D.C.

Alright!...here it goes...this is my first picture narrative...me, Andrew Roo McLay! We went to the Air & Space Museum at Dulles Airport with Reed and Syndi Ryan and their kids. It was good to see them and keep in touch after all these years apart. We showed up exactly 1hr prior to the museums closing because at that time, and not a minute more, it's free parking! We saved ourselves $15/vehicle...nice! Anyway...on to the pictures...

A couple of the aircraft there. The B-29 Enola Gay that was the first airplane to drop an atomic bomb...F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (that they're still working on developing)...and the Shuttle Enterprise. The past, present, and future of aviation!
Me looking a little creepy...hee hee! And Ryan looks like an Arab.
Look at these kids...with kids! Crazy how just a little bit ago we were two High School troublemakers and look at us now...responsible adults!...sort of!
We drove out to DC so that I could show Angela around. This was our first stop, trying to spot Prez Obama and his 14 stiches he just got. Didn't see anything except for a bunch of Secret Service who were looking at us!
Hopefully Ryan will appreciate this picture when he's older...either that or hate me for having him out in the cold like that with no jacket.
Angela had to show off her Slurpee...she was so cold but had to drink it because she LOVES them. She's so beautiful!
And more pictures of the White House, the US Capital, and Lincoln Memorial. It was good to come back to DC and see the sites with my family!

Thanks/Family pictures

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I just want to start this post by saying how thankful I am for my family, and all of the many blessings that I have. I am so fortunate to be married to such a wonderful man. I've said it before, and I truly believe that I have so many blessings in my life because of my parents. Before Andy and I met our spouses and got married, my Mom and Dad would fast every week, and pray everyday that we would meet someone who would love us and bless our lives. Even though there were times when I wasn't living the best life that I could have been, I know that because of my parents faith and prayers I was blessed. I couldn't have married into a more wonderful family, and I am so excited as Ryan grows for him to get to have a ton of fun with his cousins. I know that I can speak for Andrew and say thanks for all of the love and support that has been shown to us!! We love you guys! O.k....sappy stuff over until next November.

A couple of weeks ago we went on base to take some family pictures by an Osprey. I was going to put off posting the pictures because I was planning on using them for a family Christmas card, but I figure that I will do my part to save the environment and just post them on the blog (plus we don't have our address book, sorry).

I think that the pictures turned out really well; I especially like the ones with Ryan and Andrew!

Us under the wing.

I think that this is my favorite family shot...I just wish that you could see more of the plane.

It was hard to get Ryan to focus on the camera. The poor photographer was trying so hard...I think that she did a great job though.

After the photo shoot Andrew was able to give me a tour of the plane, it was neat to see. I am so excited and proud of him for doing great in training!

The plane was right in front of a HUGE white building, that's why it looks like our eyes are closed.

Ryan loves being lifted in the air. I'm still too scared to throw him too high.

Am I a lucky lady or what?

This week

We've had a pretty quiet week so far, we did a couple more runs to Sams' Club (our new date spot) and went out to Olive Garden last night. We bought Ryan something that holds him more secure in a high chair, and he actually let us ate dinner in peace...we're just learning to eat a bit faster.

We are really excited to go to Virginia tomorrow; Andrew has a late sim so we probably won't be leaving here until after 4:00, and then it takes about 6 hours without stopping, so with Ryan I'm assuming it'll take about 8 hours.

We went for a walk today along the flight line. Ryan enjoyed it...and the Gogurt that I was feeding him

Eating a pretzel. He was distracted by Daddy.

Staring at Dad.

My handsome boys all dressed for church.

Ryan and I.

When we were walking along the flight line an Osprey was landing. Pretty AWESOME!!

Two for one

I am probably biased, but I think that Ryan is the cutest ever!! He has recently started laughing (which I LOVE). Andrew is much better at getting him to laugh...I took some video of his skills. Also we play this game with Ryan where he covers his face with his blanket and then we say "where's Ryan?". He takes the blanket off his face and then does it again...it must be the Baby Plus that I used when I was pregnant...he's a genius!!

More jumping

Since the last post of Ryan jumping, he has definitely gotten the hang of it. Here is he eating some of Grandma's beef jerky and hopping away.

Friday foto: Chicago

For Christmas in 2005 we went to Chicago to visit my Grandpa and met up with my parents and Andy. I am so thankful that we were able to go spend time with family because the following year we found out that we were going to be stationed in England and it would definitely wouldn't be as easy to get together. Now that my Grandpa is getting older, I'm so glad that I have so many fond memories of him.

I believe that we're on the Sears Tower. I have to say that I am jealous that Andrew doesn't seem to age...ever. I found his High School i.d. card and he looks the exact same. NOT FAIR!

Us in front of the "bean" in downtown Chicago.

Growing up

Last weekend we got a membership to Sam's Club. There was a $15 coupon in the local newspaper if you opened a new account, so we figured that we might as well do it. As we were walking out Andrew said, "It feels like we're so grown-up...we're Sams club members." It's funny how the small things in life sometimes hit you the hardest.

