Danno's Final Trip (Hopefully)

Danno left on a great trip from the 13th to the 28th of last month. The crazy part is, this might be his final trip in the C-17! We have one month left in the reserves here before he transfers to the California Air National Guard to fly UAVs. It was a tough decision for him, but after a ton of thought and prayer, we feel this is the right move for our family. I know he is getting tired of being gone, especially now that Sam is old enough to comprehend his daddy is missing.

This trip was a special one, in that he carried a ton of generals and admirals around the world as part of a class they have to attend. Since his passengers were busy with classes and meetings, he and his crew were able to play! Their first stop was Tel Aviv.

The port of Joppa, where Jonah set sail from.
Jerusalem as seen from the Mount of Olives. The Golden Gate of the old city, which was sealed up long ago. Dan outside the Garden Tomb. What an incredible experience he had! The wailing wall. Dan said a prayer for us here. It can't hurt, right?!Their next stop was Masada, an old fortress built by Herod. Then they got to float on the dead sea.Apparently the mud is very good for you, so everyone plasters it on. Dan and his crew, the goofballs they are, didn't hold back.The next stop was Turkey. They visited Ankara and Istanbul. Outside of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.The Haggia Sophia, a church that was turned into a mosque, and is now a museum.Cisterns in the old city, built in the 200's.Danno at the Grand Bazaar. After touring Turkey, they spent time in Serbia, Sicily, and Rome. Danno loved Rome, and I have to admit I am jealous!The Coliseum.The Roman Forum from Palatine Hill.

The Pantheon.
On the way to the Sistine Chapel, part of the Vatican Museum.Danno's crew in part of the Vatican Museum. So much stuff!

The guys in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Danno even got to see the Pope leaving the Vatican. He happened to be there on Ash Wednesday, and was giving a mass that day.

The last stop was Brussels, which meant more chocolate for us, and waffles for Danno. What a great experience for him. I am glad he got to have a fun one for his last mission, and so glad he may never have to go back to Iraq or Afghanistan (knocking on wood right now)!

Valentines 09 and the Manhattan Temple

This year we celebrated Valentines on the 12th as Dan left on a trip the 13th. Sam had a great time opening his card and gifts. That night Dan was getting ready for his trip when Sam spied daddy's headset. For some reason he loves playing with it.

While Dan was gone, I was able to get to the Manhattan temple! Our district is the DC temple, so we normally have to go down there when we get the chance. I had wanted to see the Manhattan temple for a very long time and was finally able to with the help of some great friends.

Virginia part 2

After DC we spent 3 days in Virginia. We have been there several times before, but there were a couple spots we wanted to hit before we leave the east coast. Our first stop was Jamestown, the first English settlement in the Americas! Here me and Sam are in the church on the old village site.

Next stop was Yorktown, another of Dan's battlefield tours. Here he bought a fun Junior Ranger hat for Sam, which Sam made him try on of course. Here Dan models it in front of the monument of the battle. After some shopping and food we decided to call our trip complete, with a final stop at the Norfolk Naval Base, the world's largest Naval Base. Sam got to see aircraft carriers, submarines, and destroyers along with a ton of other ships we didn't know what to call!The next day we set out for home, with a couple of Dan's detours along the way. The first stop was Appomattox Courthouse, where the Civil War ended (for the most part anyway). Here Sam explores the area around the building where Grant accepted Lee's surrender. Sam loved running around after being in the car so much!

Me and Sam in the room where the surrender took place.

Our final stop was Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. It was awesome to see one of our founding father's estates. Although not as grand at Mount Vernon, it was still a great experience!

Our Mini Trip to Virginia

Every 5 years Dan is required to have altitude chamber training. This time it was held at Langley, Air Force Base in Virginia. Dan thought why not bring Sam and I along to make a fun trip out of it.
Me and Sam in front of the capital. For 5 years we have wanted to tour this, and finally we got out and did it. Here Sam was approached by a Capital Policeman and given a Junior Officer police badge for his coat. He loved it!
Dan and Sam in the new Visitor's Center in front of the statue of freedom.

