July

It's been a while since I've posted. That doesn't mean there hasn't been anything going on with us.

For the past week and a half my parents have been in town. We had so much fun having them here. They got here just in time, because I had just gotten out of the hospital. I knew that my intense chest pain was not heartburn. My chest was hurting so bad that we went to the ER and guess what? They admitted me, that never happens. Anyway it was a gallbladder attack and I've got gall stones baby. Apparently I missed the window to have my gallbladder removed during pregnancy, so it will be removed after the baby is born. I'm on a special diet now, just like the animals in the zoo, it's call a low-fat bland diet. Sounds delish, try not to be jealous.

When my parents were here the boys and I were in heaven, I'm sure Joe liked it too, but he had to go to work and study so he didn't really get the full effect. I figured out that a stay for me in the hospital turns my mom into super overprotective mom. As soon as they got here my mom wouldn't let me do anything. She made everyone's lunch and did the dishes. I just had a 10 day break from the dishes and laundry, it was awesome. Then after about 4 days she let me go out of the house and help her in the kitchen. She still made me take a nap after lunch everyday. It was pretty rough on me.
My dad and the boys had so much fun together. Here is their basic schedule.
1. Eat breakfast outside together.
2. Go to the park.
3. Come home and eat lunch.
4. Go the the pool after lunch for as long as they wanted to, or until it starts raining and Grandma makes them get out of the pool.
5. Come home and watch Spongebob.
6. Eat dinner.
7. Bed time with the longest bed time story from Grandma.

Here are my Dad and the boys eating breakfast outside. The weather is beautiful in the morning.

Joe had his final flight on Friday. We are officially done here in Albuquerque. We will be going to Cheyenne later this week. We debated if we were going to stay and have the baby, but I really want to get where we are going. Plus, I wanted to be able to start Ezra in just one school this year. If we stayed he probably would have had to start school here in ABQ.
We also found out that Joe's training dates were able to be postponed, so when we get to Cheyenne he will be able to help me with the baby.


One fun thing we did while in Albuquerque
A few weeks ago we went to the minor league baseball game here. They are called the Albuquerque Isotopes. The stadium is really nice. We kept seeing commercials for it all of the time. On the commercials, they show face painting. So Ezra and River have been asking to get their faces painted for about 3 months now. I told them if we ever went somewhere that has facepainting they could get it done. I'm thinking face painting, it's either free or you pay the painter a tip or it's a couple of bucks. That's not how it works at the baseball game. It was $10 per face. Yikes! I would have said no way if I hadn't already told them yes for three months and on the way to the baseball game. So when we got to the game we got their faces painted, and then it started raining and we left. Good times.

Here is a pictures of their expensive face painting.


It was really hard to get all of the paint off of their faces. Here is River after about 3 or 4 times of trying to wiping his face off. We could not get the black from under his eyes. He looked like a rock star for the next few days.



We also had a visit to Mesa for the 4th of July and my birthday. Joe even got to come with us for a few days. It was so fun. Joe gave me a pink Nintendo DS for my B-day. I love it. When he gave it to me he told me that it was just for me. Try telling a 7 year old that you are not going to share your Nintendo DS with him. I couldn't do it. I only lasted a day of being stingy with my DS. I did get a funny story out of sharing it with the boys.
Ezra was playing the DS and River was watching him. Ezra leaned over to River and said to River, "River, I don't even care that this is pink."
It was funny.

When we get to Cheyenne and have the internet, I will be able to do another update. Up next on our schedule; a new baby for the Lasura's.

Bonus Picture!
Here is River doing a shot of Parmesan cheese. That boy is his father's son.

For the guys.....and maybe some girls

On Friday Joe got to fly the helicopter while doing a "live hoist". Usually when he flies there is some sort of scenario going on like looking for a lost hiker or a troop of boy scouts to rescue. Joe flies out to where the person needs to be rescued and practices lowering a litter (a big metal basket) or a forest penetrator (yes, that is what is really called, it penetrates all the trees and stuff). So usually they practice by lowering the empty basket into a tire.
This week Joe flew to the site and dropped off (lowered him down on the hoist) another student to be the simulated survivor. Then he flew around and did a "site evaluation" that's where you fly around and survey the land and see if there is a safe place to land. Since they were training on doing the hoist they didn't land the helicopter, they went back to where their survivor was. Joe hovered the helicopter and during this exercise he got to lower the hoist down to save the "survivor". He lowered the forest penetrator the student got on and Joe raised him up so he could get on to the helicopter. I'm sure it was much cooler and complicated than I made it sound, but I wasn't there. Joe tells me it's harder to hover in higher altitudes.
The training exercise went well and Joe was happy when he came home to tell me all about it. It was pretty exciting news around our house. Joe only has 10 more flights to go. Last week he had 5 flights. This week he will start flying nights, with night vision goggles, students are only allowed to fly 3 night flights a weeks. He is scheduled to be done here on July23.
Here is a link to the air force website that has some pictures of the helicopter that Joe is flying. There isn't any pics from the base in Wyoming, but the green helicopter is the one he will be flying. I'm such a girl, the green helicopter as opposed to the blue and white ones and the camoflage one. They are all the same model, just painted a different color.
P.S. the picture posted at the top is from a google search, and it is not the same model that Joe flies, if anyone cares.

What's the haps?

I figured out where the pictures were going to on my computer. It really wasn't that complicated. Anywho, here is what has been going on in Albuquerque.

1. Joe had his birthday. It was a fun time together as a family. The big 31. I only get to make fun of Joe's age for about two months and then I'm as old as he is. It's fun while it lasts.

2. Sorry for the underwear shot, but I just couldn't resist. This is usually what I get to see every morning when the boys have their breakfast. Cold cereal and cartoons....those were the days.

