One week down!

Although Rick hasn't actually reached his final destination to 'start' his deployment, our lives are already in full deployment swing. Here are some of the changes

1.  I am on high alert for a phone call or FaceTime.  I usually have my phone in my pocket, but there have already been a dozen frenzied dashes across the house to answer a call.  Shafer has learned to be completely silent when I freeze, cock my head, and get that crazy look in my eye..trying to decipher if I hear a ring, or if its just one of the five thousand sounds their toys make.

2.  Rick hid little notes all around the house for everyone, and it's always happy dance time when we find one.  I appreciate the effort that takes, and it puts a smile on my face every time I find one.  I even really appreciate the one I have found in my car regarding my driving.  (Sarcastic Font) Each little note we find is a great reminder that Daddy is thinking of us.

3.  Due to the outpouring of support from the arachnid population, a pest control company will be here tomorrow.

4.  The ones that pull on my heartstrings are when Shafer takes roll of who is home and who is 'bye byes.' Or, he hears the washer start and announcing, 'Daddy's Home!' When I explain it's the washer, and Daddy is still gone.  He gets serious, and says, "Daddy far away in Afghanistan (although I'm probably the only person that decipher his pronunciation of Afghanistan)  I rest easier knowing this daily activity is harder on me than it is on him.  

Cheers to one week down!

Brave faces the day before Rick left.

If you can't be with the one you love, Honey, BLOG!

Much like my last post, we are staring down another deployment.  It's a long one, and I would like to do a better job of chronicling our everyday activities to help Rick feel closer to home.  Additionally, I have always thought our crazy and amazing life would make a great TV show, so maybe Hollywood will call.  :)

Before he left, there was a lot to do….
Visit with family…

 
Celebrate our anniversary (early)

Yard work..

Measuring the height of the kids…

Leave messages for Shafer and Grace on their new recordable stuffed animals...


And, then it came time to leave.  This is a picture of my war fighter right before he went out the door!

And this is a picture of the light that would not turn off as soon as he was gone….switch up, light was on; switch down, light was on….and so it begins.

Second verse, same as the first

As Rick prepares to deploy again, we are preparing for another baby!  Wahooo!  Baby #2 is due June 21st!  We find out the gender this Thursday, January 17.  Rick thinks we are having a girl, and I'm pretty sure Shafer will have a little brother.
Speaking of Shafer, he is now on the run!  He is constantly running, climbing, and playing with Peanut.  I can't believe how much fun he is!  Below are some pictures of Shafer and Peanut playing in the backyard.  Peanut is hard to keep up with, but Shafer does his best.

Summer 2012

We are finally home from our summer Midwest tour.  We met our precious niece, Isla Elizabeth Mitchell, saw lots of friends and family, and Shafer learned to crawl!  It seems like I left home with a baby, and came home with a little boy!  Our house has also become a deathtrap.  Despite the numerous toys and books we have, Shafer prefers to go after any item that he will surely poke his eyes out with, or be crushed under.  He really loves the independence and mobility of his new walker.  Rick and I are developing callouses on our ankles and Peanut is in a constant state of scrambling to safety.  Shafer has five teeth, and is a really enthusiastic eater.  There is not much he hasn't liked, and Rick and I really enjoy our mealtimes together now.  Just today, he got to sample some dumplings and let us know how much he liked them with a big grin. Below, are some pictures from our trip!

Shafer's first 4th of July!

Isla and Shafer with Grandma Donna

Trying his first pancake!

On the move at Aunt Keri's house!

Visiting the 'Home of Popeye' Gma and Gpa M!

Shafer's Baptism

Shafer was baptized at St. James Lutheran church; the same church Rick and I had our ceremony in 2010!

Four months old!

Shafer is such a happy baby - smiling when I find him on his tummy in his crib in the morning, and giving me a sleepy grin with his heavy eyes at bedtime. Today, I gave him a frozen washcloth to soothe the TWO teeth that broke through his gums, and you would think I had given him a steak. He happily chewed on that until the Tylenol kicked in, and he was all smiles again.

He rolls over - easier from his back to his tummy than the other way around. Once he rolls over, he peers all around as if he has been dying to get this perspective. I rarely find him in the same position in his bed that I leave him in. Sometimes his feet are where his head should be, or he is sideways in the crib. He likes to have a hold of something when he falls asleep; either a blanket, an ear, or sometimes a bar of his crib like a little jailbird baby. Although it's too early to tell, he seems to be favoring his left hand...just like his daddy...