Pumpkin Carvin' Fun

Today was the first day in a while that I was really looking forward to returning to work. We had (what seemed like) a long weekend and I was glad to have a break today!

Today the boys returned to Natalie's house. Benjamin was so excited about going back to Jack's house. I called Natalie around 11:30 a.m. to see how things were going and I couldn't believe how quiet her house was. She said the babies were napping and the big boys were downstairs in their great basement play area. It sounded like they had a good day and even made it to their nearby playground. She also reported that Samuel went down the lil slide there with the big boys and enjoyed that.
We arrived home for the day just after 6 p.m. so we ate some leftovers and got ready to carve a pumpkin. Benjamin was sooo excited and Samuel was being really good. I have a ton of photos from this evenings pumpkin carving event so I will try to pick just a few of my favorites to post.

I actually purchased one of those pumpkin carving kits at the grocery store the other day. And I was so bummed that as soon as I stuck the main blade into the pumpkin and started to saw it snapped in two. So much for those kits! I got out a knife and got to work. I let Benjamin decide what shapes we would make the pumpkins eyes and nose and how many teeth he would have and after I cut them with a sharp knife he followed along with a plastic knife and got the pieces to pop out. He really enjoyed it.

Then we brought in one of our small pumpkins from our visit to the pumpkin farm with his school. And we put together a "Mr. Pumpkin Head". (It wasn't as easy as it looks. Those pieces just don't pop into that pumpkin. You have to create a deep whole for them first).

Anyways, we all had a blast and I felt like a better and happier mom today. The kind of mom I want to be not the frustrated and worn out mom I was turning into yesterday.

Samuel went down so easy tonight and Benjamin and I enjoyed a couple of Halloween books then he snuggled in too.

It looks like Don bought a camera finally! He e-mailed some photos of his living quarters and a couple of himself too. So, I'll post some here and share this message with you:

"Attached are some pictures of my living quarters. I also took a couple from my front door. The light in the sky is the moon and the T-walls are barricades between trailers. I'll try and take some more pictures so you can get a better feel for where and how I am living."

Tomorrow will be a busy and fun-filled day as well. We will definitely miss Daddy-O on Halloween. We usually all dress up and have a great time in our neighborhood passing out candy with our neighbors and trick o' treatin' with the kids. Just think, Daddy-O, you'll be home just in time to enjoy these festivities next year! We so look forward to that day.

Happy Halloween!

An Almost Napless Weekend

Our weekend was not too eventful. Samuel has yet another cold. So, Friday morning I took him to the doctor for them to tell me he has a cold. ugh. Not much they can do for a cold unfortunately. So, he has had 1 - 2 baths a day since Friday just to get all the gunk off his face and help clear him up a bit. He seems to be doing a bit better now. His nose is no longer just pouring out constantly, thank goodness.

While at the doctors they detected that Samuel apparently has a heart murmur. So, they did an EKG on the lil guy. I was so surprised how well he did laying there with all these wires. I thought for sure he would be grabbing at them all but he didn't. The doctor said his EKG appeared normal however they referred us to cardiology.

We also discovered that Samuel now weighs 24 pounds and is 30.5 inches long. (He's gained 4 pounds since his 6 month check up).

So, Saturday morning we didn't really have any plans so when Nelly called first thing in the morning I was happy to say that we'd meet her, Brooke and Reed at the mall. We got there right around 10 a.m. and met up at the play area. I think it was pretty crowded due to the fact that we had about 3 consecutive days of rain (finally). Benjamin was playing and having a ball. But unfortunately we're having an issue of him hitting and just kind of bullying other kids. So, he played for quite awhile before I spotted him literally knocking a lil girl over. The girl cried and I had Benjamin apologize to her. Her dad said that she is already having problems not playing with other kids. ugh. Then here comes Benjamin and knocks her off her feet. Poor girl. So, as soon as he apologized he proceeded to go hit another child. So, that was it for our time at the play area. He was not happy to be leaving so hopefully he will realize the consequence for acting that way. I'm sure there were plenty of parents witnessing this whole episode thinking "thank goodness that one is leaving!"

