Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Texas Style Celebration

 Happy Birthday John!

This last weekend we celebrated John's springtime birthday in summertime style: BBQ, watermelon, neighborhood kids playing in the sprinklers and did I mention, 96 degree weather??

Mikayla enjoyed the party, but was a
little worn out by the end.
When the party was over, it was
time for a big drink and to go to bed.
On Daddy's actual birthday,
he picked Mikayla up from school.
They shared a drink to celebrate.
Mikayla had a snack as they walked home.
Water, Daddy and Mikayla seem to be a common theme.
Birthday kisses before Daddy blows out the candle
What is this thing that you are blowing at?







Monday, March 21, 2011

Splish, Splash!

Mikayla's first trip to the pool was a swimming success! From the moment she realized that it was a big pool of water, she started trying to wiggle away from John to get down. It was all splashing, licking and kicking from there. We nicknamed her Waterlog for the rest of the weekend.

A Weekend Getaway

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Tonight the heavens gain a new star

Rosemary Riggs -

A woman whose nature could tame a lion, whose smile melted hearts, and whose compassion was inspiring. A woman who loved unendingly, without hesitation or question. She lived for her family and brought joy to all who had the privilege of knowing her. We will remember her in one another and in all things beautiful. May God welcome her with open arms as she forever welcomed us.





Hail Mary...

March Madness is Right!

What a week! Kayaks, fevers, leprechauns, basketball, hockey and Friday night festivities!
The past week was the longest week I’ve had in a very long time. I hadn’t really thought about it until now, but it’s the first time I’ve considered a week to have been long since probably before Mikayla was born. Here’s the rundown…
A week ago yesterday, John took off for his T-6 cross country flight. He, three other student pilots and a handful of instructors headed to Santa Fe via Roswell, NM where, unfortunately/fortunately, they were the closest thing to UFOs in the sky.  Back home, Mikayla and I enjoyed a relaxed Friday around the house, followed by a mysteriously difficult dinner when the munchkin decided that the only solid foods that she was going to eat moving forward were green beans and peas. Apples, sweet potatoes, bananas and carrots – not for Mikayla, unless of course you serve them with a chaser of peas or beans, in which case you may be able to slip a bite or two through her gridlocked jaws. Still, even when Mikayla tests her, I mean my…, no, I mean her, authority, it’s just too ridiculously hard not to smile at those big brown eyes.
On Saturday, John’s crew woke up – supposedly before noon – and headed north into Colorado. They cut across the Rockies before heading south to Amarillo on their way to Fort Worth where they stayed Saturday night. Mikayla and I greeted the morning before the dawn and while I was disappointed to find that my sore throat had gotten worse, I was thrilled to hit the water with a friend for an afternoon of kayaking. It wasn’t quite a dragon boat, but it felt great to be on the water, at least until I got home…
During the course of the next 72 hours, my respect for single parents increased as my temperature bobbled between 96 and nearly 102 degrees in a matter of hours. Kayaking apparently pushed my cold over the edge and gone are the days when treatment consisted of aspirin, a good movie and curling up on the couch with a hard drink. Rather, I decided to treat my pounding head, shivering body and aching throat with poop, burp, verse after verse of Pop Goes the Weasel and late night feedings.
In all seriousness, Mikayla was an angel and entertained herself for several periods of time allowing me to rest, but parenting while ill is still quite the experience. Amidst my demise, however, and with a bit more negotiating about mealtime, Mikayla and I came to an agreement. Mikayla could have her own spoon so long as every time she put her spoon in her mouth, I could put my spoon in her mouth.
On Sunday, with the help of the all too tricky time change, John’s crew got a little later start than anticipated. Still, they made it to San Angelo and finally home to Del Rio by that night. Their trip seemed to go really well and Mikayla and I were both thrilled to see him walk through the door.  
The rest of the week took off running. John double-turned (two events in one day, a flight and a simulator, two simulators, two flights, etc.) nearly every day, work was extremely busy for me, Mikayla figured out that while her Army crawl isn’t quite perfected, she can roll just about anywhere and it was the start of March Madness! We rooted for Gonzaga on Thursday (Go Zag!) with shamrocks and all. Cheered for the UND Fighting Sioux (Sioux, Yeah! Yeah!) today, as they went on to become number 1 in the country, and closed out the week with Friday night festivities with John’s class.
It was a rollercoaster week, yet we all survived. Thank goodness it’s finally the weekend!

To do a Leprechaun dance or not to?
To do!

Thanks for the pretty daffodil hat Grandpa T!
 
The photo speaks for itself.

That's right, I've figured out how to stick
my tongue out over my teeth.

Surfing on my magic carpet before the Zags' game.

No worries, we've got this.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Cutest Sprout Around!

   

After several weeks of temperatures between the 70s and 90s and the trees beginning to bloom, we decided that it was high time to dress up the exterior of the house. For anyone that’s been to Del Rio or pretty much anywhere we’ve visited in Texas so far, you know all too well that there’s a lot of tan. Tan buildings, tan brick, tan dirt, tan fields of sagebrush, tan pokey things, lots and lots of tan. The base is no exception and since the military houses all look the same, about the only way to dress them up is with the gardens.
   
It was the first time I think I’ve ever planted flowers in March and it made a world of difference.  We added a splash of color to the front with petunias, gerbera daisies, Mexican heather and impatiens.


In the back, we decided to take advantage of our time in the South and stick to potted desert friendly grasses, ground cover, cacti, lavender and fern asparagus.



Throughout the landscaping, Mikayla acted as the foreperson. She directed Mom and Dad when it was time to stop digging and start playing and watched closely to make sure all of the plants were properly watered at the end. She also helped plant the lemon tree – or at least she checked to make sure that the pot was ready.

Yep, this should work.
   



Thursday, March 3, 2011

90 Degrees Worth Smiling About


­­Perhaps it was the green beans or hanging out at school, but by golly, the girl can sit up! She's still a bit wobbly when she leans back too far, yet is perfectly capable of putting her nose on the ground next to her toes and then picking herself back up to a seated position. Go Mikayla!

Mikayla Jo's Maiden Zoo Voyage

I was gracefully reminded in an e-mail today that not everyone I connect with on Facebook follows my blog and vice versa, in which case some of you may not have seen the photos from Mikayla's first trip to the zoo. If you are among this crowd, I apologize for the delay and here you go. If you have already seen these on Facebook, feel free to skip ahead.