Testing, testing.

My first Photoshop creation!

I am proud to be an American

This day 7 years ago I grew up. I joined the Navy to get away from home(and ended up getting stationed back home for 6 years). I had pride in my country, but not as much as I should have, or near the amount that I have now. I was a young spoiled punk kid that took everything for granted. In June of that same year, I got to my first ship. On September 11, the safe little world that I lived in, just like so many others, came crashing down around me.
I can remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember the faces, I can remember the smells, I remember the terror. We were on the mess decks eating breakfast when it grew silent and all eyes went to the TV 's as we watched a plane fly into a building that was standing next to another that already had a plane in it. We watched those towers fall. And then the words over the 1MC. "Make preperations to get underway." There were 3 ships inport that were able to get U/W. There were 3 places to guard, Seattle, Bremerton and the subs at Bangor. We didnt know where we were going yet, just that we had to leave. Once, I found out where we were going, I called my parents and I told my mom, "I am not going to be home tonight. I can't tell you where we are going, but I am safe."
We went to Bangor and stayed there for 3 days. Driving circles, with orders to shoot down anything that flew within 13nm of the base. No questions asked. I had never been so scared before. We had no idea what was happening. We didn't know what city would be next. One night while I was on watch, after all the planes had been grounded, we had an air contact, and the OOD hesitated for a second on an order from the CO, and in the blackness of the bridge, I remember him screaming, "We are in an F****** war here!"
The powers that be, said that we could come back home. I remember the feeling of patriotism just oozing out of everyone I passed on the streets. I remember people standing at freeway over-passes with flags draped over just waving at cars. We were united.
And today it makes me so sad that people have forgotten that feeling of pride in their country. That willingness to do anything to protect this land. The majority now want to give up on a war that is almost won, surely sending a message of defeat to our enemies. That is not what this country was built on. That is not how we became a free country. I am so blasted proud of every single one of those men and women that are fighting for our country. Whether it be over in the Middle East or on a boat somewhere in the Ocean. Thank you. Thank you for your sacrafices you make every day to protect us. To keep the war off of our own land.
Thank you Johnathan, My Maria, J., Scott, Alex, and thank you to all of the spouses that are at home supporting them.

Thank you buddy

He repeats everything. Even if I am on the phone 10 feet away and he is playing with his cars, he will just quietly sit there and say everything I say. He will remember things for weeks and then blurt them out at the perfect moment. Sometimes it is annoying, sometimes it is funny and sometimes I want to kick myself. (Like the day he yelled the word Diarrhea over and over in the hospital) But never before has it hit me as strongly as it did today. I was sitting in bed after nap and he had crawled up with me and Bug. I just sat there looking at them and I started to cry just a little at how wonderful I really do have it. He looked up at me and said, "You okay mommy; you are so blessed." It blew me away that he would be intuitive enough to say that right then. Man, am I ever.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Him:

Okay, all of his friends have pottied on the toilet and one of them is now wearing big boy underpants full time. My son has shown no interest in potty training, but I haven't pushed it at all, I figured when he was ready, he would let me know. When I sat him down on his toilet naked he would immediately stand up and say "all done!" Last week though, while I was going potty, he pulled his pants down and sat on his toilet naked. He didn't potty or poop, but we got a step closer. Well yesterday, I took his diaper off of him and he ran away before I could get another one on. I told him if he ran around naked, he had to tell me before he pottied. About an hour later he disappeared into the kitchen while I was feeding her and ran back out a few minutes later, "I pottied!" He had pulled his booster seat off the chair, sat on it and pottied. A little while later, he peed in the living room. (I am so glad we got rid of the carpet!) A little after that I was on the phone with my friend while nursing. He was on the couch, and told me he had to potty. I asked him if he needed help and was told, "I not need help! I got it!" I said, go ahead and go in the bathroom. He went and turned on all the lights and the fan and was very quiet. He came back out with the biggest smile. "I potty in the toilet!" I jumped up, and ran in there and he had half peed in the toilet and half out. I was so so happy. And he looked so proud of himself. So he got a quarter and got to put it in piggy. Later that night, he started to pee in the hall, but stopped and ran to the bathroom while I cleaned it up. I peeked in at him, he was sitting on the toilet with his little wee wee hanging out, peeing all over the bathroom floor. But the smile on his face made me so proud of him, I didn't care. We will get the logistics down.

Here is a picture. I know, gross that I would put his pee on here, but I don't care. I am so proud of him.

Now her:

She is a getting really good at scooting-in circles that is.

I had laid her on the blanket and in about 5 minutes she had pushed herself in a big half circle 2 feet from where she had started.