Jack's 5

It's almost 3 am and I really SHOULD be in bed, but here I am thinking of my now 5 yr old little boy. My how the years have flown by. He's my 3rd child, living as the 2nd. He's completely unique and completely, Jackson. It's hard for me to label him, because one moment he's all boy, rough and tumble and the next he's a cuddle bug who wants to revert to being the baby. I remember when he was a baby and how he loved to cuddle with me. The depth of love I felt for him overwhelmed me at times, as it seems to everytime God has gave me a baby. He immediately was special and our bond was something I can't find words for.
We spent 9 months with Chad in Iraq. Unfortunately Chad missed Jack's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd birthday's. He was home to celebrate his 4th. (He was home the day after Jack's 2nd birthday). Once again Daddy's back in Iraq and we're marking another year of Jackson's precious life. God has been so good to allow our family to be blessed to have this little boy in our lives. I'm so grateful for him.

We're in Michigan and will be celebrating his special day with friends. We're taking him to Castaway. He's going to love it. He's getting an Ice Cream cake, which he'll love. Tons of presents, and lots and lots of play!

I'm so blessed to be Jackson's mommy and thank our Lord and Savior for him.

Happy Birthday Jackson, I love you.

Update on request

First with the good news, Chad called and prasie our God he is fine. He was there, but only has two tiny scratches. Pray for his emotional well being though. Holding someone during their last minutes of life is nothing to be taken lightly and he is hurting.

The soldier who was killed as I told you was Chad's Plt. Sgt. Right now, Chad and two others have stepped up to his position, as they all take on various tasks and make decisions, etc. Chad kept saying that he just can't believe he's gone. Yesterday they had the memorial service for him in Iraq and next week they'll have one for him in Germany. His wife and children left today to head back to the states, so please be in prayer for them. In my life's experience the worst thing one can go through is the death of a child, and the next worse thing would be the loss of your beloved spouse. So please pray for this family. I will not write his name on this blog, since I don't have permission and would not feel comfortable giving out such private information on another family. God knows who it is.

As to the other two soldiers who were also injured in the attack, they're both doing better. Over this weekend they'll be heading to Landstuhl! I am not sure, but believe my friend will be joining her husband in Germany. She may be on her way for all I know. I hope they're reunited soon. I know that her husband has some lung issue's, shrapnel hit his lungs, so pray for those to heal completely (he is breathing on his own...PRAISE be to JESUS!!) and he is stable and awake. He did lose a finger, but that seems to be such a minor thing compared to what it could have been, so God has been very gracious to him. The other soldier who I don't know, is stable and well as far as I know as well.

I know I mentioned it earlier, but Chad did call on Thursday and it was so good to hear his voice. We talked for about an hour and he was able to talk to all 3 kids and his Mom as well. His voice sounded so sweet to my ears as he told me he was ok, but admitted his heart was hurting. We were able to talk about other things and he was able to laugh a few times. It's breaking his heart to be away from the kids and for him to be missing out on our little girls babyhood/entrance into toddlerhood. I will never know what that's like to have to miss out on such precious time with my children. I am so thankful that God has made Chad a man who's willing to fight for his country and do what needs to be done, and to be a man who's willing to admit that being away from his kids is the hardest part of it all.
Pray for Chad in his mission with the Army as well as his mission with the Lord. He's in deep prayer right now over where God is leading him. It's something I've been praying over for years and will continue to pray. I know that if this is God's will he will make it all possible and tear down any and all obstacles that present themselves.

