Getting ready for Halloween....

 


And this is only the beginning! :) Sophia and I will even have a visitor for Halloween...MISHA! My friend Misha from highschool and college is flying in on October 29th and staying through Halloween! Now I can go all crazy with the Halloween festivities and have someone there to share it with! :) I've got lots of things planned and can't WAIT to see her!

Chris is doing well...keeping busy but surviving none the less. I was talking to him the other night about how thinking about him over there in the intense heat and poor living conditions is rough for me. He surprised me with his response. In comparison to a lot of other people, he says he's got it pretty good. He says he usually has three meals a day, a shower at least once every other day and a means to call home. He says that in comparison to his last deployment where he filled his time with busy work that did nothing to stimulate his brain, this deployment is full of actual work. That makes me feel better because I know that Chris thrives on intellectual stimulation and he drives himself crazy when he doesn't get it. He's the guy that if he isn't watching a movie, he has on the discovery channel or the history channel learning about some weird aspect of 'Time: The world we live in.' I wish that there was more information that I could tell you but of course disclosing any sort of particular details or locations is something that the military stresses to us wives NOT to do. We have still been able to communicate pretty regularly and Sophia is able to see her Dad on the computer in the mornings! That is what matters the most to me. She grabs the phone when dad calls and although she's not always 100 percent willing to sit still while Dad is on the phone, her face sure does light up when she sees him. He's also been able to see/hear that she's learned a couple new words and watch her give hugs and kisses to the puppies (which I think is his ABSOLUTE favorite!). It's tough moving into the holiday season without him here. I was putting out all of my Halloween decorations and was aching with how much I really miss him just being around the house. To be able to spoil him with his favorite holiday cookies and candies and cook him a hot meal at the end of a long day. So much of the holidays is about being with family and especially now with Sophia being more interactive, it gets tough filling the void. But at the end of the day, Sophia and I are the lucky ones because we have each other and our nice warm beds to come to when things have quieted down. We'll just have to work extra hard to bring the festivities of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas to him in Iraq. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. We, as a family, appreciate all that you do to let us know we're in you're thoughts.

The Air Show at Miramar! What a Saturday!

On Saturday, my good friend Molly invited Sophia and I to the Air Show at Miramar. It was hands down one of the best experiences of my life. As you may have guessed I'm an extremely patriotic person and a huge supporter of anything having to do with the military. Sometimes watching Chris in a simple formation gives me chills but that is nothing in comparison to what I saw on Saturday. As you can imagine, the place was packed. After finding parking and walking for what seemed like miles (okay, maybe I exaggerate but it was a good walk), we arrived! There were all sorts of planes and helicopters out for show as well as a HUGE section of fun activities for the kids. After a little while of walking around and checking out the different booths, we stopped to watch the Blue Angels fly. I've never seen them fly before. It was amazing to see them fly in formation and to watch them do the stunts that they did. I loved every second of it and Sophia seemed to enjoy it as well. It was especially moving for me because I had a second cousin who died while training his replacement for the Blue Angels. These pilots are the best of the best and knowing that my family was a part of that was a huge honor. As I saw the show I thought of my cousin and his family and was deeply moved by all that our military men and women do for our country. From sacrificing time with their families to go on lengthy deployments or putting themselves through rigorous and dangerous training sessions to promote the military they love so much, we owe them our prayers and gratitude each and every day. Wow. It puts things in perspective for me and really gives meaning to what I try and do here at home every day. God Bless our Troops. A moving experience with great company...what a fantastic Saturday! :)

RIP Kieron O'Connor 10/28/1999 You will not be forgotten.

The best part of my day...

I looked back at Sophia when I was stuck in traffic today after leaving the Commissary and I saw her talking with her two teddy's. There she was having a complete conversation showing the teddy's where their noses, eyes and ears were. I feel like just yesterday I looked at her in the backseat and she was 6 months old. Wow, how time flies!

My little fishy!

We are officially one week into our swim lessons and have one week left to go! Sophia and another toddler Jason are the ONLY kids in the entire class which kind of kills my theory on being able to meet some new Mom's. The instructer, Miss Lisa, is fantastic! She has two kids herself and can really get down on Sophia's level to help her try new things. It's been a great learning experience for Sophia teaching her to listen to instructions. Being able to actually kick off of the wall and move her arms in a 'superman' as Miss Lisa would call it, is a tad bit over her head at this point... however, on the flip side of that, getting Sophia used to being in a pool will only help her be more ready for swim lessons as she gets older. It's something that Chris and I love to do together as a family and it's nice to know that Sophia has taken so well to the water (I give credit to Carolyn who was always letting Sophia and I crash her pool...Godmama's are the BEST!). She is FEARLESS when it comes to any activity just like her Daddy. Hopefully the weather next week is as beautiful as it was this week because Mama wants to get a tan! :)

I was telling Chris last night how amazing life with a child is. Moving into the holiday season, thinking about teaching Sophia what Thanksgiving is and getting to experience Christmas with her has taken my appreciation for motherhood to a whole new level. I am SO excited for the baking, decorating and the building of new family traditions that come with having children. It's like being a kid all over again! Now...onto brainstorming about Halloween costumes! We've got to make it good so that we can get some great pictures for Dad! Any ideas for Miss Sophia!? :)

GOODBYE September...PHEW!!!

Another month down and looking back I'm surprised at how fast things went. It's funny how that works. My days are long and packed chasing after my energizer bunny which is a blessing in disguise. Pretty soon we'll be three months into this deployment and moving into the busy holiday season!

So I need everyone's help with something! While shopping at baby Gap last week for some much needed 'cool weather clothes', Sophia was asked by one of the associates to participate in a 'casting call' for baby Gap online! While of course I know that she has exactly what it takes to smile in front of a camera, I was a bit skeptical as to what this all would entail. Nonetheless, after talking to Chris about the pro's and con's, I've submitted Sophia's photo and need your votes! We can vote once a day and from what I understand, we vote to get us through the first round and then a panel of judges choose the finalists. I'll be sending out some emails so be on the lookout for Sophia's picture! Below is the link for you to vote!

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/smtinoco86/536596789/

I hope this finds everybody well and enjoying the beginning of fall. Although the weather has DEFINITELY NOT cooled down here, I'm enjoying being able to still wear tank tops and flip-flops in October! :) It'll be a shock to the system when Sophia and I land in Michigan! I don't even care...I can't WAIT! :)

I think that no matter what age you are, there is something so refreshing about being with your Mama. I can't believe how fast the week went. My mom was such a huge help but my favorite moments were spent talking after everything had settled down for the night. It was hard to see her go but the good news is in a little over a week, Sophia and I will be in Michigan spending an entire weekend with my family! :)