Category — military

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~

This week has been full of all that makes the Holiday Season fly by. I’ve been to 2 gift exchanges, one for the school’s Ladies’ Club and one for my neighborhood, my preschoolers have had their Christmas program and today we’re on our way to the squadron’s Children’s Party. This is a party that they always look forward to. How could kids NOT be excited about Santa arriving by helicopter?! So this morning we are pulling out Christmas sweaters and the kids are discussing what Santa might be bringing them.

Tomorrow is St. Nicholas’ feast day, so tonight the kiddos will put their shoes out (I better remember to buy candy canes!) and tomorrow, after Liturgy, St. Nick will make a special appearance at the church. Every year we have a pot luck and celebration in honor of St. Nick. I like that the kids get to identify that Santa’s character was derived from a REAL man who lived and became a saint.

Now, the real challenge is to get this house decorated for the season. I’m running horribly behind this year!

But before I worry too much about the importance of the Christmas decor and after the Children’s party, we will be celebrating Mariah’s 16th birthday. Today is her special day! Whew! 16 years! So, it’s cake and sushi after the Children’s party. Busy, busy day! No wonder I’m behind.

Have a great day and don’t forget to put out your shoes~

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~

For the last 2 weeks I’ve had all my kiddos together. Kateri had stayed in DC for an internship, so we only get her for a short time this summer.

While everyone is here and before they scatter again, we have to take care of all the loose ends. A few weeks ago I realized that our military IDs were about to expire and that we’d all have to trek down to the base and get them done. Today’s the day! Not only will we be getting our IDs done, but the sticker on the van has expired. I’m REALLY hoping the little kids are good and patient and that it all goes smoothly. These things can be frustrating. I’m hoping that the visual of me walking in with all 9 kiddos in tow moves things along.

Fingers crossed!

Have a great day~

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~

And so it begins.  After some changes to the original plan of Clay leaving on the 17th, he has now officially boarded a plane.  He gave the kids his best “Dad” talk, grabbed his sea bag and began his deployment.  The kids are remarkably good with his coming and going.  I’m the constant in the house and always have been and they know that everything’s “ok” as long as I’m around.  People have asked, over the years, how they do with the deployments and other than a few bumps here and there, they just keep rollin’.

So, now it’s all me.  My head has been so crammed with all that needed to happen to get him out the door successfully that I left the airport realizing I didn’t know what my next move was.  I headed to Target to retrieve the bag of stuff I bought last night, but had forgotten to actually pick up and take with me (a good example of my scattered head) and realized that it’s time to get my routine going.  It’s the end of the school year, so that means lots of kid stuff and then summer is on us.  Judging from last summer (when Clay was also deployed), the summer will be jam packed and move quickly.  JJ will come home and the kids and I will get into a good routine of searching out the fun things around us in this beautiful place.

Alright, off the computer and onto the day! Day 1……..

Well, even though we “found out” that Clay would be here during this week for daily classes and would then fly out this morning, it has, of course, changed.  I was suspicious of them putting him on a plane at the beginning of a 3-day weekend that celebrates a federal holiday.  And I was right!  Yesterday we were told that we would not be putting him on a plane this morning but on Monday morning instead.  I actually think they mean it.  The kids are SO over the idea of a good-bye.  Last week the girls turned down any plans to be with friends or to babysit because it was the last weekend with Dad before he left for a year.  Last night, they did the same.  I’m pretty sure no one has decided to cancel any plans for Sunday night.  But like I’ve said, you learn to go with the flow in this life.

Back when I was pregnant with Luke-Xavier, Clay was given a 36-hour notice that he would be replacing someone on an Air Ambulance mission in Kuwait, servicing Iraq.  They assured him that he would only be there for 3 weeks.  I had about 6 weeks left in my pregnancy and rolled my eyes at this 3-week time line.  Well, he got over there and even as the 3-week mark pushed close I was still “assured” that he would be returning.  I was still rolling my eyes.  Rightly so!  3 months later I greeted him at the airport with our 6-week old baby in my arms.

I hope you are each enjoying the long weekend and that it’s a chance to visit with friends and family and catch your breath before it’s back to the grindstone.  We are taking advantage of the extra days that Clay is here to tie up the lose ends on projects that were started and not finished.

To life~

Yesterday we found out that HS-6, a squadron aboard NAS North Island, lost a bird and all that were on board.  These incidents are always so far-reaching in the lives they touch.  2 1/2 yrs ago, Clay’s squadron lost a bird and all who were on board and it took many months for things to feel normal again.  It not only touched the workplace, but each of our homes as well.  You find yourself examining your life and the life of your family.  It brings sharply into focus the fragility of this life we live and the imminent danger that our loved ones and friends are in.  Yes, both these incidents happened during training exercises but the training was for the purpose of the impending deployments.  While yesterday’s loss wasn’t as close to our home as the one 2 1/2 yrs. ago, we still knew people on board.  

While the loss of life is never a positive, I’m choosing to use this incident as a chance to be reminded of what’s in front of me and to cherish what I can of this life in the time I have.  

May you each find a moment to cherish the good in your lives and may the families that are touched by this incident find peace in the coming together of the squadron for their support.  

Lastly, may the Lord bless each of those who were lost.

~

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the military after all these years, it’s that you don’t actually know the plan until it’s being put into play.  

You’re probably wondering where the pictures of Clay kissing the kids good-bye are, or the pictures of him walking away.  Well, even though today is Day One, Clay will likely be home tonight.  So much for fanfare and good-byes!  We found out, yesterday that he would be checking into the program…..in San Diego.  So, while he is technically “gone”, we don’t yet know what day he will truly walk away.  ~Sigh~  You learn to go with the flow in this life!  So, we kept the day as normal as usual and everyone went off to school this morning, wondering what to expect for the rest of the week.

I guess we’ll all find out together.

Have a great day~