So Far In MA...

We're just ending the first portion of our MA trip this summer. It has been busy! Fun, but busy! Per usual, we've played with cousins and friends. The warm weather had lead to most play dates at someone's swimming pools, which the kids LOVE! I've even walked outside to see Nana and/or Papa having grandparent time with the kids in their pool. We had signed the kids up for swimming lessons since we spend so much time in the water. They started this week. Progress reports and pictures to follow!

What else has been happening? We celebrated Papa's 60th birthday with a surprise party. Connor & I attended a fire safety demonstration for the kids. Our friends Grady & Emily (and mom Beth) met us there. Connor was so excited!!! Of course I forgot the camera. Darn it! We went our own ways only to meet back up at Friendly's for ice cream and then off to Target. I love that about being home, just being able to "bump" into friends out and about...



This past weekend we were invited to NH by another good friend. We swam, ate smores, played with the Correia girls, had yummy food and good company!



We're now getting ready for another weekend trip. Well sort of trip. JR is back on dry land for the next 2 weeks. So we're heading home for 4 days for some family time! He'll make the reverse trip the following weekend, but this time it is me flying solo with the kids. Eeek, wish me luck!

A More Permanent Home

Well here we are at Our Little Journeys, a more permanent blog home for the 'E' family. Since our life is going to be abroad soon, this home was more fitting and well, it is about us now and not just being me.

I have imported old posts from BeingAzzy as there were many slide shows of the kids over the last two years. I also updated posts since our last Easter update with our travels since then. The commentary is short, but hey it has been a while and my brain isn't what it used to be. Sad but true... So enjoy catching up! I promise to try and be better. Promise...

(((hugs)))

JR, Azzy, Connor & Maggie

Our Bean is 2!!!

I.CANNOT.BELIEVE.IT. Time sure does fly. It seems like I haven't had you all that long, but at the same time life before you seems like such a distant memory. I wouldn't change our crazy here & there military lives one bit because I have daddy, you & Little Miss. That is my world. Bean, you were the first addition to our family. We feel so blessed to have you and your sister. You are daring, curious, energetic, all things a little boy is made of! There isn't a day you don't bring a smile to my face or make me laugh. Although Little Miss is just 8m/o, you can tell when she looks at you that she loves her big brother more than anything. Well Bean, I hope the last year has been good and the next year is better!

Happy Birthday Buddy!!!

Love you,

Daddy, Mommy, & Mimi

Summer in VA Beach

Our summer stretch in VA Beach went by the quickest. We only had 5 short weeks here and of that only 4 short weeks with daddy around. In that time we were able to swim in the pool, go to the water park, celebrate Father's Day, the 4th of July, see fireworks, Bean's 2nd birthday, catch up with friends, meet a new neighborhood addition, go to the Botannical Garden's Water Park, Enchanted Forrest... So with all that you can see how our time together flew by. We dropped MrE off at the pier on Thursday and dashed off to do errands. By the time we were driving home we could see his ship out in the bay... heading out to sea. But he'll be home before we know it, then out again, then home again and then out again... It is kind of a rinse & repeat cycle that you get used to. Never fully, but it is what it is. At least this deployment will be a short one for him since he is supposed to transfer mid-way through and then we roll to shore duty! Three Years Together. IN ENGLAND!!! Do you see our excitement?!?!

So lets make the rest of this year fly by! We're ready for 2011!

Enchanted Forrest, Norfolk Botannical Gardens

Every year the Norfolk Botannical Gardens has a summer exhibit. This year they turned the Enchanted Forrest into a Storybook Village with houses of fairytales that children could go through, play in and slide out of! So on the first cool day, albeit is was still in the mid-80's but better than high 90's, we packed a picnic and headed over to the exhibit. It was wonderful!!! Bean had a blast going through the trails, into the house, sliding down the slides... So much so that when we got back to the beginning he said, "A-den" (read:again) We opted for a picnic and then persuaded him home with some pool time! Works like a charm every time.