LT's Homecoming

He's been home almost 2 weeks now and I figured I better post pictures of this event now before the rest of the Task Force shows up tonight for their official 'the deployment is over' festivities.

From the time we took LT back to the airport after R&R, the boys have talked about how they were going to wait at the escalator and see their daddy come down. LT was at the back of the plane so lots of people came down the escalator before him. Maverick got tired of waiting and went back to the window to watch the airplane. I guess he thought he might see his daddy out there somehow.

Of course, their daddy couldn't do things like everyone else, so he came down the steps instead of the escalator. When I saw him coming, I had to find both of the boys to get them to look somewhere other than he escalator. They were super excited when they saw him! I think Maverick is asking him if that's his white plane out there.After the boys got their hugs and were off to the next thing, we finally got a glimpse of each other. One of our friends took this picture, but from the moment I first saw it, I've loved it because I have that, "he's really home!!!" grin on my face. It's like excitement, relief and a whole string of other emotions wrapped up in one big smile! The embrace that almost ended Jenna Beth's life! I knew I was holding her when we hugged, but it wasn't until I saw this picture that I realized how awkward it looked for her. After everyone else got their hugs, a sleepy Jenna Beth finally got hers. I love the look on the guy on the edge of the picture's face. He's a high ranking military official who came to the airport to greet LT's little group that came home. I'm sure he never gets tired of seeing the joy on the faces of moms and dads who embrace their children after a year long deployment. Here we are - - - together at last! I've given up on pictures where all 5 of us are smiling or even looking the same direction. It's who we are and I've just come to grips with that fact. The boys thought they would help their daddy carry his bags. They couldn't even lift this thing off the floor, but they gave it a valiant effort!

Rough Housing

Our rough housing days have begun. I'm anxiously awaiting lots of broken objects from the antics of these two crazy boys and their daddy.

Saturday Happenings

Saturday was the annual Oktoberfest 8k here at Fort Bliss. LT and some of his buddies decided they would run it and then we'd have them over afterward for tacos and to watch a bit of a football game.

Here are pictures of the runners. Ther race route went right by our neighborhood so we walked down to wave and take a picture. LT is in the first picture. I couldn't see what I was taking a picture of due to the glare from the sun on my camera screen. I did better taking a picture of his friends in the 2nd picture.

One of our friends has a little boy who is 4 months younger than Maverick. He and the boys had a good time playing in the backyard and eating their quesadillas while we waited for the runners to return. It's the first time I had seen Connor since last fall. He's a cute kid!

No Major Drama

Today is LT's 30th Birthday!! Happy Birthday, Love! We're finally checking the same age group box again.

For everyone wondering, we made it to SC in one piece. I don't have any major drama stories to share. I did tell Jake that driving to Phoenix to catch our flight was a big mistake about an hour into the 6.5 hour drive there. We pulled out of our driveway at 5:06am. I was absolutely exhausted and didn't know how I was going to survive a very long day! I could barely stay awake and was afraid to doze off in the car because Jake said that he was exhausted. We stopped in Deming, NM to change diapers and the boys' clothes and get some breakfast at Mickey D's. Then I drove to Tucson where we stopped for snacks and a bathroom break. Jake took us from there to the airport.

Bailey was so excited to ride the bus from the economy parking garage to the terminal. He grinned ear to ear and said "Weee" every time we turned a corner or took off. He didn't want to get off at the terminal and stood and watched the bus drive off while he waved and said 'bye bye bus.'

Once we were at the airport, we checked in our baggage (too bad ALL of my baggage can't be checked that easily) and rode the escalator up to the terminal level and got something to eat and let the boys play. Bailey hung out with me and my $8 salad. He at a $1 apple and a $1 bag of chips and played with Thomas and his coaches. Jake and Maverick went for a little walk.

We made it through security okay. Bailey was cooperative and took off his shoes and put them in the little grey box and willingly put his backpack in, too. We played a little while longer, and handed out the benadryl until it was time to board.

Once on board, we strapped Bailey into his car seat and got ourselves situated. Mav was a little wrestless, but was asleep in Jake's arms by the time we took off. Bailey played with his trains and a few other odds and ends toys I brought for entertainment until it was finally necessary, about an hour and a half into the flight, to pull out the always faithful portable DVD player. Max and Ruby were just the company he needed to make it through the rest of the flight. He didn't fall asleep until we landed. Mav was a little bit restless when he woke up and we expected that. I ended up having to trade seats with Jake to keep Mav from knocking off the DVD player or smacking Bailey.

When we got to HOTlanta, we rode the train and escalator to the baggage claim area - another thrill for Bailey! As we got to the top of the escalator, there stood Benny in the crowd of people waiting for their loved ones to come riding up. We loaded all of our stuff up and hit the road to Fort Mill. We got home around 2am or so and the boys weren't really ready to go to bed. We let them explore for a few minutes until the adults could no longer keep our eyes open. They cooperatively went to bed and we all slept like logs. I'm not sure what time the boys really got out of bed because GG and Paw Paw were eager to entertain them until we got up.

So far I've gotten my hair cut - really cut - and we've toured the big city of Fort Mill to see the progress of the constant development going on here. I've forgotten how beautiful spring time in SC is! In one short years time, I've grown to appreciate the brown of the dry desert, but don't think I'll ever not love the 4 true seasons of South Carolina! I've also grown to appreciate the dry heat of El Paso. I've been glistening since I got off the plane in Atlanta. It really is amazing how much difference the humidity makes.

