Farewell Picnic

Our friends here aren't making it easy for us to leave Maryland for 6 months. They are definitely making sure that we are going to miss them while we are away. Today they held a farewell picnic in our honour. It was so nice having a big picnic with our friends.

Tyler's highlight of the picnic was eating the ice cream that Katherine provided. As soon as she opened up the package, he was practically glued to the ice cream. It was hilarious to see because we did everything to try and get him to take a break and look up, but there was absolutely nothing that could tear him away from the delicious treat. By the time he was finished, there was ice cream all over his face and hands.
Everyone was so kind to bring lots of delicious food for us all to eat, including this amazing cake that had our name on it that Katherine and Rodney brought. It was very yummy!

During the picnic, Sue wanted Steve and I to sit down while everyone gathered around us. It was then that we were presented with a beautiful basket filled with lots and lots of goodies for our road trip back to Canada and the one Steve has to Florida. The basket also included two cards signed by everyone. It was so touching that I couldn't help but have tears in my eyes.
We really had an awesome time this afternoon. Thank you everyone for coming and special thanks to Barbie for putting this all together. You guys are the best! You are not only our friends, but you are our family. You are the sole reason why Steve and I have decided to extend our tour here for another 6 months. You really have made a huge difference in our lives and we are forever grateful to know all of you! Thank you so much for your friendship!!!

Luigi goes to the Vet

In preparation for our trip to Canada, we had to take Luigi to the veterinarian this afternoon to obtain his rabies shot and some flea medication. Even though Luigi wasn't too thrilled riding in the car on the way to the vet, once he got in her office and they started his examination and treatment, he quickly mellowed out and actually enjoyed his time there. Maybe it was because it felt more like a spa treatment rather than a vet appointment. They brushed him and clipped his long nails.

Luigi weighed in at 26 pounds and was just 3 pounds less than the heaviest cat to ever visit the vet's office!

Hopefully this positive experience will help us when getting him ready for the actual long haul to Canada. Maybe he'll think he is going to the "spa" again.

Learning is Fun!

Our neighbour across the street, Cloe, brought over some paints for Tyler to use. Cloe's background is in Child Development and she recommended us to use the paints to try and teach Tyler his colours. This afternoon we gave the paints to Tyler and we couldn't believe how fast he caught on to learning different colours. I would ask him what colour he wanted to paint with and he would tell me and then I would get him to point to the paint to confirm that he had the colour correct. It just goes to show that when you add a little fun, children can learn anything!

Story time with Nanny

Memorial Day

Our Memorial Day was spent with our good friends, Richey and Barbie. First we went kite flying down at the Solomons field by the bridge. It was a perfect day for flying our kites; there was good wind, but yet it was so nice and warm.
This was the first time we were successful with our airplane kite. We were a little skeptical that this kite even flew, especially since when we first arrived there was someone leaving with the same exact kite and she was telling us that she hoped we had better luck. Somehow her luck worked and our kite had an awesome flight.
Richey bought Tyler a bubble maker to use while us adults had fun with our kites. The bubble maker wand was huge and made really good bubbles. Tyler had a blast with it, that is, until he decided to dump out all the detergent and water when no one was looking. Anyway, Tyler says thank you Uncle Richey for the bubble maker. We are going to have lots of fun with it this summer.
While out flying our kites, my mom noticed three groundhogs from the nearby bushes. They kept coming out to grab a little snack. They looked like young groundhogs. One of them let me get really close to take a few pictures. Lately, we've been seeing a lot of groundhogs near the roads.
Meanwhile, Steve was trying to fix a knot in the kite he had tied to one of our lawn chairs when all of a sudden the kite let go and got caught in a tree. So someone (not to mention any names..LOL) gave him the bright idea to use another kite to fly and get the kite untangled from the tree. So he used my Spongebob kite that I was thoroughly enjoying and instead of getting the other kite down, it only got this one tangled as well. Oh well, what's a kite flying day without some kind of adventure? We are used to it by now. LOL
The wind was dying down and the sun was getting hotter, so we decided to grab some lunch at a nearby fast food establishment. Then Richey gave us a little tour of Solomons, where he spent a lot of summers as a kid. While there, we noticed a statue on the other side of the river so we went over to check it out. It was a U.S. Navy Sailor commemorating the service men who served in WWII. Richey's grandfather had an engraved brick dedicated to him there and this was the first time he had seen it.
We didn't want to waste any of the beautiful weather so we took a stroll down by the water. Barbie and I dipped our feet in and we all sat on the rocks. While there, Richey tried to convince us that there are these snails called penny winkles and if you sing a certain song to them, they will come out of their shell. Well after look for some, I finally spotted one and sure enough Richey sang the song and the little guy made his appearance. Afterwards, we just hung out together by the water and in their Jeep. It was a good day spent with some really good people!

