Somewhere Out There

So we're six plus months into Darryls deployment now. We've really made some good progress and definitely have a good amount of time behind us. We're anxiously awaiting our visit with him on his R&R break at the end of October. This is the way I am journaling for now, so I wanted to write about some of things that have been noteworthy during our time apart.
~Soon after Darryl left Cora was invited to a friends birthday party. The invitation was deliverd in a glass slipper with the invitation rolled up like a scroll inside the shoe. She would unravel the scroll and clear her throat and say "hear he hear she....my Dad has gone away, flew into the sky. But I can be brave, I can be strong." It was so cute I wish I had filmed her doing it. Maybe I could get her to recreate it. Hmmm
~This picture of Darryl and the girls was taken right before he left...melts my heart. We took this picture and put it on some pillow cases for the girls and I so that we could hug Daddy (our pillows) goodnight. We took a family photo and made a pillow case for him so he could hug us too.
~Shay loves the telephone. If I forget to put it up high...she'll take it any chance she can get, to grab it and just start pushing random numbers. The cutest thing is when she puts it to her ear and says "hi Dada". She's been doing that since Darryl left. Love it and I have filmed her doing that.
~Everynight when Cora sees the moon she says Darryl is there looking down at our house. Hmmm...moon/Iraq....I'm happy with her thinking he's on the moon at this age. Anyway on that note I thought it was appropriate for the Somewhere out there song.
~Cora has a small birthmark on the back of her left arm that resembles a small heart with an arrow going thru it..
(crazy I know, but true). So she pointed to her chest the other night and said Jesus is in this heart, then pointed to her arm and said Daddy is in this one.
28 Days and counting

Sometimes it just takes a smile to lift your spirits

“What is Autumn? A second spring, where the leaves imitate the flowers." -Albert Camas

So fall is here. One of my favorite seasons. I think I say that at the beginning of every season (except winter, but I take that back because Christmas time is one of my favorite times of year too). Some of my fondest memories of family and traditions involve fall and all that comes with it. The leaves turning colors....fall hikes. Sweaters. Family pictures each year in front of the big oak tree in the backyard. I'm kind of partial to our east coast falls in Maryland with all the brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows. Hay rides....hot cocoa. Warm indian summers with golden afternoons and football or soccer games in our back yard. As I get older the nostalgia of it all intensifys too. My poor kids. If you take a close look in the first picture you'll see Shay looking kind of upset that her Mom stopped the van on the side of the road to plop her in the grass and take a fall picture of her spontaniously. Fun fun. Good thing I had my camera.

Blackberry Picking

Here in WA in the summertime it is a tradition to go pick blackberries growing in the wild. We went this past week because the weather has just been beautiful. I picked the berries, Cora caught frogs, and Shay just kept eating the berries out of the bucket. I'm hoping to find a good blackberry jam recipe and send it over to Darryl in a care package Yum!

Cora's Day With Mommy

Cora and I enjoyed a special day together at Wild Waves last Saturday. I have to say it was the best time to go if you are going to go. It was the military weekend so we got in for $10. The Puyallup fair just started that Friday so we figure everyone must have gone there because we were riding all the rides by ourselves. It was a ton of fun. I loved spending this time with Cora, it was like I was a little girl again. To see the excitment in her eyes and just have her look at me and hold my hand it was just perfect. I'm so glad she loves to ride the rides like I do. She even wanted to get on the roller coaster, but wasn't tall enough. Maybe next year my daring little darling. They do grow up so fast. This day was a great reminder just to take time to enjoy your children and treasure each moment. P.S. If you look at the picture with Cora in the car...she is looking over at the roller coaster and I pictured her thinking and all I get to ride is this car that goes in a circle. Her face cracked me up.

One Day Her Prince Will Come

Our sweet Cora. Today we went on a frog hunt with our neighbor Evan. And look what we found. Cora has no fear of little slimy animals (unlike her Mom who jumps when she finds a frog while watering the flowers). She didn't want to go inside because she didn't want her new found pet to leave. Finally we both agreed the frog needed to meet up with his family and eat his dinner too. I was happy to see that after we came inside she wanted to put her Sleeping Beauty dress on. It's nice to see Cora is so well rounded.

Shay is 13 months old

Wow...it is so hard to believe little Shay is getting to be such a toddler. She is walking pretty fast for a new walker of just a little over a month. She says words or mostly voice inflections such as uh-oh, thank you, Mama, and Dada. She also has been a true Mama's girl and has learned the sign for more and uses it mostly to ask for more food or drink. A girl after my own heart. She looks for Cora the first thing when she wakes up in the morning. When we walk out the door and see the neighbors, she does the cutest high pitched voice and says "HI". It is so precious.

We also have seen that Shay loves to make people laugh especially her older sister Cora. She looks up to Cora and wants to do everything Cora is doing. I love watching them as they interact as sisters.

Cora and Logan

Another one of my favorite photos this summer. My sister Lisa took this picture. She is the photographer of the family. It was so nice to have her the boys and her talents with us this summer.

Darryl's Dealings in Iraq

So.... not my favorite thing to see Darryl holding in a picture, but I love the graffiti on the tank. With all the computer/communications work Darryl does I sometimes forget he carries a weapon at all times. It's takes a little getting used to seeing him and "the gun" in every outdoor picture. The whole gun thing kind of reminds me of Wilson in the movie Castaway. Ok I guess he's not on an Island and there are other people there to talk to. Not sure where I was going with that. Must be getting late. ; )
Hard to believe he'll have been in Iraq 6 months in the middle of September. He's doing well, keeping busy, helping build morale for the troops and those he serves with. Just typical Darryl, my social guy. We're so proud of him and the difference he is making just by being his friendly self. We can't wait for his R&R to begin in about 2 months. We miss you Darryl!

One of my favorite photos this summer