3. Joe and the boys went on the Fathers and Sons camp out. It made us realize that River needs to get out of the house more often without me. I think he wasn't feeling so good either, also it was really cold up in the mountains and we didn't bring any winter clothes to NM. We found those jackets at Target they were the last ones. Ezra's is probably two sizes too small, but that never stopped him from wearing something before.
Aside from River not feeling good and being homesick, Joe and Ezra had a good time together. We found chocolate marshmallows for them to roast over the fire the boys said they were delicious.

4. So there was a gang of skaters causing a ruckus in our parking lot and near the picnic/bbq area of our apartment complex. Joe told them if they didn't live here they should leave. He found this on the hood of his truck a few days later.

5. I bought a ped-egg and tried it out on Joe's feet. Gross I know, but check out these before and afters. I would give it a 9 out of 10.

6. We went to see Kung-Fu Panda. It was totally awesome. The whole family loved it. We love Jack Black. There is a lot of fighting in it, duh it's called "Kung-Fu" Panda, Scabloosh.

7. Ezra had a super-duper loose tooth and wouldn't let us pull it out. It was barely hanging in there. Joe could not take it, it was driving him crazy. Our Bishop is our dentist and we were talking to him at church about it. Joe asked him if he knew any tricks. He told us to tell Ezra we were going to count to three and pull it out, but really pull it out on two.

Why didn't we think of that? It worked like a charm. Ezra was mad for about .2 seconds until he realized that his tooth was out and he was going to be getting a visit from the tooth fairy. Notice the scared/happy look on his face.

We are having a good time here in the ABQ. The weather is nice, it gets hot in 90's then it gets really windy sometimes, but it does cool down at night. We can open our windows in the evening and morning. Joe is studying like a mad man. I found a doctor that I like, and the pregnancy is going good. The boys are taking advantage of the tennis courts and the pool at our apartment complex. Joe said Ezra is pretty good at tennis. I got a sunburn last weekend from hangin' at the pool with the fam.
We met a family at church that lives in our same apartments and is only going to be here for the summer too, kind of cool. They have a boy the same age as River. We went to the park and hope that we will hang out with them again soon.
We still don't know where the baby will be born(Abq,Mesa or Cheyenne), or have any news on Joe's training dates, for SERE(survival school). He is scheduled to be gone when I'm due. He did get to talk to his commander and was told there is a good possibility for him to be here for the birth of our daughter. I guess we will wait some more and see what happens.

Names, names, names

My name and your name, but not the new baby's name.
Okay, so you know that we are having a girl, but you probably didn't know that we are having a hard time finding a girls name. What's in a name? I don't really care the meaning of names, what I do want to know is what people really think when they hear a name. I got this book called The Baby Name Wizard (Thanks Monica) it is totally awesome. You can also go to this website to see how popular a name is over the years. This is just a small glimpse of what the book tells me. Along with the name it also lists sister names, brother names, popularity, nicknames, alternate spellings and style. Just take a look at what is says about the name Jennifer.
Jennifer- Hi, Jen! Looking up your name? Yep Jennifer is the most common name for today's expectant mothers. It's actually and old Cornish form of Guinevere, and if you think of it that way, you can imagine how intriguing it sounded to the '50s parents who first started using the name in the U.S. Today, though, it sounds purely American. This is the top name for Latinas, thanks to entertainer Jennifer Lopez.

I want a very girly name, that isn't too popular already. Something pretty, and not too out there. Something where she will be the only one with that name in her class, but not so weird that people will feel sorry for her because of her name.
The sister names for Ezra are: Ivy, Astrid, Aviva, Phoebe, Sarai
The sister names for River are: Sienna, Willow, Dalia, Lyric, Meadow
I don't really love any of those names. I do have a couple of names that I like right now, one of them Joe is still trying to decide if he likes it and the other he totally likes. What names are they? You will just have to wait and see. You already know it's a girl, we want to keep somethings a surprise.

Here is what the book says about my name and the names of my friends (you guys). Take a look, is your name there? Some names were not listed; Alma, Codie, Launa, sorry guys. If it's not let me know and I will add it to the list. Don't feel bad if your name is not cool, my name has a very harsh description. I'm sure your kid or kids names are much cooler than your own name. At least that is the case with me.
Please do not feel like you have to read all the names listed, unless you are really bored.

Aileen\Eileen- Most of us identify Eileen as an Irish name, but for many years its popularity crossed all ethnic boundaries. America is full of grown-up Eileens with last names like Cohen and Rodriguez. Now the name is no longer broadly fashionable, its Gaelic roots are reappearing. It still sounds great with a traditional Irish surname.

Alan- A fine reliable fellow, that Alan. Sure, he hit his peak in the middle of the last century, but he's kept his youthful good looks. The name has been used in the British Isles since the time of William the Conquerer and should keep going strong. Alternate spellings like Allen, once equally popular in the U.S., are now showing more age.

Angela- For years Angela was the way to name your daughter with a touch of heaven. Today, the options have exploded. Half a dozen different "Angel" names are popular, and Heaven itself is now a popular name. But Angela is still a hit and it remains the most modest enduring choice.

Amber(Sorry, I know Ambrosia is much cooler, but not listed)- Amber was occasionally heard a century ago when jewel names were in vogue. It really took off decades later thanks to the romantic novel Forever Amber, a mid-century sensation. As a result, the name's image is satin-and-lace sensual.

Amy- Amy is bright, simple, and cheerily unpretentious. It was a monster hit in the 70's but doesn't sound dated. Think of the name's recent decline as merely a "stock market correction" back to its natural place as a modest, beloved classic. The French Aimee is equally traditional but showier.

Benjamin- Benjamin is a name of perfect balance. It's popular, but not quite trendy. It's biblical, but not conspicuously antique. It's manly but not heavy or blunt. The full Benjamin is handsome, Benji is cute, and Ben's and all-around good guy. You're all set.

Bruce- The world is full of macho guys named Bruce. Think Bruce Lee, Bruce Willis, Bruce Smith, Bruce Springsteen. Their combined muscle and swagger help to offset the name's softness.

