Our visit to New York

We also had a chance to visit with the Varney clan in Upstate New York this summer and we had such a great time. Our favorite time spent was with family, but we were also able to enjoy Great Escape, Natural Stone Bridge and Caves, and of course our favorite ice cream place (multiple times).

Cape Cod 2007

I wish I could post the hundreds of pictures we took this summer. We have so many wonderful memories. Here are a few group pictures and family pictures that we treasure

Cole's 7th birthday

On Cole's actual birthday we had a party at school for Cole and his friend/classmate Bianca. After school we took him on a birthday adventure. His new friend Eamon came along. We went first to Assan park to run around and let Cole try his new remote control airplane. Then we went to his choice of restaurant - McDonalds, and finally to the Nikko hotel where we have a membership. We arrived at sunset and the kids had a blast swimming. Haven enjoyed watching the firedancer show from the baby pool area. As we were leaving Cole and Eamon got to pose with two of the performers. It was a great day!

Birthday Bash

Last weekend we had Cole and Jack's birthday party. We held it at Polaris Point, which is a Navy facility with a nice beach. We woke to thunder and lightning and waited for skies to brighten. They did for a short period but when we arrived at Polaris to set up, we stood under drenching rain and it was quite windy. We were trying to decide whether or not to move the party indoors when I realized that my car battery was dead and we were there to stay. As our guests (about 25 kids and their parents) arrived at 4 PM the skies cleared and the weather was perfect. Kids played in the sand, climbed on the iceberg, swam, ran in the parking lot chasing balloons and had a wonderful time. And to top it all off, we were able to watch the most incredible sunset before heading home. We were blessed in so many ways with this day and, most importantly, the boys had a birthday party they will never forget!

Our New House

It's been a long time since we last wrote. After a wonderful summer spent in New York and Cape Cod, we have returned home and are settling into our school year routine. However, the home we are in now is not the one we left at the beginning of the summer. Our old house flooded twice as a result of a broken pipe, and while we were making our way back to Guam poor Tom (who was also on call all summer) had to deal with moving our entire house to a new home in a different Navy housing development. When we arrived home the furniture was in place, beds were made, and so much more. Here is a picture of our new house. My caravan is parked in front of the unit that is ours. We live on a long street. We don't really have a yard for the kids to run around in, but we like the house and the neighbors we've met. We're thankful that we did not lose much in the flood and that there was no major damage. Well, now that we are settled here we are waiting to hear about where we will be in June of 2008. At this point in time we are waiting to hear whether or not there is an open billet in Newport, RI. If so, there is a chance that we will be coming back to New England, but Tom would likely deploy from there for 6+ months. Our other option at this time is to extend in Guam for another year. Here in Guam deployment is unlikely though not guaranteed. We'll keep you posted.