Happy Birthday Daddy!!

We decided to have a party for Greg to celebrate his birthday yesterday! We had small group that night at church, so we had fun celebrating with them. Langley helped me make a chocolate chip brownie cake for him. Her and mason packed their daddy doll up and were ready to sing!

Sounds like greg had a nice birthday on the ship. I asked Greg via email if he got any special treatment with it being his birthday. He said he got called to the flight deck and got eggs, flour, and cupcakes thrown at him. :). He said at least the guys remembered! Sounds like they are having fun!

Langley's First Sleepover

Not sure how Langley even knows what a sleepover is?  But recently she has been talking a lot about them.  Her friends from school are dreaming and planning of there sleepovers together.  I hadn't really intended on starting too soon, but Friday night we had our neighbor over after dance class.  It was a last minute decision, since we were both feeling lazy, we decided to pick up McD's(only fast food on base! ugh) and let the kids play at our place.  Marie and I were chatting...we had borrowed Cinderella movie from her...if you want to let her stay and watch...fine with me...before you know it...sleepover!  No one deserves a little break more than my friend Marie!  Her pilot husband is also deployed (on a different ship than Greg though) and her family lives all the way in Arizona!  I feel like I have been very spoiled and thankful for my parents being so close and helping so much with the kids lately.  Definitely makes the deployment easier.  I think Serena and Langley needed a night of fun with both their daddies away on deployment!  I am so glad they can share that with each other.  We are so glad that we met her and have her as a friend!

Glued to Cinderella!  This was actually Langley's first time watching Cinderella.  She is a little behind on the Disney movies. You wouldn't think so considering how princess crazy she is!  And it wouldn't be a slumber party without their favorite pjs!

We played musical beds!  Started on the floor, then in Grandma's bed, and finally they wanted to be separated because they couldn't stop talking to each other and wanted to sleep!  Good idea girls!!!  :)))

This is how they came down for breakfast!  We had chocolate chip pancakes.  A first in our house.  I figured that could be our token sleepover breakfast.  We usually stick with blueberries here.

Mason was napping, so the girls stayed busy doing play dough and playing in the back yard.  They loved their matching necklaces from McD's happy meal that played music.  Kept them boogying all the time!

We can't stop talking about how fun it was and when we are going to do it again!

WATCH THIS!!

Langley loves saying, "Watch this, MOM, watch this!".  Sound familiar?!  :)   Which is followed by some kind of roll, flip, stretch creation that she has conjured up.  I realize that most all of her "watch this" moments are thanks to her gymnastic class she is doing.  This year at school, Langley has been going to a 'Lucky Ducks' Gymnastic class.  Miss Beth is so great with the kids and I realize more now how much she loves it.   She was so excited to perform for the mommies and daddies.  The kids were really put on the spot!  No stage fright allowed!  Most of the performance was them performing their moves one-by-one.  I didn't really know what to expect since I only get to peak in at the end of Langley practice, and I was surprised at everything she could do! 

Warmin' up and having fun!

All the kids sat in chairs along the wall as they waited for their turn to perform.  I think Langley had just as much fun clapping for all her friends.  They were giggling and clapping.  Tried to get a picture.

 Clapping so eagerly after every performer.

So proud!  After each move they were to put their hands up in the air...like Gymnasts do.  :)

This little nugget was trying to jump out of his stroller the entire performance!  I finally put him in my lap.  Juggling the video camera,  the regular camera, and a squirmy boy...this is why most of the pictures are out of focus.  ;)  He is ready for some gymnastics too!

Way to go Langley!  I loved watching that cartwheel and double roll!

Birthday Bliss

My mom and dad were so nice to watch the kids one weekend while I went on a girls get-a-way weekend with my Stroller Strength friends.  It is a yearly event at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Florida.  I was so thankful that I was able to go this year!  Langley and Mason had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa!  On my way home I picked up a birthday cake and balloons for my mom's birthday so we could have a little party before they got on the road to go back to south carolina.

Nothing like mom returning home with cake in hands!  Happy Birthday Grandma Susan!  :)

Mother's Day 2012

I could just soak up every little bit of Mother's Day!  I think it is my favorite day! :)  I praise God for giving me Langley and Mason and for making me a Mom.  I love having a day to revel in that, and taking time to remember how much Joy they bring me each day!  I couldn't get over how excited Langley was to take me to her Mother's Day Breakfast at school!  Loved it.  I couldn't wait to go!  She was telling me all about it throughout the week.  She said that she was going to cook for me and do all the cleaning up.  "All the things that the mommies usually do, we are going to do!"  "Mommy, I am going to take your trash for you!"  We had a special time together!  