We ended up having a nice time shopping and I even managed to get a lil Christmas shopping done. Yes, Christmas shopping (my shopping time is limited and we have a pretty long list!). Nelly was a total life saver and watched Benjamin and Brooke run around a store a bit while both the lil guys slept in their strollers and I managed to shop. Thank you, Nelly! Overall, I was surprised just how successful our shopping trip really was.

On the way home Benjamin fell asleep in the car. And after lunch he refused to nap. We are having yet another issue with naps! ugh. He really needs his nap because otherwise he is just not his happy self (and I tend not to be as well).

So, I had an appointment to get their photos taken in their Halloween costumes at Portrait Innovations (a photo studio in nearby Leesburg). We got their a lil early and Samuel fell asleep en route. So, he slept for a bit then I had to wake him up and get their costumes on. It went okay. Getting their photos taken together is not the easiest task at this point in their lives. Samuel wanted to crawl away and Benjamin didn't want to follow directions (after his napless afternoon! ugh). We managed to get some cute pics though so I was happy.

As I sat selecting the photos I liked from a t.v. monitor Benjamin kept busy playing with a Lego table they have there. Until I heard "Treat others as you would like to be treated." in a kids voice. I turned to see Benjamin and two other kids who had gotten their photo taken as well. It was a 6 year old boy telling my son this. So, I approached Benjamin and had him apologize for apparently throwing the Lego's. I went back to viewing the photos and next thing I know I turn around and Benjamin has a ride-on toy that he is trying to put on top of the Lego table. (This is precisely how he acts without a nap). So, I put him in the double stroller and gave him a snack. He was much better behaved from that point on. Of course he fell asleep on the ride home. And he went to bed at 7:30 p.m. and slept until 7 a.m.

This morning we made it to church for both Sunday school and church. However, I volunteered in the nursery doing the church service. Samuel snuck in a good morning nap in the nursery but otherwise pretty much refused to nap today. ahhhhh. What is with my boys? After trying unsuccessfully to get both boys to nap for about an hour I decided we ought to just head out to do some grocery shopping and try the nap thing when we returned. Benjamin ended up crashing on the couch around 4 p.m. and Samuel only napped for probably 20 minutes. ugh.

Don called while Benjamin was sleeping. It was nice to hear from him and we talked for about 45 minutes. He was supposed to be traveling so I was a lil surprised to hear from him. His trip apparently was postponed. We are so looking forward to him coming home in a few short weeks! He sounded good. He's trying to keep up with some course work that he needs to complete for an Army course by July.

Please continue to pray for Don and for my strength and understanding with the boys. It has been somewhat of a challenging weekend with their schedules being off and Samuel battling this cold with some restless nights. I often find myself praying for strength as I approach Benjamin. Some days definitely prove to be more challenging than others. And it is weekends like this that I am thankful that I still work part-time and have that outlet to look forward to. I believe it helps me to be a better parent in the long run.

Well, I think I'm going to get some laundry done now and turn in for the night.

Dr. Phil at 2 a.m.

Well loyal blog readers...sorry for the lack of posts lately but I have actually been getting a few things done around here! Nothing major just a few things that I've been meaning to get around to.

Jill and Julia went back to Illinois on Monday afternoon. And Tuesday morning when Benjamin woke up he asked where his friend Julia was. I reminded him that we took them to the airport and they went back to Illinois. The kids had such a blast together. And, of course, Jill and I had a great visit too.

This week has really gone by fast. Yesterday Benjamin had preschool and Samuel and I ran over to AC Moore (an awesome craft store like Michaels). Then we got back to school just in time to pick Benjamin up. His school pictures were ready! And I will post them here. He looks so grown up to me! It often amazes me that he's three years old already.

