Farewell to summer?

We went to a super fun BBQ on Saturday afternoon -- and the kids fully enjoyed the sun, water, and all of the fun outside toys. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Looking outside this morning, I can't believe these pictures were taken just five days ago. It's dark, dreary, and cold this morning. I put the kids in fleece PJs last night and turned the heat on this morning to warm up the house. Is our summer over?? Sadly, I kind of think it might be. I'm glad we had an opportunity to play on Saturday!

Taylor, Ryan, and Caitlin enjoying popsicles.
Taylor taking Ryan for a ride.

Caitlin waited until the last weekend of August to finally enjoy a sprinkler. Oh well, there's always next year! She was so cold on Saturday, but every time I offered her a towel she declined! She loved the water!

On the move to end Alzheimer's

As many of you know, I lost my grandma, Sanny McDermott, to Alzheimer's disease in April. In her memory, our family and friends are walking in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk on September 14th. I would love to have you join our team -- or make a donation to this very worthy cause. For more information, please visit my personal fundraising website.

To read more about what an incredible woman my grandma was, you can read her obituary here.

We love you, Grandma and we're going to keep fighting this tragic disease!

Ooooh...a contest!

I need your help - and I'm willing to offer a little incentive for your efforts.

I'm in the planning stages of launching another blog geared towards military wives/families. The blog will cover all things military - surviving deployments, moves, etc., etiquette/protocol, good deals for military, etc. My goal is to make it THE resource for military spouses around the country. As far as I can tell by my limited research, there isn't anything like it.

Sooo...I'm ready to get things up and running - I just can't decide on a name/title! If you have any suggestions, please leave it in a comment to this post. If I select your title (or some variation of it), I'll award you a $10 Starbucks card. Yum! I'll accept entries until 10 pm PST on August 31st. If multiple people suggest the same name, the prize goes to the person who posted first.

So, put on your thinking caps...there may be a frothy latte or two in it for you!!

Going back to Cali...

If Navy life has taught me one thing, it's never to plan because things will always change!

Mike received orders to San Diego for his final department head tour. We were really hoping that he would get a job out of Everett, but the base is small and opportunities are limited. He reports to his next assignment in November, just a month after getting home from deployment and unfortunately faces another long deployment scheduled for next summer. At first, I was so upset - it felt like the worst possible scenario. With Mike deploying next summer, it didn't make sense to pack up, rent out our house, and move with him, only to have him leave. I didn't want to be in California without him. After processing the information for a few days, we came up with a plan that will make the best of a less-than-ideal situation.

Mike will report in November and just following the holidays, the kids and I will move down to San Diego for 6-7 months so we can be with him. He will be home a majority of the time from January through June. So, once again, we're preparing for a move! This time, it will be a bit different because we know we'll be coming back to our house. In fact, it's not even long enough to rent out our house, so I think we'll just take what we need and move into a 2-bedroom apartment in San Diego. If anyone knows of a family that would be interested in renting a partially furnished house for the first half of the year, please let me know!

Although we weren't planning on moving again, I am getting excited to go back to San Diego. It will be an easy move to make since we still have good friends there and we're familiar with the area. We'll be able to do all of the theme parks with the kids and visit friends and family in Southern California. I'm looking at it like an extended vacation - we'll be joining the retired crowd as snowbirds!

It's funny how things turn out - yet they always seem to! If only I had a bit more faith that God actually is in control - I would save myself from worrying so much!

Busy afternoon

Ryan and Caitlin both visited the dentist this afternoon. They were all-star patients! Ryan has been to the dentist before (but probably doesn't remember it), but this was Caitlin's first time. They took these pictures of the kids (they are Polaroids, so they are a bit fuzzy) to bring home. I think they are absolutely hysterical - especially Ryan's pic!! The dentist said their teeth look great, which is just what a mom wants to hear!!

Ryan showing his pearly whites and holding the dentist's mirror.

Caitlin chilling in the chair, wearing the protective sunglasses.

After the dentist, we went to pick out a new bike for Ryan and a helmet for Caitlin. Ryan has been asking for a big boy bike for weeks now - and the kids have been fighting over our one tricycle - so I thought it was time to get him some new wheels. I did some research and was hoping to find one for sale on Craig's List, but I was out of luck. So, the next best deal was a starter bike at Wal-Mart (not my favorite place to shop, but I made an exception because the bike was such a good deal!!). We found the bike and a helmet for Caitlin and came home for a full afternoon of bike riding. Caitlin specifically asked for a princess helmet and was thrilled when we found a pink Disney princesses helmet. I think the dentist appointment (and a skipped nap) wore out our little princess. She fell asleep in the car and I put her in the living room when we got home - and this is how I found her a few moments later.

