Monday, November 1, 2010

Happy Halloween!!!!

The boys and I planted a garden this spring. We weren't sure what would grow and what wouldn't because a few days after we planted Kuna had a nice rainstorm which flooded our garden. We thought most of the seeds had been washed away, but as you can see from the picture that definitely wasn't the case with the pumpkins!!!
Once we got the pumpkins home, Kelly did what Kelly does best and he got creative! Is it sad when your husband is more creative and crafty than you are?? Anyway, I am so glad he is the way he is or the boys would be without their awesome carved pumpkins each year and of course their awesome birthday cakes, but that is for a different post. Here are the pumpkins Kelly carved. He did it free hand, which totally impresses me!








Once the pumpkins were carved and dinner was finished it was time to get their costumes on, which equals total chaos in our house. Kyle and Tyler were super excited about getting ready but Ryan wasn't completely sure. He absolutely hates wearing a jacket, so putting on a one piece sweatshirt wasn't too much fun for him. I tried to tell him he lives in Idaho now (at least for the moment) and he needs a jacket. Once we got it on he was fine and quickly became a huge fan of trick or treating.
Little Chewbacca

Commander Cody (Star Wars)... masks didn't make it back from last year :-(


Commander Fox

Three of the cutest Star Wars guys ever!!! Not sure what all the saluting is but they were all doing it. I was just happy they were looking at the camera! Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Still in Georgia

Well we are still at Ft. Stewart with Kelly and just waiting on the Army to cut him some orders so we can go on leave and head back to Idaho for a little while until we PCS to Ft. Leavenworth, KS in December. The boys and I were suppose to fly out today, but neither Kelly or I were enjoying the idea of being apart again, so here we are in Georgia with 3 little boys in a hotel room. I don't think it can get more chaotic than that, but it is nice that we are all together!! If we are here much longer I might change my tune though :-)


We have been busy since Kelly came home, visiting Jekyll Island, Atlanta Aquarium and then a short trip up to visit my brother and his family in South Carolina, where we went to a Corn Maze and the state fair! Lots of fun!!!! Although we are having lots of fun I think we are all ready for some normalcy again. I thrive on routine much like the boys and we haven't seen that for a while. I will try and keep everyone updated on the situation here at Fort Stewart!! Enjoy the pictures.


Jekyll Island



The boys had so much fun playing in the sand and water! Tyler had more sand and dirt on him than the other two boys combined. Ryan and Tyler were literally laying down in the water and letting the waves wash over them. It was so much fun watching them.... it was like it was their first trip to the ocean!!!! Kyle took it all in stride.... been there, done that sort of thing! He had a lot of fun though too, playing football with Dad and Papa. Doesn't get much better than that for Kyle!











Fun Times at the Fair and Pool



We were able to spend a weekend with my brother and his family in South Carolina! The boys had so much fun! I think they may have been on a sugar high all weekend from the cotton candy and jumbo lemonades :-) It was great getting to spend some time with Pat and Jeannie and of course my niece and nephew! We all wish we lived a little closer!












Until next time.......























Friday, October 15, 2010

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

WELCOME HOME




Well Kelly made it home safe and sound and the Boian Family is complete again!!! Wow what a long 14 months and we are so extremely thankful that it is over and it ended with Kelly coming home safe and sound! The boys are beyond excited and find it difficult to leave Kelly's side, but I know that will pass in time. He touched down in Savannah, GA on the 10th but his Welcome Home ceremony was at 1200 a.m. on the 11th. Both Ryan and Tyler fell asleep but Kyle fought the sleepy bugs and stayed awake. I wish I could capture on a camera or explain the wash of pure joy when he saw his Daddy coming across the parade field. It was just amazing! Tyler woke up when we tried to put him in Ryan's stroller and he was able to see Kelly coming back with his bags and in Tyler's words " I am so excited Daddy's home!!!!" with a grin from ear to ear! Now Ryan just stayed asleep!! We are able to spend a few days in GA with Kelly and his parents and I are enjoying every minute! We would just like to thank everyone for their prayers and the support throughout this journey!!! We love you guys!!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Mosul







Hello everyone!!! We've finally settled into our new living areas, and are getting into the town to become familiar with the AO. Everyone is doing well, and looking forward to our eventual return to the States. The job is the same (advising/assisting the local security forces), but we've moved from advising an Iraqi Army BDE to advising a Federal Police Division. Our new Area of Operations is within Mosul (specifically the Western side), so it is a bit of a change from the rural areas that we were in before. Our team has also grown from 2 (LTC Reid and myself) to 5 in order to cover down properly on the DIV. I've added some pictures from the top of the ruins along the Tigris River in Mosul. Enjoy and I'll talk to you all later.

