Some new images of Baby Smiley #2

Here comes Baby Smiley #2!

Well it is official...Tatum will be a big sister and we are soon to be a family of 4! We could not be happier with this wonderful news. Be looking for more updates to come as Baby Smiley #2 grows and we learn his/her gender. April Fool's Day here we come!

Labor Day Weekend in Baltimore

Baltimore's Inner Harbor

It has been way too long since we've updated the blog, so we figured it was finally a good time after getting away for a family weekend in Baltimore.

Lindsey and Tatum enjoying the sunny afternoon.

Baltimore is a relatively short 4 hour drive from us in Norfolk. Tatum didn't seem to think so, however, and she repeatedly asked us if she could "walk" the whole drive up there. That was both frustrating and funny at the same time.

Tatum Happy to be out of the Car!

Once in Baltimore, we made the most of our 48 hours. We got last minute tickets to an Orioles game at Camden Yards, which wasn't too difficult considering they are last place in the NL East. It was a very nice ballpark and despite their record, it was nice to see the Baltimore faithful present and cheering on their team. Tatum also participated in the cheering and kept yelling "catch it".

Dad and Tatum enjoying the Game

Following the game we met up with some friends who drove up from D.C. for dinner in the historic neighborhood of Federal Hill.

Lindsey and Natalie at Dinner

Steve, Mike and Tatum at dinner

The following day we had tickets for the National Aquarium, which was worth the drive in itself. In addition to the many exhibits, we had tickets for the dolphin show and the 4-D Planet Earth: Shallow Seas movie experience. Tatum enjoyed the dolphin show immensely, but the 4-D immersion experience may have been a little too intense as she cried during it. Still, it was a good experience. In addition to this, we went down to Little Italy for treats and also tried out a famous pizza place that has been open since the 1940's. The day was capped off by some free time in the playground on top of the scenic vantage point Federal Hill. Tatum was able to get enough energy released that she slept for 12 straight hours!

The National Aquarium

Inside the Dolphin Show

Tatum enjoying the Australian Exhibit

Summer Fun in Virginia

Lindsey, Tatum, and I can finally say that we are truly settled in to our new home in Norfolk and just in the nick of time because I officially return to work tomorrow at the hospital.

The Naval Hospital Complex in Portsmouth

Since returning from Mexico 2 weeks ago, Grandma Smiley and Aunt Kara came to visit from St. Louis. It was a busy week with trips to Norfolk Botanical Gardens, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, and the Ocean Front to relax on the beach. This was Tatum's first trip to an amusement park and she enjoyed some of the kiddie rides and in addition to this, she loved watching Mom, Dad, and Kara ride the roller coasters.

Lindsey, Kara, and Tatum at the Botanical Gardens


Mom, Dad, and Tatum enjoying a ride at Busch Gardens

Tatum "enjoying" a ride by herself!

Dad and Tatum flying in a Dragon at Busch Gardens

After our family went back to St. Louis, we had a nice quiet week of relaxing and getting Tatum back into a much needed routine. We did have plenty of time for fun with trips to the beach, zoo, and daily visits to the playground.

USS Wisconsin in Norfolk

Bubbles at Town Point Park in Norfolk

Mom and Tatum in the Park

Tatum popping bubbles in the park

Hola from the Riviera Maya!

After what was a crazy 2 month stretch that included the move from Maine to Virginia and deploying, we just returned from a much needed vacation to a resort in the Riviera Maya for 8 nights. This is a stretch of Mexico south of Cancun and north of the Belize border. We went on this trip with Melanie, Brad, Roman, and Brad's parents. Tatum and Roman love each others' company and we all had a very relaxing trip with a lot of sun, some alcohol, and plenty of food!

Tatum enjoying the breeze on the beach.


Lindsey and Tatum in the resort lobby waiting for her cousin!


Tatum testing our patience in the ocean.


Family photo in the lobby before dinner.

Tatum also enjoyed the assortment of animals on the resort grounds that included peacocks, parrots, turkeys, fish, turtles, flamingos, and these strange monkey/rodent creatures! Here is a video of Tatum feeding one of the peacocks in the lobby of the hotel.




