The Blue Angels - USNA

Fat Albert is where? As I searched the crowd I was lost. No silly, Fat Albert is in the air. This coming from a real USNA Blue Angel spectator to a novice.. I look up and sure enough, a mammoth, what looks to be a cargo plane, is flying up the river and this signifies the beginning of the Blue Angel Show.

Then we could hear the thunder and out of no where, there were 6 Navy F/A-18 Hornets overhead and they gave us the most amazing performance. This was my first time watching the Blue Angels and I was excited. Tucker on the other hand was flat out scared! He would not let us put ear plugs in and much preferred to cling onto our necks for dear life. We shouldn't complain because it was some nice cuddle time but we felt bad for him.

Hopefully these pictures will amaze you all. Fortunately I have a good friend who had her camera and took these amazing pictures!

May 2009 Updates

The Past Month....





I am not sure where to begin as I have fallen a little behind with the blog and so many things have happened.... To us, each day is an exciting day with Tucker. He is a boy who just wants to explore the world, but still on his hands and knees. Brandon thinks that he will be walking by the end of the month (May). I feel like that Tucker has another month to go, especially considering June is almost here.

One of our projects for the Spring was to build Tucker a sandbox. We wanted one big enough for Tucker and his friends. 30 bags of sand later, and a fancy top, Tucker has a dream box! We all love to play in it with Tucker. Kudos to Brandon!!!

Tucker participated in his first swim class with Brandon. We thought that this would be a fun father son activity. Unfortunately Tucker was very apprehensive about the pool. At first this surprised us since he LOVES bath time. All he wanted to do was to hold onto Brandon and the pool rail. My theory, the pool area was too hot and stuffy. Heck, I went one night and wanted to sprint out immediately. When we went to Mystic, CT we took Tucker to the hotel pool a couple of times and he was very happy to be in the pool and moving around with us. Hopefully he will be ok at the pool club this summer.


We were all very fortunate to take a nice trip to Mystic, CT a couple weeks ago. Brandon had some meetings so Tucker and I thought that it would be fun to tag along. It was nice to get out of Maryland for a week and the bonus, we got to see some family and some friends. On our way to Mystic we stopped and had dinner with my brother, his son and wife. We had not seen them since Nate was a newborn so it was fun to see how much he has grown. We stayed with my godmother which was also a very splendid treat for us. He had a great time exploring a new house and yard :) One of the highlights of the trip for Brandon was going to the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Museum Home of the USS Nautilus in Groton, CT. We all went on the Sub but no one was more impressed than Brandon. Tucker and I thought it was too tight. Tucker and I also went to the Mystic Aquarium. What a fantastic aquarium. They had these amazing outdoor tanks where you could watch penguins swimming as well as beluga wales. We tried to watch a Sea Lion show but Tucker just did not want to sit still.

Immediately after we returned from CT we had some house guests, my parents. It was wonderful to see them and for Tucker to have some time with them and Skooter! He razzled and dazzled them and in true grandparent fashion, fed Tucker from his first ice cream cone. I cringed and thought of the mess but went along with it. Fortunately Tucker did not make a mess at all. He LOVED the experience!!! The trip was short but we will see them again soon this summer!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone Balk Balk!!





Our surprise. Tucker went to the White House Easter Egg Roll. The process began around midnight on the day the White House said they were going to release the tickets online. After 45 min I gave up and headed off to bed. Only to check in the middle of the night and then I really started up again around 7am. In between feeding Tucker I kept refreshing the page and finally I got through. PURE LUCK. As one reporter from the Washington Post noted "the chances of getting tickets are now comparable to winning a Mega Millions lottery." I did not realize this at the time but out of all of my friends trying for tickets, I was the only one. How funny the Republican who could care less about President Obama gets the tickets. Ha... It was purely a non-political day despite the numerous Obama t-shirts and hats being worn.