Well, it looks like Mr. Samuel Tommy is coming down with yet another cold of sorts. ugh. Will we ever make it through the season? He was up around 2 a.m. this morning at which point I was dreaming that I was on the Dr. Phil Show. Not sure exactly why I was there. I tried to return to the dream after tending to Samuel but it didn't work. Darn. We will never know why I was a guest on the Dr. Phil Show. This dream was probably due the fact that, thanks to TIVO, I watch too much of his show! (Sorry Don, this hasn't changed!). I think it is that Psychology minor of mine that really keeps my interest in this show. If I was in the medical field I'd want to be a Psychologist. Of course, that's one of the few medical professions I could handle because there wouldn't be much blood. Well, not today. I'll stick to being a Graphic Designer. I may not get paid anywhere close to a psychologist but I sure do have fun! For now I will just live vicariously through Dr. Phil.

Anyways, when I picked Samuel up tonight from Rie's his nose was running quite a bit. ugh. I gave him some Benadryl, a bath, and rubbed some Baby Vick's on him. He went right to sleep. He seemed exhausted and the Benadryl seemed to be drying his nose up a lil bit already. Hopefully we won't have a miserable night. We shall see. His bottom two teeth still have not popped all the way through. They are so close. Maybe tomorrow.

When we got home tonight there was a package on the porch from Grandma and Pappa Ideus. Lots of fun Halloween surprises. The package included a hat and apron (see photos), a coloring book, placemats, punching bags, etc. And the big hit was a harmonica. Only the dogs despised it. With every note Benjamin blew through the harmonica the dogs barked loudly and carried on. Unfortunately, I couldn't put them outside due to the rain. Yes rain! Finally. We had gone like 35 days without the wet stuff until Friday now it keeps coming... a slow and steady rain for the most part. We need it.

I forgot to mention in my earlier blogs that I did talk to Don this weekend. He called on Sunday. All is well with him and he is so looking forward to heading this way next month! And he talked to his parents again Sunday too. He's figured out how to call back to a military line stateside then be transferred from there. It's great and it's free!

Benjamin and I called my mother-in-law last night. Benjamin sang "You Are My Sunshine" to her and hopefully made her day. Unfortunately, chaos ensued and we weren't able to talk long but it sounds like she is doing well.

Well, I still have a few things to get done tonight so that's it for now.

A Super Sunday

Sunday was another fun filled day. We went to church in the morning.

When we got home from church we had lunch then we put Benjamin and Julia down for naps. Unfortunately, Benjamin again refused to nap. He played quietly for a bit but refused to nap. ugh.

So, after Julia and Samuel's naps we went to Trailside Park which is a fun park nearby. The kids ran around and had a good time. Then we went to Moe's for dinner (one of Benjamin's favorite places! He loves those quesadillas!) The kids were all pretty good.

The day just flew by (probably because Benjamin didn't nap! But he sure did go to bed well those nights).

By the time we got home from dinner it was bath time for the kids. So, Benjamin and Julia had a grand time in the bathtub together. Splashing and laughing.

Jill and I borrowed a movie from our neighbor, Katie and enjoyed that. It was the first time I actually watched a movie in I don't know how long. It kinda felt like old times when Jill and I used to live together and just hang out. It was good to share all that time with a wonderful friend.

Farms and Friends

After our eventful night at Chucky Cheese on Friday night you would think the boys would sleep in. No such luck! Well, unless sleeping til 6:30 a.m. is considered sleeping in. nahhh.

Saturday was our church's annual fall picnic at Great Country Farms out in Bluemont. It is an awesome place and a beautiful drive out in the country! I was thrilled to be going back (although the idea of going without Don wasn't as exciting). We invited our neighbors, Cheryl, Mike, Abby and Hannah to join us. Friday night I whipped up a batch of Grape Salad (recipe compliments of my sister-in-law, Nancy Duda). We were all set to head out and get there and stopped by our neighbors to see if they were set. They were running a lil behind so we were off with plans to meet up with them there. Our time was limited so I wanted to make the most of it by arriving early (the picnic started at 11 a.m.) We didn't actually get there until closer to 11:30 a.m. but it still worked out well. The boys both napped on the way there and I truly enjoyed the drive and awesome countryside. I was pleasantly surprised how much the trees are changing colors here even in the midst of our drought.