There are more pictures located at: http://picasaweb.google.com/mrsmiley1979/Mexico2009#

Trying to Stay Busy in "The Deid"

I just wanted to put up a quick post from over here. This is me with my corpsman, HM3 Langley out in front of our medical "office"/box at the HAS. Temperatures out on the runway can get near 140 during the middle of the afternoon. Today the wind was blowing at about 25 mph and it felt like standing in front of a hairdryer. Bad news for Langley since it is only going to get worst over the next 2 months!

Hello from "The Deid"

Now that our "good deal" stopover in Sicily is over, it was back to reality today as we arrived in Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The first thing we noticed when we got off the plane is that it was HOT! Temperatures were over 115...nearly double what they were in Maine. The fact that it is a "dry heat" really doesn't matter. We spent the afternoon walking around in a sleep deprived and dehydrated daze familiarizing ourselves with the base and its amenities. Overall, all I can say is that I'm glad I won't be here all that long!

Medical at the HAS (Hardened Air Shelter)

The Flight Line Clinic

Hospital on Base

Hello from Sicily!

Hello everyone! We departed NAS Brunswick on Thursday afternoon after a busy week full of last minute preparations. En route to Qatar we stopped at the Naval Air Station in Sigonella, which is on the island of Sicily. Not a bad start to a deployment! We had the opportunity to do some sightseeing yesterday and we drove one hour north to the coastal town of Taormina. This is a very old town which was settled around 800 B.C. The biggest tourist attraction in the town is an old Greek Amphitheatre (Greeks were here before the Romans) that is preserved very well and has amazing views of the Meditteranean. After touring the amphitheatre, we sat at a restaurant in the town square and enjoyed some iced Italian coffee. Tonight we leave for our permanent home in Al Udeid Air Base in the country of Qatar where I will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of my replacement so I can go home to Lindsey and Tatum!

Finally, when we left Maine there were several news stations there to document it since VP-10 will not return to Maine because of BRAC and our relocation to NAS Jax. Here is the link:
http://www.wcsh6.com/video/default.aspx?mid=1130336281

Views from the Amphitheater

More Scenic Views

Inside the Ancient Greek Amphitheater

More Views Inside the Amphitheater

Church in Taormina town square

Me and Mr. J.D. enjoying the view

Visiting the Naval Academy on our way to Virginia

On our way down to Norfolk we stopped overnight in Annapolis, Maryland to visit the Naval Academy as Mike has always wanted to visit there. We enjoyed our short 16-hour visit to the capitol of Maryland and we snapped a few photos to share...

The USNA grounds

Housing where ALL of the the midshipmen live ALL 4 years

Housing for the Academic Deans at the Academy

The USNA mascot

Fun in Virginia

Hugging Mr. Caleb Arthur

Mother's Day 2009

Tatum and her new friend, Elise Arthur

At Ocean Park Beach

At the waters edge with Daddy

So excited!

A quick update from VIRGINIA...

Well we have officially been living in Norfolk, Virginia for 2 weeks now! After a crazy couple of weeks at the end of April we left Maine on May 1st and traveled to Annapolis, MD to visit the Navel Academy before heading south to Norfolk. On Saturday the 2nd we arrived safely at our new home in Virginia where we quickly hunkered down and settled in. Between goodbye's and packing our last few weeks in Virginia were a bit crazed and hectic to say the least. On top of all of the craziness, moving with an 18 month old was not particularly fun for anyone thus it was hard to maintain any semblance of a routine or normalcy. Once our belongings arrived we worked pretty much day and night to unpack so that we could relieve ourselves of the boxes and be settled in before Mike left on Monday the 11th. Thankfully our friends the Arthur's and the Snyder's were able to assist with watching Tatum so that we could be productive! Despite all of the long days and sleepless nights (due to thinking about all that we had to do!) we are happy to be here and we are adjusting to our new life in Virginia. Please let us know if you will be in the area as we would love to see you!