Category — deployment

United Through Reading is a program that believes in uniting families through reading. They have a military program that is offered through the USO at selected USO sites. A service members can stop into the USO and pick a book for each of their children and then make a video of themselves reading the book or books.

Yesterday, we received 2 packages at our doorstep. They were each filled with books and Beanie Babies (not sure if the Beanie Babies are part of the program or just a fun addition). There were 9 books inside, one for each of the kids (Kateri and JJ, I will send yours along). They were accompanied by a DVD of Clay reading some of the books and talking to the kids. They loved it! The 4 youngest sat down and watched the video. They followed along with their books as Clay read. Maddi took her book, retreated to her room and came out an hour later, declaring that she’d finished it and proceeded to tell me the whole story.

When Clay first left on this deployment, he made a video of himself reading one book and the video and book were sent to us. But the DVD was very small and I couldn’t get any of our players to read it. This new one is regular sized and played right on my computer. Everyone was happy to get the replacement!

Lex with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (it was read SEVERAL times last night)

Gabi, Max and Tristan with their new books

Gathered around the computer to watch and listen to their stories

Clay reading Love You Forever to the kiddos

Happy faces

Thanks USO for making this program available. And thank you to the DFW International Airport Community which helped make our video possible and all the generous, everyday Americans who help to support this program and make it possible for so many!

Have a great day~

School is out, which means I’m off work. JJ got in from school on Friday and Clay arrived yesterday. Kateri spent 4 days going back and forth to the base in Ramstein, trying to get a mac flight home. After 4 days of being bumped because of her low priority, she’s given up on using that option. We are on hold to see what will actually happen with her traveling.

So now I am on “break”. Ha! The only thing breakish about it is that I don’t have to be dressed and out the door by 7:30. Instead, I’m getting up, showering, starting the coffee, the laundry, the dishes, the breakfast and then realizing that at 8 am I’m still not dressed and ready for the day. I am looking forward to catching up on the many, little tasks that have fallen behind since I am out of the house but the workload is greater and the expectations high when everyone is home. I didn’t work outside the house while Clay was still here or when Kateri and JJ were still living at home. My new schedule and the way I run things is new to them. When they’re home I feel a little pressure to make it all the way it “used to be”. So…more cooking, more cleaning and more organizing. It’s so good to have everyone together and the little kids are especially soaking up the attention from Clay and JJ. I will take lots of pictures and give them all many things to do together to keep them busy. But this time is going to move quickly and the break will be over and we will all go back to the way it’s been…JJ and Kateri away at school and Clay back to Iraq to finish his deployment. I must switch gears quickly.

Here’s to a beautiful Christmas week to all of you and to all that us moms do to make it all happen!

Have a great day~

I didn’t mean for this to happen. Every day I think of the funny moments that happen around here. I make a mental note of how certain things get done or that we are WELL into this year of deployment and how it’s all successfully happening in this house. I’ll shoot a quick Twitter update, or refresh my facebook status but then…I come home from work, get the kiddos settled with an after-school snack, give them a stern talkin’ to about their homework, drive whomever needs to get wherever they need to go, make dinner, serve it, give instructions for pj’s and bath time, make sure the teeth are brushed, line everyone up for the nighttime prayers (there’s plenty to be thankful for and to ask intervention on), lie the lil ones down, kiss their lil heads, glance at the LLLOOONNNGGG list of “must do’s”, pour a glass o’ vino, read emails, add a few things to the list and head to bed. WAIT!…what happened to sitting here and documenting how I’m Doing the Dance of the Children?! Heck, I even have someone assigning a daily song for me to do the Dance to. And yet, I find it challenging to write about each day. They are all so dang full!

I am floored that we are 2 days into December! My list grew by MANY entries when I realized all that must be done before Christmas and the arrival of the 3 missing members of this Lang Clan. I’m slightly overwhelmed!

So, the blogging has been makin it’s appearance on the ish. You know…Wednesday-ish. Next week-ish. Hopefully identifying this will change it.

Here’s to facing the fact that the Holiday Season is in full swing, that the year has blown past us and that life is WAY TOO full!

Good night~

I want to thank Sheri Ledoux of Knott’s Berry Farms PR department for her quick and thorough response to my disappointment. I have been assured that the promotional offer for the Armed Services will apply to the spouses of deployed service members who are holding a valid ID card.

