Come check out my new website!! I'll be blogging over there from now on! You can find me at:
My blog is there along with some great new features. Go check it out!
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Friday, November 16, 2012
New Website!
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Come check out my new website!! I'll be blogging over there from now on! You can find me at:
Come check out my new website!! I'll be blogging over there from now on! You can find me at:
Thursday, October 18, 2012
A Big Girl Bed!
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It's been an exciting week in our house!! As you can probably guess from the title…
It's been an exciting week in our house!! As you can probably guess from the title…
Maia now has a big girl bed!!
The past month we saw her attempting to climb out and, although she never did fall out, we were afraid she would. We didn't want her to get hurt and since she's almost 2 years old, we thought we'd get her a bed and see if she was ready.
We had no idea just how ready she was!!
We started by discussing whether or not we wanted to get her a toddler bed or a regular bed. We've been living on a pretty strict budget since May (but that's another post for another day!) No matter which type of bed we chose, we didn't want to spend a lot of money on it. Since she's still little and we have a few more moves to make, we didn't think it would be worth investing a lot of money into a bed. If we bought her a twin or full bed, we'd have to buy the frame AND the mattress. And since the mattress would stay with her for years we would have to invest a good chunk of money into it. So we decided a toddler bed would be the best answer. We already have her crib mattress which could be used in the bed and it's a smaller bed so she wouldn't have far to fall.
I wanted to put it together and have it available for her to get used to during the day. I wasn't sure if she would end up sleeping in it, but I didn't want to force her if she wasn't ready. She played in it all day and when it came time to get ready for bed I had Romas move the mattress back into her crib. I didn't want her to feel like we were forcing her out of her crib, plus she'd be using it as her fort all day and I wasn't sure she quite understood that it was for sleeping and not playing.
The mattress wasn't back in the crib for a full minute before she was in the drawer getting out an extra sheet. She put the sheet onto the bed frame, then brought over a blanket and put it on top as well. She also put her favorite stuffed animals on top and said, "Night, night!"
So the mattress went back to the toddler bed and Maia got ready for sleep. She actually went right to sleep, no complaining, no stalling, no noise! It was pretty amazing but then again, we have to keep reminding ourselves that it's Maia. She always wants to be a big kid and do things that we're not sure she's ready for.
She slept in the bed and loved it! I was a nervous wreck thinking she was going to fall out, but she didn't! I heard her thump around 3am and went flying in to check on her…and totally startled her! Oops. The Overprotective Mom totally blew it!! She wanted to come into our bed at that point so she slept with us the rest of the night.
It was a really great night! We're so proud of her and so happy she loves her bed!!
Did you child transition easily to a big kid bed? Or was it difficult?
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The mattress wasn't back in the crib for a full minute before she was in the drawer getting out an extra sheet. She put the sheet onto the bed frame, then brought over a blanket and put it on top as well. She also put her favorite stuffed animals on top and said, "Night, night!"
How could we deny her a bed??
She slept in the bed and loved it! I was a nervous wreck thinking she was going to fall out, but she didn't! I heard her thump around 3am and went flying in to check on her…and totally startled her! Oops. The Overprotective Mom totally blew it!! She wanted to come into our bed at that point so she slept with us the rest of the night.
It was a really great night! We're so proud of her and so happy she loves her bed!!
Did you child transition easily to a big kid bed? Or was it difficult?
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Hiking and a Harmonica
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We were in New Hampshire this weekend visiting my mother-in-law and her husband. We arrived late Friday night and Maia made sure to wake us up bright and early on Saturday morning! Romas and I were able to go hiking that afternoon with the dogs. It was such a gorgeous fall day! We started at Mount Monadnock but were turned away because we had the dogs with us. Apparently most New Hampshire State Parks prohibit pets! We were so disappointed. Our dogs are really well behaved and we are responsible dog owners. They are always leashed and we clean up after them. And after spending so much time in Germany, it's bad enough we have to leave them home when we go to a restaurant or shopping, but now we find out we can't even bring them hiking!! I think it's pretty ridiculous, especially since they didn't mind charging us $5 per person to hike.
Anyway, we ended up hiking at Miller State Park instead. It was a little cheaper ($4 per person) but, more importantly, the dogs were able to hike with us! We all had such a blast! Even Innie, who is getting older, did a great job. He's almost 9 years old and I was worried about him keeping up since the hike was a little challenging. There were a lot of rocks to climb and maneuver and it was a little strenuous at times.
The view was amazing. I just love New England in the fall!!
Last night I was able to sit by the fire with Romas and relax with a cup of chai tea. It was a perfect way to end a really great day!