Ryan hit the driveway as soon as we got home. I still have to raise the seat a bit, but it didn't seem to bother him. Thankfully, we have a really flat driveway. I pulled both cars out to block the street and he rode out here for hours.

Perfecting his technique

Caitlin gets in on the action after her power nap. She just realized that she inherited the tricycle. Her response: "Yippee!"

Caitlin and all her princesses

Polly Pocket joins the Coast Guard

Here's what happens when "boy" and "girl" toys collide:

Polly Pocket piloting Ryan's Coast Guard rescue helicopter.

Sneaky Caits

Ryan, Caitlin, and I shared a room (a loft overlooking the main living area) at the beach. The kids have never had to share a room, so I was curious what would happen when I put them to bed at the same time. Ryan was in a twin bed and Caitlin was in the pack 'n' play.

The first night, they talked and giggled for about two hours - and during the course of that evening, Caitlin finally discovered how to climb out of the pack 'n' play. Once she realized she could climb out, the games began.

After the first night of having the kids awake until 11pm, I decided to start Ryan in another bedroom and transfer him after he was asleep. I thought that with Ryan out of the room, Caitlin would settle down and go to sleep. Not so. With her new found freedom, she was out of the pack 'n' play practically before we closed the curtain.

At first, I didn't realize that she was out of her bed. She was very quiet, so I thought she was sleeping. Then, I would glance up at the loft and see this little face peaking out from behind the curtain, watching the Olympics. This "game" happened every night until she was too exhausted to climb out of the crib and finally drifted off to sleep.

The sneakiest, scariest (and probably funniest) escape was when Caitlin climbed out of the pack 'n' play in the middle of the night and snuck downstairs. We think she was wandering around in the dark for quite some time before finding my mom in her room. She opened the door and said, "Where's Mommy?" My mom said that she heard noises, but figured that I was up using the bathroom. In reality, it was Caitlin climbing down the stairs and playing with her baby by moonlight. Silly girl!

Beach fun

Traveling with little ones can often prove stressful and exhausting, but our recent trip was anything but. With the exception of a few sleeping difficulties (thanks to Miss Caitlin), our five-day beach vacation was relaxing and restful. I even managed to take a few naps and read a book!

The kids spent hours each day playing in the sand. The beach in front of our house was almost deserted, so they could run and play. I could relax, read my book, and not have to issue constant reminders about boundaries! If only we had a beachful of sand in our backyard... It was so fun to watch them use their imaginations. They built castles and tunnels. They found a big piece of driftwood and pretended it was their motorcycle. They got absolutely filthy by rolling down the sand dunes and making "sand angels."

Because of the extended sand play, the kids had (and still have!) sand in places I didn't know sand could reach! Ryan tackled Caitlin on the beach and she did a faceplant into the sand - resulting in this bizarre goatee/Fu Manchu look!

We stayed in a small town about 2o minutes outside of Ocean Shores, but made daily trips to the "big city" to mix things up. Ryan played putt-putt golf twice. The first round, he played with Grandma and Grandpa and got a hole-in-one! Here he is in his stance -- carefully coached by Grandpa Pat.

It was chilly and overcast our entire trip, so the kids didn't go near the water, but they could have cared less. As long as there was sand, they were happy. We're looking forward to our next trip to the beach -- hopefully Daddy can join us next time!

Let's go fly a kite!

Ryan and Caitlin both enjoyed flying kites at the beach. The afternoon wind provided excellent conditions for kite flying. Ryan and Grandpa picked out kites -- a Dora the Explorerer kite for Caitlin and a Buzz Lightyear kite for Ryan.


Caitlin needed a little assistance, but Ryan could handle the kite on his own. He only let go of it once on purpose. :) He even made a nice recovery after falling down!

Vacation Bible Camp Adventure!

Before our beach adventure, we spent a week attending Vacation Bible Camp at my parents' church (the same church I attended as a child) in Bellevue. Although we attend a church in Mill Creek, my childhood church is very special to me and we visit often. It's a small, family-oriented church where everybody knows each other. I love our big church and the programs it offers, but sometimes I do miss the intimacy of a smaller church. It was nice to go back and spend the week with people I have known for 20 years!!

Ryan and Caitlin listening intently.

Ryan was a big preschooler and I taught the 2-year-old class. The kids had a blast! They spent the mornings singing, watching puppet shows, doing crafts, playing games, and eating creatively prepared snacks! For a small church with limited resources, the week was a huge success and so much fun for all involved.