Kelly

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Boian Car Wash


It seems like we are busier this summer than we were during the school year, but I welcome the busyness it seems to make the time fly by. The boys are in their second set of swim lessons and they are loving being able to swim five days a week. I do have to say that I am so thankful that the lessons are inside because with the crazy weather here in Idaho, I think they would have cancelled more of the classes than the boys would have attended. We are still waiting for summer to show up and the boys were getting a little cabin fever so we decided to have a Boian Family Car wash. They got out all their bikes and scooters and Mom got out the hose, sponges and buckets and all three boys went to town. They had so much fun, even if it was a little cooler out. Obviously I am not sure what got more wet and soapy, the boys or the bikes, but it was definitely a successful adventure!




Kelly has relocated and is settling in at Mosul and finishing up with the transition between the out going unit and his unit. I complain about our rain and cooler temperatures here, but he is suffering through 120 degree temps there. He is a trooper though! For those of you that may not have his new address, here it is:

Kelly Boian
HHC 2-3 BTB (STT)
FOB Marez
APO AE 09334

Well I hope everyone is having a fun filled summer! Until next time.

The Boian Family

Sunday, May 30, 2010


I know it has been forever since I last posted but there have been so many things happening in the Boian household. We have had company, Soccer, Baseball, birthdays and even more importantly Kelly's R&R. During R&R we were so busy and it went by so incredibly quickly but we are very thankful for the time we had and are hoping the time flies by until he is home for good, which should be middle of October and then back to Idaho to pick us up by mid November! I haven't posted since Easter so please bear with me as this might be a long one.

Easter was great! My in-laws were able to come down and we had a nice dinner, lots of games and of course tons of candy. The boys always enjoy dying Easter eggs and Ryan loved stealing his brothers Peeps from their baskets.




Kyle has been busy all spring with soccer. He loves to play and is getting better with each season. He is such an active and social kid and it is fun to see him in his element. I signed Tyler up for T-Ball and lets just say it has been an adjustment for me, going from Kyle who is ultra competitive and very focused to Tyler who is carefree and usually watching the butterflies or ants or giving teammates horseback rides during the game. Tyler has had a wonderful time and I am learning just how different brothers can be. It has been a joy to watch both of them!


Right smack dab in the middle of spring sports Kelly was able to take his R&R. It seems crazy to me that he has been gone since August 09, but to be honest the kids have been busy which makes our time move fairly quickly. We were so happy to have him home and we were able to take Kyle out of school for 2 weeks and we took advantage of that and had some real quality family time, which we haven't had a lot of since moving to Fort Irwin and then going straight into a deployment. We jam packed R&R though and it went by so quickly. Within just a few days of Kelly being home we drove up North and walked as a family in Bloomsday, which for those of you that don't know is about 7 1/2 mile course. We broke out our jogging stroller (which had been severely worn from the Irwin sun) and put Tyler and Ryan in it and we had Kyle walk. Kelly and I weren't sure how he was going to do, but to our surprise he walked the entire way without complaining.... you heard me right NO COMPLAINING! I was so stinkin proud of him and he was proud of himself also because he let everyone know at the finish line that he walked the entire way! It is wonderful to see your kids accomplish something that they aren't sure themselves they can do! We had a great time during the race and the weather was wonderful! We would love to continue to do races as a family.


After Bloomsday we went back down to Kuna and Kelly's sister and parents joined us for a few days. The local high school put on an AG Expo and it just so has it that my brother-n-law is one of the AG teachers so we were able to go after hours and experience the animals and see the beautiful plants they had grown. It was a lot of fun. The kids loved the baby chicks and they were able to pick them up and they also loved the little calves that they were able to pet. Kyle and Tyler got a kick out of the baby calf trying to eat their pant legs. Of course they enjoyed the ice-cream they were given. They were told how ice-cream was made and at the end of the presentation they asked "Now where does ice-cream come from?" The correct answer would have been cows, but Tyler very confidently answers "Artic Circle" That is where I take them for ice-cream cones! That boy can always make me laugh. The kids learned a lot and had so much fun. Thanks Uncle Joe, Brett and Aunt Shannon!





Then the final big event was Kyle's 7th Birthday!!! It is truly amazing how quickly those 7 years have gone by. We usually have fairly small, mostly family get togethers for the kids birthdays but this year Kyle had his heart set on a party at a family fun center. They have mini golf, go-garts, laser tag, arcade games and even a jungle gym type place for the little kids to climb around. We decided to go ahead and do it and he had so much fun. To be honest it was a little crazy for me, 6 young boys loaded up on sugar all wanting to go different directions, but with the help of my sister, father-n-law and Kelly we were able to keep some control. Kyle definitely had a birthday he will remember for a while. When asked what the best part of his birthday was Kyle said "having Daddy home" Pretty special. Just a side note, Kyle decided he wanted an Army themed party, I think because his Dad was home. The cake turned out amazing and Kelly decorated it. I usually bake the cake, but Kelly always decorates them and he does such an amazing job. Kyle just loved the cake and all the little details that only a true soldier would think of. Awesome job Kel!!!


Well that is the end of the marathon post. Hopefully it won't be so long until our next one. Life sometimes just takes over and I don't have a minute to breathe let alone update the blog, but I will try and do better. I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day. Until next time.

The Boian Family