Melting

We have had some record-breaking heat here in South Carolina (105-109 degrees!) You know, the kind where you open the door and it feels like an oven. It reminded me a lot of when we lived at Edwards, but with some humidity added to the mix. We managed to stay cool though, with a trip to the pool and some lemonade ice pops.

 

Shaw Air Show 2012

This past weekend was Shaw AFB's air show, although we have to admit that it was not nearly as amazing as Edwards AFB's (because they have all the planes!) Originally Steve planned to take just Christian as a special outing, but in the end we all attended on Saturday morning.

I love a good air show, there is just something so cool about the loud roaring engines and amazing stunts. Unfortunately, little ears do not agree. (See Christian's first and second air show experiences.) Christian really did enjoy seeing the airplanes up close, but when the F-15's and F-16's flew, both boys were ready to go despite our best effort with using earplugs. We ended up leaving around 11:30am, but still felt like it was worth the visit (even if we did not get the chance to see the Thunderbirds.) Naturally my camera battery died shortly before the airplanes flew- still got a few good photos.

Christian is still talking about going to the air show to see the "air-trains" and that they were loud. He even drew a picture of the loud airplanes and the Army's Golden Knights on Sunday.

MIA

Yesterday Christian and I returned from Montgomery, Alabama where Steve is taking a 5 week course at Maxwell AFB. C and I were only able to stay the first 2 1/2 weeks because I needed to get back for a doctor's appointment, but overall we really enjoyed our time in Montgomery. Other than the cramped and non ideal lodging (C had his pack n' play in the tight kitchen,) Montgomery has nice shopping, restaurants, and other activities that Sumter (being a smaller city) does not offer. (Below are pictures of our "cozy" TLF living. Christian and Daddy especially enjoyed wrestling on the bed):We were also able to visit with old friends from Edwards AFB who are now stationed at Maxwell AFB and at Eglin AFB in Florida (a 3 hour drive.) It was certainly fun catching up with everyone since life has changed so much in the 2 years since we all moved from Edwards. The last time we saw these families we were all pregnant with our first baby, so it was fun to see how the family dynamics have changed and to finally meet these kiddos since we had only seen photographs. Christian also loved meeting and making new friends (Christian, Benjamin, and Annika were all born within a month of each other, and little Gunner is only 15 months behind.) Benji sitting on Christian's lap, ready for a story.

Playing at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.

Our friends, Erik and Rozlyn with their children, Annika and Gunner.

Disney Magic

Our final trip during Steve's R & R after his deployment was to...you guessed it...Disney World! If you know us well, you know that we (especially Steve) love Disney World and Disneyland. We had season passes to Disneyland the majority of the time while we were stationed at Edwards AFB in California. It was always fun being able to take the 1.5-2 hour (once 6 due to a wildfire) drive to Disneyland for a little getaway from the desert. Christian is almost 18 months and has already been to Disneyland and Disney World 2 times now! What a spoiled little boy. :o) Anyway, back to our trip....

We had a wonderful time! We stayed at the Shades of Green military resort, which was quite a bargain for being so nice and also within walking distance to Disney's Polynesian Hotel and the transportation center. We went to EPCOT 2 days (because it is our favorite park) and the Magic Kingdom 1 day, and of course, Downtown Disney because I needed to get my Ghirardelli hot chocolate. :o)

Christian loved any chance that he could walk around, explore, and help Disney with their gardening needs. (Spending so much time at our house doing yard work lately has translated into Christian wanting to dig in the dirt and rearrange the mulch.)

It was fun to see C's face light up and he especially seemed to enjoy "Its a Small World" and "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" aquarium at EPCOT. Each morning Christian was excited for another day and would actually want to be in his stroller (temporarily) ready to head out from our hotel room.

EPCOT was having their "International Flower and Garden Festival" which was really neat to see the Disney character topiaries and beautiful gardens. I especially liked the butterfly garden.

Other than Christian having a stomach bug on the way home and enduring a very smelly 7.5 hour drive (we had to pull over to change his clothes 3 times) we had an excellent Disney World vacation. I am sure that future Disney plans will be in order soon. But now, after 3 weeks of fun together, today it is back to reality.

Christian is One!

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby boy, who was born 1 year ago today! I cannot get over how incredibly fast the time has gone. Is he really One? Was he truly this small? It seems like just yesterday that we were anticipating Christian's arrival (which came as a big surprise) but here we are! And what a busy 12 months it has been with traveling across the country and living in 3 states (CA, CO, SC.) It has been such an adventure and we have enjoyed every part of C's life- we look forward to whatever may lie ahead. We love you buddy! Thank you for the indescribable joy that you have brought into our lives.In a letter I wrote to Steve about a month ago:

"Did you ever dream that you would love him this much? Must be just a glimpse of what our heavenly Father feels for us."

What a gift indeed.

Watching the Rain

This past weekend was wet and soggy. I liked it! It is so nice to see rain after our 4 years in the desert at Edwards with very little. The thunderstorms out here are pretty intense. Usually when it rains, it pours. No wonder everything is so delightfully green!

Here is little man watching from his bedroom window.And his buddy thought he would like to see too.

Calling Nana

This is Christian's beloved crocheted blanket from Nana- a baby gift when he was born. He sleeps with his blankie in addition to his "boo boo bear" from my friend Susan (a tradition started by her daughter, Erin, whom I babysat at Edwards.)

"Thanks Nana, I love my blue blankie!"

Nana, Papa, and Myrtle Beach

This past week Nana and Papa came to visit us (hence the absence of posts on the blog.) It was so nice to see them and spend time together. Not sure if Christian remembers living in their home for 3 months, but he was happy and took to them instantly, always greeting them with big smiles. :o) My mom helped me in the garden which needs a lot of weeding and pruning (what a difference a couple of hours makes though!) While we were slaving away doing yard work (haha) Steve and my dad played golf on base and at a golf course that lies on a historical battleground. We went to Columbia a couple of times for more variety (restaurants, shopping, etc.) AND one night Steve and I were able to go to dinner and a movie (Iron Man 2...aww remembering Edwards) while Nana and Papa watched Christian. Yay for a MUCH needed date night!

At Swan Lake before it began to pour...Nana and Papa brought the rain with them from Colorado.

Mid-week we took a little trip to Myrtle Beach which is less than 2 hours away and enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful golf courses. We stayed at the Breakers which is located right on the beach and is perfect for relaxing. They have several pools, hot tubs, and a lazy river. Even though I have been meaning to take Christian to the pool in our subdivision, it hadn't happened in the two weeks we had been living here, so Christian took his first dip in the pool at Myrtle Beach and really seemed to enjoy splashing in the water.

This was the view from our hotel room balcony!

Murrells Inlet marsh walk...they had the best restaurant: Dead Dog Saloon...amazing hush puppies!

It was so nice for my parents to be able to take a week-long vacation and stay with us a little longer. Thank you for coming to visit us! We miss you and enjoyed our time with you!Christian and Nana thought they could get away with it....