Snow day!!

Hell has officially frozen over. Yes, it snowed here! It came down for most of the morning in big fluffy flakes, the kind we had in Missouri when I was in AIT. I may not have seen snow in 8 years, but it was the kids' first time to ever see it, so it was a very big deal! Plus, we got to test out our snow gear BEFORE our trip to Minnesota in like 2 1/2 weeks. It works!

Erin loved the snow. She could not get enough of it. Orren, on the other hand, lasted about 5 minutes outside before he wanted to go in. Granted, it was coming down pretty hard at that point, and was probably getting in his face. He also doesn't have his boots or gloves yet. Cabella's really needs to hurry up with those. He was outside in Converse All Stars, his snow suit, and no gloves, so he probably got cold. They were both adorable in the snow, though! They're looking forward to MN even more now!!

Erin catching snowflakes on her tongue:


Erin again:


Both monkeys together in the snow:


It was really coming down! Erin couldn't get enough!


Orren is ready to go inside:

Happy Thanksgiving, 125th!

We just got back from the organizational day, which basically means mandatory fun day. It's an Army tradition for Thanksgiving. There is always, at bare minimum, an Officers vs NCO's football game. This battalion went us one better, and had that game, plus a football tournament in which every company entered the best team they could, and competed for a trophy.

It was fun. The soldiers of HHC were disappointed that Thak would not be able to be their quarterback, as he has easily the best arm in the battalion, but they still put up a good fight despite losing to F Co (whose Commander played the entire game in drag!) in the first round. It was still fun. The Officers beat the NCO's, which was a change from what I'm used to, but then again, they only allowed Senior NCO's to play on the team this time, and that's not exactly a fair fight when you consider that the average senior NCO is close to 40 years old, and most of the Officers are Lieutenants in their early 20's. It was all in good fun, though.

The single soldiers set up games for the kids (which were mostly played by other single soldiers), B Co's FRG sold hotdogs for lunch (which is why we came home and are making a chicken casserole for lunch! Hotdogs? Ewww!), and Sergeant Major kicked off the day by calling the entire battalion to a formation where she reminded everyone to be thankful for all they have because there are too many soldiers who are not able to celebrate the holiday this year the way we are. She is right, and Thak and I know that better than we want to since we've lost more than our share of holidays to Uncle Sam and his dirty bidding. It was good that she reminded the no-tour-wonders, though. They need to hear that kind of thing.

But anyhow, here are some pics. That's what you come here for anyhow (Hell, that's what *I* come here for!)

Erin throwing a baseball through the big tire:


Thak throwing the ball to some of his buddies, trying to help them warm up for the game:


The kids bored and cold while everyone was in formation:


Me with the kids, and Thak with the kids while we watched the Officer vs NCO game:



Your favorite re-up guy plus wifey:

Ready for Minnesota

Erin and Orren are ready for our trip to the frozen tundra! Well... at least the long underwear fit, and they think they look oh-so-cool in them. I tend to agree.

Oh, and now you have seen Orren at 10 months old. He will actually be 11 months old next week. He is roughly 32 inches tall, and about 25 pounds, still our BIG boy. Look for him in a Vikings uniform any given Sunday in about 20 years! But for now, he's just adorable.

What happened at Ft . Hood

Family members, please disregard this. You already know. Others, especially civilian friends and those who have never been to Texas, I just need to clear something up.

Yes, there was a horrible shooting today at Ft. Hood.
Yes, Thak and I met at Ft. Hood.
Yes, the shooting happened a stone's throw from our old battalion area and the barracks I lived in.

HOWEVER, we left Ft. Hood nearly six years ago, and we are on the opposite side of Texas, hundreds of miles from there. We are fine.

We know nothing more about this than you do. They haven't released any names yet, nor will they until all next of kin have been notified, which could take a while.

The official holiday plans announcement

So.... ahem.... attention to ticker....








Yup, that's right! We are making the trip up to the frozen tundra for the holidays this year! We haven't worked out the details on it all yet, but will within the next couple days. We're excited! Thak hasn't been home in 10 years, I've never been there, and none of the MN relatives have ever met Orren (only the bros have met Erin, for that matter).

As you guys recall, Orren's birthday is Christmas Day, so we'll also be celebrating his first birthday while up there. It's almost funny that the boy born on a 72 degree Christmas morning in Savannah, GA celebrate his first birthday by playing in the snow in Minnesota. In one year, he'll have seen more places than most kids 10x his age!! Not bad if you ask me.