Crue's Poor Head

Crue's big smushy, swollen ear. The day after I took this pic, it literally turned black ,and looked like it was going to fall off. Everyone thought he had ink on his ear!



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This one hurt a little more- he sliced it open on the side of our new deck. He bled all over, and got to go to the ER to be wrapped in a sheet and papoose. He got 6 stitches and a popsicle. The doctor wondered if his black and blue ear was from when he fell, but I had to tell him it was from before! This poor child is hurt all the time!

Cupcakes

Crue helping me make cupcakes on Father's Day morning.

Crue helping Grandpa eat his Father's Day cupcake!

Lake Michigan Sunset

A beautiful sunset in Grand Haven- on Lake Michigan.

Aunt Morgan's Pool

At Aunt Morgan's roof-top pool. We had lots of fun- Crue's a fish, just like daddy!

Ar Ramadi Fire Department

This is a picture that I took of some fire trucks from the Ar Ramadi Fire Department. They were at the government center watering the grounds. Not to far off from what some of our state side fire departments find them selves doing. Not too much to their trucks. The pump is just a regular water pump, and no foam or ability to really adjust the flow. It is a little different from the Pierce Pumper that is on Camp Ramadi.

Swing

Looks like he's having fun, doesn't it? He loved running around the park and swinging on the swings.

Dallas Cowboy

Crue looks a little surprised to see such a big horse in the middle of Dallas. I love this picture!

Doggie Boy

Here is our strange child- he likes to copy the dogs. Don't call CPS just yet, it's fresh water, in a fresh bowl- I'm not that gross of a mom! He also likes to get on his hands and knees and chomp at the grass likes the dogs do! He's got quite a personality on him- just a little bit like daddy!

Yum Kabob

So I tried my first official Iraqi Kabob the other day. Man, it was good. As you can tell by the picture that there really isn't much to it. A friend of mine, and I, walked over to the Iraqi Police side of our compound to a little convenience type shop. In there are souvenirs that you can buy, and all kinds of beverages, and food as well. In the corner was a brick oven built into the wall, and a little cart by it that had raw lamb meat on kabob sticks. Well, we waited for a minute for the kabob stand owner to come out to make our food. When he came out he was wearing the traditional Iraqi garb (man dress). He took our order, and we watched him as he cut open some fresh bread that was the equivalent of a pita pocket, except it is just plain bread. Then he took the kabobs that were on the fire and put the meat end of the stick into the bread, and pulled the stick out. Next came a tomato, cucumber mixture that is actually really good. For those of you that know me well, you know that I usually don't go for that stuff. Well, this time I did and I am glad that I did too because it was good. Anyway, he used some tongs, which is above par for most places, to scoop out some of the veggies, and placed them in one of the kabobs. Then he put the tongs under his arm, and pulled them through to "clean" them off. Oh yes, you heard me right. What the heck though it adds to the uniqueness of the experience right. We took them back to our rooms, and enjoyed our meal.

Hello From Iraq

It is hard to believe that it is already the middle of June. Now do not mistake that for a complaint either. Things here are going well. The soldiers are motivated, and plenty busy. I would like to say thank you to everyone that has written or sent packages to me. They are greatly appreciated by not only myself, but all the soldiers that get to enjoy the goodies. I also want to thank everyone that has come behind my family that I left behind. Nicole and Crue, are greatful for everything that you have done. It helps me to focus on my mission when I know that my wife and son are taken care of.

The dust storms have slowed down, and the heat has picked up. When we first arrived we were topping high 90's low 100's. Now there isn't a day that drops below 100. Oh well, it is a good weight loss program. Well that is all that I have for now. If anyone has any questions, please just give them to Nicole, and I will answer what I can. Crue Daddy loves you, and I Love You too Babe. I cannot wait to see you all again.

Morale Check

Here's a video of my crazy husband- it's SO Matt! He wrote that this is a morale check for everyone who may be wondering how he's liking Iraq. It's quite apparent that he's having a good time!

Here's a little taste of what Matt gets to deal with on a daily basis. He said they get about one a day- if not more. He also got to be in the biggest dust storm they'd seen all year. He said dust and sand are just everywhere- even in the tents, because the air conditioners suck it all inside.

Matt playing in the sandbox

I talked to Matt last night, and he's doing very well. He's staying really busy with missions and front desk duty. He's barely getting any sleep, but he likes it that way! He's stationed outside of Camp Ramadi, and he goes on night missions and watches the surveillance screens to see what's going on around their camp. He's having a lot of fun meeting Iraqi Nationals and talking to Iraqi kids. He's staying safe and enjoying himself in the big sandbox!

I'm a blogger

Hey- my friend talked me into blogging, so here goes! I'll post pics of Crue and our family- and hopefully Matt can post pics too. Hope you enjoy!