Liam's 2 Year Check Up

On Friday Liam had his 2 year old check up!  It's strange to no longer refer to him in months!  He was such a big boy standing on the scale and then putting his cowboy boots (which I can hardly get him to leave the house without!) back on after they were all done with his measurements!  We had been waiting for about an hour or so after our scheduled appointment time, and though he was being relatively good, we were definitely ready to move on to the next step of the day!  We were finally led back to the room, and Dr. Terp, his pediatrician, came in.  Liam looked up at her and said "Hi!  I'm Liam!"  And began telling her a story (not much of which was understandable) and then asked her if she was ok.  Such a funny little guy.  Then she started asking him questions, and boy oh boy did he ever have some answers for her!!  This led, somehow, to his singing his ABC's, and by the time that was done, the visit was over!  Whew!  I must brag just a bit and share that she was impressed with his "advanced language skills" and his apparent empathy toward others.  (She banged her knee on the table and he asked her if she was alright!) He's a little taller than some on the growth chart, hitting in the 70th percentile, and is right smack dab in the middle of the chart for his weight. (27.11 lbs!)   Still growing like a weed!!

Then came the shots. 

We had to wait for a bit yet again to get his immunizations.  When they finally called our name, I had to get a couple shots (which we did first, of course) and Liam had to get 5 SHOTS!  I was none too thrilled to hear the number 5, and asked if they had the pediarix combination imm to give instead (this combines 3 of the meds into the one shot)  They did not have it in, and had to administer all 5. :( Poor little man.  Luckily there were two of them poking at the same time, so he didn't have to endure it for too long!  The best part was, when they were done, he pulled his little Hawaiian shorts back down over his thighs, reached for his boots, and said "All done.  I go now, mama.  Let's ROLL!"  On our way out he waved and called "bye" to the staff, but he was ready to head out the door!  Did I mention that he has to have his second flu shot and a TB test done in January, and I'm totally letting dad take him!  In any case, my little boy brought out the proud mama in me, and renewed my excitement of watching each new step he masters as he gets bigger! 

Oh Trick or Treating... what a night!

These boys had such a good time!  Liam was "tick or teeting", and said "Thank you" at every door!!  Sweetie pie!! Scotty just hung out in the stroller, of course, and watched the whole show... fun times!

Woody and Buzz (aka Liam and Blake)

Were they discussing the national deficit or planning mischief...hmm...

Liam: YEEHAW!  Blake: look at the camera Liam... look at the mommies!

Argh!! Take me to your leader!! I love this one!

Liam was ALL about the Yeehaw!

Jeez mom, no more, PLEASE no more pictures!!

You get ONE more... 

Pumpkin Carving with the Langes!

Tonight we carved our pumpkins - well, I carved, Liam scooped goo and stabbed the Elmo pieces into his pumpkin!  It would have, of course, been way more fun if daddy had been home with us, but he was reading us books on the tv!!  We seem to be all ready for Halloween tomorrow - pumpkins, check!  Costumes, check!  

Happy Halloween!!

Liam, Mommy, and Elmo-vampolantern!

Elmovampolantern!

Liam scooping out pumpkin guts!

The finished product - Amber's on the Left, ours on the right!

What's in there!?

Yeah, there mom!!

Game night snacks!

We have a hame night tonight with some ladies off our boat - this is what I'm taking!  They look so pretty, but they're nothing too fancy! :) Yummy!! Jumbo Black olives, one slice of pepperoni, one strip of green onion, one strip of carrot, and a tiny little ball of mozzarella in the middle! YUM!! 

Boat GUYS (Billy found this one!)

But the men that sail the ocean
In a wormy, rotten craft,
When the sea ahead is mountains 
With a hell-blown gale abaft;
When the mainmast cracks and topples,
And she's lurching in the trough,
Them's the guys that greets the cutter
With the smiles that won't come off.



-Arthur Somers Roche, "The Coast Guard Cutter"

Ponderings on being a boat wife...

Some days the road is rocky and tough, uneven and filled with deep ruts.  

But those are the days, when, as some would say, a boat wife can show she's got guts. 

The kids may be screaming, dog barking, door ringing - you feel at the end of your rope - 

and this is just when, your boat family and friends, remind you again there is hope!

Some call us bitchy, some call us clique-y; they don't understand what it's like.  

Waiting for port calls, to get just ONE phone call, for months and months at a time. 

The life of a boat wife is never so easy - in and out, in and out, underway...

the part about being a boat wife I love, is the friends that you make 'long the way!

So here's to the boat wives - a remarkable lot! There is something quite special indeed - 

in your strength and your loyalty, devotion to duty, you've created your own unique breed!

And here's to the boat guys depending on you, while they're gone so far out of reach - 

defending, protecting, and drug intercepting - to keep us all safe on the beach!


-Melissa McClellan October 27, 2010

Liam and Scotty's Photo Shoot!

I took the boys in for their first "photo shoot" today.  They're both little hams for the camera, but Scotty won the ham award today!  It was fun to take them in and have someone who knows what they're doing and how to get the best out of my kiddos work some magic!!