So, I just figured that I would get the maximum number of tickets (6) and then share the extra ones with friends. I finally got around to reading the fine print and out of the 6 tickets there were only 2 adult tickets. Hmmm. Fortunately Brandon did not really want to so I invited my friend Janet and her daughter Anna. She was the one who told me about the Egg Roll so it was only fitting that she come with us. We all met up the night before in DC for a nice dinner (Janet found 2 rooms 2 blocks from the White House for a fantastic price) and a good nights sleep. As we headed off to the Event our husbands headed to work. Our tickets were for the 9:45-11:45 segment but they said that we needed to be there 1 hr before the opening. This is one of the areas that they need to improve next year. We got in line around 8:20 and did not get into the event until 10:30. They did a VERY POOR job getting people in and to our surprise, there were a lot of very rude people who could care less that a) we were in front of them and b) that we had strollers with toddlers. This was a bit upsetting. Oh well.

The highlight of my day was meeting Julie Foudy! She is my soccer idol. There were not a lot of activities for Tucker but he did not mind. He loved getting his picture taken with the various PBS animals, crawling around in the grass, listening to Fergie and playing with Anna! Both kids were fantastic! I kept waiting for Tucker to melt down due to a lack of a morning nap but it never happened. Of course I did give him his first chocolate chip cookie and I loaded him up with snacks while we waited in line.

All in all we had a fantastic day and I felt so lucky that we got to go to the Roll!!!

13 Months

A month has passed and our little boy is now officially a toddler and doing all of the things a little energetic toddler boy does. Unfortunately he is still not walking and he is not showing any signs of walking. I am trying everything from bare feet, to strategically placing empty diaper boxes around the house to holding him and he does not want to walk. Much to my displeasure of course. I really do not want him to grow up fast but it would make life so much easier if he would just walk. That and he would save a few pairs of pants!

Tucker has also experienced his first taste of custard and gelato (the fancy stuff of course). He had no complaints and even asked for more. This has made Brandon VERY happy! Other notables, Dirt dirt dirt. Besides Tucker's normal outdoor inquiry of dirt and twigs we learned the lesson not to let Tucker sit in the back seat with shrubs or vice versa. We went to get some shrubs the other day and since they did not fit in the trunk they got to ride in the back seat with Tucker. We saw him playing with the shrubs on the way home but the welcome surprise was when we opened his door only to find his mouth, nose, and hands covered in dirt as well as his car seat. That called for an immediate bath!

Each day is a joy and we look forward to our new experiences with Tucker! Stay tuned for after Easter Photos! We have a surprise.

I forgot to add that Tucker also experienced his first babysitter and I went away for 3 days leaving Brandon to some good old father son bonding time. I am not sure who was more worn out when I returned, Brandon or Tucker.

Tucker Turns 1

It is official, Tucker is now 1. What is even more amazing is that we, as parents, survived. I was a little nervous the first few months but after we figured him out (a lot of trial and error) and he figured us out, we all started to get a little more sleep and have a lot more fun!! All in all, he exhibits all of the curiosity that is bestowed in a 1 year old. Brandon likes to call him the dismantler because anything that he gets ahold of, he first tries to put in his mouth and then tries to rip it. That seems to be the true test of whether something is worthy. Or if he can crawl in it, through it or hit it (meaning windows).

Tucker’s birthday week started off with playgroup. My friend Janet and I (whose daughter Anna turned 2 the same day as Tucker) co-hosted playgroup that week. We had around 20 fabulous kids over to the house and they all had a ball while the mom’s got to sit back and hopefully relax. The best part was when Brandon came home to check out the playgroup and exhibited an expression of bewilderment. I thought that he was going to turn around and walk out. But once he got past all of the shoes and jackets he decided to stay a bit. Tucker also enjoyed his first taste of a cupcake (Brandon made them while I felt the need to decorate them with peeps). Needless to say, after playgroup, we were all “Tuckered” out.

