"Shut up Daddy."

I would very much love to know who taught my daughter to say shut up.

You know, it's funny, when our children are first born we get so excited when thinking about all the firsts they're going to have. Their first smile, the first time they sit-up on their own, their first steps and, of course, their first words. You just can't wait for the first time they mutter mumma and dadda to you.

As Tim McGraw wrote "Sometimes you're asleep I whisper "I love you!" in the moonlight at your door. As I walk away, I hear you say, "Daddy love you more!". These words always brought a tear to my eye just thinking about my little girl saying them to me.1

And now she says them, along with a lot of other things. She has quite the vocabulary for a two year old. I will admit, it was a little funny the first time she swore. Both my wife and I found it hard not to laugh at times, especially when she uses them in the correct context. But now she's taken to telling us to shut up and we have no idea where she learned it from.

So lets face it. Talking is the "gateway drug" of all the bad behaviours children have. Once they start talking then they can started telling you "no" and, of course, "shut up". They talk back, yell and scream. And then, oh God, it leads to dating. And not just dating anyone, but she's going to bring home the worse kind of guy because she knows you won't approve.

The teenage years I'm absolutely dreading. "I love you Daddy," is going to be replaced with "you're so embarrassing" and "I hate you". My heart breaks just thinking of it.

Well, no matter what little demons our angels grow into, we'll love them to death and eventually they will grow out of it.

They will grow out of it? Right?

1. Lyrics taken from My little Girl by Tim McGraw

Baby Number 2

Well it's been a while since I blogged. I've been quite uninspired to write lately but how could I forget this wonderful news.

Yes, it's true. My wife and I are expecting our second child in February. How exciting it is to know my family is growing.

We're right now in the 'lets figure out names' stage. Shawna has a big list already of names for the new baby. I have a couple. I'm partial on Gabriel if it's a boy. What do you think?

Isabelle knows there's a baby growing in her mommy's tummy but I don't think she's quite sure of what's going on. It won't really make sense until later on in the pregnancy, I think. I wonder how she's going to handle being a big sister. She's already a handful on her own. Will she settle down and help her mommy, or will she get jealous for attention and act out even more? I guess only time will tell.

Blow me away

They fall in line
One at a time
Ready to play
(I can't see them anyway)
No time to lose
We've got to move
Steady your helm
(I am losing sight again)

Fire your guns
It's time to run
Blow me away
(I will stay, in the mess I made)
After the fall
We'll shake it off
Show me the way

Only the strongest will survive
Lead me to heaven, when we die
I am the shadow on the wall
I'll be the one to save us all

There's nothing left
So save your breath
Lying in wait
(Caught inside this tidal wave)
Your cover's blown
No where to go
Holding your fate
(Loaded I will walk alone)

Fire your guns
It's time to run
Blow me away
(I will stay, in the mess I made)
After the fall
We'll shake it off
Show me the way

Only the strongest will survive
Lead me to heaven, when we die
I am the shadow on the wall
I'll be the one to save us all
Wanted it back(Don't fight me now)

-Breaking Benjamin

(Video here)

Remembering D-day

65 years ago thousands of men, many of whom were younger than I am now, set out on the largest invasion ever attempted in human history. It was an enormous gamble and hundreds lost their lives.

The gamble paid off.

But before we can remember the events of D-Day, it's important to remember the events that took place before hand. To remember the Dieppe raid. If not for the lessons learned by that ill-fated raid, the Normandy invasion may not have succeeded the way it did. Many men, most of which were Canadian, lost their lives in Dieppe.

Today, all over the globe, we celebrate the beginning of the end of the second world war. If not for the foothold these brave men made on the France coast the war would have surely continued for many more years, possibly with Nazi victory.

Never forget the cost for our freedom that we so often take for granted. Remember the lives lost, then and now.

Lest We Forget

Lest We Forget Part Two

Hi ho, hi ho. It's off to school I go.

Friday morning I have a meeting with one of the school liaisons at Durham College to discuss the possibility of me going back to school.

As the plans sits right now I would be a part time student for the first three semesters, only needing to take a couple of courses. The final semester would be full time as I would need to take more than half the courses which is understandable considering the credits I'm missing from my first time around were from the fourth semester.

I don't know what the cost is yet. I'll find that out on Friday. With any luck I'll still be able to work full time while doing the first three semesters and maybe even get work to pay for part of my tuition.

Here's hoping everything goes as planned.

A short poem by me.

Sitting so still watching the tele,
With my love checking out Avon.
11:30 at night,
tired but can't sleep.
So I'll write this bad poem,
And then count some sheep.

-Chris Burrows (if I really want to take credit for this crap. I have better. Trust me. If you're good I'll post it for you.)

