Tuesday, March 31, 2009

oh captain MY Captain!!!

Patrick was promoted to the rank of Captain today!  
Congrats babe we wish we could have been there!  
We Love you

Taking the Oath
Getting his new patch!

Promotions
Congrats! Capt. Richardson
The hand-carved wooden Cobra I got him as a promotion gift!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Alex's first hair cut

I decided that I couldn't wait until Patrick came home to take Alex to get his first hair cut, his cute old man curls turned into a full MULLET =)  India, Jamie, Candi and I went to every haircut place we saw today trying to walk right in because we didn't feel like waiting.  Finally we went to Great Clips in Oceanside.  It was sooo cute and fun, the lady gave us a card to put his first hair in and a balloon for Alex.  I was impressed how well he did with it, I only had to hold him still one time.  YEAH ALEX, MY BIG BOY!

Before picture of the mullet
Mullet from the back
Getting his hair cut
A balloon makes everything better
All done
Such a handsome boy!

Run Richardson's Run


Brianna, Chrissy and I have been talking about running in an organized race since the guys left. Finally in February we bought running strollers and I have been running once every week or two weeks.  Two days before the race we decided we wanted to run in the St. Patrick's Day 4 miler in San Diego.  The day before we ran a quick 1 mile in my neighborhood and had a "runners" dinner.  I was NERVOUS because I have never run more than 2.3 miles at a time.  

The day of the race we of course got a late start but had a fun ride down.  After sitting in traffic and walking 2 miles to the start we missed the start of the 4 miler and the 10 K so we still don't know the exact time we ran it in.  All we do know for sure is that we kicked that 4 miles ASS =)  I was jamming to my ipod and passing people left and right.  Brianna finished in about 33ish min and I finished about 40 seconds after then Chrissy about 3 minutes after me.  

We did awesome and are already planning our next race in May across the Coronado Bay Bridge!
Right after we finished (on the wrong side of the sign)

All of us!
The 4 mile sign is in the back of this pics

After our race
The boys earned those medals and their milk!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Big Boy Sleeping


So as everyone probably knows, Alex has slept with us from day 1.  He went in spurts where he would sleep in his own bed for the beginning of the night but ALWAYS fell asleep in someone's arms or in his spot on the couch (just like daddy).  

Since we got home from VA for Christmas Bedtime has been getting later and later, its now 11pm.  Frustrated, I finally had the courage to sleep alone myself and knew that Alex needed to learn to fall asleep on his own so I read the book Healthy sleep habits, Happy Child and decided the sooner the better.  I tried the cry it out method a few months ago and he cried, no screamed, for 90+ minutes straight and lost his voice so i vowed never to do that to him again. Needless to say this time I was super nervous because the book and experts told me that it didn't matter if he screamed all night DO NOT GO IN.  I asked some friends for new bed time routine advise and gave it a try.  We take a bath, play and have our goodnight bottle watching tv, go in his room and read a few books, hugs, music and bedtime.  Much to my surprise Alex only cried for 15 min the first night and only 2 -3 min every night since AND he sleeps all night :)  I am very proud of both of us!  

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Money Money Money


So its official, Alex has his very own savings account at Navy Federal.  

He was excited can you tell?

Send me all your money!

83 ish Days left!

YEAH finally we are in the double digit countdown on this deployment and everyone is in GREAT spirits. After this weekend we only have 9 weekends apart.  Patrick is still at one of the smaller of the three bases and is happy about it. The only downfall is no skype for us =( which is almost easier. Here are a few of the newest pictures I have from Patrick. Enjoy!
Patrick and Kevin (Joey's Dad)
Patrick Taking off (front seat)
Night Crew Pilots at Patrick's Base


Gunfighter Update

Gunfighter family and friends,

Don’t you wish all the months in a deployment could be just like February? Nice and short and it’s over before you know it. February was a relatively quiet month following the excitement of the elections. Pretty soon it’s going to start heating up over here. There doesn’t seem to be any spring out here. The transition from winter to summer is rather quick and soon the temperatures will start climbing into the 90s and even over 100 degrees on occasion.

Seeing the changes that Iraq has gone through in the past 6 years is amazing and ultimately inspiring. We’ve arrived to the point where Iraqis are actively participating and successfully fighting for stability within their country, both in terms of politics and security. These developments are encouraging and we continue to have high hopes for our partnership with Iraq.

We are now past the halfway point of the deployment and I know you and your Gunfighter are starting the countdown to our return. Our timeline for our return remains on track. However, we still have quite a bit to go to successfully complete our mission here in Iraq and return home safely. The Gunfighters continue the “flying and fixing” from three different locations. The Marines and sailors continue to impress and motivate me every day with their hard work and professionalism. The Gunfighters’ professionalism and espirit de corps really stand out to all we operate with.

Thanks again for all the care packages and keep the mail coming. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate that gesture of thanks and support. Take care and have a wonderful and safe March.

If there are immediate questions or concerns please feel free to call or e-mail Mrs. Barbara Greenbush who is our Remain Behind Family Readiness Officer. Her MAG-39 office phone number is (760) 725-8681. Her cell phone number is (760) 936-2994. And her e-mail is barbara.greenbush.ctr@usmc.mil.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

LtCol Zamagni

Commanding Officer

HMLA-369

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Happy Anniversary

We met just over 8 years ago at Longwood and were married 3 years ago in VA. Time flies! Its amazing how much our lives have changed in the last 3 years of marriage!  3 moves, a new dog, our first baby, first deployment and my first time using a weed whacker =) I know that last one is pretty random but a HUGE accomplishment in my book.  As much as this deployment sucks, I think our relationship has gotten stronger and we have a new found respect for the other.  
Brianna took me out for our anniversary because she hated the thought of us being apart for it (even though we have not been together for an anniversary yet...maybe next year).  She surprised me with dinner at PF Changs and then we went to see He's not that into you!  It was awesome. Brianna you ROCK!

Patrick Thank you for everything!

You are my love
You are my life
My heart and soul
The truest friend i've ever known
You are my world
All of my dreams
My fantasy, my reality
I love everything you are

Everything, i love everything you are

I LOVE YOU SIR!

2001
2008