COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a few things I am most thankful for:

My Testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
My loving husband
Our sweet Girls
Our good families
Our Health
Our country
wonderful friends

Thanksgiving wish:
http://www.cpmsglife.org/tg/2006tdm1.html

*On a side note.. The Thanksgiving holiday
has always held a special place in my heart.
I'm very thankful for Thanksgiving
because back in the year 1974 it fell on the 28th
of November and my mother gave up her
Turkey dinner to deliver "one". (J/K mom).
You and Dad don't make turkeys!

BLUE WITHOUT YOU

So this is more for me to just get it out there and out of my heart. As a lot of you know Darryl left to go back to Iraq this last Thursday. I've been putting on a brave face for Cora and Shay trying to be strong and not let my sad feelings show. Until today and it hit me as I was washing Darryl's civilian clothes knowing he won't be wearing them again for quite a long time. It also seemed hard that I have his clothes here and yet he is a world away (obviously he doesn't need his fun clothes in Iraq.)
We just heard from him yesterday for the first time since Thurs. and he made it there safely, so that was a relief. While he was home on R & R his whole Brigade moved to Bacraba (sp)? one of, if not the most dangerous spot in Iraq right now. So it made saying goodbye to him even harder on Thursday.
It's definitely hard the 1st time letting him go during a deployment...but then the 2nd time you know what it entails and it's almost harder. The time we spent with Darryl was like a dream. It really did go by too fast. Every moment you try to savor more than the last. When we first met Darryl at the airport to begin his R&R it was euphoric...one of those moments in life when you feel it should definitely have background music like in the movies. In the airport before he left again was one of those moments too...when you wish time would just stand still. Just watching him holding the girls, kissing them it was so hard to hold it together. Then before he was about to board just holding him before we let him go. Nothing around us was important...just our family holding on tight, until a gentleman came up to thank us...thank him for his and our sacrifice. More people in fact had spoken to us while we were waiting with Darryl and it was greatly appreciated. In fact I know it helped Darryl to get back on the plane to go to such a harsh place and continue what he's been doing for the past 8 months. That what he is doing does make a difference to people and that they weren't afraid to tell him.
Some of the things I will miss the most will be the small things like holding his hand. Having him next to me. Being able to hug him. Looking into his eyes. You better believe I took full advantage of his R&R and really
appreciated being able to do all of those things and then telling him that.
Then there was Cora's prayer last night. She blessed the food and started to tell Heavenly Father how grateful she is to have Shay here, Mommy here, Grandma and Grandpa here, and She said Daddy...paused not here, I miss my Daddy and he's in my heart. Jesus loves him in Iraq. Amen. Both my Mother and I had tears streaming down our cheeks. How sweet children are and how tender their hearts.
So anyway I figured I'd get this out of my system before Thanksgiving because we really do have so much to be thankful for.

Disney Cruise to the Bahamas

A-maz-ing! It really was like a dream come true. First of all having Darryl there with us and the whole experience was so much fun. We really didn't want it to end, especially Cora. I was a little ify on the cruise thing since we had never been on one and Cora and myself are prone to motion sickness. We were wondering if this was a disaster waiting to happen. We were really lucky to just miss tropical storm Noel...wouldn't have wanted to see those ocean swells. The service was awesome from our servers right down to our room service people who left animal towels and chocolates on our beds everynight. The Disney shows in the evening were fabulous. I was really impressed. Cora came with Darryl and I while Shay went to Flounders Nursery. Cora was so cute and sang all the princess songs. Darryl was so impressed that she knew so many of the words. (ok-so I admit it, I was singing along too).
The food...now that is something in and of itself. Let's just say if you are on a diet you better have pretty good self control. Ever since I could remember I've wanted to see crystal clear water, the Bahamas delivered. Just beautiful. We loved being together and it was a wonderful way to create some new memories, especially ones to look back on and treasure these next 6 to 7 months until Darryl returns home again.

So "HAPPY" on Halloween

Together At Last

Reunited. We are so excited to have Darryl home with us, words cannot even express. More photos and stories to come. Welcome Back Daddy!!! We are truly blessed to be together as a family again.

Fallpalooza

So we've officially hit the 7 month mark! I've really been trying to keep busy before our trip to go see Darryl. We're trying not to just sit around and let the anticipation and anxiety get the best of us..or I should say just me. Everyday the weather has been nice we've headed out on a little adventure. We've taken some fun pictures and I had a hard time narrowing them down.
In the last few weeks the girls have changed so much and it just makes me even more anxious for Darryl to see them. Cora has had a growth spurt and now needs new pants again. She is learning so much in Primary and in Preschool and tells me what's she's learned daily. And Shay is just talking up a storm (baby talk) voice infections and everything. She's always wanting to make us laugh. Her personality is just shining through. They both think it is hillarious to tackle Mom when we're hanging out in the evening. I definitely can't wait for Daddy to take over in that department(although I have enjoyed it more than I've let on). I can't wait to see them play with him, have him chase them...and especially the Daddy dog pile. It's amazing how many things I have taken for granted when we were together as a family. It also amazes me how many things he did around the house and now that I've been doing everything I see how much he contributed to our family and running our household. There was a testimony given on Sunday that I've been thinking a lot about. And the message was to not only cherish and honor our parents but actually vocalize our feelings and tell them how much we love and appreciate them. I will consiously make an effort not only to appreciate Darryl but vocalize these feelings as well. This definitely has been a learning year for me in a lot of areas.

Out and about on a fall afternoon

So when we heard the weekend weather was going to be nice we planned a full day for Saturday to get out and enjoy some autumn events. We heard about Lattins country mill and cider farm down in Olympia and decided to give it a try. We really had a nice time. We saw some cute farm animals, rode a wagon pulled by Clydesdale horses to the pumpkin patch, and even waited in line for some homemade apple fritters and cider. Yum!

Then we took a drive to see the leaves by the state capitol. We are so grateful for the seasons....Cora said "Heavely Father sure painted the trees so pretty on His picture."

14 Days till we see Daddy!!