Tyler's homework for tonight was to make a card for Jesus's birthday.

New Do

Got my hair cut and coloured today. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked it, but it is really starting to "grow" on me now. I may even get it cut shorter next time.

The Sosas Visit

It's been way too long a time since the last time we got together, so we were quite delighted when Sandra phoned us yesterday and said she was coming over for a visit today. Three months had past and the kids had grown so much. Tyler and Danny got reacquainted by playing together in Tyler's room, while Sandra, her mother in law, Steve, and I got caught up. Meanwhile, 6 month old, Samara, was just being as cute as ever. Today marked the first time she sat up, which is demonstrated for us; unfortunately I was too late capturing the moment on my camera. It was an awesome afternoon and we promised each other we won't let another 3 months go by without getting together again. 

Family Night Out

After going to see the movie, 'Toy Story 3', at the movie theatre in the mall yesterday, we decided to do a little browsing. Turns out Santa was there and so we managed to get a few quick photos while the children went to talk to him. Afterwards, our tummy started rumbling and we headed over to Friendly's for some dinner and ice cream. It was our last full day spent with the Taylors. Early this morning, they got on the road and made their way home to Florida. What a great time we had with them; thank you so much, Chellee, Peter, Bryanna, Abigail, and cutie pie, Javan for coming to see us!

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all our American friends and family. This year we spent this special day with Chellee and Peter and their family. After spending the morning and part of the afternoon preparing the feast, we were ready to sit down and gobble it all up. Afterwards, we went out to the playground and let the kids "play off" their meals while we tried to digest ours.We are thankful for so many great things in our lives, but especially for good food and family that we are able to share it with.

Slumber Party

It has been like a fun slumber party for the cousins since they first arrived. They are sharing Tyler's room. The first night was kind of difficult to keep them contained as there was too much talking, but since then they have settled down and last night they actually got to sleep almost on time. LOL Each night, the oldest cousin, Brye, reads a bedtime story to Abigail and Tyler. Tyler is definitely going to miss his cousins when they go back home.They have been great company to him.

Family Fun

Yesterday afternoon Steve's sister and family arrived to visit us for the Thanksgiving week. Tyler and his cousins have been having a blast with each other ever since they came through the door. Today we decided to go check out the Norfolk Zoo. After we picked Tyler up at preschool we headed to downtown Norfolk. Before heading to the zoo, we grabbed some lunch at the famous Doumar's drive-in diner. They are famous for the fact that they created the ice cream cone. This trip we were more interested in eating lunch. So, after eating we went to the zoo where we had a terrific time viewing all the different animals.

Once our visit to the zoo was complete, it was back in the van and once again back to Doumar's for a special treat. Instead of being served at the car, we went inside. On the way in, we saw what the diner was famous for-the world's first cone machine! Apparently the machine is still in use today. We all sat at the counter and ordered our ice cream treats. Tyler and I ordered cones and they were delish. After eating, we came home, and got ready for more eating. This time it was for a sushi dinner. Overall, it was a fun day spent with the Taylor family. :)

What a big boy to be cutting the grass all by himself. LOL

Click on the 3 "Here"'s

Steve has been busy producing some stories for the Navy, check them out here, here and here.

Parent Give Thanks Brunch

For the past few weeks, Tyler and his classmates have been busy preparing for a very special day at preschool. That day finally came today with a Parent Give Thanks Brunch. The details of the brunch were mostly kept secret to the parents, so it was fun to be surprised. When the parents arrived to the classroom we were asked to wait outside. Then each child dressed in either an Indian or pilgrim headdress came and greeted their parent(s) and presented them with a Thanksgiving book they had made.

The next thing that happened, we were lend into their classroom. Tyler pulled a chair out for me to sit on at the table that was all decorated. Each child made a very cute place card holder and place mat. After each parent was seated, the children lined up and sang a few songs. Tyler experienced a wardrobe malfunction; one of his hat "feathers" kept falling down in front of his face. He kept trying to put it back up with no success. LOL Then they each said what they were thankful for and Tyler, very quietly, said he was thankful for food. He was a little shy. Lastly, the children served us with a lovely brunch. It was the cutest brunch I've ever attended. There was a lot of preparation by the children to put everything together and they did a wonderful job.

