Front Porch Costume Photo Shoot

Pumpkin Patch

We took a Saturday and visited a pumpkin patch and corn maize.  The farm was completely out of pumpkins and it was only the middle of the month so we enjoyed the "hay ride" which was a trailer with wood seats, Cam kept telling us how much better he liked the wood seats rather then the pokey hay ones.

 The corn maize was very easy, literally impossible to get lost in. 

 The petting zoo - these two goats below lived in the same cage with a little lamb - they kept knocking into the poor thing with their horns - it reminded me of when we had a goat living in our backyard growing up and we would have to run to the garage or be head butted in the rear end.

 The farm next door had plenty of pumpkins - but we did not get one - 

the line to get in was absurdly long.

 The farm we visited also had a bakery that people talk very highly of.  I told the LT that I wanted him to buy a chocolate pecan pie from the bakery - it was a $17 pie - the LT was not to thrilled about it but he bought it.  Each of us had a piece at home including the dog who had about half the pie while we weren't looking - the LT really wasn't happy about that.  Needless to say we won't be buying expensive pies again.  

Goodbye pumpkin patches and hay rides - we will see you again next year!

Mermaids and Hampton...

The city of Norfolk is known for mermaids.  (Virginia Beach is dolphins... just FYI.)   You can find them just about anywhere, decorated to match the location.  One of our favorite activities while driving around town is spotting the mermaids.  The story is that each mermaid statue is a mermaid apartment and each mermaid is given a key to their own personal apartment.  The mermaids, come from the ocean, turn into water and travel up the poles into their home. 

Y'all I don't make this stuff up!

 

The kids and I traveled to Hampton, a city over a bridge and through a tunnel from us.  (Everything is basically over a bridge or through a tunnel... we are surrounded by water.)  I'm still uneasy when traveling though tunnels and over bridges.  

Hampton is a lovely area, very clean and everyone has a boat.   

 Cam was learning how to be a Navy shooter... flight deck crew on an aircraft carrier at the Air and Space Museum in Hampton.  We are stationed at the largest naval station in the world and the LT is on sea duty, but he will not be making a deployment on a ship this time being that ships only have one PT on board at a time and his command is Special Warfare Logistical Support (Navy Seals).  His command is structured so differently than other commands, I am still not quite sure how it all works, but the command is hosting an information fair for the spouses just for that reason! 

Schooling for Cam is coming along.  He is working on the Kindergarten curriculum from My Fathers World.  It is christian based, I tend to stay away from them, but I liked how this one was put together and everyday is very routine, which Cam likes.  Cort and Cam also have their very own work boxes.  The work box system is a program that was exactly what I had in my head when I began homeschooling and someone already wrote it up and is now selling it.  Cort has 6 to do at her leisure and Cam has 4 which will progress to 6 as the year passes but his must be done in order. 

It's so hard getting in on pictures when you're the one holding the camera... 

proof that I really am around!

We found Asia...

Monday night the LT treated the kids and I to dinner and shopping at the Asian mart in our city.  While in Texas, the LT frequented a Korean mart - the owner knew him by name (probably because he was the only white person ever in the store) so finding a new Asian mart was a must here!  This Asian mart though is like a Wal-Mart with a small restaurant.  See the Asians in the background - if they are eating then you know it's a pretty authentic place.  Cort dived right into the kimchee and the pickled radishes - and was loving it!  UGGHHH!

 

Cam in the Asian mart - using chopsticks like Ninja swords - Power Rangers is a huge obsession here - so much so that he has resorted to watching Asian versions of Power Rangers on youtube.

  

My first attempt at decorating molded rice balls for the kids - I make Bento style lunches for the little ones on Friday for school with our home school group but am trying to get more into the Asian style of Bento food using more rice and cute cut out veggies - I bought the LT an awesome new rice maker for his b-day tomorrow - awesome because it was awesomely expensive and made in awesome Japan - he is going to be so excited :)

 I finally dragged the LT to the beach - yes, two months here and he finally came.  He doesn't understand why I love it there so much - he's not a beach person.  He gets Friday and Monday off for Columbus Day - he's had more days off in the time we have been here then in our whole marriage - planning for a fun weekend together! :)

BTW, the kids did get their shots finally after I took them into the medical clinic on base.  Thank you Hospital Corpsman for not caring that Cort was 18 months behind on her shots and for not bothering me with lectures on "the immunizations law" and actually praising me for my parenting skills - you rocked!

Randomness...

It rains a lot in Virginia so building spaceships indoors is a must... using a few of the hundreds of boxes still taking up space in my garage, Cam and I checked going to the moon off our bucket list.

Since we live so close to the ocean, it takes us quite a long time to travel inland for things like the soccer team we signed Cam up for - base doesn't start soccer until age 5.  Because of their age they don't have practices and just show up on Saturdays to play about a 10 minute game... points are not kept.  This is actually perfect for us, I am not a fan of taking sports to serious at 4 but traveling over 20 minutes there for a 10 minute game makes me wonder what I was thinking! :)

School and potty training has started at our house... Cort loves to be naked, she is usually that way when the LT gets home in the evening but I try to keep a few articles of clothes on her during the day!

The LT is loving his training... lately he has been driving Humvees and shooting guns.  I spent three days in a class offered on base learning everything I could about the Navy.  It has been a huge adjustment learning  military language, understanding command structures and having to keep track of my ID card, since I need it for almost everything.  With all there is to do here we have already stayed quite busy, which will make our short time in Virginia fly by!

Our beach...

We are still moving in but I took an hour off from unpacking boxes to visit our beach.

 It's about a 5 minute walk from our house, a huge reason why we chose the home we did, and it's a quiet beach unlike the touristy, but beautiful Virginia Beach down the road.  

The kids were excited to see sand and sea again, and although its no Hawaii it will be ours for the next 3 years.

 I absolutely love the beach and find so much peace just sitting on the sand watching the ocean while the kids dig and splash in the water, it is very close to heaven to me.