Disney Magic

Our final trip during Steve's R & R after his deployment was to...you guessed it...Disney World! If you know us well, you know that we (especially Steve) love Disney World and Disneyland. We had season passes to Disneyland the majority of the time while we were stationed at Edwards AFB in California. It was always fun being able to take the 1.5-2 hour (once 6 due to a wildfire) drive to Disneyland for a little getaway from the desert. Christian is almost 18 months and has already been to Disneyland and Disney World 2 times now! What a spoiled little boy. :o) Anyway, back to our trip....

We had a wonderful time! We stayed at the Shades of Green military resort, which was quite a bargain for being so nice and also within walking distance to Disney's Polynesian Hotel and the transportation center. We went to EPCOT 2 days (because it is our favorite park) and the Magic Kingdom 1 day, and of course, Downtown Disney because I needed to get my Ghirardelli hot chocolate. :o)

Christian loved any chance that he could walk around, explore, and help Disney with their gardening needs. (Spending so much time at our house doing yard work lately has translated into Christian wanting to dig in the dirt and rearrange the mulch.)

It was fun to see C's face light up and he especially seemed to enjoy "Its a Small World" and "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" aquarium at EPCOT. Each morning Christian was excited for another day and would actually want to be in his stroller (temporarily) ready to head out from our hotel room.

EPCOT was having their "International Flower and Garden Festival" which was really neat to see the Disney character topiaries and beautiful gardens. I especially liked the butterfly garden.

Other than Christian having a stomach bug on the way home and enduring a very smelly 7.5 hour drive (we had to pull over to change his clothes 3 times) we had an excellent Disney World vacation. I am sure that future Disney plans will be in order soon. But now, after 3 weeks of fun together, today it is back to reality.

A Belated Christmas

Steve was able to Skype with us on Christmas day, which was very nice, but as one can imagine (and as Steve has expressed) being away for Christmas was one of the hardest things about his deployment. This past Saturday afternoon we had a mini Christmas at our home. My brother had told me that I should set up our Christmas tree for Steve's arrival (even though I did not set it up before Christmas in the first place.) Instead we enjoyed hot tea, Christmas music in the background, a couple of candles and lighted decorations, and a few wrapped gifts. Not quite the welcoming Christmas that we enjoy with our families, but at least a little fun holiday celebration.

At Last! Welcome Home

After a long 6 1/2 months, Steve is finally home from his deployment. We greeted him at the airport in Columbia Friday morning. All his flights went well and other than being pretty sleep deprived, we were all excited for his homecoming. Christian was excited to show Steve around the house (like he hadn't seen it before) and was excited to show him his toys, particularly his cars. C has been following Steve around like a puppy dog and wants Daddy to hold him often. You really wouldn't even be able to tell that Steve has been gone based on Christian's actions- really I think he is just in awe of his daddy. Such a sweet time. Welcome home!

So Close!

In true Steve-like fashion I decided to include yet another song for today. :o) His return always seemed so distant, but now it is almost here! He is coming home!

1

1 day (really a matter of hours) and I will be on my way home...

2

2 - I'm "2" excited to even know what to do for today....Any ideas?

*Update...I decided to re-post an old video that I linked the other day to an old blog post about Christian, and how much he has taught me about love and God (kinda the same thing eh?).

I think this is such a great song, and I honestly cannot listen to it enough right now.

Another DVD Book

Steve has sent a few special DVDs of him reading to Christian during his deployment. It's neat because he also gets to send the book with the DVD- part of the USO's "United Through Reading" program. I posted a few pictures from a book he sent in October here, and just yesterday C received another book, "Dr. Seuss's ABC." Such a special way to stay connected. In a few days Steve will be able to read to Christian in person!Speaking of "seeing" Daddy: Lately whenever I ask Christian, "Would you like to see if Daddy is on the computer?" (Skype) he heads straight for the stairs leading to the bonus room which is home to our computer.

Last Days

After nearly 6 1/2 months, this past weekend was my last "flying solo." The evenings and weekends have always been the hardest during this deployment, so I cannot wait for next weekend when Steve will be with us! The plan is to pick him up from the airport on Friday morning (Just in time for Valentine's Day!) I could not be more excited, and yet it seems like these last few days are just dragging along. We are just so close! It will certainly be a very happy day! We have some fun trips planned for the next month, but more than anything I cannot wait to be together again as a family.

9

9 reasons to love home:

1. See picture above...how could your heart not be stirred if they were waiting for you?
2. Coming home to a beautiful, loving wife
3. The joy of good neighbors
4. The smells of the seasons, different recipes, different candles...
5. The feeling of rest and relief
6. The chance to play with my son in the yard
7. The chance to cuddle up with my wife on the couch
8. Sleeping in your own bed!
9. And of course...home is where the heart is!