Lest We Forget Part Two

Release

A leaping wind from England,

The skies without a stain,

Clean cut against the morning

Slim poplars after rain,

The foolish noise of sparrows

And starlings in a wood -

After the grime of battle

We know that these are good.

Death whining down from heaven,

Death roaring from the ground,

Death stinking in the nostril,

Death shrill in every sound,

Doubting we charged and conquered -

Hopeless we struck and stood;

Now when the fight is ended

We know that it was good.

We that have seen the strongest

Cry like a beaten child,

The sanest eyes unholy,

The cleanest hands defiled,

We that have known the heart-blood

Less than the lees of wine,

We that have seen men broken,

We know that man is divine.

~W. N. Hodgson

I often find myself drawn to war. Wanting so badly to be over there, doing my part, serving my country. How is it fair that these men and women risk their lives, often losing them, in the name of peace while we live out our lives oblivious to what they're going through.

Every civilian can say they understand what it's like over there. "I've watched Saving Private Ryan so I fully understand what soldiers went through at Normandy." "I have dozens of books on war so I know what it's like." The truth is there's no way we can understand what it's like in battle, to watch your friends die around you, to know that you could be next.

There's is a special fraternity, few are privileged to join.

It takes great courage to choose to go into combat. To choose a career knowing full well they could be killed before they reach the age of 30. Leaving behind wives, children, family and friends. Courage that has to be admired.

But casualties of war go beyond those who lose their lives. We often forget those who are suffering from post traumatic stress. Shell shock as it was called in the first world war. It can't be easy for those who come home alive, but not well. I, myself, suffer from severe depression and have come close on several occasions to losing my mind, but I could never imagine what it's like for these men and women to come home with the thought of those friends they've left behind. They're friends that never made it home.

On April 23, 2009, Major Michelle Mendes was found dead in her quarters at Kandahar Airfield. The cause of her death is still under investigation by the military but it was not caused during battle. She was alone in her quarters. And while our thoughts instinctively go to suicide we have to remember that there is yet no proof. Accidents do happen and is possible in this instance.

There are several other Canadian soldiers who have lost their lives in non-combat situations since the war in Afghanistan started. I'm not going to name names because I'm not here to pass judgement or sully any one's name. They are listed on my last blog (Lest We forget) and as far as I'm concerned a casualty is a casualty whether from an insurgent attack or the stress of war and they deserve our respect just as much as any other soldier.

My prayers go out to all our soldiers, home and away, their family and loved ones; I pray for the strength for them to carry on. And if the stress of it all gets to much and they feel there's no other way I pray the Lord take their pain and give them peace.

'- But a Short Time to Live'

Our little hour - how swift it flies

When poppies flare and lilies smile;
How soon the fleeting minute dies,
Leaving us but a little while
To dream our dreams, to sing our song,
To pick the fruit, to pluck the flower,
The Gods - They do not give us long, -
One little hour.

Our little hour - how short it is

When love with dew-eyed loveliness
Raises her lips for ours to kiss
And dies within our our first caress.
Youth flickers out like wind-blown flame,
Sweets of to-day to-morrow sour,
For Time and Death, relentless, claim
Our little hour.

Our little hour - how short a time

To wage our wars, to fan our hates,
To take our fill of armoured crime,
To troop our banner, storm the gates.
Blood on the sword, our eyes blood-red,
Blind in our puny reign of power,
Do we forget how soon is sped
Our little hour.

Our little hour - how soon it dies;

How short a time to tell our beads,
To chant our feeble Litanies,
To think sweet thoughts, to do good deeds.
The alter lights grow pale and dim,
The bells hang silent in the tower -
So passes with the dying hymn
Our little hour.

~ Leslie Coulson

*Photo credit:

KA2005-R106-0184d01

November 2005

Kabul, Afghanistan

As the sun sets Corporal (Cpl) Michael Meagher pipes down the Canadian Flag that is flying over a Forward Operating Base somewhere in Afghanistan. Cpl Meagher is a rifleman belonging to Golf Company from the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (2 RCR), a mechanized infantry battalion from Gagetown, NB. His hometown is Kitchener-Waterloo, ON.
The relocation of our Canadian Forces assets in Afghanistan will be completed by early December, at which point approximately 450 Canadian soldiers will be based at Kandahar Airfield in addition to about 150 soldiers at Camp Nathan Smith. The aim of this reorganization is to increase the effectiveness and impact of CF assets in the region. The task force in Kandahar will grow to about 2,000 strong by February 2006.
Photo by: Master Corporal Ken FennerTask Force Afghanistan Roto 0Photographer