Riding the 4 Wheeler

After the birthday party yesterday, one would think that the kids would have been exhuasted.... because I was. But once we got home, instead of napping, which was what I was hoping to do, the kids decided they wanted to play some more.

Trevor wanted to ride the 4 wheeler, and of course, then so did Addison! And Trevor, being the fabulous big brother that he is, let her ride with him for a while! He is such a good brother!!!

Addison has mastered climbing on the playground we have. She just climbs right up the steps and then slides down the slide. The other day she did that about 30 times in a row and never tired!!!
(And don't worry, my gasping at the end of this video is only because Trevor ran over the banana trees... but they are ok!)


Addison usually does pretty good with the moving, but its the steering she needs to work on. I just love to hear how she say "Helloooo"

Baby Appointment

I just got back from my 31 week doctor appointment.

Measuring 31 cm
Baby's Heartrate is 150-160's
Baby's Head is DOWN! (YAY) Let's hope it stays that way!

I go back in 2 weeks again for my next appointment. Then we will do an ultrasound around 34-35 weeks to double check the baby's position! So I'm looking forward to that!

Uglies make their mark at Camp Bastion

The 4 Marines in the photo built this tori out of some left over pieces of wood. It definitely adds an air of class to a pretty drab location. It sits just outside the "Ready Room" next to the road.

Afternoon Birthday Party

We just got back from a super fun birthday party at my friend Gina's house. It was her son's birthday and she went all out with the water slide and great food!

It was pretty hot out, so the slide was a great addition to the party! And if you stood in the right spot at the bottom of the slide, you could get a mist of cold water each time a kid flew into the pool at the bottom! Aaaaawww!

Addison decided to beat the heat by sitting in her air conditioned car...

Baby Sianna Gaines was a huge hit at the party with all the little kids... until I wanted to hold her, then Addison didn't like that... surprise surprise! (Sorry no pics this time)

Cooling down with a nice cold bottle.

Helen & Trevor on the trampoline.

Addison on the trike.

At first Kenzie was too chicken to go down the slide, even though all the other 4-8 year olds had no problem... Gina finally convinced her to go down with her.
SPLASH!!!

Trevor pushing Helen on the swing.

Addison watching the drummer.

Wall Street Journal Siting

A fellow spouse sent this photo out. Her father in law saw this picture from the Wall Street Journal (I believe). I forwarded this on to Nick for confirmation, because I wasn't sure if there were other 53's out there.

He confirmed it! It's the Ugly Angels flying a mission in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

Message From Nick

Nick was overwhelmed with Birthday Wishes via Motomail. He said it was so neat to get so many emails from you all! He was really tickled that so many people took the time to do that for him! So job well done everyone! Thank you!

He asked that I post this for all of you:

Thanks to all who sent me an email on my birthday, I am feeling much better since my cold a couple days ago (Thanks to our flight surgeon and a minor benadryl coma she put me in). We are all doing pretty well out here and we are getting used to the routine. Luckily we have had a few days of decent weather, clear skies and only high 90’s. We are expecting it to hit somewhere in the 110-115 range in a few weeks as the dog days of summer hit this place. Anyway the days are moving quick and I should be home before you know it. Thanks to you all for the kind words and prayers. Take Care, Nick

Reading Books with Daddy

Last deployment Nick made video clips of him reading books to Trevor. (I was pregnant with Addison at the time)

I would email him the words to Trevor's favorite books, he would read them while recording them on his webcam, and then send us a DVD with the videos.

I saved them on my computer and brought them up today when I was talking to the kids about it being Daddy's birthday.

I set the computer on the couch and let them watch Nick read stories.

Trevor is blocking Addison from pounding on the keyboard with excitement!

Addison really misses seeing Daddy on Skype, so she was really excited to see him and hear his voice!
Before one of the stories, Nick tells Trevor to go put on a hat, and so he ran and got two Wilson Auction Hats for him and Addison to wear while Daddy wore a hat and read a story to them. Each time we play this video, Trevor runs and gets hats.

(This picture almost makes me cry!)

Thank goodness he made these last deployment, the kids enjoy them this time around just as much! And so does Mommy!