Please & Thank You



If you've been following the news lately, you'd know that last week, 7 U.S. soldiers were killed by their Afghan counterparts. I haven't heard of any further in the last few days, so I am praying, please Lord, for the safety of our soldiers and no more attacks like this on U.S. soldiers. Josh is working alongside Afghan Army soldiers, and some of these are friendly and dedicated...most are not. It is beyond frustrating to know people who are supposed to be their allies and partners have those among their ranks who seek to harm Americans, or even their own Afghan countrymen. How in the world are you supposed to trust these people in order to accomplish your mission? I just pray God surrounds Josh and his team, and all my friends' deployed husbands, with a wall of guardian angels and that he brings them home without incident. I know he can, and I'm so very thankful for everyone around the world who is keeping these guys in their prayers. Shortly after an attack where one of our 2-502 soldiers was wounded, Josh posted this picture. I can't tell you how happy I was to see this smile. Despite the stress,

anger and frustration he must feel, this is still my guy -

one who is so great with kids :)

Waverly now says "Dada" when she sees Josh's pictures around the house or when we FaceTime with him. Can't tell you how adorable and how much it kills me that the only way she gets to interact with him is through a plastic screen. She's becoming much steadier on her legs and we all think she'll be walking within a month or so. She's quite the handful though...if she doesn't want to do something, she lets you know, and she is SO squirmy. Always wanting to get down and walk. I'll be so glad when she can do it herself, as much as I want her to stay small and not mobile except for her crawling, it'll be better for my back. ;) I look forward to the day when she walks towards her Dada, freshly arrived from Afghanistan. That is what gets me through these difficult days. Unless she decides to be shy and hide her head in my shoulder - which is also cute - but I think she'll adjust just fine to having her Dad back. Cannot wait for that. Lord willing he will be home in plenty of time for Christmas festivities.

If you read this, please just keep Josh and his team, and all our soldiers in your prayers. Especially this last week of Ramadan, when things might get even more sticky. Thank you to those who do pray for him, and for Waverly and I.



Ups & Downs

Almost a month since my last post...full of ups and a few momentary downs. Ups being that Uncle Markie joined us in California a few weeks ago, and we've really enjoyed having him around! Waverly warmed up to him right away, and now I'm pretty sure he's her new favorite person. She loves to look at him while she plays, give him low fives, and tries to grab his face during dinner. It's so cute. I'm glad she gets to be around my dad and him so that when Josh comes home she is still comfortable around guys. She's also gotten so much better with new people - no more crying - and has been great in the church nursery the past few times. It seems like such a milestone for her to be at ease around new people...it seemed like I'd never feel okay leaving her with someone else that wasn't family. I still don't, but if she's not crying I feel way better about it!

Another milestone was getting her two bottom teeth - within a few days of each other. She was fairly good during this phase...cranky a little bit and woke up super early in the morning, but overall no horrible fussiness or drooling. It is funny how pointy and sharp those teeth are! She's our little Sharkie. She also has gotten better at standing on her own and loves to stand up in her crib, by her music table, and by the couch...she's figuring out how to move along these objects. Love to see her growing and learning.

Some of the downs have come from now having no real idea of when Josh will be home. It's an emotional roller coaster - sometimes we think it could be early, sometimes it's the full 9 month deployment, which would be the longest we have ever been apart without some sort of mid-tour leave (7 months in). We were hoping to go to Lynchburg together for Christmas and enjoy the holidays together, but now we just don't know. It's hard to get your brain into gear for a February/March return when you've been hoping for a December return. We will see what happens in the next few months, but I guess we kind of knew when he left there wasn't a definite time frame for their return. There are still things going on over there and an attack on a friend's FOB is a reminder to constantly keep him and our 2-502 soldiers in my prayers. We love him so much and just can't wait to have him home safely.