Congratulations Lt. Col. Harder!

We celebrated my husband's promotion to Lieutenant Colonel yesterday with a promotion ceremony and a party after.  Though the forecast was for temperatures near 100 and for rain showers (aka, monsoons), the weather turned out to be perfect for the outdoor ceremony.  It was a grey day (no intense sun), it rained for 30+ minutes starting about two hours before the ceremony (giving a cooling effect).  By the time guests were arriving things were mostly dry (but it still felt cooler), the intermittent drizzle and gentle breeze kept the cool feeling while not getting things wet.

One friend that arrived early had very thoughtfully brought some (fairly quiet) games for the kids to play while waiting for the ceremony to begin.  Her thoughtfulness was very much appreciated while we were setting up.

Rob provided each of our kids with a pack of tic-tacks and passed them out just before the ceremony.  I appreciated his strategic gift to the kids, our little kids were so quiet during the ceremony despite their lack of naps.  Thanks Hun!

After the singing of the national anthem Rob's boss went through the highlights of his career and many awards and accomplishments he had achieved in the last 15 years.  It is always nice to be reminded of what a great, smart man I'm married to (he does not boast of his work accomplishments at home, so even though I know he is wonderful, it is great to hear from others!) and to see him recognized for all of his hard work.

 

The oldest three kids pinned on his new rank for him.  The boys did his jacket while Miss E did his cover (hat).

Next came the oath of office.  I always love hearing it, and being reminded of the duty my husband has sworn to fulfill.

Rob very thoughtfully thanked me and presented me with a beautiful bouquet.

Next came the good stuff we had all been waiting for.  The party!  We had On The Border cater, yum!  In an effort to distract the kids from the food we knew they didn't really care much for anyways; we had a whole table full of candy and cookies.  It worked splendidly.  At the end of the party kids (not ours) were encouraged to fill their pockets so that we would not have to take much candy home.  They did a GREAT job accomplishing this assignment. ;)

We are so thankful to our many friends that turned out for this event.  These promotion parties are usually mostly fellow military members.  This time the civilians outnumbered the military (so much so that it was commented on during the ceremony).  We are so very thankful for our church family here that provides so much love, support, and fellowship (and for the many friends from past assignments who have done the same and always have a special place in our hearts!).

 

I think kids may have outnumbered adults.  They had a great time playing in the open field (until being called in because of lightning in the area).

Some special "Thank Yous"

*Thank you to our Pastor who gave the invocation.  God has led and guided Rob through his whole career granting him wisdom, strength and favor.  We appreciated our pastor's effort to be there, and to proclaim the name of Jesus.

*Thank you to everyone in Rob's office who worked so hard to prepare for this event and did so much during the celebration to make it all go off without a hitch.  Someone even ended up with bathroom shuttle duty.  With so many kids, and a restricted access building, this was a big job!

*Thank you to my friend "F" who took the lead in the clean-up effort.  She has such a servant's heart; I'm so blessed by her and the wonderful example she sets.

* A HUGE THANK YOU to our incredible babysitter (who goes way beyond the call of duty as a baby sitter in general) for spending the entire day with us.  She helped get the daily chores done, allowed me to run an errand with only one child, bathed kids, dressed kids, did hair, helped the boys load the van, helped with set up.....OH MY she did it all!  My hugely pregnant body was just not up for all of this work today.  I'm so grateful to her.  Because of all of her hard work I was able to relax and enjoy this celebration far more then I otherwise would have been able to!  (oh, and she took pictures too!).  Thank you J for your servant's heart and for what a blessing you are to our family in so many ways.