Welcome home 1/8! Job well done!

Background : Patrick used to be stationed in Norfolk,VA with 1f1, and with it being pretty close to home (pretty close as in 5 driving hours and not as in 4 plane trips) he would come home a decent amount, and 9x out of 10, he would bring a buddy (or 5) with him. After a while I know longer thought of some of these guys as his friends, but as my own. I mean, he lives with him...answers his phone, I see them on trips and see them when he comes home, needless to say I got to know some of them haha. Josh tolleson (at the time) had a pretty red headed girlfriend named Jamie (and im not sure we could be more opposite) but we meshed SO fast and we've stuck together ever since.

Their is something about the connection btwn Marine wives. Its instant.

Saturday: I went to Lauren's bridal shower in lynchburg with Rachel and Aiden to start my day off. It was nice to see Lauren and meet some of her friends from school, she ended up with some pretty fun stuff :) I took Aiden home -gulp- with my mom and left him for the next 2 nights, I had a twinge of mommy freak out and guilt, but I really think it did some good, (I thought I maybe could sleep, ha!)

Sarah and I drove the 5 ish hours to Jacksonville, NC (btw, we can own some Adele) and finally made it at like 10 or so that night. booooy what a car ride, we really know how to make a roadtrip count. Adele, ducks and fake eyelashes. we rock.

-Keep in mind, we love jamie, she is one of our own and we hadn't seem her in like a year, (ok, so we saw her for like 24 hours right before Josh deployed, that was in August I think) but whatever, she lived in Texas... so we never saw eachother.

We pretty much ambushed her when we went through the door, and can I just say that I almost ended up doing this to her neighbor? (whoops)

We had a dance party to pass the time & sang journey and aerosmith to celebrate Josh coming home. Im not sure it had really hit her that her husband was coming home the next day....besides the wine, she was WAY too calm. ;)

Sunday: We once again ambushed Jamie and woke her up with by jumping in bed with her (I dont think anyone besides me went to bed before 4 am) and yes we got this on video :)

We took our time getting ready until I decided to call the deployment hotline and realized that they were telling the bravo families that they should be there an hour earlier, sooooo it got chaotic from there and didn't stop until we brought her honey back home!

-We piled into cars and stood in the freezing cold "get your temp. base pass" line that was 5678 people long, Seriously - it was freezing and I had on open toe shoes... I thought I was going to get frostbite. I felt terrible for Jamie because she was in a strapless dress, with a peacoat non the less, but a STRAPLESS DRESS, but boooooy did she look gorgeous. Sarah kept saying she looked like she was welcoming her husband home from WW2, she pretty much did.

-Well, leave it to the USMC to tell us that they would be there in 2 minutes!!! like....24 times :) It took about 2-3 hours once we got on base to actually see any sign on return, BUT we were at homecoming so she wasn't going to leave empty handed ;)

...all of the sudden you hear the roar of buses and the uproar of a crowd and high pitched squeals of women who haven't seen their men in months. I, more than once, had to talk Jamie out of walking infront of buses, (I dont think she heard me, and if she did...she didnt care haha) It took her a couple of minutes to find him but I spotted him out of the corner of my eye, and kept saying Jamie!! She took of running (oh, she kicked of her heels in the parking lot before this so she could run haha) and jumped in his arms, the rest was a mess of tears, emotions & smiles. I was so happy they were finally together again and Josh was home safe!

Can I just say that feeling, waiting for 7 months... worrying, praying...fighting the tears, raising babies...trying to function without him....goes away in that spilt moment your in his arms again?

The LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore

Pslam 121:8

Oh you know...Hurry up and wait

Jamie and Josh, after 7 months too long.

 

The girls together.

Welcome home, Josh!

Patrick,

  I am ready for you to come home, especially being at another unit's homecoming...seeing everyone in their deserts, and thinking of how much I miss you, I am really really ready for you to come home. Words can't express how much I want ya home, I stay positive just like you ask...I have the Lord to thank for that.. he carries me when I can't figure out how to carry myself anymore. Aiden is doing well, 5 months old and such a ham. He is saying Dada all the e time and it makes me smile whenever I hear it. I sent out a couple of things for you today and I hope you enjoy your goodies, I love you more than anything. xoxo

  Kels

Aiden's 4 month (at 5 months old) well check up!

What happend to the sweet, white haired newborn that we just brought home?

