The other night I was watching a movie and a conversation between a grown daughter and her father at Christmas struck me. Maybe it was because I have so many thoughts of Sophia and her Dad reuniting after this deployment but I got to thinking how lovely it is to have a positive father figure in my life. Where my dad isn't always the one who shares all the details of every day life with me like my mom and I do, he always knows just what to say and never fails to provide the love and security that I've always needed, even as I've gotten older. As I think about what it's like to be a military wife and mom, I am aware that there will come a time when the excitment of having Dad home will overshadow her willingness to be around me. This is where I am so blessed to be able to take a step back and rest easy in the fact that Chris is a fantastic father who sacrifices so much to give his daughter a great life. He shows her an outstanding example of how to be a hero and what it means to truly sacrifice. I will proudly move aside and watch with pride the love that has grown between Sophia and her dad that even 6,000 miles couldn't weaken.

Now I know that Sophia is just in a diaper but I had to show this picture. Usually, when Chris calls or is able to skype, Sophia sits next to me and we both chat with dad on the computer. Lately, she's been very possessive of her Dada and won't let me anywhere near him when she sees that he's on the computer. I think it's absolutely adorable to see a two year old sitting with a computer (that's almost the size of her) on her lap and talking to her Dad 6,000 miles away.
I also wanted to share with you guys a card that my great friend Kitty sent to me and what she added to the front to make it relevant. Can you see the writing in the grass and the clouds she drew in the sky? Not only did she send me this card but she's been sending me a card a week for the entire deployment. She has given me something to look forward to and inspired me to work hard and 'keep truckin'. So thank you Kitty. You truly are such an amazing friend.

Without my family and friends, I don't know where I'd be. Thank you all!

A *New* Christmas Poem


TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER IN IRAQ , LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
'SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS: MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.'

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, 'CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.'

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND!--
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.'

This poem was written by a Marine.

The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.....
PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending
this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming
soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men and
women for our being able to celebrate these festivities.
Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we
owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and
dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your
small part to plant this small seed.

Dave


What a great message for Christmas. It brought tears to my eyes and really stopped me in my tracks. When you're wrapping your gifts or fighting the holiday crowds for presents, remember the true meaning of Christmas and those who can't be with the one's that they love this year. God Bless Our Troops!

So notice anything new and different? Thanks to Carolyn, I have this awesome new Holiday blog backround! How amazing is it that she made this!?! I'm seriously floored. I couldn't even figure out her simple instructions to make it my backround and she designed and 'installed' the WHOLE THING! What a talent! Thanks girl for being so patient with me! You're awesome! I think for old times sake I'll attach my favorite picture of you and Sophia. Miss you!

Wow it seems hard to believe that a) it's almost Christmas and b) Sophia is almost two years old! Wow. I've been meaning to blog lately about all the new stuff that Sophia is into before I get too busy and this amazing time in her life passes me by. So I'll dedicate this post to my little lovebug and fill you in on all her adorable Sophia-isms! :)

Sophia isn't a baby anymore...she's a full fledged toddler minus the sassy attitude and horrible tantrums. Don't get me wrong, she has a stubborn streak and wants what she wants when she wants it (I have no idea where she gets that from ;), but overall she responds well to direction and is learning more and more what it means to be a polite little girl. Thanks to some constant repetition from my family at home, I think we have successfully mastered how to say please, thank you, I'm sorry and excuse me. I'm really enjoying seeing her grow and know when to say thank you without me having to prompt her. She'll do it in public too which knocks people's socks off and makes me very proud. We've also been practicing our ABC's and Sophia is taking very well to identifying letters when written down. Thanks to Nani's brillant find, we've now even been practicing in the bathtub with these really cool washable crayons. I love that the whole world is a learning experience for Sophia and the little every day things of life amaze her. I even see Sophia recognizing letters on street signs and store signs and I try to use every outing/experience as a learning one. I can see it paying off and I can't wait to show Chris all that we've learned!

We're still potty training but I wouldn't say we're at the stage where she's anywhere close being able to tell me when she needs to go potty. There are times however where she practically begs me to sit on the potty and she 'goes' pretty much every time. I must say, it'll be a little strange having an audience when I do my 'Yucky on the potty dance'! I'm sure Chris will get a kick out of seeing me make a fool out of myself but Sophia loves it! We did the dance three times today and eah time she screamed 'YAY' and ran to give me a hug. Lately she's been a little more creative on the potty, passing the time by asking me to get my shoes for her to try on and admire. It really is funny to see her walk around the house in them. She does it like there's nothing to it which I think is pretty hilarious for a two year old! So if you come to my house not only will you find a potty in the middle of the living room but my shoes strewn all over the house to satisfy Sophia's fickle little brain. Ah, life with a child! :)

As we come up on Sophia's second birthday it'll be nice to look over all of my old posts and see how much she's grown and in a way relive the past year with her. My goal next year is to keep up with the blogging and share what life is like with our Marine thrown in the mix! :) Next year will be a busy year for us with a big move in May but as for this Christmas I'm excited to sit down and do some serious thinking about our goals as a family and how we can grow together in 2010. I hope that everyone is enjoying the season and spending lots of time with the ones you love!

I've been having a hard time putting into words how truly blessed I felt this Thanksgiving. I think back over the memories and am brought to tears thinking of how special each and every person is in my life. I think my little brother said it best recapping our Thanksgiving together...We are truly blessed by everyone in our lives and owe thanks to the Big Man upstairs for that. It's funny really...I was dreading Thanksgiving in a way because I thought this year I'd have a tough time appreciating what I have with Chris being so far away. Although it was bittersweet and the dinner table felt a tad empty, my family once again proved to me they are the best, lifting me up and giving me strength through their love and support.

So on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Sophia and I set off on our journey with my little angel feeling almost 100 percent better and Mama T here just holding on until I was home sweet home. The flight was long and after some laughs with the couple next to us marveling in their luck of seats (hehe) Sophia and I settled in for 5 hours of fun sitting on Mom's lap. Awesome. I literally found myself chanting in my head halfway through the flight...there's no place like home, there's no place like home. It's so true though. There's nothing like waking up to Mom telling you to 'Go back to sleep, we'll take Soph' and resting easy knowing that she is well taken care of. My family really was fantastic. I was able to squeeze in a mani/pedi with Misha and Suzy, a quick visit with Lisa to meet her hubby Joe and baby Emma, a shopping trip with all my girls AND a 'mommy-sized' night out for Suzy's birthday. The trip really was everything I hoped it'd be...well...minus the 100 plus fever I came down with the last day I was home forcing me to cancel all plans, take a trip to the urgent care and let mama spoil me for one last day. I really was feeling miserable and that was a huge, huge bummer! Nonetheless, I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to come home and as I said at the Thanksgiving dinner table (admist tears as I am now the running joke of the family)...it's so nice to know that when my little family is separated and forced apart, I've got all those back home taking care of Sophia and I and praying every day for Chris' safe return home!

So what am I thankful for this year? I'm thankful that my family is healthy and happy and that we were able to spend some much needed time together this Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that Chris is safe and has ALMOST made it through his second deployment. I'm thankful for my beautiful baby girl who never ceases to amaze me and proves to me every day that there is a God and He is GOOD! I'm thankful for the prayers of each one of you reading this and the love you all have shown us throughout this tough year. I wish that there was a way to bottle up all the feelings and emotions of Thanksgiving and carry them on throughout the year with people more often counting their blessings and appreciating what they have. That's my goal for this next year because I certainly have a lot to be thankful for. I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was as wonderful as mine was and you are not too busy preparing for Christmas!