That's A Pizza Pie

For dinner tonight, Tyler and I decided to make little mini pizzas, while Winnie supervised. Tyler was a great little helper and did most of the work himself. After I cut and laid out the English muffins on the cookie sheet, Tyler put the pepperoni, or "wheels" as he likes to call them, on each of the mini pizzas. Then Tyler sprinkled on the mozzarella and I put them in the oven. It wasn't long before they were ready to enjoy. Tyler was more than ready to try his pizzas out. He ate his all up and said that they tasted good. Tyler, Nanny, and I can't wait until we make some more!

Amazing Time!!!

Charmaine asked us if we were interested in doing the corn maze this weekend at Hank's Family Farm in Millville. We met Cynthia, Kevin, and their daughter, Emma, and some of their friends there too. Ever since I can remember I've always wanted to do a corn maze and in fact, Steve and I attempted to go last year but every time we would make plans something would come up and we couldn't go. Today I was wishing Steve could have been there with us because we had a blast! The corn maze totally surpassed any expectations I ever had about it!!! Kelly led the way in and took us right around the maze without having to reach any dead ends. He did a great job, however he gave credit to Tyler because for most of the way he carried Tyler and said he could view over the tops of the corn stock. It had been years since my last visit to Hank's. All I remembered was the miniature village depicting some of the local businesses, including the famous chicken eatery called "Lick A Chick". Tyler was in his glory with all the things for him to do. They had lots of different types of livestock to pet and feed, a playground, baked goods and veggies for sale, a sandbox, a bouncy tent, and even a cow that the kids can milk. Tyler really liked milking the cow! Tyler was overwhelmed by the fact that there was so much to do and see. He went from one thing to another. And when new people arrived, he was the official tour director informing them all of what there was there and even accompanied some of the kids to the activities. Below are some other photos taken during our Hank's Family Farm day:

Stung!!!

Late this afternoon, while Tyler was out playing with Andrew in his grandparent's backyard something very unexpected and sad happened. Tyler got stung for the first time! Tyler went down a little slope on the side of their property to get pick up a truck and all of a sudden he started crying. I looked down and my heart stopped as I saw him being swarmed by wasps. There were about 3 or 4 around him. I quickly ran down and grabbed him and Andrew's mom said for us to go into her parent's house. It was then that I could see he got stung on the right side of his face. It was quite red and swollen. The poor little guy soon settled down while I cleaned his face and waited while Andrew's mom went to her house to pick up some ointment. I then went to take off Tyler's jacket and was shocked to see yet another wasp sitting on his jacket! We quickly got rid of it. It wasn't long before Tyler was playing again with Andrew and his toys. I was very thankful that Andrew's mom had the ointment to help with the pain and itching to lend to us! Tyler kept saying he was all better when I would ask him. I think he was just so happy to play with Andrew's toys that nothing seemed to matter. Later on the redness and swelling went down quite a bit. All I kept thinking was that I just pray that he isn't allergic. My poor little guy!

Oh To Be Young Again...

Trick My Truck

This is my new ride at AFN Iraq. This poor guy was parked and left behind. No one here knows when or why he was left to sit. We got him started with some new batteries and some air in the tires. We also gave him a good washing down with just a little hose with no water pressure. He does leak oil, but he runs great!

This humvee is a cool 4-seater pick-up truck style complete with soft top and A/C. I keep my helmet locked in with the Army's version of "The Club". Basically, its a cable around the steering wheel with a pad lock. I don't know how old this truck is, but it is pretty rough looking, even after the wash down. You can see my helmet locked in with the Army's version of "The Club". Basically it's a steel cable wrapped around the steering wheel with a pad lock. This is the back seating area. The A/C unit is mounted on the back wall. The vents run along the roof to the front seats. The glass cleaner is for the huge amount of dust that builds on the windows, inside and out. I clean them every two days.

