Vegitranerian

My daughter had the following conversation while laying in bed
Alena: mommy I know what i'm going to be when I grow up
Me: oh yeah tell me
Alena: a vegitranerian
Me: (giggle) what would that be? (smiling)
Alena: well i'm going to help animals
Me: I said a vetrinarian?
Alena: no mommy a vegitranerian
Me: Oh
Alena: if i'm going to help animals I can't eat them
so for those of you that don't speak Alenese that would be vegetarian and vetrinarian all rolled into one littlee girl.
all I could do was give a great big hug and kiss she has such a big heart

wow i'm a grandma

my granddaughter was born 2October2006 she's a tiny little thing but seems to be a fighter!
Paityn Rae Whillock 3lbs 15"
wow i'm a grandma I just don't think I can say it enough

One Year Ago

I just can't believe it I was telling my mom that yesterday Jul14 me, Alena and my mom were here getting our new apartment. On Jul15 last year we spent the day at this beautiful park filled with all kinds of fun and wonderful new things to do. The city sponsors this festival every year and Alena had so much fun!
A year has past and so much has happened, it's unreal. I guess surreal would be the correct word to use?.

Today I was a part of history

Ensign Robert "Bob" Keller, was buried at Fort Logan National Cemetary and our command had the honor of being apart of it.
Noone that reads this may know who Ens Keller is and up until a week ago I didn't know either, but throughout the process of preparing for this funeral I now know.
I learned that Ens Keller was a WW II pilot, for me there are two reasons why being a part of this was near to my heart. Both of my grandfather's served this country in WW II, which is part of the reason my family and this country exists with rights and privileges that we have. They both came home safe and started families, hence the reason I am here typing today. I honor men like Ens Keller not only because they were brave and fought for those that could not defend themselves, but fought for those of us that did not yet exist, so that not only would we have a future but we would have a future filled with hope and honor. I honor men like Ens Keller so that on the dreadful day of my grandfather's funeral other's will stand with me and honor him as well.
The second reason this hits so close to my heart is because I too was in aviation not a pilot but still worked everyday with this wonderful community of men and women. The aviation community is more then just that we were and are a family. I lost not a lot of friends but enough.

So to give you a little history about what happened in short his plane with seven crewman was shot down over a remote Alaskan volcano. There grave was marked with a wooden post that read "Seven U.S.N Airmen" for future attempts to recover the bodies. Two attempts were made to recover the crew but because of the remote location and the severe weather conditions of ice and snow they men and their plane was declared non-recoverable.

2001 - an wildlife biologist and his colleague while out on a scientific exploration saw what appeared to be the wing of plane. He looked around and found many articles lying around so he notifies his command post of what he had found.

It has taken 5 years to recovery and identify the bodies and return them to their families.

Another Great Weekend!

What would it be like to be 100 years old?

That was the question asked to a handful of 1st grade students. Two children were picked out of each first grade class to answer the above question and yep you guessed it Alena was one of them.

I asked her what she thought she'd be doing when she was 100 yrs old and she said without hesitation and very matter of factly taking care of all my grandchildren.

Happy Mother's Day!!

It was another beautiful day, we went to church and had a great lunch. My Alena bought me a little tomato plant that the garden club from her school had grown. She made frames for all the grandma's, all different and all her own little creations.

Alena and I went to the mall and walked all over but our two favorite places The Disney Store and WaldenBooks.

It was as close as a perfect day could get, the only thing missing from my day was my son.

Busy Saturday!

Wow what a Saturday, Alena and I both had events this weekend. Alena's school had a spring carnival with booths, food, cotton candy and popcorn and those inflated bouncing games. I had the closing picnic for Navy Week, with a flight simulator and climbing wall, music and food. Both being at the same time so we started at mine and then went to hers and then back to mine.
Thank goodness the school and the park were only 10 min. from each other and the day was magnificent!! Blue sky, just a few clouds nice breeze and 70 degrees, couldn't ask for any better!

