Seems I’m a little late posting about Sarah’s birthday party… since it happened in September.

Sarah had an all girl princess party at a coffee house. Hillery made the treats. Judi brought princess gear. And everyone spoiled my little girl.

Joel writes about the best and the worst year of his life.

Note:

Just because I don’t forward sappy e-mails written with gargantuan letters and overused clip-art doesn’t mean I don’t love Jesus.

Just so you know.

P.S. If you’ve ever sent me one of these… I still love you. But um… don’t do it again.

Joel and I watched the last two innings of the World Series at the Springfield Cardinals stadium.

“Don’t Leave Daddy!” Besides attaching herself to his leg, Sarah also thought that untying Joel’s shoes might be a good way to keep him from leaving.

Years ago, when I dreamed of having a child, I thought of taking him to kindergarten, going to school programs and bringing cupcakes for birthday parties. I did not imagine waiting forever in the car line to pick him up.

It does have some benefits though…

After spending nine days in Springfield, Joel left for Oklahoma again tonight.  This was the worst goodbye we’ve ever experienced.  Sarah threw herself to the floor, clinging to her daddy’s legs she cried, “Don’t Leave!  I will miss you and you will miss me!”  She searched the house for her favorite little pink kitty cat.  She wanted to give it to him so he wouldn’t miss her too much.  We couldn’t find it. She fell asleep worrying that daddy will miss her too much because she didn’t sent the kitty with him.
Joel and Sarah spent more one on one time together in the last week than they have her entire life.  Turns out she REALLY likes being with her daddy.

I dread peeling her off of him at the airport in a few weeks.  Of course, I probably shouldn’t tell you when Joel is mobilizing… but I can tell you that it is too soon.

In his article, Burying Private Ryan, David Halbfinger explores why the movie “Flags of Our Fathers” has been greeted by an underwhelming turnout.

We planned on seeing the movie this weekend with a few chaplain candidate friends. After reading the reviews I changed my mind. This rated R movie is more violent than Saving Private Ryan. I teetered back and forth about seeing it. Part of me thought I should be able to watch it. After all, I’m in the Army. I should be able to watch graphic depictions of war and hear a little rough language every now and then… But I’m also a wife. A wife of a man going to war very soon. Was that really how I wanted to spend the rare time alone I have with my husband? Watching decapitated heads roll across the large screen in front of me?

No. We saw the one act plays at Evangel instead.
So what does the article say about the movie’s lack of popularity?

“Private Ryan,” he said, came out in a “whole different era.”

“It was possible then to look back at World War II with nostalgia, and think that those were great men doing great things that Americans would never have to do again,” he said. “You’d think, well, people were shot to bits, but that was then. You could put sort of a mental distance to it. Now, if you see it happening on the sands of Iwo Jima, you know it’s happening in Iraq…”

Have you seen the movie? What did you think?