Ryan and Caitlin singing the "duck" song, led by Miss Lauri.

Caitlin decorating her bug house.

Persistent Ryan

We're back from a super fun and mostly relaxing trip to the Washington coast. I have pictures and stories to share, but I'm just too tired to get started on that tonight. There is one story that I can't wait to tell...it happened on the way home today in the car.

Ryan is very persistent. When he wants something, he will talk about it incessantly - until he gets his way. This morning, as we started our drive home from Ocean Shores, Ryan was already talking about what he wanted for lunch.

Ryan: I want chicken nuggets. I want to go to McDonald's.

Me: We'll just have to see where we are at lunchtime - if it's convenient, maybe we can go there.

Two minutes later...

Ry: Can we go to McDonald's for lunch. I wonder what Happy Meal toy I'll get.

Me: Ryan, please stop talking about it, we heard you the first time.

This goes on and on for another 10 minutes or so. Every time the car got quiet, Ryan asked for McDonald's.

Ryan: I want to go to McDonald's for lunch.

Me: We are not deciding now. We'll decide later.

Ryan: But I already decided.

Me: You don't make the decisions. You can offer an opinion, but you don't make the choices. Who makes the final decision?

Silence for a bit while Ryan ponders the question.

Ryan: Jesus.

How can I argue with that??

Needless to say, we ate at McDonald's -- although Ryan was quite distraught when he got a Polly Pocket toy instead of a Spy toy!!

Crazy Caits: 2nd edition

Three instances - all happened today - that further reveal our sweet little girl's "fun" personality!!!1. I asked her to stand next to Ryan so I could take their picture and unprompted, just gave me this face. I was taking a picture of Ryan's necklace that he made at Vacation Bible Camp this morning at my parents' church and she proudly made her "scary face." Caitlin made a necklace too, but she ate it on the way home (Fruity Cheerios on a string) so there is no photograph.

2. All day she has been telling me that she is not a baby, she is a big girl.

3. The funniest thing happened after dinner. I had a cookie for the kids to split and I told Caitlin she had to eat a carrot before she got her half of the cookie. She grabbed a carrot and ate it, so I gave her the cookie. As soon as she had the cookie in hand, she was spitting out the carrot onto her plate. I said, "No ma'am!" She looked at me with a completely straight face and answered, "Oh no, it just fell out of my mouth." Then she proceeded to eat her cookie!

Blue Angels = a big bust

On Friday afternoon, my mom and I took the kids to the Mercer Island Lid Park to watch the Blue Angels practice their routine for this weekend's Seafair festivities. I have always loved the Blue Angels and really haven't seen them perform since May 2001 - during Commissioning Week at the Naval Academy, so I thought it would be fun to take the kids. It was a beautiful afternoon and the kids were really excited to see the fast airplanes, and they were having a great time...until the planes took to the sky!

Ryan has always been sensitive to loud noises. He was the baby who was afraid of the vacuum cleaner, the coffee grinder, the hair dryer, thunder, and fireworks. I knew the planes would be loud, so I brought along some kiddie ear plugs to diffuse the noise. He was doing okay until one of the planes came up behind us, flying very low. Of course, I thought it was incredibly, but Ryan didn't handle it well at all. He started screaming hysterically and clinging to me - I couldn't even get him to look at the airplanes the rest of the show. Caitlin (the more easygoing of the two) was fine when the airplane flew by, but got more and more upset throughout the show, watching Ryan flip out. I think she would have been fine had Ryan not been upset, but she's in the business of doing everything her big brother does, so she decided she didn't like the planes either!

I probably should have guessed that Ryan would have reacted the way he did, but he loves airplanes so much that I thought he would find it exciting. In an email yesterday morning, Mike's mom said, "The kids will love the show. Who doesn't love the Blue Angels?!"

Apparently my kids!

Crazy Caits!

Each day Caitlin's personality is shining through more and more...she is quite the little character. Although she appears angelic in public, she's usually up to no good when she's at home! She has become incredibly independent - refusing to hold my hand and trying to dress herself. Her favorite phrase is, "No mama, I do it myself."

Regardless of what she's doing, she is so much fun and always brings a smile to my face...even if it's sometimes out of exasperation!

Caitlin wearing Ryan's sunglasses upside down. She loves any kind of sunglasses and she loves, loves, loves her paci! She isn't allowed to have it unless she is in her crib, but occasionally she'll get a hold of one (usually thanks to Ryan) and she comes and flaunts it!

