Hello. See you later.

For the past month now I start a new post, and then delete it. I have so much to write about but can't seem to actually write about it, hopefully this one will make it! 

It's been an extremely overwhelming, weird, busy wave of "hello, I love you, see you later" around here lately and I'm still trying to figure it all out. I mean we've been doing this for awhile now, but this is the first time the underways are so long, and the time home is so short. 

In the time Husband was home we had to pack littleSOMUCHtime (see what I did there?) We spent most of the time we did  have in Arizona, visiting family and friends. We spent the duty days taking lunch to Husband (on the 4th we ate on the boat), and the days between hanging out as a family in the evenings. We are definitely learning how to make every minute count!

Charlie's eye is all healed up, we took the  "cone of shame" off last week! He looks funny because he really needs a hair cut, but he is acting like himself again. 

Earlier this week my mom and brother came to San Diego, they are staying until the end of the month to get out of the desert heat and watch Claira because I start my internship next week! It's been great to have someone around to talk to, get me out of the house, and it's always nice to have the extra help. This past week we have already done so much, Tuesday we went to the beach, Wednesday we went to the mall, Thursday we went for free Slurpees at 7Eleven and then to the Farmer's Market, Friday we went and played at Mission Bay Park, Yesterday we went to the swap meet, and this morning we went to church, lunch and to Lowes to pick up some plant food and fungicide for our garden plot! 

Our neighborhood in housing has a community garden in one of the parks, I stumbled upon it during a walk earlier this year and asked the office how to get a plot. In early May, Ronnie and I went and bought a bunch of seeds and starter plants and planted lots of yummy things! We have tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeños, cayenne peppers, corn, string beans, garlic, green onions, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries. It's been exciting watching everything grow and so far everything that we've tried has been delicious. Except last week the pumpkin plant started growing this fungus, and the leaves started to die, I hope I can save it! 

Speaking of saving the pumpkins, I should probably walk over and take care of that before it gets too late in the afternoon! 

I think I finally have one to post!

-Kristin

Water.

There is something about standing at the point on the beach where the water meets the sand and letting it wash over your feet that just amazes me. It always has. Looking out it seems like you can see forever, but at the same time it feels as if you could just reach out and touch the spot on the horizon where the sky collides with the water. 

Water.

Yesterday we went back to San Diego for the day/night to clean the house, since we have yet another vet appointment on Saturday and I have no idea if I will be back before Ronnie. We took a break from cleaning and went down to the beach for dinner and the sunset. We walked along, and Claira went splashing. She is a little beach bum, it makes me happy that she shares the same love of the ocean that I do. 

I like to stand in the water and look out to the horizon, hoping to see a sail, or something. It makes me feel closer to Ronnie to think that the water rushing over my feet is the same water rushing around the boat.

Today after (getting sunburned) tackling the over grown weeds in the garden plot (another post for another day!) we went and grabbed some lunch at Cotija's in Point Loma, and headed back to the beach. We played and splashed, ate some seaweed (no sand today!) collected shells, took in the smells and the cool air. 

There is something about a sleepy blonde head resting on a shoulder, missed grains of sand on tan skin, watching the sun slowly sink into the water. 

Water.

Life is going 150,000 mph, but moments like these slow time. We're back in Arizona now, counting down the days of this underway, and hoping Charlie doesn't need to see the vet anymore after Saturday. 

I miss our home, but we'll be back! 

-Kristin

Ladybug

I have some quiet time this afternoon  while at my parents' house, my sisters are both at work, my brother is at a birthday party, and my parents are running errands and grabbing dinner before they pick up my brother. Charlie doesn't fit in his crate with "cone of shame" on, so Claira and I left Ronnie's mom and dad's house to come back and be with him. He had a check up today and the graft is taking, and his eye is on it's way to healing, we will see what happens at his next appointment Tuesday! So he is curled up at my feet with his one eyed snuggle monster I bought him as a get well grift (I thought it was a good idea!) and Claira is taking a much needed late afternoon nap. 

I just love her! This next week she will be 18 months old, and I can't believe it! She's such a smart, sweet, silly ball of sunshine. She is our little Ladybug. She continues to surprise me every day and I absolutely am loving every minute of being her mommy! 