He got big, really big. Like.... a small toddler. Sheesh.

Birth                                     2 Months                              5 Months

 Head-12 inches                                Head-15.75                          Head-17''            

 Weight-6.8 lbs                          Weight-12.4lbs                       Weight-17lbs

Length-20 inches                       Length-22.50 inches          Length-27 Inches

 

Thats right, 17 pounds... I think he should try out for the infant football team, He might not even need shoulder pads ;)

 

We are currently in a battle with his teeth. (teething and deployment are my least favorite words right now) He went from sleeping through the night to being up 2-3x a night and it's making for a very cranky baby and a verrrrrry sleepy mommy. He gnaws on everything in site, you will rarely see him right now without his hang in his mouth, its usually he thumb he's chewing on, and the poor child keeps a bib on bc he is either soaked in drool or spit up (yay reflux!) Im WELCOMING teething tips btw. I've been using the teething tablets and using tylenol when he runs a low fever, but he has just been miserable lately, I hate it for him because I can't take away the pain :( But, he mananges to keep a smile, thats my baby :)

 

On a serious note...he is growing great and he is right on track with his development and milestones :)

 

Aiden's "To-Do" list :

Hold his head up

Roll over from back to front

Roll over from front to back

Grasp an object

Cut teeth

Laugh and babble

Crawl

Walk

See Daddy!

 

That last one is going to be a doozie ;)

 

 

Theres that thumb.

(aids first St. Pattys day!)

I had to sneak a kiss in there!

My sweet baby, he's getting too big too quick!

 

Daddy,

  I miss you and I hope you get home soon! Mommy really misses you too...she talks about you all the time and I constantly hear your voice from the books, I think my first words may be something from a nursery rhyme or maybe from the scary book because I hear them so much ;) And yes, I learned to type before i could even sit up! but We love you and can't wait to see you again!

 Love you!

   Aiden

55% down on deployment #3!

It feel so good to type that,

now if I can only type 99.9% and get a shower and get my hair did..

... I could go get my man!

Someone asked me if I watched Army wives, and there is no way I could.. not right now.. It seems like such an amazing show though, so I think once Pat is completely out of the MC Ill buy the seasons and cry and think about the past haha. Its just way too close to home at the current moment.

---but the new show, Coming home... now that one is a winner! (and that one always has a happy ending, that im okay with) I bawled my eyes out tonight watched it, texting more than one marine wife confirming how excited we were for homecoming or how proud that made us of our husbands..it really gives me a true sense of pride. No lie.

Move update :

1. ALLLLLL my belongings are gone. well, besides two suitcases full and my car. I was a nervous wreck when the movers were here, 1.because it really hit me I was moving across the world 2.The  one guy was SUCH a weenier! I don't get why he needed to be so rude, but he sure accomplished that goal.  and I ended up missing two of Patricks calls... which you may know is a HUGE deal, especially because he only gets phone acsess once every couple of weeks, I wanted to throw my phone at him, I didnt.... but ohh boy I wanted to! :)
2. My flight is booked - March 29th at 6 a.m, that date is very subject to change, d/t Aiden's health issues and the lack of TLA (temporary lodging assistance) apparentlly base housing had to freeze the waitlist for fun or something....probably just to toy with my head.
3. The latest I will be in my house is May 8th
4. Im super excited
5. My husband comes home, and our family will be whole again! :D

Aiden update :

    He is growing like a weeeeeeed. The last appt. we went to for his head, he weighed a whopping 16 lbs.

16 lbs!! Holy fat baby batman!

(he is so stinkin sweet though, and I love his  fat little legs!)

We go for his "4 month checkup" at almost 5 months? And he will get a couple more vaccines.. they weren't happy when I requested seperate vaccines last time, but oh well.. its my son, just apease me and do it, please and thank you! :)

I won't go into detail on his seizure issues and what not, I don't want to post until I know the "for sures"

He is rolling from back to belly, and belly to back! he likes to push up on his hands when he he's on his belly too! and he def. found his voice :) :) He loves to talk and babble all the time, and chew on his hands..or your hands.. or anything in his hands haha. I think he is starting to teeth, he loves pressure on his gums :)

--Uh oh Daddy, better watch out.... Our baby boy is starting to look more like his momma ;)

my chunky baby.