The kids and I are having a good time here in the states. So far my "favorite" time has been my days with Emily. I miss her like crazy. We're at my inlaws right now and it's actually going VERY well. Neither of my inlaws health is very good, and it's truly sad to see just how it's changed in the last 4 yrs since we last saw them. Our nieces and nephew have grown by leaps and bounds. Chad's sister's middle child, is 10 and Jacob is as tall as she is. Now Jacob is tall, but "C" is also quite short for her age, although she's built so thin that she seems very tall. I know that seems to contridct itself, but if you saw her you would understand! ;) Tomorrow we will go visit Chad's grandma. I know she'll love seeing the kids and will most likely have a huge amount of food prepared. She always does! LOL The kids will probably have a good time there, she has a nice fenced in backyard so they should be able to spend the majority of their time out in the backyard playing. Here they've spent pretty well from 9-8 everyday outside playing, only stopping to eat meals and then they're off riding bikes, swinging, having waterballoon fights, etc. They've had a great time playing with their cousins and I know they'll all miss each other when we head out on Monday. Monday we head to my best friend Tami's. I am so excited to see her and her kids! Her boys are the same ages as mine and they're all going to probably play until they drop. We'll celebrate Jack's birthday with them. Her and I have to go shopping so I can get Jack a few more birthday gifts. I think we're him to a fun resturant that's aimed towards kids, but it's NOT Chuck E Cheese (or anything like that). It'll be fun. She planned to invite a couple kids his age to go along too so it'll be fun and give him his special day too!

Emma's still not walking and that's fine. I will say it'd probably be good with her spending so much time outside, she gets filthy in minutes. Hopefully today she'll stay somewhat clean and will not mess up her outfit, it's shorts so I think we have a fighting chance today! LOL She's had a blast staying outside though, crawling around and playing.

Thank you for the prayers for Chad, his soldiers, etc. Thank you for travel prayers for the kids and I.

God Bless

Prayers Needed

Please be in prayer tonight. Chad's Plt. Sgt was killed. I don't have all the details. He has left behind a wife and 2 young children (school age). Two other soldiers were injured. I'm friends with one of the soldiers wife, she told me tonight that he's breathing on his own today (he wasn't yesterday) and that the surgery went well. They're trying to get him from Iraq to Germany, so pray for his stability and for her to be able to get back to Germany very quickly (she's in the states currently).

I haven't been able to talk to Chad in 1 1/2 weeks and I am praying he's able to call me tomorrow at his mom's.

So blessed

God is awesome. He places people in our lives that will for some weave in and out, some who stay for the long haul, and some who are simply there for a season and never again. I have some of each and I am blessed by all, even those who have not remained if nothing else because I've learned something from them in one way or another.

Today I visited with an old neighbor. She lived below us when we first moved on post at Ft. Riley 7 yrs ago. Jacob was just about 4 months old and we were moving ourselves from off post to on post. As we were taking things up we met Donna. She was instantly friendly and it was nice to know a neighbor after us living off post for about 9 months and not knowing a single neighbor. We became wonderful friends and hung out, along with another neighbor nearly every day. She loved Jacob and our whole family and we spent most of our time laughing it seemed like. She was the first friend I had as an Army wife who left ME verses the other way around. It was horrible to watch her and her husband drive away. Today for the first time in over 6 1/2 yrs I got to spend a few precious and wonderful hours with her, her husband, and her little boy. It was so hard to leave, but I just truly felt so blessed to be able to spend time with her.

I'm now at my friend who I've known for 10 yrs. We both worked at the bank together during our pregnancies with our oldest girls and have been friends since. It's been almost 5 yrs since we last saw each other. She came to see us after Jackson was born, he was 5 weeks old then. Her girls were in bed by the time we got here, so I'm excited to see them tomorrow and see how much they've grown!

The best part of this whole trip though is that I was blessed to spend 5 1/2 days with Emily. If you read her blog (link on the side bar) then you probably already love her, if not, go read her, you'll love her. We met when we were both pregnant. She with her oldest and me with Jackson. We first met in person with Jack and her oldest where about 7 months old, and after we met we started talking on the phone multiple times a week, until it was every day. Being back in the states on this trip has been the longest we've went without talking, that's really stunk, so getting to be with her constantly was wonderful. Her family is so wonderful and well I just adore her.

