Two Hundred Days...

We reached a milestone today, Dan has been gone 200 days. 200 long and painful days. Only 14 more to go, 8 more until he is out of Afghanistan. I so can't wait. Jennifer and I are going to drink a bottle of wine (or 2) the day Dan and Derek leave KAF. The closer it gets, the harder the waiting is. The kids are constantly counting the days on their calendar, and crossing them off. They really can't wait until Daddy gets home. Poor Libby is just about driven, not only is Daddy coming home, but a few days later its the first day of school. She loves school, the first month especially. We picked up school supplies this week, and she just can't leave them alone. She keeps taking them out of the bag, and making sure they are all there. She already has the straps on her new back pack adjusted perfectly. She asked me no less than 10 times today when we are going to pack her backpack. She's like a dog with a bone. Not sure where she gets that trait from. Her father, I think. And Katty is almost as excited. In fact, she slept with her backpack in her bed the first night she got it. Now Connor, on the other hand. Well, he's not so excited for the first day of school. Shocking that. Poor bugger though, he's so torn. He can't wait for the long weekend for Daddy to come home, but he knows that's the last weekend before school starts. Oh, the angst of it all. It really is hard to be a kid sometimes isn't it?

Dan brought the girls these outfits from Afghanistan. Katty had to wear her's today. How cute are they? And don't they just know it too!

"The bird of time has not far to fly, and the bird is on the wing!"~~Anon

Webkinz Mania...

If you haven't heard about Webkinz, you probably don't have any young children. They are all the rage these days, various stuffed animals that come with their own code so you can register them online. Of course, they are so popular they are difficult to find, especially here in Mayor Bobville, where everything is difficult to find. The kids all have a great time playing on the Webkinz website, and the stuffies really are cute. The only problem is, the Bobbitt 3 are addicted to them. The more they get, the more they want. Luckily for them, they have a Sugar Auntie who feeds their addiction. It has gotten so bad, they expect their weekly fix. They even know what time the UPS man arrives in the morning, and what time the FEDEX man comes in the afternoon. On Monday I was expecting a shipment of stencils, which they were convinced would also have Webkinz in it. When the UPS man did not come Monday, they were not impressed. Luckily for me (and him) he did arrive Tuesday morning with my parcel, and low and behold Ann Marie had sent them each a new Webkinz for their collection. This was their end of vacation Webkinz, to match their Webkinz they had to have as a travel surprise, to go with the Webkinz that was to cheer them up when we came back from England. You get the idea. Ann Marie really is a star, she has taken great care of us all this last 7 months. She has sent us all care packages throughout the deployment, including Dan. He loves her packages, they are always full of great goodies. I can tell you without a doubt, he gets better packages from her than he does from me. Anyway, I really had no idea how many of these things she had sent the kids, I just kind of hand them out when the kids are feeling down and missing Daddy. Obviously, I should have paid more attention. In my defense, its hard to keep track of all of their various toys. And I have told her before that she doesn't need to keep sending the kids things, but her response is "Their father has gone to war, they need cheering up." I do find it hard to argue with that one. Hell, I need cheering up! But they really don't need anymore Webkinz. They have more Webkinz than Carter has little liver pills. It's crazy. They actually piled them all together, and I could hardly see the kids for all of the stuffies! Holy spoiled rotten. I don't think there is a Webkinz that has been made that the kids don't have! I've had to put my foot down, and tell the Bobbitt 3 and Ann Marie, no more Webkinz. Enough Webkinz already. I was pleasantly surprised when Ann Marie (seemingly) agreed to this (she can be a bit stubborn). I really should have known better. Seems she has discovered there are Webkinz Charms! Oh my. I wonder what the UPS man will be bringing the Bobbitt 3 next week.

"Never fear spoiling children by making them too happy. Happiness is the atmosphere in which all good affections grow."~~Thomas Bray

Happy Anniversary...

