An Update (Finally!)

Sometimes it's hard to believe that Samuel is 18 months old already. A year and a half. Can that be possible?

Well, we went for his 18 month check up last Friday and he is off the charts in both height and weight (as one might have guessed). He weighs 34 pounds and is 37 inches tall. He is energetic and pretty hilarious at times! He's also getting four new teeth. All at once. It always seems to be that way with him. All or nothin!

I think he heard the doctor and I talking about the fact that he doesn't actually have much of a vocabulary at this point. When we got home that afternoon he started saying "Hi!" And now he seems to be picking up lil words almost every day. Today he said "Daddy" very clearly. (Well, "Dada" very clearly). We've really been working on this one! He has about 50 days to master it before Daddy-O returns!

That's right. We're down to about 50 days. I can't really even say it without grinning. And I'm even more thrilled that the countdown will be in the 40s soon. The boys are still enjoying their nightly Hershey kisses and Samuel has now given in to the idea of only getting 1 Hershey kiss a night.

Don is traveling this week. So, please keep him and his traveling companions in your prayers for safe travels. This journey is coming to an end and soon his replacements will be arriving and he'll be taking strides to head this way. For now, he is wrapping up a project that he has put a lot of time and energy into. Way to go, Daddy-O!

We're so proud of you and look forward to you being here with us again!

Photo Fun

We took a bunch of photos after church last Sunday. Some turned out better than others but I thought I'd share a bunch. My favorite is the top one of the two boys together... all smiles... it really shows their personalities!

The "Happy" Zoo Trip

We had no plans this past weekend but still ended up staying pretty busy!

Saturday morning our good friend, Nelly, called to see if we'd like to go to the National Zoo. It was going to be a beautiful day to spend outside. So, we were off to the zoo first thing.

We really enjoyed our morning. Samuel is starting to notice everything the world has to offer and was pointing at lots of different animals. We visited the farm animals first then headed to see lions, tigers and Happy the hippo (which is, of course, Benjamin's favorite animal).

We had great timing and were able to see Happy very close up! He was up out of the water eating some hay. Benjamin was thrilled to see him and watched for quite awhile. He was probably only about 6-10 feet away from Happy. In past visits, we've only managed to see hippos submerged in water... only coming up for a few seconds then resubmerging. I thought this was great but of course Benjamin wanted to know why he wasn't in the water!

As some of you may know, Happy the hippo is looking for a new home. The National Zoo is developing a new exibit for the elephants but it will take up some of Happy's current home. Of course, with the hippo currently serving the role as Benjamin's favorite animal and main attraction at the zoo, we were not happy to learn this news. He will still be here for about another year before he makes his big move so hopefully we'll still get to visit with him a few times between now and then.

It was great seeing all the animals but the boys highlight was spending time at the play tunnels (that are supposed to simulate how prairie dogs go through tunnels). Samuel just loved climbing through them and peeking at me. Benjamin took a different route and enjoyed climbing ontop of the tunnels. They both exerted a lot of energy and Samuel was sound asleep as we pulled out of the parking lot of the zoo.

Don's Update on his Qatar R&R

We talked to Don today and he also send an e-mail describing his R&R to Qatar as well as a bunch of pictures!

So this is what he had to say:

"Day 0 - We just hung out and familiarized ourselves with the base. I went to chapel and John Van Steenvoort got a massage. Signed up for Day 1 venue. Had dinner at Chili's (cheeseburger).

Day 1 - Inland sea picnic. Drove out to edge of city in SUVs, let some air out of the tires and then drove 45 minutes through the sand dunes to the Persian Gulf. Swam in the gulf (very warm and salty water) dodging jelly fish. Rode a camel, ate lunch, took a lot of pictures. After lunch went wading along the shore and got stung on the top of my right foot by a jelly fish. A lot of people were getting stung pretty good because the tide was washing the jelly fish on the shore in the afternoon. Returned to base, signed up for Day 2 venue.

Day 2 - Went golfing at Doha Championship Golf Course and returned to base to sign up for Day 3 venues. Went to Villagio Mall (very much like a western shopping mall, and modeled after the hotel/casino in Las Vegas). Had dinner at Macaroni Grill and walked around the mall. Had a coffee at Starbucks then watched kids ice skate in the mall. Returned to base.

Day 3 - Water sports in the Persian Gulf starting with a Dhow boat ride out to an island. Swimming, and a banana inflatable tube (holds 4-6 people) pulled by a speed boat, while others took turns on the jet skis. Jumped off the front of the boat a few times. Took lots of pictures. Had lunch on the boat. While others took turns on the inner tube (1 person at a time) pulled by the speed boat in the afternoon, I took a nap on the boat in the shade of the boats top structure. Returned to base, got my massage, facial, manicure and pedicure (nearly 2 hours total).

