Farewell Daddy....be safe

This blog post is a week overdue. It has been hard for me to look at these pics or even think about Eric being gone without crying this past week. However, I think I'm finally doing better. There have been (and there will be more) tough times. The hardest part is when Sophie asks for daddy repeatitively and I can't explain to her in a way she can understand. She sometimes gets very frustrated and agitated that I cannot produce daddy. I do my best to distract her but sometimes that doesn't work and we both just have a good cry. Then we get up, carry on, and move on. It's the only way we're going to make it through a whole year.

The Mobilization Ceremony was very nice and honored the 3-116th CAV. We were happy to have several family and friends here for it. Thanks to Eric's folks for driving across the state and also to my friend Gina and her husband Russ who came from Idaho. Audri was also able to take a day off of school and drove over from Idaho. We were all so happy that she was able to make it. My mom, step-dad, and grandma were able to attend as well. Thank you mom for playing with Sophie so I could actually watch the ceremony!

It's going to be a long year but we will make it through with the love and support of our family and friends. There is a possiblity that I may get to go to Mississippi at the begining of November to see Eric for a few days. It would be too quick of a trip to take a toddler though. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything works out for me to go.

SO HAPPY TO SEE DADDY!

Sophie and I headed to Boise on the 9th to see daddy and go to a family BBQ/Concert for soliders and their families. Needless to say Sophie was ECSTATIC to see daddy! She kept repeating the word daddy and didn't want to be more than two feet away from him. At home Sophie had been kissing his picture on the fridge several times a day and constantly asking for him. It had been a long four weeks for us and we both were so happy to see him. It was also very nice to have Audri join us for the BBQ/Concert. We of course weren't able to stay for the entire concert since it started at 7pm and Sophie did not take ANY nap that day (first time in her life!). The next day Eric came home and we have been trying to savor every moment we have left together. He and I were able to have a little getaway earlier this week while my mom kept Sophie. We just went to Tri-Cities but it was nice to have some time to ourselves. We went to movies, did some shopping, went on a nice walk by the river, etc.

Sleep Over!

While Eric was gone Sophie and I had a sleepover with Jessica and Taylor. Taylor's daddy was also working out of town for a few weeks so we had a girls night. It was lots of fun! The mommies had take out and the girls had mac n cheese...so we all got our favorites! Taylor let Sophie wear her Elmo jammies which Sophie was VERY excited about. After the girls went to bed Jessica and I stayed up late watching our shows and chatting. The next morning we put the girls in the jogger/bike trailer and walked to the park and let them play. Right before we left for the park Sophie's scab finally fell off. Her owie is looking better and we are continously putting cream on it.

Grandpa and Grandma come for a vist

A few weeks ago my dad and his wife came to visit Sophie and I while Eric was away at annual training. We had a very nice weekend with them. It took Sophie a day or two to warm up to papa (which is what she calls all three of her grandpas!) but she finally did. I told him that all he had to do was give her fruit snacks and take her "side" (outside) to play and she would be his best friend! The weather wasn't the greatest but we did take a drive up towards Ukiah to see Camp Elkana which is where my family went when I was very little. We went to church on Sunday morning and Sophie did well in the nursery but only after some other kids showed up to play with. She LOVES playing with kids!