFA requested a special exception for him...and knowing that they have a fairly good success rate with such situations...plus the fact that Ted now knows that he did not get selected for a Leadership Board job (which would have trumped anything else)...we would like to think maybe this is a good thing!!

But really, as I told the kids on the way to PE...we know a little, but we really don't know anything!! Guess we'll have to wait a little bit more. Ted plans to do some calling today to check on the status of the USAFA job, so maybe I'll be able to post more news later.

I Love My Husband!

There are many reasons I am still head-over-heels in love with Ted, but I thought I would share a few things he did yesterday that show his character. While I took the older 3 kids to a birthday party yesterday afternoon, he stayed home with Kenna and:

1) Swept and mopped the dining room and kitchen floor
2) Made a yummy Strawberry Earthquake Cake for us to enjoy later in the evening
3) Got dinner ready for us to eat as soon as we walked in the door
4) Kept Kenna contained for 2 hours :-) (Notice I said "contained," not "entertained," as he was busy being Mr. Mom!)

I came home to clean floors, a wonderful-smelling house, a prepared dinner, and a happy Kenna!

I love my man, and I'm so blessed to be his wife!!

Academy Application Update

It's been awhile since I first posted what Ted was going through in regards to the application process for teaching at USAFA. So here's a quick update. On Monday morning, September 22, he had a phone interview with the Department of History. He thought it went quite well and expected to hear from them later that day. (They had told him they would call back.) Long story short--it was a week and a half later before he heard anything. (You can imagine the nail-biting around here!)

The good news: They want to hire him!

The bad news: His career field hasn't released him.

But good news: USAFA submitted official paperwork requesting his release from his career field.

And more good news: They tell us that they have pretty good success with this particular situation.

So, we are cautiously optimistic but obviously in a stage of waiting...yet again! That seems to be the story of this whole ordeal. Waiting for signatures, waiting to hear something, waiting for an interview, waiting, waiting, waiting. Thankfully we know that God makes all things beautiful in HIS time, and we know His plans are perfect.

In the meantime, we wait...not for man, but for the Lord!

Roller Coaster

Many of our friends and family know that our big dream has always been to end up in Colorado at some point, whether during or after Ted's Air Force career. One job he has always wanted has been to teach at the U.S. Air Force Academy, from where he graduated in 1997. Though he has been in touch with the history department for a number of years, the timing has never seemed to work out with our assignment process.

So you can imagine the excitement when, early this summer, the announcement went out that USAFA was accepting applications for teaching positions. There were some requirements listed, such as already having a master's degree and being ready to PCS next summer, and Ted fit the bill for everything on the list. So he quickly began gathering the necessary paperwork to submit by the July 15 deadline. He did everything he could possibly do on his own and had papers ready for his commander to sign before we even left for our trip to Idaho at the end of June. Things were looking good.

Then came a time of testing as we waited...and waited...and waited for the last required signature. Without going into unnecessary details here, let's just say that the deadline came and went and we had no idea whether the signature had been acquired and forwarded on to the Air Force Personnel Center, despite Ted's near-frantic phone calls checking on the status of the situation.

About a week and a half after the deadline, when we had all but given up hope that his application package had even been submitted, he learned that not only had it been submitted, but everything was in order. Whew! One step down.

Next came some more waiting to learn whether Ted's career field would let him go for a different type of assignment. This process was scheduled to take the whole month of August. So we waited.

And Ted was ecstatic when someone from USAFA contacted him directly! They had received his information and really seemed to want him to come teach there next year! We hardly dared to imagine that this dream was coming true, but Ted got busy and had his commanders write the necessary letters of recommendation for him. In the process of talking with someone from USAFA on the phone, he even was told that USAFA wanted him to fly out for an interview during September! Though the Air Force wouldn't pay for his ticket, we decided we were definitely willing to pay for the expense, as an in-person interview seemed to all but guarantee Ted a teaching position.

