Unexpected family

I have to ask how many people actually tried to lick their elbow after my last post. I got several emails about attempts to do this and it just cracked me up. Frankly, Rachael’s still trying to do it. Do I need to put “do not try this at home” disclaimers on this site now?

With Peter gone, finding time to posts in the midst of all we have going on seems harder to find. There’s so much to tell, but by the time I’d normally sit down to post, I’m exhausted. Really, the kids and I are finding our groove in being alone. There are times I’d really like to be able to do the “Just wait til your dad gets home” bit, but it doesn’t have the same lingering threat when you say “Just wait til your dad gets home at the end of the month!” Ohhhh boy, are you scared??? I know we will both have totally forgotten this moment, but for right this second, are you feeling a little threatened? Even just a little bit?

I’m excited to tell you that my friend Tammy did something really tremendous. A while back she told me that she admired the hair bands and bows that Peyton wore…I mean, who didn’t, right? But she went so far as to learn how to make them and then put packages together so that we could hand them out to the little girls from the clinic and the Children’s Cancer Center. So many of these girls have no hair, little hair like Peyton or hair that’s just crazy because it’s still growing in and these little bows are precious!! They were all accepted with huge smiles and many were put immediately into hair. Girls I’d never seen wearing a single “hair pretty” were sporting colorful ribbons and bows, and that was so sweet to see. What a huge gift and we are all so thankful to Tammy for her thoughtfulness and generosity.

Something Tammy did as well is hand down some really nice clothes. Christmas outfits for Peyton and sitting on top of the pile was a leopard print leotard….topped by bright colorful boots with FROGS on them…and a frog raincoat. With a big grin, she admits that she put them in there knowing that our little fashion mistress would probably wear them together at some point and she couldn’t wait to see them. She saw them, she oohed and aaahed and then bright and early the next day she came out in her newest outfit…the leopard print leotard and green frog boots. Again with the question “Did she dress herself?” No…Tammy did.

Thursday night the kids and I headed down to the Children’s Cancer Center for our last family group night of the year. It was all about Christmas, our umpteenth Christmas party, and it was so much fun. Many families were there, waiting to see Santa and to celebrate again. We had a really good time, but in the middle of it all, I was missing Pete so bad. Watching the dads pick up the little ones so they could see Santa handing out presents, seeing them get down and play with the new toys, I knew that Pete was missing it as much as I was. I’m excited that Pete will be home late next week and be able to work from home so that he’ll be here for almost two weeks. I’m not even telling the kids how long he’ll be here or when he’s arriving, but they know he’s coming home and we are all just praying the days pass quickly.

Waiting anxiously for Santa to call her name

Yeah!! I made the “nice” list this year

I have friend that are military wives or have done this extended separation thing and they share their experiences with me and they are so right about some of the issues. They tell me to be prepared for some adjustment when Pete gets home because we’ve been working so hard to get into our groove, learning to do things by ourselves. I guess I’m getting used to just doing things without finding out if Pete can go or not, we leave whenever I’m ready to go, we just have our own schedule now and it’s working. I have to do all the punishing and rewarding, I have to make each decision on a day to day basis without Pete here to input and that’s so hard. I know that this separation is what we have to do, that he’s doing great at his new job and this adjustment period is good for him in his new job, but we are missing him, it’s harder in some ways and easier in others for us. Please keep us all in prayers, we’re learning our way through this.

Yesterday, something truly amazing happened! Peyton and I had the opportunity to go out to lunch with some friends from Brandon, one of which was Sherry Tucker. Sherry and I met because her son Zack was lost to cancer and she’s been a dedicated heart to helping families of pediatric cancer through her Giving Hope Through Faith foundation and funding research for a cure. I just love being with Sherry, and her daughter Lexi and Peyton have bonded in a special way. We’ve known each other for over a year now and although we’ve talked many times, we’d never shared a whole lot about where we grew up or our childhoods. We’re sitting there, telling what we’re doing for the holidays and Sherry tells me that her family is going up to Indiana after Christmas. I knew they were from Indiana and I told her that we were going up in the spring for my grandfather’s 90th birthday party. She asked me where I’m from in Indiana and I explained how she’s probably never heard of it, it’s such a tiny, quiet non-heard-of town called Fairbanks.

Sherry eyeballs almost fell out of her head because we figured out that not only is she FROM Fairbanks…population 300 on a good day…but after talking to our parents, we found out that our parents knew each other in school, our grandparents were close friends and…are you sitting down?….we are related!!! Way down the line, her grandmother and my great-grandmother were first cousins. HELLO! I could not believe it, I still have a hard time comprehending all of this. I get to be related to Sherry and her family! That’s so very cool. Lexi and Peyton are actually cousins, and that’s just mind-boggling.

We keep our many friends who are battling cancer and those who hold them dear in our constant prayers. I hope that you are as well.

f.r.o.G…fully relying on God
—Anissa