Happy Memorial Day!!!

What fabulous weather we are having here in Tennessee!  

We started the weekend early on Saturday morning by joining our Cub and Boy Scouts at the Veteran's Cemetery to place flags at the graves.   There was a beautiful and poignant ceremony complete with bag pipes, a 21 gun salute, and lone bugler paying "Taps".  It was very moving.

My family has had the privilege of participating in these ceremonies before, but I have never seen one more organized than this one!  In part, this was due to Campbell's Boy Scout troop that spent the night in an unused area of the cemetery on Friday night.  They are responsible for making sure that the flags are prepared and placed throughout the area, as well as organize the traffic and volunteers for the event the following morning.

Again, things went very smoothly and Cael thought that it was totally worth missing his last soccer game to attend this once a year event.

That night we grilled some meat and enjoyed a cool evening outside...we know that this cool weather is bound to end, soon, so we plan on soaking up as much of it as we can!  

We wish to thank the many veterans who have served, and are still serving our great nation...some of which paid the ultimate sacrifice, so that I can enjoy these beautiful evenings with my family.  

Thank you and Happy Memorial Day!

 

 

Safety First!

The kid needed his safety goggles before heading into the bathroom....boys!!!

May Catch Up!

So this has been a very busy month full of all sorts of activities and milestones!

The first week of May, I had some business in Washington DC, that gave us a great opportunity to catch up with old friends. It also just happened to coincide with Jay's graduation from the University of Maryland...really...we could not have planned it better! Naturally, the whole family made the drive and it was absolutely gorgeous. On the way out, we decided to spend the night in the Smoky Mountains. We were able to see some really cool old cabins, wild turkey's, and LOTS of RAIN!!! It was still fun.

While I was working at Walter Reed in Bethesda, the boys were able to visit a friend of ours who works with the wounded warriors. I think that the kids were impressed with the outgoing and uplifting spirit of these great American heroes...and who wouldn't be!!??

On Friday night, we were special guests at the Marine Corps Barracks at 8th and I in Washington DC. For those of you have never been to the parade, it is an impressive display of military pride and precision with the Commandant's Drum and Bugle Corps, the Presidential Band, and the Silent Drill Team. All I can say is: WOW!! I had seen them before, in other venues, but it is something to behold when they are in THEIR surroundings. We were even able to meet "Chesty" the Marine mascot!

Jay's graduation was a momentous occasion that we were happy the boys were able to see. After all, they have practically gone to college with their dad and witnessed him burning the midnight oil on papers and projects. All of this after teaching them in the Ferland Academy by day! When it was all said and done, Jay graduated with honors and a 3.78 GPA! We are so proud of you, honey!!

On the drive home, we made a detour to drive the "Back of the Dragon". This is a 32 mile stretch of road near the VA/WV border. Boy! Was it curvy! Just ask Cael since we had to stop was so he could lose his lunch...gross!

A few days ago, Jay had a buddy spend the night and they took 350+ mile motorcycle ride through five of the surrounding states: Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and back into Tennessee...and they had a blast. A much needed reward for Jay since he graduated:-)

Finally, today Cam and Cael had their first piano recital. Both boys did great and we could not have been more proud!

I think that about catches up for now...we hope all of you have enjoyed some beautiful spring weather!

Happy Birthday and Gotcha Day!

Today is Cael's 8th Birthday! Even though I have absolutely insisted that each of my children stop growing...they continue to do it!! WAH!! Last weekend, my folks came to town for a quick visit and a post-Kai birthday and pre-Cael birthday party.

My dad's choral group was singing the National Anthem at the Redbirds home opener. It was really cool! The older boys went with Pop to hear the music and we took Kai to see the Parade of Ducks at the Peabody hotel...too cute!

Today, we celebrated with dinner at Red Robin and their fabulous bottomless fries...they may be re-thinking that campaign after our visit there, tonight! After eating all of all those fries, the celebratory burgers and milkshakes...not to mention the complimentary chocolate sundae...we were too full for birthday cake! Cael made the decision to spread his birthday into tomorrow, where we will light the candles and drag this party out until Friday! What kind of cake is that? Please don't laugh...Cael had asked for a Texas Sheet Cake-Ice Cream Cake combo and this was my attempt with the cake, chocolate-marshmallow ice cream, and that warm chocolate icing that I really tried to cool before adding on top of the ice cream...you can see that a little melting did occur. In spite of Sponge-Bob's appearance...he was not harmed in the making of this concoction...I never said I was an artist!

On Friday, we will celebrate the 3rd anniversary of his "Gotcha Day!" (I added a few pics from those days as a reminder of how much he has grown!)
It's hard to believe that is has been three years since Cael became a forever member of our family! He had just turned five when we met and he has nestled his way into our hearts and lives, as if he had been with us since the day he was born.

Cael is our sensitive child (he gets that from me:-) He takes everything you say to heart, so choose your words carefully...and he won't forget them either! He is smart beyond his years and is most definitely a pleaser!

We love you Cael...and in the words of Billy Joel, "Don't Go Changin'!!"...really...stop growing up so fast!

Happy Easter!

It has been a rainy Easter Weekend around here...so we hung around the house on Saturday in our jammies. We colored eggs, baked a coconut cake and some hot-crossed buns...and enjoyed time at home as a family.

Today, after church (note the ties on the dashing young gentlemen), we made our way to The Helmsmen Club on base for their fabulous Easter brunch. It was the first time, in a long while, that we did stay home for a big meal on Easter. I gotta tell ya...it was pretty nice! While I do love to cook those big holiday feasts, I don't like that it is over so fast and I'm still in the kitchen cleaning. Today, we were able to sit and talk about the meaning of the day and then walk away from the dishes...pretty cool!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend. We hope your day was filled with good food and family!

Here Comes the Boom!

The Ferland Academy is back in full swing around here...and while the days have been full of academic excellence, the evenings have been for burning off some steam! Since it has been pretty cold, our evening walks have turned into wrestle-fests and pillow fights!

Tonight's main event started with Jay and Kai...then Cael finished his shower and joined in...followed by Cam. Eventually, Rhett could take no more and we allowed him in the mix. At one point, Cael got knocked off the bed and I think Kai was trying to give him some version of CPR...

What fun! But it's hard to get the littles settled down for bed:-)

Cross-over Ceremony

What a big night, here in the Ferland household. Campbell was one of two boys to participate in a cross-over ceremony. This means he moves from being a Cub Scout to a Boy Scout...and what an emotional event it was. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, and one of the more formal that I have witnessed.

The first part of the ceremony is the awarding of the "Arrow of Light". This is the highest award in Cub Scouting and is the only Cub Scout badge that you can wear on your Boy Scout uniform. Cam had to work on outdoor skills, physical fitness, and learn more about citizenship and working with others. In addition to the Arrow of Light, he also received the Super Achiever award which means he earned every activity pin possible as a Webelo (he was the ONLY one who did this...but I'm just bragging!!)

Below are the pictures from the event...I cried through the whole thing!! At the end of the ceremony, we had a little reception, and then the Boy Scouts (who you will see removing his Cub Scout uniform parts and replacing them with Boy Scout components) take him to his first meeting.

We are SOOOO very proud of you, CAMPBELL!! Here's to you making Eagle Scout, someday!!