"Welcome Home, Ma'am" is how I was greeted when entering Fort Leonard Wood the evening before Dustin's graduation. At first I doubted I had heard the soldier correctly but he said it again. I found it interesting that he would say that.
The more I thought about it the more I came to realize that the Army is going to be our home. We will be moving multiple times but no matter how or where we move things will always be the same. I know that things will be hard at times but I can only think of the Army the same as I think of the Church - no matter where you go it's always the same. I am excited to become a part of this community.
I look foward to our new life, career and adventure. I am excited to have our family all together again. I am excited to be able to tell Dustin, "Welcome Home".
Monday, June 24, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
I'm Ready
I know I haven't written in a while. As it turns out it's kind of crazy caring for 3 boys (one of whom is an infant) without a husband at home. I never realized all the things I expected Dustin to do when we have a baby (more to come on this later in a Father's Day post)! I feel like I am on a ship that is barely floating; I'm not sinking, but I'm certainly not going anywhere fast.
I have also had a hard time with the fact that Dustin has been gone for so long and I hadn't seen him since February 3. February 3rd is the day we dropped him off at the recruiting office to get a ride down to Salt Lake to go through MEPS again before shipping out to Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood. February 3rd was the last time I had been able to hug and kiss my husband. It's been hard. It's been very hard.
I was able to travel with Benjamin to Fort Leonard Wood to see Dustin graduate from AIT. My sister was kind enough to come stay with David and Matthew so that I could make the trip with some sanity. June 5, 2013 at about 5:30pm central time was the first time I had seen my husband in 17 1/2 weeks. June 5, 2013 at about 5:35pm central time Dustin was able to lay eyes on his newborn son for the first time in person - not through picture texts or over Skype. We took the little time we had Wednesday to get some dinner and for Dustin to hold Benjamin. Dustin held Benjamin almost the entire time we were together aside from eating his sandwich and the little time it took me to feed Benjamin. We said good night to each other at 7pm and went our separate ways for the night.
The next morning, June 6th Dustin graduated. We spent the day snacking at Starbucks, exploring the commissary and picking up fixings for a picnic lunch. We ate lunch in the park across the street from the barracks and then just walked holding hands along the paths. We took time to explore some of the forested areas of the post and we played a little miniature golf (Dustin won and in winning I had to kiss him - I didn't mind though). We ate dinner at the bowling alley and then cried for about an hour prior to our final good byes. Dustin spent time holding Benjamin. We had a very difficult time saying good bye once again. Dustin wasn't coming home with me because he still had to go to Airborne school. Due to the Memorial Day holiday his AIT graduation was on a Thursday instead of a Wednesday which meant he and his other airborne buddies needed to stay at Fort Leonard Wood until the following week to have the time to travel down to Fort Benning and start with the next class.
I never thought it would be as hard as it was to say good bye. It was hard when he left in February, but leaving him again after already being parted for 17 1/2 weeks was excruciating! I know that we were only parting for another 4 weeks, and after the time we had already been separated it should have seemed easy, but it was so hard to leave. I will be so glad to have my husband home in July!
All of that being said, I feel renewed after visiting with Dustin. I have had a week to process our second departure and know that I can make it just a little longer. I am ready to get myself back in order. I am ready to get my family back to church - all of it (we have made it on time for the past two weeks!). I am ready to start blogging again. I am ready to get my boys back on schedule. I am ready for a routine. I have passed my 6 week recovery and I am ready to start exercising again. I am ready. I am ready. I am ready. I have to keep telling myself that.
There is a saying about being Army Strong. I must admit that as strong as I am (or have learned to be) I sometimes have to tell myself that I am Army Amazing. Amazing seems better than Strong and I just need a little extra confidence sometimes. For the last month of Dustin being gone I think Army Amazing will be my daily mantra.
I have also had a hard time with the fact that Dustin has been gone for so long and I hadn't seen him since February 3. February 3rd is the day we dropped him off at the recruiting office to get a ride down to Salt Lake to go through MEPS again before shipping out to Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood. February 3rd was the last time I had been able to hug and kiss my husband. It's been hard. It's been very hard.
I was able to travel with Benjamin to Fort Leonard Wood to see Dustin graduate from AIT. My sister was kind enough to come stay with David and Matthew so that I could make the trip with some sanity. June 5, 2013 at about 5:30pm central time was the first time I had seen my husband in 17 1/2 weeks. June 5, 2013 at about 5:35pm central time Dustin was able to lay eyes on his newborn son for the first time in person - not through picture texts or over Skype. We took the little time we had Wednesday to get some dinner and for Dustin to hold Benjamin. Dustin held Benjamin almost the entire time we were together aside from eating his sandwich and the little time it took me to feed Benjamin. We said good night to each other at 7pm and went our separate ways for the night.
