Noah's Request

Last night as I was putting the kids to bed in their new room, I told them we were going to have a fun day tomorrow {today} and asked what they would like to do.

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Side story: Yesterday, when we arrived, I asked the Little Ones if they wanted to see their new room. Noah immediately started for Nana and Papa's room since that is where we use to keep his Lighting McQueen bed. I told him that his new room was in Aunt BB's old room, so he made a quick turn and ran for it with Ellie trailing quickly behind him.

He. was. so. excited.

He kept saying over and over, "I love my new room! Look, it's my McQueen bed and Ellie's princess bed! Oh, I love my new room at Papa-Nana's house, Mommy! I love it!"

***

I expected Noah to answer with something like "go to the park", "let's go to the library", "play at the train table" or any of the multitude of things that we normally love to go do. Nope. His response?

"I wanna go get doughnuts for breakfast and walk down aisle to make them."

Meaning, he wanted to go to Krispie Kreme.

Thanks for an easy request, Buddy.

The rest of the day was spent unpacking and playing.

With an emphasis on playing.

Memorial Monday

Ellie and I woke up early, Skyped with Ben one last time from our house, and headed up to the hotel to pick up Mom, Daddy-Man, and Noah. {We had loaded up BB's and Ben's trucks last night and parked them in the garage, and Noah's carseat was in my car anyway.} Noah was excited to tell me that he got to sleep in Nana and Papa's room with the bed and chairs. And he was pretty excited about breakfast at the hotel as well.

We finished loading up the vehicles and were on our way to OKC by 8:30am. It was bittersweet leaving. I'm so very grateful {as I know Ben is too} to be able to spend this time with family and to have a place to stay with them, but I'm going to miss this place. Most of Noah's life has been lived in that house and all of Ellie's has. We've made lots of memories there {most of them good!} and we've grown as a family - both literally and figuratively. It hurt leaving.

{Pardon the red eyes, puffy face, and messy hair all around.}

After a quick stop in Wichita Falls for lunch, we made it to OKC in the early afternoon.

The girls and Bryan were happy to see us and us them... and lucky for us, they even helped us unload.

Both kids slept pretty well on the way to Wichita Falls, but not a wink from the Falls to OKC. Ellie promptly crashed just before dinner while snuggling with Bryan.

It's good to be here.

Getting it All Packed Up

My Mom and Daddy-Man arrived this morning, just after breakfast. I've never been so happy, and yet so sad {and embarrassed}, to see them. Happy because I needed them, sad because I'm dreading moving out of this house... and embarrassed because, well, there was still so much to do. And they've already been busy helping my sisters move too.

But, the kids were excited to see them and even willing to help pack.

Originally, the plan had been to get us completely moved out of the house so that all Mom and Daddy-Man would have to do is come down and help me drive both vehicles back to Oklahoma.

Everyone getting sick changed all that.

{The main storage unit before we closed it up.}

So we had a lot more to do than originally planned. Luckily, Mom and Daddy-Man are troopers and we got most everything moved out and loaded up, but there was no way we'd be able to make it back to Oklahoma in the daylight. With the high winds we were having, toting a washer, dryer, and a futon in the dark was not an option. And, of course, I had packed all the remaining clean towels in the storage unit... which closed at 4.

So, we ate dinner, stopped at Target to get a few necessary essentials and got a hotel room for Mom, Daddy-Man, and Noah. After Ellie and I got a shower, we headed back home so I could pack some more, Skype with Ben, and she could sleep one last night in her room {and me in the living room}. Another long and exhaustive day.

The First 24.

We've survived the first 24 hours.

Yesterday was a long day. After getting Ben on the plane, the kids and I headed back home in hopes of getting to talk to him on the computer before he boarded his plane in D/FW for Japan, since my phone had been graciously put in the toilet by Ellie the night before.

No such luck.

So the kids and I went and got me a new phone, some lunch, and came home for naps all around.

Yesterday was exhausting.

Today was exhausting too. We spent a good portion of the morning trying to pack and get ready for Mom and Daddy-Man's arrival tomorrow. And the afternoon, after naps, was spent doing a few things that can only be done in Texas: like an oil change at the dealership {since we had purchased a package deal when we bought the Sequoia... fully expecting to be able to get our money's worth out of it by being here for four years} and the yearly state-mandated inspection.

The kids loved the lizards at the local oil change shop and Noah talked about them non-stop for the rest of the day. "Mommy, remember the lizards at the car store? He was YELLLL-ow!"

As I was trying to pack up the rest of the stuff, I realized that our bubble bath had just enough for one more bath, so why cart it all the way to Oklahoma? They spent extra time in the tub tonight and had the cool water, tired smiles, and pruny fingers and toes to prove it.

And, once out of the tub, we had the best moment of the entire day: a Skype date with Daddy.

D-Day

Does it go without saying that my heart hurts, just looking at these photos?

I barely slept last night. Partially nerves, partially just not wanting to lose a single moment with Ben to sleep. I find myself really trying not to complain. I mean, how can I?? He could be going on the deployment they had set for him almost two years ago. He could be going somewhere dangerous. Somewhere that I wouldn't be able to talk to him often. He could be going somewhere that I couldn't even visit {assuming that we sell our house and can afford for me to go}. He could be going for an even longer amount of time. I cannot complain: he's going somewhere safe, with good Internet, and he's returning to me. My God has been faithful - who am I to doubt Him now?

