Latest photos of Joaquin!

Here are the latest photos of Joaquin.  My favorite is the one of him running through the misters at Solvang Park with his mouth open.  Susan snapped that with her iPhone using the hipstamatic app.

A pyrotechnic-filled, pooh-riffic goodbye . . .

Ever since the Fourth of July, Joaquin has been obsessed with fireworks.  We left Solvang for Pasadena late on the Fourth, and Joaquin got a taste of pyrotechnics as we drove home.  After peering out the car window all through the Valley, Burbank, and, Glendale, Joaquin emerged from the car with a new mantra:  "Joaquin watch fireworks."  But for some reason Joaquin has taken to pronouncing his name with an "F" at the front lately, so it sounded like "Fah-keen watch fireworks."  Every time he does that with his name Susan and I can't help but look at each other and stifle a laugh.  We don't want to encourage him, but sometimes it's impossible to keep a straight face.

After putting Joaquin on my shoulders to catch a glimpse of the Rose Bowl fireworks, we settled in front of the TV to watch the big New York televised celebration.  He loved it.  So much in fact that he spent the entire week reminding us that "Joaquin watch fireworks."  Because of his new obsession, we decided to spend my last night in California at Disneyland, which puts on a fireworks show every night during the summer.  It was pretty much a perfect night.  We got to the park just in time to go on Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo's Flight, and ride the carousel (Joaquin's three favorite rides) before changing Joaquin into his pajamas and watching the fireworks display.  He was a little less enthusiastic about fireworks afterward, it seemed.  I think the sound got to him, because he introduced his new mantra to us before drifting off to sleep in his stroller:  "Fireworks loud."

The next morning we left the house at 6:45 am to catch a sneak preview of the new Winnie-the-Pooh movie at the El Capitan in Hollywood.  The movie started at 7:30, so we left Joaquin in his pajamas, wanting him to sleep as much as possible (he normally sleeps until about 8:30).  We got to the theater at about 7:15, and it was already packed!  People must have been in line to enter the theater well before the doors opened at 7:00.  I shouldn't have been surprised.  The preview was a special D23 event and Susan practically had to sell our second child to get tickets after she was told it was sold out, so the audience was largely adult Disneyphiles.  There was a small contingent of other kids there, though, some of them even in pajamas like Joaquin.

The movie was really, really great.  I highly recommend it to everyone.  You'll like it even if you don't have kids.  Trust me.  Joaquin was rapt the entire time, staring at the screen and naming the characters as they appeared, disappeared, and reappeared on screen.  Well, not the entire time.  We did have to take a short break in the middle of the movie, after Joaquin overpowered his overnight diaper and christened my lap with pee.  But I was happy to do some daddy duty and clean him up, since I won't get a chance to do that for the next month while I'm in Alabama.

Checking out the Pooh and Tigger figures on his crocs.

After the movie, we went to the gift shop at the El Capitan and then snapped a photo with a Mickey Mouse statue sitting outside on Hollywood Boulevard.  And with that, it was home, some last-minute packing, and an afternoon flight to Alabama.  I should have more time to post than I did during COT, so stay tuned.

Joaquin's face and body language here crack me up.

Week 5 (Days 27-33): Graduation!

The last week of COT is called the character phase of training.  This basically means that all of the graded measures are completed and the trainees are evaluated solely on the basis of whether they have the character to be Air Force officers.  In other words, now that we have privileges (for example, to wear civilian clothes and go out to dinner and have a few beers), are we going to go crazy and screw everything up, or are we going to act like reasonable and responsible adults?

We did alright.  I'll admit it was weird to get off base for the first time and see my flightmates in civilian clothes on Saturday night.  I still felt like checking my clothes for loose strings and sitting at attention while eating.  But that wore off after a while, and we had a great night.  And on Sunday we got to go out again and watch the Superbowl, which was a nice bonus we weren't expecting.  (Our curfew would have had us back in the dorms an hour before the game ended, but the OTS staff leadership gave us an extra hour.)

The rest of the week was a build-up to graduation.  We had three or four blocks of intense parade practice, mixed in with some outprocessing briefings as well as lectures on standards and accountability.  It was hard for all of us to stay focused given that we were all looking forward to our family members' arriving and to graduating on Friday, but we managed.

Susan and Joaquin's arrival on Wednesday night was like clouds parting after a hurricane.  It was really wonderful to see them, even though I only had about thirty minutes to spend with them before I had to head back to my dorm.  It felt easy, and normal.  Well, normal despite the surroundings.  Joaquin knew me right away, which did a lot to alleviate my fears of having to earn his love anew.

I spent Thursday morning running around campus before participating in a retreat ceremony.  Retreat usually marks the end of the business day and consists of the playing of Retreat while lowering the flag and folding it up for safe storage overnight.







