Hangin’ with the family

Today was a busy day running around getting ready for next weekend’s trip to go see my brother in Alabama.  We had clothes to buy, groceries to get, meals to eat, and family to hang with.  The first picture is of Grace, Stephen, Susan, Jonah and Jordan (my cuz and his sweet family).  The next picture is me holding adorable Jonah, not being the least bit tempted to have another one!  Ha!  He is such a good baby and just goes with the flow!  So cute!

Anyway!  The reason we had to buy clothes is because my Mom is shrinking away!  Since I have been home, she has lost 13 lbs in our weekly weigh-ins!  She is so motivated and doing so well.  We had to go reward her with new clothes.  I am not one to turn down shopping and I did buy a few things so she wouldn’t feel lonely.    She is determined to lose 17 more lbs and if you know my Mom, her determination is as good as it being done.  Since I am getting ready to run in the Army 10 Miler on October 5th of this year, she has been walking.  We are both planning on entering a 5k run/walk (her first!) on the 4th of July.  Tonight she walked that distance (3.1 miles) so all of June will just be getting her even more prepared!  I have already entered and paid the registration for Joe and I to run in the Army 10 Miler and I am so excited to get to do that.  So far my farthest distance in preparation has been 4.5 miles (tonight), but I have lots of time, so I think I will be ready to run.  I am not trying to compete against anyone, just finish.  I think it will be so cool to run in our Nation’s capital and be doing it with military past or present and their family members or just people who love our military!  I can’t wait!  The race sold out in a record 21 days, so people are ready!  We are going to try to make it a little vacation since we are stationed in NC.  Now we just gotta get Joe back before then!  I mean, I have already paid!  Will the Army make exception for that?  Probably not.  If his orders stay the same, he should be back by then, but barely!

Lord, I want to specifically pray for my good friend Nancy in my blog tonight.  I pray for her brother and sister who don’t know You.  Lord, she (and her husband) is such a faithful servant of Yours.  I pray for the day that her family will rejoice and celebrate in knowing her siblings will be with them in Your Kingdom.  Until that day, give her comfort, peace and Your words and help her to “wait for You” and Your timing.  Please also continue to be with my hubby as 2 weeks of this deployment are now history!

Good job doing your job

Today at lunch Stephen noticed a man in his military uniform and said he wanted to go talk to him.  I said ok, and off he went by himself to talk to the Air Force man.  I could hear him as he walked up to the man and tapped him on the leg and said “Excuse me.”  The man bent over and said “Yes?”  Stephen said “I wanted to tell you, good job doing your job.”  The man seemed touched and smiled and said “Thank you”.  Later in the car, going back over the incident, I told him I was glad he told the man that.  Stephen said “I wanted to tell him that b/c he protects us”.  A pause, and then “He reminded me of Daddy”.  Stephen gets it as well as he can.  He could be upset at the thought of how the Army and Daddy protecting us takes him away from us.  But he is proud and wants to thank others who remind him of his Dad. 

Today was the first day I haven’t gotten to talk to Joe.  His days are getting really long and he has a walk to do anything after work.  Yesterday we finished up the minutes on his phone card and he didn’t get off work in time today to reload the card and call before bedtime.  I really missed hearing his voice! 

The first picture above is of Stephen enjoying a popsicle.  The second one is of Grace “hiding” from my mom (Menaw) when she got home from work!

Lord, As you take such good care of my family, I want to thank You and praise You.  Tonight I lift up all the military serving overseas.  This is Friday, but to them just another day, especially the ones on the front line.  As we go about a slower paced weekend, taking advantage of time off with family, please let them feel the prayers and thoughts of loved ones.  I appreciate them so much.  Thank you that they are doing their jobs and we sleep safely tonight.

New game, outcome same!

