We Heart FL!

First off, I'd like to apologize for all the photos in this post, but it was the beach...can you blame me?!  We were fortunate enough to be able to take a FABULOUS vacation to Okaloosa Island, FL during R&R.  The Lord blessed us with gorgeous weather, and a beautiful condo right on the beach!  It was our third time to the beach as a family (you can read about our other beach vacations here and here), but only our second with Caellum.  The boys loved the beach!  Ty had a blast swimming in the ocean with Daddy, but Caellum was a little more reserved about going into the water.  Caellum had more fun digging in the sand and chasing the sea gulls than anything!  We saw dolphins every day, and on our last day, we even saw a shark (and jellyfish) swimming in shin-deep water...yikes!  Good thing we didn't see that shark until our last day!  Looking at these pictures make me wish we were still there!

Caellum playing in the sand

 Trying to get a good pic of both boys together...it's nearly impossible!

Good pic of the four of us...even more difficult!

Ty buried in the sand

Tried to spell their names out in the sand...didn't do such a good job at that!

Daddy and his boys

Fishing off the pier with Daddy

Aunt Kathy (who lives near Orlando, FL) made the 7 hour drive up for one night just to see us!  You can read about the amazing things she's doing for our military men and women here.  She is awesome, and we love her!

Me and my man!

The four of us in the pool

I could wake up to this view every day of my life!  This was taken from our balcony.

Eglin Air Force Base was right on our way, so we stopped there to do our grocery shopping at the commissary!  And we also took the time to visit their museum.

Caellum was conked out during our museum visit.

They had a little jet simulator you could sit in .  Ty was in heaven!  He asked us where the keys go, and where he could put his snacks. :-)  He had a blast pushing all the buttons and levers.

If you are looking for an affordable, two bed/bath condo to rent for vacation in Okaloosa Island, FL (about 10 min from Destin, FL) let me know!  The owner of this condo is super sweet, gave us a great deal, and I would highly recommend her to anyone!



What Not To Say

Josh actually sent me this email today, and I thought it was pretty funny.  I know I have read this somewhere before, but it really hit home for me this time (perhaps because we are nearing the end of our deployment???).  Now I don't really like to complain about the comments that people make to me about the deployment...after all, they aren't the ones who are experiencing it, so they just don't realize what they are saying or asking.  But every once in a while, someone will say something, and I will just think... "Really?!"  I know you fellow military wives out there understand this! ;-)  So, with the exception of #9 (Josh IS on the ground, so this doesn't apply), #6 (we DO get to skype almost everyday, and he DOES hear about the kids getting sick or the car breaking down...not that I want to ruin his focus, he says he wants to know), and #3 (I love when people ask this because that means they care enough to send him something, and ANYTHING is a morale boost over there...even if it's things they don't need)...so besides all that, I totally agree with this list!  And although she is being very sarcastic here, she definitely answers these questions honestly, and voices some of the things that we, as military spouses, deal with during deployments.  Like I have said in previous posts, it is crucial to have a good support system surrounding you during a deployment, and we have been extremely blessed with an awesome support system, so thank you!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Ten Things Not to Say to the Spouse of a Deployed Soldier

Today's guest post comes from our pal Becky, who was one of the first people to read our blog that we were not actually related to. So we totally love her. Here's a little blurbitty blurb all about her:

Hi! My name is Becky and I’m a SAH Military Mom to 3 adorable monsters ages 6,4 and 2. My husband is currently deployed to Againistan and this is our third deployment although the other two were to Iraq. I live on a military installation so in general I am surrounded by people who understand what we are going through as a family. Unfortunately, on a very regular basis I am asked QUESTIONS. I try to attribute them to a perfect storm of curiosity and ignorance. In order to alleviate both I present: 10 things that no one better say to me again or I will lose my ever loving mind not to say to a military spouse. You can read more about our crazy fun life atcullinanfamily.blogspot.com

Ten Things that no one better say to me again or I will lose my ever loving mind not to say to a spouse of a deployed military person.

