There is just something about a Dad!

There is just something about a Dad!  My children’s father is pretty awesome!  He is a teacher by nature and although each of our children respond to his instruction differently, he can teach them most things WAY better than I can.  I do well with making sure they say “thank you” and “please.”  I do well with the girls and making sure they talk sweet and play nice.  I encourage my boys and am their biggest fan, but their Dad is the teacher.  

Today, he taught our Middle Girl to ride a bike.  Nine years old and now she rides a two-wheeler.  It wasn’t for a lack of me trying to help her perfect this skill.  While Daddy was deployed overseas we had many a lesson.  It didn’t help and none of the skills stuck.  Today, about an hour after pumping up her tires on her new bike, he had her riding all over the street.  She’s a pro!  

There is just something about a Dad! 

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He’s home!

He’s home!  He came home two days early!  Two bonus days with my soldier!  Goodness, it feels good to have him home!  

I’ve slept through the night for two straight nights!  My heart rate has decreased.  My stress level is near zero and I just feel so HAPPY!  

It’s over!  The long deployment that seemed it would never end is over!

He’s coming home!

He should be home next month!  It’s almost over, this long deployment!  I cannot even begin to describe the relief that I am feeling knowing that my soldier is almost home!  

I told the kiddos to make lists of what they want to do with Daddy when he gets here.  I told them we couldn’t do everything right away, but that we will work through their lists.  My husband still won’t be home full-time for a while.  His job is going to be complicated this year and he will be doing a lot of traveling, but he will be here for weekends, birthdays, and Christmas!  All of the things that he missed last year!  I’m so excited!!!

15 years

Its been fifteen years since the day that I met my husband, my soulmate!  I cannot believe it has been that long and yet it feels longer.  I am so looking forward to him coming home next month and getting to spend time with him!  I don’t want much, just to sit next to him, hold his hand, hear his voice (not through the phone) and wake up beside him each and every day!  I can’t wait!  I feel extremely lucky and blessed that I am married to my best friend, and that after all of this time, I still really like him and want to be around him!  I guess long deployments and military assignments are good for one thing.  They sure do make you realize how much you love and miss somebody when they’re gone.  I cannot wait til he’s home! 

It’s been 41 days since a social worker has been in our home.

It feels wrong.  I am so used to having a visit from a social worker at least once every two weeks.  We have two workers.  One from our agency and one from the county.  They both visit us once a month.  So, it is usually about every two weeks that we see one of them in our home.  But, since Little Man left over a month ago, we haven’t seen either of them.  Now, we have a visit scheduled for tomorrow with our worker from our agency, so the whole “social worker fast” will be over, but I was just sitting here today thinking how nice its been.  It is not that we don’t like our social workers.  Actually, the very opposite is true.  We like both of them very much, but its nice to just live life and forget about foster care for a while.

We’ve visited the beach, played in our pool, taken walks, watched movies, and just enjoyed being a family.  Only one more month and our Daddy will be home from his deployment to Afghanistan too and we’ll all get to celebrate together!

I’m Tired

I’m really really tired!  I’ve been a “geographically single” parent for eleven months now and I’m exhausted.  I’m tired of being completely responsible for everyone and everything all by myself.  I want my husband back!  I want to relax.  I want a full night’s rest.  I want to be able to fully and completely let go and let him take care of me for a few days. I know he wants to be here!  It won’t be much longer.  In a few days we’ll be at the one month count down.  I can hardly wait!  The kids can hardly wait!  We are so ready to have our soldier home!!!

No digital device for a while

Okay, so yea, I can’t exactly give up my cell phone right now.  I’m a military wife, with a husband serving overseas, I am NOT going to miss his calls.  But, I am going to give up the IPAD and any non-essential digital device applications for the rest of this month.  I had the idea when I realized that when I am stressed, worried, or panicked even (I’m a foster mom, this happens daily) I reach for the device.  I post on Facebook asking for prayer before I even pray for the situation myself.  Something is really very wrong with that!  I’m not doing it anymore!  I KNOW that our situation with our foster babies needs prayer!  I KNOW that the ONLY answer to my worry and frustration with their case is to bring it to God and to lay it at the feet of Jesus.

So, instead of posting, texting or messaging for the rest of this month, I’m going “old fashioned” and journalling my “conversations with God.”  I’m going to keep track of my thoughts and prayers and give them to Jesus.  I’m going to create a notebook where I can keep track of my prayers and witness the answers that God gives me.  Even if those answers are not the ones I’m expecting or anticipating, I want to keep track of them.

I want an amazing testimony when this is all said and done and I can’t have that if I don’t MOVE MY BEHIND over and give God room to work!  I absolutely HAVE TO LET GO.  So, here it goes!  I’m gonna try!  Wish me luck!

Mondays

Mondays are our busy days. After school we have ballet lessons, tap dance lessons, soccer practice, and homework for the three big kids. When we are done with a Monday, I always feel like we have conquered the impossible! Five kids, one mama, driving all over town, and still managing to feed everyone and get everyone to bed at a decent hour. Monday, I am so glad that you are over!

We got approval for our June vacation!

We’re planning a beautiful, private beach, 3 pool resort type of vacation for when my soldier returns from deployment. Having foster children means that we can’t just leave the state whenever we like no matter if the next state over is only an hour away. We have to get permission first. So, when I found the PERFECT resort for our family, that had everything we were looking for in a vacation spot AND they had a unit available during the month after my soldier gets back, I was so excited! But, I needed to get permission first because the resort is a state away.

Well, today I got the email I was waiting for! We have permission to take our ENTIRE family on a vacation of a lifetime! I am so happy! I really want/need this vacation after this deployment, but I was NOT willing to go without our babies! So, the supportive email today from DHR, stating that our family has permission to take our babies across state lines was an answer to my prayers!!!

My mind was playing tricks on me.

We were at church tonight, the kids and I. After it was over and I was trying to get them to move a little bit faster I said, “Come on you guys! We need to hurry up, let’s go… Don’t you want to get home to see…” And there I stood, frozen. I almost said, “to see Daddy.” I really did have the picture in my mind of him sitting at home after work, waiting on us to get home, so he could help me put the babies into a bath and help the big kids with homework. Only thing is, he isn’t at home. He’s thousands of miles away and it was just my mind playing tricks on me. Stupid mind!