At Main Event

We celebrated Matthew and my birthdays with rock climbing at Main Event with Brian and Chris. (Jeremy came down with a migraine and couldn't make it.) While waiting for our turn on the walls, we played some air hockey and video games.

Melissa kept going 3/4 of the way up and then losing confidence and coming down. Finally I coached her up, which mostly consisted of yelling, "You're doing great! Keep going!" She got to the top, extremely pleased with herself. Now she tells everyone, "I rang the bell!"

Game night with Brian and Chris

While the guys were here we played a cooperative game of Pandemic.  It's a fiendishly difficult game.  We tried to beat back the outbreaks that kept popping up around the globe, but alas we lost. 

The Sinden Kids

Originally Jonathan was going to speak at a conference in Japan at the beginning of October.  We invited Brian to come out for a visit, and to help me with the kids during the week Jonathan would be gone.  Brian, being the great brother that he is, agreed.  Chris discovered he would have leave during the same time, so at the last minute he decided to fly out too and stay with Andrea.

Somehow during the move to Austin Jonathan's passport got misplaced or lost.  It's hard to say what happened, but he searched the box he thought it was in- and it wasn't!  Unfortunately he didn't discover this until Friday night and his flight was Sunday evening.  Instead of flying to Japan he arranged to give it over Skype with a Japanese interpreter at around 3 AM Austin time. It all worked out, and without the jet lag. 

It was SO much fun to have my brothers here.  Between Chris and Brian's missions, it's been years since the four of us have all been together, so we played, ate delicious things, and had fun.   

Due to the abundance of limestone, Texas is home to many really cool caverns.  While Brian and Chris were here we decided to pay a visit to Longhorn Caverns.  It's about an hour northwest of Austin.  It's unique since it is one of only a hand full of caves in the United States formed primarily by an underground river rather than acidic erosion.  Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is another famous river formed cave.  The cave is carved smooth and you don't see many stalactites or stalagmites.   Still it is beautiful in place, the crystal sections are incredible, and the history is quite colorful.

FDR's Civilian Conservation Corp cleared out the debris in the caves and discovered evidence of a Confederate stronghold.  Inside they found dynamite, weapons, and two uniformed soldiers' remains, likely from an unfortunate gunpowder accident.  Outlaw Sam Bass is rumored to have stashed his loot in the caverns, and legend has it that the Texas Rangers rescued a kidnapped woman from Indians in the caverns.  During Prohibition, the caverns served up bootleg whiskey.  Free drinks to the local sheriffs ensured the law turned a blind eye, and on Sundays the caverns hosted a church.  Patrons who passed out on the floors from the night before would awake to the service and join the congregation!  There is a long wide passageway know as the subterranean ballroom, and yes they did have a dance hall with wooden floors.

The caves are still used for entertainment.  Willie Nelson occasionally performs in the caverns, choirs come to sing, and every December they hold caroling.

Isaac with Uncle Brian.

Unfortunately he wasn't as entertained by the caves, the ipod, or being carried in the backpack as I thought he would be...  Still he made it, and mostly unscathed- just two skinned knees from tripping.  Er, Isaac that is.  Brian did fine.

 

Passageway dubbed "short man's revenge"  It is about 4 to 4.5 feet high and 7 wide.  Duck!

Smooth formations made by the quick-moving underground ancient river. 

Not a very good picture of them, but there were two passageways filled with enormous crystals.  Even Isaac was impressed.

The watch dog.  This is perhaps the most famous formation/sculpture in the caverns.  No tool marks have been found.

The four Sinden kids + 2 babies (and our tour guide) after the tour.  Isaac (not pictured) was DONE and climbing the stairs. 

On Friday night Andrea and Jeremy played host to an elaborate murder mystery dinner.  They even used the fine china!  Andrea set up Brian and Chris each with a date for the dinner and the eight of us busied ourselves in the sordid business of fame, love, Hollywood, and murder.  Watch your back, folks, because it turns out you don't want to double cross me.  Not that I'm confessing to anything...

Jonathan likes it when we have out of town guests, because it provides the perfect excuse to take them out to taste the local cuisine.  We took Brian to try some authentic Chinese, a Brazilian steakhouse, and good 'ol Texan barbeque, plus the world famous Round Rock doughnuts.  Yum!

Brian and Chris also watched the kids for us so we could go out on the town.  Come again anytime guys!  Or as they say here, "Y'all come back now!"  The kids LOVED having so much attention from their uncles.  Uncles are pretty awesome. So are brothers.

9 on the 9th!

Matthew is growing is so many ways.  He has an insatiable curiosity about the world and many, many questions.  Many more questions than his parents have answers, in fact.  I've given him a blank notebook to write down his musings, so he can look up the answers himself and write them down.  Google is a great tool.

Matthew loves to create things with his hands.  He likes to fold origami, sew, build projects with wood and nails, make lego creations, and draw cartoons.