Well. Apparently the Air Force entities have not learned to communicate with one another. Yesterday Ted received an email from the personnel center stating that his application was not being released for consideration. Thankfully Ted has a friend/contact at AFPC who informed him that the reason in his particular case was manning issues--meaning that his career field is unwilling to let him take a different assignment.

One small glimmer of hope remains, and that is the fact that the USAFA contact told Ted that they have some options to help Ted get out there regardless...but we don't know what all that entails, and of course at this point we are reluctant to invest in sending him to CO for an interview when it looks like the Air Force doesn't want him to go.

I'm not sure why God is leading us through all these ups and downs. We trust Him completely, knowing His plans and timing are perfect. I've prayed that God would pour out His favor on Ted--he has endured many trials related to his current job, and I would love to see him in a position that fully utilizes his talents and passions. (The family-friendly schedule wouldn't hurt, either!!) Regardless of what happens, we'll keep trusting the Lord...but we'd sure appreciate your prayers for patience and faith in the meantime!!

Father's Day Weekend

Wow, this week is off and running! Here's a quick recap of our full and fun Father's Day weekend:

SATURDAY:
I left at 6:15 a.m. for an 8-mile run. WAY too late to start a long run like that. Ick! But I made it in exactly an hour and a half, which is great considering the elevation I conquered!! We ain't in the flatlands anymore!

At 1 p.m. I had a Stampin' Up! workshop which was tons of fun. I left the house 2 hours later with $545 in orders and a booking for August--woohoo!

That evening we decided to go out to eat at Sweet Tomatoes, one of our favorite restaurants. It had been a long time since our whole family went out to eat, and when Ted suggested it, I figured HE'S the DADDY, so let's GO!

SUNDAY:
After church we had a simple dinner of brats and fruit salad and gave Ted his gifts. Charis heaped a pile of trinkets and cards she had made by Ted's plate. It was fun watching Ted "open" the presents (which were wrapped in scrap paper) and exclaim over her artwork. We also got him Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers book and the Archaeological Study Bible (which was a purchase that honestly was as much for me as it was for him!) I got the same Bible for my dad--I'm quite sure he'll be as excited to read his copy as we are to read ours!

After Kenna got a good nap, we headed to the F family's house for swimming, pizza, and watching golf (the guys) and chit-chatting (the girls).

When we returned home, we got the kiddos in bed, and Ted worked on ironing his uniform while we watched a DVD of Tim Hawkins on the Bananas show. Topped off with some ice cream and snuggle time, this was a great way to end the day...and I hope the Father in our House agrees! :-)

Happy Birthday, Ted!

Today is my dear husband's 32nd birthday! I cooked up quite a surprise for him, and I'm just tickled that everything worked out so well. Ted had been feeling pretty bummed that we weren't able to go to Colorado for our family ski trip. I knew he missed getting to spend some time with his best friend and brother Joel. So I emailed Joel to see if he would be available to come out to surprise Ted for his birthday. Everything fell into place--I was able to get tickets for just the right times so Joel wouldn't have to take off a whole day of work, plus get him back Saturday evening so he could be home for Easter. Furthermore, I got tickets for the two of them to see Spamalot, a show that only brothers could fully appreciate together. :-)

I refrained from saying anything at all to the kids, knowing that they would inevitably spill the beans. When they woke up Friday morning, I told them the surprise, since Ted was supposed to leave work about 3:00. He was supposed to call me when he got ready to leave, as I had told him that he may need to meet us somewhere. (Joel's flight was arriving at 3:20 p.m.) So I figured the kids wouldn't even be around Ted until Joel was with us. They danced around excitedly all day, asking how many hours until Uncle Joel would arrive.

At 2:30, while I was folding a batch of laundry, Ted walked in the door! Yikes! I shooed him upstairs, terrified that the kids were going to spill the beans! I ended up having him hide out in the bedroom with a book while I got the kids ready to go. I told him that his first clue was to meet us at the In-and-Out Burger downtown. He looked chagrined--I could tell he thought I was going to send him on a scavenger hunt downtown, and he was NOT looking forward to battling traffic! But he gamely agreed, and the kids and I headed to the airport.

