What are the Odds?

Now I know that the random odds of a child getting their shoes on the right feet has to be 50/50, but Ms. Madeline has defied all statistics. Nomatter how many times I teach her which shoe belongs on which foot, she puts them on the wrong feet 90% of the time. It's one of her little quirks that I love.

The other day she had so much energy. We went outside and she ran in circles for a very long time until I finally got her to hold still for a picture. It's amazing how simply running in circles brings so much joy. Ha. The bliss of being a toddler.

Army Guy

In case you missed it, I have to share the story of the Army Guy with you. When Shan left for Iraq, Ryan brought along one of his plastic army guys to the airport and gave it to Shan to keep with him while he was gone. So, Shan kept it on his desk and would show it to Ryan when we Skyped (chatted online) and he took pictures of Army Guy over in Iraq. So when Shan got home, he pulled out Mr. Army Guy and gave it back and Ryan was all smiles. "This is my favorite one, mom!" He's been keeping it on his dresser on top of the last letter Shan wrote to him. Having our real Army Guy back is pretty great, and I think it is one of the sweetest stories ever.

Heartfelt Thanks

The other day, as I watched Shan make paper airplanes with the kids, I was totally overwhelmed with gratitude to have him back in our home. This is a heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported our family over the past 15 months. While it wasn't easy, it was defninitely character building. Our family was blessed, our marriage was strengthened, and our children have grown in so many ways. Shan can't believe how much they have each matured. I certainly don't take the credit. That belongs to the Lord above for providing answers to my prayers, and to all of you who provided love and support along the way. We have been touched by a continual outpouring of phone calls, emails, and kind words. Shan feels honored to have served our country, and all of you can feel an ownership of sorts by helping our family get through it. We are so grateful to have him home, but we will continue to pray for our world leaders, and our soldiers in harms way. Please don't forget about the rest of them.

Homecoming

OK, I'm so upset about this picture. I am sacrificing my self dignity for your viewing pleasure. Unfortunately this is the ONLY picture of our whole family. Let me just say that it was 3 a.m. Yikes.

Happiness Is...

I wasn't sure what the ticker would say once we reached zero days, but "happiness" describes it perfectly!

Happiness is reading with daddy...

wrestling together....

playing soccer together...

playing at the park...

napping...

making cookies together...

and snuggling all day.

There's Excitement In The Air...

We spent the afternoon tying yellow ribbons around all the trees in the front and coloring a banner. The kids are trying to grab a few hours of sleep before it's time to go and get him. I'm about to do the dinner dishes, as there's no way I can sleep.

The Best News We've Had All Year!!!

Forget about that ticker... We just got a phone call from Shan and he's coming home early!!! They should arrive very early Monday morning. Even though that's a crazy hour, I'm going to take the kids with me and let them stay home from school on Monday! Our home is pretty bouncing-off-the-walls happy right now.

We Made It

We made it, but my phone is knocked out. I just wanted to post about it in case anyone was trying to call me. We lost power for a couple of hours during the night, but it came back on around 5:00. From what I can see in my neighborhood, we didn't get that much damage- just lots of yard debris and a little flooding in the lower spots. I was awake almost the entire night because the wind and rain were so noisy, and let's face it, I'm a mother bear. The good thing is the kids slept through the whole thing and they're going to help me clean up the yard when it stops raining!

Watching Hanna and Ike

I guess it is only fitting that we are going to end this deployment weathering a hurricane. It's kind of a good analogy of how we're all feeling at this point!

So we've been put on an official "hurricane watch," and I guess the rain and wind are going to start early Saturday around 2 a.m. Fun times. If only I didn't have a HUGE dead pine tree out front... I'll take pictures if anything eventful happens. And, I'll be stocking up on groceries and gas tomorrow, just in case. If you want to track the storm, here is the link:

www.weather.com/newscenter/hurricanecentral/2008/hanna.html

Our Media Is a Nightmare

The media coverage of Sarah Palin's 17-year old daughter is completely unnacceptable. Now, I will be the first one to say that the "private life" of a politician is absolutely the public's business... how a person conducts their personal life is the most accurate depiction we can get of them. We can all thank Bill Clinton, Elliot Spitzer, Larry Craig, John Edwards, and many others for their fine examples of personal morality. But, politicians' children have always been off-limits and rightly so. The children certainly didn't sign up for their every move to be scrutinized- they aren't running for office and Ms. Palin's daughter isn't even a legal adult! While the media disappoints me, I'm not surprised. The story was just too irresistable for them to pass up. Ratings speak louder than integrity and that is the reality of our media today. I saw it firsthand at one of the largest broadcasting companies in the world, and it is the very reason I felt compelled to leave journalism back in 2000.

I say three cheers for the Palins and their complete devotion to their pro-life principles. Here is a family that walks the walk, even when it may be embarrassing or inconvenient. Don't you just wonder how many senator's daughters have chosen abortion to avoid the very public humiliation we are now throwing at Bristol and her family? As if it isn't hard enough for this teenage girl to figure out a life that is certainly coming at her faster than she had hoped. There is right and there is wrong, and this my friends, is simply wrong.

Edit update: This lady says it better than I did. Check out this article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,416102,00.html