Boot Camp Graduation Weekend

What an amazing weekend!!! We arrived in Great Lakes, IL Thursday evening. On the way to the hotel I got a call from Zachary saying that he was through with his battle stations and he was now a sailor! At that point he had been up for 36 hours. We were able to talk for about 30 minutes and he told me where he would be standing during the ceremony. We had to be at the Recruit Training Command Friday morning at 6:30am and graduation was at 9. We made it into the drill hall by 7:45 and the remaining hour and fifteen minutes were long. The moment they rolled up the big doors and we saw our sailors in their dress blues begin to march in was very emotional. I will never forget it!! Then to finally spot Zachary well that made my heart skip a few beats. I could tell when he noticed where we were sitting too because he got a little smile on his face. The ceremony itself lasted about an hour and a half and when they finally announced liberty I could not get down there fast enough. The hard part was keeping track of where Zachary was because there were over 800 sailors all trying to find family. But when I did see him and finally got to wrap my arms around him the there were many tears of joy. Honestly I can't even explain how I was feeling. It was just unbelievable that we had finally made it to this point and we were reunited again. When Emily first say her daddy she kinda looked at him a little funny and then realized that daddy was standing right in front of her and then she just wanted him to hold her. She couldn't get enough of him all weekend. Zachary wanted to get out of there fast she we didn't stand around much. We took him back to the hotel so he could put on civilian clothes again and just relax. His only request was to be able to take a nap and have Taco Bell and eat it very slowly. So Friday that is what we did. Because his division was first overall they got to stay out an extra hour. He needed to be back to the base by 9 each night. Saturday we went into Chicago and went down to the Navy Pier. We enjoyed Bubba Gumps for lunch and then back to the hotel for more nap time. Sunday was just another day to relax in the hotel and spend time with him before taking him back to the Training Center. I loved just sitting around hearing the many stories he had to tell. Dropping him off Sunday night was by far harder than dropping him off when he left for boot camp. I have no idea when I will see him again and have no answers about where we will be stationed or if I will be with him while he is in A school. He is suppose to leave for Pensacola November 18 and school is suppose to start December 1st. But with the military you just never now if it will happen or not. As soon has he arrives there he will start figuring out how to get Em and I there to live with. I pray that it will be soon!!!
Even though these last few months have been incredibly hard for both of us we are confident that we are where the Lord wants us to be. And hearing Zachary talk this weekend just reassured that for me. I am so thankful for a loving God centered husband. I have never been so proud of anyone as I am him. For him to go through this for our family is just amazing and I am grateful that he wants the best for us. I am so blessed to have him as a husband.

Pumpkin Spice Playdo

I found a recipe for pumpkin spice playdo awhile ago and thought it would be fun to try. I love this time of year! It was cold and overcast today and I thought it would be a great day for it. So I made a batch of playdo for Em and some hot chocolate for me (a pumpkin spice latte would have been perfect but Starbucks was too far away) and we sat down and played for quite some time. She loved it and it smelled so good. Not like the typical playdo smell. She even decided that it would be fun to take a nap on the playdo. It was a great fall craft!
Zachary update~ In his last letter he said that he had the flu. He had a root canal last monday but said his mouth is still hurting. He said that all in all things have gotten better but he can't say he likes it. Only 5 more sleeps until we see him. I am beyond excited. The night before will be like a little kid on Christmas Eve. I am sure I will not be able to sleep.

Snap, Crackle, Pop Rice Krispies

Once again my amazing sister whipped up these adorable costumes for the girls. I must say they are pretty cute. Emily's first time trick or treating was a success. I didn't really prep her before hand on what she was suppose to do and at the first house when the guy answered the door she welcomed herself into his house. I realized I maybe should have told her not to go into strangers houses and just stand at the door. She got the hang of it real quick though and was excited every time someone put candy in her bag. She was quick to say a BIG Thank You and would came running back to me and say mommy I got more candy. Alicia and Neil live in a great neighborhood that is just perfect for trick or treating. There are just enough houses for a toddler and she received just enough candy that mommy can enjoy some too :)
Zachary update ~ The letters that I have received as of late are sounding more positive than in the beginning. I am not saying he likes it but right now it is bearable and the end is very close. He was one of 24 chosen out of 600 to receive a military bearing award. I wasn't sure what military bearing was so I looked it up and it basically means they behave with a certain decorum and discipline. They adhere to the utmost levels of honor, duty, and professionalism in whatever they do. He had an interview with some higher ups and if he is chosen he will have breakfast with the admirals. He was also transfered from dental yeoman to yeoman over his whole division. We are down to 11 sleeps until we are reunited and I am beyond excited!!!!

