Family Day at the Range...

Today was such a fun day! We had a "Family Day" at the range since the guys are doing gunnery this week (qualifying on the tanks... that's right... actual tanks! Can you believe it?! Ha!) Originally, I wasn't going to go, but I am glad Robert took it upon himself to RSVP us. It was a blast (ha... no pun intended, but that was a good one) watching the tanks fire and taking a ride in tank Robert is gunner on. 

Alex, William, and Trey on the bus heading to the range!

Alex thought he was hot stuff riding without his car seat! :)
William doesn't want to go anywhere without his 3DS.

 Trey got to have two seats to himself... as long as he held onto the stroller (which we didn't use).

When we got to the range, they took us up to the tower viewing area where we got to see the tank fire at targets, just like they do during gunnery, while we listened to the soldiers in the tank over the radio. There were also some officers in the viewing area with us explaining what they were doing/going to do.

The view of the range from our seats

Alex (always cheesin') did a lot better than I expected with the loud BOOMS from the tank.

After we got to watch how awesome tanks are when they fire, we got to go down the hill (William fell down but is ok) and meet up with Daddy.

 William got to sit in Dad's seat!

Trey was sitting in the Tank Commander's seat!

They were both listening intently through the helmets (called CVCs) while Daddy explained what does what inside the tank while we were cruising along. At the other end of the track both big boys got to turn the turret (where the gun is) around. I thought I was going to puke! Ha!

 Robert sticking out of the turret to see where we are. I, personally, love this picture.

This is by far my favorite picture. It was taken by some from the Regiment. You can see more pictures from the day here. We are in a few of them, so check them out! (You may have to be logged into Facebook to see them. I'm not sure.)

I hope you all have enjoyed seeing these as much as we enjoyed our day! Next time I will try to remember my camera so I don't have to use my awful camera phone. I was rushed by a certain man in these pictures, but I am not pointing the fingers at anyone. Hehe

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This and That...

I am going to just skip the part where I apologize for not posting.... I think we have all come to expect it. Ha!

Where to even start? Spring Break was a few weeks ago, but we did not do a whole lot. Robert was incommunicado all but the last Saturday and Sunday due to rotation, so the older boys just played with their friends outside, enjoying the wonderful weather. We took a couple walks, but that's about all we did. Mostly we just enjoyed not having a lot to do. That's always nice, isn't it?

 I know it is blurry, but this is our "dance party" we have every so often (mostly when Dad's gone).

The boys were "shuffling". They tried to show me, but I failed miserably. No pictures of that! Ha!

Something exciting, as you have all heard, was Robert's promotion. I know you have all been waiting for the pictures from it. Robert had one of his soldiers take the pictures. He did a great job, but I will not be posting all 60+ pictures he took. 

 Here are a few of my favorites. It was during the day, so Trey and Wil couldn't be there. The man with the Stetson is 1st Sgt. He is a super nice guy and told Robert he would like to see him become Sergeant Major some day. Robert has no plans of staying in that long. We are all so proud of him, though!

I have quite a few pictures I need to get off my phone and upload too, but that will have to wait. I should have no problem getting them posted in the next couple days, since Robert won't be here to distract me. Yep. That's right. I blame it all on him! Hehe

I hope everyone is doing well out there in cyberspace. We are missing everyone horribly!

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That's 55 Gallons...

As some of you know, we got a new aquarium recently. We are still having some issues with the ammonia levels (any suggestions are welcome), but we keep trying to bring them down. As soon as we get the levels down, doing water change after water change, it comes back up in a couple days. We have tested the water we are adding to it, and that doesn't seem to be the problem. We have rinsed out the filters, re-rinsed the plants, treated the water, and we still can't figure it out. We "killed" all but 4 of our original fish (started with 12), and I recently (when Robert left for the box) "killed" 2 of our new ones. That was totally my fault for not listening to Hubby's instructions.

This was before I, um, drugged the two that we most recently lost.

Hopefully, we will figure out what is going on and stop having to change the water every day or two... mostly because Robert isn't here to do it, and I don't wanna! Ha! I have another week and a half to handle the tank on my own. You know how people that can't grow plants, or kill them quickly, are told they have a black thumb? Well, I am pretty sure my whole hand is black because I can't keep pets to save my life! I kill two fish within a day of Robert leaving them with me, I killed (literally baked) Trey's two fire-bellied toads not long after he got them... I am truly surprised our boys have made it this long! I guess I have more love for them than I do marine/amphibian life. Well, clearly. But, you get what I am saying. I just need to show these fish more love, right? That'll save them! Uh-huh. Well, it better, because our pockets aren't going to for much longer!

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A Little Silly...

Well, hello! I thought since I haven't really talked about anything lately that I would just write a little something. I hope you have all been enjoying the Song Challenge as much as I have. Some days are definitely harder than others, but I am loving reliving some of these moments as I shuffle through this thick skull of mine to find that just-right song. I am looking forward to the days to come!

