Grant Family Blog

03 April, 2009 (Mike's Deck Log)

    Well I'm still doing well.  I think I've adjusted to the ship fairly well.  I just recently had my midterm counseling with the Captain and he tells me that I'm doing well but that I need to be seen more.  That maybe I should try to pick up some collaterals.  Yeah right!  People thought that ASW was cut throat?  Anyway, I have little doubt that I will eventually pick one up, but I don't think that it will be as easy as it was for me at ASW base.  :)

    The Chief's also celebrated their 116th birthday on April 1st.  I was told that I should say a few words.  I asked around asked what I should say, most people weren't really very forthcoming.  I asked the new chief's from last year and they said that they just winged it.  So, with my 8 hours of notice I decided to just wing it.  I think I did okay.  Public speaking is not my forte.

    My division needs a lot of work.  It seems very odd to me to have a bunch of first classes that just don't seem to care to succeed.  They all seem to want to let the world drive what they do.  Very little desire to figure out what they should be doing and to look ahead to see what's coming up next.  I'll just stop right there, I don't think that they're bad guys and I don't want to insinuate that.  I just need to figure out how to motivate them to get to the level that I think that they should be at.  Of course what do I know?  I only made Chief in 9 years.

    I can't wait to see my family again.  I miss them all so much.  That was one of my recent projects... to hook up my Palm Pilot and get pictures of the family on it so that I can enjoy it whenever I want.  I also downloaded a couple of the video clips that Mandy sent to me.  Darn I miss them so much.  I want to see Kaitlyn play with her puppy.  I want to see her twirl in ballet and walk the balance beam in gymnastics.  She is so smart... I want to be there to help her learn her ABC's and her numbers.  I want to see the look on her face when she finally gets how to use the computer.  So many things...  I wanted to see Ama's first tooth and her second all the ones after.  I wanted to see her crawl and to be there to celebrate the first time she stood up.  I wanted to be there with Mandy when she discovered that she was lactose intollerant.  I wanted to hear her first laugh come straight from her mouth and not from the computer.  I want to be there to hold her hands as she takes her first steps.  I want to comfort her when she falls down.  i want to share in the celebration of all these things with my Mandy.  I want to hold her and put my head in her lap and talk about the milestones and the weather and the neighbors.  I want to share some drinks on the patio and talk about the future.  I want to have actions match my thoughts that I  have at night with her.  I am missing so many things that I once took for granted.  I love my wife with all my heart and miss my family with every ounce of my being.

    Okay so I'm looking forward to pulling into port.  I've been spending way too much time shopping for a new phone that will do just about everything.  Then I realized how frugal I am and decided to make the 5 or so separate gadgets that I have work for me.  Why not, right?  I've already spent more than enough money on these items, it doesn't make sense to swap it out.  I sometimes think that I'm the only one who understands this.  I don't need an ipod, just because everyone else has one.  The 3 MP3 players that I have work just fine. :)  I don't need a smart phone to keep my appointments, I have a 4 year old Palm Pilot that can do that.  Of course, the Navy is doing their best to make that difficult by not letting me connect to the computers at work.  I understand that though, too much of a threat of a breach of security and with downloading viruses.

    Well I guess that's it for now.  I'm in my rack, writing this, getting some much needed me time and glad that I am able to do it.

08 March, 2009 (Mike's Deck Log)

    I'm doing well.  Today, I re-enlisted with 29 other Sailors.  This is something that is not normally seen at many commands.  There were 30 Sailors re-enlisting for bonuses worth just under $1 million dollars, total reenlistment time was 156 years of service.  Wow.  It was pretty cool.

    Let's see if I can wrap up the last month.  We pulled into Singapore in February.  It was a lot of fun, but a little expensive.  One night I went out with a couple of the other Chiefs and I came back late.  Other than incident, which I am still living down, it was a nice port visit.

