Early last Friday morning, 4 of the kids and I went to Annapolis, MD to watch Matt Sealy graduate from the Naval Academy. We got there at about 7am and tailgated for breakfast with the Sealys. Since President Obama was speaking, security was very tight. The lines were long to get in, but we had our seats being saved, so we weren't in a huge hurry.
The Blue Angels did a flyover. Very impressive!
President Obama speaking to the graduates.
It was great to see Ryan!
Matt shaking hands with Obama.
Happy graduates!
After the hats are thrown, the kids run out to the field and pick them up. A lot of mids put money in their hats for the kids. David came back with $5 in his hat and Jonathon's hat had $41 in it! There was also a note inside. This is what it said.
"Below are a couple of quotes that have helped inspire and guide me during my time at
the Academy. I hope you find them as profound as I have. They are both by Winston
Churchill. Never, never, never give up. We make a living by what we get, but we make
a life by what we give."
Jonathon was quite excited by his "find", and David and Luke were genuinly happy for him.
Ensign Matthew David Sealy and his very proud mom.
After the ceremony, we went back to the Sealy van and tailgated for lunch. It was nice to not have to fight traffic.
Matt's roommate Chris came by the van to see us. Matt and Chris came over for church many Sundays. It was great getting to know Chris.
Later in the day, we went back to the house where the Sealys were staying for the week. We had a swearing in ceremony. Matt's grandfather, a former Navy captain, had the honor of swearing him in.
M'Cheyne Moore stopped by to see us. We'll see him lots this coming weekend when he gets married in Annapolis.
The view from the porch.
Hannah wanted Miss Ann to sit by her for dinner.
What a great day we all had! Matt, we are very proud of you and all the Lord is doing in your life. We have watched you grow from a little boy to a godly man. We will be praying for you as you begin a new chapter in your life. Thank you for your dedication to our country. We love you Matt.
One summer evening we went to a Nats Game. They were playing the Mets and they won!
My friend Linda shared with my the trick of putting a peppermint stick into a lemon or lime and then sucking the stick like a straw. So while we were at the beach, we stopped at Cracker Barrel and bought some peppermint sticks. I had some limes in the fridge. So we tried it and it worked! The peppermint sweetened the juice. What a fun summertime treat! Thanks Linda!
Today is Hannah's 5th birthday. We celebrated at breakfast this morning with M&M pancakes! They were so yummy!
Ben is having a hard time recovering from Mexico!
This week, David and Jonathon have been participating in the CLS History Camp. Last year, was the Revolutionary War. This year was the Civil War. Colonel Bronson made sure that no brothers were on the same side. In our family, David was a Confederate soldier and Jonathon was on the Union side. They marched, drilled, had skirmishes, marched, drilled, and had more skirmishes. They LOVED it. In all of this, they were learning about the Civil War.
On Thursday night, the parents were invited to come and watch them march. They also had a re-enactment of a battle at Gettysburg. 
Before going into battle, the soldiers went to chapel. John Wega and his family live in Gettysburg and work there telling the story of the United States Christian Commission. During the Civil War, members of the USCC were at every battle sharing the gospel with the soldiers. They shared some fascinating stories with the crowd.
Marching and drilling!
The finale was a reenactment of the battle of Little Round Top. What an amazing week for my boys!
Early last Friday morning, 4 of the kids and I went to Annapolis, MD to watch Matt Sealy graduate from the Naval Academy. We got there at about 7am and tailgated for breakfast with the Sealys. Since President Obama was speaking, security was very tight. The lines were long to get in, but we had our seats being saved, so we weren't in a huge hurry.
The Blue Angels did a flyover. Very impressive!
President Obama speaking to the graduates.
It was great to see Ryan!
Matt shaking hands with Obama.
Happy graduates!
After the hats are thrown, the kids run out to the field and pick them up. A lot of mids put money in their hats for the kids. David came back with $5 in his hat and Jonathon's hat had $41 in it! There was also a note inside. This is what it said.
Ensign Matthew David Sealy and his very proud mom.
After the ceremony, we went back to the Sealy van and tailgated for lunch. It was nice to not have to fight traffic. 
Matt's roommate Chris came by the van to see us. Matt and Chris came over for church many Sundays. It was great getting to know Chris.
Later in the day, we went back to the house where the Sealys were staying for the week. We had a swearing in ceremony. Matt's grandfather, a former Navy captain, had the honor of swearing him in.
M'Cheyne Moore stopped by to see us. We'll see him lots this coming weekend when he gets married in Annapolis.
The view from the porch.
Hannah wanted Miss Ann to sit by her for dinner.
Today is Ben's 17th birthday. It seems like yesterday he was just a baby!
Ben, it is a JOY to be your mom. I love you and am so thankful for you. This is my prayer for you....
