Get the Pass to Play!

So this week I have been adjusting to the new normal for the next couple of months. One of the things on my to-do list was signing up for Give Parents a Break and the Play Pass from the AFRC on base. I find it amazing that so many people don't know about some of the perks that are out there for families that have loved ones living in a remote locale, all it takes is a copy of their orders and a visit to their office. Once I had the Play Pass I set off to the Youth Center and used some of those credits to sign all three boys up for floor hockey and registered the youngest as a member for the next year.

                                     

$200 off of the Play Pass and $0 out of my pocket....nice! The play pass can be used at various places on base that fall under the Force Support Squadron (Youth Center, Bowling Center, Outdoor Recreation, Golf Course, etc...each base may be a little different). The Play Pass is good for one year, so if your loved one comes back and you haven't used all the credits they can also enjoy using some of the services for free as well. The AFRC also have a special Play Pass for single airman to enjoy as well. When we lived in CA I even organized for a group of spouses to go on a Napa Wine tour through Outdoor Recreation, we all paid for the tour (which was for the van rental and driver) using the Play Pass and had an excellent time! Maybe you can organize a group of friends and have a fun night bowling, or maybe rent some equipment from Outdoor Recreation and go camping. Just get it, use it and have fun!

The Dust (Snow) is Settling...

So this past week has been a little more difficult then normal. If you have been living under a rock you might not have known that most of the US has been hit with drastically cold temps. We also had 12 inches of snow come down with pretty gusty winds, it lived up to the one winter when I was in high school back in MN and the governor called off school. Before the storm hit on Sunday, we escaped Saturday to St. Louis and ate lunch with good friends at PF Changs, hit the mall while the boys watched the 2nd part of the Hobbit movie in a 3D Imax theater and then spent almost 2 hours watching the kids jump at Sky Zone. 

Thankfully the marathon of fun prevented the boys from going too stir crazy during the storm. Monday rolled around and school and base was closed for the day, we were house bound for the day. We shoveled the driveway and helped with a few other driveways that needed tending to, while the boys played on/in the giant piles of snow left by the snowplows. J also took the day to finish up on some packing, we had a good run...18 months of no all expense paid trips to the sunny dessert, but it was his turn once again to live apart from us.

Tuesday rolled around and once more the boys had no school, but J was running out of time to get his to-do list at all the different offices. He had a very frustrating morning, but went out of his way to make sure he could still leave...since it was the big day. The roads were tricky heading to the airport to drop him off with cars in the ditch and the side of the road broken down, with only a single lane plowed and dry, and ramps being a total mess. We managed to get to the airport and he managed to get tot he gate in the nick of time...only to find out the flight was 40 minutes delayed.

As Wednesday rolled around, the boys once again had no school. It was really turning into a Christmas Vacation that never ended. The boys spent the day playing outside in the snow and then inside playing video games. The older two boys had friends over, I cleaned the stove...yup did some deep cleaning while waiting to hear from J and if he made it to his new home for the next couple of months. Finally later in the night the phone rang and we were able to FaceTime and learn about his long day of travels.

As dawn broke on Thursday I got the dreaded text message that it was going to be ANOTHER snow day. Forecasted rain and sleet were going to make the already messy roads even worse in the rural areas. The boys went out early to play with their friends in the snow, the weather had really warmed up to a balmy 30 and so one of my friends stopped by and we decided to walk the neighborhood to get some fresh air while the kids were playing. After some time outside, we decided to head to the bowling alley for some lunch and see how many pins we can knock down. We mailed a box of goodies to J that he requested (yup, he just go there and I'm already sending his stuff), and then the boys enjoyed some more time in the snow and video gaming with friends.

Friday....the boys went back to school.

The new normal...

The new routine...

Short lived since it is now the weekend.

There have been some tears and emotional outbursts, possibly not all from the boys...I blame all those snow days in a row ;)

Our 2013 Holiday Letter

So for those that we missed on our mailing list, or the letter never arrived in your mailbox (which we have fallen victim more then once this holiday season...PO fail!)  We would like to share our family letter that we sent out this year. We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and wish you all the best in 2014!       

      Greetings from SAFB!  2013 marked a new addition to our family. No, we didn't have more babies, M really wanted a kitty. She made this clear to me by never mentioning wanting a cat, not ever, not even once. I took this clear sign as a message to get her one last Christmas. Bella is a Siberian Forest Cat who has grown from a wee kitten last January who liked to climb the curtains and sleep on the rod to a fluffy fatso who brings the curtains down with a thundering crash...literally. Diesel has adjusted to the addition and the two can even be caught occasionally snuggling.

         The move to the midwest has brought new sports for the boys. M and J enjoyed floor hockey in the Scott AFB youth center league. No disrespect to soccer and baseball, but the entertainment value of a floor hockey game is through the roof. The only way it could be better is if we could bet on it. N was disappointed that he couldn't play, but he is old enough for the upcoming season in January.

         Our California acclimatized boys had to adjust to several good snowstorms last winter. It was a reunion with snow for the older two boys, but it was N's first real exposure to the blessed white stuff. Helping him make his first snowballs, snowmen, and snow angels was a delight for us. What we would give for a decent sledding hill! M lost some skin and learned lessons about coefficient of friction versus inertia when he took his sled down a snow pile onto the asphalt road.M and I had flashbacks to childhood watching the boys dig out forts in the neighborhood snow piles made by the plows. As I write this letter, we are getting our first snow of the season. The novelty has worn off for me. Hopefully the magic remains for the boys and we can play in the forecasted three inches of snow tomorrow.          

     Another blessing of moving back to the midwest was increased visits with family. Both sets of Grandparents, M's sister plus family all took the drive down and visited this year. If anyone else would like to stop by, M would love to take you to see the St. Louis Arch and I will willingly take you on a tour of the Budweiser factory. We were also able to visit Minnesota in the summer where the boys got to try their hands at farming/country living. The boys stayed with grandparents while M and I ran off to Europe for 11 days. We visited London, Paris, Florence, Rome, and Naples.  For more details of our travels (and loads of pictures), check out M's blog at www.detloff.blogspot.com. 

         Our family really feels at home at SAFB and being back in the midwest. Our neighbors have quickly become friends that we can borrow a cup of sugar from or depend on to watch the boys in a pinch. When the weather is pleasant on Fridays or Saturdays we host a bonfire in our driveway. All summer we had a parade of neighbor kids coming through our home to play with the boys. All three boys enjoy their elementary school classes with good friends they have made. M is in the 5th grade, finishing his Webelo 2 requirements, a member of the safety patrol and also joined band this year learning how to play the saxophone. J is a 4th grader and has once again been named as a student of the month for the second year and is learning how to play the recorder. Our tenured preschooler, N, is enjoying his second year at the same school as his brothers and has even started reading on his own. M is enjoying helping out at the school occasionally and walking with friends in the neighborhood when the weather permits.          

I'm still flying Learjets for the Air Force. 

We wish you and yours a Happy Holidays and all the best for 2014.