PLEASE PRAY TODAY!!!!!

I am allowed to say that my hubby leaves from our home for good today they have at least another month of training before they get on the plane but this deployment is diffrent then the past ones when he was in active army. He just got on a plane and left. This time he is training for 3 months then leaves for Iraq. without giving a lot of details today the busses will pull out and he will not be back home for another year so today is sad. PRAY for safe treavels. PRAY that they have a safe deployment.PRAY for strength for them.PRAY for the families. GOD PROTECT THEM...... Ill update on Christmas later. This deployment is kicking my butt....

Its Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas!!!!

First of all today was a big day for My Khloe... Today she went to an outside babysitter for the first time.It was the same lady that kept my Ethan, the only person that has ever kept my kids that wasn't family, Khloe didn't cry today when I left her, but she was clingy when we came home. It was funny for her to play with another little boy, and to have some time away from me.. Good day and we are going to try more days like today so I can have some time away to get things done while Darin is away.... Moving on....

* This year some of my favorite gifts are anything monogrammed, I'm loving these monogrammed hand sanitizers, I got these for all our teachers, and all of Braydens therapist, I think they are so cute...

A new ornament that was added this year we have a few military ornaments this one is our new one and is hanging at the top of our tree in honor of my hubby... "Serving our Country Proudly" indeed he is...

I bought my polka dotted plates this year new, I have lots of dishes but I thought that these were toooo cute. and a set of 4 for only 7.99

This didn't photograph well but it looks really pretty in person I hung the garland and beads over my favorite mirror it really added a little touch to that wall..

This was my favorite spot in our living room, I thought that these glittery balls and trees showed up so pretty against the white...

Here is our tree in the daylight before it was completely done, but you get the idea of some of our holiday decorations. It looks so festive in every room, but tonight I'M going to go to bed, we have another busy day tomorrow. Ethan has awards day at school, we had Braydens last night. Ill do an awards day post maybe tomorrow night..

Merry Christmas from our family to yours....

Military Marriage...

I really don't know how to start this post, I have really been meaning to update more then this and I will soon, this was just my first week into deployment and I want to make sure that I journal all of our lives for the family to see and to journal it for Darin to look back and read or if he get s a minute maybe he can catch up over in Ir*q who knows... But anyway, this week has been a roller coaster week for me, I started off doing really well, actually really well, I was really surprised at myself then by Thursday it hit me.. who am I kidding I'M not this strong person that I think that I am, I'M weak. My kids are having a hard time with this already and yes to you all it has only been a week and he is coming home for Christmas, but for our little family in the last 4 months Darin has come and gone so much the kids don't know what is going on so to say the least they are having a hard time. By Thursday Ethan has decided that he HATES me , he HATES me for his daddy being gone. He HATES me because our family is not normal, he HATES me because his daddy is in the army, he HATES me because everyone else has there daddy home ( little does he know about divorce, ha) he HATES me because I'm the worse mom in the world, because I cant give him ALL my attention there are 2 other little ones that need me, he HATES me because he has school 5 days a week, I'M telling you when I took him to school Thursday he begged me not to pick him he HATES me and if this is how it was going to be around our house and his daddy was going to go to war and carry a gun he wants a new family... So to say the least my kids are having a hard time. Which makes me have a hard time....
I went to our Family Readiness Gr@up on Saturday and we were all talking and it was so nice to know that everything my kids are going thru is all normal and it will get better, but it was also refreshing to hear people talk about their marriages, not good for them, but they were talking about how they hated their husbands for leaving, they didn't know if their marriages would last thru this deployment, one wife said that she knows that she probably will not be here when they come home, and one wife that I was shocked to hear that her husband has stopped talking to her for about a month to detach from family life, wow.. Like I said this was sad on their part, but refreshing for me, selfish of me --- um yeah! But it makes me happy to know that no part of me hates my hubby for leaving, I'M not mad, yes I'M sad but defiantly not mad! I know that my marriage will last thru this deployment, if it is anything like last time it made our marriage stronger, Darin and I had great communication skills we learned that we were always here for one another, and that our marriage was going to be just fine, Now all that said it doesn't mean that yes we send OUR husbands off and they come back the same person , they don't. They come back forever changed, I remember my husband came home and was very quiet, distant, we took a little adjusting to being who we were, but we didn't love each other in less. But all of this is normal when your in a military marriage.. You have to learn to not ask questions, let your spouse talk, be there when they are ready to talk, listen don't judge them, be ready for them to criticize the things you do while they are gone, secretly they are jealous that you can do things without them.. yeah i learn that I can live without him, I can take our the trash, I can get the yard mowed, yeah I can manage 3 kids, I can do all these things by myself, do i i want to do these things by myself, do I want to be by myself? Not for a minute.. We make the best team of parents, we are best friends and we can get thru it all. we are living in this military marriage, and I'M THANKFUL, that I know we are going to be just fine....

