Mommy's Day Off

I asked once for my birthday last year and even put it on my Christmas list..... one day off. Well, I finally got my wish. It was an almost-whole day off from the girls. This mommy went shopping with her mommy and had an absolute wonderful time. I probably bought too much, which means we will be checking an additional bag (or two) at the airport on the way home. Oops!

I even planned ahead the day for the rest of the family. Wes and Pop took the girls first to the Tennessee Aquarium. These girls had so much fun! I thought I would share a few pictures (well, maybe more than a few) of their adventure.

Checking out the sting rays.

Wes tried to get Gwyn to pet the sting ray. No go.

Baby girl sitting in front of the giant saltwater tank.

The girls weren't quite sure what to think of the butterflies. But, they were pretty (the butterflies and my girls).

Pop inside the circular tank.

I like this picture because it looks like Gwyn is touching the ballooga sturgeon.

After the aquarium, Wes and Pop took the girls to the Children's Discovery Museum of Chattanooga. I love this place. It's SO awesome. There's tons for the girls to do and they LOVE it. It's also really nice now that they are both big enough to enjoy and have fun.

Did I mention this place is awesome? Here's why....

There's water...

and electricity....

and sand...

and so much more.

Wes and Pop decided to divide and conquer. So, there are tons of pictures of Brooke because she was with Daddy. Gwyn, however, played musical instruments and climbed all over the place. Needless to say that by the end of their trip, they both passed out in the car on the way home. Wes mentioned that it didn't even take a whole minute before they were out.

I call that a great day with Daddy!

A Traveling We Will Go...

I had planned even before we left for the mainland to blog about our packing and preparations. But like all good plans are paved with good intentions, this did not even happen. I had shut down the computer way too early so that when there was time to blog, the computer was down.

Tuesday evening (Hawaii time) we boarded a plane bound for Atlanta. With two giant suitcases, two car seats, two kids, a stroller, and three carry-ons later, we were ready to go. We timed the arrival to the airport perfectly. (Sorry, Laura, for your 1-hour/5 mile trip home. We really appreciate you taking us to the airport.) Only had to wait to board for about 5 minutes - NICE!

The girls looked like they were very interested and pleased with their new sleeping quarters.

(Checking out the overhead lighting.)

We could not leave without Lamb.

My worst fears almost came to fruition when Brooke woke up from a 45-minute "nap". My mind envisioned her staying awake the entire trip and being this little, uncontrollable monster, a force to be reckoned with. Her tired, little eyes would almost close, then jerk open, destined to stay awake. She must have been afraid she would miss something. But, daddy worked his magic and had her asleep in no time.

Where did we go first when we got into Atlanta? CHIK-FIL-A, or course!! We actually went to the original, founding Chik-fil-a. I savored each and every chik-fil-a mini as it crossed my lips. I am not ashamed that I ate five little scrumptious minis. Not ashamed at all.

A dear friend of mine was in Atlanta yesterday, and we were able to take a few minutes to see her. I haven't been able to see her in forever, it seems. Thank you, Joanne, for allowing us to infiltrate your home and visit with you. I have missed you!

Lastly, we had a two-hour ride to my parents' home in Cleveland, TN. What did we do in the car? You guessed it!!!

I even put an embarrassing picture of myself on here. Equality for humiliation!!

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon

I love it how Wes gets something in his mind and just goes for it. His latest focus has been about bacon. Several days ago we bought a slab of pork belly for him to cure and smoke. This process takes more time than I had ever thought - 5 days.

Did I forget to mention that he built his own smoker from a huge plant pot, an one-eye burner, a grill grate, and some stone pavers? (MacGyver, watch out!) Oh, yes. That was the focus over Christmas stand-down. Here's a picture of the finished product. The girls thought it needed a little feminine touch.

Back to the bacon project....

So, for the past five days, Wes has been nurturing and coddling his pork belly, transforming it into some delicious bacon. He sliced it up yesterday. This looks like some juicy, succulent bacon. Can't wait to try it out this morning.

As for our picky eater in the house, what does she think of bacon? See for yourself.

Our Littlest Packer

I have been trying to prepare my mind for the upcoming trip home. Making checklists, buying travel stuff, doing laundry, and gathering toys for the trip are just a few of things that I have been doing.

What has little Miss Brooke been thinking about? Take a look at our littlest packer.

All she needs is Lamb. She could care less about anything else.

Good-bye, Hello

Well, I can finally say good-bye to an old chapter in our lives. Wes came home this morning from being attached to the USS Hawaii (SSN 776) for 4.5 years. A huge sigh of relief came over me when he walked in the door. The girls went crazy after they finally realized who he was. (I hadn't told them he was coming home. Didn't want to jinx it.)

While I am completely, utterly excited about this, I am reminded that there are friends and family still attached to the boat. I will never forget these ladies for their support, friendship and sisterly love. Not matter what, we ARE a family. I will pray for each of these families daily as they face deployment head-on. I can only hope that they know I am here for them and will always support them.

That being said, I can now breathe. I even mentioned to Wes this evening, "It's going to take me a while to come to terms that you are home now. You're not going back out to sea again for a while." I can feel a weight lifted.

Mourning the Loss of a Loved One

And the time has finally come to say good bye. It deeply saddens my heart to see such a tragedy occur. My heart aches, my sanity suffers.

So long, NAP TIME. You were my best friend, my solace, my brief moment of sanity in the middle of the day. You will be sorely missed. Oh, how I remember the days when we would gather together to breathe and enjoy peacefulness. Left behind are future days of activities, energetic girls running about (driving me mad....LOL), and errands that never were accomplished during the morning. May you never be forgotten.

And now onto other things....

Soon to come: The Untold Story of Packing for the Mega-Mainland Trip

Picture This!

One thing about being married to someone in the Navy is learning to be flexible. Flexible with your plans, with your time, with your opinions. Today has been one of those days where you just have to "roll with the punches."

Picture this... it's about three in the afternoon. Gwyn is downstairs in the living room playing with a giant floor puzzle (and doing quite well at it, I must say). I am in the kitchen, baking of course. I had been hearing Brooke playing in her room, but not really paying attention to my motherly instincts.

Shame on me!!!

I sent Gwyn up the stairs to get her sister. No problem. She comes down the stairs and this is how I am greeted:

And before you flood my email/facebook/comment section with questions.... NO, that is not chocolate on her face and nose. No. I couldn't be so lucky.

And yes, it is POO.

I frowned, walked up the stairs, and faced the unknown of her bedroom. I do have to admit that it was mostly contained in one place - my glider rocker's seat. Thank the heavens it is removable and washable, which is where it is as I am writing.

Remember the "flexibility" I was referring to earlier? Well, baths are supposed to be for nighttime. But today, they are for "just after waking up from a pseudo-nap". When today is not usually laundry day, this day it is.

I love how my family keeps me on my toes, makes my life spontaneous, and puts a smile on my face.