Reward Program

Tyler's teachers have started a new reward program to help instill good behavior in their classroom. In order for each of the students to be rewarded, they have to show exceptionally good behavior. Each reward is worth 1 ticket, however you have to collect a total of 5 tickets in order to claim your big prize. The students have a choice of what they want their big prize to be. They can a) pick something out of the prize box, b) pick a friend to sit by during snack time, or c) pick any toy to play with in the classroom (keep in mind the toys are rotated on a daily basis.) Tyler happily earned his 5 tickets yesterday and decided his reward was going to be something out of the prize box. 

The prize that Tyler picked was a dinosaur egg that you dig to find the bones. He couldn't wait to get back home and start digging. I must admit that I had as much fun watching him discover each bone as he did finding them. Once all the bones were found and dusted off, we had to put the bones together to create the skeleton. Tyler's dinosaur was a stegosaurus. He was so happy to receive this prize for his good behavior and he is already working on getting another prize. Today he earned another ticket! Awesome job, Tyler!!! We are so very proud of you!!!

Dessert Night

Tonight we were treated to delicious sweets provided by the rental office staff. Nothing was required by us tenants, only an appetite. The manager said we were celebrating desserts. LOL It was relaxing sitting down in front of the fireplace in the clubhouse with some of the tenants who live here. The manager read out the other things she has in store for us in the coming months to keep us happy. The list was quite exciting and fun.

HI

With everything else that is going on lately, I've gotten a little behind in keeping you updated on Tyler's progress in preschool. The week before last was concentrated on the letter "H" and the number 8. Tyler got to wear his favourite hat to school, had fun playing hopscotch, and enjoyed hot chocolate. Last week, was only a 3 day week because of the holiday and an inservice day for the teachers, but they managed to cover the letter "I" and the number 9. Indians and Pilgrams were discussed, along with making headdresses out of feathers and learning about Indian symbols. The children also were taught the importance of knowing their addresses. They also had ice cream and made us parents a special invitation to a parent brunch which will be held this week.

A Big Thank You

Our mailbox has been full lately with lots of sweet surprises from the special people in our lives.

The first couple surprises we received came from Rhode Island. A Halloween card from Great Grandma Smith with some money as well as a card from Grandma and Grandma Smith. They also included some fun Halloween stickers and an awesome pumpkin picture drawn by Myah and an "I Love You" note from her as well. This totally made Tyler's day. So sweet!!!

Next came a most awesomely decorated Halloween package from Grandma and Papa in Florida. Tyler received Spider-Man themed items including a colouring book, a puzzle, party plates, and balloons. Tyler is wearing the Buzz Lightyear t-shirt also given by them and Winnie is wearing his Halloween PJ's from Morgan the Bear.

Today, we received yet another package. This time it was from Nanny in Canada. She was sending my favourite sweater back that I had forgotten at her house and she surprised us with some Canadian goodies and some cool finger skateboards for Tyler.

A big thank-you to you all. We miss you all very much and it was very nice of you to think of us.  With lots of love xoxoxo

Steve at Work

Steve has been busy working away doing video at the commissioning of the Guided Missile USS Gravely in Wilmington, North Carolina. The ship is named after the late Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. He became the first African-American to accomplish many distinguished tasks during his 38 years of his Navy career. 

Tea Party

Last week Yasuko mentioned about getting together for a tea. Rhia said she had never tried tea before, so we decided to make it a big thing and planned to have a tea party with little hores d'oeuvres and finger foods as well as desserts. I had a few different teas for us to try, but Yasuko ended up bringing a ton to choose from and her Bodem tea maker since mine and Steve's got broken during a move. We tried some yummy teas including Red Bush which was a flavour Steve and I bought while in Florida during our last trip. It was very good and tasted very similar to cream soda as Yasuko pointed out. LOL Then we tried Yasuko's apricot caramel tort tea which was super delicious. We ended up having two cups of this kind. Our tea party was so much fun and even got dressed up and played classic music while we ate and drank our tea. It was a super awesome afternoon spent with some terrific friends.And yes, Rhia now likes tea. LOL

Remebrance Day/Veteran's Day

Tyler is at the age now where he can get a basic understanding of why this day is so important. He is also capable of learning why we should honour those men and women who have sacrificed their lives during past wars and those who continue fighting for our freedom now, especially since his dad is one of those men. So with this being said, today Tyler and I had a little history lesson. We also made poppies to wear near our hearts during our moment of silence and I read the poem 'In Flanders Fields' to him. My hope is that as he grows older he learns to appreciate more how lucky we are to live with such freedom.