    A coule of weeks ago we pulled into the Maldives.  That was not as expensive and was easily just as fun.  I had a good time drinking with the guys.  I actually stayed on board one of the days just because I didn't want to go off the ship.  I was more interested in just relaxing.

    Recently, on board, there has been an outbreak of staph infection.  It has been breaking out on peoples knees.  Yesterday I noticed a pimple on my knee and freaked out.  Fortunately, it's nothing to be concerned about.

    On another note, I think I have finally found my groove on board.  I am working hard toward getting my qualifications and trying to help my division to get their qualifications as well.  Several of my guys recently got their evaluations and were not especially pleased with what they got.  I now have a much better idea of how to council them as well as how to fight for them.  Every day I'm learning more and more.

    Well I guess that's it for now.  ENJOY!!

08 February, 2009 (Mike's Deck Log)

    We pulled in to Singapore a few days ago.  I had duty on the first day, after staying up most of the night of course.  I stood a new watch, Whiskey tower, where I performed as liaison between the local military force and our forces as well as coordinating pier activity.  I have duty again tomorrow.

    I've enjoyed what I've seen of Singapore and wouldn't trade the sights for anything.  I was able to see a Chinese New Year celebration in Chinatown.  That was pretty darn cool.  I went to their resort/play island, called Sentosa Island, and had a pretty good time.  Their food is definitely not what I'm used to.  They have lots of noodle soup type dishes.  I enjoy noodles, but never seemed to find the one dish that I wanted to eat.

    Even with all the activity I've still made sure to find time to call Mandy whenever possible.  We tell each other how much we love each other constantly.  This is also when she updates me on how the kids are doing.

    I talked to Kaitlyn two days ago.  She told me that I need to come home so that I can get her a pet.  :)  She is so darn cute and smart!  After talking to her and Mandy, Mandy looked up Singapore and showed it on the map to Kaitlyn.  Now she tells Mommy, "You go to Sing and bring back Daddy."  She is getting so smart.  I know I keep saying it, but seeing her little brain figure things out is truly awesome.

    Ama is also doing well.  She has four teeth and is crawling all over the place.

29 January, 2009 (Mike's Deck Log)

    Good evening!  I'm writing this from the Chief's Mess aboard the USS Lake Champlain.  I have been on board for just about a month now.  I am really enjoying getting back into the swing of life at sea.  Of course, I don't have much choice but to get used to this as I am now two weeks into our 7 month deployment.  I am excited to see how things turn out on my first deployment as a Chief.

    Mandy is doing her best to make it without me.  The adjustment has difficult for her and the girls.  Okay, maybe not so much for Ama.  But Mandy tells me that Kaitlyn asks about me everyday and that she wants me to come home to "fix it".  Mandy has filled her schedule with activities for herself and Kaitlyn so that they might not have so much down time to miss me.

04 January, 2009

    Good Morning!  Welcome 2009!!  We had a great 2008.

    2008 was filled with many dramatic events for our family.  Amaris was born, we thought we going to Japan, and then had it changed to staying here, all while I was going through the process of becoming a Chief.  Oh and don't forget to through in a move out of our apartment and into our new home, all around the same time.

    Kaitlyn has learned to ride her tricycle and run and jump, to count to 8 and identify many colors by name.  Her memory is truly awesome as well. 

    Amaris closed out the year by sitting up and having one of her teeth finally making an appearance. 

    Mandy has made a decision to work full steam toward her goal of delivering baby's, by becoming a midwife.  Our 2008 was stressful but incredibly wonderful.

    We look forward to a fantastic 2009 and pray that it is at least slightly less stressful than the last. :)

Enjoy!

11 December, 2008

We are doing great!  We have been having a great time this season, decorating the house and the tree.  Our house definitely smells like Christmas, as Mandy has discovered pine/Christmas tree scented candles.  We have had our belts tightened a little more than last Christmas.  Our move into military housing has cost us at least $600/mo.  Amanda, using her resources, discovered a group called Homefront San Diego which helps military families.  Without going into greater detail, we have been adopted by Perinatal clinic.  Thanks to their generosity, we can loosen our belt and make it through this season.  Thank you San Diego Perinatal!!