The boys and I explored the big slides, rope swings, inflatable moon bounce and a few animals. Someone from church tracked me down and offered to take Samuel off my hands for a bit which was nice. So, Benjamin and I headed back over to the moon bounce where we met up with Cheryl, Mike and the girls. The kids bounced for a bit then we headed over to ride in these barrels that they've made into a cow ride that a tractor pulls (it's quite fun for everyone!) And amazing how you can actually fit in one of these things!

Then it was time for lunch. Lots of great comments on the Grape Salad. Some of the ladies commented that they were hoping I'd make it again this year. It's a huge hit, Aunt Nancy Duda!

After lunch we had to cruise out of there in a hurry. My friend, Jill and her 2 year old daughter, Julia were on there way from Chicago. We were all so excited. But unfortunately, we were having too much fun at the farm and were a lil late picking up Jill and Julia.

On the way to the airport I told Benjamin he could say "Welcome to my house." and "Welcome to Virginia." to Julia and Aunt Jill and that would mean "we're glad you are here." Benjamin got really quiet. Then all of a sudden I heard him say "I want to say "Hi, I'm Benjamin.' I don't want to say 'Welcome to my house." It was really cute. He was really set on what he wanted to say. I told him that was a great idea.

Julia got right in the car. I picked her up and she wasn't shy one bit. phew. She's so stinkin cute. She and Benjamin sat next to each other in car seats. Benjamin said "Hi Julia." then as we drove away from the airport I heard him say "I'm Benjamin." The fun was only beginning!

It was close to 3 p.m. by the time we got home. Julia took a good nap while Benjamin refused to nap (apparently he thought his 20 minute nap on the way to the farm earlier was enough).

So, we had promised the kids a pajama party (kids love their pjs!). So, we got them in their pajamas, ordered pizza and watched some of the "Cars" movie and let the kids play. Shortly before bedtime they enjoyed some Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. We put candles in them and sang "Happy Pajama Party to you..." They totally dug that. Any excuse to sing and blow out a candle is a big hit at our house.

After we got the kids to bed that night, Jill and I stayed up and chit-chatted until almost midnight.

For those of you who don't know Jill, we have been good friends since we were 15 years old. After college, we lived together for about 4 years until Don and I got married (in fact, the night Don proposed to me I woke her up to tell her so she was the first to know!) and she was the Maid of Honor in our wedding.

Anyways, it was great catching up with her. When we visit Illinois it is difficult to really get quality time in with everyone we see so when people come to visit us it is such a special treat.

Benjamin's First Trip to Chucky Cheese

We had a very busy weekend so tonight I will just make this post about our Friday evening and share some photos from our trip to Chucky Cheeses!

I picked the boys up at Rie's right around 5 p.m. and we had plans to meet Natalie, Dennis, Jack and Nicholas at Chucky Cheeses. We all got stuck in a bit of traffic (there was a car accident) and probably didn't get to Chucky Cheeses until almost 7 p.m.

Natalie had found an online coupon for pizza, 4 sodas, and 40 tokens for something like $18.99! Sweet. Dinner and entertainment and cheap! Benjamin has been asking to go to Chucky Cheeses for some time now. This was the boys first time there but Benjamin had seen plenty of commercials on t.v. for the place (those advertisers know what they're doing). In fact, last time we drove by there Benjamin said "Look! There's Chucky Cheeses." So, apparently they have great logo recognition since he cannot read and had never been there!

They had a great selection of things for kids their age to do. Lots of rides and games for a token each! And one of Jack and Benjamin's favorite attractions was this stage they could dance around on in front a blue screen that then put them dancing and acting silly onto a t.v. screen with stuff going on behind them. It was perfect for our two clowns!

All our kids were well behaved which made for an eventful but pleasant evening there.

