Happy Halloween!

Our Halloween was a little bit off this year. Josh was in California for two weeks for a training school and only got back on Oct 29. So he missed the Trunk or Treat on the base, we didn't have time to plan and prepare for a Halloween Party (like last year), and I didn't want to do the Halloween event at the Zoo without him. But at least he was here for Trick or Treating on Halloween night.

At first, we weren't sure of the plans or if Josh was going to be around, so Dylan and I planned costumes together and let Josh do his own thing. Dylan was a huge inspiration for his costume this year. He is a wild man and is ALL BOY! So what better costume for him than the super strong and outgoing Bam Bam Rubble. And Betty is adorable, so I was all for it!

The bad news was that I could not find a cute Bam Bam costume anywhere. All of the ones online looked a little ridiculous! So, that meant I had to stretch my creative powers and try to put something together. Thankfully, Dylan is the cutest little guy ever and wears anything well. I think it turned out pretty decent. And he even carried that club around for the first hour! Way to play the part, Buddy!

His "club" was his tee-ball bat, the "fur" sash was a scarf made by my Grandma Gisele, and the bone was drawn and cutout on thick Styrofoam posterboard. His vest was a bit too small, but I figured if that was the one thing that went wrong, I was still doing okay.

Josh kept up his Superhero streak and went as Clark Kent. I think he pulled it off really well. Doesn’t he look really different in those glasses? Hummm…maybe Lois Lane wasn’t quite the idiot we make her out to be! Regardless, he was a stud. My hero!

We went over to the Runnels’ neighborhood because they really go all out over there. The Scott’s came too, so we had a 2-yr old Elleah as a clown, 1-yr old Bam Bam, and 4 month old Lily the Owl!

Dylan did great while Trick or Treating. Just like the big boy that he is, he walked most of the way! But, just like the rebel that he is, he wanted to go his own way, on his own terms. So, we ended up having to carry him for most of the second half of the neighborhood.

Overall, it was a successful night. Dylan’s pail was full from making the rounds...so that made Daddy really happy! When we finished our loop of the neighborhood, we all went out to dinner together.

Our Halloween ended with cuddling on the couch while watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” What a way to spend a holiday! I hope you all had a fun and frightening Halloween!

Disney Days - Animal Kingdom

Back to the summary of our Florida Vacation from September! Holy cow, I’m behind! But this trip was so cute and so much fun that I just can’t ignore it!

Our first park at Disney World was Animal Kingdom. We couldn’t miss this park because Cindy had never been there before, and it’s the home of one of my favorite things in Walt Disney World, Festival of the Lion King. If you have never seen this show, you are completely missing out on a true Disney World treasure. As a former Cast Member, a former VIP Guide, and a current Online Administrator to a third-party Walt Disney World Website, my professional opinion is…“Go see this show!”

Anyway, back to our Animal Kingdom day. Although it was threatening to rain on us that morning, we stayed dry and enjoyed a beautiful day at the park. It wasn't really a successful “ride” park for Dylan. The only two rides he went on were TriceraTop Spin and the Kilimanjaro Safari. He did okay on Tric-Spin until the very end where it automatically makes you go up and down - there was some nervous yelling! And he fell asleep on the Safari in the first two minutes. Let me tell you, my arms were so tired after that bumpy Jeep ride!

It’s obvious that my son is my son because I think the highlight of his day was the Lion King show. He woke up right before it started and was entranced throughout the entire thing. One of the Tumble Monkeys even came over and ruffled his hair. He was more amazed than freaked out. He clapped and smiled and danced his arms around through almost the entire 25 minute show. HE LOVED IT! Just like I did.


Overall, we had a really nice half-day at AK. I even banged the drums in Africa with Dylan for a while. He’s such a boy! Being encouraged to bang on something? Yay!

After our fun day in the park, we had lunch at the Rainforest Café, where Dylan loved the loud monkeys and animals. Whenever the monkeys started making noise and swinging in the branches, Dylan would point and grunt back at them. I think he wanted them to join us at our table for lunch! Dylan also got a round of good ol' spoiling from Grandma Linda. She bought him an AWESOME giraffe. He helped pick it out by giving it huge hugs!

Josh's Orders

Orders are in, so it’s time to put the word out. This announcement is a bit delayed because, as Josh put it, “it’s still so far away!“ But it’s about time to put the word out, I think. We already told our close family and friends, so anyone reading this probably already knows, but here is more detail anyway. Although Josh didn’t get his official orders until last month, we have been operating under the knowledge of his future location for a while now.

The acronym for Josh’s future is PATFORSWA (Patrol Forces Southwest Asia). He is going to be assigned to USCGC Wrangell in Bahrain for 12 months starting next summer.

A couple years after Josh and I got married, one of my close friends said to me, “Anika, I always knew you were going to be a military wife.” I paused for a moment and then smiled and nodded saying, “I get that.” I’m not sure why he always thought that, but I understood it. I didn’t know how I was going to get here, but it doesn’t surprise me at all.

