A Day worth waiting for...

For those in the military, especially enlisted, this is something very exciting to see.  Back in March, Eric received this from his boss.  For the rest of the world this was the way they chose to congratulate Eric on promoting to a new rank (Senior Master Sergeant) and the number is a called a line number...meaning he will be the 895th person to be able to promote.  We were so excited for him, but when the day finally came it was even more exciting.  His month to promote happen to end up during the cadets basic training time.  So they chose to have the ceremony outside at Jack's Valley (were they hold basic training).  There was a little rain but nothing was going to stop this great day from happening.

 Eric coming in with the General and another promotee.

Receiving the official certificate of promotion with the General and the Chief. 

Savannah and Brittlynn got to tack on his new strips

 It tradition to hit the person in the arm when they promote and Savannah wasn't sure if she want to hit her Daddy.  

Alex was way excited to be able to hit his dad on the arm.

 It was a hard hit.  Eric ended up with a bruise on his arm from this one.

 This was Eric's first day wearing his new strips.  

 And of course you always need a new official picture.

We are so excited for all of the hard work Eric does to support our family and we are grateful he was recognized for his efforts.  We were sad that Emily wasn't there for the day.  She was at girls camp.

4th of July

What a great day to celebrate, the 4th of July.  I love the country that we live in and the freedoms that we enjoy.  I am especially grateful for my husbands service to our country.  This year for the 4th we weren't able to celebrate in the traditional fashion because there was a burn ban on all fireworks. We still got together with friends to celebrate.  We started the morning off with a pancake breakfast and a BBQ dinner in the even.  Spending time with friends is something I really enjoy about this holiday.  Of course it is also a great excuse to take picture of my girls and their matching dresses.  I love that they have so much fun together.  I hope that they always stay the best of friends.  One tradition I have started with my girls is having them say the pledge of allegiance each morning as we hang out the flag.  My hope is they will come to love this country and the men and women who sacrifice so much for the freedoms they enjoy.