Home

It finally happened!  Zach is home!  

Even after almost two weeks, it still feels surreal and like he never left at the same time.  It's crazy.  His homecoming day is one we will never forget.

The day started pretty normal.  Both girls went to school, just like they always do on Tuesdays.  I ran all my errands and got the house ready.  After both girls got picked up, we started getting more excited.  We had an early dinner.  The girls got the hair all curled (since this was such a special occasion).  Then it was time.

As we headed to the airport we talked about all sorts of things- what was the first thing we were going to say to Daddy when we saw him, how much we missed him, and how excited we were to see him again.  It was a fun car ride.  Lots of smiles and giggles.

Once we got to the airport, we were able to get gate passes so that he would see us as soon as he got off the plane.

Then we waited.  It felt like forever.

We saw the plane land and then it was time!  I felt like I had my emotions in check up until the moment that they opened the door to let all the passengers off the plane.  Even now I get emotional just thinking about it.

We knew that there were a few guys coming home on the same plane, so we just had to pick him out of the crowd.  It is a good thing he is tall, because we spotted him before he walked through the gate door.  I told the girls that I saw him and to get ready.  As soon as Haley saw him, she yelled "Daddy!!" and ran into his arms.  I had to give Emily a little nudge, but she ran over to him and gave him a big squishy hug.  Then it was my turn.  I just wanted to hug him so hard and never let him go.  It was, and still is, such an overjoyed/emotional experience.  Tears come to my eyes every time I think about it.

We are so happy to have him home.  Our family is complete again.

Almost There!

It is finally April!  April probably means lots of different things to everyone.  Birthdays, anniversaries, tax day.  But for us, it means we get Zach back!  It's hard to believe that we are almost there.  It feels like the longest, shortest six months ever.  We managed to stay fairly busy to keep the time going by, but at the same time, it's been almost half a year!  Half a year!!  It's just crazy to think about.

It's been hard.  It's been challenging.  It's been rewarding.

It certainly gives you some perspective.  I can't imagine being a single parent.  Doing it all.  All day, every day, by yourself.  Thankfully, my time was on a temporary basis.

I tried to make the most of all my one on one time with the girls and plan lots of fun/special things.  I might have even spoiled them a little to try to make up for the fact that Daddy has been gone.

There might have been few more trips to get ice cream.

Maybe a second ride on the carousel.

Possibly a few extra lunch dates.

There might have even been a few more movie nights than usual.  Lots of wonderful memories have been made.

And boy, have I learned a lot.

I can't do it all, and that's ok.
I can still do all those things that I used to do when I was single, like pay bills, change an air filter, and lock myself out of the house.
I can even learn new things.  Like learning to use a skill saw or jump start a car.
It's ok to ask for help, because people want to help.
It's ok to let people do something nice for you without expecting anything in return.
I'm not invincible.  I can get sick too, even when my babies get sick.
It is possible to do 12 loads of laundry within 24 hours.
I am stronger than I thought.

I have to say, I am pretty proud of myself and even more proud of the girls.  Going in to it, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Were there going to be extra meltdowns?  Lots of "I miss Daddy!" moments?  But looking back, I think we've done pretty well for ourselves.  Sure there were the normal break down moments and we definitely missed Daddy, but it was nothing a hug and a kiss couldn't cure. 

As for now, we are counting the weeks and days until Zach comes home.  I get emotional just thinking about it.  But we are ready!  So very ready.