Military Life

He’s home!  He’s home!  He is a hottie!  The buses pulled into the Marine MP Barracks at 10:45am and everyone standing around was clapping, screaming, whistling, and cryings.  I was balling and Cindy (my mother in law) and I stood there holding each other crying our eyes out.  It was amazing to see those men get off those buses.  I stood back cause they all look the same in cami’s.  Kris’s dad was like “Tracy go to the last bus”.  I got lost in the croud of course.  Then I caught his face and froze dead in my tracks balling my eyes out.  He was holding Emily and hugging his brother at the same time.  He hugged Zack then picked Gavin up and hugged him.  Then he wrapped his arms around me and I hung on like there was no tomorrow, he had his head burried in my hair and I could tell he was breathing me in as much as I was breathing him in.  He felt so good in my arms.  I was crying and thanking God all at the same time.  He hugged his mom Cindy, his Gram, then his Dad wrapped his arms around him and I have never seen so much pride and love as I did in that embrace.  A father & son love that is priceless.  We got him all loaded up and headed to the house.  He stepped out of the car and got to see our house for the first time.  He was laughing at the sign I made and read the ones that the kids did.  It was sweet.  He was like a kid going from room to room checking everything out even in the closets.  We visited with his family for about an hour then they took the kids out to lunch and down to the beach to fly kites for the afternoon so we could get re-aquainted with each other………………………  Your all grown enough to fill in the blanks!  All I’m going to say is he takes my breath away and I love him more than I ever have before.  That evening around 5 I got dinner going.  We had Lasagna, 7 layer salad, home made bread, & raspberry chocolate cake.  It was great sitting around with everyone and visiting with Kris.  He showed us his photos he took over in Iraq.  Some of them are quite funny I must admit.  Our company left around 8:30 and headed back to the hotel.  Kris just laid in the floor and played with the dogs.  It was sweet seeing them jump all over him and their excitement that Daddy was back home!  Well its Monday now and its a normal day, I must get ready for Pilates…………………..

 

Well rumor has it but I think Kris will be here on next Wednesday night (15th).  I still have not heard the official date and time but I think this is pretty close to it.   I’m bleaching everything and lysoling everything down and trying to get rid of all the coodies that these stinking kids keep bringing home from school.  Just when I thought we were all well Gavin’s school nurse calls me to come pick him up with a 102.5 fever.  He has that cold bug that is going around.  So 2 days home in bed, which he never acted sick to begin with I sent him back to school today.  I did the same with Zack and Em when they had it.   Me and my friend Michelle are going to seed my yard today so the grass will hopefully come in nice.  I live right on the main corner where all the big semi trucks and tractors are finishing up this section of the new houses.  Maybe just a few more months and they will be done on this section then they move on to the other neighborhood.  I have never seen so many house go up so quick in all my life.  Kris is going to love our big house and be so shocked.  I ordered him a Greorge Forman Electric Grill for our back porch and am getting rid of his other one.  This way we dont have to fool with a gas or charcoal run, plug her in and grill away!  We love the outdoors so when he is here and its not cold we grill every weekend and he and I sit out on the porch and play cards and listen to music loud!  I cant wait for my best friend to be back home!!!!!!!!!  I got all sorts of welcome home decorations for the outside of the house.  We have company coming so I went to the party supply store and got the Americana theme plates and napkins and table cloth for his first dinner back home.  I want him to know how much his job was appreciated and the sacrifice he made for Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Not only did he sacrifice but me and the kids did as well.  What a hard thing this has been……  I’m glad its almost over.  So dont stop praying for him until he lands back on US soil guys……. I guess my past and failed marriage of never knowing when my ex was coming home prepared me mentally for Kris and his career.  The only difference, Kris is coming home to me and I know the date!  Until next time have a blessed day!

I have officially decided I am OVER this deployment………………..  Waiting for these next two weeks is giving me tummy problems!  I feel like I have so much to accomplish before my company gets here and Kris gets here.  I’m stressing now!  I’m also tired of being mommy and daddy!  Does anyone know how hard it is?  I’m beyond sick of it now!!!!!  I need help with these kids and I’m really tired of having to discipline them by myslef.  Not that any of them are bad… just when they do act up I have no support to back me up.  When I do nice and fun things for them all they do is complain!  I take them to the movies and they complain…….  I take them to church and they complain….  I take them out to eat and they complain……  I take them bowling, to a friends……..Good grief they are all spoiled and its my fault for always wanting to please them and make sure they are having fun.  Well I am going to hang that hat up and they can occupy themselves at the park accross the streat and when I dont feel like cooking forget going out to eat they can have Sandwiches even if they have eaten them 7 days in a row.  Not to mention I am hitting the nasty teen years with Zack and he has tried my last nerve with his school work!  UUUUG……………………..  I need my husbands firm authority back at home.  Dont get me wrong I have control over the kids, but they are all spoiled brats and I did it, no one else but me!  I would have done anything if my parents did as much with me as I do with my kids.  I just dont understand them?  I feel like aliens have invaded my children and sucked there brains out. Lets discuss this freaking puppy we got one week before Kris deployed!  She is one more poop in my house away from becoming a pound puppy.  I didnt realize dogs could bark for hours on end?  Who knew?  Oh well enough of venting!  I need to go to the gym and get ready to go have lunch with Emily…….   But I’m sure as soon as I walk in the door she will say “Why didnt you bring me McDonalds”? 

I havent blogged in quite a while, sorry!  The time for Kris to come home is getting really close!!!!!!  He will be home in 2 to 3 more weeks!  The kids and I are really excited!  We’ve painted banners and had a 6 ft banner made to hang on the house.  I’ve even bought some green plants that are cold resistant and put in pots on the front porch so the entrance doesnt look so dead.  We have had some really freaky weather this winter.  One day its in the 20’s and the next day it jumps back up to the 60’s.  Needles to say everything is pretty much dead in my front yard except for the area that the dogs go pee-pee, it’s really plush and green!  I talked to Kris on Sunday for a long time and he was getting prepared to go do a mission and would be gone for about 3 days.  He was excited about it and said it will be the coolest one he has done since he has been over there.  He says he will fill me in on all of it when he gets home.  The past couple of weeks we have all been pretty much sick around here.  Zack ~ hacking and asthma acting up, Emily ~ had her first cold since she was a baby, Gavin ~ had a cold, Me ~ Strep throat and a bad sinus infection that put me in the bed for 5 days with fever (I havent been that sick in years).  We are all better now and Kris says we better get rid of this crap before he gets home!  Emily is almost done with Cheering for the Midget basketball.  She has had a blast!  Zack has his spring band concert Thursday night at his school.  His band is going over to Tarboro to the College and competing in a competition next week!  His band teacher wants him to learn how to play the tenor sax next year since he is so good at his alto sax.  I thought that was such a compliment for him.  Music is second nature to him and its really neat to see and hear!  His latest and greatest new song he has taught himself without music is the pink panther…………….  I just wish all his other classes came as easy for him as music.  School has been a challenge for all the kids this year.  The DOD system is very strict and they dont give at all.  The pilates class I am taking is not whipping my butt anymore.  I can already see a difference in my abs, legs and arms.  I love the class it is so much fun!  We were working out to Barry White the other day and laughing our heads off and I was sure the teacher was going to throw us out.  Homecomming gift for Kris:  hmmmm I think I’ll buy him a new Grill for outside.  I’m done blabbing!  Have a great day!