This morning Maia had a great morning and decided she was going to skip her nap. She sang, played, and called "Ma Ma! Da Da!" intermittently for almost an hour. Since it was obvious she wasn't in the mood for a nap, I brought her back downstairs to hang out. She went straight to the musical instruments and started playing around. She was banging the bongo drums and shaking the maracas. I showed her how to blow into the harmonica and she immediately picked up on it! She spent the rest of the afternoon playing. How funny is she?!
I'm so glad I was able to catch her on camera!! Luckily she likes being recorded!
Now we're on our way home and I'm blogging in the car! The iPhone has the ability to create a mobile hotspot. It's pretty incredible! My phone is able to set up the wifi signal for my computer. Right now the dogs are sleeping in the back, Maia's sleeping in her carseat, Romas is listening to the Patriots football game on the radio, and I'm blogging. Pretty neat! Pin It
We were in New Hampshire this weekend visiting my mother-in-law and her husband. We arrived late Friday night and Maia made sure to wake us up bright and early on Saturday morning! Romas and I were able to go hiking that afternoon with the dogs. It was such a gorgeous fall day! We started at Mount Monadnock but were turned away because we had the dogs with us. Apparently most New Hampshire State Parks prohibit pets! We were so disappointed. Our dogs are really well behaved and we are responsible dog owners. They are always leashed and we clean up after them. And after spending so much time in Germany, it's bad enough we have to leave them home when we go to a restaurant or shopping, but now we find out we can't even bring them hiking!! I think it's pretty ridiculous, especially since they didn't mind charging us $5 per person to hike.
Anyway, we ended up hiking at Miller State Park instead. It was a little cheaper ($4 per person) but, more importantly, the dogs were able to hike with us! We all had such a blast! Even Innie, who is getting older, did a great job. He's almost 9 years old and I was worried about him keeping up since the hike was a little challenging. There were a lot of rocks to climb and maneuver and it was a little strenuous at times.
The view was amazing. I just love New England in the fall!!
Last night I was able to sit by the fire with Romas and relax with a cup of chai tea. It was a perfect way to end a really great day!
This morning Maia had a great morning and decided she was going to skip her nap. She sang, played, and called "Ma Ma! Da Da!" intermittently for almost an hour. Since it was obvious she wasn't in the mood for a nap, I brought her back downstairs to hang out. She went straight to the musical instruments and started playing around. She was banging the bongo drums and shaking the maracas. I showed her how to blow into the harmonica and she immediately picked up on it! She spent the rest of the afternoon playing. How funny is she?!
I'm so glad I was able to catch her on camera!! Luckily she likes being recorded!
Now we're on our way home and I'm blogging in the car! The iPhone has the ability to create a mobile hotspot. It's pretty incredible! My phone is able to set up the wifi signal for my computer. Right now the dogs are sleeping in the back, Maia's sleeping in her carseat, Romas is listening to the Patriots football game on the radio, and I'm blogging. Pretty neat! Pin It
Friday, September 21, 2012
Tour of USS Michael Murphy (Navy Destroyer)
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Living near a military installation has given us the opportunity to see some pretty neat things. Last Saturday the USS Michael Murphy was in Newport and was open for tours!
The ship is brand new and had only left Maine 2 days earlier after it's test run! It hasn't even been commissioned yet - it'll be heading to New York for the commissioning ceremony the first weekend in October.
The tour was open to anyone with access to the military installation and there were lots of people there to check it out. This is a view of the boat as we drove up to the installation. I thought it would be bigger!
As we boarded the ship, we saw this huge mat on the floor. It was really impressive! It was roped off and was just for display.
This is where they launch the missiles from! They're like little trap doors! I thought this was really neat. If I remember correctly, this destroyer has 96 little doors onboard!
This is the BIG gun!! Holy moly!! This thing can launch ammo every 10 seconds. Can you imagine the size of the ammo?!? Yikes!!
As an Army family, we see a lot of tanks and strykers and planes but we never get to see ships, so this year has been really fun already! This is an Aircraft Carrier at the pier next to the destroyer. You can see how huge it is compared to the destroyer! The aircraft carrier is "mothballed" - which means it is no longer used. It sits in port until the Navy has a use for it. It's pretty cool to see it docked as we drive by.
Here's a picture of the gangway (I think that's the right word!) Be patient with me - I'm still learning the Navy lingo!
Here's Maia (and Bolt) sitting in the co-captain's chair.
When we boarded the ship, we were told to be careful of the 'ladders.' When I looked at the sailor, he said, "Well, we call them 'ladders' but you might call them stairs." I laughed…but then we saw our first 'ladder' and I realized something: It's honestly as steep as a ladder!! It was scary going down! My feet are tiny and they barely fit on the steps! And poor Romas had to keep ducking so he wouldn't hit his head! I can't imagine going up or down in an emergency.
This ship has just barely left the shipyard in Maine, but it was actually started in September 2007. I was amazed to hear how long it takes to build!
The ship is the USS Michael Murphy, but I'm not sure how many of you know the story behind the name. Michael Murphy was the Navy Seal who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Afghanistan in 2005.
The ship has a collection of photos onboard - this is a photo of Michael's family when construction on the ship first started.
This is a display of photos and a description of his military career.
This is about his life before the Navy. I thought it was so adorable to see him in the sailor suit when he was just a little boy!
This is a display called the "Wall of Heroes" and it honors Michael's seal team. There are 4 plaques on either side of the centerpiece. All but one man on the team lost his life on their mission in 2005.
Michael is the centerpiece of the display. His family donated his Medal of Honor and all of the paperwork. It is a really beautiful display and it's in an area where all of the sailors can see it and be reminded of the ship's namesake.
Michael Murphy was also a firefighter and the following display was also donated to the ship.
It was a gorgeous day as you can see: blue skies, cooler weather, and bright sunshine. We had such a wonderful morning together with a very informative tour of the ship. Check the news (especially if you're in the NY area), the ship will be commissioned in NY on October 6th. After commissioning, it will sail to it's home port of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
I love this picture of Maia and Romas! She is definitely Daddy's little girl!!
Have you read Seal of Honor?
Have you ever toured a Naval ship? Pin It
Living near a military installation has given us the opportunity to see some pretty neat things. Last Saturday the USS Michael Murphy was in Newport and was open for tours!
The ship is brand new and had only left Maine 2 days earlier after it's test run! It hasn't even been commissioned yet - it'll be heading to New York for the commissioning ceremony the first weekend in October.
The tour was open to anyone with access to the military installation and there were lots of people there to check it out. This is a view of the boat as we drove up to the installation. I thought it would be bigger!
Maia rode on her Daddy's shoulders as we walked down the pier. Of course, Bolt came too!
This is where they launch the missiles from! They're like little trap doors! I thought this was really neat. If I remember correctly, this destroyer has 96 little doors onboard!
This is the BIG gun!! Holy moly!! This thing can launch ammo every 10 seconds. Can you imagine the size of the ammo?!? Yikes!!
As an Army family, we see a lot of tanks and strykers and planes but we never get to see ships, so this year has been really fun already! This is an Aircraft Carrier at the pier next to the destroyer. You can see how huge it is compared to the destroyer! The aircraft carrier is "mothballed" - which means it is no longer used. It sits in port until the Navy has a use for it. It's pretty cool to see it docked as we drive by.
Here's a picture of the gangway (I think that's the right word!) Be patient with me - I'm still learning the Navy lingo!
Here's Maia (and Bolt) sitting in the co-captain's chair.
When we boarded the ship, we were told to be careful of the 'ladders.' When I looked at the sailor, he said, "Well, we call them 'ladders' but you might call them stairs." I laughed…but then we saw our first 'ladder' and I realized something: It's honestly as steep as a ladder!! It was scary going down! My feet are tiny and they barely fit on the steps! And poor Romas had to keep ducking so he wouldn't hit his head! I can't imagine going up or down in an emergency.
This ship has just barely left the shipyard in Maine, but it was actually started in September 2007. I was amazed to hear how long it takes to build!
The ship is the USS Michael Murphy, but I'm not sure how many of you know the story behind the name. Michael Murphy was the Navy Seal who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Afghanistan in 2005.
The ship has a collection of photos onboard - this is a photo of Michael's family when construction on the ship first started.
This is a display of photos and a description of his military career.
This is about his life before the Navy. I thought it was so adorable to see him in the sailor suit when he was just a little boy!
This is a display called the "Wall of Heroes" and it honors Michael's seal team. There are 4 plaques on either side of the centerpiece. All but one man on the team lost his life on their mission in 2005.
Michael is the centerpiece of the display. His family donated his Medal of Honor and all of the paperwork. It is a really beautiful display and it's in an area where all of the sailors can see it and be reminded of the ship's namesake.
Michael Murphy was also a firefighter and the following display was also donated to the ship.
If you don't know the story of Michael Murphy and the rest of his Navy Seal team, consider reading the book Seal of Honor. It tells the story of his life, starting back when he was a child. He actually grew up just a few miles from me on Long Island. Although I never knew him, we have family and friends who did. It made the experience of visiting and touring the ship even more meaningful.
It was a gorgeous day as you can see: blue skies, cooler weather, and bright sunshine. We had such a wonderful morning together with a very informative tour of the ship. Check the news (especially if you're in the NY area), the ship will be commissioned in NY on October 6th. After commissioning, it will sail to it's home port of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
I love this picture of Maia and Romas! She is definitely Daddy's little girl!!
Have you read Seal of Honor?
Have you ever toured a Naval ship? Pin It