Pumpkin Patch '09

The pumpkin patch this year was a lot of fun. I was surprised when Emily said that she actually wanted to go in and pet all the baby animals. But I figured for $1 we didn't have much to loose. She thought the baby goats were really cute and kept wanting to hold them. They kept nibbling at her fingers and clothes and she would say mom they are tickling me. She spent a good portion of the time in there. After we were done with the animals we headed to the pumpkin patch to find the perfect one. She tried to pick up many that were just too big and finally found one that was just right. There was also a crate of squash and she picked one of those as well but she calls it her banana.
Zachary update~ I receive letters from Zachary once a week. I look forward to that day so much. Last Saturday I received a call from him and is was so wonderful to hear his voice. He had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled and today was scheduled for a root canal. He said it wasn't actually that bad and got to get some rest afterwards. We are down to 17 sleeps until graduation. That day can't come soon enough! He is scheduled to go to Pensacola after boot camp for 21 weeks. Really hoping and praying that Emily and I can move there shortly after him. Should be a big change from Northern California!

It's a Blustery Day

I love days like today. It is cold, rainy and windy. It is the perfect day for homemade soup and delicious chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven. The girls and I were home by ourselves so we decided to bake. They were such great little helpers. Each taking turns pouring stuff in the bowl and stirring. There were many sneaky little bites of the dough as well. Em was trying everything from the brown sugar, flour and even licked some egg off her hand. (yuck!) They watched the cookies baking in the oven and were eager to have one after lunch.

Zachary update~ I have received 2 letters from Zachary but no phone call yet. I really really want to hear his voice. He is very homesick so please keep him in your prayers. He was able to go to church the last 2 Sunday's and that lifted his spirits. He is the AROC for his division. Not sure what that stands for but he sings the cadence while marching. His RDC's told him that he has a great voice and that has helped build his self esteem a little. He also got the "position" of dental Yeoman. He likes it because each evening he gets to take a 20 minute walk to the dental office to do some paper work. He said that it is 20 minutes that no one is yelling at him. We are down to one month from today until we see him. We have all our tickets booked and I can hardly wait to see my Sailor!!!! What a wonderful day that will be!!!

Scrapbook Retreat

This past weekend I had the chance to go to a scrapbook retreat again. My friend and I actually ran the whole thing. Other than the set-up, getting the meals prepared and take-down we got to scrap the whole time. It was wonderful!! Here are a few layouts that I did.

We are still set to close on our house on the 30th of September. Can't wait to be finally done with it all. We are getting the last of the big stuff today and taking it to storage. Emily is doing pretty well with daddy being gone. Emily loves her daddy videos and asks to watch them every day. The other day she said to my sister "do you know where my daddy at"? And as proud as she could say she told her "booot camp" Counting down the days until we can be together again.

Saying Goodbye

Well the day finally arrived and I was really wishing that I could just skip over this particular day. The fact that Zachary was leaving didn't actually hit me until Sunday afternoon then whenever I thought about it I would just cry. Em and I took him to the recruiters office today and hung out for a bit before we said our final goodbye. Emily really didn't understand what was going on and when we left she just wanted to know where Daddy was going and said that she wanted to go back and see him. Then this afternoon while we were getting a Jamba she told a complete stranger that her daddy was at boot camp. Zachary made Emily some videos of him singing, reading and praying and today we watched one of him singing and she loved it. She sang right along with him and did the motions too. I think she is a little confused because normally we video chat with people on the computer and she thought she could just talk to her daddy.
On top of Zachary leaving today we are having to deal with some unexpected house stuff and it is really stressing me out. I am so thankful I am able to talk to him today to figure stuff out. I just so want to be done with the house and not worry about it anymore. I am hoping next week Emily and I will be all moved into my sisters and we can have our routine back to a little more normal. These next 9 weeks should be incredibly hard but I am trying to plan some fun stuff for us to do that make the days go by a little faster. Zachary bought Emily a little Navy teddy bear and he gave it to her yesterday. She loves her new little friend and has taken him everywhere with us today. He also surprised me and bought me a beautiful locket. I am going to miss him like crazy and can't wait to see him at his graduation.