I didn’t even get the camera out tonight at Stephen’s T-ball game.  Terrible mom!  Not that I was sure they were gonna lose, or care if that is what I documented.  My excuse is that my camera batteries were low and all T-ball pictures look the same.  Come to think of it, I should have just skipped this paragraph and posted an old photo of him at one of his games!  Oh, well.  You get the idea.  And I am sad to say, they did not win   That sounds better than “they lost” doesn’t it?  They really are improving, evidence is that Stephen didn’t sit down in the field the whole game.

As for the earlier part of our day, we went to eat at Panera Bread (yum) with Joe’s mom.  They don’t have internet and she has no idea of “the incident”.  I couldn’t bring myself to tell her.  I don’t even know what exactly I would tell her, I think it would just worry her.  She will find out soon enough, as more details can be given when Joe gets home.   

Other than that, this was a pretty uneventful day.  I talked to Joe around lunch time, which is getting to be our routine.  He is really tired as work is kicking in.  Every day is a Monday, he says.

Father, Please give Joe rest tonight (last night?) and rest for tomorrow (today?).  Thank You for his peace in trouble that comes from You.  Thank You that his days are going by fast for him at work, and that he will be making an impact.  Thank You for family and friends!  Thank You for new friends on the internet, that You orchestrated to pray together for such a time as this!

Now, Some Perspective

OK, my last post was consumed with the details of our day.  Now, let me talk about perspective.  Joe and I are pretty used to being apart.  No different than other soldiers and their spouses.  This trip has been hard when I concentrate on the fact of where he is.  But truly other than that, I get to talk to him every day.  He makes the long walk over to call me before he goes to bed every single day, which makes this trip seem like every other trip or separation.  Until yesterday.  You can read (and please do) about “the incident” at his blog.   http://sandboxadventures.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/reflections-on-the-incident/  It makes my heart stand in my chest, and we don’t even get the details.  He called me soon after it happened and said he couldn’t talk long b/c he had to go check in, to let them know he was ok.  “OK?  OK, from what?”   My mind starts wondering and racing.  “I really can’t say” he says.  More racing.  He had already blogged about it and told me to go read his blog.  “The incident” was referred to way down in the blog entry and was very vague.  Joe was so calm, it seemed like no big deal.  I asked if he saw anything, “no”, then how did he know about it, “I really can’t say” he says.  Arrggh!  I was asking all the wrong questions to get answers he couldn’t give.  Now today, I get to read a little more about how he felt when it happened.  Honestly, when we spoke, he seemed more like he had seen it on the news than experienced it in person.  So calm.  His blog entry says ”Could I be harmed? Sure, He is sovereign and makes that call, I rest in knowing that it’s He, not the guys on the other side of the wall who decides”.  I am married to a strong, Godly man!  What perspective.  His faith in God calmed and reassured him, and my faith in the man God gave me calmed and reassured me.  He is my hero!

Lord, thank You for the perspective You give my husband.  Thank you for making me realize that my vigilance in prayer is needed, and not to become relaxed or careless with that responsibility.  I know You didn’t show us this to give us a spirit of fear, but it does make me realize that You are in control.  Help me to continue to look to you as the kids and I have picnics in the park and Joe is “over there”.  You are the same God here or there and You are here and there.  I praise you in that storm!  You are awesome, God!

Just another day with no sick kids, Yah!

No pictures today.  Grace is doing better though, so I have to get my camera back out to document what’s going on with us.  We went to the park today and had a (Sonic) picnic.  Today was the first day Grace has been somewhat like herself. 

We sent Joe a package as well.  We went to pick up some pictures at Walgreen’s as well as some other goodies to send.  My Granny sent some money to go in on the stuff.  Stephen dutifully put that in his pocket to take care of and hand over when the time came.  I also gave Grace a quarter to hold onto to help pay, so she would be involved, fully expecting to never see it again.  I really talked up the issue of sending Daddy some yummy snacks and other little items as we picked them out all across the store.  When it was time to pay, we went to the photo counter and I asked if we could pay for all of our stuff there.  Of course, he said.  So as I was putting the stuff on the counter I didn’t even notice Grace.  When I turned around to make sure the basket was empty, she was sitting there in the back of it, looking up at me with these blinking, brown eyes, holding the quarter up that she had dug out of her Dora purse.  What a sweet expression, I hope not to forget.

