Jeffrey's Big Boy Night Time Activity Chart

At a family meeting we decided that Jeffrey needs some more structure during his night time activities. Tricia came up with the idea of using a chart to track his progress, as well as our own, in following through with a night time schedule. After twenty stickers have made their way on to the chart we will treat Jeffrey with a night of UP. The current DVD we own is not working so we will be looking for a used copy in the mean time. I used the Stampin' Up program to make the chart which we printed on photo paper and taped to the fridge.

Also, the child gates we have on some of our rooms are not keeping Jeffrey out any more. He is big enough and strong enough to climb up and over them. It will be harder to keep him in his room during time outs as well as the security breach that is not looming outside of the craft room.

Life goes on...

Aren't we cute? Well I think we are. This was the second ball we went to this summer. It was the battalion ball and it was pretty fun. A good study in people watching if nothing else. I like my dress (I made it before the last ball) and am thinking that I'll add a few embellishments before I wear it again.

Cory had to go back to work today. He's able to see pretty well now and we can't have convalescence leave forever. Jeffrey loved having daddy at home and it was hard for him to see daddy go off to work today. He got spoiled having someone to wake up with him at 6:30. Mommy doesn't often see that time of the morning.

But I'm happy to say that our life has fallen into a happy and somewhat mundane routine. We've had enough adventures this past year that I don't think any of us will mind having a little bit of the boring for a while.

Later this summer we have a trip to Yellowstone planned, I'm excited and so is Jeffrey. I can't tell you how often he will ask if we can go visit Sugar and Po or Uncle Scott's dogs or Grandma and Grandpa. He will usually ask to go on an airplane, but then remind me that he doesn't have any money for it.

Getting Jeffrey Ready for School

Page from a workbook that Jeffrey colored in as his homework

Tricia has begun to work with Jeffrey on his "homework." He came up with the term after seeing me work on my own homework so often. Looking ahead to his upcoming preschool days there are certain things he will be expected to know before entering school. Tricia has been good to work with him each day on some simple lessons presented in a couple of books she picked up. I will have to get into this habit as well so that I can be involved with Jeffrey in this way.

PRK

Jeffrey helping in the kitchen

This last Thursday I had PRK surgery done on my eyes at the Evans Army Hospital. I had the surgery done once before about eight years ago when I first came in the army, but over time my eyes have returned slightly to the shape that my DNA intended them to be which led to a slight decrease in my vision over time. After this second surgery I am back to not needing glasses at all. That is a huge plus for shooting photography. It will be a few more weeks until it can be determined what sharpness my eyes will finally rest at, but for now I am excited at the immediate results.

I do have to keep replenishing my eyes with artificial tears as the surgery did disrupt my tear ducts. The systane tear drops are like a drink of water for my thirsty eyes. In the mean time I did find out that this surgery prevents me from attending the Sapper Leader Course I had hoped to go to for at least six months. I would have liked to have attended the course with the group that is getting ready to go from the Aco, but in the scales seeing without glasses for my photography is more important.

The World From Jeffrey's Camera

A Big Cut for Jeffrey

Jeffrey's hair was looking a little long in some places. It was time for a haircut, but more than just a trim around the ears with scissors. It took Tricia and me to wrestle Jeffrey like a calf while we handed off the trimmers to each other. When we let him up his hair was much shorter, and he looked much older. Tricia does not like it when I remind her how much older he looks now. (Because it took him so long to have ANY hair! -Tricia)

At the Park with Jeffrey

After dropping Tricia off at dance in Denver I took Jeffrey to the local park. I left my camera behind at home and carried on my simple point and shoot with me. After the lesson from the rodeo I have decided to spent my time with Jeffrey playing with him and watching him play rather than spending so much on making images of it. I will save my photography for other subjects. I will be a father forever, but there is a limited time to be a daddy.

Lesson at the Rodeo

I received two complementary tickets to the rodeo at work. While Tricia went to Denver for dance, I took Jeffrey for a night of horses, bulls and cowboys.

I brought out my camera as soon as we were in our seats and began looking for dynamic angles and interesting people. Soon Jeffrey was not satisfied with sitting next to me and wanted to stand in the isle to watch. I could not fully concentrate on taking photographs when I had to keep a constant eye on him an call him back when he inched away. In a short time Jeffrey was walking away to explore among the crowd and I had to leave my seat and walk after him. The closer I came to him the faster he went until it was a game of catch. It was apparent that I was not going to take photographs and keep Jeffrey safe.

I took Jeffrey all the way out the parking lot, put him in his seat and drove away from the rodeo to show him how serious he was about staying by me. After a short drive we turned around and came back to the rodeo. Jeffrey was good for the rest of the night and I left my camera locked in the trunk. I have decided once and for all that spending time with Jeffrey and photography are not compatible until he is older. When I try and do both neither come out well

Back to the Grind

Monday was my first day back to work, and on Sunday evening I was not looking forward to it. My new job as the schools NCO is a big responsibility and I am having to jump right into it. Tricia reminded me that I always felt foreboding before heading back to work after our breaks at the WLC back in Germany. Remembering that I tend to feel that way before leave ends helped me to get back to work quickly and get into my job.

I did not write about our vacation very much, so I will look back on it now. The first days of leave were spent hanging around home completing some projects that we had in mind for a while but did not get around to doing before.

Scott and Jen invited us to stay in their amazing house while we visited in Utah for two weeks. The party that Scott and Jen threw at their house for us was unforgettable. All of the kids loved the bounce house and I was able to see some family members and friends I had not seen for years. Tricia came up with the idea to send the e-vitation so that we knew who would be attending and how much food to get.

For our drive back to Utah we took I-70, which added an hour to our driving time, but it was well worth it for the beautiful country side we saw. Leaving early in the morning helped the trip to feel shorter and it gave us time to unpack and get back into the house after arriving home. As always after a long stay away from home, Jeffrey went around the house to inventory and touch his toys.

Our last days were spent relaxing and completing a few more tasks around the house. In all, our vacation was a wonderful experience. Although there was plenty of relaxing, I used every day as though it were the last.

One year ago I had been in Afghanistan for a month. A lot has happened since then. I have learned a lot of lesson about making life full and meaningful since then. I am grateful for the experiences that gave me those lessons.