Watch Out, Scooby!

Last night while Tyler was taking his shower I thought I smelled something burning as I was putting something in his room. At first I dismissed it for something outside or next door, but as the smell got stronger I decided I better investigate further. So I followed the scent back to Tyler's bedroom and there I quickly noticed Scooby on top of the light bulb belonging to his lamp. Sure enough, when I picked up Scooby he was melted right on the bulb. Poor Scooby had a hole burned right in him and it was just about to reach the inside stuffing. Lucky for us he was caught before that happened as a fire probably would have been started. Of course, Tyler was quite upset over losing one of his favourite stuffed animals and I had to explain the dangers of placing anything on a bulb. 

Fall Fun

Yesterday afternoon we bundled up, packed Tyler's bike in the car, and drove to a nearby park. When we got to the park, we took one of the trails to enjoy the beautiful fall scenery. After a ride down the trail we returned to the playground for some fun before heading back home. It was a nice break to enjoy the crisp cool air. This time of year is the best!

This one is for you, Dad. Miss you lots.

Tyler Says the Darndest Things

Tyler: "Bust your horns, Larissa!"

He wanted a photo with all his buddies this morning, so here it is:

Tyler Says the Darndest Things

Mommy: Tyler do you have enough room for dessert?

Tyler: Yes, Mommy! There is room here, here, and here! (As he is saying this, he points to various parts of his belly.)

Show & Tell/Hat Day

It was not only Tyler's turn for Show & Tell, but it was also Hat Day today! This month's Show & Tell theme is Fall Colours. All the items the children bring in need to be either red, yellow, orange, brown, or green.Tyler chose his best buddy, Winnie, to be his Show & Tell. For Hat Day, he wore his "mouse ears". Tyler told his class all about his various trips to Disney. His teachers said he did an awesome job!

G7 Week

The kids had a gggggreat week learning all about the letter 'G'. They explored the gooeyness of the insides of a pumpkin and they started growing some grass. Number 7 was also the number of the week. The highlight of the week was the Halloween party that took place with lots of games and goodies. And Tyler finished the week off by taking home the teacher's bear, Gordon.

Meet Gordon

This past weekend we had the privilege of having a little visitor come stay with us. His name is Gordon and he is a bear that belongs to Tyler's teacher. Every weekend a student gets a turn to bring Gordon home. Gordon comes with his own box full of books to read to him and his own diary for us to write down our adventures with him while he stays with us. We have been excitedly awaiting our turn and felt very lucky that Gordon could share in our Halloween with us.

Our weekend started after our fun Fall Fest at the preschool, from there we met Tyler's "bro", Georgie, for a play date at the playground. Gordon decided he would like to join us too. He met Georgie and his mom. Tyler took his new friend down the slide a few times, then put him in the swing and pushed him. Gordon couldn't stop laughing. He had so much fun! Afterwards we came home where Gordon met Winnie and Tyler's other stuffed friends. Then Gordon asked if we could read him some of his books. We all sat down and read some. Gordon really liked the book "The Way I Feel" the most. Before we knew it, it was time for bed. Gordon slept in Tyler's arms along with Winnie.

The next day we drove to the airport to pick Daddy up. Gordon was quite excited about going to the airport as he had never been to one before. Tyler and I took him to the luggage carousel where we were meeting Daddy. Gordon had a great time watching the bags go around and around while people looked for their suitcases.

We were super excited to have Gordon here with us for Halloween. Gordon borrowed Hopscotch's Halloween costume from last year and went out Trick-or-Treating as a pumpkin. Tyler and Gordon had a terrific time going from house to house getting some candy. By the time they were through, they were quite exhausted. Both Gordon and Tyler fell asleep on the way home. We got home and filled in the pages to Gordon's adventure diary. Gordon had a busy, but fun weekend. We sadly took him back to preschool today. Tyler told his class all about the weekend they shared. We really enjoyed having Gordon stay with us.