Random March

 More Kitty hugs for Mike. 

Audrey needed to interview a member of the military to ask them what it means to be a Patriot, and what the flag and Pledge of Allegiance mean to them. Luckily, Audrey had a military member in house. As part of her assignment she also needed to do service, so we cleaned up garbage on our walk home. There was quite a bit, and it was nice to see other kids pitching in to help. 

Apparently history from a long, long time ago was circa 1999. Sigh, I'm old. ;)

Nine Months!!

Lynette and I went downtown to see the blossoms before they died. 

Some of Andy's photos and art were being displayed at a shop downtown, so we went to check it out and support him. Audrey got a coloring book about cat butts. 

Audrey's Daddy and Sarah dolls

 My friend Megan is a talented crocheter and I ordered a "Sarah Doll" for Audrey. Once she found out Mike was deployed, she decided to make Audrey a Daddy Doll of Mike in his flight suit. I teared up when I saw it. Audrey brought him to Orlando with us and sleeps with him. Such a wonderful and thoughtful gift. 

Easter egg hunt at the farm

 Audrey is obsessed with all things Gillette Farms, so we attended their Easter egg hunt for the second year. The girls had fun, but the word is out and there were a ton of people there. 

Lindon Temple Open House

 I love to visit temple open houses. Audrey isn't old enough to enter the temples to do ordinances, so it's nice to take her to walk through them. Lynette joined us and we made a day of it. 

And he's off - Ugh

 Am I allowed to have titles in my book with Ugh in them? I sure hope so. 

On February 15th we were sitting in church when Mike's phone started blowing up. His unit was being activated and would most likely be deployed. Le sigh... We obviously knew this was a possibility due to the "conflict" with Iran, but had hoped it wouldn't happen. Mike was made the Detachment Commander, so his work began immediately making sure they were prepared for the eventuality. On March 12th we dropped him off at his Guard base so they could fly to their undisclosed location.  (I can't mention the location while they're deployed due to OPSEC) Steven wanted to come, but had something at school he couldn't miss. Mike's deployments in the past have come with clear start and end dates. This one did not. I'm writing this from the end of July (of course) and he's still not home. This one has also felt different than ones in the past whether from uncertainty with the length or the mission. People always ask how we do it, but we don't have a choice. He deploys, we modify. We are grateful for his service in the military, and do what's necessary. Sarah being home has been a monumental help, and this would have looked a lot different on the home front had she not had to come home for her migraines. It's been a definite tender mercy. 

Sarah becomes a mother ;)

Sarah finished a training last transfer and then found out she'll be training a newby this transfer. Her companion is Sister Barbosa and Sarah said she's pretty much the best. You can read about here HERE, but I wanted to remember this for posterity purposes. :) 

Random February

 

Ski day! Audrey gets better every time we go. 

Eight months!

I updated Mike's flight wall with a patch board. He always said he didn't need one, but I like to see them all.