Staying busy..

      For 8 years I built a life with my soldier. We branched out away from home, we rely on only eachother, raise 2 boys together, and every decision we make is as a team. When you take the soldier away to attend to his duties...then what? The first couple weeks everytime I would pull up in my car seeing my husband Mustang parked when it shouldnt be there it should be gone with my soldier in it. I would sit in my car and cry bc I couldnt believe that he was 7,433 miles away from me. How was I going to do this alone? People kept saying to me "Its ONLY 9 months." but I struggled to do a day, then go to bed alone. How was I going to do "only" 9 months? Before my soldier left he told me I needed to stay busy. At the time I thought "I still have 2 kids OF COURSE Im going to be busy." I hated feeling in a slump when as my soldier would say "We dont have a choice." So I had to pull myself together. Before my soldier left Dylan and I made a huge list of things we were going to do while dad was gone...

This list had some big things like going to an amusement park, the zoo, travel home to see family, go to a circus, and little things like Eat ice cream for dinner, pillow fight, build a fort, cook marshmellows on a fire. The reason for the list was to stay focus on staying busy, not so much about the things we were going to do.
We did LOTS of things...

Went to the Cheyanne Moutain zoo to see the new Elephant Exhibit...

Went to Monkey buisness, Jump N Jacks, House of bounce...

Had playdates...

Soccer...

Ate shark at the balloon glow...

lots of park time and picnics...

Gymnastics

started 2nd grade...

Had friends over...

Track..

Baseball...

 Sports camp...

Had a visitor for a few weeks this summer...

 fishing

Easter...

Went to Pikes Peak...

park fun...

Went home to Iowa and spent much needed family time...

Amusement park in Denver...

Saw Great Grandpa Killion

Went to the circus...

Someone turned TWO! 

Went to Garden of the Gods for walks and bike rides...

more fishing.

Just to name a few. Lets just say we were BUSY!!!! Through the 9 months... Mike lost his grandma, his sister had their first baby, Mason started to walk, Dylan passed the swim test to go off the diving board. Dylan lost his first baby tooth, Dylan got glasses, Mason was cleared from Cardiology, Mason got braces for his feet... On top of extra things we did we had daily therapys for mason, doc appointments, baseball, track, sports camp, gymnastics (both the boys), mason had kinderjam,

Did we stay busy? YES! 

Did it help? Maybe! 

LOL 

Happy Birthday Soldier!!!

Happy Birthday DADDY!!!   
The Big dirty 30 took place on April 25th. Being in another country I had to be creative to make his birthday special. We sent him the following...Birthday Card from me Birthday card from Dylan, Birthday Card from Mason instead of a sweet message I traced his hands, leaving hand prints. Doesn't get any sweeter then that! We also sent him a package full of his favorite candy, junk food and a surround sound waits his arrival.
     Dylan was upset and didn't understand why his dad didn't get cake, balloons or open presents. So I thought I needed to step it up, not only sending the birthday boy items to make him feel special, and missed, I needed to make it fun on this end as well.  
    I had to put on my thinking cap. At first I thought "Maybe we should get a cake" but then I thought How rude would that be? The birthday boy wasn't even going to have cake on his birthday. So I thought about balloons! How awesome would it be if Dylan thought by letting balloons go they would make their way to his dad in Kuwait? Also Dylan feeling in a way he was helping daddy celebrate. Balloons it was!  
 First stop, flower shop. I told Dylan about the plan he was so excited. He kept saying "Lets not tell daddy!" Followed by his sneaky giggle. Dylan picked out the balloons. Anything that is red, white and blue Dylan calls "Army Colors." So he picked out an "army balloon that said "All American Love" also a blue and one red that said "I love you!"  
       Next stop, pictures. Of course I knew the balloons were not going to make their way to Kuwait but I also thought dad would get a kick out of knowing Dylan did this in honor of his birthday. 
   Last but not least...It was time to let them go! We counted to three and with a big smile, Dylan standing on top of a hill,released them and said "Safe Travels go to my daddy in Kuwait." After letting them go he did what any kid would do, Chase them! After they were out of reach we watched them go over the mountains. Dylan got a little emotional saying with tears in his eyes "I miss my daddy."   
   There they went, balloons thoughtfully picked out topped with  Dylan kisses on each one of them.
     On the way home Dylan had his face on the window watching for the balloons. Coming over the mountain which looked to be an airplane in the distance however, Dylan insisted it was Daddy's balloons. He said "My balloons said  oops wrong way." Then shortly disappeared again.    
 Later that night while Dylan was sound asleep I skyped with the birthday boy and told him all about our adventure. I gave him detailed description about each balloon. I knew when Dylan next talked to dad he would ask a million questions.  
    A few days later...
Dylan "Daddy, Did you see anything in the sky on your birthday?(giggles)
Daddy " I did!!! Did you send me balloons?"
Dylan" (giggles) yup I did!
Daddy " Thanks buddy!"
After getting off the phone Dylan said "I KNEW HE WOULD SEE THEM, I KNEW ITTT!!!"
Happy 30th Birthday Soldier!!!!

