Sonic and Parker Go to Korea

Levi had a Navy Reserve trip to Korea and anything he has a long trip to go on, the boys always send him off with one of their stuffed animals to keep him company. Since Levi was cramming as much as possible into one bag, the boys chose some of their smallest animals. According to the pictures Levi sent, it looks like Parker and Sonic had a great time in Korea!!

KC Air Show

It has been 4 years since our last air show, so when we heard the Blue Angels were in town, we knew we needed to be there!!! The boys loved the last air show we went to, and they were only 1 and 3!! We thought Mason and Luke would like to join us too, so they came along! We had to park quite a ways away and catch a shuttle bus to the Charles B. Wheeler airport. I kept thinking to myself- this is great now, but I don't think it'll be so easy when its time to leave (more on that later!).

Once we entered the crowded gates, there was a lot to see. There were also a lot of people wanting to see the same thing. The static displays were ok- not alot of cool aircraft, but a few. We got to see a T-6 that was from Vance, so that was neat! Otherwise, the boys really could care less about the displays. They wanted food, shade, and to see the Blue Angels- all of which were hard to find! While it was a cool event- I have to say it was not managed well at all. There was a good 2 hours where there was nothing flying at all. For an air show, that's pretty bad! Plus, trying to entertain 4 kids with only two chairs to sit on in the hot hot sun when bottles of water were $3/each was HARD!! We took turns sitting on the chairs and then going to sit under the old TWA plane on display for some shade. Back and forth. Back and forth. We spent a good 2-3 hours doing that while we waited for the Blue Angels. When they finally did come on, it turned out we had the best seats!! Front and center right where they did a lot of their tricks. They always put on such an amazing show- just amazing to see them fly in such unison formation!!! So awesome!!!

And then things got really bad- I knew getting to the air show would be easy since there was such a large window of time for people to show up. But when the Blue Angels were done, the air show was over and every single person inside the airport had to hop on a shuttle bus to get back to their car. It was a recipe for disaster!! It took us an hour just to even get on a bus to get back to the car!!  Luckily the boys were soooooo good and soooo patient! I couldn't have been happier with them! I think they learned a life lesson on how horribly people can behave and it was a not a pretty sight to watch!!

So all in all- yes it was cool because a chance to see the Blue Angels should never be missed, but it definitely came at a cost!!! I was proud of the boys for hanging in there during the boring times and the hot hot heat!! Nothing a little Freddy's and night swimming couldn't fix!!

Welcome Home, Levi!!

We figured out it had been 391 days since we said "Goodbye" to Levi! Granted, we had our short little Christmas break, but still- that was a long time regardless!!! We couldn't wait to watch him walk off the plane and know that he was home, and home for good!!!!

I was hoping he would be able to come home with me from my trip to Virginia, but he had to wait 6 more days. I had everything prepped ahead of time, just in case! So by the time I got home, all we had to do was sit and wait! 

Finally, the day came and of course, Levi's flight didn't get in til 9pm, so we had ALL DAY LONG to wait! We tried to stay busy though!! We got everything decorated...

 And made signs to take to the airport! Finally, it was time to head up there!!

 We found his gate and not-so-patiently waited!! The boys were standing right outside the doorway, a few feet back, and a few minutes before everyone started unloading, this group of people came and stood right in front of them. Who goes and stands in front of two adorable boys at 9pm at night, holding signs that say, "Welcome Home Dad!"???? I was going to say something to them, but I don't think they spoke english. So I ushered the boys to the side and I kept an eye out for Levi.

 Once I told them he was coming, their excitement turned to this! Grant held his sign up as high as he could and was practically jumping out of his skin!

 And then they ran as fast as their little legs could carry them, right into their daddy's arms!

 These pictures are horrible quality because we were in the corner of the airport at 9pm. But I don't need pictures to remember this moment- they are forever ingrained in my brain!

Words can't even begin to the describe how we all feel about him being home. As I'm typing this, he's been home for 9 days now and it still doesn't feel real, or even permanent. It just feels fantastic!!!