He is a kind big brother and looks out for his younger siblings.  If he gets a treat, he instinctively shares with his littler siblings.  Just today at the book fair he bought a book for himself, and one that he thought his sister would like.  He also delights in to teasing her though!  Matthew wrestles and tickles Isaac and puts up with a lot of the mischief Isaac causes with his stuff.  To be fair, Isaac would try the very patience of Job, and sometimes Matthew does get frustrated with him.  Matthew also dotes on his baby sister and loves to hold her.  He can't bear to hear her cry and if I don't get there first, he will pick her up and try to soothe her.  He is an gentle soul. 

Matthew is getting more independent and takes pride in doing things all by himself.  He rides his bike to and from the school which is about a mile away and he rides to his friends' houses.  He also likes to go into the store by himself and pay for things using his own money that he's earned. 

To our delight, our son is an avid reader and enjoys a broad selection of books ranging from mystery, science fiction, fantasy, science nonfiction, and general fiction.  Once he latches onto a good book, he will take and read it everywhere.  I've drawn the line at reading on the porcelain throne, however.  

Matthew is a good helper around the house and with his younger brother and sisters.  He can be a huge help and when things get crazy around the house, I know I can count on him.

It is hard to believe that nine years have passed since he made his debut.  It really doesn't seem very long ago!

This year Matthew celebrated his ninth birthday with lots of uncles. He had a blast playing with his Uncle Jeremy of course, and Uncles Chris and Brian who flew in town for the week to play with us. 

We celebrated Jonathan and Matthew's birthdays on Saturday.  We took family pictures in the park in the morning, and had world famous Round Rock donuts.  Later, Jonathan, the uncles, Matthew, and Melissa all went indoor rock wall climbing. 

While the guys + Melissa were out, Isaac, Corinna, and I stayed home to make the cake and decorate the house.  Isaac found a carton of strawberries and decided they looked tasty.  He took one or two bites out of every strawberry.  

 Fortunately Aunt Andrea and Uncle Jeremy saved the day and brought another carton of strawberries.  Thanks guys! 

The heavens opened up and it poured on that Saturday.  No one minded though, since it's been many months since this parched Texas ground had seen any rain.  In fact, I think the kids were initially puzzled by the wet stuff falling from the sky.  Not for long though.  Isaac wanted to go outside to play and Melissa changed to her swimsuit to frolic in it. 

 A nice picture...

...and a goofy picture.  Matthew kept acting silly in the pictures so I promised a goofy group shot if he'd just behave for one picture.  Matthew and Jonathan voted to have Five Guys burgers for dinner, so we did!

Matthew opening his loot.  He loved the origami calendar, hex bugs, magic kit, lego set, chemistry set, radio controlled car, air force hat, and airplane he received.  I say he did quite well!

Grandma sent Melissa some hair clips from her great Aunt Stephanie.  She immediately had to try them out- all of them! 

This year Matthew requested cheesecake.  Jonathan asked for banana cream pie on his birthday, so I didn't make any traditional birthday cakes this year. 

Hope your wishes come true, Matthew.  I am sure proud of you, my son, and look forward to many wonderful birthdays to come.

Wings

Airman First Class Sinden received his wings on Thursday. Dad flew into town to pin them on at the graduation ceremony. Chris's ceremony was especially memorable in that they were honored to have medal of honor recipient Lt. Col. Joe M. Jackson speak at his graduation. He is one of 5 living Air Force recipients and it is exceptionally rare for them to attend ceremonies or graduations.

Lt. Col Jackson was a small cargo pilot during Vietnam and he transported troops and supplies to and from bases. He was a personable, witty speaker and his story is amazing:

When the Vietnam War began, Jackson found himself piloting a C-123 Provider on 298 combat sorties in his third war. In May 1968, the special forces camp at Kham Duc, South Vietnam was tucked away in the central highlands, 16 kilometers from the Laotian border. After the fall of Camp Lang Vei during the Tet offensive in February, Kham Duc was the only observation camp remaining in I Corps, the northernmost military district in South Vietnam. When Kham Duc came under heavy mortar attack on May 10, Army Gen. William Westmorland ordered it evacuated.


On May 12, Mother's Day, a heavy fog hung over the camp, obscuring enemy movements in the surrounding hills. An Army CH-47 helicopter and two Air Force C-130s tried to land and takeoff with personnel, but were disabled by enemy fire. One C-130 burst into flames at the end of the runway, killing the crew and more than 150 Vietnamese civilians. Finally, a C-130 was able to land and takeoff with some passengers.


At 3 p.m. that afternoon, a C-123 took off from Da Nang, bound for Kham Duc. Jackson was at the controls, along with Maj. Jesse Campbell, Tech. Sgt. Edward Trejo and Staff Sgt. Manson Grubbs, his crew. As he circled at 9,000 feet in a holding pattern, the scene below was one of increasing devastation as the Viet Cong moved closer to the camp's 4,000-foot airstrip.


