Megan and I used to go to Splash Factory a lot when she was little, but Connor had never been there. He was so stinkin' excited when we pulled up in the parking lot. "Water park!"





And this just cracked me up. Connor ate chips like this for at least 30 minutes. He'd run over, grab a handful, eat them, come back for more, repeat.

Megan decided to write her very first story. She used the paper from the library. It was a tad more difficult than she had expected, but she did it all on her own. She didn't want to ask me how to spell anything.





Honestly, I'm not quite sure what it says. I asked, but she said it is her story. I guess it's a private story?

It was inevitable. We had to say goodbye to Uncle Scott and go home. Not going to lie...it was really tough. They dropped us off at the airport, and we gave tight hugs. Yep, there were a few tears, too. Megan did just fine and was distracted by a few things in the VA airport. She talked to the ladies in security and struck up a conversation with a professional photographer (she said to him, "My mom is supposed to be a photographer, but she works in an office instead. :) ). We made it to the Atlanta airport with no real incidents.

And then...we saw a group of soldiers sitting at a gate. Immediately I felt her hand tense up. I looked over at her, and she was silently crying as we walked along. I got to a place where we wouldn't get run over, stopped, and asked her if everything was okay. She said she couldn't take it; she missed her Uncle Scott - who she had affectionately named "Mister Soldier" on the trip. She just cried and cried and cried. I asked what started it and she mentioned the group of soldiers that we passed. I had no idea what to do that would help her, so I asked if she'd like to go talk to that group of soldiers. She responded with a puzzled look and, "What good would that do?" Good point. Anyway, we agreed that we would hurry to our gate, get settled, and call Uncle Scott. We called, and up until that point, I was doing okay, just felt sad for her. But then I lost it. She was SO brave trying to suck up the tears, and not let him know she was crying, while they talked.



She smiled, tried not to cry, and was just precious. So that set me off, and there I sat blubbering next to her. This young couple sitting across from us asked if everything was okay, could they do something. I attempted to explain the situation, but I couldn't even get the words out. They were so sweet...talked to Megan...brought her a treat...and genuinely tried to help. They were on their way home from their honeymoon, and let Megan entertain them while we waited for our flight.

We had about 4 hours before our flight, so we jumped up to Williamsburg, VA. I remember Williamsburg from when I was a kid and thought Megan would like it, too.















We ate dinner at a seafood buffet. Megan ate crablegs for the first time, and she LOVED them.

Scott had 2 free days before he had to report to the base, so we made the best of it. First, we went to Virginia Beach. It was 64 degrees when we got there, sunny, windy, simply gorgeous. I'm not a beach person, in fact, I have a sand phobia, but Virginia Beach was BEAUTIFUL! I actually enjoyed it. Megan LOVED it.



Strutting to the water, all brave, ignoring the warning that it's cold water.


She got brave and got wet. But it was cold. She mostly played this game with the waves...she'd run and jump as they came up to her feet. She played this for hours.






We walked the boardwalk to another spot.


Even Scott and I played...but in the sand. We wrote all kinds of messages in the sand. These are the ones we could share.




This was just me messing with my new camera.


By far, one of the best days ever.

We left Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and headed north to Fort Eustis, Virginia. I traveled these roads many years ago, but didn't remember much about that section of the US. It was beautiful. I really enjoyed the scenery and the cities. One route took us along the coast; one route took us through Durham, North Carolina. Now if you know me, you know I've always wanted to step foot on the Duke University campus. Preferably as a student or a spectator at a Duke basketball game, but those are just preferences. It's been a dream of mine to just step foot on the campus. DREAM COME TRUE. The group accommodated my wish, and not only did I go on campus, but we found Cameron Indoor Stadium where the Duke Blue Devils play basketball games. *heart palpitations*

Let me preface this picture. I am well aware that I look like a big, fat dork. BUT, I was so darn excited and could hardly breathe, hence the dorky picture. I had to keep telling myself to breathe. And I am a dork. But, one HAPPY dork.

Day 2

We learned from the day before that we'd need to be there a little earlier to get a good seat. However, we still had to sit up top of the bleachers. It was so crowded!!

The soldiers marched out on the field, company by company. They marched in front of the people in charge...oh who am I kidding? I don't really know the terminology. I should probably look it up or something.



We listened to some speeches, music, and the creed. Then they marched all the way back to the end of the field. We were invited to go "find our solider". Really? They all look the same. Like finding a needle in a hay stack. It took a while, but we finally found him.







After graduation, Uncle Scott was free to go to his next post in Virginia. We shopped around for a while, ate lunch, and hit the road.

