Where've we been?

Well, as I said in my last post (LONG ago)--the last couple of weeks of school were very busy for me. I survived, although there were points along the way that I thought I might not!

R. graduated from preschool and N. finished 2nd grade. I so loved his teacher, and was really hoping she would get the combo class next year so he could have her again, but she didn't. So, now we have to just pray that the 3rd grade teacher will live up to the VERY high standards that the kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers set! I have really be amazed (and thankful) at how awesome his teachers have been!

I have end of the year photos, but have still not been able to download them, so I will post them soon.

We left just after school got out and went to Texas for 6 weeks. We did the yearly tour of the state to attend family reunions, visit grandparents and great grandparents and eat at restaurants that I miss all year! It was fun to hang out with all the cousins and see how everyone has grown. (Again--pictures soon. Although, for these I will have to rely on my siblings, as I took the camera but sent it home with S. when he left early.)

It is SO hot there. The exact same distance for running/walking took me an extra 8 minutes! Yikes! The humidity was at least 238% and the temperature was about 300 degrees by 7am. I thought that would make it easier to run when I got home, but the hills and stroller seem to be making up the difference!

I let N. stay an extra week. I truly should get some kind of academy award for my performance when I left him. I completely acted like I was so excited for him and that he was going to have such a great time and form all these wonderful memories and special relationships with his grandparents. What I really wanted to say was "You are just a baby! You get in the car right now and go home with your mommy!!!!" He is having a good time, so I suppose all is well. I am trying very hard not to project my separation issues and goodbye neuroses onto the kids. I don't know if it worked or if he is just as good an actor as I am. I know he has a hard time saying goodbye, no matter who it is to. So, I hope that it was no big deal since he knew he was going to see me in a few days. I have tried to also make sure that he knows that if he is sad, that is perfectly normal and acceptable and he does not have to hide it for anyone's benefit. I am hoping I've managed to achieve the balance of all those lessons and that it isn't that he just didn't want anyone to see him cry. . .

S. left Texas on his birthday, which I had totally screwed up. It was the 35th--and I did nothing. I had several plans, but none of them worked out and then time got away from me and--nothing. I cried all day. Not because he was leaving (it was only to be for 3 weeks for goodness sakes!) but because I had screwed it up so much. Lately we have both been doing really creative, thoughtful things for gifts, so I was very disappointed in myself for this one.

He had to go to Honolulu for a week, then back home for a few days, and now he is in Australia. Don't you feel sad for him. He says that when duty calls, he has to answer. I told him that I'm not sure that is what all those "support our troops" yellow ribbons are actually referring to!

All joking aside, we are both very aware every day what an amazing blessing this duty assignment has been for our family. We take nothing for granted and appreciate every extra second we get to be together. We know it is dwindling now, and that soon it will be time to go back to the "real army" and that is ok. It is our turn. I remember our battalion commander's wife (CT) saying she remembered becoming "one of them." When she noticed that "younger" people in the battalion started referring to them as "them." I kind of just thought that happened because you go from company grade to field grade, but now I think it is more than that.

I feel like we have had our chance to rest, and now it is time to go back and repay what has been given to us when we were still new to the army. We have had SO MANY good people "over" us. Both S's bosses and their wives and other senior officers that weren't directly over us. I think it is time that we try to do the same good for other younger officers and their families.

Before September 11th it was pretty common that after company command officers went to some "rest" job like this one. That is increasingly rare, as more and more "high pressure" jobs are necessary. I think that that plan, whether it was intentional or not, was a good one. I am cynical enough to think they did it on purpose, because that was about the time in someone's career that they decided to get out, or stick with it until retirement. Maybe it was just a lucky accident, but I think that if "they" really tried hard to make this happen for everyone that they could, it would really help. We will leave here with a renewed sense of dedication and determination. We have had time to restrengthen the bond that command and everything else that happened at the end of the Germany tour tore apart. S has actually created relationships with each of our children. I think we will be a strong asset to whatever battalion we go to next because we will have energy that was SORELY lacking when we arrived here.

Well, I had no intention of this being a lecture. . .I really just intended to sum up our summer. But, I tend to get philosophical when I spend much time thinking about what comes next. Speaking of which, we know what we WANT to do. Now we just have to pray that the army will cooperate! Keep your fingers crossed for us!

I hope to post again soon. The boys have British Soccer Camp next week (a coach will be living with us) and Vacation Bible School the next week (I am in charge of placing into groups 425 children!) And that weekend I go back to Texas (alone) for my cousin's wedding. Then, another week before school starts! And--soccer practices start the week of VBS!! Back to the craziness of real life! (I love it!)

Oh--does anyone know where you can buy those iron on designs made of rhinestones? I used to have a Tshirt that said Soccer Mom, but it got torn up in the dryer and I want to make a new one. Ideas?

One last thing. I cut my hair short. Again--pictures soon!!