Friday, August 31, 2012

Tomorrow

3 years ago...
The above picture was taken 3 years ago right before we headed to the hospital to have our sweet Aiden!  I remember being pregnant and thinking about what the future was going to be like once our little boy arrived.  I specifically remember trying to picture him as a little boy, running and playing!  I wondered what his voice would sound like and how he would adapt to the constant change in our life!  When I first heard his little cry, I don't think I have ever smiled so big and cried so hard all at the same time!!!  Seeing him and holding him for the first time, I THOUGHT he was the greatest gift that I could have ever received and boy was I right!  I don't think that my heart and soul were prepared for the feelings that I have for my boy!  


Tomorrow, September 1st, our precious boy turns 3!  Although I am beyond proud of the little boy he has become, I am also a little sad!  Where has the time gone?  Really???  Every year (so what if he is only 2) Leif and I wake up at his exact birth time, 2:35 a.m., and we sing him Happy Birthday!  He is asleep and could probably care less but it is a fun little tradition that we started and I really enjoy it!  The next 2 years will be hard.  Leif has duty tonight and will miss our little celebration and next year he will be deployed!  These past 3 years have been so magical that I just hate for him to miss anything but, trust me, with the amount of pictures I take, Leif will be thoroughly updated!  Despite what is to come, this weekend (and next weekend too) we will celebrate the first 3 years of our precious boys life!
5 days

1 year

2 years

3 years

Every night before Leif and I go to bed, we end our night by saying something about Aiden.  It usually goes something like "Aiden is so cute when he..."  It isn't intentional but it just happens!  We know we are blessed and we do not hesitate to say it!  I feel like the past 3 years have flown by...but boy have we crammed in a lot of fun!  More on that in Aiden's special birthday post...HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!!!


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Duty Days...

One of the (many) dreaded aspects of sea tours, aside from deployment and looooong hours, are duty days.  For those that aren't familiar, a duty day is basically a 24 hour shift at work.  Think of it this way, the military never "closes", it is not a 9-5 establishment and therefore it is not a 9-5 career.  Right now Leif has duty once a week.  Of course it has fallen on a weekend for the past 2 weeks, so Aiden and I have made the most of it by taking Daddy dinner on "his ship".  Aiden and I are still adjusting to not seeing very much of Daddy so it was incredibly exciting for Aiden to see where Daddy goes everyday.  My sweet boy has been so worried about his Daddy.  "Where does Daddy sleep on the ship?"  "Does Daddy get to eat on the ship?"  It seems like Daddy is missing so much right now so I was really anxious for Aiden to see just how important Daddy's job was.
Visiting Daddy for the first time...Aiden's very first visit to a war ship outside of my belly...

Quarterdeck photo
Daddy's picture...

Top Bunk...

Daddy giving Aiden a bullet shell!

In the CO's chair...
With the big 5 inch gun!

Hard at work...

Wearing Daddy's "radio"

Checking out the vertical launching system!
Aiden LOVES visiting Daddy's ship.  While Daddy was giving him a tour he said "WOW this is so cool" and when the tour was over he started to cry and said "But Daddy, I want to see everything".  I am so thankful that Leif isn't deployed right now.  I think that these visits to the ship will help Aiden "imagine" where Daddy is when he does deploy!
I think the cutest thing that Aiden has done so far is his adorable little salute.  The guard at the gate salutes me as I drive in and now Aiden has started saluting him back and saluting Daddy when he meets us at the truck...I have yet to get a picture of that...oh well, there is always next weeks duty day!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

I'm baaaack...

OK...I'm back for today but who knows what tomorrow will bring.  Things have been crazy here for us but crazy good!  We are in our beautiful new home and pretty much settled!  Leif is CRAZY busy at work but Mommy and Aiden knew it was coming and we have prepared for the next few years of craziness!  We are slowly gearing up for a possible earlier than expected deployment and I am completely dreading it (who wouldn't be).  Leif is out to Sea this week and will continue to be gone a lot until December and as parents we are trying to figure out how to cope with a little boy who loves and misses his daddy like crazy.  Here's a sweet story for the memory books...

Leif was putting Aiden to bed a few days prior to leaving and he was explaining that "Daddy had to go out to Sea"...Aiden asked a lot of "why's?"
"Daddy has to go out to Sea and he won't be coming home for a week"
WHY?
"Because Daddy works on a warship for the United States Navy and sometimes we have to go out to Sea and work"
WHY?
"Because Daddy is in the Navy and it is our job to be on our warship and protect America"
Aiden reached up, grabbed Leif around the neck, gave him a big hug and said "Thank you Daddy, I love you"

When Leif came down to tell me this I thought we were both going to bust into tears...you can't make that kind of stuff up!!!!
I am so proud of my husband for how hard he works...but I am even more proud of my almost 3 year old for displaying appreciation even when it means he has to sacrifice time with his Daddy!!!