Joel arrived on time and was hailed enthusiastically by his short fan club, and then we inched our way down Tropicana to the In-and-Out Burger where Ted had been waiting for us for about a half hour. Just as we were about to turn the corner, Joel called Ted on his cell phone. Ted was parked facing the street so he could see us when we came in--it was perfect! There he was, on the phone with his brother, when we drive by waving frantically! It was awesome!

So the big surprise worked! We enjoyed dinner together, and then the kids and I came home to enjoy a movie night (Enchanted, which is absolutely charming and made me laugh out loud numerous times) while the guys got to have some time together. From what I hear, they thoroughly enjoyed their evening out.

Today we relaxed at home. Ted and Joel played the Settlers of Catan card game while I made whole wheat pancakes with strawberries and blueberry syrup. (Yum, if I do say so myself!) After breakfast I did some prep for our Easter dinner tomorrow while the guys finished their card came and then jumped with the kids on the trampoline.


I set up the table to be ready for decorating Easter eggs when they all came in. It was great fun, and, believe it or not, the FIRST time our kids have decorated Easter eggs! It seemed we always had a toddler around, and I never wanted to venture into this mess...last year, when they were at a good age, Ted was in Tampa and I had a newborn. Decorating eggs was the LAST thing on my mind. But this year was perfect, especially with a 1-1 adult to kid ratio! I plan to make some curried deviled eggs with some of our creations. Charis especially enjoyed the creative process. The boys mostly liked dipping (or dropping) the eggs into the cups of dye. It sure brings back memories for me--I remember every year decorating eggs with my brother and often with my friend Kim. Our moms would help us with the whole process. Sweet times! Then we'd be eating egg-salad sandwiches, boiled eggs, mashed eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs forever, it seemed. (Dad hates hard-boiled eggs, so it was up to us to eat whatever we decorated! At some point we would realize that last dozen was probably too many!)

When our eggs were finished, we set up a board game of Catan, much to Tobin's delight. Arden "played" along by playing with the extra wooden pieces, and Charis put more finishing touches on her eggs and then worked on some Easter surprises of her own for her brothers.


We took a break from the game to fix Ted's birthday lunch--bean & cheese patties and Cajun potatoes, at his request. We decided to let Uncle Joel win the Catan game (OK, not really, but he did win), and then we celebrated with some yummy carrot cake. I made the cake yesterday afternoon, and I wish I had a picture of Tobin's face when I told him it was CARROT cake I was making. I just know he was imagining rows of little baby carrots with Ranch dressing drizzled over the top instead of frosting. He was horrified, but when he got to lick a beater, he decided that carrot cake wasn't so bad after all!

So now the boys and Ted and Joel are on their way to the airport, Kenna is napping, and Charis is in her room. It's been a very full weekend already, and we haven't even gotten to Easter yet! Tomorrow will be a big day, too...Charis is getting baptized! Then we'll celebrate the day with a special dinner and good friends and fellowship. I'm sure there will be much more to post in the days to come!

A Little Credit for Mr. Mom, Please

Last weekend I went on a ladies' retreat with 212 women from our church. I'll blog more about that later, but I wanted to give some recognition to Ted, who blasts all the stereotypes that say men can't change diapers, don't know how or what to feed the kids, and are generally buffoons when it comes to raising children. I'm not sure when it became socially acceptable to assume the worst about fathers, though I've been aware of it as a trend in sit-coms and commercials for years.

While I was away on Sunday morning, Ted made his yummy whole wheat pancakes (which he does EVERY Sunday), fed the kids, helped them get dressed, drove everyone to church, dropped each child off in his or her classroom, and got seated...BEFORE the service began. He endured a number of comments to the effect of, "Wow, you have all four kids on your own, and you're here on time?!" I'm sure he smiled and nodded politely, but what he was really thinking was, "Come on, people, give me a little credit! If Beverly can do it for 6 months, I can certainly do this for a weekend!"

