The Sweet and the Not So Sweet

Ian has had a bit of a rough time adjusting to his daddy not being around. He thought that I had taken Bill out to Ft Hood, left him there and that now Bill is lost. Ian started being aggressive toward me and his brother which was not normal. So I tried to explain to him that Bill was at work far, far away, but he continued to be mean to kids he was playing with. He even shoved one kid and I know he hasn't ever done that unless someone provokes him in the past. ARGH. So now I feel like the mom of the kid that no one wants to be around. Bill did finally manage to get a call through to us and he did talk to Ian. He told him that he wasn't lost and to be good for mommy. He has been a bit better since then. I'm hoping to see a marked improvement by the end of the weekend.

Ian does still have his sweet side though. He was so cute out picking "flowers for Mommy" while we were at the park today. We were there for the "predeployment party" and Ian did pretty good minding, etc. It also seems to have helped that we've been able to SKYPE with my inlaws and my parents. Just having that interaction seems to help keep Ian in check. Here's a picture of my sweet boy with his flowers for mommy.

God Bless Daddy and All Those Who Serve

We spent a lovely weekend in Arlington and Bill was able to share a couple of his loves with the boys before he left this morning. We drove up on Saturday morning and got stuck in a horrible traffic jam on the interstate, but still managed to get there in time to enjoy some baseball and swimming. We were able to get some great seats to the Rangers/Royals game and also a good deal on the Embassy Suites.



(and mostly because I think it's so stinking cute!):


Bill also took the time to teach Ian how to hit a ball off a T in a moment of spare time between packing. It was so fun to watch those 2 out there playing together.


This morning was the "dreaded day" for me. I am so very proud of my husband and all of the servicemen that do such a wonderful job keeping our country safe, but part of me is very sad knowing that he will miss so much here at home in the next year. I had the pleasure of reading one of my friend's blogs this morning before I came here to write this. She is much more eloquent than me and also is a military wife, but is also a military mom. Her two sons have followed in their dad's footsteps and have gone on to become military men in their own right. Her second son is on his way to MEPS today. She writes of her pride and her sorrow. It's the letting go part that seems the hardest regardless of how many times you've come across the path of separation. I took great comfort in her words because they seem to be very much how I feel even though I am sending off a husband this time and she is sending her son off to basic training. (I'm going to ask her permission to link her blog to this post and will add it when she says ok.)

So our prayers today are with the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that serve our fine nation. We pray especially today for Bill and for "Carkiller." Bill and his unit are on their way to Afghanistan to serve for a yearlong deployment and "Carkiller" is on his way to MEPS, his swearing in ceremony and then to basic training at Ft Jackson, SC. We pray for their safety and their success. We pray that God places His hand of protection over them. We pray for the families that are left behind. And we pray that His Will be done in all of the lives involved.