Within The Past Year

We started like this (October 2009): 

And ended like this (November 2010):

Happy Fall, y'all!

It's Been 5 Years...

... since Matt has come home from his tour to Baqubah and Kirkuk, Iraq. 

This has been Matt's only deployment.  He served as a light infantry foot solider and had the total "Iraq Experience." Which includes multiple car bombs, IEDs (improvised explosive device), and ambushes. On the 9 day rotations, 6 of those were in the city. His duties included watching the base from the guard towers, going on raids (some with Special Forces), and street patrol.  During raids, he was the first person to enter the home.  The base that he stayed on was tiny.  130 men in the middle of the city.  Stress was high, but luckily no was killed in action.  Purple hearts, for sure, but no deaths. During this tour he got to know the people, understand the cultural divides, and learned how damaging war can be to a country. 

Matt is now in the Army ROTC program at Boise State University.  He is training to become an Army officer, hopefully in active duty.  This deployment he had will not be his last, but it has significant importance to me and him. 

Let me put a time line together:

• September 2001--Matt joins the Army National Guard.
• December 2002--Matt begins his LDS mission to B'ham, AL.
• May of 2004--Matt is called off his LDS mission to B'ham, AL (of which he served 18 months) to deploy to Iraq. 
• May of 2004--Shannon goes out to Boise for 1 week to see Matt. They want to know if we really do like each other, and if we want to pursue a relationship. 
• June of 2004--Matt goes out to Alabama for 4 days to Shannon.  They want to pursue a relationship. 
• July of 2004--Matt leaves for Ft. Bliss Texas, to start his deployment. 3 months of training in Ft. Bliss, TX and 2 months in Ft. Polk, LA.
• November of 2004--Matt is on Leave in Boise. Shannon flies out to see him.  He proposes! They are engaged to be married!
• November of 2004--Matt leaves after two weeks back to Louisiana, to continue training.
• November of 2004--Matt leaves for Iraq.
• April of 2005--Matt and Shannon meet up in Alabama to be married! They have 2 weeks together. 
• May of 2005--Matt leaves for the rest of his deployment. 
• November of 2005--Matt comes home from his Iraq!! 

This deployment defined us. Our lives were this deployment.  I was going to school, some in Alabama, but mostly in Idaho at BYU-Idaho. Email was imperative! Having 3 or 4 emails a week was really nice. Maybe a phone call once or twice a week. Believe me, my roommates could tell when I hadn't talked to Matt in a while.  We both tried to stay positive, and we both grew in ways not know to us before.  We made lots of lasting relationships with people that were with us (me and my roommates and college buddies, Matt and his fellow soldiers.) 

Wow, what a time.  Our lives didn't settle down after that, though.  I'm hoping the next 5 years will be a little more mello.

Happy Homecoming, Matt! 

Imagination Isaac

Isaac has an imaginary friend.  Corrections, friends.  Their name is Monsters, Inc.  I'm assuming these imaginary friends are the main characters of the Disney movie, Monsters, Inc.  

I have to be careful when these friends come around.  Isaac loves to open the front door for them to come in. During the summer this happened A LOT!  Finally, after realizing that Isaac really believed they needed a door open to come in the house, I told Isaac that they are super skilled and can come through the balcony. 

These are some happening with Monsters, Inc. that happened today:

"Mom," Isaac whines, "Monsters, Inc. just hit me!"  

And tonight Isaac comes out of his room, 20 minutes after we put him to bed, and says, "Dad, Monsters, Inc. went to his house."

Matt, "We should probably go to sleep then, huh?"

Isaac, "Yeah... oh, my trucks!"

Looking Back

I've been looking back over some of our pictures from the summer. Most of these pictures were taken during the month after Titus was born... I probably didn't have enough energy to do any posts on the two boys and their happenings. 

I now have the energy, so here we go!

   
 


 
 

To sum up:

• Matt spent tons of time building Legos with Isaac. These master pieces had functioning parts and everything! Just basic Legos, no specialty kits.
  
• We played lots of tennis.
  
• Eli learned to walk. But had lots of help from the Tonka truck for support... and also furniture. 
  
• And the boys grew, and grew, and became even more handsome, and closer friends!
  

Sunday Best

The boys all ready for church! 

We had some snot explosions. 

 

Eli is now in Nursery. (A class for 18 month to 3 year olds.) He likes it for the first hour, but needs one of us in there for the second hour. Matt is typically the one that helps out in Nursery. Our nursery leader is a man, so he appreciates Matt's help. 

Isaac is doing well in Primary. (A two hour class/program for children 3 to 11 years old.) He's learning, and starting to participate more. He's a Sunbeam, and really likes it when we sing that song at home. He doesn't sing, but jumps in his seat everytime we come to the part of "sunbeam!"

I just received a calling as the Achievement Days leader for the 8 to 11 year old girls! I'm nervous. This is my first calling outside a Student-Family Ward (a ward is a church congregation). I just want to do well for these young ladies...  

He's Bona Fide!

Matt voted in his first election! 

Matt became a citizen of the US of A a few years ago, after he came home from Iraq. He was born in Canada, lived a few years there, but mostly grew up in the United States. We were excited that he could cast his vote (oh, and I voted too). Matt's a bona fide citizen! 

October Rewind

Okay, so, October blew by! Seriously, it went fast. So lets look back at this month, and talk about some things we did. 

 

1) We got a second vehicle! Matt's in love. 

After 5 and a half years of marriage, it was about time to get a second vehicle. Bought from owner. A 1995, V6, sun roofed, Toyota 4Runner! Great condition, lower mileage, and very manly. 

2) We got a nice surprise visit from my grandma! 

Judy Jean is my mother's mother. It was cool to get a visit from a Florida peep. It was her first time seeing Eli and Titus. Thanks for coming, and babysitting, Grandma! 

3) Halloween arrived. Along with pumpkin carving. 

Isaac was very excited! He picked the pumpkin out when on his preschool field trip to a pumpkin patch. He didn't touch the pumpkin insides, and left the dirty work to Matt, but he was very adamant that we should have a "mean face pumpkin."

 

4) Trick or Treating!

Isaac wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. So we all went along with the Turtle Power! 

I, Shannon, am Splinter the Rat; Matt is Michelangelo; Isaac is Leonardo; Eli is Raphael; Titus is Donatello. 

Isaac told each of us what we should be. We complied. 

Matt was very happy to be Michelangelo--for that's his favorite Turtle! 

 

If you're wondering, yes I made these. And yes, it was very hard. (I don't have too much knowledge/skill. Made lots of mistakes. But learned lots too.) 

With the shirts and pants I tried to copy their Old Navy pjs as closely as possible. And the turtle shell I made like a backpack, with a snap on the side so Isaac can take on and off as he pleases.

Isaac loves this thing! As of right now, we are going on day 5 of Leo the Turtle. And I don't see an end in sight. You're only a kid once, right?

That was October! Thanks for stopping by!