Wildlife Conservation Law Officer

Rikk graduated Saturday from his yearlong Wildlife Conservation Law Officer course, he is now a badge carrying gun toting officer for federal lands and the state of Alaska.

Prayer

Hunter had a birthday party to go to today. Birthday parties in the past have gone as follows...We accept invite. We buy present for birthday child. We drop Hunter off at party (EVERY party has been on a day Rikk is working, so I can't stay). Two minutes after I leave Hunter calls and wants to go home. He gets nervous, his tummy starts to hurt and he is in tears. I really feel bad for him. He looks forward to the party all week and then always ends up leaving.

So last night we talked about how going to this party was going to be soooo much fun. It's a party for a little boy from church who Hunter also goes to scouts with. The family is great! Hunter started to get a little nervous just talking about me not being there. We went over how he goes to school, primary, scouts and that Dad and I aren't there with him. He was still nervous.

When Hunter woke up this morning he was a VERY happy kiddo! He got in the shower, got all ready for the party, helped wrapped the present, made a birthday card...it was a good morning. We got loaded in the car and I could tell he was getting a little nervous. I stopped in the driveway and told him to remind me when we got to the birthday boys' house to have prayer so that he would feel okay. Hunter replied with, "I asked Heavenly Father to help me not be nervous and to feel safe in my prayers last night and this morning." I can't tell you how BIG the smile on my face was and how warm my heart felt. I told him how proud I was of him and that Dad and I had also asked Heavenly Father in our prayers to do the same thing.

I love Hunter. He is our child that helps to remind us about prayers, scripture study, family home evening, etc. I am so proud of him and the example he is setting not just for his little brothers, but for Rikk and I also. I really hope he stays like this!

003

WE ARE SOOOOO PROUD OF KOOPER!!! This is the first time Kooper has been able to walk where I haven't had to hold onto his prosthetic. We had an appointment with Shriners a few weeks ago and they are in the process of making him another new leg. They are very hopeful and 99% sure that this new leg will have a knee joint in it. YAY!!

A Star Wars Halloween

This year for Halloween we went for a theme with the costumes. The boys are really into Star Wars so that just seemed like the logical theme to choose. We all dressed up. The twins were the cutest ewoks there have ever been! They were beyond adorable! Kyler was "Doctor Baider" and we don't know why he calls him that but he does. Walker was really excited to be Yoda and I was really surprised he picked that one. Hunter was either Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi or a jedi, it changed every time someone asked him. And I even dressed up as Princess Leia. Rikk was going to be my Han Solo but he was working on the 30th, the day we celebrated. We went to our church's Halloween party where the boys went trick or treating and then to a neighborhood Halloween party. At the neighborhood one they got to go bobbing for apples and that's all they have been talking about since!

Firefighter's Ball

This is a picture of Rikk and I leaving for the firefighter's ball. I love this picture and how handsome...no, how HOT Rikk looks in it!!! I think we look good together. We had a really good time together and I love that I got to wear a fancy dress. I LOVE the color of the dress and it really went well with Rikk's ribbons on his mess dress blues. I can't wait until next year's ball...but I think Rikk will be deployed still. Oh well, there's no harm in looking at dresses still!

School Pictures

I am sorry ladies but you will have to get your little girls restrained in some way before showing them this post. Hunter and Walker are looking pretty darn handsome and I would hate for your girls to get soo flustered when they see them that they attack the computer!!!

Here's Walker. I like the one in color but I think I like the second one best.






Here's Hunter. I like the one in color but I think I like the second one best too.

Wedding Anniversary

(My posts for the next little while will be out of order of when they truly happened, but at least I am posting!)

Rikk and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary on September 14th. Before I could even ask him what he wanted for our anniversary I apparently had already bought him the best gift ever...a new scope for his rifle (I really love it when I get him something he loves and I don't actually have to get it!). So he of course got his present before our anniversary because on our anniversary he was out hunting. He asked what I wanted and I just said, "A date would be great!" No date and no gift before he left for hunting.

A couple weeks after he got my present was ready to be picked up and I was quite curious. I knew it was going to be a picture because he accidentally let that slip but I had no idea of what. This is what I got and I LOVE it!!!



