Having fun in the pool!

The hotel had a salt water pool that was warm all the time. We took full advantage and swam almost everyday. Since the pool here on Guam has been closed for awhile now (renovations), it was fun to have such easy access to one. 95% of the time we had it to ourselves. My boys had fun showing mom lots of tricks and we all had fun playing sharks and minnows. The boy even tried diving a few times although it's not easy to do with a life jacket on!



I am one lucky woman!

The Hot Air Balloon

Our first adventure in Cairns was to go on a hot air balloon ride. The boy was more than excited and I was not sure about it at all. It started with a 4:15am pick up at our hotel and then an hour long bus ride up a dark and windy road. We were all more than ready to get off the bus! The basket held 20 passengers and had a spot for the operator. The balloon was huge, the biggest I've ever seen. We got about 5 minutes of instructions about our landing position and then we were off. The first 200 ft. or so were the scariest for me. I was not digging it at all and thought it was going to be the worst time of my life. Thankfully, I was wrong. It was AMAZING. We climbed to 4,500 ft. and it was so calm and peaceful that high up. We even went through some low clouds and couldn't see anything for a minute or two. It didn't feel at all like we were moving and after awhile the boy got a little bored! I think he was expecting so much more action than we were getting. Of course the dad and the operator had to talk "shop" but it was fun to learn a little more about the balloon and how they are operated. He said that the balloons are not allowed to climb more than 1,000 ft. per minute per regulations but he has actually climbed about 1,700 ft. a minute due to wind. That just seems crazy that a balloon can do that much that fast. After about 30 minutes in the air we started our descent. The operator told us that as long as the air speed was under 10 knots we would be fine. It was just about 10 knots and a little bumpy. Once our landing spot was established we all had to get into landing position. We had to brace ourselves with our knees bent and hold onto straps attached inside the basket. The boy stood in front of me and I helped brace him. We were a little off our marker and bounced into the roadway. It wasn't to hard of a landing but we did break up the road some and took out a road sign and some trees. When we had finally touched down a few of the people got to get out while the rest of us crouched way down and waited until the basket was tilted on its side and the balloon was laying on the ground (about 5 minutes). Once all was said and done we headed to a deluxe champagne breakfast and then back to our hotel by 10:30am. It was a full morning and we spent the rest of the day napping and relaxing!


Getting ready to take off!

Heading up, up, up. See how far from land we are!

That is reading over 3,600 ft. up!

Waiting for our turn to get out of the basket.

Helping to get the balloon packed up!

Vacation Pictures

I promise to post some vacation pictures soon. I realized I hadn't posted anything for a few weeks and want to share it all. Check back in a few days for the pictures of our adventures in Cairns, Australia!

Bowling and Dancing!

The family went bowling the other night. We had lots of fun and the mom is still the champion! My boys did great too though. They were playing Michael Jackson's #1s and the boy was breaking it down all night. Thankfully he let me catch him on video to share with all of you. ENJOY!

The Boy Snoring!

The boy was convinced he didn't want to sleep in his bed. We found out he snores as much as his mom and dad! Too cute.

Squadron Children's Christmas Party Take 2

Santa arrives in style!

Cheesing with Santa!

Thanks for the present Santa!

Squadron Children's Christmas Party Take 1

The boy had lots of fun at the Children's Christmas Party this year and it was the best one yet! There were lots of crafts and fun games to play. It was lots of fun and a little hot in the hangar.


Fishing for a prize!

Finished product!

Working on his frame with the BEST BABYSITTER EVER! Katy, you are missed! Come visit us in Florida!

The book walk.

After the ride on the firetruck. The firemen even let the boys spray the water out the front. The boy was more than excited about it.

The Joys of Moving!

6.5 crates and one giant couch box later and the family has officially been packed out. Estimated weight of 9,300 Lbs. December 7th and 8th were busy and crazy and a little boring while we watched the movers pack out 98% of our belongings. We left for vacation the next day. In hindsight, I would have waited until after vacation to pack out but when we got home from Cairns we were glad it was all over, except for not having our giant and very comfortable bed anymore. Loaner furniture is just not the same. The joys of the military life!

The Dad's Homecoming (Again!)

