Monday Monday Monday

Today brings with it 1 less Monday on the countdown until his return and also a start to a new me! It's going to be a wild ride so hold on to your hats! I'm making some changes in my life and they are going to be HUGE! First though, I am going to see my Doc to get my health in check! Also, yesterday was my J's birthday! This is the cake I sent him over in Egypt! Love you Babe! They celebrated a few days early since that is what their schedule allowed...

My Step Dad's Cake

I thought I should share some pictures of the birthday cake I made my step dad. Enjoy!

Less than 3 months to go....

Well, I just got home from Ft. Jackson a few hours ago. I went to C's Basic Training Graduation. It is amazing how your heart bursts with pride being an Army wife while watching an old friend become a United States Soldier. I had never attended a basic training graduation until now, and it really is something to see. C is now on his way to Ft. Benning in order to attend OCS. He will be done in mid September. We are going to make every effort to attend that graduation as well, but it will all depend on when DH finally arrives home. C is suppose to graduate the same week that J is set to arrive.

I did find out that Jonathan's ears do not like the mountains. He screamed almost the whole way down to Ft Jackson, so we ended up taking an alternate route home. I must say that it is nice to be back home where the kids feel comfortable and can rest sound in their own beds. My boys are truly amazing and are just so happy when they are home and back to their own things.

On that note, I have been wondering how the kids will take the PCS this October. Tyler was just barely 1 when we PCS'd from Germany back to the states and has been through several moves since then, but has grown increasingly close to my mother over this deployment. Jonathan will be 10 months old when we PCS and this will be his first move. Luckily, he is too young to know the difference. Ty will be 3 next month and I think this move will be very challenging for him at first, but he is very go with the flow for the most part!

I cannot wait to get back to the grind of daily life as an active duty wife and then becoming and Officer's wife! Life will be very exciting over the next year while we go through all of these transitions! J is hoping to go to Ranger, Airborne, Air Assault, and OCS withing the next year and a half... busy busy busy! I am hoping to start/finish my Associates in web/graphic design, and start my Masters. So much change for us! Exciting change though!

And time continues to pass...

My life has been nothing short of a roller coaster the last 2 years but it looks like the ride might finally start to calm down. We are now in the home stretch and I can say that this deployment is OFFICIALLY under the 100 day mark! J should be back to Active Duty by late October (Thank the Good Lord!!!) and hopefully Commissioned by this time nest year! He has everything the active Army requires to go to OCS completed but as we all know, he must make a good impression on his chain of command first yet again... We are looking at a long line of training which means separations but that's okay... it will help us out in the end... Luckily the kids are too young to have anything major going on that he would miss out on! We've got Ranger, Airborne, Air Assault, and OCS ahead of us! Should be an exciting road ahead!

Our dear friend C is graduating basic training this coming Friday so I will be headed to Ft. Jackson to be there for him since J cannot! I am so immensely proud of both J and C! I am so honored to be blessed with the presence of true men and heroes! C will be immediately reporting to Ft. Benning for OCS upon his basic training graduation! He will be done at Benning around the same time J will be home! Can't wait! We will be Christening Jonathan when C and J will both be home...

Baby Love

So, I had my 23 week appointment at the doctors today and he said everything is coming along perfectly! I cannot believe it is a mere three and a half months until Jonathan Patrick will be born! J was able to go to my prenatal appointment this morning and it was somewhat bittersweet. We went as a family to my appointment because it was at 8 am and we thought Ty would like to hear the baby's heartbeat. The heartbeat scared Ty but it was nice having him there! This appointment was J's last prenatal appointment before he begins his year long deployment to Egypt! J will be leaving late September and will be "mobilized" for approximately 400 days. I feel very blessed that this time he will not be in Iraq and I should have regular correspondence with him unlike last time! I have decided to turn this deployment into a learning and growing exerience instead of moping around like a lost puppy!