But for now we shall stay in the present. I am sitting on the couch watching me some American Idol while Papa Shu is out in the windy box fighting some SEALs tonight. He is not a fan so much of the show. (By the way, if you were watching last night's episode from Savannah, GA, I would just like to say... I have been exactly where they were. That is all.) Therefore, this is how I prefer to spend my "me" time. A little too in-the-now, though, huh?

How about this morning? Want to hear about Alexander's appointment? Okay. Well, simply put, it went great! This was the best one he has had yet. He sat still and was engaging the therapist the entire hour. She is so impressed at how smart he is. With his signing, she could tell that his cognitive (higher thought processes) skills are there; he just can't express with words what he wants/needs. He has also been picking up new words here and there. Any signs we teach him, he at least attempts them. Most of them he has already picked up and can sign without being shown if asked to "say" them. Tonight was also his first night without his pacifier! I heard him playing in his crib for a little while, but he didn't cry at all! I am sure tomorrow will be rougher. Hopefully, he will forget about it soon enough. Either way, we are proud of him and can't believe how fast he is growing up! He has his doctor appointment tomorrow, and we will be discussing his hearing test, speech pathology exam, and crooked legs. Stay tuned for updates on all that!

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Welcome to 2012!!!

Welcome to 2012, everyone! I apologize for being absent for so long. Perhaps one day I will start an entry without an apology. Ha! 

I will begin by updating you on the boys, everyone's favorite subject. The big boys went back to school on Thursday. They weren't too excited.... ok, they were not at all excited to go back. We all had a great Christmas break. We got to spend two full weeks together, all five of us! It feels as though it has been forever since we had time to just relax without work or school or, dare I say it, travel. After getting their electronic gifts at Christmas, Trey and William had to practically be forced outside to play with their friends. We let them be lazy often enough,don't get me wrong, but I wanted them to still be active and not get used to only having online "friends". You can call me a mean mom if you want. :) Speaking of active, it is time for Trey to sign up for a new "club" after school. He has decided to choose flag football for his first choice and soccer for his second this semester. William has been taken under Trey's wing. He has been learning different plays and terminology from Trey. I am so glad they are starting to become better brothers instead of just fighting and aggravating.

Alex got very use to us all being here. I think he may have enjoyed it as much as I did! He got a little bored the last couple days without having his brothers to follow around. However, yesterday morning was his first official meeting with his Speech Therapist. She, as well as the other two ladies that had come before, can see that he is a very smart little boy without being able to physically voice his needs/wants. His therapist will be working with him to help him vocalize better. We have all started using sign language with him, and he is catching on very quickly. Just to clarify, we have no reason to think he has hearing issues, though we are going to get his hearing checked soon with an audiologist. The sign language just helps him "voice" his needs. He knows now how to ask for more food/drink, and say "please" and "thank you". He knows "cat" and "dog" when I do them, but he hasn't quite mastered them. He is moving his mouth in more intricate ways as though he is trying to say words but has yet been able to figure it out. His next appointment, and subsequent, are scheduled on Mondays. I will try to keep you all informed as he grows. I am sure he will do great!

Onto us parents, I suppose. Papa Shu started school this week! He is going for his Bachelor in Information Technology. It will come naturally to him, I am sure. He is so much smarter than he believes. He is not looking forward to the actual coursework, however. His is a lot more involved than mine. Where my classes are to be done in my own time, he has assignments that are to be turned in by a certain day of the week. He also has to post a conversation topic of some sort and comment on so many of the other students' posts. He says he isn't looking forward to all the work that has to go into it while still working and being in the field two weeks out of the month. I can't say I can blame him there, but I know he will do a fabulous job and graduate with honors again. I am so proud of him!

And for Mama Shu... I am doing pretty well. I have completed another course, Music Appreciation. I love music, but I was not a fan of this course. I didn't want to take it, but I had to for my General Studies program. I am now working on my Psychology course (or "psycho-babble" as Robert puts it). I actually find the course very interesting. Aside from the Computer Application course, this is my favorite so far. I have three more exams to take in Psychology, my English Composition course, and two proctored exams to finish this program. As of right now my course average is 97%. Once I get the rest of these exams finished, I will get to move onto my Medical Assistant courses. On a separate note, I had an interview today at the library here on post. I had applied for the position in August and had forgotten about it until she called last week. I think the interview went well. I was there for about and hour and forty-five minutes. They should be getting a hold of me at the beginning of next week. The only issue I have is pay, as far as the boys being in daycare. They will all three have to spend some time in CYS (daycare on post) as the latest I could be working is after 7pm. Having Robert gone half the month, I will have to make sure I have them taken care of above all else. Having Alex in full-time daycare is $430/mo, plus what it would be for the older boys to be in CYS after school. As of right now, I don't know what we are going to do. But, getting the interview is a start!

So, to sum it all up, we are all doing great and starting off 2012 on nothing but a positive note! 

Here are a couple pictures from New Year's Eve:

Alex had already gone to bed when we took these, but I hardly ever get a picture with my husband! Bonus!

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