Not An Ordinary Family: October 2012

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

A Yabba-Dabba-Do Halloween

Tonight was Halloween & the crazies have finally crashed allowing me time to post some pictures from tonight. They had a blast & really enjoyed going door to door with some of their friends. We went with a coordinated Flintstone theme with Deacon as Fred & Kennedy as Wilma. I didn't see any others while we were out so we won for originality here. This might be the last year that I get to dress Deacon though, as he questioned why Fred wore a "dress". We had some friends meet us here to get some group shots (such a joke with 10 kids ready to go door-to-door), we went trick-or-treating, & then had some small refreshments at our place once we got back. It was a fun Halloween & the crazies were ready to go again the second we got home!

My Flintstones

Fred (4) Wilma (2)

With Mom before heading out

Some of the gang

And more of the gang

And they're OFF...

You mean you just knock & get candy?!?!?

Deacon loved leading the pack

Girls chatting from house to house

Boys will be Boys

It's Luke, our Great Pumpkin! He was this perfect the whole night

Group Guy Shot

And some of the girls

And our Mommy Brigade

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Pumpkin Art

We spent the evening before Halloween carving pumpkins 1. to save time on Halloween, 2. so they wouldn't shrivel up before Halloween in the desert heat, & 3. Soldier Man was able to scoot home & help with the execution of it all. We had a large pumpkin to use as a family one & then the crazies each had one that they could help carve to their liking. Both were too afraid to stick their hands in & get the guts out, although K was fixated on putting the seeds back in the pumpkins after we pulled all of them out. It was fun to see them get creative & watch their pumpkins transform, especially in the dark with candles making them glow!

It's carve time!

D just loved cutting things

K pulled her own top off!

Whoah!!

Getting braver...

Helping Daddy cut shapes

D wanted a face on his & K wanted a heart, a star, & a rectangle, haha!

All Aglow!!

Friday, October 26, 2012

It Seemed Like a Good Day for a Promotion!

With Deacon's birthday brewing & party plans underway, I already has a busy week cut out for me. But it wouldn't be the Army way to not throw a curve ball at me in the midst of such a crazy time. Soldier man came home on Thursday & informed me that his promotion was scheduled for Friday. At 9:00 a.m. Deacon's Birthday. Day of the Party. Less than 12 hours notice. So in my true Army wife fashion, I just had to add it to my plate & roll with it & of course was so happy for Jason. Deacon was elated that it was on his special day & he became even more beside himself when Jason asked him to do the honors of pinning on his new rank. He wore his uniform too because 1. that was the theme for his party & 2. that is what all of Daddy's friends would be wearing. Kennedy was just thrilled to be able to go to Daddy's office & see the pet rattlesnake. Thankfully, too, my sister was here & was able to be part of his special 10 minutes of fame as well as take pictures. So, soldier man is sort of a major deal now, or at least we think so. Major Hart has a little ring to it!

Family Photo Op with our new Major Jason Hart

Jason's boss saying lots of nice things about him : )

Deacon getting ready to put Jason's new rank on

Pressing it on there

Battle Buddies

The new Major & Me

Lori, our Casey Cobb

Mission: To Celebrate Deacon Turning 4

My oldest turned 4 today & that called for a celebration. In true Army brat style, he requested an Army party so we took his orders & ran with it. Our mission was to celebrate Deacon's big day with his friends here at Fort Irwin & provide a fun fort for the soldiers who would join him in this mission. We actually run in the same circles with another boy, Lewis, who shares the exact same birthday as Deacon. Our families decided to throw a party together rather than have our same friends run between 2 parties over the same weekend.

Fort Four: we tried to set up the location like a fort calling it Fort Four! We named the food table the DFAC & the tables the Mess Hall & even had an obstacle course in the middle of the room. We took some large camo nets & located them around the room to give it a true Army feel. I grabbed lots of play tanks & Army vehicles to set out as decor too so Army & camo was all throughout Fort Four. We had a back room where a bounce house was placed just for an additional activity -- this area was named the War Zone, and it truly was that!

Dressing in camo was also encouraged on the invitation to give the party a real Army presence!

Food: We had lots of usual party food but just renamed it to go along with the Army theme.

Bradley Wheels: Pizza

Gummy Army Guys

Camo Corn: Popcorn, green M&Ms, & Carmel Corn

Fruit Explosion: Fruit Platter

Shrapnel: Veggie Platter

Ammo: green M&Ms, skittles, & sixlets

Canteens: Drinks

Games: We had 3 things planned to keep the party running smoothly & provide the soldiers with stuff to do. The obstacle course initially was a structured event, but even once it was completed, the soldiers continued to run through it & play on it. That was time well spent! We also played Pin the Rank on the Soldier where the soldiers had to place the rank on a uniform as close to its correct position blindfolded. It was a hit & a prize was given out. Lastly, we played MIA Soldiers where the soldiers had to go around & collect as many plastic green Army men as they could -- they were scattered all over the fort. The one with the most collected soldiers won a prize. The games were definitely age-appropriate & the kids were well entertained.

Below are pictures from our fort, our party, & of our new 4 year Deacon!

The OIC's of Fort Four