    Amanda starts school soon.  She will be buying books soon and is already preparing for her math class, by reviewing her last class' book.

    I am doing what I can to make Amanda's life as easy as possible before I deploy, in January.  I am helping with kids, feeding, changing diapers and putting them to bed.  I am also helping out with the household chores.  Okay these are things that I normally help out with, but I've just kicked it up a notch or two.

    Did I mention that we have made the decision to quit smoking?  It's not easy, but it is necessary.  So far, without any help from drugs or patches, Mandy has cut her habit in half and I've reduced mine to less than a quarter. Essentially, I only smoke when I drink.

    About a week ago, we discovered a promotion to help get Kaitlyn interested in books.  It will record our voices as narrator for her favorite books.  I'm looking forward to using this software.  It looks like it might be a bit of a pain, but well worth it.

    I know that when I leave in January it will be difficult on our family.  This will be my first deployment since being married and since having children.  Kaitlyn has never been without her Daddy, and it may be especially difficult on her.  We're actually looking forward to me having a few duty days before deployment to try out being gone for 24 hours.  After a week in Florida, Kaitlyn started asking for me.  Makes me a little sad.  Well, we have more pictures posted, I hope you enjoy them.

ENJOY!

22 November, 2008

Things are going well.  I finished my professional class, except for refreshers once a year.  Last week we had our family photo taken.  We went to Sears portrait studio with a coupon for a small package for $5.  Of course they take many many many pictures with the intent that you will upgrade and get something more.  We stuck to our guns this time and just got the $5 package.  The poor photographer was crushed.  We still prefer picture people but at least Sears is able to post the pictures in a good amount of time, they were online inside an hour.  We're still waiting for picture people to post our pictures. <grumble>

    Well, its time to take some leave again and spend some time with the family.  I'll be on leave until right around Christmas, then it'll be time to report to the ship.  I'm looking forward to getting there and kicking some butt.  We will be heading out for a deployment just about as soon as I get there.  I'm looking forward to it and I'm not all at the same time.  I can't wait to see more of the world, though I may have to stay on the ship when/if we pull into Thailand.  I also can't wait to over the division and see if I can make it run better.  Of course, I also have to figure out the rest of the dimensions of my new rank, training the div-o, briefing the wardroom (which I've done quite a few times already) and working with my brothers in the Mess.  I am sure that it will be very eye opening.  The things I'm not looking forward to... missing my family, missing Ama's first Birthday, missing Kaitlyn's first day of Tot's class, missing Ama's first steps, missing being there for Mandy when things aren't going according to plan.

    Speaking of which, we've changed gears and Mandy will now be attending National University.  After a last minute crunching of the numbers, it has been decided that this would be the best way to go.  Going full time to a traditional school almost demands that we place our kids in day care.  That by itself isn't bad, but we can't afford it.  Student loans are designed to cover tuition.  So, NU it is, no daycare costs, for the short term at least.  There's a lot more to it, but that's the basics.

    Amanda was a little disheartened for a little while, especially with SDCCD screwing us over with tuition.  We've had two kids in this state, I was born and raised in this state, but they won't count her as a California Resident, because I don't pay Cal taxes.  <grumble>  Again there's more, but I don't want to get more upset than I already am about it.  Of course, they make allowances for military members and their spouses, but I'm between commands making everything just that much more difficult.

    We went to build a bear to get the girls some bears built for them with Daddy's voice inside.  So, when they press the paw they get to hear how much their Daddy loves them. :)  Kaitlyn insisted on getting her bear the same night at bed-time and continuously pressed the button until she finally fell asleep.

10 November, 2008

    We had to get rid of Oliver.  Kaitlyn and the puppy didn't get along as well as we would have hoped.  Kaitlyn would frequently take bones and food from his mouth while he was eating, to which she would earn either a nip or a growl or both.  As we realized that Kaitlyn wasn't going to stop and that the dog wasn't going to stop it became painfully clear that the puppy had to go.