Christy-Kristi- Add up all the spellings, and there were more girls named Christy in the'70s than Sarah or Mary. And that doesn't even count the Kristens, Christines, and Kristas who go by this nickname. Why did parents love Christy so? The name has a sparkle to it, like sunshine on fresh Christmas snow. Unfortunately, that impression is now buried in an avalanche of datedness and the name is close to disappearing.

Courtney- Forty years ago, Courtney was a fancy-pants boy's name derived from a Norman baronial name. (Neville and Aubrey are similar examples.) More recently, it emerged as part of a new group of girls' names that became the sound of the '80s and '90s. Like its companions Brittany and Ashley, Courtney is still widely used but no longer the cusp of fashion.

David- The classic boys' names always have snappy good-guy nicknames: Mike, Matt, Jim, Jake.... and Dave. But you can get too much of a good-guy thing. The generation raised in the '70s and '80s was surrounded by Daves and is starting to shy away from the name. Of course, that could mean an opportunity for your little Dave to be the only one in his class.

Donna- If you take the time to give Donna some thought, you'll see the charms that kept it near the top of the charts for forty years. It has a trim all-American sound with hints of both Italy (it's Italian for "lady") and Scotland ( a feminine form of Donald). To most parents, though, it's just too familiar to be interesting.

Emily- You've just got to like Emily. It's bright and friendly, traditional and unpretentious. So sure enough, everybody does like it, making this simple classic the number-one name in the English-speaking world. It tips the charts in England and Australia as well as the U.S. The literary Emilys from Bronte to Dickinson to Post, lend the name added substance.

Fern- Leafy and lacy, a fern is a graceful botanical image for a girl's name. The name also holds a timeless place in children's literature as the main human character in Charlotte's Web. In the early 1900s, Fern was especially popular as a middle name, which would be a perfect way to revive it.

Jill- Jill could be the 1960s' first revival candidate. The name's directness gives it a kind of grown-up girl power: fun and fearless. Plus the phrase Jack and Jill, dating back 600 years, shows that the image of Jill as a spirited lass is genuinely timeless.

Joan- Joan is somewhat plain, but not quite plain enough. Parents who really want to make a back-to-basics style statement choose Jane. Joan, the beloved favorite of the '30s and'40s, is simply perceived as too ordinary to be interesting. It's not the first time that's happened to this boom-or-bust name. There was such a glut of Joans in the Middle Ages that the name acquired a "common" reputation and virtually disappeared for centuries.

Jodi- This boyish'60s star still charms us with its good humor. As a nickname, it's pitch-perfect. As a full name, though, it's more limited. Picture actress Jodi Foster as Johanna instead....doesn't it suit her dignity better? Other formal options include Judith, Jordan and Josephine.

Joseph- The quintessential man's name - a Joe even means and ordinary guy. While others falter, Joseph carries on generation after generation with its dignified, old-world masculinity firmly intact. As rock-solid a choice as ever.

Kathrine- If you want a name to stay fashionable until your daughter is a grandma, you can't find a better bet than Katherine. This is a name of saints, queens, and empresses, with countless versions and derivatives. Several different spellings are traditional, but Katherine is timeless.

Katie- Many parents skip right past Katherine and choose this cute, unpretentious nickname. It's a sure way to avoid your daughter being called Kathy or Kat against your wishes, but it forces her to sound girlish - even at times when she might prefer womanly. For a middle path, consider the given name Kate. That's the stylish nom du jour for Hollywood Stars.

Kelsey- Kelsey was a mild-mannered boy's name (think actor Kelsey Grammer) that suddenly exploded as a girl's name. With its energetic, faintly androgynous style, it pals around comfortably with Courtney and Shelby. One of the hottest names of the '90s, Kelsey already shows signs of cooling off.

Laura- One of the steadiest choices atound the world. Laura's smooth sound has made it a favorite in song and story for centuries - from Petarch to General Hospital - and it's a hit in almost every european language. This author has spent many happy years with the name , for which she thanks her parents. (Apparently the author of this book is Laura)

Lyndsey- In the wake of the '70s Bionic Woman icon Lindsay Wagner, this surname became a standard overnight. While Lindsay's popularity has plummeted, the mane is still fashionable in sound and style. Kinsey, Laney, and Ainsley are among the hot new names walking in Lindsay's footsteps.

Madeline- (you know who you are) Madeline is a classic that still sounds charmingly old-fashioned, even though it's more popular today than ever before. Ludwig Bemelman's beloved children's books have helped fuel the vogue for the name. Note that little Maddy risks confusion with the many Madisons in the playground.

Martha- Parents who find themselves drawn to George should give Martha a second look. It has that same no-frills appeal that frees you from the shackles of passing fashion. The most prominent Martha of recent times, tastemaker Martha Stewart, suffered a very public demise that could have sunk lesser names. But this stalwart classic will pull through just fine.

Mary- The most popular girl's name of the twentieth century. And the nineteenth, and the eighteenth...but the Grand Old Name is remarkably uncommon in century twenty-one. Modern parents have shied away from Mary precisely because of its past popularity. Ironically, that now gives you the opportunity to choose the name as a distinctive fashion statement. It is warm, pretty and the ultimate "back-to-basics" classic.

Matthew- Matthew comes through for parents as a new classic that feels like an old classic. It mingles just as comfortably with John and William as Justin and Brandon. Try bouncing it off your parents, grandparents, nieces and nephews: Nobody has a complaint about the name Matt.

Meaghan- Megan started off in Wales as a pet form of Margaret but has found huge popularity as a U.S. given name. The alternate spelling Meaghan, which gives the name an Irish look, is in fact a modern American creation. Also consider Bethan, a similar Welsh take on Elizabeth.

Melanie- A rare medieval French saint's name. What, that's not your image of Melanie? Then thank Gone With the Wind, which brought the name to America's notice - it's been a standard ever since. Thoroughly likable and unaffected.