376 Days

I had said goodbye to Levi 376 days ago. Well, technically it had been 203 days since I said goodbye right after his Christmas visit. Either way- that was a loooooong time to go without seeing his face in person! I heard a lot of people say over the past year, "I don't know how you do it" or "I could never do that!" or "I can't stand when my husband is gone, even for a weekend." But its funny because I have said all those things since we got married. I could never imagine what it would be like for Levi to go on a deployment- until he went on one. I could never imagine being able to raise two children without their dad- until I had to. I could never imagine not seeing my husband for over year- until I did. And we all survived every second of it. We are stronger. We are better. It wasn't always easy, it wasn't always fun, but that was the life we were given and I'd like to think we lived it to the fullest.

So, when we found out Levi was going to be arriving stateside, but couldn't come home for a few weeks, I knew I couldn't wait a second longer to go see him. We originally thought of the boys and me flying out for an extended stay in Virginia, but after looking at air fares, and not really knowing what Levi's schedule would look like, we decided it would be best for me to fly out alone. Plus, we haven't had a vacation together in 9 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously- not a weekend, not even a night- unless you count a night at the Best Western in KC, but I don't count that. So it was a very very very VERY well-deserved trip that was extremely long overdue. Sure, I was sad about leaving the boys for that long- I'd never left them for more than 48 hours in their entire life!!! So 9 days was going to be long! But I knew they would be having soooo much fun with Mimi and PawPaw and their cousins, so that definitely took the pressure off of my mommy guilt. So I packed my bags and hopped a plane!!

And talk about butterflies in my stomach! After landing in Virginia, and walking through the terminal and seeing Levi at the end of the walkway, it was like a Hallmark movie! Hugging him, touching him, smelling him. It was just the best feeling!!!

We were ready to spend 9 whole days together!! 

Enjoying Daddy

Levi was home for 13 days, and in those 13 days, we did ALOT of enjoying him!! After the first few days of scurrying around to Wyatt's school program, Wyatt's gymnastics, and Grant's school party and Christmas break officially started, we were excited to settle in and be a family! Grant had been waiting for oh, about 6 months for Levi to bring home the Star Wars movies so they could have a movie marathon! (Levi took all our DVD's to Bahrain and it was right after he left that the Star Wars infatuation began). So I think the first few days of break were spent eating out, trying to get a fire going in the fireplace, and watching all 6 Star Wars movies! 

Then the Broeckelman family came in town, so we spent alot of time at home, just relaxing! We also did alot of running around and more eating out the few days before Christmas. We went to Costco a few times, Target a few times, Home Depot a few times, Five Guys a few times. And then we enjoyed our Christmas Eve and Christmas morning as a family of four! We spent Christmas afternoon with my family. And the few days after that were spent doing more shopping, eating out, playing, wrestling (shirtless is the boys fave!), snuggling, and movie watching (I'm pretty sure Levi and I knocked out 5 movies from Redbox!)!!

 Once at the airport, we had to measure the boys so we would know how much they've grown when Levi gets back. One more snuggle time, and t.hen we had to say goodbye.  It was such a wonderful 13 days and it was over in the blink of an eye! But we made sure to cherish every second of it and we are so thankful we got that time together! The holidays definitely wouldn't have been the same without him!! Now we are counting down til the final homecoming!!

 

After Levi left, we treated ourselves to Peachwave (for the boys) and Bo Lings (for me). And Grant arranged his bed just perfectly, and then after he showed me, he got Wyatt all tucked in with his Daddy pillow. They truly are amazing boys, and I don't know how I would get through this time without them!!

We love you Levi!

Levi's Halfway Homecoming

When we found out Levi would be getting a 2 week vacation over Christmas, we started counting down in September! Knowing we'd have our family together for Christmas was a very exciting deal. We've never been without Levi for Christmas, luckily, so this was very special! We all were bouncing with excitement all day long- it was a good thing his flight came in at 3:45 instead of later in the day! The boys were about to jump out of their skin while at the airport waiting- every airplane they saw they said, "That must be it!" But finally our time came and we saw Levi's face in person for the first time in 161 days!!!! While 13 days with him just isn't long enough, we are happy to take what we can get!! 