    We have been invited to Kim's house for Thanksgiving and we are looking forward to the trip and seeing Kim and Jim and hopefully Julie and Paul as well.

    I meet up with a friend from high school, kihyok.  It was fun catching up and talking about some of the differences and similarities in the different services, he's Army.  Of course, I still have to see that Angels game!  It was also cute that when I put Kaitlyn to bed that she said she had fun with his daughter, Juniper.

    I guess that's it for now.  Take it easy and ...

ENJOY!

26 October, 2008

    Has it really been over a month since I had a chance to update this?  Well, here it goes.  We've moved into our new house and we love it.  Things we love most: washer and dryer; air conditioning; a backyard.  Things I don't love about it: privacy fence doesn't offer much privacy, when the property sits up four feet above the ground that the six foot privacy fence is located.  We've meet a couple of our neighbors, but mostly we're just extremely busy and we're not, we don't feel like being the socialites of the block.

    I have been in school since October, for my current class.  I'll be in school until 21 November.  The class is very informative and will definitely help me when I get to my ship.  The class is full of Chiefs and is a lot of fun.

    We also got a puppy in the early part of the month.  We had the privilege of naming him and we worked on it for a couple of days while we were waiting to get him from the pound.  We finally had it narrowed down to Oliver or Oscar.  The cincher was when Kaitlyn pronounced Oliver, "Obiber."  We had her saying it again and again.  It was too cute.  So, needless to say, that is how we came up with his name... its Kaitlyn's fault. hahaha

    When I'm not at school, I'm at home hopefully being more help than a nuisance to Amanda.  Amanda is attacking higher education with everything that she can.  She wants to be a midwife, but she has to become a nurse first.  So she has spent the last couple of weeks going crazy trying to find the quickest, most widely accepted, least expensive and yet do-able path toward that goal.  She is amazing.  Watching her juggle all the different things that she has going on and still coming out of it with a smile simply amazes me.  Anyway, she thinks that she has found the path that she would like to take, which would be to stay at the school she's at right now, changing majors of course, and then trying for the nursing program at SDSU.  If for some reason that path doesn't work, then it will be time to shift gears and work with National University (my alma mater).  I'm so proud of her for following her dreams and I hope to be there as much as I can to support her in each and every step along the way.

18 September, 2008

    I'm doing well.  Actually, I'm doing a little better than well.  I've been extremely busy over the last 6 weeks, when I found out that I was selected for Chief.  The last six weeks have been super busy, raising money, figuring out time management, learning how to work with a group of overachievers and all that.  It was difficult, but well worth the work.  I am now the Chief, with all the duties and responsibilities that go with it, just not the pay for a few more months.  It was an extremely long process and now that the induction is over I can relax with 11 days of leave.  I have slept more in the last 24 hours than I'm used and even got so tired and likely sick, while my Mom and brother, Phil, were down that I had to lay down while they were here.

    Mandy did the best that she could while the whole process was going on.  We've been very anxious about getting our orders to the Lake Champlain, and they finally came through with just 2 weeks left to the induction process.  This allowed Mandy to get a little piece of mind.  She was finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and knew that our days in this tiny, hot and cramped little apartment were quickly coming to an end.  To say that we are looking forward to the move is an understatement.

    Of course, Mandy did much more than wait for my orders to come in.  She was also watching the kids, taking them to their appointments, preparing the apartment for the move, helping me with my uniforms, seeing Donna, flying back from a vacation to Florida by herself with the two kids!!  Mandy has been awesome throughout this whole process.

    Did I mention that I have my orders to the ship, where I'll be THE Chief?  There won't be any other Chiefs there who have the same jobs that I will have, I will have to learn to rely on the Mess.

    I'm sure that I have much more to say, but I can't think of anything right now.  Have a great Navy Day!!

