Birthday Boy!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY JOURDAN!

In The World of a 1 Year Old

In the past week Jourdan has managed to...

1. Get himself wedged halfway under the couch...chasing his ball
2. Learn how to use a straw (who cares if it is a purple & pink cup)
3. Get his arm stuck in baby gate while...chasing his ball
4. Vocalize to decibels only dogs can hear
5. Shake his head NO at me, numerous times!
6. Turn off my computer...
7. Open my CD player...
8. And turn off the TV with a push of a button.
   

I can't wait for next week!

Jourdan's 1st Birthday!

Enjoy the pictures from Jourdan's 1st Birthday, we are having another party in Maryland next week. I will post more pictures soon!

He had a cars theme for the party. Gotta love the cake!



Happy Birthday Jourdan!

New Buzz Cut!

Jourdan got a new haircut the other day! We buzzed his head...he looks so grown up. I think his favorite game is to play catch. Well he does not catch that much but he certainly can throw the ball. He would not sit still of me to take pictures. He needed to play with his ball. That's ok because he looks cute no matter what he is doing. ;)

Look at that throw!



Those cheeks! That chin(s)! Love em!



I love his new haircut. A mohawk is coming next!

The Week of the Wisdom Tooth

Aunt Sandra and Cousin Will came out to visit Jourdan and I this past week. They were a huge help. I got my wisdom tooth pulled and they watched Jourdan while I slept. I got plenty of much needed sleep! We also made sure to have a lot of fun.

When Sandra and Will got here Jourdan got some of his birthday presents early! He loved ripping off the paper and chewing on his birthday card. He looks so cute running around pushing his little car. Thanks Grandmom and Grandpa Boughton!

Of course on a hot summer day a baby pool is a must. So we pulled out the pool and Jourdan had a ball. What is better than a pool? The Beach! We went to Dana Point and played on the beach and went Whale watching. We saw dolphins, sea lions and blue whales. They were so beautiful.

We also went to the Cabrillo National Monument. This is a lighthouse at the end of Point Loma, just a couple miles down the road from my apartment. We were able to see Eaan's squadron on Coronado from the binoculars at the monument.

I just want to say Thank you to Sandra and Will. Without you guys I don't know what I would have done. You have been such a big help over the summer with Eaan being gone.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

I'm The Girl...

You don't know, but I'm the girl who cries every morning, and prays every night for his safe return. I'm the girl who drags herself out of bed every morning so that he will be proud of her when he comes home. I'm the girl who lies in bed longing for him to be lying next to me. I'm the girl who sits quietly at home because all I can think about is that next moment when he will safely be in my arms again. You don't know, but I'm the girl with a million things to say, but not one will come out without the thought of him. I'm the girl who checks my cell phone every five seconds just to make sure I haven't missed his call. I'm the girl who stops and stares and wishes for him to return soon each and every time another man in uniform walks by.

What you don't know is that I know love on an entirely different level from most. I know the love that spans time and space; that love that most people are constantly searching for. I'm one of the girls who waits months for a single kiss; a kiss that will make the months apart worth every second. A kiss where everything in the world stops and for what seems like eternity, you can see into that person's soul and know that without them, life is not worth living. You tell me, I'm too young to be "so in love"; I know that love has no age limit. You tell me I don't even understand what love is, I tell you, I know more love in one homecoming, than most know in a life time. You don't know that every time he leaves part of me goes with him and part of him stays with me. You tell me that people change and I tell you, true love with always remain constant and steady. You tell me, I'm too young to be married, I tell you, and I'm too in love to not be. You tell me you know how I feel and that you understand what I'm going through; you have no idea. What you don't realize is that I understand the true meaning of not only love, but of longing and anticipation.

You don't see, but I'm one of the few who gets goose bumps as my heart fills with pride every time the National Anthem is played. I'm one of the girls who will stand tall and stay strong on the outside, but be dying on the inside. I am one of the girls who will make friends with complete strangers for only they can even begin to understand what I am going through. You don't understand that I picture his face everywhere I go and that he is with me in everything I do. You think I don't cry anymore, that I have gotten over it, but what you don't know is that I just hide it better.

You don't know the feeling the first time you hear the word deployment or the feeling of his hands as it slides out of yours for what could be the last time. You don't know what that last hug or kiss means and how important that goodbye truly is. I'm the girl you see standing alone in the corner of the airport watching quietly out the window with tears rolling down my cheeks. I'm the girl you see walking by with a disheartened face staring silently at the ground. What you don't know, is that I know true love and that no matter what obstacles we have to face, our love will live forever, that only we know.