Lord, Thank you for keeping my husband safe!

We made it to the Reunion!

Joe, here are a few pictures of us at the reunion.  Stephen is still there having a blast with your parents!  Grace is feeling some better, but I decided a night in her bed would do her better than in a cabin.  I gave Stephen the choice of staying or coming back with me, surprisingly he chose to stay!

What a fun day!  I went swimming with Stephen and Grace.  Stephen is so cautious, inquiring whether the inner tube was going to hold him.  I guess that is better than him jumping in the deep end not knowing how to swim, like I bet his sister will be doing next year!  We ate (too much) yummy food for lunch and dinner.  Grace avoided food today, but will be back to normal tomorrow, I think.  We got to see lots of family and visit for a few hours that flew by.  I really look forward to next year, especially knowing that Joe should be with us then!  The highlight of the day was that Joe got to call the camp’s phone and talk to lots of family.

Stephen wants to know how many days until the next family reunion.  He really gets it this year!  Last year I think he thought he was at some big hotel/resort, because when family would lend him a towel or help with food, he asked “Wow, how many people work here?”  Funny.

For those of you who don’t know, the 2nd picture is of Grace and Doris, Joe’s mom.  The 3rd is of Stephen and Elijah.  The last one is Stephen, Grace, Doris, Robert (Joe’s dad), me, Alan (Joe’s bro), Mike (Joe’s bro), Kelley (the dog) and Pam (the sane one).

Lord, Thank You for a great day!  Thank You that Grace is doing better and sleeping well tonight.  What a blessing to be able to spend relaxed time with family.  I love that Stephen is enjoying being a boy and being in Your creation, no video games, tv or computer!  As my prayer is everyday, please watch over Joe, keeping him safe.  May he have drive for his work to been done for You. 

 

One long week

We officially have one week behind us of this no-official-end deployment!  That is something to celebrate, right?

Well, I am supposed to be at the family reunion right now, remember?  God is teaching me that things just don’t always go as I plan!   My poor baby girl is now way too sick to be sleeping in a cabin in the woods.   First of all, yesterday I took Stephen to the doctor to see about a super-itchy rash on his face and chest.  With two prescriptions filled for him, I was having a phone conversation with Joe on our way back to the Pullens’ house.  Then I heard the unmistakable sound of a vomiting baby in my backseat.  Mom’s, you know the sound, yuk!  Non-mom’s, sorry for too much information!  So I had to cut short the conversation with Joe, so his mom and I could get Grace cleaned up   Things did not get better as the day went on.  Grace has just been pitiful.  It breaks my heart to see her so sickly.  I enjoy the cuddling, but not at this expense for her!  Today, the vomiting has stopped, but she has been running a fever all day.  I didn’t have the heart to keep Stephen away from the reunion, so as hard as it was for me not to go, I sent him on with Joe’s parents.  Along with him went his bag full of medicine.  I miss him and I miss being with the family.  I am going to try to take Grace tomorrow if she is feeling better.  I think God is teaching me to let go, in soooo many ways.

One funny scene in all this yuckiness, was the sight of me holding Grace over the potty for her to throw up, with an apparently weak-stomached Stephen fighting his way to join her after seeing the mess on the floor I was playing Twister over to avoid.   If I had a weak stomach, we might have had a record number of people trying to puke in the same toilet.   I had to laugh and really miss Joe in that instant.  And I did think it would make a great (although somewhat gross) blog entry!

God, I miss my son and feel helpless to take care of him with his asthma and other problems with him over an hour away from me.  Help me to learn to trust You and know that You love him even more than I do.  Please watch over him and Joe while we are absent one from another.  Also, please restore Grace’s health.  You are the Great Physician and You know what each of my children need for the bodies You created.  Lord, I have asked before that from this deployment, I would learn whatever You want to teach me.  Just open my eyes so that I can see what it is and be changed!