The Smiths visit Jamestown

Sunday morning we got on the road and headed down to Jamestown, Virginia where we met up with Steve's brothers, Mark and Brian, and our sister in law, Angie, and Tyler's cousin, Garret. After eating lunch at the cafeteria located at the settlement, we ventured into the settlement and began exploring. The settlement was quite interesting and it was a lot of fun learning the early settlers of 1607.
One of the more interesting exhibits were the three ships. They were a lot of fun touring inside. It is amazing how tiny they were and how so many people were jammed packed inside for months to make the crossing from England.

Upon finishing our tour of the settlement, we decided to check out the "real" Jamestown settlement just down the street. Apparently, we didn't realize until after already inside the other one that it was just a reenactment and not the actual settlement. However on our way over to the "real deal", we decided to just take a drive along the National Park's historic drive of the settlement instead.
On our way into the park, we took the Colonial Parkway. We mentioned how pretty the drive was to Mark, Angie, and Brian and so we decided to drive the entire parkway. Along the way, Steve and I kept noticing signs for a historic drive along the battlefields. So we asked the others if they wanted to check it out and they agreed. It was a beautiful drive in the sunset.
After driving for awhile, we decided to stretch our legs for a bit. Just before we stopped, Steve saw a magnolia tree and previously he was telling my mom how pretty they smelled so after we got out of the car, Steve and Brian went and picked one for her. Meanwhile, Mark, Angie, Mom and I watched Garret and Tyler run around for awhile. It was so cute to see the boys play. Tyler would follow Garret everywhere and even copied some of the things he was doing.

All to soon, however, it was time to say goodbye. It was a three hour drive back home for us and it was getting late. We are so happy that we got to see everyone and had a great time!

Sands of Time

My mom has been wanting to go back to the beach that is located on the base ever since we visited last weekend. So today we were able to satisfy her need for more of the same beach. When we first arrived, it was quite windy and a little chilly, however as the time passed the wind died down and the sun became warmer.
We brought Poppy's truck with us so that Tyler could play in the sand with it. Tyler had a grand time filling the drum up with sand and then dumping it out. Each time he would dump the sand out, he would make this dumping truck sound. We also took his socks and shoes off and Tyler enjoyed the feel of sand between his little toes.
Daddy was busy making a road for Poppy's truck to drive on and included some steep hills to go down and even a bridge. Daddy always likes to dig when he goes to the beach and create neat things. Tyler and Daddy had a great time playing together.
Meanwhile, Nanny enjoyed her time by beach combing. She was so captivated by the many pretty shells and rocks that she didn't even notice the "Do Not Enter" sign at the end of the beach and walked right through it. Soon we heard the whistles from the lifeguards and them waving to get Nanny's attention. However the wind and the distance prevented Nanny from hearing the warnings, so Steve had to go rescue her. She felt so embarrassed. It was OK though. They really should have put the signs closer to the beach area so that they could be easily noticed.

What did I do at the beach? Well, I mostly laid down on the warm sand and closed my eyes and listen to the waves coming in and out. It was very relaxing and something I really needed at the moment.

Overall, we had a fantastic time at the beach. We are very fortunate to have a military institution so close by that has such nice amenities, especially a beach!

Bravo Zulu

Congratulations to Brian, Steve's youngest brother, for getting promoted to a higher rank. Brian is now an E4! We are very proud to say that Brian is doing a truly outstanding job in the navy. This is quite the achievement because he is still new to the military.

