Sorry, I know it has been a while since my last post. Howard is finally home! Yeah!! He arrived home early Wednesday morning on October 7th. I was a little disappointed on how it all turned out since I had been daydreaming of our homecoming for 3 months and 3 weeks. It was 7:30am and I was in the shower, the kids were in my bedroom watching a cartoon on the computer. Then I hear shouts of "Daddy, you're home!" through the bathroom door. I finish up and grab a towel and say hi to Howard. (All the kids were there in the room, so keep your minds out of the gutter!) I went back in the bathroom and got dressed while the kids loved on Howard. I had him get them breakfast while I got ready for the day. It was a nice break, but weird at the same time. I was disappointed that I couldn't see the look on the kids faces when he returned or even take pictures of it, but in the end he was home safe and that's all that really matters. We kept the kids home from school that day and had some much needed family time. Unfortunately Howard had to report to work the very next day, no comp time or anything! I wasn't very happy about that! So that's what we have been doing....Howard works and I'm home with the kids as usual. The past 2 weekends we've been super busy with projects around the house that I was not able to complete while Howard was away and also Scouting activities for Howie. Also, the kids have all been terribly sick on and off for the past 2 weeks. It's been rough!!!
Life seems to be getting into a routine and better slowly, but I would like to share a little secret with everyone. Military homecomings are not all they're cracked up to be. Everyone asked me, "Isn't it so great that he's back?" ... honestly NO (at first anyway). I thought it would be great, but the past week and a half have not been easy on our family. There have been a lot of changes and emotions for everyone involved. At first it felt like I had to put on a fake smile, because it would make me a bad wife if I actually thought that I wanted him to go back to where he came from. Now, after talking with some of my more experienced friends (with regards to military separations) our roller coaster ride of emotions are normal. So next time your friend's spouse returns from a long TDY or deployment, don't assume everything is all roses. Just be there if they need someone to talk to. I can honestly say now that Howard and I (and the kids) are all doing well and our family love and unity have returned. (Thank goodness!)
Here are some random pictures taken the week before Howard returned home (except for the very last picture).
Howie's happy because he's earning money!
Erin climbed our backyard tree all by herself!
When the weather is nice, Jack can be found outside in the sandbox with his dinosaurs!
When the weather is not so nice, he's inside coloring his dinosaur "homework" as he calls it.
The children's morning chore consists of them all putting away the clean dishes. Howie and Erin put away the cups and dishes, and Jack just started putting away the silverware. Looks like Luke wanted in on the action too!
This was taken today. Luke enjoys looking out our living room window at the tree outside. He's starting to pull himself up and he can crawl anywhere. He does laps around the house. It's just so cute.
One more thing...
You know you're raising a military brat when your 7 year old tells you that the baby needs a haircut because his hair is touching his ears!
1 comment:
I always forget about the transition and extra time that we need when my husband comes home from a TDY or deployment. I'm always happy to have home home, but it also means changing the routine AGAIN. Tina, you do so much more as a devoted mother and wife than I ever can! You are such a hard worker! Keep up the good work and enjoy date nights again!
Post a Comment