It is so hard to explain to people why I am excited for my husband. How do you tell people that you are happy that your husband volunteered and has been selected to serve overseas for an entire year? Maybe “happy” isn’t the right word. Maybe it’s just that I get it. I support him in his decision, and I am so proud to be married to a man that wants to serve his country.

How can I not be supportive, when he is serving such an amazing country? It may not be a perfect country. Our economy has been through the ringer, and sometimes I want to put most of our bickering politicians though the ringer…but I am so proud to be an American. I am so proud that my son will grow up as an American. I am the woman who gets teary-eyed during the National Anthem, who feels a sense of pride when I see my 1-yr old waving an American Flag, who is a huge sucker for all of those sappy shows on TV about American Pride. I love my country. And I love my husband for serving our country.

Josh played all of his cards right to get my support for this overseas tour. He told me about this opportunity about four years ago. And then about a year later, we told our families. So there has been plenty of time to prepare our hearts and minds to this possibility. Not that I am ever going to be completely, 100%, ready for him to leave for a year, but I think I am as mentally and emotionally prepared as I am ever going to be.

Between now and when he reports to his ship next summer, Josh has 3 schools of varying lengths (He already completed one 2 week school in October), and 2 months of Pre-Deployment Training he will need to attend. So, even though he isn’t leaving the country for several months, he is still going to be gone…a lot!

Over the next several months, this website will most likely evolve to a “Survival while Separated” blog and will be a connection to my distant husband. Not only will it keep everyone up-to-date with all of the latest news from me and from Josh overseas, but it will also be an easy way for Josh to have an every day update on his family back home. I apologize in advance if I start to post more mundane updates and simple photos…but I want Josh to feel included and be updated on everything even from across the world.

So that’s the news! Congratulate Josh…and wish me luck!

Nana Connie comes to GA

This week, my Step-mom (Dylan’s Nana) came to visit for a few days. Connie gets lots of Dylan time, Dylan gets lots of spoiling, and I get lots of relaxation…everyone is happy! She came for a 5 day vacation, which we all agreed is not long enough! Next time, we will know better.

We picked her up on Saturday, just in time for her to come to the ‘Trunk or Treat’ on base with us and the Runnels Family. I didn’t have Dylan’s costume ready so he just wore a “I heart Mummy” shirt - and I think he looked adorable! I’m not sure if he was scared or amazed at all of the costumes around him. In this photo, I couldn’t get his attention because I think the Mario Brothers were standing behind us!

‘Trunk or Treat’ went up one road and back down the other, and there were lots of trucks, cars, and even boats all decked out in Halloween decorations. It was sunny and gorgeous out, which meant that LOTS of other people were there at the same time as us. The line to walk up and down the street was really long! But we still had fun.

Dylan really liked the big blow-up lawn ornaments. Every time the spider would move his head from side to side, Dylan would laugh and clap. I guess he didn’t get the memo to be scared around spiders that are bigger than your car.

He also liked the giant black cat. His head moved back and forth too. After clapping for a while, he went over to pet the kitty. But that one wasn’t as cuddly as Oscar.

All of the cars had different themes and cute stuff. Dylan liked the Pirate themed one (of course) and tried to steal some treasure instead of candy. He knows what he likes!

Us with Katie & Elleah

I’m so glad the Runnels let us tag along with them and their little half angel- half devil. The only down side was that both of our kids didn’t take good naps that day, so neither one of them was energy packed and ready for fun. At least there was no screaming and crying! Now we’ll just have to hope that our group Trick-or-Treating night goes well!

Dylan has been having so much fun with Nana Connie. I think they are both going to be sad when she leaves. At least he got a huge amount of spoiling squeezed in the past 5 days. Between all of the hugs, and long walks through the neighborhood, and book reading, and snuggling, and presents (more on that later)...he has been one lucky little fella!

Dylan & Nana Connie

Pumpkin Carvers

It has become a bit of a tradition for Josh and I to carve pumpkins every year. We started a few years ago, and aside from last year (we were a bit too busy between our 3 month old and the Halloween Party we were trying to put together), we’ve been doing it every year! We knew it was a bit early to do it on Oct 14, but Josh is leaving on Sunday for a 2-week school in California. So it was now or never!

Of course, this time, we had an excited little helper! Dylan was really into it, even though he had no idea what we were doing. He wanted to get right in there and get his hands dirty…literally!. He is such a fast learner too - I dipped my hands in once or twice and he immediately followed my lead and was pulling pumpkin guts out and putting them on the table.

Of course, once my pumpkin was almost completely cleaned out, he wanted to start putting stuff back inside. “That’s where that stuff belongs, right? So, that pumpkin guts step took me a little longer than planned. But it was well worth the cuteness that I got in return.

Once the carving tools came out, he quickly got annoyed that we were doing something that he couldn’t help with. But at least he gave me a little love before leaving the room to go play with other toys. Is he the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen, or what?

The process takes a bit longer when you have a 1yr-old running around the house, but we both managed to finish our pumpkins. After Dylan went to bed, we took a couple photos of our masterpieces! Another year of awesome carvings!

Happy Halloween, Everyone!