Santa Baby....

WEll its Christmas Time in the city..... Sunday we went to the Christmas parade...

The boys love Toy Soldiers, so we enjoyed some fun time even if it was 20 degrees...

Then of course We met Santa.... We were all wanting our daddy home!
I have said it alot this week, that my hands are full, but so is my heart.... If it wasnt for these kids I dont know what I would do, they keep me going while this man is gone.

But have no fear.... He will be "Home for the Holidays"... and its not just in our dreams..

Brayden

i promise maybe tonight I will do a better post, but Brayden has gotten sicker with a virus, he woke up Friday Morning around 4 am not being able to hold anything down, after 12 hrs of not keeping anything not even water down, we called the dr and they sent us to the ER we got there and poor Bray was very dehydrated, had to get some fluids by IV and shot of nausea meds, after Xrays, blood work another flu test, the decided he had a viral infection and after a few hrs we were able to go home with meds around the clock, and lots of rest.. Pray for him

Update

Just wanted to let you know that we are still here, we had a great weekend and I do have some pics to post, but to much of our surprise... Our house is more like a hospital right now. In one room we have one puking. In another we have cool mist vaporizer going on and he is coughing his head off. Third room Khloe has her air purifier going on and she is the best out of all 3. Mommy and Daddy are all coughing and sneezing, when it hits around here, it hits good... Lets send good wishes our way we have company coming Thursday and I have to get real cleaning done ,and our tree put up, right now we are just doing piles and piles of laundry.

Fallen Soldier March 09

I had never completed my post about this fantastic march that me and some of my family did back in August. We participated along with around 200 soldiers and congressmen and other civilians to do a 9 mile walk. A few years ago a unit that was deployed during this war lost 9 of there men, and when there leader came back he was determined not to let them be forgotten so he marched a mile for each one that had died, that year he did it alone. The next year he invited other soldiers that wanted to march. This was the first year that they had opened it up to civilians, and he told everyone that if he got 200 people to walk the 9 miles with him, on Veterans Day he would march 29 miles to Nashville. And that he did. Sgt. Williams is one of the most incredible people I have ever met, all the soldiers wore there uniform with at least a 40 pound pack that was the only requirement and we left at 4:30 in the afternoon in AUGUST HEAT!!! These troops were awesome. I am beyond blessed to be a part of such an event and looking forward to doing it again next year.

This was all of us getting ready to leave the unit, to march thru town. Here we go!!! My family and I were all in the front in Our Team Morgan shirts. We were proud there were around 10 civilians and we were 5 of them...

We felt all that these soldiers do and go thru, the hard work my husband puts into it, he never gives up, he works hard this is one thing that I could do.. There were times that I didn't think I was going to make it and there was a point that I couldn't pass air thru my lungs and took a break in a van for about 5 min, but I wanted Darin to know that I respect him, and that I was going to push hard, for he does every single time, he cant give up and stop and takes break out in the field, he has to keep going on, and that was my motivation.

Most of all these troops will not be here next year for the march, they are going to be deployed but no matter what, I'm going to work hard, and get thru this march with no breaks, and Ill be there next year...

The amount of cheers, honks, signs, flags, people clapping, and people on the side of the road with bottled water EVERYWHERE, makes me so proud of my town. We are so blessed.

And going into the Thanksgiving season- I want to make point of what I am thankful for, this year I'm thankful of this country that we are able to live in... Thankful for the men and women who make that possible. Thankful for those who walked right beside me during that march. I AM SO BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*** Side note, the next morning me and Ethan woke up around 4am sick so sick, I took Ethan to the ER he tested positve for Swine Flu, and later on that night after I got thru worring about me baby, I got sicker and sicker, I really thought I was just exhausted from the march, but when I went to the dr on Monday I was positve for swine.. CRazy. ( this was all for my sake of journaling and not forgetting our crazy fun year)