Friends, Family, and Flowers

I love gardens and am greatly looking forward to having one of my own (larger than those potted plants on the balcony). We are blessed to have a beautiful large public garden close enough to our house for a sweet day trip.

This is a new friend from church who is also a fellow navy wife. Baby and I had a wonderful day celebrating her birthday with her.

Her husband proposed to her in a similar Japaneses garden.
Silly happy baby sticking out her tongue with dear friend. Baby is so happy but...

then smiles quickly turned to tears as she got pricked by a rose thorn. Poor sweet babe

She even drew blood! So sorry baby
Auntie
The caption speaks for itself :)
Mama, Babe, and Auntie
Sweet
Of all the pretty butterflies we saw, the ugliest one landed on me.
Strangely beautiful
"I do not like this" (baby's first time on grass)

"this is too stressful"
"I want off NOW"
Beautiful auntie stopping to smell the roses
stopping to lick the roses
What's more fashionable than wearing a baby?
Friends
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a flying baby
"I don't think I like this"
I thought these rose trees were beautiful and of course the little baby too.
I love this little girl.

Baby and the Bridge

Do you remember the impromptu Easter photo shoot? A few weeks ago, the beauty of spring was getting to me. So after church, I asked my friend to take a few pics of us on a nearby bridge. Thank you, AK!


Sweet baby girl
Flying
I love them
Here I think baby looks like a rabbit

Looking at the fish in the water

A Day at the Gardens

This past week marked our official start of summer as we ventured to Busch Gardens for the first time this year. It was baby's first time to the park outside of the womb. I really love going there because it is both a beautiful and fun park. Thankfully for us, it is also very reasonably priced for residents of VA. (The VA fun pass, which includes unlimited admission through July, is less than 60 dollars per person. Baby is free until 3.)

Our family of three
Although apprehensive about how the day would go with baby, we all had a wonderful time together. The park boasts many children's rides, but we only found two rides that infants could enjoy. N and I were also able to enjoy the adult rides by doing a parent swap. One of us would wait in line and go on the ride while the other waited at the exit with the baby, and then we exchanged the baby for the other one of us to go on the ride without having to wait in line all over again. I love roller coasters with big drops but do poorly with roller coasters that do upside down loops or any rides in general that go around and around quickly. The Griffon is amazing! How silly that I love the 205ft 90 degree drop but got dizzy on the infant approved carousel.

I love the face the baby made while we were on the carousel.


It took many shots to get her to look at the camera because she was so distracted taking in all the new sights and sounds.



Daddy and Baby making wine- one of my favorite videos.



Daddy and Baby looking at...

a pretty swan and its reflection
Photo op

I'll take the doll to the left
Mama and daughter

Daddy, daughter, and a dragon. I love how she is resting her hand in this picture.

2 Years in the Navy

Last week, I had the privilege of pinning my husband with his new LTJG insignia. He was promoted from an Ensign to a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the United States Navy. I am so proud of all that he has accomplished in these last two years as a Naval Officer and am so blessed to be his wife. I was so delighted to be there with him and support him. This ceremony also marked another momentous occasion- the first time baby was left at the babysitters. In her first six months of life, she has been watched by family members a total of three times and the babysitters once. Thankfully, they said that she was most well behaved the whole time.

Pinning on his LTJG insignia

On his ship's deck

Here I am pinning on his SWO pin in June 2008.


Do you see the baby bump? I was 16 weeks pregnant. One difference I noticed between these pictures and the current ones is N's glasses. No more thanks to his PRK!

Here we are (along with his grandfather) on his Commissioning day in May 2007. This was his first pinning.
The ceremony took place in the beautiful Union League of Philadelphia.

We were 16 and 18 years old respectively in this picture. It was taken right after his orientation week ceremony for his NROTC unit in college in September 2002. Have any clue where he went to college?

Memorial Day 2009

This Memorial Day, I was delighted to be able to spend with my sailor and our daughter. Besides being a day to celebrate who N is, it also happened to be baby's 6th month birthday. What a perfect day to go out on a family getaway! We spent the day in Colonial Williamsburg and greatly appreciated the free admission for military families. It was such a wonderful day.


My family in front of the Governor's Palace.

Inside the "Palace." Seeing my husband carry the baby around in her carrier was just precious.
The back of the palace. This crest is really beautiful. While inside our tour guide thanked all the military members and their families, and I started to tear up. Having two friends with currently deployed husbands, daily reminds me of the heartbreak of being a military wife.
Daddy and daughter outside of a general store
My family with an actor outside of the Capital building.
Melts my heart
Big smiles for Daddy
Remember that you can click on these pictures to enlarge them. I love that about blogger.


This week baby is competing in a little contest to win free portraits. Check out our little sailor #27. How cute she looks!

Visiting Friends and Family

Last week, baby, husband, and I had a wonderful time visiting friends and family back home. We were up for a cousin's wedding. It was so wonderful to see so many friends and family members. It was delightful visiting around and introducing a few to Mia for the very first time, but I was sad not to be able to meet up with a few friends because of our crazy schedules. We will just have to make another visit soon.

My Family


Cousins

How many men does it take to carry a baby and her bag?
A dear beautiful friend


I love little girls in white.

A sweet friend took several pics of the babe in her son's nursery. Thank you, MJ. I love her pram. This one is the silly one of the bunch because her little foot is sticking out. so cute.

looking at mamma
baby toes

baby hands

Happy Easter

We enjoyed a lovely Easter together with some of our family. My church/ photographer friend (who has done several shoots with us) was able to snap several impromptu (on my little camera) photos after church. I am so thankful.


The background does certainly not shout "Easter pictures," but maybe the bonnet does :)

My two favorite people.
Yes, I LOVE white.

Many Firsts

This past month baby enjoyed her first friend's birthday party, first time at the park, and the joy of applying for a passport. Baby is now 4 months weighting in at 12 lbs 2 oz and 23.25 inches long. Off the top of my head- at birth she was 5 lbs 6 oz and 18.5 inches long, at one month 7 lbs 15 oz and 19 inches, at 2 months she was 8 lbs 13oz and 20 inches, and at 3 months she was 10 lbs 10 oz and 21.75 inches. ( I have tried to be thorough with labeling her professional pictures, and it looks like that has helped me in remembering.) She does not like tummy time much at all but is handling it a lot better than last month. It is so delightful when she smiles at us and a little bit funny when she smiles at this one particular ceiling vent. Has it only been 4 months (plus nine) that she has been in our lives? She really is such a delightful and happy baby.


Playing at the park with daddy

A delighted party goer

Her passport photo- the final version is more cropped in. I did it myself at home instead of at the office and was really glad I took the time. She is actually lying down. Can you tell? it took 47 rejects to get this one.