it's the end of the school year which means it's busier than normal.
{especially since we have a promoting 5th grader}.
first things first, i wanted to share about chad's ceremony
we attended a few weekend ago in lemoore, ca.
it was amazing!
i can't share all the details but it was very special,
and likely something we will never see again in our lives.
we are so grateful chad included in his special day.
here's how the day went:
the family was escorted onto the base by military personnel,
and lead to an jet hangar where the were rows of white chairs
lined up for guests. the change of command ceremony took place
right here in the hangar, right along side of an f-18 super hornet.
the ceremony began with a short welcome and the national anthem was played,
after we were instructed to put in our earplugs {a tiny package sat on every chair
when we arrived}, and to direct our attention to the skies.
we watched (3) f-18 super hornets fly in formation and then come back around
and land...one at a time. the current commander led the way with chad, and
another behind him.
the commanding officer spoke about his time in his command and publicly welcomed
chad to his new position as commanding officer. uncle chad gave a short speech,
and after, photos was taken, and food was served. after lunch, chad took us all to
a special building which housed flight simulators for the pilots to train.
these typically aren't open to the public, but chad made special arrangements
for the family to do it.
finn and scout were beyond excited! {the big boys too}
they all go a turn in a REAL simulator and isaac proved to be a natural.
finn said it sure beats the simulator at the san diego air and space museum.
photos were not allowed to be taken anywhere in the building where the simulators
were but between the photos I took and my s-i-l took, we've got a couple:
top left: chad's squadron is the VFA-25, also known as the 'fist of the fleet'
top right: chad gerber {far left} and his colleagues walking into the hangar after landing their jets.
bottom left: chad and his lovely wife, anissa and daughter chloe {5}
bottom right: chad's call name is 'decaf' because he loves his coffee and even without is very high energy.
more to post later. I have to be up early to get finn ready for his BIG day {5th grade promotion}.
i decided to take the entire day off work so attend attend his promotion and the picnic and party afterwards! it's exciting yet a bit strange to think he'll no longer be at explorer elementary next year.
i'm guessing finn is feeling a bit sentimental about leaving the school he's loved so much over the
last 6 years.
tonight at bedtime, he dug out several old picture books from his early years,
and asked me to read them. i couldn't help notice his big grin as i read the books.
he was thoroughly enjoying them {me too}. so many of my memories of finn's childhood
days revolve around books and bedtime. we started with board books, then moved to picture books,
to chapter books. it's always been our routine and special time.
my hope is his moving to middle school doesn't mean it is coming to an end.
with the right book, i don't think it will. {at least not for a little while longer}
