Visiting the Big Boat

Les had a Duty day on a Sunday, so Dylan and I decided that we would go to visit Dada on the Big Boat (The Carrier George H.W. Bush) and take him some Sushi for Dinner. It was a good way to get Dylan use to the idea of where his Daddy will be when he is deployed. Dylan went for an explore around the boat including where Daddy works and sleeps, we even got to see what Les does at work, watch the Simpson's all day :). It was quite an enjoyable evening for us and a great way to make the most of Les being on Duty on the weekend.

Tennis is a dangerous game

Dylan was going out for a game of tennis and given how dangerous it can be he decided he should put some goggles on.

Fathers Day: A Salute to Daddy

I’m Happy You’re My Dad
Dear Daddy, I miss you very much,
But I know you are on the big boat
Helping keep things safe,
I am so proud you are my Daddy.
I feel safe when you are with me;

You show me fun things to do
And make me laugh;

You make my life much better;

The best father I know is you.
I’m very glad you’re my Dad

and so I want to say I love you Daddy,

and wish you

A Happy Daddy’s Day!

The picture is Dylan Saluting his Daddy on the carrier just before Les Left.

Cherry Blossom festival

We enjoyed an afternoon in DC at the cherry blosson festival. We met up with Amanda, Charlie and baby william, it was a little chilly but lovely to see and to catch up with some friends. On the way back stopped off at the Zoo to see the lions and then for a bite to eat at Spicies.

A day in Jamestown

Williamsburg is certainly an enjoyable place to live with lots of activities going on. One Sunday afternoon we decided to go to Jamestown and they were having a re-enactment of the military through the ages, from modern times to medieval times. It was very impressing and Dylan certainly had fun checking everything out. The tent even seemed pretty similar to the Tenna's we make with the sheets.

The World According to D

The man-cub has been working on his language skills but you really need a translation guide to fully decode what Dylan is trying to say.  Here are a few of the key words:


- Lie Lie: verb: To lie down, for sleep or a diaper change
- C-Z: noun: cheese, usually the "string" variant
- Cyto-Bikel: noun: motorcycle, Dada has one!
- Shu-Shu: noun: a train (as in "All Aboard Choo-Choo")
- May-May Toast: noun: toast with Vegemite - we can't figure this one out
- Rays - noun: raisins
- Tenna - noun: a tent, usually constructed with bed sheets
- Toe-Bu - noun: tofu, he loves it and it's a great source of protein!
- Big Boat - noun: a US Navy Aircraft Carrier, Dada uses the same term
- Pooter - noun: computer (he overestimates his computer skills at the moment)
- Zeep - noun: a Jeep, we don't own one but he can spot one coming down the road...he even correctly labeled that Jeep "Compass" which many Jeep purists will tell you shouldn't really be called a Jeep (it's only 2-wheel drive!)

Bouncy!

We had a great day out today at a local indoor inflatable bouncy-castle gym.  We told Dylan we were going last night and you would've thought we were going to Disneyland - this little man loves to throw his body around.  It was also a good work-out for Dada - chasing him around and in many cases through all the inflatable obstacles.

"Always Ready, That Others May Live"

I recently attended the US Coast Guard's National Search and Rescue School in nearby Yorktown Virginia.  One of my duties onboard the Aircraft Carrier is the Search and Rescue (SAR) Mission Coordinator.  If any of our aircrew or sailors (or any nearby civilian mariners) are in distress I plan and coordinate the search and rescue missions.  We've been called on a few times and thus far all missions have ended successfully, but until now I haven't had much formal training.  This has been an opportunity to learn from some true experts - I was very impressed with the course.

Bye Bye Elinor!

We haven't had the courage to tell him yet but Dylan's best mate Elinor has moved away to New Orleans.  They had such a great time together here in Virginia, I'm sure they will be life-long friends but for now we'll have to keep in touch with crazy screams on Skype...here are a few pics from their last weekend on the Williamsburg commons.

Bye-Bye Elinor!

Happy Birthday D!

Our little man is 2!  We're a bit late with the blog-post but I can assure you we've been very busy with new toys (check out the new trike!), books, birthday cake, and friends.  Dylan has been strutting around, quite proud of his new age - and he has been showing off by reciting the alphabet (he can get through the whole thing) and he's counting to 12 (blew right past 10 for extra credit).  His parents feel pretty good too, but wow time flies when you're having fun!  Thanks for all the birthday wishes from across the US and overseas.  We had a small party here in Williamsburg with a few of his Virginia mates.  Good times!

Playing with "Dadda's Big Boat" (toy aircraft carrier)

Michelle and Dylan pushing Molly on D's new trike

Disassembling toy airplanes - a critical skill!

Botany 101

Dr Reid has been holding classes with young Mr Dylan - but his first botany class wasn't very exciting...it turns out that "creating life" takes a bit longer than a 2 year old's attention span might prefer.  But, seeds planted...now we wait...

Fast forward a few weeks and class is back in session...ah...life!  Thanks for the lesson Mumma!

High Seas

Although I'm safely back on dry land I thought I'd share a great photo from our recent time underway off the east coast.  As has been typical in the winter months we were chased by the weather - in this shot the weather won - it was actually more ominous than it appears with 25-30 foot seas and winds topping 50-60mph.

                                                                             US Navy Photo

The ship held up just fine - in fact, onboard you hardly knew it was raging outside.

Go cheesies Go

Skiing Holiday in Denver

We kicked off the year with a weeks skiing in Denver. It was wonderful to get away as a family for a little vacation. We all had a great time, Dylan seemed eager to get on some skis - maybe next year. We had a great few days on the slopes, starting with 6inches of fresh snow and barely anyone on the slopes, definitely a good time of the year to ski.

Relaxing after the big day and calling our friends to invite them over for boxing day dinner.