Win and his Work Vehicle

Today we got the awesome experience of watching Win fly. He's flying the Fox Chinook in the picture. As part of their training, they do some flying for the warrant officer candidate school. He was the lead helicopter of three picking up soldiers today. We went to watch, and it was amazing. These helicopters are monsters, and even though we were far away, it was incredibly windy when they landed. We got bombarded by leaves and dust but didn't blow away.

It is just so freakin' cool.

Heaven is ...

... Crystal clear water and sugar sand. And 75 degree weather in February.

We got some much needed Vitamin D therapy in Grayton Beach, FL, yesterday. We drove down just for the afternoon, spent a couple hours on the beach, ate a late lunch and headed home. The water was warm enough for all of us to go in. Bean Dip crashed through waves with Win, and G laughed as she clung to me while the waves splashed us. Both kids loved playing in the sand.

Alabama may not have much going for it, but being two hours from this is a perk I will definitely miss.

18-Months Old

Miss Baby G is 18-months old. She had her check up on Wednesday and passed with flying colors. She weighs a wopping 22 pounds and is on curve in the 25th percentile! She is 32.5 inches tall (75%). And she is the cutest thing ever.

Critters Again

We thought about going to the Infantry Museum at Ft. Benning last Saturday, but decided the five-hour round trip would be too long. So instead, we took the grandmothers back to our new favorite zoo.

It was a little busier this time, but we got the same great tour of the big cats, and fed all the gentler animals. The kids had a blast once again, and it was a beautiful day to be outside.

Date Night

Our new tradition when we have company is to take advantage of them. On Friday, we left the grandmothers home with the kids (they had Mellow Mushroom pizza for dinner), and we went out for a date. There isn't a lot to do down here, so we just did dinner, but that is enough. It is always nice to eat without kids.

This time we went to Brasas Brazil in Enterprise. It is a Brazilian Churrascaria, where they rotisserie meat and serve it on a stick. We did the full buffet and it was delicious. We tried eight different kinds of meat, and then could have seconds if we wanted. My favorite was the picanha, a Brazilian cut of sirloin, and the skirt steak. Win had seconds of the top sirloin, chicken, and shrimp. We really enjoyed it.

Around Town

So what to do with the grandmothers? Why, go to the Aviation Museum, of course! It was fun to show them the Chinook, it is more exciting when you know your son/son-in-law is flying one of them. And then to compare it to the TH-67 ...

I love how comfortable the kids feel at the museum. They know where everything is and run all over. ( I don't feel the need to try to keep them quiet, it isn't that sort of museum.) We always complete the visit with the coin spiral donation box, and then a viewing of the sky crane outside.

I decided it would be a nice day to explore downtown Enterprise, so we headed there next. We ate lunch at Smoochies, an ice cream shop that makes their own ice cream. They also happen to make delicious lunches. WE all tried the special -- chicken pecan salad, and it was delicious. The kids (and I) all had ice cream for dessert.

We walked around town a bit. Bel Vino (the wine shop) was closed because the owner has the flu. But we looked in a few boutiques and also an art gallery. It is surprising what downtown has to offer.

First Visitors of 2011

While we watered and checked our garden last Thursday, we were also waiting anxiously for our first visitors of 2011. Both grandmothers came for the long Presidents Day weekend. They arrived Thursday afternoon, after spending the night before and scouting out Ft. Campbell, where we are headed next. Of course, everyone was excited to see them.

Oma stayed with us, but Gramma stayed on post at the hotel. Bean Dip has been begging since September (when we went to Atlanta for the Cardinals game) to stay in a hotel again. Just a few days before he had mentioned it before, so I thought about it, and told Katherine she could ask Bean Dip if he wanted to spend the night with her.

Oh my, was he excited! So I switched out the car seat and packed up his backpack. He took along Curious George, his sock monkey. They left around bedtime, at 8 p.m. or so. Katherine called me when they were in their room, and said BD was doing great. He had even told her he could wait in the car while she went into get the room key! She said that's great that he must feel so safe on post. Of course, she brought him in with her.

So they watched TV (Yo Gabba Gabba), snuggled in bed together, and were back here the next morning after a breakfast of Fruit Loops. Talk about a fun experience for both.

Bean Dip definitely has a traveling spirit, and he is not afraid to do new things. I'm so happy for that.

Our Little Garden

Spring Already?

I sure hope so. After all, we are in the Deep South, and it's not supposed to be cold! All week, we have finally had beautiful weather. Mid-seventies in the day, sunshine, and no humidity or bugs. Win has been able to fly all week, and he is flying well. Yesterday, he had his first check-ride, and he did really well on it.

On Wednesday, we had a picnic lunch outside, and as I got up from the blanket, I noticed a red ant hill starting. So we are enjoying this little window of pleasantness before everything starts waking up.

Even though we will be moving in May, I went ahead and planted a little garden. We transplanted the herbs that survived the winter in pots, and planted carrots, basil, black-eyed Susans, an stock. Bean Dip helped with planting the seeds, and he and Baby G helped water. Hopefully we will see some sprouts before the move. We will be patient and have faith like in "The Carrot Seed."

Miss Baby G is 18 months old today. She is her own little force of nature.

