We got our orders!

It is official! We have our orders to Elizabeth City, NC. We are excited for this move back to the good old south. Ahhh let the house search begin. You can find me googling for the next few months. I'm sure I'll have plenty of PCS, travel, and moving posts very soon:)

For other coasties moving this summer I have 2 great sites for you:

Coasties on the move

Coastie 2 Coastie

Check them out!

Pencils ready....

Well it is what I like to call pencil time in the military world. That means it is that time of year again when new duty assignments are given and we are just waiting on the official orders! Looks as though we have been penciled in for Elizabeth City, North Carolina. We are very excited and our stomach's will be churning until the ink dries on those final orders.

For most of us military families this is an exciting time of year. I know we start to get the itch to move on and experience the new! Hey, that is part of the reason we joined isn't it?

So what are you "penciled in" for?

It's Party time! High Chair banner how to

The highlight of a First Birthday party, the ever important smash cake shot! With a stark highchair also the star of these birthday pictures I wanted to jazz up the display as much as possible. DIY mommy to the rescue! Here is what I came up with....

A beautiful ribbon birthday banner!

Here is the easy step by step how to:

1. Get yourself about 6 different widths and patterned ribbon spools. Cut each strip of ribbon into 2 different lenghts, the length all depends on your specific high chair set up. I think it looks best to have one wide ribbon, and then a few skinny and medium widths. Just pick a variety of colors that fit your birthday theme. Mommy's of little boys, you also can "man up" this little project. Burlap, nautical rope, twine, or blue gingham would look darling!

2. Next warm up that trusty glue gun. You will measure out your wide ribbon to cover the length of your high chair tray. I choose to make a round cut out with a scrapbook sticker for my center design. You really can do anything for this center point. Try a felt cut out number 1, or a picture of your little one, or an array of cute scrapbook stickers for one year olds. Just glue it on the middle point! Next, I wanted to attach a strip of pom poms to the ribbon for a fun little flair. This step also is important because it hides the point where all the other ribbons will be attached. Any type of trim will work for you. I think felt rick rack would be super cute as well.

3. Hot glue the top of each ribbon strip side by side. Keep it up until you get to the end!

Ta da! So simple and your done. I attached the ribbon banner to the high chair with 3 pieces of double sided sticky velcro. It's a little heavy once you attach all the ribbons so you will need something stronger than just regular old tape.

One of THOSE days

It's just been one of those days! You know the ones that make you scratch your head, laugh a little, and say "what"?

It starts off with a little pile of love on the steps when we wake up. Yes, that's some doggie love. My darling dog pooped on the steps last night. Not quite sure why? We gave him plenty of chances to go outside before bed. He's a little afraid of rain though, not the best when you live in the North West!

Later the Mr. decides to make a vet appointment for our dog to catch up on his shots. The call goes a little like this:

The Mr: "Yes, I need to make Riely's appointment for his shots we missed"

The Dr: "What's his birthday"?

The Mr: "Um ummmm ummmmm I'm not quite sure"

The Dr: "Ok, what is the last name"

The Mr: "ooohhhh oops wrong number....I was calling about my dog"

Haha the Mr. called the number on the fridge for our pediatrician's office! They were probably thinking what kind of super dad does not know their own child's birthday. We got a good laugh about that one.

Then I went on my merry way to the grocery store in the pouring down rain. Baby girl & I finish our shopping trip and we run to the car in the wind & rain. I leave the buggy at the back of the car while I get her all strapped into the car seat. I can't have my baby getting all wet while I load groceries! So after I get her all set up I go to put my bags into the back of the car. Ummm where is the cart? Oh there it is....rolling down the parking lot at full speed. Luckily I see a nice man running after it for me. I come running up and say "oh no I'm so sorry". He looked so freaked out and said "nice LADY, I thought there was a baby in this cart"!

I felt so awful. He was soaking wet and had gotten out of his car just to chase the cart! Our little fabric cart cover was still on the cart so I guess he caught a glimpse of it and thought a baby was in it. Oh yeah, mother of the year:)

So that was my crazy rainy day! Do you ever have day's like this?

I heart Leavenworth

Sorry I have been missing this past week. This photo pretty much sums up what I have been up to!

A weekend at Leavenworth's Oktoberfest!

We had the most joyful time at the charming little "german" town of Leavenworth, WA. For all my Northwestern military families, this is a must for you and your family. It is a quite doable drive from all the bases in Oregon & Washington state. I totally recommend this trip, it's truly a memorable one!

Nestled in the Cascade Mountain range, Leavenworth is a town that transports you to old Europe with one exception...no transatlantic flight! Lederhosen, bratwurst, and beer steins oh my. Known as the largest Oktoberfest in North America, this celebration will not disappoint. Even better, we were pleasantly surprised to find FREE admission to all active duty military families! Yes, that $30 we saved on admission pretty much covered the cost of a few beers and brats inside the festival.

Also a few honorable mentions to check out while in town. A darling little toy shop called, The Wood Shop, that sells handmade wooden puzzles. These make great take home gifts for the kids. Once you are all "sausaged out" (yes, my own word I have made up for when you can't stand to eat another bratwurst, hot dog, or wienerschnitzel) try the cafe Pavz. Right in the heart of town, this little eatery offers yummy fondue and the most amazing dinner & desert crepes I have ever tasted. To top of the trip, you must commemorate the occasion by dressing up in traditional German attire for a good old fashioned photo shoot. Studio 1890 Old Time Photo Shop has plenty of costumes and backdrops for you to choose from. Thanks to them we have the above photo to embarrass our daughter on her wedding day:)

Click Here to plan your own Bavarian getaway!

The Mr. on TV!

Well actually the clip from our local news features a few other swimmers in our Coast Guard shop. These guys are just so humble and most absolutely hate the attention of interviews and being on TV. They practically draw straws to figure out who HAS to be on TV. Totally crazy huh? I sure wish my guy would volunteer more often, I would love more pics and clips for mama's scrapbook and blog! I think the video does a great job showing what the Mr. does on a daily basis and wanted to share it with you!

Day at the Air Show

Look at the happy little family at The Mr.'s Coast Guard Air Show today

And

this is more like us.....

Or this....

When will the day come that our daughter will find us embarrassing? Just around the corner I'm sure! To be or not to be? A dork that is! I think we have decided to fully embrace our role as a dorky dad and a wacky mom. Let us all unite and fill our homes with silly laughter, crazy dances, and weird british accents! Hey the kids might roll their eyes in public but I'm pretty sure a little smile lurks behind their gasp. One day these will be the memories they cherish.