We didn't leave Chucky Cheeses until after 8 p.m. which is after bedtime. So, the night ended up being rather hectic with one very overtired toddler on my hands. He didn't get to bed until after 9 p.m. which I was not excited about with the busy weekend we had ahead of us. Oh well, somehow we all survived!

"That Kid"

I haven't posted a blog entry in days. Hmmm. What have we been up to?

Well, on Wednesday Benjamin went to school. He is always so excited to go. When we arrived I told him about car line (which is when parents can drive up to the school and pick up your child curbside). It's very well organized and great for parents with younger kids, such as myself! So, I hadn't yet taken advantage of car line but Benjamin seemed cool with the idea and Samuel fell asleep en route to the preschool. So, out came Benjamin to the car with his teacher, Miss Tracie. I had the window rolled down and Miss Tracie said she wanted to speak to me for a minute. Well, she went on and on saying what a good kid Benjamin is but what she was really getting at was that he hit some of the little kids. (Keep in mind that Benjamin is the youngest in his class... but he was hitting the "little kids.") I was a bit appalled to say the least. You never want your child to be that kid. That kid that hits or picks on kids. That kid that makes the other kids cry.

Miss Tracie said he pulled another child's necklace and the child cried. She said he is really good at apologizing and for that reason he still got his sticker for the day. I reassured Miss Tracie that we are working on these issues and now we are REALLY focused on working on these issues.

So, yesterday when he went over to Ms. Rie's house he was told NOT to hit, kick or push Hunter. And if he could make it through the day he would get a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. He was thrilled. He loves Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. So, I told Ms. Rie the strategy and she was on board. But shortly after Hunter woke up for the day Benjamin kicked him. ugh. Ms. Rie told him he lost his Peanut Butter Cup and she said that was the first time she made him cry. I reassured her that "she" did not make him cry. It was his behavior that made him cry and asked her please not to give in and not to give it to him.

Today he returned to Ms. Rie's house with the same instructions. And, hopefully, he will have better success today. I did noticed he seemed to be very well behaved last night and really didn't pick on Samuel. We have had several talks about how hitting makes him feel (Hunter has hit him too). If any one else has any other suggestions, I'm welcome to any input.

On Wednesday while Benjamin was at school I was determined to get our lawn mowed. It really just needed one last good mowing for the year. So, I pulled out the lawn mower and could NOT get it started. So, I figured I would just use the trimmer and at least tackle the really high spots. I couldn't get the trimmer started. ugh. So, I called our neighbors Paci and Rebecca. Rebecca answered and said Paci was home but on a business call. He would be able to come help me in about an hour. So, when Paci showed up he was able to get both the mower and the trimmer started pretty quickly. I was able to get the yard mowed and trimmed in about 20 minutes while Samuel sat in his stroller and watched me pretty intently. I think the loud noise kinda fascinated him. Then we were off to pick up Benjamin from school.

After nap time that day we enjoyed some time outside. Benjamin played in his sandbox for awhile while I picked up the yard a bit. Our yard really needed some TLC. Then we kicked a ball around the yard which Benjamin loved. After that we went for a walk around the block in the wagon before dinner. The boys both really enjoy riding in the wagon. Samuel fell back into Benjamin's lap on several occassions and they would both totally crack up over it. It was really cute.

I have heard from Don via e-mails frequently this week. He seems to be doing well. We are all looking forward to his upcoming R&R which is less than a month away!

We have some pretty busy days ahead of us this weekend so I'm not sure if I'll make another blog post for a few days.

Our Trip to Pumpkinville

Today was Benjamin's first field trip with preschool. We went to Pumpkinville in nearby Leesburg. Samuel had another rough night and I started my day around 5:30 a.m. with Samuel then as soon as I got him back to sleep around 6:30 a.m. Benjamin climbed in bed with me. I was so happy Benjamin slept until 6:30 a.m. because I dreaded the idea of taking him to the field trip after an early start. But 6:30 a.m. I could deal with.