Then on Tucker’s real birthday we had a small family party. Brandon’s parents, sister, and cousin’s came down for the afternoon to help celebrate with Tucker. This time we decided to buy him a cake and with that, came a baby cake cube. At first Tucker did not know what to do but then he figured it out and made a nice mess.

Looking back, we have had an amazing year with Tucker and we look forward to many more days, months and years. I said to Brandon and a few friends the other day, I feel like Tucker is taking years off my life. We sit and play and share LOTS of laughs everyday. Any worries that I might have for the day seem to be washed away when I look at Tucker’s face and realize that my only concern in the present, is helping him learn and overall, have fun.

Tucker in South Carolina and 11 months

Except for Rhode Island and Florida Tucker has passed through every state on the Eastern Seaboard. This thanks to his parents (or more his mom) who would rather drive then fly to South Carolina and Maine. Well when you have baby gear and golf clubs the cost to fly would be prohibitive.

So we packed the car up for a fun filled vacation to South Carolina to see my parents for about two weeks. Unfortunately the weather was a tad cold the first few days but then it warmed up and we got to spend some fun time outside. Tucker did not mind being inside harassing poor Skooter (my parents dog) and exploring a new home. On those brr brr days we went to the Charleston Aquarium, headed to Beaufort for lunch, and then we went to see the Angel Oak Tree ( The Angel Oak is thought to be one of the oldest living things east of the Mississippi River). Brandon was not all that impressed, despite its size, because it had MANY limb supports. Nevertheless, Tucker and I thought that it was cool and he would have liked to crawl on the limbs.

During part of the trip Brandon had a business meeting to fly to so Tucker and I decided to head down to Savannah to see Ali, an old friend from skiing and college, and her two adorable kids for a couple of days. We had a blast visiting and look forward to seeing them again soon!! On our way back we made a detour and headed to Hilton Head to see a college friend. Next time I will need a little more time to explore the island. All in all, a great time to catch up with old friends!!

Thankfully we were able to also get out and play a few rounds of golf. Albeit not that well! Mimi was very kind to watch Tucker a couple of times while we escaped for a couple of hours. This was the first time that Brandon and I had actually really left Tucker for any amount of time during the day and he was a champ. Such a relief!! Next time hopefully we can take him with us to find all of our lost balls!

While we were visiting Tucker made it to the 11 month mark and since we were on the water, we took him to the beach to get his 11 month shots. All he wanted to do was eat the sea twigs that Brandon so creatively put together to document his age. Hmmm He seemed to have fun crawling around and trying to put anything and everything in his mouth.

Tucker wanted to make sure that we thanked Mimi and Grandpa for a fantastic time. He enjoyed every playful minute with them.

PS We officially have a stair climber now! AHHHHH Now we REALLY have to get our stairs done and get a stair railing in.

Snow Day - Tucker's First Day in the Snow - Brrrr

This is the day that I have been looking forward to all winter, Tucker's first day in the snow. Well it was actually my first day in the snow as well. I had fun shoveling and maybe shedding a few pounds. But back to Tucker.

As I was pulling all of his gear out, I kept getting worried looks from Tucker. The only way I could get his fleece pants on was if I was wearing my hat with a ball on it. This provided a great distraction! Also, since I never bought him boots this year I had to put baggies over his Robeez and this created a little concern but it worked out well.

I wanted to introduce Tucker to the snow slowly. So I put him in his stroller for a bit while I shoveled and then, after he looked like he was ready for some real snow, I put him on the ground. He did not really know what to do but after a few seconds he did what he usually does with something new, tastes it. I wish I had captured his reaction because it was one of total "what is this cold stuff!"

Unfortunately Brandon missed the first outing so after Tucker's afternoon nap, we dragged him back outside so Brandon could have some Tucker snow time. This time we pulled out a baby sled and towed Tucker around the back yard and even sent him down the little hill. He seemed to have a good time. I think that we had a better time. We can't wait for our next snowfall and soon, before we know it, he will be skiing!!!