Looks like the Lang Clan will be heading to Knotts on our annual trip after-all. Whoo Hoo!

Have a great day~

Now that October is over and I’m taking down the ghosts, skeletons and witches that the kids have made over the years, I realize that we didn’t make it to the pumpkin patch this year. Uh! It’s always a challenge to squeeze it in because of the busy afternoons and the jam-packed weekends, but somehow, we always manage. But this year I got too comfortable buying the awesomely-priced pumpkins at our local market. Once they were on the front porch, I let the urgency of getting to the pumpkin patch slip and here we are, looking back at October with no visit to Oma’s. I’m a little sad.

I’m even sadder when I look ahead, through this November and see that there will be no annual trip to Knott’s Berry Farm. Sad! We’ve been going to Knott’s, every November that we’ve been in California, since Arianna was small enough for me to carry her in the backpack. Knott’s has a Salute to the Armed Forces each November and the whole family looks forward to this trip. BUT, this year the park has changed it’s guidelines for entrance and the military member must be present for their families to take advantage of the offer. Excluding the dependents of deployed service members doesn’t make sense to me. It makes the sting of deployment even greater when the children who look forward to a tradition are not able to participate because Dad is gone. Ugh! Why don’t I just take them on my own, without the promotion, you ask. The wonderful offer that Knott’s puts out every November is for the active duty member and one guest to get in for free. They are then able to purchase up to 6 additional tickets for $15 each. Regular admission for adults is $44.99 and kid’s tickets are $23.99. Kid’s tickets are based on height. So, I have 4 “adults” among the 7 children that I currently have at home and 3 “kids”. I’ll let you all do the math to figure out the difference in the price. But you can see that it’s a great difference. Once you do all that math you’ll see why the Lang Clan never storms a theme park without an awesome promotion, especially around the holidays.

So, while I’m thankful that Knott’s puts on this really wonderful deal each year, I’m confused at their thinking. If a dependent is holding a copy of the Active Duty member’s orders and an ID card, I think it’s a shame that they will not be able to take advantage of this offer. And I’m really sad that for the first time in 10 years, we will not be going.

Have a great day~

Clay left in May for training and prep to head over to Iraq and spend a year hunting IEDs with the Army. He came home for a few days at the end of June before going over. He’s been in theater since the 1st of July. I never know whether to count from when he left in May or when he left at the end of June but either way, he’s been gone for a few months now. This deployment has been so different from others. First of all, I usually have a good visual, in my head, of what’s going on out there and what his job and missions entail. This time his job is so different from what I’m used to him doing, that I just really don’t have a basis to pull from. He also doesn’t talk much about what he’s doing or what happens in each day. But, at the same time, we’ve had more contact during this deployment than during any other. With Skype coming along, things have changed greatly! Not only do the kids get to have face time with Dad, he can actively help parent. Gone are the days of the weekly letter or the monthly in-port, late-night phone call. The kids are really enjoying this perk of technology! When they get excited over something they immediately ask if they can “tell Dad”.

With year-long deployments, there is the opportunity to come home at some point around mid point for a short visit. Clay’s hoping to make it out here for Christmas. This would be truly amazing because it would mean that after 22 years of military service and many deployments, that he would have NEVER missed a Christmas at home. This is almost unheard of! I don’t know when he’ll have the word on whether or not his time is approved, but wouldn’t that be amazing?!

All in all, the deployment is moving along quickly for all of us. Our days are so full and busy that each one rolls into the next without any dragging.

Onward we go!

Have a great day~

At 4 yrs old Gabi is very interested in reading. She often takes books out and “reads” them out loud to us. Over the last few days she’s been carrying the Children’s Bible around and “reading” various stories to us. Tonight, after dinner, she brought it over to the table and started to “read” to us.

“…and many bad things were happening. So Jesus deployed to the world to save us all from sinners…”

She could not understand my laughter.

Good night~

I wanted to share this wonderful service that was offered to me.

A couple of months ago, I met a photographer, named Hollie and she told me that she belonged to an organization called Operation Love ReUnited which is a group of photographers who offer photo shoots to the families of deployed or deploying soldiers and sailors at no cost. They then put together an album from the shoot and send it to the deployed service member. The family may purchase photos from the shoot at a reduced cost.

