Old Friends....Good Times!!!

This week flew by with lots of activities and a couple of visits from old friends. Mike's fraternity brother Greg Cooper was out here from Richmond for the week on business. We were able to get together Monday night down in the gaslamp for dinner, and catch up on eachothers kids and better halves! We also had Steve & Shawna Cogar and their sweet kids (Ethan & Isabella)....good friends from Texas and all the way back to our first stint in SD and flight school in Pensacola stay with us Thursday night! My girlfriend Dee Dee was a saint as she watched all 5 kids so we could sneak away for a late lunch and complete conversation that afternoon! The kids loved having a sleepover with friends, and the visit just was way too quick....come back soon!!! This week ahead should be a cake walk....with preparations for Mike's homecoming....you know... hair, nails, that type of important stuff!!!

Funny kids & their silly faces!

Playing "Beach"!!!
...and gettin sun!
Greg & I at Altitude (bar on top of the Marriott in the Gaslamp)
....what a view....we missed you Annie & Mike!!!

The Cogs!

Steve & Shawna.....

after a week of phenomenal weather they are feeling the SD itch once again!!!

The only thing I regret is I somehow didn't get any pictures of the kids....they all played so nicely together and were so much fun to have. It's so amazing to see how eachothers kids have grown!

Girls day at the Rancho Bernardo Spa

with Keita & Dee Dee....

Oh....and LOTS of mimosas!!!!

Oh how I've been waiting to write this...

1 WEEK TO GO!!!

Sydney, Australia

Mike recently spent about 4 days in Sydney, where he was able to get off the boat, stay a few nights in a hotel and get some much needed time off from the boat. He toured the city (which he's visited a few times on previous deployments), hit a few pubs, did a little tzachkie shopping for the kids and is back on board heading for Hawaii. He is still on track to be home on time for a true 6 month deployment which is a huge blessing. We are eating our chocolate kisses every morning and continuing our countdown!!!

Sydney, Australia Fancy Dan & Mike

(just a couple o'mates chillin in a pub...) Heading Home.....just one more stop!!!

Next deployment I am definitely going to Australia!!!

Anyone want to watch 3 kids for a week?!?!

We're in the Home Stretch Now!!!

We are well into our countdown now! The kids and I have all been somewhat walking on air with the feeling that Mike will be home in just 2 weeks! We are gearing up for homecoming day and have a few activities on the calendar to help this last bit of time fly by. If any of you have tried to email Mike and it was returned to you, email has been down on the ship for a the past few days. Mike did have his birthday on the 18th (the kids baked him cupcakes), but we will have a real celebration when he returns!

Monday Morning Madness....

Sometimes I wonder how we can be up at 5:30 and still rushing to get out the door to be at preschool on time at 8:30am!!!Coop! Macy practicing for her dance recital
Emmy can tap her little heart out
(her little friend Isla is on the right)

This is what Cooper does while his sisters are dancing!!!!

I won't lie....he does have a bit of a shoe fettish!Our newest creation!

Equipped with door & windows....

the kids have had their lunches and snacks in here this week.....

we hope it's still up when Daddy gets home!Marla, Matty & Emmy

(Friday night Make Your Own Pizza at the V's!)
Abby & Macy busy creating....
Even Coop got in on the action!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!

The kids made Mike cupcakes on Saturday night....

made with love, a few shells, and LOTS of sprinkles!!!

Gotcha!!! Emery is caught in the act!Coop just likes to eat the frosting off and then he's done!

2 Weeks to Go!!!

Feels like Fall!!!

We're getting closer and closer each day to Mike coming home....but we're not without our household drama! This week our big screen TV broke (and after donning my tool belt), ordering a new bulb, taking apart and installing multiple times....I'm officially done trying to fix things! After rearranging the TV's in the house, we at least have a TV in the family room that gets some channels for the time being. Somehow I came down with either food poisioning or a serious 24 hr bug that put me out of commition on Friday night and Saturday, but thankfully DeeDee came to the rescue. She picked up all 3 kids for the morning and took them to the pumpkin patch...they had a blast! We got together with my neighbor Ann and her boys on Saturday night for dinner and to roast a few marshmallows over her new fire pit (the kids loved riding their bikes home in the dark). We've been enjoying some serious fall like weather and are ready for another week ahead...but could definitely do without any other appliances going on the fritz! After all there's only the fridge and computer left!!!

Our haunted house!Coop loves the witch hat & his Mummy!Riding in style with Declan!Cake decorating 101....be sure to use ALL the sprinkles!

Thanks for baking Shelagh!Pumpkin Patch Cuties!This is the perfect pumpkin!Hmmmmm......I'll climb any and everything!I'm gonna get you Mace!Cutie Patootie is what I am!Miss DeeDee and ALL the little pumpkins!Roasting marshmallows with our neighbor Ann and her boys Cooper & Gavin.Say 'smores'!!!The Coopers (Big & little)! We're all smiles tonight!
Sunday morning pancakes!
A little something arrived on our front porch after naps today

(From Daddy...with a little help from Mommy...shhhh)

A fun way to help the kids count down the final days of deployment!3 Weeks to GO!!!! :)

Already October???

Rough seas & big waves as Mike's ship heads to Sydney!

A portrait of Daddy

by Macy

(She's been practicing writing her letters, making their sounds, and putting words together everyday after naps....she really is such a good little student....even for Mom)!

Another week down and we're into October! This week I had fun volunteering in the girls classrooms and seeing them in action. They were both such good little students...so attentive, such good listeners, and so polite (whether it was a show for Mom or not I don't know)....but they made me proud. Both girls seem to really be enjoying school, especially going together. I had a day to myself to go shopping for a Marine Corps Ball dress which was fun to do kid free, we'll have that the first week Mike's home in Nov. This weekend the kids and I decorated the house for Halloween and are now officially ready for the fall festivities! Just one step closer to having Mike home! He had a brief but fun stop in Perth....was able to throw back a few bevies and have a meal off the boat....and is now headed for Sydney (although the waters are really rough and the boat is apparently really rocking)......nothing my stomach could handle! Probably no cruises in our future!!!

Come on Coop.....this is what "funny face" looks like remember???Macy loves to read books with Cooper, asking him questions, pointing to pictures....

she's a good little teacher and big sister!Emery's Class

(closing circle time with Mrs. Wille & friends) Emmy's Deer in the Headlights look....

ok, so she was really trying her best to smile without winking...

hard to do both at the same time! Don't let this this cute face fool ya....the shirt says it all!!!Brownie Bakers!
Whiping something up in the kiddie kitchen Coop style!Saturday was movie night at our house this weekend!

4 Weeks to go!!!