Tucker - 10 Months

A big event occurred today, Tucker waved! My heart melted. Brandon was taking Tucker off to bed and said, "wave goodnight to Mommy." He waved and I almost had tears in my eyes. Oh the small and the simple things that can totally make a day.

During the week between Christmas and New Years, we took a trip to DC. I had read about a fantastic Holiday train display at the U.S. National Arboretum and I wanted to see it. So we took a nice stroll in the outside garden and then went inside. WOW!! We also took Tucker to the National Air and Space Museum. While I had fun in the museum store, Brandon showed Tucker around.


Happy New Year! To all good things in 2009!!

Christmas Eve and Christmas

Tucker's first Christmas and it was full of holiday spirit! We had a quiet Christmas Eve and Christmas morning just the three of us. I did miss being with my parents to celebrate as it was my first Christmas without them.

On Christmas Eve we went to St. Anne's for a wonderful Christmas Eve service. We sort of had to bribe Tucker with puffs and milk but all in all he did very well. I think that he liked when we were standing and singing (which seemed to be a lot) but was restless when we were sitting. He did do a good job of flirting with a little girl in the pew ahead of us which was fun to watch. After church and after Tucker was tucked in bed, Brandon and I had a wonderful dinner just the two of us.

Christmas morning Brandon and I actually woke up around 7am and opened our stockings. We were finishing up right when Tucker was waking up so then we helped him open his stocking. Shortly after we headed downstairs to see what Santa left under the tree. Tucker was a little overwhelmed and loved pulling at the ribbon. Once the paper was off the gift he enjoyed tearing it, which we could not figure out. All in all, he has some wonderful cloths for this summer, a new sandbox, books, nice soft foam blocks, and trucks. Everything a little baby boy would want.

In the afternoon we headed up to Brandon's parents house to continue the celebration. Tucker did well for a bit of time and then I think that the overall excitement of the day got the best of him. While he was tired he just did not want to sleep. So unfortunately we all had to hear him cry for awhile. We are all still trying to get back on schedule!!

USN Band Holiday Concert

For the past several years Brandon and I have attended the United States Navy Holiday Concert. This is something that our old neighbors Wes and Lori turned us onto. We loved it so much that this has become something that we look forward to every year and this year was no exception. Unfortunately when I sent my request in this year I received a letter back saying they were out of tickets but that we could still show up and claim an unclaimed seat. I was a little reluctant at first but we needed to get some Holiday spirit so we went. Luck would have it that we "scored" awesome floor seats in the back. This was perfect since Tucker was a wiggle worm the entire time. Brandon had some foresight and brought alone a foam letter and this helped occupy Tucker for awhile.

We even got to enjoy a nice stroll over to the National Christmas Tree and Tucker got to visit with Santa again.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year friends and family!!!

Tucker and Santa

I kept hearing about how my friends babies/infants would start to cry when they saw Santa and I was worried about how Tucker would react. While he was not laughing and smiling, he did not cry. Rather he did seem interested in who this big man was with a long beard though. So, Tucker's first photos with Santa.

Tis the Christmas Season - Family Christmas Tree

The day had come when we, the three musketeers, were going in search of our Christmas Tree. Not only was this a first for Tucker, but it was also a first for Mr. California boy.

Backpack, check. Hats and gloves, check. Camera, check. Christmas music for the car, check. Tucker’s bottle, check and double check. Christmas spirit, CHECK!!! And off we went to cut down the Lindley Christmas Tree. Over the fields and through the woods to the Christmas Tree farm we went. The farm was about an hour away and I had this vision of a forest of Christmas trees whereby we would scavenger our way around and at times get lost, much like we would in Maine. But tree farms are a little different down here so as we pulled in I was disappointed just to see an open field with trees growing on a hill side. Hmmm but I shook my head and realized that this was about a family day and starting a tradition of cutting down our tree despite what I had in my head.