Day 4 - Slept in while doing laundry. Worked out in the gym/MWR; watched a movie; planned to hang out pool side, but scrapped the idea for taking an afternoon nap. It was too hot outside in the afternoon in Qatar anyway. Had dinner at Chili's on base again (combo fajitas). Somewhere in there we prepacked for our return and checked the board for the report time to depart for airport (next morning at 0900). Returned to Baghdad the following day. Great time."

Summer Fun Continues!

After a hectic week of fighting off diaper rash, a splinter and numerous other scraped knees, elbows, and other things summer brings, I decided we'd enjoy a day around the house today.

I love my summer schedule. I work Tuesdays - Thursdays leaving me with four day weekends. Due to some scheduling conflicts for most of July as well as last week, it seems like it has been forever since I've enjoyed a long weekend!

The boys and I had a busy morning. Benjamin came barreling through our bedroom door around 6:15 a.m. "Do you have any kids books in your room, Mommy?" ugh.

Benjamin enjoyed making a straw necklace this morning with lots of colorful drinking straws we had. He loved it so much that I had to convince him that he couldn't wear it to bed tonight (after he put it back on with his pjs). You gotta love the simple things that just thrill them!

Around 9:30 a.m. we ventured outside. Samuel would probably live outside if I let him. He just loves to be outside. Benjamin, however, would be perfectly content to veg out in front of the t.v., computer games, V.Smile video games, play with cars indoors, etc. Although, once he's outside he enjoys every minute.

It was a gorgeous morning so Samuel won. We spent a couple hours in our backyard. It's great because the boys got really into playing with the sandbox, water table, baby pool, and slide while I was able to poop scoop and pick weeds (sounds like I got the rough end of that deal). We still have the baby pool I bought for Benjamin's first summer. And he still loves it! Now we just line up the slide and he splashes right in!

After our time outside, Samuel went down for a good nap and Benjamin got his computer time I promised him. We printed out some activity sheets and that lead to some coloring time. Then he settled in for some t.v. time while I caught up on some much needed rest (I've been staying up too late watching Michael Phelps dominate the Olympics!).

Samuel woke up around 2:30 p.m. and eventually we ended up heading out to the library. I had a kids book on hold so I was eager to pick it up before they sent it back to another library on me again. The library closed at 5 p.m. which made it really easy for me to convince Benjamin to leave. He was literally running out of the library saying "The library is closing!" (They kept announcing it so I guess he thought they'd lock us in there or something).

We had an early dinner then headed outside to play with some neighbors. The kids had a ball. We've had some new neighbors move in recently and between two new families there are 4 new kids (including one newborn who wasn't really up for playing much!). But the 5 kids ranging in ages from 1.5 years - 5 years had a ball. Benjamin fell at one point and really scraped up his knee but I guess that's what summers are all about. Proof of a really good summer!

After bathing Samuel tonight I had a very proud moment. I actually plucked a splinter out of the bottom of Samuel's foot! I never imagined I'd be able to handle this task alone. When Don's home this is his task. He's a master with those tweezers, while I usually struggle to hold the child down. Samuel did awesome. Barely even fought it. Ahh. The lil successes in my daily life. (Pat-pat on my back).

Don's 4 Day R&R Trip

Don called last night around 1 a.m. He has been on a four day R&R pass in Qatar (near Saudi Arabia). Apparently, most of the people he deployed with had already gone on pass so it was his turn.

He had called Sunday morning and they had just arrived that day and hadn't done anything. But when he called last night he had lots to report!

He was there with a buddy from his unit and it sounds like they had a good time. They went on a jeep tour of the beach, went on wave runners, golfed 9 holes, and ate at a Macaroni Grill (he said there were a few western restaurants). He also got a massage, manicure and pedicure. He said he really need the pedicure because his feet were tore up. He also rode a camel although he said he was only up on it for a minute or two.

Overall, he sounded good. Refreshed. And, of course, eager to finish up his tour and head back home.

Their replacements will be arriving in the somewhat near future so that will just put him one step closer to being here with us again!

Last night after dinner, the boys and I filled two jars with Hershey's Kisses, one for each of them. They will each get a Hershey's Kiss each night and when they are all gone Daddy will be home! We got a few different kids books on deployment situations from the library recently. And in the book, "When Duty Calls" the Dad that is deploying does something similar with his kids. I'm sure this will be a big hit with the boys knowing how much they both love their Hershey's Kisses! (Originally, I was only going to do this with Benjamin but Samuel was all over those Kisses when we were filling the first jar! He may not totally understand what it's all about but he will love eating that candy!)