It is a 30x30 canvas of one of our wedding pictures. IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!! Rikk is great at getting me thoughtful gifts, ones that he knows I will truly love and cherish.

Kooper has TWO legs!

I have been waiting to do this post until we could download the pictures off our cellphones. Kooper got his very first prosthetic January of 2010. Rikk, Kooper, Conner and I went to visit Shriner's in Portland, Oregon in December '09 and he got all fitted for it. Then in January '10 we headed back to Portland and Kooper got his cute little Curious George covered leg. Kooper picked out the material himself...we laid about 6 different patterns on the floor and he picked it out three different times, so that's how Curious George was picked. The foot on this first leg was the smallest one that they had and it was HUGE compared to Kooper real foot.


Kooper meeting his leg for the very first time. Look how happy he is!


He LOVES his leg. He seriously loves on it when he isn't wearing it.


Trying it on for the first time.


Getting some physical therapy while his leg gets finished.


Trying on his finished leg for first time. He didn't think it was too bad.


Until he stood up and then he was unsure...


And then he didn't really like it all that much...


Until we got back to the hotel and then he was just chillin' with it.


Playing with his real toes!

And then in May of this year Shriner's came to Anchorage for a visit and made a mold of Kooper's leg. It was time for a new one. Then they came back again in May to make sure the mold fit. We forgot to give them (Todd, the BEST prosthisist(sp?) ever!) the material to put on the leg and we then also forgot to mail it. So Todd picked out the material for us. We had no idea what it would look like until it showed up. It was an exciting/nervous feeling waiting for it to arrive. And then it did.


Kooper now wears frogs and what adorable frogs they are! You did awesome Todd, we LOVE it!


Kooper thinking he is pretty cool standing up to the entertainment center like Conner...with TWO legs!


Kooper modeling it for us.

Now Kooper LOVES to wear his leg. We are getting more used to him wearing it and putting it on him. I HATE to put it on him because there is a lot of tugging and pulling involved and I am just not really strong enough, so Kooper does a bit of crying. He also has physical therapy every two weeks, soon to be every week. His PT lady Martha is very nice and seems to enjoy working with Kooper...and Conner! We know that this is a slow and steady process and we are sure to celebrate every "little" accomplishment Kooper makes.

Some more pics

I left the diaper bag at church today with the CD of pics in it, so Holly was nice enough to put a few more up for me on Facebook. Here they are. We are DYING to see the rest.

Pictures

Kooper makes my heart melt!

A family in our ward asked if they could use our family to practice taking pictures . We of course said yes, who doesn't love a free photo session! Here are two of the pics so far. They have a whole CD for us and we can't wait to see them all.

Thank you for the 4th!

Thank you Rikk for being the man and soldier that you are. This song makes me miss you even more whenever you are gone. But I know what you are doing, what you are fighting for is worth it. Thank you Grandpa for the 30 years you served. And thank you Tramp for your service and the time you spent over there. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

(A More Real) Love Story

Since I can totally relate to this video, I am glad that there is another video (the next post) to help remind me how special my life is.

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

I just want to tell my mom "thank you" for being such a wonderful mom and a great example for me.

Who's that SEXY guy?!?

None other than Master Sergeant Matteson, that's who! That is right, it's official. Rikk sewed on MSgt today and his got another stripe on his arm. He passed his test last year and it took almost a full year to sew on because he made that rank in 12 years and the Air Force average is 16 and 1/2. But if this picture isn't enough proof for you, here is a picture of the certificate he received as well.

Since Rikk doesn't like to brag about his accomplishments, I will do it for him. Along with sewing on MSgt this week, he also won the NCO (Noncommisioned Officer) of his squadron. And if that isn't impressive, he also won NCO of the base. He beat out 2,000 applicants for that.

The boys and I are so proud of Rikk and all his accomplishments. Rikk is an upstanding, hardworking, go the extra mile, amazing, responsible, honest and fair Battalion Chief. Since we have gotten to Elmendorf, I have NEVER seen Rikk more happy with his job. He honestly LOVES his job and the people that he works with. And it is VERY apparent that everyone at work loves him to.

We love you Rikk and all that you do at work to make things better for us. Congratulations on all your accomplishments and we are looking forward to the MANY more that await you.