Playground

Magnus and Maliah are excited to have a fun playground just 5 house down from our new house in Arlington, VA.

 

 Dad even enjoyed taking Magnus for a 'spin' at the playground!

Stocking up

Magnus and Maliah help us shop for groceries to stock up the pantry at our new house.  They were great help, and speedy too in their fast race cart!

Last Day at School

The day came that we finally had to say good-bye to the Hurlburt Field Child Development Center (CDC).  I will miss all the outstanding caregivers and all the fond memories I have of this place.  Though the beginning was rough for me, as this was the place where I was leaving my precious baby in the hands of strangers (or so it seemed at the time).  The 1st day that I dropped off Magnus, he was 4-months old, and I went back home and cried... and then 2-hours later came and picked him back up.  For the next 2-weeks I couldn't leave his room each morning without crying.  Soon I was able to make it to the car, before I would cry... eventually I made it all the way to work before I would cry.  And finally, I stopped crying.  Then along came Maliah.  Again at 4-months, I dropped her off and cried.  But this time I only cried, maybe 3-days all together.

The way that the caregivers brought my children into their hearts absolutely made me feel better.  I will forever cherish the happy times that the Hurlburt CDC brought to my children's lives.  :)

Magnus & Ms Antoinette

Maliah and Ms Rachel

Maliah & Cara

Maliah made friends with Magnus' best buddy's (Aiden) little sister, Cara, who is Maliah's age too (okay 3-months apart.) 

Do these pants make my butt look big?

Magnus the Fish

Magnus LOVES the water!  Here he is enjoying his last weekend at our condo's pool (just 30 feet from our back door), before we move to the DC-area.

 

Beach Photo II

Magnus wants to look at the sand, not the camera.

We decided to take another trip to the beach and we captured some more great family photos.

 

Are we all actually lookin at the camera!





Family stroll



Beach Swing

 

Maliah's Beach Photos

We decided to sit Maliah down on the beach and see how she liked the feel of the sand on her feet.  We caught some great pictures of her.....

Beach Photo

In the heat of summer, we decided we ought to finally get some FL family beach pictures, before we moved away next month.

Bagels

When Papa Hummel visits, Magnus LOVES to have a bagel on the back porch in morning with him.  They sit and look out to the Sound and watch the Egret as it looks for its breakfast.  Magnus now refers to 'toasted' bagels, as Papa Hummel bagels.

Magnus, Papa Hummel, Maliah enjoying a morning bagel

Bum

No child photo album is truly complete without a naked bum picture...

Maliah posing sans clothes

Belmains

Magnus hanging out with Jonah in the condo backyard

We have been blessed to have our family friends, the Belmains, living so close by us, to share fun times with while we have been stationed at Hurlburt Field, FL.  Dylan fist met them when he was a cadet at the Air Force Academy in 1996.  More than a decade later we are all still friends.

We have shared many a meal with them... and they have helped tremendously with watching Magnus when our schedules took us away from home.  For example, when Dylan was deployed and Deborah had a work trip, they watched Magnus (6-months old) for 2 weeks.  Over the past 2-years Magnus has grown very attached to the Belmains, especially this youngest son, Jonah.  Despite the 4-yr age difference they have a blast together.  Magnus can't get enough of Jonah (and his older brother Noah). 

Natalie (1-yr) & Maliah (6-months)

And the Belmains youngest, Natalie, is just 6 months older than Maliah.  I wonder what kind of bond they would have formed if we were to have stayed here in FL (but alas we are moving to DC in just 1-month). 

Maliah on the move

Maliah is on the move... she just began scooting!

This is my first post

Jet Skiing

Magnus crusin' on the jet ski with Daddy