Our Cool Weekend

We had a good but busy weekend. The weather was unseasonably cool (in the hi-70s - low-80s with no humidity!). So, we took full advantage of it and spent a lot of time outside.

Saturday we got up and went for a nature walk at a new nature trail by our house. We saw lots of flowers and a bunch of turtles on lily pads. The boys both enjoyed running on the wood planked trail and seeing the turtles.

After Samuel's nap, we met up with our friend, Nelly and kids at a local park and let the kids run and play. The kids both flopped into bed by 8 p.m. exhausted that night. It was wonderful.

Sunday after church our babysitter came and stayed with Samuel while Benjamin and I met Nelly and Brooke at the movie theater to see "Space Chimps." It was good but maybe a little too scary at parts for Benjamin. He ended up waking up during the night that night but went back to bed pretty easily.

Yesterday, Natalie and I packed up the four boys and a picnic lunch and headed to Wheaton, Maryland to Wheaton Regional Park. It was about a 45 minute - 1 hour drive and well worth it! They have a miniature train that takes you on a 10 minute ride through the park. The boys were all thrilled. Benjamin and Jack were smiling ear to ear and loved every minute. After the train ride, we enjoyed our picnic lunch in one of the many pavilions then let the kids burn off all their energy at the park's great playground. On the way out the kids rode the carousal. It was the perfect day for our outing and we hope to go back!

Meerkats and Iquanas

Samuel has been giving me grief about getting into his car seat lately. How does a 1 year old give one grief? Well, he struggles, wiggles, cries and fights with every bit of muster he can to get out of his car seat as soon as I put him in it. So, I have resorted to using the DVD player in our car. Usually this is reserved for longer rides or per request from time to time from Benjamin (generally, he's a music guy and would rather listen to his music collection in the car).

So, I put in a DVD that we've had since Benjamin was a baby and Benjamin calls it "Baby Words" but it's actually a really great DVD that has lots of video of babies, animals, numbers, etc. And it's all set to some popular Christian music. We all enjoy it. Until recently, when I noticed Samuel getting extremely upset (furrowed brow, screeching, on the verge of tears) during a certain part. I wasn't sure what it was all about but after it happened a couple of times I investigated further and played the DVD once we were safely parked in our driveway. There is about 10 seconds of a couple of Meerkats interacting with each other. And that's the trigger for his outburst. hmm. A sort of Meerkat-phobia. Not sure exactly. The meerkats in the video seem to just be acting pretty playfull. Almost hugging. Is it just an odd animal to him? Anyhow, we've switched DVDs for the time being.

Benjamin on the other hand has been into proudly identifying ever FORD vehicle that he encounters (we currently drive a Ford and will be the owners of 2 Fords upon Don's return). Now, he recently started identifying HONDAs as well (which I've found is unofficially the vehicle of choice in Northern Virginia. In fact, I think every other house in Ashburn has a HONDA ODYSSEY). Ms. Natalie, the boys' babysitter, has a HONDA ODYSSEY (mini van) and so this is where he first spotted the HONDA branding. The only problem is he has a hard time remembering the word "HONDA." He knows the logo and tries to remember the name every time he sees one. It often comes out "Mommy, I see a white CONDA!!" And today he actually spotted a "IGUANA". hmm.

ME: "You saw an Iguana?" (I'm thinking "Here in Northern Virginia?")

BENJ: "Yes, right up there! It just passed us."

ME: "There was an Iguana in that van?"

BENJ: "No, Mommy, an Iguana van."

ME: "You mean, there was a sticker of an Iguana on that van?"

BENJ: "No, an Iguana van."

ME: Upon closer inspection I realized what he was talking about. "Oh, you mean a HONDA?"

BENJ: "Yes, a HONDA!"

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Time Flies

Here are photos of Benjamin and his bestest buddy, Jack, at the Loudoun County Fair this year (with the yellow tire) and last year (with the red tire).

These photos really illustrate just how much time has gone by since Daddy-O's been deployed! Both Benjamin and Jack just look like such big boys in this year's picture!


















I also got a few of them huggin! Cute now but I know they won't appreciate these photos so much in 10 or 12 years!

Our Trip to the County Fair

Last Saturday we went to the Loudoun County Fair. Natalie and Dennis joined us with their boys Jack and Nicholas as well as our friends, Dave and Nelly with their kids Brooke and Reed. We arrived around 5 p.m. and the kids enjoyed some time on the tractors before we headed to the rides.

