A Day at the Dentist

In the "rocket ship" getting ready to take teeth pictures. 

I'm very grateful that Theo likes to go to the Dentist.  Our dentists' officers are in the same building, so I try to schedule our appointments on the same day, close together, and we make a fun little morning of it.  One of my friends daughters who is home schooled came to watch Woodrow for the first time, and he had a great time!  It was the first time I came home and he didn't run to me.  :( 

X-Rays

Theo's appointment was first and he goes to the most fun little dentist, Dakota Kids.  There's something to be said for a children's dentist.  It makes total sense to me.  They treat Theo like he's the king of the place and they focus all on him and not me.  Since he's been to this dentist two previous times they took x-rays of his teeth this time.  He did really well and was excited that he got to take home a picture of his teeth to hang on the fridge.  He loves picking out a new toothbrush (he picked a panda one), and then he gets to wear glasses and watch a tv show while his teeth are being cleaned.  He loves picking out the toothpaste flavor (blue raspberry) and at the end getting stickers and a small toy.  This time he chose a small bouncy ball which he and Woodrow have been obsessed with.  They did say he's got a tiny mouth with lots of teeth, so believe it or not, that want that little chatty mouth to grow.  :)  But, no cavities or increased build-up from last time-yay!

Getting ready to get his teeth cleaned

We had a little bit of time before my appointment so we ran a few quick errands to CVS and the Grocery Store.  A plus side of living somewhere so cold a large portion of the year, is that you can buy milk at the store and leave it in the car for a few hours without worrying about it spoiling.

I love the way his legs are lifted up when he "sits" in the chair

Theo got to play on my phone during my appointment, and thought it was cool that I also had to take x-rays at my dentist, even though I didn't get to take pictures home like he did.  He was really well behaved and I had no cavities-yippee! (I feel like I always have them).  But, I was pressured (finally) into getting my wisdom teeth out.  My insurance won't cover their removal once I turn 30 and they have cavities in them, or beginning cavities. 

Scarred by this experience

I REALLY REALLY don't want to have them out, especially since they don't bother me, and I was scarred by Mason's wisdom teeth removal, but I scheduled it for February 13th-Happy Valentine's Day to me.  Now, I just have to not chicken out.  I actually had it scheduled for last year, and cancelled...but...now I think I'll go through with it, but I wish they could just drug me now so I don't have to think about it.  Anyways, I scheduled it with the face and jaw surgeon in the same building and just pray it all goes well.

Sharing his Fro-Yo

We left the dentist and grabbed some Qdoba for lunch and picked up some frozen yogurt.  Theo really likes getting to pick out toppings for his fro-yo.  The place here is not nearly as good as the place we used to go in Shreveport, but it's a fun treat once in a while...especially after a no cavity report.  :)

Babysitter sent me a photo to let me know he wasn't too crabby

Although I got this one too...Hahaha!

 

Happy Holidays from Our Family to Yours

Happy Holidays Dear Family and Friends,

This year our family has truly learned to appreciate time with one another.  We have spent the majority of the year apart, so our time together is quite precious!  We’ve made some incredible memories this year in our time together and are looking forward to squeezing in a few more before the New Year. 

Mason spent the first five and a half months this year down at Barksdale AFB, LA attending Weapons School.  There he worked harder than I’ve ever seen him work in his Air Force career, and it all paid off when he graduated in June and was awarded Outstanding Graduate.  We had a wonderful time together out in Las Vegas for his graduation, and enjoyed some much needed couple time after such a long time apart.  He switched squadrons when he returned and is now the Weapons and Tactics Flight Commander in the 69^th Bomb Squadron.  His job keeps him very busy, and I like to say the coveted patch came with a secret frequent flyer card since he’s traveled to Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, and South Dakota several times each since he’s been home.

Ellen held down the home front while Mason was gone, and kept busy with Theo and Woodrow, but also stays busy being active with functions on base.  She was the social coordinator when we were in the 23^rd Bomb Squadron, and now she’s co-social coordinator and a key spouse in the 69^th Spouse Club.  She is also active as the 1^st Vice-President of the Minot Officers’ Spouses’ Club.  In the Fall she was hired as a Contractor for K12 and has been teaching 9^th-12^th grade English classes online ever since, and is really enjoying the experience. 

Theo turned three this year, and decided to share his love of talking with people outside the family.  He talks and talks and talks about anything and everything, and we’re constantly amazed at the vocabulary words he’s coming up with.  This year Theo is participating in a preschool co-op that my friends and I started and he loves it so much.  He likes talking about school and all the projects they get to do each week.  He recently started swimming lessons and gymnastics classes which he also enjoys…although I’m thinking sports might not be his forte.  He loves to look at books, do art projects, and use his imagination.  Theo likes to play trains, build with blocks, play with his little brother, and help cook in the kitchen.  

