The Willis Family

2010-11-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

Hello All!

It's been a while and our family has been up to a lot lately. We just wanted to share a few pictures of our recent adventures.

2010-07-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick film of our adventures. Enjoy.

Field Training and The Gas Chamber

2010-06-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of James' platoon. All chaplains. James is on the bottom row to the right.

Last week the group got to experience the gas chamber. They require everyone to go through this experience and call it training. James calls it a form of hazing. Either way they enter the gas chamber with their masks on, having been required to don it in 10 seconds or less. James had it on in 3 flat. They entered a dimly lit building with a small metal table in the center of the otherwise empty room. On the table was a can with fire in it and a masked soldier was standing next to it feeding pellets into the can, causing a thick gas to fill the room. About 100 soldiers entered the room through strips of heavy plastic layered to keep the gas in as they all lined the walls around the room.
The first sensation was a burning on the exposed skin, especially the skin with open pores like the back of the neck where it's sweaty.
The first task was to take of the mask, say your name, rank and serial number, re-place the mask and clear it of the fumes. James performed this perfectly.
The second and final task was performed in groups of 10. They were required to take off their masks, say their name, rank and serial number, then take a breath and when all 10 were done to file out.
As James prepared for this final task he breathed deeply in and out, in and out, in and then a long breath out . . . then he ripped off his mask.
As soon as it was off he realized his mistake. Knowing that the drill Sgts are there to rip off your mask if you start to panic and try putting it back on, he didn't even attempt. But, needing to have breath in his lungs to say anything he inhaled . . . his lungs immediately froze. After a few seconds his body began to involuntarily gasp for breath, his chest heaving in and out - though the air that came in was just as seizing as the first. Some 20 seconds passed as his vision began to dim and his knees became weak. The instructor saw him fading and grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him out the doorway.
Though he was now in fresh air his lungs still would not draw it in because of the gas still inside.
Knowing that if he passed out, not breathing, things could get complicated really fast James struggled for the tiniest breaths. He stumbled around, not walking but falling and then catching himself with the other foot; not in a straight line either but side to side and back. They were told that upon exiting the chamber they should extend their arms and move them briskly up and down to get the gas away from their skin and clothing.
As James teetered around he heard another chaplain say, "Hey, we've got one over here that's not doing so well. No, he's not doing so good." His arms flapping, eyes burning, his chest heaving for the smallest fresh breath, his nose running . . . he cared nothing for how he looked but only focused on how he wanted that air. Only air.
Slowly the air began returning, replacing poison with oxygen.
After the whole breathing issue was taken care of he had plenty of time to feel stupid for taking off his mask before breathing in.

Here is a picture of right after the gas chamber. James is in the far back, second from the left.

For the last couple of days James has been out in the field doing landnav(igation) and field training. His final experience for today was moving through the trenches and low crawling under barbed wire with explosions and amunition flying over his head. He worked with a "chaplain's assistant" in the exercise where he would tail his body guard and drop and low crawl while the chaplain's assistant secured the area before they moved forward together. It sounded like a really great experience. Last weekend James strained his tendon in his shoulder but he was able to work through it with a little Motrin to help.

Thurdsay's temp in South Carolina was 106 degrees and they calculated the heat index around 120. Two of the Chaplain trainees suffered heat stroke and were taken away in the ambulance before they called off the exercise until the heat of the day subsided. Here's James' trusty camelback. He is required to drink 3 full camelback's of water a day.

Full battle gear. His combat helmet, flack jacket . . . etc. This only made it hotter out there.

MREs, Mmmmm.

I haven't seen James in his full Army uniform yet. It's strange for me to see the cross on his hat, like Father Mulcahy in M.A.S.H.

Did you know why the Army uniform's U.S. flag has the field of stars on the right side of the patch? This is not how the flag is usually portrayed in pictures and coloring books, right? It is worn this way because in days past the standard bearer at the front of the force would ride or carry their banner into battle, as it moved through the air the wind carried the banner behind the pole. The reason the flag is worn this way on the soldier's uniform is to symbolize moving forward into battle, as the flag flies back. It is worn on the right arm (though if it were on the left arm they could still have it flying in the wind as the soldier moves forward and it would look normal. Oh, well. I'm sure there is symbolism for why it is on the right arm. Something about honor probably.)

Thanks for checking in. Next weekend we'll be together for Luke's baptism. I can't wait to have him back, even for a short 55 hours.

ARMY Repelling

2010-06-21T07:28:00.001-07:00

I just got the first installment of pictures from James at training. This morning he was repelling and took his camera with him. When I spoke to him last night he told me that he needed to wake up at 0400 so this was probably taken pretty early. It looks to me like I've sent my husband off to scout camp or something.

Whatchaupto?

2010-06-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

ok, so next time I update I'll remember that the pictures download in opposite order than the way I selected them...

