Catching up on summer - while it's still here!

We've gotten very lax about keeping up on the blog. We could say, in our whiniest voices, "It's soooo hot here," but, Chris would have us beat at 124 degrees and he doesn't even talk about it.

He's working in the mission planning office with some veeeery appreciative folks - until he joined them, they hadn't had a day off in months. Of course they don't want him to leave, and who can blame them! He's in the office from noon to midnight almost every day so he hasn't had much time for blogging or taking pictures. Rest assured, the faithful Trigger and his beloved refrigerator made the trip from FOB Delta to Taji just fine.

Okay, here are some photos taken with Lauren's camera in the past two months.

Gunner's penny bones. I'm not really sure how this happened, but, hey, it's summer and, well, that's when you have time to line pennies up on your arm, right?

Gunner and his Learning Rx trainer Kelly Kimbrell at

Gunner's graduation from the program.

Way to go!!

(I think Gunner was smaller than Kelly when they started.)

Veritas alumni hike with Mr. Sullivan in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.

Did you know tie racks are all the rage in men's neckwear?

Cookies for Poppy!

Grandma Pedersen with cousins Lauren, Gunner, Elizabeth, Emily and Christine.

And Pat and Suzy Dodds combined some old home movies of us into a YouTube video. It includes the time that Chris and I (before L&G) dressed up as pirates to help out at a Dodd's pirate birthday party - apparently we were most helpful with the tug-o'-war. Arr! It also includes some classic footage from Gunner's baptism and a very shy Lauren celebrating her third birthday with Pat, Suzy and Zach. Thank you Dodd's!

Click here to watch Some Pedersen Moments.

Gunner is at Camp St. Nicholas for the week, and Lauren is heading off to California for some beach time with friends this weekend.

Love to all, Linda Sophia