Monica- Blessedly, the details of the Monica Lewinsky affair are already fading from memory. Nonetheless, the months of tawdry headlines were a big blow to this classic name, and Monicas everywhere took a while to recover. The Monica of Friends helped counter the blow, though, and new little Monicas should do just fine.

Nancy- Nancy's a nickname (for Ann) that still sounds right for the little girl in the Nancy comic strip. In real life though, many Nancys are now sporting gray hair. By their sheer numbers, they've forced their name to grow up with them.

Pamela- Think of the Breck Girl, the advertising icon with the flowing locks. For forty years, she was the timeless, glamorous American beauty. Then on day she disappeared and became a retro sweetheart looked back on with fondness. The name Pamela has followed her along that same path.

Rachel/Rachael- Rachel is a biblical classic that reemerged as a hit after decades of hibernation. It doesn't sound like a quaint heirloom, though - it's thoroughly contemporary. The name hit its modern peak with the Friends character Rachel and her eponymous hairstyle. This is one of the most flexible and risk-free names you can choose.

Raygon- I couldn't find it so these will have to do.
Regan- A Shakespearean name that has found a new audience because of its Celtic flavor. It's a worthy alternative to Megan, but parents considering this name should take a quick look at its origins in the play King Lear. An ungrateful daughter who double-crosses her dad....hmm, maybe Megan isn't so bad after all? Reagan is a popular variation that shifts the emphasis from literature to politics.
Reagan- From Jefferson and Madison to Carter and Reagan, presidential surnames are hotter than ever. In most cases parents are focusing more on style than politics (though Watergate has ruled out the otherwise pitch-perfect name Nixon). For girls, Reagan is gaining on front-runner Madison.

Rebecca- Tender and graceful, Rebecca has long been a literary favorite. Recently biblical "rediscoveries" like Abigail and Hannah have been more popular, but Rebecca remains an unquestioned classic.

Rita- There's an eternal appeal to punchy, pint-sized girl's names. Kira and Mia fill the bill today, just as Rita did back in the '20s. Like many of these miniature hits, Rita has nickname roots - it's short for Margarita. Rita now has a vintage style, but there's still plenty of life to it.

Sarah- Sarah has been steadily popular for decades now - really, for millennia. but the name is such a simple, pure classic that it will never wear out its welcome. For a change of pace, the nick-names Sally and Sadie are both worth a look.

Stacey- Stacy and Tracy were the original sparkly surnames for girls. Their sunny demeanor still shines, but parents are now looking for fresher choices with the same spirit. Macy and Riley are two top contenders.

Whitney- This tony surname has risen and fallen with the career arc of singer Whitney Houston. It started out as a swank-sounding boys' name back when the Whitneys, Morgans and Vanderbitlts were gilded-age kingpins. Like most names of this style, it gets friendlier and more approachable with age.

William-Dominant a century ago, William has remained a robust, adaptable classic. It's distinguished but not a bit stuffy. The nickname Bill was among the essential twentieth-century names, while the smoother Will looks like a twenty-first century winner. Among such trend setting groups as Ivy Leaguers and uptown New Yorkers, the name is soaring.

Another website that Joe and I like to go to is the Social Security popular baby names page. We like to type in a name we are thinking of and see how it has risen and fallen in popularity. The website does not take into account different spellings for the same name, so you have to keep that in mind. They just published the most popular baby names for 2007.
So this is what has been on my mind lately. What are we going to call this little girl?

Joe

My Joe. He is the best.

Hey All, it was Joe's birthday last Month! Joe wanted me to take some pictures to put on the blog for his parents. So I took some pictures for his parents to see on the blog. The only problem is we got a new printer and I'm not sure where the pictures files are. So I decided to talk about his party and post some of my fav pictures of Joe and share with every one how great he is.

It was fun to plan a party with the help of two little guys. We decorated with streamers and balloons. We even hid and yelled surprise when Joe got home from work. It was a good party with just us four. I asked Joe what he wanted for his birthday dinner, and he said steaks. So basically Joe grilled his own birthday dinner, because I don't do charcoal. He seemed to be fine with it. The steaks turned out delicious. I attempted to make some fancy banana\peanut butter brownies for Joe's birthday cake. I think they turned out pretty good. The boys ate theirs, but I think I was having an aversion to bananas due to pregnancy. The boys were so excited for Joe to open his presents. He didn't get anything special just pajama pants and an outdoor dart set. He acted like he loved them because the boys picked them out. I could tell he enjoyed spending time with me and the boys for his birthday.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Joe.

Here is Joe and the boys playing in their bedroom in Tucson.Joe is such a good dad and the boys love to "play wrestle" with him.

This is one my favorite picture of Joe and me when we went to Mount Lemmon in Tucson.

This is Joe and River when we had River's b-day party in Alabama.Joe is really good at being in charge of the party. He keeps things organized and on track.

Another picture of Joe and River. Here they are right after Joe got home from field training(boot camp), aren't they sweet?

Here is Joe and Ezra in Mississippi. This is Joe balancing work and family. He is teaching Ezra how to chair fly.

This is Joe getting "dunked" after his first solo flight in the T-6. Good times.

Here are the Lasura boys on the day of Joe's graduation.

Here are the boys playing guitar hero together.

A few of the many reasons why Joe is the best:
~He always gets the boys ready for church, so I don't have to get up earlier.
~He knows if a banana will be up to my standards or not.
~He shaves in the shower, so he won't be loud and wake me up.
~He saves the last one, of whatever, for me.
~I don't worry if he has done all of the paperwork that comes with moving, because he is good at getting that kind of stuff done.
~He doesn't complain when I forget to buy him soy milk, when I always remember to buy regular milk for everyone else.
~He is hilarious and makes me laugh always.
~He pretends like he can’t see my gray hairs, when I point them out.
~He lets the boys climb all over him even when he's not in the mood.

