Gone Again

Two and a half years at home. Two babies, three moves. Lots of schooling, some field time, several road trips and family time. Now it's time to start living like Kevin's actually in the Army.
He deployed last week and will be in Iraq for around 8 months. After such a long time at home, this will be quite an adjustment for me, and for Caleb. I'm sure Joshua's aware at some level, but he's got a small vocabulary, oohs and gahhs mostly, so who knows what he's thinking. What a great blessing it was to have Kevin around for the first 2 and a half months of Joshua's life. Despite the crazy move and vacationing with such a young babe, those months were really sweet. Kevin spent a lot of time caring for Caleb. He got to know Caleb's routine and habits so well that he started informing me how to take care of him. It was really sweet to see Kevin take over as number one in Caleb's life. Seeing that will make it easier to entrust the boys to their daddy when they someday realize that Mama is a girl and that they want to be with him rather than me. But for now, I'm it. I wake them, feed them, play with them, schlep them around to the mall and a million boutiques, teach them, potty them, bathe them and put them back to bed. This is my job. I plan on doing it well, but wow, it would be nice to have my helpmate here. Not to help me, but to guide me, to ground me, to remind me that this important work. I should stop or I'll start crying or something.
Michelle and Riley Post generously donated their time and camera and took some family pics before Kevin left. (No, I don't have a functioning camera. Yes, I am supposed to be a photographer. I'm like a plumber without a wrench. All crack and no seal.)
Thanks Post family for the fun photos.