Almost Goodbye Again

It's that time :) James will be leaving for Afghanistan soon and Charlie and I are gearing ourselves up for another goodbye. I'm not worried about her forgetting him this time because she is older and can communicate so much more than before. We have another little one on the way (surprise!) so that makes me a little more worried this time, but I know God is in control and I have family and friends surrounding me ready to help.

We are getting ready to brave the potty training front!! If anyone has tips I sure could use them. It seems like a huge challenge to me right now. Charlie is growing by leaps and bounds and still has the sweet temperment she has always had. She has her tantrum moments but don't we all!

We just joined Southwest Baptist Church this past Sunday and met a LOT of new, wonderful people and are enjoying seeing a lot of old friends there lately. Our Sunday school class is starting to feel like a little family (and by little I mean the size of a small church).

Keep us in your prayers!

Her War Her Voice

Her War Her Voice supports our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors by supporting their loved ones. They asked for new bloggers and I am one of them! So from a newbie 68W Army National Guard wife, this is what I wrote back at the beginning of May and they will be publishing it soon.

Most of my time while my husband was away at basic training was spent writing letters and taking care of our daughter. I was so overwhelmed after he first left, but I would NOT let myself cry. I had the mentality (from reading it EVERYWHERE) that I was supposed to be Army strong now, and I was pretty sure that meant no crying and especially no complaining because didn't we sign up for this? Didn't we know going into it that it would be hard? I was terrified to even whine in the slightest bit for fear that someone would voice those very words to me. I took pictures and videos, I waited for 30 second phone calls that never came, I wrote lengthy and supportive letters, I cleaned, I changed diapers, I paid bills, I planned our daughter's one-year old birthday party, I talked to other Army spouses and tried to be uplifting to them even when I was the one that needed uplifted, I did everything in my power to be the Army wife and mother I thought I should be. I met a few other military spouses online and began talking to them and realized very quickly that...hey, we're human. Being in the military doesn't all of a sudden make you this powerful Stepford Wifeish supermom. It just means that you are willing to do what it takes and that somehow you will find that courage along the way...most likely that courage will come from another military spouse pushing you on when they are having a good day, then you can return the favor to them when they need a push in the right direction. My husband is in AIT now and won't be returning until the end of August, but I know now that it is OKAY to have a bad day. It's okay to cry. It's okay to be human. It's a GOOD thing that I miss him so much and this time away will only make our reunion that much sweeter.

38 days!!

It's hard to believe it, but in 38 days we will finally have James back home! He's been gone for 170 days today. We were able to go visit him for the 4th of July weekend. It was the first time he had seen Charlie since April and also the first time he saw her walk!! We went to the San Antonio Zoo while we were down there and just really enjoyed every moment together. Charlie is growing by leaps and bounds and is constantly amazing me with how smart she is. She is very curious and loves to figure out how things work. I love teaching her new things!! Charlie and I will be moving back down to Oklahoma at the beginning of August (with some help!) and I am really looking forward to having all of my own things back. We have really enjoyed spending time with family in Kansas. It's been so nice to just drive 30 minutes to visit my grandparents whenever I want. We'll miss everyone in Kansas but we can't wait to get James back for sure.

The house that built me

I am VERY aware every day that I am forming a person into what she will become one day. It is such a huge responsibility and at the same time...the most amazing joy that I have ever had. Someone asked me, "Do you every feel like you've created a monster because you love Charlie so much?" I honestly don't. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with her, teaching her and loving her. I don't want to make her into the person I think she should be, I want to give her the tools, knowledge and drive to realize that she can be whatever she wants to be. I want to teach her to rely on God and to believe in her dreams. I DO hold her a lot, play with her a lot, talk to her a lot...so naturally she expects me to do those things constantly. But why would I have a kid unless I plan on spending time with her? hm? I wonder about parents who have children and then just feel like they are some sort of trophy to dress up and show off on special occasions. Anywho!! I love being a mommy. It's what I was born to do :) James has finally started classes at Fort Sam Houston! 16 weeks from now, he will be a medic in the Army National Guard. I couldn't be a more proud wife! I look back on my life at some of the guys I dated and thank God that I didn't make a mistake and marry the wrong man. I made many mistakes, but not that one :) He is our hero and we miss him VERY much.

Lately...

Well I have LOT to update! November, 2009, James and I agreed that he would join the Army National Guard! On February 1st, I dropped James off in Lexington, Oklahoma, where he would ship out for Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Charlie and I headed up to Kansas, where we are now, to stay with my folks while James is gone. James graduated from Basic on April 16th, 2010, and we couldn't be more proud!!! He is now at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas for his training to be a combat medic and we miss him soooooo so much. We are staying connected through pictures, videos and phone calls. He will finish his training at the end of August and then we can all be together again in Oklahoma. We are counting down the days!! Charlie is growing so fast I can hardly believe my eyes when I look at old pictures. She had her first birthday while James was away, so we took a LOT of pictures for him. I will try to keep this more updated from now on!

Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on

We are all moved into our new home in Oklahoma! Charlie loves her new bedroom and has really adapted well. It was hard to leave our first home, but it is all for the best. We still have a LOT to unpack! We are slowly digging our way through it all. Charlie is growing up so fast! She is almost six months old now, and is starting to roll around and learn new things. She LOVES playing with her feet :)

Charlie has also learned her first word! Of course it's Mama :) I was very happy about that.

Hopefully I will be better about blogging more often now.

Father's Day Present