the day he came back {homecoming pictures!}

I woke up at 2am the night before Andrew came home and was wide awake for the rest of the night. The anticipation was worse than what I experienced before our wedding. Now that I know what life with this guy is like, I know how much there is to look forward to and my nerves felt every bit of that emotion. I was just so excited to have him home.

That morning at home was the longest ever in the history of the world but soon it was time to put on our carefully planned outfits and head out to the water. Our first stop was where the river meets the sound, the first place you can get a glimpse of the boat as it's pulling in. As soon as I saw its sail in the distance I teared up, which wasn't at all what I'd expected. It was all just so happy. Six months is a long time, y'all.

From there we went to the pier where we waited and waited and waited for the boat to pull up. When they finally came and we could see the sailors in their dress whites waving at their families on land, everyone cheered and clapped. Jack knew his daddy was out there somewhere and kept waving and calling his name. When the tug boat that assists the sub pulled away, he started to cry for him because he thought Andrew was on that boat. But when I told him that he was still there, that he was still coming home, all was right in his world again.

Once the sailors started coming off, we waited about 15 minutes before I saw Andrew's face. The longest 15 minutes ever and the sweetest second ever when he turned and I saw that it was him. I was already crying at that point so when he grabbed me and just said "I love you so much" over and over again, all I could do was nod into his shoulder in agreement. I've said it before and I'll say it again: he's the sweetest man there is.

 

Jack was so overwhelmed by the crowds and the activity and the heat that he was a little cautious when Andrew picked him up. But he warmed up to him almost immediately and wanted nothing to do with me by the time we got home. For about two days, he panicked whenever Andrew left the room but now it's like we didn't lose those six months at all. I'm so thankful for that. And seeing the difference in him now compared to the time when Andrew was away has amazed me. He was meant to have his daddy around, you know?

Now we're home and doing all sorts of family things together while Andrew is on stand down and I never ever want him to go back to work. It's been such a sweet time together, all of us getting reacquainted and feeling what it's like to be a complete family. Pretty soon there will be duty days and new babies and more weeks away and we'll find the new normal in all of that, but for now I'm happy to watch my boys play in the front yard while I cook dinner. It's that ridiculously cliche June Cleaver moment that I've daydreamed about for half a year and I hope I don't ever take it for granted.

we're back!

I wish I had a video clip or sound byte of Jack saying that because it's darn cute. He squeals "Back!" any time Andrew, Rudy or I re-enter a room, like he just can't believe that we actually returned. He also likes to announce it when he's done getting his diaper changed, because he knows we'll all be so excited to have him back in our company. That kid. He's a ham.

But here we are! Andrew came home to us about three weeks ago and our little family of 4.5 (Rudy included, obviously) is settling back into post-deployment life in Connecticut after spending almost two glorious weeks in North Carolina. The whole thing - homecoming, being together, being a family - feels completely surreal. We do totally normal things like pick vegetables from the garden and go to Lowes and get Jack ready for bed, but it feels like such a special treat to be doing it together. These are the things that people have been doing all around me for the last six months and now it's my turn! It's fabulous.

Andrew's been quick to remind me that I haven't adequately kept up with the blog so there are a few more posts headed your way soon. Stay tuned!

deployment. let's do this thing.

There are only a few times in my life where I felt like my heart was actually breaking in half and one of them was this morning when I watched Andrew say goodbye to Jack. I'll spare you the weepy details, but suffice it to say that I feel very lucky to have the little family that I do.

Minutes after walking in the door from dropping Andrew off, I was making my list. It's how I survive, you know? Make a list. Set some goals. Stay busy, learn some new things, grow. And before we know it, leaves will be on the trees and I'll be wearing sandals and my guy will be coming back down the river to see us again. In dress whites, no less. Hubba hubba.

Until then, here's how I plan on getting through the next six months:

Starting from the bottom left:

+ I got a graphic design tablet and once I teach myself how to really use it, I think it's going to be fun. This could mean big things for the stationery business! ;)
+ Speaking of stationery, the blog and shop are getting an overhaul. That's sure to keep me busy and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you guys.
+ The YMCA gives free membership to spouses of deployed service members, so I plan to take advantage of that. Combined with my promise to Andrew to eat better, this should make me all sorts of healthy. One can hope...
+ I'm going to teach myself to crochet! Mainly because I want to make boot cuffs and little baby hats for my friend who is pregnant with twin girls.
+ I've been saving Downton Abbey and Mad Men to carry me through the winter months. Any other series I should add to my list?
+ I need to seriously do some decluttering and organizing in this house. My closet will probably never look like that...or will it??
+ Lots of house projects! That seems to keep me busy the most when Andrew is away, so who knows what I can get done in the next six months.

But for real. What should I be watching/reading? Any good resources for learning to crochet? Any good recipes out there for clean eating? I NEED TO KNOW IT ALL.