Saturday, May 1, 2010

A New Chapter Begins...

Much to my dismay, May 1st is here....

My new normal begins today.....

My hubby has officially left for what will be a 14 month deployment away from home....

Soon he will be in Iraq, fighting along thousands of other selfless soldiers, helping to make this place safer for you and me...

Until July, he will only be a few hours away working at his Army headquarters, but only having the chance to come home 3 weekends out of the next 8.....(but I'll gladly take all the time I can get with him.)

We've done this once before.

Back in 2004 he left for Iraq for, what turned out to be, a 14 month deployment...
(This photo was taken hours before he left)
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...and 14 months later, he returned home....

( I just LOVE this happy picture of our first hug)
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YAY! Happiness again!
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Five years later, we are a family of 4......our first born is now 7 years old and we have a 3 year old too....

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Today the new normal begins for our family.....

I must say, I am ready to start looking forward to those homecoming pics like the ones above....

But until then, I am fousing on lots of fun crafts and projects to do around the house, and making sure my girls get through this okay too! With the first deployment, our oldest was a baby and didn't understand what was going on....now we have 2 chidren and they are both old enough to be affected by their Daddy's absence. 

I'm praying time flies by fast...real fast!

Hoping to have my first deployment project done soon....I will keep you posted!

Have a great weekend!


12 comments:

Amy {Design Intervention} said...

Bring on the deployment projects!!! Your pictures brought tears to my eyes - - made me miss my hubby and made me realize that those pictures actually did move further down the calendar for us :( Praying for you and your precious family! Hang in there friend and welcome to the "new Normal."

Pine Tree Home said...

The sacrifices that you and your husband make greatly benefits many. Please know that there are many of us who are thankful for this every day.

Kelly M said...

We're praying for you and your precious family Paige. You'll have to make a trip back to Atlanta this summer and I'll keep yall busy! :)

Sausha @ {Sweet Pickins} said...

sorry to hear about your husband leaving, again. We have also been through that twice, baby #2 was born while he was gone the 1st time. But now she is 5 and he will be home again in about a week!

i dont know about you but both deployments the time has gone by so fast and you quickly get into a routine.

Do you use skype? that has made a huge difference with the kids this go around - its so much better than phone calls, just being able to see him makes so much difference with the kids!

i got a ton done while he was gone - sounds like you got some projects too. I will check back often!

Have a good relaxing weekend with your kids :)

Unknown said...

This made me cry! Praying for you and your precious family. May God hold you closer and His ark of His protection cover your husband.

Unknown said...

I can't imagine what it would be like without my husband for 14 months! I will pray for you and your girls! Stay busy and time will go by before you know it. ;-)

The Tylers said...

Yes, I am wiping tears too. I cannot begin to tell you how much the rest of us appreciate how much you and your husband and your family sacrifice for our country. I will be praying for you & will probably shed many tears over your updates :( Hugs to you!

Andrea said...

tears in my eyes too! THANK YOU SO MUCH for the sacrifice you make as a family to help make our country a safer place!
We'll be praying the days fly by and for his safety!
God Bless you!

Allyson/HBMomof2 said...

Found your blog via Skip to my Lou and your gorgeous scalloped wall, but kept reading to find this post. I cannot thank you enough for the sacrifice you and your family are making for the sake of mine. Your honorable husband is making a difference and please know that we pray for him and all of our service people everyday. Thank you.

Unknown said...

I found your blog through Thrifty Decor Chick, but realized you were a fellow military wife. My husband's been gone for the past 9 out of 10 months. Our kids definitely keep me busy, and time has gone pretty quickly! I hope it does as well, for you.

Maggie said...

I wish I had thought of a set goal. My husband is 1/4 done with a 12 month deployment. I actually finished aproject right after he left, it was how I dealt. I need to set a goal and get stuff done, I am busy organizing and cleaning, but leave my crafts hanging. I did put together some new IKEA furniture, does that count too?

Brittany N said...

Thank You so much for posting great ideas to keep me busy. My husband just left for his first deployment, and i have noticed that crafts are the only thing that keeps me busy well besides our little boy. you have given me some great ideas and something to help me keep my chin up. thank you!