First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for Beanie (K) and Pookie (1st). They are so cute...and so big!

Pookie hit the big time on her first day of 1st grade. Here is a link to a video news story that was filmed in her classroom today.

Fun in the Pool

We celebrated the end of summer with a trip to Aunt Kim's pool. Pook even learned how to "swim" underwater! The weather was perfect and we had a great afternoon.

Goodbye Preschool, Hello PETA!

Today is Beanie's last day of pre-school! She is very excited to be going to kindergarten. Well, she is very excited about buying school supplies, anyway! Gramma is coming down today and on Sunday all three kiddos are going home with her to Oklahoma. They are looking forward to "helping" in the garden and riding their bikes "on the road!" Sounds like a good vacation to me!

This morning on the way to daycare, Pookie amazed me. She said, "Momma, when we get home from school and work tonight, me and Beanie are gonna take the dogs, just the kids and the dogs, and we're gonna go to Chik-Fil-A and we are gonna tell those people to stop killing the animals! Animals are our friend and they need to just stop it!"

Wow! I had no idea that we were raising an activist, but I must admit that I felt very proud of her! I did try to explain that the people working in fast food places aren't the ones who kill the animals, but that didn't really appease her. I mentioned writing letters to the owners and she said, "No. Momma, we haf to bring the dogs and we haf to go there!

I'm not really sure why the dogs are being dragged along on this protest trip, and I'm also not sure why Beanie thinks the owners (and everyone else we don't know) live in Tennessee. But more power to our activist kiddos!

Family Time in Dallas

This weekend we went to Dallas for the kickoff of Tracy's active duty life. The unit hosted a Dining Out on Saturday, then family briefings and some fun stuff on Sunday. The transition is strange. It's like I woke up this morning and ta-da, I'm an army wife. Excuse me? Military service is an integral part of our life history, but it hasn't been part of our daily life in a looong time. Especially since Tracy's unit is in Dallas, the military stuff is very separate from our "real" day-to-day life. Or it has been!

The Dining Out - complete with childcare - was a nice event. Dining Out is a semi-formal dinner for the unit members and their spouses or significant others. The members present their guests to the commanding officers and dignitaries, there is a program which includes a telling of the unit's history and involvement in conflict, and there is a tribute to members who have died in combat. There is also a special table which features certain items - empty plate and glass, lemon slice, and salt - to symbolize the fallen soldiers' absence and our resulting sadness. Considering that Tracy's unit lost a soldier in Afghanistan last year, this tribute was particularly somber. Tracy read the Airborne Toast:

I have ridden the skies in great machines, hooked up and jumped with the best of men.

I have fought long and hard, and when I felt I had no energy left,

I have been fired by the fear that if I stopped fighting, my comrades would die.

And when I was in danger, enemy all around,

I heard the thunder from my left and my right, as my life was defended.

I have never been alone.

I live, jump, fight and battle to victory with the greatest assemblage of men on earth.

Gentlemen - and ladies - to the BROTHERHOOD of the AIRBORNE.

To the AIRBORNE !

All in all, it was a very emotional weekend.

Beanie, Tracy, and me, all dressed up for the Dining Out (photo courtesy of Pook!)

On Sunday, the adjacent Knights of Columbus chapter, who had given the unit space for the Dining Out, invited us to attend their incredible brunch and swim in their pool free of charge. It was just such a generous gift, and really let us all relax together. The kiddos had a blast going down the slide into the pool! They swam and jumped and slid in their floaties for at least two hours. When it was finally time for us to head back to Austin, there were lots of tears all around. I didn't think poor Pook would ever stop crying. We miss our Daddy.

Daddy and kiddos at the KC pool

Family circle photo!

JMPI realized

As I mentioned earlier, in July Tracy went to the three-week Jumpmaster course at Ft. Benning. The first-time success rate for this course is low, so he was understandably pleased with himself - and we were very proud - when he passed! Jumpmasters are responsible for inspecting every jumper to make sure that his equipment is put together correctly so that it will operate - and the 'chute will open when the time comes. They also identify the landing zone and send the jumpers out at the right time. The class environment is very high-stress, for a good reason; the jumpers' lives depend on the jumpmaster's ability.

These are some photos from Tracy's first JMPI experience.

Morning briefing from SFC Dunlap

Look at that stance! Yikes!

Check this guy out. He is seriously concentrating.

Here's Tracy inspecting the company commander.

Tracy did finally get to jump, in the dark, on the last flight of the day.

Zulu Austin

This week were happy to be descended upon by three long-lost Zulu brothers: Joey V, Rob (aka guy in da green shirt), and TonyMoon. It was incredible to see them again, finally, after so many years, but for me it was very sobering too. Their willingness to come to us out of the blue, to see Tracy before he goes, means they understand the serious nature of this deployment. There may be desert in Afghanistan, but it's no Sinai.

Thanks, guys, for your unending love and support. I can't tell you how much your visit meant to both of us.

Pictures to come soon!