End of August life

I drove football carpool this week one day and looked up and a kid was waving at me and I didn't realize until he turned around that it was my kid. He looked old! He was going back in to get resized from XS to XXS sized pads :) ha!

Sand volleyball has become a frequent weekend event for the teenage boys. Happy they're choosing to stay out of trouble and enjoy each other and some laughs.

I saw the picture and said "why do you always make the "fighter fist" in every photo now?"

He sent me this a few minutes later - "I've always been a fighter at heart, Mom."

Pretty cute.

And speaking of fighting... this is Dugan. He is one of Kyle's coaches at the gym. He had a MMA fight last weekend and won! Both Michael Dugan and Jared (gym owner) are Christians and good people for Kyle to be around daily.

Mom and Dad headed north to escape the heat of Oklahoma right now. They're vacationing with Mike and Debbie and I hope having a great time.

Where did Eddie want to sleep?

StuCo post for Howdy Week... Kyle decorating the hallways!

Old McDonald and his farm also took home first prize for costumes at Bowling night for Howdy Week.

I just happened to see this on Instagram! I didn't even get a text from my son! 

And this was after a "team building" event where there 2027s "got" to run up hills and do conditioning while learning all of the upper classmen's names in their squad so they were already exhauster.

#soproud

It's extra fun for me to see that it was with his three closest buddies (that we last know about) in his group (the front row).

Doolies aren't allowed to leave base except for the rare exception - usually religious. Grant signed up for the "protestant retreat" knowing virtually nothing about it except it was two nights off base. I looked up on Life360 last night and he's at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park where, I might add, my own youth pastor is the current Chaplain so they're bound to meet. How cool is that?! Way better retreat than the COS convention center or somewhere that I was expecting. Glad he's getting a private shower and real day off for 48 hours (maybe?!?).

Grant and Kadyn have come a long way since minigolf on Oahu!

Now they're ice skating in Estes Park!

Beth sent this to me on Wednesday - it's our picture from our first day of work 5 years ago - August 16, 2018! We are both pretty surprised we're still there 5 years later. We added up the financial contribution we added to our family and congratulated ourselves. 

It was very ironic timing as I also started another part-time job on Wednesday, exactly five years later, working just on Wednesdays. Guess I'm growing up!

A-Day

We think cute little dorm rooms are just that - cute.

Military dorm rooms are so PRACTICAL. Metal and matching and basic. Grant even has cardboard boxes to help him keep his items separate and organized :)

and trunks. They get a few drawers and trunks.

Jealous, eh?

Nice and snug three guys to a room.

Jason and I headed out for a 30 hour trip to see Grant for 2 hours!

But surprise! He texted us "why don't you guys come by Arnold Hall tonight and meet Dom's family?" "we can?" "Sure!" so we got an extra 8 minutes and were able to give him some snacks and a few supplies we brought. 

This picture was my favorite picture!

We were able to meet a few of his friends - Dom, Lee, Lily, and Jenna. We just had literally 8 minutes until they had to report but it was okay!

The Acceptance Day parade was the next morning. This is when they are no longer Basic Cadets and are officially recognized and accepted into the cadet wing. They have earned their first shoulder board.

Here is one of the falcons.

The entire cadet wing participates in the parade and the symbolism is very neat. We really had no idea what to expect. The whole wing goes onto the field - divided by A-H (basic cadets (Grant was H) and  Squadron #1-40 (cadet wing). Lots of talking. And then marching. And then the basics go march to their coordinating number (Hellcat Delta went to 39) and then they march out together and the shoulder board ceremony is all of 39.

Grant is center of the screen in both of the pictures below.

All the basics are facing the cadet wing.

This is Luke Rowe out front leading his squadron - 12 (the coordinating basics would have been C-B (Cobras Beta) It's a lot to learn).

39 marching by us

39 basics being called out one by one to receive their boards.

officially in the cadet wing!

Lance Petermann and Will Beaman

Both class of 2026. Both Oklahomans. Both have the same sponsor family as Grant.

Proud parents.

Seriously, when did Grant get so tall?

GG wrote a note!

So if you wear your uniform outside, you must wear a hat, no matter your rank.  If you do not have one on, you must have your hand on your head. Who knew!

We dropped him off at the gate and watched him walk away.

The irony here? This is nearly the exact spot where we first met the baseball player in 2017 on our vacation who inspired Grant's initial interest to attend the Academy.

And here we stand, holding hands, crying, watching our baby walk away to go to his college room that we've never seen. And he was proudly leaning on the railing waving at us and having a great time!

Little did he know he was going into a room that had been trashed, and it was back to reality of being a Doolie and the junk it entails until Recognition in April!

Jedi Knights 39 Instagram post!

welcoming their little baby jedis!

his first day of school Webguy pictures for his family!

I suggested that now he just take them with his cell phone rather than make us look through webguy from here on out!

He really does like the 39 leadership. They hiked Eagle's Peak on Saturday morning to catch the sunrise over USAFA. Those in civilian clothes are C3Cs or older so these are mostly his classmates.

We met the Beamans and Petermanns (the Oklahoma cadets mentioned above) for dinner.

The Petermanns live in Stillwater and we have so many connections and it's crazy we have never met.