Adventure through Canada...

Well, what can I be said about driving along the AlCan Highway. The scenery was beautiful for sure...the driving conditions were not so hot. We actually got caught in white-out conditions traveling down a 10% grade in the mountains in British Columbia. We were completely white-knuckled for that leg of the trip. I still managed to snap some photos of wildlife and the landscape though. We saw wolves, wild buffalo, elk and moose. It was amazing.

The first stop was Edmonton, Alberta. We were told by border patrol in Montana that Edmonton was home to the largest mall in North America. This agent said it was a must if we were stopping in Edmonton. So, we took a chance and this place did not disappoint! Here are some photos:

At the border~

Outside the Waterpark in West Edmonton Mall~

It was a balmy 82 degrees in there~


Yes, those are lemurs~

Life-size replica of the Santa Maria in the middle of the mall~

Submarine rides and underground aquarium~


Ice rink in the mall. We saw little girls tearing it up on the ice!~


Amusement park in the mall. Here are the swings~


Bill riding the roller coaster~


There he goes!~


Whew! Back in one piece~


In the Canadian mountains~


Snow and ice covered highway~

About 1/4 of the wild buffalo we saw that day~

Elk~

It was incredibly harrowing and fabulous all rolled into one. We are so happy to finally be in Anchorage!

7 months!

Okay, so I'm a little late posting this. But Dominic is 7 months old! We arrived in Anchorage on Saturday afternoon and the rest of the weekend was a blur.

New things Dominic can do:

~ Wave to people who speak to him (he actually holds out his hand and opens/closes his fist to say "hello"

~ Rocking back and forth on his hands and knees...still doing the Army crawl.

~ Says "mammamma" (okay, so it's jibber-jabber but I swear he's calling for Mama)

~ Mimicks our movements when we pat our laps.

Next month we'll visit his new pediatrician where we'll get his new stats! Can't wait!

Our Rt. 40 West Blitz!

We did a drive-by on Tuesday through Memphis to make it to Little Rock, AR by nightfall. Next up was a night stay in OKC. We stayed in Moore and went out for green beer and corned beef for St. Patty's Day! Here is a shot of the skyline of OKC soon after sunrise:



Next, we were on our way to Amarillo! We stopped to feed Mr. D and then got right back on the road to get to Santa Fe before dinner. Here is a pic of the "Largest Cross in the Western hemisphere" (allegedly):


After 9 hours in a car, we were tired and hungry for some good Mexican food! Upon the suggestion of the lady at the front desk, we drove to downtown Santa Fe to visit Tomasita's. The joint was packed with patrons but we decided it was worth the wait. After we were seated, we somehow struck up a conversation with a couple seated at the table behind us. We found out their daughter lives in Ellicott City (where I used to work in MD) and we just talked about being in the military and moving out to AK. Soon after our food was served, our waiter came to the table to let us know that they had paid for our dinner. Bill and I were absolutely floored... we thanked them profusely for their generosity. They simply said, "...we just appreciate all the sacrifices you and your family make to serve our country". It was one of most amazing random acts of kindness. We got their email address after running into them downtown today so we can keep them up to speed on our journey. This afternoon, we ate at a place called the Blue Corn Cafe and Brewery. The food was really amazing...no wonder they call this the culinary capital! On our way to pick up some jewelry and visit the art museum, it started to snow - big time. And thunder and lightning. Here are some shots from this afternoon:

Even Dominic had a good time at the Blue Corn Cafe~

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi....in white-out conditions~

We never expected to see snow in Santa Fe....are you sure we've left Baltimore?!

Next stop...Wyoming! Stay tuned!

How-deeee!

We have wrapped up our time in Nashville, TN! We have had a great time. Yesterday we got into town, went out for some catfish and barbecue and nestled in for the night. Here are some pics from our night:

Catfish pond in the restaurant~

Bill and Dominic in front of the old Dodge~

The family pic~

Today we went downtown and visited the historic Ryman Auditorium. Then we went and ate on Music Row. We got to see where CMT headquarters is located too. A trip to Opryland was our next stop (just across the street from our hotel) and we really enjoyed our last day in Nashville...such a cool town!

Family on the Ryman Auditorium stage~

Concert sequence for Johnny Cash~

Minnie Pearl's dress and hat~

Autographed concert posters~

Outside the Grand Ole Opry in Opryland~

Dominic's first carousel ride! He was a BIG fan!~

Daddy and Dominic outside the Aquarium restaurant~

Mommy and Dominic in front of the fishy tank...lots of fins in there!~

We'll be moving on tomorrow! Stay tuned for our next stop!

Alaska bound!

We have left for our one-way roadtrip to AK! Dominic has been SO good in the car so far. He loves to look out the window, play with his toys and sleep. We stopped in Bristol, VA for the evening to recharge our batteries the first night. We had a fabulous dinner at Outback and then crashed for the evening back at the hotel. We'll be hitting up Nashville next!

From the dash heading south~

Happy 6 months to our little coconut!

I just can't believe our little guy is 6 months old already! We took him to his well baby appointment last week and he weighed in at a whopping 18 lbs., 26 inches long and his head circumference was 44cm!

Things Dominic can now do...

• Roll with ease from his back to his belly and vice versa.
• Pick up small objects and throw them (his favorite is his rattle ball).
• Sit up in his highchair.
• He's mastered sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, squash, and loves his oatmeal cereal.
• Scoots on his belly from one end of the living room to the other.
• He's getting stronger at sitting by himself.
• He is recognizing the word, "kitty" when we ask him where the kitty is.

Happy 6 months baby boy! Mommy and Daddy love you very much!