SGT Harris

Last month, Drew passed his promotion board to become a SGT. Today, leadership held a small ceremony for Drew and two other guys who were being promoted. They said nice words about him before pinning on and punching in his rank. As tradition would have it, other soldiers then punched it into his chest and congratulated him. Now he is officially wearing his SGT rank. :) Drew was happy to have the promotion ceremony at his small outpost since leadership knows him well and many of the guys helped him study for boards. Proud of you, Drew!!

11 Months Old

Today Cole is 11 months old. Crazy that we only have one more month until the big ONE! He continues to put a smile on our faces everyday. Here he is in new jammies that are 2T...notice how form-fitting 2T is becoming. Such a big boy.

Tonight we went to his cousin Kylee's swim meet. So cute and fun to see her in action.

This past weekend my Aunt Mary and cousin Colleen came in from New Jersey and Boston. We were celebrating with an engagement party at Brophy Ranch but whenever they are in town we turn it into full-on-family for the length of their stay. Friday night everyone came to our house. Surprisingly, it wasn't too humid and we could enjoy the deck.

Saturday was a big hit. Lots of good laughs and we were able to meet more of the wedding party. Charleston in April will be fantastic. And yes, recycled outfit from Leanna's shower. Different side of the family so why not? ;)

Bride and the Bal boys.

CK!

 Engaged Couple.

Introducing the long-awaited Das Boot to the party after opening presents. As I said in my speech, often imitated but never duplicated.

Only photo ever of Mom, Me and Das Boot.

 In other news, Drew and I are having a blast putting the puzzle pieces of our lives together. We knew when we bought our house we would pay our mortgage here and rent in GA but decided to go a different route. We decided to invest the money we would spend on rent and upgrade to a new camper. We'll live in it in GA then have it for fun trips once we are back in MO. We are looking forward to all the good memories to come!

SO happy to have the half-way point in the rearview.

Happy Father's Day!

Today marks Drew's first official Father's Day! Can't wait until he is here so Cole and I can give him a big smooch. Gram was so cute to include Drew in her Friday blog. At the end of her message she wrote:
WINDEX FRIDAY TIP: SUNDAY IS FATHER'S DAY. REMEMBER YOUR DAD....INCLUDING THOSE THAT ARE IN HEAVEN. ALL OF THE FATHER'S IN THE FAMILY ARE EXCEPTIONAL.  THIS YEAR I NOMINATE SGT. ANDREW HARRIS AS FATHER OF THE YEAR. HE PROTECTS OUR COUNTRY AND TALKS TO HIS FAMILY ON SKYPE. HE REACHES THEM ON SO MANY LEVELS AS A HUSBAND AND FATHER. WE HONOR YOU, DREW.
Well said, Gram. Not much more to add to that. He clearly has my vote! Drew has found the balance of tough guy soldier and true family man. Quick note: Drew was excited this week when he beat the other soldiers and SF guys in a shooting competition. Bragging rights are big over there. :)
Cole and I spent the day at my parent's house. We borrowed the neighbor's pool for a few fun hours then headed to get sushi. Cole has become accustomed to blow up pools (thanks to his Grandparents) and bathtubs but this was the first time in a big boy pool. He had a great time!

Hope all the great Dads we know had a great day!

Summer Fun

Summer is shaping up to be full of family, friends and fun. Wouldn't have it any other way. It sounds bad but anything we can do to keep the time flying by is a good time! And that really doesn't sound right I know because we are truly having a great time, but it's a double bonus when you can have a great time and fast forward the clock. Need that man home! Today was the first time Drew heard Cole call him Da Da to his face. Cole always points at pictures and says Da Da but today Cole clearly looked at Drew's face on Skype, reached out to him and said Da Da. I could see Drew's heart melting the minute Cole said it. Jeannie got to see it too. :) So damn cute. As Drew said, that just made it all worth it. Can't wait until Cole can do that in person. Soon! We are about half way there. Keep on keeping on...Drew has taken on a new project of training local guys. He has a team of 5 guys who he is putting through about a month long training session. It's only day two and he is seeing progress. He transitioned them from flip flops to tennis shoes which they appreciated and Drew already sees their enthusiasm increasing. Drew is good at that and it benefits both teams. Once again.. anything to keep that clock moving forward!
This past weekend Cole spent the night with Gigi and Pop while the cousins and I checked out the river right by our house. Success!

Cole had a bonus weekend because he saw Uncle Pete and Aunt Ashley at Gigi and Pop's on their way home from their trip yesterday. He then spent the morning with Gigi and Pop while we painted the stairway then we headed to Brophy Ranch to finish the bench for the kitchen table. So lucky to have great family! Among all the fun we are continuing to make home improvements which is fun to me too. My Dad and I have now finished the kitchen table and the bench. Here is the table.

 I'll be able to bring the bench home after it sits for 24 hours. Love it!!