For Peggy...

See ya in Vernal!!!

It Never Gets Old

Every other year (at least that is the plan) we go to Florida to stay with my dad and step-mom. Bruce comes for about a week and the kids and I hang out for a couple of weeks longer. As I have mentioned before in a previous post, one of the coolest parts the trip is seeing the Blue Angels practice. How awesome is it that my kids get to stand next to the runway and wave flags as the pilots taxi back after landing? The previous Blue Angel post has more pictures if you are interested. This time I just took a few and actually got to watch most of the practice. As always, they are amazing! I think I get at least - if not more - excited than the boys.

Emmarsyn and My Dad

Just a picture that I took of Emmarsyn with my dad last summer. I finally got around to doing something with it. One down...about a million to go. Digital cameras are one of the best and worst inventions known to woman. So many pictures - so little time.

The Blues

When my dad decided to retire to Pensacola, I had never heard of it. I had no idea what it would mean to me and my (at that point) future family. I have since learned that Pensacola is one of the best kept secrets in Florida. It has pristine white sand beaches with water temperatures around 90 degrees. There is a market called Joe Patti's where we get fresh seafood and an atmosphere that can't be beat. The National Naval Aviation Museum is captivating even for those that don't live and breathe military history like many of the retired soldiers and seamen that inhabit this town. There are so many things that we look forward to when we visit Pensacola.

But nothing (besides getting to see my dad and stepmom) beats seeing the Blue Angels air show. If you have seen them - you know. If you haven't - you need to. Naval Air Station Pensacola just happens to be their home base. In the summer, they practice here twice a week. These shows are free to the public and there is nothing like seeing them on the home field. They take off and land less than 100 yards from you. Volunteers share detailed info about the maneuvers and pilots. After some of the practices, the pilots come out to sign autographs. On Wednesday we got to see a practice session and meet the pilots. Spencer and I went again today because when you can have a once in a lifetime experience twice in one week - why not?

So here are a few of the pictures from our trip on Wednesday. The photos aren't great - these moving targets make trying to get my kids to sit still look like a piece of cake. Hope you enjoy them and that one day you will get to experience the Blues too!

Our Day at the Beach

The Results Are In...Pasty White Skin is Recessive.

Unless you have seriously fair skin, you cannot fully understand the joy of having a child that actually tans. To know that at least some of your posterity will be spared the tedious chore of applying SPF 50 to every inch of exposed skin is surprisingly gratifying.

I know it is not healthy to use your children to fulfill your own unobtainable dreams, but frankly I don't care. Here's to Matthew for enabling me to tan vicariously through him. Thanks, little guy!

By the way, the farmer tan is a result of Matthew refusing to get into the pool without his swim shirt. Although, there is some evidence that it might be genetic as Bruce often sports one as well.

Want a shrimp, Dad?

Sorry Bruce - I couldn't resist. Love you! Wish you were here!

1st Sergeant's Tissue

It was bound to happen. I am actually surprised that it took so long. Emmarsyn got into the 1st sergeant's tissue. 1st sergeant's tissue being the name marines give to toilet paper used in the place of actual tissues. My dad left this roll on an end table in the living room so it was really just a matter of time. I was in the kitchen and she was being a little too quiet. Of course from my point of view, a partial roll of toilet paper is a small price to pay for getting to fix dinner without interruptions.

Frog in the Filter

Every time we go to Florida, we lift up the pool's filter cover and lo and behold there is a frog. Here is a shot of this year's frog after its release back into the wild.

We have arrived!

I decided a few weeks ago to take my three children to Pensacola, Florida to visit my dad. You do the math - 1 adult, 2 preschoolers, 1 toddler, 3 airplanes, 12 hours and 4 missing pieces of baggage. Yep that's right - the answer is 1 giant headache.

We set out for the airport at 5:30am. The flight to Denver was a breeze. The flight to Atlanta wasn't too bad. Emmarsyn screamed for about 5 minutes as we descended. A sympathetic flight attendant came and talked to her. She relaxed both of us and Emmarsyn fell asleep. I looked over at the boys and they were drifting off too. So for about 30 minutes on the way into Atlanta, I enjoyed my flight. The flight to Pensacola - now that was a different story. After a long wait on the runway we finally took off into storms kicked up by Hurricane Dolly. Fortunately for our luggage, it was on another plane with a pilot that had the sense to return to Atlanta. Lucky luggage. However, that left me with very little with which to accommodate my three children on our first night in Pensacola. After getting a loner car seat and a promise from Delta to have our luggage within the next 12 hours, we were off. We made a brief stop at Walmart for diapers and headed to grandpa's house. After a restless night getting kicked by Emmarsyn (her bed was of course one of the lost pieces of luggage), a day of thunderstorms that is mostly a blur, and 800 mg of Advil, I finally got a good night's sleep Wednesday and the headache went away.

So I consider today to be the first day of our vacation. We started with a little shopping, spent a few hours in the pool, played with some new Star Wars toys, and had a nice birthday dinner complete with cake and ice cream for grandpa. All the kids (and the birthday boy) have gone to bed and I am blogging and watching the Food Network. Who could ask for more?