Gifts from Daddy

The kids and Daddy Saturday night getting their webkinz and hugs.

Watching Daddy be silly. Sam is very happy about his rhino and Pheenie checks out her hug.

Cloth hugs are nice but nothing beats the real thing!

Adding the new webkinz to our account and Sam reading to Pheenie while Daddy packs.

Our come home soon cake and kisses....Sam got a new playstation controller on the last day of school, notice it has the Yankee logo on it and he is very happy.

As you all know Jeff left Sunday morning very early, and first and foremost we want to thank Grandma and Grandpa for helping him get there and helping us through the very tough day. I couldn't have done it by myself even if I did drive, that's for certain. These pictures are from the last two days we had Daddy here at home. He was supposed to have the whole last week off but the Army decided on the day of the farewell picnic (last picture and really worth making it larger to see just how many soldiers we are sending from NJ. That's them in the formation.) that he would be working all week. He did get to take Tuesday off to be with Sam when he got his awards so I guess I should be thankful they let him do that at least. Still it ruined a lot of the plans we had for the last week and so we ended up having to squeeze in chores and playtime. The kids were great about understanding that packing and last minute projects did have to get done and poor Jeff didn't get more then 4 hours sleep in those last two days because he was trying so hard to get things done when the kids were sleeping so that he could be with them when they were awake. Friday was Litha (summer solstice) and we had our ritual and a meal out in the backyard. The last picture of Seraphina she is helping make the sweet sunshine bread and not enjoying the sticky dough on her hands. Pheenie helped me make the feast and Sam and Daddy played a video game they had been trying to beat most of the day (though it remains unbeaten). Saturday we did some work in the house, Jeff brought down a years worth of holiday stuff and moved it downstairs so I wouldn't have to get in the attic and the kids could still put up the holiday stuff, Jeff had some last minute packing to do and we took the kids for dairy queen. I am ashamed to say Sam ate a banana split for dinner, Pheenie a chocolate shake (though I did also make them eat grilled cheese too) but one time won't kill them and if this doesn't merit breaking the rules then nothing in life will. After ice cream Jeff gave the kids their own hugs from Daddy and a webkinz doll. If you aren't familiar with webkinz they are computer pets that you play games with and design rooms for etc. You have to do something with them daily to keep them healthy and the games are all educational so it's a pretty good website for kids. The way it works your doll comes with a code you enter and then the computer version of your stuffed animal lives in your webkinz world. Between the 2 of them they now have 18 webkinz but these last two are a way for them to feel like they are playing with Daddy and as you can see in the pictures they were very happy to get them. (I think Rhino and Pink Dragon might still be on the gift list so if they are and you were thinking about a birthday coming up don't get him the Rhino) Jeff puts Sam on his shoulders and they go running off while Sammy yells "charge like a rhino" so of course when he saw they now have a rhino he had to have it. Thus the rhino is named Chargey. Pheenie named her pink dragon pinky dragon and she just liked her because she was pink. (she has all of the pink series webkinz now and the monkey and gorilla too) This week is probably going to be the toughest one for them as they are getting used to the idea of Daddy not being here. Pheenie keeps asking where he is and when he will be home and Sam is pretty much just not talking though he is doing a lot of the things that he usually does with his dad and he has written in his journal I noticed, so I'm just trying to let him work through it as he needs to. As for myself I am just trying to make things as normal as I can for them. It's tough because as a Virgo I tend to want to analyze things and I am working hard to fight that urge and just let them deal with this as they feel they need to instead of forcing them to "talk it out". The atmosphere in the house is a little depressed and probably will be for a few days at least. Of all the days for the Yankees to have no game, we went the whole month of April with only 1 day off and now when we need the distraction we have no game. Oh almost forgot it appears our "punchy" (groundhog) was not a he as this morning Sam and I woke to find two little grey babies with her in the yard. I wanted to get a picture of them but Bella barked and they scattered. I will keep trying and if I do I will post it, but now it appears we have "a family of punchy's" as Sam said.
I want to thank everyone for thinking of us and praying for Jeff. It's so weird to know that we will be going this long without seeing him. Jeff and I have been apart for a year before (when we were house hunting/selling the UT house etc.) but it didn't seem that hard because we didn't actually know it would be that long when we started out and it wasn't a scary bad place he was in (yeah the Utah house was in a bad neighborhood but I think it looks like park ave in comparison) Sam was also so young he didn't really understand time in the ways they do now. Seraphina might not completely understand what is going on but she does enough to know it's not good and Sam completely understands. It's times like these that I truly appreciate my fur babies who have been glued to my side (or lap if I'm sitting) for the last week and anyone who says they don't understand human emotion doesn't truly understand the love they give. We will get through this tough time because we are loved and only hope that we let all of you know how much you are loved as well.