22 July, 2008

    Have I really had nothing to say in the last month?  NO.  We've had plenty to say, but until just a couple of days ago, I haven't been able to play.  I had a major Hard Drive Disaster, where I lost quite a bit of information.  Among those things lost forever, is the archive of Kaitlyn's page.  I can't even begin to explain how upset I was by these circumstances, but I've come to terms with it and we've taken steps to prevent it from happening again.

    So, other than that, we are doing well.  I am still in Navy school and I am getting very tired of it.  I would like to make it back to the ship soon, whichever ship that may be.

    Mandy is doing well.  It helps that she has gotten into a routine with Ama.  She goes to sleep immediately after putting her down for the night.  Also, she went to the Phantom of the Opera the other day, with Donna, and had a great time.

    The Keifers came to visit during this time as well.  We enjoyed their company immensely and were glad that they came. We went to Cadman park to enjoy the arts and crafts and her and Elizabeth had a good time playing on the jungle gym and swinging.  Later that day, E told her parents that the best part of the day was playing with the Grants. :)  I'm glad that we all had a good time.  It was also nice to hear Kaitlyn get complimented on her manners, something her Daddy works on with her regularly.

29 June, 2008

    I have officially returned to work, or school or whatever.  My first day back was pretty easy and tomorrow I begin class again.  This one is designed to help give me the tools to be a better supervisor inside my job field.  My primary computer has been having some issues lately and it is in dire need of an overhaul.  I just don't know when I'll find the time.  It is after all my primary computer.

    Mandy is doing well.  She is finally getting some sleep at night and has re-learned to take a naps in the afternoons.  She is especially happy to be preparing for her first Phantom of the Opera show with friend Donna in just a few weeks.

21 June, 2008

    I am in my last days of vacation and I am glad that I was able to take the time off.  It has been nice to help get everything in order to travel to Japan.  We still have some hurdles to jump through and sometimes our timing is off or, more frequently, their timing is off.  However, we are just about all set to get out of here.  We have sold the car and are using that money to get a few things in orders before we leave, paying off the credit card, seeing a play (Mandy), getting furniture (when we get to Japan), getting family portraits and paying for tickets to Jacksonville.  There is still much to do and precious little time to get it all done.  The list is still too long to mention here.

    Of course there are things in this life that are more important than preparing for the move.  Namely our kids and our family.  We have all been doing well, under the circumstances.  Amaris has a touch of colic and a touch of reflux.  Unfortunately they both present themselves from around 6pm to midnight.  This is the time that we usually decompress and begin the nighttime routine.  We still do this, but it has taken us a little bit to adapt.  Amaris, is already a well traveled 5 week old little girl and is preparing to make a trip to Jacksonville and then up to Washington State and then finally to Japan.

    Kaitlyn may have some problems sitting still for all that travel time, which will not be much fun at all.  However, we just bought a new personal video player as our little DVD player died, much faster than I had anticipated.  Kaitlyn and Mandy  both love it.  Though the screen is smaller, the picture is superior and the battery life is greater.  Kaitlyn has an enormous well of energy upon which to draw upon, at those times when it is most evident I frequently remark that if there was a way to harness that energy she could certainly power a home for a few hours! :)  We have been looking into pre-school options for Kaitlyn when we get to Japan, as we both believe that she could benefit from greater social interaction and structured play, and we, mostly Mandy, can benefit from a few hours of peace each week.

    Mandy is doing well.  She sometimes lacks for sleep but that is to be expected with two kids and trying to breast-feed Ama.  She is concerned that her milk isn't coming in with enough supply for little Amaris and so is taking measures to correct that.  Outside of this speed bump, Mandy is doing great.  She can't wait to get school started, both for herself and for Kaitlyn.

    We are looking forward to going to Japan and beginning our next chapter in our lives together.