Light at the End

I was thinking: Steve has been gone over a year in the past 22 months, about 1/4 of our marriage, and 1/2 of Christian's life between his lengthy TDYs (Fort Bragg and Hurlburt Field) and this deployment. Needless to say, it will be so nice to have him home. Hopefully he can stick around for awhile. In some ways I don't remember what it was like to have him home...how sad is that? I guess I have just gotten used to the solo days and evenings. Setting up new routines in hopes that it will help Mommy and Christian get through the day. Sometimes we are just in survival mode. And in the end, we have nearly made it. I am not quite sure how some military families have been able to sacrifice so much of their life together. I am grateful that this was a shorter deployment compared to the year-long+ commitments, and I am thankful that Steve will (cross my fingers) not have to go back soon. God has kept him in safe territory and I am incredibly grateful that he is not on the front lines. No, this lifestyle is not ideal, but I am SO thankful that God has given us the grace to get through these rough separations. So...as we look at these last couple weeks, I am just so thrilled that there is light at the end of the tunnel. And can I just say, "Thank You" to all military members and families, past and present, who have served (in a multitude of ways) for our country. We have gotten just a taste of what that sacrifice looks like.

Christian and Jana Marie

Have I mentioned that we have some awesome neighbors? I cannot begin to describe the wonderful neighborhood community that we moved into last May. Everyone has been so friendly and helpful, which is especially important since we had only lived in this house three months before Steve left for his deployment. There are a lot of military families, but also some native South Carolinians (maybe 50/50?) Across the street from us are our dear friends Leigh and Jana Marie. They have been so sweet to us and have watched Phoenix a number of times while we have been away. Christian has adopted JM as his "Big Sister" and they are so cute together. Poor JM was worried that Christian wouldn't remember her after our lengthy trip this past month, but not to fear, as soon as C saw her he squealed with delight and reached for her. It is so wonderful knowing that we have friends and neighbors that we can count on at any time. We are so blessed!

Phoenix helping Jana Marie with her homework. "My buddy and me!"

Counting the Days

...until we see you again!

We are coming down the homestretch of this deployment!

Whoo hoo!!

A Merry Christmas!

This year we celebrated Christmas Eve with my side of the family, and Christmas Day with Steve's.

Christmas Eve:

Our festivities included a special Christmas Eve service at my parent's church, and yummy Chinese food. My grandparents (Nonnie and Pop-Pop to Christian) were also with us to celebrate.

Christmas Day:

Steve was able to Skype with us for nearly two hours Christmas morning while we opened gifts and stockings. It was most definitely a sad day without him, but on the other hand we are that much closer to his homecoming! [Cannot wait!!!]

We also enjoyed a nice brunch and Christmas dinner, the Disney "Scene It" game, and some good ol' guitar hero!

Aww, it is so good to be home for the holidays and to celebrate Jesus' Birthday with our family! :)

Christian is 15 Months

I haven't done a little C update since he turned one, so I thought it was about time for another. So where to start:

• Christian is generally an easy-going little guy and is very affectionate, but can also be quite determined. He has a strong mommy preference (hmm wonder why?) especially if I am within sight, otherwise he does pretty well with others.
• Christian loves live animals and literally squeals when he sees them.
• His favorite toys include anything he can put in and take out of a container, "feely" books, cars, and stuffed animals.
• C has excellent fine motor skills- he likes to point to what he wants, put caps on water bottles, clap his hands, etc. He loves to investigate toys and new objects. Maybe an engineer in the making?
• Christian is great at sharing. He loves to offer his toys to others, and will often trade for a different object. I am hoping that this will translate to being a good sharer as time goes on.
• His favorite game right now is hide-and-seek/peek-a-boo...it used to be me doing the hiding, now he is the one who likes to "run around" and hide.
• I put "run around" in quotes because Christian still gets around mainly by crawling. He is a speed crawler (as evidenced by the holes in his jeans.) And he has mastered the stairs up and down. He stands up and cruises around furniture, and though he barely uses it for support, he is still a little reluctant to let go and really walk independently. He took his first steps Wednesday 12/8 at 14 months. He also likes to "walk" on his knees. One of these days he will learn that walking on his feet is by far the fastest way around.
• Christian likes to talk, sometimes carrying on his own little conversations. His most distinct words are still "ma-ma" and "da-da," and a new one: "nom nom" when he sees food or is hungry. (I guess that is not really a word.)
• C's favorite foods include: MILK, oranges, cheese, pasta, bread, and peas. He is a bit of a picky eater. Sometimes meals are hit or miss.
• Christian most certainly dislikes: diaper changes, getting dressed, hoods and hats, and getting his hands and face washed after meals. And he is not afraid to let you know.

Looking ahead: We are excited to witness Christian master new tasks each and every day and cannot wait for the arrival of Daddy back home in these next couple of months (Steve has already begun his countdown! Despite not having an official leave date.)

Hi Daddy! I Missed You!

Christian and Daddy's reunion. (C had just woken up for the day.) I believe that Christian definitely remembered Steve and was so happy to spend time with him. He talked about "da-da-da" the entire time.

This past week we drove to Tampa, Florida to meet Steve where he had flown stateside for a short TDY in the midst of his deployment. If only all deployments offered this luxury! Preparations for our travel were pretty short notice and despite an 8 hour drive from Sumter, it was completely worth it. Steve's mom was even able fly and meet us halfway in Jacksonville to break up the driving and help with Christian. Hooray for a date night (which come pretty few and far between even when Steve is home.)We were able to enjoy a full day together and the evenings. Grandma, little C man, and I went to the Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa and Clearwater Beach during the days when Steve was "doing the stuff he needed to do."

With 4 months down and a couple more to go it was a huge blessing to see Daddy and to get a few precious days with him. An early Christmas gift perhaps? :o)

"Oh Daddy! I sure love you!"