Day 434.., but who's counting?

I am sure most of you will remember this photo. I posted it last February 6. On 2.6 my son-in-law turned 26. I wanted to wish him a happy birthday. At the time he was in, Iraq. He had deployed in November for a 15 month deployment. This was his second time deployed there.




Below is a series of photos and a little that I had had written to go with the photos in January of last year.

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These are photos taken the day Marty's, unit was deploying.







I know children are to such an amazing degree resilient. I also know that Tara, is a wonderful mother, and these children are being handled, nurtured and reassured, very well. I am sure however that you would understand why I am sobbing, and why my heart is so desperately broken. Marty is a good father and these children need him. They will survive this as well as any will because of how Marty, and Tara. have handled all of this. But, I just want that family in tact and back to normal Those children need him, so does, Tara. Posted January 28, 2008
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Now I would like to jump forward a few months to June of last year. Moving to Oklahoma in May of last year had a few perks. One of my favorites was that I was living close to my daughter Melissa and her family, and that Tara was just a few hours away in, Texas. After being here for three weeks, Tara and her children came to visit for three weeks. What a treat that was. I want to share a few photos from that time. I have so many wonderful pictures, but I will limit myself here.

There was so much packed into that three weeks, much of which won't even show up here. There were:
Silly times:







Sweet times:













Study times:
And this friends is one of the deep secrets to getting those A's. And this momma does!


Times of I thought this was a vacation:






I think I will just stay right here and keep myself out of trouble, thank you very much.


Vacation Bible School week: It was yellow day this day.



The girl in brown pedal pushers and the one in the middle with red hair are Melissa's girls.







Water park day:







Family picnic on the 4th of July:
I honestly think Melissa's husband, Uncle Larry, had at least as much fun as the kids.










Wow!! does she look like her daddy! I'm guessing Marty will like this picture. :-)






aaawww


Life is good.

A beautiful surprise for Tara from Marty...all the way from, Iraq!


We had a lot of fun in those three weeks. Life is good, and Tara continued to do just as I knew she would. She handled and nurtured and reassured the kids so well that you could almost be fooled into thinking all was well on the planet. And in many ways it was. But there was a hole in everything we did, and everywhere we went. Though absent, it was the heaviest thing in the air and weighed so heavily on my heart. Marty is no wallflower, and is very involved where ever he is. He's the guy that keeps it all going, and going well. And so, though we had plenty of good times, there were some times that broke my heart to the point of hardly being able to stand it. I will always cherish these three weeks and hope we have many more times like this, but there were some things you only get to see when someone in your family is deployed to war, and that I really never care to see again. I enjoy the internet, but never was I so thankful for it as I was at the times you will see in a few of the photos of below.


Once a week was letter writing and sending daddy goodies... beef jerky, snacks, personal items, drawings the kids had done. This particular time root beer floats were involved.

Oh my goodness was I ever impressed with how well this full grown woman I used to rock and marvel at how she cooed, crawled and just smiled back at me, handled all of this!



Anytime there daddy could get online, he would and he would call Tara and she would set up the video chat and they could all visit. Tara and the kids could see and here him, and often what struck me to tears, he could see all of them. It was bad enough that Tara and the kids all missed Marty so much, but when I would think of how at least they had each other and family and that Marty was over there, head of his home and yet unable to be with any of them, and with no family around.......... like now typing, at those times I could hardly breathe. And tears were abundant.




They loved singing a new song they learned in Vacation Bible School to, Marty. The blender is there to support the camera.

Soon, blenders and video chats will not be necessary.

Marty is due home in Texas, to stay, tomorrow morning. I will be posting tomorrow!!

I really want to thank all of you that have kept Marty safe in prayer. Kim, barring any delay, the yellow ribbons come off tomorrow girl!!