Pumpkinville was great fun. We went on a hayride with his entire class (pictured below...10 kids, Miss Jenny on the hayride and Miss Tracie on the haystack), then Benjamin went on a bunch of slides and mounbounces, fed some farm animals, etc. It was really a nice day. Unfortunately, I'm a lil crabby and easily irritated these days so I probably wasn't in the best mood for the day but we had fun nonetheless. The worst part of the field trip, besides the nasty port-a-potties (no fun with lil ones who have just become potty trained) was that Benjamin got a splinter (most likely from a seesaw he was on).

On the way home I managed to keep Benjamin awake and thought he'd crash immediately after his lunch. No luck. Both he and Samuel fought their afternoon naps. So, after about an hour or so of battling the two of them trying to get them down and trying to catch a nap myself, I gave up. We made arrangements to go with Cheryl and her lil one, Hannah, up to the neighborhood school bus stop so we could see the school bus and greet Abby. Benjamin loves school buses and we often talk about how Abby gets to ride the school bus now that she's in kindergarten. After all that excitement we spent some time with them at the playground where Samuel managed to fall asleep in his stroller for probably about an hour. Phew. At least someone napped today!

Benjamin received a birthday gift from Aunt Nancy, Uncle Boomer and cousins in the mail this afternoon and had a ball unwrapping gifts and playing with some new toys. (Late birthday presents are underrated!) The box the presents came in was a huge hit with Samuel. He sat in there for awhile playing around while Benjamin unwrapped presents.

Soon after dinner it was bath time and the battle of getting the splinter out began. He won. The splinter remains. I tried my hardest (this was always Daddy's chore and it's times like this that I'm missing him immensely). Perhaps tomorrow when I take him to Ms. Rie's house she can help get it out or help restrain him. ugh.

Well, I'm exhausted and have a bunch to do tonight before I head to bed. Please pray for the Lord to continue to give me strength each day and for all our battles with coughs and colds, teething and restless nights to come to end. And as always, please pray for our Daddy-O! He will be here for his R&R in one month! We can hardly wait, Daddy-O!

Is This Day Over Yet?

What a day it has been. Samuel was up for a good portion of the night last night. And amidst my thoughts during one of our awake stretches I thought I would take him to the ER first thing in the morning because I didn't think I could stand another night like this. He was awake several times but unlike other nights this time he did NOT want to go right back to sleep after being changed and fed. In fact, one time he only slept for about a half hour before he was up again. ugh. But this morning upon further investigation I realized he has one...most likely two teeth making their way in on the bottom. I don't recall Benjamin ever being this miserable but I guess every child is different. And I'm sure coupled with the fact that he has a terrible cough is not helping his restful hours.

Benjamin declared that he was awake around 5:45 a.m. I was exhausted and walked him back to his room and tucked him back in bed. Around 6:30 a.m. he announced that he read books and now he was coming to join me in my bed. ugh. His idea of snuggling is not very cozy, calm or relaxing. So, we were up and downstairs soon after.

Once I realized what was going on with Samuel I gave him some Tylenol and rubbed some Baby Orajel on his gums and he went back to sleep for about 2 hours. So, we missed Sunday school but made it to church. As one can imagine, I was irritable and a bit short with my patience this morning. When we were leaving for church I told Benjamin I was sad (he is learning about emotions and I figured this was one he could understand). And as we walked out the door he said "The sun will make you happy." It was just such a sweet sentiment. I love the optimism of the young mind. But just that statement made me happy. It was my "son" that made me happy not really the "sun" but just the same... I managed to smile, bags beneath my weary eyes and all.

After church I decided we'd swing by Taco Bell and pick up some lunch (Benjamin loves quesadillas these days). So, we stopped at the drive-thru then headed home. As we made our way into our neighborhood I heard Benjamin say "I'm sick. My tummy hurts." Then it happened. gag, ick, ick. It was quite a mess but pretty confined to his lap and his car seat. Nonetheless a mess for me to deal with.