10. He’ll be back in no time – Keep busy, he’ll be back before you know it!

Are you freaking kidding me? No – he won’t be back before I know it. You know what happens before I know it? We run out of milk at 7 pm and there’s no one to stay with the kids while I run out - so we don’t have milk at breakfast. You know what else happens? Trash day comes and since he’s not here I have to take it out – and back in – again. It’s only been 5 months and it seems like 5 years.

9. At least he’s not on the ground!

True – he’s not on the ground. He’s IN THE AIR. Just a reminder about this funny thing we have called GRAVITY and these things that they have called rocket propelled grenades. Just sayin’...


8. How much longer does he have until he can get out?

And when I answer the response is, “Oh, so he’s CAREER???” Like there isn’t much worse in the world than that? Seriously people there are sooooo many worse things than being actively employed in a profession that he enjoys and feels like he’s contributing to the world and whatnot. It’s not a jail sentence. He’s certainly not a prisoner and we have made a choice for him to be in the Army. This one bugs me. It just drips with condescension because what you’re REALLY saying is, “When is he going to get serious and get a real job where he actually takes care of his family.”

7. I wish my husband would deploy.

Seriously – someone said this too me – MORE.THAN.ONCE. “My husband is being sooooo annoying. He just won’t leave me alone these days. I wish that he was in the Army and would deploy.” There.are.no.words.

6. It’s not that bad – you can talk everyday.

Yes, that’s true. We COULD talk everyday. I could tell him that the kids got up, ate Cheerios, went to school, I cleaned up the dishes and changed the baby, did laundry, got the mail, picked up at preschool, made lunch, cleaned up from lunch and so on. I could tell him this EVERYDAY but then he might die from boredom before the enemy got to him.

We do the same this deployment as we have the other ones. We talk once a week but now we get to add Skype – once a week with the kids. No boredom, no fighting, lots of I love you’s. So it IS still that bad. The dishwasher breaks – you don’t tell him. Flat tire – you don’t tell him. Kids are barfing all night and you have to change the sheets 5 times – you don’t tell him. He needs to stay in the game there. I want him to come home safe and he needs to focus on ONLY that.


5. The kids are young – they don’t even realize he’s gone.

In what world do small children not notice that a parent is suddenly gone? OK, it’s different for kids of different ages – heck it’s different for different kids. Some kids are more resilient and some are less – just like adults but it’s not fair to say that they don’t realize it! We listen to a recording of Daddy reading a book before bed and even the baby asks to hear the Daddy Book. She knows at 20 months and my son knew when he was 8 months old.


4. Come and visit us!

Thank you very much. But no thanks. Do you really want to help? If so then come and visit ME. Stay home at night while I go to Walmart so I don’t have to pay a sitter $10/hour to go frigging grocery shopping. Stay with the little ones in the morning so I don’t have to drag them all to school drop off in the stroller in the rain. Make dinner or clean the dishes while I give the kids a bath or pick up the toys so it’s not 9:30 pm before I even have a chance to sit down. Now THAT would be helpful.

3. What should I send him?

Honestly, I don’t know. What would you want if you lived in a plywood building and shared a shower with 25 of your closest friends? If I have to answer this question again I’m just going to answer PORN – actually I’m not. They aren’t allowed to have that – or alcohol. Now you can feel worse for them.


2. Are you scared something will happen to him?

No – I actually hadn’t thought about until just now when you said that – so thanks for that! How in the world could I not be worried about raising my 3 kids alone and losing the best friend I’ve ever had? I worry constantly about someone showing up at my door and if you know better you’ll text me that you’re coming over before you’d EVER ring the doorbell unannounced.


1. I don’t know how you do it. I don’t think I could.
What exactly do you mean by that? Would you divorce the father of your children because he’s going away? I’m actually not quite sure how we do it either but I know one thing – you’re right - not everyone could.

Back to the Zoo...with Daddy!!!

While Josh was home, we took the boys to the Louisville Zoo.  We had a blast!  It didn't matter that it was an extremely hot day...we were with Daddy, and that's all that mattered!