With Tucker in a backpack and bundled up and a saw in hand, we set off. In the past my brother has always been the picky tree finder. Nope, too tall, too short, too plump, too skinny, not enough shape, too many dead needles, tip is crooked, not enough limbs and on and on. This would drive me INSANE! Well now it was my turn to put the trees under the microscope and I did. Soon I realized that I did not want to scare Brandon off so I loosened some of my requirements, but not by much. Tucker was a trooper and enjoyed every minute of it.

After some walking around, feeling the needles, trying to smell the trees and observing we decided upon a tree. Since Brandon was carrying Tucker I got down on my knees and started using some good arm power. Note: chain saws are NOT an acceptable way to cut down a Christmas Tree. Get real, get dirty and stop being lazy! So, half way through I realized that 2 trunks had grown together but we thought that I was low enough and we would end up with 1 trunk. Timber...ops. One fell and one was still standing. Hmmm?? Not good. So, we stood the fallen tree back up, took a picture and left the area quickly. Back to square one and now my arm needed a break. Not too long after we found another tree. This time we were a little more diligent and yup, 1 trunk, this is a go. So I got back on my hands and knees, crawled under the tree a bit and began the journey once again. Little did I realize that I was in some mud, ERGS! Eventually the tree came down and we had our Christmas Tree.

Another interesting note about Maryland Tree Farms, they have tree shakers. I am just used to getting the tree, dragging it and bagging it (not me personally doing all the work). Here, you get it, drag it and then the tree is stood upright and shaken. I am not too sure how I feel about this because conceptually it makes sense and it gets rid of all of the debris that is going to fall of the your house but on the other hand, seeing a tree gyrate as it does made it seem wrong. If I did not want to deal with the hassle of the debris then I should just buy a fake tree right?

So we now have our Christmas Tree, it is lit and decorated and Tucker really has not shown much of an interest in it. He tried to feel the tree but I think that the needles were a bit too prickly. So he went back to playing with his toys.

Oh, and on our way back home we stopped at a gas station and I looked and saw the most random landscaping sign. I had to take a picture of it since blacktop does not seem to qualify as landscaping to me. Hence the random photo in the slideshow.

Carter and Parkers 1st Birthday

Today we had a blast going attending Carter and Parkers 1st birthday. Go TWINS! Kiddos and adults alike had a blast (as documented by the photos). Unfortunately, I did not get a good picture of the birthday babies :( I am sorry

Cindy had fun showing us how to use the ball. Cheryl and Ali had fun jumping. Kids had fun in the moon bounce and on all of the various apparatuses.

Thank you for a fun time!!!

Random Photos

I know I know, I need to stop taking photos. It is fun to document moments and well today, he looked especially cute (in my eyes). Brandon also felt the need to document me looking silly as I was trying to entertain Tucker while we were out to dinner the other night. Tucker had a blast and flirted with EVERYONE!

Tucker - 9 Months

I really do not have a lot to say about this past month. It has been going by so quickly. Tucker is a crawling machine and he pulls up on EVERYTHING. Cords never tasted better and if he is not allowed to play with it, he wants it.

Trying to take month photos and documenting it with a sign is becoming very difficult! This time I had to give him a shoe to distract him then throw the sign down in front of him. It worked but only for 1 shot.

Stats - 29" length and 19.4 lbs. He is still in the 75th percentile for length and almost the 50th percentile for weight.

Holiday Happy Hour

Last week we hosted the MRE Holiday Happy Hour and had a blast. I wish that I had more photos of the night but I was busy socializing and having fun. There were many highlights of the night, including Sam and Jake sitting in the car toy together as well as our neighbor asking one of our quests to move their car. Why one would ask, because he had to park in front of his house due to a heart condition. Regardless of the fact that he could have parked in his driveway. This is the same neighbor who smokes cigarettes and can't rake his leaves because of this heart condition so his wife has to do it. Thanks Lee and Greg for being good sports! The highlight of the night, well Tucker. He was finally able to have free reign of the house and he took full advantage of that. Brandon and I kept asking, "where is Tucker?" So forget all of the tiny friends and his toys, he wanted to crawl under tables, be by the front door, get into the recycling bin and best, we found him huddled over the beer. The moment was priceless and created a good laugh. He has a few years to go :)

Thank you all for making it such a fun night! We can't wait to host another Happy Hour.