She's been walking since she was 10 months old and is talking like crazy now! (We can't always understand what she says, but it doesn't stop her!) Her new word this week is "clock" and she loves anything that looks like a clock, and anything that goes "round and round" like a clock (windmill, fan, pinwheel, thermostat, scale, outdoor thermometer) It's so exciting to see her make connections and learn new things. 

I love that she is so flexible already, when she experiences new people and new places she dives right in, and you would never know it was new to her. It's a good quality to have as a military kid! I've been thinking about that a lot as we are preparing to move again in a few months,  wondering how she will adjust to the things in our house being in a new place, and I have a feeling she will be okay.  

She also realizes now that Daddy is gone a lot, but she loves when he comes home. The other day after Ronnie left on this underway he is on right now she picked up something of his and asked "Momma?" 

"Yes Claira?" 

"What's this?" 

"That is Daddy's computer mouse, he left it here." 

"Momma?" 

"Yes Claira?" 

"Where Daddy go?" 

"He had to go to work for a long time, we will see him soon okay?" 

"Okay."  

And she hasn't really asked for him since! She likes to talk about him when she looks at the pictures I put up on the wall by her play kitchen. We read the "daddy book" he recorded for her, and she calls him on the "key phone" (my car key is the only thing that can call the boat apparently, don't tell anyone!) She used to have really bad nights when he would leave, but she is adjusting to it and knows that I am here for her. 

These past few days we have spent a lot of time in the pool, and she is such a brave little fish. I'm going to teach her what I can and maybe she'll be "swimming" by the end of the summer! 

Speaking of swimming, I need to go check on her, maybe we can get a swim in before dinner tonight! :]

-Kristin

Busy?

I didn't think I would have SO MUCH to do! I'd planned on writing more, but I haven't been home. 

Over Mother's Day we spent one last weekend as a family in Arizona with our families before Ronnie went underway (again) he's been underway a lot since January. Thankfully, the 3 month "deployment" was cancelled and he was home to make it to not only my graduation, but my senior portfolio review! (My portfolio is one of the main reasons I put my blog on hold last year, but that is for another post!) We all came home to send him off, then Claira, Charlie and I went home for my cousin's high school graduation, and Memorial Day weekend. Sometime over the weekend Charlie was poked in the eye and my poor little dog was not himself. 

Tuesday after Memorial Day I got a call from Ronnie: "Where are you?" 

"I'm at my parents' house still, where are you?" 

"I'm home for 18 hours, how fast can you get home?" 

"I can leave as soon as I get the car packed up!" 

2.5 hours later Claira and I were back in his arms! That was probably the best few hours we have spent together in a long time, but it was also one of the hardest times to say goodbye. He convinced me to pack up and go back to Arizona the next day. And we did. 

On Friday Charlie was STILL not himself so I called the vet clinic my cousin and her husband take their dog to, and they had a last minute appointment on Saturday. Charlie had an ulcer in his cornea, they gave him pain meds and drops and wanted to see him back on Wednesday, he was acting like he felt so much better so I thought it was healing, apparently it wasn't because he had to have emergency surgery on Wednesday! They had to take a tissue graft from his another part of his eye and attach it to the cornea to patch it up. He's not feeling too well now, but he's happy to be back with us after an over night stay at the animal hospital. He goes back in the morning for a recheck, the vet said that there is still a chance that he will lose sight in that eye completely, but we won't know more until he has healed from the surgery. 

I'd planned on being back at home and sleeping in my own (half-empty) bed by now, but we have to stay for vet visits for this little guy! It's okay though, Claira and I are with family, and my grandparents are visiting so we get to spend a few more days with them. 

-Kristin

Another New Beginning

It's been awhile 379 days to be exact!
As you can see I've made a few changes.
Its been a busy year, and I've had some pretty big things to focus on and I had to make some choices to manage my time a little better but here I am, with more time to spend on things like blogging!

But at the moment I don't have a lot of time, because it's 1:30 in the morning and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin, or fall asleep on the keyboard. So here is a snapshot of one of the most recent big things that has happened this year!