Here's Caitlin all decked out in her birthday party bling! We went to one of her buddies' party on Sunday afternoon and she had fun going through the goodie bag this morning before breakfast.

Caitlin has recently started silently hiding somewhere - it's really frustrating. Ryan never did this - he would hide, but get bored and start talking. She'll sneak away somewhere and I'll start calling her name and she won't answer. I've found her under her crib, in my closet, and this afternoon...she was tucked back behind her crib. Luckily, her feet gave away her location. Sometimes, I have to search a good five minutes before finding her and I start getting anxious that she may have escaped outside!

So here is how I found her this afternoon. I think she believes that if she is still and silent, she's invisible to Mommy!

New artwork

Caitlin got a hold of black permanent markers today while I was getting lunch ready. She drew a nice picture on the hardwood floors. I quickly got online to try and figure out how to remove the marker. I tried just about everything suggested (nail polish remover, WD-40, milk, toothpaste, dry erase markers, Lysol, and erasers) and I still cannot get all of the marker off the hardwood. I am now shopping for a new, larger area rug to cover up this beautiful masterpiece!

More than she bargained for

We've been taking full advantage of the beautiful weather by spending every afternoon outside. I bought this little kiddie pool last summer, but never inflated it. I got it out a couple of days ago and it's been a hit. Caitlin refuses to put her swimsuit on, but ends up completely soaked after playing in it. Ryan will wear his swimsuit, but I was washing it yesterday, hence the tighty-whities.

As you can see from the video, Caitlin took a tumble after playing "horsey" and got quite wet. I thought she might get upset, but she stood up and I snapped this picture.

Bicycle built for two

As I mentioned a few days ago, Ryan and Caitlin play so well together. Yesterday afternoon was no exception. I was working in the yard and they played for well over two hours - digging in the dirt, playing with the water table, looking for "buggies," and riding this little trike. At first, they were taking turns riding it. It didn't take them too long to figure out how they could both ride. Ryan sat in the seat and Caitlin sat on the trunk area. They drove around the driveway like this for quite some time!

Ryan's New 'Do

Two of Ryan's buddies, Gabriel and Adrian, are sporting cool summer buzz cuts. I was inspired to try my hand at cutting Ryan's hair. I think the first attempt was a success. Ryan was an all-star and sat very still - of course, the promise of chocolate chips was a huge motivator!

Maybe I'll get good enough with the clippers to cut Mike's hair when he gets home!

BEFORE

AFTER

Little fish

Ryan absolutely loved swimming lessons. It was a great experience. This week, there were two instructors for three kids - and one of the little guys was afraid to get into the water, so Ryan basically got one-on-one instruction. He loves the water and now confidently puts his face in the water. We're pretty busy during the day these next few weeks, but I'm hoping to get him back in the pool for another set of lessons at the end of August.

Daddy presents and popsicles

More daddy presents arrived this week to mark the passage of month number four!! Woo hoo!! Ryan got a squirt gun and Caitlin got a stuffed Mickey Mouse.

When Ryan first started using the squirt gun, I thought it was a huge mistake to have given it to him. It ran out of water waaaay too fast. After I showed him how to refill it with the hose, all was fine. I told him he could squirt the grass and the plants and he did pretty well with that rule except for the few occasions when he squirted me or the windows. Squirting me was an accident (or so he says) and for the windows, he said he was "washing them because they are really dirty." Hmm...smart little guy.

Ryan with his super soaker.

Thanks, Daddy!

Caitlin still loves anything snuggly that she hold and pretend it's a baby. In fact, recently she's been bringing tons of animals in bed with her at night and throws a fit when we leave the house and I tell her she has to leave the animals behind. She is especially fond of this little Mickey Mouse figurine at my parents' house, so I thought that she should have one of her own. She loves it and insists on carrying it all over the place. It's very sweet.

Caitlin and Mickey

It's been nice enough for popsicles this week, so Ryan and Caitlin enjoyed one on the deck yesterday afternoon. Caitlin has a unique way of licking the popsicle! Gotta give her credit though - she made it through the entire grape popsicle without a drop of it on her shirt!

Concert in the Park

We joined our friends, Stephanie, Taylor, and Paige and went to hear the Brian Waite Band perform at Kirkland's Marina Park. The weather was beautiful, the music was fun, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Ryan at the park.
Caitlin and Taylor singing along.

Groovin' to the music!

Best buddies

Ryan and Caitlin are 20 months apart, which proved very challenging when they were younger, but now it's wonderful. I wouldn't choose to have them any farther apart. They are great playmates (most of the time), co-conspirators (against me!), and love being with each other (so much so that they freak out and wonder where the other one is if they are alone with me -- I think they are worried that I forgot the other child somewhere!). Hopefully they'll still be buddies when they reach high school and they are only a year apart in school.