Dealing with Deployment

Levi has been gone for 12 days now, and while we haven't had a whole lot to do, we've stayed busy and are making the most of it! 

As soon as we dropped Levi off at the airport, we went to Hobby Lobby to get some supplies for some craft projects I wanted to do with the boys to help them understand about the deployment. The first thing we did was make a Kiss jar. I put the letters on the jar and the decorated the rest with stickers. And then we will filled each jar up with one kiss for each day Levi is gone (until his halfway homecoming for Christmas.)They are on the center of the kitchen table, and they get one each morning- who wouldn't love a chocolate kiss with their breakfast? They've enjoyed this alot!

We started putting our first package together for Levi and one of the things we did first was to trace their bodies so Levi can hang them up in his new house and Flat Grant and Flat Wyatt can live with him. Its been a work in progress getting them colored exactly how they wanted them. But they are ready to ship!!

I also ordered them these pillows! This is a wonderful service a couple in MO do for military families. All you do is submit the picture and they make the pillow, no fee at all! Although I'm going to submit a donation because they finished and shipped them here within a week! The boys love them so much and sleep with them at night!! Such a special treasure!

And we've been working on our Daddy Deployment wall and finally got it done too! It consists of maps, flag, countdown calendar, and lots of pictures! I also have two clocks, showing our time and Daddy's time. Grant has been reading clocks pretty well lately so hes able to kind of figure out the time difference. I put it on our garage door so we will see it each day we walk out the door!

And on top of the normal household duties I have, I have to make sure that I continue the things Levi used to do as well. Taking car of the yard, the cars, and fixing whatever is broken. He's also the official bike rider with the boys! It was so easy to ride bikes in OK, but not on our street. Too many cars driving by and no sidewalks. So I've taken on the job of bike-trailer driver!! We've gone to Heritage Park a few times to ride the trails, as well as driven up to the school playground. Its a heavy job to fulfill!

We miss Levi so very very much!! Life isn't the same without him being around. But we've got lots of things and family and friends to keep us busy!!!

It's Time To Go

We knew the day was coming, as its been in the back of our minds since February. It's one thing to think how the day will play out, but its always different when it becomes real. I mean, we've done this a few other times, so you would think I knew how I'd be feeling. But since the end of April, we've had so much time together to just enjoy each other, work on house projects, and just be a family. Something we didn't get a lot of in Oklahoma. So being in our new house, it was so great with Levi being on leave, just enjoying our time together. Which is why saying goodbye was that much harder. 

A few days before he left, we went on a final date. Well, it seemed like a first date really because neither one of us could really remember that last time we had a true date night together. We dropped the boys at my parents in the afternoon, enjoyed soaking in the pool together, and then went for a couples massage! Then we came home and got all dressed up and headed to Hereford House, where we shared a bottle of wine and ate until we were completely stuffed! It was amazing! 

We spent the next two days packing, last minute shopping, swimming, and snuggling!

 And then the morning came to head to the airport. It was hard knowing the long journey was about to begin, and knowing the boys were oblivious to what they were about to embark on. As Levi went to check in for his flight, the boys and I sat down to wait. This nice old lady asked the boys if they were getting ready to go on a trip. Grant replied that his dad was leaving for a deployment for one year. Up until that point, my eyes had stayed dry, but then I lost it. The lady walked over to me, held my hand and said that her husband had been in the Army for over 20 years while she stayed home and raised 3 boys. She knew my pain. And then she said, "The good Lord will see you through." And then she prayed for me and the boys. She was this little angel God had waiting for me at the airport to help me through this time.

As we walked down to Levi's gate, I just couldn't imagine how this next year will be. Without my best friend, my other half. But Grant kept saying, "Don't cry Mom. Dad's done this three other times already. Its going to be ok." My little rock- well really, people showing emotions makes Grant really uncomfortable, so really he wanted me to stop crying for himself- but I used it as a sign to be strong for my little fellas.They snuggled Levi one last time, happy as could be- oh to be blissfully ignorant! After I watched Levi walk through the gate, I had my moment, and then I picked myself up and the boys and I started our journey in strength and faith. 

Because like my angel said, "The good Lord will see us through." And I know that to be true!