Tent Party

When Tyler came home from preschool this afternoon, he asked if we could make a tent and have a "tent party". I said sure, sounds like fun. So we constructed a tent using his bed and blankets. It turned out really cool and it was cozy inside. We played cars with the stuffed animals, then had a game of Diego Eye Spy. I need cherish moments like these now because before too long he'll be all grown up and won't be interested in doing stuff like this with me any longer. :(

Tyler Says the Darndest Things

"If we ever get rich, can we get a model of a monkey?"

Soccer Dreams

Annual Checkup

This morning Tyler went to have his annual checkup at the clinic on base. They checked his eye sight which was excellent. His height is 42 inches and his weight is 36 pounds. The doctor did a thorough check over and said he looked in very good health. Then the doctor asked to see his updated immunization record which we were required to bring in and she noticed Tyler did not receive his influenza shot in a few years, so she talked me into getting it done. LOL The nurse doing the vaccinations said there were no nasal sprays left, so we had to receive the vaccination the old fashioned painful way. The poor little guy yelled "Ouch" when it happened and started to cry a bit. However soon after receiving his lollipop, all was right with the world again. So we're good for another year.

A Good Day for a Pic-a-nic

Woke up to a wet miserable day this morning. What made it even worse was that Tyler was suppose to play his very first soccer game. We were so disappointed. Tyler even put stuff that we needed for the game, including his uniform, by the door last night just so we wouldn't forget anything. So when we received the call confirming that indeed it was canceled, we were on to Plan B for the day. Plan B consisted of attending a birthday party for one of Tyler's friends, however that never materialized either because I couldn't contact the girl's mom in time for the party and we just didn't want to show up after initially turning it down because of the soccer game. After both our plans were a no-go, we had come up with a Plan C since we didn't just want to stay home on this rainy day. It had been awhile since we last seen a movie, so we decided to see the Yogi Bear. We're so glad we did. Tyler and I had a great time. He laughed through the entire movie. It totally made up for our morning of disappointments.

Friday Fun with Friends

Tyler Says the Darndest Things

This morning Tyler was helping me make the bed; as he was putting on the pillows he said that they were like a family. The two big red ones were the mom and dad and the little one was the kid. He then said the other big ones behind the red ones were the grandparents. LOL

Kick It

Tyler and his teammates had their second practice tonight. I'm so very proud of how well Tyler played. The team divided into two teams and played against each other to prepare for this weekend's game. Tyler ended up scoring a goal!!! It was totally awesome!!! The coach was really proud of him too. I think it helped give him a lot of self confidence in knowing that he can do it. On another note, team jerseys were given out tonight. We couldn't wait to get home and try his on. We're super excited about the game this weekend.

It Was All about U

U was the focus last week at Tyler's preschool. The kids made umbrellas out of pancakes and weather units. And of course, they had lots of fun with Saint Patrick's Day eating green food and making crafts. Their ultimate week ended with uniform day. If you missed that post, you can catch up by reading below. Tyler and his classmates had ultra fun!

Steve's Ship

This will be "home" during the next 6 months for Steve while on deployment. USS Boone is a frigate named after Vice Admiral Joel Thompson Boone, M.D., who received a Medal of Honor for his work during WWI. The ship's main mission is to fight Somali piracy. So far, Steve is settling in alright. His ship is due to leave its' port in Mayport, Florida in the next couple of weeks. This week he has been busy with check-in and obtaining some required training. We'll try to update you on his well-being, work assignments, and adventures during his deployment. Please keep him in your prayers.

Uniform Day

Today Tyler's class had uniform day to learn about the different professionals that help in our community. The children were required to dress up as one of them.  Tyler dressed up as a sailor, just like his father. Dad gave us the idea to add the tattoos. Even though Daddy doesn't have any tattoos, he said it was a must for a typical sailor. So I drew the USN anchor and the Mom heart tattoos on Tyler's arms. Dad gave Tyler one of his sailor hats before he left to go on deployment and this really completed the look for Tyler's uniform. When we got to preschool, we saw some of the other little professionals. They looked super cute in their uniforms. It was definitely a fun way to learn about the important people in our community that make a difference in our lives everyday.