A letter to Joan

Dear Joan,
I have noticed that you really need to post something on your blog, it's called "updating your blog". You should try it. There are people you know who do it a few times a week. I know that is not your style, but it's been over two weeks, that equals boring. Maybe you think that nothing exciting enough has happened since your move, and you have nothing to post about? Here are a few things that I think you should post about.
*the number of times you have been to a little place called Wienerschnitzel
*all of the paper work/trips to the med clinic to get all of the insurance in order so you could get a referral/prove you are pregnant, so you can start having your prenatal visits again.
*that day you spent crying because you were stressed/pregnant and things didn't go as smoothly as you thought they would when you called to make an appointment with the doctor you were referred to.
*your major toothache and then finding out that the dentist everyone at church recommended was your bishop.
*taking Ezra and River to the dentist and finding out the hard way the you should have taken Ezra to the pediatric dentist to begin with.
*how you love living in a city that has a grid system for the streets and you have your sense of direction back.
*it's colder here than you thought it would be and you didn't pack jackets for anyone because when you left Alabama it was shorts weather.
*how you totally don't mind how you can hear the upstairs neighbor get home every night at 11pm, because you are glad he doesn't have to hear Ezra and River at 7am showing you how fast they can run from the kitchen to the living room.
*you had a fun bbq with your friends from Alabama before they left for Washington.
*Joe is studying as much as before, but has more pressure because the Air Force can take away his brand new wings if he doesn't get good enough grades.
*the Woodlands literally stopped by on their way to Utah and you finally got to see Jonas in his Puma warm ups.
*the furnished apartment has two rooms, and one bed in each room which means Ezra and River are sharing a bed and you are now threatening them nightly because apparently it is more fun for them to laugh and play than shut their eyes and mouths and go to sleep.
*the furnished apartment also came with a phone and you get calls from "the captain" about a fabulous cruise opportunity.
*the commissary on base totally rocks!
*the giant park next to McDonalds on base totally rocks.
*you finally acted like a big girl and got everything straightened out and you have a dr's appointment on Monday.
*that Sunday you cried the entire testimony meeting because of the old man who went to the front and talked about how he missed his friends that had died, and then listed about 7 of them by name and then to top it all off he said he was the only survivor of his graduating class.
*how you can feel the baby kick all of the time now and you love every minute of it.
*you and Joe cannot decide on a name for this little girl.
*you reconized a girl at church that you went to school with from 1987-1995, she had no idea who you were, but invited your family over for dinner and Family Home Evening.
*the girl from church is really nice, has been married just as long as you and Joe, but has 6 kids to your 2 1/2.
*the Father and Sons camping trip is this weekend, and you are so excited for Joe and the boys to go because it will be the first time for everyone.

Those are just a few of things you could talk about.
Love,
Joan

Dear Joan,
I know I need to "update my blog" those are all very good things to talk about but I do not have pictures of anything. People really want to see pictures when they go to someones blog. A post with a lot of words with no pictures equals boring. Plus in my last post I made a list about the things I didn't talk about in the South.

Love,
Joan

Mississippi/Alabama

Let me say that this is a total generalization of the south and the people that live there. Also we lived in small towns. The big cities don't have all of these same qualities. Please don't take offense by the things I have said about The South.

P.S. Except for the food, the pictures are from my camera.(In order to get the full effect of these pictures you should click to enlarge most of them.)

Here is a list of things that I
1. Never saw/heard before I lived in a small town in the south.
2. Never thought I would see/say.
3. Never thought I would miss.

1. The Woods. Basically the woods is trees and grass it's kind of like the forest. If you call it the forest people from the south might not know what you are talking about. There are woods all along the side of the road. You cannot see off into the distance because there are too many trees in the way. When we lived in Mississippi we had woods at the end of our back fence. You should never go into the woods alone.

Here is a picture through our dirty windshield, I'm sure we were driving along and I thought to myself look at these trees. I should take a picture.

Here is a picture of what is hopefully an abandoned trailer, in the woods.

2. Southern Food. I'm talking about stuff your grandma made, if you grew up in the south.
This is fried okra. It is delicious. Apparently you can sneak it into the movies and eat it like popcorn.

These are fried green tomatoes, also delicious.
The list really does go on and on. Macaroni and cheese, barbecue pulled pork, homemade rolls, cornbread, deep fried ribs (I'm not kidding). There was this place in Mississippi that had deep fried french fries. You're probably thinking aren't all french fries deep fried? These babies were fried, breaded and then fried again. Don't even get me started about the desserts. Banana pudding, red velvet cake, coconut cake. Sure you may have heard of it before, or maybe even tasted southern food before, but it taste so much better when you are in the south.

3. Tote. You can also say Toting. People in the south like to use the word tote. Before I moved to the south it was only used to describe a kind of bag(you know, tote bag). For those from the south it was a verb.
Here is a picture of Joe toting River around during para sailing practice (notice the woods in the background).
Another example would be if Ezra filled his backpack full of stuff and then carried it around the whole playground. Someone would say, "Look at him trying to tote his toys around."

4. Ya'll. As in, How ya'll doing today? No matter if you were by yourself or with a group of people.
This is seriously a picture I took in Alabama. It was a shop just outside of the Daleville gate.
Here is a picture of Ezra with his kindergarten class on the last day of school in Mississippi. Can you believe that ya'll worked it's way into his vocabulary after going to school in Mississippi? (He is the second to last on the right in the yellow visor.)
It was too funny, we were playing a game and Ezra won. His words, "I just beat all ya'll."
My next favorite ya'll story is when a man who was helping me change my flat tire in the Wal-Mart parking lot asked me, "Ya'll from up north?" I wanted to say, "Yes sir, we are yankees." but I didn't.

5. Arrow letter boards. Oh sure you've seen them before, but when you live in a small town in the south, they are everywhere. Salons, vets, tire shops, tattoo and body piercing shops all kinds of business can use them.
I'm pretty sad that I don't have a real picture of these signs.