Brian is a Gunner's Mate currently stationed in Norfolk, Virginia.

Boardwalking

Last night we went down to the boardwalk for a little stroll along the water. It was great to get out especially before bedtime. The fresh air and exercise really helped all of us to sleep last night. While down by the water, we saw this diver hydrant guy across the street. Tyler thought he was pretty funny looking.
This was my first time my mom was at Solomon's. She loves the water, so she really enjoyed herself. We walked the boardwalk a few times and took Tyler to the "fun" located in the middle of the boardwalk. Tyler had a good run on the boardwalk. This tired him out pretty good.

While there Tyler kept pointing to the poles in the water. He kept calling the poles "hot dogs" for some reason. LOL Anyway, the sun peeked itself through the dark clouds a few times while we were there, however when we were just about to leave it looked as if were going to down pour. We got in the car just in time before it started to sprinkle.

"I've got a hunch about something..."

Mommy & Daddy Day

This morning Steve phoned and said he was on his way to pick me up. My military I.D. had an expiry date of Sept '08, however Steve will be on deployment during that time. We wanted things to be squared away so that we wouldn't have any extra things to worry about during his deployment. So Steve and I went to the closest base and got my I.D. extended until June of next year.

My mom really didn't feel like going with us today, but she offered to look after Tyler while we were gone. It felt weird leaving the house without Tyler, his diaper bag and sippy cup cooler on my shoulder. Even though we spent most of our time waiting in line on base to get things done, it was nice to be able to spent some time with just Steve. Our time spent together before his deployment in July is quickly coming to an end :(

At the "Fun" and the Beach

Here are some photos we took yesterday while on the nearby base. We promised Tyler we would take him to the "fun". Instead of using the word "playground", Tyler appropriately refers to it as "fun". After playing on the equipment, we headed down to the beach where we enjoyed the peaceful surroundings before it started to rain. Mom even found a U.S. Air force toy airplane for Tyler that was just about to be swept by the water. We could have easily stayed at the beach the remainder of the day if it weren't for the rain.






Tyler's Bed Update: We're happy to report that Tyler stayed in his bed the entire night! We are so proud of him!!! On the other hand, nap time is a different story. LOL

Big Boy Bed!

Tonight's the night! Tyler finally got his very own big boy bed! Today we went out and bought one. Steve put it together this afternoon and of course, Tyler "helped" Daddy. However by the time it was all put together, it was way past Tyler's nap time, so we had to wait until tonight to try it. After Steve finished putting it together, Tyler was so happy. We put the beautiful quilt and pillow that Aunt Julie made for him on it and that made him even happier.
When it was bedtime, we announced to Tyler that he had to go to bed. We were a little nervous what his reaction would be since most times he says he doesn't want to go to bed, however to our surprise he ran to his room and yelled "nap!" with excitement. Then he laid down with his bed buddies: Winnie, Nanny Winnie, and Snake. Tyler went to bed in his new big boy bed with no problems...at least, for now. We're hoping he doesn't wake up at 3 am wanting to play. LOL Stay tuned to see how his first night went.

Sunny Saturday

With no real plans when we woke up this morning and my mom suggested that we go caching today. So after Steve loaded up some caches and we got in the car, Tyler ended up falling asleep after driving for awhile. Tyler woke up during the night with a cough and a fever, but this morning he appeared to be back on track. We think he may be getting the same terrible cold that Steve has had for a few days now. Anyway, since Tyler was sleeping Steve thought we could drive further to Ikea and let Tyler sleep for awhile longer. We looked at the toddler beds while there and then decided to wait before making a purchase.
The traffic was backed up on the highway so we had to take a longer way back. We noticed that Tyler was feeling a little hot again and so we decided after doing a cache to go to a park that had playground and pretty lake so that he could get out in the fresh air and hopefully feel a bit better. Tyler played at the "fun" for awhile and then we walked around the park for a bit before heading back to the car. Tonight when we got home, Steve cooked some hot dogs on the grill. It was a beautiful night and perfect way to end a nice day together.

