Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

So right after our trip to DC, Trek had to leave for SOS Training in Alabama.  He's only a 12 hour drive away, & in in a safe area, but it's still SO difficult having your better half away from you.  I always hate it when he has to leave.  It's so hard on the kids.

So far Craiger refuses to leave my side & screams the minute we pull into the church parking lot every Sunday.  Daddy always takes him to Nursery & he just can't handle having mom take him instead.  He is like a cat being forced in a bathtub.  He grabs the sides of the door farm & you have to push & shove to get him in a room with TOYS, SNACKS, GAMES, & FUN.  I just don't get it.

Then Bladen has developed a nervous tick since Trek left.  He growls.  Yup.  Growls.  He'll be sitting there happy as a jaybird & then all of a sudden:

"growl!"

He doesn't even realize he's doing it.

Cadence & Taya seem to be taking daddy being gone quite well.  They never seem to have too much of a problem with it.  They occasionally cry, but for the most part they are happy & keep me smiling.

And then there's Lorien. . . oh Lorien.  She breaks my heart.  About 3 days after Trek left, I pulled this picture out of her backpack.

She's doing better now that we're past the month mark, but it's been a rough month for her.  She does really well as long as she gets to talk to Trek on the phone every night.  She's great though.  She makes sure that we write letters & make packages for daddy every Monday night so he always knows we love & miss him.

As for me, I have my ups & my downs; days where I accomplish more than I could imagine was even possible & days where I mope around the house & do absolutely nothing.  And you know what?  That's okay.  I will admit to one thing though.  I've never been so well taken care of in my life.  Trek's had TDY's on & off the entire time we've been married, but I've never had so many people rally around me.  I have an amazing support system here in VA.  It makes me happy.  Two days after Trek left somebody had flowers delivered to me:

Since then I've had several people offer to watch the kids while I do things, I've had dinners brought over when I was sick with Pneumonia (yes, of course I'd get Pneumonia when Trek leaves), people have brought over cookies & treats, tonight someone is taking ALL of us out to dinner with their family, & we even had a sweet couple take all our kids to the Frozen Sing Along movie this last weekend.  During the huge snowstorm, I had a friend bring over a bag full of popcorn, hot cocoa, coloring books, crayons, & activities for the kids to do once we were snowed in.  On Sunday people offer to take my baby with them so I can teach music to the kids.  It's just been amazing.  I've never felt so loved in my life.  I appreciate everyone SO much.

So we're hanging in there.  It's slow going, but now that it's February & we have 3 birthdays it should fly by.  Trek comes home sometime in March so let the countdown to the end begin!