What I have learned about a deployment...

* I'm stronger then I thought
* Every deployment story is different
* Technology is AMAZING I get a phone call daily, and we skype twice a day unless on a mission)
* Watching the news is a bad bad bad idea while your soldier is deployed!
* Saying goodbye was a B*tch!
* I understand why army wives move home during deployments, can be lonely at times.
* I CAN do it all!
* I DO have patience...who knew?
* Skype/ and Internet can be a pain in the A$$!
* No sleep, living off of coffee and energy drinks has become normal
* Surrounding yourself with positive army wives instead of Negative Nancy's is important. Staying Positive is what keeps you going!
* My kids sacrifice ALOT
* Its heartbreaking to see your kids sad knowing this was a decision made from My husband and I.
 * My soldier isn't a complainer "It is what it is...it will be over soon"
* Deployment brain (like pregnancy brain DOES exsists!)  Dylan has given me the name "Forgetful Sally!"
* Sending care packages are Expensive
* Sending care packages are IMPORTANT and APPRECIATED!
* I'm one creative momma when my oldest is sad
* My soldier loves his job and is damn good at it
* Weekends are the DEVIL
* We save a ton of money while my soldier is deployed
 * Its okay to cry
* Its okay to be happy and have fun
* keeping busy helps pass time
* Fort Carson post office is SLOW
* Deployment groups for kids are the best invention EVER
* Until deployment my kids didn't know what lunch ables and spaghetti Os were, Its depressing to sit at the dinning table as a family when not all the family is there. The quicker the meal, THE BETTER!
* The people who say "At least its not Afghanistan, or At least its 9 months and not a year" are probably civilians who would be pissed if their husband wasn't home for dinner on time. Shrug it off.
* I feel guilty when Mason does a milestone without dad here
*  Deployment seems to bring out every ones strengths and weaknesses.
* YOU WILL BE CHALLENGED!
* Deployments don't last forever.
 * Everyday that passes is another day closer to seeing your soldier
* Don't attend your own pity parties, everything will be fine
*Hearing the words "packed, loaded" are exciting!
* Receiving unique gifts from another country will be displayed and cherished. They mean more then just a "gift"
* Receiving my soldiers tough box was emotional bc it means we are SO close!
*preparations of a homecoming is Exciting, emotional and Makes time go by faster!
* I'm not alone

Thank God for Skype

        "Testing one two three, testing." Dylan, Mike and I were sitting in the living room. Mike had his laptop, while Dylan and I had my notebook on the other side of the room. Time to test out Skype. We got the skype going basically wanted to make sure it worked but also to let Dylan know how we were going to be able to talk to dad for a while. Dylan thought it was cool and he was excited to be able to see dad. Of course Dylan had  fun with skype talking to dad when he was 6 steps from him but we knew this was going to be helpful.. Communication is so important while being away. Who wouldn't like to see their soldier while talking? Jackpot!
        Before deploying I made up my mind for the kids that I would keep on keeping on. So one morning I took the kids to Monkey business, a place to climb, run, paint and have lots of fun. I remembered that monkey business had WIFI so of course I brought my computer. Mike skyped me and I followed the kids around with my computer so dad could watch the boys have fun, people looked at me like I was a little crazy but the smile on my soldiers face made me feel otherwise.
        Everyday (so far) we have been able to skype. He will call me before he goes to bed which with the time difference falls on lunch time for us. Some days he watches Mason eat and try to attack the computer, or I help him study for hours for boards. To me it doesn't really make a difference I'm just beyond thankful for skype bc in a way feels like he is still with us.

You got Mail

        Preparing for deployment with a 7 year old I knew I had to come up with a way for Dylan to express himself, talk things through and leaving the communication door to his dad open. I made this "mailbox" out of a Christmas box and blue paint. I told Dylan "Whenever you want to write to dad, draw a picture, or if you want to send something to dad, you can put it in this "mailbox" and when I send out a box I will send what you put in here to daddy."

       I can't say he thought this was so cool, or he loved it. To be honest my husband thought it was a little silly and Dylan could careless. But THEN the day came where it wasn't so silly after all. The night of deployment I saw there was a letter in the box so I pulled it out and it was a letter from Dylan. I didn't even see him write it. It said "When you come home, I'm going to hug you and kiss you, love you miss you."  As the days go by the "mailbox" gets full. Some times I know he is going to put a drawing, or a letter in there and there are days I look and see a hand full of new letters. I told my husband about the mailbox getting alot of attention and it made him happy that Dylan thought of him and continues to think of him while hes away. Whose silly now?