Today is our 14th anniversary, our Star anniversary as Nana, and our girls say, 14 years on the 14th. I can't believe it's been 14 years already. Fourteen years gone in the blink of an eye. Time flies when you're having fun (and it has been fun, right Dan?) Even more unbelievable is the fact that we have been together for exactly half of our lives. We were 18 when we started dating, how scary is that? Of the 14 years we've been married, Dan has been deployed for 18 months ( 3 tours in total). I certainly can't complain about that ( but I do occasionally) as that is equivalent to one tour for our American friends these days. He's also been gone on exercise or course for many more months, but I won't add them up, it's too depressing. The old adage, absence makes the heart grow fonder, is definitely true in our case. I've got to say I am married to a most wonderful man, he always makes me laugh, and he really does have the patience of a saint (my dad would say he has too, to be married to me). Everyday I know how very lucky I am to be married to such a great guy. And I am very proud to be his wife. Did I mention the beautiful diamond earrings he gave me while we were in England? I told you he was an amazing guy. He even called me today from somewhere in the middle of the Afghan desert. I was at Home Depot when he called. It is very sad that I have spent more time this year with the boys in the lumber yard than I have with my husband, but never mind. Next year, we might actually be together for our 15h anniversary, and we can have a big celebration. Unless, of course, he has to go back to Afghanistan next August, but we won't talk about that until after he gets home from this tour. In two weeks, we'll be able to celebrate Dan's homecoming. Have I mentioned I can't wait? Because I really can't. The closer it gets, the more anxious I get. Maybe if somebody would just stay in KAF, I would be a little less anxious, but no he can't do that, he'd be bored. Heaven forbid. Like I haven't been bored for the last 7 months. Get over it mister. Here's hoping the next 9 days are very boring. Happy Anniversary. I love you!

This is one of my favourite weddings pictures. The guys hated every minute of it. I can still hear them grumbling! Of course, I loved it because I actually got to be the Princess my brothers always knew I was!

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."~~Author Unknown

That Book...

Today we made a trip to the Petawawa Public Library. Connor had asked to go on the weekend, but we never had a chance. If Connor wants to go to the library, it means he has a specific topic in mind, or a particular book he would like to read again. In this case, it was a specific book. The only problem was, he couldn't remember the book title or even what it was about. How he knew he wanted to read this nameless book again is beyond me. All he knew was that he wanted that book. You know, that book. No, I didn't know that book, but anyway, off we went to the library, searching for a nameless book on an unknown topic. Once we got to the library, he remembered what physical area of the library the book came from (how he can remember that but not the subject is beyond me, but never mind). Turns out, the book was one Daddy had found for him, in the nonfiction section of the library. Surprisingly, it's not that easy to find a nameless, subject less book in the nonfiction section. Shocking, I know. Was it about quilting? That got me a very strange look. How about cooking? Not so much. Taxes? Pleeasse. Connor obviously did not share my amusement of the situation. As we looked at the various subjects in the nonfiction section, Connor remembered it was soft covered. Lots of those in the nonfiction section. And it was green. Turns out there are lots of green soft covered books, particularly in the gardening section. I got another dirty look for that one. By this point in time, I was starting to lose my sense of humour. He was adamant he had to have that book, even though he didn't even know what the bloody book was about. It was time to get serious, so I went through the list of Connor's favourite topics. Prehistoric mammals. No. Dinosaurs. No. The Loch Ness Monster. No. Big foot. Bingo. The light went on. It was about monsters like Big Foot, and it happened in North America. Off we went to the computer, and low and behold, there it was, Monsters of North America. Imagine. We actually managed to find out the topic, and the name. Not only did we find it, but it was in. Just as I wrote down the call number, Connor remembered exactly what wall Daddy had found it on (bizarre). Sure enough, there it was. The nameless, subject less book, had unbelievably been found. The day was saved. Although, I've got to say, I kind of wish we hadn't found it. He's been talking about it incessantly, all afternoon. Did you know there's been monster sightings in Nova Scotia? Yes, actually, I had. In fact, I believe three monsters were spotted in Coldbrook last week. If only they'd hadn't followed me home to Petawawa.


"I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity."~~Eleanor Roosevelt

When Are The Cousins Here....

