Happy Veteran's Day

First of all, thank you to those of you who have served this great country in the armed forces, or in support of them.

I feel bad I didn't even realize it was Veterans Day until a friend at playgroup told us why her daughter was not in school. I have been pretty wrapped up in my own world lately, so I guess it shouldn't surprise me that it slipped under my radar. I'm not sure when I last watched the news, or read a paper. Pretty ironic considering my job in the military was to know ALL the news, all the time. I suppose it's a lot like my friends who played sports at a competitive level. Once they stopped competing, they pretty much stopped playing all together. I suppose that if you can't keep yourself in tip top shape, or spend hours a day analyzing information to produce intelligence, you feel like you shouldn't do it at all... otherwise you just get frustrated and disappointed at your current level of performance. Ok, so that's a pretty sorry excuse for my lack awareness, but give me a break... I had to clean up yet another diaper mess gone wrong today.

So, in honor of Veteran's Day, I thought you would get a kick out of these photos of yours truly and my hubby. My memories of my time in the Navy are bitter sweet. It was seldom easy. I was often lonely, under-appreciated, and frustrated, but it was an amazing experience. I traveled the world (and a lot of ocean), made some life long friends, met and married my true love, and did more for the betterment of my country than I ever imagined I would. I had never before felt such honor and pride like I did the day I took that oath. It is indescribable. Anchors Aweigh my friends. 

(Lucky for you I don't have any digital photos from my time at OCS or commissioning, although they would be the most amusing of the bunch). 13 weeks of "fun" didn't do a lot for my girly girl looks (although I did have a great set of abs!) These are really out of order, but it's late and I'm too tired to fix them. Blogger is not user friendly in that department.

Dec. 2000. Intel school graduation with the Director of Naval Intelligence.  Notice my short hair... this was eight months post OCS.  Oh yeah, it was even shorter.

April 2002. Ensign no more. LTJG Goolsby.

Who needs "Maverick" when you have "Monkey?"  Move over Tom Cruise.

There really is something about those boys in uniform.  Lucky for me, I didn't have to wear mine that night.  It just isn't the same on me.

July 2001. Riding in a C-130 for 8 hours back to Virginia Beach from a training detachment in Montana.  Not so first class.  No potty and no peanuts.

Cruise 2002. Sitting in a Mig-21 in Croatia.    

Cruise 2002. Transiting the Suez Canal.  Not a lot of room to spare on either side.  Plenty of room in my size XL shirt.  Was it too much to ask for something a little more fitted?

Cruise 2000, the pre-Jill years. Sexy legs there honey.  

Home sweet home for more months than I care to remember.

CVN-73, the USS George Washington

Deep in thought in the Ready Room, advising a pilot... ok, so I was helping with a crossword. Petey needed a lot of help.

Taken from a SH-60 helo as I was leaving the GW for a one night stay aboard a Canadian destroyer. 

Taking a joy ride in a T-34.

Jeny and Avery's visit no. 2

We are so lucky to have had two visits from Jeny and Avery since Henry's birth (if only Bob had been able to come too). The girls had even more fun playing together this time since Avery is walking and is able to keep up with Aubrey. They also napped at the same time, so Jeny and I were able to visit more and spend some time loving on Henry. Thanks again Jeny for making the trip! What a special birthday present for Aubrey.

Big smiles for Jeny

What a difference a few months makes.  Take a look at how much they have grown!

January 2008

July 2008

November 2008

.

Aubrey's Birthday Fair!

We celebrated Aubrey's 3rd birthday today. How can she be 3? A few months back, I asked her what kind of party she wanted to have. She thought for a second and then exclaimed "a stick party." I kind of blew it off, considering she often throws out ridiculous answers just to be silly. For instance, when asked what she would like for lunch, she sometimes laughs and says "trees and rocks." So, I asked her a few more times over the following weeks. The answer was always the same... "a stick party mommy." So, I thought and thought about how I could make this work. What is a stick party anyway? She said "we play with sticks, we eat sticks." Hmmm. And then the lightbulb... food on a stick. We will have a down home fair!

We had a great evening with friends (although we missed having family come). Our friend Jeny and her daughter Avery even came to town from Virginia (gotta love free flying when your husband is an airline pilot). I would never have been prepared without her help!!! Thanks Jeny. The kids seemed to love the bean bag toss, pin the nose on the clown, corndogs and of course, cupcakes on a stick! Thank you to everyone for helping Aubrey celebrate her big day.

She was worn out tonight and very grateful for her special day. Her words... "mommy, I had too much birthday!" (which means she loved every minute of it).

My invaluable helper, Jeny.

Jack and Amy

The birthday girl in her special shirt... a little overwhelmed at first.

The McHorse clan checking out the games.

Avery waiting for her grub.

Classic fair food.

Henry enjoyed some love from Mia.

The party was hoppin'.

So excited for cake.

The cupcake pops were a hit too! (Of course, mine aren't nearly as cute as Bakerella's)

Thanks for helping Beth and Mia.

Sweet Caroline.

Alivia and her daddy.  Look at him eying her pop!

A VERY happy girl and and very tired mama. 

"Oh, It's a Jolly Holiday...

with Mary, no wonder that it's Mary that we love!" For those of you without kids who may not have seen a classic lately, be sure to check out Mary Poppins. Or, just take a look at these photos. There are certainly a lot of them! I was thinking recently about what movies I loved as a child, and Mary Poppins was at the top of the list. The music is GREAT and there aren't any scary flying monkeys to contend with. So, I bought it for Aubrey and she is hooked! When it came time to pick a halloween costume, naturally she picked Mary Poppins. I had to think long and hard about how to make this happen. There aren't any store bought MP costumes out there, unless you want to spend hundreds of dollars for a broadway replica. No thanks. I figured it would be easy enough to find an old white dress and transform her into the Mary from the "Jolly Holiday" scene. Well, to keep this short, it wasn't as easy as I thought... but the result is precious! And Henry, well he had to be one of the dancing penguins from that scene.

We had a great night of trick-or-treating. We got together with our neighbors again this year and it was so fun to see how much the kids have changed in a year. First of all, Aubrey didn't have a clue what was happening last year, and certainly didn't know what to do with the candy. This year, she came back with chocolate all over her face. Henry had a really long afternoon and fought his nap big time... so he was completely exhausted before we even started. I made it to the end of the street and then had to head home with him... and then listen to him scream for a good long time when I put him down.

Ok, enough talk. Here is Mary Poppins and her Penguin.

Our neighbor Kate, who Aubrey adores

Emily the Bee

What a difference a year makes.  

Aubrey on Halloween 2007.

Happy Halloween, part I

5 Months

Yep, you guessed it.  Henry is a month older and growing.  He is doing really well, considering his skin is like leather and must itch like crazy!  He just started to reach for and hold toys two days ago and really loves chewing on anything that comes near him.  He hasn't rolled over yet, but I'm certain that will happen, along with all the other milestones, when I'm not even paying attention. He still sleeps well most nights.  He woke up for the first time in a few months last week and has been doing it off and on since then.  Growth spurt?  Let's hope so.  His daytime sleep has gotten better, at least for now :).  I'm still dairy, nut and berry free. Not sure it's the source of his skin and reflux issues, but at least it seems to be helping me lose some of the baby weight!  He is quick to smile and I love that about him.  It took serious work to get smiles out of Aubrey, so I appreciate every one of them.

Henry is a joy... (pause, he just woke up).  Did I say joy?  Yes, I meant it, even when I want to pull my hair out.  

Check out her form