Offline for a few days…

I just wanted to post a short note to let anyone who cares ) know that I will be without internet access starting tomorrow morning.  I will be back Monday with pics of the reunion and hopefully interesting stories to tell!

Just a funny side note about the blog… I can see what search terms are used to “find” my blogsite, and I was excited to see that I am famous.  Two random people have found this blog from a yahoo keyword search.  I was excited until they came across it by searching for the term “girls” and came to my blog about Grace and I in “Just the Girls”.  Yuk!!!  Maybe they read my prayer at the end and committed there life to Christ!  HA!

Joe, don’t forget there will be little/no cell phone coverage and that is completely not my fault!  I will have it charged up and ready for Monday!  I will miss talking to you!

Lord, we look forward to time away in Your creation.  Help me to appreciate it and not get bogged down with details and plans, as I tend to do!  Please keep our family safe as we are together to celebrate each other’s company!  Comfort Joe in the fact that he will be greatly missed!!!   

What else would we do with our evenings?

I am so glad Stephen is playing on a T-ball team, otherwise I don’t know what we would do with ourselves 2 or 3 nights a week.  The update is still no “W” in our column, but they are more aggresive and attentive.  I just know it will happen.  It’s the competitive spirit in me!

Otherwise, today was not too exciting!  Although, we did have lunch with Uncle Alan and Nana (Joe’s bro and mom).  We are getting set for the weekend at the family reunion.  See Joe’s blog for what that is all about.  We will have a great time, but it will be hard without Joe there, emotionally and just plain logistically, keeping up with 2 kids all over that place!  There will be plenty of family to help out, though.  It is funny how much stuff I have to take just for an overnight trip, I can just imagine what it will be like having to include sleep items, swimsuits, many changes of clothes…oh, I need to start a list.

Joe has finally made it all the way to where he is going!  Vague, I know, but I can’t let those that don’t need that info come across it on the web.  Anyway, thanks for all the prayers that went with him in his travels.

I need to get to sleep!  The days are getting shorter or something, I can’t get it all done and get enough sleep to be a nice mommy the next day!

Pictures are of Stephen, of course, and part of his cheering section, my Granny and Grace.

Lord, I praise You for Joe’s safe arrival!  You prove Yourself faithful and that gives me hope for tomorrow.  Help me to praise You when things go well and when things don’t.  You are the same either way!  

Just the Girls

Stephen spent the night with Nana and Papa (Joe’s parents) last night, so Grace and I had some girl time.  We were outside playing ball in the picture above.  This has probably been the most one-on-one time I have ever spent with her, and Stephen was gone less than 24 hours.  We had a good time this morning and afternoon.  So that explains why 2 posts in a row are without pictures of Stephen.

Joe’s next leg of his flight is imminent, so please continue to pray for him.  I have a weird sense of loneliness when I think of the time difference where he is.  When I am awake in the afternoon and evening, he is sleeping, and when he is awake and going at it, I am fast asleep.  It’s weird, it’s not like I could just call him up and talk anyway!

This afternoon, since I picked up Stephen, has been a constant battle between he and Grace.  I am ready for bedtime to get here!  As I type, Grace is in the corner for fussing and Stephen just “wants some alone time” without her.  If they are interacting, it is fighting over a toy that neither has the slightest interest in otherwise.  Pardon me, while I free Grace from the corner and have her pray and apologize……OK, I’m sure that will be the last of that, ha!

Joe’s schedule has still not been too packed, so it has been nice to talk to him fairly frequently.  Things may change as he is soon to be at his duty station.   I thought we would be talking for 15 minutes every week or so.  They may still get that way, but I am enjoying the communication now!

Lord, please give me gentleness, compassion and patience with my children.  I need Your grace to make it.  Sometimes the day can take such a quick turn from feeling like I am on top of things, to feeling like I am about to scream.  Please give me joy in all situations and not allow my mood to change with the circumstances!