The Leprechauns Were Here

The Passing Away of Uncle Eldred

A great man is free of all the pain and suffering and has made his way to heaven. My Uncle Eldred passed away last night after several years of illness. He is surely going to be missed by all who had the pleasure to know him. Uncle Eldred was a man with a good heart and a great love for his family, especially his wife, Nellie and children, Kevin, Brian, and Pam. He loved to converse about government and history. While I didn't spend a huge amount of time with Uncle Eldred, I have fond memories of how much he loved his back scratcher. LOL
Uncle Eldred was my mom's sister's husband in Newfoundland. Please pray for strength for all those who are grieving the loss of this amazing man. Unfortunately, when my hard drive crashed last year, I also lost the photos that Steve took of my uncle when he came to my father's funeral. I think this photo of the dove flying so freely is a good representation of him today.

Sad Day

Our sad day started early this morning when we drove Daddy to the airport to say goodbye. Daddy has to go on another deployment; this time he will be gone for 6 months. It's never easy saying goodbye. We did our traditional "family before deployment" photo and even though we had smiles, our hearts were very heavy with sadness. The first day, especially, is never easy for us. We just pray that God will bring us back together again safely. Steve...Tyler and I love you so very very much. There won't be a moment that goes by without you in our thoughts and our hearts. 

The Day Before Tomorrow

This is Daddy's last full day with us before he goes on deployment, so we tried to make the most of it. When Tyler and I arrived home from preschool we were surprised to see him already home for the day. Daddy wanted to take us out for lunch. Tyler suggested we go to McDonald's, so off we went. After we ate lunch we headed back home where Tyler and Daddy spent the remainder of the day playing together. They mostly played with the Battle Force 5 track that Georgie gave Tyler for his birthday. They categorized each car that attempted the track. After dinner we had soccer practice. We were very happy that Daddy could attend Tyler's very first practice. Tyler had a fantastic time and it was so cute watching them. Unfortunately, we are not looking forward to tomorrow. It's never easy saying goodbye. :(

Our Little Outing

 Steve surprised us this morning with a little trip to Outer Banks, North Carolina. All he told us this morning before getting in the car was that we were going for a long drive in the car and to pack some drinks and snacks. Before long we were crossing the state border into North Carolina. We really enjoyed the drive through scenic farm land. Before long I figured out where we were going. A couple of months ago I asked Steve about the location of Nags Head because I kept seeing signs to go to there and he told me about Outer Banks. Later that night we checked out photos and found it to be a place we would definitely like to visit one day. It was a delight to find out that Steve picked today to do just that.

When we first arrived in the Outer Banks area, we decided to drive all the way down one tip of the island called Corolla. The drive was quite amazing. We were surrounded by gorgeous beach houses that were huge and really nice. The entire area was beautiful. Tyler kept saying that he wished we lived here. Steve and I agreed with him. Of course, we would probably have to be millionaires though. LOL When we finally reached the beach, we drove right on it with our car. We followed some other cars doing the same. Then we stopped and got out. We got some photos. Steve used his new tripod to get some 360 degree shots while Tyler and I collected some pretty shells to take home.

After we were satisfied with the photos we took, we got back in the car and proceeded back down the road. One of the main attractions to see on the island are the lighthouse. There was one in this area called Currituck Beach Lighthouse; however before visiting it, we went to check out the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education. The exhibits inside were quite interesting. They had a small aquarium that Tyler loved. There was also great information on the history of the island and the people that lived there. There was a great selection of original antiques native to the island as well as the wildlife to view up close.We then went back outside and went to see the lighthouse. On the same property was a view original housing including a chapel and schoolhouse. The lighthouse was closed for renovations so we were unable to go inside. It was nice to walk around the gounds just the same.
By this time, our tummies were growling for some food so we got back in the car to seek somewhere to eat. Many of the stores and restaurants were not open for the season yet, however we did find a quaint little grill. Most of the people we had seen on the beach previously were also there. Tyler took this photo of Steve and I while we were waiting for our food to arrive. After eating our very tasty meals, it was back in the car yet again to seek out our next little adventure on the island.
The island is well known for their herds of wild horses, however when we were on the beach, where they usually hang out at, we failed to see any. Looking at a map while in the restaurant, we thought perhaps if we went up to that area but do the trail to the national estuarine research area we may increase our chances of seeing some of the mustangs. Unfortunately, we didn't see any, but we did enjoy the trail very much and Steve got another cool 360 degree photo.