Honey,

  I love you! Have I told you that lately? Im so glad I finally got to talk to you this past week.. it really helps me stay strong and keep my head up when I hear your voice :) Our boy is getting so big, you can hold him upright on your hip and he stays :) He is doing great holding his head up... (still a little wobbly, but hey..  he has your big ole head so what do ya expect?)  I have a couple videos of him listening to your voice on his books.. I wanted you to see his reactions, its priceless. oh btw, his mommy misses you, he wanted ya to know that! Im gona go lay down, I miss you and I love you bunches! Aiden sends his kisses.

xoxo, love always..

    Kelsey

Laptop crashed.

Ill update when I get it back, whenever that may be!

What a military spouse knows...

 I can't take credit for this... I stole it from a fb friend.. but this hits the head on the nail.

 

What a Military Spouse Knows

As many of you know, my husband came home from our third deployment not too long ago. During the deployment, a reporter asked me to share “What I Knew” about deployments and military life. This was my answer:
As I forced my hands to unfurl from his neck, feeling the familiar sting in my nose as tears pushed against my will, the words rattled and echoed in my brain. “Not again.”
I watched him walk away–that uniform, identifiable gait—and my heart bent and splintered as the reality of a third deployment began to shower over me.
I picked up the phone, dialing the numbers my numb fingers always meander toward, and sat in silence while she tried to ease my pain. “I can’t imagine…He will be home….I’m here.”
And then she said six words that shot through my ears, penetrated my brain, and stiffened my spine: “You know how to do this.”
She was right. I do know how to do this. I intimately know the all-too familiar lump in my throat. The year of being both father and mother, making the best of a situation. I know exactly how one year feels  as I X each day off my calendar. And I know how to ensure that while our lives are on hold, we still live.
The truth is I know a lot:

• The thought of being alone for a year doesn’t bother me. The fear of being alone for a lifetime—does.

• Flat rate boxes can hold twenty whoopee cushions, four kindergarten projects, and five perfume-scented letters.

• Technology can be a double-edged sword—one side delivering his face; the other a brutal live-action feed of explosions and camouflaged body parts.

• Murphy’s Law is a constant companion. The moment he walks out the door, anything that can break, collapse, bleed, or explode–will .

• Five hours of uninterrupted sleep is a gift from the deployment gods

• Holidays are hard, but manageable.

• Deployments come and go, but sand from his boots never leaves.

• Nothing can replace a handwritten letter. Through those beautifully folded pages, he is holding my hand again.

• When the National Anthem is played, I know goosebumps will rise on my arms, and a lump will fill my throat.

• The silence in communication following a war zone attack is agonizing.

• Laughter is a powerful ally.

• Each deployment offers two options: grow or regress. This is a choice.

• Cereal is always a dinner option.

• Videos of lost teeth, ballerina recitals, and preschool graduations can be emailed to Iraq nearly instantly.

• Five powers of attorney and the intimate details of his will are needed to navigate a deployment.

• White out blizzards can actually bury a truck in five minutes.

• Rosie the Riveter was right: We can do it.

• Children cling to hope and the promise of tomorrow.

• Living in each moment together is possible when facing the fear that it could be your last.

• Welcome home kisses are sweeter than the finest chocolate.

• Anger will grip me and depression can hold me, but another military spouse will steady me.

• A six-year-old child can feel the absence of her father so deeply that she can suffer from clinical depression.

• A military spouse will often hold her/his tongue, silencing a story, for fear of sounding “unpatriotic.”

• The sound of a bugle can make my heart swell with pride or collapse in sorrow.

• Duct tape and a monkey wrench can fix nearly anything.

• Despite the protestors and those who tell me I “knew” what I was getting into, I know there are countless American citizens who will go above and beyond to show they support us.

There are many things I know.
I know how to change the brakes on my truck, rappel from the side of a cliff, shoot a double-barreled shotgun, balance a checkbook, earn my keep, and kiss a child enough to feel like two.
But there are still so many things I don’t know.

• I don’t know how to start my heart again when I see a death notification car on my street.

• When that knock echoes on the door of my neighbor, I don’t know how to forgive myself when I am relieved.

• I don’t know how to hug him enough to last a lifetime, or kiss him just so in order to feel satisfied—should our reunion be at the foot of a pine box.

• I’m not willing to learn how to pretend he doesn’t exist, to keep him out of our life while it goes on without him, or to build a wall so high he has no way to scale it.

• I don’t know how to stop his panic attacks, and I have no idea how to make my nightmares of rampant bombs and lifeless limbs disappear.

