Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #8

Up:

• So happy for all my wonderful friends that have their spouses back after this long deployment! It fills me with such joy to see the jets come in and all the reunion pictures and to know that mine is just around the corner!
• Monday marked one month until our baby girl will be born. Can't wait to meet Kennedy on October 19th; I know she will be such a joy in our lives!

Our beautiful baby girl's profile at 20 weeks (you only get more sonograms if you have a high risk pregnancy). Can't tell a whole lot from it, but I'm pretty sure she and Jackson have the same nose!

Side profile at 35 weeks along!

• So many wonderful family members with birthdays this week. My Mom's was Thursday and my brother-in-law, Andy's was Friday. Popo (John Gaschen), Mike's grandfather's birthday was also Friday. Though he is no longer with us it gives me great pleasure to think how proud he would be/is of Mike right now. They were the best of buds and Mike lived with him through college. Such a great man and Mike is following right in his footsteps!

This was Mike and I with Popo at our wedding. He was already pretty sick here, but he was a fighter!

Down:

• You know the saying, "a watched pot never boils," well that is how I feel about time passing this week. When you want time to pass quickly it seems to slow down to a snail's pace. I'm so ready for Mike to get here, but I'm trying to be patient. The other downside is that with the AF nothing ever happens as planned, so Mike has already been delayed more than once. Lets just pray that from here on out there will be no more delays and we will be reunited soon!

Here are some pics from this week:

Jackson eating alphabet soup! He decided it was a good time to also show me how much he knows about his facial anatomy! Needless to say we went immediately to the bath! 

Jackson and Kenlee (our friend Kellie's daughter) sitting in the chair together. They proceeded to switch shoes after this picture was taken - too cute!

Jackson and I with Sparky, the fire dog, during our tour of the base fire station.

Jackson wasn't too interested in the fireman, he just wanted to see the trucks!

Jackson walking through the cab of the fire truck!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #7

UP:

• During this deployment the spouses had 'secret sisters' that we gave words of encouragement, gifts, and support. On Friday, at our squadron potluck, we had a 'secret sister' reveal! I was really excited to find out who mine was because she did such a great job and always seemed to know what to say or give Jackson and I to perk us up. It was our friend Amy Baker, which is also funny because I had her watch our house while we were in Colorado this summer when my secret sister made a delivery! Anyway, for my final gift, she gave me a very special necklace with Mike & I's names on the outer circle, Jackson's name on the middle circle, and Kennedy's name on the inside circle - I love it!
• Another very productive day on Saturday while Jackson was at 'Give parent's a break'. I will share pictures later, but I completely finished Kennedy's nursery with the exception of hanging one item that I have yet to get from Zulily. Once it comes in, I will post all the pictures!
• Today Jackson and I went to the air show here on base. Over the course of the weekend, the expected turn out was 80,000 people which is crazy to think about on this small base in this small town. We had a great time and Jackson LOVED the airplanes. I was so worried that the loud noise would bother him, but he just got more excited! I'm now exhausted though because we were there from 11:30-5pm. Luckily I have the best kid because he was completely well behaved and even took a little snooze! Here are some pics/videos of our day (Sorry the videos aren't the best quality):

F-15 Demo Team = AWESOME!!

Jackson wearing his cool shades!

The Thunderbirds!

Down:

• Same 'ole complaint here. I'm so ready to have Kennedy. I actually think I will get more sleep once she arrives than I'm getting now! She sits so much lower than Jackson did and it is just really hard to move around comfortably. It will definitely help having Mike back home to help out with things like carrying Jackson up and down stairs or bending over to give him a bath. Until then, I better just suck it up and quit complaining because I'm only going to get bigger!
• It really stinks living so far away from family. When we were growing up our birthday parties largely consisted of just family unless it was a milestone birthday. Today my niece Katherine turns 3 and I can't be there for her or any of my other nephew's birthdays. It just seems like time passes so quickly and all these kids are getting so big, but I'm not a part of it. Maybe some day we will all live closer.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #6

Ten years ago today I was a senior in high school sitting in Mrs. Vernon's English class when we heard the news that the towers had been hit. Hard to believe that much time has passed since then because I remember it like it was yesterday. America will never be the same as it was pre-9/11. Today as we remember, I pray especially for the families of the victims and for the countless men and women of the armed services that have and continue to put their lives on the line for our nation. I am very proud to be married to one of them!

Up:

• Along those same lines, this weekend the town of Mountain Home hosted the 51st Annual Air Force Appreciation festivities. Literally the entire town lines the down town streets for a parade followed by a free barbecue in honor of all the local service members. It was even more special this year with all our spouses deployed. Our group was significantly smaller with our guys away, but I'd say we did a great job showing our T-bolt spirit! I am so blessed to be in the company of such brave, strong and wonderful women! Here are a few pics from the day:

Jackson and I waiting for the parade to begin. Our float was near the end, so we waited for over an hour and a half for our turn, but Jackson was such a trooper!

Our Float! Yes, it was falling apart before the parade began, but we gave it our best effort!

Jackson must have been worn out from all the candy and bead throwing!

• As I mentioned in last week's post, my Aunt Marva came into town this week to visit. Jackson and I had such a great time with her and she was a huge help chasing after Jackson! The weather was great while she was here so we took in some good shopping, toured Twin Falls and played in the water at Lucky Peak. I think Aunt Marva was happy to escape the 100 degree summer of Dallas.

Aunt Marva in front of Shoshone Falls!

Jackson and I by the Snake River!

Aunt Marva and Jackson splashing around in Lucky Peak Lake

Loves his Aunt Marva!

Down:

• It has been great getting to talk to Mike more during this last third of the deployment. He is on night shift now which happens to be our day time, so the timing of calls works out much better. Now that things are winding down he has been really busy though and unable to call as often as he was previously. The hard part about this is that any time the phone rings or I open my computer, Jackson gets really excited and says, " Daddy!" Breaks my heart every time. I keep telling myself - soon. Soon he won't think Daddy lives in the computer and he'll have someone to play ball and wrestle with like only a daddy can do. Until then, I just have to tell him, "no sweetie, Daddy isn't home right now."
• My parents were in Puerto Vallarta this week on vacation, which is definitely great for them and much needed, but I missed talking to them. I talk to my Mom every day and my Dad pretty often too, not to mention the fact that we Skype probably once a week. Thankfully Aunt Marva was here to keep me occupied, but I still missed our daily phone conversations. Luckily they made it home safe and sound last night, so we'll have plenty of catching up to do!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #5

This week was fairly uneventful, although I know we were really busy! Here are the highlights:
Up:

• September is here! I love fall usually because of the weather, football season, the start of school, any type of pumpkin food, and the decorations. This year September will hopefully be even more special because Mike is scheduled to come home. I can't wait to have him back home and partaking in everyday activities again.
• My Aunt Marva (my Mom's sister) chose to spend her Labor Day holiday with Jackson and I. She flew in on Saturday and will be here almost a week. It has only been one day, but we are having a great time and I can't wait for the rest of the week! Jackson has already shown her all his toys and had her read just about every book in the house!

Down:

• Major downer, Jackson and I both had have nasty colds this week. Jackson, like me when I get sick, has those sickly little eyes and cuddles a lot. I don't mind the cuddling at all, but I hate that there isn't more I can do for him. With all the trouble breathing, he hasn't been sleeping well and has you know when baby doesn't sleep momma doesn't sleep either! Hopefully it will pass quickly and Aunt Marva doesn't catch it before she goes home.