 By this time we decided to drive up to Nags Head because we were afraid we might run out of daylight before we got a chance to see what we wanted on that part of the island. Before doing so, however, we stopped to grab a cache on the way. the coordinates brought us to some shops along the coast. The cache was cleverly hidden in a little birdhouse attached to one of the shops. Tyler traded one of his shells he found on the beach for a new shell, he said he will call it his "lucky shell". We signed the log and replace it in the cache and we are on our way again.

 
Steve said there was another cache he wanted us to get and it was a virtual located at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. This was also on our way to Nags Head to see Brodie Island Lighthouse. After paying the admission to get into the park, we drove around and stopped at this replica of the plane. It had lifelike statues depicting the first flight.


 The memorial itself was located high on top of a hill which we had to walk up. It was quite the climb, but of course Tyler had no problem; he ran up. LOL The memorial was interesting and a little strange too. You could see the beautiful coastline from the top and while there you could imagine them taking off and landing in the field below. There were markers set up so you could see their landing patterns. After our visit to the memorial, we went inside the museum where they had an exact replica of the plane and actual parts of the plane on display. Many of the parts were from the bicycles they had worked on in their shop.
The park was due to close soon and so we quickly had to do the cache. The virtual was located at a boulder in the park. To claim the find we had to take a photo in front of it with our GPS. We did so and we then headed back on the road. Unfortunately our plan of visiting the Brodie Island Lighthouse quickly changed due to the fact that the road to get there was closed for construction. We drove down the coast a little thinking we could enter to see the lighthouse a different way, but we were unsuccessful. Steve was in the mood for a milkshake and that sounded like good, so we decided why not have ice cream and milkshakes for dinner. LOL It was dark by this time and so we stopped at an ice cream parlor for "dinner". It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Unfortunately,this was our last day of fun before Steve goes on deployment on Tuesday. :( Though today gave us something to look forward to because we are definitely planning a return trip to the island when Steve returns. :)                                                                          

Time for T

This week at preschool has been devoted to the letter 'T' and with that, the kids have been talking about the different modes of transportation. As you can see in the photo, when Tyler coloured his plane he told the teacher that his plane was flying to Canada. Nanny, I thought you might be happy hearing that. :) Tyler and his classmates also learned about telling time and counting by 10's.

Tunnel of Love Cake

Before Steve goes on deployment, I wanted to make him a special cake. Ever since buying my bundt pan I've wanted to try this recipe that came with it called 'Tunnel of Fudge Cake'. It sounded super tasty. So this morning after dropping Tyler off at preschool, I decided today was the day I pursue making my special cake for my love. I could tell when I was mixing the ingredients that it was going to be a good cake and the smell when it was baking proved this to be true. However, it wasn't until we cut into it that we noticed the cool fudge that formed inside. And the taste? It was yummilicious!!!

Oh where, oh where, can Tyler be hiding?

Let the Rain Fall while at the Mall

What do you do on a rainy day? You go to the mall! At least that's what we did. After a quick trip to the base to pick something up at the office and a couple of cafe mochas at Timmies, we headed on over to mall for some shopping, browsing, and of course, a little time spent at the play place for our little man. Then we grabbed some lunch at Johnny Rockets, followed by milkshakes for dessert. It was a great way to escape a boring day at home. We are soaking up every minute we get to be with Daddy before his deployment.

Peace

Then

Now

Soccer Love

This afternoon Tyler and I went outside to practice using his new soccer ball. The tennis court was the perfect location without having to get in the car and go to a park. We registered Tyler for soccer which starts in a couple of weeks.
 Tyler was first introduced to soccer last year when we went to his cousin's game, and tried kicking a ball around himself. He did pretty good and he seemed to really like it. I'm hoping this will help use up his energy and get his mind off of his dad's deployment. We're excited to start playing!

Thanks for continuing to read our blog.