If you've been on facebook, then you know Mr. Beta died. We'd had him since Ryan was deployed, and that was nearly four years ago. Poor guy, he lived a long and healthy life. Anyway, that's his moss ball in with the frogs. Their bamboo died, so now they have a new plant, a fake plant, their old rock, and a fancy schmancy new home twice the size of their old. (It was kinda cramped and they tried to kill each another on more than one occasion, typically around feeding time.)
Ryan's in the Army, more specifically the Cavalry. Are there horses? Pffft, no. Do they still use riding jargon? Yes. Is that silly? I think so. Nevertheless, each year, soldiers and their spouses have the opportunity to earn their spurs in what is called a "Spur Ride" (go figure, yeah?). Soldiers earn them over a course of 2-4 days which include a road march, land navigation, other physical events, an obstacle course, let's not forget shooting things, and other tests of soldier abilities. Most pass but some drop out. All for the honor of wearing their spurs on certain days and to specific events.
But it doesn't just end there. The Army and soldiers encourage their wives to participate in the severely watered-down mock version of a Spur Ride so that they too can wear spurs. I earned mine when we were at Ft. Lewis, Wa. Check it out. And while I could've gone through all the obstacles again for the fun of it, I decided not to. Instead, I proudly wore my spurs and took the girls to visit our Captain Mabry officiating.
They were so excited to see him. And I think he was happy to see his girlie girls too.
This one cracks me up. Cora looks like complete and yet very trusting dead weight.
Elayna did not want to give up that water balloon, which would later be used to ambush a few wives moving from one cover to another while trying not to get pelted and soaked by a bunch of soldiers.
Playing a good ol' game of "Beat the Baby/Toddler". It's a favorite in our house.
Cora managed to finagle the Stetson from Elayna. It was probably while she was being beat.
She's such a Daddy's Girl. No really.
And Elayna has her moments.
One of the perks of being married to the Troop Commander is getting to play with the big boy toys. There was some down time before the next group, so Ryan took me to the simulator so we could shoot things. It's a giant box with a tiny, tiny cockpit-like thing where we got to wear the gear and flip a bunch of switches. Folks, it was a giant video game. This is how it worked: I'd watch the screen which displayed a nightvision-like desert scene. It spanned what would be several acres and I had to find the one tiny target/moving vehicle, switch a bunch of controls I couldn't remember, and attempt to shoot it. I was really bad and only managed to kill one guy. Ryan is happy I'm not one of his soldiers. I too am very happy to not be responsible for the safety of our country.
It's a really bad photo because when I ask Ryan to take a picture, he takes it literally. To me, "take a picture" means take as many as you possibly can so that way there's bound to be at least a few good ones. To him, "take a picture" means take one. Literally "a" picture. That's the man I love.
This fall, Elayna's preschool class studied communities, what makes one, the people, how they work together, etc. As a special treat, they were able to meet firefighters, who help keep the community safe. Home fires are one of the "life lessons" Ryan & I have been discussing with the girls. "If you see a firefighter in the house, you don't hide. You yell, 'Here I am! Here I am!' as loud as possible." There's plenty more to it, but that's the highlight. I learned if we're trapped in the house, the first place firefighters will look is in the windows, so wait near one. Which, yes, that seems like common sense and probably would be everyone's natural reaction if trapped, but hearing it just seemed to make me feel safer.
Elayna was way into the lesson. She was so eager to listen and learn. Made this mama proud. No really, she was. I know she's wearing her helmet on her face, but she really was into it. More than Cora anyway.
After he was all suited up, I encouraged Elayna to go talk to him. He called out through the mask so she'd know what it sounded like and then she hesitantly gave him a high five. Poor guy. I'm sure he was hoping I'd shut my pie hole because it was warm outside. But I really wanted the girls to see and interact with a firefighter in his getup.
Cora did not like the hat. She took it off every chance she got. But she really liked sitting in the truck. It was neat to see one so up close. I also learned how the firefighters' oxygen tanks are securely held at their individual seats, so when they put their seat belts on, they're actually putting on their tanks, so when they arrive, they can release the hold on the tank and head out completely equipped. Neat huh? I thought so too.
Elayna refused to take a smiling picture with me at the front of the truck. Every shot has her mouth wide open. Like a goon. That's my child.
Okay, so you've seen enough pictures of Mati to know she's our family pet. But, did you also know she's our trained personal protection dog?
Just before Ryan's first deployment, we bought her as an ornery three month old puppy from a Northwest breeder/trainer. We immediately began her training on obedience and soon after protection work. If I'm gonna have a husband in the Army who has to work A LOT, I'm gonna need back up.
She's amazing. No really, she is. We've been fortunate to find trainers who work to bring out her best and use positive training methods. Anyway, she makes me feel safer when Ryan's working late or in the field or when I have the girls in Kentucky. Her desire to work combined with her willingness to do anything to make us happy is sometimes overwhelming. She's just that good. People, she helps me do laundry. She's that dog that fetches our paper in the morning and plays with the girls during the day, all while keeping a watchful eye and ear out for any signs of danger. She's super crazy hyper like a typical malinois, but also has the rare "calm" gene where she can lounge with the best of them.
I'm convinced we'll never get another dog as awesome as Mati is.
Here's a video of her training last weekend. There's a man watching us and making his way a little too close for comfort. I tell her to guard me (bark like crazy to let the guy know we mean business) and when he makes a direct move towards us, I tell her to bite him. Now that's not her only option; it's just what I told her to do in this scenario. She performed exactly has she should've, except when I had to tell her twice to let go. That should've happened on the first command. Otherwise, I'm very proud of how well she did.
In real life (this has actually happened twice to different postal workers, one in Ky and one in Ga), her natural reaction (and what she's been trained to do) is bark and "hold" the guy in place. It's where she basically sits right in front of the potential threat and barks her brains out until I come running and then tell her what to do-- if she should back off or continue guarding. The guy's not allowed to go anywhere and if he tries, she goes with him, never turning her back on him and constantly firing up.
Anyway, this is Mati as a personal protection dog:
