Swimming and Baseball

Today was the last day of Saturday swim lessons for Kailani and Saturday baseball for Zachary. Kailani loves swimming and wants to sign up again. She has Friday afternoon lessons for 2 more weeks, but we'll have to wait on more Saturday lessons until cheer season is over. Zachary also wants to continue his sports, but that will have to wait until cheer is over too. I really love all of the programs the YMCA offers. Kailani will have fall break at school soon, so she may be able to sign up for swim camp during that time.

After baseball we ran a few errands and then we had lunch a Joe and Ernie's Pizzaria. It's one of the places we often go with Jason. While we were eating, Zachary said, "I wishes daddy was here so he could sit next to me." :(

Super Hero

My little super hero was such a big boy at his 4-year check up today! He did really well with all of the things he was asked to do. He got 4 shots (2 in each arm) and handled it like a pro. The lady even told him how good he was compared to the older boy next door who was crying during his shots.
Stats for the 4-year check up: 42 inches (73rd percentile), 42 lbs (84th percentile)

Lemonade Stand

Here are some photos from the special lemonade stand photo shoot!

Succesful Check up

Kailani and Zachary had a regular check up at the dentist this morning. They are like old pros at the dentist. They have both been going to the dentist since they turned 1. They both got cleanings and x-rays. The orthodontist checked Kailani's teeth for the first time and he said everything looks good so far.

Heritage day at Petco Park

This morning was Broncos picture day, so we headed to the football field bright and early.

After that, we headed to Petco Park for the Padres vs. Cubs game. Kailani sold tickets for her school as a fundraiser, so it was Heritage day at the park. We stayed for about 6 innings and then headed out.

Tonight we headed to the park for a special photo shoot (pictures to come). Here is one I snapped as the kids were exploring.

Saying Goodbye

Today we all played hookie from work and school to watch Jason's ship head out. Jason thought the pier would be too crazy, so we watched the ship from Seaport Village. There were a lot of other families there with the same idea. I met another Navy wife and we chatted while the kids all played together. We were able to watch as the ship went under the Coronado bridge and left the harbor. It is going to be a long 8 months:(
Here's a link to the local news story about the deployment. http://www.cbs8.com/story/23239142/uss-boxer-and-ready-group-set-to-deploy

Exploring Daddy's Ship

Today, unfortunately, Jason had duty so we spent our last evening together on the ship. After work, we picked up some dinner and met Jason at the pier. We had dinner in Jason's office on the ship and then he gave us a tour. This was the first time we had been on his ship. The kids enjoyed going up and down all of the ladders and seeing everything on the ship.

Safari Park

This morning I volunteered at an Applebee's fundraiser for the football and cheer teams. I sat people, took drink orders, served breakfast, and cleared tables. I know for sure now that I do not want to work in a restaurant:) The teams made a good profit from the fundraiser and I am hoping we can do this fundraiser for Kailani's school.
This afternoon we spent the day with Becky and the girls at the Safari Park and had dinner at the Mongolian Grill. They are heading back to PA on Wednesday, so this was the last time we had to spend with them. We have truly enjoyed having them here for the last 4 years and we are going to miss them:(

Splash

This morning Kailani had swim lessons. This was the first time Jason has been able to go along to watch. After swim, Zachary had baseball. This was the first time Jason got to watch Zachary at one of his YMCA sports activities too. He had such a great time hitting the ball and running the bases.

We spent the afternoon at Nicole's house for Alexander's 4th birthday party. It was a splash party, with lots of water fun. The kids had a great time and didn't want to leave.

Back to School Fiesta

Today was Kailani's back to school picnic. I got out of work early to head over to the school to help set up. The picnic was a fiesta theme, so it was catered by El Tapatio and we had carne asada tacos, quesadillas, rice, and beans. The evening ended with a movie night on the lawn. We watched Wreck it Ralph (for the second time this week). This picture was snapped during the movie.

Year 10

This year marks my 10th year at Greater San Diego Academy. It's the longest I've been at one job. It's hard to believe...
Although I started back to work last week, all staff returned for a staff meeting today. We always try to get a group picture on the first day. We were missing a few, but here we are!

Computer Fun

The kids' computer hasn't been working properly lately and it's frustrating when the kids want to play games. The computer is several years old, so it was really time for a new one. We decided to go with the new touch screen computer. The kids absolutely love it! The touch screen takes away the difficulty of trying to use the mouse. This was a smart purchase!

Hot Shots Baseball

This morning Kailani had her weekly swim lessons. She really enjoys swimming and she's getting good at it!

Zachary had his first day of hot shots baseball, through the YMCA. It's a 4-week program that is FREE at the YMCA for those with family memberships. Zachary did soccer through the hot shots program over the summer, but it was full when we tried to sign up for the next session. He did a great job and had a lot of fun.

Makenzi had a few friends over this afternoon to swim and have pizza/cake for her birthday.

Back to the Grind

Summer is officially over:( I went back to work on Monday and it is tough to adjust to full work days and busy evenings. After football season we can relax a bit.

Kailani started back at the YMCA before/after school care program. She loves going and she seems to like it so far this year, even with the new supervisor and staff. She'll start going to the YMCA for swim lessons on Fridays after school. Fridays are minimum days, so it works out well.

Zachary started back at KinderCare as well. This is his last official year at KinderCare. It's hard to believe our family has been with KinderCare since 2006! As soon as we walked into the center on Monday, the director came up to give Zachary a huge hug and tell him how much she missed him. He received a huge hug from his teacher also. I was worried about the first day back, but there were no tears. He didn't even want to leave today (they were about to start painting). I am glad he likes it.

Jason's ship was in the news again today. I like to include the stories in the blog so they're all in one place. Here's the link: http://m.military.com/daily-news/2013/08/06/boxer-first-west-coast-ship-to-deploy-with-osprey.html?comp=7000023468025&rank=2

Boxer First West Coast Ship to Deploy with Osprey

Aug 06, 2013

Navy News  |  by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kenan O'Connor

PACIFIC OCEAN -- Sailors and Marines aboard amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) will become the first West Coast crew to deploy with the MV-22 Osprey this fall.
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 166 (Reinforced) is embarked on Boxer as a part of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and will deploy with a complement of 12 Ospreys.

The Osprey is intended to replace the CH-46E Sea Knight, the platform the Marine Corps has used since the Vietnam War. The Osprey can carry more combat troops and has a further flight range than the Sea Knight.


"The incorporation of the MV-22 Osprey greatly expands our area of influence, and increases the speed with which the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Commander is able to respond to crises and mass forces on the Objective," said Maj. Frank Garner, 13th MEU air officer. "The unique flight capabilities of the Osprey provides unprecedented advantage to warfighters, allowing Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Mission Essential Tasks (METs) to be accomplished more efficiently, while enhancing Marine Expeditionary Unit/Amphibious Ready Group (MEU/ARG) relevance in Combatant Commander (COCOM) Theaters," he added.
The Osprey is a tilt rotor aircraft flown by the U.S. Marine Corps, which utilizes vertical short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) capabilities. Until recently, the Osprey has seen limited use aboard large deck ships due to its unique design and the modifications required for large deck amphibious ships.

Although Boxer will be the first West Coast ship to deploy with Ospreys, the USS Bataan (LHD 5), stationed in Norfolk, became the first ship overall to deploy with Ospreys in an amphibious environment in 2009.

The crew members aboard Boxer and VMM-166 have trained in several technical areas, such as airframes, hydraulics and avionics, electrical systems, maintenance control to prepare for Boxers upcoming deployment.

"The biggest challenge is the amount of training that we had to accomplish," said Cpl. Neal Helfrey, a flight line mechanic attached to VMM-166. "Half the squadron hasn't deployed before, so the most difficult thing was putting all this training into the timeframe allotted."

The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) is underway off the coast of Southern California completing a Certification Exercise (CERTEX). CERTEX is the final evaluation of the 13th MEU and Boxer ARG prior to their Fall deployment and is intended to certify their readiness to conduct integrated missions across the full spectrum of military operations.

© Copyright 2013 Navy News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cheer Camp

Today Kailani had cheer camp. Here she is before...

 

The purpose of the camp was for the girls to practice stunting. I dropped her off at 9am and then Zachary and I headed to Home Depot for the monthly build. Zachary had a fun time building his truck. The difference between Lowe's and Home Depot is that at Home Depot, the kids paint their projects.

 

While we were out, this photo was posted on Facebook. Kailani is in the bottom right picture.

 

We went back to pick Kailani up a little early so we could watch the girls practice. They did a great job!

Tonight, there was a special advanced screening of Disney's new movie "Planes" on base. We had planned on going to Coronado, but heard there wasn't much of a line at Miramar so we headed there. the kids enjoyed the movie and we can't wait to buy it!

Oh, and the kids remembered the wish me a happy birthday today. I remember when 35 seemed so old! Although I am "all grown up," I still feel young:)

Gymnastics

Kailani goes to gymnastics every Friday. Each week she says she doesn't want to go, but then she loves it. Today she actually wanted to go. She said she LOVES gymnastics. Here is a picture the YMCA posted on Facebook during class. Kailani is all the way in the back (right) in the black leotard.

Bye Bye

Today Jason's parents left after their 2-week visit in San Diego. It was nice to have them here to visit. The kids were sad to see them go. They are looking forward to making a trip to PA soon.