July Update

Since it's been so long I will go back to July.
Justin arrived home on July 28th. We were so very excited to finally have him home. Our wonderful neighborhood wanted to help welcome him home.
This is the entrance to our community.


The sign on our house.


We lined the street with flags. When we were arrived home Justin was greeted by about 50+ people lining the street and clapping their hands for him. This was such an emotional homecoming. I started to cry when I saw all the people there(that is why there is no picture of that.) I think his eyes filled up with tears as well.
We are so very lucky to live in such a wonderful place surrounded by wonderful people. If it wasn't for the kindness of the people around me I don't know how the kids and I would have survived. It was very hard to leave Washington and all the support we had there. I was naive about how difficult it was going to be the second time around. I have never been one to ask anybody for anything, and if I do ask then that means I really do need help. Living here, I have not had to ask. My friends really stepped up and helped us out. Sometime the smallest gestures mean the most when your going through such a difficult time. Just having someone call or ask how we're doing, or dropping by to chat for a few minutes helped tremendously.
I was dreading summer vacation...Big Time! All I could think about was how I was going to keep these guys entertained and their minds off the fact that daddy was gone. In June Justin asked his Aunt Nancy if one of the boys could come stay a week or so with her. He called me one afternoon and he was so incredibly touched by her response. She said, "I don't want just one of them, I want 2, and I want them for 2 weeks." I don't think the she knows how much that meant to us. At the time I was barely able to keep my head above water and she was offering to take 2 boys and keep them busy for 2 weeks. That meant I only had to worry about 3. No, problem. Three is a piece of cake compared to five. So, Brayden and Kyle went down to Florida and had the time of their life. They still talk about their trip and are looking forward to going back. We were so incredibly thankful for her. We will never forget her and Uncle Hank's kindness and support during Justin's deployment.