Came & Went

It seems our two weeks with Ray went by all too quick. Austin and I were fortunate enough to have Ray come home, and we are thankful for the time we had with him. I have been told a few times that Ray really enjoyed his time as well! We had a jam-packed two weeks that included a first birthday party and a first trip to the beach for Austin.

Ray said it was amazing to see how much Austin grew in the two weeks he was home. The walking, teeth, interaction, it is hard to keep track of all that she is doing these days. Ray also got to experience the wrath of Austin's teething first hand, and experienced her first stomach virus on our beach trip. So, he did not get to avoid all that comes with being a parent. We got a lot of much needed family time in though. We went out to the places Ray craved to eat at, we cooked meals together, played golf, went on walks and swam. Pretty much the basic things we have been longing to do since he left.

A few days after Ray returned, we gathered to have a belated birthday party for Austin. She loves all of her new stuff!

Then onto the birthday cake!

She was not happy when the cake was gone.

 We also opened celebrated Danny's 2nd birthday a few weeks early since he was going to be at the beach for his birthday.

Then onto our trip! We headed down to North Carolina to stay on a golf course, much to Ray's disfavor. He loathed the idea of a trip that included being on a golf course right down the street from the beach. The course was beautiful and we were treated with such kindness and generousity by the owner of the course. So thank you Joe & Betty for setting us up with such a wonderful place to stay.

We warmed up our golf swing at the driving range.

Spent some time at the beach. Austin was captivated by the sand and water, so much that she sampled a bit of the sand to quickly find the texture was peculiar.

We also did a few nice family photos on the course.

Here Ray is playing "real golf" with Joe and some of his friends.

Ray & I played 9 holes with Joe & Greg. Here is a shot of Ray in action.



I can honestly say I look forward to playing more golf with Ray when he gets home. Be ready Ray, I will have more practice under my belt by then!

Here is Ray getting his last hugs in with Ripken before we were off to the airport.

We cannot wait until you are home. Next time we see you, it is for good. No more painful goodbyes, distressing time apart, or feelings of seclusion from each other. We have some many things planned, we just have to get through these last 6 months. 1/2 down, 1/2 to go. 2012 cannot arrive soon enough for us! We love you Ray!

Oops!

I forgot to mention that Austin officially has teeth. Shortly after her first birthday we were able to see the teeth pushing through her gums. She is working on about 8 teeth right now, 4 on top and 4 on the bottom. We are slowly working away from those gummy smiles to a tooth-filled smile. I will be sure to post some pictues of them soon.

Celebrations all around!

To start off, Austin and I had Natalie and Daniel over for dinner and a movie. Needless to say, it was a successful night and everything went smoothly.

Soon after, our little girl turned one! It is hard to believe that she is already one. It seems that it went by very quickly. She is now walking, climbing, and getting into everything. Oh, and all she does is talk. It seems like she learns a new word every day. She has quite a vocabulary at this point, including doggy, kitty, pretty, mommy, daddy, minnie (as in the mouse), baby, no (of course), and many more! She does a beautiful job using her sign language, and continues to impress us with her memory and motor skills. She really suprises everyone when she signs dog, which is snapping your fingers. She snaps her fingers like a pro! She continues to love talking to Ray on skype, and becomes more and more interactive through the computer with him.We couldn't be luckier or happier when it comes to our little girl. We love her dearly!

Her first birthday present from the Sedler's. Thanks guys!

Reading who it is from.

Riding her new toy from us, and sporting her "1" onesie.

The day after her birthday we headed down to the lakehouse in Missouri to visit Mamaw and Papaw.

Austin loves the water, even with that giant life vest on. She did a great job traveling, once again, and had a lot of fun. We were given strict insturctions by Mamaw to bring Austin's dad next time we come back! :)

Then, as if we have not been busy enough, the day after we got back Ray got back in town for leave. We had been home about 24 hours before we hustled to the airport to pick him up. I am certainly not complaining, because if there is one good reason to be rushed, it is to see Ray! Austin was so excited to see him and she was in his arms before we left the airport, which came as a suprise to us considering her seperation anxiety from me. It has taken her no time to adjust to having her daddy back. Thank God for skype, it has really kept them (and us) connected.

Her shirt reads "My heart belongs to Daddy"

She is loving all the attention and affection she is getting from Ray. He is adjusting to how busy and fast she is. She is certainly not an infant anymore, and he is quickly learning what parenting a toddler is all about. He has stepped right back into his role quickly and smoothly. He is a natural! I will post more pictures of our time together as they come along. Thank you again everyone for all of your support while Ray has been gone. We are truly grateful.