Hostile forces had overrun the forward outpost and established gun positions on the airstrip. They were raking the camp with small arms, mortars, light and heavy automatic weapons and recoilless rifle fire. The camp was engulfed in flames and ammunition dumps were exploding and littering the runway with debris. In addition, eight aircraft had been destroyed by the intense fire and one remained on the runway, reducing its usable length to only about 2,200 feet. To further complicate the landing, the weather was deteriorating rapidly. As the last C-130 was about to takeoff with the last of the men on the ground aboard, the airborne commander ordered jet fighters circling overhead to descend and destroy the camp. It looked as if Jackson's aircraft wasn't going to be needed in the rescue attempt. But then the radio crackled, informing them that the three-man combat control team, in charge of directing the evacuation, was still on the ground. As they searched the camp for anyone who had been left behind, the realized they were the only ones left.


One C-123 attempted to land, but enemy fire intensified and the C-123 was forced to accelerate for take off without finding the men. Jackson and his crew began their dive from 9,000 feet at a rate of almost 4,000 feet per minute. Jackson realized that if he reversed his propellers to stop the aircraft, he would shut off the two auxiliary engines he needed for a quick escape. Instead, he jammed on the brakes and skidded halfway down the runway. As it turned to be able to take off the way it came in, the three men jumped from a culvert next to the runway and leaped into the open cargo door in the rear. At that moment, from the edge of the runway came a 122 mm rocket, fired from just outside the perimeter. The men watched as the shell skidded along the asphalt, broke in half and stopped only 10 meters from the plane. It did not explode. Jackson taxied around the shell and applied full power, taking off under heavy fire from the hills on either side. The plane had been on the ground at Kham Duc for less than a minute.

http://www.af.mil/information/heritage/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006517

Here he is in an interview a few years back:




After he picked up the command team and they were safely above enemy fire, one of the rescued men tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Jackson, when we get back to base I'd just like to see you stand up." Puzzled he asked why. "Because you must have balls this big!" [Indicating cantaloupe size].

I did a little research on the man and it turns out he is remarkable not only for his bravery, but for his service in the community and his humility. MSNBC did a story on him earlier this year and they found that he'd been serving in a food kitchen in Kent Washington for 18 years. Most of the people he'd helped and served never knew that he was a war hero.

Here is Chris standing next to him.

Pinning on of the wings is a very big deal in the Air Force and Chris had the opportunity of a lifetime to have a medal of honor recipient pin them on. He decided to give that honor to his dad instead.

Dad is just about bursting with pride. It's a wonder those buttons remained intact.

(Unfortunately the lighting in the room was poor and my flash not quite up to the task...)

Father and son (now with wings!)

Uncle Chris

We enjoyed having Uncle Chris over for his last weekend in Texas. This coming Friday he should have his orders and be on his way for water survival training in Florida. On Saturday we went to Sea World with him. It was a blast! Sorry, no pics. The rest of Labor Day weekend we goofed off and relaxed. We will miss seeing Uncle Chris on the weekends.

Grandpa Don gave Matthew a flight suit and Uncle Chris gave him a hat and dog tags with his name on them. Matthew thinks anything Uncle Chris does is way cool. He's decided that he wants to be a pilot in the Air Force when he grows up. (And a scientist and an artist too!)

Swimming with Uncle Chris

Back in mid August when Chris was still in phase 1 (restricted to base) we dropped in to see him. He took us swimming.

Before we left home, Jonathan took the pile of towels and swimming wear to the car. Unfortunately my suit got dropped along the way. So instead of swimming, I was the designated photographer. (I've since forgiven him. btw.)

Uncle Chris gave Matthew a swimming lesson. He used to be a lifeguard.

Isaac went down a water slide for the very first time with his Daddy. He thought that was great fun. Again! Again! Again!

The Caverns

Two weeks ago we took Uncle Chris to Natural Bridge Caverns near our house. We've been before, but they are worth a second trip. Most of the photos are courtesy of Chris.



The caves are "living" so they are very wet with dripping calcium carbonate ever so slowly making the formations. The temperature is in the mid 70s with 100% humidity. Like most of the caves in this part of Texas, they were discovered fairly recently- in the 1960s by a group of students from St. Mary's.

Chris Graduates

Proud Colonel Sinden standing next to the newly minted Airman First Class Sinden. Behind them is the mascot of Chris's squadron during basic.

In formation.

My goodness he's gotten tall! This was taken right after the military parade and oath the new airmen took. There was even a B-52 bomber that swooped in low right after the parade to honor the new grads.

Chris had a few hours off of base Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We visited the botanical gardens on Saturday.
The gardens had a playhouses and forts exhibit for the kids to enjoy. Isaac probably spent 30 minutes in this playhouse alone. He loved it!

While Jonathan stayed behind with Isaac, Melissa raced ahead with Grandpa. I think they probably saw just about everything.
Matthew chose to go with Grandma. A wise decision as it turned out, since he got ice cream!

Dad with 3/4 of the gang.

Grandpa and Grandma bought Matthew a flight suit. He's worn it every day since he received it. Yesterday he informed me that he was ready to enlist. "Mom, I think I will join the Air Force tomorrow. I already have a flight suit."

The weekend was all too short....

Saying goodbye.

He will be stationed at Lackland AFB for the next 7? months, so we hope to see plenty of him during the weekends when he gets permission off of the base.

(Thanks goes to Dad and Jeremy for the pictures. I managed to forget my camera. Twice.)