• I don’t know how to adjust to his presence in my house when our floor rarely feels the weight of his boots.

• I don’t know how to tell his small children that, yes, he leaves them all the time. But because he loves them so deeply, he is willing to die to keep them free.

• I can’t understand those who would question my desire to stay with him, or how I can peacefully sleep beside a “killer.”

• I am amazed and confounded that despite all he has seen, he still has the courage to laugh.

• I don’t’ know how to give up on my family.

But, most importantly:
I have no clue how to still my pounding heart when he finally walks through our door again, I don’t know how to pull my hands from his sand-stained neck and say goodbye, and I don’t know how to ever walk away from a man who stands while many choose to sit.


had to share! <3

So much to do, sooo little time.

ahh, ok I need a second to freak out....

..I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO.

God really knows what he's doing... there would be no way to handle all of this (with keeping my sanity anyway) and try to juggle school at the same time.. I just feel like my life is falling right into place.

That being said.. the following things need to get accomplished..ohhh, yesterday.

1. Make Aiden's 4 month appt.
2. Go to Aiden's 4 month appt.
3. Repack all of Patrick's totes into "staying in VA" boxes and "going to HI" boxes
4. Set up official "pick up" dates for the movers
5. Set up official "drop off" dates for movers
6. Call forest city and make sure we're close to getting our house
7. Check out places off base just in case
8. Book an offcial flight date
9. Give my friends the Christmas gifts that have been chilling in my basement
10. Send Patrick's St. pattys day care package
11. Make sure Fort Lee got his orders
12. Send out new pictures of Aiden
13. Pack the rest of my room
14. Set a date to have my furniture delivered
15. Breathe
16. Work

I just have alot to do, and I am semi okay, semi noooot okay at managing my time... so hopefully some of these things can take care of themselves..haha. BUT, all these things get my a little closer to living with my husband and baby boy, and we can finally be a family.

Ok, just a quick pic. so this entry won't be too boring, My sister and I decided it would be funny to throw all the babies in the bathtub at once, more or less just so we could take a picture... Aiden's a small pot belly pig.

Pat,

 I love you. I think your pretty sexy.

    Love always,

  Kels xoxo

Happy February!

40% done with this deployment!!!!!

Ahhhhh! I can't believe it, I will be seeing my husband in just a FEW SHORT MONTHS!

(I love that its not leap year, I don't want any more days between us than nessecary)

Ok, Im off my soap box :)

I've just been really busy with trying to set up for our big move and juggling work and being a (by myself at the moment) Mommy. This process of getting things set up has been pretty stressful, I've gotten transfered to different departments 43534 times because no body can seem to answer simple questions, & then when I finally get to the right place, No one wants to help at all. It's just so frustrating.... but hey, God wants to take care of my family, he wants to handle my problems FOR ME.... so why on earth am I being so stubborn and holding on to all of this?

Sarah and I went to Norfolk to get Pat's orders modified and once again, ran into issues everywhere... from the guy and the gate to the Gunny who made me cry (oops) but those tears were apparently golden because they made him uncomforabtle enough to send me somewhere else, It just happend to be in the right direction!

The Cheif warrent officer with FAST helped me out BIGTIME and fixed everything, he even talked to me about marriage communication and transitions back from Afghan.... he BY FAR has been the most helpful, he was the one who originally signed Patrick's orders so he obviously had the authority to change them, and he did :) So that ended up being a sucess!

Aiden update : He's a ham. Thats pretty much it, oh.. and he worst reflux than I did while I was pregnant... the poor baby, He's on a couple different concoctions and they are *somewhat* helping, hopefully they start to work or Ill look into something else..

Aiden 3 months

Good news-We talked to Daddy this morning! Aiden was lighting up and wiggling and kicking hear Pat's voice, (I read him his "daddy" books all the time, the ones Pat recorded before he left) and he def. knows it! He was talking back to Patrick and it was melting my heart...He had no clue, but I was laughing through tears, I can't wait for those two to reunite.

Of course we stopped by the beach...

Welp. thats all for now, Just a quick update. :)

Babe,

 Hearing your voice this morning has been the best thing to happen in the past week. I am SO proud to be your wife, you have no idea... not just for what your doing for this country, but because your darn sexy ;)

(and because your kind of awsesome.. sometimes.)

I love you to the moon and back,

   Kels.