Sunday, October 26

Groundhog Day

The days are going by very slowly for both of us and one of the things Ken says about being over in Iraq is that it is like that movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray. Same thing over and over. He recently had an increase in patients which kept him fairly busy, but now that is winding down, although I hear the general surgeon he rooms with is getting busier. No new pictures lately, although I keep bugging him to send me some. He has been playing soccer with the hospital team too which is a nice distraction for him. The countdown continues......we have almost reached the number of days to go that we started with when he went to Korea (the first long stretch that we were apart).

Thursday, October 23

Showing off my art project

Joe recently moved into a new class at daycare, the Sunfish room. It is basically the toddlers that can walk but are still under two years. He is the youngest in the class by quite a bit but he seems to be holding his own. Getting a few more bumps and scrapes but doing well overall. One of the new things he does is eat snacks and lunch at the table with the other kids, sleep on a cot, and create fun art projects. This particular day, the class had gone to a pumpkin patch (out on the playground!) to pick a pumpkin then came inside and painted them.

A pumpkin masterpiece!

Saturday, October 18

Horses and Nature centers

It was a beautiful fall day so Joe and I played outside in our cul-de-sac and later went down to Wheaton Stables to visit some horses. Since the pony ride, Joe gets very excited when he sees a horse picture so we thought we would check them out up close. Then it was off to the Brookside Nature Center to check out some cool turtles and snakes and play in their activity center.

I'm the coolest kid on the block!

Checking out the horsies

Mommy, don't we have turtles too???

I found a wheel to play with!

Thursday, October 9

Growing Belly

All of a sudden, my belly has popped out and is showing quite a bit. Joe would not leave my side while my mom took a profile shot of me.21 Weeks

Monday, October 6

Pumpkin Festival

Today Joe and I went to the Annual Pumpkin Festival at Butler's Orchard in Germantown, Maryland. Last year, we went there with Ken, Rubi and Lindsay but this year it was just the two of us. Joe went on his first pony ride and was a real cowboy! He fed some pigs and sheep and we went on a hayride to get our pumpkin. We finished the day by having some pumpkin pie and apple cider. All in all, a very fun day!Welcome to the Festival!
Joe and his new friend
Choo choo!!
Having fun at the festival with Mommy
Feeding the sheep

Look at my pumpkin!

Sunday, October 5

2 months down and counting!

Well, almost 2 months since Ken has been away and it sure has felt like MUCH longer. Joe and I have settled into a routine and both my mom and Ken's mom have been a big help to us. Ken is keeping as busy as he can taking care of Iraqi inmates at Camp Cropper. Luckily, he is able to call me at least once a day which helps tremendously. It is always great to hear his voice and see what he is up to. The time difference can sometimes be challenging though since many times I will be at work, in the operating room, etc. but we still manage!


Here are some pix he sent recently of a sandstorm in Baghdad. This is not done by a camera filter!! This is really how the sky looked!!

It looks like he is somewhere on Mars!

Dust on the buildings

Say Cheese!

I took this picture of Joe and I a few weeks ago, but you can start to see the beginnings of Nelson baby #2 in this shot!! Yes, that's right! We are happy to announce that we are expecting another baby this February. We are all very excited about it to say the least. The ladies at day care tell me how great Joe is with the other babies, so it looks like he is already practicing to be a big brother.