The next morning, June 6th Dustin graduated. We spent the day snacking at Starbucks, exploring the commissary and picking up fixings for a picnic lunch. We ate lunch in the park across the street from the barracks and then just walked holding hands along the paths. We took time to explore some of the forested areas of the post and we played a little miniature golf (Dustin won and in winning I had to kiss him - I didn't mind though). We ate dinner at the bowling alley and then cried for about an hour prior to our final good byes. Dustin spent time holding Benjamin. We had a very difficult time saying good bye once again. Dustin wasn't coming home with me because he still had to go to Airborne school. Due to the Memorial Day holiday his AIT graduation was on a Thursday instead of a Wednesday which meant he and his other airborne buddies needed to stay at Fort Leonard Wood until the following week to have the time to travel down to Fort Benning and start with the next class.
I never thought it would be as hard as it was to say good bye. It was hard when he left in February, but leaving him again after already being parted for 17 1/2 weeks was excruciating! I know that we were only parting for another 4 weeks, and after the time we had already been separated it should have seemed easy, but it was so hard to leave. I will be so glad to have my husband home in July!
All of that being said, I feel renewed after visiting with Dustin. I have had a week to process our second departure and know that I can make it just a little longer. I am ready to get myself back in order. I am ready to get my family back to church - all of it (we have made it on time for the past two weeks!). I am ready to start blogging again. I am ready to get my boys back on schedule. I am ready for a routine. I have passed my 6 week recovery and I am ready to start exercising again. I am ready. I am ready. I am ready. I have to keep telling myself that.
There is a saying about being Army Strong. I must admit that as strong as I am (or have learned to be) I sometimes have to tell myself that I am Army Amazing. Amazing seems better than Strong and I just need a little extra confidence sometimes. For the last month of Dustin being gone I think Army Amazing will be my daily mantra.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Mother's Day
We Skyped with Dustin on Mother's Day. He captured some still frames of that conversation.
Dustin and I are just talking, enjoying our conversation.
Then our child #2 appears in various stages of clothing. At one point he was completely naked.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Skype
Children make terrible skypers! Children make terrible skypers because first they are easily distracted, second they don't manage their time to talk very well, and third they don't share the screen and siblings will fight over the computer.
The computer can be very distracting, there is so much to look at and play with. When Skypeing I find that my children are easily distracted by the picture in picture. They like to look at their faces and then to see their dad's reaction. Most of the time this will occur and the conversation will go something like this,
kids: "Dad can you see us?"
dad: "Yes, I see you"
kids: dead silence for at least 1 minute
"Dad did you see my face?"
dad: "Yes, I saw"
This will continue for 5-10 minutes. The whole time Dustin will try to ask the boys questions that may or may not be answered.
As you can see from the conversation above the boys just can't focus on actually talking to their dad. The kids will just play while "talking" to their dad. Time that if they would actually talk to their dad I wouldn't mind sharing, but since they just play, it makes me sad that I'm not able to get a turn.
The boys will carry on with all of this for the entire time we have to skype. The only thing missing is the constant bickering between the boys about who gets to have their face on the computer next or that the screen is not being shared equally.
At some point, usually the last couple minutes of our Skype time, I will kick the boys off the computer. I then get my turn to talk which will inevitably get cut short because our connection will drop. Dustin and I will try to reconnect via Skype and we'll end up just talking on the phone.
In all of our Skypeing attempts Dustin has been able to see Benjamin, I have been able to see Dustin and where he is living. I am grateful for the communication we do get to have with him and will be glad to have him home once again. I think the boys will like having him home too.
The computer can be very distracting, there is so much to look at and play with. When Skypeing I find that my children are easily distracted by the picture in picture. They like to look at their faces and then to see their dad's reaction. Most of the time this will occur and the conversation will go something like this,
kids: "Dad can you see us?"
dad: "Yes, I see you"
kids: dead silence for at least 1 minute
"Dad did you see my face?"
dad: "Yes, I saw"
This will continue for 5-10 minutes. The whole time Dustin will try to ask the boys questions that may or may not be answered.
As you can see from the conversation above the boys just can't focus on actually talking to their dad. The kids will just play while "talking" to their dad. Time that if they would actually talk to their dad I wouldn't mind sharing, but since they just play, it makes me sad that I'm not able to get a turn.
The boys will carry on with all of this for the entire time we have to skype. The only thing missing is the constant bickering between the boys about who gets to have their face on the computer next or that the screen is not being shared equally.
At some point, usually the last couple minutes of our Skype time, I will kick the boys off the computer. I then get my turn to talk which will inevitably get cut short because our connection will drop. Dustin and I will try to reconnect via Skype and we'll end up just talking on the phone.
In all of our Skypeing attempts Dustin has been able to see Benjamin, I have been able to see Dustin and where he is living. I am grateful for the communication we do get to have with him and will be glad to have him home once again. I think the boys will like having him home too.
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