Thank You Callie!

My best friend Callie bought the boys a Buzz Lightyear slip n' slide as a going away present when we left South Dakota. She knows my boys so well. We've played with it several times since being back in Okinawa. Ethan even commented, "Callie did really good when she picked this out for us!" Now we're trapped inside in the midst of Typhoon Kompasu and wishing we were outside slipping and sliding.

REALLY wish you were here Daddy to ride out the storm with us. We can't wait until you're home!

Olive You

Isn't it funny how "Olive You" sounds like "I love you?" Our Friday night tradition is to make homemade pizza. The boys were more than willing to help me...or should I say help me by putting the olives on their fingers and then eating them. Oh well! They were too cute and we had so much fun.

My little olive fingers.

Olive you Andy. :)

Last Bit of a South Dakota Summer

We are slowly catching up on our sleep and getting back into our Okinawa routine so I've had a chance to go through the last of our South Dakota pictures. Mom, Britt, and I took the boys to Dinosaur Park. We also had fun catching grasshoppers at home and playing in the tub. All-in-all, it was a great summer. It really made the first half of the deployment fly by. We can't wait to be closer to home on a permanent basis...soon!

Ethan, Mommy, and Jackson at Dinosaur Park.

Climbing the stegosaurus with Aunt Britt.

Exercising with Aunt Britt.

The Grasshopper Slayer and his helmet/grasshopper cage. Ethan was quoted as saying this summer, "All of these 'hoppers have turned me into a killer!" In Ethan's defense, there were a TON of grasshoppers.

Bubble beards!

Gulches of Fun

Here are some pictures from our last day in South Dakota. Mom and I took the boys to Gulches of Fun in Deadwood, SD. It was so much fun! Both boys got to ride bumper boats and go karts, and they both had fun in the bounce house. Hopefully we can go back again next summer!

Jackson, Mommy, and Ethan navigating the bumper boats.

Ethan and Mommy ready to ride!

Jackson's big enough for the bounce house! Last time he was in one of these, he was too scared to jump. Now he's a pro!

Ethan and Momo: Speed demons.

Positive Mental Attitude

We are back in Okinawa! The flights were exhausting, but the boys were real troopers, and we made it back to our island home, safe and sound. I was having mixed feelings about coming back, but now that we're here, I am determined to have a positive mental attitude. We only have six months left on this beautiful island, and then we will never have the opportunity to come back. Therefore, despite the mold in my kitchen, I will enjoy my time here and make the most of it! After looking at the photos, it's really not so bad.

I'll be sure to post pictures of the boys once we're a bit more settled and into our routine.

R&R Part 5

We of course had to take Daddy to Storybook Island. We had fun showing him all of the fun sights we've become accustomed to. Daddy thought it was just as cool as we did.

Love and miss you Daddy!

R&R Part 4

One of Andy's biggest requests for R&R was to go fishing. We succeeded in fulfilling this request! While spending the week at Custer State Park, we went fishing at our cabin, at Legion Lake, and at Stockade Lake. There were tons of fish caught between Andy and Ethan, but only one was a keeper.

Like father, like son.

Like his mother, Jackson finds fishing boring. However, he loved running up and down the boat dock.

The keeper!

Gross.

Getting ready to cook their catch.

Love and miss you Andy, and we can't wait for more fishing trips in the future.

R&R Part 3

During the first week of R&R, we stayed in a cabin at Custer State Park. It was so lovely and so relaxing. We didn't want to leave.

Our cabin.

Our view from our porch.

Me and my squeeze (photo by Ethan).

Ethan and Jackson roasting marshmallows.

Our family. :)

R&R Part 2

We took Daddy to the DC Booth Fish Hatchery while he was here for R&R. We fed the fish and the ducks, we explored the freight cars, and checked out the museum. We had a great time!

Feeding the fish.

Yuck! Fish food.

Brother ducks and brother boys.

Cheese!

Daddy and his boys.

Is this deployment over yet?

R&R Part 1

R&R is over. :( We had a great two weeks though, and it's fun to reminisce as I post pictures from our time together. There are a lot of pictures so I will post them in sections. First up, Daddy's arrival and an immediate visit to Chuck E. Cheeses.

Impatiently awaiting Daddy's arrival.

He's here!

The boys playing ski ball.

Neither boy was going to let Daddy out of his sight.

The first of many great days together.

Miss and love you Andy. Stay safe!