A Daughter's Love

          My parents (Gram and Pa) drove in for a weekend visit.  We are so thankful to have them in our home, and Audrey is loving every second of each day.  While Gram, Audrey and I were sitting at the dinner table tonight, I asked Audrey to tell Gram what she wanted to be when she grows up.  This beautiful conversation followed:

          Audrey said, "I want to be a Mommy when I grow up.  And a ballerina."
          Gram said, "Oh, really.  You'll be a great mommy and a great ballerina."
          Audrey then replied, "I am going to get married and be a Mommy.  I am going to marry Daddy."
          Gram smiled and said, "You're going to marry Daddy?  Do you think Daddy would be a good person to be married to?"
          Audrey simply said, "Yes."
          Gram told Audrey, "Maybe you'll find someone just like Daddy to marry when you get older."
          Audrey got a serious look on her face and said, "But there's no one else like Daddy."

          Needless to say, both Gram and I smiled, and then I had to wipe tears from my eyes.  It's just such an innocent love.  Audrey adores her Daddy, and I'm so thankful for that.

Girl Time!

        
          Audrey, Claire, and I are spending some super-quality time together as Matt has several weeks of training that takes him away from us.  Yes, another TDY.  We've gotten a few days under our belt, and the girls and I are getting in to a new routine.  We miss Daddy tremendously, but we are praying for him each day and praying that the time moves quickly.

          Even though we have gone through these separations before, they never get any easier.  In fact, in some ways, I had a much harder time saying goodbye to Matt as he left this time.  I think several factors contribute to this - we have a young infant, Audrey is extremely attached to Matt (missing him when he has long days at work), and I know that when Matt returns, we only have weeks until he has to leave for his deployment. So, I've carved out extra time to spend with God in the morning.  I am NOT a morning person, but I have been waking up about a half hour prior to Audrey's wake up time just so I can pray, read my bible, journal, and have a cup of coffee before the day really takes off.  This simple act has been revitalizing for me.  The peace and solace I gain from that time with God is priceless.  I know that God is walking with me through this entire separation, each minute of each day, and THAT is my comfort.

          I have actually shed many tears for Audrey.  For the first few days Matt was gone, she really had a hard time.  When he called, she would cry.  When he skyped, she would cry.  She even woke up crying one night because she realized Daddy wouldn't be there in the morning to get up with her.  Thankfully, each day is  less traumatic.  We talk about Daddy, we have an M&M jar for Daddy, we pray for Daddy.  She'll tell me stories that she is making up to tell Daddy when he gets home.  While she didn't want to talk to him on the phone when he called today, Audrey also did not cry or get upset while I was talking to him.  I know that she'll soon be ready to talk to him on skype and on the phone.

          Thankfully, Claire is still too young to realize what is going on.  I do show her her Daddy Doll (see www.hugahero.com if you have no idea what a Daddy Doll is - they're great for military families) and play his recorded message for her.  She'll sit and look at the computer when Matt skypes, and she actually started smiling when she heard him talking to her the other day!  She has also started sleeping long stretches at night - usually 10-12 hours at a time!  That means I am getting so much more sleep! This is another huge blessing for me, and it couldn't have come at a better time!

          We're now looking forward to a visit from my parents, a trip to visit my brother and sister-in-law, and a visit from one of my best friends!  Here's praying that the time speeds by AND we have some great girl time in our house...

Claire is Three Months Old!

        
          Where does the time go?  Claire is now three months old.  She just makes us smile.  A happy, happy baby that loves watching the world go by, she is particularly fond of watching her big sister.  We spent Valentine's Day in Charleston visiting some great friends of ours.  Using her awesome camera and camera skills, Carlin captured some precious shots of Claire.

"Snow Storm" 2010

        
          This past weekend, South Carolina was "shocked" as a "snow storm" moved through the state! We actually ended up with around 5 inches of snow and were very excited about it.  I did laugh as the news reporters continually reported on the winter snow storm.  To be fair, it was a snow storm.  In my mind, a few inches of snow that melt by noon the following day barely qualifies as a winter storm!  Matt did drive home in the snow on Friday evening, and he said the roads were actually quite dangerous.  Of course, the fact that South Carolina does not have snow plows or rock salt didn't make the road conditions any better.  (We could lay a bit of blame on the South Carolina drivers, too, who rarely have the opportunity to practice winter driving skills!)

          We woke up on Saturday morning to beautiful white snow and a very excited three year old.  We could barely talk her in to eating her breakfast before going out to play.  We spent a fun morning in the yard, having snow ball fights, playing with the dogs, and making snow angels.  After warming up inside for a bit, Audrey was ready to go play again.  She and Daddy built a six foot tall snow man, which used up almost all of the snow in the backyard!  They finished just in time, too, because the snow began melting at an extremely fast rate.  In fact, at one point, Audrey was showing me her snow man when it simply toppled over.  She freaked out and started crying.  Thankfully, Daddy was able to repair the snow man, to a shorter height, and it lasted two more days before melting in a rain storm.  We only wished the snow would have stayed around for a few more days...

Valentine's Day Heart Wands

        
           Audrey has a Valentine's Day party tomorrow at her little day school.  As is the standard at Valentine's parties at schools, she is to bring Valentines to exchange with the other kiddos in her class.  I saw a very creative idea for Valentines on the www.notimeforflashcards.com website and decided to make Audrey's class Valentines this year.  The project turned out better than I could have hoped, and I think the kids will love these little Magic Wands!  I made one for Audrey, too, and she was thrilled.  So, here's a photo of the finished Valentines (sideways) -- and an adorable picture of Claire!

February Fun

        
          I really cannot believe that we're already almost half way through the month of February.  Even though February is a short month, it has seemed a bit long already!  The weather has been hit or miss, so we've had to spend a lot of time inside.  With an active toddler in our midst, too much inside time can be a challenge.  On top of that, Audrey has been sick twice (cold, followed by a stomach virus), and Claire just got sick for the first time this week (congestion and low grade fever).  Matt has been busy at work, which is nothing new, but we definitely miss him when he is not around.

          Despite all that has been going on, we're making the most of each day!  Claire is growing, growing, growing.  She smiles and laughs and just LOVES when we talk to her.  She'll sit and watch Audrey or the dogs for as long as they are in her line of sight.  She is 3 months old now, and she is just such a joy.  Audrey is getting more imaginative by the day.  She invents games for us to play and directs us through pretend worlds she creates!  Matt and I play along, and sometimes, if we over react to a scenario she creates, Audrey will stop and say, "Don't worry, Mommy.  It's just pretend."  She is so grown up for her years!