Behind the Scenes: Walking amid 2,000 al Qaeda suspects

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/28/btsc.iraqprison/index.html?iref=newssearch#cnnSTCVideo

I was so excited when Micah told me that a CNN reporter came to take a tour of the compound he works at in Camp Bucca because the soldiers are not allowed to take any pictures or any videos of anything but their pods (place where they sleep) so I have always wondered what the compound looks like. The compound is he works at is the most dangerous compound in camp bucca, holding over 2,000 Al Qaeda suspects. Their company has done a lot of work on it and it gives Micah a nice break being able to do some manual labor sometimes. Because they have the "nicest" looking one it is the compound everyone gets a tour of.
I thought is was cool to finally get to see where Micah works thirteen hour days six days a week and is getting paid like a fourty hour work week...... Anyway, he always tells me about staring down at men in yellow all day and I have to say I was way off of what I thought it would look like. (above is a link to the video they took)

Our New Addition!!!!

Micah got Mya an early birthday present this year. She named him Bumbo, he is a French Bulldog. I can't believe we actually own a puppy now.

*okay, this was Micah that posted this....he is trying to convince me into getting a a dog. When he was little he would ask for a puppy every year for christmas and his birthday and never got one. He thinks every kid needs a puppy. He has a lot of convincing to do to get me to agree.*

Camp Bucca Team Marathon: 1st Place

In Iraq you start your race at 3 AM because by 8 AM it 110 degrees outside. We signed up for the Team Marathon with the motto : "We're not in it to win it". We just wanted to do it for fun. Well, some how we won with a total time of 3 hours and 6 minutes. These pictures are of me and three of my team members: Elizondo and Smith below and Calton an I above.


This is our team crossing the finish line together in 1st place with none of the other 16 teams even visible behind us. We may not look like a team of runners but in Iraq you can trip, kick, bite, push, and tackle your way to victory.

This is our team recieving our first place T-shirts. From left to right: Fred Smith, Chris Rappich, Myself, Josh Calton, James Elizondo.

A date is set

It's official, Micah is set and ready to leave Iraq (if everything goes as planned), and then it is about two weeks in Texas at fort bliss demobilizing. I wish that he could just come home straight from Iraq, but at least he will be in the United States soon!!!!

Just a little guy

Today Tay had his one year check up. He weighed a whopping 17lbs. 4oz. he is in the 0.47 percentile! when I first looked at the paper I thought it said 47% but no, it is 0.47% I can't believe he is so little. The pediatrician told me to start trying to make him gain weight by giving him chocolate milk, lots of peanut butter and butter on his bread, and lots of pasta. He wants me to get him to 20lbs so he can go in a front facing car seat...... ummm yeah, I didn't tell him that I kind of already put him in one. Oops. Anyway, we will see what we can do to chunk him up a little so Micah will stop worrying that his boy is going turn out to be as small as Shaun (sorry Shaun).

Oh yeah and I just had to add the Tay is finally sleeping through the night! (knock on wood) No more horrible nights where he is up all night and we are both crying because I am exhausted and have no one to hand him over to. The day he turned one was the first night in a year that I have got to sleep all the way through the night. Every morning I wake up and look at the clock and it's 7:30. He did it YAY!

Happy Birthday Tay

For Tay's birthday we had over Beth and Shea, Tina and Josh and "Grandma yellow hair" (Micah's mom) It is so funny because when we were little we did the same thing. We called one "grandma black hair" and the other "grandma white hair" so it is funny that Mya came up with the same idea. She calls my mom "grandma black hair"






Tay didn't get a chance to unwrap any presents. Mya had already torn into them all before he could even figure out what was going on. Tay got some cute clothes and toys from friends and family, Thanks everyone! Mya loves all of Tay's new toys too.... probably a little more than he does


Micah is such a sweet dad. He woke at 3am to get on the web cam and see his little boys first birthday. I am so glad he was able to be a part of the party


Mmmm yummy cake

Tay's Birthday Cake

So Tay's Birthday is not until tomorrow but I made the cake tonight and thought I would put some pictures on here for Micah to see.

It was a battle and a half and by the end I just wanted to throw it on the ground, well, or Mya on the ground would be better.

I was on a role and it was looking good. Mya was only allowed to watch me and then someone called and I left Mya unattended with the cake. Well she decided to drive the blue car on the road. If you look at the blue car the left wheel has some evidence of this remaining. She also start sticking things in and dumping dirt (cookies) everywhere. I fixed it as well as I could. Oh well, I shouldn't have expected anything different from a two year old right.

I scream you scream, we all scream for ice cream

We are always trying to stay busy and Saturday seems to always be the longest day when we have nothing to do, so I decided to take Tay and Mya out for ice cream.

Mya is just like her dad. She doesn't really like Ice cream that much. She would rather have just the cone.

Colbie Caillat concert

Last night my sister-in-law Kari Ann, her sisters and I had a good time when we got to have a girls night out and go to a concert at Tuacahn.

We went to dinner at my favorite resturaunt ever, the Olive Garden and then went to the concert. While there we met up with Micah's sister Lundi and her friend Kelsie.

"It might choke Artie, but it won't choke Stymie"

We use to watch the original Little Rascals all the time at my grandma Peterson's when we were little and that is my favorite saying. Stymie goes begging for food and gets an artichoke but can't figure out how to eat it he start peeling and peeling until he gets to the heart and then throws it away and says, "it might choke artie but it won't choke Stymie".
Well, Mya has the art of eating artichokes down, but the thing she didn't realize is that I have to cook them first. I was at the store waiting in line to check out and this older couple in the next line over kept looking at her laughing and smiling and of course I just thought they were thinking she was cute. Then I looked at her and saw she was hiding her hand underneath the sack that an artichoke was in. When I asked her what she was doing she wouldn't talk, she just kept her mouth shut tight. I began to pry open her little fingers and discovered she had been peeling off and eating the whole leaves or whatever you call them of the artichoke. I don't know how long she had been doing it but I felt bad because they are soo bitter and gross until they are cooked.
I don't think I will ever have to worry about her doing that again.

My Bags Are Packed I'm Ready

The time has almost come to leave Iraq. I even had to pack up my most prized possesion, my Lakers blanket!!!! Less than a month left in this place, gosh I am excited!!!!!