The back road leading to the base in Mississippi had at least 14 of these signs. I always knew that the adult store was having a great sale on dvds. Sure some of the signs were blank, most of them were missing letters, but at least you knew there was once a business in the now abandoned trailer.

6.Roadkill. (Sorry no picture here) Growing up in the city it's an occasional dog or cat sometimes a pigeon. I still remember driving to Mississippi we were halfway through Louisiana there was something on the side of the road. Joe and I looked at each other. What was that? I think it was an armadillo, do they have armadillo in other places besides Texas? The answer is yes, and if you see an armadillo it is dead on the side of the road. There are no live armadillo. It's not just dead armadillo, there are possums, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, even giant dead deer on the side of the road.

7. Spiders. Before I lived in the south the most disgusting spider that I had ever seen was a wolf spider. One of the first briefings Joe had in Mississippi was don't put a bedskirt on your bed because spiders like to live in them and then they will bite you when you are sleeping and then you will die. The spiders in the south are for reals. Of course you get the little baby ones, that crawl out of the pile of laundry you have been needing to fold for three days, but there is also the "pudding" spiders (thanks, Kelsey) pudding because after you smash them, pudding. Pretty gross. If want to wear a shirt that has been on your bedroom floor for a day or more, shake it out before you put it on. You should also check your church shoes for spiders before you put them on.
Here is a picture from our neighbors backyard in Alabama.
I think it is a banana spider is was as big as a mans hand. Our neighbors liked it and named it Lola. Of course they were from the south, I would have freaked out and called some one to come and kill it before it took over my house.

Other things I did not mention:
*Humidity.
*Calling your kids "babies" no matter their age.
*Making your kids answer your questions, with a yes Ma'am, or a no Ma'am.(Ezra also started doing this after attending school in Mississippi. I kind of like it.)
*Bare-bottom spanking your kids in public is totally fine.
*Come aparts.
*Southern hospitality.
*Sweet Tea -which I never actually tried, but I heard is the best iced tea you will ever have and only people in the south know how to make it the right way.
*Not understanding accents so thick that after you have said "excuse me" or "what?" three times, you just look at them and say "I don't know what you are saying" or just you say "yes" to them because you feel like a jerk for not understanding what they are saying.
*Celebrating Robert E. Lee's birthday.
*A gas station/bait shop/dry cleaners. (I'm serious)
*The slowest fast food service ever.
*The word fixin' as in "I'm fixin' to go the the store."
*Bulk garbage on the side of the road, things like couches and tvs.
*Package shops. Package shops are not like mailboxes etc.. A package shop is another name for a liquor store.
*Poison Ivy, it really does exist. (Remember the woods?)
*Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
*Making trips into town.
*College football is a big deal, Roll Tide! Know your colors, crimson and orange do not mix.

P.S. Here is a picture of Ezra and River just outside of our apartment in Albuquerque. We are no longer in the south.

ABQ

ABQ

We made it to Albuquerque!! That's right I know how to spell it. Moving makes me tired. I've been thinking about my next post, but I'm in no mood to blog now. My sister Laura flew to Alabama and drove with the boys and me. She is the best! I just wanted to say that we made it, I'm happy and alive, the boys are excited about the pool, and Joe started work today. I will fill in the details later.

There will be PINK

Let's hope it never comes to this.

We are so excited that we are having a girl! River is a little disappointed, Ezra is pumped, Joe and I are very pleased with ourselves.
Joe schedule changed at the last minute, shocker I know. He wasn't able to come to the ultrasound appointment, so I just took the boys with me. I told the doctor that we didn't want to know what it was because Joe wasn't there, but I wanted him to write it down so the whole fam could look at it when we were all together. I guess he forgot or was really excited because he let it slip out while I was laying there. He was showing me all of the different body parts he said, "here is the spine, here is the legs, here is the bladder, it doesn't look like there are any little boy parts sticking out between the legs." So I pretty much knew right then, but tried to ignore it so I could be excited when Joe and the boys found out. Ezra and River were there, but they weren't very interested in what the doctor had to say. I am so excited to be having a little girl. I will say that when I see the pictures of Jodi and her boys I know it wouldn't be so bad to have three little boys who think I'm the best.

P.S. A funny story about the picture above. I had to switch purses so I started using the one that River is holding in the picture. When he saw me with it he told me that purse was the one he used when he wore his disguise. Sometimes when you are a mom, you can stop yourself from laughing at stuff your kids say. This was not one of those times. I had no idea that it was a disguise. I just thought he was dressing up. He was pretty serious about it and I hurt his feeling a bit when I laughed at his disguise.

GRADUATION......JOE HAS HIS WINGS!!!!!!

Graduation was last week. It was a very emotional week, plus the pregnancy hormones are in full effect. Joe's mom came from AZ and his dad came from TX. I was in good company because they love Joe and are as proud of him as I am. This past year and half has been very intense and full of stress and studying. You know when something is over people say it is bittersweet because it was hard, but they will miss stuff about it? I have to say that, for me, graduation was not bittersweet at all. I felt very relieved that Joe was finally done. I'm pretty sure most of the crying I did was because I was thinking about everything that we have been through to get to this point, and that it is finally over. Joe EARNED his wings!!!! It's not all smooth sailing from here, but the hell (yeah, I said it) that is UPT is done with. I will say that through this journey we have made a lot of friends that we are going to keep in touch with for years to come. Plus we got to live in the South which I had mixed feeling about to begin with, but I really do love it here and there is lots of stuff I will miss about it. On to a new adventure, right?

The Air Force set up a few activities for the families of the graduates. First we went to the squadron to meet everyone and have breakfast. Then we took a bus to the airfield where they fly their helicopters. We got to see all of the gear they need to fly. Then they took us in a pitch black room to demonstrate the night vision goggles. Very cool, plus we got to see River picking his nose when he thought no one was looking, that is nothing new.

River with the helmet

Ezra trying it with the clear visor.

The fam, doesn't Ezra look happy?