Sam couldn't last the entire tour. As soon as we got to the rotunda he was knocked out. Our guide even laughed about it, saying "oh great, I am putting people to sleep."

The Air Force Memorial in Arlington, next to the National Cemetery. Dan wanted to go to this for obvious reasons.

Local Airplane Museum Exploration

So with the cold days we have been having, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to be able to do something indoors and still get out and see something. So we went to the local airplane museum here in Lumberton. Dan and Sam loved it!"Future Pilot" Sam!
Sam was in total awe of the "Wee," his name for an airplane. We think it is because of the sound we make when playing with them.

Ready for take off!

We wonder if something tastes really good (or bad) and he is not sharing?

Our Trip to the Please Touch Museum

For most of January it was extremely cold, it had even dipped into the 20's for a bit. So that left us to play indoors, which got old very quickly. After a while of this we got stir crazy and decided to venture out and find something indoors to do. So we went to The Please Touch Museum in Philly (half of the city did the same thing too).
This place was amazing. They had just moved in to this awesome building (Memorial Hall, an art gallery built in the late 1800s). The sculpture Dan and Sam are standing in front of is a torch made with junk!

The picture explains it all. Sam couldn't get enough of it, so we decided to buy a Sam sized guitar in the gift store. He loves it.

Sam loves cars, so he was in heaven driving this little car.

Sam and me joining in on the Mad Hatters Tea Party!

A Special Gift

Two years ago we were given a special gift from some special friends. It was a figurine of a women caroling which was amazingly enough made in Pennsylvania. Dan and I thought it would be fun to take a trip to where these are made and sold, so we could add to the collection before we move away from the East coast. The store is Byer's Choice, and I was amazed at how cute and quaint it was. When you walk in you really take a step back in time. I can't imagine as a kid how fascinating it is to see these mock up stores and all the figurines placed just so in their little villages. Sam kept reaching his hand out just wanting to grab one of them to play away.

The skinny:

The late 1960's Joyce Byers, an amateur artist with a degree in fashion design, was disappointed in what she was seeing in the stores: aluminum tinsel trees with garish blue lights. She was looking for holiday decorations with warmth that showed respect for timeless traditions and her own memories of Christmas.

"A scrap of fabric, part of my mother's old fur coat, some hair from the kids, a coat hanger, some plaster and paint. The first ones were made with simple things around the house." She dressed them in plaids and made them cheerfully singing because that reminded her of Christmas." She adorned them on her table and she received compliments from relatives. She then gave them as Christmas gifts. Then a neighbor suggested to sell them and her new business flourished from there.

With Sam's fascination with hats, we had to step into one of the shops and sneak a picture of our family wearing some fun hats. And of course, we like to just be silly.

This is our collection so far. The women was the gift from our friend's the Nortons. We chose the daddy holding nutcrackers because Dan always brings home nutcrackers from his trips to Germany. The boy holding toys represents Sam, and the Saint Lucia we bought as an extra because they have always been special to me. Both Dan and I have Swedish ancestors, and I was born on December 13th, which is known as Saint Lucia day in Sweden. I am pretty much a big deal over there (ha ha).

Sam's First Friend Birthday

This was Sam's first birthday party to attend, so I thought it would be worthy to document.

Kerith is our neighbor who Sam plays with outside when the weather is inviting, and his mom is also my walking partner. Kerith just turned 3 and invited Sam and two other neighborhood friends to his party. Across from Sam is Bryce and next to Sam is our neighbor Sam.

Kerith the Birthday Boy!

Bryce and Sam

Sam Loves Babies?

We pulled out a Toy Story video one day thinking Sam may like it. There was also a short story about a baby and a tin soldier. We had no idea, but Sam loved it! Every time he saw the baby do something he would laugh. Luckily I caught it on my camera phone.

The Results of My Addiction to Facebook

So, I guess while my time is spent being reacquainted with friends on Facebook, Sam's is catching up on all his reading material. This happened not once but twice!!