A Moment in Time

With our time in NC coming to an end, I spent most of the day reflecting on the past two months and what a fantastic vacation the boys and I have had. We've driven across the mid-west to the east coast, making stops in corn country Iowa, Indianapolis, Indiana and the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. We've taken trips to the beach, the zoo, Lazy 5 Ranch, various parks and the NC Aquarium. Weekend trips have been made to Raleigh and Charlotte, doing lots of shopping and watching some football! Great time has been spent with old friends and attending family gatherings. With one week to go, we still have a Day Out with Thomas at the train station, a Catawba football game and a night or two at the Rowan County Fair.

During this time, Cruz has cut four teeth, mastered sitting up, drinking from a bottle and then a sippy cup and was successfully weaned after 5 weeks! Zane's vocabulary has grown so much, he's begun potty training and is falling less and now running at full speed. As for me, I finally got some much-needed rest and "me" time, started eating healthier and spent lots of one-on-one time with my babies and my mom. Boy, we have been busy!!

I know I won't fully appreciate this time until it's all over and too late, but I'm so thankful for these memories and moments during such a stressful moment in our lives. I'm not happy for the root cause of this vacation (deployment), but I'm extremely happy that I've been able to come back to NC..my home. I think somewhere deep down, I didn't realize just how badly I missed being here. Above all else, I failed to realize how much I've missed my family. I have had the pleasure of watching my mom take on the grandmother role and I am reminded of just how much I loved spending time with my grandma when I was young. My boys have truely fallen in love with their "maw-maw" and it's comforting to know that they will have someone to turn to when they need that extra loving care or when they need a little spoiling! My mom has helped refocus my attention on the importance of enjoying the moment at hand, not to sweat the small stuff and that acting silly is the best medicine! I've sat in the familiar sights, sounds and smells of my own grandma's house and watched her play the piano with my two-year-old, just as she has done with me many years ago. I can't fully explain the feeling, but I thank God for showing me what an important time this is in my life.