Renwick Brook Park

Today's adventure took place in Glace Bay at the Renwick Brook Park. Several years ago when I worked in Glace Bay at the bank, I used to spend my lunch breaks taking a leisurely stroll through the park. It's been quite some time since my last visit. This was my mom's first visit and she really enjoyed herself with Tyler and I. The first thing we realized when we arrived was that we forgot to bring some bread to feed the ducks. So we went across the street to the grocery store and bought a loaf. Of course, when we returned back to the park, we became very popular with the ducks. Mom and Tyler had a blast feeding the swarm of ducks that quickly befriended them. The park was much bigger than I remember, we walked the entire loop before deciding it was best to get back in the car. The air was beginning to very "Fall-ish". Nevertheless, we had a great park visit and we will probably return before too long. The park is even prettier when the Fall colours are in full bloom.

Washing his blues away.

Welcoming the New Season

This is the first day of autumn so naturally it would also be today's theme at our playgroup. The children coloured pictures of leaves and were read a book about apples. They made a 'Leaf Guy' during craft time. As always, we have a great time at our play group. We came out of the building to go back home and it was a gorgeous fall day. What a way to bring in a new season!

Friends are a Blessing

What seemed like a long time coming, finally happened. My friends from Maryland, Katherine and Rodney, flew up to explore the beauty of the Cabot Trail. Katherine said that ever since she saw the photos from our trip around the Trail last year that I posted on our blog that she had the desire to check it out for herself. This weekend they flew in and stayed at the Sea Parrot; the incredible ocean view manor that Steve and I discovered and stayed at. Yesterday they did their trip around the Cabot Trail and this afternoon we met them at Tim Horton's to welcome them to the Island. It was such a pleasure to see Katherine and Rodney again! They are more than friends, they are part of our Maryland family. Steve, Tyler, and I care a great deal for them and we were ecstatic that they were coming up here to see our part of the world. Of course, Steve called to say hello. Afterward, we talked and talked. It was absolutely wonderful catching up on what's going on back home and hearing all about their trip around the Cabot Trail. They are always so good to us, especially to Tyler. They gave Tyler his very first camera! That's right, now he can be just like Mom and Dad and he already proved to us during their visit that he has Dad's genes. He was going around taking photos and talking to everyone at the donut shop. Katherine joked that we may see Tyler as a journalist on CNN when he grows up. They not only gave Tyler a camera, but also a Mr. Potato Head Ghost! They picked the ghost because there always seems to be one appearing in some of the photos we take while out caching. We could have stayed for hours and I really wanted to. Katherine and Rodney had to get on the road as they were driving to Halifax and perhaps stopping to see beautiful Peggy's Cove. It was so sad to see Katherine and Rodney walking away knowing that I won't see them for at least another 5 months. However we had a very special birthday party to attend. Today Cameron was celebrating his first birthday! And what a celebration it was! They got him the coolest cake, it had his picture done in icing on it! There was tons of food that Charmaine and Kelley both cooked and it was sooo good! When the party ended, Charmaine gave Tyler two balloons to take home. One popped in the driveway and the other one he let go of . So she gave him 3 more, on the way home, one flew out of the car window. Tyler wasn't having much luck with his balloons today. Other than that, it was a terrific day spent with some really good friends! We thoroughly enjoyed every minute!!!

For Daddy

When I was putting Tyler back in his car seat after our morning at the beach yesterday, Tyler showed me a dandelion that he picked and he said it was for Daddy. He misses his dad so much. He always says "Daddy, too far away!".

Mom's Birthday

Today Mom turns 67. Her special day began when she received her birthday gift from us, a sage and citrus scented candle. Mom loves candles so she really liked her gift. Then we got ready and headed for one of her favourites places to visit, the beach! For over a month now, Mom has been saying that it had been years since she visited the Mira Gut beach. We were either too busy or it ended up raining the days we planned, so we never ended going. Today's weather called for sun, so nothing was going to stop us now! When we first arrived at the beach, the first thing Mom said was that there was a special rock she was going to find today. The feeling she had was right; she not only found one special rock, but she found two! One was heart shaped and the other she called a big kiss because it had a big "X". She said that was her special gift from Dad :) After we returned home and picked some flowers from the garden, we went to Dad's grave. It's difficult during special days like this. To make her feel better, Tyler and I treated Mom for a special birthday dinner at one of her favourite places to eat. One of my best friends, Christine and her baby Maia, are sadly leaving tomorrow. Her family invited Mom, Tyler, and I over for a little goodbye party. While we were there, they surprised Mom with a little birthday tart with a candle! It was so sweet of them to remember her birthday. Since we came back, the phone has been ringing non-stop with calls from her family and friends. Overall, I think she had a pretty good birthday. Very special birthday wishes go out to bella, Danielle. Danielle turned 3!!! Tyler misses his buddy or should I say 'Partner in Crime'. Tell Mommy to bring you and Aya back to visit us when we return home.