We stopped on our way to the airport to eat breakfast at McDonald's. Noah and I barely ate... though for different reasons. Him: pickiness, me: no appetite.

{sigh}


By the time we got Ben checked in, we had about 30 minutes or so before he absolutely had to go through the security checkpoint. We spent that time hugging, talking with the Major and Lt, chasing down kids, kissing, photographing, and simply absorbing every moment together.

We finally had to let him go once we heard them asking for all passengers to begin boarding.

It took all my strength to restrain Noah and keep him behind the security checkpoint when he begged to go on the plane with Daddy on his long trip.

And it took what little composure I had left to make it to the car before completely loosing it.

But it only took two little questions from the sweet little one in the back seat to help me try to regain it: "Mommy, why's you sad? You miss Daddy?"

Oh, yes, Buddy. Most definitely I already do.

Oh my Dearest One... I love you. And I miss you already. You are my best friend, my soulmate, my partner in crime {& parenting}, and my perfect helpmate. Hurry home to us and I'm already dreaming of seeing your sweet and handsome {and probably tanned} face turn that corner at the airport. You are strong, we are strong, and He is stronger.

I love you most.

The Last Full Day

I'm not going to lie. Most of today was spent fighting back tears... or just plain sobbing crying.

Knowing that there was no possible way we were going to have everything moved out before he left and still have any real time to spend with one another, we decided just to focus on the big things that I absolutely couldn't do alone and didn't want to have to force my parents or friends to help me with. We set to work on those things and once, done, we spent the rest of the day together.

We took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese.


Don't let Ellie's face fool you - she really was laughing and saying, "Ahhhhhh" as the game's seat vibrated!

We took one final load to the storage unit {and signed up for a second, smaller unit since we figured everything else in the house wouldn't fit in the remaining space}.

We got our final SnoCones of the summer with Daddy on our way home from dinner at one of his favorite restaurants: Texas Roadhouse.

We ate our SnoCones while we briefly chatted on Skype with family. And before baths, we headed outside to take a family photo in front of our house for the last time... since we're praying the house will be sold before Ben returns.

I We also decided to take one of just the two of us... while Noah danced half-naked in the background and Ellie was {as we soon found out} throwing my phone in the toilet.

And then, one last bedtime routine with Daddy...

We love you, more than words can ever say, Benjamin Dearest One. ♥

What's Been Going On?

Sorry for the lack of posts for the last two weeks... I will be getting them up, but here's what's been keeping us busy:

house showings {but no buyers yet}

extra play-time with Daddy

a load of clothes, toys, and stuff taken to Oklahoma

a middle-of-the-night-sick Ellie, at Nana and Papa's house

a middle-of-the-last-date-night-sick Sam

a trip back to Texas with a sick Ellie {who made it all the way to the gas station before getting sick} and a still recovering Mommy

a stop by the Texas Highway Patrol

a 2.5 hour one-day garage sale

a sick Daddy

an ER trip for Ellie

a sick Noah

frantic packing

tears

much needed family time before Ben departs. Tomorrow.

I promise the blog will get up-to-date soon.

And Benjamin, Dearest One, when you read this while you are waiting in one of the airports, know this: I love you. To the depths of the ocean and to the farthest star. And back. And even though I'm a bucket of tears, we're going to make it through. And we're going to do it well. All for His glory... and all through His strength. You are my most favorite. I love you, most.

Storytime and SnoCones

We did quite a bit of packing today, but in between packing and taking stuff over to the storage unit, we managed to get in some quality family time too.

For the first time, we took Ben with us to storytime at the library.

Noah and Ellie were more than pleased to show off their puzzle skills before it started.


And their amazing dance and singing skills once it began.

After dinner for the kids and another load of stuff to the storage unit, we stopped for our first SnoCones of the season. We've always loved them {or, in my case CRAVED them while pregnant with Ellie} and appreciate that Noah likes them as well. But Ellie? We've never seemed to be able to get her to eat ice cream or any other cold treat. Tonight however... Daddy got her to eat some of his Pina Colada.

And she was hooked.

Once back home, Daddy and Ellie had a little snuggle time on the couch {had to turn this one B&W because I couldn't get the colors to work out even close to correctly!} before she headed off to bed.

And of course, some extra Lego time with Noah too.

♥

A Packing Frenzy

We're all kind of in a packing frenzy around here. Thanks to the recent sickness reeking havoc on us and the kids, we're behind where we wanted to be packing wise: both for the deployment and for the move.

Today we were in a packing frenzy in hopes that a least parts of today and the next couple of days can be spent together, just having some fun and making memories.

And, thanks to some good friends, we were able to get some of the bigger living room furniture moved over to the unit. Our house now just seems so weird without the couch and apothecary cabinet in the living room. Thanks Josh and Joseph - we're grateful for your help!

Recouperating.

Everyone is on the mend around here. Around the 5pm mark, we hit a point where no one had been sick for 24 hours.

It was a big milestone.

One that nobody really had much energy to celebrate. But, we were happy to celebrate for a few minutes when Daddy came back home from work after just a few hours. Before we all ran out of energy again.

Sickness Sunday

Ellie and I made it home last night from the ER just before midnight.

Noah woke me just before 6am. Poor boy had finally caught it also.

I got him and Ben settled on the couch watching TV and headed to Walmart for some supplies.

It was a long day of tending to three sick Dear Ones...


and lots of laundry.