The Talk

We finally had "the talk" with the girls. The "Daddy is going away for a little while" talk.

He's been bringing home some gear lately and the girls have been interested in some of it, so it just seemed like a natural time to bring it all up.

We all sat down and we talked about everything that he's been bringing home and explained that it was for a big work trip that Daddy is going on. That he was going to a place far away called Afghanistan. Daddy wasn't going to be home for a while, but we could talk to him on the phone and see him on the computer every so often. I pretty much choked back tears the whole time.

I pretty much choked back tears the whole time.

I wasn't sure how much the girls were actually understanding, but we were sitting on the couch later and Haley was next to Zach.  She looked up at him and said "Daddy, I am going to miss you." Tears started falling (that day and now as I recall it).

I know we will have to keep talking about it over the next few months, but the girls now know that Daddy is deploying to go help people.

This is certainly going to be the hardest time we've had as a family, but I am hoping the time flies by so that we don't have miss Daddy for so long.

1st Day of School

Somehow it happened.  Summer ended and it was time for school to start.  I do enjoy summer and being with the girls, but it is always nice when it's time to get back to a normal routine.

Haley's big day was first.  Pre-K.  How did that happen?  She was really excited.  I was too, but I was also a little sad that she was going to real school, all day long school. 

Emily and I got to walk her in on the first day. 

I shed a few tears this morning.  But she was ready, and ready for me to go and leave her to learn. 

We got into the car and Emily asked me "Are we leaving Haley?"  I told her yes, but that we would be back to pick her up in the afternoon.  And it was just going to be us two girls for a while.  She seemed a little sad, but we had a fun day the two of us, and boy was she happy to see her big sister when we picked her up!  Haley had a great first day and is so happy to go back each day.

A week later, it was Emily's first day for Mother's Day Out.  It went significantly better than last year!  She didn't even shed a tear.  What a big girl!

Now that school has started up again, it means Mommy gets two days a week (or 10 whole hours a week!) to lay around on the couch eating bon bons (or at least that's what Daddy thinks!).