Benjamin was thrilled. He loved the "Roller Coaster" (which he talked about since last year's fair), as well as the Lady Bug ride and numerous other kid carnival rides. He was beaming.

After the rides we gathered around a picnic table and ate some dinner. As we ate we could see the sky darkening and the clouds rolling in above us. We had hoped to stay for the Rodeo which was due to start at 7 p.m.

After dinner we went through a few barns and looked at some animals before we made it to the arena for the Rodeo. Rain clouds were looming and Dave, Nelly and their kids said their goodbyes. We decided to stick it out a little longer, after all, it's not every day you see a Rodeo on Northern Virginia.

We waited for about 20 minutes or so before they got the Rodeo going but we were able to see a few guys get kicked off of bulls! The boys thought that was pretty neat. And it did rain but just a drizzle and we managed to stay dry for the most part. So, overall it was a good time. And definitely not as miserably hot as it was when we went last year.

The Rodeo made for a late night and Benjamin fell asleep on the way home from the fair. Luckily he was able to fall right back asleep after getting ready for bed. Phew!

Matthew's Visit

I actually wrote this post back in mid-July shortly after my nephew flew back to Chicago but I just finally finished up the montage of photos I was creating to go along with the post... so, I hope Matthew, as well as everyone else enjoys the pictures!
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We brought my nephew Matthew back from Illinois with us and he spent a week with us before flying back to Chicago.

We had a great visit and he was a true pleasure to have in our home. He is a spunky high-spirited young man with a great sense of humor He loves to make the kids laugh as well (which is key at our home!).

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The highlight of Matthew's visit was going blueberry picking at Great Country Farms in Bluemont, Virginia. It was a hot sunny Saturday morning and we got there shortly after the farm opened for the day. We hit the blueberry bushes right away and found enough blueberries to keep us busy for awhile. The boys enjoyed it and once Samuel caught on to the fact that we were plucking blueberries from bushes he was all over it. He kept trying to pull the berries off the bushes himself although he didn't care if they were still red. My pint container never filled up because he kept digging in it for more blueberries. Both my boys love blueberries (Benjamin, I truly believe, partly because they're blue!)

After the blueberry picking we headed out to see what else the farm had to offer. We have been to this farm before (in the fall during Pumpkin pickin' season) and so I knew a little bit of what to expect. The boys enjoyed a big pillow bounce, big tunnel slides, pedal cars, a corn pit (like a sand box only filled with corn), the cow barrel ride and checking out all the tractors.

We headed for home around 12:30 p.m. It was around 90 degrees and I think we were all ready for the air conditioned car ride home.

During Matthew's visit we also:

• Took the dogs on long walks
• Went to the Prime Outlets in Leesburg
• Saw the movie Wall-E
• Enjoyed our neighborhood pool
• Went out to dinner at Fudrucker's (Benjamin's favorite place for dinner!)

Overall, we all had a fun-filled memorable time (as you can tell by the photos!) And I think Matthew left with all kinds of stories to tell everyone in Illinois about his entertaining and energetic cousins.

A Quick Update

As many of you know we had a very busy month of July which just flew by! Sorry for the lack of blog posts but I thought I would post some highlights of our July so I could catch up a lil bit.

So, this is what our July looked like:

• We went to IL to visit family and friends for a week
• We brought our nephew Matthew back to Virginia with us for a week
• We went blueberry picking with Matthew at Great Country Farms
• Benjamin, Matthew and I went to see the Disney movie "Wall-E"
• We had our good friends (and old neighbors) from the Philadelphia area visit
• My sister-in-law, Nancy Duda, and niece, Ellen flew out from Illinois
• My brother, Ron, and nephew, Christopher drove out from Illinois
• We went to the Sandy Point State Park, Annapolis, MD (the beach!)
• My digital camera went under water while I scooped Samuel out of the water (Samuel came up smiling. The camera is no longer working).
• Benjamin went to the Dulles Air and Space Museum with Uncle Ron, Aunt Nancy, Christopher and Ellen
• We enjoyed dinner and entertainment at a Japanese Steakhouse (where Benjamin even caught a shrimp in his mouth that the chef threw at him!)
• Samuel had a whole bunch of teeth arrive!
• Benjamin transitioned out of his toddler bed and into a full size bed
• I was diagnosed with carpel tunnel in both my wrists
• Somewhere in there Don celebrated another birthday!
• And the most exciting thing that happened is that we're now down to 75 days until Daddy-O's return

With all that said. I will have lots of photos to share and I didn't even mention the few things we've done so far during the month of August!

I hope to be back blogging regularly soon!