There was also a display of the aircrafts that Joe trained on for us to look at. First the T-6 plane that he flew in Mississippi. Some of his instructors from Miss actually flew the plane over and Joe got to visit with them.

Joe and the boys on the T-6.

So the sad truth is if you see helicopters everyday, and you've already got to play in the one at your dad's work that you are allowed to sit in and push all of the buttons, seeing another one can get pretty boring if you're 7 or 4 years old.
Here we are, in the Huey, trying to get Ezra to smile.

At the graduation ceremony the boys and I got to go on the stage to pin Joe's wings on him, then we posed for pictures taken by a professional.

Here is Joe's page in the program. I was very honored that the boys and I could pin Joes' wings on him. I did feel like it was my right to pin those bad boys on Joe, but when I saw it in writing on the program I was very touched and got emotional about it. Did I say that I am so proud of Joe for working so hard, and that I'm glad it is over?

Later that night we went to dinner with all of the graduates and their families. Once again very boring if you are 7 and 4. Joe was awesome and made up a song that had the boys cracking up.

Isn't this a fun pic?


Up next for the Lasuras. We are having the ultrasound to find out if it's a boy or a girl on the 4th of April. We have to be in Albuquerque, New Mexico by April 15th to start the next phase of helicopter training. We are still waiting for official orders, so we can't really get the ball rolling on our huge list of things to do until we get the orders.

Joe here...Wow. The resemblance is uncanny. I can't believe Joan made me shave it. One weird thing is for the twenty one days I had it no one made eye contact with me. I wonder why.
P.S.(it's Joan) Joe cannot grow hair in the middle of his upper lip, he did not shave it to look that way.

Assignment Night Update

Ok, I accidentally lied about the more information coming soon in my last post. I honestly intended on posting about assignment night and sharing information about Wyoming, but it was a busy week.
Assignment night was exciting and to get their assignment the students harnessed the power of Albert Einstein's mustache that their instructor just happened to have in a jar. (Remember, mustache March?) It was funny. Joe wasn't concentrating hard enough, I guess he was hungry because instead of our assignment coming up on the big screen it was a picture of a burrito. He got it together and we were able to see that we are going to Wyoming.

Joe trying to get inspiration from a pickled mustache.
If you look close you can kind of see Joe's "stache"


We are excited to go to Wyoming and be in the West again. I didn't want to be a baby and put Wyoming first on our list, when there was the possible opportunity to live in some "really cool" places. I mean I never thought I would be excited to live in Wyoming, but this assignment is exactly what I needed. Plus it sounds kind of cool to say that we will be living in Cheyenne, it makes me think of country music and rodeos. Part of being in the Air Force is that you get to see different parts of the world, but I miss my family and it will be nice to be able to drive to AZ for holidays and summer vacation, if I want to. It will be about a 15 hour drive, much better than the 27 hours from Alabama. Also I'm hoping for cheap flights from Dever (about 1.5 hours from Cheyenne) to Phoenix. Everyone(other people in the Air Force) that we have talked to about going to Wyoming are happy for us and tell us that we will love it there. I am told that it is very windy there. I also heard that they have this stuff called snow, I'm not sure what that is but I'll let you know when we get there.
So, a little over a year ago when Joe told me he couldn't stop thinking about wanting to fly helicopters and that I had to give helicopters some serious thought and quit leaving the room every time he started talking about helicopters, he told me that one of the jobs that helicopter pilots in the Air Force had was to fly the space and missile guys from base out to where they work, which apparently is pretty far because you need a helicopter to get there. So guess what Joe will be doing in Cheyenne? Flying the space and missile guys, well he said it's not those guys actually, but the security forces guys (police on base) who work out there too. One of Joe's instructors was stationed in Wyoming and he said that it might be kind of a boring job for Joe, but he will have pretty regular hours and I will get to see him on a regular basis. I am super excited about that part. How boring can it be though? I mean he still gets to fly a helicopter everyday as his job.
We had graduation this morning but I will save that for the next post, I took lots of pictures. Thanks everyone for supporting us and making feel like you care.

Wyoming, here we come!

Joe had his assignment night tonight and we are going to FE Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We are very excited and happy with this assignment. More details soon.

Assignment Night, The Mustache, and Our Needs

Are you totally excited for Assignment Night tomorrow?.....I am
Have you been waiting over a year to get your first assignment?....I have
Are you totally sad/mad that the people in charge decided it would work better for them to have assignment night next Friday on the14th?......I am
Are you going to pout and cry about it?....I did

So we have to wait yet another week to find out our first assignment, I was pretty devastated. I know that there are worse things that can happen to a person, but it was a total shock to me . I know it's only a week.

There has been a lot of discussing our "list" and rearranging the order of our base choices. We did a lot of thinking and praying about what order we would put our base choices. It was very surprising what we ended putting on the list. I'll keep everyone out there guessing, just like I am.

We had a crazy thing happen here, our friends who I mentioned in the last post, got a change of assignment. They already graduated and everything, the assignment they were given was flying hueys in Wyoming. The short version of the story is our friend was at work, they asked him if he would like to switch from hueys to 6os. He said that he would, they told him to make a list of his top choices and turn it in. He called his wife, they came up with a list. He turned it in. They gave him his first choice, to Kadena Afb in Japan. Now I'm thinking there is an open spot to Wyoming and they will be giving it out at Joe's assignment night. I guess like a lot of things in the air force, we'll just have to wait and see.

So it's March. For student pilots and some other people in the air force that means Mustache March. In March they decide to grow mustaches to promote brotherhood and camaraderie, yeah right! Or in other words, your husband looks not so cute/creepy for the month of March. Joe wasn't going to participate this year, but there is a lot of peer pressure down at the squadron and obviously they didn't see him last year. The good news is we have graduation on the 21st and I have been promised that there will be no sign of a mustache on graduation day. Good thing, I'm sure we will be taking a lot of pictures that day.

Shall we have some fun to lighten the mood?

