I Cry When Mommy Sings Too!

Absolutely hilarious. That is all I can say. Laura would crush me if she knew I was posting this, but I have to, it is my husbandly duty. The other day Sam wanted to get down the stairs. Normally he will come, but sometimes when he is tired or just being lazy he will ask for us to carry him down. So mommy said no to carrying him when he asked. But, she encouraged him, she would wait at the bottom of the stairs for him. Then she began singing one of her favorite songs as he crawled down the stairs. "I'll be there" by the Jackson 5. She loves the Jackson 5, and this song was more than appropriate. "I'll be there, I'll be there, just call my name, I'll be there... I'll be there, I'll be there, whenever you need me, I'll be there." As soon as she started singing he got this pouty look on his face, then he really started crying. So I ran to get the camera, and forced her to do it again. I don't think she thought I would have enough guts to post it. BTW, this may be my last post...

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I guess you could take this one of two ways; one-horrible noise to his ears or two-maybe this song brought back some very sad memory from long ago. Actually I think his mom has a great voice, especially when compared to my tone deaf singing attempts.

Possibly the Last of the C-17 for Us

As part of the last minute details we have intended on doing before leaving New Jersey, we took Sam out to what has been daddy's airplane for the last 10 years. We took along a previous YW of mine that has shown interest in the Air Force and we all had a blast playing on the plane!

See ya in awhile Tull Family

We have made some amazing friends during our travels in the Air Force, but the Tulls have been there since the beginning when Dan was in ROTC at BYU. We were fortunate enough to live by them for several years in Washington and then in New Jersey. After a move or two (or three) they wound up in Virginia. As we are now on our way to the other side of the nation we wanted to take the opportunity to see them before the big move, after all, who knows how long it may be before we hang out again?

We met up in Baltimore for dinner at the Rusty Scupper for some good seafood, which is funny since Dan and Mandy are the only seafood fans. Before dinner Dan and I took Sam to the Baltimore aquarium. I think Sam was most interested in the turtles and also having his freedom by running around the harbor while we waited for the Tulls to arrive.

It was such a nice night and a beautiful area by the harbor. And of course, the kids were great entertainment. All in all it was a great night, we are going to miss the Tulls, and we wish them good luck on their next move to Fiji and can't wait for an ROTC reunion with all our friends!

Last Moments of New York Fun!

There have been just a few more items on our list of things we wanted to do before we leave this amazing area, so here we go! We wanted to take Sam to the most amazing toy store, Toys R' Us in Manhattan. He had quite the experience, seeing bigger than life structures and riding on the indoor ferris wheel.

After the toy store we headed over to Central Park Zoo, small but very fun!!

Sam could not get enough of the petting farm and feeding the sheep! More, More!

Last stop was for some of our favorites in New York; Lombardi's for pizza in Soho followed by Pinkberry for me and Rice to Riches for Dan. Both are yummy deserts! See you in awhile New York!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sam has no idea why he is eating green pancakes, but he likes them and was sure glad to receive the hat for whatever reason the occasion was. He loves hats!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Danno's 36TH!

Another boy of mine celebrated their birthday this month!

We celebrated Dan's birthday on the 16TH, pretty low key because of all the craziness in our life right now. I made him breakfast in the morning before he had to take off to work, then when he came home we went to dinner at "Five Guys." After dinner we came home opened presents and had birthday cake.

Since Sam just celebrated his birthday a week ago I suppose he thought that he was still receiving gifts, so he helped tear into his presents but as you can see he quickly lost interest once they were opened and not that exciting to him.

Finally Sam was rewarded for all of his hard work at opening Dan's gifts with this present from Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jordan. He was a little surprised and quit pleased. It actually was for him too, obviously!

Later this month we will do something a little more exciting. Dan and I will go see the Broadway show "Wicked" and eat dinner at his choice of restaurant in New York. We figured it would be a good thing to do before we move away from the big city!

Little Red's Second Birthday Part Three!

Sunday March 8th was Sam's second birthday. After church we came home and enjoyed Sam's favorite things to eat for dinner-Spinach & Artichoke Dip, YUM! He loves to dip his food.

Cheesy Potatoes and ham. Anything cheesy is his favorite!

Sam opened gifts from his Grandma & Grandpa Bean and Uncle Andy & Aunt Kirsten online. He loved his book and "Band in a Box" from them, but what he loved most of all was exposing his belly to them and laughing. Thanks Andy for encouraging it!

Later that evening Sam talked to Grandma & Grandpa Stromberg on the phone as he opened gifts from them. This video is Sam doing a little dance with our gift to him.

Sam's birthday cake. He really loved the icing and even though there was still cake on his plate he kept asking for more, but he really just wanted the icing.

Day Two "When Elmo Grows Up"

Saturday, the next part of his second birthday celebration was "When Elmo Grows Up" a Sesame Street Live show at the Wachovia Complex. Sam's response to the show was irreplaceable, he loved it! It was like a little rock concert for toddlers.



Sam enjoying his Elmo Rock Concert!

Just like his mommy, he loves popcorn!

Sam Celebrates 2 the Yo Gabba Gabba Way!

Our Little Red turned 2 this weekend. We started the 3 day celebration with a friend party on Friday. We invited all of his little friends or you could say our friends (nothing wrong with the parents enjoying the festivities too) to Chuck E. Cheese for a Yo Gabba Gabba themed party.


Sam and his friends Lexy (or otherwise known as Lala) sporting their Yo Gabba Gabba stardom!

Danno's Final Trip (Hopefully)

Danno left on a great trip from the 13th to the 28th of last month. The crazy part is, this might be his final trip in the C-17! We have one month left in the reserves here before he transfers to the California Air National Guard to fly UAVs. It was a tough decision for him, but after a ton of thought and prayer, we feel this is the right move for our family. I know he is getting tired of being gone, especially now that Sam is old enough to comprehend his daddy is missing.

This trip was a special one, in that he carried a ton of generals and admirals around the world as part of a class they have to attend. Since his passengers were busy with classes and meetings, he and his crew were able to play! Their first stop was Tel Aviv.

The port of Joppa, where Jonah set sail from.
Jerusalem as seen from the Mount of Olives. The Golden Gate of the old city, which was sealed up long ago. Dan outside the Garden Tomb. What an incredible experience he had! The wailing wall. Dan said a prayer for us here. It can't hurt, right?!Their next stop was Masada, an old fortress built by Herod. Then they got to float on the dead sea.Apparently the mud is very good for you, so everyone plasters it on. Dan and his crew, the goofballs they are, didn't hold back.The next stop was Turkey. They visited Ankara and Istanbul. Outside of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.The Haggia Sophia, a church that was turned into a mosque, and is now a museum.Cisterns in the old city, built in the 200's.Danno at the Grand Bazaar. After touring Turkey, they spent time in Serbia, Sicily, and Rome. Danno loved Rome, and I have to admit I am jealous!The Coliseum.The Roman Forum from Palatine Hill.

The Pantheon.
On the way to the Sistine Chapel, part of the Vatican Museum.Danno's crew in part of the Vatican Museum. So much stuff!

The guys in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Danno even got to see the Pope leaving the Vatican. He happened to be there on Ash Wednesday, and was giving a mass that day.

The last stop was Brussels, which meant more chocolate for us, and waffles for Danno. What a great experience for him. I am glad he got to have a fun one for his last mission, and so glad he may never have to go back to Iraq or Afghanistan (knocking on wood right now)!