Valentine's Day pt. 2

We had a nice, quiet day. It started out a little rough, with G waking up at 5:30 and BD up at 6 a.m. Both have colds and were quite grumpy all morning. But then we all sat down and ate lunch together, and then went outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. I spread out a blanket in a patch of sun in the yard, and we sat there and they ate their Valentines from me -- M&Ms. Then G took a long nap while Bean Dip watched TV. Then we went outside again and took a long walk.

We came home to a surprise on the front steps -- flowers! Win really surprised me by sending me roses and chocolates. And then he came home with Blue Moon beer. I was only expecting the beer!

I made dinner -- tuna steaks, salad, rice and asparagus, with watermelon for dessert. (BD has been begging for one of those personal watermelons the last three times he's gone to the store with me, so I got one.) We had a really nice dinner, everyone ate lots of food, and there was no fighting or misbehaving.

So it was a very low-key day, but very nice. The colds are lingering, but the weather is getting better and I think that is helping everyone's moods. Win is studying very hard. He has his first check ride this week, and also an academic test the same day. When he comes home, he studies, then eats dinner with us, plays with the kids for a little while, then back to studying and goes to bed at about the same time as the kids. It really makes us look forward to the weekends.

Not Your Average Critters

Feeding Whitetail Deer.

Bengal Tiger posing for the cameras.

Look at how tall that cat is.

This weekend was warm and sunny. We were looking for something fun and new to do, but something that wasn't two and a half hours away. We decided to check out McClelland's Critters, the "zoo" near us. Several people had recommended it, and as we got closer, Win said he actually remembers flying over it.

I was more than pleasantly surprised. Out in the country, on a sprawling farm, is a wonderful collection of animals. We fed the camel, zebu, buffalo and whitetail deer. Baby G chased ducks around. We petted a baby lamb and watched turtles try to escape their enclosure. We didn't even see the monkeys. We watched kangaroos and tried to figure out which one was carrying a joey.

But by far, the best part was the tour given by the owner and operator, Mike. He introduced us to all his big cats -- lions, tigers and ligers. It was a great tour -- he gave us a lot of information about each animal, and then wowed us by feeding each one chicken and showing us their "tricks." I've never seen anything like it. He introduced us to his "baby," a tiger cub that still rides in his golf cart with every morning but already eats 15 pounds of meat a day.

He also had bears, both black and grizzly, and said he has a baby bear cub that will be big enough to bring out in about three weeks. He said he will even let visitors bottle feed it.

We had a wonderful visit, and we'll definitely be going back.

What's Making Me Happy: A Good Story

One of the first books I requested from the library was this one. I didn't even know what it was about, but it's been on the bestsellers' list, and several people have recommended it. When I finally picked it up, I didn't read it, I inhaled it. Four hundred pages in two days. What a wonderful story. Go read it today!

"Teef"

This little girl's latest favorite thing is brushing her "teef." Every evening when I say, "It's bedtime," she starts asking, "Teef? Teef?" I remind her to give Dada and Bean Dip a kiss goodnight, then she makes a beeline for the bathroom. She doesn't let me help her, which is fine for now. But she really enjoys chewing on the toothbrush and rinsing it under the faucet. I think it is the highlight of her day.

Valentine's Day

They all shared why they loved their family. Bean Dip's was definitely the most original.

Bean Dip celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday at preschool. Earlier in the week, they decorated "mailboxes" for their valentines, and they also mailed valentines home for the parents. Our valentine was a drawing titled, "A Purple Dinosaur Called T-Rex."

Yesterday, everyone brought in their valentines to hand out, and then the families were invited to share snack time. We brought Bean Dip's latest favorite cookie, Oreos. They also had cheese puffs, orange juice and yogurt. They sang two songs, the "Brush Your Teeth" song, and a crocodile song. Then we brought his box home, opened all his valentines and pigged out on candy.

I'm glad the party was fun, because the morning wasn't. We had a rough morning before we even got to school -- a fight over me brushing his hair, and then another tiff over him not getting to swipe himself into school. He didn't even want to go to the party. Luckily he got over it when he saw all the valentines. But just imagine, 20 kids and their parents all trying to deliver valentines at the same time. I kept losing G in the shuffle. She didn't mind, she loves the classroom. Several kids from the two-year-old class (they share the room) were screaming. It was at least 90 degrees in the classroom, and I had my down coat on. But we all survived, and it was great fun.

What's Making Me Happy

I'm stealing this title/idea from Michelle.

What's making me happy is my library. It finally got its online library system going. I can log on to see what books I have checked out and when they are due. I get emailed reminders of due dates, and I can renew books online. Just a click of a button.

But the best thing, oh, the best thing, is I can request books online. I can request up to 15 books at a time, and when the books are in, the librarian calls me, and all I have to do is go pick them up.

Now, I know this isn't a new thing. My mom has been using her online library system for years to request books. But until you have two little kids running in opposite directions while you quickly scan the new release section for a book, any book, you'll understand why this makes me so happy.

So, anyone have any good book recommendations?

The Army Has Spoken

We have finally found out where we are headed after flight school. The Army gave us our second choice, and we are going to Kentucky. We are excited because we will be super close to home -- only four hours! And we also have family and good friends already at the post. So it will be a good place for us.

I'm a little sad that we aren't going to paradise, but I am happy with rolling hills and cornfields. Now it's time to finish flight school and enjoy our last few months here in Alabama. Now that it's almost over it feels like it went really fast.