Making Broccoli Sound Like Chocolate

      One thing I love about my soldier is he has a way of cheering me up when I am down. A way of making me KNOW everything will be okay. A way of making me smile through my tears. Always reminding me some hard times we have been through and how we always make it through. Making me feel like I could conquer the world and in some ways making me believe I already have.
      Before deployment I had my days where I said "I cant talk about deployment right now" The night before him leaving I went by myself to get us a few movies, While at blockbusters I called him and told him the movies that were out and wanted his opinion on what to watch. He says to me "Do you have a cold?" (bc I was sniffling and crying under my sunglasses, Yes at Blockbusters!) I replied with "NOOO I'm an emotional wreck and I cant talk about this to you right now I will be home soon." (bc at this point I was SICK of talking about it, thinking about it, and crying about it SICK of it! )
     We took the boys to the movies (a movie Dylan has been DYING to see) and during the previews there was a few more movies Dylan added to his list of wanting to see. After a preview a date of when the movie is coming out shows up on the screen and Dylan would tell dad. "DAAADDD in July we need to come see that movie dad." I told Dylan "Sweetie Daddy will be gone then." Mike looked at me and said "Im not GONE Stacy, we can watch it on skype together buddy." Then looks at me with a smile. Well okay then.
      We were in the car one night to get dinner and we would talk about deployment, things that I will do while he was gone..and so on. He said "After a couple weeks it will fly by." RIIIIGHT! "Its not a month Mike its 9 MONTHS! I would reply." Then he would follow up with "Stace, its only a few months." It was an ongoing joke because he was trying to sugar coat it. I would tease him about where he went to school and who taught him what a "couple" meant.
      After 2 weeks of deploying  he said "Wellllllll one month is almost over!" hahahahahahahaha no no sir! I think I need to find his math teacher, although he does make me laugh.
      Some other things he would say before leaving...
"When I'm deployed it will get easier, because we can count down the days..."
"I know I can't be there to buy stuff with you (for the house and what not) but you can show me on skype and its like I am there."
I bought a small notebook computer so I could tuck it away in my purse and bring it with me...."When you go home to see the families you can take your computer and its like I'm with you bc we can skype!"

     With his positive attitude he made me feel like everything will be okay...and through past experiences it always is!

Honey to do...

      When going on a vacation or travel back home theres always a million things to do before hand. Bags to pack for the kids, fun things for the kids to do in the car to keep them entertained, clean the house before leaving, make sure to have the oil changed, cash in my wallet, and a plan to  be prepared whether it is bringing a swim suit or dress clothes for church. Well the same goes for a deployment except its not a vacation of two weeks it is 9 months or longer! Theres alot of preparation.
SOLDIERS PACKING
 The soldiers have list of things they need to pack and make sure they have.
                        For instance(Not even close to being the complete list):
4 uniform sets
2 pair of combat boots
running shoes
8 pair of "civilian socks"
8 pair of military socks
personal hygiene (shampoo, soap, tooth brushes, tooth paste, razors...ect)
All their military gear which is a couple pages long of what they need.

So all the gear that is piled in the basement needed to be packed and accounted for which required ALOT of time, patience and helping out my soldier. We started off by bringing all the army gear and things he needed to the living room, Mike handed me papers with lists on them and a pen. I would read off what he needed and in what bag the items would go in, then marked off the list. After that part is complete then its time to pack the bags! Basically there is alot of gear and clothes and not enough room so it requires pushing, pulling, squeezing, tugging, refolding, repacking to get everything in the bag that needs to go. It takes both my soldier and I to get this accomplished. Let me tell you that is a JOB!
     At a deployment meeting we were told the soldiers schedules would be like they are here. Morning PT, Lunch, work, dinner then off unless on a mission. When my soldier is home he has kids to play with, tv to watch, games to play and a wife to hang out with. So it was a MUST to find things for him to bring to stay busy on his down time.
PERSONAL ITEMS
Magic jack
phone
bible
notebooks
computer (skype)
movies
games

HONEY TO DO: about 2 weeks before deployment things need to be done So I make a list, and hang it on the kitchen cupboard and Mike adds to what he wants to get done also before leaving...looked like this...
Daddy, Dylan date
Date night
need contact info how to get a hold of him in case of an emergency on my end
PAPERS PAPERS PAPERS (power of attorneys, wills, his unit phone contact info...ect)
Mini Vacation
Put together the boys trampoline ect...
 A few days before the deployment day I looked at the Honey to do list hanging on the cupboard except it was scribbled on and finished. If there was ever a time I wouldn't mind my soldier not getting what I asked done, that would of been the time. It was a little sad tearing it off the cupboard and throwing it away because it only meant one thing...DEPLOYMENT TIME!