A frocking good time

Today was the frocking ceremony for hubby. It took all of 10 minutes but was a nice way for everyone to get recognized. There were 8 sailors promoted to 1st class and 2 promoted to senior chief. The entire command was there and the family members of the promoted sailors. The CO said a few words about the sailors and then handed each one their promotion certificate, shook their hand and posed for a picture. 

Below is the only decent picture I was able to get due to the horrible lighting in the hangar bay and the cranky boy. You can see on Matthew's left arm the new patch. The 3 chevrons indicate that he's a 1st class. I'm so proud of my boys. :)

Memorial Day

I just want to remind everyone to take a break during all the BBQ's and celebrations this weekend to remember what this holiday is for: honoring our troops. 

Regardless of your political stance and feelings on war, our freedoms are protected by men and women who deserve our gratitude. Many of them are barely 18, yet they put themselves in harms way for us. I think that earns them our respect. 

Ok, I'm off my soapbox now. I hope you all are enjoying the long weekend and having lots of good food!

I leave you with a picture of my Navy man hanging out on his ship during a deployment last year. 

S.W.A.K.

We Are That Family is having a S.W.A.K. carnival to honor the men in our life. Check out her blog for all of the participants, but here is my contribution.

My husband was deployed for the first time a mere 6 weeks after our son was born. He was home 6 months later but then shortly left again for another deployment. All told, he was gone 11 of my son's first 16 months on this earth. When he finally came home, we had to figure out how to be a family. We had been a couple for a long time, but a family was something new. I think we both worried about the transition. 

But my husband was born to be a father. He was patient when Connor called him "mama" for the first few months, and is still patient as our son still calls him that more times than not. He is not shy about showing his love for our son. When he walks in the door and Connor goes up to him and gives him a hug, you can see the weight on his shoulders lift. And I swear that there is nothing sexier than hearing him and Connor play choo-choo trains or seeing them snuggle under a blanket together and reading a book. 

I am so thankful to have him in my life. He's the only one I ever wanted and the fact that he is such an incredible father is a bonus. I know that our military life is not going to be easy on Connor. The frequent moves, his father's long absences, the distance from our extended family, that all adds up to an unstable environment for kids. But I know that together, he and I can provide stability for Connor. The past 2 years have not been easy, and I know we will have difficult times in the future as well, but I still believe that as long as we make our marriage a priority, we will be ok.