The last several weeks have been a logistical nightmare. But we are now settled in our new home in Maryland. I'll use this blog to catch everyone up on the past several weeks and all the excitement.
Before we left San Diego, we went to the USS Midway, which is a decommissioned US Navy aircraft carrier that is now a museum in the San Diego harbor. It also happens to be my step-dad's ship from when he was in the Navy.
James was fearless on the flight deck and ran right out to the very front. He was definitely more comfortable on the deck than inside the ship - turns out the kid is pretty claustrophobic.
Tobias' mom came out to San Diego to help us with the move so she was able to join us on the tour.
The day after the Midway tour, Tobias' mom, James, and I started our journey East. Tobias stayed in San Diego to finish up his training. The drive went very smoothly and it took us 2 days to make it to Denver and then a half day to make it to KS where I left Tobias' mom and James. I thought James would be sad to say goodbye to me, but he was super excited to see his Aunt Crystal. Here's James, Aunt Crystal, and I in Goodland, KS.
James had a wonderful time in KS. He was able to become more familiar with lots of different animals. Here he is with his turtle, named Turtle Joe.
And one of the kittens on the farm.
His super neat bathtub fish tank right out front of Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Uncle Josh caught a calf for James to see up close too.
And James was even able to help Grandma in the big tractor a couple of days too. Edie would take James in the tractor with some books and toys and they would work the field all day together.
Like every good farm kid knows - summer time means fair time. James was able to enjoy the Cheyenne County Fair again this year. It sure looks like he had fun!
James and his grandparents enjoying the parade.
Here is James on one of the rides! 
James also had the opportunity to help Uncle Josh paint. What a good helper!
James with his fishing pole. James is all about fishing after seeing the fishermen in San Diego.
Of course, James enjoyed lots of quality time with Tobias' side of the family.
Sweet kiss for Grandpa!
TV time with Uncle Josh.
Reunion with Bandit, our dog, who spent the entire summer in KS. Bandit was flown to MD and is now back with us again. We sure missed our dog this summer!
Computer time with Uncle Kyle!
James also enjoyed sampling some of the many culinary delights his aunts and Grandma cooked up while he was visiting! Tasty!
This is one of my favorite pictures. Apparently James insisted on the water wings while running through the sprinklers! 
My boy deep in thought - wonder what is on his mind.
James spent 2 weeks in KS before Tobias was able to join him. Their reunion was apparently pretty amazing!
Happy guys!
James helped to decorate this cake - it says, Daddy's Party Cake. What a great way to make Daddy feel special!
Daddy and James had a great time together in KS - here they are in a kayak.
They also rode on a 4 wheeler together. 
While James was in KS, I spent some time with my mom in MO. It was a wonderful visit.
After almost 3 weeks away from my family, we were all reunited back in Jacksonville. Tobias and James flew from Denver and I flew from MD. I drove the car and was in charge of finding a house and getting semi-settled to try and make the transition as easy as possible for James.
We went back to Jacksonville for a very dear friend's wedding and another friend's first birthday party at the Jacksonville Zoo. 
We all had a blast at the zoo.
The wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun. We were so glad we were able to attend.
Here is our new home. Our mailing address really is California, MD which we think is pretty funny. It's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom and we love it!
Tobias has been busy working to get our house looking and feeling like our home. James is always ready to help!
This house is larger than our previous home in Jacksonville, so we have some additional space that James is enjoying. Since we don't have a dinning room set, James has decided that area is his dance floor. In this picture he's dancing to 'I've been working on the Railroad.'
One of the coolest projects for our new house has been James' room. It is still an airplane themed room, but now more mature. Tobias free handed the world map with chalk, put painters tape up, painted the wall blue and then removed the painters tape. The result is amazing.
Most importantly, James really enjoys his new room!
Before we left San Diego, we went to the USS Midway, which is a decommissioned US Navy aircraft carrier that is now a museum in the San Diego harbor. It also happens to be my step-dad's ship from when he was in the Navy.James was fearless on the flight deck and ran right out to the very front. He was definitely more comfortable on the deck than inside the ship - turns out the kid is pretty claustrophobic.Tobias' mom came out to San Diego to help us with the move so she was able to join us on the tour. The day after the Midway tour, Tobias' mom, James, and I started our journey East. Tobias stayed in San Diego to finish up his training. The drive went very smoothly and it took us 2 days to make it to Denver and then a half day to make it to KS where I left Tobias' mom and James. I thought James would be sad to say goodbye to me, but he was super excited to see his Aunt Crystal. Here's James, Aunt Crystal, and I in Goodland, KS.James had a wonderful time in KS. He was able to become more familiar with lots of different animals. Here he is with his turtle, named Turtle Joe.
And one of the kittens on the farm. His super neat bathtub fish tank right out front of Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Uncle Josh caught a calf for James to see up close too.And James was even able to help Grandma in the big tractor a couple of days too. Edie would take James in the tractor with some books and toys and they would work the field all day together.Like every good farm kid knows - summer time means fair time. James was able to enjoy the Cheyenne County Fair again this year. It sure looks like he had fun!
James and his grandparents enjoying the parade.
Here is James on one of the rides! 
James also had the opportunity to help Uncle Josh paint. What a good helper! James with his fishing pole. James is all about fishing after seeing the fishermen in San Diego.
Of course, James enjoyed lots of quality time with Tobias' side of the family. 
Sweet kiss for Grandpa!
TV time with Uncle Josh.
Reunion with Bandit, our dog, who spent the entire summer in KS. Bandit was flown to MD and is now back with us again. We sure missed our dog this summer!
Computer time with Uncle Kyle!
James also enjoyed sampling some of the many culinary delights his aunts and Grandma cooked up while he was visiting! Tasty!This is one of my favorite pictures. Apparently James insisted on the water wings while running through the sprinklers! 
My boy deep in thought - wonder what is on his mind.James spent 2 weeks in KS before Tobias was able to join him. Their reunion was apparently pretty amazing! Happy guys!James helped to decorate this cake - it says, Daddy's Party Cake. What a great way to make Daddy feel special!Daddy and James had a great time together in KS - here they are in a kayak.They also rode on a 4 wheeler together. While James was in KS, I spent some time with my mom in MO. It was a wonderful visit.After almost 3 weeks away from my family, we were all reunited back in Jacksonville. Tobias and James flew from Denver and I flew from MD. I drove the car and was in charge of finding a house and getting semi-settled to try and make the transition as easy as possible for James.We went back to Jacksonville for a very dear friend's wedding and another friend's first birthday party at the Jacksonville Zoo. We all had a blast at the zoo.The wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun. We were so glad we were able to attend.
Here is our new home. Our mailing address really is California, MD which we think is pretty funny. It's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom and we love it!Tobias has been busy working to get our house looking and feeling like our home. James is always ready to help!This house is larger than our previous home in Jacksonville, so we have some additional space that James is enjoying. Since we don't have a dinning room set, James has decided that area is his dance floor. In this picture he's dancing to 'I've been working on the Railroad.'One of the coolest projects for our new house has been James' room. It is still an airplane themed room, but now more mature. Tobias free handed the world map with chalk, put painters tape up, painted the wall blue and then removed the painters tape. The result is amazing.Most importantly, James really enjoys his new room!
Comments