God places people in our lives and I can tell you that he's been overwhelmingly generous to me. He's given me a husband who's my best friend and then the absolute most wonderful girl friends a woman can ever ask for. I've had friends who walked through grief with me as they went through their own and found best friends in that grief. I never thought that'd be possible that I could find someone who got my heart that way when my heart was broken. He gave me Tami and Kelly. Eight years later and they're both still an intergeral part of my life. Then 5 1/2 yrs ago he brought Emily into my life. I can tell you I never even thought I'd connect with women on the pregnancy board where we "met" much less find a friend who's a part of my heart and soul, yet I did. To know that God just keeps working the way he does amazes me. I've seen him in my children, in my husband, in my life in general, and to see him bring such amazing women into my life to love, lean on, support, pray for, with, and who lift me up and let me lift them up, be a shoulder to cry on, etc it's just awesome to me.

God is so generous, far more than I deserve and he's just blessed me. Tonight as I miss my husband who's deployed to Iraq. I think of how blessed I've been the past few days. He gave my children and I a home where we instantly felt at HOME in (especially the bedroom! LOL), he gave me a friend who's husband so willingly and generously slept on the couch while Emma and I slept with his beloved so we could have a safe and comfy (and roomy!!) place to sleep. He gave me laughter, joy, and tears.

I am so blessed, more than I deserve.

Lil' Update

Well I'm in KS and have been for a couple weeks now. Today we had a big get together/birthday celebration (for Jack and Emma). It was great, my friend Linda who I met 3 yrs ago in Germany when we'd both moved there, she left a year later for Ft. Riley. Her and her 2 kids who've grown soooooo much came up! It was FABULOUS seeing you!!!! At the final count we had over 60 people there throughout the day! It was a lot of fun seeing friends and family we haven't seen in years. Friends from high school came and it was so good to see all of them, but one in particular just brought me to tears. It truly amazes me that seeing her brought on so much emotion. I just couldn't help but cry as I saw her with her beautiful family and to see such a happiness in her! We also have family friends who came to visit. When I was a kid we rented a house from them, we moved from that house when my parents bought the land their house now sits on. I absolutely adore these 2. Their daughter just won the Rep. primary to be our State Representative. They are two of the most wonderful people in the world and have truly overcame so much adversitity. They've both had cancer, he lost his left leg because of it. He fell off their roof, fell 2 stories, hit the balcony, then hit their cement drive...numerous broken bones (most in his face), and he was laughing on days after.
We had great food. My dad grilled brats, burgers, & hotdogs and then everyone brought various sides. We had 2 birthday cakes (one for Emma and 1 for Jack), my uncle who got married last weekend snuck in left over wedding cake, literally there was food galore!
Earlier in the week one of my other high school best friends drove 7 hours with her 4 children to see us! Her youngest is 2 weeks older than Emma. Her little girl is walking, but has no teeth, yet Emma's not walking and has 5 almost 6 teeth! :) The girls played together and did all the other kids!
My boys are loving their time here. They especially love playing with my brother's girls. They run, run, run, play in the sand pile, swim, play in the play room, play with the dogs, have went on numerous 4 wheeler rides, a few tractor rides (my dad has a big John Deere), playing at my brother's house, and loving on our two dogs that my parents are keeping for us (they're 11 yrs old and we knew would be miserable in an apartment in Germany).

On Tuesday I head down to Emily's (see sidebar). I can't wait! I should arrive on Wed. I'll stop over night and stay with our old neighbor from Ft. Riley. I can not wait to get to Emily's! Then we'll head North, see another friend for a couple days, then up to my inlaws for a few days, and then off to my best friend Tami's! I'm really excited to see her too. Her boys are the same ages as mine. Her oldest daughter died from cancer about 1 1/2 months after Jordyn died (we met on a bereaved cancer parents online group). God has truly blessed me with my friends. On my way home I'm hoping to see one of the friends who came today. She's a homeschooling momma of 6! I think I'll be driving past her so it'll be nice to get to see her again before I head home to Germany.

I will have pictures to share once I am back to Germany!

God Bless