Week 1, Round 2

Our first week without Nathan was a bit surreal.  The reality of it all hasn't really sunk in yet.  We headed down to San Diego on Christmas Eve to pick up my parents and sister to spend the holidays with us.  They have provided a great distraction and it is always nice to have family here to help us celebrate.  At the same time, I think it has limited my ability to really grasp the reality of our situation.  I don't really have my game face on this time around.  Last deployment I was prepped and ready to tackle the year (which was only about 8 months--thank God) by ourselves.  We were on our own roughly 220 days. Not knowing how long this deployment is going to last makes it hard, but if we could do it then, we can do it again. I have found that dealing with deployments is more of a mental game than anything else. I try to pack our schedule with fun things to do with friends and family in order to eat up as much time as possible, without wearing the kids out to the point of exhaustion.  This time with things in Afghanistan constantly changing I feel like I am in limbo right now---floating in between the world of our happy little family and the life of being a single parent.  I am not really ready to step over to the dark side, yet I feel myself slowly sinking into the muck.  I am clinging onto the hope that Nathan might make it back for Corinne's 3rd birthday.  But for now, we will enjoy our time with family and hope for the best (a three month deployment will be cake!)---even if I didn't technically prepare for the worst. 

Lincoln woke up the morning after Nathan left and urgently packed up his sleeping bag and back pack then proceeded to prance around the house saying, "I am a Marine with all my bags--heading out to fight the bad guys!"  Ahhh, he is so proud of his Daddy--we all are.

All ready to go.

Brittnay, Ethan, and Ellie came over one evening to make our gingerbread house with us and see Christmas lights.  I forgot to take pics, but the kids had fun and the house was pretty tasty for coming out of a box.

The kids took a ride in the Jeep to get the mail on Christmas Eve--trying to kill time until it was time to head to the airport.

After picking the fam up, we headed home and got the kids in bed and prepped for round 2 of Christmas.  Grandpa Jinks' pride and joy this year was his home made cannon that actually fires ping pong balls.

Lincoln could not have been happier with his first mate.

It not only looks cool, but it is also sturdy.

Lincoln was super happy with Aunt Linny to get a pirate sweater.

Corinne added some more dress up to her collection.

Lincoln also received a set of light up skulls that play spooky music.

While the cat's away, the mice will play.  Corinne enjoyed a few Christmas chips on the counter, in her new "Rapunzel dress".

Dad and Linc played with his new mini pirate ship to prep for the big one Grandpa Jinks built on the staircase.

Corinne participated in Grandpa Jinks' morning exercise routine.

He now knows he has to wake up earlier than the kids if he plans on getting them done!

Lincoln also loves his new construction worker kit that has real tools.  He wore his new duds to Lowes while we got the supplies to make Corinne's dress up wardrobe.

I was instructed by Nathan to throw out all the cardboard boxes and invest in a few red and green rubbermaid containers to finally get a handle on our crazy collection of Christmas decorations.  With Mimi's help, I got it all packed away and now have TONS of extra room in the hall closet!

The kids got a great new ISpy Go Fish game from Aunt Terri and Uncle Chris.  It turns out that Corinne is quite the card shark.

She openly cheats by trying to sneak a look at your cards. 

It was a ton of fun teaching both kids how to discreetly find out what other people have without giving away what is in their hand.

We had a blast!

Thank you Aunt Terri and Uncle Chris!

The sun came out and the kids needed some outside time, so we met friends at the park.

Aunt Linny got a taste of their boundless energy.

On Thursday we took a trip to the zoo.  It was ridiculously crowded, and took us over 45 minutes to find a place to park.  Lincoln had a hard time putting up with crowds and not being able to play at the kiddie zoo the whole time.  His favorite part was checking out the bones in the elephant area.  Mimi had fun seeing what was new since it had been almost 15 years since her last visit. 

Corinne enjoyed pretending to be a seal near the polar bear exhibit.

Aunt Linny and Corinne shared a few fries together.

Linny practiced a few braids on me, which looked great until Corinne undid them while she rode in the backpack telling me "I need to fix it!  I don't want you to be beautiful anymore!"

The kids took a nap on the ride home and Lincoln had a sleepover with Grandpa Jinks in the pirate ship.

Yes, I hate that thing.  It only has one entrace which turns my normally easily accessable staircase into a spiral one that you must enter in from the living room.  It is a pain in my butt--especially at bedtime when the kids get up a hundred times and need a drink, butt wipe, extra "tuck-tuck", etc.!  Oh I can't wait to sink that ship!

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Quote 1:  On our way to the airport.

Corinne:  "I don't want to go with Mimi and Grandpa Jinks."

Me:  "We don't have to.   Mimi, Grandpa Jinks, and Aunt Linny are coming home with us."

Corinne:  "To our house? They Are? Oh, I love it, I love it, I love it!"

Quote 2:  On our way to the airport.

Lincoln:  "Oh no, I don't think Aunt Linny can come home with us?"

Me:  "Why?"

Lincoln:    "There is no room for her."

Me: "Yes, there is. This goes up and turns into a seat."

Lincoln:  "I think Mimi should sit in the back with me."

Me:  "Why?"

Lincoln:   "Because she is so Old!......and (stretches his arms out) huge."

Quote 3:  Chatting on the way back to the house after picking them up.

Grandpa Jinks:   "Did you recognize me at the airport with my hat and eye patch on?"

Lincoln:  "No, I thought you were an old man with a tall nose!"