When we met, it was only 2 days before Clay was to deploy, so there wouldn’t be time to put together a predeployment shoot, but over time, we found a date when all my kids would be home and were able to schedule a shoot for during deployment. We are also able to request a shoot of homecoming and if the photographer is available, they will come to the homecoming.

The kids and I had a lot of fun getting ready for it and Hollie was a trooper while working with so many people in such a large age group!

The results are fantastic and I can’t wait for Clay to receive his album! Our shoot was close enough to his birthday, that I was able to combine the whole event and give him a surprise birthday gift.

Here are my favorites from the day

Thanks Hollie for a fun experience and for the great work!

I encourage any of you who are gearing up for deployment to take advantage of this service!

Have a great day~

The last two weeks have been full and busy! We are trying to grab the last bits of summer before JJ heads back to school and before Kateri leaves for Germany. Because all the kids are home and together, my regular routine has been put on hold and we have been taking time to enjoy the beach and time together.

The kids and friends enjoying “game night”

Today is the last little bit of that. Early tomorrow morning, Kateri boards her plane for Germany. We will not be seeing her again until JJ’s high school graduation, next Spring. And after the graduation, it’ unclear when we will be seeing her again because she will, likely, spend next summer in DC. So, it’s been a flurry of grabbing time together and also trying to get important details pulled together and paperwork done. Today, one of my sisters flies in to spend the day with her and to visit with the rest of us. After tomorrow night, it will be time for me to focus on all that’s needed to get JJ ready to leave for the school year. He’ll be going to school a week early for soccer camp. The Dr. gave him the go-ahead to restart regular activity, but to listen to his body and to watch his knee. I’m also getting the school lists together so that everyone is outfitted and supplied and ready to get back to school in early Sept.

There’s been a lot to think about!

Yesterday we celebrated, albeit long-distance, Clay’s 40th birthday. The girls baked a cake and we were all able to talk to him via Skype, to wish him a happy start to his new decade.

I’m relishing the fact that I get to stay in my 30’s for a couple more years and tease him about being so old!

So, lots going on in this house. Lots of hugs and kisses to pass around and hold onto and many plans for using the computer to keep in touch while we are apart.

Have a great day~

There’s no denying what time of year it is around here.  We’re packing everyday with fun and friends.  Our schedule is completely out the window and I keep forgetting what day of the week it is.  I’m so used to being on a tight schedule during the school year that I always know just what needs to happen, at what time of each day and what’s coming up to prepare for.  Over the last week and 1/2, I’ve loosened the grip on all things “calendar”.  BUT beware!…if you’ve booked a babysitting job with one of my kids, PLEASE send me a reminder.  I was so out of the routine yesterday, that I loaded everyone up for a trip into La Jolla and we spent a couple hours enjoying a beautiful day, along the beach, when my phone rang and I was reminded that I’d dropped the ball on knowing what day or time it was.  After much apologizing a replacement was brought in.  But other than that, I”m loving the freedom that summer brings!  Last night I took the kids to the store for ice cream at 10pm.  Yes, less of a schedule can be exhausting, but if we don’t take advantage of long days and open schedules during the summer, we’ll never get to!  

Some of our fun has included

Gabi getting her ears pierced (she was very excited and brave!)

our trip into La Jolla for a peek at seals

btw-JJ is doing a GREAT job of helping out with his brothers and giving them some male guidance while Clay is deployed. The younger boys are really listening to him and enjoying their time with him.  

and even silliness in the tub.  When you’re on a tight schedule, there’s a lot less time for goofiness.  We’re enjoying taking our time with things right now.  

I will admit to falling into bed SUPER tired, each night, but it’s worth it!  

I hope you’re each enjoying what summer brings!

Good night~

and  let’s not forget that it’s less than a month until I get to travel to Wash for this summer’s Rod Stewart concert!  Yes! See, the calendar is SO out the window that I’ve forgotten to talk about it until now!

Just 24 hours ago the house was full with Clay visiting for a few days before he leaves for deployment (again), my brother visiting, 8 of our 9 kiddos and a couple of their friends thrown in for good measure.  This morning I wake up to Clay having gone back to Fort Lewis to catch the plane to head overseas, my brother having hit the road for home and I’m down to 6 kiddos in the house.  Two of my girls took the opportunity for a free ride to N. Cal. with their uncle and packed their bags.  They’ve arrived safely at Gramma and Papa’s and will spend a couple of weeks visiting with family.  