So here's to my hubby, who is not only a wonderful, amazing husband, but who also wears his badge of fatherhood with pride. He does everything I do, and he helps without complaining or making me feel as if he's doing me a tremendous favor (even though he often is!).

This man
* washes dishes
* cooks meals
* sorts laundry
* washes and dries clothes
* folds and irons clothes
* changes diapers without batting an eye (or flaring a nostril)
* bathes the kids
* sweeps and mops
* makes frequent grocery runs
* and so on.

So please, people, let's not act surprised when a husband does his job well! I'm proud of my man! I give him all the credit in the world for seeking to be a man, husband, and father after God's own heart.

Let's Hear It for Dad!

I realize I often dote on our kids in my blog writing. It's for a good cause, keeping friends and family up to date on their growth and cute antics. But it's high time for a tribute to my other half, my dear and loving husband, my one and only lover, best friend, and confidant! Since this is my 200th post on this blog, I will now list 200 reasons why I love my man! (OK, really I won't, but I'll list a few anyway!) Here they are, in no particular order...

I love Ted because:

1. He adores me.
2. He adores our children.
3. He fixes me hot tea every morning...mmm!
4. He has a great bed head. (See picture!)
5. When his blue eyes sparkle at me, he rocks my whole world!
6. He has a great laugh.
7. He loves to be punny.
8. He wrestles with the kids so they don't climb on me!
9. He gives the kids their baths in the evenings.
10. He gives me backrubs.
11. He knows when I'm tired and tells me to take a nap.
12. He loves my cooking.
13. He's BUFF!!!
14. He looks cool in sunglasses.
15. He teaches me about hockey.
16. He likes to play tonsil hockey. ;-)
17. He doesn't seem to mind my obsession with stamping.
18. He appreciates the scrapbooks I make and shows them off to others.
19. He has his quiet time with God first thing in the morning.
20. He prays for me.
21. He prays for our kids.
22. He reads my blog.
23. He teases our kids.
24. He jumps on the trampoline with the kids, even though he has a bum knee.
25. He hates running but does it anyway (that's a commitment to good health!).
26. He slow dances with me even when there's no music playing.
27. He gives the best foot rubs.
28. He warms me up when I'm cold.
29. He picks up the newspaper every morning and the mail every evening.
30. He loves my parents.
31. He encourages me to follow my dreams.
32. He values time with family.
33. He doesn't put his career ahead of his commitment to God and family.
34. He faithfully attends church.
35. He has a passion for serving young people.
36. He's a great listener.
37. He has an extensive CD collection.
38. He likes having me be a stay-at-home mom.
39. He fully supports our efforts to home school our children.
40. He loves to read.
41. He always closes the lid to the toilet.
42. He's a great cook.
43. He does laundry.
44. He always holds my hand when we go for walks.
45. He loves me without make-up.
46. He can always make me laugh.
47. He's patient but firm with the children.
48. He loves me sacrificially.
49. He desires to be the man God wants him to be and pursues godliness.
50. He makes decisions with eternity in mind.

Wow...I could keep going, but it's time to feed Kenna and get to bed. I hope when Ted reads this he'll smile and know how much I love and adore him!

Big News!

No, the baby hasn't arrived yet. But we did find out that Ted was chosen for a leadership board position! He'll be working at "Creech." I have no idea what that means or exactly where it is, other than it's in the Las Vegas area (not at Nellis AFB), and--most importantly--it's a two-year controlled tour, which means NO deployments! Wahoo! We're relieved that we don't have to move for the 4th summer in a row. Now that we're settled into this house and enjoying our friends, church, etc., it's nice to feel we can put some roots down and plan on being here 2 1/2 years before our next assignment. Ted will begin working in June at his new job, shadowing the guy he'll replace. I think he's looking forward to the change.

Proud of My Hubby!!!

Congratulations to Ted, who was named Flight Commander of the YEAR, 2006!!!

He received the Flight Commander of the Quarter award for January - March 2006, so his name was up for the annual award, and he earned it!!!

I love you, Babe, and I'm so proud of you!!!