So, this is me eating, no, sucking the guts out of the crawdad body cavity as I crush the shell. My cousin Mark holds a cookout every other week-ish out on the family farm. Friends, neighbors, everyone comes out and brings whatever they wanna cook. There are a lot of dutch ovens going and it's always REALLY good food. I had some yummy jumbalaya and chocolate dutch oven cake to truly die for with swirls of fudge and nuts and mmmmm. He's making the place look really welcoming. He just laid some sod with more to come and he's built picnic tables and benches. But I haven't seen any port-a-potties out there.

This picture is not my "mmmmm" face. It is more of a "hold on to your cookies sister" look.

lovely, don't you think?
here's luke tasting the crawdad meat after some coaxing from Phillip, see below.

Luke turned 8 on June 19th and we had a little party for him. He chose cherry pie for dessert but I added some peaches with his consent to make the expensive canned cherries stretch.

I am so proud of this little guy. He's a good boy with a good heart and is a loyal friend. He will be baptized in 2 weeks and he's super excited about that. So are all of us. Pictures to come in a couple weeks.That's the scoop for now. We miss James like mad but he get's to come home to perform the baptsimal ordinance and spend about 52 hours with us over the 4th of July weekend. We are excited to find out that lots of family will be traveling to support Luke and enjoy time together.

Later!

-Martha Jane

New Adventures

2010-06-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

So our family has moved from Provo, UT and is now in Boise, ID just miles from where I grew up and attended Middle and High School and 120 steps from my parent's door. We live just across the street. We're having lots of fun with family and are eating up every moment together before James leaves to go to South Carolina on Saturday, June 5th (Lindy's 3rd Birthday).

Luke will be baptized on July 3rd with or without his dad present. We are hoping James will be allowed to take a day or two of leave to perform the ordinance, but Luke wants to be baptized as soon as he can and doesn't want to wait until September when James graduates from his Army training. We, as his parents, support his choice and join in his excitement to follow the Savior's example of baptism. Our prayer is that James be will able to come home to share this very special time.

We recently traveled up to McCall Idaho and stayed at a condo. It was fun to spend time as a family and play in the pool.

This is a picture of James' Graduation Day. This is a pretty momentous . . . moment. Here James is with his 3 moms. They are each amazing women and I am so grateful for each of my Mothers-in-Law. May I repeat . . . I am so grateful for each of them. I am so blessed to know so many people who love James and in turn, me.

This picture was taken just after the Race for the Cure in Boise the day before Mother's Day 2010. I got the best time of my life. 3 miles in 23:50. My socks were given to me by my sister, Sara, they say "Survivor".

Our family went for a walk last night at Camel's Back Park in Boise. It was after a soft rain that made the air smell fresh, the dust stay low, and the kids not need to pack water for the trek.

Here are a couple of pictures of Phillip and Luke . . . at one with . . . nature.

Thanks for checking in. I will be updating this blog every other month or so at least because my friend Mary W. committed me to. I love you all. -MJ

January and February 2010

2010-03-04T16:20:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's been a while. We are nearing the end of our Provo adventure and are about to move onto new things. At the end of April we will be moving to Boise. After a month James will leave me in the company of a lot of family while he goes to Chaplain Basic in South Carolina for a few months. When he graduates from CHBOLC he will drive to El Paso and the kids and I will fly there and we will start our new life stationed at Ft. Bliss.

The kids and I took a trip to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake a couple weeks ago. Lindy loved it. Eli stayed home with James and it was a good thing he did. It was cold and would have been quite miserable for him.

On Valentine's weekend we hosted a couple's dinner for the other Chaplain Candidates that are in James' BYU program. We had a lot of fun. Hopefully the guests did too. We all had to dress as couples. One couple came dressed as Star Trek characters. Another couple wore matching stickers on their shirts. James and I wore scout shirts.

James has been plugging away at school and I have been gaining a greater and greater love for homeschooling my kiddos. It has not been easy. There have been times when I thought "Gosh, it would be a lot easier to just send them to school!" But the thought of going back to that life just gives me a headache. After fumbling for 6ish months to find the best way for homeschooling to work for our family we have settled into a pretty good rhythm. I know what I'll do different when the kids finish this curriculum that I have laid out for this year, and I know what I'll do the same. The trick is finding the resources that fit best. There are a TON of resources out there and it is quite a task to sort and sift. I figure by the time I've been at this for a decade or so - I'll be a pro. Maybe. I'm sure I'll continue learning and improving all along the way in this, just like every other facet of life.

My Little Family . . .

2009-12-06T23:59:00.000-08:00

Lindy and Martha at the BYU Basketball game.

It's a Small World. Summer 2009.

Elijah, Just over a week old. December 2008

James and I waiting for General Conference to start. October 2009

On Phillip's 8th Birthday Martha took him on a date to the temple. Sept. 2008. James had some school commitment to attend, was so sad he could not be there.

