Peter and Nancy's Notes: June 2006

The Countdown has begun!

Well, the end is near - of our time in Virginia, at least. We are scheduled to leave on June 30 and it always seems like there is so much to do before we go. However, last night we picked up Charm (Peter's mom) from the airport. She had a long day after flying in from Germany but was eager to hold and love on her new grandson. Besides playing the all-important role of grandmother (though we call her Muti), she will be a great help in the moving process, driving in the car with Ben and me to Texas while Peter drives the truck with the cats (2) and dog, and in the house-hunting and home-buying process. And oh yeah, she has also volunteered to help unpack, paint, and landscape (she is quite talented in those areas). We are so lucky to have her with us!! We are also going to be buying a house when we get to Texas so we have to do all the pre-approval paperwork and such before even setting foot in a prospective home. We are very excited about buying our first home but I am also overwhelmed by everything that has to be done. We will update as we continue this process.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder!!

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" - this statement is most often made regarding girlfriend/boyfriend relationships or spousal relationships. However, this has a two-fold meaning for me right now. First, Peter has one week left in his school in KY which means I am a "single mom" for a little over a week. Even though I went thirteen months without him and any other family in Germany, it was also without kids. This experience has made me sit in AWE of those mothers who made it through the deployment WITH kids (and their sanity!).

When I walked in the house after dropping my mom at the airport and there was no one holding the door for me or helping me in some way, that was when I first realized that I was on my own. It was a little scary at first, but I have to say, after a couple of days of caring for Ben and myself and keeping us both alive, fed, and clean (well, at least Ben is clean!) I feel such a sense of accomplishment and pride that I CAN DO THIS! Being a mother is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I can honestly say that it is also one of the most rewarding. God has truly blessed us with such a precious little boy.

So I said earlier that the title phrase has a two-fold meaning for me. Not only does it apply to Peter being gone, but to me being apart from all my friends. Being an Army wife has given me opportunities to meet many special and amazing women but it has also forced me to say goodbye (for now) to most of them. Not only am I separated from my "new" friends, but I am also separated from my "old" ones (from college and high school). However, the great part about this upcoming move is that I will be a LOT closer to many of the "old" ones. And I bet that many of my "new" friends will wind up being stationed with us again. If not, then I will just have to visit them.

Thankfully, blogging has kept us in touch with each other in a whole new way. It is so exciting to read about everything that is going on in their lives -it makes the distance seem a lot shorter.

More pics!

Here are some more pictures that I couldn't get to post with the other ones:

A trip with Grammy to see the National Mall and the Archives, oh, and we had to have lunch at Peter's favorite D.C. eatery - Ollie's Trollie (we highly recommend the classic Ollie burger)

Ben's Grammy (Nancy's mom)

Ben in his big boy outfit playing with his activity gym

Ben is not very happy about being dressed up like a little doll!

Some more family portraits...

Manic Motherhood

I know that is has been a little while since I have posted but this whole motherhood thing is pretty time-consuming!!!! I really had no idea just how much time this little guy could take up - there's feeding, changing diapers, bathing and dressing. Then you do it all over again because SOMEONE pooped their pants! Then comes playtime, fussy time, and hopefully sleepy time. By the time I get to the sleepy time, I am racing around just trying to catch up on anything - like maybe going to the bathroom or perhaps brushing my hair. However, as any mom will agree, it is all worth it! I was reading Vicki's post,Candid Camera, and I couldn't help but laughing because that is how I feel most days. It doesn't help that Peter is away at school for three weeks but my mom is here to help - and boy do I appreciate her (and wonder how she ever handled three kids that were all 2 years apart). Anyway, Ben is such a blessing and we couldn't imagine our lives without him. So without further ado, here are some pics from Ben's 2nd and 3rd week of life in this wonderful world:

A visit with all the cousins on the Norris side of the family...