Connecting and Reconnecting

Saturday, we enjoyed a lunch-time get-together at the park with the F. Family. Lara had sent me a note earlier in the week to ask about using a Facebook group I am an administrator for to organize a play date for babies and their moms. When I replied that our group would be a great way to reach out to other Navy Officers' Spouses with little ones, she asked me to say hi to Jip, as she had worked with him for a few months in Japan. We thought it would be better to just say "hi" in person, so a picnic at Montevalle was born. It turns out that Lara's husband had also attended a number of meetings with Jip in Japan while representing his ship. It was a lot of fun to connect in San Diego and share some Japan stories!

Later that evening, we put in Jungle Book. Ry was enamored.

RJ said he didn't want to watch it--he wanted to wait until he was our age. So, he grabbed the iPad, threw on his headphones and pretended to not watch the movie.

Today, Ry put on a little dance show. I had to put my own music with it because RJ was crying through the first two clips--he was mad that Ryleigh had just destroyed a Lego contraption he had just built. Though she was actually dancing to her teapot's music, I think House of Pain suits her moves.

Tonight, we enjoyed a great dinner with Kai and his family. Kai and Jip went to MIT together and then went to Puget Sound together. We had not seen Kai and his bride since his wedding in August of 2009. We have both added a child since that day, so we enjoyed comparing notes and sharing thoughts on next steps in this crazy Navy life. It was great to reconnect!!

Another Random Post

We received RJ's spring school pictures this week.  Isn't he handsome?

He's grown up so much in just the last few months.  Check out his official school picture, which was taken in November.

Better hair and better smiles in March, but he was still pretty darn cute in November!!

Oh, since we're posting school pictures, I might as well  post his class photo, which was also taken in November.

Yesterday, we finally spent part of Jip's gift of Lowe's on something substantial, instead of just little things around the house.  We bought a chiminea!  

Last night, it was actually on the chilly side.  It was a perfect night to sit around the fire and make s'mores.

Either the fire is too bright or Ry is just too cool.

How do you like Ry watching RJ's iPad and RJ playing the game on Ry's iPod?  At least they weren't fighting.

And finally, as I was putting new cushions on the patio chairs today, I found something that startled me.  It startled me so much that I stopped putting the cushions on, ran into the house, and waited for Jip to come home from his run.  When Jip came home, I showed him my discovery.  Jip came in and got a twist tie--something long enough to chase the critter out of the crevice of one of the chairs.  He chased it out onto the lawn, then we took a picture on my phone and enlarged it so we could verify my original guess as to what it is:

A brown widow.

Yuck.  Yuck.  Yuck.

They aren't as bad as black widows--they can't inject all of their poison at once like a black widow can.  But, brown widows still are no joke, especially around little people.  So, Jip gave it a good stomp.  Then he sprayed everything outside with anti-spider spray. Thankfully, there weren't any egg sacs around.  But, we'll keep our eyes out.  I was hoping we were done with the disgusting bugs when we left Japan, but alas, we get to deal with poisonous spiders.  Awesome.  I guess I should be thankful--our landlord, whose backyard overlooks a more rugged terrain (versus our busy street below our big brick wall), gets rattlesnakes, skunks, and opossums in her back yard.  

So, that's our randomness for this week.  RJ is on spring break for the next two weeks.  I hope I survive!

Fun with Cousins (and Their Mom and Dad)

Mackenzie, Maggie, Amber, and Eric paid us a visit. It was super fun! RJ and Ryleigh thoroughly enjoyed having their cousins and their parents in Sunny San Diego. Jip and I thought it was pretty awesome, too!

On Saturday, we were privileged to have a tour of USS CARL S VINSON with our friend Jeff S. We met Jeff way back in 1999 when he and Jip were both Division Officers on USS NIMITZ. Jeff showed us around the hangar bays, the flight deck, the forecastle, mess decks, and a special tour of Damage Control for Firefighter Eric. We were so grateful to Jeff for coming in on his day off and showing us around!

After our tour, we took advantage of the Navy's location on Coronado--we went to the beach! It was a beautiful day, so we grabbed lunch at the drive-thru, enjoyed lunch at a picnic table, then moved closer to the water for some fun in the sun.

Saturday night we had dinner at one of our favorite places. Miguel's served great jalapeño crema and we got to enjoy a fun meal on the restaurant patio.

On Sunday, we enjoyed breakfast out, then headed back to the house for some low-key fun. Jip blew up the pool and the kids had a ball!

Monday, the L Family headed to Disneyland. It was a long day for them, but they had a good time!

And, today was departure day. The M girls were so kind and went to school with RJ this morning so he could show them his classroom. After some teary, long hugs, RJ said good-bye to his girls. He can't wait to see them again!

And, the rest of the Mosmans feel the same way! We can't wait to see all of the L Family again!

Our Saturday

A glance at our March 8, 2014.

It was a very nice day.

Crafty Cook

One of the many thing I've enjoyed about living in the States again is being able to go to a craft store and find what I need to accomplish those Pinterest projects I keep finding.

A few weeks ago I rushed through Michael's to get some supplies to make a Valentine's wreath. The original craft called for a foam wreath, but Michael's only had willow ones. I think it still turned out okay.

Last week I tried another Michael's that other people had said was better. Our local Michael's is in a rough part of town and the aisles are overcrowded. But the new-to-me Michael's in Rancho San Diego was the Cadillac of craft stores. Wide aisles. Well-lit. Logical layout. No security guards to tell me I can't take the shopping cart outside. Ryleigh and I spent nearly an hour wandering around and just enjoying.

We had two projects we needed supplies for. Project 1 was for Crazy Hat Day at school. Some yarn, darning needles, and a hat on clearance led to this:

My thumb was sore from pushing the needle through the hat what felt like a million times, but I promised Ryleigh a pink one using the yarn left over from the Valentine's wreath. I guess I know what I'll be doing the next few nights.

Project 2 was for something new for the front door since Valentine's Day was 2 weeks ago. A foam wreath, ribbon, and five flowers later, this bright circle now adorns the front door:

Of course, I still cook and tweak recipes I find on Pinterest. I'd say we try something new every week or so. We've added some recipes to our regular repertoire, including Chicken Kisses (dough packets filled with diced chicken cream cheese, and spices and served with chicken gravy) and Greek Marinated Chicken (Greek yogurt, chicken, garlic, and herbs in a bag for a few hours, then bake or grill). But the new favorite is a pulled pork recipe: pork shoulder, 12 oz root beer, and a crockpot. After 7 hours on low, shred and add a bottle of BBQ sauce. So simple. So yummy. Root beer! Who knew?

I'm enjoying being a crafty cook and so glad Pinterest keeps exposing me to all the great ideas out there.