Let's Get It Over With

So there's a big change coming next week...Bruce is leaving and we're all very sad about it. However, it's not like a deployment in that we know we will see him twice during the four months he's training. We'll also be able to talk to him anytime we want because he'll be in the same time zone. That's a big comfort to us right now! There's always this weird week or two before a deployment or training stint where as much as I hate to see Bruce leave, we just want our time apart to start so we can get the whole thing over with. Like I said, I know that probably sounds weird, but we can't mark days off the calendar if he hasn't left yet.

All military spouses and military families have their own coping methods while their loved ones are deployed/training/TDY. You have to have a to-do list or a plan. It's important to plan trips, weekly lunch dates or play dates, or, in my case, finish certain things around the house before Bruce comes home. The last time Bruce was gone for this long I was pregnant with Owen and Kathryn. I kept myself busy with work, doctor appointments, planning the nursery and buying baby stuff, lunches and dinners with friends, etc. I'm curious (and nervous) about how this will go with the babies - we've never had to do this before with children. What's on my to-do list this time?

-Weekly trips to the park, Target, grocery store - obvious right? Still that's easily three days worth of outings a week.
-Find a pediatrician for the kiddos, a dentist for all of us (there's no base here so we will all see civilian doctors, Bruce included), and a general physician for Bruce and myself.
-At least one trip to Huntsville/Hartselle a month (especially during football season so we can watch Bama games with the whole fam)
-Potty train Owen (he is ready!)
-Have my wing back chairs recovered (This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it will involve a fair amount of time to find fabric, drop chairs off, etc.)
-Order new curtains for sitting room and our bedroom
-Find furniture for dining room
-Organize the guest room and basement
-Three workouts a week, minimum. Of course these will be done at home when the kids are asleep, but I can't give up just because I can't go out and run alone.
-Find and try one new recipe each week
-Drink a lot of coffee...I'm gonna' need it! ;)

There are plenty of other things I need to do I'm sure, but these are the biggies that came to mind today. My main goal though is just to help the kids adjust to our new environment without their Daddy. Bruce is involved in everything when it comes to the kids and I know they're going to miss him like crazy.

I often feel guilty for being so sad about Bruce leaving for four months. We've had almost three years of Daddy being at home every night and no deployments! That's pretty much unheard of if you've been in the military these last few years. But I guess that's unheard of only if you're comparing us to other military families. When you tell a "civilian" (I didn't know another word to use) family that your husband is leaving for four months, they can't even fathom what that would be like. It's hard because we are separated a great deal more than the average family, but much less than the typical military family. Either way, I have to keep reminding myself we've been blessed and this is a new chapter for our family and it too will have many perks!

Here are a couple of pictures we took before leaving Biloxi for the last time with the babies. I should have gotten these up a while ago. They were taken on Father's Day. We had a lot of fun (and sleepless nights and long days) in this little house.



The only thing missing in the kids' rooms are their letters (a friend of mine is painting them for us) and a few more curtain panels in Sullivan's room. After that though, the kids' rooms will be done! I promise house pictures next week and a rundown of everything we've done or changed since we've been here. It's been a busy couple of weeks! Until next time...