I forgot to post these when I posted the welcome home pictures. The boy and I (and my great friend Kristina!) worked hard on our spray painted sheet. All the things around the Welcome Home part are the things the boy and I couldn't wait to do with the dad when he returned. I would say we've covered most of them in the past 4 weeks. Definitely not the best sign I've ever made but it was still lots of fun to do. I call it ghetto fabulous! Thanks for ALL your help Kristina.

Early Christmas Presents

Since the movers came before Christmas, the boy was able to unwrap his presents from his Memere and Papa early. Yes, those are salt and pepper shakers but anyone who has spent time with the boy knows that he loves his pepper.....especially from a grinder. The boy was all smiles with the change (money) too and we just brought all his change to the bank to turn in. Since this spring, he has saved $169!

An Update!

So things have been crazy since the dad came home and won't be slowing down anytime soon. We have orders! Our car is being shipped out this Thursday and the movers come to pack our household goods on Monday and Tuesday next week. It is all happening so fast. I will be excited when all the madness is over. Next Wednesday we are headed back to Australia for another vacation, this time in Cairns. It will be a much needed vacation (in my opinion) and sure to be lots of fun. We promise to take lots of pictures. As of right now, we should be heading back to the mainland towards the end of January. No finalized date set just yet. We hope to spend a few days in Tokyo before we head back and hopefully catch up with some family! Be sure to check back here for some more updates. I will be posting some pictures of the moving madness!

Surprise!

The dad brought the boy home a surprise. As you can see in the pictures, the boy was more than excited. Who knew a Lego rescue helicopter could get this kind of reaction? Thank you to my good friend Kristina for capturing the moment and for taking all the homecoming pictures. You rock!

The Dad's finally home!

The dad is home! After many many months our family is together again. We headed to the dad's workplace last Tuesday and waited (a little impatiently) while they flew in. It was great to see them walk in together as a group. The boy spotted the dad and took off running. You can see it in the two pictures. I'm not sure who was more excited but I know they are both so happy to be back together again. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with some great friends and spent the dad's first weekend home sick. Not at all fun but at least we were together. The boy is the only one who hasn't gotten sick and we are crossing our fingers that he doesn't. I am so grateful for and proud of the career path that the dad has taken. He serves our country so that we may all continue to have the freedoms that we do today. The sacrifices he has made are honorable and I am more than proud to be a Navy wife. Thank you for all you do the dad. The boy and I are blessed to have you in our lives.


The boy was so excited to show the dad his welcome home sign. The boy put a little bit of everything on there!


The boy spots the dad.


The boy takes off for his first hug!


The two best guys in the whole world.


The family is together again!

Spoiling the Mom!

So the dad will be home in 5 days! Yup, that's right.......5 DAYS! We are definitely in countdown mode. The boy has his daily daddy m-n-m and I have been getting roses from the dad everyday. He started 8 days out and everyday I get one less rose. Today it was 5 for 5. I am a big fan of flowers and the dad is definitely outdoing himself. He is raising his own bar.......watch out!

The mom also got her hair cut and colored today. I went for a bold red and the hairdresser did the perfect color. I LOVE IT! Just thought I would post some pictures of the flowers and my new do so you can enjoy them as much as I have. Redheads have all the fun.

Clifford Days

The boy's school is having Clifford (The Big Red Dog) Days this week and this is how he came home to me. I couldn't resist having him put his ears back on to take a picture or two before bed. Too cute!

Three, Two, One....Action!

Here are a few videos of the boy. He loves the video camera and would talk all day to it if I let him. He is constantly asking for me to film him. Looks like I've got a child actor on my hands. Uh oh......does that mean I have to be that stage mom! Haha, enjoy!

My little Chef!

Tonight the boy and I had date night. He cooked us a homemade pizza and we watched a Scooby Doo movie. It was lots of fun for both of us and could have only been better if the dad was here to join us! I also included some other pictures of the boy's culinary skills. Bon Appetit!

Tennis Time

The boy loves tennis. He was the only one to show up at lessons today. I think he loved having all the attention focused on him. He learned a new skill today which is moving towards the ball to hit it. I know it sounds simple but for a little one to have moving hand and eye coordination like that is a big feat. He did great though and Coach Seth was impressed. Thankfully the boy didn't have any "John McEnroe" moments today! Somehow I have a child who is a perfectionist. Crazy I know. Here are some pictures from this morning. As you can see in the one, the boy prefers to chug directly from the water cooler. I still have no idea why I bring him his own water bottle!