VMA-513 in Kandahar, Afghanistan

The guys made it over to the base safely. Now starts to long await for them to come home - come on November hurry up!

And so it begins.....

.....the dreaded deployment. Dave hasn't had to deploy since 2006 and for that I feel very lucky. The time has come however with him being back in the fleet to go to Afghanistan for seven months. A sad day because now we have Brenden who just adores his father. We will stay strong and keep busy and very much look forward to November when the family reunites. Here are some pics of the very very quick goodbye at sunrise:

Brenden turns THREE - wee!

Our little guy is three..so hard to believe. Three years living in three different places. Crazy! Luckily Dave was able to be here for his birthday as he doesn't deploy for another few days. Thankfully! The celebration of his birthday and Mother's Day was a bit rushed as Dave was called into work all morning long. We managed to have a great afternoon though which was very nice.

Easter Egg Hunt

What a great Easter Sunday we had with our little guy! I woke up early and hid some eggs and he thought that was the greatest thing ever. Now that he is getting older all of these holidays are starting to be more fun and meaningful. Thanks to Nana and Papa for the basket - I slacked in that area. We also colored the kitchen table eggs and made them into dinosaurs. Fun Fun!

Hanalei and Whale Watching

Wai' oli Hui' ia Church in Hanalei. 1834

Dry Cave at Ha'ena Beach

Dry Cave at Ha'ena Beach

Church in Kilauea by the lighthouse

We went out to the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge which was amazing! There we could see the wales migrating and it was a beautiful site!

View from the Kilauea Lighthouse

Moku`ae`ae Island from the Kilauea Lighthouse lookout

Humpback wales that winter here..very active around the Kilauea Lighthouse

 

The Nene bird is Hawaii's state bird. Above is Mom and below is baby.. too cute!

Hanalei Valley lookout

A lovely snail at St. Regis at Princeville - to scale is scary with a 2 year old's hand!

Hanalei Bay from the St. Regis at Princeville. Delicious breakfast and view!

More of the North Shore of Kauai

It is so beautiful here - a photographer's dream! We are very much enjoying the sites and sounds and breathtaking views. Be prepared to get overloaded by pictures!

Kauai, Hawaii!

My Mom and Dad took the three of us to Kauai for a ten day very relaxing trip. Just what we needed before Dave deploys and is away for 6+ months. Our first stop is on the north side of the island. Hanalei Bay. Beautiful!! Brenden very much is in love with the ocean and is having a grand old time!

What an absolutely beautiful island! We can't wait to explore it!