Fourth of July

Joe's sponsor mom from USAFA invited us to her pad in Rosslyn, along with her boyfriend (Steve) and Steve's son Steve, daughter-in-law Julie, and their kids. We had a fantastic time hanging out with everyone, and the firework show on the lawn of the Marine Corps Memorial was most memorable.



All the girls pose pretty.



Joe's girls.



Lily still needs to work on the piggyback thing.



Alex shows her spirit.

Lily responds with her spirit.

Val, Julie, and Cote.

Show time.

Ohhhh, aahhhh...

Harpers Ferry

Joe's mom stuck around for a few more days to take in some sightseeing.


Alex and Gma Nance gearing up to visit Arlington National Cemetery.



Cote-Nance 4 on the steps of St. Peters Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry.



Lily and dad in front of St. Peters.



Alex admires the flowers in front of the church.

Girl power.

Cote & the Bean.

Alex snapped this shot.

Joe and mom.

Alex and dad at the Harper House.

Promotion Time

Promotion day to Lt Col had arrived. Alex Gracia (another '94 Grad in my office) & I bundled our promotions together. Top of The Town hosted the event and the view was spectacular. Maj Gen McCasland was the Presiding Official. Cote & I were blessed with my mom and a host of friends - to include the Bells, Val Pech Orr, and a swath of local friends. We had friends there from every assignment. A special day indeed.



Lily in the family room.



Alex with the Gracia girls.

Sisters.

Pregame - all the family gifts lined up. Can you guess which one is Lily's?

Our promo program.

Gen McCasland works the crowd.

Changing of the rank.

Sure is pretty. And how about that view?

Daddy gets a kiss from Alex.

It is official now.

Group shot.

Introducing Lt Col Joe Nance, and Col Jen Cote-Nance.

Family photo on the deck.

Cote-Nance 4 on the deck.

Chas & Sara

Very nice.

You can even catch the top of the AF Memorial from the deck.

Hershey Park

The kid in us needed no excuse to hit Hershey Park with friends. The Yates, Hills, and Ms. Kerri were headed up for a work event, so we decided to crash that party. As luck would have it - other friends, Reid and Lori, were literally moving across country and made a stop. Good times, good times.



Ry-Ry, Alex, and a kiss.



A whole mess of kids.



Imagine that - the Kiss is a Nebraska fan.



Hanging by the water park.

Emmett takes a break to hang with Lori.

Such a sweet hug.

Skeet ball for all.

Lily entertains herself while Alex goes on a ride.

Alex ready for a big girl ride.

Kindergarten show

To celebrate the end of her Kindergarten year, Alex's class put on a musical extravaganza. It was better than Cats.



Alejandro can't go anywhere in public without Pokemon.



Felipe, Natalia, Alejandro, and Steven get front row seats.



The stars filter in.



Cote enjoys some post-show refreshments.

Alex with her teacher Ms. Ackerman.

Alex with Ms. Hammerin.

T-Birds visit

The planets aligned and a T-Bird gathering was called. The Meiers, Petersons, and Smiths trekked all the way from Maryland to join in the fun. The O'Connells merely had to brave the Beltway to get here.


Great shot - but where are all the kids?



There the kinder are.

Some things are better left unsaid.

Katrina and Alex get comfy.

Alex and his truck.