Fishing with Daddy

Since Daddy has been home, he has taken the boys on two fishing trips at Lake Cuyamaca. The first day the boys had to learn a few lessons about fishing. Like the fact that you don't always catch fish! The second time they went, they had a very successful trip. The lake has a very strict rule about once you catch a fish you have to keep it. As you can see from the picture above, the boys caught a lot of little crappie, a catfish, and a trout. They actually hit their limit for the day. We had a fish fry for dinner that night!

Zach was the only one who caught fish on the first trip!
Andy had a few bites, but they got away.

Showing off the fish that Zach caught.
The boys were much happier during their second fishing trip when they were having lots of success. Daddy loves having little fishing buddies around to play with!

Our Happy Homecoming

After six long months of deployment Daddy finally made it home! We are thrilled to have him back in our arms again. Thank you for all of your prayer support and encouragement during this challenging time. God has faithfully sustained us once again. I am always amazed at how God draws Matt and I closer to himself and closer to each other during deployments. Though I dislike every minute of Matt being at sea, I am always thankful for the growth it brings. Now we just have to get all of the "stuff" from the ship reorganized in the house, so we can have this baby!

Making homecoming posters for Daddy
...waiting...
We waited for the ship to arrive and then for Daddy to walk off. It took about three hours from the time we got there until Daddy was finally with us! It was a really hot and long morning! I was afraid the boys would have no enthusiasm left by the time we saw him, but they were so happy to see their Daddy, they forgot how hot and tired they were! Thankfully! So happy to have him off the ship!Uncle Casey was able to join Daddy on the ship for a week, for the "Tiger Cruise". We did some explaining before hand, so the boys would understand why Uncle Casey was coming off the ship too!Back home and together as a family!
Thank you God for bringing Daddy home safely!

Back in California... Counting Down the Days

Thankfully there are not many links left on our deployment chain!We finally made it back home after almost three months of traveling and visiting our family on the east coast. As you will see, I have back dated several posts to try to get this blog up-to-date before June comes to an end! I am going to try to stay current as we approach Daddy's homecoming and the birth of our little baby girl. We are settling in after being gone for so long, counting the single digit days until Daddy's homecoming, and patiently waiting to meet Ellie Kate in about five short weeks. God has faithfully sustained us during this challenging time. It could have been much more challenging if we had been at home. We are so thankful for a close knit extended family that loves being together, even when living under the same roof for months at a time! We are truly blessed! Here is my latest belly shot. According to my last ultrasound, Ellie Kate is up to about five pounds! She is already trying to keep up with her big brothers! Please join us in praying that the doctors will agree to induce early! I really don't want to have any more ten pound babies!