The other day when we were eating lunch, Tyler pointed out to me his "train bridge". Cutie Cameron celebrates his first birthday today!!! However celebrations are being postponed because of his surgery today. We hope you are feeling better and we'll see you on Sunday for the fun!!!

USS Ponce & Brian Underway

From 2nd Fleet Public Affairs NORFOLK (NNS) -- The amphibious transport dock ship USS Ponce (LPD 15) got underway Sept. 14 from Naval Station Norfolk, to demonstrate operational readiness at sea. Ponce is conducting routine training operations off the Virginia coast, and is capable of providing disaster response and of rendering assistance to civil authorities, if called upon to perform this mission. Three ships, USS Nassau (LHA 4), Ponce, and USS Bataan (LHD 5), were ordered Sept. 12 to increase readiness for possible disaster response support. Nassau was already at sea conducting routine operations, and was first directed south to operate off the Florida coast before receiving orders to move into the Gulf of Mexico. The amphibious assault ship Bataan has been ordered to remain in a prepared-to-deploy status, ready to get underway within 24 hours, if needed. Although there has been no specific tasking for these three ships, their at-sea readiness provides options for Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command and Commander, U.S. Northern Command.

From Dawn to Dust

If you don't like to drive down dirt roads because you have to wash the car afterwards... You ain't seen nothin' yet!

We have been living under a blanket of falling dust for three days now. There is no wind, just a nice breeze. The sun is behind the orange canopy. These photos were taken in the afternoon and haven't been altered.

These are the trailers that we live in. This was taken around 4:30 pm.

These two images were taken on two seprate days. This is the sidewalk leading past a row of trailers where I live.

Chicken Soup for the Toddler's Soul

Our Monday mornings usually include a visit to our playgroup, however this morning Tyler woke up with a bit of a cold. Thinking that it was best to stay at home today to save his little buddies from catching it from him, we decided to take it easy. It was rather windy out and a little chilly, so it was probably best that Tyler stayed inside today. By the afternoon, Tyler was feeling much better; it must have been my chicken soup I made him for lunch that helped. Steve Update: It was a rather quiet day today. They were going to send him on a video shoot, but it was canceled. Note to Steve: I mailed your parcel today. I pray you receive it by the time for your birthday.

In the "Zone"

It has been a week since arriving in the Green Zone or International Zone. Everything is going well with my new job. I am getting to know my way around. It can be quite a chore navigating the IZ with all the check points and re-routes and lack of traffic law. It's like driving in Italy, really. I have a few photos posted to give you a sense of what I see everyday. Enjoy!

This is one of the driveways leading to Saddam's Palace.

This is one side of the Crossed Swords monument. There are two crossed swords monuments, one at each end of a parade field. You can also drive through them. The are is partially blocked now.

This is a shot taken from underneath the Crossed Swords monument.

This is the Palace Saddam used to reside in. It's used as the temporary U.S. Ebassy. It has a cafe, coffee bar, library and internet cafe. This shows what used to be a lush lawn. We use it for parking and a trailer park for military and civilians to live.

On my drive to work. I was driving our Humvee, knicknamed "The Screamer". The belts are a bit dried out and make enough noise to wake the dead.

We miss you, Dad

My father's headstone was finally placed at his resting place earlier this week. This afternoon we went out for the first time to see it. It seemed like it took forever for the headstone to arrive. First we had to design it, then the company that makes them had to put the plan on paper and then we had to approve it and wait for them to make it and ship it from Quebec. I think it turned out quite nice. We placed some of Mom's beautiful dahlias on his and my grampy's grave. Steve Update: Steve got his cell phone back from his co-worker, so we were able to have a good long talk on this afternoon. He said he found the "laundry trailer" last night, so he was pretty happy about that. He normally has Saturdays off, however tomorrow him and one of his co-workers have to go in for a few hours because there is a press conference.