Woodrow may be the little brother, but he spends his days keeping up with Theo.  This year he turned one and he is always running to keep up with all the activities and the hustle and bustle of his big brother.  He loves playing with “things that go;” cars, trucks, fire engines, and the boy loves dogs!  His vocabulary is expanding and his physical abilities keep us on our toes.  He climbs the furniture, can open all the doors in our house, and fits in teeny tiny spaces.  He definitely lets you know when he’s not happy, but most of the time he is smiling and giving these trouble-maker looks.  He’s an incredible blessing to our family. 

Despite our time apart, we have been taking advantage of traveling the country.  Ellen and the kids went back to Illinois for two months while Mason was away, and the kids adored being near grandparents, aunts and uncles.  In September, we took a three week driving vacation through North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, and every National Park we could find along the way.  The United States is so incredible, and we’re so thankful that we had the opportunity for this trip.  In November, Ellen and the kids also took the opportunity to tag along on one of Mason’s work trips to sunny Florida.  To finish the year off we’ll be heading back to Illinois and Tennessee to spend time with family.     

We hope that all our family and friends have a happy and healthy New Year!  We put our photos from the trip West on Facebook and post new adventures on http://ellenmason.blogspot.com.   

Love,

Mason, Ellen, Theodore, and Woodrow

Minotauros

The day before Veteran's Day I was running several quick errands around base with the boys, and bumped into a man who works on base at one of the offices (Airmen and Family Readiness Center) told me that they were giving free tickets for the Minot Minotauros hockey game on Veteran's Day.  They were really nice and let me grab 8 tickets (I figured I could get some friends to go with us).

Our good friends Allison and Scott and their two sweet daughters (Zoe and Leah) went out to dinner with us at Olive Garden and then we all headed to the game.  The wait at Olive Garden was pretty long, because they were one of the few places in town offering a military discount for Airmen.  Theo had a blast because he so loves his friend Zoe.  It was the first time any of us had been to the local hockey game and it was pretty fun. We arrived during the second period, and stayed for the end of the game-we won!

Theo was really interested in the goalie, and kept talking about it for days.  Zoe was pretty afraid of mascot, but all the kids were really well behaved and it made for another fun Minot activity.

Off We Go...

Earlier this year at the Minot Officers' Spouses' Club Annual Auction I won bid on a few fun items (Mason was away so the checkbook was my date).  One of the "items" I won in the live auction was a one hour flight with a couple we know up here.  Well, with Mason being gone and us taking our trip, we were finally able to go in November when my parents were in town.  Luckily for us the couple owns two planes, and they told Mason that he could just take me up without them-yay!

It was a really fun date!  I had been up with Mason once before when we were in college and it was lots of fun, but I forgot how little plane there actually is between you and the open sky.  We got to fly right over the base and our house, and all over Minot.  It was fun to see different parts of town and we went a little Southwest to see the wind farms. 

Our house from above

He let me fly

A few Buffs out there

Polar Express Party

Our local bookstore in Minot, Main Street Books, is such a fun place.  Theo and Woodrow LOVE to go there, and we go quite frequently.  This month, they had a Polar Express party, and since Mason was out of town I thought it would be a fun evening out with the kiddos.  We ate an early dinner, I tossed the little ones in the bath and dressed them in pjs-so glad that it was a pj party too.

The Downtown Minot area is so fun, and quaint.  They have decorations up for the holiday, play festive music as you watch the streets.  Main Street Books was quite crowded for this event, but the boys loved it anyways. We browsed books, Theo got to have a hot chocolate and pick toppings (yay for marshmallows and sprinkles, and smart workers who just gave the kids a little bit in the cups).  And he got to take home a treasured jingle bell to hang on his Christmas Tree.  

Theo loved getting a little ticket, hearing The Polar Express read by Miss Danielle, and getting another visit with Santa.  Every time Theo talks to Santa he adds a few items that he'd like...mostly new trains he wants.  Lol.  Woodrow had a good time snuggling with me, and watching from afar.  Another successful night of fun in our fun little town.

Woodrow at 16 months

I love this stage!  My little baby is definitely a toddling boy.  He's so funny, and sweet, and determined to let his opinion be known.

We've been trying to hide the pacifiers during the day except for naps and bedtime, or the occasional bewitching hours, which means that Woodrow has been cooing and adding more words to his vocabulary.  He can say woof woof, choo choo, ma ma (which is really more milk), dada, qua qua, hellooooo...we're working on more and more words every day and I think that he'll start catching on soon.

Woodrow is a sneaky one.  He climbs on the coffee table, train table, he likes to run behind the living room couch in the small space between the wall (where there are lots of wires), he chases his big brother, and giggles whenever he's being tickled by Theo.  He has that devilish grin when you want him to come to you or do something and then he runs the other way.  But, he's really good about following verbal directions.

He's really gotten in to reading books lately and sitting down to listen to stories, which is exciting for me!  He likes to get in our filing cabinet and pull our pens and pencils, and grab sticky notes and "write".  Fortunately, the walls have been spared...so far.