So, now that all the busyness of life has slowed down a little, it’s back to the regular grind.  I’ll load up the remaining kiddos and head to the world’s largest commissary  (it’s their claim) to do the 2-week stock up and take JJ and Arianna to look for their bday gifts.  They both have really specific things in mind which means price comparing and a little leg work on my part.  

Clay is actually headed out to begin this deployment.  He leaves Fort Lewis and will have a stop in DC, which is really great because Kateri’s there for a portion of the summer and will be able to meet up with him before he’s overseas.  It’s always amazing to me the way things work out!  This means he will have been able to have one final visit with each of the kids before going.  

Happy Tuesday~

1 dad home before deployment

1 visiting uncle

1 lawnmower

1 weed whacker

One 15-passenger van

14 people

1 birthday

2 trips to the beach

16 hot dogs 

8 grilled chicken breasts

2 salmon steaks

3 bags of asparagus risotto

2 lbs of broccoli

1 ice cream, birthday cake

2 half gallons of ice cream

2 loads of after-dinner dishes

15 teenagers playing soccer in the street after dark

1 movie

1 late-night round of fresh squeezed lemonade

1 queen-sized inflatable mattress

4 extra people, sleeping, scattered throughout my house

This is what yesterday looked like at the Lang house.  This morning I’m moving through a quiet house, full of sleeping people and picking up the remnants of what the girls found to do after I’d already gone to bed.  I turned off the movie that had been playing all night, wiped up the stickiness from the lemonade they’d made and started load 3 of the dishes from last night. 

I love summer!

Have a great day~

If there’s one thing I’ve learned while living the life of a military spouse, it’s that surprises are par for the course.  You really never know exactly what’s going to happen, even when the plans are laid out before you.  

We are one month into this year-long deployment and Clay’s 3 week’s of training in Washington got stretched out a little bit and he’s not actually heading overseas until the last day of this month.  HOWEVER, training has ended and he’s left with a few extra days on his hands.  He’s decided to spend them here.  Yup….as I type, he’s on a plane, heading home for a few days.  Kateri (who’s not home for the summer) and JJ, both know, but the other kids will all wake to a surprise visit from Daddy!  

I’m taking full advantage of this and have my “honey-do” list all prepared.  It’s surprising how many things can pop up in only a month’s time.  Yes, being in military housing means that many, many things are taken care of with a phone call, but there are always those little things that can’t get done until Dad gets home.  So, he will be kept busy!  ;-)

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Good night~

The flooded bathroom because of an overflowing toilet.  This is where I have to be thankful.  Yes, thankful!  Thankful that I’m in military housing and simply had to throw towels down, shut the door and pick up the phone.  They were here in  20 minutes.  The culprit….an apple.  And apple?!  Of all the things I thought he’d find….an apple?!  I’m pretty sure one of the kids must’ve grabbed an apple, taken a few bites, told me they were done with it and I must’ve said, “no, you took it, you’ve gotta eat it”.  So off to the bathroom to flush the evidence.  

~sigh~ 

M.O.M. is thankful for the ease of housing maintenance and challenged by this first week of summer.  

Have a great day~

What you see above is the scene I came home to after a morning at the dentist with one of the kiddos.  I was informed that white out had been used to draw on the table AND the wall.  With much scrubbing the table is now clean but the wall….the WALL!  The newly painted, beautiful wall?!  It’s not coming off.  I’m so angry!  You know what?!  It’s not that I’m even angry about the stupid wall.  Yes, that can be fixed with the extra paint that’s in the garage.  I’m angry that Max has been up to all these antics.  Ok, the cereal bowl was cute, but what’s going on in his lil head these days?  

~Big breath~

I know the end of the school year was tough for him and I know he is missing Clay.  I know these things.  I know children act out in different ways, but it’s starting to get to me.  I make sure he gets phone time and even face time with Dad, via Skype. I’m giving him lots of hugs and kisses and trying to ask “why?” when he’s doing something naughty.  I guess all I can do is ride it out and hope that being home for the summer and the influence of his big brothers will be enough to pull him out of this time.  

Ugh!  

I think today it’s all of you that need to wish ME the great day~