Ups and Downs...

We started the week off with Curtis getting Quicksand Warrior/Sailor of the Week, had a minor scare that Ella might have had hand, foot, and mouth disease (didn't), had a leak in the ceiling from all the rain we got, I had to go to the doctor due to sore ribs from excessive coughing, and the latest is that 2 planes from 2 different squadrons on the Carl Vinson, Curtis' ship, collided. As I am writing this, 1 of the pilots is still missing...

Here is the original article: http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=83231
Here is the most recent update: http://www.navytimes.com/article/20140912/NEWS/309120043/Report-F-18-collision-witnessed-by-flight-deck-crew

One of my current favorite pictures posted by one of the family members on the unofficial Carl Vinson facebook page....

Hoping for a safe recovery of the 2nd pilot

As of the last update, the one pilot is still missing. The Carl Vinson family has been supporting one another in a way that is simply amazing! To see all of the different posts and comments on the facebook page(s) gives you a wonderful feeling. I even started talking to one of Curtis' co-worker's mom on facebook. It really is funny how things work out... Thanks to Mrs. Faulkner and her son, Rob/Bobby, I am able to share these two pictures with you!

This one is easy to find Curtis :)

Now we have to play "Where is Waldo" Spencer style...

Ella
Ella had a fever last week and had to stay home from daycare. Thankfully our WONDERFUL friends were able to watch her for the day so that I could save up my sick days since our friends moved back to Indiana :( We miss you Cammi and Orion!! Ella got to play with her boyfriend all day and they snuggled. Some things never change...these two pictures were taken almost a year a part.

Playing sure takes a lot out of you!

Snuggle Budies - The Beginning

Ella and her boyfriend, Orion, got lots of play time in. Cammi made sure to take some pictures of them playing together because they were just the most adorable tiny humans ;)

Ella also happened to figure out that she could get in Bela's cardboard castle...

Ella has been starting to walk more and more. She has been comfortably taking about 4-5 steps at a time but she still would prefer to crawl. Anytime the daycare director or one of the other ladies come in to observe, she stops walking. We keep joking that she knows they are looking for her to walk so they can move her to the pre-tot room. Currently the room record is 16 months before moving on to the next room...I think Ella has accepted the challenge but we will see. :-p Soon enough she will be the oldest one in her room. I really think that is all she is waiting for, to be the oldest and to claim the room as hers. I've been told she knows how to open the gate there and she is just a character! One of her new favorite things is to come tackle me when I'm laying on the ground playing with her, then crawl over me, and laugh like it is the funniest thing in the world and repeat from the other side.

Julie
My cold from a few weeks ago went away but the horrible cough I had with it has been lingering. It started to go away with my medicine but then I was getting horrible pain under my right ribs. After some co-workers convinced me to see a doctor, I scheduled an appointment. Apparently I was was coughing so hard that I caused some minor trauma to the cartilage between my ribs. Needless to say, I hope that I don't sneeze, cough, pretty much do any rapid movements unless I want to be doubled over in pain. I seriously never knew you could cough THIS hard. I did lose my voice for awhile because of it and some other fun stuff but you don't need to know all those details! ;) I thought I was on the mend but Ella was crawling over me and managed to get me in the throat, I went into a coughing fit, the pain got worse. So here I am, TRYING to rest, HAH!, and take care of my aching ribs or cartilage or whatever I messed up.

Otherwise, I am doing pretty well. School, Work, and Ella are all keeping me very busy which is good, but I need to re-learn my school year time management routine.


I've sent out Curtis' first and second care package (the first got returned to me so now he gets 2) and I have the next couple waiting to be sent at their appropriate times. I'm a little too prepared and have about 3 boxes ready to go with some basic snacks. My hope was to decorate and prepare now and it would distract me less later on.

As soon as I hear about the missing pilot, I will do my best to post. I will also try and get a video up of Ella walking. Thanks for following our interesting adventures!