    I almost forgot to mention, I had a great Fathers Day.  Kaitlyn and Ama got me a great Sponge Bob card and a sticker to wear all day.  They took me to breakfast at the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), which we will likely become more active with, and got me some pajama bottoms to wear around the house.  I had a great Father's Day!

07 June, 2008

    We are doing great!  What can be better than a month off spent with a healthy family?!  Nothing!  

    We are having a great time enjoying our little girls.  One of the things that Daddy missed out on was taking a hand print of Kaitlyn on her birthdays.  Well, the other day was Daddy and Kaity Day.  While at the local park we discovered that they have a rec center and that on that particular day they had arts and crafts.  Upon further inspection it was discovered that they were doing hand impressions in clay.  Of course we participated.  This capped a great day spent with Daddy and daughter.

    Mandy, meanwhile, is enjoying bonding with little Ama, at least during the daytime hours.  She is breast feeding and we are both surprised at how much of a time investment is required by this, at least to begin with.  Mandy has obtained all the proper accoutrements to make it easy and to maintain "modesty" in public.  She is really enjoying this experience that she missed out on with Kaitlyn, due to surgeries and maladies.

    Other big things that have happened to us recently....  We sold one of our cars!  We are still trying to decide whether to keep or sell our remaining car before we depart for Japan.  We will be using the funds from the sale to pay off credit card debt, pay off the remaining car, purchase furniture in Japan, start a college savings plan for Ama and a retirement account for Mandy.  If there is anything left over, it will be kept to the side to pay for emergencies or to fund a new vehicle upon our return from Japan.  The "frivolous" purchases will be on a point and shoot camera (already bought Nikon S210), maybe a new laptop for Michael for deployments and I think that may be it.  Oh and of course, in the event that we don't get housing on the main base the funds will be used to get a car in Japan, something that neither of us want to have happen.

21 May, 2008

    We are doing great.  We are trying to adjust to having two kids, one of which is a newborn, a different kind of adjustment altogether.  We haven't been getting much sleep lately, as we try to figure out how to divide the night time into a routine that we can all agree with.

    Mandy is doing well and is on the road to recovery.  She is still doing more than she should, but who's going to stop her! ;)  She definitely has her hands full with two kids at home now.

    I am doing my best to help out when and where I can.  The night before last I helped by taking turns with Amaris.  Apparently, I'm not properly equipped to feed her.  :)  I did giver her some formula, as we didn't have any surplus supply of mommy's milk.  We are finding out Ama's tricks and are quickly adapting, although some sleep would be nice.

    I will finish my most recent Navy class this Friday and then I will start 30 days off!  During that time we hope to be well on our way to completing the overseas screening and to getting Ama's passport.

    More pictures are coming!  Enjoy!

13 May, 2008

    We had a very enjoyable visit by Mike's Mom.  She came early, as we were all expecting Amaris to make her appearance early!  Unfortunately, Mom had to leave without seeing our newest addition.  Even though she was a little disappointed in not seeing Amaris, she told us she had a great time and especially enjoyed her time spent getting to know Mandy better.

    Outside of patiently waiting for Amaris to arrive, we are trying to figure out how we are going to schedule our vacation and whether or not to try to attempt a mini vacation after Amaris is born.  I will have all of the month of June off.  Actually I'll be between classes, though I can take that time off if I want to use my vacation days for it.

    The last big ticket items that can be purchased at a reasonable price are being purchased.  I am building another PC (YEAHH!!).  This one will be designed to be an energy efficient TV/Video Recorder/Video & Music Player/emailer/internet surfer and child teacher.  Sounds like a lot, but its actually amazingly simple and lower cost than we were expecting.

    We will be leaving our much beloved couch behind, so all you couch surfers will have to break in a new one!  We're waiting to get to our new location before we make a decision on what kind to buy next.

    Well I guess that's it for now!  I'll be posting more pics soon.

Enjoy!