Climbing on Mr. Turtle

Giving his boys some lovin'

Playing at the Splash Park

A nice way to cool off on a hot day!

Their favorite thing to do at the Zoo!

Can you tell they had fun?!

Tyson is "Free!"

I have no idea how three years flew by so quickly, but our gorgeous, first born son turned three (or "free" according to Ty) on September 5.  Josh made it home just in time for his birthday party, which made it even that much more special!  Ty still loves Yo Gabba Gabba (although he doesn't watch it nearly as much), and I just couldn't convince him to have anything other than a "Muno cake" (which was the cake I made him last year for his 2nd birthday).  I finally talked him into a "Brobee cake..." at least if we were going with the Yo Gabba Gabba theme again, we could choose a different character!  So, I made him a Brobee cake this year:

This was Ty's birthday present from Mommy and Daddy...he loved it!

We had his party at Blazers....

Ty had no interest in opening his presents...Josh had to force him to!  What kid doesn't want to open presents?!  He was just having too much fun playing and didn't want to sit still....even if that meant new toys!

Little bro was all about the balloons! :-)

Happy 3rd birthday, Ty!  We love you!

Homecoming!

We went all out for Daddy coming home....it had been 8, going on 9 long months since we had seen him, and we were so excited!  We made signs, cakes, pies, and cookies!  We had fun decorating the house and counting down on our "daddy chain" until the big homecoming day arrived!  When we saw him at the airport, my heart melted as I watched our little guys run up to him screaming "Daddy!"  It was a long awaited reunion, and it felt perfect to have him home again...even temporarily.  Here are some photos:

            The boys having a blast painting on their welcome home sign.  They had paint EVERYWHERE!

Getting started on my "patriotic cake."  It was a recipe I got from my sister Michelle, who found it on this blog.  Michelle made it for her girls' birthday party as an adorable rainbow cake, and it was delicious!  So I decided to use the recipe, but make it red, white, and blue.  I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who loves making cakes!  It wasn't too difficult, and very, very yummy!

 

This is what it looked like when you cut into it! It was fun seeing the look on Josh's face when he saw the inside...he thought it was cool! :-) 

Reunited with his babies at the airport!

Back at home...Daddy brought home presents for us!

Together at last...ready for two weeks of fun!

 I didn't get a very good photo of the boys, and what they wore to the airport, but it was this shirt:

So looking forward to his permanent homecoming!!!  :-) 

Time Flies When Your Soldier Is Home For R&R.....

Never have two weeks flown by more quickly than when Josh was home with us for R&R!  We are so grateful for those two weeks, and had the most amazing time!  Josh is safely back in Afghanistan now, and the boys and I sure do miss him!  I think the second goodbye was more difficult than the first one.  Maybe that was because we were away from him for so long, and when he finally came home we felt back to normal again, and then in a poof he was gone all over again. Or maybe it was because the boys are older now and understand a little bit better what's going on.  The day Josh left Caellum walked around the house saying, "Da-ee, r you?"   :-(  I am trying to stay positive, and busy, and looking on the bright side, we only have a few more months to go before he'll be home for good!  Besides that, I know we are so very blessed, as it breaks my heart to think of so many wives and families who have lost their brave soldier, and won't get to welcome him/her home.  That thought humbles and grounds me, and makes me so incredibly thankful for my many, many blessings.  We definitely took advantage of our two weeks, and spent every possible minute together.  In my next few posts, I will be posting some photos from our time together.  Josh, we love you so much, are so proud of you, and thank you for the amazing two weeks we had together!  Stay safe, be careful, and we are all praying for you that these next few months fly by and that you get home safely and quickly to us...for good this time!

R&R!!!!

HE IS HOME!!!!  For two whole weeks, we get to be a family of four again!  Yay!  I won't be posting much, if at all, these next two weeks...we are gonna enjoy every second of our family time together!  But I will have plenty to post about later this month.  Gotta run...gotta go spend some time with my man and my babies!
:-)