What Have We Been Up To??

I owe you an update...with pictures. We have been busy, I suppose, and have tried to get in some of the "Vegas" things we hadn't done since we'd been here. I will start with this picture:

Yes, we finally got a picture by the famous Las Vegas sign...it only took us 2 years =)

OCTOBER:

Our sweet "little" boy turned 5 on the 12th. He wanted a fireman party but he wanted to wear his flightsuit. So...we had an "American Heroes" Party. All his little friends came dressed as their favorite American Hero. We had policemen, a nurse, kids dressed in camo, a doctor...it was fun! Jackson's one request was that he have a #5 Pinata...so, of course we did!

Jackson's Pumpkin Patch at school was incredibly fun! He chose a pumpkin from their "pumpkin patch" that we then took home and carved.

I had the most amazing opportunity...to do a spouse taxi in the F15!! Yes, my fighter pilot husband strapped me in the back seat of an F15 to take me down the runway on a high-speed taxi!! One of the coolest things too was that the squadron arranged to have Jackson out on the flight line as well so he could see the whole thing happen! Truly a memorable time for our family!

NOVEMBER:

We also had the most amazing chance to get some photos taken of us around, in and on the jet! We have two professional photographers in the squadron and so they offered their time and talents to make this happen. That too was such a treat!

We welcomed in Christmas early over Veteran's Day weekend by traveling to Williams, AZ to ride The Polar Express! It was so cool! Another wonderful time complete with Santa and snow!

Then, the next morning, we took a train ride to the Grand Canyon, since we were already there.

And then, on the way home, we stopped to see the Hoover Dam. Whoo...lots in one weekend, but we had a blast!

For Thanksgiving, we took a last minute planned trip to Texas to see Cody's parents. While there, we visited The Ft. Worth Museum that had oodles of things to do for kids...of all ages!

DECEMBER:

I ran my 3rd Half Marathon. This one was down on the Strip at night. Running with 44,000 other people on the Strip at night proved to sound like more fun than it actually was. I finished, though, one minute faster than my other two...so I guess, goal met.

Then, Jackson had his first piano recital. We were so proud of him. He played "Good King Wenceslas" and "We Three Kings." And, he looked all grown up!! Gave his mama tears as he sat at the Baby Grand Piano in his dress pants and his collared dress shirt and played like he'd done it before! So so proud!!

Then, we took a trip to D.C. for Christmas to see Cody's side of the family and meet our new niece, Olivia. We had a fabulous time and Jackson had a blast having "built-in" playmates for a week.

We also went to see my aunt, uncle, cousins and grandma in PA for a day. That was a great time. My grandma just turned 90 on Dec. 6th...so it was kindof a late "birthday celebration trip."

JANUARY:

Cody and I rang in the New Year at our house, watching the fireworks downtown from both our t.v. and our window...because, we have a view of the Stratosphere from our house!!
Then, a few days later, Cody was off to CA for work for a week. So, naturally, when they returned, we welcomed him back with open arms...on the flight line of course.

Then, a couple of weekends ago, we took a trip out to Red Rock Canyon and Bonnie Springs (an Old Nevada Mining town...both about 30 minutes outside of North Las Vegas. It was a nice day out in our own town.

Now, we are preparing for our move to Alabama in June.

And...THAT is what we've been up to!