Weekends are the worst...

Well we have passed the 4 month mark and we are now into September. We are as busy as ever and just trying to keep our heads about water. Aidan has started school and soccer and loves both very much. Riley enjoys doing anything her big brother does and is growing up way too fast. I am just trying to stay sane. I love my children more than I could ever explain but a year is a very long time and here we are with only 4 months down. The weeks seem to go by pretty fast for the most part because it's almost as if he's at work. We are used to running our day on our own but when it comes time for the weekend we get a little more lonely. We have lots of friends here in Augusta and great friends at that but like every other family I know they spend their time as a family on the weekends and I don't blame them one bit that's what we always did. That being said it gets really quiet on the weekends. We don't usually meet up with anyone but we do our own thing and yes that is nice but the lack of adult conversation and interaction gets tough. Our communication with Sean has also not been the best, he is traveling a lot and super busy so we will get a few days without hearing from him at all. Aidan can't stop talking about Daddy and saving this for Daddy or doing that with Daddy. It's kind of sad because he truly has no idea how long he will be gone. It is also very sweet because he wants to keep Daddy included in all we do.

Aidan has also learned about what war is or has some idea now. I don't really know where he learned this but lately he has been talking about the bad Army and Daddy being in the good Army. I tell him Daddy is a good guy and we tend to move on. Today he kept going and asked if Daddy had to fight and if he was hitting the other kids daddy's that were in the bad Army. I have NO IDEA where he learned this and was taken off guard I wasn't sure how to answer so I told him Daddy mostly just helps people and if he has to fight he will fight. I don't want to scare him and I wish I knew where he was getting this information about war and how much to go into detail about it. I also don't know how to address Sept. 11th which is right around the corner I want him to know something about the day but once again don't want to scare him and it is such an emotional day that I don't even know if I can talk to him about it. So many thoughts running through my head right now about so many things I'm starting to go crazy not completely but maybe a little bit. Some times I just feel like I need a break or I'm going to scream but not necessarily from my children just everything in general. I can't wait for things to be back to normal again! I miss having my fun weekends with the whole family. I miss having dinner with an adult there is so much I miss.

On a positive note I had two people bless me with random acts of kindness this weekend. I received a card in the mail with a gift certificate to a local restaurant so I wouldn't have to cook one night. I also found a note written on a McDonald's napkin under my windshield wiper that said "Tell your solider thank you for their service! May they all come home safe and soon! God Bless you!" I was blown away but both acts of kindness.

I'm going to leave you with a few tips if you know of someone with a deployed spouse....

1. Don't just make them dinner or offer to make them dinner, have dinner with them. Don't get me wrong it is extremely nice to receive a dinner but the company would be just as welcome.

2. Weekends and night time are the hardest it gets very lonely here after 8 PM!

3. Don't hesitate to Thank a solider or their family it means a lot to them!

4. Most importantly don't forget we are at war still and there are a lot of people big and small effected by this war and we do it because WE LOVE THIS COUNTRY!

Almost to the 4 month mark

It's August 20th and we are just about to the 4 month down mark. A ton has happened since I last posted but putting pictures up keeps me away. Today you will only get 1 photo and a lot of my thoughts. My baby girl turned 1 I can't believe how fast she is growing up she really is an amazing little girl full of so much happiness, love and a whole lot of crazy. We spent most of the month of July in Massachusetts and went on many adventures. It is always nice to take the kids to Boston and show them places that I went to as a kid. We spend some time at the beach, in the city, did a little camping and even explored some harbor islands it was a great trip. We saw lots of friends and family and I just tried to keep the stress to a minimum so I didn't call some people I normally would have and just let people come to me if we were available. We do what we need to do to get through each day. That being said we are starting to struggle a bit. I think the kids, more so Aidan are really starting to miss Daddy. I am losing my patience and Sean just wants to come home. We will get through it but right now we are in rut. We had a great time being on vacation in both MA and FL but are ready for some normalcy again. The kids seem happy to be home but may have picked up a few bad habits which I'm trying to break and it's wearing on me. It's great to get away and visit people but it would be nice if someone could visit us! We have a ton going on right now and the house is being neglected it's not too bad but I still haven't unpacked from FL :-) Aidan has lots of new things going on he started soccer last week and I suddenly became the coach. He loves soccer and CONSTANTLY wants to play I have no problems with this. He starts school on Monday and is pretty excited. He will be going 1 day a week and I will get some 1 on 1 time with the little lady. We are excited for the new adventures and ready to get out of our funk. I am looking forward to R&R and hoping that it happens over Aidan's birthday since he told me that Daddy needs to come to his bike party and that Daddy will be there. I told him I wasn't sure what would happen and reminded him that Daddy had to miss Riley's birthday so he might have to miss yours to but we will see. He handled it the best way possible and said "Well Daddy's going to miss all the fun" he looked sad but that was the best way to take it. This post has been all over the map but I am feeling a little better. I can't wait to get out of this rut. Sean/Daddy we miss you and we know you miss us but we will all stay strong and get through this only 243 days until Disney ;-)

Roo on her birthday!

