Rest in Peace, Uncle Jim

This afternoon I received some upsetting news. My Uncle Jim passed away this morning after a courageous battle of cancer. He is now free of pain and in the arms of our Lord. He joins his wife, his father, and my dad up in Heaven. Uncle Jim, you will be greatly missed.

Snowy Saturday

What a beautiful winter wonderland surprise we woke up to this morning. When I opened up the blinds and showed Tyler, he could not believe his eyes. He laughed so much and wanted to go outside immediately to start playing. After breakfast, we got on our snow gear and headed downstairs. We made snow angels, threw snow up in the air, played in the snowy playground, and even swam in the snow. Oh the fun we had! However it was getting too cold to stay outside, so we went back in and I made some hot chocolate with marshmallows for my little guy. Meanwhile, Larissa, who had stayed the night, came back from the grocery store with ingredients to make lumpia. After she prepared the filling, she refreshed my memory on how to wrap the lumpia. Dinner was delicious!!! I ate 7 lumpias!!! I was aiming for 10, but I had to save room for the amazing blueberry cheesecake she made for dessert. Larissa is staying with me at the apartment this weekend and I truly appreciate her company. Meanwhile, Steve is enjoying the great weather in Cuba! We got to hear Steve's voice through the computer today, which totally made my day. He had today off. He has one more week left in Cuba, before joining his regular deployment on a ship.

Around the World

While out today, Tyler pointed out a photo and asked me where it was taken. Turns out it was a photo of Venice. Since Steve and I used to live in Italy, we made several trips to Venice, at least four that I can remember. Tyler was fascinated that Mommy and Daddy used to visit there and even went on one of the boats called a gondola. When we got home, Tyler asked if I had any photos of when we were there. Of course, being the camera crazed family that we are, I had tons of Venice photos to show him. It was wonderful showing our son one of our favourite places. It is our hope that someday we can travel to different countries with him, so that he can be more open-minded and appreciate the world's many cultures.

Big Bug Surprise Book

One of my favourite things about visiting the library is coming home with lots of new books to read. We come home, get in our cozy "reading chair" and start reading together. 'Big Bug Surprise' is the book shown in the photo. It is wonderful book that has a fun story, but yet very informative for children Tyler's age. The author, Julia Gran, included tons of bug facts for the children to learn. Both Tyler and I really enjoyed this book. It's now on our highly recommended list.

Daddy Deploys

Unfortunately we weren't as lucky to have another day of canceled flights for Steve, however we needed to get this deployment started so we can look forward to getting it done and over with. Yesterday was basically spent waiting at the airport to see if Steve was on a flight. When the time came that they announced his name, everything happened very fast. We went downstairs and they were waiting for Steve to board the shuttle taking them to the plane. Our goodbyes were said much too soon. Steve described it to be similar to taking off a band-aid quickly so that it was less painful. Steve arrived at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base later on in the evening. They are setting up headquarters for Haiti relief there, and so he will fill in doing journalist duties until the reserves take his place. Then it's off to his ship where he will start his regular deployment. It will be difficult for us to get through, especially since we are use to hearing from each other everyday during other deployments, however once he gets on the ship he will have very limited access to the internet and phone. Tyler is adjusting OK so far. He said he is going to draw lots of pictures to send to Daddy and this morning, he asked if we could go on the computer so that Daddy could see us and we could see him (he is referring to the web cam). He said "that would be really nice". Please pray for his safe return home and for the 8 months to pass by quickly.

Frown turned Upside Down

What started out to be a sad day, turned out to be a fantastic day! Steve was due to leave this morning to go an 8 month deployment, however things changed later on in the day. After waiting all day for Steve's flight, it turned out that they were not taking any passengers because there was no more room on the military plane. Of course, I couldn't be more happy to be driving home with my husband and to be able to spend one more night with him. We went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant, the food was terrible, but I didn't care. It was just sooo nice to have Steve back home with us. :)

Tyler asked me what this word spells. LOL

Getting Fit While Playing

We are really enjoying it here in our new apartment and today things just got better. After our visit to the library to participate in the Preschool Storytime which went very well, we came home and checked out more of the apartment's facilities they have here. So while Mom was in the fitness room trying to get back into shape, Tyler was busy having a great time in the adjoining playroom. It was great because we had the whole place to ourselves. Mom is proud to say that she burned off 176 calories in 45 minutes today on the treadmill. We are already excited about tomorrow's workout/playtime.