Benjamin was a lil upset but said he felt better. He went upstairs and picked out some clothes. Nothing makes him feel better than his comfy ol Go Diego Go t-shirt and "blue" shorts (what he calls his denim shorts or pants). Then he asked to watch some t.v. which I thought was a good idea just in case he had the urge to be sick again. He was fine. I think it was all triggered by his cough (yes, he too has the nasty cough now).

We all napped today. Thank goodness. Or I too would probably be in bed already at this point in time. And as soon as we woke up from our nap the phone rang and it was Daddy-O! Yippee! Hooray. Since the boys and I were all still a lil groggy I was able to talk to Don for awhile without much interruption (a rarity when both boys are awake). He has his leave dates! Sweet. He will be home late November 15 and will return December 3 (I believe he said. Obviously, I'm more focused on the start of the leave vs. the end of the leave).

Once Benjamin realized who was on the phone it was just about ripped from my hands as his sweet voice said "Hi Daddy!"

Don was good but tired. He talked to his parents today which was really a first since he's been in Iraq. He'd left them messages but it was the first conversation they actually were able to have. So, I'm sure they all enjoyed that.

Here is an excerpt from an e-mail he sent this week that details what his weekends are basically like:

"Saturdays are pretty full of work related stuff. Sunday is somewhat of a half/relax day with about a half day + of work. I basically sleep in an extra hour then chapel from 0845-0945 work 1000-1700 pickup dinner and eat at bible study 1730-1825 and evening contemporary service at 1830-1945. Usually drop off my bible and go back to the dinning facility for fellowship and ice cream for about 20 minutes. I was reading my bible at home before bed. I am currently in Psalms 102. Haven't read much since my trip to Kuwait and I got back and took over my old roommates Internet. Been surfing the net and updating software all week."

Tonight the phone rang while I was reading the boys bedtime stories therefore I didn't get to it and let the machine get it. All of a sudden I hear howling. It was Campbell Dog. I have heard him whine before when he's heard Don's voice on the machine (even before his deployment) but never howl. It was so cute. I wonder if he does that when we're not home. hmm. Coincidentally, I just happen to take this photo of Campbell today. I think he looks like he's trying to be sexy here! Our dog the super model. Our dogs are going to be besides themselves with excitement when they see their Daddy again. I'm sure they are wondering "where the heck did he go?"

Photos from Don

I received a few photos from Don today. The first that he's sent since his deployment.

Here's what he says about this one:

"Here are some pictures we took on 6 Oct. The 1SG built a grill out back and now we BBQ occasionally. The people are from my staff section. CW3 Cynthia Dunbar, me, MAJ John Lee, and CPT Jason Hughes. The concrete walls in the background you see are called T-walls and limit damage in case of a rocket attack."

And here is another photo that Don says:

"This is the tent that we spent two weeks when we first arrived in Kuwait. We had three different tents. This is right before we were getting ready to head to Iraq that evening. I am in the formation in the background to the right."

And here Don says:

"We are being cleared off the range after firing. The second picture I am just barely in, is a picture of my boss, MAJ Syvinski."

Last night I probably had the roughest night with Samuel so far. He was up about 3 times but as soon as he was changed and fed he went right back to sleep. We limited our activity today although we did make it to a craft show with our neighbor, Katie. And then we went out for ice cream which was Benjamin's idea. We hadn't been out for ice cream since the fountain incident so I guess we were due for a visit to Maggie Moo's. We all got naps today and Benjamin took about a 3 and a half hour nap... which was much needed after a couple of days of waking up at 5:15 a.m. (I wish I was the one who got the 3 hour nap! But Samuel didn't cooperate there).

Samuel is 8 months old today! He has turned out to be such a happy go lucky lil guy. He's a lil fussy right now because he's not feeling 100% but otherwise he rarely cries these days unless he's tired, hungry, needs a diaper change, or has taken a hard fall. He loves to laugh and he and his big brother find a lot to laugh about on a daily basis. They're really cute together.

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NOTE: For those of you who haven't realized it, you can always click on a photo within the blog and it will go to it's highest resolution making the image bigger. I will try to post more pics from Don tomorrow.