Fun at City Park

It's so great when we can all be home at the same time. Sean, William and I take walks in the afternoon to get some exercise and to be together even just for a little while. We live about a quarter of a mile from City Park which is right on the Elizabeth River and has 2 big playgrounds, a train that runs on weekends, a snack bar, walking gardens, volleyball courts, and a 9 hole golf course. So fun!


William loves the swings. Whether on the baby swings or having us hold him on the big swings, he loves it. He laughs so hard when Sean pushes him and and pretends to have William kicks him in the face.


He also love to hold on to the monkey bars and attempt pull ups. I wish Sean wouldn't encourage him so much to hang on things like a monkey because he does it at home. I am always catching him climbing up on chairs, tables, and even the oven handle (yikes!).

Robyn's Visit

Last Monday afternoon I was talking to Robyn on the phone, telling her that I missed Sean while he was on his ship, and the next thing I know, I was getting ready for my first overnight house guests. I was so excited to see Robyn and her kids that I didn't consider how small my house was and how difficult it was going to be to accommodate 4 extra people. Also, to add to the fun, Sean called and said he was coming home early and would get to stay at home. And, I still had unpacked boxes in the craft room and office. Yikes! I went into cleaning frenzy mode. Trying to organize for house guests when you don't have enough room for the stuff you have already was quite a chore. I was up until 3am the next two nights getting ready.
Fortunately, everything was great once Robyn got here. I quit obsessing about the size of my house and just had fun with my family. It was nice to have another adult to talk to and the girls and Ryan were great with William.



The beach was fun. The girls loved getting knocked around by huge waves. William was so scared. He clung to me the whole time I was standing in the waves. Poor guy. Good thing he didn't mind sitting in his inflatable boat on the sand. He just chilled out there the whole time with his ba-ba. I love that I live only 20 minutes from the ocean!



The next day we went to the Children's Museum of Virginia. This place is so great. There were so many exhibits for kids and even a baby zone with tons of foam climbing blocks and toys. It was so funny watching the babies discover complete independence. William made tons of friends by toddling up to other kids and "petting" them. One of the little girls gave him a hug and her parents took a picture of it. My favorite was when William and Ryan figured out how to climb the baby slide and then let go and slide back down. They must have done this 20 times over. So cute!

It was very sad when the Candlands had to pack up and leave. I promised we'll see each other soon. Probably in September when Grandma comes. Definitely in October to go to Busch Gardens. Can't wait until then!

*side note: William hit his head on the coffee table the day before so that's where he got the bruise on his eye. Poor little guy!

Welcome Home, Sean!

Sean had his first trip on board his ship, the USS San Jacinto. Although he was only gone 10 days, we missed him and we were glad to have him home. William and I went to the pier to pick up Sean and watch his ship pull into port. It was cool to see how these tiny tugboats move these massive ships into the port.

I didn't realize it would take so long for the sailors to be released after docking. After 2 hours standing around the pier with a fussy, bored baby, someone suggested I go up to the ship. I had no idea where to go once I got there so I asked the first officer I saw. Luckily the man I asked was the SUPPO (Supply Officer), Sean's boss, and he took me right in to see him. He was pleasantly surprised and happy to show off William to the other crew members.

It's great to have Sean home again until his seven month deployment in early November.

Happy 1st Birthday, William

William's birthday was August 3rd and fortunately Sean was able to be home for it. There were only the three of us for the party but we're new to the area and don't know anyone yet. Good thing William won't remember.

There was a setback with the cake situation. I was baking a small Funfetti cake for the birthday boy but after 45 minutes in the oven, I found that our oven was broken and we had a panful of batter. After a quick trip to the store for some cupcakes we were ready to party. After all, what else were we going to put the "1" birthday candle on.

Anyway, from mom and dad he got a toy cell phone, new jammies, a small inflatable pool. He got a new outfit, a musical tractor and sound keys from Grandma and Grandpa Peterson, and from the Candlands, he got a Little People amusement park set. It's been great having new toys around for him to play with. My goodness, they outgrow them so fast!