You tell me that you support the troops; I tell you, I'm in love with one. I'm one of the silent, but outgoing; weak, but strong; scared, but grateful. What you don't see is that without me, he is nothing and without him, I am nothing. I'm one of those girls; the girl who stands tall behind her Soldier, stands proud behind her Hero, stands strong behind her man, watching silently as he serves and defends our country.

~Author Unknown

Wisdom Tooth

I am getting my wisdom tooth pulled today. Yes, my one wisdom tooth. This means I haven't eaten since midnight...I am hungry. I can't eat for another 4 hours. After that I am sure I will not care about my stomach anymore. Really looking forward to this, at least I am getting knocked out. I will be putting up some new posts as soon as the pain in my jaw subsides. I better news, Jourdan will be 1 on August 25th! I can not believe he is already almost one!

Hiking @ Mission Trails

Leah and I have been hanging out a lot since both of our husbands are deployed. Leah is one of my best friends out here and she is such a help with Jourdan. She loves me so much that she helps carry Jourdan when we go hiking. She manages to make up for it by kicking my butt on the trails and making me run. It's always something like, "oh we should run to the beach today!" "Um, yeah, Leah that's 2 miles away". Still I do it. We need to keep up with the boys when they get back from deployment. We are going to kick their butts on the trails. Lately, we have been hiking at Mission Trails in Santee, Torrey Pines wasn't doing it for us anymore...too easy. Famous last words.

The first time we went was bad. We were not prepared for Mission Trails. Located in East County, this hike included 5 1/2 hours of 95 degree heat, cloudless skies, and level 5 trails (the hardest, of course...what was I thinking?). We also had a grand ole time when Jourdan pooped on us...twice, when I fell...twice (with Jourdan on my back, don't worry he thought it was funny), and when we ran out of water 2 miles from my car. IT WAS NOT FUN. :(

The second and third times were better and we came prepared...more water, more diapers, more wipes. We were only peed on these times. But none the less we made it to the top of the mountains and came back down without any major injuries. I love hiking, despite the mishaps, they make great stories. Don't worry I documented some moments from our hikes.

Me...not looking forward to what lies ahead.

This is what lies ahead...yes we went up that trail plus some and back down.

Jourdan gets the best seat in the house...that little slave driver.

Hey mom, what ya doing? Go faster! Come on!

We made it to the top!

Youngest hiker I know.

Why walk when you can crawl?

I couldn't resist! He is so darn cute.
Not walking yet but standing all on his own.
Jourdan actually is showing no interest in walking.
I figure he thinks why should he walk when he can crawl 20 miles an hour?!?

Nerd Day

I feel it is important to have a nerd day every once in awhile. This past weekend was perfect for our nerd day. Amber, Leah and Des joined Jourdan and I on our nerd adventure. We went to the Natural History Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. Than off to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center to see the IMAX, Dinosaurs Alive! and than finally to La Jolla to see Bodies...The Exhibition. I do not have many pictures because we were not allowed to take any in the exhibits.

Natural History Museum

The Dead Sea Scrolls were fascinating. The photography was amazing, I wish I could have taken pictures. While going through the exhibit to see the scrolls Jourdan decided to scream his little head off. I had to take him out and wait for my friends to finish. Than I was able to go back in on my own, while they graciously watched him. The good old parent switch-a-roo. I am getting used to doing this at basically everything interesting that I want to see.

We watched Dinosaurs Alive! in the IMAX. Jourdan loved it. He actually started laughing when two dinosaurs started attacking each other! The T-Rex did scare him when he roared though. Leah and I decided that we need to start seeing IMAX movies more often.

We had lunch at Mo's. Pretty much the only pictures I have from the whole day.

Bodies...The Exhibition was...I do not know, crazy, interesting, amazing, gross...so many words. You walk through and see bodies, REAL bodies, injected with something (I don't remember all the technical stuff) and it hardens the blood vessels, muscles, tendons, nerves..everything. There were bones and brains and blah. I know now that I can NEVER be a doctor. It gives me chills! It was so cool, yes cool...the best word I can think of. There were baby fetuses. So small. You can see babies from the time they were embryos through their development. We found out that the bodies were from China. They were unclaimed and than donated to science. Even the babies, they were either from miscarriages or because the mother and baby died. It's so sad. The bodies were real, I think that is what got to me the most.

What can I say? It was a great nerd day!