28 April, 2008

    Well what are the highlights from this month?  Michael is still in school, trying to finish scheduling our way out of her.  His Mom is coming down next weekend to give us a hand with things after Amaris arrives.  We are looking forward to her arrival, she will be down here after she makes a stop for her 50th high school reunion.  Sounds like fun.  Hope she has a good time.  Mandy is pregnant with Amaris, and is loving most of it.  Amaris dropped about a week ago and seems ready to go.  The midwife gave us a week and a half, again that was a over a week ago.  We were originally hoping for May 4th, which was Ed's birthday, for her arrival date.  I mean seriously, if she is going to come earlier than originally thought is there a better day?

    Both Mandy and I have been getting things ready.  By that I mean that Mandy is cleaning the heck out of everything, then I come home and help. :)  Kaitlyn has been great the past couple of weeks as she has been either helping her Mommy or just staying out of the way, mostly.  We recently moved a twin bed up to the room for my Mom and Kaitlyn has of course taken it over as her own.  She didn't nap in it, but she did sleep in it over night.  :)

    Well I guess that's it for now.  ENJOY!

03 April, 2008

    It seems that we are busier than ever.  Just when we think that we're ready for the arrival of our newest addition, we discover that we still have things we want to do.  Of course, trying to get all this scheduled while pregnant and planning a move to another country is a daunting task.  We recently discovered that with another child occupying a back seat that there will be significantly less room available for all of us on our vacation trip up the coast.  So, now we're trying to figure out what we're going to need to keep with us when we travel up the coast and when we get to Japan.  We may just send some things via post ahead of us to Washington.

    Mike is in a challenging Navy class right now, and trying to organize our move.  Amanda is slowing down, having just finished with a Math class and has begun nesting and relaxing as we approach the arrival of our Amaris.  Mike is helping around the house as much as Mandy will let him to try to maximize Mandy's relaxing time.

    We still have much to do in planning for our trip to Japan and tying up all the loose ends here at home.  Wish us luck!

11 March, 2008

    We have been super busy lately.  Kaitlyn is learning to climb on everything, so we just got done with, hopefully, the last wave of safety protection, against climbing toddlers.  Kaitlyn is learning quickly and loves to play hide and seek and ring around the rosy.

    Amanda is finishing up her math class, she doesn't like the instructor.  She is also ensuring that we have all that we need to comfortably welcome our newest addition to the family.  Those two items alone keep her very busy.  And still there seems to be a nearly endless of doctor's appointments to go to.  She is still working and planning on becoming a hypno-birthing instructor and a doula, though we're discovering that there isn't much time to get it done and that being pregnant kind of hampers forward progress in this arena. She also directed a garage sale that we had, it was a great success!  She used the money from that to buy an infant car seat!

    I'm very busy as well, though much less stressed than before.  I have left the office and am going through some Navy schools to allow me to perform my job better.  My last command honored me with an award for my hard work over the last three years, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.  I will be in schools here for some time.  While school is much less taxing, at least so far, I can't wait to move on and re-join the fleet.  I just found out that I made the first cut for being looked at to becoming a Chief.  Now, I have to prepare a package for that, in order to ensure that I have the best opportunity possible.  I am also working on planning our move to Japan.  Currently, I am in the process of scheduling our household goods move.

I hope that everyone is doing well.

ENJOY!

13 February, 2008

    Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!  I hope that everyone has a great day.

    I bought Mandy shoes for V-Day and for her birthday, next month.  It was a combo gift, but I will have to make sure to make her something for her birthday as well.

    We have been very busy.  Michael has been trying to prepare his office for his departure, as well as to ensure that he has everything set for his transfer, as far as the Navy is concerned.  Obviously, such a major move requires lots of planning.  The key is to minimize the  stress.  I think that we've been doing a great job of that so far.

    Mandy is getting busier all the time, regardless of how much we tell her to slow down.  She is preparing to become a hypno-birthing instructor as well as a doula and of course taking a math class as well.  Oh and I almost forgot the almost endless schedule of appointments for herself or Kaitlyn for either play or for doctors or whatnot.