What a week!

So I just deleted a really long post but here's the short version:

My week looked like it was going to be really uneventful with the exception of a tubes surgery for Riley on Tuesday. Monday I got a call that Aidan's surgery was approved (removal of adenoids and removal/replacement of his tube) on Weds. the week suddenly got busier. I knew what to expect for Riley so I wasn't too worried but it was still surgery. I had a lot of people volunteered to help me out in anyway and a two friends who told me they were watching the kids for me so I could take care of whoever was actually have surgery that day. Aidan went to a friend's house on Tuesday morning and was happy as can be while I took care of a less happy Riley. She did well with her surgery but the fasting was REALLY hard on both of us. She didn't get her surgery until about 9:15 and was at nearly the 12 hour mark since her last meal. Once she came out of surgery I nursed her and she was out for a nap. The rest of the day was smooth sailing.

Aidan's surgery was much earlier in the morning and friend came to pick up Riley around 5 AM before Aidan was up. He asked right away where his sister was and once I let him know she was in the care of Miss Megan he was ok to head to the hospital. He seemed very nervous/silly and overtired at the hospital. It was hard to try not to be on him too much because I know he just couldn't express his emotions but come on buddy act like you know how to behave :-) We ended up reading a new magazine which helped pass the time until they took him back for surgery. He suddenly become very nervous and clutched my leg saying "I want you to come with me" it was heart breaking but he had his Daddy doll and I felt that would comfort him. I told him you don't need me you have Daddy he'll take good care of you. He put his Daddy doll in his mouth because after all he is a dog and put his doggie blanket under his arm and was off to the OR. I was pretty nervous but knew he would be ok. I had read on line that the recovery from adenoid removal is pretty tough. He was back for about 45 minutes when the doc came out and told me everything went very well and that we made the right decision to take the adenoids which gave me relief if we were going to put him through so much pain. When Aidan woke up I wasn't with him but they brought him to me and he was in rough shape. I hated the sight of an IV in his hand. I pulled him from the nurses arms and tried to calm him. He was very disoriented and upset. I could tell he was in significant pain he just couldn't get comfortable. We were in a bay and every time he would fall asleep another child would be loud and wake him. They ended up discharging him rather quickly. When he did wake up he asked right away if we could get Riley it was pretty cute. He didn't talk much for the first several hours and wanted nothing to do with food. I took him home and we watched a movie when he finally asked for some ice cream. He showed some signs of life here and there but was really in a lot of pain. He is doing better now but still looks a mess. He has a stiff neck, constant uncontrollable drooling and drainage out of his nose like I have never seen before. I hope he starts feeling better soon.

Thursday my goal was to relax at home and not go to a doctor or hospital that plan didn't last long! I went to switch over some laundry as soon as we came down for the morning only to do something horrible to my back. I twisted and felt the worst pain I have ever felt! Yes worse than labor. I didn't think I could stand straight again and I had scared the children. Somehow I got to the couch and laid down....stupid plan I know. I asked Aidan to get my phone and computer so I could get help. He was very helpful and I called EVERYONE I knew to help me out. I may have even cried to Aidan about how I really needed Daddy which only served to scare him even more. He kept hugging me asking me if I was ok and trying to cheer me up it was pretty cute and heart breaking. I ended up getting a hold of a friend who came to my rescue and literally carried me out to her car so I could get to the hospital. She then took care of both of my kids for me. I'm not sure what I did to deserve such great friends.

Sacrifice and Father's Day!

Well it's Sean's 4th father's day and his 3rd one deployed I'm not sure last year's even counts since we both had the stomach bug but will count it anyway. Today I decided to finally check out the lake since everyone would be busy with family I thought it would be the perfect thing to do. We started off the morning with a phone call from Daddy and production of a video for him. After getting a later than I wanted start we made our way to the beach. We drove by one of Aidan's friends' houses and he asked where they were today. I told him they would be spending time with their Daddy. He responded with "cause it's father's day?" I say yes and he said "but why can't we hang out with our Daddy" I wanted to cry and pull that car over to give him the biggest hug ever but instead I turned it into a lesson and stayed strong. I took a deep breath and told him Daddy had to be far away to help people and it was a sacrifice that we had to make. Of course he then asked what sacrifice meant and I did my best to explain it at a 3 year old level. He dropped the subject and seemed a little sad but let me know when "Daddy comes home to us" (a phrase he says a lot) we will throw a birthday party for him with a big cake and Aidan will help him blow out the candle because he's a big boy. This thought seemed to make him happy and we moved on with our day. I was a little sad that I had to teach my son about sacrifice at such a young age but also realized that we aren't the only ones without Daddy home today and that we were going to make the most of this day and every other day. We continued to drive on and after a turn a little too early we found our way to the Thurmond Damn and Visitor's Center. We got out to get some directions and Aidan was so excited to explore so we did a bit of exploring then made our way to Pointes West Army Recreation Site. It was dead and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. It was pretty small but nice they even lend you lounge chairs and umbrellas for free. The kids got right to digging and having fun and I actually got to just RELAX while I watched them play. Aidan asked to go down to the water so we went to check it out. He wasn't a big fan of the lake water at first. I had to threaten to take away his shovel (cruel I know but it worked). He went in and had fun but WOULDN'T swim just walk around and splash. We ended up playing catch with a football for a long time and it was quite enjoyable. Aidan was throwing the ball right to me every time and catching it most of the time. It was fun to be able to play a real game of catch with the little man. Riley had fun in the water as usual and of course LOVED walking around with the shovel like her big brother. After about 4 hours we thought it was best to head home for the day. Aidan was definitely tired and kept telling Riley it was ok if she slept in the car she could just hold his hand and close his eyes. I think he was really hoping she would do that so he could nap to0. We got just a few miles from the house and he said "oh no we didn't sleep we're home" The rest of the day we spent relaxing and enjoying our family.