Top of the Class

It brings us great joy to announce that our nephew, Justin, graduated top of his class with honors on May 9th from Sheridan High School. Justin has been accepted to study pharmacology/pharmacy at the University of Central Arkansas. He is pictured here with his girlfriend Heather. Justin has always excelled at everything and there is no doubt that he will do very well in life. All the best to you, Justin!!!
Love from your very proud family,
Aunt Heather, Uncle Steve, Grandmother Walker, and cuz Tyler
XOXOXOXO

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

It's that time of year when the cats start to shed their winter coats and fur starts to get on everything. The cats really needed a good brushing. After lunch, we took Luigi and Sophia outside and let them bask in the warm sun while we gave them the royal treatment. Luigi especially loved the brushing and it was a good thing because he was in most need of it. By the time I was finished brushing him, there was enough fur to make another cat!

Like Mother, Like Son

When I was about Tyler's age, I remember my mom making the bed and while she was making it I would crawl inside under the covers. She would continue to make the bed while I was in it and she would say "Where's Heather?", meanwhile I would be giggling inside. This morning Tyler was in Nanny's room and he crawled inside the bed while she was making it. Tyler did the same thing, he giggled why he laid there as the blankets continued to come on top of him. It was fun to relive the fun memories with my own son and mom.

Storm Cleanup

Sunday night we experienced high winds and rain that left us without power for about an hour just before we went to bed. Yesterday it rained for most of the day, so this morning when we saw it was nice and sunny outside we finally grabbed the chance to go out and cleanup the mess the storm had left behind.

There were several large branches, lots of smaller branches and sticks, leaves, and other debris were found during our cleanup. Mom and I raked and swept, while Tyler picked up the leaves and small branches. It was just so nice to be outside in the sun. It's amazing how much the sun can make you feel better.

Mother's Day

Finally after a long two day drive, we arrived home at 9 pm last night. Today we are celebrating a quiet Mother's Day. We really didn't do too much today. After going for a walk around the neighbourhood, we took Mom on base to get some groceries and grab some lunch. Tonight I made a Mother's Day dinner for her and we'll probably watch a movie. It's been raining for most of the day. A perfect day to just take it easy and enjoy each other's company. So far my mom seems to be settling in just fine. This is her first time at our house. I love you, Mom!
I would like to wish all the moms a Happy Mother's Day. A special Happy Mother's Day wish goes out to my friend Sandra, who became a new mom on Earth Day (April 22nd) to Daniel Michael. Also born on Earth Day was Marley Raine, daughter to my friend, Kate-Lynn. This is Kate-Lynn's third child. Coincidently, Kate-Lynn and Sandra both worked together in the MWR Marketing department when I worked for MWR at the Sigonella base in Italy.

Almost Home

Last night we stayed at Grandpa and Grandma Smith's house in R.I. When we arrived we were greeted with their other grandchildren, Cameron and Mya. Even though we felt like we already knew Cameron sand Mya, we only had the privilege of meeting Cameron once before. Both children were an absolute pleasure to be around. They took a liking to Tyler and vice versa. I have never met more willing and helpful children. They wanted to help out with everything especially when it came to Tyler.
For dinner we ordered out for some seafood. We had clam cakes, clams, and fish and chips. The clams were unbelievably delicious! This morning while we were waiting for everyone to get ready to go out for breakfast, Walt showed Tyler his huge train set collection downstairs. Needless to say, there was a very excited 2 year old boy. Walt even showed Tyler how to work the controls. Tyler made the train whistle, and stop and go.
After a lovely breakfast, Walt took us for a tour around Newport. It was the first time for my mom to see the mansions. She was quite impressed. Unfortunately the time passed too quickly and before we knew it, we had to get back on the road. Thank you Walt and Wanda for your hospitality! We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks on our way back to Canada.

Driving back home...

We are on our way back to Maryland! Today we are driving to Newport, RI to stay with Walt & Wanda.

Marina is coming with us to spend a few weeks with Heather. Heather will be packing up and getting ready to spend time back in Canada while Steve is in Iraq.

We made a few stops for gas and food and of course to stretch our legs and grab a geocache or two.