Thanksgiving 2008

Ok, I can't believe that I never got a photo of Tucker with our 20 lb Turkey or any Thanksgiving food. His first Thanksgiving and I failed to properly document it with a Turkey. I did get plenty of pictures of Tucker with Mimi and Grandpa though. They had not seen him for 4 months so there were a lot of great photo opportunities. The other highlight for Tucker was chasing around my parents faithful dog Skooter. Now I am trying to convince Brandon that it is time for us to get a dog. Tucker needs a 4 legged friend! Overall it was wonderful to have my parents here for Tucker's firth Thanksgiving. We do not get to see them nearly enough so any time with them is cherished!

A WHAT IN OUR BACKYARD??

Looks like we have a "nice" baby and Santa is going to visit us this year. Rudolph came for a visit and I think that he came to check out the best route to our house (Santa the Chimney might be a little tight feel free to use the back door which means we will leave the side gate open for you). Along the way, Rudolph decided to take a rest, I think that he thought I was napping, because gosh golly gee, as I was making Tucker his bottle, I looked outside into our backyard and there was Rudolph bashing in the sun in our backyard. I do not think that he found a good route out of the backyard but thankfully, after several attempts his magic jumping legs gave him some extra bounce and he was up and over the 6 ft fence. Next time I would rather he use the back gate or better yet, just assume that we have a nice baby and save me freaking out about how you are going to get out of our backyard.

Holy Crap was the phrase of my morning. Poor Brandon was in a Board meeting when a little panicked me finally reached him. How the did the deer get in our highly fenced in backyard and where the @#$% is this guy going to go? It is not like we live around a nice wooded area where deer come and go...hmmmm

Tucker - 8 Months

8 months and I am still scratching my head. It seems like just yesterday I was wobbling around. Now, I am running around trying to keep up with Tucker. He is like the Energizer bunny except it takes a LONG time until his batteries are drained.

The army crawl remains but at a MUCH faster pace. He looks at me and says "screw figuring out how to crawl on my hands and knees mom, this army crawl lets me check out things much faster.” Then, away he goes. Besides fretting where is is going, my other worry is what he is pulling himself up on. Usually, when out of the crib, he likes to pull up on objects that are safe so if he does fall, he can’t fall into/onto something. The only problem is that he has yet to figure out how to get down, besides just falling. That always yields a long hard cry :( At first I was so excited that Tucker figured out how to pull himself up but now, I HATE it, especially in the mornings. Rather than play with his toys in the morning, he is much happier pulling himself up and just looking, bouncing and sucking on the railing.

Taking Tucker's 8 month picture was monumental. Not only was it 70 degrees on November 7th, but it was also a remorseful day because the Republican ticket lost the bid for President. Tucker did his part by being a Tiny Republican Elephant for Halloween and insisting that we post a sign in our front yard. He is just worried that his toys are going to be taken away by President Elect. We all are. Nonetheless, politics aside, we are all embarking down some interesting, and at times exciting, pathways. For us, our excitement is watching Tucker and experiencing his “firsts” with him.

Random Moments with Tucker

These are just a few cute photos of Tucker taken randomly the last couple of months. One of my favorites is Tucker with his sock in his mouth. Frequently we will find him crawling around the room with a sock in his mouth.

One thing that Brandon and I love doing is checking up on Tucker when he is sleeping. He always looks so peaceful. It is hard not to want to pick him up and cuddle with him or just touch him. We also like to see where his toys have ended up and on this night, it looks like the dog...well...you will see. This was NOT staged. I could not stop laughing when I saw this!