Cute Little Miss Lindy, aka "Lindy Bug"

This is Elijah and Lindy poolside eating peas for a snack.

This is a picture of Phillip (left) and Luke (right) at the Veteran's Memorial Pool in Provo, Summer 2009

This is Elijah, he got ahold of an open bubble bottle and spilled it all over himself and then crawled around in it.

Phillip and Luke at a BYU Basketball game. Fall 2009

Luke's Orange Belt Testing

2009-11-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

(above)

Luke's One Steps

Luke's new belt

Another One-Step

Adventures at Disneyland

2009-08-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

2009-07-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

While in Idaho for a little family reunion we all went swimming. Look, a 3 generation picture.
My Attempt at photography.
I opened up this corn and was completely enchanted by the little baby corn tucked in so snuggly growing inside.

So . . . it could be James' great-great-grandfather, but it's not.
The Mormon Battalion adventure started today as James joined in as an 'extra' for a film being made for the MB Visitors Center in San Diego.
And - If you're watching the Spanish Broadcast of General Conference in October - you might catch a glimpse of James in a movie between sessions (don't know which day) introducing the LDS version of the Spanish Bible. He stood in as a model for the apostle of Jesus Christ, Matthew.

Triathlon and Birthday Party - June 2009

2009-06-22T11:57:00.001-07:00

Birthday Party!

We have a new 7 -year-old.

Here is his birthday cake which he decorated himself. We had a simple party with some neighbors.

James and I participated (not competed) in a triathlon in Pleasant Grove on Sat. June 13. It was a great experience. 5k run, 8 mile bike and 500 yard swim.

James and I stayed together the whole time and finished together.

James is growing out his hair and beard for a role as an extra in a Mormon Battalion film that is being made in the end of July for the San Diego visitor's center.

Tribute to Mom

2009-05-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day my siblings and I put together a song with a spoken message from each one of us for my mom. The concept of the song was born a few years ago, but the task of capturing one such as "mother" was overwhelming and the inspiration to write the song could not be forced. One of my sisters was the one who thought of the idea and wrote the first two lines, which was the spring-board for the rest of the song. The inspiration finally came last week. I am grateful to have this project done, it has consumed my thoughts and spare time for over a week, tomorrow I'll be doing laundry all day. The instruments I used to play and also to record with are sub standard for recording a song, but it's what I have and, like mom's always do, I knew she'd look past the flaws and appreciate the love that was behind it.

My sister and her 2 daughters helped me sing it.

This is a shortened version of the song, I took out the spoken messages from each kid. The original is 9 minutes long.

I hope all of you mothers had a good Mother's Day and felt loved. I did.

Irish Dance

2009-04-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

Irish Dance

2009-04-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

The boy's belts started breaking so I wanted to get them some similar to what I had as a kid. I think mine were rainbow pattern or something. The problem is I didn't ever see them in Wally World and I don't go shopping very often in other places so . . .

in the Sewing dept of Wally World I picked up some Nylon strap by the yard and some D-rings.

I got 1 yard cut for each belt - about 84 cents. Then a package of D-rings was 88 cents for enough to make 2 belts.

I sewed them and melted the other end with a flame to keep it from fraying and Wha-la . . . inexpensive belts in a variety of colors.

If I were to do it again, I think I would go to a craft store with a bigger variety of nylon strap. These work just fine, but I might choose a heavier, thicker strap if I had a choice.

P.S. "Wally World" is my affectionate name for Walmart.

Basketball Music Video

2009-03-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

Phillip and Luke are in the Jr. Jazz basketball league for a few weeks this spring. Somehow they both got "00" as their jersey numbers. They are fun to watch and melt my heart at their good sportsmanship in encouraging each other and everyone they play with and against.

Crank up the volume and . . . Enjoy!

October to February Family Fun

2009-02-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful for my family. Although not all of my family is pictured in this video, the feelings spread to all of my dear family and friends. These pictures aren't in chronological order, but they are limited to the months of October 2008 to February 2009.

We've had a lot of fun.

-Martha

2009-01-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

We just returned from our quick trip to Boise.

This is a video we made for my niece, Haven, who is turning 5 on Monday.

We had a great trip.

Thanks everyone.

Baby Blessing Day

2009-01-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

We only had a few days to pull this together since the weather finally cooperated for out-of-towners from the north. There are so many that we meant to invite but didn't get the chance, it got so crazy. We didn't know it was really going to happen until just 2 days before. Thanks to everyone who was able to come and make this day so special for our family.

Sweet Family

2009-01-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

2009-01-12T19:33:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Willis family.

2009-01-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

Lindy waited in the car with James, Martha, and Elijah while Phillip and Luke finished sledding on New Years day.

2008-12-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

Our Little Elijah was born this week.