Happy Birthday Aunt Laura!

Happy Birthday Aunt Laura! She's 22 today and going to "Dinneylannnn!"

Steve has arrived

Steve just called from the deployed location. He said they got there without any problems but he's only had one night of about 6 hours of sleep since friday so he's tired. They are in tents but he says they will move to the "pods" soon. They have single wide trailers divided into three rooms and they call these "pods" for some reason, he'll have one roomate. He got to say hi to Brian and Brian was all smiles as he listened to Daddy talk, then he spent the rest of our 15 minute phone call running around wildly yelling and singing "dada." Steve says internet is very hard to come by right now and they start flying in two days so he's not sure when he'll get to call again but it was nice to hear from him. As for Brian and I, we had our last swim lesson today. He can kick and put his face in the water now but overall he was in a bad mood throughout the lesson because he has a cough and chest congestion and a possible ear infection. I thought the cough was getting better but whatever is bothering his ears is getting worse, so this afternoon we will be heading to the doctor and then I'm sure to the pharmacy which means we won't have time to mail Steve the cookies we made him today, maybe tomorrow. Or maybe I'll just eat them all myself!!!!

Spoon, Spoon in my hand, who's the fairest in all the land?

While eating lunch today, Brian discovered his reflection in the back of his spoon, said "hi, da!", admired himself for a few moments, and then said "bye, baby" and went back to eating his soy yogurt. This picture is of course a reenactment but he was just as delighted with himself the second time! Oh, and after a trip to Target and Michaels, we returned home to faucets of flowing water and toilets that flush!! Completely off topic, but I got an email from the squadron commander's wife that the guys made it to their refueling stop in Europe last night and were enjoying one last pint of beer (probably a guiness if I'm guessing their location right) before heading into the Middle East.

UGGGGHHHHHH!!!

Just got up and we have no water!!! Why would we have water!? I should expect this by now! Steve leaves and some major convenience item like water would go too. I found a neighbor though and they don't have water either so it's not just us. At least we still have power and cable, two out of three ain't bad! I'm off to "wash" my hands with an antibacterial wipe and brush my teeth with some bottled water. I'm so glad we haven't gone completely green yet and actually have some bottled water in the garage! And now to convince Brian to eat something besides milk for breakfast!

We Miss Him Already!

Steve/Daddy left today for his 4-month-long deployment to the Middle East. He was supposed to leave yesterday but things got pushed back and we got an extra day together! We spent alot of time just hanging out at home and Steve wanted some last minute favorite meals (both made by me and dinners out). And also Brian is getting over a little cold so we mostly hunkered down at home this last week for some quality time together. It was sad to let him go but now besides missing him of course, I feel relieved that the hard part of seeing him off and the emotional build up to it, is over finally. Now Brian and I just need to get back into our routine here and get the hang of holding down the fort without the daddy around. I know Brian is too young to understand that Daddy is going somewhere for a really long time but I know he will miss him and all the fun things they do together. I can't even wrap my mind around how Steve feels leaving behind his little guy, you couldn't pry Brian from my hands now matter how hard you tried!!! Steve really is making a sacrifice for our country, in that he is giving up seeing his "baby" for four months! I know I couldn't do it! But of course this deployment is not a choice for him, nor are alot of other things in his life with the Air Force. We'll get through it though and we will reunite again in four months, thrilled to have our daddy back! We have been really lucky in that this is only the second time he has deployed to war and been gone for this long. Hopefully this will be the last time for a while! Below are some pictures from the farewell today. Brian is asleep an hour early since we had to wake him from his nap to bring Steve to the squadron, the wine has been broken out, and I think the DVR is holding a few episodes of mindless entertainment for my enjoyment, so I'm off for now....

More Golf

We hit the golf course again this weekend with our friends Stogi, Angela, and baby Caroline. Here's a picture of the moms and babies...

Say "Bye Bye" or Else!!!

Brian has been cracking us up lately with this new routine he has. He comes up to us and loudly announces "bye bye" but won't leave until we say it back. If you try to ignore him or say anything besides "bye bye" in return, a hissy fit may occur. Just for the heck of it a few days ago I answered his "bye byes" with "no....no bye byes, stay here and cuddle" and oh boy, did I make a mistake! Here is what happens when you don't say "bye bye!" I'm not proud of sending my child into a hissy fit on purpose, but it's just so cute!!!!

WARNING: the annoying toddler scream may send you over the edge if you are already in a bad mood or have been listening to your own toddler's annoying scream all day ;)