After the retreat ceremony we were released to have lunch with our families.  My mom, dad, and Papa Lopez had all arrived as well, so the six of us headed out to Dreamland barbecue, a fantastic place in downtown Montgomery very near the base.  Joaquin had a ball dancing with some of the waitresses to the soul music--of course!--that provided a soundtrack for our midday meal.  He then ravenously and hilariously dug into some world-class banana pudding with two spoons.





Thursday night was the Dining-Out, a formal military dinner used to celebrate important events.  I put on my monkey suit--aka, mess dress--and Susan joined me and the rest of Kelly Class at the Officers' Club.  It was a highly entertaining evening, complete with skits poking fun at our experience, a grog bowl, and numerous toasts.  To my surprise, Echo Flight won the table-decorating contest, as judged by the esteemed guests at the head table (assorted Brigadier Generals, Colonels, and Lieutenant Colonels).  Our tables were decorated with green army men (in honor of our flight commander and G.I. Joe lookalike) and plastic bugs (for the Echo Flight Exterminators).  But that's only part of the table-decorating competition.  The other part is the chants and jodies we burst into each time the head table guests came around.  Here are a couple of the chants and jodies we said:

Flight Chant
EXTERMINATORS!
We don't hesitate
We exterminate
Bugs, rats, spiders, mice
Falcons, Griffins, other flights
chirp chirp chirp chirp SQUASH!
EXTERMINATORS!
Yooooo Joe!


Jody
Echo Flight Exterminators
Stompin' all you bugs and haters
If you try to step to us
We'll just make you eat our dust
E-C-H-O, act like you know!
E-C-H-O, that's how we roll!

And we won without doing our signature jody, which I put up against any other jody voiced by Kelly Class over the last five weeks:  the Nine flights jody.  This one came to me in a half-sleep state and I woke up at midnight to scratch it out.  Here's how it goes.

Nine flights fought for fame and glory

Eight flights fell, here’s the story

Alpha took a shot at us

We ran them over with a bus

Bravo came a sniffin’ round

We put ‘em six feet under ground

Charlie tried to pass us by

We stopped ‘em, dropped ‘em, made ‘em cry

Delta wanted a little taste

We rearranged their pretty face

Foxtrot came and threw a punch

We blocked ‘em, clocked ‘em, ate their lunch

Golf had violence on their mind

But simply didn’t have the spine

Hotel tried to take us down

But found out we’re the toughest ‘round

India was last to fall

They found out winning takes some guts

Nine flights fought for fame and glory

Echo won – end of story!

Three flight commanders sent to the grog (Snake Eyes is on the right)

Echo Flight men

Echo Flight ladies

They were sent to the grog bowl for wearing "party shirts"

The day after the dining-out was graduation day.  We started off with an awards ceremony.  I was pleasantly surprised to be named a Distinguished Graduate along with two others in my flight.  That means that we were all in the top 10% of the class based on our graded measures.

Getting my award from Col Stout

After the awards ceremony, it was time for the parade.  We had been practicing all week for this, and our egos bore the scars of many a tongue-lashing from the training instructors tasked with whipping us into shape for parade.  To our great relief, it went off almost without a hitch (there was one time where a group was off step, but I'm sure it wasn't noticeable to the audience).



 



My salute isn't straight enough - dang!

At the end of parade, we took the oath of commission as some F-16s did a flyover.  It was pretty awesome.  Then it was picture time on the parade field before heading back to our flight room one last time to get certificates and challenge coins from Snake Eyes.  And before it could all really sink in, it was over.  I was done with COT and thinking about getting back to California.  The past five weeks felt like a year, and in a blink it was history.  Amazing.


My roommate, Father John

Another happy member of Echo Flight

Snake Eyes was a wonderful instructor

Joaquin's first haircut!

Here are the latest pictures of Joaquin!  Susan took him to get his first haircut so that he's nice and clean cut when they come out to Alabama for my graduation.  Check it out!

Joaquin goes to Disneyland and plays the piano!

Here are the latest photos of our little guy.  Susan took him to Disneyland this week.  And he also had some fun playing her new electonic piano with George.

Latest Photos of Joaquin

More cuteness.  This is what keeps me going!

More Joaquin Photos

Here are the latest and greatest photos of Joaquin that Susan sent me.  I miss him so much!

Joaquin photos

Susan is keeping me updated with photos of Joaquin while I'm gone, and I just had to share some of these.  It really makes my day to see these, and it makes the distance much more tolerable (though it does make me miss them to see these).  Enjoy!

Sitting in his new favorite mini-lounger, holding the remote and asking for POOH!

Riding the toy horse he got for Christmas from Santa

On the trolley with Mom