July...

…has been packed full of fun and the month isn’t even over yet! First we moved to a new house, celebrated the fourth, and drove to Georgia and back again. Lots to post about and lots of picture so hang in there as I attempt to bring everyone up to date.

First we moved about 7-8 miles south of our previous address. It is closer to the metro, city, and most importantly friends. Kevin was at scout camp the week before the move so the kids and I got everything ready for help to move our big stuff when he got back. This is our second move in a year and I hope to not have to move again anytime soon (at least not during the month of July). The kids love our new place. There is a little yard in the back, a big basement to play in, and a community pool! The toughest part about moving to Baltimore was our loss of leg room from our home in BV. The kids really missed playing outside so this is really nice to be able to have a bit of grass to play in.
Soon after our move our friends (and new neighbors!) the Johnsons invited us over for the fourth. We headed over for fireworks. Jared and Anna had fun with sparklers and chasing lightning bugs.



A few days later we piled up into the van and made our way down to Georgia for my brothers OCS (Officer Candidate School- ARMY) graduation at Fort Benning, Columbus, GA.


My parents, Sonnet, and Blake’s wife and son, Sara and Jacob, were all there. We hung out at our hotel and played games and swam.
We went to a really great park called Callaway Gardens. They had walking trails, a few lakes, a live Butterfly room, birds of prey presentation, mini golf, shuffle board, blow up toys, and a circus.

Waiting for birds of Prey Presentation

Jacob taking in the park

Butterflies




We all had a really great time at Callaway Gardens. One day we went to the infantry museum on base and it was really interesting. They had a walk through history presentation where you saw displays of famous moments in the history of the American Army. This is my favorite picture of all.

Jared, being the serious and sensitive kid that he is, was really quiet as we were walking through the museum. In his little corner of the world war is a foreign concept and he had a hard time understanding why war would become necessary. We had a chance to talk a bit and then at one point in the museum we came to this area that had almost life size pictures of soldiers all around the world from the floor to the ceiling. It was a great experience and I gained even more respect for those that serve our nation and the world. There was room for kids where they could try on some of the uniforms and see what it is like inside of a tank. Anna is the Sargent, Jared and Jacob are the solders, and Audrey is the civilian.


Thursday was Blake’s graduation. Flash photography was not allowed so I don’t have any real good pictures of Blake on the stage, but here are a few of us before and after.


Blake asked my dad, who was in the Navy, to do his pinning and first salute. My dad ordered a uniform from his day to wear for the occasion.

Blake is an official 2nd Lieutenant in the Army now. He and his family are stationed in Missouri for his training to be an Engineer in the Army. Some of his training will take place in Georgia as well.
The kids were great traveling in the car all that way. We were amazed at how content even Audrey was for the fourteen hour drive. On the way home we stopped off at BV for a quick visit. It is always nice to visit old friends. We are home now and shouldn’t be going anywhere for a while. I guess we will see what the rest of July brings.