Where does the time go?

Seriously! It seems like every day goes a little faster than the last and before I know it a whole week has gone by...I guess that's getting older? (Which I did this week....ugh)

So much happens in our home in December on a normal year - Owen's birthday (the 6th), my birthday (the 22nd), Fred's birthday (the 24th), Christmas, New Years...my sister's birthday (the 31st), my brother-in-law's birthday and my mother-in-laws birthday, a handful of my friends and my kids friends...and on top of it all, Fred's last full month home this year...frown.

In January, he will be doing some more AWOL recovery (1/3-1/5), Combat Life Saver at Ft. Bragg (1/11-16) and then MAYBE down to Shelby for a week or so..gotta love the Army and their definitive plans. :) Then February 11th - which seemed so far away a few weeks ago will be on us and he will leave for the duration. Federal Orders will be issued for February 11th, 2009 - February 2010. Doesn't that seem like a lifetime? He will be at Shelby and then NTC in California for March. He is supposed to get a break in April for 4 days - but of course that will be the exact days of Kaitlin's cheer competition in Atlanta so there will be no relaxing! (I'm so thankful that he will be here to attend it though!) We have his official deployment ceremony on April 13th and they will leave the country a few days later. It has been weighing on my mind more lately, but with the holidays it's been so hectic we haven't had much time to stress about it. I do notice myself thinking about how different next year will be - I'm thinking of a small Christmas thing for the kids in December, but waiting and having our "real" Christmas in February (or sooner if he's home) with Fred. It's not Christmas without all of us here...I guess I should start looking at Craigslist for a fake tree. I doubt a real one will look very good in Feb! :) Maybe I can find a tree farm that will let me cut one in February? Something to look into........nothing like a real tree for Christmas..whenever that may be.

More later - with pictures! Owen's birthday, Christmas, the Farm, and more.

Love
Katie

And it begins...

So the 30th started their movement to Ft. Bragg this week and Fred has been working AWOL recovery all week...meaning I spend the few minutes I have each day to scour the internet helping him track people down. Thank you Army for blocking Myspace on DOD computers....it's the most valuable tracking device and yet they can't access it...go figure. And thanks to AB! ;-)

We're off to Tennessee this weekend for Kaitlin's cheer competition. Can't wait to see the snow! Owen's birthday is on Saturday - if he's not in a permanent time out before then! He's really feeling his independence this week - apparently someone told him that three was a good age to start acting like a pain in the neck! We're driving up Friday night, Kaitlin cheers Saturday and Sunday, and we'll drive back Sunday night...just in time for Fred to head to Bragg on Monday for some more training. Woohoo! He'll be gone for four days..just the right amount of time for me to consider checking myself into the looney bin for a few days. Don't know how I'm going to make it a year...if you see me pacing and muttering to myself at the grocery store, try not to stare :)

Christmas is coming up - along with all the fun that goes with it. We have a christmas party, a christmas parade, parent-teacher conferences at school, Fred's birthday, my birthday, Owen's birthday, and, of course, Jesus' birthday party at school. Emma's very excited about that! She wants to know if we can go to Target to get him a present...hmm, didn't plan that one into the budget....

So, wish me luck - 7 hours of driving in the mountains, 2 days of screaming cheerleaders, and 7 hours back...5 kids off of a schedule from traveling and a husband disappearing for 4 days...should be a fun time for all!

Katie