Becoming Real

So, we have somewhere around a week left until the hubby goes on deployment. It didn't quite hit me until yesterday during the deployment briefing (which is usually when it starts to become real). There was a family day at his command that included lunch, a big jumpy thing, the dive tank, and big trucks (as the boys put it). It was incredibly hot, somewhere in the 90's. That, along with the sadness that was hanging over most of us wives, made it difficult to enjoy. Logan was a big boy and jumped to his heart's delight, and Austin was in awe of the HMMWV (humvee). During the brief I got some great ideas on how to help children deal with deployment. When we were deploying without kids, I didn't even think about the ways a Dad being gone would affect kids. This being our second one with kids, and the boys being that much older, I worry more about how they will deal with it than I.

You see, I know I can handle the lonely nights, the missed phone calls, and seeing other wives and husbands enjoying life together. But will my boys understand that their Daddy still loves them? Do they know that their Daddy can't wait to wrestle and talk with them? Do they know the sacrifice that their Daddy is making AND the sacrifice they themselves are making? I pray daily that they won't cave in and regress due to Mike being gone, and I know that God will fill in and be Daddy for them. As I prepare these "extras" for the boys I will share the neat ideas about how to keep the family together. Thank God for people out there who care about military families and devote their jobs to making life easier for us!

The boys hanging out in the JERRV- the truck that Mike works out of doing demo and other great things:-)

Austin having a blast!