like father like son

We have gotten into this habit with our children, where we withhold exciting information as long as possible, to avoid hearing about it over and over and over and over and over...(you get the point).  For instance, last month we visited my grandma and grandpa in Medford(about 5 hours away).  We didn't tell the kids we were going until we were loaded in the car and on the freeway.  It really works in our favor.
Saturday afternoon we informed them that in just a few short hours, they would be spoiled beyond their wildest dreams, for the entire weekend.  That's right, grandma and grandpa Hatfield were coming to town.  They were VERY excited about the news!

watching a movie together, waiting for our company to arrive

Little did they know that the Hatfields were not coming to see them(this is a first.  It's a well-known fact that the grandbabies are ALWAYS the reason for visits. Dylan and I are just a bonus).  They made the trip from Boise to be with this hottie(the one on the left.  The one on the right is cute too, but was denied by the military due to his body fat percentage, and the fact that he doesn't communicate beyond a scream yet)...:




  ...as he was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force.  The most exciting part was that Leon was able to swear Dylan in, because he is a CW5 Warrant Officer in the Army.  Here are a few pictures I was able to capture:

officer hatfield

swearing to defend the country and the constitution

saluting officer hatfield(aka: dad)

congratulations

is this allowed?  i didn't think military men showed affection?!



like father, like son



signing on the dotted line

Dylan was honored that his dad could swear him in, and I think Leon was proud of his only sons choice to serve his country. 
Leon is a funny guy(not haha funny)....think stereotypical Army brat: rough and tough.  He's been in the Army for over 35 years.  He's quiet and doesn't laugh a lot.  I think I remember him making a joke once...and I remember being really caught off guard.  I've been in his family for 5 years now, and I think I've only seen him cry once(keep in mind that's 1 wedding+3 grandchild births+his only son moving out of state).  He may not laugh much and he may not cry much, but there are a few things I've learned that soften this rough tough Army guy:
he raised 4 successful children, he married his high school sweetheart 33(almost 34) years ago, and has 9 beautiful grandchildren(I might be biased)...he loves them all very much(and in-laws, I hope!)  He is very generous with his time, talents, and resources(even though he tries to blame his generosity on his wife).  He would rather be in a garage or working on a project(rebuilding a car, repairing anything broken, or making rocking horses for his grandkids).  He secretly loves when his grandkids come to visit and make a total mess of his house(note: he DOES NOT love when they bang on his big screen and then deny it).  He appreciates when one of his kids calls him for advice on their car, or an investment(or a loan in most of our cases).  He served his country in Iraq for 18 months and experienced things that I'm sure, changed his life forever.  He is a wonderful soldier, husband, father, grandfather, and father-in-law.
 I am grateful that Dylan has chosen to follow in his footsteps, and hope he emulates some of his accomplishments...as a soldier and otherwise.
And what would a blog post be without some pictures of our little ones?  They attended the commissioning as well...everyone involved was pretty excited:

the mood was lightened by the trotting of the pink pony and rumble of the monster truck...
through the entire ceremony

the truck kept making its way to the other end of the table

leon, dylan, and jill

yep, that's a string of gum.  don't worry, i took it away right after snapping this photo

proud of her daddy(or excited about getting a dum dum for being good)

three generations of hatfields

Don't worry, I was there too and was really excited about the entire process.  However, I wasn't in any pictures because I was too busy keeping kids quiet, taking gum away, picking tonka trucks off the floor, shhhhh-ing children, snapping pictures, being a supportive wife, and trying to listen to what my sweet husband was signing up for.   
The weekend was full of other fun too, of course.  It started with lots of bubble gum, combing grandpa's hair head and ended with swimming at the hotel:

grandma brought each child their own pack of bubble gum.  harper ate her entire pack in an hour

combing grandpas hair

so excited to be in the water!

this is the only picture where beckham is smiling.  he did NOT like the water

our little fish...on her way to the potty, obviously

beckham was much happier to be in grandpas arms than in the water

We're grateful that our family could celebrate this special event with us.  We're also grateful
xoxo,
tracy

PS: the entire time Leon had his uniform on, Dawson kept telling him how much he loved his costume :)