Don't worry, I'll be back soon!

-Kristin

Pretty Pink Day!

I got Claira dressed today, and was super excited because it is warm enough for her to wear some of my favorite outfits of hers. This little onesie is probably my favorite of the size she is in right now, and I am going to be really sad when she outgrows it soon! 

We were playing in the living room, and I decided she was too cute to NOT do a little photo shoot. 

SO I ran upstairs and pulled out a fuzzy blanket and draped it over the couch, the quilt she is on is one my grandma sewed for her! 

Here are a few of my favorites! 

We had so much fun rolling around on the floor.

I was looking back at earlier photos and I can't believe how much she has grown!

She will be crawling in no time, and I am not sure I'm ready for that yet...

-Kristin

It's monday night...and I have no homework!

Since last August it seems like I have just been going, going, going! 
Last semester ended, and I was only on my Christmas break for a few hours before Miss Claira decided it was time to finally meet us!
After that it was complete busyness, new baby, Christmas, New Years, family time.
Then the Spring semester started.
And now it's over!
I have, yet again, congratulated another group of friends on graduating, without me.
It's hard sometimes to go to a traditional college because it is getting harder and harder to relate to my classmates. I am a couple years older than most of them, I am married, I have a baby.
But this is the school I feel I was meant to be at, and I am SOOOO lucky we were stationed here so I could graduate here!
When I think of graduation, I only picture the graduation ceremony for this school, because it is pretty much amazing! Picture a big white Greek amphitheater with this view(this was actually taken on campus, you can see the ocean from most buildings on campus too!), now add all the pretty decorations and the caps and gowns and happy family members and graduation stuff.
I can't wait!
A little over 3 months at home with Claira (which I am looking forward to enjoying), then I start my 3rd Senior year of college! Yes, I said 3rd Senior year! Unfortunately my dream graduation, from my dream school, requires some extra classes that are school specific, and my last two semesters will be completing those, and my Senior portfolio!

So, onto my SUMMER!
Saturday, Ronnie had a rare day off, he's not cleared to go back to his boat yet, but he still works long, inconsistent and at the moment pretty inconvenient hours, so we took advantage of that day off and went to Old Town to the Cinco de Mayo fiesta that was going on this weekend.
It was packed!

There were so many people, we walked and looked at a few booths, but it was hard to get around in the crowds of people with the stroller. We didn't want to walk ALL the way back to the car to get the sling to carry her in, so we went to an old fashioned root beer and beef jerky store. They had buy one get on free root beer floats, and some yummy beef jerky. So we sat and relaxed and people watched for a little while.
Claira smiled and talked to the people sitting next to us with a little boy, who was maybe 4 or 5, who kept telling me she was "the most ah-dowa-ble baby ev-ah!" and his sister who was probably 2, just kept trying to get out of her chair to try and feed Claira the hot dog she was eating (sharing is caring right???)
Then some of our friends called and invited us to go to dinner, and my other friend who we exchange rides home for babysitting, just happened to be available last minute.
So we went to dinner, babyless, and it was nice to spend time alone, with our friends.

On Sunday, remember those inconsistent work hours?
It was a Claira and Mommy day for most of the day! We went for a walk with Charlie, laid in the hammock on our back porch, listened to the Baby Einstein station on Pandora, rolled around on the living room floor, told secrets with Charlie, and ate our toes. It was a great day! :]

Today, we did some grocery shopping. Tomorrow will be some more giggles and walks and toe eating before the FRG meeting in the evening. I'm excited to start getting to know some of the other wives from the boat again, I stopped going after Ronnie had to come home early from deployment. A few of them didn't like that my husband was home when theirs weren't, even though he was home because he was injured and needed surgery. I can understand where they were coming from...but then I can't...it's nothing I would have un-friended someone on Facebook over!
Anyway, I decided to keep my distance until the boat came back, and now most of the wives have seemed welcoming, and of course everyone is in better moods with their husbands' home! ;]

Well, it's off to sleep for me! Tomorrow is a big day, Claira is trying bananas in her rice cereal in the morning!

-Kristin