Marathon Man

My precious husband woke up with the roosters this morning to run in the 2nd annual El Paso Marathon. He intended to push Bailey for the 26.2 mile trek, but the forecast was calling for 'gale force winds' so we were afraid the stroller might catch wind and fly away. So Bailey's still waiting to ride his first marathon.

Jake told me a few days ago that if he ran the marathon in less than 4 hours that he wanted me to make him Deb's Peanut-Butter Butterfinger Red Velvet Cake. I thought he would tell me that he was just joking, but when he came to the church in shorts and a Tarheel t-shirt, the first thing he said to me was "You owe me a cake." He finished in something like 3 hours 50 minutes and 36 seconds. I spent the afternoon at the grocery store buying the ingredients and came home tonight after church to start baking. It didn't turn out as pretty as Holly's did, but it was absolutely delicious! I'll need to make it a few more times to perfect it and know just how much icing and butterfinger to put where. If you're in the mood for a new cake recipe, definitely try this one!

Needless to say, I fell off the low carb wagon today, but it's been worth it! It all began when I was offered a piece of carrot cake in honor of Maverick's favorite admirer, Ms. Ruth's, 85th birthday! Happy Birthday Ms. Ruth! I actually just ate a few bites and gave the rest to Bailey. Tomorrow I'll be right back on the wagon. Gotta break this darn plateau!

LT in the News

The following is an article from the El Paso Times published Saturday that features a mentor program that Jake is overseeing at one of the elementary schools here at Fort Bliss.

Bliss soldiers mentor elementary school students
By Zahira Torres / El Paso Times

With his eyes fixed on the soldier in front of him, Byron Banuelos shared stories about himself, his background and his goals in school. Banuelos, a fifth grader at Bliss Elementary, was among dozens of students today that were introduced to their assigned mentors from 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.

"He's cool because he is good with us," Banuelos said about Sgt. 1st Class Dwight Bradford, who will be working with Banuelos and four other students throughout the school year. "He's going to help me so that I don't fail the TAKS test."

Bradford -- one of about 50 soldiers who will be mentoring children at the campus -- joked with students, asked about their goals and shared information about his own life.

That is exactly what Principal Thomas O'Hara said he was hoping to see in a mentor.

"Students who may be having a hard time achieving academic success were paired up with a mentor that could possibly serve as a role model," O'Hara said. "They will be helping children not only with academic but with social success, so that they can be engaged and involved and see that people care about them and their success."

About 50 students were selected for the mentorship program, which pairs each group with about three soldiers that will attend classes, conduct one-on-one tutoring sessions and plan field trips that will enhance their learning, officials said.

"The students we spoke to are performing well in their classes but are having difficulty translating that to their tests," Lt. Jake Wade, a former high school teacher with 2-6 ADA, said about his group. "We want to encourage the application of various educational activities, so that they can read and understand and focus on all aspects of learning for subjects such as math and reading."

Capt. Anthony Dunat said the program will create mutual learning opportunities.

"I'm looking forward to it," Dunat said. "I think it will be a great opportunity for me because I have a one-year-old daughter. It will give me a leg up on what is to come."

Great to Be an Auburn Tiger

As many of you know, I married into an Auburn Tiger family. Every fall since I've been part of the Wade clan has been very entertaining. I guess that's one way to put it! You see, my husband and his brother, are what I would consider FANATICAL about their Tiger Football. They often act like they know the players and coaches personally, like they're best friends and that Tommy Tuberville is going to be calling them for advice! I can tell you, though, they've never been friends with Brandon Cox, Auburn's current QB. For obvious reasons, this season will be very different - so I thought!! We probably won't see many Auburn games living in West Texas and since Josh is in Afghanistan there won't be any dinner discussions about how good or bad the team played, etc. From what I hear, though, they NEVER play good! Really, Auburn could blow USC (currently ranked #1) out of the water like 75 - 0 and I assure you, there would still be some "they should've done this" or "we just don't have any defense" commentary. I'm not exaggerating very much, am I Debbie?

Well, last night while we watched Auburn play TERRIBLY and get beat by University of South Florida in overtime, Josh called us from Afghanistan to ask about the game! They were cut off, but right after we laid down in bed, he called back. Picture this - - we're laying in bed, not a light on in the house and I'm hearing Jake on the phone with Josh saying things like "We'll be lucky to win another game this season" and "I doubt we'll be going to a bowl" and "Brandon Cox just looks scared" and "We just make stupid mistakes" and "LSU is going to kill us." All the while, I'm dying laughing because I can just imagine what Josh is saying or thinking. It was just like old times! The Wade boys may be an ocean apart, but they wear the same uniform every day and they can't seem to get enough of their Auburn Football. The Tigers may be the worst team in the country, but they're still singing "It's great to be an Auburn Tiger. It's great to be an Auburn Tiger." And win or lose, we'll still fly our Auburn Tiger Flag that I bought off Ebay last week in our front yard - Loud and Proud!

Happy Anniversary, Love!

Where's Jake?

Last night, around 9, I noticed that Jake went outside and didn't come in for a while. I thought maybe he had gone outside to talk on the phone or something, but that wasn't the case. When I went out there, I saw him pushing one of these little push mower things across our yard. I told one of our neighbors that she was an overachiever yesterday for mowing her yard with one of these things since we have lawn people who come weekly to mow and stir up the dust. I'm not sure what got Jake inspired, but he went and 'stole' this mower out of a storage room in one of the houses that was vacant last night, but today has a tenant! Jake says they're not getting their mower back! Besides, there are several hanging out leaning against peoples' houses that never get touched so I'm sure he could find another to borrow if he gets inspired to mow again!