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.