Robert is leaving again

I am sad to say that Robert is going back to war. I have had so much to do with the move and things to get done for class it has been easy to move it to the back of my mind. The reality hit really hard today when the girls were crying. He had to say his goodbyes to them at bedtime. They were begging him not to go, telling him that he shouldn't have to go back. They read the book "night catch" where the dad and kid play catch with the north star. He cut out a star and hung it in their room so tomorrow they can throw it to him and he can throw it back when he gets there. The concept is that they are throwing the north star to each other to stay connected. It will be a sad year for us all. They are upset he will miss their first dance recital. Cannon keeps talking about Iraq as if he is going there for a few hours. She asked if she could go with him. That just makes me so sad. I think she will have a hard time understanding the time.
In the last few weeks they packed in some fun times. We went to the zoo, the beach, they carved a pumpkin, and so much more. We got our family photo updated and it is really nice for a change.
The next few days are going to be the hardest for all of us. Robert will be in charge of getting all the guys on the plane and will be tired. The girls have events all week and it will be hard to come home when we know Robert won't be there. I have school and am stressing over the last few weeks.
Please pray for us and especially for Robert and his men. They need to do great things and come home to their families!

New family photo

Well, it's that time again. Time when Robert starts stressing about what is going to happen THIS time in Iraq. Time when the girls start clinging to dad as if every time he walks out the door, he is leaving for the year. Time when the list of to-dos to get ready for the year are longer than the time left to do them. But most importantly, it is time for the family photo.

This is a superstition, ritual, whatever you want to call it, it is just our thing.

My overactive mind goes through the "what ifs" and I have to get Robert to do all the things he might regret if he didn't. Plus, if we didn't get one...I would regret it.

Write the note to the girls, say goodbye to the family, get a current family photo when he leaves and another when he returns. Hence, our last family photo was in Dec. 2005 when Robert returned with the CAV. Cannon was out of her brace and 1 year old. She is much bigger and we now have our family photo.

It was a great weekend getaway and we have the photos to prove it.

Please pray for Robert as he gets ready to leave, pray for us as we prepare for our 14 months apart and pray for his work to be useful and life changing for the Iraqi people. He will be helping the Iraqi army get on their feet and take the country on their own soon.

Thanks for the prayers.

Living History Day

This was one really fun day. We went to the Tropic Lightning Museum (Robert's new unit) and learned about all the things they have done, how they were formed and saw all the eras in showcases. The girls brought their friend from Fort Irwin who moved here in August. They get along so well. We saw bagpipe players, Scotish dancers, civil war dramas and much more. The favorite of the day was the German Shepherd who could fly(not jump) into trees. Very sweet dog, but crazy during the "bad guy" show. The girls might be on TV and are for sure in the paper next week. This is just a taste of the fun things they were allowed to do today. Sorenna loved the tunnel, Cannon looked very mean and Thorin looks very cool. They won 2nd place as a team in the chalk art. They drew a flag, liberty bell, statue of liberty and a few other things. It was a great day.