This week has been a pretty good week so far. One of Andrew's classmates is letting us borrow a car while his wife is out of town which is really nice so that I can go explore the town. Also Andrew does a great job at making sure that I get out of the trailer, even if it is just to go on a walk around the trailer park.

Yesterday I hung out with some ladies from the ward-which was a lot of fun. Though I am discovering that when you hang out with a bunch of moms, you're going to end up talking about your kids.

Here are some picture of Ryan from this week

From the samples that they handed out at Costco while I was visiting my parents, I discovered that Ryan is a big fan of Gogurt. After Andrew grilled me on how much sugar was in it, he let Ryan have some.

I love his smile!

For his 6 month birthday celebration he got this horse from Aunt Nikki and Uncle Andy

Wilmington & the beach

One good thing that I'm noticing about living in a small space is that we going out and exploring. Today we went back to Wilmington to check out their farmers market (it was kind-of disappointing) and the beach.

Wilmington has a nice riverfront that you are able to walk down, plus they were having a triathlon today so it was fun to cheer on the athletes.

another picture of the Battleship NC; the boys; family picture; on the riverwalk

After the farmers market we took Ryan to his first beach outing. I think that we enjoyed it way more than he did!

Ryan's footprints in the sand

I'm not sure that he knew what to think of the sand. I wanted to dip his feet in the water but Andrew wouldn't let me.

The waves were actually big enough that they were having a surf competition. I look forward to when we can take Ryan to the beach and he can actually enjoy it.

Battleship North Carolina

Happy Veterans Day! We started the day off by taking some family pictures next to an Osprey. We should get them sometime next week...hopefully we're all looking at the camera!

In honor of Veterans Day, Applebee's was giving a free meal to all veterans. We knew that it would be pretty busy here in Jacksonville, so we decided to go to another town about 45 miles away that we figured we'd have better luck since it wasn't a military town (sounds crazy just to get a free meal right?). On the way we saw a billboard for the Battleship North Carolina (http://www.battleshipnc.com/) and we decided to stop and check it out. For anyone that knows us probably is impressed that we actually stopped to see something that we had to pay to go into. I mean, we are the couple who went to Paris and didn't stop by a single museum.

The view of Wilmington from the deck.

The boys in the enlisted berthing area (sleeping quarters)

Me hanging from a hook that they hung the meat on in the butchers area. I tried playing dead but then got the giggles.

handsome sailors

On deck. It was amazing how big the guns are.

G.I. Joe

After we toured the ship we went to Applebee's to get our free meal and saw the line out the door. The wait was over an hour, so we decided to go somewhere else (they're hopefully fixing our water tomorrow so I won't have an excuse not to cook, so I've definitely been taking advantage).

I've talked before about how "interesting" it is going out to eat with Ryan...here he was drinking some of Andrew's water.

Our first few days

We have had a fun couple of days so far. We've had a couple of issues with the trailer, mainly a water leak so we've shut off the water. While that could get annoying, it gives us an excuse to eat out. I mean how are we supposed to wash dishes? That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

The weather has been beautiful. It's gotten up to the 70's during the day, though it does get a little chilly at night. Since my last post we've decided to turn on the heat at night, so we don't have to bundle Ryan up.

Ryan in his jumper. He's still a little short to jump, but I'm sure that he'll grow into it.

At Outback Steakhouse. He was so good just sitting there, we were actually able to eat our whole meal...and we only spilt one glass of water.

I normally don't post pictures of me, but I finally bought some make-up when I was in Washington and got a crash course in applying it, so I figured that I'd try it out.

Ryan is starting to laugh (really laugh). It just melts my heart!

Ryan is getting really alert and watches everything that you put in your mouth. Here he is eyeing some Crystal Light.

Here is Ryan in his jumper.

NC so far

After a long travel day, we made it safely to North Carolina. I'm really grateful for video chatting because it seemed like Ryan knew Andrew right away...no crying!

We are getting settled in to RV life. It's a pretty tight fit, so I'm really glad that we were so excited to see each other...we're having a fun time being a family in such a small space. It might be a different story in a few more weeks, so I'll just enjoy it while I can.

It gets pretty cold here at night, and the heat runs on propane. We have to pay for propane. We are cheap. Therefore this is how we dress Ryan up at night.

It doesn't seem to bother him though!

Roo and Ryan eating Grandmas' beef jerky.

Yummy! Thanks for making it Mom!

Happy baby.

We were able to borrow a Pack n' Play and we bought a jumper. I took this picture from the end of the room...not too much room.

It's cozy but it works.

The kitchen. The stove runs on propane (which we've already established that we're cheap), so that is our new pantry. Not ideal-but it works

The living/dining room before Ryan and I took over.

Last pics in Washington

After a wonderful 9 week visit, Ryan and I leave tomorrow for NC. I'm already thinking about when we can come back. Thanks to my parents for being such great hosts (and spoiling Ryan so much). I definitely caught up on my sleep since I've been here.

Here are some random pictures for the visit.

The onesie from Nikki all lit up

He wasn't too thrilled about being in the dark!

We bought this cute hat at D.I. today for a dollar. I think that he looks so cute!

Looking so grown up!