Homecoming

Homecoming was amazing. To finally see Josh's face again...and to watch my children get to hug their father after 7 months apart, was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Here are a few pictures from that day...they were taken by Jaime Hough, an amazing photographer. As soon as she posts some more, I'll be sure to post them...

I'm sorry for the tardy post...but life has been so busy since Josh got home. Josh came home on June 14th, and sadly, brought with him a stomach bug. So the poor guy finally got home only to spend the first few days in bed. After the stomach bug left us, the kids and Josh got a really bad upper respiratory infection. The kids have only recently fully recovered from that.

We've done some fun family things in the last few weeks....we took the kids on the Amtrak train for the day and Mommy and Daddy had themselves a date night. :) Last week, Josh's parents (aka Grandma and Grandpa) came out to visit....and to watch the children while Josh and I had a mini vacation in San Diego for a few days.

San Diego was wonderful. I needed the break so badly. And truthfully, I think the kids needed a break from us too. They were thrilled to be hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and did not miss us a bit. Wyatt didn't even want to talk when we would call to check in. Guess Grandpa is pretty entertaining.

The day after we got back from our trip, it was Wyatt's 3rd birthday! I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that Wyatt is now 3. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. It's crazy how much he has grown and learned over the last few years. He is such a smart and handsome little boy. We are so incredibly blessed to have him as our son. Anyway, we took the kids to the circus in Fresno to celebrate. They LOVED it...although I think Grandpa was the most impressed--he said the last time he went to the circus it was in an un-air conditioned tent.

Grandma and Grandpa left this morning. We were all sad to see them go. Hopefully we can get out to the farm sometime this fall before Josh deploys again (yes, again).

It's almost time!

We are getting incredibly close to Josh being home! I can't say exactly how long online...but know that it's REALLY close. Today is the first day that I have officially been tackling my to-do list. It's crazy how long this list is...I think it's literally five pages long. Hopefully I can get everything done in time, and if not--well hopefully Josh won't notice. :)

The kids are getting really excited about homecoming. Wyatt is constantly talking about how Daddy will fly his jet in and run up and give him a huge hug. Rea isn't totally aware of what's going on, but she definitely feeds off of Wyatt's excitement. Buck, our sweet lab, is going to freak when he sees his daddy...every time we even say the words "Daddy is almost home", the dog runs to the front door.

Wyatt and Reagan have already made their welcome home signs. I would post pictures but I don't want to ruin the surprise for Josh (I know you're reading this). They were having so much fun drawing and decorating their signs. I can't wait to post pictures of them...Wyatt's is hysterical. I have booked a photographer for the big fly-in. So we should have some fabulous pictures of our reunion to share with all of you. I just figured that it would be impossible for me to document this occasion the way I really want to without a little help. So stay posted for those...

Anyway, if you have a minute please say a prayer for us as we prepare for this huge day in our lives and as we navigate this transition. And we'll keep you updated on our progress!

I just wanted to include this passage of scripture on the blog...I can't even count how many situations and days this passage has gotten me through. And how wonderful are these promises? I just love how much our God loves me...and my kids...and my husband...and my family and friends...and all of you. And how comforting is it to know that He cares and His protection covers us always...

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Daddy's little butterfly

Couldn't resist sharing this picture of Rea...a.k.a. Daddy's "butterfly". I think it's safe to say that daddy will be wrapped around this butterfly's finger when he gets home...

Prayers for Alabama

Yesterday and today were hard days to be away from my sweet home Alabama...

Massive tornadoes ripped through the state yesterday and two of my favorite places on the planet saw devastating damage...Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. I grew up in Birmingham and went to college in Tuscaloosa.

My thoughts, heart, and prayers are with the people of this great state and especially with those who have experienced loss because of these storms. I pray that God may bring peace and healing and give those who need it the strength to rebuild.

New Award

Well, I created an award...and gave it to myself today. It's called the "Worst Blogger of the Year" award. In order to win, you can only post entries to your blog every other month and must begin every blog post with "I'm really sorry that I haven't posted in a while..." or something to that effect. :)

We have had an interesting month. Mostly, we have just been hanging out at home and occasionally playing with our friends...but we did manage to squeeze in a trip to Los Angeles to see my brother, Trey, compete in a track meet at Azusa Pacific University. He ran the 200m, and won! It was a good day to be in the stands. Wyatt loved it and kept yelling "Uncle Trey wins!" over and over. We had such a good time visiting with Trey...I'm pretty sure Trey is now missing an ear due to Wyatt's incessant questions and talking. From the time Trey arrived in our hotel room, Wyatt never stopped talking..."Uncle Trey, do you like that car? Uncle Trey look at that flower! Uncle Trey, what's your favorite color? Mine's blue..." you get the point. Sweet Rea was her quiet self, but sat in Trey's lap at any chance she got...she's our snuggle bug.

After our trip to LA, we came home and began Easter preparations. Easter is our favorite holiday around here, as it is the cornerstone of everything that we believe. We are so grateful for the free gift given to us by God and our Savior...the gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus.

The kids had a blast and loved their Easter baskets. The church sermon was fantastic as usual and we celebrated with our dear friends, the Shulmans, for Easter supper. Sadly, my computer is not really cooperating with me these days and I only have three pictures from that day to share right now...but here they are....aren't my babies beautiful? The bonnet and dress that Rea wore to church was mine when I was a little girl, and Wyatt's outfit belonged to my brother--I love vintage clothes!

Since Easter, we've just been recovering from the massive sugar high that we all experienced. And as we start the month of May we begin to see the light at the end of the deployment tunnel. The countdown is on for Josh's return...and along with the counting down comes a lot of homecoming preparations. As we prepare, I will do my best to keep you all updated...

The most common question

I get asked a lot of questions about the military life and deployment...but the most common question I am asked is "How do you do it with your husband gone for so long?". I finally decided to give an actual answer to it...so here goes--this is how I do it:

The biggest thing I do to cope, is to crawl into the lap of my Jesus at least once a day...sometimes I just sit there...sometimes I whine and complain to Him...sometimes I cry into the folds of His clothes...sometimes I fall asleep there...sometimes I talk...and sometimes I just listen. The comfort of being in His presence is what gets me through each day. Even though my earthly husband isn't here, my heavenly Father fills that void for me.

I do still rely heavily on my earthly husband though. I seek his guidance before making decisions and I rely on his "pep talks" via email. His confidence in me is what makes me push through being tired and stressed and to get the job done. How fortunate I am to have a man beside me that pushes me to do better, but loves me just the way that I am...and could care less if the kids got a bath today.

When I'm craving human contact, I lean on my fellow military wives. We do dinners, play dates, hour-long phone calls, and many many potlucks. They help to fill the void of adult conversation and interaction...they also help to fill in on days when I desperately need a break...or a pap smear.

A lot of days what keeps me going are the sweet faces of my two beautiful children. Even though they can run me ragged, they are so precious to me...and to Josh. And they need me. They need me to hold it together...they need me to make their dinner...and bathe their little bottoms...and remind them that daddy loves them and is coming home soon. So I can "do it" because I have to...because I love my children more than I love even myself.

I also lean pretty heavily on my family...and Josh's family. My mom is the first person I call when I need an opinion on anything, from what to wear all the way to how to deal with potty training. She's my go-to person when Josh is gone. The rest of the family humors me with longer than usual phone calls and skype sessions just for no reason. They help me fill the void when I'm feeling lonely, and who better to do that than the people that have known you the longest.

And that, my friends is how I do it....it's not easy, but then whose life is easy? God can give us all the grace and strength to deal with any situation or circumstance that comes our way.