My Boys

Jonathan was so excited about our trip to Mississippi and especially eager to see his daddy again. On the drive, he kept saying, "Wait daddy, we coming!" I wondered how he would react after so many weeks of separation. But his face broke out into his happy grin when he saw Jonny at Camp Shelby. They picked up right where they left off.

I have so many pictures in my mind of the two of them. Playing at the pool. Relaxing in the hot tub. Making a tent from blankets in the condo. Playing chase. Wrestling on the ground. Building sand castles on the beach. Watching Bob the Builder. Each activity was punctuated by laughter and more laughter. To say Jonathan was a happy camper doesn't do justice to how much fun he had with his daddy.

Saying good bye was no fun. After we drove off, Jonathan kept asking me, "Daddy coming too?" I had to remind him over and over that daddy had to stay and help the soldiers for lots and lots of days. Jonathan has gone through a rough patch but is slowly coming back to himself. I had to take him to the doctor this week because he basically didn't eat or drink hardly anything for 3 days. He cried a lot and was clingy and wanted me to hold him all the time. I thought he was sick but my doctor said he was grieving. Watching him go through this has been harder than my own sadness. Nothing hurts like your child being in pain and being unable to take the pain away. I've tried to be extra demonstrative with my love and super attentive to him. We are making good progress. He is much, much better.

Jonny is making his way overseas today. It is so strange to be so far apart.

Daddy and his Princess

So much time as gone by since my last entry, I hardly know where to start. There is too much to say in just one blog. It will take several posts to catch up on all that has been happening. For now, I'll just jump in to where we are today.

Jonathan, Lizzy and I returned home last Thursday from 5 days in Gulfport, MS with Jonny. He was on his final pass from Camp Shelby before heading overseas. This was our last family time together for many months. Jonny describes our time together as "a little taste of heaven." I couldn't agree more. To say we had an amazing time doesn't do justice to those 5 days.

I took over 1,000 pictures. I'll share a few tonight and look forward to sharing more. I feel both happy and sad when I see the pictures, so I can only spend a little time going through them before my emotions start to overwhelm me. Here is what I offer so far.

When Lizzy saw her daddy's face again, she rewarded him with a big smile. I felt an enormous sense of relief. It would have devastated him if she screamed in fright over a new face. She is 7 months old and has not seen him for the last 2 months. I had prayed so much over their initial reunion. God answered my prayers. While Jonny and Jonathan had a ton of great interactions and time together (more will follow in another post), seeing Jonny and Lizzy together touched my heart in a special way.

It was hard seeing the pain on Jonny's face as he held her for the last few times as a baby. When he sees her again, she will be walking and running and saying a few words. This knowledge made their time together even more meaningful. I am so thankful for these pictures of the two of them. They capture the joy of their brief, yet incredibly special time together.