We feel truly grateful to have these two little blessings in our lives. They bring challenges and frustrations, but they also bring a whole bunch of joy!

Ryan reading to Caitlin.
Sheer exhaustion after a long day with no naps or quiet time. I had to keep them up so they would go to bed early so I could get some work done.
Goofing around in the living room.

I'm a little teapot...

Another musical performance by the McGee children. Watch Caitlin carefully - she's hysterical, as usual.

What did you just say??

One of the kids' favorite activities right now is to "slide" down the stairs. There's a six-inch piece of wood on the edge near the bannister that they like to slide on. At first, I tried to stop this potentially dangerous activity, but I gave up. I figure that if they hurt themselves or tumble down the stairs, they'll stop. In the meantime, they aren't doing any damage to themselves or anything else.

This morning, they were on the stairs and I heard Ryan slide a little bit and then yell, "Oh, crap!" Then he would slide again and yell the same thing. I wasn't quite sure that's what he was saying, but as I listened closer, I knew I wasn't mistaken.

I asked Ryan what he was saying and he answered, quite confidently, "Oh, crap!" I asked him where he heard that (because of course mommy *never* says stuff like that!) and he answered, "From the big boy at the park where you were teaching Stroller Strides." I told him that we don't say words like that and perhaps a better option would be, "oh, wow!" or "oh, man!" We'll see if that works...

I knew Ryan (and Caitlin) would eventually figure out some "bad" words, but I thought it wouldn't happen quite this soon - I thought we could at least hold out until the fall when he started preschool. He's growing up too quickly!

Swimming lessons: week 1

Due to Ryan's overwhelming interest in swimming over vacation, I immediately signed him up for swimming lessons this week. He has loved every minute of it! Here are some highlights of the week. We have one more week of lessons beginning on Monday. I love that he is so comfortable in the water.

Kicking all by himself on the kickboard (notice the cool shark goggles!).
Swimming with his instructor, Dano.
Caitlin, watching from the sidelines with appropriate sun protection.

Swimming with the kickboard - although he's not really going anywhere!

Putting his face in the water and then dunking his entire head. Yay, Ryan!!

Gotta wear shades!

The bright and sunny weather allowed the kids to finally wear their sunglasses that we both nearly two months ago! Of course, Caitlin's lasted a whopping four days before she broke them. Oh well, they were cute and functional while they lasted. Now it's back to hats....

And yes, these pictures were taken while I was driving in the car, but I was safely stopped at a light when I took them. :)

Pool Progress

Last summer, we took Caitlin swimming at my parents' neighborhood pool and she absolutely freaked out. It was a hot day and there were lots of kids splashing in the water - I think it was more than she could take!

The next time she got into the pool was during our trip to Whistler. The first day, she would barely put her toes in the water. She wasn't upset, just highly skeptical of the situation.


The next day, she started out standing on the steps and then wanted to come in. That afternoon, we put on the water wings and she was good to go! She still hasn't put her face in the water, but she likes being in the pool and is no longer afraid.

Ryan's Whistler Fun

Here are some pictures of Ryan enjoying his week at Whistler. He really enjoyed the pool and loved golfing with Grandpa.

Jumping into the pool to Grandpa Pat.
Balancing Act
Ryan wading in Lost Lake.
Ryan and Mallard jumping on the bed.
First time on the golf course.

Doing the happy dance!

A couple of my friends pointed out to me that we're finally under the 100 day mark on our countdown! YAY!

And to make things even sweeter, we have an official return date (of course, with the Navy everything is subject to change, but hopefully we'll be seeing Mike in mid-October)!

Vacation Recap

Vacations with kids are *totally* different than our pre-kiddo trips. Gone are the days of sleeping in, lounging around, and doing absolutely nothing! We have a great time at Whistler, but it was really exhausting. The kids had an absolute blast - swimming and playing - so that made it all worth it.

The most challenging part of the trip was the lack of sleep. Caitlin slept terrible the first three nights we were there. It was unseasonable warm, which didn't help things because our condo was an oven, which made sleeping difficult. Ryan slept a little better, but he still woke up screaming every night we were there. Ugh. My kids are good sleepers, but apparently they don't handle a change in routine very well.

At any rate, we had a fantastic time and it was nice to get away from everything for a few days. Mom and Dad: thanks for letting us tag along - I know it wasn't very relaxing or restful for you - sorry!!