Just thought I would share a picture of Michael's room. Not very big, but not too bad. -Michael, it looks like we need to send you some pictures to hang up on those empty walls!

Fun in the sun

This week I took the kids to a really fun pool and they had a blast! Haley is fearless and dove into the water over and over again. Braden and Conner played together so well. They loved the water slide and Braden was always so good at making sure Conner went down first. Even though it only happens about 50 percent of the time, I love seeing the two of them having fun and happy being together.

Baghdad

Michael sent these pictures of him in Baghdad, so I thought I'd share. .....He looks like a tourist!

25 things that I love about Michael.....

Since I am missing Michael terribly, I thought I would share 25 things that I love about him...

1. He makes me feel so special, like he would rather be with me than do anything else.

2. Makes me laugh

3. He is a hard worker and does a good job at whatever he does

4. His humility

5. His positive attitude

6. He is one the most easy going people that I know

7. He always turns on music. My favorite is when we dance in the kitchen. -Haley likes this too.

8. He is an awesome dancer!

9. He is the most wonderful dad ever! He plays, teaches, listens, helps, and loves our children.

10. His strong testimony and love of the gospel

11. He would do anything for me.

12. He has great taste. My favorite outfits are from him.

13. I love when he walks by me and touches me.

14. He believes in me and would support me no matter what.

15. He cares about people.

16. He is brave (especially right now).

17. He is adventurous and likes to have a fun.

18. His family

19. Such a hottie! I tell him that he "shouldn't leave the house looking like that" quite often.

20. Takes good care of himself.

21. Athletic

22. He is so silly, but mostly around me.

23. I love his different laughs, especially when he is laughing at his own joke. : )

24. He knows everything. -Seriously! He is a genius.

25. He loves me and I love him.

TBall

Braden had his first T-Ball game last Saturday. He wasn't very excited for the actual game, but was excited to send Daddy some pictures and get a snack when the game was over. He did a great job; hit the ball far and was quick to retrieve balls in the outfield. He sure is a cute little player!

Michael has been able to do a little bit of dental work on the Iraqis, which has been a neat experience. Braden thought that it was pretty cool that his Dad had a gun on. -I think it's pretty weird! You think I would be used to the whole army thing by now, but I'm not!

Army Michael

Michael thought that driving a hum-v was pretty fun. Even though sometimes it would be nice if he just stayed put in his little clinic, I'm glad he is able to get out and have some fun. I still am not sure what I can and can't say on the computer (because of security), but he is still in the same spot and seems to be doing well. Security is heightened right now, so he is currently unable to do any traveling. He is so awesome! He calls every day and always sends the sweetest emails that really make my day. : ) I sure love him!

What a week!

This has been an interesting week (oh, my goodness, is it only Wednesday?!) with a lot going on and a roller-coaster of emotions. Michael seems to be doing well. Today he did dental work on an Iraqi soldier. He talks about how much trash there is in Iraq (I need to stop being specific of his wherabouts) and how there is such an extreme between the poverty and the wealth. What an experience he is having! I am done doing my worrying and being mad at the army. It took a little bit of venting (sorry for those of you who had to witness that) and eight pieces of pizza. I am SUCH an emotional eater and during my most stressful moments this week, I really did eat eight pieces of pizza in one sitting. I have done a lot of jogging and a lot of sit-ups to try and make up for that. : )
We had a strange cat come into our house the other night (Braden let it in) and it would not come out from under my bed. It was a sweet cat, so I felt bad when I had to get the broom and force it out. I got kind of mad at that poor cat because I hated the fact that I had no idea how clean it was and it was laying on my bedroom carpet! Fortunately, we got the cat out and life goes on........

How crazy that Michael is in Iraq

Even though I am totally at peace with the whole thing, I still can't believe that my husband is in Iraq. He has been there for about a week and seems to be doing okay. He played ping pong yesterday for two hours, so he can't complain too much. It is crazy to learn what things are like over there, like the fact that their base gets about two bombs a day. Michael says that the sirens go off a couple of times a day, but most of the bombs are shot down in the air. Still, I didn't know that the terrorists were that busy. He drove a hum-V last Friday, which was fun for him. Next week he will travel to another base (he can't tell me where until he is there) and do dental work on some of the Iraq troops. Hopefully that will be a good experience. Braden sure misses his daddy. He comprehends things pretty well. It's funny, because he is always thinking about the time difference, ever since we explained that Daddy is 10 hours ahead of us. When he prays at breakfast, he will say "bless daddy to have a good dinner" and tonight at dinner he said "bless daddy to have good dreams". It's pretty funny, but also very smart. He loves to email his daddy and he and Conner draw pictures to send him. We all miss him!

Saying goodbye!

We said goodbye to Michael twice. The first time we woke the kids up and left the house at 6:15am. After standing around for a while, we were told there would be a 24-48 hour delay. This was such awesome news because it was my birthday and since all of the stress of packing was gone, we were able to spend a relaxing day together. Michael is so awesome! We went and worked out, went shopping, went out to eat, and just enjoyed being together for a little bit more time. The next day, we said goodbye again (a little bit more emotional this time) and he left for Iraq. How crazy that my husband is actually in Iraq. I felt so bad for him though because he really did not want to go, but didn't have a choice. Hopefully his 5-6 months will go by really fast. We sure miss him. :(