As soon as their feet hit the floor, it started. "Are the cousins coming, are the cousins coming?" Unfortunately, it was overcast this morning, so we weren't sure if a trip to the beach would work out. Fortunately, Mike and Annette decided to come anyway. Of course, that meant I had to listen to, "When are the cousins going to be here?" for the next 2 hours. Luckily for all of us, it was actually quite muggy, and the rain held off, in spite of Mike's predictions it would start any minute. We decided to head to the beach after all, and the kids had a great time. It was still quite cloudy, so the water wasn't quite as warm as yesterday, but the kids didn't seem to mind. Of course, they managed to drop a few chips here and there, which the seagulls loved. Annette, not so much. In fact, I think Mike's sandal may have been thrown at them a couple of times. I think. They really are filthy, disgusting animals, and I'm still amazed no one got shat on, but never mind. The kids did have great fun chasing them down the beach, though.

It was quite amusing listening to the kids chatting with each other. The best was listening to Libby and Sarah. Poor things, they really do have a hard go of it. Sarah was lamenting on how her parents never let her eat what she wants, she hardly ever has pop, or chips. I found this particularly amusing as she was drinking pop and eating chips as she was saying this. It was Libby's response that really cracked me up though. She sighed a little bit, and then said very seriously, "Well Sarah, when you are a grown up, you will be able to eat as much of it as you want, whenever you want." Oh, the injustice of it all. Speaking of injustice, there was also much lamenting on the fact that they don't live closer together. It would be so much better if they lived beside each other. I don't think they realize the novelty of that might wear off rather quickly. It's just not fair. Funny how life is like that. There was much angst when it was time for them to go home. Of course, their van wasn't even out of sight when it started. "When are we going to see the cousins again?" Doh!

"Are we not like two volumes of one book?~~Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

Beach Days...

It was a beautiful sunny day today, so you know where we had to go. Those poor kids, it had been a whole week since they'd been swimming. I don't know how they made it through the week!! It was pretty cloudy when we woke up, and I was worried we'd have to cancel. God help me, I'd have had a mutiny on my hands! Eventually the sun came out, and we packed a picnic and went off to meet Jen and the boys at Black Bear Beach. We went early enough, so the beach wasn't crowded at all. It was quite nice actually, the water was super warm, and the sand was not too hot to walk on (it was, however, bloody hot by the time we left to come home). The kids had a great time, and everyone was happy (for a change). Happy that is, until Katherine decided she needed the turtle floaty from Connor, and she wasn't going to stop until she got it. She is so feisty, and determined. So much like her father!! I've got to say, the highlight of our trip to the beach was talking to Dan. He called just after Derek called Jen, too funny. The kids are getting so impatient for him to come home (um, me too), and I think it will be a challenge to keep them busy everyday until he does get here.

After we were done at the beach, it was home to housework. It just does not get anymore exciting than that. On the upside, Mike and Annette may bring the kids up to go to the beach tomorrow, so the kids were almost eager to clean their rooms! Except for Connor, of course, he is never eager to do anything that might be construed as work.

"You can never appreciate the shade of a tree unless you sweat in the sun"~~ Author Unknown

Farewell To Nova Scotia..

We're home, again!! Time flies when you are having fun. Too bad it doesn't go that fast when we are at home in Petawawa by ourselves! We left Grandma and Grumpy's early this morning to catch our flight back to Ottawa. Nana and Poppa drove us to the Airport, which was nice as the kids got to say goodbye to both sets of grandparents. It was bittersweet leaving this morning. The kids love being in Nova Scotia, but they were ready to come home. After all, the sooner we get home, the sooner Daddy gets home. We had an awesome time in Nova Scotia, but it's never the same without Dan there. Especially at the lake, we miss him so much more there. It just doesn't seem right without him.

We had an uneventful flight home. Finally, after all of their flights this summer, we got a plane with TVs. They were positively bouncing with excitement. The excitement quickly faded when we realized that Connor and Katty's were broken. Duh!! I switched places with Katty so she could watch, and wouldn't you know, that one died partway through the flight. Double duh. She was not amused. Stupid dumb TV.

After landing in Ottawa, and a super long wait for our luggage, we headed off to Mike and Annette's for the afternoon. The kids had a great time. It was just what they needed. It sure made coming home a lot easier. Of course, we weren't in the van 5 minutes and they started asking when they could see the cousins again. I'm surprised I haven't heard I'm bored yet. It must be because they are so tired. I figure boredom will start tomorrow as soon as their feet hit the floor!!

"So farewell, farewell to Nova Scotia's charms, for it's early in the morning I am far, far away."~~Traditional