Our New Library

This morning we took a little trip in the car to find our local library. We were very happy that we found it and so we went inside to check it out. After receiving a library card, we went to the children's section and picked a bunch of books for Tyler to borrow. Then we signed up for Preschool Storytime which will take place on Wednesdays. Tyler is very excited about it all.

Dinner with Janell

Tonight we had a very special guest for dinner. Steve's sister, Janell, is in town for a couple days on a business trip. We were so happy to see her, especially since we missed out on seeing everyone when we were in Florida last. After we finished eating, we watched some Ed, Edd, and Eddy and also got caught up on the situation in Haiti, before Janell had to return back to her hotel for the night. It was wonderful getting together with her and we hope that it won't be too long before we meet again. Tyler says "Thanks for the Wally Walmart Truck, Aunt Janell!". He just finished putting him to bed next to Mac.

It's A Small World Ride at Disney

Fun 50's Night

Last night, we went to a restaurant that was set up like a 50's diner. Every table was equipped with a mini juke box. Tyler was very curious and wanted to try it, so we gave him some money and he put it in and we told him to push a letter and a number. Without actually looking up a song, it turned out the number and letter he happened to pick was for the song, "Take the "A" Train" by Duke Ellington. We thought this was funny since he loves trains so much. It was a fun evening. Later on Tyler picked the Scooby Doo theme while we enjoyed our dessert.

Quick Trip to Florida

You may have been wondering what the Smith Family has been up to this past week and why I haven't posted anything on the blog. It isn't often that we do things on the spur of the moment; we usually like to plan things out well ahead of time, however for the past week we had been thinking about going to visit family in Florida. Monday morning we woke up and confirmed those plans, so we quickly got packed and hit the road. It's a 12 hour drive and since we started out late in the morning, we stayed overnight in a hotel. Tuesday morning on our way through Jacksonville, we stopped in and visited Steve's grandparents. It was wonderful seeing Memere and Pepere as it had been several years since Tyler and I to see them. In fact, Tyler was only a few months old the last time. Memere gave us a huge big bag of her famous chocolate chip cookies for on the road. We hope that it won't be too long before we see them again. We finally made it to Steve's mom's house in the afternoon. Her and Jim were so glad to see us. It really seemed like forever since our last trip down to see them. Grandma gave Tyler his Christmas gifts and he loved them all. Last year a dear friend of ours passed away from a courageous battle of cancer, and because Steve was in Iraq and I was in Canada, we were unable to attend her funeral. Wednesday morning we drove down to Tampa to visit her resting place. We knew what cemetery she was buried in, however we didn't known exactly where her grave was. Steve and I went our separate ways and searched the entire cemetery until Steve made the find. I was so relieved and happy that I could place the flowers that we brought for her on her grave. We so greatly miss her. Later that afternoon, we went back to Sandy's where we picked the rest of the oranges off one of her trees. Steve made some awesome orange juice with them. That night for dinner, we had a special treat. Sandy made some delicious fried dough bread. It had been the first time I tried it and it was sooo good! After I put Tyler to bed that same night, we heard a noise outside. It was the raccoons that come to visit! Steve and I watched in amazement while Sandy fed them out of her hand. Apparently, they had been coming to visit ever since they were quite young, so they were quite familiar with her. What's a trip to Florida without seeing the Mouse? We're lucky because Sandy works for him and she could get us in for free! So the next day we all headed over to Disney. First we had a quick breakfast at the Polynesian Hotel. Then the rest of the day was filled with a magical celebration. Tyler was ever so happy to go on the Winnie the Pooh ride and the People Mover. We also enjoyed the Haunted House, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Carousel. However our trip was cut short by an important phone call from Steve's office and sadly we had to head home. So that night we loaded up the car and headed back home. Steve drove all night and we arrived home at 6:30 this morning. To say the least, we were quite tired, but glad we got to spend at least a few days in Florida.

