Our summer recap

As usual... it's been awhile. What can I say... we are VERY busy people. :) In case you missed it (don't know how it would have been possible though), Ian came home from Afghanistan in April. Words cannot express how we feel to have him safe at home with us again. Here are some pictures our wonderful photographer, Kellie Gillis, took of his homecoming.

After school ended and Ian had some time to settle back in, we took the kids to Disneyland for a family vacation. My mom, stepdad, brother, and his family all met us there. The kids had a blast, and so did the grownups! We explored, we played, we rode rides, we made new friends... and most importantly we spent time together!

After we got back from Disneyland, Ian's parent came to visit and stay with the boys, so that Ian and I could go to Cancun, Mexico, to have a kiddo-less vacation. We had a really great time. My favorite was probably going to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. So amazing.

The rest of our summer was pretty relaxed. We signed the boys up for swim lessons, so they went 4 times a week, for 4 weeks... which kept me pretty busy! Both boys were a couple of fish by the time we were done.

We went to the zoo, despite living in the middle of a blazing hot desert.

As amazing as it has been, summer can't last forever and now we're all back at work and school! Can't wait to see what the rest of the year will bring!

The Tides are Turning

Well, this post has definitely been a long time coming. Whoever would have known how incredibly busy it is being a single parent to a 1 and 2 year old, working full time, and taking care of a house. Each of those things on their own are enough to run a person ragged. A common comment I get is "I just don't know how you do it." The answer is simple really... lots and lots of coffee and the occasional glass of wine! LOL! Oh and I can't forget having the support of my family, and an incredible support system of friends and coworkers. Fianlly, I always keep this  quote in mind "Missing someone gets easier every day because even though it's one day further from the last time you saw each other, it's one day closer to the next time you will. ~Author Unknown"

Tonight I realized that Ian should be back stateside in a mere 3 weeks and I just couldn't wrap my mind around that. He has been gone since June, so about 10 months and for there to only be three weeks left is just mind boggling to me. When I think back over the last year and everything we have done and been through, I just can't believe that in three short weeks we will be a complete family again. In hindsight, I wish I had been better about blogging about all that we have gone through, so that there was some sort of record of our year of deployment... but for those of you that follow us on Facebook, you've gotten the full scope of all that! Maybe someday (when I have time... ha ha) I'll compile a post that has our "Best of Facebook" for this past year. In the meantime, I'd just like to leave you with this thought...


He's finally coming home!

Too sweet not to post

We've been working on Aidan and closing his eyes lately. Up til this point it's been rather comical because he just wasn't seeming to get it. That is until today. We were on our way to the gym when a very excited little voice piped up from the back seat.

Aidan: Mommie, I close my eyes!
Mommie: Oh yeah? What do you see when you close your eyes?
Aidan: Daddy!
Mommy: You see Daddy when you close your eyes?
Aidan: Yes! Happy
Mommie: Daddy's happy when you close your eyes?
Aidan: No, Aidan happy see Daddy!

Oh my sweet lil boy. How you melt my heart!

D-Day Returns

It's another sad day around here for the S Family. Today we had to take Daddy back to the airport so he could return to Camp LeJeune from his 2 week leave.

We had a great time with Daddy here and wouldn't have traded it for the world. Both boys got some individual quality time with Daddy along with some "only boys" days. Mommy even got her very own "Daddy Day" too. Between visits to the Phoenix Children's Museum, play time at home, and visits with friends, Daddy was even able to get a bunch of projects and errands done for Mommy to try to make things easier around here! What a Super Dad!

Both boys fell asleep in the car on the way to the airport, so the first thing out of Aidan's mouth when he woke up as we pulled back up to the house was "Where'd Daddy go?" Just about broke my heart, but he seemed to accept that Daddy went to the airport to go fly on an airplane. So here we are now eating Sonic for lunch and watching Thomas and Boat (AKA Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue) for about the 100th time. Whatever gets us through the day!

So continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers (extra prayers to help Colin sleep through the night are also appreciated!) as we continue to work our way through this deployment.

Some New Pictures

Daddy wasn't even back 12 hours and both boys had already gotten haircuts! :)

After a fun morning of painting pottery, we took the boys to the splash pad. They had a great time and we could only get them to leave willingly because we bribed Aidan with ice cream (dairy free frozen yogurt)!