What a sweet boy.  He runs to us with open arms and loves to be cuddled, but also loves to be independent too.  I'm enjoying the cuddles and snuggles, because I know before I know it, he'll be running around even more and the snuggles will be few and far between.

A little piece of the Pudge

Four years ago my life changed.  It seems a little selfish to write that statement, because the way my life was changed was hardly significant in the scheme of how two families lives were altered.  In our lives, events happen that make us ask questions, form relationships with people, help us grow, or see things from a different perspective.  Four years ago, I got a phone call to let me know that one of my students, a Junior at the time, died in a car accident from drunk driving.  The driver of the car, a student who graduated a year earlier, was killed as well...I just didn't know him quite as well as the other student. 

Evan (Pudge), was an amazing person.  I think of him and his family so often.  I only knew him for a short time while teaching in Louisiana, as well as his mom who was a teacher at the same school.  I feel like throughout our moves as a military family, we've always been placed in the perfect communities at the perfect times.  The school I taught at in Louisiana was one where it truly felt like family, and that was mostly because the local community was so small that the students went there from PreK-12th grade and the teachers were community members, parents of students, and God loving people.  The way I saw God work in the lives of these families was nothing short of miraculous.  When I found myself angry at God and questioning my beliefs in Him, and what my faith was I felt selfish, because I lost a student, and here I was watching a friend who had just lost their child and she was still praising God and worshiping Him, and talking about how she'd see her son again in Heaven.  The faith she showed has stuck with me and is frequently something I think about.

I don't know that Pudge cared that much for me as his English teacher...mostly because of all the work I assigned, that he didn't see the point in doing, but I hope he knew how highly I thought of him and how smart, intelligent, and funny I thought he was.  He definitely provided comic relief in the classroom, but also could drive you nuts.  He liked to question and challenge authority when he felt things were unjust.  He liked to debate and read about current events, and have real life discussions.  I wish I had the chance to talk more with him about "real life" and a little less about Huckleberry Finn.  I know that Pudge would have changed the world.

I saved some of his writing assignments, and I just wish he was still here.  His autobiography was just amazing-because he recognized his potential, which so many young people don't.  He had strong self-worth, and character.  Once he even offered to let me to be part of his one-man wolfpack if I overlooked some missing assignments.  When I look back at the Friday before the accident, so many things stick out, that now seem like they were all leading up to this big "thing."  Our student/teacher book club read this book Thirteen Reasons Why and we discussed it at lunch that day.  The story brought on this huge discussion about what you would say and how you would feel if you knew it was the last time/day that you were going to see someone.  I knew that my students were all attending a party that Friday night, and I remember telling my Juniors there wasn't any homework and that they should have a fun and safe time over the weekend.  That day, Pudge had talked to me in class about raising his grade and working out a "plan" to help him out.  Of course at the end of class he admitted to not having his homework for that day.  After school I had stayed a little later than normal on a Friday afternoon, and I caught him talking with his mom in the hallway.  I stopped to join their conversation, and then put my arm around his shoulder and started talking to him about that "plan" to increase his grades.  It was so random, yet was like that moment that wouldn't normally have happened.

The next morning I got the phone call that him and the other student, Trent, were killed on impact.  It felt unreal.  This was really the first time in my life that someone, younger than I was, who I knew and had daily interactions with died.  I felt this state of shock, and heartache.  I don't ever pretend that my loss was anywhere near what their families felt, but Pudge's death has had a lasting effect on my life.  I miss him.  I missed seeing him in class and the hallways, seeing him do all the fun things that his friends got to do the rest of their Junior and Senior years of high school, and now seeing what they are all doing as they move into adulthood. 

His mother is one of the most incredible women I know.  She's inspiring.  The way that she has impacted the community since his death, and the message that she sends to students through her loss amazes me, and she's truly an inspiration. 

I know my thoughts are all over, and probably aren't clear (especially since it's 1:30am) but I truly am blessed to know the Urda family and am grateful that I got the chance to be part of Pudge's life, if only for a short while. 

Minot Knockouts

We all complain at some point or another, right?  Well, there are a lot of complaints about living here in Minot.  People complain about just about everything in this little town, and don't get me wrong, I have my moments where I'd like to have less cold or more variety of shopping, or my indoor play places etc...but I also know we must bloom where we are planted, and that creates some fun memories. 

We're all about exploring and checking out new things in Minot, and in October, just before Halloween we had the opportunity to go to a Minot Knockouts game.  The Knockouts are the Minot Roller Derby Team, and two spouses in our squadron are on the team.  It was quite the experience.  I pretty much had no clue what was going on.  I tried to watch and pick-up on the rules, but with two wiggly boys it was a challenge. 

Overall, it wasn't as violent as I thought it would be, but it was another great Minot experience, and a chance to cheer on fellow Air Force spouses doing what they do.