Dave and I celebrated our wedding anniversary last friday! 10 years! Wahoo! We had a great time (despite the cold rain) on our overnight adventure to Houston...without kids=) We were able to begin discussing a name for our little guy, eat yummy seafood, and just relax...that was nice. We even slept in until after 8am! (Spencer and Maren are both early birds so that never happens at our house.) We did do a little shopping including a trip to Dave's favorite store, REI, and a stop at baby's-r-us for a new crib mattress. We had no real agenda, just time together. It was wonderful. The temple was closed for cleaning but we did drive by...I think it is such a beautiful temple. You can see the Texas archetechture in it, and it was dusk, so the lighting was just perfect.
So, post Dave deploying announcement, we have found that life indeed does go on. And I am pleased to say I have been able to keep my emotions in check most of the time, and enjoy this time.
We have spent much of the past two weeks getting things ready for him, and for the kids here. Including missing daddy box's (full of inexpensive surprises for the kids when they are missing their dad). We have found that we should have kept these a secret as Spencer discovered and played with the bouncing, round present and dubbed it his ball. (Of course it is his ball, but that was supposed to be a surprise. It has somehow managed to stay mostly wrapped...so far.) And Maren keeps asking when dad is leaving so she can open her presents...hmmmm, she will miss him...I think.
So, post Dave deploying announcement, we have found that life indeed does go on. And I am pleased to say I have been able to keep my emotions in check most of the time, and enjoy this time.
We have spent much of the past two weeks getting things ready for him, and for the kids here. Including missing daddy box's (full of inexpensive surprises for the kids when they are missing their dad). We have found that we should have kept these a secret as Spencer discovered and played with the bouncing, round present and dubbed it his ball. (Of course it is his ball, but that was supposed to be a surprise. It has somehow managed to stay mostly wrapped...so far.) And Maren keeps asking when dad is leaving so she can open her presents...hmmmm, she will miss him...I think.
We have also spent a lot of time playing with the kids, including a visit to the zoo in Alex, swimming at the (indoor) pool, and a trip to the skating rink.
Thanks to everyone for your kind words of encouragement, and expessions of love to us over these weeks. They have made all the difference in our lives to know that others care so much about our family. We are so blessed!
Thanks to everyone for your kind words of encouragement, and expessions of love to us over these weeks. They have made all the difference in our lives to know that others care so much about our family. We are so blessed!
5 comments:
Natalie,
I am just getting around to catching up on blogs. I am sorry to hear about Dave going to Iraq. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers. You are a strong woman and hope that you will be buoyed up on those hard days! I wish I was closer to help you and be there for you! But it sounds like you have lots of friends that will do that for you! Hang in there!
Congratulations on the 10 year anniversary, that's so awesome! I am also sorry to hear about the upcoming deployment. You are an amazing woman and I think that you will surprise yourself. Just think during those hard days... this too shall pass and tomorrow is another day! Make sure that you keep busy and it's o.k. to have fun while he's gone as well. :) It will be over before you know it! Skype video calls are pretty cool as well. If he can have access to a laptop get web cameras and then you can talk to each other while you can also see each other in real time. I loved this so he could see the baby and how he changed and also the baby could see him and hear his voice. He knew his Dad when he got home. Hang in there and tell Dave that our thoughts and prayers are with him.
Happy 10 years! We hit 10 last summer....time flies, doesn't it? I am so glad that you guys got to have that alone time together, and I'm happy to hear about how well you are doing as you prepare for deployment. Love you guys!
Ten years is a long time, congratulations. We are so excited to make a trip and come see you! I think Doug grinned from ear-to-ear and started looking up flights within 10 minutes. He loves you a lot.
Thinking about you, Dave & Natalie, before Dave leaves to Iraq! We'll be praying for you and thinking of you both, often! Good luck! We miss you!
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