Fun in the sun!

Today, Emmy and I took in some vitamin D the old fashioned way.  We crashed Matt and Marin's new apartment complex pool in Nashville under the guise that we "had a housewarming gift to drop off."  I definitely had flashbacks from college sorority parties between the great pool conversation, cold beers and music.  I snapped back to my new reality when Marin and Emmy engaged in an intense lip-smack-off.  I must say, our girl thoroughly enjoyed the scene and even attempted to bogart some of Matt and Miguel's beer cans...When in Rome...

Guy's girl

Attacking that can with shark-like voracity.

Boycotting sleep in the bed that Marin kindly made for her.

Nap?  Who needs a nap?

Just Three Words...

CLEARING THE TABLE

Emmy took it on herself to clean off the kitchen table as I was getting us ready to leave.  Silly girl. :-P

Puree. It's what's for dinner...

...and breakfast and lunch.  When Emmy turned five months old, she became so very focused on what I was putting into my mouth (it was kind of sad, really).   I had to get over the fact that my itty bitty baby wasn't quite so itty bitty anymore and that she was more than ready to explore her world through taste.  I began the slow, methodical process of introducing Emmy to my love of food.  Before we work through my treasured family cookbook, where I bestow upon her the secrets shared with me by my mother and grandmother, I must warm up her taste buds with her own special Emmy food.

I take my role very seriously as the nutritionist and chef of our family.  Being responsible for the health of the people I love more than life itself, is not to be taken lightly.  In an effort to continue filling my Emmy's little body with only the best nourishment, I am committed to making her baby food purees, just as my mother did for me.  It could not be easier and is so much less expensive than purchasing individual jars (especially considering she is a chow hound and would go through several in a day's time.) Between my baby food maker and a good old fashioned pot, steamer and food processor, I can crank out several types of puree during one of Emmy's naps.  It's so gratifying to be able to satisfy her voracious little appetite with such pure goodness.

My machine!

Pears

Carrots

The freezer stash.

HAPPY 30th MY LOVE!!!

 

UPDATE:

Emmy now eats all of her meals with her balloon in hand.

Just Three Words...

HARD AT PLAY

I just found these pictures from our trip and thought they were too cute not to share!  The baby girls were having a blast playing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" on Kris' lap...They were cracking up!

Story time with Daddy!

There is a project called "United Through Reading" which is sponsored by the USO.  The USO has made it possible for soldiers to read stories to their children via DVD and mail it, along with the books that were read, home to their babies.  The positive impact that it has on everyone at home is tremendous!  Our FRG collected several hundred books for this cause, and Nick was able to put them to use a couple of weeks ago!  Emmy just got her package of books in the mail!  The very best part was seeing and hearing Daddy, she was absolutely entranced...

Operation Pick-Me-Up Part 1

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of Nick's many challenges with his command is improving and maintaining this soldiers' morale.  Considering, as of a month ago, Operation Enduring Freedom is the longest American war, there is no manual on how to do this.  The position we find ourselves in is unprecedented.  What we do know is that one of the best tools in boosting morale is family support.  Understandably, there is a direct correlation between family stress and poor morale.

We have decided to wade through these uncharted waters and Operation Pick-Me-Up was born.  The goal with this project is to reach out to our families and encourage them, through various outlets, to step in and cheer their soldiers on.  The idea is that in doing so, their families will give them the boost they desperately need to do their jobs successfully and to come home to us safely.  Amidst all of the uncertainty and lack of control, these families hold their soldiers' morale in the palm of their hands.  That responsibility is both scary and empowering.

The first phase of Operation Pick-Me-Up is a surprise steak dinner!  Nick had this very ambitious brainchild a couple of weeks ago.  He talked with his friends in the Regiment who graciously agreed to transport a cooler filled with the fixin's for this meal on their next rotator flight to Kandahar!  Amazing!! Then, he sent e-mails to a local butcher shop and to the Commissary on post to get price quotes for enough steaks and brauts to feed his company...When word got out what he was willing to do for his soldiers, a couple of anonymous donors stepped forward to provide all of the meat...UNBELIEVABLE!!  I shared this wonderful news with our families at our FRG meeting last weekend.  At that time, I was able to procure volunteers to bake 16 dozen cookies and to encourage the ladies to break out their stationary to write thank you letters to their soldiers! Families came out of the woodworks to support this effort!  People want to help, they've just needed to know how.

On Tuesday morning, at our set time, I dropped off a 150 quart cooler filled with 85 brauts, 85 marinaded steaks, 85 small ears of frozen corn, 16 dozen of our soldiers' favorite homemade cookies, personal letters from home and a special banner painted with their aircraft nose art (that they've recently been ordered to paint over).  I was giddy with excitement as I drove away from the compound!

Nick will be waiting, with a truck, to pick up the very best care package of all time as soon as it lands in theatre.  It should be there in just a matter of hours...I smile just thinking about the looks on his soldiers' faces when they see what's for dinner. :)

The biggest cooler I could find!

The explanation for the "Nose Art Banner": 

Our company, the Lancers, have a very long history and have had new art carefully painted onto the nose of their aircraft for each deployment since Vietnam.  So you can imagine how much of a "morale buster" it was then the higher ups had ordered it to be gone.  All of the soldiers in the company will be signing this banner, and it will serve as a reminder of the their company pride each an every time someone walks through their door.

I thought it would be best to create a stencil of the Lancer Head before I broke out the paint :-P.  It's a good thing, too, because horse heads are tricky :-P.

My project during the Bachelorette finale. Not to worry, I watched it again the next day.

The former nose art before it was painted over...Yes, that is Toby Keith's autograph...

Drying in the bathroom, I decided to leave OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) X-XI (2010-2011) out of the frame because the toilet was in the way.

Dinner!!!

Thank goodness for these guys, Emmy and I would've had trouble lifting that beast by ourselves.