Daddy we miss you and can't wait for you to come home. Thanks for all you do for this great nation and we support you 100% Stay safe and know that we couldn't be more proud of you and that you are the best Daddy for this family. You are also expected to go to the lake with us when you come home. Aidan let me know he wanted to go back with Daddy.

A map of the lake at the visitor's center
Showing me where he wants to go!
Ry woke up for a photo
Goof balls!
Riley was so excited to play in the sand...
and splashing in the water!
Aidan enjoyed digging and tossing some sand in the water.

He worked hard on a sand castle which required many buckets of water.

Riley is always trying to keep up with her big brother.

Working hard!
Looking for Mr. Mallard aka the Canadian Geese
My handsome boy...

Hilton Head

Sean and I have always been Disney fans and wanted to pass the love of Disney onto our kids. We decided to join the DVC when I was pregnant with Aidan and have been able to take several trips. Last Memorial Day weekend we had tried to go to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort but thought of it too late and couldn't get reservations. Sean promised me we would go this Memorial Day and it was really something I was looking forward to but we found out Sean was set to deploy. The date was sometime in July so we could still get our trip in but then the dates changed and he left end of April. One day I was thinking about and dreading the deployment and Sean said why don't you ask Megan and her family to go with you guys to Hilton Head I think it would be fun. I wasn't sure anyone would want to tag along with me on a trip but sure enough The Harkins' family jumped right on it and we planned our trip. We booked a two bedroom and were ready for adventure. Aidan was so excited that he would be going to the beach with his friends Ethan and Madeline and talked about it constantly. We arrived before our friends and were able to scope out the place a bit. Aidan and Riley made sure to check out every room and as many hammocks as possible. We were even surprised by Daddy with a little Disney magic in the room. He had called the resort and told them he was deployed to Iraq and wanted to have something special for the kids in the room. They told him not to worry about it just to call back and it would be taken care of. When we arrived in our room to balloons and a bag Aidan was so excited. He started jumping up and down saying "it's my birthday it's my birthday!" It really was a nice touch and made us feel more connected to Daddy. I asked Aidan who do you think sent that and without hesitation he said "Daddy." Thanks again Daddy the kids were so excited and the stuffed Mickey and Minnie are quickly becoming some of Riley's favorite toys.

The timing of our trip also happened to fall at the 1 month down mark. Last time Sean was deployed I had read that you should do something special to celebrate each passing month. This was a big celebration but the first month is tough and we made it. We enjoyed our time with friends and a family in Hilton Head. I had some opportunities to spend one on one time with both kids. Aidan and I spent some time just splashing in the ocean and another day riding his bike and exploring the resort. It was a very relaxing weekend and we look forward to future trips to Hilton Head Island where Daddy will join us in the fun.

We made it and Riley wasn't a fan of the wood chips!
The Live Oak Lodge where we checked in
Aidan was so excited for our trip he wouldn't change out of his PJs incase he slept in the car
Checking out Shadow's house the official dog of DHHIR
He wasted no time getting on the hammock
Sporting his 1st visit pins while we waited for the room to be ready
Happy to be able to walk around and not be on wood chips!

I love this picture of Aidan off to our room!
So excited for a little Disney magic
Showing off their loot...Thanks Daddy!

Peek-a- Roo (ok I thought that was funny)
Our view
Waiting on their friends to arrive
The distances to all the DVC resorts
The best way to check out the resort is to hop on your Strider
Aidan requested a photo on this tree
Checking out the fishing pier before the campfire
I love how this captures Roo's personality
Waiting on the campfire to start

S'more fun then he could handle (wow I'm punny tonight)
Watching Tangled on the inflatable screen
Breakfast and match game with Daddy via facetime
Finally he made it to the beach!
They did a lot of digging and sharing. I still can't believe how well the kids played together.

This girl loves the beach just like her Momma!
Stick a fork in her she's done!
About to body slam Daddy after dinner at The Salty Dog Cafe

The kids couldn't get enough of the shuttle to the beach
waiting patiently

Enjoying some Mommy and Aidan time
Bubble bath anyone?
This is the result of turning the jets on with bubble bath :-)
We finally caught some crabs only took two crabbing trips.

One last important highlight of our trip was Aidan learned how to swim on his own. We are so very proud of him!