All the kids made a special placemat for their mommies.  With a message to us and a mommy-daughter portrait.  Langley has me at a whopping 5 years old!  She knows her momma well with green eyes and brown hair, although she told me that she gave me purple hair in the picture because it is pretty.  :)   I make good soup!  Yay!

She spent a lot of time in class working on a sweet mother's day card for me and a special picture frame.  I love that it is pink with lots of sparkles, because that is what Langley loves!

Such a pretty table for us moms!

She loves her teacher Mrs. Denise.

And here is Langley with two of her favorite friends in her class this year, Remi and Hudson.  Langley loved showing me around her classroom.  Her favorite was showing me the different centers they have and the caterpillar cocoons that they are taking care of.

She had some really sweet pictures hanging in her classroom, so I sneaked pictures of them.

Langley, thank you for the wonderful mother's day breakfast!  I loved being there with you!  

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Langley and I had lots of mother-daughter bonding this week!  Langley calls them "dates".  With Daddy being gone, I thought it might be nice for Langley and I to spend some special time together for Mother's Day, so I planned a little tea party with friends. (forgot about the mother's day breakfast, so she was feeling extra special this week!)  We spend a lot of time with these sweet girls and mommies!  They are great friends!  They all left their baby sisters home for a special day with their mommies too.

We went to a sweet, whimsical Tea House!  The girls had fun working on their best 'princess manners'!  While us mom gritted our teeth in hopes they didn't disturb the other tea-party goers!  :)  (they did a great job!)  I brought a butterfly craft and another mom brought some stickers for them to decorate while we waited for our food.  They loved their matching tea hats that the 'tea fairy' left them.  ;)   (all types of fairies love that dollar store!)

And the lady that owns the tea house brought them pretty scarfs to wear.  Langley was so excited about her Butterflies!  She gave these to her Grandma Deanna and Grandma Susan for mother's day, and made one for her Daddy, of course!

We loved our girly tea sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies to die for!  Such a fun time chatting with our girlfriends.  :)

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On Mother's Day we thought it might be a kind of quiet day around here and for many other wives in Greg's Squadron too, so we decided to host a Mother's Day Brunch at our house.  Greg's squadron has three Det's out to sea right now, so it was great to get together with some other moms and kids who were in the same boat!  This smile will make anyone's Mother's Day!

We did a number to all the food...so good!  You can tell this is the 'after' picture.  I must get the recipe for the homemade cinnamon rolls Melinda brought.

I LOVE this boy!  He is so sweet and silly.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of his dance move he was working at the brunch.  Had us all laughing!   

 The girls were busy making "hide-outs" and playing "emergencies".  :)  

Great times and a happy day!!

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Finally, I have to give a shout out to my sweet husband.  (which i don't do very often on the blog!  and who is reading this now and then, when he has time to deal with the short bandwidth on the ship!)  On Saturday we went to a neighbors birthday party in the morning,  and shortly after we arrived home a babysitter knocked on my door!  She informed me that I was heading to the Ocean One Spa for the afternoon while she watched the kids.  Such a nice surprise!  I felt very spoiled and a little guilty, which always comes when i am at a spa for some reason. Thank you Greg for planning a special day for me which probably wasn't so easy with the miles between us and not so good communications on your end.  It worked!  :)   I love you and miss you!

So thankful for a wonderful mother's day all around....

He is Risen!

Easter weekend was special with Grandma and Grandpa visiting Jacksonville along with Uncle Toddy! 

We had fun dying eggs.  

We hit the beach.

Langley had been talking a lot about her favorite restaurant Clarke's Fish Camp lately, so we decided to go there for dinner!  Crazy place with the biggest collection of taxidermy.

We had a fun time at the Easter Egg Hunt on base with Greg's Squadron!  They loved the playground and finding more eggs!

Red Light Green Light

The Easter bunny arrived at our house!

Langley loved her new calendar, princess, and cat!

 Mason was excited to find his basket under the kitchen table.  He finally got over the fact that he wasn't going to be able to eat Jelly Beans this year!  (must take after his momma, because they are my all time favorite candy!)  Man was he upset about that, but he needed a few more teeth for those!

 We headed to church that morning with the family!  Missed having Greg with us that day.  But it was great to be able to Skype with him that weekend!   There ship was ported in Oman.

 Langley looks like she is being torchered at this point.  :)

Love you Mason man!   I wonder if your daddy is going to like your duds Grandma Susan made you??  :)  You are only a baby once!  Thank you Grandma Susan for his special jon jon--made with buttons from my great grandma.  We loved it!

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day!!!

---Casting Crowns---

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!