My friend Kelsey did this on her blog, when I saw it I knew I was going to do it for our family. This is what comes up when you type in our names into google and the word "needs". It was so funny and random.
Joe needs....
Joe needs a singer for his band
Joe needs food badly
Joe needs to go on vacation again
Joe needs a career coach
Joe needs some assistance

Joan needs...
Joan needs to have faith
Joan needs two points before she can graph a line
Joan needs a little redirection, but this comes with being an active child
Joan needs to plan her days around interruptions from people
Joan needs a man with money to give her the kind of life she desires

Ezra needs...
Ezra really needs to go pee
Ezra needs our support
Ezra needs to be smacked with the reality feather
Ezra needs to realize all's well that ends well
Ezra needs to get down from that tower once in a while

Not so much for River
River needs.....
Mississippi River needs a cleanup
Vanishing Jordan River Needs Global Rescue Effort
Gila River Needs Water to Run Wild
River needs a hero
Old Man River Needs To Retire

Assignment Night

Assignment Night is March 7.

Graduation is March 21.

I had some counters on the side of the blog that were counting down the days until Graduation and Assignment Night, but apparently they were wrong. We are very excited for both nights. On Assignment night we will be finding out what type of helicopter Joe will be flying, and where our first assignment will be. Joe has been training on the UH-1 "Huey". They are huge and old school. Some of the instructors here flew the Huey in Vietnam, I could do an entire post about those old guys.
Anyway back to assignment night. Joe fills out a "dream sheet" and ranks the location and aircraft in order of what he wants. Your assignment is given to you according to what is available and class rank.
The Huey is our first choice, Joe would like to continue to keep flying it. The good thing about getting a Huey would be that later on, Joe would probably have the opportunity to switch to different helicopter. Say in a few more years when there are more Ospreys available and they are looking for pilots with experience, Joe could try for that.



For Hueys the choices are:
1. Fairchild Afb, Spokane, Washington
2. Andrews Afb, Washington DC
3. FE Warren Afb, Cheyenne, Wyoming
4. Malstrom Afb, Great Falls, Montana
5. Minot Afb, Minot, North Dakota
6. Yakota Ab, Tokyo, Japan
It was a tough decision for us, because lets face it I don't want to live where it is cold. Plus none of them are really that close to Arizona, and they don't really sound that exciting. I mean did you ever dream of living in Great Falls?(No offense to Great Falls or Montana, I'm sure it's a wonderful place.) I know I never did. I have decided to have a good attitude, no matter what we get. I did tell Joe that if we get Minot, there will be tears. You know, just so he could prepare himself. I would get over it and then get excited for our new adventure in North Dakota. (No offense to Minot or North Dakota, I'm sure it's a wonderful place.)It would be cool to live in Japan, but it is so far away. I wonder if I could do it, I mean I know I would be able to, but am I ready for that?


The other choices are a UH-60 "Pavehawk", it has guns and does combat, search and rescue. It is the Air Force's version of the Blackhawk.

The locations for the UH-60, Pavehawk seem more exciting to me, but Joe would have to learn to fly something new(Joe just spent9 months learning the t-6, then 6 more months learning the huey, we're ready to stick with one thing) and there is a greater chance for deployment with these.
1. Davis-Monthan Afb, Tucson, Arizona
2. Nellis Afb, Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Moody Afb, Valdosta, Georgia
4. Kadena Ab, Okinawa, Japan
5. Lakenheath Raf, Suffolk, England

The final choice is CV-22 Osprey, this one is still pretty new to the Air Force and it is rare to get one of these. They are cool because it is like a plane and a helicopter together.

The two locations for the Osprey right now, Hurlburt Feild in Fort Walton Beach Florida or Cannon Afb in Clovis, New Mexico. Joe's instructor already told them that there will not be any Osprey given to his class, so we aren't really concerned about this one.


The order that they are listed here is the order Joe is putting on his sheet,at least that is what he told me;). It is different than a "fixed wing" (not a helicopter) drop night.(Is anyone still reading this?) With fixed wing they find out what is available first and then, fill out their sheet according to what is available to them. Since helicopter classes are so small they just have the students rank them by preference. Our friends in Mississippi got their "drop" and it lists what base is available and how many spots they need to fill. So you know if what you really want is even an option or not, but that is not how it works here on the helicopter side of things. For example in the last class of helicopter students, our friends, who were second in their class, put Osprey first and then all of the 60 locations, then Hueys. They ended up getting assigned Hueys to FE Warren in Wyoming. It just like that here. So we have no clue, what we will get. Lately Joe has been making list of what assignments have been given in the past few classes. (seriously, is anyone still reading this?) and then trying to guess what will be assigned next. So far there doesn't seem to be any logical order to the assignments given.

Joe has ten "graded" flights left. Which means more than ten flights, some of them are freebies. This past week he has been doing night flights. His schedule is more conducive to my routine and I like it better than him being gone when I wake up. He goes to work at about noon and comes home around 11pm. He studies some when he gets home, sleeps late and studies, more before he goes to work. The cool thing about night flights is that he is training with Night Vision Goggles. I think it is pretty cool, he says it's not as cool as it sounds and that you would only fly at night if you had to.

So for those of you who made it to the end of this post here are some pictures of Joe at "work."

This is Joe and his classmates.
Jeremy, Monty, Annie, Joe


Getting ready to fly.

Flying the Huey.
Here is a field of cows. They have to practice landing in fields of cows a lot.
Could this be more awesome, Joe playing fooseball while President Bush in on the TV?

P.S. I don't think you are supposed to tell people exactly how you filled out your "dream sheet", because then it is really obvious when you don't get what you want, and people judge you because you might not have a very good class ranking. It's not really that big of a deal to me. There are only four people in Joe's class, when there is only four it's not that hard to figure out where you fit in the ranking order. Even when you are first in the class here, you don't know if your first choice is available. Plus, it's not like we really actually get to choose where we are going. It is out of our hands.