Tyler Says the Darnest Things

Tonight we ate at Sonny's Bar-B-Q restaurant. In front of the restaurant, they had these pig statues and an outhouse. When we went inside, Tyler couldn't stop talking about the pigs outside. He kept telling everyone that walked past our table that he saw pigs outside. He then commented to Daddy and said "And there is an owl house too!". LOL We're pretty sure he was referring to the outhouse.

Our First Dinner Guest

Larissa won the title of being our first dinner guest tonight. We spent the afternoon watching the movie, 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', as picked by Tyler. We enjoyed watching the classic movie together. It was Tyler's first time watching it and we were surprised by how much he liked it. He practically stayed seated and watched the entire movie with us. As always we enjoyed having Larissa over for a visit. It was her first time at our new apartment and we know it won't be the last. We're so thankful to have her stationed with us!

See You Later, Maryland

Early this morning, Steve picked up one of his co-workers he used to work with in D.C., they picked up a U-Haul truck, I cleaned the apartment in preparation for inspection, the guys packed the rest of our belongings in the truck, and we passed in our apartment keys to the rental office. This was our official last day as residents of Maryland. Luckily we met up with our good Maryland friends for dinner last night. We are definitely going to miss you, Maryland!!! We shared some really good times together and we will always cherish the memories.

Our Playground

For the past few days, we've been stuck inside the apartment due to the cold weather. This afternoon we just felt the need to get out and get some fresh air, so I bundled Tyler up and we headed to the playground. This was the first time we checked out the playground at our apartment complex. Turns out it wasn't nearly as cold as I thought; it was actually quite nice out! Tyler had a great time and it felt good to finally get out of the apartment for awhile.

Making Music in NYC

This is a video I took while we were in NYC's Battery Park during our Thanksgiving weekend visit. Enjoy!

First Day at New Command

Today marked the first day of Steve in his new command. Although he didn't have much time in his office because he had to do his check in, he still had a good first day at work. He will find out later on what his duties consist of. I grabbed a photo of him before he headed to work because it is not often he has to wear his service dress blue uniform to work but because it is his first day, it is usually required for check in.

Monkey Business

Since we have two full bathrooms in our new apartment, Tyler gets to claim one. Tyler's bathroom is right besie his bedroom. The other day we went shopping for accessories to make it more fun for Tyler. After browsing through a few stores and getting some ideas, we decided to go for the monkey bathroom. Tyler loves it and so do we. It turned out really cute! We will post other photos of our new apartment once we get more settled in and get all of our furniture from our apartment in Maryland.

First Imaginary Friend

Well, it has finally happened, Tyler has his first imaginary friend. And it's just not any ordinary friend, it's a skunk! Yes, I said a skunk. According to Tyler "Skunky Skunk" lives in a cage in Tyler's room. He likes to play with Tyler's toys and we're lucky because Skunky Skunk doesn't stink says Tyler. Sometimes he comes with us in the car too. I think we're in for a lot of fun adventures with Tyler and his new friend.

Moving Day

Happy New Year everyone!!! If you are a regular reader of our blog, you probably were wondering why I've been slacking on the posts. Well, I have a good reason why I haven't been keeping you update on our family, we're actually in the moving process. A couple of days ago, Steve rented the largest U-Haul you can possibly rent, the 26 footer, and we started filling it up. We are getting stationed in Virginia starting on the 4th of January. Our good friend, Larissa, is also getting stationed there as well and on her way through to VA, she stopped overnight at our apartment in Maryland and helped us pack up the truck. Then we all drove down to VA together. A few weeks ago we drove down to check the houses and apartments, and found a beautiful apartment complex to rent from. So far, we are REALLY loving it here in our new apartment. It has everything we need here and it's absolutely beautiful! We will post some photos once we finally get all moved in. We would like to send out a huge thank you for Larissa for her help in getting us here. We had to weigh all of our stuff to submit our claim to the Navy and it weighed approximately 8000 pounds! As you can imagine our legs and arms are quite sore now from carrying all those boxes into and out of the truck and into our third floor apartment building! The two photos above are from our apartment in Maryland. We have to return to pick up our sofas, dressers, and my car.