Back in Cape May!

We're back and it feels SO good! We are officially counting down the days until Greg comes home! Coming home there were two things I was dreading; the flight and grocery shopping (haha). So...

The Flight...
     ....went AMAZING! I took a chance when I got to the airport and kept Noah's car seat with us in hopes to have an extra seat. Well, my hopes and prayers came true and the middle seat happened to be open! I gave Noah a ring pop for take off and landing for his ears which worked out pretty well...messy...but well! Noah slept the first hour of the flight and then stayed awake until we were literally landing. During the flight, he ate A LOT, we played with toys, read books, and ate a little more. We only got up once to stretch our legs. We walked up and down the aisle a couple times and spent some time in the back with the flight attendants.

The Grocery Store...(Dun Dun Duuun) - I always have the urge to say that when bringing up the big "G" word!
     ....went better than I thought it would. When I go to the store, I always need to be in a good mood and not in a hurry. My bag was packed with treats and Noah did fine. Of course I had to run after him a couple times but it went well. We were there for an hour but the good thing was that it wasn't very crowded.

Moving on...
Hmm what have we been doing? Well time is officially in slow motion right now. Catching up with neighbors and friends has been our main focus. Keeping Noah busy at the park helps make time go by a little quicker. Although I hate living life that way, all I want is to see Greg so we are doing everything we can to make time fly. The weather has been okay. The humidity and stickiness is definitely something to get use to. There have been a couple days that have been less humid where we have stayed outside and played until 8 at night. A neighbor that moved right after we left for California gave us their water table so that has helped keep Noah cool. Our backyard is practically dirt/sand so he gets pretty dirty but what ever keeps him from having heat stroke, I am all for! I've been working on our front yard a little bit considering it was filled with weeds and I'd like Greg to be somewhat proud of me haha. ;)

Speaking of GREGORY!
I received an email from him last night and I could not be MORE proud of him. He took his Boards test and passed with flying colors. They said that he did really well, so I think they were impressed with Greg. He's pretty much amazing at what he does :) lol. I am so proud of him, I wish I could jump up (yes he's a foot taller than me) and give him a big hug. We will have to do some celebrating when he gets back...which is SOON!!!
He had told me recently that he was going to have duty on the day/night he gets back and I was so bummed! I can't believe I have to spend an extra night without him!! BUT then he passed his board SO may be things will change. The other part of me hopes that he has duty that night because then he will be around for some upcoming events on base. So it's basically a catch 22/bittersweet ;) I just miss my hubby and want him here NOW!

Alright, on to the photos :) Warning: Crappy photos! I sent my camera in to get fixed yesterday so fingers crossed I will get it back sooner than later.

Airplane Ride: Sleep, Eat, Play, Be Silly :)

 I asked Noah what his name was and he points to himself and says (in his own little gibberish) "Noah!"

 I got Noah this little car for $10 from someone on base. He loves it and is just starting to figure it out.

Watching the Recruits run by (thanks neighbor for the photo!)

I remember being so excited to see the videos and photos of Greg running at boot camp! 

Like these...(Always a proud wifey over here!)

We've been working on playing catch so Daddy can see :) 

Getting better and better!

Before I end..some of you know I have been having issues with Noah's sleeping since we have been back. Noah seems to be afraid to go to sleep in his crib unless I am laying right next to him. Well I finally came up with a solution that I am working on. I have been putting Noah down to bed and telling him to lay down and that I am right there. Every day I get further and further away from his bed. I am now sitting outside the door telling him I am there and he goes right to sleep. So I feel like it is working out. My only problem now is that he is waking up more in the middle of the night. I know it's just a phase so I am just going to go with it, especially considering we have only been back for a week.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

What is OPSEC?

OPSEC stands for Operations Security. Basically, it protects US operations, whether it be planned, current, or completed. In order for operations to be completed it must consist of secrecy and surprise so the military can accomplish the mission more quickly and less risky. In order for

Don't discuss current or future destinations/port of call/deployment bases.
Don't discuss current or future operations or missions.
Don't discuss current or future dates and times of exercises or missions.
Don't discuss readiness issues and numbers
Don't discuss specific training equipment.
Don't discuss people's names and operations.
Don't speculate about current or future operations.
Don't spread rumors about current, future, or past operations or movements.
Don't assume the enemy is not trying to collect information on you; he/she is.

OR a Cute Way of Putting It...  (Click to View Larger)

OPSEC is taken very seriously and it FREAKS me out that I may say something wrong. So now you know...I will not be going into details for the safety of my man ;)

The 4th of July

Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July! We spent July 3rd in Sebastopol with my brother and his family. It is tradition for the little ones to have a lemonade stand and the profit goes to buying fireworks! Very cute idea! My niece, Kennedy (12), has been doing it since she was very little and has passed the torch to her little brother Caden (5) and their cousin Charlotte (6). Noah joined them later in the day ;)

 My Niece Sophie :)

Sebastopol Fireworks were great! We watched them from my Sister-in-Law's Mother's house. Noah loved the fireworks. Every time he heard the big boom, he would laugh. It was adorable! So happy he liked them! 

Before going to Sebastopol, we took my dad's boat out to Berryessa for the first time this summer to make sure everything was running before we go on vacation in Clearlake. Everything ran very smoothly and Noah enjoyed the ride as well! His favorite thing to do is "drive" the boat ;) 

On the 4th, I must say, I had a pretty relaxing day! Noah took a 3.5 hour nap! I normally wouldn't let him sleep that long, but he was up so late the night before, I decided why not?? I talked to Greg a little bit through text. They stopped off just to get gas and were not allowed to get off the boat. He sounds well. Honestly, nothing really new with him. He's ready to get off the boat and enjoy some time off on land. They have only spent about 5 days on land out of 38! I should be hearing from him again soon! The night of the 4th we joined the neighborhood for a block party. Lots of kids, food, drinks, and nice people! 

 Taking a Ride with Colton 

 Fireworks with Grandpa. We felt like we were at the actual firework show! 

Pretty impressive! 

Definitely missed Greg this 4th of July. The days are getting harder with Greg not around. I miss him so much, I'm grateful that the day is getting closer..just not close enough! I feel so spoiled being in California with all the help. Noah is one lucky boy. WE are lucky to have family all so close! We have enjoyed our time here, but I am looking forward to being back in Cape May. Getting back means getting super close to seeing Greg! Unfortunately it is extremely HOT over there which I am not looking forward to! I'm excited to see our friends too and get back into the groove of things. Fingers crossed my house isn't covered with critters!! :) We go back a week from Tuesday. Tomorrow we are off to Clearlake for a week, then we will be frantically making our rounds saying good bye to everyone. Not quite sure when we will be back. Greg is waiting to get into A School which happens to be in.....PETALUMA! Ha crazy! So we are hoping January/February. I hope I can keep you all a little more informed on Greg, but I can't say much on here. (See today's blog on OPSEC) :)


Have a Nice Weekend! :)