Packing

Not exactly how we had imagined our last night together.  It was such a rainy and dreary day.  Stu got stuck on base and didn't make it home til after 7. He missed the kids in their costumes and trick or treating. Well, I guess he didn't miss too much - we just went next door so Jackson could get his fill. They certainly didn't cooperate with pictures. H had just eaten and was in a bit of a food coma.

He cracks me up.

Today the kids decorated some posters and made handprints/footprints for daddy with Karissa, our nanny.

J's BFFs Justin and Jacob stopped by to trick or treat and give their farewells to Stu. They have some pretty sweet homemade costumes. If only I were that crafty.

I'm still not sure how Stu is going to fit everything in his bags.  Jackson was his helper tonight and we shared lots of laughs. I bet he wishes J man could be a stowaway.

He's definitely hiding in the bag.

 Peekaboo.

 This under armour get up costs 60 dollars. Wow. I had to try it out. Ha.

If all goes as planned, Stu will be headed out at 1045 tomorrow.  Cinci to Chicago to Norfolk to California to Alaska to Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan. Whew. Since he actually has to report to base at 7 am there is a slight chance he could fly from Dayton to Norfolk. Who in the world knows?

Daniel, one of the trauma surgeons, has been so kind as to offer his chauffeur services tomorrow.  I just don't think the kids and I are up for it.  I am, however, going to try and make it to my scheduled hair appointment in Louisville.  Life must go on...

Please pray for smooth and safe travels for Stuart and please think of us tomorrow. We already feel like our world has been flipped upside down and I just know that tomorrow is going to suck.

I appreciate all of the texts, messages, and emails. It means so much.

-c

Pre-deployment

It sucks. That's about all I have to say. Technically, Stuart still doesn't even have his official orders. Don't even get me started on that. Basically, he's not gone until he's on the plane... and who knows if that will happen on Friday or not.  Since finding out on Tuesday that he was actually going its been a crazy hot mess around here. Jackson obviously senses the stress and tension and certainly has been adding fuel to the fire. He's been extra bad and has really been fighting bedtime.  He wouldn't even sleep in his bed tonight, so yup, he's in our bed now. Hopefully Stu can successfully transfer him back to his bed. As if we weren't having any trouble sleeping already.

As luck would have it,  I work wed, thurs and am on call this week. I get to wake up extra early tomorrow to go see a newborn in the hospital before work.  Even though I complain now, Im sure seeing that sweet, precious little bundle of joy will definitely make me smile and forget about life for a little bit.

On a positive note, look at this cutie. He loves trying on Daddys hats.

This was last night. J got to stay up a little late and watch extra tv because daddy was busy doing computer training. Speaking of computer training, it never ends. Tonight, Stu is again positioned on the couch, checklist (and more importantly beer) in hand. 

He has been super busy getting all the last minute things done at base during the day. Im pretty sure most people accomplish this over several weeks and he's cramming it into a few days. Lucky him.  I'm not going to lie, Im a little sad that he's so busy with this stupid training.  Between that and talking to everyone before he goes I feel like low man on the totem pole.

Tomorrow is Halloween. Jackson is going to be a dinosaur and Hadley is going to be a ladybug.  There is a 90% chance of rain and winds up to 50mph. Something tells me we will be celebrating indoors =)

My goal is to take pictures of the kids daily while Stu is gone. I have always been bad about that. Im just now updating Jacksons baby book. Yeah, I'm a bad mom. No ones perfect.

I know I complain a lot but I promise I'm going to be ok. It's going to be hard. There's going to be good days and bad days. But at the end of the day, I will remember how thankful I am for Stu's service. Growing up in a military family, he felt the need to serve our country and I can't say enough good things about him. He is a devoted father, the best friend anyone could ever ask for, an amazing physician, the sweetest husband and my true love.  God only gives you what you can handle and I know that our time apart will only strengthen our marriage.

Stu is currently learning Dari (the language of Afghanistan) and I am intrigued. Goodnight, friends. More to come tomorrow.

4 years later...

So apparently Stuart and I had the best intentions of keeping up with everyone and starting a blog when we got married.  Epic fail.  4 years later we'll give it another go...

2 kids, another new house, a new city and 2 new jobs later here we are. Stuarts commitment with the Air Force landed us in Cincinnati for the next 4 years. We actually live in Hebron, KY which is across the river and near the airport.  I joined a small practice in Florence and am working 2 1/2 days a week. We really love our new home and neighborhood.

Stuart seems to like his new job.  We were a bit shocked when we found out he would rapidly be deploying to Afghanistan.  Ready or not, here he comes. Friday is d-day. Yikes.

We went to the pumpkin patch 2 weekends ago.  For those of you from Louisville, its no Hubers.  We had fun nonetheless.

 Last week I had scheduled to get photos done of the kids. Luckily, Stu was able to get out of work early and join. Its so hard for us to get Jackson to cooperate to take pictures with Hadley, let alone all 4 of us.  We were able to get a few good pics and Im hoping each photo shoot from here on out gets a little easier.... Here are a few of my favorites.

We sure are going to miss Stu while he's gone. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. More to come soon.

xoxo.
-c