Grandma and Grandpa decided to stay at the Navy picnic there was a tent set up and they parked their lawn chairs, loaded their plates and listened to the Navy band play. They walked all over and got some free things and grandpa got to drink all the pop he wanted.
They were happy!

Alena and I went to her school and she had a blast, going from booth to booth, got her little cheek painted and played with her friends.

I had fun too I had some of my friends at both places and with everyone happy and content with the day I was happy too!

Grandma Paula comes to visit

I had to work this weekend and even though my grandparents are here with me mom decided she had gone long enough without seeing "the queen"(nickname for Alena).

It was a fun weekend, Alena enjoyed being with ALL the grandparents she loves having them all close.

School Dedication

When we first arrived here Alena's school was being added onto and renovated. It was a mess we had to walk across makeshift sidewalks, the front door didn't even exist, dust was heavy in the air and there was plastic covering anything that wasn't moving, no air conditioning with the temperature into the 100's. And there in the mist of the dust, the mess and debris, power tools buzzing in the background, men shouting orders and asking for tools and supplies, were the staff, teachers and students of Eastridge.

Despite everything I was still impressed, the children seemed to be genuinely happy to be at school, so it gave me hope that my daughter would also be happy there.

So we have a beautiful new school now complete with pretty blue doors, lots of windows, shiny new floors and the smell of lunch being cooked, is it time for the School Dedication and it was magnificent! The atmosphere was amazing everyone was so excited, the children beamed with pride as they showed their families around their school, introducing them to their teachers and staff members as they encouter them in the halls.
The Principle Dr. Villereal or Dr. V as he is effectionately known is met with cheers and an explotion of applause as he walks to the center of the gym and he officially starts the dedication. He speaks a little of the reasons why the changes and he proudly praises the staff and children of the school for enduring months and months of changes and uncomfortable conditions.
As I watch the sea of faces light up, and hear the applause as the many people are introduced and thanked throughout the evening for their role(s) in making these changes happen, I can't help but feel a sense of fulfillment although I played no part in making any of it happen. I see and hear the children clap vigorously and proudly for their teachers, vice principle and principle. You can see on their faces the love and admiration they have for them and it is almost overwhelming.
I know and understand now why 9 months ago under such crippling conditions, the teachers and students of the school acted as if nothing was wrong in their world. Because it is not the walls and the pretty blue doors, the big windows or the shiny floors that make a school great, it is the people inside those walls, the people that care and share their lives everyday that make it great!
Although our stay here may not be for long, I am happy that I chose this school for my daughter and I am assured that when we leave the people she has met here, her friends and most importantly her wonderful teachers and the entire staff she/we have encountered will have made an impact on our lives that will stay with us for years to come.

No More Reading Recovery!

Not sure if everyone knew but Alena was having trouble with reading so the school placed her into a Reading Recovery Program. Each night we would get two to three books that Alena would have to read. She also had a work to do with a sentence the teacher and her would think of a sentence together and then the teacher would chop it up, so Alena would have to put it back together (like a puzzle).

So I get this phone call from Alena's reading teacher and she said that Alena was tested and she did FANTASTIC!
She tested out of the program and is now reading at 1st grade early 2nd grade level.

WooHoo!! That called for an ice cream night!!

Night at the Book Fair

So I volunteer to work the Alena's schools book fair. Hey, we got a free book out of it. Plus, I love books, Alena and grandpa love books so I figure it's a good evening out for everyone. Well almost everyone grandma got bored after a quick survey of the stands so she found a quiet corner to retreat to where she could still see all the action. I do think she enjoyed watching us going from booth to booth, with the children in a candy store syndrome.
it was pulling eye teeth trying to get grandpa and Alena away from the books. Alena kept picking books and picking books and just couldn't decide which ones she wanted to take home with her.
By the end of the evening we had four new books to add to our library, so home we go to start reading!

Alena goes to the book fair.

My Alena called and she is so excited she got a "good" ticket at school yesterday and because of this she was given a free book at the book fair.
She's so excited she had to read the first two pages to me over the phone.