    All in all we are doing well and will continue to prepare our lives for the coming of the next beautiful addition to our family.

    I'll be posting some pictures of a recent trip to the zoo shortley.

Enjoy!

21 January, 2008

    MLK Jr day.  Still very busy over here.  I don't think we have too much to add at this point.  We are trying to narrow down our travel plans for departing SD.  We know that there is a possibility that if I make Chief that it will kind of mess things up.

    I did hypnotize my wife this last weekend.  It was a very interesting experience.  I am glad that we are involved in our birthing class.  The is class  is designed to make the mom more relaxed so that they'll be able to not have to use drugs by allowing their bodies to do what it is designed to do.  Sound good?  Well we think its a great idea.  I'd go into further detail, but I think that you'll have to call us, in order to get a better feel of what it is.

    Mandy has her training all scheduled and ready to go.  She'll be very busy in the coming months.  That means that I'll have to work twice as hard to get the chores done so that she can spend more time relaxing.  At least that's the plan.

    That's about it for now.  We haven't been taking too many pictures but we have been taking plenty of videos.  I'll get some more posted at my youtube account soon.

03 January, 2008

    Wow, I can't believe how fast time is going by.  Mandy and I just celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary, and we couldn't be happier.  We enjoyed our anniversary with some friends at dinner and the next day at a new year's eve party.

    We are still trying to decide on the name for #2, though we have definitely narrowed down the selection since finding out that we are having a little girl.  The ultrasound tech was a bit stand-off-ish but mostly okay.  She did a great job of showing us our little girl and helping us to see the tell tale sign that we are in fact going to have another little girl.  We are very excited and have gone into overdrive trying to figure out how we're going to decorate and what we need.

    The next day we were off to Kim's house.  She opened her home to us on Christmas Day and Jim made a fantastic meal for us.  We took Kaitlyn's tricycle and she had a great time as well.  Some of K's favorite times were playing with her Aunts (Kim and Julie) and with her cousins (Candice and Breanna).  For once, she did not much care for the puppy, but I think that's because Buddy wanted to play with her, when she was riding her tricycle, poor Buddy. :)  Thanks Kim, we had a great time!

    One thing that we are going to a little different this time around is something called hypnobirthing.  It is a birthing technique that is centered on the idea of self hypnosis, or assisted self-hypnosis using a coach (me).  It may sound a little different, but it is very interesting and something that we're going to give a go at.  If it works Mandy will be able to deliver with very little "realized" pain, because she will be in a relaxed state, because she will understand what is going on with her body.  It's a little complicated, so I'll include a link in the next few days to one of the sites that may be able to explain a little better.

    We're also still making plans to transfer to Japan.  We're very much looking forward to it.  Having a child when we are is complicating things a little, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal.  We are very apprehensive about the move and have just recently decided it would be a good idea to keep one of the cars and sell the other.  We have a plan for the car that we're going to keep, which is to have someone store it and drive it occasionally for us until we get back.  That way it'll be paid for and still have minimal miles on it when we return.  Hopefully, gas won't be at $5/gal by then.  That'd be very un-cool.

    Mandy has started classes at college and has had a recent epiphany with what she wants to do after college.  Fortunately we found out now.  Mandy would like to be nurse that specializes in perinatal care and to continue on to become a midwife.  We're both very excited about it.  This will be a career move that can be used everywhere we may move to due to me being in the Navy.  I love that my wife took that into consideration and found something that I'm sure that she'll love. 

    I am truly blessed with a fantastic wife and daughter.

    Finally we're working on a couple of projects.  I'm hard at work producing another photo year book, officially closing out 2007.  Mandy is putting together our baby registries.  Hopefully, I'll have the links posted to them by the time I post this!  I have also added a few more pictures and have started to use YouTube more.  If you make an account and subscribe to my account then you will be automatically notified of new videos, if not... well, rest assured another email update is on its way!

ENJOY!