As a side note, the whole boot camp graduation experience was very humbling. It was obvious that some families were traveling for the first time, were watching a family member graduate from something for the first time, etc. To me, it was never a question of whether or not Scott would graduate. I mean, he went to boot camp to graduate. I've seen Scott have many successes in wrestling, high school, and college. But for some of the soldiers and families, it was the first time they were experiencing success or accomplishment - ever.

Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina

Boot camp graduation weekend is quite the production. The first day was family day. We sat in the bleachers not quite sure what to even expect. And so far, Uncle Scott didn't know that Megan was with us.

First, a small group did a demonstration showing some of the things they’d learned. I’m no military person, so I don’t even remember what it’s called, but something about a formation.

Then, the field cleared and it was silent. All of a sudden, they threw smoke bomb thingies out in the field. The soldiers then ran through the smoke, but it took me a while to figure out what the heck was going on out there. (see video - warning, it's loud)

They all lined up on the field, per company (is that right?). Scott is 6 rows back, and yeah, I don't know if I can even find him again.



THEN after a bunch of talking, we got to go out on the field and get Uncle Scott. Here's the surprise. They were SO happy to see each other. That's about how Megan looked all weekend...hanging on Uncle Scott's neck.



The rest of us got hugs, too, and we got to meet some of Scott's friends.







For family day, we could pretty much do anything except leave base. Scott showed us around his barracks and the rest of the base. We had a picnic, walked around, went shopping, mingled with other families at the rec center, and had dinner.





That night, we watched them get "smoked" by the drill sergeants.

Someone else was smoked by the end of the day...

When Uncle Scott left for Boot Camp, I promised him that I would attend his graduation. I got a super good deal on airfare, so I decided to surprise Megan with a trip to see Uncle Scott. A little background here...Megan is very close to her Uncle Scott. She talks about him all the time, and was very worried about him going into the Army. She thought we wouldn't get to see him for an entire 6 years, while he worked there, so she had a hard time coping with him leaving. So, if anyone would love to go see him graduate, it would be Megan.

She whined about going, begged me to take her, for several days. It took everything in me not to crack and tell her. She actually us putting some of her stuff in my suitcase, but I played it off that I accidentally put it in there while I was putting my stuff in...a close one. I bought her a pink suitcase, pre-packed her, and managed to keep it a secret until an HOUR before we got on the plane. From Uncle Scott, too.

Right before we got to the airport, I gave her a note. It said, "Megan, I have a surprise for you. You get to go with me to Uncle Scott's graduation." (see video)









We had 2 flights, a short connection, a RUN through the Atlanta airport, and Megan was a trooper. She rolled her big girl suitcase through the airport, running and all, and we BARELY made it to our flight. She spent lots of time coloring, listening to her ipod, and sleeping. She told everyone, "I'm going to the ARMY!"

We had a pretty quiet Easter morning here. The kids ran in to find chocolate bunnies in their baskets - a real treat - and then we hunted eggs in the front yard. We got the confetti eggs from HEB (have I mentioned how much I LOVE HEB????) and the kids really loved them. Our yard was nice and decorated for a few days.

After the egg hunt, we decorated eggs. Connor was hilarious. He couldn't leave an egg in the dye for more than 3 seconds before he'd move it to the next one. They called themselves "mad scientists".

From March: Daddy has gone “marathon nuts” lately. His first marathon was the White Rock Marathon in Dallas. He ran the Cowtown Marathon in March. And he just ran the Big D Marathon in April. The kids and I went to watch him cross the finish line at the Cowtown Marathon. Let me just say that taking two children, ages 5 and 2, to the finish line of a marathon is just not really fun. Okay, I’ll even say it’s darn close to torture. First off, it’s hard to guess at what time he’ll cross. Secondly, there are barriers where they don’t want kids, as in the direct path of runners. But my kids see barriers and want to cross them. Lastly, a Daddy who has just run a marathon, and is super sweaty, isn’t really in the condition to hold 2 needy children…which then causes said children to scream and cry. Picture me trying to carry/drag both children, screaming (them, not me) to the car alone. TORTURE.

From February: Well, we enjoyed our last free weekend with Uncle Scott before he left for Basic Training. First we went to Beaumont Ranch for the fish fry and dancing. Then he came over to our house to play. Notice Megan’s “army” clothes? Aunt Kari gave both kids an “Uncle Scott shirt” which she wears when she is thinking of Uncle Scott. We spent time reading books, playing, and eating – we took Uncle Scott to Kinkaids for the first time (great excuse for us to get to go).