I must be doing something right

My brother that is getting deployed overseas in about a week texted me asking what my kids wanted for Christmas.  I told him I would have the girls email him.  I tell the girls and get a text about 5 minutes later telling me how mature and sweet they are.  My response was "Mature? My Kids?"  So he sends me the email that they had sent him. 

Dear Uncle Wayne,
I am sorry that you cannot make it to us, or us to you this holiday season.  It's really hard to ask much of you when you will be overseas, working hard for us.  So, if you really DO want to get us something, then anything is fine. 

Wow, that blew my mind.  I don't know exactly where Jung and I went right as parents, but it is one of those times as a parent that you are super proud of your kids.  I am pretty sure my brother is going to spoil them again this year (he does every year).  I think I may spoil them a bit this year as well. 

My Pride In My Family Continues

My brother has just signed up for the National Guard.  He leaves for basic in January and will got to OSC (officer candidacy school) sometime after.  Of my mother's three children, all three will have now served in the armed forces.  This is something that my brother has wanted to do all of his life.  It is his childhood dream and I am glad that he is going to get a chance to live it.  He will be the first officer in our family's history. 

I guess you could say that our family has a military tradition.  I myself did four years in the Army and our sister is currently serving in the National Guard.  Our grandfather was career soldier and we all looked up to him as the example of what a man should be.  I would not be disappointed if one or both of my daughters wanted to serve their country in the same capacity. 

It is a hard, dangerous choice that I am glad that my family and I have made.  I don't think some people will appreciate this service.  It is politically correct to say that you support the troops, but that is just lip service.  I know people that think the military is everything that is wrong with this country and would forbid their children from serving at the threat of injury or disowning them.  This thinking is completely foreign to me.

For the record, my brother is 26 year old bleeding heart liberal (he voted for Kucinich) with a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania (one class away from second masters).  I don't think he rushed into this decision and would dare say that is fairly bright.

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I am proud!

Last night was first grade open house for the parents.  The kids have been in school for about 3 weeks.  Oddly, in my daughters class of 20, only 3 other parents showed up.  While the teacher was giving her chapel, I was reading over what they would learn this year.  My mind immediately went to dread as I recognized that Ashli knows almost everything on the list.  I stuck around to talk to the teacher about the behavior chart (Ashli has been getting yellows instead of greens) and the teacher wanted to talk to me as well.  She said not to worry about the yellows as it is a five color system and those are just warnings for things like talking an so forth.  She then told me that Ashli is reading at a 3rd grade level.  As the school is only K-1 the classroom and the library are not really stocked with books to challenge her.  She said she was going to go borrow books from the other school and that Ashli was going to start the Accelerated Reader program immediatly instead of after winter break with everyone else.  I was trying to hold back beeming with pride, but I think it is great.  They are also going to test her for the gifted program.  We are still going to work with her on reading but I think we should concetrate on other subjects to let her advance in those as well.

I don't mean to brag on my child, but yes I do.

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