Gay Pride

This past weekend Des, Jourdan and I went to the Gay Pride Parade. There were lots of people there supporting the community. The hair salon that I work at, Hairspray, had a float in the parade so I went to show my support. I was not in the parade because I thought it would be too difficult with Jourdan. Hairspray's float looked great! We loved watching all the different floats everyone had. Hairspray won 1st price in the parade! They had the best float!

Unfortunately there were protesters at the parade. Do people not have anything better to do? This made me sick to my stomach. Let people live their lives as they want. People do not have to agree with the lifestyle but should show some respect. Sorry. . .I am done bitching.

There were so many different businesses and organizations in the parade showing their support. The police were even in the parade, along with many others.

Gay Pride Parade

Eaan Update

Eaan is doing really well. He has been to a couple different ports, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippians, and now he is in Singapore. Here are some pictures he sent me. He was able to go on an elephant ride in Thailand, I believe.



He can't wait to come home though. He is missing everyone like crazy. Eaan has been working a lot. He has been flying all the time. All the e-mails I get from him usually include something like, I have to fly 14+ hours tomorrow...I am glad I am not doing that.

Some good news though, he might be coming home early. Possibly as early as September 15th. So we will see. You can never get too excited. Everything can always change. Jourdan and I can not wait for him to come home.

Here are some pictures from on the boat. He is hanging out with his pilots.
Boys and their guns.



I am not really sure about this one.

Maryland

Being back in Maryland was a lot of fun. Chris was home for a visit from Germany. I got to see all my old friends. I miss being home. Jourdan had a lot of fun. He loved Otis. For the 4th of July we went to see Tommy at Cove Point Pool. Jourdan loved going in the water even though it was freezing! Afterwards we met up with everyone and went tubing than watched the fireworks from the boat out in the bay. I can not wait to go back!

British Virgin Islands

Ok I know that I have been slacking on the posting. I have been very busy and I finally got all of the pictures from the British Virgin Islands in order and ready to post. Jourdan and I had a lot of fun on our vacation. As predicted there were many pictures taken....I think the last count was 2,645 or something like that. Do not worry I am not posting all of them. But I am putting up a lot of pictures.
I was worried about the plane ride but it turned out ok. By the last connection flight I was ready to be sailing, not in a small airplane seat. We only had the 45 minute flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Tortola left. Sounds easy, right? After waiting for about 1/2 an hour on the little plane, the engines still had not been started. The pilot comes on to the speaker system and says, "Sorry about the wait, I know it's hot, (it is about a 100 degrees on the plane and everyone was sweating like crazy) but everyone should be happy because you are all about to go on vacation." Everyone on the plane kinda laughed and I yelled out, "Travel 10 hours with a 10 month old and tell me how happy you would be."

We finally arrived and waited an hour to go through customs, and than took a nerve racking van ride to the Moorings (there are hardly traffic lights, the roads are ALMOST two cars wide and the bigger car basically has the right away...and I thought San Diego drivers were bad). When we met up with everyone we immediately jumped into the pool.

The rest of our trip was a lot of fun. Jourdan thought it would be great to wake up at about 6 am every morning with the sun. Yeah for me. He did very well on the boat. He was a little shaky at first, but soon got the hang of standing on the rocking boat. The boat was awesome, since there is no air conditioning, air flow is crucial. The catamaran was nice and breezy. It was still really hot there. On the nights when it was too hot in the boat we would sleep up on the net.

It was so beautiful in the British Virgin Islands. We were able to sail, snorkel, scuba dive, swim and just relax. We went from island to island, playing on the beach, looking through the little shops and having dinner. There are so many stories to tell, I can't possibly tell them all. There was the lost camera, the rouge wave through our bedroom hatch (and yes we were in the bedroom at the time), Tommy's dislocated finger, Jourdan peeing on Grandmom, Jourdan peeing on the deck of the boat, Anna hurting herself at almost every island, Jourdan passing out wherever and whenever, rough seas, Anna dropping Jourdan and I am sure I am forgetting things.

There was a interesting Phone Booth at Marina Cay. All you have to do is stand there and every 15 seconds the camera takes a picture. You can go to the Pusser's website and see our pictures. Look up June 28th @ 2:50 pm and than search the archive. There will be a bunch of pictures of us. Just something cool, proves that we were there. lol. Anyway the slide show shows some of the highlights from our vacation. There are more posts down below too.

Enjoy!

Sleepy Baby

Jourdan managed to fall asleep everywhere we went in the British Virgin Islands. Tommy was his favorite pillow. He was too cute. I guess we were tiring him out.