Mail from Steve-

So this partol we have gone about a full month without hearing from Steve. It has been a long month. BUT finally yesterday I got mail from Steve and along with a great letter there were a few pictures.
I was so happy to see that HE was in a few pictures. Last patrol- he avoided the camera at all cost so this time it was a nice surprise to see his face.




















He also put on O2 this month- so the had him swear in (or something like that) on the boat.
I cant ...well I can- believe how hairy he is. Its a little weird seeing him with that much facial hair. (Thats the Captain in the picture with him)

Baseball is here...

It is finally baseball season and we are loving it.

Aydin is on a great team with the best coach ever!! We couldnt be happier.






















He is getting better every day he is on the field- it is so much fun watching him play. Here are a few pictures of his first game last week.








He hit the first pitch!

Charleston- again...

I am finally blogging again- After a week of slacking and being sick... I am able to get it together and post some good pictures of our trip last weekend.
The kids and I went to Charleston again for the weekend to babysit for our friends. Amy had to go to Ohio and Kevin is in dry dock in VA so we were lucky to be there with their kids. Normally when we go to visit we do not go downtown or anything like that so this time we did. We had a picnic at the park and then walked around. I forgot how much I loved downtown Charleston. We had a great weekend and are already looking forward to seeing the Perez family again.

Happy Birthday Morgan

Wow- I can not believe that my little girl is 4 years old. It seems like yesterday she was just a baby. Where does the time go??
Today was a great day. We met some friends at Starbucks before we left for Morgans party to grab her some food. Morgans favorite thing to eat out lately is the lemon loaf from there (if you havent tried it- your missing out!).

The party was a day at the 'spa' for Morgan and two of her best girl friends- Trystan and Salem. They dressed up in princess dresses and got their nails, hair and make up done. They LOVED every minute of it and looked so stinkin cute doing it.




After we picked up Aydin from school- we came home to open the family gifts. I loved watching her open her gifts. Trystan had come over to see what she was getting and Morgan once again showed her sweet self. She handed out her presents to both Aydin and Trystan so they too would have something to open. She didnt even get to open half of her presents because she loved watching them open them too.




After we got home tonight from dance and baseball... she had all of her other friends over for pizza, cake and of course more presents. They had a blast. (Not a lot of pics of this- I recorded it so I could send it to Steve).



(after a long day- she got in her pjs and watched Dora for a few minutes before bed... and NOT letting go of her balloon)

Not that I didnt know before- but my daughter is the best!!
All day she kept saying "This is the best birthday EVER!". I am so glad she had a great day. With Steve being gone- I thought she would have a difficult time so we tried to make it a fantastic day. She was so happy and thankful all day. Everything we did today she kept thanking me and telling me I was the best mom ever. Man- I should have had her say it on camera:).
I am so lucky and blessed to have Morgan as my daughter. She teaches me so much everyday. She is one of those children who are truly beautiful not only on the outside but on the inside. She is so caring, polite (for the most part), so sensitive to others, friendly, and loving to almost everyone (I mean she is only 4 after all). She brightens my day everyday. Morgan we love you. Happy Birthday princess. Thank you for being my daughter!

Kids say the funniest things...

I just got done picking Aydin and his friend Ty up from school and I asked Aydin how his day was. After he told me- I asked how his substitute teacher was... this is how the rest of that conversation went...


Aydin said "How did you know I had a substitute today?"

Ty said "Cause your moms smart"

Aydin then said "Well shes NOT as smart as my dad. He won the game on the airplane to Hawaii."



I had to laugh...

This is why Dad is the smarter one-
On the plane ride from LA to Hawaii the whole plane took part in a trivia game. Steve decided that he wanted to play... not just play- WIN. So of course he played a few rounds of the game and at the end of the flight one of the flight attendants announced who the winner was. Of course- not to my surprise... it was Steve. Our kids thought it was to coolest thing to have the smartest Dad on the whole plane. So yes- it is NO question who the kids think the smarter parent is... they are now letting their friends know- one at a time.

So I found this on Ronees blog and I thought it was interesting.... so I decided I would try it! It is a survey about your husband...

I do have a great husband. He is a great father, friend and husband. He deserves more credit than I give him sometimes... what can I say... I am very lucky that he is MINE!

Stephen Thomas:

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Discovery Channel, Speed or Top Gear

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? A vinaigrette of some sort

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Corned Beef and Cabbage (he got totally sick last time he had it- so he swears he will NEVER eat it again).

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? martini or whiskey

5. Where did he go to high school? Essex Jct High School

6. What size shoe does he wear? 12

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Turkey and Ham.. or meatball

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Sushi/fish

10. What is his favorite cereal? Golden Grahams or Cinnamon Toast Crunch

11. What would he never wear? anything PINK

12. What is his favorite sports team? NEW YORK GIANTS

13. Who did he vote for? McCain

14. Who is his best friend? Me of course!

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Get mad at him in public

16. What is his heritage? Polish, Spanish, French and American

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Red Velvet

18. Did he play sports in high school? Yep- Football and Lacrosse

19. What could he spend hours doing? Working on the cars- or any ones cars for that matter

20. What is one unique talent he has? Putting up with me takes HUGE amounts of talent!!



doing was he loves best (working on my brothers car)

Weekend in Charleston

We love to visit Charleston. Although it was a short trip- its always nice to spend a few days with a fantastic family! Saturday we hung out around the house while the kids spent most of the day running to and from the front and backyard. Later we took a trip to Wannamaker Park. We spent a little over an hour there and then off to the base movie theater where High School Musical 3 was playing. The kids had a blast.

Sunday was Amys birthday. Amy is such a beautiful person inside and out. She is so much fun to be around- always making me laugh.

I remember the day I met Amy.

She was in the Relief Society room- in the back row and new to our ward. It was my week to have the friendship basket- and of course I had to give it to her. Ever since she moved in- I wanted to get to know her.

There was just something about her that made me want to know more. That day we chatted a little after church and realized we had more in common than we knew. It didnt take long before we started hanging out everyday. (Even more when she started working her magic- personal training me and WOW she is GOOD!!)

Amy is just one of those people that is good at whatever she does! She is a great friend.

Thank you Amy for being the wonderful person you are!

Happy Birthday.